Watching Reality TV

Wow, for being a double episode, last night’s “Amazing Race” was amazingly dull. Bummer. I think since teams like Rob and Amber went home, the pizazz went out of the season. Or, perhaps the season was doomed before it started, to suffer a fate not unlike that of “Amazing Race: Family Edition”. We started off in Mozambique, where we left off, and the teams headed to Warsaw, Poland. Because that’s probably the exact opposite of Mozambique and as you can imagine, traveling to Poland is a bit difficult. Charla and Mirna, Danny and Oswald and the BQ’s all gathered at a travel agency to purchase their tickets and after some snippy maneuvering, off they went. Once in Warsaw, there was a Detour where teams had to pick between Perfect Pitch and Perfect Angle. One involved x-raying a male mannequin and the other involved tuning a grand piano. Most of the teams wisely chose Perfect Pitch, though Charla and Mirna chose Perfect Angle and lugged the mannequin around town. Results with both tasks had mixed success. The important thing is, the BQ’s rocked Perfect Pitch and moved way ahead of the competition. Meanwhile, the teams at the back of the pack were having considerable difficulty getting to Warsaw. Knowing myself like I do, I know that is what would drive me the craziest. Airport stress is the worst sort of travel stress there is.

All we need to know about this leg, is that the BQ’s came in first at the pitstop and were confident that they would be winning “Amazing Race” this time around. Don’t speak too soon! The teams were so spread apart, that the BQ’s departed the pitstop before the last teams had even checked in. YOW! Bill and Joe, the Guidos, checked in last but it was a non-elimination leg, lucky for them. The next leg started off with a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the concentration camp where over a million people were murdered by the Nazi regime back during World War 2. This obviously had a sobering effect on the teams, and some of them had a hard time shaking the gloom of it afterward. I imagine that visiting such a place would be extremely humbling. Afterward, the teams come across an Intersection, where two teams need to work together to finish the task. Lucky for them, Uchenna and Joyce and Danny and Oswald happen upon the Intersection first and at the same time. They run off to work together. The BQ’s, who showed up just behind them, had to wait four hours for the next team, Charla and Mirna, to catch up and work with them.

Even luckier for Uchenna and Joyce and Danny and Oswald, they are able to complete the Fast Forward which catapults them past a nasty bulk eating task and directly to the pitstop, hours and hours ahead of the other teams. The rest aren’t so lucky. The other teams need to eat, eat, eat. Each person must eat two feet of sausage. And I don’t think we’re talking Hillshire Farms Polska Kielbasa, either. The last four teams are all there at the same time, racing to finish first. Unfortunately for the Guidos who are marked for elimination, they are paired with Eric and Danielle and both of them have trouble finishing the sausage in a timely manner. Charla has difficulty as well, so the teams essentially leave that task at about the same time. What next? A roadblock which requires one person dress up in a suit of armor and lead a horse through the woods to a castle gate. Piece of cake, right? Guess who has to dress up? Charla, of course! I kept wondering where they found armor to fit her. She had trouble walking in the armor (and falling over) and leading the enormous horse. Mirna helpfully followed along and berated her cousin. Mirna, I feel I must mention, was in particularly poor form last night. She was horrible to Charla and even worse to the locals. ELIMINATE THESE GOOBERS, please! It wasn’t to be last night, as they finished ahead of the Guidos and Eric and Danielle (but not ahead of the BQ’s). And, because they were marked for elimination, the Guidos were eliminated. Boo!

If next week’s episode doesn’t see Charla and Mirna going home, I may have to start a revolution or something.

The big news from last night’s “Amazing Race: All Stars” is not who was eliminated, but rather, who came in first. Again. This is proof positive that there is a giant rift in the universe. And I think that rift is HUNGRY. We must feed it with the blood of Charla and Mirna, lest we get swallowed whole ourselves. Am I right? So yeah, Charla and Mirna came in first yet again. I hesistate to mention that I found them less annoying last night. If I did, you might mistake my meaning and think that I actually like them which I DO NOT. Actually, you know who I love? Oswald and Danny. They are just downright adorable. I loved their interaction with Charla and Mirna on the Dhow to Zanzibar. And they’re just so danged relaxed all the time, its hard not to be charmed by them.

The airport was a nightmare on this leg, and is in large part why Charla and Mirna remained in first place. The cousins took a risky move by flying to Johannesberg in South Africa and then trying to find a good connection to Tanzania. The other teams soon found out how good a plan that actually was when their own flights were booked solid. Truthfully, moving to a larger airport the way Charla and Mirna did is a very good strategy. You’re going to have far better luck at a larger airport than at a smaller one. Unfortunately for Teri and Ian, the Guidos and Eric and Danielle, they got stuck in Johannesberg. And then there were two, as Eric and Danielle got lucky and got onto a flight that the other two teams were unable to get on. This put the Guidos and Teri and Ian almost a whole day behind the leaders. Ouch!

What I loved, is how even though Danny and Oswald were ahead of Charla and Mirna after the Detour, they decided to stop for fruit, giving Charla and Mirna the lead. And Charla and Mirna went on to win first place for the leg (and won a pair of catamarans, which is ironic considering how seasick Charla got on the dhow over to Zanzibar). I think Danny and Oswald did that on purpose, to be honest. I think they wanted Charla and Mirna to come in first. There are any number of reasons they could have wanted it. I’m sure it’s genius, whatever it is.

In the end, Uchenna and Joyce need not worry. Even with their thirty minute penalty for not coming in first they still managed to come in third place with no team sneaking in while they had to wait. Teri and Ian were ultimately eliminated, as the Guidos easily finished the puzzle Detour ahead of them. However, I don’t think the Guidos are out of the woods quite yet because at the start of the next leg, they are significantly behind the other teams. So we’ll see how that works out for them next week. I hope there’s some bunching, because I don’t think the Guidos should go just yet.

It happens so rarely on a show like “The Amazing Race” that I’m surprised as much as I was by last night’s episode. When you’re in your umpteenth season, you’re pretty formulaic and save for a shocking elimination or two (grr… still upset about Rob and Amber going home), chances are nothing is going to be a shock. So it’s rather nice when you can still find yourself surprised while watching, right? Here’s what surprised me about episode 5 of last night’s “Amazing Race: All Stars”.

• What a pig Eric actually is. I mean, I had an inkling after Episode 3 where he told Danielle to use her big boobs in the Roadblock task and generally made some piggy remarks about her that offended ROB of all people. But last night he was downright awful. My “favorite” was him getting pissed at Danielle when the Guidos beat her to the mat at the pitstop and he heckled her about getting beaten by the “Queens.” Oh yes he did. Is it possible that I’m feeling sorry for Danielle? Yes. Is it possible I feel some amount of vindication for rooting for the Hippies during Eric’s season of the show when no one else liked them and wanted the Frat Boys to win? Yes.
• How amusing the Roadblock where giant rats had to indicate where to dig was. And how tickled I was at Teri and Ian’s rat’s name being Tupac. You’d think I would have been grossed out, but I was charmed instead.
• How imbalanced the Detour was. Let’s see, haul tons of coal around or paint nails. Hmm. Teams that picked the nails finished quickly and easily. Not so much for the coal. Were the teams afraid to have to approach locals, you think? Did the producers take that fear into acccount when they set up the challenges?
• The BQ’s coming in second was less surprising than the fact that I… don’t think they’re actually that bad. Seriously! I’m warming up to them. They were so cute during the Detour, interacting with the locals. And giving that little girl a free manicure because she didn’t have money but wanted pretty nails… SO cute. And I love how they shrugged it off, saying, “Her nails were so tiny, it only took a minute.” Aww. Dare I say I’m sorta enjoying them this season? You know what that means, they’ll be eliminated next week.
• Oswald and Danny were hilarious this episode. I loved how Oswald chased Phil around at the pitstop mat, threatening to hug him. Good times.
• Charla and Mirna came in FIRST. FIRST. They came in FIRST. This is where I started to wonder if we’d taken a major detour to Bizarro World. FIRST. That just ain’t right, people. This will give them the idea that a) they’re actually good at this race and b) they have a chance of winning. Which neither is at all true. Mirna SUCKS and I am not a fan of this team. I want them gone. HATE HATE HATE.
• Uchenna and Joyce came in LAST. LAST! I think this is a good indication of how messed up this entire leg was. Charla and Mirna come in first and Uchenna and Joyce come in last. We are definitely in Bizarro World now. Luckily, it’s Non-Elimination and while they’re Marked for Elimination next week, they’re still in it.

Am I still bitter about Rob and Amber being eliminated. Yep. But I was able to find some enjoyment in the episode last night. Next week, Eric gets kicked off a plane and I can only hope it’s because the airline discovered what an ass he is.

Wow. Just… wow. This morning, I sort of need to remind myself that last night’s episode of “Amazing Race: All Stars” actually happened and wasn’t some sort of dream. It just seems like such an unlikely outcome: the team who has come in first for all three of the previous episodes comes in last and is eliminated? Just… wow.

I know a lot of people can’t stand “Romber”, but I respect them as racers. Sure, they were arrogant and cocky and more often than not, a little mean to the other contestants. But I always felt they were mean within the boundaries of the show. They never were outrageously mean or arrogant.

Take last night for example. Towards the end, when it was apparent that Rob and Amber were in mortal peril, there was some scuffling with Charla and Mirna. Both were jockeying to get out of last place and Amber said, “Got it” when they passed Charla and Mirna on a trail. A trail that led to nowhere and certainly no clue box but they didn’t want Charla and Mirna to think that. Well of course this pissed them off pretty badly. But I felt it wasn’t that outrageous. Kinda immature, but I might have done something similar if I had found myself so close to last place.

It was just bad, bad luck for Rob and Amber last night. After some airport bunching, they chose the wrong Detour to work on. It required perfect spelling, which should have been an indication. Despite Amber wanting to switch tasks early on, Rob was determined to stick with it and couldn’t get past his misspelling of “Philippines”. Then, after finally switching tasks, they walked in the wrong direction simply because Rob felt he knew where they were supposed to go. He was wrong. Ultimately, the reality powerhouse duo was felled by a “needle in a haystack” Roadblock where Rob needed to find a letter addressed to him and Amber. Each team got a letter from a team they raced with on their respective season. Rob and Amber got a letter from Patrick and Susan. Remember them? The mother and son team where the son had decided before the race even started that he detested Rob and never let it go? Yeah, well, apparently he’s still an insufferable ass. Good to know.

Somehow Charla and Mirna and Uchenna and Joyce have decided that Rob and Amber coming in last is some large karmic payback from the universe. Which, doesn’t hold for me, but whatever. Speaking of insufferable. And while Mirna and Charla gloat over beating Rob and Amber, they take their loss as well as they can. They smile, laugh, and admit they had a really bad racing day. Rob is disappointed that he’s out of the game. Amber is glad they had this chance to work together again. In all, they went out on a good note. And… Charla and Mirna are STILL IN THE GAME. When is the universe gonna pay that one back, eh??

Amazing Race: All Stars, Amazing Race, Rob and Amber, Romber, Charla and Mirna, recap

I’m sorry I didn’t have a recap of last week’s episode. Can you believe that I forgot to record it again? What the heck is my problem? I have no idea, but obviously I’ve got one. All is resolved, however. I’ve finally set up my DVR to catch it, so I got to finally watch an episode on tv last night. Shocking, I know. And I’m going to talk about some of the highlights here with ya’ll.

• Charla and Mirna are out of control. The showdown that Mirna had at the counter with Teri was pretty ridiculous and almost uncomfortable to watch. Their sense of entitlement is pretty screwed up.
• The beauty queens aren’t really bugging me all that much this time around. And that kinda freaks me out.
• I did not enjoy David and Mary this time around. At all. Well, mostly Mary. She yells at her poor husband ALL THE TIME. She grated on my nerves virtually every time she was on the screen. I was very happy to see she and David were going home. Wow, what a difference a season makes, huh?
• The flat fish from the Roadblock freaked me out. Not to the extent it freaked out David and Danielle (who ever heard of being scared of fish??), but anything that flat with both eyes on one side of it’s head just ain’t right. I’m not sure what kind of fish it was, but I wouldn’t mind never seeing it again.
• During the Roadblock, Eric kept yelling at Danielle and telling her to use her enormous boobs to hold the fish down. And, get this, Rob thought those comments were distasteful. Wow, has marriage mellowed Rob?
• You know, a lot of people don’t like Rob and Amber but there’s a reason they keep coming in first place. They’re just darn good at this sort of thing. They have legitimate strategies, don’t care what the other teams think or what they’re doing and they focus. The other teams would be wise to take a page from their book. They’re racing a clean game, so far. Let’s see if they can keep it up.

Next week: Charla and Amber will butt heads. This cannot end well, people. I can’t even begin to guess who’ll come out on top on that one. My thought? Charla will look absurd and Amber will look confused (as will the rest of us).

Amazing Race All Stars, episode recap, David and Mary, Rob and Amber, Charla and Mirna, Eric and Danielle

I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t realize “Amazing Race: All Stars” premiered until sometime on Tuesday. I blame being out of town. Seeing as how excited I was for “All Stars”, I was devastated that I’d forgotten. That is, until I found the episode on YouTube. Thank you, YouTube! You just saved my bacon, yet again!

I thought it was a great episode, though the start felt a little “stilted” (in much the same way as the finale of last season felt rushed… due to one hour premiere instead of two, perhaps?). There was only one challenge and it wasn’t that hard of a challenge at that. But it was so good to see some of these old teams again. Kevin and Drew didn’t waste any time getting back to bickering. Rob and Amber were a bit full of themselves, but proved that if nothing else, they’re good at this sort of thing. Dave and Mary were reduced to giggling fanboys several times during the race. The teams traveled to Ecuador, to start the race. I don’t think they’ve been there before, have they?

Ultimately, John Vito and Jill were eliminated. Fair? Not entirely but not entirely unfair either. The poor team just couldn’t catch a break when it came to proper directions there at the end. They fell disastrously behind and were pretty devastated to be out of the game so soon. They’d be racing really well up until that point too. But, dare I say it, better them than Drew and Kevin because it’s just too soon to lose that duo. Rob and Amber came in first (of course) and won a vacation package to Whistler, Canada. Danny and Oswald came in second, with Teri and Ian kicking younger butt to come in third.

This next week? Looks good, so I will set my DVR to record or die trying. I can’t believe I forgot the first episode.

Rob and Amber Mariano are perhaps reality tv’s most famous and notorious couple. Both appeared in seperate seasons of “Survivor”, before going on to “Survivor: All Stars” where they fell in love. Then we were treated to watching their relationship grow on “The Amazing Race”. And who could forget “Rob and Amber Get Married”? Good times, good times. Now, we have even more Rob and Amber to love. Starting next month, the couple will appear in no less than two seperate reality tv shows. There’s “Rob and Amber: Against All Odds”, the show that profiles Rob’s desire to become a professional poker player. And, of course, there is “Amazing Race: All Stars” where we will once again get to see the couple race around the world. And if that weren’t enough for you, the couple is starting to think about having children. As Rob told OK! Weekly, “[We plan to start a family] not, like, tomorrow soon, but pretty soon.” I guess we should be surprised they haven’t had a child already. “I think it’s important when you get married to make you marriage as solid as possible and really enjoy each other before you introduce other family members,” said Amber.

So when the couple does decide to reproduce can we expect a reality special, “Rob and Amber Have a Baby?”

CBS has finally released the contestant list for “Amazing Race 11″, otherwise known as “Amazing Race: All Stars”. Interestingly enough? Only one team is a former winner of the Amazing Race. Executive producer Betram Van Munster explains, “they’re not necessarily the winners, but character-wise, they’re all-stars in our book.â€? One team didn’t even race together as a team during their season. That would be “Amazing Race 9″’s Eric Sanchez (of Eric and Jeremy fame) and Danielle Turner (of Danielle and Dani), who are currently dating. The rest of the contestants are as follows:

• “Amazing Race 1″ - Kevin O’Connor and Drew Feinberg
• “Amazing Race 1″ - Joe Baldassare and Bill Bartek
• “Amazing Race 2″ - Oswald Mendez and Danny Jimenez
• “Amazing Race 3″ - John Pietazna and Jill Aquilino
• “Amazing Race 3″ - Teri and Ian Pollack
• “Amazing Race 5″ - Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan
• “Amazing Race 7″ - Uchenna and Joyce
• “Amazing Race 7″ - Rob and Amber Mariano
• “Amazing Race 10″ - David and Mary Conley
• “Amazing Race 10″ - Dustin Seltzer and Kandice Pelletier

Interesting choices here. Some don’t surprise me at all. Some, I wish the producers had reconsidered. I feel like we JUST got rid of Dustin and Kandice, only to have them back on our screens. I’m very glad to see the return of Kevin and Drew. I hope they do well. What are your thoughts? Anyone left off you’d have liked to see? Any of these contestants you detest? (Rob and Amber don’t count.)

Also proving a challenge for the producers: keeping these contestants on their toes! They “had to throw [the teams] curveball after curveball, because they all thought they knew what we were doing again,” Van Munster told USA TODAY. The teams traveled 45,000 miles and the race spanned 28 days. Locations included a desert in northern Chile clear to Antarctica!

The show debuts Feb. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.

Amazing Race, Amazing Race All Stars, Rob and Amber Mariano, cast list, premiere date

I know I’m shocked, how about you?? It’s not like it hasn’t happened in five out of ten seasons (six, if you count the Linz’s and I do). I found the amazingly short (1 hour instead of the usual 2) finale of “Amazing Race 10″ to be sadly anti-climactic. There wasn’t a lot to challenge the teams on this race and it truly was more of a “hurry up and win” sort of deal than what I’ve actually come to expect from “Race”.

The only true challenges were in a sky-diving Roadblock over Omaha Beach in Normandy and in a fashion-nightmare variety Detour. But both of those seemed fairly tame by comparison and all three teams finished without much of a hitch (save for Rob grousing at Kimberly over her getting to do the sky-dive instead of him). The good news was getting to finish out the race in Paris (ooh la la) and New York City. But how hard was it to find… the Eiffel Tower? That church that’s still under construction that EVERYONE on the street knew exactly where it is? A modern art sculpture in the West Village? Pardon me while I yawn.

And yes, I was disappointed when the ‘Bama girls got stuck in Paris. Until then, it was anybody’s game and the girls were doing a great job at keeping up with the other teams (and making Rob’s eyes bug out, which is always a bonus). But fate was not on their side and they were shut out of an early flight to NYC that both Rob and Kim and the Models got on so that was that. We didn’t even SEE them until they came in third at the mat because at that point, they were just plain out of the game.

Rob and Kimberly almost had it too. But… their cab driver didn’t have an EZ-Pass. For those who don’t live in urban settings, where there are often tolls on the road, a driver can purchase an EZ-Pass allowing them to get through the tollbooth rapidly and with less counting of change. The Models’ cab driver did have an EZ-Pass so they were the first to get to this random setting 56 miles out of NYC (a school of some sort?) and thus, they were the first to finish and won the million dollars.

And in what I think is perhaps the HARSHEST of fake-outs, Phil tells the boys, “You’ve talked about the tough times you’ve had in the past, here’s your chance to celebrate one of the better times with your family right now.” And the Models excitedly scan the crowd, hoping to see their family before Phil tells them that NO, their families are NOT there, but hey, here’s a Sprint phone you can call them on. Ouch! Way to product-place there, Phil. But next time, CBS, maybe you should shell out to fly the families to the mat? Just a thought. Less pit-stop awards and more family at the mat. That’s all I’m sayin’.

So it’s over. Bah, humbug. I’m less than pleased. The Models ran a good race and I’m glad to see someone deserving win, blah blah blah. But the end was just less than exciting. But then, this whole season has been a little less than exciting. Of course, the show ended with a teaser promo about the All-Star Amazing Race that’s coming soon and I got all excited again. So there’s hope after all.

Not that long after we first became aware of their relationship, “Amazing Race 4″ winner Reichen Lehmkuhl and pop-artist Lance Bass have ended it. Perhaps it was the pressure of the public scrutiny? I know its not easy to be in a committed relationship in the fishbowl that is Hollywood. Of course, the death threats that they were getting couldn’t have helped either.

Either way, it’s truly a pity. I don’t like to see any relationship end and this has got to be rough for the couple. It seems to be getting harder and harder to have a lasting relationship in the public eye. Also, I may be a little late to the party, but what happened to Chip??

Over at “Ask the Reality TV Experts” on MSNBC.com, they’re taking nominations for a end-of-the-year reality TV round-up of sorts. Suggested categories include Dumbest Rule, Most Missed Show, Grossest Scene… but the sky is truly the limit and you are only hemmed in by your own creativity on this one. If you’re interested in taking part, just email them with your nomination and stay tuned to that column for voting and results. I can already think of a couple that I would nominate, were I to take part: Dumbest Rule = Non-Elimination Legs on Amazing Race (the ones where you used to lose money and all that? The current incarnation is much better) or perhaps any of the little “twists” that Big Brother has pumped out. Good lord, ya’ll.

Also in the column is a tidbit about how David and Mary (formerly of Amazing Race) cleaned up on “The View” when Rosie O’Donnell showered them with gifts, including a new home to replace their trailer. But interesting to note: in the article it is mentioned that David and Mary are confirmed as contestants on the new All-Star season of Amazing Race, which I believe is due out in early 2007. Other contestants who have been confirmed are Joyce and Uchenna and Rob and Amber. I’m very interested to see who else will be selected. If anyone from Team Weaver is on there, I may have to boycott.

So we had another new episode last night (that’s one thing I love about reality tv, very little repeats). And I was reminded of my horror from last week, when the Beauty Queens failed to be Philiminated. Maybe I’ve been lured into complacency regarding this show, but I always thought there were no more than two non-elimination legs in each race. Not saying that they can’t totally change the “rules” but I was faked out last week and felt rather denied. As well as annoyed that I would have to watch the BQ’s compete for yet another week.

The Models arrived first at the pit stop so they were the first to depart. They remark at how they want the BQ’s out of the game. They figure, wisely, that it would be harder to beat them in the final three than ‘Bama. I would probably agree with that. However, I also think it’s unwise to underestimate a team like that, particularly one that tends to fly under the radar like ‘Bama does. I hope the Models get their wish, if just so I can watch ‘Bama kick their booty in the finale. That’d be a fun change of pace, no?

So they’re off to Casablanca with $295 to spend on this leg. ‘Bama leaves, followed by Rob and Kim. I’m surprised that I don’t hate them that much. I expected at the beginning of the show, when R&K were portrayed as being this bickering, feuding, dysfunctional couple that I would hate them. But I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, they still have their moments. But for the most part, I think they’re actually pretty normal. The BQ’s leave last and I’m once again reminded by all that disgusts me about them. I don’t enjoy how they are constantly looking for the “easy way”. They always want a cab to lead them, a local to guide them… whatever. Then they act like that’s good racing strategy. Which, it is to an extent, but then that means they can’t get annoyed when the other teams follow their lead or copy their moves. Because it’s just as lazy to think up those “shortcuts” in the first place as it is to copy them. But I digress.

The Roadblock is actually pretty simple: eat 1 pound of camel meat using a local recipe. According to The Models, it takes just like a really good burger. Which… yum. Now I want a burger. Somehow, the BQ’s arrive at the Roadblock next. ‘Bama is MIA and R&K are lost. The Models finish easily and are off to Barcelona, Spain! I smell an airport equalizer coming, don’t you? ‘Bama and R&K show up at the Roadblock just as the BQ’s are finishing up and heading to the airport. No one can believe they caught up so quickly. The Models gripe again about the possibility of being up against them in the final three. They would love for ‘Bama to be in the final three, because they believe that would be an instant advantage to their game. Then one of them quips (after all this time, I still can’t tell them apart, so I can’t tell you which one said it), “I’d love for us to go to the final three.” The other Model replies, “That’s fo’ sho’.” Heh.

What I loved is how Rob told Kimberly to do the camel meat Roadblock, and then barked orders at her the entire time. If you’re going to have your teammate do the task, you’re better off just sitting there and keeping your thoughts to yourself. Which ‘Bama didn’t do either as Carlyn (I think it was Carlyn, I’m just SO bad with names) gripes at her partner the entire time. I think both teams are feeling the pressure and stress of the BQ’s being ahead of them. After all, they don’t know there’s likely a bunching coming up at the airport.

Which, speaking of, the Models are reserving their seats on a plane while the BQ’s have the audacity to ask that the boys let them hit the mat at the pit stop first, if they are both there at the same time (and first, natch). That’s pretty audacious right there. The boys pretty much just laugh in their faces. Do you see what I mean about looking for shortcuts and the easy way out? Ugh!

As predicted, the teams are all on the same flight to Spain. In Barcelona, the teams have a rather interesting Detour: Lug it or Lob it. In Lug it, they need to carry these super-creepy looking giant 9 1/2 foot tall doll-things on their shoulders for one mile through the city. They’re essentially costumes. In Lob it, they have to search through a humongous pile of tomatoes for a clue that is buried INSIDE one of the tomatoes all while locals throw tomatoes at them. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack within a haystack all while being under attack. Sounds like fun to me! The Models and BQ’s choose Lug it (which is what I would have chosen, most likely) and ‘Bama and R&K choose Lob it. R&K have a near meltdown, Kimberly in particular. It seems no one really realized that the tomatoes would be thrown at them (?) and that they would HURT. However, once they buckle down, they get the job done and are FIRST to the pit stop, which is at this amazingly gorgeous museum/architectural wonder. When interviewed post-leg, Rob all but breaks down when talking about his relationship with Kimberly and why he wants to win the race. Call me a sap, but I was touched.

There’s a lot of confusion and running around and searching for the pit stop, but ‘Bama comes in second at the mat which is SWEET. Turns out, they are the first all female team to make it to the final three. Really? WOW. That’s pretty awesome. Go ‘Bama! Now it’s pretty much guaranteed the BQ’s are going to be Philiminated, but I was truly happy to see The Models hit the mat next. This means the BQ’s are last and they can’t say that the only reason they were Philiminated was because of the time penalty or anything. No, they are gone because they lost their focus and their game suffered as a result. I’m glad to see it. They interview that they worked really hard (*snort*) and hope the stereotype of the blond beauty queen has been shattered as a result. I wouldn’t count on that one, girls.

I’m pretty pleased with this Final 3. Of course, ‘Bama is a personal favorite of mine and I would love to see them win. But I wouldn’t be upset if The Models or R&K won instead. I’m looking forward to that finale next week, should be a great race. Anyone have any predictions on who will win?