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He Can't Swim but He Can Eat Cow Lips!

Teams left the tiny island of Mauritius with little fanfare (and little separation). What difference there was in their departure times was eaten up by the fact that the teams were all once again on the same flight, this time to the significantly larger island nation of Madagascar.

When teams arrived, they had to head for the Black Angel (which, somewhat oddly, is painted white). Here, they encountered another twist in this season: The Intersection. The Intersection, at first thought to be a yield, works by making two teams combine forces until they are told to break apart into their separate teams again.

Tyler and James and Rob and Kimberly quickly paired up and decided to go for the Fast Forward. This involved eating a serving (each - that's four in all) of cow lips. Yum. Perhaps they wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the teeth and hair remaining in the lips. Okay, it would have been just as bad.

Dustin and Kandice had to wait for the other teams to get there, and eventually were paired with Erwin and Godwin, while Lyn and Karlyn teamed up with David and Mary. Both of these intersected teams went off in search of the next stop, the Detour. Here, teams had to choose either Long Sleep or Short Letter.

In Long Sleep, the joined team has to travel by van to an open market. Once there, they choose eight foam mattresses, wrap them in mattress covers, and deliver them on foot approximately one mile to the provided address. When their delivery is complete, the homeowner will hand them their next clue. In Short Letter, the joined team has to choose a papermaking station and use local methods to produce and decorate 28 sheets of handcrafted paper. Once the artisan signaled that they correctly made their paper, they receive their next clue.

None of the teams chose Short Letter. Instead, the toted the awkward bundles of foam mattresses through the crazy streets to their destinations. Frankly, if I were the homeowners getting the mattresses from these teams, I think I would have refused delivery. And yes, I realize that they will probably get their real mattresses later - that's not the point. If the teams are going to do the task, they should have to do it right. The point is that David, Mary, Lyn and Karlyn literally dragged their mattresses through the dirt and they looked nasty. They should have had to do it again. Enough said.

Once teams completed the challenge, they received the clue that told them that they were no longer joined together, and they needed to head to the amazingly long-named Totohotohobato Ambondrona Analakeley, where they would encounter a Roadblock. Here, one team member has to collect rubber stamps of a boat, train, plane and car on their clue. At the last one, they will get a clue. This clue directs them to the Pit Stop, where their teammate will be waiting.

Dustin flew through this challenge, while the combined team at the Fast Forward tried to choke down (literally) the cow lips. Dustin and Kandice were so fast, in fact, that they finished before the team at the Fast Forward. Admittedly, this wasn't the quickest Fast Forward, the other challenges weren't the hardest I've seen, and they're all going to have to fly to get off the island, but it was still quite a feat. Dustin and Kandice are looking mighty strong.

David and Mary, who had to finish first in order to not get a 30-minute penalty because they finished last in the non-elimination leg last week, did not. They in fact finished fifth, but they were only 10 minutes ahead of Lyn and Karlyn. This means that David and Mary were actually sent home, leaving five teams vying for the prize.

• Dustin and Kandice
• Tyler and James
• Rob and Kimberly
• Erwin and Godwin
• Lyn and Karlyn
• David and Mary

Interestingly, the order of the finish was exactly the same as it was last week. I don't know if this has ever happened. I don't recall seeing it before. It certainly hasn't happened in this season.

It seems like Dustin and Kandice are staking their claim for the win, and it's going to take a mistake on their part to keep them out of the final. I'd be very surprised if Lyn and Karlyn were not the next team to go home. As to the team after that, it's a toss up. I suspect Rob and Kimberly are the best of the rest, and as long as they can continue to keep from arguing, they will do well.

Tyler and James are good, but they can't read a map worth a lick. Erwin and Godwin have potential as well, but they need to kick it up a notch. Perhaps with David and Mary gone they will realize that they have been stuck at the bottom of the pack for a while and they need to start looking out for themselves. We'll have to see what happens there as well.