Episode 7

I'm not the type that gets homesick.  In my opinion, once you hit puberty, you should be able to handle being away from home for a few weeks without an emotional breakdown.  ESPECIALLY if you're an adult on the adventure of a lifetime ... it's important to put things in perspective.  Win $500,000 and you'll be able to spend more than enough QT with the fam.

But that's the strange thing about reality shows.  Combine the stress of travel with the tension of the game and contestants start to forget about the big picture. By the time we hit Buenos Aires, the homesick grumblings had risen from a whisper to a constant din.  "I miss my family!  I miss my wife! I think I want to go home!"  Thankfully, help was on the way.

It was really interesting to see how everyone's softer side came out when their folks arrived ... especially Paul.  Despite his tough guy exterior, seeing him play with his daughter cast him in a different light with everyone -- including Nicole.  I must say that Paul's daughter Alexa was preternaturally intelligent.  The girl from Yonkers is only two, but she was sooooo well behaved, loquacious and expressive.   Another good apple from the big one.

Can I be honest though?  As a spectator, I was really disappointed when the train door opened for Tori and Alexa.  Deep down, in a place I don't like to talk about, I was secretly hoping that Paul's reunion would be thwarted.  Can you imagine?  He probably would've jumped on the back of the train, punched through the glass and ridden off with his family into the dark tunnels of the Subte.  Talk about good tv!  Before the reveal, Jon and I were trying to map out exactly how he would subdue Paul if that actually happened.  I'm not even kidding.

Watching the family members interact was also fun.  Behind the scenes, Nicole's mom was a h-a-n-d-f-u-l.  She got into one spat with a handler about him telling her what to do and who does he think he is she can do what she wants when she wants and then some. I loved it. There's no question: Nicole's spunk definitely runs in the family!

If Clay hadn't gone home this episode, I definitely would've tabbed him as The Mole.  His self-proclaimed status as a "math genius" seemed pretty dubious when you consider 1947-1492 was a stumper for him during "Go Figure."  Add 8 to 1492 to make it 1500 subtract 1947 from that and then subtract 8 again?  Wha-whaat?  Then, all of a sudden, he's able to crack the Fibonacci sequence and ultimately save the day?  That's why I was SHOCKED when he became The Mole's next victim ...especially after all of Nicole's self-execution talk.

Speaking of which, Nicole's professed approach to the quiz sounded eerily similar to a move I pulled on my Dad when I was 14.  I played him at chess for the first time, won and refused to ever play him again.  This way, he could never say he beat me.   To paraphrase: "If I try to answer correctly and get executed, that means the guys win.  But if I self-execute, that means they never beat me."  Hmmm.  Given Nicole's apparent inability to be executed, it'll be interesting to see who's left standing next week...