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The teams were to travel 40 miles by turboferry to the city of Macau in mainland China. There, a man with a rickshaw would give them their next clue. The teams also received $73 for this leg -- something that concerned Team Cha Cha Cha because they had basically run out of money by the end of the last leg.

Yield

From the clue at the rickshaw, the teams learned they were to travel by cab to "the tallest structure in Macau." This would be the Macau Tower (1,109 feet high), 2 miles away. They also learned that a "Yield" was coming up (an opportunity for a team to force a trailing team to take a time penalty). Because the Macau Tower would not open until 10:00 a.m., this allowed plenty of opportunity for bunching (in fact, the first three teams all entered together).

The Beauty Queens were extremely worried about the Yield -- having already used the Yield on Eric and Danielle, they would be unable to yield another team and would also have a target on their back. Team Cha Cha Cha, as I said, were concerned about their money. The two teams were at Macau Tower before the other two teams. So Team Cha Cha Cha came up with a Machiavellian idea: they first joked they would yield the Beauty Queens, and then told them that they were short on money and would be willing to use the Yield on whichever team the Beauty Queens chose in return for cash. This is exactly the language the Beauty Queens understand (and I mean that entirely in a nice way -- they're very strategic players). The Beauty Queens had $200 in their money pouch, and decided it was worth it to give Team Cha Cha Cha $45 in order to a) make sure the Yield was not used against them and b) reduce the odds they'd have to race Eric and Danielle in the Final Three. "Now we officially are the Yield Queens!" proclaimed Dustin. For his part, Oswald was subdued, remarking quietly that he was not happy about the deal.

Once inside at 10 a.m., the teams found a numbering system for the sky jump associated with the tower. The Beauty Queens grabbed Number One, Team Cha Cha Cha took Number Two, and Schmirna got Number Three. As the teams waited for the sky jump to open at 11 a.m., Charla heard that Team Cha Cha Cha needed money and offered to spare some for them. Team Cha Cha Cha shamefacedly told her not to worry about it. "We managed to recuperate some of the funds that we had lost," explained Oswald. "I thank you for your generosity. It would have been heaven-sent if we had had this conversation earlier." This conversation drove the Beauty Queens wild, concerned that Danny and Oswald were striking up another deal. However, no worries -- Oswald said they were yielding Eric and Danielle as soon as they found the Yield. In interview, Mirna found this unbelievable -- why yield a team at the start of a leg, with so much time for them to catch up or even pass you? Oswald ultimately told her about the deal, which disappointed her -- "It's like a making a deal with the devil."

Roadblock: Sky Jump

In addition to the Yield, the teams found a Roadblock. A Roadblock is a task that only one team member can perform. In this case, the designated team member had to walk around the outer rim of the observation deck, and then take the jump -- 660 feet -- to the street below. Dustin, Danny and Charla were the leapers for their teams; their teammates waited for them on the ground.

The Dysfunctional Duo, still trying to make up time, were on their way to Macau Tower as the leapers started their journey. They were unconcerned about being yielded, since they'd already been yielded once. (Ummm, right.) As you can imagine, they weren't happy when they found out that Danny and Oswald had Yielded them. "You guys are pieces of c***," Eric informed their pictures. Finally, when their Yield time was through, Eric took the dive for his team.

The next directions were to travel by taxi to Lou Lim Ioc Gardens, where they'd search for the next clue. For their part, Team Cha Cha Cha felt somewhat vindicated in their Yield Deal by having the necessary money to take a taxi.

Detour - "Noodle" or "Dragon"

Due to the Beauty Queens having problems with their taxi and needing to switch cabs, Team Cha Cha Cha was first at the gardens, and first to find a clue, which was a Detour. This time, the teams had to choose between "Noodle" and "Dragon." The "Noodle" option involved going two miles to a location where they would make noodles, using traditional techniques. In "Dragon," the teams would go one mile to a warehouse. There, they would choose a dragon head and drum and carry them .75 miles to a dock, where they would find dragon boats. They would need to find the particular boat that their chosen dragon head would fit in, and then give the coxswain the drum, in order to get their clue.

Team Cha Cha Cha decided to take the "Dragon" option, having had fun with a similar "dragon" challenge in their season. The Beauty Queens, second to arrive, chose "Noodle," as did third-arriving Team Schmirna and the trailing Dysfunctional Duo.

The Beauty Queens could not stop giggling at the traditional method of flattening dough, involving riding a long pole ("ride the pony"). It took them two tries, but they were the first to be on their way -- and they saw the Dysfunctional Duo on their way in as they were leaving. Schmirna had to recut their noodles, allowing the Dysfunctional Duo to leave ahead of them. Mirna was furious that Charla had told her to cut the noodles thicker, and she simply could not let it go.

Team Cha Cha Cha suffered from having bad taxi luck. With two addresses on the clue, the driver ended up taking them to the end of the challenge instead of the warehouse. Once they had the dragon head and drum, Danny was sure he knew how to get back to the lake, but the two found themselves lost and confused. Because they had to travel on foot, they could not just get into a cab to get there.

Pit Stop - Triho de Taipa Pequena 2000

After the detour, the teams had to find Mini-Mokes -- small cars -- which they'd use to drive themselves five miles to the island of Taipa, and specifically Triho de Taipa Pequena 2000, a park on a hill and the Pit Stop for this leg.

The Beauty Queens were in the lead, and ended up first at the Pit Stop. Their reward was a pair of wave runners. The Dysfunctional Duo, having made up time on the "Noodle" Detour, arrived second, but having been "marked for elimination" by coming in last in last week's non-elimination leg, they had to wait 30 minutes before they could officially check in. While they were waiting, the Beauty Queens told the Dysfunctional Duo about Danny and Oswald approaching them for money with respect to the Yield -- but neglecting to say that the Beauty Queens, in accepting the deal, had specified that the Yield be used on Eric and Danielle.

Third to arrive was Team Schmirna, but they showed up during the penalty period for the Dysfunctional Duo, so despite Mirna's problems using the Mini-Moke, they were Team Number Two. The real nail biter was whether Team Cha Cha Cha would show up before the penalty period ended. They were last to the Mini-Mokes, and had trouble finding the Pit Stop. Danielle about had a stroke from the anxiety -- until Phil called her and Eric over to the mat, before Team Cha Cha Cha arrived.

Last to the mat were Danny and Oswald. "Look at all these cars," Danny laughed as they pulled in. Shockingly, though, this turns out to be another non-elimination leg -- the first time I can recall two non-elimination legs in a row! "Saved by the bell," said Danny vacantly. He and Oswald laughed, adding, "We're happy, we're just tired." So, Team Cha Cha Cha is still in the race, but now they are in the position of being "marked for elimination," and needing to arrive first at the next pit stop or incurring a 30-minute penalty.

"Today was the day where karma bit Oswald and Danny in the a**," said Oswald in the interview afterwards. "Quite hard, I might add," interjected Danny. Well, guys, all I can say is that I'm just glad that you're still in the race!

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