# Amazing Race 12/2/2012 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 3, 2012, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814 "2012-12-03T02:32:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [December 3, 2012, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/21 "2012-12-03T14:48:44Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Really? Another team that goes on TAR without knowing how to drive a stick? On the other hand, maybe they took lessons, but blew them off like the tennis and Spanish. I could have sworn that the one who got in the back said she knew how to drive a stick and the other one, who was driving, had taken one lesson. Did I hear that right and why the hell would they do it that way? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/22 "2012-12-03T14:54:16Z")
I never would expected at the beginning of the season to be such a Chippendale fan, but those guys are really endearing. I loved the comment somthing like, “We dance for Chippendales so we know a little about dressing like a construction worker” “I’ve been known to swing around a styrofoam hammer.” Ha! I would have been glad to see either the farmers or TWINNIES! eliminated, but it was obvious when they didn’t make it look like a close finish that it would be an NEL. Too bad. Next week is the first 2-hour finale in a couple of seasons, innit? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/23 "2012-12-03T14:59:01Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > Brilliant! Let the guy with the bad ankle do the tennis task. Worst team ever. “He sounds like Monica Seles”. > [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > I wrote my 1st post about Josh while still watching tonight’s episode, back while he had apparently given up on the tennis court, sitting in the shade and feeling sorry for himself. > > Obviously he had a change of heart and pressed on; That said, he clearly has been checked out since the second or third leg, and his partner Brent is to be admired for not jumping down his throat and/or kicking him in the ass for his woe-is-me, sad-sack attitude, not that it would do any good… To be fair - it looked like they had to wait a few minutes between attempts, presumably to clear all the balls off the court - when he failed on the first attempt it was covered with balls, but when he started the second attempt, it was clear. So he was whining during a required downtime. > [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > I could have sworn that the one who got in the back said she knew how to drive a stick and the other one, who was driving, had taken one lesson. Did I hear that right and why the hell would they do it that way? They said that the one who was driving was “assigned” to learn stick when they were getting ready for the Race, but after her first lesson she decided it was pretty easy and didn’t take any more. They didn’t say the non-driver did know how to drive stick. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/24 "2012-12-03T15:03:19Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > The tall goat farmer is still nowhere near as bad as Flo. He’s also gaining some confidence at the right time. > . Dear god. She was easily the 2nd worst TAR contestent ever. What a pathetic pitty party she was. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/25 "2012-12-03T15:24:07Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > I was really happy to see the Twins lose. > > Then Phil started dragging out the mat talk and my heart sank as I realized it was a NEL. > > Screw non-elimination legs. Worst part of the Amazing Race by far. I hated Phil a lot last night ☹ I know it’s probably not his fault but he was the one standing there letting them stay. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/26 "2012-12-03T15:33:44Z")
Sheesh. How those goat farmers managed to survive this long is beyond me. At the start of the episode, they had the benefit of a bunching point caused by the ferry schedule. They still managed to come in last at Los Diablos; from the editing, it seemed like they were well behind all the other teams. Then they chose exactly the wrong person to do the tennis challenge. Here’s a hint: when you are at a tennis court, with people playing tennis, at the home of one of the greatest tennis players in the world, the challenge will probably involve _playing tennis_. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/27 "2012-12-03T15:36:06Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > For people wondering why the injured Beekman did the Roadblock, remember that they don’t know what the Roadblock actually entails until they decide who’s doing it. Now, granted, if you’re at a tennis club, it should be obvious that you’re going to be doing tennis. On the other hand, I haven’t been keeping track of who’s done what for Roadblocks on this team, so it may be that Josh HAD to take this one (and the next two, if they get that far). According to the [Wikipedia season summary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazing_Race_21), Josh and Brent had each done 5 roadblocks at the beginning of the episode, so it’s 6-5 now. I think Josh was just overcompensating for his perceived waekness. > [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > One thing: The teams NEVER drive themselves anywhere on the last leg. The last leg is entirely taxis or public transportation, because they don’t trust the teams to drive safely with that much money on the line. So that might bump the Twinnies up a bit in your assessment. That’s a good point-if the Twinnies survive the next elimination, they’re probably tough competition on the final leg. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/28 "2012-12-03T15:49:03Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > For people wondering why the injured Beekman did the Roadblock, remember that they don’t know what the Roadblock actually entails until they decide who’s doing it. Now, granted, if you’re at a tennis club, it should be obvious that you’re going to be doing tennis. On the other hand, I haven’t been keeping track of who’s done what for Roadblocks on this team, so it may be that Josh HAD to take this one (and the next two, if they get that far). I hadn’t thought of that. But if that were the case, they should have put something in the show explaining why the injured player was doing the physical task. I also wonder why Phil didn’t explain the headless greeter at the mat. They seem to be getting lazy over at the Amazing Race home office. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/29 "2012-12-03T15:59:43Z")
I was really surprised to realize that they’ve so eliminated driving from the show that leg 11 was the first time they had to do it. Wonder if that means Ford didn’t want to spend much on product placement. As for knowing you’d play tennis: Based on previous TAR experience it is just as likely that they would have been given the task of getting a piggy back ride from a top tennis player while that tennis player had to hit 20 balls in. But they edited it to at least suggest that he was just way overconfident in how much his ankle had recovered, having not put any real stress on it for about 36 hours (the rest period after the next leg, travel and 12 hour wight for the ferry, overnight ferry ride). Personally, I like the twins but then I like their attitude of never taking anything particularly seriously and being able to call each other names and not hurt the others feelings. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/30 "2012-12-03T16:07:51Z")
Regarding the headless person, it appears that this is a thing at Park Guell in Barcelona, a park designed by Gaudi. I haven’t seen anything on where the idea/image comes from, as I don’t think Gaudi specifically created any iconic headless image. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/31 "2012-12-03T16:09:47Z")
I noted that the teams don’t seem to be seeing each other between legs. My impression, based on footage shown in past years, was that the teams were all in the same hotel, dining and socializing between legs. But since they were unaware who had been eliminated in the leg previous to tonight’s, apparently they are now sequestered from each other except when on the leg itself. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/32 "2012-12-03T16:15:45Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > I noted that the teams don’t seem to be seeing each other between legs. My impression, based on footage shown in past years, was that the teams were all in the same hotel, dining and socializing between legs. But since they were unaware who had been eliminated in the leg previous to tonight’s, apparently they are now sequestered from each other except when on the leg itself. I’ve wondered about that. In the first few seasons, we were specifically told at each pit stop that the teams were given the opportunity to eat, sleep and mingle and we often saw footage of them doing that. But it’s been a long time since “mingling” has been shown or mentioned and I wonder to what extent, if any, it goes on now. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/33 "2012-12-03T16:19:16Z")
Also, I’m surprised at how well the Twinnies cope with all the 'I told you so’s" I HATE it when somebody brings up past mistakes, but the Twinnies take such criticism in stride. Last night, it was something like, “We would have been doing so much better if you had been a better driver today!” Response was something like, “Yeah, you’re right.” Remarkable restraint. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/34 "2012-12-03T16:25:37Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Dear god. She was easily the 2nd worst TAR contestent ever. What a pathetic pitty party she was. Who’s the worst? Jonathan? ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/35 "2012-12-03T16:44:44Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I never would expected at the beginning of the season to be such a Chippendale fan, but those guys are really endearing. I loved the comment somthing like, “We dance for Chippendales so we know a little about dressing like a construction worker” “I’ve been known to swing around a styrofoam hammer.” Ha! I liked the Chippendale’s quote about “Hey look, there is Don Quixote and his homeboy Sancho Panza!” I just never thought of those two as ‘homeboys’ I just hate the twins from when they stole the rocker’s money. That was low. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/36 "2012-12-03T18:12:52Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Who’s the worst? Jonathan? Yes. A verbally and physically abusive spouse trumps a whiney little girl. ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/37 "2012-12-03T18:28:07Z")
The spiky-haired guy and his partner who couldn’t eat a pizza have to be up there, too. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/38 "2012-12-03T18:45:50Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > The spiky-haired guy and his partner who couldn’t eat a pizza have to be up there, too. Ah, yes…Hell(mama’s)boy and Rebecca. That season came close to making me quit watching the show, given that those two actually made it to the Final Three despite his crying and whining. The difference between Zach and Rebecca (since both basically dragged their teammate around the world practically on their backs) is that Zach wasn’t an iron-clad famewhore bitch. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/39 "2012-12-03T20:31:17Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > I never would expected at the beginning of the season to be such a Chippendale fan, but those guys are really endearing. I loved the comment somthing like, “We dance for Chippendales so we know a little about dressing like a construction worker” “I’ve been known to swing around a styrofoam hammer.” Ha! I know, right? And the beginning of the episode showed them at the beach, which fits nicely with whoever posted last week that the Chippendales should take their shirts off every episode. I almost said something about it when we were watching it last night, but I thought maybe my husband would feel differently. > [@obfusciatrist](#): > > As for knowing you’d play tennis: Based on previous TAR experience it is just as likely that they would have been given the task of getting a piggy back ride from a top tennis player while that tennis player had to hit 20 balls in. > > \ > > Personally, I like the twins but then I like their attitude of never taking anything particularly seriously and being able to call each other names and not hurt the others feelings. First part makes me :p. Second part I agree with. Picking up money and not returning it was playing dirty, yes, but frankly, that was the least of the rockers’ problems. It’s definitely something that threatens my overall positive feelings about the twins, but…it’s a race for a million dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814/40 "2012-12-03T22:17:44Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > I know, right? And the beginning of the episode showed them at the beach, which fits nicely with whoever posted last week that the Chippendales should take their shirts off every episode. I almost said something about it when we were watching it last night, but I thought maybe my husband would feel differently. > . Last week I yelled to my wife “they actually brought their bow-ties!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-2-2012/642814.md?page=3)