All four teams in the first bunch considered it, but only Mika and Canaan actually went for it.
Yeah, but what used to happen is that the FFs would come after spread-out legs–so you had no idea if someone had gone for it. What you need is the FF coming when all the racers are separated.
Siege: And being whipped. For all that he’s trying to be macho with everyone else, what a whipped little punk when he’s with his girlfriend.
It was the odd-haired kid and his girlfriend who did the FF. Cheyne and what’s her name.
Speaking of which, I was completely at a loss to understand why she was near to breaking down in tears while watching Cheyne do the racing task. She didn’t seem to be afraid for his safety in particular. Instead, she talked about feeling that she did not have control. Control of what? I thought the person with Pervasive Developmental Disorder got kicked off last week.
Why don’t teams realize that you don’t take the needle-in-a-haystack Detour option save in very specialized circumstances? Here, let me break it down. The premise of TAR is simple: save for the finale, the goal is do not come in last place. If you have an option that might land or in front of other teams or behind other teams with somewhat equal probability, don’t take that option. You might get lucky, and that’s great, but being unlucky can be fatal.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Eric and Lisa and Garrett and Jessica and Marcy and Ron and Zev and Justin - Gone until season’s end.
Lance and Keri (down from “Flat Tire”) - A terrible navigation performance by this team; they quite deserve elimination. Although I thought they might hang around for another episode or two, I figured their incompetence would catch up with them sooner or later and it turns out to be sooner. While I’m not surprised this team was the one eliminated, I am surprised by how gracious they were in defeat. Lance is still an annoying meathead, and has a disturbing tendency to want to kick things, but he was accepting and philosophical at the Pit Stop, and didn’t deliver a roundhouse kick to Phil, which is far more than I expected. Still, it’s nice to see teams where competence and success is inversely proportional to boorishness and braggadocio, so well-done TAR casting department.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Mika and Canaan (holding steady) - Trailing the pack, as usual. Mika & Canaan have, in fact, finished seventh three times in a row, and that’s after finishes of eighth and tenth. Now that there are exactly seven teams left, what exactly do you think this teams chances are? My answer: not very good. Canaan is starting to get frustrated with Mika, which is understandable for two very disparate reasons, but that’s only going to make this team’s performance worse. Look, Canaan; advice: Your team sucks. You’re going to get eliminated in the next episode where no other team crashes and burns. Getting all belligerant won’t help, mostly because nothing that is within your power to do will help. Just accept it and move on.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Maria and Tiffany (holding steady) - The only other team seriously competing with Mika & Canaan for the coveted “next Philimination” spot. Running over the fencepost and puncturing their radiator was not actually an egregious error, but is representative of the kind of time-bleeding incidents that happen to this team all the time. Like Mika & Canaan, they haven’t cracked the top three; in fact Maria & Tiffany haven’t cracked the top five. Do they have a chance? Not really.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Sam and Dan (holding steady) - Sam & Dan come in fifth, down dramatically from their first-place finish last episode. That can be pretty much traced to their Detour choice and subsequent switch. To be fair, a lot of other teams made the same poor choice, but Sam & Dan stuck to it longer, which I think might be an indicator of their chances in the race. As is, y’know, not knowing where the Persian Gulf is. As is thinking an “alliance” is hanging around doing nothing while the other team waits for a car. Still, though, there’s not a lot of daylight between Sam & Dan, Brian & Ericka, and Gary & Matt in the race for the third final three slot, but I think Sam & Dan are just a half-step behind and so I’m ranking them here. With a little luck, they might sneak into the final, but they really need the luck.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Brian and Ericka (up from “Rapido!”) - A good leg, and second top-three finish for this team, so I’m moving them up a notch as they seperate themselves from Sam & Dan. To be fair, their placing was the result of some substantial Detour luck, so their move up the rankings may be premature. However, they seem to have settled into a groove after problems on the second leg, so their overall chances look decent.
Gary and Matt (holding steady) - Even though Gary & Matt have finished out of the top three for the last two legs, I still think they’re the slight favorite over Sam & Dan and Brian & Ericka for the third final three slot. They’ve been more consistent, and rarely make poor decisions. They’re not a lock, though, by any means.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Meghan and Cheyne (holding steady) - Another first place for this team, the only team so far to take first twice. Now, their placement was due to taking the Fast Forward, but still, a first it was. And a good call staking out the FF by essentially warning the other teams off. Although I’m not sure why Meghan was so anxious about Cheyne driving in a race car on a closed track at a whopping 100 mph. I drive 80 on the freeway every single day. Hell, sometimes I hit 90. A hundred on a closed track? No other traffic? Crash suit with helmet? Remind me why this is hard?
Herbert and Nathaniel (holding steady) - They fell behind early in the episode, but made up time pretty well, and finished with their fourth top-thee in a row. Yep, still the team to beat.
Note to fans (or fan, singular, whatever) of the Taxi Assessment – Starting this coming weekend, I’ll be out of the country with little net access and no CBS access for two solid weeks, meaning you’ll have to do without sparkling commentary for the next two episodes.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]
Which Ken-N-Barbie team is which?
And is the angry (“I want to rip her head off and spit down her throat-hole”) , dysfunctional Ken-N-Barbie also filling the “dating virgins” slot?
NooooooooOOOOOooooooooooo! rending of garments Seriously, though, have a nice time. Or not, depending on the reason for your trip.
(Haven’t watched yet, can’t stay up that late any more, will hopefully have something worth adding tonight.)
I thought that they would have a meltdown of epic proportions and that they really would be Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained. But they ran the leg with good self-deprecating humor. There must have been some really good air conditioning in the car.
Yeah, one or two Fast Forwards per race is just dumb; they might as well eliminate them entirely. You need some minimum amount such that the strategy flips to use them when you’re in last place instead of first place. That’s where it becomes interesting. Watching one team float through a task and come in hours ahead of everyone else just isn’t all that.
Heh. Yes, I’m afraid she is. I’m sure she’s a nice person, but she’s kind of useless here on the Race. SHe’d better hope for a coal-mining task right quick.
Yeah, what the heck? First of all, why do people not know that taking the needle-in-a-haystack option is almost always a bad choice? Second, how hard is it to build a snowman?
I think they were psyched out by the fact that it was like 130 outside. That and their brains may have broken from going from 130[sup]o[/sup] to 68[sup]o[/sup](car airconditioning) to 130 again to 30[sup]o[/sup] to 130[sup]o[/sup] again. 
Oh–and to Mister “Miss America”–being a nice guy is fine, but you overdid it this week. This is the Amazing Race, not The Amazing Montessori School.
I am utterly flabbergasted that Maria and Tiffany are still in it.
Looks like the bottom is catching up with them, though.
When given the choice, always take the task you have the most direct control over, unless you are living with a horseshoe in your rear.
I am starting to sense a bit of smugness from Shane (yes I know it is spelled similar to Cheyenne, and this just makes me stabby), and Barbie’s whole out of control nonsense pushed them from bland to “Ultra light beer commercial couple” annoying. I am praying for an eventual my donkey is broken meltdown.
Mika and Canaan have also moved from bland young couple to annoying, aside from having equally annoying names. Fear of heights, fear of water, and not knowing how to drive a stick are TAR no-no’s.
All being said, thank god meathead and the nanny are gone, although I think Phil may have been fearing for his life when he had to Philiminate them. Now, if we can get rid of the two annoying young teams and the poker morons in a very special triple-Philimination episode next week, I will be thrilled to tears.
Ahhhhh. After last week going to work all depressed, this week, I will be happier.
Lance is exactly the kind of lawyer that makes people say things like, “No wonder,” when I tell them my ex-boyfriend is a lawyer. Haaaaaaaaate. My ex is the total opposite, as in he is a decent human being. But Lance is now off my computer screen (no cable) which makes me all sorts of happy.
Phil…yowza. drool
I loved that they didn’t give Meathead the satisfaction of seeing his Snowman Roundhouse Kick Of Death on national TV. I’m sure he’s watching the entire episode, salivating and waiting to see himself display his mad martial arts skillz. It’s the only thing that will make his elimination bearable.
Haw-haw!
Meghan. And you’re right. I completely got my blonde dating couples mixed up.
I disagree. As long as you don’t come in last, you’re okay. And when the final leg comes, you’re better off if weak teams you’ve helped have eliminated strong teams. If you give someone enough help to beat you, that’s a problem. Up to that point, I think it’s the right thing to do, strategically and otherwise.
(I heard a thing on the radio a few weeks ago that said the mantra of reality television is “I’m not here to make friends.” They had a montage of sound clips of people saying it, even. I’d probably say the opposite, and act on it to an extent. I’d still try to win, though.)
(The above paragraph presupposes that I’d be in a position to offer help to weaker teams, and that I would not be driving aimlessly through the desert yelling at my partner.)
No Taxi Assessment? Not good. NOT GOOD! Can someone else step into this void and fill in while you’re gone? I’d even volunteer.
You’re in!
(Me, I’m not nearly witty enough to do it.)
Seriously. He paused for so long that I thought it was one of those drama-before-a-nonelim pauses, but now I realize he was uttering a quick prayer that Lance would not ask permission to kick him like the snowman.
We definitely need something to tide us over!
My husband and I also :dubious:at Meghan’s frequent tearfulness. I know they’re probably tired by this point, but that seemed ridiculous.
I thnk you’ve got your Ken-N-Barbies confused. The angry guy is one half of the virgin couple. The guy with the stupid hair and is actually a pretty good racer so far and their edit hasn’t shown them to be either particularly nice or particularly awful to the other racers.
The search-for-empty-bottles in the desert seemed just mean to me. I didn’t like that task at all. It was not fun to watch.
:: passes baton::