# Amazing Race March 10 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 11, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592 "2013-03-11T01:00:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![obfusciatrist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/4af34b/32.png) [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/41 "2013-03-11T23:28:33Z")
> [@zut](#): > > I’m pretty sure John thought there was one more team (Mona & Beth?) who were still behind them, so he figured he had time to burn. I’m not sure why he thought he was so clearly right that it was worth the risk, though. I think Jessica was trying to argue with him here, but he wasn’t listening / she wasn’t articulating. If the last task hadn’t completely split them up (often they can still talk to each other while one person is doing the Road Block) I wonder if she would have been able to save the situation. Instead, by the time he finally showed up (without a surf board the first time, double WTF) it was already lost. > [@](#): > > That was such a wonderful scene, in no small part because the owner was clearly puzzled to find a blond surfer-douche and his tanned girlfriend (with camera team in tow) rearranging his flowers, but was totally fine with letting them go ahead and do it. I wonder how much of that is the magic of having a camera around. > [@Laggard](#): > > But do indonesians hand out sarongs to any stupid looking Americans who wander into their back yard? That was where they got them, right? That’s what I wondered. As they headed off to the right location I was saying to the TV “but you’re stealing the sarongs!” ---
**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 11, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/42 "2013-03-11T23:34:40Z")
John & Jessica (well, mostly John) are part of an elite group of Racers that I call “Ugly American Douchebags” or UADs. UADs assume that everyone and everything in the countries they visit is there solely for their use on TAR. John (and Jessica) did this with the poor guy whose front yard they turned into a Detour option. The painters (mentioned above) did this with the house they just basically invaded and painted without checking to see if they were inconveniencing (or worse) some poor citizen of the country they were in instead of being at the actual task. It just makes me think they don’t actually believe that there IS a real Bali or India or Malawi or whatever…that everything involved is really happening because of the Race and after they all fly to the next country everyone’s going to strike the set and go back to living like Americans (because everyone knows American culture is universal!). ---
**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 12, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/43 "2013-03-12T02:06:20Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > The last two times they did a “double leg” was Season 18 and 19, and they didn’t have Speed Bump penalties in those episodes. I believe the concept was new to season 18. If I remember, right, the original double leg was born out of a production snafu or something. If my memory serves, the first non-stop double leg was way back in [Season 6](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Race_6). At that time, the penalty for coming in last on a non-elimination leg was to have all your money taken away, and be forced to beg for money at the start of the next leg. Rumor had it that the “production snafu” was that in Hungary, where the planned NEL was located, begging on the street is illegal and could get one pitched in jail. So in order to make the NEL still a non-elimination, but not actually a “leg” (according to rumor), production scotched the Pit Stop and just had the RAcers keep going. Which was a brilliant solution, in my book. > [@obfusciatrist](#): > > I wonder how much of that [house-owner’s mellow reaction] is the magic of having a camera around. Yeah, probably most of it. I know I’d have a totally different reaction to two random yutzes showing up alone in my backyard than I would to two potentially semi-famous random yutzes showing up with camera crew in my backyard. At least the camera crew yutzes would appear to have the start of a plausible, if stupid, explanation for being there. > [@obfusciatrist](#): > > That’s what I wondered. As they headed off to the right location I was saying to the TV “but you’re stealing the sarongs!” My wife thought the same thing, but I was sure the sarongs were the ones they had to wear at the monkey task. Weren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/44 "2013-03-12T04:56:14Z")
> [@zut](#): > > My wife thought the same thing, but I was sure the sarongs were the ones they had to wear at the monkey task. Weren’t they? I don’t think so. A previous shot showed another team receiving their sarongs at the fruit stacking location. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/45 "2013-03-12T17:40:43Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > John & Jessica (well, mostly John) are part of an elite group of Racers that I call “Ugly American Douchebags” or UADs. UADs assume that everyone and everything in the countries they visit is there solely for their use on TAR. John (and Jessica) did this with the poor guy whose front yard they turned into a Detour option. The painters (mentioned above) did this with the house they just basically invaded and painted without checking to see if they were inconveniencing (or worse) some poor citizen of the country they were in instead of being at the actual task. > > It just makes me think they don’t actually believe that there IS a real Bali or India or Malawi or whatever…that everything involved is really happening because of the Race and after they all fly to the next country everyone’s going to strike the set and go back to living like Americans (because everyone knows American culture is universal!). I think you’re being a bit unfair. You travel to a strange place. You are told to go to a strange location where you are to (paraphrasing) arrange some fruit. You go to the location (you think) and ask if this is the place. You get a sort of noncomittal nod from a non-English speaker and so you start to arrange the flowers/plants/whatever. Nobody stops you and they actually give you a sarong. I don’t see how that’s invading a ‘poor citizen’. It was an honest mistake. And it’s the same thing with the painting. You’re told to go to a location and paint. You go to the location (you think) and paint. Nobody stops you. I can see if they’re pushing around somebody or taking something or willfully doing something wrong, but they’re just making innocent mistakes. That said, it makes for amusing TV. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/46 "2013-03-12T17:47:25Z")
And wasn’t Mr. Attention-to-detail the only one who couldn’t finish the detail oriented fruit offering task? And when he couldn’t find a surfboard he thought was right, he was going to go out into the ocean and start examining the surf board of people actually out there, you know, surfing? Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Norse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/big_norse/32/9954_2.png) [@Big\_Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Big_Norse)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/47 "2013-03-12T18:57:13Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > And I presume the bestest AR episode ever is “My ox is broken!!!”? > > > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > > > Damn skippy. Not the watermelon to the face? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/48 "2013-03-12T19:11:15Z")
> [@Big\_Norse](#): > > Not the watermelon to the face? A good moment, but “My ox is broken!” is probably the greatest reality show meltdown I’ve ever seen. And Colin and Christie had been so dominant up to that point, that it was like nothing that’s ever happened on the show since. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2013, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592/49 "2013-03-13T21:09:24Z")
Okay, that meltdown was both hilarious and uncomfortable. I swear, he still thinks he can use his express pass. When Jessica broke up with him (I hope), he probably tried to use it then. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-march-10/652592.md?page=2)