Phil looks pretty serious as he finally sees Ken and Tina approaching, and when they step on the mat, he tells them they're the last to arrive. He draws out the "suspense" before finally giving them the good news: it's a non-elimination leg. Now some more bad news: "At some time during the next leg of the race, you're going to encounter a Speed Bump, and a Speed Bump is a task that only your team needs to complete. And you must complete it before you can join the other racers on the race course." He warns them that they might fall behind, and have to fight even harder to stay in the race. Ken and Tina just watch him, unblinking and somber, as though they're getting lectured by the principal. When really, all they're facing right now is the incredibly daunting task of passing Dan and Andrew.

But it gets worse. In an interview, Ken discusses the enormity of their predicament. "We're not just talking about just a little football game here. We're not just talking about the Amazing Race. We're talking about an all-encompassing situation, which is..." He trails off, and Tina realizes he's on the verge of tears. For a long, uncomfortable time, he's unable to speak at all, and they just smile at each other wordlessly. When he's able to continue an indeterminate amount of time later, he says, "We want this race, you know, we want to win it. We want it to work for each other. We wouldn't put ourselves through this hell we've gone through. Let's get it done." Tina's choking up a bit herself. "It takes one to the bottom sometimes to get to the top," she says. Ken agrees. Again, are they talking about the race, or their relationship?

Next week: It looks like a messy and challenging Detour results in some colorful language.

M. Giant is a Minneapolis-based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, follow him on Twitter (mgiant), or just e-mail him at M.Giant[at]gmail.com

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