^^^^ You're right about how the penalty works. If you don't come in first at the mat in the next leg, you have to sit there for 30 minutes and hope that at least one team is more than 30 minutes behind you.

And I think you're right that an equalizer has the potential to make the penalty more serious if all the teams are running neck and neck. On the flip side, an equalizer cuts the challenge to the last place team of working its way to the front of the pack.

I guess we'll just have to see which possibility plays out, or if they both do. Either way, I still thinks it's a much better penalty than the penalty from past seasons.

LOL I was thinking the other night, how do you know that in past seasons when the last team to check in had to surrender all their money and possession, that the cash in your funny packs were the only money they had? On a traveling pace like that, I'd keep some cash on your private areas, to hide it from pickpocketers/tv producers or whoever, especially if you knew that you were in the last place. See Phil at the mat, give all the cash on the funny pack, then voila, in the hotel room, you still have two hundred US$ from your hiking boots.

So what happens if they are visiting a country where visa is required for US citizens? Like, China or Brazil (for the fact), and India or Australia (apply on line), they need a visa stamped on the passport prior arrival. So they knew that they would be visiting such countries.

That would be cool if they have a detour between two countries. Detour: doing donkey race in Mexico City or biking in busy street of Shanghai. Then all will meet up again in Santiago for the pit stop?

Holding back any money would be discovered by a camera-man or someone else in the production crew.

I imagine the production crew takes care of that in some way.

But anyone can come in first with the Fast Forward! I shoulda known that the Fast Forward was going to make an appearance!

Sucks for Sarah, but I'm glad that they were eliminated.

I like the Cho Brothers, but they need to quit being so damn nice. They totally could have been eliminated last night. Can't wait to see next week when Alabama and the Beauty Queens get it on. Should be interesting.

I agree with you there...it made me a bit sick with the begging. Case in point: when there was that 'older' couple (Don and Mary Jean in TAR #6), and they were at Goree Island, Senegal which was where thousands of slave ships left from.... Thankfully, the other teams gave them money, since the locals were very poor people. That would make me sick if they actually expected those with so little wealth to be parted from it.

True, but not always. Remember in TAR #1 (the gay guys couple..TEAM GUIDO)? They won a FFWD, but they lollygagged around so much, that they ended up missing their plane or something, and coming in 3rd out of 3??

True. I did a head slap when I saw that. So much for the drama. Oh well, I'm glad Mary and David are going to Jamaica.

There's always the chance, too, that the team will have enough trouble finding or completing the fast forward to keep them out of first place.

The look on Peter's face was priceless. That may have been the best mat speech ever. "He's not kind." Ouch! (Completely deserved, but "ouch" on national TV.)

I'm just glad that we don't have to hear him say "you climb" or "it's a medical emergency" anymore.

It just needs to be said that, had it not been for Sarah's drive and determination, they probably wouldn't have even gotten that far in the race.

Next week.. there will be a new twist to the game. It's called "The Intersection" where teams have to work together to complete a task. Would love to see Alabama and the Beauty Queens paired up!

Wouldn't it be nice to see Rob and Kimberly eliminated? They're really getting on my nerves with all their silly squabbling. And.. how many times are they going to say, "go baby" .. "you got it baby".. "c'mon baby".. I think calling someone "baby" is grounds for elimination!

Well, come to think of it.. maybe that's appropriate. They both act like babies!

I hate the beauty queens. Hate. A lot. I swear, somebody could tell them that they're going to be held hostage and tortured by a band of angry pirates and they'd be like "Oh great! That's awesome!" with their big stupid smiles. They're just so over-the-top positive it seems entirely fake to me. And seriously, they had to ASK WHAT COUNTRY LONDON IS IN when buying plane tickets? If you're THAT STUPID you should not be on this show.

I think Rob and Kimberly are HILARIOUS.

The Chos need to stop being stupid. Don't wait for people. Bama isn't going to help you, ever, and Kentucky isn't going to be in a position to help you.

I don't think the London question was out of stupidity but more from disbelief. When the one held up the atlas to confirm with the guy the route it did seem insane and I would have had a similar response. Besides, it's not impossible that there's a city named London in other countries.

Actually, you're correct. There is a London in Canada (in Southwestern Ontario)... and there's a New London, in Connecticut and New Hampshire.

I think they were just being stupid -- when the guy said England the one girl responded "INDIA?!!" Um, no. I'd be willing to bet $$$ she didn't think they were flying to London, Ontario, either. That's just silly.

I agree. You'd think that they'd have a clue...don't you need to have some kind of common sense to run in the MAO?

If I were in Kuwait trying to book international flights, there's NWIH I'd think of London, Ontario, especially when they're told ONLY BRITISH AIRWAYS WAS AVAILABLE. That's dumb. The ticketing guys shoulda offed the blondes after the first insult. I really hoped their car accident would've set them back more.

And I agree about the Cho brothers. I honestly think they have the potential to make the final three and possibly winning it all. Rob and Kim, IMO are pretty much the only ones who've consistently been up there. The druggie models and the beauty queens I can imagine will screw up and come in last. Alabama and Kentucky will be Philiminated soon.

The Chos won't win if they insist on continuing that alliance,though. They could have easily come in first at the pit stops if they didn't wait on the stragglers!

I didn't get the coalminers wife's thought process when she said "i'm going to wait for them when we get there" Does she not realize it's a race and the last team there is likely to be out???

I totally agree with you!! The are just to annoying to watch sometimes.

How lucky was Mary and Dave to be last again in the leg where someone was not eliminated. I know we talked about this last season with the Hippie's, but sometimes I think TAR picks which leg to eliminate/not elimate people according to who comes last. Probably not true, but like I said before Dave and Mary are lucky!