But I recall it as being that way last season. The first episode says ‘will’ and all the rest say ‘may’
Who knows, but the fishmonger’s scales probably get way more usage so it is possible.
Man, if I’m strapped for cash and hungry, I hope I’m in a Chilean produce market! The average level of generosity displayed on tonight’s episode should be an example for us all.
From the leaderboard:
Rob/Amber: I was mistaken last week, both about his accent and his general nature. His voice sounded mroe traditional working class Boston to me this week, and realized he’s not simply an idiot who somehow makes you think he’s clever just because he manages not to crap in his own soup: he’s just a miserable shit, albeit a very good racer. but then again, I’ve always thought all the friendships, romances, alliances, etc. that have appeared during the race in recent seasons are absolutely pointless. Unless you are incapable of winning, you don’t need any other team’s help. It’s just not set up like some of the other shows. Kudos to Rob for realizing that, and exploiting it.
Ron/Kelly I am amazed that these two finished as early as they did. Ron is more or less completely incompetent, and Kelly just sort of stands back and lets it wash over her. How long can their luck hold out?
Ray/Deana Do I just need to change my contacts, or was she hauling a handtruck full of books while he failed to navigate? He has arrogance, but not much in the way of naked rage from what I’ve seen, so it’s really not fair to compare him to the true assholes of the past two seasons. We are just cringing, Victimia-style, from anything that even resembles the past treatment we have received.
Uchenna/Joyce What’s that the Car Talk guys always say? “It’s the stingy person who spends the most”. They bought way more fish than they needed, and wound up ahead of the pack. Good work. I wonder who’s scales were off? (Note to self: If ever on TAR, pack universal standard kilogram weight…)
Alex/Ross the Intern I missed the episode title. Was it named after Ross’s intentional double-entendre: “We’re pretty good at pulling up the rear”? Because, come on, that was the funniest line of the evening. (Note to self: think, before insulting Chilean fish men, what size knives are needed to chop fish that big…)
Debbie/Bianca The two non-blondes took somewhat of a fall this week. I wonder, if in fact they are, you know, at the openness of the gay male couples on this show in general. Double-standard, or are we just wrong about them?
Meredith/Gretchen If not for the fact that they managed to get on the first plane to Chile, these two would have been gone. Probably next week.
Susan/Patrick Of course, if the race had taken place anywhere but the apparently extremely magnanimous country of Chile, M&G would have left these two in the dust. He looks like a cross between Colin from TAR5 and the 1980s-era Eric Stoltz.
Brian/Greg These guys are nice, but pathetic. I don’t see them in the final three either. For all their distinguishability, there are a lot of teams this season that just don’t seem to have enough going on upstairs OR downstairs to win.
Megan/Heidi So much for Boobs, Inc. They were obvious cannon fodder from the get-go. A much more fitting Philimination than last week, IYAM.
I was a big Rob fan during Survivor All Stars and after tonight, I can’t imagine loving him any more.
- First person to actually make an effort to find out the fastest bus
- Tried to keep the info secret (it IS a race!), but still shared with his “alliance”
- The bus back door trick!
- Only team to stack all the books for one trip
- Both Rob and Amber seemed happy and cheerful with each other
I cheered when they arrived in first place. I like them more than any of the other teams.
I’m really liking Rob this time around, just because he playing MORE than the other teams. He was the only one to go asking around to find out which bus got there first. Anyone could have bribed that bus driver, but he was the only one with the idea and guts to actually DO it. That’s all part of the game - it’s not just going from checkpoint to checkpoint, you’re racing against all these other people, so screwing them over should be high on your priority list. Rob seems to be about the only one that gets that.
Oh, and the old lady is already grating on my nerves.
Mine, too. She has all the annoying qualities of Teri (from Teri and Ian, not sure which season), and I was really, really hoping they would get eliminated this week. I was dozing throughtout most of this episode, but her voice kept jerking me awake.
What has me concerned about Rob is that, well…TAR racers are lemming-like. When someone invents a good tatic, it becomes a standard tactic on all subsequent races. Rob is…Surviorizing TAR. He’s forming (and screwing over) alliances, he’s engaging in traditionally non-TAR style dirty tricks (the bus door thing). I admit that these tactics seem (so far) to be working, but overall the TAR stuff I like the best is when the racers interact with each other the least and these tactics go in exactly the opposite direction. I’m not in it for the “stories” as much as I’m in it for watching the racers race (which is why I’m glad the blondes are gone–it kills the developing romance storyline with the two guys. even if it cuts the boobage ).
Anyway, I can’t deny that A) he’s running a great race, B) he’s playing hard and C) he and Amber have a relationship that’s not making me cringe.
That said,
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Mom and Kid have to go. I hate begging and what the hell did they do with their 400+ dollars? Plus she’s shrill and he keeps telling us how smart he is. EVERY time a team tells us how smart they are, they’re not.
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The gay guys. Ditto. I can’t stand shrill and shrieky. Plus they’re not nearly as cutsie-poo as they think they are. Winnie-the-Pooh isn’t as cute and cuddly as they think they are.
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Ditto with Team Fossil. They’re doomed unless the show skews the tasks towards the non-physical, plus he’s just as annoying as all hell. Why is he talking about himself in third person? “Merideth doesn’t like it when Merideth gets lost! Merideth is doing the best he can!” What a moron.
Fenris
I just got new contacts, so I think I saw it correctly. He was hauling the handtruck, and she was walking right next to it, somehow managed to get her foot under it and then blamed him for running over her. I do get a victim-vibe from her, but he doesn’t seem quite as Jonathan-like as Jonathan. Maybe more Colin-like. I’m thinking it’s a situation where they bring out the worst in each other.
She sounds just like Pat from Saturday Night Live.
I agree, and this above all else is why I think this particular stunt-casting was a bad idea. In the TWoP recap of last week’s episode, Miss Alli complains about all the scheming to get rid of other teams, as opposed to just beating them, which is what is required: “This. Is. Not. That. Kind. Of. Show.” I sincerely believe that Rob is going to change the timbre of TAR, and not in a good kind of way. When I want to watch people playing mind games with each other, I watch Survivor. That is NOT what I want from TAR.
I think this is Romber’s race to lose. The others don’t even match up to these guys. I’m wondering if Phil is gonna call them though on some of their shenanigans in the future, on how fair it is. Yea, it’s a race, but there has to be a line and who knows how close they’re getting to it.
I find it a bit annoying and downright strange when grown twins dress the same, look the same, etc…I find it absurd when grown people who AREN’T twins do it. wtf?? We hardly knew ye.
The Chilean greeter was on twice, most of the time they only show them once. Better than the Budapest guy, but in a different way.
WooHoo! Finally 1000 posts! in less than 4 years!
It’s the second episode of the new season, and a fine episode is was. Trains! Planes! Automobiles! Buses! Fish! Books! Phil! What more could you ask for? How about asking for the second installment of the
Taxi Assessment
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Ryan/Chuck - Already rode their Hawgs into the sunset.
Megan/Heidi (downgraded from Flat Tire) - What a surprise! The not-very-smart chicks get eliminated! No, wait. That wasn’t a surprise at all. Megan and Heidi aren’t completely incompetant, but they’re pretty close. A bit too slow, in all senses of the word, and they wind up in last. Nice underwear, though.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Meredith/Gretchen (holding steady) - Still near the middle of the pack at the Pit Stop, which is probably pretty good for them. But look: they’re still the Sacrificial Old Couple. Short on stamina, long on… something else. Not sure what, yet. Not smarts, unfortunately. They got lucky in nabbing the first flight, and that kept them in it this week. If they’re not eliminated next week, it will be because someone else falls on their own petard. To mix a metaphor.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Brian/Greg (downgraded from “Hey Homes!”) - Wow! Megan and Heidi think that these guys are just like them! Uh… that’s not a good sign. Nor is it a good sign when you take three trips with the books and fall into a tie with the last place team and have to run for the mat. I imagine you’ll do better next episode, but right now you’re Meredith and Gretchen’s best competition for the coveted ‘next elimination’ spot.
"Hey, Homes!" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Ray/Deana (Upgraded from Stopping for Gas) - A better leg this episode than last. A top three finish, even. Still, an odd choice for Roadblock performance (hint: on non-physical tasks, pick the non-physical team member to perform it). Ray kept his asshlishness in check, for the most part, so that’s a plus. We’ll see how they do next week.
Ron/Kelly (Upgraded from Stopping for Gas) - Wow! Second place! How did this pair of Sad Sacks wind up in second place? Well, intentionally or not, by riding Rob and Amber’s coattails, I think. I can’t not upgrade them after such a good placement, but I just get the feeling that Ron and Kelly are liable to wander off into the woods and forget to come back. If next episode’s losing team is the one that makes a spectacularly stupid decision, then count this team in the hunt.
Lynn/Alex (Holding Steady) - I still don’t quite know what to make of these two. They’re just… average. Not brilliant racers, not making mistakes. Just gay and Racing. Not that there’s anything wrong with Racing.
Susan/Patrick (downgraded from Passing Lane) - Whoa! What happened? You were on the first flight, and dropped all the way back to eighth. Money troubles, Detour troubles… what next? I was a bit suspicious of their second-place last week, and I see my suspicions were justified. Or was this week just a fluke? We’ll see!
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Uchenna/Joyce (upgraded from “Hey Homes!”) - I have no idea how these two catapulted into fourth place after being behind six other teams and then choosing what seemed to me to clearly be the inferior Detour choice. How on Earth did they pass Debbie and Bianca? Yet they did, so they’re not quite the bottom-feeders they were last episode. Solid racing in the last half of the episode.
Debbie/Bianca (downgraded from Cruisin’) - Debbie and Bianca were out front of all the other second-flight teams, but then dropped back, even after choosing what I thought would have been the better Detour. I guess stacking books isn’t as easy as I thought, as Brian and Greg will attest. Still, I think this team shows promise, and I wouldn’t be surprised with another top-three finish next week.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Rob/Amber (holding steady) - Best average placement over the first two episodes by a long shot shows that these two deserve to be on the top. I’m not so crazy about Rob playing all the angles – yes, it’s “thinking outside of the box,” Rob, but just because an angle is there doesn’t mean you have to play it. I’m no particular fan of the Yield, but that’s an angle too, and you’re just volunteering to have it used on you. Really, if I’m another team, why wouldn’t I Yield Rob and Amber? They’re strong competition, and it’s not like I should be worried that they’ll try to screw me over in return – because I already know they’ll screw me over anyway. So. Interesting tactics, Rob, but let’s see how it plays strategically.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]
I’m not sure all of you are remembering all the other seasons. There have been racers in the past that have withheld information, and tried to get locals not to share with other racers any tidbits, heck, there have been racers in the past that tried to get locals to not sell tickets to other teams. Rob’s tactic of paying the guy to not tell anyone was pretty much the next logical step. It’s something I would have done in the same situation. And it shows that he’s a student of past seasons, he immediatly went and looked to see if it was a bus that did local stops, or an express bus. What I thought was increadibly stupid was the two gay guys going over and getting all the other teams to confront Rob about it. It’s a race you moron, shut up and go talk to him yourself and take that bus to give yourself an advantage. That was just fricking stupid. Although I’m thinking that bus might have been much more expensive, since I can’t figure out what else they could have spent that much money on.
While it probably wouldn’t have occured to me to have the bus driver only open one door, I don’t see how that’s any worse than the one season where a group of racers basically blocked the door to the airplane until all the bags were unloaded, so that the couple that was able to carry on their bags wouldn’t get a lead.
I think the problem is that because it’s Rob, who’s had a history of back-stabbing and such, everyone is focusing on what he does, and forgetting that most of this has already been done in the past at one point or another.
Bah.
It wasn’t the scheming that put Rob & Amber in first this week - it was kicking major ass at the Detour. They arrived at the finish mat at 9:35pm of the show - just over 1/2 way through the episode. I can’t remember ANYONE finishing that fast, ever. Anyone have the time between their finish and the 2nd place finish?
The only scheming that worked was the back door bribe - and we’ve definitely seen behavior like that on the show before in prior seasons. There has been so much airport shennanigans, getting stewardesses to allow you to sit at the front of the plane, and a myriad of other crap in other seasons that Rob hasn’t done a damn thing that hasn’t been done before. Miss Alli is full of shit.
What exactly are Lynn and Alex trying to prove? That a second gay couple can win The Amazing Race?
And don’t forget all the previous Races’ episodes of lying to get plane tickets: “My so-and-so is very sick and I must get home,” etc. Rob is a Merry Prankster. . . and I’m all for him!
I’m worried about the evolution of “Rob Tactics” in future races too. I’ve always enjoyed this game primarily because of the lack of back-biting and alliances. It’s been, since the beginning, about the team itself, not about the others. In fact, in the past, alliances have actually held people back, not moved them forward. I recall several instances of a front team waiting for their allies who took a wrong turn.
Mostly though, Rob did the one thing that absolutely drives me insane, and therefore I must despise him. He got caught lying. When he was confronted, he not only denied it, but got angry about it, and apparently uses it as justification next week to steal a cab: “That’s what she gets for calling me a liar”.
Well dude, I hate to break it to you….You are a liar! You told the guard not to talk to the other racers. The other races found out. They asked you if you told him not to talk to them….and……you lied, and said “no”. That’s a lie you jackass.
If you lie, and you get caught, you admit it and laugh. You certainly don’t deny it, and get pissy like a five year old girl.
Actually, Rob never actually asked the security guard not to talk to any of the others. He asked the guy he was talking to at the ticket counter to talk to the security guard and tell him not to talk to any of the others. So he wasn’t lying when he told them that no, he had not told the security guard not to talk to any of the others…
Aren’t Debbie and Bianca being enormous hypocrites for jumping on Rob for lying? Weren’t they the ones that directed POW/Beauty Queen to the WRONG sand pile in the first episode? (yes, they should really have checked all the times themselves)
I prefer schemers over hypocrites!
I realized who Susan reminds me of - Georgia Engel. But with a more annoying voice.
Add me in to the “Don’t like Rob” crowd. The playing to the camera, the smarminess, the whole “I got one over on you” attitude just leaves me cold. And not just because I live in Minnesota.
I don’t think racers should share information with other racers, or feel they have to help the other racers. But I do not like interfering with the others. That includes Christie trying to block a door, Colin trying to hide clues, Don and MJ inadvertently stealing Rebecca and Hellboy’s car, and Rob’s bribing the bus driver not to open the back door.
This race can be won without any of that bullshit.