Here's the original question:
5 points - Do any teams get a penalty or not allowed to check in at the Pit Stop when they first arrive?
0 points - 7 people answered this question - Yes
0 points - 17 people answered this question - No
We know the answer to the first part, "Do any teams get a penalty?" is NO. No need to belabor this point or talk about penalties at all.
The second part, "or not allowed to check in at the Pit Stop when they first arrive?" does not mention Phil, or the mat.
So we have to determine, in the case of Brent & Caite, when did "they first arrive" at the "Pit Stop." My contention is that they first arrived at the Pit Stop just behind Carol and Brandy, before they had actually completed the leg.
Now we must determine if they were "not allowed to check in." So we ask the question, "Were they allowed to check in at that time?" The answer is clearly, "No, they were not allowed to check in at that time." It doesn't matter if Phil said anything, the fact is nobody allowed them to check in.
BTW, I picked "No" so I'm not saying this because I want the points, it's just clearly the right answer.