The Amazing Race 5, Team Dynamics: Slip-Sledging Away

We've hit the big TEN!!! All right! Go us! Ten legs down, only a few more to go. This leg was a whirlwind of great moves and idiotic mistakes. By now it seems as though first through fourth place for the finish of the race is already set. If it's not obvious to you, don't worry. Our old buddy, team dynamics, is here to help explain it to you:

Team Improvement: Hey, whaddya know. Colin made it out of India with no arrest record to his name! He's improving, no? Not only that, but he and Christie barely bickered this episode. As a matter of fact, Christie went as far as to say that they are improving, and Colin even said he was impressed with Christie's racing skills. And to top it all off, Colin sincerely apologized to Christie en route to the detour. Say what?! Is that a 180 from the last few episodes, or what? Even though Colin did have a semi-maniacal laugh at the start, this team rose above their dark and sinister past and ran an excellent leg. When they first ran towards the travel agent in India, Christie noted that the two of them needed to calm down and not flip out when a challenge is not going their way. Well, it looks as if they followed their own advice here. It was smooth sailing for pretty much the entire leg. They chose the correct detour choice ("clean" or sledging). This choice was clearly faster and more efficient. The teams should always choose the guaranteed quick finish. Their first place finish came as no shock to me, and probably not to them either. If my memory serves me correctly, this will mark their third vacation win so far in the race. It seems to me that they'll have a cool million dollars to spend on postcards from all of their vacation spots. Probable Place: 1st

Team Lucky: Bet you never thought that the bowling moms would ever be known as "Team Lucky," especially not after bad luck plagued them for so long. Well, it was a nice break to see the Moms race a leg without careless errors and a shadow of gloom. They were friendly towards each other and the locals wherever they went, which in turn meant an excellent second place showing for them (the best they've done thus far). They even played it real smart and smooth throughout this leg. While on the way to the Yield route marker, the Moms carefully studied their map and made it to the destination with no trouble. Then, they chose the right detour and sped off to find it. Even though they thought they were in last (they were actually in third), they never gave up, and this paid off handsomely. However,it was here at the detour where team dynamics played their biggest factor. This happened to the Moms once before, while they were hang-gliding in South America. They faced a daunting task that only one Mom felt comfortable doing. As stated initially, in the rules of strong team dynamics, as long as one partner is fearless, the other will usually follow in suit, regardless how risky the task is. Well, they did here and barely wasted anytime at the challenge. The Moms earned their second place showing. Unfortunately for them, I do not think that they will be able to hold onto it for much longer. Although they raced excellently this leg, I doubt that they will be able to do it again. Hopefully they will, but unlikely. Probable Place: 3rd

Team Foolish: Brandon and Nicole made a critical error this leg that could have cost them the race, so, this week, I dub them "Team Foolish." But we'll get to that later. Their dynamics did take a turn for the better this leg, as they finally put aside their differences and worked extremely well together, most noticeably at the hotel collecting money. Although they were being rejected left and right, Brandon and Nicole did not give up in face of adversity, even at the risk of leaving one's "comfort zone." Then, once at the airport in India making connecting flights to New Zealand, Brandon and Nicole did something for the very first time on the race. They joked around with each other. Although this seems insignificant, keeping up one's spirits in the race is incredibly important. It helps teams to not get bogged down at difficult tasks and stressful situations. Now, why are they "Team Foolish?" Well, it was clearly because of their choosing the wrong detour option. They were in a strong second, after coming back from last with no money. Why on earth would anyone then choose the risky detour option? Although Brandon said that it was because of his nerves, he should have let those fall by the wayside and just do the more challenging task. God would've been there to protect him. Instead, Brandon and Nicole made a huge mistake by wasting valuable time digging through dirt in hopes they might run across a clue. If anything came out of it, for the first time in the race, praying paid off for Brandon and Nicole. It is funny to note the irony of their not thinking to pray sooner in the task. This mistake was inexcusable, and they were extremely lucky that it only lost them one place. If they want to cross the finish line, they are going to have to continue acting they way they did this leg, but throw caution to the wind. However, something tells me this won't be the case. Probable Place: 4th