The team is not about to give up first place without a fight... even if the fight is among THEMSELVES. Ray STILL thinks Deana could do better... and tells Deana to stop panicking as she drives.

And there's decent reason NOT to panic. That's because the next team - Ron & Kelly (Team American Beauties) - are almost two hours behind! But they DO have an advantage in that they KNOW where the reserve is. Of course, Team On-Again-Off-Again DOES arrive first and signs for one of three spots on the 8am shuttle. Team American Beauties are second.

After having fun with the clue, Brian & Greg (Team Barroom Bros) depart in third, psyched at the prospect of feeding the lions... though a little jumpy at Greg's driving skills (we call this foreshadowing). Lynn & Alex (Team Fab Two) leave about 20 minutes behind them, enjoying that, though they know this is a race, they're in places they never thought they'd be. As for Rob & Amber (Team Survivor), they KNOW they're not getting Christmas cards from any of the teams. And Uchenna & Joyce (Team Will Race For Food) are hopeful, thanks to the orphanage visit the other day.

Finally, armed with only their passports and some clothes graciously donated by Uchenna & Joyce, Meredith & Gretchen depart. Gretchen feels like she got sandblasted... but she's happy to be alive. One by one, the teams reach the park (though Team Will Race For Food DOES get a little lost en route) and sign up for the following shuttles:

8am: Ray & Deana, Ron & Kelly, Brian and Greg
9am: Lynn & Alex, Rob & Amber, Meredith & Gretchen and Uchenna & Joyce

OK, it's time for everybody's favorite reality-show side-quest: BEGGING FOR DOLLARS! Team Socially Secure must now go around and beg people for money to get them through this leg of the Race. The PROBLEM this time is that nobody is at the reserve except... well, the other teams. So they beg the other teams for a little of their bread. Ones who DON'T give them money are Team Survivor. After all, Meredith & Gretchen are, essentially, trying to con con-men. Also, Ray & Deana tell them they'll help out later... because they want the couple to be "sacrificial lambs".

Where can you see lions? Not ONLY in Kenya but in South Africa, too. The 8am shuttle departs and each team member is given a bucket with two hunks of raw meat inside. They get driven to where the lions lick their chops as they smell fresh meat... and also what's in the buckets. The six Americans sling their meat at the lions and then drive back to the reserve where they receive:

Team American Beauties, Team Barroom Bros and Team On-Again-Off-Again take off for Johannesburg (the nearest International airport) while the other four teams wait for 9am to hit before feeding the big kitty-cats. After making sure the lions will eat the thrown meat and not them, they head back, get their clue and start off for...

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

Ron & Kelly arrive at the airport first and look for flights. The ticket agent at South Africa Airlines says that THEIR earliest flight is 1:30pm... but Air Botswana has one taking off at noon. Still an hour or so away but... it's better than nothing. As they book their tickets, Brian & Greg and Ray & Deana likewise arrive and get the same tickets.

Then comes the second group. Or, more specifically, Team Will Race For Food. While the other teams look for the way to the city, Uchenna & Joyce get to the airport and JUST make the noon flight. As it takes off, the other teams start to file in. First comes Team Socially Secure, who are the first to book the 1:35pm flight on South Africa Airlines. Right behind is Team Survivor, who likewise book it.

Team Fab Two, however, took a left when they should've gone straight... and ends up right in the middle of rural Johannesburg... or "jut-like-Compton", as Alex calls it (way to set race relations back 50 years, dudes). After finding there way out (in double-time because of their fear), they get back to the airport and find out that they are on the same flight as Rob & Amber and Meredith & Gretchen to...

GABORONE, BOTSWANA

After landing an hour after take-off, the four front teams look for cabs. Team American Beauties and Team Barroom Bros share a cab, while Team On-Again-Off-Again and Team Will Race For Food take separate ones.

But who says that airports are the ONLY "equalizers" on this Race? When the teams arrive at the Gabarone Train Station, they find that the next train out to their destination doesn't leave... until 9pm! So much the 95-minute lead.

The second plane lands at the airport and the other four teams disembark. Lynn & Alex are first to get a cab... but, when Rob & Amber try to stop them and get on board, Team Fab Two says, "Not enough room," and the van hauls off. This pisses Rob off to no end (I thought it was NEW YORKERS with the tempers, not BOSTONIANS.) Lynn & Alex, however, cannot stop smiling!

Eventually, all get to the station... and Rob starts spouting at Lynn & Alex. But he's cool with it, saying, "I'm through being a nice guy." Uh,... that assumes that you were a nice guy at ALL during the Race, Rob. Anyway, they all hang out until 9pm and then it's alll abooooard to Francistown and then a bus to...

GUEDA, BOTSWANA

Let's skip the bus ride and get straight to the aardvark, shall we? (We can do that; CBS has fancy editing equipment.) All fourteen Racers get off the bus and run like Hell to that humungous anteater... and the Route Marker in front of it. They have to duck a low-flying biplane, but they keep running. As such, all seven run like Hell right into a:

And the spear-chuckers will be: Lynn, Rob, Brian, Meredith, Ron, Joyce and Ray. But, uh,... Meredith has to FIND the bushmen first. And that's easier said than done for the seniors. But he eventually finds them.

Now, you would think shoving a spear into a swinging bag would be an easy thing to do. But everyone seems to struggle with it. But Brian manages to stab the bag right through its corner. This counts and, thus, he and Greg receive the next clue first:

They run off to get their Hummer... but Ron & Kelly are right behind them as Ron pokes the parcel at last. Lynn & Alex are right behind THEM in third.

Ron, being a veteran of an Iraqi war, knows ALL ABOUT how Humvees work, so they peel out in first, with Brian & Greg hot on their bumper. As Lynn & Alex head out, Ray hits the target and he and a more-patient Deana leave in fourth. It's Uchenna who finishes fifth... but they have to find their bags first. Meredith departs in sixth... and an impatient Rob FINALLY sticks it. So all seven are on the road again.

Or, rather, OFF-road again. The trail is rather bumpy and filled with hills. But that doesn't phase Team Survivor. Rob deftly drives around Team Socially Secure (who slows to wave at a wood cart driver) and Team On-Again-Off-Again. BOTH are mad as the road race continues.

And, then... it happened.

Who knows HOW it happened... or WHY it happened. I'm sure some people think that it happening is next-to-IMPOSSIBLE. All we know is that Brian & Greg's Hummer hits a slick spot... and rolls over! The brothers are all right... but their cameraman is hurt. (Yeah, in case you missed it, they DO travel with a cameraman and a soundman everywhere... though they digitally delete them in most shots.) The Hummer is all but totaled.

Lynn & Alex, in third at the time, see the overturned Hummer and, good gay Samaritans that they are, stop to check on Brian & Greg and their passengers. Rob & Amber take this opportunity... to drive right by them.

XUA XARRA, BOTSWANA

Team American Beauties - the only team unaware of Team Barroom Bros misfortunes - arrive at the cattle post and find a:

In a hurry, Ron & Kelly decide on FOOD. But,...they're not very good at it; their strokes are short and lack muscle behind it.

(Traffic on the Botswana I-94 is backed-up due to an overturned car and an onlooker delay. You may want to take an alternate route.)

Back on the road, Team Fab Two are assured that medical help and a replacement car is on the way for Team Barroom Bros so they head off. As the bros wait, the other teams stop for a second to see that they're OK... and then drive off. The Rules of the Race say that, if a vehicle breaks down through no fault of the team's, a replacement vehicle will be provided... but the time lost is lost for good.

Rob & Amber arrive at the DETOUR in second and decide on WATER. As they start to suck, Lynn & Alex arrive and choose FOOD. Team Fab Two inform Team American Beauties about Team Barroom Bros... and how Team Survivor just drove on by, which adds to the teams' hatred for the Bostonian couple. But the laugh seems to be on them because, though they think Rob sucks, Rob PROVES it in a LITERAL sense. Before Ron & Kelly can pound out enough corn, Rob & Amber have filled EIGHT eggs!

But it IS Team American Beauties who finish first and receive:

They are off... and Team Survivor is right behind them, having buried their eggs and leaving them to hatch into turtles that will instinctively find their way to the oc... oops... wrong eggs. Anyway, they head out while Team Fab Two argue at each other like husband and... husband, I guess. As, as they do, three other teams arrive. Team On-Again-Off-Again, Team Socially Secure and Team Will Race For Food all pick FOOD and run to start their daily grind.

Meanwhile, Team Barroom Bros finally get another vehicle and, after praying for the well-being of the hurt cameraman, take off again... this time MUCH more cautiously.

Back at the flour-mashing contest, Uchenna seems to be doing just fine all alone while the other teams have trouble.

PIT STOP: MAKGADIKGADI PANS, BOTSWANA

It's a foot race to the mat where host Phil Keoghan and his trusty military escort await the teams. But, after Rob & Amber drop their clue (the Rules state that you must hang on to all clues for a leg), it's Ron & Kelly who are named Team # 1! No extra prize this time... friggin' cheapskates. Rob & Amber arrive as Team # 2... and get mildly berated by Phil for just passing by the car wreck.

Meanwhile, back at the village, the grinding continues. Meredith & Gretchen get CLOSE... but still need to pound a bit more flour. Ray & Deana are falling WAY behind because their flour isn't pounded enough.

Through it all, Brian & Greg FINALLY get to the DETOUR at last and choose WATER. But, before they can even START, Uchenna & Joyce FINISH in third and head for the Pans. Team Fab Two finish next... and that pisses off Ray and upsets Deana. Ray says that they don't work as a team... and Deana decides to REALLY not work as a team and bail on him.

Team Will Race For Food is Team # 3 and Team Fab Two is Team # 4. Lynn & Alex said they's be Team # 2 had they not stopped at the wreck. They leer over Rob & Amber's way as they say that.

Meredith & Gretchen are pounding, Ray & Deana are b*tching, Brian & Greg are sucking and belching. Who will leave next?

Sure enough, it's team Socially Secure who finishes and hauls out in fifth place. Team On-Again-Off-Again are VERY close.... but not close enough. Team Barroom Bros continue to slurp the water and fill the eggs... until they fill all twelve and start to bury them.

As Meredith & Gretchen arrive as Team #5 (and Phil is overly-impressed with these guys staying in the Race despite being stripped of all possessions), the last two teams struggle. And they both leave at just about the same time. So it's a road race and a foot race to the PIT STOP.

And, by a few dozen feet, the winners are...

BRIAN & GREG! They are SO happy to have gone from such a terrible accident and STILL be in the Race! Oh, and their cameraman... is doing just fine.

At first, a VERY upset Ray & Deana do not wish to check-in... but they eventually schlep to the mat and are given the bad news: they're last... and they're out.

"We deserve to be," says Ray.

Needless to say, I think this relationship is "Off-Again"... though they say they're going to TRY to get it "On-Again" as best as they can.