Indeed. I expect I’ll watch it again tomorrow night when it re-runs on OLN here in Canada just to know that it’s coming.
Thoughts and observations:
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Ronald and Christina ran an almost flawless leg. They are definitely the team to beat.
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I was very happy to see Team Dysfunctional bow out due to the fact that they cannot stop constantly screaming at each other.
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As soon as Jen insisted that they take the subway instead of a taxi, I knew they were goners.
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I hated the Roadblock. No skill or luck involved at all.
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I literally covered my eyes when Phil was awaiting the arrival of the third team to arrive. When I opened them, I was very happy.
I just had a twisted thought (not uncommon for me): Jen’s statement would have been more palatable if she had inadvertently channeled Tolkein:
“It’s my birthday; I want to win… my preeeecious.”
Yay!
I like all three final 3 teams, though my preference is Don first and Ron last.
I bet my roommate and his friend upstairs wondered what the shriek of joy a minute ago was about!
The hours of operation bunch wasn’t producer-connived, either. From 10Best, the actual hours of operation for the Floating Garden Observatory are 10AM to 10:30PM.
Are they usually? I’ve been watching for many seasons now and have seen that accusation but never paid enough attention to know if it’s a true one.
I really don’t personally think they are, but there’s alway some suspicion, especially in cases like tonight’s, when an HoO bunch really benefits one team. Over on TWOP there have been several posts complaining that the 10AM opening time was producer-mandated.
That was awesome seeing TK and Rachel just blow through that jagged-rock thing.
Thank you Nate for the most hilarious Philimination reaction ever:
“I’m sorry to tell you that you’ve both been eliminated from the race.”
*“Fudge!” *
Edit: And now if you’ll excuse me I’m in the mood for some Thai food. Off to find a Taiwanese restaurant!
Curse you, I was just about to say that!
Buh-bye, Nate & Jen. So glad you’re finally off my screen. And it’s a rare thing to have a final leg with three equally likeable teams (Ron’s an asshole, but at least he’s trying to change.) And how cool is it to see BOTH old farts make it to the final leg? I never would have called that!
There was a bunching point in TAR6 involving an internet cafe that didn’t open until 10 p.m. What kind of place doesn’t open 'til 10?? Even more suspicious was the fact that the cafe was still open when the trailing team finally showed up early the next morning.
Yes, but just picture Jen running it! Better yet, picture her running it with Dopers aiming the firecrackers!
Phil really looked happy to see TK and Rachel finish first. I was worried about them in the beginning when she kept insisting the garden had to be on the ground and they ran past the clue box, but they kept it together and they looked like they’re still having fun. I think they’re the least competent of the three remaining teams, but I’d still like to see them win. My second choice is Nick and Don.
As for Ron and Christina, I’m not buying the idea that he’s changed. His behaviour makes me a little uncomfortable, as if she’s only all right if nothing goes wrong. That’s a terrible thing to live under.
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Jen, you shrill bitch – happy birthday. (“Shouldn’t we ask someone if the subway is faster?” “No, let’s just go.”)
I would very much like to know by exactly how much time they came in fourth.
A team I’m rooting for, a team I like, and a team I don’t dislike in the final three – that’s about as good as it gets. (I’m sorry, Ron’s “Who’s Your Daddy” T-shirts are so oogy that I can’t call them a team I like.)
Should be a great finale – it’s been an excellent season.
Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick, yessss! I believe very strongly that God in Her great wisdom forced me to suffer through the non-elimination of Colin & Christie waaaaay back in the day just so that I could enjoy this particular moment all the more. (See post #14 for my immediate reaction at that time.)
Although, I do have to say: “My ox is BROKEN! This is BULLSHIT! I HATE you!” is still the best single moment in the history of time.
And as they were looking for the bus Nate pointed out again that they should have asked if a taxi would have been faster, and that Jen insisted they take the subway. And Jen was like, ‘I said that :dubious: ?’ as if he was making it up.
I was a little concerned when Rachel deduced that the ‘garden’ must be where the plants are. She really fell into the hippy stereotype, as if she couldn’t conceive that a garden could be in a building. (Not that it was a ‘garden’ garden, but there are plenty of large buildings with actual gardens in them.)
No kidding! I was on the edge of my seat for the last 10 minutes and I cheered when Don and Nick came in third. I was thinking it was the best episode ever, but you’re right. It was one of the most satisfying reality show moments ever.
There’s a reason TAR wins the Emmy every year. The editing to create tension at the mat is great. Plus, who knows if TK and Rachel got a leg up on the others when they learned the ticket machine is faster, but the editing makes it seem like it did. I’m just glad they’re in the final 3.
I did feel bad for Nate when he was crying at then end. Although it could have been tears of joy that he doesn’t have to be around that shrieking witch anymore. My god, I was sick of listening to her bitch and whine!
Me either. When you get to be that age, there’s no changing behavior like that. It’s part of his personality. However, I like her so much that I think I’m rooting for them to win.
Awesome. A satisfying ending, and some actual drama throughout the leg. I wasn’t crazy about the tasks (A Roadblock that’s “riding while someone else does the hard part” might be nervewracking, but it’s unlikely to affect the race order; a Detour where everyone picks the right [i.e., most painful] task is the same), but overall pretty good.
Taxi Assessment
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Ari & Staella and Kate & Pat and Marianna & Julia and Lorena & Jason and Shana & Jennifer and Azaria & Hendekea and Kynt & Vyxsin - A bunch of looooosers who’ll be cheering at the final mat when the winners get there.
Jennifer & Nathan (down from “Passing Lane”) - What happened to Nate & Jenn this episode was totally predictable. To be sure, luck played a part in the scenario, but the plot goes something like this: a) Nate & Jenn start out ahead, b) the trailing team(s) gets a break and catches up, c) Jenn starts to freak out and hates the other team for daring to compete, d) she spazzes at Nate, e) Nate can’t handle it and spazzes at her, e) they both make poor decisions and literally waste time arguing with each other. Up until now, there’s always been some other time far enough behind that Jennifer & Nathan kept out of last place. Not this time. Their fate was sealed by taking the train instead of a taxi. It’s true they got bad directions here and the other teams didn’t, so in a sense that’s not “fair,” but the Race is a microcosm of real life, and there’s an old saying that contains the words “life” and “fair.” Enjoy your “Tai” food, Nate.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one this week.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
No one. C’mon, it’s the final three. If a team made it this far, they should be ranked higher than this.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Nicolas & Donald (up from “Flat Tire”) - Does this team have any chance at all to win? Well, maybe. Anything can happen and all that. Still, this team is clearly the slowest and they don’t ever seem to seriously compete for first place. Simply staying out of last isn’t a bad strategy on all the preliminary legs, but they’re going to have to step up the competition on the final leg here. This season, the producers seem to have scaled back the tasks that require pure strength and speed, so someone like Grampa can wind up in the final three. But they’re going to need a ton of luck to win a million.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Ronald & Christina (up from “Rapido!”) - Hum. I’m skeptical of Ronald’s conversion from Archie Bunker to Cliff Huxtable. However, I was skeptical two episodes ago, and he seems to have kept it up since then. All he has to do is keep it up for one more episode now, and that’s well within the realm of possibility. Amazingly, Ronald & Christina have placed in the top three for the last seven episodes, taking first three times (including the last two legs). That’s a serious track record. They parlayed a fifteen-minute airplane lead this episode into a first-place finish, keeping ahead of the other teams for the whole episode. That shows they can run a mistake-free leg.
Rachel & TK (up from “Flat Tire”) - I’m still backing the mellow hippies as the favorite to win. They have an occasional problem with wandering off in the wrong direction (as shown in a small way this episode where they missed the cluebox), and they got a hefty dose of luck this episode (squeaking onto trains just in time, getting to the Roadblock just ahead of the other teams), but they’ve got the momentum now. They’re also the least susceptible to stress, so I think they have the edge in the final episode, because their inductive reasoning, such as it is, doesn’t suffer. But they have to be able to run a leg without mistakes, because they can’t count on Ronald & Christina making any.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
No one this week.
Next week: The finale! And this has been a pretty darn good season. The teams have been more interesting, with some suprising ones winding up in the final three. That’s been, in part, because the tasks are skewed much less toward the young and strong. And they finally seem to have hit on a good solution to the NEL penalty. Now, if they could only consistently write better clues than the “go exactly here, do exactly this” variety.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]
You know, I can almost buy that a subway might be faster than a cab, if you’re talking getting from the center of a dense city to the outskirts during rush hour. And a local did tell them it would be faster. But once you’ve left the subway, how can you possibly argue whether a bus for the final part of the trip would be faster than a cab? They both have to travel the same streets, and the bus presumably has to make stops along the way. Once they were told it was subway, then bus, they should have bailed and gone for the cab, or at least known to get a cab as soon as they left the subway.
BTW, does anyone know what happens if you’ve run out of cash and the instructions specifically say to take a taxi to your next destination? Are you reduced to begging? I thought they’ve been trying to get rid of begging the past few seasons.
The Amazing Producers quite obviously constructed this leg to make sure that the Final Leg starts out as competitively as possible (no 24 hour Guido-lag). We start with not one, but two bunching points (the Hour of Operation at the building, followed immediately by a flight to Taiwan). The Roadblock was exactly the same duration for all contestants.
And everyone took the same Detour…so really, the only variable in the race was how quickly you could get a Teacup Translation and find the clown. (God, how I would’ve loved to see Jen wander off trying to find a cow…)
And thanks to the Amazing Editors for the most nail-biting finish ever.
ETA: Rachel’s cheerleader kick when catching up to the other teams was absolutely adorable. I so want these guys to win.
I am usually the last person to be Pollyannaish, but I think some of the change might be genuine. Their dynamic reminds me a lot of workaholic families like mine, that also tend to be very common among Asian Families.
My guess is that the last time Ron “worked with” Christina on anything was probably like some 2nd grade Girl scout project. He clearly started the race with the mindset that she is just a little girl and he has have to protect her, and show her how to do everything. I think he did slowly realize(like all fathers have to do eventually) that she was grown up and competant. And once he started to realize she was a equal, he was much cooler.
On the other hand, I’m sure he will still be an obnoxious control freak to any subordinates.