# Amazing Race 12/8 - Season Finale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872 "2013-12-09T03:19:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/41 "2013-12-09T20:36:52Z")
> [@zut](#): > > Later in the robot task (and in the musical instrument task) where Amy shows Nicole how to complete it, that was more of a pure gift. And that doesn’t really bother me: people are people, Amy likes Nicole and Travis more than the other two teams, and she gave them a leg up. Although I generally like TAR’s arrangement where teams are expected to be self-reliant, they do have shared experiences and real friendships. And the possibility of inter-team assistance tends to penalize people who are inter-team dicks, so I like that too. Amy did specifically say that she would rather compete at the end with someone who seemed incapable of doing these task on her own. It was good strategy, although I believe there was some kindness involved, too. StG ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/42 "2013-12-09T21:33:24Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > Back at the snake-eating task, when Amy was talking about how hard it would be for her, she was self-depracating and determined. That was the first time I felt anything positive for her. I also noticed then that she’s cute when she smiles, which means I hadn’t seen her smile in the first six or seven episodes. > > Here’s my theory: She consciously positioned herself and Jason as the bickering couple in order to get cast. They kept it up for the first half of the race for whatever reason (standing out in the crowd, not wanting to bait-and-switch the producers, annoying the other teams, whatever), but dropped it completely toward the end. > > And yeah, I’d have taken 40-60 as well. Hell, I’d have done it for free. I know I’m not going to win, so why not? You mean Tim and Marie here, right? Jason and Amy are locals for me, too, and that was cool, but I wanted to barf when he played the Bahstahn Strahng card at the end. ---
**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 9, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/43 "2013-12-09T21:38:16Z")
Major props to Nicole for being able to climb the ice wall with only one axe. I looked hard with two axes, but she managed with only one! ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/44 "2013-12-09T21:41:46Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Once it was clear that they were in the final three, he should have renegotiated the agreement on the plane to Alaska. 50-50 or he doesn’t leave the airport. Ooh, that would have been great ---
**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:** [December 9, 2013, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/45 "2013-12-09T23:03:54Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > Major props to Nicole for being able to climb the ice wall with only one axe. I looked hard with two axes, but she managed with only one! I give her props, but very minor ones. Whoever was in charge of her safety rope gets the majority of the props, as he was clearly hauling her ass up that ice wall. ---
**Author:** ![Duke\_of\_Rat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Duke\_of\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke_of_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2013, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/46 "2013-12-09T23:40:26Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Maybe it was the editing, but I thought the totem pole task was going to be a lot harder. All three teams seemed to get through it fairly quickly. I can remember similar tasks on final legs (like the one with the flags at the U.N. in the race the Beekmans won) taking hours. Did they even show Travis and Nicole finishing the totem poles? I got the impression that everybody else was at the mat and some PA was dispatched, “Somebody go up there and tell them that the other two teams are finished and we’re not standing around in the rain for 5 hours waiting on them to figure it out” or something. Also Amy’s promise to Nicole to complete the robots together sort of flew out the window once Marie smoked that challenge. Sure, Amy helped Nicole a lot, and continued to help her even after finishing her own robot, but she didn’t really stick to her promise of doing them together. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/47 "2013-12-10T14:14:11Z")
**Travis** was a complete dick, to be sure, but holy cripes **Nicole** became a quivering puddle of fail the past few legs. Can that woman do _anything_? I agree, there is absolutely _no way_ she climbed that ice wall; they almost certainly hauled her incompetent ass up. Of course there had to be _some way_ to get **Amy** into swimwear one last time, right? 🆒 Overall, a pretty decent season with a lot of what I enjoy about the Race, when it goes well. Intra-team drama (but not too much). Inter-team drama (but not too much). Express Pass intrigue. Planes trains and automobiles, and the problems they can cause. Interesting Detours and Roadblocks. Bikinis! ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/48 "2013-12-10T14:33:28Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > You mean Tim and Marie here, right? :smack: Yes, I meant Pinkie and No-Brain. > [@Duke\_of\_Rat](#): > > Did they even show Travis and Nicole finishing the totem poles? I got the impression that everybody else was at the mat and some PA was dispatched, “Somebody go up there and tell them that the other two teams are finished and we’re not standing around in the rain for 5 hours waiting on them to figure it out” or something. That’s exactly what I thought, too. Travis and Nicole spent the first three or four episodes talking about how they were running the Race to be an example for their kids. I’ll bet Travis is really proud of the example he set in the last three episodes. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/49 "2013-12-10T15:15:04Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > Travis and Nicole spent the first three or four episodes talking about how they were running the Race to be an example for their kids. I’ll bet Travis is really proud of the example he set in the last three episodes. I’m sure the kids see plenty of it at home. StG ---
**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 10, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/50 "2013-12-10T15:18:52Z")
Here’s a [news story](http://www.accessatlanta.com/weblogs/radio-tv-talk/2013/dec/09/post-mortem-nicole-and-travis-jasper-talk-about-am/) detailing a radio interview yesterday with Travis and Nicole. Some points: Travis said he’s really competitive. They did indeed pick Nicole for the airdrop Roadblock thinking there’d be another physical Roadblock later on, and the other teams used the same logic. They claim the fight with Jamal & Leo was overstated, and that the producers asked leading questions about what they thought of J&L lying. Jason & Amy came to Atlanta for Thanksgiving, and they’ve been up to RI to visit as well. The 3 final teams each finished about an hour apart. And my favorite: > [@](#): > > Travis also messed up his hand accidentally punching the glacier on the next challenge, which made the final challenge even tougher, he said. This was not shown on screen, probably because in the end, it didn’t matter. Accidently. Sure. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/51 "2013-12-10T16:32:53Z")
Sounds like **Tim and Marie** got _engaged_. Couldn’t find anything official, but **Ally** , of the _Ice Girls_ team, posted [a photo](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BbFvnysIQAAMPyH.jpg:large) on _Twitter_ of **Tim** on one knee placing a ring on **Marie** ’s finger. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/52 "2013-12-10T16:45:46Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Sounds like **Tim and Marie** got _engaged_. Is that poor fellow deranged? ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/53 "2013-12-10T16:46:40Z")
Maybe the photo is him begging for his life. ---
**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 10, 2013, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/54 "2013-12-10T16:51:48Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Is that poor fellow deranged? It’s the only way he could get back that $100k he gave up. ---
**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 10, 2013, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/55 "2013-12-10T17:41:41Z")
That photo certainly could be exactly what it appears to be, but I could easily see Tim & Marie posing for a photo like that on a lark. And I’m not actually seeing a _ring_ in that picture. > [@muldoonthief](#): > > It’s the only way he could get back that $100k he gave up. I’m pretty sure Tim & Marie didn’t win. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/56 "2013-12-10T17:50:45Z")
The more I look around the more it seems apparent that it is indeed a hoax. ---
**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 10, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/57 "2013-12-10T17:51:52Z")
> [@zut](#): > > That photo certainly could be exactly what it appears to be, but I could easily see Tim & Marie posing for a photo like that on a lark. And I’m not actually seeing a _ring_ in that picture. > I’m pretty sure Tim & Marie didn’t win. 🙂 Doh! But they described the agreement as “any” winnings get split 60-40, and it appears 2nd place splits $25k, so that proposal is worth a cool $2500. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/58 "2013-12-10T17:55:37Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > And my favorite: > > > [@](#): > > > > Travis also messed up his hand accidentally punching the glacier… > > Accidently. Sure. I hereby nominate “punching the glacier” as a euphemism for any team member that gets overly critical of their partner during a challenge in all subsequent TAR threads. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/59 "2013-12-10T18:04:16Z")
> [@August\_West](#): > > I hereby nominate “punching the glacier” as a euphemism for any team member that gets overly critical of their partner during a challenge in all subsequent TAR threads. Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2013, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872/60 "2013-12-10T18:51:35Z")
All in favor? Aye! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-12-8-season-finale/675872.md?page=4)