Monday, May 3, 2010

My Amazing Race Rankings (Week 11)


After the first episode of this season of The Amazing Race, my picks to make it to the final three were The Cowboys (Jet & Cord), Father/Daughter team (Steve & Allie) and Team Lesbians (Carol & Brandy). One out of three ain't too bad, and if it wasn't for a non-elimination leg, I would've gone 0-for-3.

Last night, the teams continue their trek around Shanghai, where more cabbie trouble ensued and more cultural insults were made. At the end, it was Michael & Louie, who were the only team this season to win three consecutive legs, that got Phil-iminated. So here we are, three teams with not one racer over the age of 30, racing from Shanghai to San Francisco for a million dollars. In alphabetical order, they are:

brentandcaite
Brent & Caite
"Team Models"

# of Times Finished First: Once (Week 11, Shanghai)
Strongest Leg: Week 10, Shanghai. Even though they came in second, they didn't make a single mistake.
Weakest Leg: Week 4, Germany. It was not pretty for the models when they started the leg in a hospital room and ending the day with Caite's bad leg.
Stronger Player: Brent
Strengths: Determination when applied, being at the right place at the right time & good ol' fashion player hating.
Weaknesses: Bickering, counting (Caite) and not reading directions.
Summary: The bickering couple starting the race relatively weak, but as their
annoyance factor raised, so did their game.
Odds To Win It All: 1 to 3

danandjordan
Dan & Jordan
"Team Brothers"

# of Times Finished First: Once (Week 9, Singapore)
Strongest Leg: Week 7, The Seychelles. Even though they came in second, they proved their bond and what they were capable of.
Weakest Leg: Week 2, Chile. Not even remotely close to warmed up and not knowing how to drive a stick shift were nearly fatal.
Stronger Player: Dan
Strengths: Knowing what the other person is capable of, constant encouragement & flying under the radar
Weaknesses: Foreign languages, stick shifts & being caught too laid back
Summary: Not many people gave these two any chance to go this far, but the adorable brothers and their support for each other got them here with some very sporadic results.
Odds To Win It All: 1 to 5

jetandcord
Jet & Cord
"Team Cowboys"

# of Times Finished First: Four (Week 2, Chile; Week 3, Argentina,
Week 8, Malaysia & Week 10, Shanghai)
Strongest Leg: Week 8, Malaysia. Going from last to first with a speed bump, they only saw one team for 30 seconds before dusting them to the pit stop.
Weakest Leg: Week 7, The Seychelles. They made too many mistakes and were spared elimination. The only time these two showed frustration during the race.
Stronger Player: Jet
Strengths: Staying calm under pressure, attention to details, and... well, everything?
Weaknesses: Besides being caught outside of their comfort zone. Street smarts.
Summary: The fan favorites are also the favorites to win them all. Running strong legs after strong legs, minor blips and all haven't slowed them down yet.
Odds To Win It All: 3 to 5

So there you have it, which team do you think will take it all? Will Jet & Cord's dominance continue? Can Brent & Caite actually pull this off with bitterness driving them? Can Dan & Jordan fly under the radar to pull off the upset? My pick? As much as I'd love to see Jet & Cord ride into the sunset as champions, I can't help but shake off the feeling Dan & Jordan are going to win it all.

1 comment:

Jill Mader said...

Great points! I think the fact that the one team that came in last once (Jet and Cord) is also the team that has the most first-place finishes. It shows that the win could go to anyone!