Worst to first!

Absolutely incredible! The fortunes of this game turn so quickly, it's dizzying.

First place, two weeks in a row, the cowboys should have been shoe-ins for another top three finish. Louie and Michael had continually been among the bottom dwellers, and my expectations were not high for them to get on track.

This episode turned everything on it's ear, so to speak.

Intersection Introduction!
The teams spent their mandatory rest period on a farm in Argentina prior to embarking on an 8,000 mile flight that would take them to Germany. Once in Germany, the teams faced the very first "Intersection" in the history of the game. The Intersection required a member of two different teams to work together. The task was a 150 ft. bungee jump.

Jet and Michael paired up and were the first to jump. Jet jumped with his cowboy hat on and somehow managed to keep it on throughout the bouncing and spinning! At the end of the task, Jet and Cord made a decision to ride the Metro while Louie and Michael chose a taxi. Those decisions were pivotal in determining the course of the race.

Joe and Allie jumped together and Joe suffered an injury which would bother him throughout the leg. Steve and Allie are doing surprising well, and if he can hold up, they may be one of the teams to beat in all this!

Daniel was teamed with Brandy, and they worked together well. Daniel provided Brandy with assurance during the task. He seems like a nice guy. I also like the fact that he's doing the race for his brother who has wanted to be on TAR for several seasons. Just can't believe neither can drive a stick shift!

That left Jordan and Caite to work together, although Jordan pointed out that have been somewhat aligned throughout the race. Unfortunately, they got off to a bad start by getting on a train going in the wrong direction. Once they arrived, however, the girls pulled it off in great fashion. As they went off the platform, they hardly uttered a sound! Incredible because I probably would have been screaming my guts out!

Disastrous Detours!
The teams moved on to a Detour, and had to decide between eating a plate of sauerkraut or kicking soccer balls through five targets. Personally, I would have went for the soccer ball challenge any day of the week!

Michael and Louie chose the sauerkraut challenge which required them to eat a very large plate of sauerkraut while a band played in the background. The teams must finish eating before the song ended. In short order, Michael and Louie finished the sauerkraut and moved onto drinking a "boot" of beer.

Steve and Allie, Joe and Heidi, chose the soccer challenge. Steve made two of five goals, while Allie racked up the remaining three, making the challenge appear quite easy. Joe and Heidi meanwhile were hobbled by Joe's knee and had to abandon the kicking in favor of sauerkraut.

The cowboys tried their luck with the soccer challenge. It took them a kick or two to find the right technique, but they too mastered the challenge and went on to the beer drinking. I was amazed to discover that Jet had never drank a beer and struggled with this task.

Jeff and Jordan arrived at the Detour in fifth place. Jeff made the decision to eat sauerkraut. Giving the directions to the taxi driver, Jeff and Jordan soon found themselves on a long drive to nowhere. Jordan lamented that they should have chosen the soccer challenge and Jeff responded that they probably would have ended up in Switzerland. After driving several miles out of their way, they discovered that the taxi driver had input the wrong address into his GPS, and they miles from their destination. This Detour turned into a huge detour for the team as they lost valuable time.

Chug-a-lug!
Dating couple Carol and Brandy went to the Sauerkraut challenge and managed to finish the plate prior to the end of the song. They left for the bar for their boot of beer only to encounter the cowboys still struggling to down their boot.

By this time, Louie and Michael, Steve and Allison, and Joe and Heidi had found the tiny bar in the red light district where the Beatles had played decades ago that was the pitstop for the race.

Dan and Jordan, meantime, were finishing up the soccer challenge. Dan was very excited to play in a soccer challenge and did well. Caite and Brent were also happy with the Detour, but soon after Caite hurt her leg which hampered their efforts. The team pushed on though, and managed to complete the task with Caite hitting three of the targets.

Jeff and Jordan finally returned from their tour of Hamburg and arrived at the Sauerkraut. Holding her nose, Jordan dove into the dish but they did not finish in time. Jeff conceded that they should have went for soccer because he's athletic.

At the bar, the cowboys had finished their beer and Jet said that he will never drink another beer as long as he lives! The two arrived in the Bible belt and exclaimed, "We are no longer in the Bible belt." Yet, another title of an episode.

Based solely on the fact that so many of their quotes are being used as titles of the episodes, I'm thinking they are among the top finishers!

Carol and Brandy polished off their boot quickly and arrived in fifth place at the Pitstop. Dan and Jordan were not too far behind and arrived at the Pitstop in sixth place.

Back at the Bar
Meanwhile, back at the bar, Brent was struggling to drink the beer while Caite looked on expectantly. Apparently, Brent is the beer drinker but midway through, he went outside to vomit. He came back in to finish the remainder of the beer and the two set off in search of the Pitstop.

Jeff and Jordan were aware of their standing about this time. Jeff finished the beer much to the appreciation of the bar full of Germans who had enjoyed the spectacle up to that point. They arrived at the street not too far behind Brent and Caite who were looking for the Pitstop. Brent and Caite found it first and managed to limp to the mat just minutes before Jeff and Jordan.

As Jeff and Jordan stepped on the mat, Phil informed them that they were in last place but it was non-elimination week. So, next week the two will have to perform a Speed Bump to stay in the race.

Looking Ahead
Louie and Michael's performance gave me hope that my pre-race assessment would work out this time. I still look for the cowboys to continue to do well. Up until now, many of the assignments have been "country" so the cowboys showed their lack of "urban savvy" during this leg. Too many "big city" challenges could take its toll on the cowboys.

Carol and Brandy kept their race cleaner this time, and their personal disputes to a minimum. At least they recognize their mistakes!

Joe and Heidi, and Brent and Caite, are injured and that could work to the advantage of Jeff and Jordan next week if they want to stay in the game.

Jeff and Jordan need to run a clean leg next week. Jeff needs to be a little more open to letting Jordan make decisions. It's definitely a partnership!

Speaking of the next leg, looks like they are recreating World War I. Good luck to them! Could be interesting with a U-Turn involved!