Jeff and Jordan's Last Dance

I guess it's fair to say I could see it coming for the past few weeks. Jeff and Jordan were finally eliminated during this leg of the race, and frankly, it was kind of a relief.

They finished in first place during the opening leg but as the race progressed, they fell further and further behind.

TAR Fans vs. BB Fans
This could be an interesting time for TAR fans who find it much easier to let go of their favorites than BB fans. TAR fans never get as involved in the lives of the contestants as BB fans do. Maybe it's the nature of the games but it seems that TAR fans are more inclined to let the players return to "real" life. Not so with BB!

Suddenly there's a huge cross-over in the fan base and TAR forums have been inundated with the pre-show Jeff and Jordan fan base, and it will be interesting to see how the Jeff/Jordan love fest plays out.

I also think it will be interesting to see how Jeff/Jordan fans view the race and its outcome. Not necessarily the final outcome, but just the elimination of Jeff and Jordan. Is it Jeff's fault? Jordan's fault? Or do they share the blame mutually for not making it to the end of the race? I predict a lot of Jeff/Jordan fans are going to feel that Jordan is to blame because in their eyes she gave up on the race.

It All Comes Down to Choices
But, in reality, Jeff made some dumb choices in the race. While he chose the right course to find an alternate bus during the second leg, he did not find out if it left from the same terminal. During that leg, they fell five places to sixth place. During the third leg, they regained one place only to find themselves in last place in the next leg. Fortunately, it was non-elimination. Some would argue that it was the cab ride that cost them, but maybe it was Jeff's insistence on the sauerkraut challenge which they did not finish anyway. They were still in last place in the next leg, though still in the race, due to the U-turn imposed on Joe and Heidi. They just never got on track after the first leg.

During this leg, Jeff seemed more relaxed. Maybe he and Jordan had already conceded the race, who knows? Maybe their hearts weren't in it. Maybe it was too soon and mentally, neither was prepared for another hard fought, challenging game.

TAR Casting Nets Dumbest Cast Ever
This round of TAR has really left me wondering, though, at the future of the game. Are these teams really the best they could do in the casting department? Where did they find these players?

The Cowboys took off for a totally location without even bothering to find out what the clue meant. They were lost twice and still managed to come in third!

In fact, most teams got lost at least once during this leg. Navigation is hardly their strong suits. To top it off, Steve and Allie wrecked their car and duct taped it. They too, managed to finish well, coming in second.

None of these teams are doing anything to improve the view of Americans abroad. Whether it's mispronounced place names, or comments about people not speaking English well, they are a mostly rude group of American travelers. In fact, I found myself wondering if I would dare visit France after Daniel's comment about the locals not speaking English well!

Jordan's naivety was somewhat refreshing and at the same time, startling. While looking for the Joan of Arc statue, she recalled the story of Noah's ark, thinking them one and the same. So again, our educational system looks highly irresponsible at best.

Defying Explanation
But then there's the team that defies everything — Brent and Caite. In my opinion, they lead the way in totally STUPID behavior. Really, I would love for them to understand that looks only serve you to get so far in life. Every leg, they do something so ridiculous, that you think they can't possibly top it — until the next episode.

Let's see, during this episode, they happened upon Carol and Brandy and decided to follow them — right to Phil's mat. Only, they had not completed the Detour. So Jeff sent them on their way to the Detour. Brent suggests looking for the grapes rather than building a wine glass pyramid. A wise choice but Caite, who wanted to build the pyramid chooses to nag instead of look and walks right by the marked grapes.

Eventually she gets her way, insists on building it her way and watches as the glasses tumble to the floor. They end up back in the field where Caite spots the grapes and back to the pitstop.

Maybe Jeff and Jordan's problems started when they aligned with Brent and Caite. Wasn't it during the second leg?

If Brent and Caite go further than next week, I will be surprised and I might even call foul because they've been around longer than their racing skills should permit.