Nice guys finish last, by choice

Amsterdam/Poland, Season 27, Episode 9 preview –

All you need to know:

No good deed goes unpunished:

I fear for the Texans, Josh and Tanner, as they head into Episode 9.

Why? Well, they (or at least Josh) put principle above profit in

Cheerleaders and Texans embrace at end of non-elimination leg

Episode 8, letting the cheer- leaders, Krista and Tiffany, finish ahead of them after both Josh and Tiffany had teamed up in a food-arranging contest. (Quick question, when did the Race switch from having people eat disgusting food to having them plate food? I blame cooking shows.)

Anyway, Josh didn’t have to let Tiffany step on the carpet before him. However, he reasoned that she had gotten to the food first, so, well, courtesy (and perhaps the fact that he's a little smitten with her) demanded that she finish first. This, even though, for all he knew, the gesture guaranteed that he and Tanner were out of the race.

It turned out to be a non-elimination episode (cue the tears and the hugs), so the Texans survived to race another day. But you know that they’ll be made to pay for their act of kindness. Most karma is bad karma on the Race.

Pride comes before a fall:

Justin and Diana celebrate

Justin and Diana won again, finishing ahead of the pack for the fifth time.

Justin, who has spent 13 years preparing for his time on the Race, has become even more confident, dare we say cocky, than he was before. He’s the know-it-all kid who keeps raising his hand in Biology 101. No one likes that.

The simple justice of the Race (and the need to hold viewers) demands that Justin suffer, but perhaps not fail. Personally, I'd be happy if he just dumped the knee socks.

There’s strength in numbers, sort of:

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is vowing to gang up against

Kelsey and Joey enroute

Justin and Diana. The strategy for Episode 9 is to arrive at the U-Turn first and reverse J and D’s fortunes.

“We have to … get in front of Justin and Diana,” Joey said. “If we can do that, their ass is grass. If we don’t, hand them the money.” My stars! You can say a** on the Race. Where, oh where are the language police?

Where was I? Talk about teaming up on the Race is usually a) hard to follow and b) mostly bluster as coalitions continually crumble. Look for sleepwalkers Logan and Chris to forget the deal, U-Turn themselves and then wonder why they’ve been eliminated.

Lest we forget:

There were moments worth remembering in Episode 8, even though no one was sent home.

Logan and Chris at Oskar Schindler factory

Most affecting was the visit all the racers had to make to the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków, which is housed in the former enamel factory owned by Oskar Schindler, who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. It was the sort of stop the Race seldom makes as its zips through countries and focuses on the quirky and the quaint.

Overheard

Justin (on mining salt): This is real man’s work right here; I’m glad I have a strong girl.

Joey (on his older female fans): We’re not talking like cougar women; we’re talking the cougar women’s mothers.

Josh on courtesy: I had to let her go first. That was just the right thing to do.

Tanner: Only way we can go is up.

Order of finish

Justin and Diana

Joey and Kelsey

Denise and James Earl

Chris and Logan

Krista and Tiffany

Josh and Tanner