On a side note, I was surprised to notice "brothers" as their descriptor under their names. How the heck did I miss that all these weeks? Maybe I did not make the mental connection because, to me, they don't look a lot alike. I mean, there's no question Dan and Jordan are brothers but Jet and Cord? Not so much.
Wits vs. Twists
Anyhow, Jet and Cord are brothers who get along well and push each other to greater heights. Sure they have made a few mistakes but still, they have finished in first place four times.
We learn a little more about the brothers during this episode. Jet shares that he's homesick and missing his wife and 17-month-old daughter. Cord shares that he got engaged just before the race. They both seem like pretty nice guys and it would be great to see a pair win who have relied on their wits rather than game twists to get to the end.
The other teams have some issues to overcome if they are to be the first to step on the mat during the finale.
Brent and Caite are focusing more on the race than on petty issues, but still have bouts with poutiness. When the wind blew and sent Brent's puzzle pieces rolling across the field, he blew up and stomped back to Caite, who tried to offer moral support but he was not in the mood to accept it. Cord was having the same trouble and used hat, jacket and whatever he could find, including his body, to secure the puzzle. It's all in the approach, and so far, they have not placed first.
As a side note: I'm puzzled by Brent's designation as a model. ...
Dan and Jordan could make it all the way, but Jordan needs to learn to control his emotions better. Whenever the task is a bit difficult, he melts down and that takes precious time. Their only first place finish was after using the fast forward.
Finally, there's Mike and Louie, who I picked pre-race to do well. Their biggest concern is that physically, they can't compete and in a foot race with the other teams they will come in last. They did manage two first place finishes while in France but maybe fatigue is setting in because lately they have struggled.
Potentially Bad Choice
In the airport, we get Brent and Caite's first-hand account of the Brandy and Carol U-turn. It's obvious that they enjoy retelling their moment of glory. But I have to agree with Jordan and Dan, it was a stupid move, totally personal. Their best bet would have been to U-turn the Cowboys, who are a stronger team. Personally, I'm glad they did not use the U-turn on the Cowboys, but it was a better move.
RIP Pingping
The first Roadblock lead to some of my favorite moments of the episode with the introduction of Pingping, the world's smallest man. His presence provided a great distraction for the players who were making noodles. This also was one of my favorite tasks so far because it most certainly was Shanghai-specific.
Jet showed great skill and finished quickly. Caite was considerably distracted by Pingping, along with her dislike for cooking in general. Brent also demonstrated once again his lack of patience as he sat on the sidelines. Louie confessed that, as a child, he once helped his grandmother make homemade pasta and he too did well. Jordan, on the other hand, suffered a meltdown and was comforted by Dan, who has shown some real compassion toward Jordan on this race.
A few of the teams made jokes about Pingping which in retrospect seemed unfortunate. I was saddened to see that the episode was dedicated to his memory. According to news reports, Pingping died in March due to heart complications. He was 21-years-old.
Are They Gray or Black?
The fashion challenge was interesting and geared toward Brent and Caite in so many ways. I thought Michael and Louie, and the Cowboys would do the worst but surprisingly, the Cowboys finished with only one change of the model's shirt. Michael's reaction was a bit funny as he asked for a shooting challenge or chasing a crackhead. Still, they did okay too.
The best part of the challenge occurred when Dan and Jordan, and Michael and Louie, discovered that their models were wearing the stockings needed by the other team to complete their task. Both teams were apparently "sight challenged" to determine whether the stockings in the picture were black or gray.
Which Way Will the Wind Blow?
All the teams eventually ended up in an open air football stadium working on a puzzle with 90-plus pieces. This first-time ever, second Roadblock, forced the team member who sat out during the first Roadblock to compete in this round.
Wind played a role, as mentioned earlier, but keeping their wits about them was important as well. The wind tossed both Cord and Brent's puzzles around the field, but Cord dealt with the problem and continued building his puzzle and, as a result, he and Jet went on to finish first for the fourth time in the game.
Brent was actually working at a surprising pace on his puzzle, and may have finished before Cord had it not been for the wind, but Brent actually expended time and energy cursing the wind for blowing his pieces around the field. Deal with it, dude!
Dan also kept a steady pace but Michael, for some reason, lost focus and struggled into the evening hours with his puzzle. The pair finished in last place but fortunately for them, it was a non-elimination leg. It will be interesting to find out whether they manage to become the third team this season to overcome the Speed Bump.
Next week, looks interesting as the previews show a rather huge meltdown by Team Dan and Jordan. The meltdown this time, however, seems to be on the part of Dan. But the previews can be deceiving, and it's possible that Dan and Jordan could come in first place despite the meltdown.
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