User blog comment:TheDipDap1234/The Ridonculous Race Episode 16 - Team Reviews/@comment-25156315-20150927194334/@comment-1734566-20150927203232

Agreed, for the most part, DipDap.

Yeah, the Cadets have just gotten SO popular in a rather unsurprising way (they ARE consistently hilarious, and the Cadets vs. Skaters rivalry, again, is awesome). However, I think they also might EASILY have the biggest popularity gap between the two members out of ANY team this season. I mean, sure, there are PLENTY of teams where the two partners are basically the same (Hippies, Geniuses, Surfers, Bloggers, Stepbrothers, Tennis Rivals, LARPers, Goths, Twins, etc.), even though that's NOT necessarily a bad thing. And even with the teams where the two are pretty much opposites (Pros, Sisters, Father/Son, Mother/Daughter), and even those who are somewhat different (Skaters, Rockers, Friends, Daters), most people who DO rank the characters individually often have them closer together or only reasonably spaced apart.

But the Cadets? Man, as much as I LOVE them, even I'll admit that there's a GIANT gap between how I rank them as individuals. MacArthur is my #1 favorite (and I think MIGHT be the most universally-popular individual character this season, rivaled only by Kitty), while Sanders is #21 for me. I don't hate her, but MacArthur EASILY overshadows Sanders physically, humorously, and in terms of interactions. She literally carries the team, and that's fine - there IS still a good dynamic between MacArthur and Sanders themselves, but it's largely been ignored in favor of MacArthur vs. The World.

But ultimately, yes, these two are easily the best candidates for the season's heroes/protagonists. But sadly, I don't see them as TOO likely of making the finale - I still am confident that the Friends are making the finale for sure, and at the current rate of miraculously escaping elimination, the Daters are likely to go far too. So it's a close battle for that 3rd spot between, I think, the Cadets, the Sisters, and the Skaters.