Amazing Race 5 Team Dynamics: Fish Eggs, Fish Eggs, Roly Poly Fish Eggs

Whoa. Like most Amazing Race, fans I like to tune in a few moments beforehand to make sure my watch isn’t broken and I don’t miss anything. What do I see? A lady in a green Mohawk with a golden “cross-out” symbol on her neck. Whoa. I don’t know if Big Brother’s gimmick this year is “freaky-deaky,” but whatever it is, it’s working. Anyway, on to the show that we all know and love: The Amazing Race. This week we had our share of good and bad team dynamics. Teams finally started working with instead of against each other. Yet, some teams seemed to alienate themselves (whether they wanted to or not) and just plain irritate others. So, who’s the best and who’s the rest? Well, keep reading on down the page:

Team Unbelievable: This week Chip and Kim needed to “run the perfect race.” Even though they got lost only seconds after saying this, they pretty much accomplished their goal (thanks to a bunch of teams getting caught at the roadblock). So, how did team dynamics land Chip and Kim in their surprising first place? Well, I’d say two major things. First off, their incredible luck/appetite at the roadblock certainly helped. Secondly, their friendly attitude towards the race and its participants also helped move them along without too much stress or bickering. When the two of them realized that Brandon and Nicole had ditched them for better tickets, instead of throwing a fit, they both just kind of reeled back and said, “Oh well, they’re playing a game just like us.” Then on the way to the battleship they just smiled and noted how they were in last once again. I’m glad to see that it finally paid off for them. If they want to remain at the head of the pack, they have to once again run a perfect race. Can they do that? Going by their track record, the answers seems to be no. Only time will tell. Until then I’ll keep marveling at their amazing placement. And did Chip call Kim “Booby-Cooper”?

Team “Push Through The Pain”: Too bad Tylenol isn’t sponsoring The Amazing Race, since this team would’ve won their prestigious “Push Through The Pain” award. Colin and Christie ran another very strong leg this time around, constantly asking smart questions and just being intelligent travelers. As a matter of fact, I’m so impressed with this team that I can get over the initial creepiness of the Amazing Race Strangler (Colin’s new serial killer nickname). It also seems as if Colin and Christie’s kindness is finally paying off. Three other teams agreed that these two should catch the best flight out of Argentina, which is a huge deal. When it comes to working together, Colin and Christie also seem to have it made in the shade. When he yells, she keeps quiet and when she yells he keeps quiet. It’s the perfect union. And when there is shouting, it’s constructive, even if it looks as if Colin’s going to slit the throat of everyone around him. The only point on this leg that they faltered was at the roadblock, where Richie Rich would have been ashamed of Christie. All things said, Colin and Christie came in an incredibly strong second for losing so much time at the roadblock. I expect to see great things from this team if they continue to work as well as they do now.

Team Almost Friendly: Wow, I never would have thought that Marshall and Lance would be getting this nickname. For a rather rude team, they worked surprisingly well with others this week (sans “Mirna and Shmirna”). They even went as far as to selflessly tell Chip and Kim to be careful on their way up the battleship. Someone’s getting a merit badge this week. They also seem to have a brain between the two of them for the first time. In the bus station they were smart to follow Colin and Christie and see if they could catch a better bus. Then they agreed that Colin and Christie should have the better flight, instead of pushing for themselves when they clearly were not deserving. They even worked well with locals. Although I’m not 100% happy with this team this week, they did do great compared to previous weeks. From last to third is nothing to be ashamed of. In order for these two to continue to remain to stay (redundant much?) in the race, they are going to have to rely on their brains and their newfound personalities more.

Team Irritating: For some strange reason, Charla and Mirna seem very excited about going to St. Petersburg, Russia, at the start of this leg. Go figure. As I’ve already mentioned several times before, Mirna will be the death of this team. At the bus terminal she interrupted Colin, which in my book is quite rude. She later got into arguments with almost every other team. In fact, at the bus station she was the impetus that sparked the entire “order that we arrived in” debate. Colin even went as far as to make sure that they didn’t get on the better bus. I don’t quite understand her race strategy and I don’t see how it will pay off. She has already pushed away an entire group of possible allies, leaving only the Moms and maybe Kami and Karli. This could seriously hurt them later on in the race if a team decides to use the Yield against them. Even if they survive it, another team could just try again the next leg, so they have to got to start being a bit more friendly. Now, when it comes to working together, Mirna could use a few college courses on her conduct. She doesn’t listen to a word Charla says, she shouts at Charla, and she just makes up the team’s mind at every turn. Now, Charla doesn’t seem to have a problem with this, but it may end up hurting them later on, since Charla does have several good ideas. Actually, Mirna should be thanking her lucky stars that she has Charla as a teammate since so far she has pulled this team’s weight at every challenge. In order for them to stay alive in this race, Mirna has to start being nicer to other teams and listening to her teammate. If not, the next Phil-hug might be a bit tear-filled.