# Amazing Race 3/8 - "It Was Like A Caravan of Idiots" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 8, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779 "2009-03-08T23:37:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/41 "2009-03-09T18:08:11Z")
Although the redheads are doublemint sweet, Amanda was the real cutie this season, so I’m sorry to see her go (plus, it was nice seeing a non-dysfunctional romantic pairing). This is my first full season watching (because of Mike White) and am enjoying it so far. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/42 "2009-03-09T18:21:07Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Yeah, we really haven’t had a Marketplace Tailor or a Floursack Mistress this season. I hope the producers don’t think the generic “horde of drunken locals” can replace that kind of supporting casting… 😃 I don’t know. The big breasted Russian broad who jumped up and shouted “I LOVE AMERICA!” was pretty awesome. ---
**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:** [March 9, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/43 "2009-03-09T20:19:57Z")
I just read something that’s interesting (at least to me). Luke is, apparently, gay, at least according to his Facebook. Apparently, deaf trumps gay (especially when you have a whole gay team in the same season). Adds some spice to my eensy-weensy Luke crush, though… Um, it’s the CRUSH that’s eensy-weensy, not Luke. Not that I can give personal experience or anything. Though we may be able to tell next week… ---
**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:** [March 9, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/44 "2009-03-09T20:59:55Z")
Wait. What? I thought Luke was mooning over Cara and Jaime. Is it possible that his attraction to pert, athletic, bosomy, red-headed cheerleaders is purely platonic? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/45 "2009-03-09T21:17:18Z")
> [@zut](#): > > Wait. What? I thought Luke was mooning over Cara and Jaime. Is it possible that his attraction to pert, athletic, bosomy, red-headed cheerleaders is purely platonic? I don’t know if Luke is gay or not. When I have time, I’ll do some investigating. He has said it’s really, really important for him to communicate with the other racers and the redheads seem willing to make the effort. I can see him gravitating to them, gay or straight. Besides, they’re hot chicks. I’m gay, but I like hot chicks. I don’t _like_ them like them, but I like them, siehst du? 🙂 Rapido! ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/46 "2009-03-09T21:17:20Z")
Didn’t his mom even comment on the flirting? I’m confused, maybe he is too. ---
**Author:** ![Lok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e8c25b/32.png) [@Lok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lok)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/47 "2009-03-09T22:21:08Z")
Maybe he decided this after the race? The 2 girls drove him to it? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/48 "2009-03-09T23:40:34Z")
Well, when they go on about how they can do things without help from a guy, one must speculate… ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/49 "2009-03-10T03:23:11Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > I doubt they’re all that upset. What would be the point of using the U-Turn if they didn’t want a team to be eliminated? As we’ve seen, it’s easy for a team to go from last to first (& vice versa) on a following leg, so slowing down a team just to mess with them doesn’t make sense when next time the leg could start with a flight and suddenly everyone’s equal again. I still think Luke (& Margie) went after the strong team to slow them down, not vote them off the island Survivor style. When Luke said “they’re strong” he meant “they can survive it” rather than “let’s kill them.” Just my humble opinion though. ---
**Author:** ![aktep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@aktep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aktep)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/50 "2009-03-10T06:32:20Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Did anyone else think the whole “Chekhov” thing was a bit weird? I mean, one second someone is arranging the tiles in random order to spell complete gibberish, then after the commercial they get it right by a lucky guess. That seems like you’d either know it or you wouldn’t. What I thought was weird was that the signs on the bobsled ride with the letters said, in Russian, “Remember this letter”, but they used the word for letter like you send in the mail, not ABC type letter. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/51 "2009-03-10T12:56:02Z")
> [@aktep](#): > > What I thought was weird was that the signs on the bobsled ride with the letters said, in Russian, “Remember this letter”, but they used the word for letter like you send in the mail, not ABC type letter. :smack: They had instructions written in Russian, for the American racers? Why in the heck would they do that? Or does this Russian dry land bobsled run always have letters that the riders have to use to reconstruct a Russian author? Now THAT would be weird. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/52 "2009-03-10T15:47:11Z")
Yeah, that was funny but their translator needs to get fired. “Recall this (postal) letter” does not mean “remember this letter.” I like it when the challenge seems to be something native, but lately these challenges seem really contrived. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2009, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/53 "2009-03-10T16:37:41Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I still think Luke (& Margie) went after the strong team to slow them down, not vote them off the island Survivor style. When Luke said “they’re strong” he meant “they can survive it” rather than “let’s kill them.” Just my humble opinion though. That doesn’t make sense, though. If, say, Luke’s intention was to have Kris & Amanda finish seventh instead of fourth or fifth (with eighth being last place), who does that benefit? The eighth-place team gets eliminated anyway, and even if Kris & Amanda had been in position to beat Luke & Margie to the finish, knocking them backwards has exactly zero benefit to Luke & Margie. The only logical reasons to use a U-turn are, in descending order: 1. to ensure your team isn’t eliminated. 2. to eliminate a team you perceive as a long-term threat. 3. to ensure a team you like or work well with is not eliminated. 4. to grab a first place finish. Except in case 4, it makes no sense to U-turn a team who you don’t think will be eliminated because of your U-turn. Sounded to me like Luke’s reasons were a combination of numbers 2 and 3. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/54 "2009-03-10T16:45:33Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I like it when the challenge seems to be something native, but lately these challenges seem really contrived. And with this last episode, particularly boring. Wood stacking? Really? I mean, I know they can’t all be winners, but I’m sure we won’t be looking back next season with longing for the dramatic and amusing wood stacking challenge. However, given how little screen time they gave to the shutter assembly task (relative to the wood stacking and the walking around) the shutter building task must have been even more boring than the wood stacking task. All in all a real yawn of an episode. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/55 "2009-03-10T17:14:20Z")
> [@zut](#): > > That doesn’t make sense, though. If, say, Luke’s intention was to have Kris & Amanda finish seventh instead of fourth or fifth (with eighth being last place), who does that benefit? The eighth-place team gets eliminated anyway, and even if Kris & Amanda had been in position to beat Luke & Margie to the finish, knocking them backwards has exactly zero benefit to Luke & Margie. I’ve never heard them come right out and say it, but apparently only one team can be U-Turned at a time. Margie & Luke could have used the U-Turn to prevent another team from using it. By using it against a team they expected to survive (not a theory I necessarily agree with) they may have thought they were effectively taking it out of the game; let the Racers race. I’m not sure the blindness of the new U-Turn will really make much of a difference. In the previews, someone was discussing it with Margie. Even if they denied it, it wouldn’t be very hard for the remaining teams to figure out who used it. And the team most likely to want to retaliate is gone. Since there’s no official record of who used this U-Turn (at least, not known by the Racers), can M & L use the next one, too? ---
**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:** [March 10, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/56 "2009-03-10T17:14:28Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > And with this last episode, particularly boring. Wood stacking? Really? I mean, I know they can’t all be winners, but I’m sure we won’t be looking back next season with longing for the dramatic and amusing wood stacking challenge. **Phil** : A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have to choose between two traditional Elbonian tasks: _Getting it Wet_, and _Getting it Dry_. In _Getting it Wet_, teams will travel twelve blocks to this sod farm, where they must plant and hand-water five acres of grass seed. The teams must then wait until the grass sprouts and grows to an inch in length, when the sod farm manager to hand them their next clue. Teams with patience and knowledge of soil conditions will adeptly finish this task. Teams without either could be stuck in the mud. In _Getting it Dry_, teams will travel six blocks to this paint manufacturing facility. There, they must don traditional paint-mixing garb and hand-mix twenty-seven gallons of daisy yellow paint from hand-ground pigments, linseed oil, and agar. Then they must paint this ballroom from floor to ceiling. When the paint is dry, the ballroom dance instructor will hand them their next clue. What teams don’t know is that the without the precisely correct proportions of agar and linseed oil, the paint will stay tacky for months. Teams with a good head for weights and measures can finish this task quickly. Teams that miscalculate may end up staying in Elbonia forever. ---
**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:** [March 10, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/57 "2009-03-10T17:17:45Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > I’ve never heard them come right out and say it, but apparently only one team can be U-Turned at a time. Margie & Luke could have used the U-Turn to prevent another team from using it. By using it against a team they expected to survive (not a theory I necessarily agree with) they may have thought they were effectively taking it out of the game; let the Racers race. Oooo, good point; I hadn’t thought of that. That seems plausible. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/58 "2009-03-10T17:53:47Z")
> [@zut](#): > > **Phil** : A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams have to choose between two traditional Elbonian tasks: _Getting it Wet_, and _Getting it Dry_. 😃 Very nice! You also made me think of one other observation. I could be wrong, but I don’t recall them putting any effort into the Flotillas or Chinchillas task-entitling any more. Come on! Don’t start phoning it in, guys! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779/59 "2009-03-10T19:14:04Z")
> [@zut](#): > > That doesn’t make sense, though. If, say, Luke’s intention was to have Kris & Amanda finish seventh instead of fourth or fifth (with eighth being last place), who does that benefit? The eighth-place team gets eliminated anyway, and even if Kris & Amanda had been in position to beat Luke & Margie to the finish, knocking them backwards has exactly zero benefit to Luke & Margie. > > The only logical reasons to use a U-turn are, in descending order: > > 1. to ensure your team isn’t eliminated. > 2. to eliminate a team you perceive as a long-term threat. > 3. to ensure a team you like or work well with is not eliminated. > 4. to grab a first place finish. > Except in case 4, it makes no sense to U-turn a team who you don’t think will be eliminated because of your U-turn. > Sounded to me like Luke’s reasons were a combination of numbers 2 and 3. I was thinking their intention wasn’t to make a certain team 6th, or 7th or 8th, their intention was to prevent a certain team from being first. I don’t know though. Luke is apparently a huuuuge fan of TAR and has all the strategies memorized. It just seemed to me they picked a team to slow down, not eliminate, even though they know someone will be eliminated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-3-8-it-was-like-a-caravan-of-idiots/488779.md?page=2)