‘The Amazing Race 22’ rankings: Do Pam & Winnie have to be the favorites?

Now that we’re really late enough in this season of “The Amazing Race” to actually feel like we know some of the remaining teams, we’re at a point where some of the rankings can finally commence. So who is set to actually win this season? While we don’t know the answer to that just yet, here’s a hint: it’s probably not Chuck & Wynona. This may not be the most competitive cast ever, but there clearly are some teams that are better than others.

In trying to rank these teams, we are considering more than just average performance; after all, this is a TV show, and you have to remember that if a team is not really getting much of an edit or a story built around them, odds are that they are not going to be making it very far in the season.

7. Chuck & Wynona – Here’s the amazing thing about Team Mullet: bad as they have been, they have never technically finished a leg in last place. David & Connor quit when they would have received that fate, and they were also bailed out by John (of John & Jessica) simultaneously turning into The Joker and thinking  that he could look at Phil’s surfboards and magically stay in the race. The reality here is that this couple, sweet as they may be, just aren’t a strong enough team physically or mentally. While the Beekman Boys got a sort of underdog edit, these two are just getting the silly music whenever they mess up.

6. Mona & Beth – Who? They’re moms, and they play roller derby. That is literally all we know about them save for their alliance with Team YouTube. This sort of underwhelming edit, even if they are a sleeper team, never bodes well.

5. Caroline & Jennifer – If they’re on the same page and not crying, the country singers aren’t bad. Sadly, they’re often struggling with tasks that other teams figure out and / or crying. We just don’t seem them having the killer instinct that you need.

4. Max & Katie – On paper, these two should be in the finale: they’re young, strong, and aren’t afraid to be competitive. However, they’ve let little decisions and squabbles get to them, and Sunday wasn’t the only time that they’ve nearly been eliminated. Unlike the three aforementioned teams, we could see them winning the race. However, they just seem too combustible to really be a favorite, and they do have a speed bump next to get through (though these can be as simple as “sit on a bus” or “eat tasty ice cream”).

3. Joey & Meghan – In terms of pure skill, there’s no question that Max & Katie are better racers. But these two have received a ton of airtime, do have that whole us against them edit thanks to the rivalry with some of the other alliances, and their edit almost feels a little bit like the Beekmans. With that being said, we just can’t predict a team to be a winner when they freak out over a scorpion.

2. Bates & Anthony – It’s weird that these two are only of the only two remaining teams with a victory on a leg (and are the only team to have won twice), but still there’s something holding them back. It just feels like they struggle when there are challenges beyond having to follow paint-by-numbers instructions, which they are very good at. In a pure race, they probably win … but this show is about more than that.

1. Pam & Winnie – It excites us to have a strong all-female team this season, most because even with the times that an all-female team has won, they weren’t necessarily the favorites going into it. But these two are strong physically, mentally, don’t fight with each other, and now that they don’t have to navigate the waters of Bora Bora anymore, they seem to have the most momentum out of any of the teams remaining. Plus, they at least put some effort into being entertaining, and you know that the race wants a winning team you can get behind.

Who is your favorite team right now? Check back tomorrow for a full preview of Sunday’s episode, and you can read our review from this past week over at the link here.

Photo: CBS