Amazing Race: week 3

Sorry not to have posted last week, but I was psyching myself up for Survivor.

I’d like to offer some advice to competitors on the Amazing Race: think about the challenges before you decide who will perform the Roadblock and which Detour you’ll do. For example:

1. If you're afraid of flying, don't choose the challenge that involves travelling in a helicopter (loud "gay" bloke take note).
   
2. If you're afraid of heights, don't volunteer for the challenge that involves climbing a building and rappelling back down the side (one of the Danielles - and I totally don't care which of you it was - take note).
   
3. If you’re at a swimming pool (even in Moscow) there’s an extremely high likelihood that the challenge will involve swimming. If you can’t swim, don’t offer to do the challenge before you know what it is (the wife in this year’s token black couple, take note).
   
4. If you’re at a swimming pool and you know the challenge involves jumping off a diving platform and then duck diving to retrieve the next clue, and you’re mortally terrified of deep water, don’t offer to do the challenge (Desiree, take note).
   
5. If you are the partner of one of these people, and you know that there’s a really good chance they’ll freak out and freeze, say something. Or perhaps don’t, because it does make kinda good television.

Some other observations:

1. The "hippies" are going to do very well on both the physical and mental challenges. They get a big tick from me for taking the time to stop and admire the Russian cathedral this week, and treat the place with the respect it deserved. From memory only one other team even bothered to look up.
   
2. The nerds are just adorable.
   
3. Phil really doesn’t like the frat boys. I haven’t seen such a tight cat’s bum mouth from him on the welcome mat since Jonathan and Victoria. Phil, I’m with you 100% on that one.
   
4. Lake’s wife either deserves a medal or sainthood or a good smack upside the head for putting up with him. Also that weird circular bandaid on the side of his neck has suddenly disappeared. I’d LOVE to hear suggestions from people on what it might have been concealing.
   

Next week we get the second half of the current Moscow leg. While this kind of programming tomfoolery normally gets up my nose, at least this week it means there's a chance the frat boys won't win it. There's also still time for the Danielles to overtake and show no sympathy when the boys stuff up. It hasn't happened yet, but it will happen. Even if I need to get involved to make it happen. They really annoy me.