So lets look at the teams, both on how they performed on this leg and so far through the entire race. In order of how they checked in at the Pit Stop.
1. Peter & Sarah. This team excelled at getting from points AFB, Peter was also very likely the best at the archery Roadblock. Stopping outside the temple for directions is a very smart move. They apparently don’t suffer any vehicle problems in this leg. But this team had a disastrous detour performance. If not for the strong navigating in all arts of this leg, they would have been seriously hurt.
Peter’s control and domination of Sarah at times is a strength in motivating her. But it this episode it was far more of a negative factor. He was the one to push to quit the first task (saying he couldn’t do it). But after attempting the cart task (which we can’t blame them for if the animal was spooked they have no control and it appears that once you have an animal your are stuck with that animal. But when returning to the Pick it up detour Peter did in fact manage to due the task. Nor was his constant coaching at Sarah effective. Peter most likely is very good at motivating Sarah for training purposes, but unlike those in their regular life, the race consumes the entire day. The constant verbal motivation is most likely going to have a negative effect on this team. Add tot he fact that he needs to allow it to go both ways and listen to Sarah when she is motivating him to continue a task instead of giving up. A mixed performance of a leg that still netted them first place.
Overall in the race, we all ready see Sarah’s reaction to Peter’s constant verbal directions, and its a negative one. This must change for this team to continue doing well. But on the plus side they are both willing to take every advantage Sarah’s disability brings, they are so far god at navigating. ANd have managed several tasks very well.
2. Tyler and James. This team lost a tremendous amount of time early in this leg with poor cab service (a part of the race), managing to fall at least 20 minutes behind the first group. Had to the fact that they also lost time with vehicle problems. Out of these two events they might have been able to better handle the jack. Which it seems did work. Wither their difficulty was in not knowing how this specific jack worked or something more basic has incorrectly placing it on the undercarriage of the vehicle we don’t know. They might have also considered having their driver stop at a Hotel for more specific instructions and to verify that the driver did know where they were going.
Otherwise they did extremely well. Both in gaining time on the horses, gained time on the detour, gained time on the final driving portion of the leg and did reasonable well at the detour. Overall I am sure a frustrating leg, but a good one.
So far, this team as shown to do well in all aspects of the race. Navigation, performance of tasks, following specific clue instructions, and working together as a team. They don’t appear to be doing anything to alienate other teams (with the possible exception of racing well). The best overall team performance wise so far in the race.
3. Duke and Lauren. This team run probable the most consistent leg of this race. No real problems navigating, no real problems on the detour, no vehicle problems, no significant problems at the Roadblock. Apparently the weakest thing they did in this leg is just driving slower then some of the other teams (seems to often happen with parent/ child teams). Also nice work in splitting tasks so far.
Overall in the race Duke and LAuren have worked well as a team with minimal conflict, they have been steady or good at all tasks and have managed navigating well. One of the top performers so far in this season.
4. Tom and Terry lucked out with a fast cab getting them to the first group for the temple performance, but they lost a lot of time both in traveling, and on the horses. It took like they did average at the roadblock. Really an average leg, but thinks to an early lead keep them high at the end of the race.
So far in the season a middle of the road team. Nothing so far showing signs of real weakness, they have managed most tasks okay, they handle navigating okay. Really this week ended higher then their performance should indicate (luck with cab’s, but again that's part of the race). But they are supportive of each other and made some friends. wither this will prove an advantage in later stages of the race is to soon to tell.
5. Dustin and Kandice a very strong leg with one very serious mistake. They handled the driving and the navigating without problems. They did fine on the horses and in both the roadblock and the detour. But besides navigating the biggest single thing that racers have control over is following the clues instructions. I assume that part of the extended clue rules (Which they all have) indicated that they needed to keep all safety gear. By losing one of the helmets they really jeopardized their race. Also compounding this is that they apparently didn’t look for it much themselves. If they were allowed they absolutely should have been with the guide who did search and find said helmet. 3 pairs of eyes are better then one.
Overall a really surprising tough team, with bad luck in taxi cabs in the first leg, and appear following of the clue in this leg, this team would have finished both legs faster. This one significantly. But for strengths they have done better then average in most all tasks, they work well with each other. And they seemed to navigate well.
If they can minimize errors like today this team should go far.
6. Rob and Kimberly. Where to begin. They generally had an okay leg, but difficulty with both horses and their ability to work together hampered them. For this team the single biggest thing is their inability to communicate well. Rob wants to go where he fells is right (but in all fairness does seem to offer sincere apologies and takes full responsibility for his mistakes), while Kimberly seems to be falling into Flo behavior (and ROb isn’t Zach). She is easily taken out of her comfort zone. And when this occurs seems unwilling to to listen, to the point of Rob having to yell to get a response. WHich of course adds to the tension. Case in point the cart. Rob asked in a more regular voice for Kimberly to control the cart, she says she can’t. When Rob yells, she manages fine, and then gets very upset that he had to yell. Unless the cart stopped by itself when he yelled , you actually were able to control the cart, you just did not put the same effort into it when he talked in a normal voice. That is her problem. This game requires both players to strive harder. Kimberly is going to have to work harder and get out of her comfort zone. Rob is going to have to take Kimberly’s advice some and also realize in coaching some people want none at all even when you offer coaching in a reasonable tone.
If they can work on those things this team should go far, If not they will need luck.
7. David and Mary. This team was wise to pick up a local Fern (and in fact he traveled with t hem to Terelj. But the managed to get significantly stuck (one of the worst I have seen IN AR) right before getting to the start of the horse ride to the detour. This appears to be driving or navigating error. Instead of following the road, it appears they tried to take a cut through an open dirt area. At he roadblock they worked fine, though average. They managed to drive themselves in the final leg okay (though it appears they might have followed Dustin & Kandice to the Roadblock. Their performance at the Roadblock was adequate. For where this team started they held their own,made some could navigation choices, but feel behind having to wait for a replacement vehicle.
Over all this is another middle of the road team. They are nice and friendly with everyone else, though Mary is frequent short to David. But in this relationship it doesn’t seem to be stressed related just a part of their everyday life. SO hopefully it shouldn’t impact them. We have yet to see them really navigate on there own and that's trouble some. While a team can occasionally manage to go far without this ability (last season Ray and Yolanda who were seemed to be always lost). What might be a factor is Mary having hurt her ankle on the way to the Pit Stop. A middle of the road team often needs to be able to hustle to gain an advantage especially as more and more teams get eliminated. If this is a continuing issue (Hi Marshall and Lance) then this team could be in trouble soon.
8. Erwin and Godwin. This team started in the back of the pack at the temple, but like Tyler and James managed to make up a lot of time at the horses and the detour. They were also smart enough to get direction before leaving town. What hurt this team is vehicle problems not only did they stall and half to receive help from the locals but they also got stuck (Insider videos) and had to get a large group of guys to push them out of the mud. what could have been a better then average day, becomes below average due to either vehicle problems.
So far on this race, this alpha male team, hasn’t impressed. They have seemed to be slow moving and slow getting out of the gate, though they have tackled tasks fairly well. The had trouble navigating in Seattle, and at least wisely got direction this leg. Hopefully we see more of them being competent navigators and getting a hustle going.
9. Lyn and Karlyn also started at the end of the pack at the temple and wisely picked up Charlie the Fern. But they managed to get lost almost immediately after Charlie got out. They were 2cd to last getting to the detour, they switched detours which always consumes extra time, and they had car trouble and had to have it manually crank started. They didn’t appear to do that well at the roadblock either. Overall one of the poorer overall performances of this leg.
So far overall, this team as been all over the place, we will have to see more legs to see if their navigation skills improve, but their physical difficulties with the tasks could be a problem depending on what type of tasks are still to come. This is a team that also seems to spend to much time focusing on others teams (especially Peter and Sarah). And while I have no problem with them not assisting Tyler and James (it is a race, and no one was hurt), but it is a little telling on the attitude they gave on seeing the team in trouble. Remember at this early stage at one time or another you might need assistance. It doesn’t hurt to be nice. Let the bitterness come in the later stages of the race.
10. Kellie and Jamie. While it appears they did okay getting to the temple in the first group (and with the great idea of having a passenger write the name in the language), and apparently doing fine at the detour Take it Down, everything else about this leg was a failure.
They managed to get instructions out of town and yet got terrible lost going from first to worst (that's with at least a 20 minute difference between her group and the last group. They also had the same vehicle problems as Lyn and Karlyn though they got started first. Getting locals advise for navigation killed this team when 3 separate locals told them they were going in the wrong direction (they weren’t) thus allowing Lyn and Karlyn to pass them and reach the roadblock first. At the Roadblock Kellie easily had the worst trouble with the event. She says they went through 117 arrows and spent several hours trying. They finally quit, and wen to the Pit Stop. At best they would have hit a non elimination or a To Be COntinued double leg, but they still would have taken a four hour penalty for falling to o the roadblock. This would have placed them at least 6 hours behind Lyn and Karlyn (possible longer). Even with bunching that would have been difficult to overcome. They were eliminated.