The Amazing Race 10, Episode 12 First Class and Cargo Class Awards: Hot Giant Chicks Rule!

The second-to-last episode of The Amazing Race 10 was a somewhat frustrating one, and I’m not the only one who feels that way. If you’ve read Jenn’s awesome recap, you know how she felt about this leg. Now it’s my job to hand out the awards.

First Class this week is going to Tyler & James, aka Team Zoolander. Yes, I know they finished in third place, and yes I know they picked the Detour that took longer, but those things don’t change the fact that the models raced a good, solid leg.

Zoolander started out in first place and breezed through the Roadblock. They properly surmised that the task would involve eating something, and after his awesome Fast Forward eating performance earlier in the race, James opted to take on the camel meat. He finished quickly and were it not for some equalizers (more about that later) the models would likely have finished in first place.

The models stated their desire to eliminate Dustin & Kandice—or at least to see them eliminated—several times during the leg. While they were obviously racing against them and pulling for their exit from the race, they were not malicious or nasty to the beauty queens. This has been true throughout the race and when it mattered most Zoolander did not let the pressure of racing against a strong team get to them.

We repeatedly heard about the blondes being marked for Philimination and the 30-minute penalty during this leg, and Zoolander were the first to mention it. They made the very wise decision of staying with Kandice & Dustin as much as possible on this leg. All they had to do was ensure that the ladies did not finish first, and they would have done as much as they could to get them Philiminated. And that’s exactly what they did.

The Detour presented a choice between a task the teams had complete control over (Lug It) and a “look for a needle in a haystack” task (Lob It). Even though their task ended up taking longer, the models correctly chose to stay with the blondes and complete the Lug It task. Even when they got lost, they never once questioned their decision. It turned out to be the task that took longer, but going on the evidence they had at the time, and properly assuming that Dustin & Kandice would choose the more physical task, they made the right choice.

So, James & Tyler, head on in to First Class. You better forego the champagne and concentrate on relaxing before the final leg. Snuggle up under the cozy blankets, kick back, and get some sleep.

Cargo Class this week is going to the Amazing Race 10 production team. As several of my colleagues have noted, it is absolutely inexcusable to have not one, but TWO, equalizers in a leg where every minute counts. There was no way for Dustin & Kandice to overcome their 30-minute penalty unless they finished in first place.

Now, lest you all think I am only bitter because of who was Philiminated, that’s not the case. I would be just as upset had Dublyn been marked for Philimination and encountered the situation that Kandice & Dustin did on this leg.

Earlier this season, teams spent two legs in Vietnam. There was no reason for the racers to have to travel somewhere that required air travel on this leg—particularly when there was going to be only one flight available. I do realize that not everything can be planned to the last second, but this problem could have easily been taken care of by eliminating the need for air travel completely.

As if the flight equalizer wasn’t bad enough, the very first task upon the teams’ arrival in Barcelona required them to visit a location with hours-of-operation restrictions. This completely eliminated any chance the blondes had to open up a 30-minute lead on any of the other teams. It also eliminated the advantage they had by getting out of the airport first.

Equalizers have their purpose during the race, and usually they don’t bother me as much as some of my RNO colleagues. However, in a leg where one team needs every advantage they can get, it is just wrong for every possible advantage to be taken away from them. Teams should be allowed to win or lose on their own merit and racing ability.

So the producers will be riding with their gear under the plane this week. At least they will be able to keep it safe during the trip. Shame on you for messing with the outcome of this leg!

Next week this season comes to a merciful end. Don’t get me wrong, there have been teams to love and teams to love to hate, but compared to other seasons it just feels like something is missing. Before we stick a fork in this season, we’ll have skydiving, and navigational nightmares. Be sure to stick with Reality News Online for full coverage of The Amazing Race 10!

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Sandy Lamparello is an Assistant Editor for Reality News Online and a Legal Editor for a publishing company in Washington, DC. Unlike her colleague/RNO Associate Editor Mike DeGeorge, she will not solicit specific gifts from readers. Instead she will be happy to accept any and all gift cards. Old Navy or Books-a-Million especially. You may reach her at realitytvjunkie@gmail.com.

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