Amazing Race 4/12 - "Herculean Effort for Some Herculean Dudes"

Cafe Society
41

I noticed they also provided everyone tickets for the train; presumably those were purchased in advance at a group rate to save costs as well. They’re doing a lot more provided tickets in recent seasons, but that does make sense, considering how expensive all the last-minute flights must be.

Once again, I am mystified by Fran & Barry’s roadblock doer choice. The clue says, “Who’s prepared to scream your head off?” Obviously something intensely scary is involved. So without hesitation, Fran says, “I’ll do it,” when she said from the beginning that the one thing she did not want to do was bungee. Huh?

I’m also beginning to think they’re dropping the NELs altogether in favor of TBCs. Which is great; it just intensifies the arrival of the Killer Fatigue. They’re all beginning to show signs of it now, so there should be lots more bonehead mistakes in everyone’s future.

42

I think I’ve got figured out. She’s pretending she’s afraid so she’ll look “oh so brave”. She doesn’t like heights so she does the first roadblock and rappels down the side of a building. She doesn’t want to bungee, but she manages to pick the bungee jump roadblock. It really seems like she’s picking roadblocks she knows she won’t like so she can complain and whine and then “be brave.”
FWIW, I prefer the TBC episodes to NELs. I won’t mind if they’ve done away with them.

43

That actually makes good sense, Rhiannon. Because that’s the response she gets from her hubby every time, and it bugs the crap out of me every time. She really is a drama queen, isn’t she? I feel kind of bad not liking the obligatory nice old couple, but I’m really not so sure that she, at least, is. Nice, that is.

44

Yeah, the preview makes it look like the Hippies get hit with a bad case of Killer Fatigue combined with heat stroke next week. Of course, that means they’ll win the leg.

I’m not sad to see Lake and Michelle gone, though that little part of me that loves trainwrecks is a bit disappointed that they won’t get sent to the Middle East. I have a sneaking suspicion that his reaction could have been…interesting.

Poor Phil. I did get a good laugh at the expression on his face during the molestation though.

45

WHOA…that ending. The editors kept milking how far behind BJ & Tyler were, so I was thinking “Yup, NEL” all the way. And then they hit the Pit Stop in 5th. And then, that penalty (only 15 minutes? Did the rules change) which of course threw EVERYTHING out the window. And it turns out to be an elimination leg after all. So my cherished Hippies really were on the bubble all this time!!!

Speaking of Pit Stops…there is nothing sexier in the world than Phil standing in front of the world’s longest cable-stay bridge. I had to freeze frame and bask in the glory of it all. What a sexy, sexy bridge!

And, on the other side of the spectrum:

Umm…ok. BJ & Jeremy are clearly just fooling around, but Tyler & Eric seem to be fooling around a wee bit too eagerly, if you know what I mean! Not that there’s anything wrong with that, this is the 21st century after all.

46

Good question. Last time I remember a time penalty for taking the wrong form of tramsportation was Heather and Eve. IIRC they got 30 minutes plus the time they gained from the cheat.

I’ll take your word for it, because I still don’t know which Hippie is which or which Gonad is which.

47

Team Hippy: BJ has the beard, and Tyler is the redhead.
Team Gonad: I dunno.

I was wondering if the Frankenberrys would be given some kind of penalty for damaging the car. Yeah, it was an accident, but it was still their fault.

48

Not really, because Lake & Michelle, who were behind them, also would have received the 15-minute penalty if they’d arrived at the pit stop before the Hippies’ time ran out. Although, of course, we knew that but they didn’t.

I was glad to see Ray & Yolanda do better navigating this week – they finally heard us all yelling to buy a map, I guess! They’re strong enough that they really should be doing better than they’ve been doing. Although the promos for next week put that in doubt now, too. Although this being the CBS promo monkeys, that probably means we’ll get the second race proposal or something.

49

Just finished watching on TiVo.

Wow! Great episode! The best one of the season so far. The bunching was actually gratuitous enough that I took notice (it usually doesn’t faze me), but it provides an opportunity for surprises.

I really actually liked the fact that the fast forward was a needle-in-a-haystack challenge. It makes it worthwhile for a second team to give it a shot. Have they done that before? Usually, it’s: first team arrives, begins challenge, second team arrives, says “Aw, crap!” and leaves with a time disadvantage.

Here, bungee is given a high-tech edge. There, they focus on its African roots. Notice the name of the facility, “Zulu Bungee?”

First major misstep for Hippie, and it really threw them. They didn’t look too lighthearted in the preview for next week, either, whatever the real outcome. Have the good times gone? At least they got to enjoy the wrestler, and the wrestler apparently enjoyed them right back. Ah, Greece!

Yay, Ray and Yolanda! I was really worried that when they got off the train in Rome, the same train that everyone else was on, and were still last, I thought they were just plain cursed. I thought that again when they finished the Roadblock first and the caption said “currently in 2nd place”, then I remembered that Team Gonads-in-the-Closet got the FF.

Speaking of them, not much of them in this ep with the FF.

Frankenbarry. I was going to say that’s the first real car accident, but then I remembered the African Rollover. Still, it’s appropriate to have the season’s biggest car wreck from the season’s biggest train wreck. The fact that they finish ahead of other teams says more about the other teams.

Another time, I might have taken Monica’s comments about Caesar and the philosophers as an unintelligent poseur’s attempt to seem cultured, but given the truly oblivious fools we’ve seen on this race throughout the seasons, I have to say I really took to her reflecting on the cultural and historical significance of the locations they were going to, even if she didn’t have the names on the tip of her tongue. Maybe I’m just jealous that they get to go to Greece and Rome before me. Anyhoo, I think Monica’ biggest problem is Joseph. As much as Lake’s “bitch” comment was off-putting, I was really miffed at Joseph’s “You better cheer up before I get mad!” crap as well. Maybe I just like Monica.

50

Kind of makes up for their dead battery in a previous episode. I’d call it even!

But I am shocked. . . SHOCKED, I tell you!. . . that last night was NOT a non-elimination leg. And I think I agree with those of you who are guessing the NEL might be a thing of the past. It would get rid of the ridiculous, embarrassing begging. And losing belongings. . . which never seemed to slow anybody up.

I wonder what part of the “Middle East” we’re going to. Turkey? Looked awfully sandy there wherever it was. And I hope the promo-feature-means-nothing rule still holds up next week. I don’t want to see BJ and The Bear go home. I want to see lots more of that Froggie hat!

51

I didn’t mind the NELs (though I hated the begging), but at this point I really hope there will be none. We’re down to what, five teams? So only two more eliminations before the final leg. If three of the next five legs are NELs, that’s gonna suck.

52

NELs are almost certainly not a thing of the past. We are only in the second week of April. The last legs of the race need to take up as much of May sweeps as possible. So, yeah, I’d say there are going to be three NELs and two Philiminations before the final double-episode.

53

At least she didn’t make completely serious comments about them ‘breeding and breeding.’ :rolleyes:

54

It may have been less because they did take the train most of the way and then lost time having to wait for the bus (why they didn’t just wait for the next train I don’t know, I would’ve).

55

Kind of a pity to see Lake gone…he was the closest thing to a villain (in the Flo, Colon, * mold) we’ve had this season, and he really wasn’t all that bad. Just wound a bit tight. We need to get Mo more screen time, for comic relief.

Did you notice Ray’s stink-eye when Phil said (after the penalty) “You’re Team #3”? Yeah, I’ve got your Team 3 right here, mofo…

For those (and Losties) annoyed by endless DaVinci Code and Invasion promotions, I can only repeat two words: Ti Vo. We watched Deal or No Deal (live, with commercials) while Tivoing TAR and Lost…watched all 3 and were still in bed by 10:20.

56

I believe that in a previous season another team did something similar: they took a train most of the way to where they were going, then got in a cab for the rest of the trip. I can’t recall what season, though – I think it was Season One. And IIRC (but I’m not sure I do), Rob & Brennan, Frank & Margarita, and Team Guido were all involved somehow, as was a bit of rules lawyering. Can anyone help me out?

57

Not necessarily. All they have to do is a few more two-episode legs. Or, really screw with the players’ minds and have a THREE episode leg. Killer fatigue for sure.

58

You know there was no excuse for the Hippy’s to go the wrong way for that long.

Pretty much any new vehicle built in the last 5 years has a built-in electric compass in the dash or in the rear view mirror. If your map is oriantated North (like 99% of all maps I’ve ever seen) if you are supposed to be going “Left” on the map, your compass should be reading “East” (or some variation), so if team Hippy looked down and their compass said “West” they should have known right away.

I know those Kia’s had compasses because Lake even said “we are going north east” as he was looking at the dash.

And yes I would have put money on last night being a NEL.

MtM

59

You know what would have been funny? If Phil made Lake and whatever-her-name-was wait out the fifteen minute penalty. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you what place you’ve arrived in until you’ve served your penalty.” 15 minutes later… “You’ve been eliminated.”

60

The only time penalty I remember from S1 was the 24 hour hit Momily took, allowing Team Guido to survive into the final three. But that penalty came as part of their not completing a Detour as opposed to a plain old “go from here to there” transition clue.

Mine doesn’t (bought in 2003) and neither do the two cars my friends have bought within the last couple of months. One would hope that the producers would disable the compasses.