Just some fore-warning that NCAA and March Madness might be delaying CBS programming tonight.
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CAUTION: DOUBLE U-TURN AHEAD!!
The conclusion (?) of last weeks to be continued leg.
Can Kent and Vyxsyn (sp?) continue to comeback? will they get a penalty for taking the wrong flights?
I am SO freaking tired of the shows I like playing fourth banana to freaking stupid sports!
If it’s not football, it’s stupid March stupid Madness…
ETA: YAAAAAWN!
Okay, kind of worth the wait.
You know what? That was probably the gutsiest U-turn I’ve seen on this show. Usually, they do it to someone long before the u-turned team gets to the u-turn station, then slink away. Right in their faces, this time! And probably saved Zev & Justin’s asses on the way.
So exactly how were the cheerleaders allowed to U-Turn anyone? They were not done, at least to me, to be able to step on the mat and do that. I guess in the end it didn’t make any difference to them, but it would have changed things for the Globe Trotters and might have left the way for someone else to get U-Turned. I guess it’s in the rules, but I didn’t think it was fair.
My guess is that the U-Turn didn’t start until K&V picked a team, and the Reds were already on the U-Turn mat when that happened, so they allowed it.
I wondered that as well. I would have thought it necessary that they complete the tasks to the point where they could get the next clue in order to also get the right to u-turn someone.
I was fairly surprised that Kent and Vyxxxxsyn’s penalty for taking the wrong flight was 30 minutes. I don’t know why I thought it would be longer.
I’m fairly pleased with the outcome of this episode.
My 6-year-old son is not. He somehow just noticed the redheads this week and declared them his new favorite. I’m pretty sure it was at the point where Jaime took off her shirt. Also, Cara seemed pissed in the follow-up interview, did she not?
Jamie and Kara’s good looks and smug sense of entitlement didn’t help them tonight; in my opinion, both women act like things have been handed to them all of their lives, and it was nice to see them get a little bit of a reality check on (of all places) a silly reality show.
I have to give huge props to Kent, who I don’t care for at all—He didn’t bitch, whine or moan, he put his nose to the grindstone and got a tough job done.
Same with both Justin and Christina; the dinosaur task looked brutal, in both the physical aspect of it, as well as figuring out what piece needed to go where.
The Race needs more challenges like that, and then maybe they could finally do away with all of the tacky, bullshit “Eat 19 pounds of ostrich butter while wearing a pirate costume.” tasks.
Seeing the teams play basketball with the Reds cheering was cute.
I like Kent and Vyxyn (?) so I am glad they survived. I liked the Red too (they are labeled bitchy because they are competitive) so I was sorry to see them go.
With regard to to the Reds being able to U Turn, did they ever say a team who was U Turned couldn’t make use of the other one? If they said that I missed it so didn’t think anything odd at all happened there.
Hmmm. Is it possible that they are labeled bitchy because they are, in fact, bitchy? And more to the point, one of them is labeled bitchy, namely Jaime. This is largely because she gives people a raft of attitude when things don’t go her way, and shows little appreciation to other people otherwise.
Do you think that they are more “competitive” than Keisha and Jen, who are actually, you know, competitors?
Jaime is just an unpleasant, mean person. Can’t sugar-coat it away. Sorry.
Now this was a solid episode. Big ol’ kudos to the amazing editors and the race planners. This is the best single episode in probably 5 or 6 seasons.
Props to Kent/Vyxin for buckling down–if Kent had had one of his patented spaz attacks (like he did in Italy last go-round) they’d have been doomed. But he held it together and honestly, did a solid job–he annoys the hell out of me (Vyxen, despite her panic attack last ep, doesn’t annoy me so much) but hey–he rocked and credit where it’s due.
I was a little disappointed in the non-dinosaur-building Globetrotter confronting the cheerleader–he’s like 3 times her size and dude–it’s a game. I hated it when the Weavers did that kind of confrontation, and I hate it now–getting in someone’s face about a roadblock isn’t against the rules, it’s just douchy. That said, great job on the Globetrotters to recover.
I loved the basketball game–I don’t know why they’re so reluctant to show tje teams eat/sleep/mingle anymore, but it was really nice to see. (And the cowboys–“Lookit-they got a basketball goal”-hee) I note that Ron and Christina of all the teams that were there chose to remain apart–even Margie/Luke were watching (and dude–you have a chance to see a couple of Globetrotters do their thing, you take it.)
I’m really liking the sisters more and more. Currently they’re my favs. I don’t think they really have a chance–they’ve got the vibe of the team that’s eliminated just before the final 3 (4th out), but I’m still rooting for them–they’re smart, strong, low-key, supportive of each other and run their own damned race.
Cowboys–final-fucking-ly getting their heads out of their asses and competing rather than trying to coast. Easy final 3 material if they don’t backslide.
In all seriousness–is Luke mentally handicapped? Assuming that he really does burst into tears and go running for his mommy in tears next ep like the preview showed, he’s burst into tears more than any other two contestants on the race (he did it with Chekov, he did it with the surfboard challenge, and he did it with one other, IIRC).
Ditto with Ron–I watched some of his first season and his weird little speech about kabuki/mask/liar thing was almost (but not quite) as his “I speak real truth flavor. I won’t be afraid to tell you that you’ve got boogers in your bones” speech on his last season. Is he losing it? Lost it? If so, is it exploiting him to have him on the race (It’s not with the Asperger’s guy (Zev?) as he clearly knows what’s going on and understands the situation. I’m not sure Ron does)
And yeah, Jamie is just a bitch. It’s got nothing to do with competitiveness, it’s that she’s a spoiled, entitled, semi-racist brat who gets nasty whenever she doesn’t exactly get her way. Jill (of Jon-Vito and Jill) was competitive. The Beauty Queens (from season 10-? and All-Stars) were competitive. The lady doctors were freakin’ awesome and competitive. Jamie? Just a bitch.*
*One of the keys to being competitive is enjoying the competition on it’s on merits–the joy of the race, the excitement of the challenge. Jamie (and to a lesser degree Kara) had none of that: They liked winning, not competing.
Well, the NCAA tournement didn’t even cross my mind today, so my DVR stopped recording right when the Cowboys hit the mat. Can anyone summarize the last 15 minutes?
I should have just added 60 minutes to the recording like I do during football season.
I think it would be an interesting twist to the U-turn to make the U-turn users do the penalty if the team they U-turn has already gone through and was in front. You’d have to be very sure before you used it where everyone was.
Good for my Cowboys. I loved the Cowboys, Globetrotters and Jen and Kiesha playing pick-up basketball. You have to wonder about a ball and goal just “happening” to be there.
Skammer - I think the Globetrotter was teasing the cheerleader - I don’t think he was serious.
Fenris - I’m also pleased that Kynt and Vyxxyn behaved so reasonably to each other during the dinosaur challenge. They really do deserve each other.
Well, they did have to deal with the fact that they were a few hours behind everyone else through all of last week’s episode.
Just got done watching. Random thoughts time!
-I can’t believe we went a whole season and a half without some basketball from the Globetrotters. Not to mention the cowboys in Globetrotters uniforms.
-Also, did anyone catch one of Globetrotters say “Oh my gravy!” I think if they do another All-Stars they should mix and match former racers, and have a Globetrotter/Cowboy team.
-I realized I’m totally biased when the Cowboys took the GT’s car and my first thought was “Well, they didn’t really know whose it was.” Anyone else and I would’ve been screaming bloody murder.
-Speaking of murder, I now know to sleep on the top bunk in trains.
-Vyxin is scary without make-up. At least put the eyebrows on!
I had to suppress a laugh when Vyxxin yelled at Kent to “Just put it in!” and Kent yelled that he couldn’t.
The memory detour didn’t seem too hard. It seems like the racers have more trouble when they do take notes.
-I was wondering if the pictures were removed after a team passes a U-Turn. I don’t remember K&V U-turning a team in front of them at all.
-I would’ve done that roadblock in a heartbeat. I would see “65 million years” on the clue and rip it out of my teammate’s hand in a second. Plus, I’ve built a lot of those models before.
-So glad to see the cheerleaders gone. You could tell they were trying to suppress blaming the the Goths and the U-turn. Someone must’ve reminded them that they U-turned a team too. Also, sorry that cabbies don’t always have a full tank of gas in case some Americans are racing for a million dollars.
That’s all, for now.
Was the redhead’s using the U-turn on the globe trotters legal?
I thought you were only able U-turn someone after completing the detour, and as far I can tell, they hadn’t (by virtue of the fact that they were U-turned).
Well, this is only the second double U-Turn we’ve seen. I’m assuming they are told more rules than us, and they didn’t seemed concerned about it. I guess as long as they complete the first detour, they’re allowed to use it.
I thought she looked pretty scary with those clown-shaped eyebrows drawn in before they showed her without them. I think there *might *be a somewhat attractive woman hidden under all that makeup.
I imagine that if it weren’t, the producers wouldn’t have allowed it and they wouldn’t have made the Globetrotters perform the other side of the detour.
It helped that they were able to deal with it by the producers having about 24 hours of dead time waiting for trains, buses, shuttles, etc. between leaving Japan and the actual elimination pit stop.
The only way they’d not have caught up to the group is if they had given up in Japan and never caught any flight at all.
Well, this episode was…unexceptional. Other than some smart U-Turn usage, I don’t know that there was anything all that exciting this week. Although I did like the basketball game–that was more fun to watch than the tasks were.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Amanda & Kris and Mel & Mike - Already eliminated.
Jaime & Cara (down from “Stopping”) - While I sympathize with Jaime & Cara for being on the wrong end of a U-Turn, it was the Roadblock that really doomed this team. And I’m a little conflicted about that, but only a little. Lifting fairly bulky pieces of plywood and hammering them into place is going to be far easier for someone like Jet or Big Easy, who has well-developed upper-body strength, than it is for someone like Christina or Jaime. On the other hand, it’s also far easier for someone like Jet or Big Easy, who put the thing together right to begin with, than it is for someone like Christina or Jaime, who didn’t. In any case, Jaime & Cara were on the losing end of too many things this episode, and away they go.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Ron & Christina (holding steady) - Yeah, Ron & Christina did OK the last couple weeks, but they finish seventh here in China, where they should have a substantial language advantage. I can see them sticking in the race for a few more legs, but I still think they’re the weakest team left.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Kent & Vyxsin (shifted from “Drawing Chalk Circles”) - Despite their horrible no-good leg last week, Kent & Vyxsin were saved by the miracle known as “being featured in the previews.” Well, that and the bunching point that pretty much rendered the entire previous leg moot, save for Kent & Vyxsin’s 30-minute penalty. Still, they raced hard, never gave up, and turned in a credible performance that had them finishing far from any elimination risk. I’d also like to commend them on a smart use of the U-Turn, as well as the realization that they’d better keep quiet about it. No particular animosity toward Jaime & Cara, nor any convoluted stategy, it was just the realization that they needed to ensure someone was 30+ minutes behind them, and the only team they were sure enough about was Jaime & Cara.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Margie & Luke (holding steady) - I think it’s a good thing that Margie did the Roadblock for this team–I can just imagine Luke getting really frustrated when he put the dino together wrong. However, they wind up with another top-three finish, and I can easily see this teeam as a dark-horse final three candidate.
Zev & Justin (down from “Passing”) - Oof. After three tremendous (and frankly, to me, unexpected) legs, Zev & Justin now have two in a row where they’ve finished only one step ahead of last place (which, frankly again, is what I originally expected from this team). Now I’m not really sure what to think of them. On the one hand, I suppose it’s taxi trouble that really dropped Zev & Justin this week, but I’m getting suspicious. We’ll see how they perform next wek.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Jet & Cord (up from “Rapido!”) - Unlike Zev & Justin, the cowboys are clicking. They didn’t really have any navigation problems, and Jet played the Roadblock smart by making sure his construction was correct from the get-go. Maybe that means they’re the favorite again, but there’s still a lot of racing to be done.So while other teams were disassembling their dinosaurs, Jet & Cord wind up in first place.
Kisha & Jen (holding steady) - Kisha & Jen are quietly racking up a series of upper-middle finishes. They haven’t come close to first place, but neither have they come close to elimination.
Flight Time & Big Easy (holding steady) - Despite being in last place and then being U-Turned, the Globetrotters pull off a sixth-place finish, comfortably ahead of three other teams. The Globetrotters haven’t really been dominating this season, and I wonder if its time to drop them a notch in the rankings.
Gary & Mallory (holding steady) - Gary & Mallory use their Express pass this episode. I think that. if Gary had chosen to do the Roadblock, they would have been all right, but it was a prett reasonable decision to use the pass, and if nothing else Gary & Mallory start the next leg a little more refreshed than they otherwise would have been. They nab a second place this leg, which makes them the only team with 4 top-three finishes this season (and only one other team, Jey & Cord, have 3 top-three finishes). So I’ll keep them ranked here at the top.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
No one.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Rating[/sub]
I dunno–I thought Flight was just engaged in some loud, mostly harmless trash-talking, like he would in a basketball game. Like, “why’d you have to dunk over my head? I’ll show you how to dunk!” That kind of thing. Still in the context of a game. Of course that comes over more sportsmanlike when you’re talking to someone who’s your own size and weight, rather than someone 1/3 of each, but I don’t think Flight was being nearly as belligerent as some other teams have been.
I think the rationale here is that they did complete the Detour. It’s just that, once they get to the U-Turn mat, they have an extra task to perform, which happens to be the other leg of the Detour. They’re still legitimately at the U-Turn mat, so they can U-Turn another team.