Daria: LINDA HAS A TATTOO!!! Wow. I never noticed that before, but it’s on her left arm, just below the sleeve of her white t-shirt when she and Karen are doing an interview. I figure, if she has one, then everyone else must have one, too. Or maybe she picked it up running around with a rogue sound man the night before. Except the rogue sound man doesn’t really exist, and the tattoo clearly does. I’ll bet Karen has one, too.

Swimmerboy: Oh these two are definitely the type to skip off to the tattoo parlor together on a spontaneous whim. If Karen does have one, I wouldn't be surprised if it matches Linda's. Hey, they wear matching shirts every day, right? I bet they even used to dress their kids alike for funsies.

Daria: And let’s have a cheer for the departure of the walking billboards! I’m sure they stand a lot at Café Nostril, but I think if Marshall walked at all, his knee problems would have become evident a long time ago. And as for blaming his new shoes, I think most people have the good sense to break in shoes long before wearing them on a demanding journey, rather than a week or two before they take off. Plus, it would never occur to me to go on the Race without a second, lighter pair of shoes and some good hiking socks in my pack, plus a fistful of the new bandages they’re selling these days. Yes, all that stuff adds weight to the backpack, but you race on your feet. Wear the same damned clothes every day if you must (including ugly yellow shorts), but take care of your feet, for crying out loud!

Swimmerboy: Before I went to Europe a few years ago, my mom begged me to buy new shoes right for the trip. "Your old ones are so worn out" she complained. "Yes, but they're comfortable", I countered. This went on for weeks until I relented and bought new sneakers. However, I "accidentally" left them at home just before we left for the airport. There was no way I was going to walk all over Europe in brand new shoes. So Marshall? Yeah, that was stupid. Especially considering your…well, girth. So long guys. No more free advertising. Hell, I'm surprised they didn't try to get Phil to greet them at the pit stops wearing a Cafe Nostril shirt. For a moment, I did feel bad for Marshall, but I got over that right quick. I just can't feel any sympathy for people who obviously had no real interest in the race.

Daria: True confessions: I loved Mirna’s indigo pants. She’s crazy, and she’s rude, but she dresses well. I also loved Charla’s black tunic and pants outfit, which was the best thing she’s worn yet. Wherever she got that, she should go back to that source for more clothes. I still can’t figure out how they pack everything. All the female/female teams, plus Chip and Kim, seem to have so much compared to the other teams. With the Moms and the Twins, it’s mostly shirts, but Charla and Mirna seem to have a different outfit every day of the race, and Kim has so many scarves!

Swimmerboy: I think Kim has a special compartment in her backpack where she keeps all those scarves. But I’m beginning to wish she’d stop wearing them. She has such pretty hair it seems a shame to keep it covered up all the time. And I agree about Charla's tunic. I really liked it and she wore it very well. But...um...was she wearing a prom dress in her interviews? I couldn't figure out what that was all about.

Daria: Here’s a question for you, Swimmerboy: How cool would it be if they all had a clothing budget that they had to spend? You know, $50 per leg to spend on local garb as they move through the race, and for every garment they buy, they have to ditch one? It’s a fantasy, sure, but it would make our job so much more fun! (And Carson Kressley could join Phil in greeting the teams as they arrived at the pit stop.) Can you see Colin in one of those tunics and scarves? I think he would be a dashing Lawrence of Arabia sort. I might even like him, at least until the next time he spoke down to Christie.

Swimmerboy: I think you’ve hit on something, Daria. At the very least, it would have forced the brothers to wear something other than their shirts. I can see the teams having to take on the dress of the people at whatever task they’re doing. I think everyone would have had a lot of fun doing that for the “drink one shot” detour a couple legs ago. Sort of like when the team members in TAR1 had to dress as a monk in order to walk through the tiger pit. That was pretty cool.

Daria: Phil’s brown shirt at the Pyramids is my favorite yet. He’s so much handsomer this season, and it just shows the role that good clothing plays, because he is, after all, a fundamentally attractive man. But the improved wardrobe shines a light on his natural good looks, rather than distracting from them.

Swimmerboy: I think it’s a tie for me between this week’s shirt and last week’s green sweater for my favorite Phil outfit so far this season. He’s doing so well! Do you think we can possibly go all season without a Phil fashion blunder?

Daria: It’s time for the Pretty People awards, and again, this was difficult for me. I can’t give it to Charla and Mirna because Mirna is too whack. I liked the twin’s green t-shirts, but they seem to dress from the sale bin at the local sporting goods store, and I don’t see a lot of style there. That’s a pity, because I think they’re both reasonably attractive. Chip and Kim looked good, and like the Moms, they prove in each episode that a smile is the best accessory. But I’m giving my award this week to Brandon and Nicole – he looked great shirtless, his pants are both practical and fun in a beachcomber type of look, and Nicole has a basic unfussy sleekness that I appreciate. She really is quite pretty without her make-up, too. She also gets smile points.

Swimmerboy: Hee! I have to comment on the twins’ green shirts for a second because the color reminded me of frogs and all the time they were wearing them I kept picturing them as twin frogs hopping around and it was cracking me up. Yes, I know that makes no sense, but I never claimed to be a sane person, and frogs are one of my favorite animals (shut up, they are). Anyway, I was going to give my award to Chip and Kim again this week, but upon further reflection I decided to go with Brandon and Nicole as well, for much the same reasons as you stated (well, mainly the shirtless part). Chip and Kim are runners up, though I do wish they’d get a bit more color to their wardrobe. Until next week!

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