# Amazing Race Feb. 28, 2010 \[open spoilers\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2010, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804 "2010-03-01T01:47:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/41 "2010-03-01T17:57:21Z")
> [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > “The steps are only for people who don’t have a compass!” What an effing idiot. But don’t forget–he’s “intense” and, no doubt “tells it like it is”. ---
**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 1, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/42 "2010-03-01T18:14:34Z")
> [@panamajack](#): > > I didn’t hear if the search clue gave instructions on step size, but with the numbers given (at least one had 199 steps) that’s a lot of potential for error. They had some help since the bags weren’t fairly easy to spot, and if you did a circular search from your finish you’d probably find it in reasonable time as long as you didn’t screw up. You wouldn’t really need to search in a circle. If you were careful with the directions and kept your step size consistent, the only error would be in distance (whether your steps were the same as the reference steps). From where you end up, look at the compass marker where you started, and search along that line. That’s in theory. In the real world, going over hills and bushes and such, you’re not gonna get everything exactly right. One of the bickering lesbians had the right idea, though; once you’ve got the direction, pick a landmark in the distance so you don’t wander off course. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/43 "2010-03-01T18:16:59Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > PS—howye—I am not saying that you think the cowboys are hicks, that was a general statement… I am not saying that I didn’t _start_ out thinking they weren’t. But had I read their bio on the CBS website, I would have known better than to make that snap judgment. These guys have traveled before, they are used to being met with the new and unexpected. But it is easy to look at them and think they have never been anywhere and aren’t too bright. The fault lies with me, not with them. One of the most worldly guys I ever met, looked just like Jet and Cord (or at least how they will in 20 years), he met my aunt on his yacht in Spain and she visited him at his ranch in Oklahoma. Interesting fella. I figured the cops would be better suited for the race than they are turning out to be. Obviously, you should not rely on me for Amazing Race predictions. ---
**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 1, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/44 "2010-03-01T18:22:49Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I got some mixed emotions. If you are the 4th team but only a minute behind team #3 but ahead of team #5, you fall way behind team #3 while letting team #5 catchup to you. I think I’m OK with that, because knowing there might be a cutoff point between teams 3 and 4, or between teams 4 and 5, gives the Racers some incentive to hustle, even if they’re not racing for first or last place. Maybe the bus cutoff appears to screw the fourth place team that’s only a minute behind, but if they’d been a little faster, they’d be a minute _ahead_. > [@jsc1953](#): > > Sitting on a wooden horse and swinging a polo mallet doesn’t involve very many cowboy skills. Precisely zero, I think. Well, being comfortable in the saddle isn’t something you’d expect from a city-slicker. Granted, riding practice polo ponies isn’t quite in the cowboy wheelhouse the way steer-roping is, but it’s something they’re going to have an easier time learning than pretty much anyone else who doesn’t have “polo player” on his resume. ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/45 "2010-03-01T18:30:10Z")
> [@howye](#): > > I am not saying that I didn’t _start_ out thinking they weren’t. But had I read their bio on the CBS website, I would have known better than to make that snap judgment. These guys have traveled before, they are used to being met with the new and unexpected. But it is easy to look at them and think they have never been anywhere and aren’t too bright. The fault lies with me, not with them. One of the most worldly guys I ever met, looked just like Jet and Cord (or at least how they will in 20 years), he met my aunt on his yacht in Spain and she visited him at his ranch in Oklahoma. Interesting fella. > > I figured the cops would be better suited for the race than they are turning out to be. Obviously, you should not rely on me for Amazing Race predictions. It’s funny, because I thought the cowboys would be tough competition because I know that physical dexterity and strength are crucial in many rodeo events, but they are also proving to be smart and level-headed to boot… (and they also hit the nail on the head about the lesbian team, noting how superficial the two women seem) ---
**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 1, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/46 "2010-03-01T19:15:21Z")
I mentioned to **supervenusfreak** last night that the blond lesbian kind of looks like Rachel Maddow and Jane Lynch participated in a genetic experiment that produced a double clone or something. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/47 "2010-03-01T19:19:27Z")
Plus there’s another benefit to the cowboys even if the actual task of riding a fake horse and hitting a ball with a mallet isn’t a cowboy skill, in that everybody thought they’d be riding real horses. They were comfortable with the thought of riding real horses and so chose the easier task. Many of the teams that went the other way made comment about not being comfortable with their ability to control a horse. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/48 "2010-03-01T19:45:44Z")
It’s not at all surprising that the challenges have been favorable to the cowboys considering where they were. I suspect that is the end of that particular advantage for this race, though. P.S. This year is the reality show curse. First with Survivor in Samoa, and now The Amazing Race in Chile. Is Road Rules: Haiti in the can? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/49 "2010-03-01T20:27:08Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > It’s not at all surprising that the challenges have been favorable to the cowboys considering where they were. I suspect that is the end of that particular advantage for this race, though. Yeah, this doesn’t strike me as cheating in the contestants favor…the time they spent like 4 episodes in Asia where the Asian brother & sister who the producers loved spoke the language and every task involved speaking, asking directions and/or writing. One task involved actually speaking/translating the language…THAT struck me as cheating. As did the amazing U-Turn that that one airplane made on the tarmac so that Rob wouldn’t be the only person on the last leg of the race. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/50 "2010-03-01T20:34:44Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Rule #1 of the Amazing Race: **Read the fucking clue!** > Rule #2 of the Amazing Race: **READ THE FUCKING CLUE!** I respectfully disagree. Rule #1…Don’t lose your passports. I believe a team in the last two seasons have lost their passports. One in Russia (Mom/Son) and the other in Thailand (guy w/ Aspergers and his partner). ---
**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 1, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/51 "2010-03-01T21:01:38Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > I respectfully disagree [on the wording of Rule #1]. > > Rule #1…Don’t lose your passports. I believe a team in the last two seasons have lost their passports. One in Russia (Mom/Son) and the other in Thailand (guy w/ Aspergers and his partner). I think that’s covered in the special **Rule Number Zero: Don’t Be a Dunderhead**. Kind of a catchall rule for Things That Are So Obvious One Shouldn’t Need To Make A Rule About Them, Yet Some Teams Screw Them Up Anyway. Having a zeroeth rule doesn’t fit into the normal numbering scheme, but I’d hate to have to make _new_ Rule Number Ones (and shuffle the rest of the rules downward) every time some team confuses “up” and “down” or forgets to breathe or does something else heartbreakingly stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/52 "2010-03-01T21:03:39Z")
Rule #2 should be Learn to Drive Stickshift. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/53 "2010-03-01T21:13:05Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > (and they also hit the nail on the head about the lesbian team, noting how superficial the two women seem) The pained look on their faces as they stood around chatting with the lesbians was hilarious. Amongst their many other skills, they clearly read people well. But they’re not great at hiding their own feelings. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/54 "2010-03-01T21:17:33Z")
> [@zut](#): > > I think that’s covered in the special **Rule Number Zero: Don’t Be a Dunderhead**. Kind of a catchall rule for Things That Are So Obvious One Shouldn’t Need To Make A Rule About Them, Yet Some Teams Screw Them Up Anyway. > > Having a zeroeth rule doesn’t fit into the normal numbering scheme, but I’d hate to have to make _new_ Rule Number Ones (and shuffle the rest of the rules downward) every time some team confuses “up” and “down” or forgets to breathe or does something else heartbreakingly stupid. :D, Normally I would agree that keeping your passport should be “involuntary” like breathing and keeping your heart beating, the fact that two teams have screwed it up recently means that it needs to be on the top of the list. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/55 "2010-03-01T22:07:09Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > You wouldn’t really need to search in a circle. If you were careful with the directions and kept your step size consistent, the only error would be in distance (whether your steps were the same as the reference steps). See, this is where every single one of the teams who did this task irked me. There’s every chance in the world that your step sizes will be somewhat different than they are “supposed to be.” What they needed to do was to make a limited search area by counting out the steps twice and then searching the small area where the two searches would have overlapped. And how might a team have accomplished this without wasting any time? Gosh… lemme think… _if only there were two of you!!!_ :smack: Step it off separately and look in the space between where you ended up. Will that guarantee a perfect result the first time? No, but you’re pretty unlikely to have to do it more than twice - and we’re only talking about a couple hundred steps here; it’s not like they had to walk a couple miles. ---
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/56 "2010-03-01T22:20:21Z")
My concern with the compass navigation would be that once you were 200 steps away from the compass how accurate could you possible be in heading due NW. But then I’d never opt for the option that involves finding something among the nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/57 "2010-03-02T02:58:50Z")
As for the cowboys and the polo. Notice how many of the teams thought it was croquet (hit with end of the mallet) and not polo (hit with the side). Also, they are very observant and know how to play TAR like when they were leading all of the other cars to the next location, they realized how idiotic that was and pulled over. I think they probably took two seconds out and saw how the real polo players were hitting the ball. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/58 "2010-03-02T05:20:11Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Also, they are very observant and know how to play TAR like when they were leading all of the other cars to the next location, they realized how idiotic that was and pulled over. Yep, that served two great purposes: 1. If the other teams didn’t know where they were going, they could’ve pulled away and passed them. That didn’t really play out, but more importantly 2. It made them look stupid to the other teams. They want people to think that they don’t know what they’re doing and just happen to get to first with luck/being good a challenges. And I think that how cowboy outfit plays into that. Is it too early to vote the Cowboys into the next All-Stars? (along with Mel & Mike and the Globetrotters, of course) One other team that made a good move was Steve and Allie. I’m still 50/50 on them becoming the underdog top 3 team or getting eliminated next, but I really liked Steve’s idea of just laying across the horse. He hit a lot further and saved time trying to get on the horse. Not a huge move, but lots of little moves pay off in the long run. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/59 "2010-03-02T06:55:38Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > I’m sorry the lawyers are out–the last three legs have been almost exclusively physical tasks. IIRC they did well on the one physical task: the housepainting one. I would have liked to see a bit more balance in the tasks. They had a choice of a physical task and a mental one and they chose the physical, against 3 teams that were all in better physical condition. That was stupid racing. And Jordan’s look at Jeff after he said they shouldn’t reproduce was priceless. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804/60 "2010-03-02T17:00:02Z")
FTR, Why didn’t Sheldon’s defense work? Confront witness (6th amendment)? Hopefully it is a simple answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-feb-28-2010-open-spoilers/530804.md?page=4)