I was going to post this yesterday but things got crazy around the Tribune when 18 co-workers got laid-off including Phil Morgan and Dan Ruth. Both have been around as long as I have. Ruth was the movie critic when I joined the Tribune in 1977.  He later became the TV critic.  Phil, one of the best feature writers in the business, has a great sense of humor. He was laughing on the outside and crying on the inside.  One day, when newspapers go totally online, will anyone even do feature stories any more?

Now for the recap.  I have started rooting for Tina and Ken Greene to win “Amazing Race” because I’m a romantic and want their marriage to work (which probably doesn’t require winning this contest).

But I’m also rooting for them because the other teams aren’t all that appealing.  Maybe the Frat Boys?  May the mother/son team?  I don’t know.  Tina, 49. and Ken, 52, are the oldest so there’s another reason.  And I have met them and she’s a lot nicer in person than how she’s been portrayed on TV.  But then, she wasn’t under the pressure of competition when I interviewed her.

On Sunday’s leg of the adventure, the teams dashed through India and coming up short were the annoying divorcees Kelly Crabb and Kristy Cook.  Without dumb luck, these two petty Mean Girls would have been gone sooner. But they managed to survive week after week until they stumbled through a misinterpretation of instructions during the seventh leg of the race through Dehli, India.  The booby twins had started in second place.

Ken and Tina began last and had to overcome a “Speed Bump” because they came in last on the preceding episode. It was a non-elimination round so they were spared.  Their speed bump penalty task was to go to a temple and hand out holy water to the needy.  Before that was completed, they joined the others who were getting pelted by crazy Indian men with paintballs.  Ken got coated in blue and then the paint-throwers turned on Tina and she was doused in green.

The next chore was a choice between following confusing and tangled power lines over the streets, looking for the numbers on the small tags hanging from them, and writing them down in the proper order or manually grinding giant bags of dried hot chili peppers. Terence and Sarah were the only ones who went for the peppers, in what turned out to be a painful burning experience.

In the end, Nick and Starr landed in first place yet again and Ken and Tina stayed alive. Next week, I predict that the Frat Boys will be going home.