Amazing Race 7/27-a Kilo Of Caviar!

[BiblioCat]

@Elret

If I were in a place of business, say a grocery store or something, and I was wondering, say, about the price of tomatoes, and I overheard another customer asking an employee the exact thing I wanted to know, I really think I might just join that conversation rather than waiting til the customer was done and making the employee go through the whole thing again. And I’ll admit I might not even just be a passive listener, which my fiance conceded wouldn’t have been as rude of her. If the employee said “They’re $2.99”, I might say “Is that per bag or per pound?” and not feel that I was interrupting.

While I can definitely see your point, this is a different situation. If we were in a grocery store and I asked (first) the price of tomates, and you chimed in and asked if it was per bag or per pound, I wouldn’t think that rude at all. But this is a race, a contest, and who-ever-it-was (Colin or Brandon, I can’t even remember now) was there first, and was talking to the guy about tickets. Mirna just jumped in without even saying “Excuse me” and starting asking him questions. It was definitely rude.
Draelin, yes, I loved the Mom’s comment about beatig the twins in an Eating contest. That was great.

Couple of questions:
1. Have they been carrying their winter stuff (heavy coats, boots and whatnot) around with them all over South America, or do they have extra stuff somewhere with the production crew? How many changes of clothes are they allowed to bring? None of them have huge backpacks, so I can't imagine that they are packed for the whole race in one backpack. 
Or are they? Is that it, whatever they need for the weather extremes plus regular clothes and shoes and toiletries has to fit in a backpack? Or do they have extra clothes stashed somewhere that they can access somehow?
2. Who exactly pays for the plane tickets? I know they get a set amount of cash at the beginning of each leg, but sometimes it's not much, certainly not enough for two plane tickets. I mean, I know TAR pays for it, but who pays for it right then when they purchase it?
3. Who is with each team, other than a camera person? A producer-type person?

[annieclaus]

@yellowval

My husband and I just couldn’t get over the two pretty guys making their women eat the caviar. If we were in the race, my husband would know full well I couldn’t do it. He’d buck up, walk in there and do it like Chip did.

Well, maybe the pretty boys were allergic to caviar and would have swelled up like water balloons and burst or something. . . . Now, that’s not a bad idea, is it?

[zut]

I think I’m starting to get tired of Mirna. I’m agreeing with Draelin – it looked like she just walked up and overrode whatever conversation Colin was having with the bus station employee. Geez, I’d be peeved too. Plus, I understand that last week’s Insider videos (I didn’t watch 'em) show Mirna having a full-bore shit fit over the order of precedence in the airport line. I almost hate to say it, but I’m starting to have some sympathy for the Pizza Brothers (they seemed a lot less asshole-y this episode).

Kudos to Colin for investigating the express bus option, and realizing that the extra time to visit a travel agent was worth it. Smart racing. I would be really rooting for this team, except… man, Colin was creeping me out with his “support” of Christie. Seemed like he was trying to scare her into eating. Cut down on the “intensity,” dood.

I’m sorry to lose Bob and Joyce, but look: they got taken down because they weren’t working the airport and travel as well as the other teams. That should have been their strength, if they expected to compete with younger couples. Still, I prefer watching people like them that look like they’re having fun, so… I’ll miss 'em.

[Gangster_Octopus]

BiblioCat the teams are responsible for all their own expenses except plane tickets. When they buy plane tickets they need to be able to buy four, two for themselves the cameraman and I am pretty sure a sound guy.

This one of the least entertaining episodes, there was no suspense, some conflict but really not too much. The only drama was at the airport and considering I saw that episode last week, it seemed too much. You can’t blame the producers really, it is pretty hard I guess to know exactly how these will pan out, although it is almost always the case that when very long flights are involved that there is someone left behind.

I used to be on the Mirna and Charla train if only for the fact that they were entertaining, but last night’s episode made me see the mirna that I think most everyone else already saw. Ewwww.

All I know about caviar is that it is really salty, I am sure I could have eaten it, but I can completely understand how difficult it could have been.

Colin was walking the line between obnoxious and supportive during the whole caviar. In the end I think he did a excellent job of coaxing her along. But there were moments when I thought he would lose it.

[zut]

@BiblioCat

Couple of questions:

1. Have they been carrying their winter stuff (heavy coats, boots and whatnot) around with them all over South America, or do they have extra stuff somewhere with the production crew?

I’m pretty sure (although not positive) that teams are required to carry everything they need in their packs. A quiet little bit of strategy: the more you bring, the more prepared you are, but the heavier the pack is.

2. Who exactly pays for the plane tickets? I know they get a set amount of cash at the beginning of each leg, but sometimes it’s not much, certainly not enough for two plane tickets. I mean, I know TAR pays for it, but who pays for it right then when they purchase it?

I believe each team gets a credit card which is used only for airline travel (and thay can pay only for coach seats!)

3. Who is with each team, other than a camera person? A producer-type person?

Camera person and sound man.

[filmore]

@BiblioCat

1. Have they been carrying their winter stuff (heavy coats, boots and whatnot) around with them all over South America, or do they have extra stuff somewhere with the production crew? How many changes of clothes are they allowed to bring? None of them have huge backpacks, so I can’t imagine that they are packed for the whole race in one backpack.

I don’t know exactly about this. I seem to remember that heavy coats are provided by the producers. One thing you may not know is that each team has an emergency cash reserve that they can ask for during the race. They can only do that one time.

2. Who exactly pays for the plane tickets? I know they get a set amount of cash at the beginning of each leg, but sometimes it’s not much, certainly not enough for two plane tickets. I mean, I know TAR pays for it, but who pays for it right then when they purchase it?

They have a credit-card which they can only use for plane tickets.

3. Who is with each team, other than a camera person? A producer-type person?

Each team travels with a camera person and a sound person. When you see the team in a cab, they’re usually scrunched over to the left side of the back seat. That’s because the sound guy is next to them. The camera man is in the front passenger seat. A team won’t have the same film crew for the whole race. They swap around the film crews to the teams on the different legs.

When they buy tickets, each team actually has to buy 4 tickets. They later get a shot of them saying “Two tickets to mumbo jumbo” and that’s what the use in the show.

[jfortun]

This is my first season. How could I have missed this show before?

1. Mirna and Charla. I find both them them highly annoying, but Mirna is as close to the quintessential bitch as I have seen on TV (whoops, forgot about Assorama). Though I can’t really stand the Pizza Brothers, I laughed out loud at their drive-by “BITCH!” last week. Shouldn’t a lawyer know better than than to bandy about words like “criminal”? The funny thing is that even though Charla is the one working her ass off to compensate for her short stature, it is Mirna who has the chip on her shoulder.

2. What is up the the Colin and Brandon the Christian/Model? Hey- YOU have the taste for the high-life so YOU should choke down the kilo of salty fish eggs. This may be a bit sexist of me, but unless they were allergic to the stuff, doesn’t physiology give the men the upper hand in an eating contest? It was such a cop out.

3. And Brandon with the Vodka. Didn’t Christ turn water into wine? Get over yourself. The only reason I didn’t pray for the Dating/Models to show up last at the Pitstop is that Mirna is still in the game and needs to go.

[Trion]

@jfortun

2. What is up the the Colin and Brandon the Christian/Model? Hey- YOU have the taste for the high-life so YOU should choke down the kilo of salty fish eggs. This may be a bit sexist of me, but unless they were allergic to the stuff, doesn’t physiology give the men the upper hand in an eating contest? It was such a cop out.

See, I don’t think they know what they have to do. They just get a vague clue, in this case the person needs a “taste for the good life”. From that they need to pick someone and that person is LOCKED IN. Then they are told the particulars - that the chosen person must eat a boatload of caviar. Yes, to us it seems obvious that “taste” indicates an eating contest, but the producers aren’t being specific and who knows what the teams make of the clues.

[annieclaus]

@Trion

See, I don’t think they know what they have to do. They just get a vague clue, in this case the person needs a “taste for the good life”. From that they need to pick someone and that person is LOCKED IN.

Am I hallucinating? I seem to remember Colin and Christie discussing the concept of eating caviar BEFORE they decided that Christie would be the one to do the task. Colin looked all icky and said something like “I could NEVER do that.”

[Draelin]

@annieclaus

Am I hallucinating? I seem to remember Colin and Christie discussing the concept of eating caviar BEFORE they decided that Christie would be the one to do the task. Colin looked all icky and said something like “I could NEVER do that.”

I originally thought the same thing as Trion, but I noticed that, too. Off to find the rules.

And where the hell are the Yields and Fast Forwards? And aren’t there supposed to be a couple spots where nobody gets eliminated?

[Trion]

annieclaus, I could very well be wrong. I don’t remember what you do, but it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve missed something.

[Draelin]

Couldn’t find any rules. It’s probably my substandard search capabilities. I did, however, find this:

The Amazing Race Drinking Game!!!

Someone from the team pushes/pulls a vehicle which is not meant to be pushed (i.e, car, donkey cart, etc…) – 1 drink

Any form of taxi trouble (teams can’t find a taxi, their taxi gets lost, their taxi is circling with their luggage, etc…) – 1 drink

Any team member falls flat on their faces – 1 drink

Team changes tasks during a Detour – 1 drink (If they decide to go back to the original task, add another drink. If someone complains while changing tasks, add another drink.)

Someone falls into the water – 1 drink

Any team member changes clothes on camera – 1 drink (Add another if it’s someone we’d rather not see naked on TV.)

Any team does not follow their instructions correctly – 2 drinks (Add one if they come up with some sort of weasely excuse.)

Any team member complains about how hard things are/how heavy their things are/etc. – 1 drink (Add one drink if the complaint is made in a loud, whiny tone, and add another one if the other team member’s name is included in that loud, whiny tone. Add yet another if the whine includes tears.)

A team has any difficulty with a car they’re driving themselves – 1 drink (Add two drinks if it’s because of their own incompetence)

Any team gets arrested/approached by law enforcement – 1 drink

A team argues with another team – 2 drinks

Any team argues with each other – 2 drinks

Someone says they want to quit – 2 drinks

One team member gives their luggage to the other team member – 1 drink

One team member yells/screams/whines at the other team member to run/drive/move faster – 1 drink

Any team has difficulty finding where the clue box is – 1 drink

Any products are blatantly plugged by having the contestants use them and having Phil mention them by brand – 2 drinks

A team hijacks a taxi called by another team – 1 drink

Anytime more than three teams have to wait for anything – 1 drink

Additional rule: If more than one even happens at the same time, take the sum of the number of drinks and add another one. (Example: If one team member gives their luggage to the other team member while complaining, take 3 drinks.)

[jeevmon]

I couldn’t tell if they knew how much they’d have to eat before they got up to the table. Did they?

There are very few things I would want to eat a kilo of. Anything in the garnish/ condiment list (which is what caviar basically is, IMHO) is pretty far down on the list. Creepy Christian boy and Colin better be extra nice to their girlfriends after that ordeal.

[BiblioCat]

@Draelin

I did, however, find this:

The Amazing Race Drinking Game!!!

Are you kidding? With this group, we’ll all be passed out by 8:30!

[Jadis]

I got curious about the caviar eating thing, so I wandered over to the USDA Nutrient Database and checked out the nutritional breakdown on 1 kg of caviar. In case you’re curious:

Calories: 2520
Fat: 179g
Protein: 246g
Carbohydrates: 40g
Sodium: 15,000mg :eek:

I’m dying to know how long it took Chip to eat that bowl of caviar…I bet none of the caviar eaters will pee for a week.

[Draelin]

@BiblioCat

Are you kidding? With this group, we’ll all be passed out by 8:30!

Charla and Mirna alone could cause alcohol poisoning.

[Doug_Bowe]

Okay, found some things in TAR FAQ. Each team has a TAR credit card for airplane fare.
The card can ONLY be used for air travel. Each team has to use their cash for ground transportation.

Okay, on another board of TAR fanatics I ran across this (can someone here confirm or deny it?): in a non-elimination round (one must be coming up pretty soon) the last team stays, but they have to give up their accumulated cash.

Any info on that one?

[slu]

@Doug Bowe

Okay, on another board of TAR fanatics I ran across this (can someone here confirm or deny it?): in a non-elimination round (one must be coming up pretty soon) the last team stays, but they have to give up their accumulated cash.

Any info on that one?

So if you don’t spend all the cash you are allocated in one leg, then it “rolls over” to the next leg? If so, there is some strategy involved there.

I know you must fly coach, but if taking a bus or train, can you take a higher class if you have the cash?

[scotandrsn]

I loved this episode!

Just when you thought everything had been decided back at the airport, you get the Great Caviar Debacle of 2004.

From the leaderboard:

Chip/Kim: Team Cosby Show makes their move! Unlike some other teams, they remembered that an eating contest is really just another physical challenge, often best left to the male partner of a co-ed team. Excellent!

Colin/Christie: The whole episode seemed centered around Team Mannequin for once. Great transportation strategizing on Colin’s part once again, and what sweeter way to screw a hated opponent than by being magnanimous to three other teams? Points scored. “I honestly don’t think I could swallow it” was the quote, IIRC, so yes they knew it was caviar, even if they didn’t know the amount. Both of them proved to be a couple of wusses, here. Post-caviar, Christie acted as though she’d just had to wrestle a gator. Big points lost, along with their lead.

Marshall/Lance: I guess the “bitch” comment last week ruined their karma, because these two were fumbling around lost in a most Chmirna-like fashion this week. They owe their third place finish to big appetites and bad choices by the other teams.

Charla/Mirna: I used to like them.

Brandon/Nicole: Team Blue Lagoon just gets worse and worse, don’t they? God wants them to betray allies right and left, but won’t forgive a shot of vodka? (Hint: God sent the nuns down the escalator to remind you what people who are REALLY devoted to him behave like). Somewhere in this world, people see our president claim that the Christian God is on America’s side, look for clues as to just who these American Christians are, and see… these two. They must be stopped before they destroy the world.

Linda/Karen: Shows what changing a few dozen diapers can do for the strength of your stomach. I like these two more and more with every passing episode.

Kami/Karli: They assessed themselves quite well: They augment their strengths but have no one to offset their weaknesses. Which is why, barring another Chip-and-the-caviar type episode, they are about to leave.

Bob/Joyce: We knew they were destined to go eventually, and perhaps they did too, so at least they got to go out after blocking five Russian hockey slapshots. If they had chosen the vodka, they might have stood a chance. I thought the producers would at least be merciful and send them straight to the pitstop upon reaching the restaurant once it was clear they had lost. For shame, Jerry and Bert!

[zut]

@Doug Bowe

Okay, on another board of TAR fanatics I ran across this (can someone here confirm or deny it?): in a non-elimination round (one must be coming up pretty soon) the last team stays, but they have to give up their accumulated cash.

Any info on that one?

I heard the same, but I can’t seem to find the original source of that information. (Note that losing cash didn’t happen in earlier seasons.) I see the statement repeated in a number of different places – here, for example. This site says, in fact, that “teams that finish last in the non-elimination legs will still face a penalty – they will be stripped of their cash and not given any money for the next leg.” Ouch! Harsh! Remember, too that Phil said, in episode one, something to the effect that teams coming in last in a non-elimination leg will find their lives very very difficult, so something bad will happen, even if it’s not giving up money.

@slu

So if you don’t spend all the cash you are allocated in one leg, then it “rolls over” to the next leg? If so, there is some strategy involved there.

I know you must fly coach, but if taking a bus or train, can you take a higher class if you have the cash?

Yes, yes, and yes. I recall Millie and Chuck last season taking the third-class train in India to save maney when everyone else was taking the air-conditioned first class.