The Amazing Race post
Nat & Kat: Well, look at that. After my fear last week that their early promise was a false dawn, they only go and confound expectations by coming in first this week. They ran a good leg, as well - they were smart enough to consider and book an earlier flight, and despite having setbacks on both the roadblock and the detour, they somehow managed to come out of the whole thing on top and make it to Phil first, so good on them. On a secondary note, though, Nat's mouth is terrifying. I keep expecting her to unhinge her jaw and devour Kat whole.
Gary & Mallory: Second week in a row for a second place finish, they're doing pretty well. Mallory is officially going mad, if her running along the road thanking Jesus that they were going to Sweden was anything to go by. (No disrespect to Sweden, obviously, but it did seem a slightly overenthusiastic reaction.) It was a shame that they missed their first run on the tech sleds by a matter of seconds (or possibly a matter of second), but good one them for getting it together on their second leg, and for Mallory not really losing that much time despite not completing the roadblock on their first go-around. I really like this team, so I'm glad they're sticking around.
Brook & Claire: And they're crawling back up the leaderboard, which I'm pleased to see. They really don't seem to be fazed by anything - they tackled the dog sled and the tech sleds with gusto, and nothing deters them. It's a bit disappointing that they only thought to look for earlier flights because Nat & Kat were doing it, but at least they're making helpful alliances. Also, Brook's impressions of what she must have looked like on the tech sleds were hilarious - and, I'm guessing, rather accurate.
Michael & Kevin: I totally guessed they'd have the episode title with that line. Again, their speed bump seemed a little lame, but judging by their response, it was tougher than it looked. They did well to hold first place for so much of the leg, it's just a shame they lost it on the detour choice. Of course, it was probably the right choice, because I'm not sure Michael would've fared too well on the tech sleds, though I suppose he did handle the dogs very well.
Jill & Thomas: Yeah, Thomas. Run for miles in the wrong direction on your say-so and then act like it isn't your fault when it turns out to be the wrong decision. Jackass. In the context that they saw it, it was probably the right time to play their express pass, though with Chad & Stephanie, Katie & Rachel and Connor & Jonathan opting to switch detours in the end, I suspect they probably could've clawed their way through without it. It's not really a risk you want to take though, is it?
Nick & Vicki: No obvious slip-ups from them this leg - nicely done. They didn't seem to have a lot of camera time, though, but well done on surviving much longer than I thought they would.
Chad & Stephanie: Well, he was gross this week. I have my suspicions that Stephanie was rather over-exaggerating her near-death experience on the tech sleds, but he could not have been more of an asshole about it. I'm not saying he should've spent ages mollycoddling her, but surely the sensible thing to do would've been to say something along the lines of "it's okay, let's go and do the other option as fast as we can, don't blame yourself" or something to that effect? Y'know, rather than "UGH GOD YOU SUCK" or whatever it was he said.
Katie & Rachel: A surprisingly low placing for them, and I was surprised they struggled with the tech sleds so much. I think they'll claw their way back next week, or I hope they will, because I think they're a strong team and this leg wasn't indicative of what they can do.
Connor & Jonathan: I only noticed for the first time this week that Connor's kind of hot. It's a shame they insist on bloody singing all the time and pretending it's adorable. The fact that they sang their way through their elimination pretty much demolished any chance of me being sorry to see them go, Connor's tall attractiveness notwithstanding. Also, Jonathan? Fancy doing any less work? You didn't do a single roadblock in the entire race. *golfclaps*
Gary & Mallory: Second week in a row for a second place finish, they're doing pretty well. Mallory is officially going mad, if her running along the road thanking Jesus that they were going to Sweden was anything to go by. (No disrespect to Sweden, obviously, but it did seem a slightly overenthusiastic reaction.) It was a shame that they missed their first run on the tech sleds by a matter of seconds (or possibly a matter of second), but good one them for getting it together on their second leg, and for Mallory not really losing that much time despite not completing the roadblock on their first go-around. I really like this team, so I'm glad they're sticking around.
Brook & Claire: And they're crawling back up the leaderboard, which I'm pleased to see. They really don't seem to be fazed by anything - they tackled the dog sled and the tech sleds with gusto, and nothing deters them. It's a bit disappointing that they only thought to look for earlier flights because Nat & Kat were doing it, but at least they're making helpful alliances. Also, Brook's impressions of what she must have looked like on the tech sleds were hilarious - and, I'm guessing, rather accurate.
Michael & Kevin: I totally guessed they'd have the episode title with that line. Again, their speed bump seemed a little lame, but judging by their response, it was tougher than it looked. They did well to hold first place for so much of the leg, it's just a shame they lost it on the detour choice. Of course, it was probably the right choice, because I'm not sure Michael would've fared too well on the tech sleds, though I suppose he did handle the dogs very well.
Jill & Thomas: Yeah, Thomas. Run for miles in the wrong direction on your say-so and then act like it isn't your fault when it turns out to be the wrong decision. Jackass. In the context that they saw it, it was probably the right time to play their express pass, though with Chad & Stephanie, Katie & Rachel and Connor & Jonathan opting to switch detours in the end, I suspect they probably could've clawed their way through without it. It's not really a risk you want to take though, is it?
Nick & Vicki: No obvious slip-ups from them this leg - nicely done. They didn't seem to have a lot of camera time, though, but well done on surviving much longer than I thought they would.
Chad & Stephanie: Well, he was gross this week. I have my suspicions that Stephanie was rather over-exaggerating her near-death experience on the tech sleds, but he could not have been more of an asshole about it. I'm not saying he should've spent ages mollycoddling her, but surely the sensible thing to do would've been to say something along the lines of "it's okay, let's go and do the other option as fast as we can, don't blame yourself" or something to that effect? Y'know, rather than "UGH GOD YOU SUCK" or whatever it was he said.
Katie & Rachel: A surprisingly low placing for them, and I was surprised they struggled with the tech sleds so much. I think they'll claw their way back next week, or I hope they will, because I think they're a strong team and this leg wasn't indicative of what they can do.
Connor & Jonathan: I only noticed for the first time this week that Connor's kind of hot. It's a shame they insist on bloody singing all the time and pretending it's adorable. The fact that they sang their way through their elimination pretty much demolished any chance of me being sorry to see them go, Connor's tall attractiveness notwithstanding. Also, Jonathan? Fancy doing any less work? You didn't do a single roadblock in the entire race. *golfclaps*