Team Chefs has been flying under the radar for so long in this race. Actually, they are the most inconsistent team, going up and down the leader board. But in this leg, they showed that they are here to win, and they can do it. They have so many things going for them in this leg, they are so lucky and they have the right strategy in the tasks. I think one of the things that helped them was that they were not driving in this leg, and Chef Eji is able to rest and conserve his energy. If they sustain this momentum, they are really a contender for the grand prize.
Team Dating Couple went down to the 4th and 5th place in the last couple of legs, mainly due to the fact that they were the target of the Yield and U-Turn because of their strong showing in the earlier legs. They were able to bounce back but what was shown in this episode is their communication problem. They fought hard in this leg, even to the point of hurting each other and calling each other idiot or stupid. Communication is key in this race and they need to patch things up at the pit stop or this will be a big factor in the race.
Too close yet still too far. I think that is the best phrase to describe the race that Team Magkapatid has ran so far. They finished 3rd in this leg, for the 3rd consecutive time and 4th time in the race (adding to the 3 2nd place finish they had as well). They are greatly complimenting each other, maybe because they really now the strength and weaknesses of each other. They have also been very supportive of each other and have been communicating well. Unfortunately, the ability to finish first have never come their way. Wit 3 legs left, they need to find a way to get to the top.
Team Mr. Pogi went down to the middle of the pack, but this is still an acceptable finish as compared to the rankings they had in the first 5 legs of the race. From leg 4 where they called themselves Miracle Boys, they went from narrowly escaping elimination to being a contender. With their charms and their improved communication, they are definitely an under dog team to watch for. They proved last leg that they can finish strong by getting 2nd place and they can easily bounce back from here..
If you look at the teams, you will most probably pick Team Nerds as one of the teams to go home first. But they surprised everyone by topping the first leg and staying in the race up to this point. They also know that they lack the physicality and stamina that the other teams have. And it shows in this leg, they gave up in the hammock challenge and look so tired. But I think, in this race, it was the correct strategy that they had to take in this leg. They know that they will not be able to finish the challenge so they have to gamble to take the penalty and watch and pray that another team will not be able to complete the task - and it s just what happened. At the pit stop, they told Derek that they think they do not deserve to be there, I think otherwise. The choice they made was the correct strategy, but they have to bounce back from here and prove themselves if they want to win.
My hats off to Daddy AJ in this episode. He just never give up. In the color game challenge, even though they were the last team there, he never gave up. In the hammock challenge, despite the sprain and all the fall he had, he never gave up. But the big surprise in this leg is how Jody supported AJ during the hammock task. In the previous tasks, Jody usually easily loses his cool and would shout at and blame his dad for the lost time. But in this task, Jody was very supportive of his dad. They are very lucky that this is a non-elimination leg. They need to focus in the race and come back strong.
7. The tasks are not getting easier, they just get harder and harder
This is the most challenging leg so far. All the challenges are hard. From the color run and the color game, to the snake challenge, to the ice or paddle detour, to the coconut and hanging bridge task and the hammock task; their is no time to rest for the racers. And if this is a preview of what is still to come in the next legs, it will definitely be a race to watch out for!
8. The name of the game is never give up - but strategy is king
Despite a very hard task, Team Mag-ama never give up until the end up to the point that they were told not to continue and will be given a penalty. They were very lucky that the leg was a pre-determined non-elimination leg. As discussed above, I think the strategy that the Team Nerds had was a correct strategy but was very risky. What they could have done better is convince another team to also take the penalty so that the leg will end in a footrace to the mat, and not wait and pray that another team will not finish the task. What if Team Mag-ama was able to finish the challenge? Team Nerds will be at the bottom of the rankings. Strategy is still key to winning the race.
9. Three more weeks, three more legs
Tonight is the start of the 8th leg and this season will only have 10 legs. With 3 legs to go, it will definitely be a race to survive. But doing the math, if one team will each be eliminated in legs 8 and 9, 4 teams will be racing in the last leg, which is a deviation from the usual 3 team finale. So it will either be a double elimination in one leg or one team will be eliminated in one of the legs - probably in leg 10. Let's watch and see!
Images are from @margienatividad account in Twitter
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