Rotten Tomatoes: Rob and Kim Boil Over While the Blondes Are Sent Packing on "The Amazing Race"

Argh. Just when I was starting to root for the Beauty Queens too!

In what seemed like an impossible situation, Dustin and Kandice began last night's episode of The Amazing Race marked for elimination, meaning that unless they completed the next leg and arrived at the mat in first place, they would receive a 30-minute penalty, a HUGE matter in a game which now only has four teams remaining. Sadly, they didn't even need the penalty in order to be eliminated, but more on that later.

Teams started this leg of the race in Morocco and followed instructions that led them to Casablanca and specifically the Quartier des Habous, where they encounter a Roadblock. In this Roadblock, one team member must find a butcher and receive 1 lb. of uncooked camel meat, make their way to Cafe 11 in the crowded market and grind and season the meat, before presenting it to a cook to grill... and then eating it. Honestly, this seems a hell of a lot easier than fish eyes or cow lips... or that entire platter of Argentinian grilled meats that Rob and Amber convinced everyone not to eat a few seasons back. Hell, they're even letting you season the meat and it's been grounded and formed into a nifty version of shish kebab. How hard could it be? The Models and Blondes (who manage to jump from last place into second by getting to the market quickly) seem to have no problems at all.

However, Rob and Kimberly and Lyn and Karlyn get lost and wander aimlessly around the market in search of the clue box... which remains right near their parked cars. I was hoping that they wouldn't see the Blondes and follow them back to the cars (even if they thought that they were following them to the destination), but alas they spotted the clue box and re-entered the market. Why Rob would force Kim to participate in this Roadblock is beyond me, especially given her difficulties in the cow lips-eating Fast Forward from a few weeks ago, yet as soon as it's interpreted to mean eating something "exotic," he hoists it onto Kim. Bizarre. She immediately has problems even grinding the meat properly and then tries to pat the meat onto the skewer instead of forming it into a ball or patty. (I was rolling on the floor for that one.) Lyn on the other hand dove into the challenge, grinding the meat with ease, and getting her camel to the cook first.

If only teammate Karlyn had been more supportive. As Lyn attempts to eat the pound of meat, Karlyn seems to be demanding her own pound of flesh, antagonizing Lyn for being too slow and for "chewing and contemplating" rather than just chewing and swallowing. While the confrontation wasn't quite the blow-out the promos indicated, it does show just how mean Karlyn is. I adore Lyn (and right now if only one PERSON could win the million dollars I'd want it to be her) but I cannot stand Karlyn, who throughout the race has proven herself to be mean-spirited and rude, not only to other teams but to her own teammate. Lyn finally tells Karlyn to shut up, to which Karlyn replies, "You don't tell me to shut up. You don't run my mouth." Um, riiiiight.

Teams race to the airport to board flights for Barcelona, Spain, only to all end up on the same flight. (Damn equalizers.) Once in Barcelona, they take taxis to their next destination: the beautiful Parc del Laberint, a hedge maze containing their next clue. Only problem: it doesn't open until 10:00 the following morning. D'oh! Sometimes I really do hate these equalizers. The next morning, teams gather outside the maze as the Blondes get some nearby construction workers to call for a taxi for them, telling them to instruct the cab to only pickup blonde women. (Kudos for doing it in Spanish too.) Of course, the others see this little exchange and Rob sends Kimberly over to the workers, instructing her to "use your sexuality" to get them to phone cabs. (Thank god we didn't have to see that.) Is it just me or do all of these teams just copy one another?

Once the park opens, teams rush into the maze and retrieve their next clue (containing a Detour) and them scramble to find the exit as Lyn and Karlyn calmly walk to the perimeter of the maze. (Did you catch the Blondes even pay them a compliment for that? Shocking but true.) The Blondes' cab has arrived, but only one cab for Rob & Kim and the Models. (Haha.) Rob and Kimberly of course take the taxi, leaving the Models stranded. (Not sure why they didn't fight it out for the taxi.) Lyn and Karlyn and the Models try to flag down taxis while the other teams head to their choice of Detour.

In Lug It, teams travel to Las Ramblas and then hoof it to Maremagnum Bridge, where they slip on a nine-foot tall giant costume and then locate the Plaza de Sant Felip Neri, where there is a female giant waiting with their next clue. The Blondes were first in the taxi, but their cab doesn't seem to drop them anywhere near the costumes and then end up running around, while the Models seemingly pull up right beside the bridge... giving them the drop on the girls just a few hundred feet ahead. It's a grueling task and extremely difficult to maneuver in the streets of Barcelona with the heavy costume. Clumped together, the Models and Blondes finally receive their next clue but it took WAY too long to complete the task.

Meanwhile, Rob and Kimberly head to Lob It, where they must search through a mountain of tomatoes for one that contains their next clue... all while being pelted with tomatoes by locals. It was hysterical to see that neither Rob and Kim nor Lyn and Karlyn seemed to get the fact that the people throwing the tomatoes were part of the challenge (which referenced the annual Tomatina Festival) and not gawkers. Rob has a complete and utter meltdown and begins throwing tomatoes at the locals rather than helping Kimberly search for the clue. I was really hoping that he was throwing their clue away each time he hurled another tomato. Kimberly, who seems to be getting the full brunt of the pulpy onslaught, gives up after a few minutes and begins hysterically screaming and wailing (and unsuccessfully throws a tomato at one of the villagers), saying that she's done. Kim stalks off and Rob is forced to follow, but when they learn from their taxi driver that Las Ramblas is a good twenty kilometers away, they're forced to complete the task and Rob inadvertently stumbles onto the clue. (Damn it.)

Rob and Kimberly manage to arrive at the Pit Stop in first place, with Lyn and Karlyn showing up second (seems that tomato hunt wasn't difficult at all if you could get past the pelting bit), making them the first all-female team to enter the Final Three. The Models and the Blondes race for the last place, but in the end it doesn't really matter. With the 30-minute penalty, it doesn't matter what order they wind up in, as it's curtains for them. I was really hoping that they'd manage to become that first all-female team in the Race history, but it turns out that it's Lyn and Karlyn who get that honor, despite playing a much weaker game than Dustin and Kandice.

Sigh. Oh well.

So our Final Three then: Rob and Kimberly, Lyn and Karlyn, and Tyler and James. At this point, if Lyn can't walk away with the million dollars herself, I want Tyler and James to win. They've played really hard, they've come in first more than any other team, and they clearly deserve to win. But basically I'll be happy as long as Rob and Kim don't walk away with that check at the end.

Next week on The Amazing Race: it's the season finale (though sadly not a two-hour installment this time around) as the final three teams fight it out for the $1 million cash prize waiting for them at the final pit stop. Who will win? And who will be sent home in tears? Find out next week.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: How I Met Your Mother/The Class (CBS); Deal or No Deal (NBC); Everybody Hates Chris/All of Us (CW); Wife Swap (ABC); 2006 Billboard Music Awards (FOX; 8-10 pm); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: Two and a Half Men/The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS); Heroes (NBC); Girlfriends/The Game (WB); Supernanny (ABC); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC); What About Brian (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8:00 pm: Everybody Hates Chris.

Now on its new night (Mondays) and at a new time (8 pm), it's the second season of former UPN comedy Everybody Hates Chris. On tonight's repeat episode ("Everybody Hates the Class President"), Chris runs for class president in a bid to increase his and Greg's popularity, but ends up alienating his best friend; meanwhile, Drew and Tanya bond over the moonwalk.

9:30 pm: Old Christine.

I can't tell you why I like watching this traditional sitcom, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus is like a warm blanket of coziness after a long Monday. On tonight's repeat episode ("The Passion of the Christine"), Ritchie tells his new teacher that Christine and Richard are back together when Richard is spending way too much time at Casa Campbell after his split with New Christine.

10-11:30 pm: Eleventh Hour on BBC America.

Patrick Stewart plays Charlies Xavier, mutant rights activist and the strongest telepath on the planet-- Okay, maybe not. In this new import from Blighty, Stewart plays a scientist dealing with paranormal phenomena. On tonight's premiere episode, he must track down a young woman whose life is put at risk by human cloning. Joining him: Ashley Jensen of Extras and Ugly Betty.