by David McAlpine

Last time on The Amazing Race, the four remaining teams raced through Prague, hoping to make the final leg of the race. Brian and Ericka worked to overcome their Speed Bump, while Sam and Dan made a deal with the Globetrotters, then broke it, leaving them hanging at the Roadblock. At the end, Flight Time and Big Easy fell too far behind to catch up and had to be directed to the Pit Stop, eliminating them from the race.

Tonight, one of the final three teams will win the last leg of the race and, therefore, $1 million. Will it be Meghan and Cheyne, the "whiny but ever present at the front of the pack" team, Sam and Dan, the "kings of argument" team, or Brian and Ericka, the "why are they still here?" team. I'm still predicting Brian and Ericka despite what other people say, but maybe it's only because I'm really in the mood for a good underdog win.

The first clue tells them to fly to Vegas and visit a wedding chapel on the strip, where they'll get their second clue from an Elvis impersonator. It becomes obvious really quickly that they'll all be on the same flight. And shocker--they are. So, it's a race to see who can complete the Las Vegas leg first and win it all.

When Brian and Ericka arrive at the airport in Prague, they say apparently neither Meghan and Cheyne nor Sam and Dan know who the third team is, which makes Ericka excited. According to Ericka,"When I see that finish line…I'm just gonna run like I don't have any common sense in my brain."

Judging by how they've run the race, I don't see how that's any different from any other leg, but I'm hoping they can overcome that and pull it out. Back to Vegas, where after an intense taxi race, the teams get to the chapel at the same time, only to have to wait to sing "Amazing Grace" with fake Elvis.

The next stop is the Mandalay Bay hotel, where one team member has to rappel 600 feet down the side of the hotel face-first. It's a pseudo-Roadblock without the actual name, either way, it's got Cheyne scared out of his mind. Why Meghan would let him do it after he's whined the entire race is beyond me, but they pay the price once beauty queen Ericka zooms past him. Sam and Dan arrive, falling behind, but they make up some ground thanks to Sam's quick rappelling.

Now the race starts to get hard: the clues don't directly tell them where to go! And, even though they still kind of do, everyone is still struggling. The clue: "This desert only has one mirage." Not that hard, so everyone makes it there fairly easily. Once there, they have to join the cast of "Love," the Beatles-based Cirque du Soleil show, and launch one harnessed team member high enough in the air to grab a suspended bouquet of flowers.

Brian and Ericka arrive first and discover how difficult the task is. Ericka's calm, cool manner which I thought was going to help them win this leg quickly fades, and the monster that we all know and love starts to come out. It gets worse when Meghan and Cheyne enter the room…and even worse when Sam and Dan get there. Ericka starts getting hysterical, crying and kicking at Brian every time she comes down unsuccessful. Soon enough, she wants to switch, but he doesn't.

Her response? "Don't piss me off, now!" So he switches, only to be even more unsuccessful. Within this frame of time, Meghan and Cheyne and Sam and Dan finish the task and get their next clue: "Go to the most popular casino in Monaco." Well, I thought the Monte Carlo was known by lots of people, but I guess not. Instead, Meghan and Cheyne and Sam and Dan have a small journey to figure out where the hell this is.

Meghan and Cheyne's taxi driver tell them it's the Venetian and, even though they think that's wrong, they go anyway. On the way, Cheyne sticks his head out the window yelling to no one in particular, "What country is Monaco in? Spain?" Sidenote: it's its own country south of France. Sam and Dan end up following Meghan and Cheyne until they get fed up and turn away to go ask other people. Meanwhile, Brian and Ericka finally finish the bungee task and (karma!) immediately know to go to the Monte Carlo.

Flash to the poker room of the Monte Carlo, where teams have to count out $1 million in poker chips. Sam and Dan get there first and their panic starts to take over. Brian and Ericka get there second and she's still hysterical. Meghan and Cheyne arrive last and Meghan, surprisingly, is nervously repeating things to the point where Cheyne looks like he wants to hit her with something.

So after lots and lots of counting, everyone submits their chips. Meghan and Cheyne get it right on the first try, Sam and Dan and Brian and Ericka have to try again. Next stop for Meghan and Cheyne: the MGM Grand, where they have to go to Suite 88 and Mr. Las Vegas.

In the meantime, Sam and Dan and Ericka and Brian get increasingly hysterical, trying to figure out what they did wrong and, secretly, who did what wrong. Back to Meghan and Cheyne walking in to the suite find Wayne Newton (Mr. Las Vegas), who tells them to go to his house to find the finish line. Clever editing puts Sam and Dan right behind them, who don't recognize Wayne Newton when they see him, and they say it to his face. Ouch.

Meghan and Cheyne's taxi knows where the ranch is, but they keep running into the wrong gate. It almost seems as if Sam and Dan are catching up, but then we see all the teams lined up at the finish line. Pan to the corner around which the racers have to fun and it's…Meghan and Cheyne! Sam and Dan arrive second, while Brian and Ericka arrive third.

I'm kind of disappointed, because I feel like the end was so anti-climactic, but what can you do? I'm also slightly embarrassed all my predictions were wrong--oops. Well, Race fans, until next season (possibly with some familiar faces?)!

(Photo courtesy of CBS)

SEE ALSO

The Amazing Race 15: Exclusive Interview with Winners Meghan Rickey and Cheyne Whitney

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