OK, I take it all back. Team Doublement is not dumber than rocks. They’re actually doing pretty well and they’re very watchable.
The tubby brothers are a lot of fun to watch, especially when falling into the river while punting. (Not very good hang time there, fellas!)
I felt bad for the losing team last night. . . but the handwriting was really on the wall. You can’t be a day behind the pack and expect to come in anywhere other than last. . . even with the Fast Forward.
Now: some quibbles? Why didn’t any of the teams call ahead for plane reservations? They do have cell phones, right? I remember in the last race the Miami boys would call ahead, use travel agents, etc. Has that been outlawed?
And what’s the point of the Hate-the-Twins coalition anyway? Is it just there for some fake drama, or what?
From the preview, it looks like the animosity is going to turn toward the Middle Aged Shark team next week. Good! They deserve it; they are really annoying.
I didn’t think they were allowed to have cell phones, IIRC the phones they were using last year belonged to the cabdrivers, or they borrowed from people. If they can have phones and are not using them, they’re stupid.
I still wish there were more chances for teams to switch places other than the fast forward, I remember the earlier seasons had more challenges that required solving clues. Now it just seems like they tell you where to go and how to get there, and your only chance is to hope someone screws up. They all get separated from taking first, second, or third buses, trains, ferries, etc. but then there is always a point where they all have to wait around for something to open and they all get caught up again. I’d give them a choice between landmarks to go to, or tasks to complete (not just the manner in which they do them), or give them scavenger-hunt type missions once in a while.
A) Re; the shark team. I don’t hate her, I feel sorry for her. I loathe him. Especially when he was griping about how she wasn’t handling the boat correctly. The final straw was when he made her do the Scottish games, then bitched at her performance. He’s a worm.
B) The bald brothers are A) smart (they called ahead and managed to get a direct flight and confirmed seats, moving them from 6th to 2nd) and B) having fun. I’m currently rooting for them. I liked the fact that they weren’t getting pissy with each other in the boat.
C) I was SO rooting for the father and son to go down in flames. When the son pulled his bullsht “My mom is < sob >…dying!” act to get better seats I hit the roof. My dad had to recently get an emergency flight from Berlin to be with a dying relative. Because of asshles like the son, he had to produce a ton of documentation, jump through a bunch of hoops to prove that he really needed to. I note that the holier-than-thou Dad had no problem with this sort of behavior. Jerk.
Currently I’m rooting for the bald brothers and John-Vito, etc and against the Shark and his wife and against Jiffy-Pop Hair guy and the shrill chick.
Fenris, a new convert to The Amazing Race
I have to agree with Fenris. Ian (of the Shark Team) has, in every episode, been a complete jerk. I feel sorry for his wife, and have to wonder how she’s put up with him for so long! He seems to be very careful to avoid putting himself in any position where a delay could be seen as his fault. Instead, he takes every opportunity to throw the blame on his wife.
annieclaus I too have gained some respect for the twins, and found myself rooting for them quite a bit. Mostly because the people in the ani-twin group seem so irrational about them. I cheered when the twins ended up at the roadblock before the others, after the anti-twins were gloating about passing them on the way. I’m also impressed with the bald brothers, I think alot of other teams are underestimating them.
I found myself getting very tired of hearing the one woman from the Legal Eagle team complain all the time: “My pack is heavy”; “I had to sit in a wooden boat and my butt hurts”; “I’m too tired to run” - This is the Amazing Race, not Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous! I wonder if she actually watched any of the previous editions of the show before signing up…
Yeah, I found myself liking the twins, too–I wanted to take a drink everytime Aaron said the word “twins.” Jesus, obsess much?
Also, how much did Jill and John Vito kick butt? She seems like a really tough, cool girl–did anyone else see her arms when they were punting? I was impressed by the long run the two of them did (I contrasted it with team Heave, who seemed to spend the whole time crying about their bags–seriously, is there an episode where one of them hasn’t cried?)
I think only the little rat-faced one cries. The big one, who fell on her face out of the donkey cart in the first episode, is actually rather cool.
Yeah, the Wonder-Twins, after a rocky start (Duhh…let’s lose our luggage :rolleyes: ) have shown some competence and I found myself rooting for them too in this episode.
I’m still hoping that the Bald Brothers win: they’ve got brains and a sense of humor. The look the bearded one gave the camera when they realized they were second to the bus (behind the Wonder Twins) was priceless.
Team Heave (heh! 
) is so snivelly. I kinda liked 'em in the first episode during the parachute jump, but since then…
I think one of the primary things (beyond brainpower) that makes me like or dislike a team is how well they work together. The soccer moms were only so-so, but they seemed to get along. I dislike teams that get all shrewish with each other (though it makes good TV)
Fenris
Yeah, a great episode, except again, the only places to really screw up and get eliminated are the flight reservations. I liked the first season better, more opportunity for teams to mess up more, leading to more confusion, and a better chance of the positions changing. And I am still trying to figure out why they all felt they had to fly through Mexico City. I’ve been to Cancun before, and I know you can get direct flights from there to the US. I’m pretty sure that when I was making my reservations, there was a non-stop flight from Washington DC to Cancun. I would think that you’d be better off going to a major US airport for a direct flight to London, than heading West to go East.
I’ve copied and pasted my post from the other thread… didn’t know everyone had moved. Ignore the irrelevant-seeming bits.
This was a very good episode. Just lacking a bit in suspense, due to the spacing out of the buses. The airport sequence was a bit chaotic, but I liked the fact that there seemed to be so many options available. I don’t think there’ve ever been so many different flights, routes, connections taken on a single leg in the past.
This thread should’ve really been a spoiler thread with big spoiler tags in the subject. Not that anyone seems to care… Why don’t more people watch this amazing show? Best reality show on TV.
Anyway, Spoilers Ahead
Spoilers begin here, you’ve been warned!:
Was this the first time a team took the fast forward and were still eliminated? Dennis and Andrew seemed to screw up big time getting on the flights. How did they manage to arrive a whole day later?! I was really hoping they could make up the time, I was really starting to like them.
My thoughts on the teams left, so far…
I’m extremely irritated by Aaron and Arianne. Hating someone just because they’re good looking is as bad as hating someone because they’re ugly. And they’re annoying to boot. Most hated team, just edging out…
Teri and Ian: I don’t have to explain, do I? They are an older Wil and Tara.
Heather and Eve, the begging, crying lawyers: Well, I didn’t dislike them much during this leg, and I’m kinda starting to like Heather. She seems polite and no-nonsense, and she seems to be holding them together. Another Mary and Peach situation?
I don’t like Flo and Zach. Flo is screechy and annoying. Zach has bad hair… er, ok, I don’t have anything against Zach.
Teams I don’t mind:
I kinda like Michael and Kathy, they seem ok. I like the twins because everyone hates them for no reason, and they seem like nice guys. Not at all cocky (despite what Arianne might try to tell me). Andre and Damon haven’t managed to make much of an impression even now.
Teams I like:
Ken & Gerrard: They’re cool, funny, smart and they seem to be enjoying themselves. The bit on the boats at Cambridge was classic. Definitely my favourite team to far. So I guess they’ll be finishing fourth
Jon Vito & Jill: Because Jill kicks ass. Rambette is the perfect nickname for her. Did you see her paddling away? Then the bit where they got to the 10 o’clock bus, the highland games-lite part. Wow. I like her.
Favourite NPCs so far: The Scots. “You’re too pretty for muscles” hehe. Great greeter too… I wanna go to Scotland.
And now I feel a bit silly just copying and pasting… Anyway
I think the clue specified that they had to fly through Mexico City.
I agree about the general opportunities to screw up. They’ve dumbed it down considerably in the last two seasons, from season 1.
Because the instructions in their information packets told them they had to leave through Mexico city.
Overall, this Race doesn’t seem to have quite the spark the first two had. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen it before but I think it’s because all of the destinations so far have been fairly developed areas. Cancun just doesn’t feel the same as the Amazon jungle or the Tunisian desert.
Does anyone else remember hearing that? I don’t, but then I don’t pay that much attention when they read the clues. If there were instructed to go that way, then it’s a bit understandable, but it almost makes it worse, now they’re even being told how to route themselves.
tanstaafl seems to remember that too… I’m quite sure it was mentioned not just during the reading but during the Phil-voiceover too.
Anyway, in retrospect, I don’t mind the Mexico City thing that much, because there were so many options from there to London. There were five or six different arrival times at Heathrow. They were just forced for the first step, and there must’ve been some reason for that. I read somewhere else that it was the end of holiday season in Cancun, so flights were very very crowded (which was the reason for Dennis & Andrew’s problems). Maybe it had something to do with that? ie: It was probably easier to get Cancun-US-London flights than Cancun-Mexico City-…London, and there were probably a lot more options from Mexico City to London. (eg, Ken&Gerard getting a huge amount of time due to their unique choice of MC-Paris-London)
Wow, that was rather garbled.
Just got around to watching stage 3 again (it’s impossible to pick up everything in one viewing, especially at this early stage). I’ll start by commenting on what’s been said:
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I really, really don’t see why crying’s suddenly such a titanic sin. I really don’t. As I’ve stated many times before, the important thing is to keep moving. Whine, scream, cry, blubber, moan, just don’t complain if your teammate does it, and keep moving. Eve may be emotionally fragile, and Heather isn’t helping things much, but they still have it where it counts, and that’s all that matters to me.
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I really didn’t see any one huge blunder that knocked out Dennis and Andrew. Sure, they lost some time at the airport, but half a day? That said, I didn’t expect this team to go all the way. I didn’t see any killer instinct, any strong drive, and in a contest this tight, that’s killer. (Aside: Did anyone find it a little strange that neither one was particularly shocked, or even disappointed, at being eliminated despite getting the Fast Forward?)
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There was NO requirement to return to Mexico City. None. Meaning, of course, that this was one of those deals where you had to use your own initiative and decide at exactly which point you were jumping the pond. Feel better now?
Standings, along with my early projections:
1 - Derek & Drew
Status: Good-looking giant question mark
They look strong so far, but can they keep it up? Again, it’s early and we haven’t had a real intellectual or logical challenge yet. Will the “twin-buster coalition” help or hurt? It’s impossible to get a read on them at this point.
2 - Ken & Gerard
Status: Fun-to-watch dark horse
This is one of those goofy, probably-won’t-go-the-distance fun teams that you just wish to have a nice, long run. I haven’t seen anything that makes them stand out against the pack, but they should be in it for a while.
3 - Flo & Zach
Status: Hard-gunning young guns
They got youth, they got some education, and they got a lot of drive…and their morale is intact. Looking pretty good.
4 - Aaron & Arianne
Status: Other hard-gunning young guns
Almost indistinguishable from Flo & Zach at this point.
5 - Heather & Eve
Status: Vulnerable but proud contender
Stamina and toughness will always be issues (especially if the later stages are as demanding as they were in the previous races), but they have plenty of will and won’t go down easily.
6 - Michael & Kathy
Status: Middle-of-the-packers
Gamely holding down the fort. Smooth pace, no big mistakes.
7 - John Vito & Jill
Status: Never-say-die underdog
Fighting through exhaustion, sprinting to the bus station, and making the second bus with one minute to spare was by far the defining moment of the 3rd leg. I have to admire them for this alone. Not a strong team by any stretch, they’ve done very well on gritty tenacity alone, and it’ll be a triumph if they finish better than 7th. September 11 surprisingly hasn’t come up at all, which is another plus in my book.
8 - Andre & Damon
Status: Fading stragglers
CBS actually made them an early favorite, but this race isn’t run on paper. It looks like to me that they’re just not very good at the things this race requires…making airline reservations on the fly, getting up at odd hours, running to catch transportation, figuring out foreign-language signs, all the little, basic things. They could go as early as next week.
9 - Teri & Ian
Status: Dead team walking
Tenacity is good, but it’s no substitute for chemistry, and they were positively stumbling in stage 3. They’ve never been better than 9th, and next week, that’s the fatal spot. Only a slip-up by Andre and Damon (which could happen) is going to save them.
DKW: great analysis!
For me, the problem isn’t crying, it’s bitchiness with your teammate. I didn’t mind at all when Heather or Eve had a panic attack and started bawling when she had to skydive (actually, I empathized. Skydiving is tied with Bungie jumping on my list of things I don’t want to do), as a matter of fact, I admired the teamwork when the other one coached the acrophobe through the challenge. But in this one, they were just bitchy to each other and blubbery.
And Flo and Zach (I think it’s them: is Zach the one with the Jiffypop style hairdo?) annoy the hell out of me. I’m not sure why.
But I still want Ian booted more. 
Fenris
I’m not sure what jiffy pop is, but I think you got the right team. Zach is the guy with the Sideshow Bob hair. Like I said above, I don’t mind him but Flo annoys the heck out of me too. She hasn’t contributed anything to their team so far, all she’s done is screech and complain at Zach.
DKW: I read a Dennis and Andrew interview today (it’s here if you’re interested), where they explained the whole airport mess. They were actually just behind Teri & Ian and Andre & Damon at the booking counter at Cancun, but there were no seats left on any of their flights, and the next flight was 8 hours later. Because of this they missed the Trans-Atlantic flights for that day (which I guess are all bunched together), so that added a further 16 hours.
About the crying, I didn’t mind the crying at the bus station so much, I might’ve done something radical to hold the bus up too. I just didn’t like the justification of it as a great strategy that she gave later, and the general whinyness of Eve that grates. Heather has gone up a lot in my estimation in the last episode (and now that I remember, as Fenris recalls, the support for Eve during the skydive). But she’s teamed with Eve, so I don’t support them. But they’re not public enemy number 1 any more.
Couldn’t agree more about Ian, Fenris. And from the preview of next weeks show, it doesn’t look like it’s improving any. I still want Aaron and Arianne out first though, because I’m scared that they might just end up winning. Teri & Ian don’t look like they’ll last long anyway.
**
That’s him. Jiffy Pop was a type of popcorn that in the days before microwaves (and maybe it still exists): it came in a tinfoil pie pan covered with foil and you’d heat it over the stove. When the popcorn popped, the foil would expand into a sort of squat mushroom cloud shape. It looks exactly like Zach’s hair when he’s got it in the bandana…only more appetizing.
I agree…but his hair still annoys me too.
DKW: I read a Dennis and Andrew interview today (it’s here if you’re interested), where they explained the whole airport mess. They were actually just behind Teri & Ian and Andre & Damon at the booking counter at Cancun, but there were no seats left on any of their flights, and the next flight was 8 hours later. Because of this they missed the Trans-Atlantic flights for that day (which I guess are all bunched together), so that added a further 16 hours.
. **
[/QUOTE]
I’m glad they went down in flames given the cheerleader’s attempted scam. Bastard.
Fenris
sc913 said
If you remember from AR1, Guido had the Fast Forward but still came in last. They stayed around only because Emily and Nancy incurred a time penalty. So, the answer to your question is technically yes, but still sort of no.
I am all for the twins, just because they seem like good guys, have rebounded and adapted strongly since the first episode, and anything that irritate Aaron and Arrianne is good in my book. I can hardly wait to see how all of this twin focus will come back to bit a couple of these teams, because I just know it will.
Yea, DKW reminded me of the Guidos in the other (dead) thread (which is why I felt silly cut and pasting, should’ve edited it).
I’m pro-twins for the same reasons.
Oh, and for fellow Ken & Gerard fans, there’s an extended video of their punting sequence with their interview on the CBS website here.