Lance (right) begins working on his VCR alongside fellow competitor Canaan. It wouldn't be long before Lance pulled out the hammer and HULK SMASH!! (CBS)

For a show that can be quite tough with the rules, I thought The Amazing Race may have played a little loosely.

This week, with 10 teams in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, one of the two challenges was to break down two VCRs at a Vietnamese electronics recycling store.

From what I understood, the idea was to use all the tools given — hammer, pneumatic screwdriver and wire cutters (I think) — to take the VCRs apart and separate them into piles.

And then along comes Lance — aka half of Team Boston Rob II. Having already proven to be easily the race’s most annoying team with Lance and fiance Keri’s constant bickering, the duo heads to the VCR challenge, electing Lance to take part.

And he proceeds to grab the hammer and smash two VCRs to pieces — no separating parts, no subtlety, just grab the club and make like Bamm-Bamm.

And all the while, here’s Keri screaming “THROW THUH PAHTS OVAH HEEEEYAHHHH!” And here are the hairs standing straight up on my neck. Yeesh.

And yet, Phil Keoghan doesn’t have a problem with this at the end, allowing Team Boston Rob II to finish without problems, and sending home Ron and Marcy, aka Team Chemistry.com for their Internet-spawned union.

Goodbye, Ron and Marcy, we'll miss your enthusiasm and your taxi whistle. (CBS)

Ron and Marcy’s exit was a typical early-season move by Race — or, honestly, a lot of reality TV. They are contestants that lure you in with a great story — in this case, Marcy’s father was an Air Force general who was shot down over Vietnam — only to dump them at the end of the episode.

Fortunately, some favorites remain, including the top two finishers — Flight Time and Big Easy from the Harlem Globetrotters, and Meghan and Cheyne, aka Team Blonde Ambition. The Globies showed incredible teamwork in the “Detour” challenge, where they carted a ceramic animal to a playground, as did our blondes, who’ve shown a solidly competitive streak while not being obnoxious.

But not so our Boston duo. When struggling with clues, they loudly argue. When struggling with directions, they loudly argue. When DOING ANYTHING, they loudly argue.

And yet, there’s hope, for at the finish, Phil’s banter with Lance seemed forced, like our Phil was “trying” to be nice to Lance.

Phil has noticed you, Team Boston Rob II. And Phil, I feel, does not approve.

Here are my predictions for Week 3, as we head in to Cambodia. First, thanks to the “scenes from next week”, we learn that one team breaks The Biggest Amazing Race Rule There Is — Don’t Lose Your Passport. So here we go (and you can find out team nicknames here):

1. Team There She Is! (or Team Zebra, which is what Brian and ’04 Miss America Ericka called themselves this week) — Teams will need to spot royalty, and she’s the closest thing we’ve got. Royalty spots its own.

2. Blonde Ambition — It’ll be a consistent finish in the top three for these two all season.

3. The Globies, or Team Sweet Georgia Brown — Before I forget, a special congrats for this week’s win, especially given that Big Easy’s father passed two days before the race began. Keep it going and stay classy.

4. Pinky & The Brain

5. Team Promise Ring

6. Team Asperger’s

7. Team Busted Flush (formerly Team Liars Poker)

8. Team Boston Rob II

9. Team Brethren — Sam and Dan could be formidable if they stop bickering, but I think these are the guys who lose their passports. (It looked that way in the “scenes” anyway.) And if that’s the case, the race is 100 percent done.