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We have a shakeup in the rankings this week, though the shift comes in the middle rather than at the top. The Amazing Race keeps seeing the fun teams eliminated leaving us with a bunch of really boring people other than our top two – which is probably why the show has focused almost exclusively on them for the first three episodes. The next leg promises a Double U-Turn, and you can be sure that it will be used poorly by at least one team, probably…

1. Tanner & Josh (#TeamTexas)
Tanner & Josh continue to fixate on Justin (though not Diana, which tells you a lot about #TeamTexas). Once again the two teams jockeyed (get it? Ha ha!) for the top spot, with the guys winning by just the tiniest margin. Tanner has stated that they’re going to U-Turn Justin during the next leg, even going so far as to say that they’ll use their Express Pass if they have to. Look, the guys have to use the Express Pass sometime within the next two legs, so we suppose it’s not the worst strategy ever to U-Turn a team you think is competitive. Here’s the problem. If they U-Turn Justin & Diana, the two of them will just U-Turn a team who is behind them. And given the way the race has been going so far, there’s no reason to think there won’t be several teams behind them.

#TeamTexas has been really tough so far, but you can tell that they’re demoralized that they’re not dominating the other teams the way they had expected to. They’re not prone to making mistakes (which puts them head and shoulders above most of the competition), but the once the promise of the passed on Express Pass is gone, people are going to start gunning for them every bit as much as Justin has been. Let’s see how they handle the race when that happens.

2. Justin & Diana (#TheGreenTeam)
If we had to choose the team most likely to win the Race, it would be Justin & Diana. Justin is definitely an in-your-face kind of contestant, but his sometimes overwhelming personality is nicely offset by Diana, who might be the most patient woman in the world. When he berates himself for mistakes in a challenge, she’s super supportive, and her level-headedness will go far in keeping them in the Race. Justin’s competitiveness and skill with strategy provides a perfect complement. It’s also telling that they’re not nearly as obsessed with Tanner & Josh as #TeamTexas is with them.

And when it comes right down to it, if either #TeamTexas or #TheGreenTeam ends up as the last team to arrive, there’s no way The Amazing Race isn’t giving them a reprieve in the form of a non-elimination leg. They risk hemorrhaging viewers if either team goes – and the show is a big bunch of “Who cares?” if they’re both eliminated. Let’s be honest. There’s these two teams – and there’s the rest.

3. Logan & Chris (#ThePaparazzi)
They’re only in the third spot by virtue of the fact that they are the only remaining upper-tier team that didn’t make a terrible mistake last week. We still know that there’s a potential for a blowup between these two. It’s probably more a matter of when than if.

4. Kelsey & Joey (#TheReporters)
The news anchors continued to be boring during the last leg, but it served them pretty well. We do know that Kelsey is not impressed by cute puppies and that Joey has some skills in the kitchen. They saw the biggest improvement amongst all the teams, and they’re actually probably the biggest threat to the big two simply by virtue of the fact that they get along magnificently and don’t commit stupid mistakes.

5. Jazmine & Danielle (#TheTrackStars)
Middle of the pack is probably about right for these two, although there’s a steep drop-off from them to team number six. They rebounded in the third leg, and though they do seem slightly prone to errors, they’re nowhere near as scattered as the three teams at the bottom of these power rankings. Their cohesiveness as friends and their competitiveness as athletes will be an advantage as the herd is culled.

6. Denise & James Earl (#TeamAlabama)
We knew it would only be a matter of time before Denise & James Earl started to self-destruct. Last week was that time. Denise carps on James Earl relentlessly, which is pretty annoying given that he would probably be great on The Amazing Race with any other partner. Unfortunately, his mother damages his calm at every turn. She also committed the faux pas of shouting out instructions during a Roadblock

7. Cindy & Rick (#ChacAttack)
Two bad legs in a row means you go straight to the (almost) bottom of the list. If #TheDancers (Ernest & Jin) hadn’t been so far behind that they were guaranteed to lose, Cindy & Rick would have been in real danger of being eliminated due to their oversight in not picking up their carriage whip as the instructions required. They’re less inclined to fight with each other than some of the other teams, but they so far are lacking the attention to detail that is critical for a deep run in the Race.

8. Tiffany & Krista (#TheCheerleaders)
They’re the Rodney Dangerfield of the group. No respect, I tell you. Anyway, they so badly want to prove to the world that they’re smart and athletic and so much more than just stereotypical cheerleaders. Unfortunately, the editors have not been kind to Tiffany & Krista. So far, they seem ditzy and prone to mistakes and bad judgment. Since they’ve been stuck at the bottom on every leg and manage to just hang around because of the misfortunes of others, their luck has probably just about run out.