RNO Roundtable: Who Will Win ‘The Amazing Race 4’?

Some of the writers here at RealityNewsOnline have decided to come together and sound off on this season of The Amazing Race. Below, Betsy Wasser, Melinda Smith, Paris Cosby, Phil Kural, and Sting7 answer some questions about how the race shaped up and who they want to win. They also discuss how this season shapes up to seasons past, not to mention the order of finish! Read on for some good analysis.

Which of the remaining teams has the best chance of winning? Which has the least? Why?

Betsy: Best chance: Chip & Reichen. They're both physically strong, they work well together, and they generally make smart decisions (with the huge exception of not following directions a couple weeks ago). Least chance: David & Jeff. They're physically strong, but they make so many careless mistakes and get lost so easily that I think they're bound for a third-place finish.

Melinda: Kelly & Jon have the best chance of winning the race for the simple reason that they have the best luck. Despite being strong, dynamic, and smart, luck has been their best ally of all. Luck kept them from being eliminated in the first non-elimination round, in picking the right flight out of Seoul, in keeping them in the running when they slept at the airport in Kuala Lampur instead of scrambling for a better flight like Millie & Chuck, I could go on and on. (They’ve got the same luck that Vecepia Towery had in Survivor: Marquesas that caused Richard Hatch to choose her as the winner!) Luck has also been a factor for Jeff & David, aka the Goats, but to a lesser degree. If their luck doesn’t hold out, they’re the weakest team.

Paris: I think David & Jeff have been coming on strong lately but I'm not sure they've been edited as winners of the race. I honestly don't know which one is which and the show is almost over! For a long time, I've thought that Jon & Kelly would win The Amazing Race but she has been edited a bit like Flo from last season. So, by default, I will say that Reichen & Chip are the winners of The MOST Amazing Race.

Phil: Well, I would definitely say that Reichen & Chip have the best chance of winning. Do I want them to win? I wouldn’t care, but I WANT Kelly & Jon to win simply because I picked them to win from the beginning and they are my favorite team. I think the Goats have the worst chance of winning because they always seem to get lost. This race is definitely going to come down to Jon & Kelly racing Reichen & Chip to the finish line.

Sting7: The Goats are most physically fit, though Reichen & Chip are close. The last few challenges have been TOUGH and I doubt they will get easier or any less physically demanding. Goats have the best chance of winning, Jon & Kelly (already injured) are in trouble.

Of the remaining teams, who is your favorite and what have they done to become just that?

Betsy: Chip & Reichen are my favorites. I like them because they've raced hard, they've been smart, they're willing to take the occasional risk, and when things get stressful, rarely do they turn on each other. It makes me feel good to see how much they care about each other.

Melinda: The Goats have become my favorite team for the same reason that I always have a favorite team – they’re the ones I see as most "worthy" of winning TAR in terms of natural ability. It also has to do with having something of an underdog status. This was the case with Rob & Brennan from AR1, Chris & Alex from AR2, both of whom won the race that year, and to a lesser extent Derek & Drew from AR3. I know, I know, Rob & Brennan and Chris & Alex don’t seem like underdogs, but seeing them in perilous situations every week where they seemed to be on the brink of elimination made them seem that way to me. And Derek & Drew and David & Jeff definitely deserve the status as underdogs for their frequently inept and reckless decision making. I was slow to warm up to The Goats for the simple reason that we never saw them for the first half of the show, but now that they’ve emerged from the pack, I’m rooting for them the same as the previous "worthy" candidates!

Paris: I love Jon & Kelly. I think they are absolutely hilarious. They have been my favorites since the beginning of the show but when Jon grabbed Kelly on the train, I don't think I stopped laughing for about five minutes. I was even giggling in bed as I went to sleep that night. Those two are great to watch!

Phil: Wow, this is an easy one for me: Jon & Kelly! I loved them the second I read their profile. They love each other, but constantly bicker like they are already married. Every minute they are arguing about something else but there are always there when the other needs them. It’s cool to see that they can call one another an a**, then turn around and hug. I love this team.

Sting7: Reichen & Chip are mighty brave to expose their personal lives on television when there is such a strong anti-gay sentiment out there. I have to support that and the fact that they are killing gay stereotypes.

Sometimes each member of a team brings something different. For the team that you picked as your favorite, what does each member of the team have to offer?

Betsy: I think in general the two of them balance each other out well. When Reichen is freaking out, Chip will calm him down, and vice versa.

Melinda: This is a tough question, because I think that both David & Jeff have very similar personalities and abilities. The only difference I noticed was last week when one of them, I think it was Jeff, was more of a surfer than David, but David was an excellent swimmer.

Paris: I think Kelly has the spark and drive to win the race and John has the intelligence. I'm not by any means saying Kelly isn't intelligent. I think she's rash and has a ton of ambition whereas Jon is more of a "slow and steady wins the race" type of guy. I would love to see these two win.

Phil: Jon brings on the humor. It’s funny to watch him tease the other teams and Kelly. He takes the race for what it’s worth and does it all while having a good time. Kelly is more intense than I think most give her credit for. She is there to win and prove that she is not as weak as people may think. Her drive complements Jon’s strength and ability to quickly complete challenges. They are a perfect team.

Sting7: Reichen & Chip are fiercely loyal to each other, not afraid of a confrontation, and they are both intelligent and play to each other strengths.

With a few good reasons, who would you really not like to see win the race?

Betsy: David & Jeff. They've survived for a long time on luck in spite of some really dumb mistakes. Do we really want the winner of the race to be the team that couldn't find the wheelbarrow with the clues without help? I'd rather see Chip & Reichen win, because they deserve it, or Kelly & Jon, because at least Phil will be happy.

Melinda: The team that I would most like to see not win the race would be Reichen & Chip for the simple reason that they are so uptight and always have a huge chip on their shoulders (no pun intended) about being gay. They came to the race with the conviction that: 1. The outside world hates gays, and, 2. The other racers would automatically give them trouble about it. Of course, Jon, a world class smartass and agitator, has been happy to oblige them, resulting in last week’s macho baiting and chest beating at the office tower rappel challenge. Taken as a whole, Reichen & Chip’s surliness and animosity towards the other racers has left a bad taste in my mouth.

Paris: I don't think I would like to see David & Jeff win the race. And, honestly, it's only because it seems as though they've just recently signed up. It's sort of like they appeared out of nowhere a few weeks ago. I don't feel like I really know how they've played. I wouldn't be upset to see them win, like I would have been if Tara & Wil had won, but it wouldn't be as exciting as seeing Flo & Zack win. Hate them or love them? We just don't know them.

Phil: Of the three teams left, I would least like to see the Goats win. I don’t really have anything against them, but they are constantly screwing up and getting lost. It’s almost as if they are just floating around. I mean, when they couldn’t find the one clue in the wheelbarrow when the Clowns sat there and pointed it out to them, I wanted to reach through the TV and slap them! They just don’t race that well and I think they deserve to win the least.

Sting7: I have no problem with anyone left.

Do you think that any of the eliminated teams should be in the final three? If so, who do you think they most deservingly should replace?

Betsy: The Clowns, without a doubt. Even though Al & Jon are older than the other teams that remain, they were just as strong. Also, they consistently made smart decisions, but above all, they handled stress better than any other team. No matter how bad things got, they were able to laugh and smile together. I'd put them in place of David & Jeff.

Melinda: I don’t think that any of the eliminated teams deserve to be in the final three with the obvious exception of the Clowns. I would have liked to see some of the other teams get a little further in the race, like the team that messed up so badly at the masked ball challenge in Venice where the guy took three turns to match the photo the masked dancer and lost a huge amount of time!

Paris: No, I don't think so. Each team got themselves into the final three by working their butts off and overcoming the challenges of being involved in the race. Each of the top three deserve to be there.

Phil: Actually, I do. I think that Millie & Chuck deserve to be there instead of the Goats. I’m not a big Chillie fan, but I do think they had the determination to take it all the way. They were just so fatigued by the end of the leg they were eliminated that they didn’t even seem to be giving it 100%. They raced well the whole time and fell victim to bad luck. I do feel that they should be there instead of David & Jeff.

Sting7: I thought The Supremes were so gutsy, and it was just a bit of bad luck that got them out. Too bad, really.

What are your overall thoughts about how The Amazing Race 4 has come to this point? Would you rate it better or worse than seasons past?

Betsy: This is actually the first season I've watched. Several of my friends urged me to check it out, and I absolutely love it.

Melinda: The thing that comes to mind with AR4 and with AR3 is that it’s getting very hard to tell some of the teams apart. This season we have a bunch of handsome 30-something guy and girl teams. Last season, we had a bunch of manic 20-something guy and girl teams. I need more diversity, if only to be able to tell one team from another! This is a big problem in the first few episodes when no one team gets a lot of airtime and things get very confusing!

Paris: Honestly, I think this has been the worst Amazing Race ever. I barely remember most of the eliminated teams and there are teams like "The Clowns" and "The Goats" and I don't even know their names or which ones they are. It's not that I've missed any shows because I haven't! This season has been lacking something and I don't think I can pinpoint it but, for me, it hasn't been as exciting as the other three.

Phil: I would have to say that it hasn’t been my favorite season, but I liked it more than the second. The first season will always have a special place in my heart because of teams like Nancy & Emily and The Frat Pack, Kevin & Drew. The third season gave me John Vito & Jill, along with Teri & Ian. This season I have Jon & Kelly and Reichen & Chip. The second season was OK, but nothing to rave about. I loved Team Cha-Cha, Danny & Oswald and Mary & Peach. However, that season seemed so predictable. I’d rate this season third overall.

Sting7: It was good season. Unfortunately, it took a while for the personalities of some teams to develop. That could be because some of the more compelling teams were eliminated so quickly. I STILL don't know the Goats well enough to remember their names!

What will be the order of finish for The Amazing Race 4?

Betsy: 1. Chip & Reichen – they are the best overall package of strength, intelligence, and strategy 2. David & Jeff – their physical strength will give them a slight edge over Kelly and Jon. 3. Kelly & Jon – I predict a tight race between them and the second place team, but with Kelly being physically weaker than the men and having a hurt hand (which she probably made worse by rapelling down the building), they will cross the finish line last.

Melinda: I think that Jon & Kelly and Reichen & Chip will battle it out neck-and-neck to the final pit stop like they always do, and Jon & Kelly will manage to slip past Reichen & Chip to win the race. The Goats will be a few minutes behind. On the other hand, if The Goats can keep from making any major blunders, I predict that they will beat Reichen & Chip at the end, leaving Jon & Kelly a distant third.

Paris: Congratulations Reichen & Chip, you are the winners of The Amazing Race! Jon & Kelly, you're team number two. David & Jeff, you're team number three. Congrats to all of the competitors this time around, they did an awesome job!

Phil: I think Kelly & Jon are going to win only because I’m hoping they do. Reichen & Chip will come in second and at a distant third, the Goats. I just don’t see David & Jeff getting themselves together enough to pull off the win. I’m sure they will get lost somewhere along the way.

Sting7: 1. Reichen & Chip 2. Jon & Kelly 3. The Goats

As you can see, many different opinions here at RNO. Nobody is sure who is going to win The Amazing Race 4, but one thing is for sure, this is going to be a very intense finale. All of us can hardly wait to see what happens!

Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! And take a look at the rest of the site. You can find all of our recent Amazing Race articles at the Amazing Race 4 page and take a look at our sections on Fame and The Osbournes. You can even buy reality show stuff at our Reality TV Store!

For more news about The Amazing Race, be sure to check out SirLinksALot!