Amazing Race update - A high-strung bundle of crazy

It's Jennifer's birthday today, so the little nutcase will be on edge during this leg; is it good karma or bad karma? It seems like it would take a string of good fortune to help Team Birkenstock who are both three hours behind the other teams and must face a "Speed Bump" somewhere along this leg as punishment for coming in last on the previous leg.

Teams started out from Japan and needed to find a certain building and the floating garden on the roof. Here TK & Rachel catch their first break as the garden doesn't open until the morning and the other three teams have to wait. This clue directs teams to Taipai, Taiwan and Ron & Christina seem to have a leg up on the flight to Taiwan. Jennifer seems to freak out every time she sees TK & Rachel who simply have no business actually Racing against anyone. The nerve!

Once in Taiwan, teams face one of the least-challenging Roadblocks I've seen in a long time. One team member must ride in a truck balanced on a teeter-totter - that's it, just ride - then hold their breath for an entire 17 seconds while riding in an amphibious jeep. First come, first served, in and out. Team Miyagi finishes first, followed by Team Birkenstock, who immediately have their Race-slowing "Speed Bump." TK & Rachel must travel a mile away, don safety clothing, and run through a gauntlet of fireworks as part of some Chinese ritual. Once again, there's simply nothing challenging to this, it's more of an excuse for delay.

After the roadblock, teams must travel via train and find a certain teahouse in Taipei. On the bottom of the cup are directions to the next clue, handed out by a clown at a local market. This is the Detour: Fire or Earth. Teams may travel to a local park and set off fire-powered paper lanterns that float up, or find a park and walk a pathway of jagged stones. Everybody chooses the latter task, but only Nathan & Jennifer decide to take a subway, then a bus (instead of a taxi) to the park. Jennifer is like a bull in Chinese shop who is constantly seeing red. She flips out when she sees TK in the train station, she freaks when taxis with other teams race ahead, and now she goes into meltdown mode when they're disoriented in Taipei. Nathan can't take it anymore and says "you're such a poor teammate." Yes she is.

Team Generic Couple eventually arrives at the park and the Detour but they're starting just as other teams are finishing up. TK & Rachel make an impressive comeback and finish second while Nicolas & Donald take third. Nathan & Jennifer are the last team to arrive and are eliminated by an emotionless Phil. They're both pretty upset but only one of them starts crying. It's Nathan. Jennifer consoles him by climbing him like a deranged monkey.

Final standings:

1 - Ronald & Christina - Team Miyagi and Grasshopper
2 - TK & Rachel - Team Birkenstock
3 - Nicolas & Donald - Team Rude Boy and Gramps
4 - Nathan & Jennifer - Team Generic Couple - PHILIMINATED

Next week - The season finale. Looks like Alaska.