# Amazing Race 1/25/05 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 25, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657 "2005-01-25T23:07:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/41 "2005-01-26T17:37:53Z")
Sigh. I heart Lori and Bolo. Bye, guys! ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/42 "2005-01-26T18:02:53Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Hee hee! 😛 😃 Completely unintentional…or subconsciously intentional. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/43 "2005-01-26T18:39:31Z")
[QUOTE=Gangster Octopus] I think the swim task would have been a great idea if it had been that one of those teams would have been eliminated, that would have made it the best elimination. But alas, it wasn’t so it was really more comical than anything. [QUOTE] I think the producers anticipated that everyone would be together at the end. The bunching kind of assured it. If everyone gets to the top together, the first guy that spots it breaks to run, and everyone who HASN’T found it yet, looks the last place he was looking. Then it is a race to the end. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/44 "2005-01-26T19:15:54Z")
One point to consider for next week. I don’t have the time now to do the research, but we are getting dangerously close to the point where the forced splitting of roadblocks is likely to come into play. Consider a roadblock like one from years past where a person has to be dragged through the mud and crap by a water buffalo. If, say, Freddy had used up his allotment and Kendra had to do it, they could face major issues due to her lack of strength and general quesiness that it isn’t a 5 star mixture of mud and crap. Again, I’m not sure if this is an issue for a team, but it could be and it could make things very interesting. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/45 "2005-01-26T19:49:54Z")
> [@Mullinator](#): > > If, say, Freddy had used up his allotment and Kendra had to do it, they could face major issues due to her lack of strength and general quesiness that it isn’t a 5 star mixture of mud and crap. > > Again, I’m not sure if this is an issue for a team, but it could be and it could make things very interesting. I’d like to see Adam use up his, and make Rebitcha do the rest, then totally screw them up and lose the race. Rebitcha’s being edited to be way more “competent” then she really is and I look forward to their losing and it being _all Rebitcha’s fault._ ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/46 "2005-01-26T20:04:39Z")
I don’t think Phil should have kept saying, you have to swim, you have to swim. He should have just stood there until they figured it out, or said, read your clue. There have been two teams emlimitated now because of not reading the clue. I think only Kris and Jon read the clue right. Now that Lori and Bolo are gone I’m gonna have to pull for Kris and Jon. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/47 "2005-01-26T20:12:14Z")
I’d like to know what everyone’s first thought was when they heard the detour options. “Climb a 50’ tree” or “ride an elephant”. My initial reaction was the elephant, and was completely surprised at how wrong I was. I’d been batting 1.000 up until that one. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/48 "2005-01-26T20:16:41Z")
This is what I could glean from the CBS site. **Jon: 5 Roadblocks** (ski jump zipline in Norway, hay bales in Sweden, soapbox derby in Berlin, soup in Hungary, and Lion’s Rock climb in Sri Lanka) **Kris: 4 Roadblocks** (hauling salt in Senegal, hot rocket bungee in Berlin, grape stomping in France, church in Ethiopia) **Adam: 5 Roadblocks** (ski jump zipline in Norway, hay bales in Sweden, hauling salt in Senegal, church in Ethiopia, and Lion’s Rock climb in Sri Lanka) **Rebecca: 3 Roadblocks** (soapbox derby in Berlin, hot rocket bungee in Berlin, and soup in Hungary) **Freddy: 5 Roadblocks** (hay bales in Sweden, soapbox derby in Berlin, soup in Hungary, church in Ethiopia, and Lion’s Rock climb in Sri Lanka) **Kendra: 4 Roadblocks** (ski jump zipline in Norway, hauling salt in Senegal, hot rocket bungee in Berlin, and grape stomping in France) **Aaron: 5 Roadblocks** (ski jump zipline in Norway, hay bales in Sweden, soup in Hungary, grape stomping in France, and Lion’s Rock climb in Sri Lanka) **Hayden: 4 Roadblocks** (hauling salt in Senegal, soapbox derby in Berlin, hot rocket bungee in Berlin, and the church in Ethiopia) For some reason, I thought Rebecca had done a lot more. She would have done the grapes, but they took the Fast Forward on that leg. I hope all that’s correct. What I’m fearful of is the final Yield being used on Kris and Jon. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/49 "2005-01-26T20:30:30Z")
Even if the final yield is used on Kris/Jon, next week is bound to be the last non-elimination leg anyway, and since the “no money” rule doesn’t really seem to have affected anyone, and with the plethora of bunching points we’ve been seeing, it wouldn’t really be that big a disadvantage. I’m wondering whether any of the remaining teams would use the Yield anyway. Adam and Rebecca can’t, they already used it on Freddy/Kendra. For how pissed Freddy/Kendra were about it, they might hesitate to use it on someone else, especially a team they like. That leaves Haydn and Aaron…and about them, I’m just not sure. If the Yield doesn’t come up next week during the non-elim leg, but in the finale episode instead, then all bets are off. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/50 "2005-01-26T20:31:27Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’d like to know what everyone’s first thought was when they heard the detour options. “Climb a 50’ tree” or “ride an elephant”. My initial reaction was the elephant, and was completely surprised at how wrong I was. I’d been batting 1.000 up until that one. There are a couple of unwritten rules about the detour that most hardcore watchers subscribe to. 1. The detour usually features a scary/quick versus a slow/safe option. The scary/quick is always the better choice because you are in a race and due to safety gear no one is dying. In this case, it’s not perfectly obvious, but I’d lean to the tree climbing. 2. If there isn’t an obvious fast/slow choice, take the option that is more under your control. This essentially means avoid looking for a little thing in a big thing (buoys in water) or anything with animals (like elephants). For this task, it’s obvious. Riding elephants doesn’t sound so bad, but you have to control them and you are on their timetable. And, oddly enough, elephants don’t care about reality TV. With the trees, you have full control. You can speed through as fast as you want, and the only thing that slows you down is your own freaking out. Using those two rules, you really won’t fail in picking the best option. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/51 "2005-01-26T20:31:29Z")
Lessee- Ep 1 - No Roadblock Ep 2 - Skijump Zipline - Jon, Adam, Kendra, Aaron Ep 3 - Hay Bales - Jon, Aaron, Adam, Freddy Ep 4 - Salt Retrieval - Kendra, Hayden, Kris, Adam Ep 5 - Soap Box Derby - Freddy, Hayden, Jon, Rebecca Ep 6 - Bungee - Kendra, Hayden, Kris, Rebecca Ep 7 - Soup From Hell - Jon, Aaron(misstated as Adam in the “Route Markers” link on the show’s page, corrected from my memory),Rebecca, Freddy Ep 8 - Grape Stomping - From the story link, Kendra, Kris, Aaron (Adam & Rebecca take the deep sea diving FF) Ep 9 - Rock Church - Kris, Adam, Freddy, Hayden Ep 10 - Thousand Steps- Jon, Adam, Freddy, Aaron So: Jon - 5 Kris - 4 Aaron - 5 Hayden - 4 Freddy - 5 Kendra - 4 Adam - 5 Rebecca - 3 There are three legs left, and therefore presumably three Roadblocks, only one of which the man on each team (OK, Adam is arguable) is allowed to do. This is going to get interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/52 "2005-01-26T20:44:45Z")
> [@Jadis](#): > > next week is bound to be the last non-elimination leg anyway Hasn’t the 2nd to last leg traditionally been a non-elim? ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/53 "2005-01-26T20:45:19Z")
:smack: Well, **Judith Prietht** , if you think I’m going to repeatedly hit the preview button to check and see if someone else is trying to get the same list I am, just let me say: You’ve got another thing comin’ ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/54 "2005-01-26T20:47:38Z")
> [@Mullinator](#): > > There are a couple of unwritten rules about the detour that most hardcore watchers subscribe to. I think that’s what got Gus & Hera. I’d have picked the boat paddling too, because you can control that. And for all I know, professional water polo players could keep me in that pool all day, and I used to be on swim team, and have played water polo. If they’d wanted to make that a hard task, it could have been darn near impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/55 "2005-01-26T20:54:18Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I think that’s what got Gus & Hera. I’d have picked the boat paddling too, because you can control that. And for all I know, professional water polo players could keep me in that pool all day, and I used to be on swim team, and have played water polo. If they’d wanted to make that a hard task, it could have been darn near impossible. I can see that, but they did have a propensity to pick the slower tasks in general. TAR does try to fool the people a bit with the clues, but this one still seemed obvious. Why? Well, the clue made it clear that you had to paddle across the Danube. Anyone knows that while you control the paddling you are at the mercy of the currents and weather. While water polo against a professional sounds rough, they did know they needed to only score one goal (I remember another team reading the one goal part.) Also, in previous seasons, having to go against “professional” athletes is never quite as bad as they make it. I refer specifically to season one when teams were horrified at having to go against pro table tennis players and score 5 points but found it not that hard when it turns out the pros were kids, and not overly proficient ones at that. Also, the twins Derek and Drew won a fast forward against pro beach volleyball players. Again, they had to score 5 times and it really wasn’t that hard. So one goal is a cinch. I think Gus and Hera got suckered in on that choice. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/56 "2005-01-26T21:07:08Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Hasn’t the 2nd to last leg traditionally been a non-elim? I could be wrong, but I thought it went this way: - The second to last episode is the third to last leg, since the last episode is a 2 hour finale. - The second to last episode goes in with 4 teams, and is a non-elimination leg, putting all 4 teams in the finale episode. - The finale episode eliminates one team at the 1 hour point, then the second hour is the last leg of the race, with 3 teams competing. Someone can come along and correct me if I have that messed up. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/57 "2005-01-26T21:17:24Z")
Until this episode, Freddy and Kendra were going every other one on the RBs. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/58 "2005-01-26T21:20:09Z")
> [@Jadis](#): > > - The second to last episode is the third to last leg, **since the last episode is a 2 hour finale**. That’s what screwed me up. I’m right, but only during re-runs! ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/59 "2005-01-26T21:20:55Z")
Oh. And did anyone have a take on my “Aaron sneaking by without a ticket” question? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657/60 "2005-01-26T21:32:28Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I’d like to know what everyone’s first thought was when they heard the detour options. “Climb a 50’ tree” or “ride an elephant”. My initial reaction was the elephant, and was completely surprised at how wrong I was. I’d been batting 1.000 up until that one. I feel like the editors played a little trick on us there. When Phil is describing the tree-climb, we viewers see a local guy shimmying up a bare trunk using a piece of rope in his hands and using his feet as a counter-brace. It looked like a pretty difficult thing to do. However, once the racers begin the task, we see that they were actually climbing up a tree that had rope and coconut shells tied around it at regular intervals, forming a rudimentary ladder. Much easier to climb a ladder than to use the rope-and-foot technique if you’re not practiced at it. My initial perception that the tree climb would be the most difficult to complete changed once I saw how they actually had it set up. Similarly, when Phil is describing the elephant polo, we viewers are not shown a valuable piece of information–that there would be a local person riding along with you and doing all the steering. All the racer had to do was hit the ball with the stick a few times in the right direction. So it turned out to be easier than we might have thought from the initial description. (Wouldn’t you have loved it if there had been a ‘My elephant is broken!’ scene from Freddy?) Of course, this editorial trickery only applies to us viewers and our ‘armchair racing’ decisions about which task is going to be easier. It’s always hard to tell exactly how much the actual racers are told about each option before they choose. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-1-25-05/286657.md?page=4)