The Amazing Race UpdateAlways check out
Viking Pundit's summary first.
First task is to drive to Turtle Creek Ranch. Brief bit of Weavers bickering over whether to get gas while they are stopped at a service station. Can you say foreshadowing? Teams arrive in the same order as they started, but there is an overnight ahead, before they are transported in SUVs they must dash across a prairie to catch.
The task is a detour, where teams must choose between building a teepee or a buckboard wagon. The Bransons and Linzes choose the wagon, while the other two teams pick the teepee challenge. The Linzes finish first and take the lead, followed shortly by the Bransons. The Weavers manage to finish before the Godlewskis.
Next job is to drive to Cody, Wyoming and get their picture taken at Buffalo Bill's daughter's hotel/bar. Teams of course leave here in the same order they started, but it is clear that the Godlewski family is behind because after the Linzes finish first, the Bransons and then the Weavers have to watch the team in front of them pose for the cameras. But by the time the Desperate Housewives arrive the Weavers have already left.
Teams then drive to a golf course, and my pulse quickens again. Last season they had a golfing challenge, another area where I feel I could generally compete. But it turns out in this case that the challenge is to check the back nine of a golf course for balls of a certain color and collect four of them.
Good old Wally again proves his worth as he insists that they check the cup on every hole (although one suspects that the minute they saw one of another color in an earlier hole, they knew to keep looking). As a result, the Bransons pull ahead of the Linzes, who have to go back to find their final ball.
The Weavers finish apparently well ahead of the Godlewskis, and the only drama now is if they can find the final ranch they need to visit, and whether the gas will hold out. But it's not quite as dramatic as it sounds and the Weavers finish ahead.
Prediction for the last episode: It's the Weavers. I know a lot of people don't like them, but they're a highlight reel with all the obstacles they've overcome. There was a wonderful little bit today with them driving along and passing up a Pizza Hut and the girls exclaim about getting the buffet, and it struck me--they're real Americans. Devout yet somewhat coarse and unsophisticated.
Plus it would be great to see the past defeated teams have to applaud them as they jog the last couple of yard to the victory mat.
