The Amazing Race 34.11 “How Am I Going To Survive This?”

Last night, the four remaining teams went from Spain to Iceland and, by the end of the episode, we had our final three!

And I’m happy to say that it’s exactly the three teams who I wanted to see in the finale.

First off, we’ve got Derek and Claire.  I used to call Derek and Claire “Team Big Brother” but now I call them “Team Adorable” because I just love them to death.  I think when the Race began, a lot of people (myself included) assumed that Derek would be the stronger member of the team but Claire, despite some initial missteps, has really proven herself.  Much like Cody and Jessica, Derek and Claire have proven themselves to be much better suited for The Amazing Race than for Big Brother.  

Secondly, we’ve got Luis and Michelle.  Luis and Michelle are another really strong team.  They don’t have any glaring weaknesses so it’s going to be interesting to see how they do against Derek and Claire.  This seems like one of those seasons where it could all come down to who lucks out by getting the better taxi driver.

Finally, coming in third last night, are Emily and Molly.  These two are definitely underdogs, not because they’re not a good team but just because Emily’s knee has been slowing them down over the past few legs.  I would not be upset if they won.  They’re likable and they’ve never given up.  But Emily’s knee put them at a disadvantage.

Speaking of giving up, Aubrey and David were eliminated last night.  At the Detour, they decided they were never going to list the volcanic eruptions in the right order so they took the 2-hour penalty.  At that point, I’m assuming they knew they were in last place and they were going to be eliminated regardless.  They decided to accept it, instead of physically and mentally exhausting themselves.  And since Phil did announce that there were no non-elimination legs this race, their decision makes sense, though I would have kept trying just on the chance that Emily and Molly might get lost on the way to the pit stop.  If there had still been the possibility of this being a non-elimination leg, I imagine Aubrey & David would have kept going.

As I said, I’m happy with our final thee.  This is a rare case where the final three are also the three best teams.  No one snuck in.  Derek & Claire and Luis & Michelle are the front runners but you never know.  Emily & Molly might surprise us.  Either way, I’m going to be happy with whoever wins.  When was the last time you could say that about a season of The Amazing Race?

The finale is next week!