Interesting set ups, predictable end…
If you DVRd, beware of spoilers from this post on
The Fast Forward played right into the Soul Surfer’s strengths.
The tight rope break was exciting.
I don’t see how what the cuppers were doing was actually healthy or even safe.
But they have to remove the “toxins”.
I really wonder how the timing worked: did they have the idea for that surfing fast forward before or after they selected the surfing duo?
Not so much the cupping I’m talking about, but the skin scraping. Ouch
That fast forward must have been really far out of the way. The scientists went to six merlion statues compared to the cyclists’ one, but the scientists still finished ahead of them. The detour was a fixed amount of time, so there was no other difference for either team the whole leg.
Meanwhile, the dentists must have absolutely crushed that crab leg task because they were slow on the tightrope but still finished ahead of the scientists despite having a 40 minute flight deficit to make up.
If checking all six statues made up that 40 minutes, was going to the wave pool 30 minutes each way?
The wrestlers were idiots. They should have been doing everything in their power to ensure the scientists stayed in the race, and that the eliminated team would be either the cyclists or surfers.
I was surprised that the surfers got to the FF so soon after the bikers did, considering that the bikers had a 40 minute head start. (Didn’t we see the surfers on the boat out to the coconut drinking task passing the boat with the bikers on the way back?) I figured the bikers would have plenty of time to complete the FF but it looked like the surfers showed up just as the bikers were starting their first attempt. Did they have a bad cabbie? Get stuck in traffic? Once the surfers showed up I think it was pretty much a given that the bikers were toast.
The scientists should have known, especially this late in the race, do not trust anybody! Take a couple extra minutes to check out the merlion for yourself, do not take another team’s word for it that the clue box is not there!
According to Google Maps, Sentosa Island (where the surfing Fast Forward was) to Marina Bay Sands (where the tightrope Roadblock was) takes about 20 minutes to drive: Google Maps That Fast Forward was pretty much designed for the surfers to do. Given enough time, the bikers (with their sense of balance) would eventually have gotten it, but it was game over once once the surfers arrived.
The bikers did two shown attempts before the attempt they were on when Soul Surfers showed up.
As my mom wondered, "What did they do with all the toxins they removed?
I didn’t see any biohazard bags.
I also concur with Ellis Dee, the wrestlers are idiots. Lying gained them nothing, but increased the risk of keeping the cyclists in the game instead of the gimpy and weak scientist team.
Some comments:
Boo! Just Boo! I really liked the bikers. My only solace is they will definitely be back the next time they do an All Stars season.
Also once again Brooke is awful. Now she hates coconut milk that every single other person who drank it remarked was good and she wished for people to fall. Oh and and told a shitty lie to a “friendly” team. Pretending not to hear and just not answering would be a competitive move I could understand and forgive but lying was shitty.
Watching the Dentist dangle up in the air was pretty scary. It never occurred to me that that bottom line could just pop back up out from under you.
I could be wrong but my understanding is the surfers are very religious. I suspect the powers that be are editing out a lot of Jesus this and Jesus that from them that tends to turn many viewers off after a while because they are getting a Hero’s edit. I appreciate how capable they both are and it is amazing what she can do with one arm but something has rubbed me the wrong way about them and I find myself not liking them as much as the show clearly wants me to.
As much as I appreciate seeing pretty girls on massage tables (and, by the by, really every one of the women in the race is attractive), that was a bad choice for the bikers because it took a set amount of time. The crabs would at least give you a shot of getting ahead of someone. Then again, while it could have been a trick of the editing, it looked like the Scientists were there much longer than anyone else. Certainly it seemed the wrestlers were done shortly after the Scientists were done but had arrived a while after they had started.
No animal or bird at the pit stop so I guess my theory was wrong.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Lisa & Michelle (#MiamiRealtors) and Dennis & Isabelle (#TheDatingCouple) & Michael & Scott (#TheFirefighters) & Keith & Whitney (#TeamNashville) and Shelley & Nici (#MomDaughter) and Tim & Te Jay (#CollegeSweethearts) - Already eliminated.
Kym & Alli (#TheCyclists) (down from “Passing Lane”) - Yikes. The First Rule of TAR is: don’t play to come in first, play to not come in last. Had they not tried for the FF, they would probably have cruised to a first place finish. To be fair to Kym & Alli, though, they went for the Fast Forward at what seemed to be an optimum point: no one else was taking the FF with them, and any competition they might have was probably something 20-30 minutes behind them. Normally that would be good odds - the trailing teams (having only a small chance to overtake a leading team at the FF) would normally not try the FF, and a lone lead team should be able to clean up. The problem here was that the trailing teams were not that far behind, and a trip to the WaveHouse was squarely in the Surfer’s wheelhouse - not only could the surfers estimate how long it would take them to do it, they could estimate how long it would take any other random team to do it. That calculation turned out positive, and Kym & Alli’s Fast Forward try turned into a worst case scenario. Which is the whole reason for the First Rule of TAR anyway.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Brooke & Robbie (#TheWrestlers) (holding steady) - OK, I don’t really have a problem with lying to other teams, but Brooke & Robbie were lying to Maya & Amy just because they could, and not really for any purpose. It didn’t really help the wrestlers, who would almost certainly have finished second whether they fibbed about the clue or not. The most significant possible outcome would have been to have knocked Maya & Amy out of the Race rather than one of the stronger teams. Not really strategically sound thinking, and certainly nothing to be boastful about. So…savor the minor victory, I guess.
“Rapido! Por Favor?” - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Maya & Amy (#SweetScientists) (holding steady) - Maya & Amy are pretty clearly not as good as either Adam & Bethany or Misti & Jim, but to my mind they’re slightly better than the wrestlers. Amy still has a worrisome limp, so I don’t see them as being highly competitive, but the wrestlers seem to have problems with finding things nearly every single episode. With only one more elimination before the final three, I think Maya & Amy have the edge.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Adam & Bethany (#SoulSurfers) (holding steady) - That’s two firsts in a row for Adam & Bethany, but both of them were because they could skip tasks - last week with the Express Pass, this week with the Fast Forward. Despite the above-cited First Rule of TAR (don’t play to come in first, play to not come in last), Adam & Bethany’s run for the Fast Forward was actually a pretty sharp calculation. Had they not taken the FF, Adam & Bethany would be battling Misti & Jim for last place, with at best a 50/50 chance of beating them. But with a surfing task for the Fast Forward, they could be reasonably sure no other team could do it faster than they could, even with a 20-30 minute lead. Admittedly, they were taking a guess at the nature of the task, and estimating other teams’ skill level at that theoretical task, but the odds here were better than the 50/50 they were handed otherwise.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Misti & Jim (#TheDentists) (holding steady) - Shame on Misti & Jim for blindly following Adam & Bethany’s lead with choosing a flight. It turned out fine for Misti & Jim, who wound up finishing in front of two of the teams from the earlier flight… but sometimes it’s good to ask questions. I still favor Misti & Jim to win it all, but this is another example of where a little thought beforehand would have helped them.
The flight thing confused me. I thought they HAD to take the pre-booked flight to Paris and then were free to find their own way to Singapore. Unless they didn’t treat the pre-booked flight as a bought ticket, it SHOULD have been required, under the new rule about not being able to change your ticket after you’ve booked it.
The Route Info the teams got at the beginning of the leg said they were free to book alternate flights if they could find something faster that didn’t go through Paris. “We have reservations for you from Malta to Paris. You are responsible for booking your remaining flights to Singapore. If you are able to book flights that you find more advantageous, you may do so.” So I’m not sure how pre-booked flights are treated in general, but in this case teams were explicitly allowed to opt out.
Ah, I see! I heard that but assumed they were talking about flights subsequent to the Paris one.
I can’t believe how good Bethany’s balance is with just one arm. I’ve surfed and snowboarded and your arms provide most of your balance. She’s amazing.
Robbie’s my favorite. That tight rope walk looked difficult and scary. I thought the crab challenge would be eating spicy crab. I’d be all over that. Eat two pounds of spicy crab? Yes please. I thought the bicyclists were okay. Maybe they were edited to be nicer than they are. Finally, I also get a weird vibe from the surfers. It’s hard to put a finger on, but something slightly strange about them. Adam seems like a stoner. Actually Bethany does a little bit too.
What’s up with torturous massages? I’m never getting a massage in a foreign country.
I liked Robbie until this time, but their repeated calling of the food scientists “candy girls” is getting on my last nerve, and Robbie enjoying lying and seeing people in pain is not entertaining.
Stoner surfers? What’s next? Stoner deadheads?
What an odd statement. Most very religious people are perfectly capable of having a conversation without mentioning Jesus every other sentence. In fact this is the first time I’ve mentioned him all day!