Dave and blond Rachel have been using this race as a way to reconcile their marriage, but it may just end up as a way for them to both get some nice parting gifts. The Border patrol guys have been worn down for the race and their extreme confidence has waivered a bit. Vanessa and Ralph seemed to have eked by to the final four, but they have probably improved their relationship. Team Big Brother has persevered to the final four despite few teams liking them and Rachel crying so much.

The final 4 set out on the 11^th leg of the race. They all caught up when there was only one flight leaving for Japan. The teams all had to navigate the complicated transportation systems of Japan. Trains, ferries, taxies, and subways all had their own little nuisances to get a ride. Rachel and Dave had the most trouble with the Japanese travel stuff. They even missed the last ferry of the night to the first clue. The race seemed over for the dominant couple, but a reprieve in the form of a “closed till sunrise” sign, allowed the arguing couple to catch the rest of the teams. The teams visited the Hiroshima peace memorial for their next clue, which was pretty moving as there were still several original buildings destroyed by the first use of the A bomb serving as reminders. The next clue sent the teams on more travel as they took a bullet train to Osaka to look for a TV station. Art and JJ found the right place first as Big brother and the arguing couple went to the wrong building.

At the TV station was a roadblock. One team member had to complete on a Japanese game show called “Bring home the chicken”. They had to run on a fast moving conveyor belt and leap to grab 3 rubber chickens and then run the length of the treadmill belt and jump and land on the platform. Blond Rachel breezed through the task, while Art struggled with the speed of the belt. Vanessa had the most trouble with the task as her hurt ankle and short stature made the task nearly impossible. She almost quit, and Ralph said they should just skip it and take a penalty. The teams then made their way to the hanging gardens for their detour.

Rachel and Dave were the only ones to choose Sumo picture detour. They had to recruit 10 different groups of 3 people to take a picture with their heads in Sumo wrestler cut outs. The task seemed hard at first and Dave’s mean remarks finally caused Rachel to snap back. The first group was very hard to find, but after they got one group the task flew by. Japanese people seemed very friendly and willing to help the American couple. The couple breezed through another leg and easily won their record tying 7^th leg. They received a trip to New Zealand.

The three other teams trickled into the other detour. It was called Sushi Bingo and the teams had to match sushi with letters attached to their bingo board. Team Big Brother struggled with the concept and literally grabbed every piece of fish of the rotating conveyor belt. The border patrol guys did well and finished quickly. They then arrived at the pit stop in 2^nd place.  Vanessa and Ralph showed up late to Sushi Bingo, but worked quickly. Rachel and Brendon finally completed the Detour task and Vanessa and Ralph knew they were cooked, unlike the fish. Team big brother captured the last spot in the final 3, but Vanessa and Ralph were very happy with their experience. All the teams seemed very happy to be going on, but Dave was all business.