Jessica, I'm with you on the local guide thing. I kind of wish they wouldn't do it so much because it makes things a little less interesting, but I have no other objection. And as we saw with that woman in China, it's not like there's no chance it'll backfire on them anyway.

The beauty queens annoyed me sometimes (especially with the asking to come in first thing - WTF?), but for the most part I really liked their game play - I'm not sure I really get the objections to it. They've been much more focused on the race aspect than most teams, and that's a good thing.

I don't get that either, Brenda. As far as I can tell from the other teams' perspectives, the objection seems to be "They're GIRLS and they're BEATING US!" I mean...they haven't been the warmest and fuzziest of competitors, but that's not the point of the race. I can understand not liking them as people, but their "style of gameplay" has basically been to stay focused on the race and make as few mistakes as possible. They're also one of the only teams who's been consistently choosing detours based on what they thought they could finish first, and not on what other teams are doing, which I always liked.

(Ditto with getting release forms from everyone they speak to who appears on camera -- the racers have to do all of that themselves, so asking for directions, while helpful, can be much more time-consuming than what we see onscreen.)

Wow, really? What a PITA. But, given how lost many teams have gotten, apparently worthwhile.

The Addicts take on the Blondes was the right one--"We want them gone because they are such strong racers; we'd rather have 'Bama in the final three with us." I liked the Blondes much better than 'Bama, and was really hoping they'd pull it out because they would have made the final ep really competitive (as long as they didn't get lost).

TAR: The Bama women are more competitive than they've been credited with, though I'd still rate them third -- they're way less likely to melt down than Rob & Kimberly and more 'will to win' than the Addict Models.

Going into the final round, I may not have a favorite team, but I think the remaining contestants have run a good and clean and hard race and could clearly deserve to win.

OK, so I was looking up Chanukah House to see when I need to avoid Park Heights Road. And I found pictures of some of the decorations. I leave them to you to comment on.

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Somewhere in the office, so low that I can just barely make out the lyrics, someone is playing "Father Figure".

You know, Clooney was a lot less attractive in 1989 than he is now (IMO). Damn him - who has the right to be better looking at 45 than at 30?

You know what, though? Clooney has the same thing going on that Robert Redford does and that (I think) Brad Pitt does. When they were younger, they were just sort of generically pretty -- DAMN pretty, but in a sort of unstamped-coin kind of way. Shiny, but generic.

After some years, though, they're no longer generic. Their coin of attractiveness has been stamped.

I always felt that Princess Di was like this, too.

Redford? I think he just looks sort of surgically tweaked now.

I totally agree on Brad Pitt though.

Those Chanukah House decorations are hilarious.