“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

That was my reaction last night when Phil told Matt & Michelle that they had been eliminated from the race.

Now, to be clear, it was pretty obvious from the minute that Matt & Michelle got lost while trying to find the detour that they would be the last team to arrive. They spent so much time searching for the market that almost all of the other teams got an almost insurmountable lead on them. The Double U-Turn didn’t help, but I think, even without the U-turn, Matt and Michelle would have struggled to catch up. That’s actually one of the things that I like about The Amazing Race. Even the strongest team can have a bad day and get lost. Unlike a show like Big Brother, where it’s pretty obvious that production always tips the scales for certain players, The Amazing Race is a show where sometimes it really does all come down to luck.

That said, I don’t agree with doing two Double U-turns in a row. Erin & Javi U-turned Matt & Michelle, even though they knew Matt & Michelle were running far behind. Anne-Marie & Riley U-turned Daisha & Dalton because Little Miss Let’s Help Each Other is still crying because Daisha & Dalton didn’t share the solution to a roadblock in Albania. When Christie & Colin ran the race back in Season 5, they refused to U-turn anyone, and it’s one reason why they’re one of my favorite teams. I’m not a fan of kicking people while they’re down.

This episode felt like it was all about kicking Matt & Michelle while they were down. From the constant shots of the other teams chortling over Matt & Michelle being in last place to Phil once again reminding us that it’s been a long time since a team of two women has won The Amazing Race, one got the feeling that the show’s producers failed to predict that most viewers would prefer the unapologetically competitiveness of Matt & Michelle to the forced plastic positivity of Anne-Marie and Riley. At the Pit Stop, Anne-Marie pointed out that no mother-daughter team had ever won before. I’d love it if a mother-daughter team won. My mom and I used to joke about trying out for the show together, and we really should have because America would have loved my mom. But I would prefer that the first mother-daughter team to win not be made up of two totally annoying fakes who have spent the entire race begging other teams to help them.

(As soon as I saw that the teams were going to have to take part in a martial arts exhibition to receive their next clue, I said, “Riley’s going to brag about being an expert.” Two minutes later, Riley bragged about being an expert. Did you know Riley was a Marine? She tells us that every episode. I had no idea that the Marines did so many photo shoots.)

One final note: I would be happy to see a new rule put in place that teams cannot share answers with each other. It makes for boring television.

So, with Matt & Michelle gone, here is where we stand at the end of the eighth leg.

Anne-Marie & Riley came in first. I am so sick of these two, but you probably already guessed that. When Riley asked Javi to let her and her mom have first place, I nearly threw a shoe at the TV.

Erin & Javi came in second. Good for them. They’re growing on me.

Conner & Garrett came in third. With Matt & Michelle gone, these two are my new favorites. As opposed to Anne-Marie and Riley, their positivity feels genuine.

Daisha & Dalton came in fourth. I actually like these two, but the other teams seem to have it out for them. I’m just hoping that Anne-Marie & Riley get eliminated first.

Ali & Joanna came in fifth. They’re a good team, but they always seem like they should be stronger than they are. I’d probably like them more if they hadn’t taken a knee during our national anthem. If you can’t stand up for America, I really can’t root for you.

Anuar & Andrea came in sixth. This wasn’t a great showing for them, but with Matt & Michelle so far behind, it really didn’t matter.

Matt & Michelle came in last and were eliminated. They got lost and never recovered. They were still the best team this season.

Next week, I’ll be hoping for the best for Conner & Garrett. With the strongest team no longer in the race, it’s time to root for the most likable team.

DOUG AND DYLAN! NOOOOOOOOOOO!

Actually, I knew that Doug and Dylan were going to get eliminated eventually. You can’t consistently come in second-to-last without it eventually catching up to you. Doug and Dylan struggled through the entire race, but they were just so likable and energetic that I couldn’t help but hold onto hope that things would suddenly start going better for them. They would have been eliminated last week if it hadn’t been a non-elimination leg. That meant they left with an Automatic U-Turn in Sri Lanka, and it proved to be too much for them to overcome. What I love is that they never lost their positive spirit. I’ll miss them.

Doug and Dylan were not the only team having to do a U-Turn. This episode started with the teams, having arrived in Sri Lanka, voting for a Double U-Turn. Each team picked two other teams that they wanted to U-Turn, and not surprisingly, the majority of the votes went to Matt and Michelle and Daisha and Dalton. Daisha was shocked and on the verge of tears. Matt took the votes as a compliment. Michelle said that the rest of the teams were “dead to me,” and I wanted to cheer. Matt and Michelle don’t mince words, and I love them for it.

Here’s how the votes broke down:

• Erin & Javi voted for Matt & Michelle and Ali & Joanna.
• Ali & Joanna voted for Matt & Michelle and Daisha & Dalton.
• Conner & Garrett voted for Matt & Michelle and Daisha & Dalton.
• Daisha & Dalton voted for Matt & Michelle and Anuar & Andrea.
• Doug & Dylan voted for Daisha & Dalton and Anuar & Andrea.
• Anuar & Andrea voted for Matt & Michelle and Daisha & Dalton.
• Matt & Michelle voted for Anuar & Andrea and Ali & Joanna.
• Ann-Marie & Riley voted for Matt & Michelle and Daisha & Dalton, but they assured us that they really like the people they voted for.

In the case of Matt & Michelle, the Double U-Turn was not a problem. They still finished in third place. Even Phil, who rarely smiles when talking to Matt & Michelle, seemed to be impressed. Daisha & Dalton struggled a bit, but they still managed to make it to the Pit Stop just a few minutes ahead of Doug & Dylan.

Here’s how everyone finished this week:

Ali & Joanna finished in first. Their best moment was when Ali wondered if they should share some information with Riley & Ann-Marie, and Joanna quickly shot down the idea. I guess the alliance was on hold during this leg of the race.

Anuar & Andrea finished in second. I wasn’t expecting them to be one of the strongest teams this season, but they truly are.

Matt & Michelle said, “Suck it, haters!” and finished in third place, ahead of most of the teams that voted to U-Turn them.

Conner & Garrett finished in fourth place. I like Conner & Garrett, but being consistently in the middle of the pack is going to cost them eventually.

Ann-Marie and Riley finished in fifth place. For all of the time that the show has devoted to these two, and for the amount of bragging that Riley does about how she’s good at everything, they’ve consistently finished in the middle. There are only seven teams left, so a fifth-place finish is nothing to be happy about.

Erin and Javi finished in sixth. At first, I didn’t like this team. They’ve grown on me. Last night, I loved it when Javi complained about Anuar & Andrea and Riley & Ann-Marie just deciding that they were all going to work together just because they were on the same bus. Still, they need to get in some stronger finishes, or else they’re going to be in trouble.

Daisha & Dalton finished in seventh, entirely due to the Double U-Turn. I think they’ll be fine, despite their struggles during this episode.

And finally, Doug & Dylan were the last to arrive and were elim— NOOOOOOOOOO!

They were eliminated, but they left the race having won the hearts of thousands of viewers.

Watching last night’s episode of The Amazing Race, I realized that I’ve just about had it with Riley and Ann-Marie.

Everything about them just strikes me as being fake. Yes, they’re big fans of teams working together and, every episode, we get at least one self-righteous monologue about running the race the right way and not being mean. But I can’t help but notice that, for the most part, when Riley and Ann-Marie say, “Let’s work together,” what they really mean is “Help us.” As well, the whole “Boss Lady Alliance” thing would be a lot more impressive if they weren’t constantly finishing at the back of the pack. When you look at how well Ann-Marie and Riley work together and also at how athletic the two soccer players are, you have to really wonder if maybe they’d be doing better if they concentrated on running their own race instead of worrying about an alliance that Ann-Marie and Riley decided to start because they had some time to kill in an airport. (To me, the best part of last night’s episode was Ann-Marie and Riley insisting that the back six teams should all work together at the intersection and then leading everyone to the wrong location.) It seems that every episode will feature at least one clip of Riley bragging about being a Marine, one clip of Ann-Marie bragging about how nice they are, and one clip of them briefly getting frustrated because they think they deserve more help than they’ve been given. I don’t care how much they chant “BLA,” this is a race. No one is watching this show to see people work together. We’re watching to see them compete.

On the other hand, Matt and Michelle are regularly presented as being this season’s villains, just because they’ve rejected the whole “Let’s help each other!” thing. But Matt and Michelle are consistently finishing in first place and they’re working well together, so really, it seems like they’ve found what works for them. When Matt said that he wasn’t good at working in a group, I wanted to cheer. Some people just aren’t group people. Erin and I have often joked about going on The Amazing Race. If we did, we wouldn’t help anyone.

Actually, we probably would help Doug and Dylan. They’re nice and I felt bad for them at the Intersection, when the teams actually were required to work together and no one wanted to work with Doug or Dylan. (The fact that Dylan and Erin ended up finishing the task relatively quickly was very satisfying.) Doug and Dylan were the last to arrive at the pit stop but, fortunately, this was the first non-elimination leg of the race. Yay!

Here’s how everyone finished tonight:

Matt and Michelle came in first and Daisha and Dalton came in second. They did it by running their own race and not following someone to the wrong location. Matt and Michelle also used their express pass. (For some reason, it didn’t register with me that they were lying when they earlier told Anuar and Andrea that they had already used it. So, I was genuinely surprised.)

Conner and Garrett, my favorite team, used their express pass and came in third. Conner and Garrett are a good example of how to be nice without being obnoxiously self-righteous about it.

Anuar and Andrea came in fourth. They’re proving to be a much stronger team than I expected.

Erin and Javi managed to come from behind and come in fifth. They’ve struggled with consistency but they do work well together.

Ann-Marie and Riley came in sixth and Ali and Joanna came in seventh. Again, for all the talk about being boss ladies, it’s been a while since either team has had a really strong finish.

And finally, Doug and Dylan came in last but yay! Non-elimination!

At the end of this episode, the teams flew to Sri Lanka and met Phil on a beach, where he announced that it was time for the teams to vote for who would get hit with the dreaded Double U-Turn! We ended on a cliffhanger but I would be surprised if Matt and Michelle don’t get U-turned. Hopefully, they’ll survive.

One thing about The Amazing Race is that you can always tell when Phil dislikes a team.

As of last night, Matt and Michelle have now finished first for two weeks in a row. Last week, Phil could barely force a smile at the sight of them. This week, he seemed downright indifferent to them. Phil also was clearly not happy when Daisha and Dalton arrived in second place. Their sin was apparently not helping Riley and Ann-Marie at the Detour.

Phil likes the teams that help each other out, and I imagine that he really likes Riley and Ann-Marie. Myself, I’m a little bit tired of Riley and Ann-Marie. I’m sure that they’re nice people, and I was happy that Riley took the time to let Anuar know what he was doing wrong at the first Roadblock. (If she hadn’t, Anuar would have been there all day.) But Riley and Ann-Marie both tend to be a little self-righteous and preachy, and I get a little bit tired of them going on about how important it is that everyone help each other (especially since that usually translates to “everyone needs to help us”).

This leg saw the teams traveling to Albania. This was the first time that the Race went to Albania, and it really did look like a lovely country. Matt and Michelle pretty much spent the entire leg in first place. By being the first to arrive at each Roadblock, they were in “the Driver’s Seat,” which means they got to determine how difficult each Roadblock would be for each team. Needless to say, this didn’t make them popular with the other racers, but seriously, what were Matt and Michelle supposed to do?

At the first Roadblock, teams had to harvest and grind a certain amount of grapes. Matt and Michelle publicly assigned 50 pounds to themselves, Ann-Marie & Riley, and Erin & Javi; 75 pounds to Conner & Garrett, Dafina & Saran, and Daisha & Dalton; and 100 pounds to Ali & Joanna, Anuar & Andrea, and Doug & Dylan. The only thing I really disagree with there is assigning 100 pounds to Doug & Dylan. That did feel mean. I would have assigned 100 pounds to Ann-Marie and Riley because they’re the stronger team.

At the second Roadblock, teams had to roll out dough for a pastry. (I would have sucked at this challenge, but my sister would have kicked its ass!) Matt and Michelle publicly assigned eight pastries to themselves; twelve pastries to Ann-Marie & Riley, Dafina & Saran, and Doug & Dylan; and sixteen pastries to Ali & Joanna, Anuar & Andrea, Conner & Garrett, Daisha & Dalton, and Erin & Javi. Erin struggled with this Roadblock, to the extent that she and Javi probably would have been eliminated if not for Dafina & Saran getting lost on the way to the Pit Stop.

Here’s how everyone finished last night:

1st — Matt and Michelle. Phil and the other teams may not like them, but Matt and Michelle are a strong team. Matt pretends to be goofy, but in his way, he’s just as ruthless as Michelle.

2nd — Daisha and Dalton. They came on strong during this leg of the race. As for them not sticking around to help Ann-Marie and Riley… hey, it’s a race. You don’t get an extra trophy for being nice.

3rd — Conner and Garrett. I never thought that Conner and Garrett would become my favorite team, but they have. They’re good-natured, they work well together, and unlike some people, they can be nice without feeling the need to brag about it.

4th — Ann-Marie and Riley. I’ve said all I need to say about them this week.

5th — Ali and Joanna. The soccer players finally used their Express Pass and still only managed a fifth-place finish. They’re a good example of a team that’s strong but somehow still not as strong as they should be.

6th — Doug and Dylan. Doug and Dylan actually did better than they usually do during this leg. They moved up from 9th to 6th, despite being targeted by Matt and Michelle.

7th — Anuar and Andrea. Anuar and Andrea struggled this week. First, Anuar didn’t understand how to grind the grapes. Then they got lost and ended up arguing with each other. Still, they avoided elimination.

8th — Erin and Javi. Erin and Javi narrowly avoided elimination this week. They’re going to need to pick things up a little because, other than when they use their Express Pass, they’ve struggled in almost every leg.

9th — Dafina and Saran. Dafina and Saran came in ninth and were eliminated. I knew it was going to happen eventually, but I was still sorry to see them go. They were a team that never gave up and worked well together.

Next week, the Race continues in Albania. Conner and Garrett still have their Express Pass, so I imagine they’ll use it at some point during the sixth leg, which is the last leg in which it can be used. Everyone else is going to have to depend on their own skills to make it to the Pit Stop in time to avoid elimination.

I really thought it was going to be a non-elimination leg.

With last week ending on a cliffhanger, I was certain that this week’s episode would open with either Doug and Dylan or Jodie and Jenn reaching the pit stop and Phil saying, “You are the last team to arrive. Fortunately, this is a non-elimination leg and you are still in the race….”

Instead, Jenn and Jodie showed up last and were promptly eliminated. Despite all of the attempts to use the magic of Amazing Race editing to make it look like they were neck-and-neck with Dylan and Doug, it seems pretty obvious that Jodie and Jenn were doomed by the jug-smashing roadblock. The lesson of their elimination? Don’t waste your express pass.

As for the rest of this episode, the teams remained in Morocco and had to complete three fairly tough tasks before they could move on to the Pit Stop. There are three teams that still have express passes: Michelle & Matt, Conner & Garrett, and Ali & Joanna. Interestingly, none of them used their express pass during this episode. All three of them appear to be saving it until they really need it. The express pass is only good for the next two legs of the race.

How did everyone do during this leg of the race? Let’s take it by the order they finished in:

Coming in first were Matt & Michelle. These two have developed a technique that works for them. Matt is laid back while Michelle yells at him. They purposefully declined to help any of the other teams. Personally, I think that was a smart move on their part. (It’s a race, after all.) That said, Phil sounded notably unenthusiastic when they were the first to show up. Phil always seems to dislike the teams that don’t help out.

Coming in second, for the second leg in a row, were Anuar and Andrea. They managed to come in second despite not having an express pass. I was pretty dismissive of this team when the season started, but I’m starting to think they might be dark horse contenders to make the final three.

Coming in third were Erin and Javi. After finishing seventh and eighth during the previous legs, Erin and Javi came on strong during the fourth leg. With them, it’s just a question of consistency. Can they keep finishing strong?

Coming in fourth were Daisha and Dalton. They had a good leg but, much as with Erin and Javi, it’s still a question of consistency. Did they get lucky or have they finally found their rhythm? We’ll see next week.

Coming in fifth were Conner & Garrett. Conner and Garrett have been a consistently strong team, despite the fact that they haven’t had a first-place finish yet. They’ve still got their express pass and they’ve got a good attitude. For all the nonsense about the Boss Lady Alliance (which, for the most part, seems to be an alliance where everyone helps Anne-Marie and Riley while Anne-Marie and Riley don’t help anyone else), it’s interesting that both Ali & Joanna and Dafina & Saran said that they wanted to work with Conner & Garrett.

Coming in sixth were Dafina and Saran, who burned off their Roadside Assistance advantage and really didn’t finish any stronger as a result. Dafina and Saran’s main strength is that they work very well together. In many cases, that’s the best advantage you can have in the race. But they’re going to need to break free from the bottom of the pack at some point.

Coming in seventh were Riley and Anne-Marie. I really can’t stand Riley and Anne-Marie. Everything about them just strikes me as being fake. Mostly, I’m just tired of them expecting everyone to “work together” at the roadblocks and detours. As Dafina & Saran learned, working together means that everyone helps Riley & Anne-Marie but Riley & Anne-Marie don’t help anyone else. For all of their “we’re strong, badass women” talk, their only strong finish was due to using the express pass.

Coming in eighth were Ali and Joanna. They’re strong and competitive, even if they did struggle during this leg. Conner and Garrett have made an alliance with them. I don’t know if I could be in an alliance with someone who won’t even stand for the national anthem. If you can’t be loyal to your country, why would you be loyal to me?

Coming in ninth were Dylan and Doug. I really like Dylan and Doug, but I’ve made peace with the fact that they probably won’t be around much longer.

Coming in tenth and last were Cody and Jaime. The siblings were amusing and I was touched by their desire to run the race for their mom. I’m sorry to see them go. This week, they just ran out of luck. Getting lost while carrying that carpet definitely did not help.

Next week, the racers finally leave Morocco and head to Albania! Judging from the previews, it looks like Anne-Marie & Riley are going to be upset because someone didn’t stick around to help them. I can’t wait.

“To be continued….”

Really, Amazing Race? We’re ending on a cliffhanger!?

Well, kind of. Watching last night’s episode, it seemed pretty obvious to me that this was going to be the first non-elimination leg of the season. When you’ve got a roadblock, a detour, and then an extra task that are all as difficult as the ones last night, it typically means that the leg is going to turn out to be a non-elimination leg. The first roadblock, for instance, was pretty much dependent on luck. (Jody and Jenn had some bad luck, and Jenn spent two hours smashing vases and searching for the next clue.) The detour involved either learning a difficult language or rolling a giant tiger through the desert. And then the extra task was designed to upset and frustrate the players. This was a leg designed to generate drama as opposed to an elimination.

I would also point out that the fourth leg also appears to take place exclusively in Morocco. So my feeling is that whenever Dylan and Doug or Jody and Jenn reach the Pit Stop, Phil will say, “You are the last team to arrive. However, you are still racing, and here is your next clue!”

Here’s where the teams stood at the end of the episode.

Ann-Marie and Riley, both of whom strike me as being a bit fake, are currently in first place. They used their Express Pass to get out of doing the fruit stacking.

Anuar and Andrea are in second, mostly because they used their Express Pass to get out of doing the detour.

Ali and Joanna are in third place, and they still have their Express Pass. They’re doing well, but it’s hard for me to root for anyone who took a knee during the National Anthem.

Connor and Garrett are in fourth place and still have their Express Pass. After struggling last week, they came on strong this week.

Cody and Jaime are in fifth place. They seem to be getting stronger as the race goes on.

Michelle and Matt went from second to sixth place. They seem to be a good, middle-of-the-road sort of team.

Dafina and Saran are in seventh place. Dafina and Saran have achieved some good karma by helping out some of the other teams. They also received the Roadside Assistance Advantage, which means that both of them can work together on a roadblock if it is used. (Usually, only one player is allowed to do the roadblock.)

Erin and Javi are in eighth place. It looks like their earlier first-place finish was pretty much entirely due to using their Express Pass, because they’ve been struggling ever since.

Daisha and Dalton are in 9th place. They really need to have a good leg to break their cycle of finishing in the back.

Finally, Dylan and Doug and Jody and Jenn are competing for 10th and 11th place. Dylan and Doug did surprisingly well at the Detour, but then, when they had to stack the fruit, Dylan seemed to be letting his frustration get the better of him. As for Jody and Jenn, I’m sure they spent this leg regretting that they wasted their Express Pass in Madrid.

“The last team to arrive may be eliminated!” Phil said, but I don’t think that’s going to happen to either Dylan and Doug or Jody and Jenn, at least not at this Pit Stop. The fourth leg, though, will be a whole different story.

We’ll find out next week!

For the record, here are the three teams who still have Express Passes: Ali and Joanna, Connor and Garrett, and Michelle and Matt. They’ve only got two more legs left before they expire.