Team Reports
Rob & Kimberly-Where to start. They did okay on the driving to Casablanca to catch up and pass Lyn & Karlyn. But they had a rough time navigating the city. They fared even worse in trying to find the route marker in the market. And truely came apart once they passed Tyler & James who informed them that Dustin & Kandice had already started the roadblock. They finished last at the roadblock as Lyn managed to bth prepare and eat her meat faster then Kim.
Once equilized by both flights to Barcelona and hours of operation at the Horta park. Rob & Kim ran a strong, but overly exhaustive race. By following Tyler & James thorugh the maze, and following Dustin & Kandice's example to order cabs in advance they left the Maze in 2cd place. They choose the right detour, and while Kimberly had a serious breakdown at the detour Rob pushed through. Though Kimberly finally truely gave up forcing Rob to quit (have to do the detours together), but was proven correct when the cab said it would be 20 miles to the other detour. After returning to the detour they made quick work of it and were on their way to the Pit Stop and first place.
This team is terribly difficut to predict. And they are often erratic in racing. Nice touch of Kimberly giving Rob's full name to reserve their cab.
Lyn & Karlyn-Ran a poor leg. They lost time in driving to Casablanca, they were the last team to find the route marker and the cafe. But handled the details of the event better then Kimberly to be in 3rd place. They were last in finding their way through the Maze to the next clue. They did pick a good way of getting out of the maze by taking a side exit. Though they did have to walk around the park to the main entrance. But this kept them even at a walking pace almost even with the fastest team. If they would run or jog, they woud have had a lead. It isn't clear if this team ordered a cab in advance or not, but they were certainly the last team to get one, wasting a lot of time diong so. But they also picked what was most likely the fastest task and managed to get the next clue. While they were last getting to the area of the Pit Stop they did get instructions leading them to the fountain and 2cd place. This team continues to amaze me to be left in the race. They don't function well as a team to this day. They can be terribly indescive. And unlike last leg where they really pushed themselves (Brava to them for that, I liked it) this time they didn't seem to have that extra edge. But they still made 2cd. I loved that they are the only team to take the escalators tot he Fountain area.
They are the only team to make final three that hasn't won a previous leg of the Race in its 10 seasons. They have the worst performance average of any team in the final three in ten seasons of the Amazing Race. But with how the race is plotted. They actually have a better chance at the final leg with its equilization in flying to New York then most legs. And all it takes is one great leg.
Unforunately that is in my opinion a serious flaw to the race. And why more then even Karlyn's attitude at times that I don't want to see this team win. In my eyes it would be the worst ending this show has ever had.
Tyler & James- Well the ran a strong first half of the race, the did well in the maze and they had also had Kimberly order them a cab. But it never showed up (something that does happen). They lost a lot of time here, but choose the detour they thought Dustin & Kandice would take. Knowing that no matter how they placed 1-4th all they needed for 2-4th was to be within 30 minutes of Dustin & Kandice. They caught up at the detour since Dustin & Kandice lost a lot of time getting lsot finding the detour and in navigating the detour. And while Tyler & James also got lost once, they remained very close when finishing the detour within seconds. They raced and got the first cab and for being the last team to get to the detour and the last team to finish the detour were the 2cd team to find the Pit Stop area. But it took them a while to find directions to the fountain and ended 3rd.
This team is the strongest physical team, the team that has performed the best overall in the season, and though they have a reputation for not being smart and not navigating well actually have done those both better then the others in the final 4 (its just when they don't it pretty bad) though with all these teams thats not saying alot for navigation.
But in race history only once before has the team with the best performance and racing average won the race. And thats was season 4's Reichen & Chip. Usually placement is usually the 2cd place winners.
Also only one team (rob & Brennan) that won teh first leg of the race has one the last leg.
Dustin & Kandice- Actually had a strong morning performance by enlisting the aid of locals for more of the leg then any other team. But this made the finding of the market easier, made finding the roadblock clue and its various points much faster, and it got them back on to the road and to the airport.
While I normally hate this tactic (or more importantly its overuse). Here was the perfect time and place for it. They also took a chance to enlist the aid of Tyler & James to let them have first place. And I am sorry but if you are going to do this, then you had better have been kind and sharing of info throughout the race. This team hasn't been and has tried to break each alliance it has made.
They were quite sharp to order cabs and have them waiting for them and smart to give a discription that wouldn't fit any of the other teams.
They picked the more physical task and while it is possible if they had run a perfect leg in the afternoon that they might have finished first. They had problems finding the detour, finding the route of the detour (allowing at this point Tyler & James to catch up completely), they used another local to guide them to the end of the detour (unlike Tyler & James who just used directions) and it gained them a maybe half a minute. But Tyler & james were able to outrun them getting cabs. Dustin & Kandice made it to the Pit Stop area in third place (and by this time unless Bama or Tyler & James got seriously lost they were sunk) as it is they ended up finally last finding the fountain and were elimianted without the penality being a factor.