Yeah, pretty much the reason I’m hating on D+C and the Cuntry Girls is because they’re making me sympathetic toward Brenchel. Ugh!
By about minute 15 I was so tired of hearing teams talking about them vs. Brenchel that I almost turned it off. The talk never ended. Dave’s a big baby. Amazing how childish a 60 year old can act. Grow the f up and get over it.
I’m finding myself annoyed that Connor is stuck carrying his dad’s pack whenever they have to run, too. He’s clearly weighted down significantly, and freakin tired once he reaches the mat. I’d like to see Dad, who is fully healed or he wouldn’t have been cleared for the race, to carry his own damn stupid pack for once.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Natalie & Nadiya and [del]Bopper[/del] Mallory & Mark and Joey & Meghan and Margie & Luke and John & Jessica and Flight Time & Big Easy - (already eliminated)
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Caroline & Jennifer (holding steady) - So why are Caroline & Jennifer the weakest team left? They have trouble navigating, they have trouble thinking through clues (like the roadsigns at the Mustang task), and they have trouble physically muscling things around (like cans of milk). They got some help on the first two items in this episode, but not with the third. Now, in the next episode, they’ll start at the back (and so with less opportunity to get help from other teams), with a Speed Bump to perform. Things are really not looking good for this team.
“Rapido! Por Favor?” - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Brendon & Rachel (holding steady) - There is, of course, nothing wrong with using the U-Turn on any team for whatever reason you choose - it’s part of the game. However, even though I think the massive amount of butthurt emanating from Dave & Connor is overblown, it’s exactly that sort of reaction that you should anticipate before actually using the U-Turn: does any short-term advantage of using the U-Turn outweigh the possible long-term disadvantages? There are not too many chances on the Race to hinder another team, but there are chances to help all-but-one other team, and that may actually play a role here.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Leo & Jamal (holding steady) - I’m not quite sure how Leo managed to find the right bridge all by his lonesome - luck, I think. Still, the Afghanimals are in a good position: they’re racing well, there are only five teams left, and have another couple teams that owe them something.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Dave & Connor (holding steady) - Dave & Connor probably can’t beat Jet & Cord or Leo & Jamal in a footrace, but they didn’t have to - they figured out a quicker way to get to the top and took it. Last week they were the only team to logic out the use of the box for the wooden donkey build. If these three teams fill out the final three - which they very well may - Dave & Connor may actually have an edge in the typical thinking-man’s final tasks.
Jet & Cord (holding steady) - Jet & Cord had a little trouble navigating this week, which turned out not to hurt them, although it very well could have. It looked like they got to the Wilhelm Tell square well after the other teams. They’re allowed to be a little lucky now and again, but going it alone can be a two-edged sword.
No Detour, but an awful lot of tasks. Just speculating, but the hotel-room cleanup feels like it should have been one half of a Detour, with all the time-wasting fiddly things that had to be done. I wonder if the other half of the Detour fell through at the last minute (or it was a Detour and all teams picked the hotel tasks, and the editors deleted the other part to devote more time to aliance drama).
Yeah, the U-turn outrage is pretty out of proportion, especially making fun of Rachel on the bus - that was just mean.
To be fair, though, there is a difference between Brendon & Rachel U-Turning Dave & Connor, and Dave & Connor U-Turning the Afghanimals. The Race has been around for some time, and all these teams are veterans, and everybody knows that the point of the first eleven legs is to not come in last. So playing to not come in last is “what you have to do,” even (or especially) when it means U-Turning another team. And if you don’t “need” to U-Turn another team, then it looks gratuitous.
Especially since someone could have just as easily mocked Dave by saying “Waaaah, don’t U-Turn me, I’m a 60 year old man!” Don’t mock someone else for whining when you just spent the last leg doing almost nothing but.
As soon as they showed the Pit stop was the top of a mountain I knew it was Non Elimination. Pit Stops in the middle of nowhere are almost always non elimination.
I really don’t like the Country Blondes. They are parasites who would have been eliminated a half dozen times over if they weren’t being married and worse, they were the driving force of this whole “Us vs. Them” obnoxiousness we had in this episode.
I really would like the Cowboys to win. They get lost a lot but on tasks they are almost always right on.
I suspect that hotel challenge was a half of a detour but since everyone picked it they edited it in such a way to eliminate the other side. That was good challenge.
While I do still hate Brendan and Rachel, I have to give Brendan props for being freakishly strong. When he picked up the full milk jugs I was positive he picked up empty ones. I even rewound it to be sure, and on second viewing it definitely appeared to move like an empty jug. But he got the clue, so he brought back full jugs.
Every shot of him carrying the full jugs it looked like he was carrying around 2-liter soda bottles. Not a peep from him about them being heavy. It seemed like the task for him was the equivalent of transporting two grocery bags.
As much as I hate him, specifically – I hate Rachel more, but I hate him a lot – I was quite impressed.
Helga, the Top Sargent Housekeeper Inspector, is why I like the Amazing Race. TAR often gets the stereo typical person to be Judge and Jury (and executioner?).
Surprise Leo or Jamal didn’t say, “Spank me, Mommy, I have been a very bad boy”
Anyone care to interpret whats going to happen with the Afheganimals at the uturn from the preview when it shows them getting there (with an empty board) and Phil saying that we cant believe who they will Uturn.
To me it would mean they would Uturn someone from their ‘aliance’ but Im not sure they would want to do that and break the aliance although at this stage they probably should be thinking about themselves now and not care about other teams imo.
I hope the Cowboys get their navigational act in gear. They rock the challenges, but taking half again as long to get to them will kill them in the end.
StG
Jamal and Leo like their alliance because they see themselves (correctly) as stronger and faster than Dave & Connor or (especially) the girls. You want to be in the final leg with teams you can beat.
It obviously will depend on what order teams get to the U-turn, but the Cowboys are the other strongest team remaining so that’s who I’d expect them to target if they can.
What do you mean by “being married”?
I think he probably meant “being carried”.
Hopefully there won’t be a bunching point until the blondes are too far back to recover.
Looks like they are a few hours behind, from my reading of the daylight. Hopefully not another “wait til morning” bunch up.
Of course. Thanks. Not enough caffeine yet this morn.
I think the natural assumption by viewers would be that Leo and Jamal would U-Turn Brendan and Rachel. You know to make the people in his alliance trust them even more or something. But with Phil saying, “You won’t believe who they U-Turn” or words to that effect, the viewer is supposed to conclude it’s someone in the alliance.
My guess is, they will U-Turn the cowboys who will have gotten themselves lost. They are the strongest team and if they are anywhere close to the back, it would make sense to try to get them eliminated. Leo and Jamal can easily beat the blondes and B&R, so I would think next would be to U-Turn Dave and Conner if it looked like they could be eliminated by it. Plus, even it they aren’t eliminated, a second U-Turn is likely to crush Dave’s spirit so badly, he’ll probably just melt into a puddle and eliminate himself.
Yes it doesnt look good for the cowboys. 
Usually people do this when they are suddenly frightened.