We’re getting down to the end of the 19th season of The Amazing Race and the four remaining teams have certainly earned their spot. This week’s episode, "Release the Brake," challenged the duos to prove they still belong.

Towards the end of the episode, with elimination seemingly inevitable, Bill said that he and Cathi likely surprised themselves will how long they stuck around. Safe to say they surprised 95% of us watching the show. Finally they encountered a leg that was difficult, long and lacked a catch up point for the older couple and it did them in.

That’s not to try to take anything away from “Ma and Pa,” as they were affectionately nicknamed by their fellow racers. Only once were they the beneficiaries of luck; just the one non-elimination leg at the very beginning of the race. They had two second place finishes with one of them after being double U-turned.

Bill and Cathi epitomized one aspect that has made this season of The Amazing Race so great: the teams have been very easy to root for. Most of the contestants on the show have been nice and entertaining. The early “villains," Kaylani and Lisa, turned out to be far more tolerable after a difficult first leg.

Laurence eventually became the racer that we rooted against because of his brazenly sexist and patronizing comments. However, if Laurence is the worst racer on the season, that’s a pretty good cast. 

Of the four remaining teams, I’d be okay with any of them winning. Not that I’m rooting for the entire quartet, but often there’s at least one team that I absolutely do NOT want to come out victorious. That’s not the case this season.  

It will come as no surprise that I’m cheering on Amani and Marcus. I’ve been open about them being my favorite for a while now. As a huge sports fan, I’m biased towards the former NFL player, but beyond that they’re very entertaining. Marcus always has a great comment every week.

Similarly, Andy and Tommy are easy to root for. They’re entertaining, easy going and very good. Amani and Marcus may be number-two in my book, but Andy and Tommy are a close second place.

As for Ernie and Cindy and Jeremy and Sandy, I wouldn’t be upset if either team won. I just don’t find them as intriguing. If I had to pick between the pair, I’d take Ernie and Cindy simply because Sandy has contributed very little to her team. Perhaps that’s a reason to cheer; Jeremy has carried the team and deserves it more than anyone else.

Unfortunately for Bill and Cathi, they’ve been eliminated. But if they had not, they’d slide in behind Andy and Tommy and ahead of Ernie and Cindy on my rooting chart.

More from this episode:

• I thought Marcus was going to have the best reaction to the faux ending of the last leg, but Ernie out did him with his reaction to Phil telling Ernie and Cindy “however...”
• How funny was Bill in Gent when telling the local that rafting on the river was his first date with Cathi? He must do stuff like that a lot because she didn’t react at all.
• The tiny clue was awesome.  They should do stuff like that more often.