Finally, the finale is upon us

Hong Kong/Macau and New York City to come, 
Season 27, Episode 12, The Finale, preview

All you need to know:

Three teams remain, and, if there is justice in this world, the Reporters, Joey and Kelsey, should win the $1 million, crossing the finish line first in the Big Apple.

Kelsey and Joey on their way

Put another way, if there is justice in the world, the Green Team, Justin and Diana, and the Paparazzi, Chris and Logan, should lose.

If you watched Episode 11, a thriller based in Hong Kong and Macau that was one of the most exciting in the history of The Amazing Race, you know why the above sweeping generalizations are true.

The Reporters got yet another second place win, their fifth in a row. They’re nice; they’re smart; they’re fun; they’re due. Enough said.

Now, about the competition:

Chris and Logan on the run

The Paparazzi continue to bicker and, in a reversal of sorts, Chris has become especially irritating.

I know, there are people out there who put most of the blame on Logan, but I think that’s the early Logan, the Logan we thought was over-reacting to a beleaguered Chris.

As time has gone on, It’s become clearer and clearer that she has every reason to be peeved at her partner.

No matter, whomever gets the most blame, they have to go.

“It’s not easy beating Green,” Cheerleader Krista noted near the start of Episode 11. 

She’s right, but Episode 11 showed that the Greens are vulnerable. Indeed, it showed that Justin will crack under pressure. After just one bad cab drive he morphed into the weeper he was in Episode One. I mean that guy can cry.

Justin reacting to a confused cab driver

And boy, can that guy deflect blame, sliding most of it off onto his fiancée, the good-hearted Diana.

“You’re being rude to me,” he told Diana after she tried to get him to calm down after he was astonishingly rude to her.

Things only got worse after he and Diana were penalized 30 minutes for taking the wrong ferry – READ THE CLUE, JUSTIN, READ THE CLUE. 

Phil threw in another 25 minutes because the wrong ferry they took was the faster ferry.

Justin fell to his knees, his destiny on hold, as he began to wait

Diana and Justin wait out a penalty

out what he called “the worst 55 minutes of his life.”

But the Cheerleaders arrived too late – bad cab to blame – and were eliminated, taking Team Boston out of the pool.

Justin was relieved; Diana was forgiving. “You’d give me a big hug and a big kiss and all of the rest of the day will be behind us,” she told him in one of those cringe-worthy, seek-counseling  moments that add value to The Amazing Race.

I admit it, I enjoyed seeing Justin crack up, as did the usually neutral Amazing Race host, Phil Keoghan.

“Didn’t see that coming, did you?,” Phil asked Justin after he slapped the Greens with the 55-minute penalty.

“OMG,” I thought to myself. “Phil just taunted a contestant."

Why does Phil have contempt for Justin?:

My theory is that Justin is as irritating off camera as he is as on and that Phil is just plain sick of traveling with him. (Actually, does Phil fly with the racers or does he skip ahead in a private jet? Let me know.)

Even worse, Phil must suspect that Justin is after his job. (Makes sense; Justin knows more Amazing Race trivia than anyone else in the world.)

Besides, Justin probably short-sheets the other racers’ beds and hogs the aisle seat on planes. 

Yeah. Justin has to go, and if Phil has to throw down another one of his strange, totally ad hoc penalties, he should throw it down.

How could you not be rooting for the

Tiffany gives Krista a pep talk

Cheerleaders at the end?

It may have all been an editing trick, perhaps Tiffany and Krista weren’t even close to finishing third. But it sure seemed possible that, when Krista finally fetched the goldfish out of the water (don’t ask), they had a chance to catch up with the Greens.

A bad cab ride did them in, alas. But they took their loss in good grace, and they had certainly proven to be likable contestants along the way.  Luckily, Krista has a back-up plan. 

“You can always marry rich,” she announced. Who knew?

Overheard

Justin: Bet on Green; bet on Green.

Chris: If we did not like the Green Team before, we really don’t like the Green Team now.

Chris (to Logan): You argue with me, and I know things.

Justin (about a cab driver): He doesn’t understand me, so I’m not being rude to him.

Diana (to Justin): The way you’re acting is not being productive.

Justin: I can hold my breath under water for two minutes.

Justin: I’d give all our wins back just for this one, just to finish third.

Chris: Honey, when you see Phil, I want you to drop your backpack and run.

Logan: I always drop my backpack.

Justin: We can’t come this far and go home; I’ll never get over it.

Tiffany (to Krista): You can’t fail at anything you do because that’s not you…. Do this for your family.

Chris: We fight but we seem to get it done.

Justin: Chris and Logan, they’re an explosion waiting to happen.

Order of finish

Chris and Logan

Joey and Kelsey

Justin and Diana

Krista and Tiffany (eliminated)