Amazing Race, May 2nd

[obfusciatrist]

@Frostillicus

I loved how Dan was looking like he was going to explode in the cab, while he kept shouting “FOLLOW!” at the cabbie, who obviously had no idea what the word meant the first 12 times Dan said it.

Well, I can understand. If you’re the type to vent frustration and don’t speak the language that’s about the only way they can vent it. That said, since the cab driver did actually follow the other car to the destination (or he knew where they were going) that’s the part that makes Dan look foolish.

@EllisDee

I was cracking up at how completely the Cowboys shut down mentally in the middle of the leg. First they couldn’t even conceive of actually getting on a bus. What was that about?

Unfortunately, when they were asking the cab driver how to get there they asked leading questions. “Is there a boat? A train?” and the cab driver said yes to the train so that’s what they did.

Good lord, talk about falling apart. Then pointing out Brent & Caite’s bags and saying how they must be close by while Brent is sitting literally 2 feet away from them. Comic ineptitude.

Comic but not necessarily any great leap of ineptitude. I used to run a twice annual scavenger hunt/puzzle solving game that was held inside Disneyland. One of the tasks we frequently did was “find the person in this picture in this area of the park and say ‘hi’ to get some bonus points.” Now, that could be hard but the person was wearing a giant chicken hat. The person in that hat would always report afterward that dozens of teams walked within feet without ever noticing him/her.

[panamajack]

@notfrommensa

I thought it was very fair leg, and one that the Cops could have made time up. “The Garden Bridge” must be very hard to find.

I think they mentioned something about “the locals know it as ----”. Probably something that doesn’t mean ‘Garden Bridge’, which may be its official name. Or ‘garden’ is an approximate translation that when taken back to Chinese usually has a different meaning. One team was sent to the “Park Bridge” apparently.

Sort of surprising that no team went for the straightforward dumpling-making task. From the editing it seemed as though the stamp searching wasn’t all that tough, but I think only the detectives should have chosen that task.

[Robot_Arm]

@panamajack

Sort of surprising that no team went for the straightforward dumpling-making task. From the editing it seemed as though the stamp searching wasn’t all that tough, but I think only the detectives should have chosen that task.

Making the dumplings doesn’t sound too hard, but they had to deliver them somewhere. After the problems they had getting around Shanghai, another navigation task was probably the last thing they wanted. By that point, trying to find my own name might have sounded pretty good.

[Robot_Arm]

@AlsoNamedBort

I think the glass was frosted. Mike was trying to use his flashlight to look underneath the glass but with no luck.

There was so little space between the shelves that it looked to me like he couldn’t see from a low enough angle to read the bottoms. Maybe a good strategy would have been to take all the stamps off one shelf and put them on the counter (checking them as you go), then look through the glass at the stamps above the shelf you just emptied.

All a bit of Monday-morning quarterbacking, I suppose. I just can’t help looking for ways to hack the tasks and make them easier, without breaking the rules, I hope. I’d have drawn a diagram of the Buddha room and divided them into sections, then count each section and add them up.

[zut]

Maybe I’m naive, but is English-language internet service inaccessible in China? Teams have used the web to find places before, and it took me all of ten seconds to Google “Garden Bridge Shanghai.”

Taxi Assessment:

Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Dana & Adrian and Jody & Shannon and Monique & Shawne and Joe & Heidi and Jordan & Jeff and Steve & Allie and Carol & Brandy - We get to see all these teams next week! Hurray! Or not; whatever.
Louie & Michael (down from “Flat Tire”) - Theoretically, Louie & Michael’s elimination was no surprise, particularly once you realize that they started over two hours behind the other teams and there was no bunching point this episode. What was surprising was that Dan & Jordan decided to give them some competition for elimination. With the easiest Speed Bump task ever, Louie & Michael had a fair shot at getting into the final three, but they were just a little bit slower on the Detour and a little bit slower on the Roadblock, and wind up last on the mat.

Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one.

Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
No one.

"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Brent & Caite (up from “Stopping”) - It’s a little painful that Brent confidently predicts how Caite can demonstrate her above-average intelligence by…proving she can count. And then she screws it up. Three times. To be fair, the task isn’t really “counting,” it’s “keeping track of your count,” and the producers seem to delight in showing Caite trying and failing, but still. My wife summed up this team perfectly: “They can’t actually be as dumb as they seem.” And, really, that’s probably true. However, they are in the final three, and they’re peaking at the right time, with three top-two finishes in a row. Despite Caite’s ill luck at the Roadblock, Brent & Caite went head-to-head with Jet & Cord on all the other tasks, looked better-equipped to handle China’s transportation system, and finished on top. I’ll say one more time that this is the weakest team left, and I still believe it, but they’re looking better than they were earlier in the Race. Prediction: third place.

In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Dan & Jordan (up from “Rapido!”) - Luckily for Dan & Jordan, there will be an airline bunching point in the finale, erasing their time deficit. I’m not sure I fault the brothers for sticking with Louie & Michael at the beginning: making sure you’re ahead of at least one team is the point of most of the Race. However, Louie & Michael’s Speed Bump was just about the easiest task ever, and Dan & Jordan needed a bit of luck to stay in the race. And, really, if Dan & Jordan had a two-plus hour lead at the beginning of the episode, they have no excuse for not preserving it. Next week, the point of the Race will be to come in first, not just avoid coming in last. Can Dan & Jordan adjust? Prediction: second place.

Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Jet & Cord (up from “Passing”) - Jet & Cord looked a little uncomfortable navigating through Shanghai, but even so wound up within spitting distance of Brent & Caite at the end. Presumably a good chunk of the finale will be in the US, so Jet & Cord will be more comfortable there than in the busiest city on Earth. With $1,000,000 on the line and two other teams fighting for it, Jet & Cord seem like the team best-equipped to cooly finish the last few tasks. Prediction: first place.

[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Rating[/sub]

[Hentor_the_Barbarian]

If you had told me that one of the contestants on the race had been kicked in the head by some livestock, I would not have predicted that it would have been one of the cowboys.

In addition to thinking that counting demonstrates intelligence, Caite seemed to think that demonstrating an ability to use maps to navigate a public transit system would somehow undo the impression she left with her pageant performance. She apparently still thinks that part of the problem with US Americans not being able to find America on a map is that they don’t have maps.

It reminds me of the immortal words of a great US American, who said, “What a waste it is to lose one’s map. Or not to have a map is being very wasteful.”

Until you guys quoted him, I really could not figure out what Brent was talking about barriers for.

One of the funnier aspects of Jet and Cord walking by Brent without noticing him is that they apparently walked right between him and his cameraman. I wonder how many cameramen are standing around on the streets of Shanghai?

[lorene]

One of my favorite moments was when the detectives saw those 2 jackets hanging on a sign and were convinced that was somehow part of their clue. “I mean, what are the chances of 2 jackets just being there?” I have my own theories about the fact that they are detectives with the city of Prvidence, RI, which has a pretty high crime rate.

I just continue to love the cowboys. The fact that they thanked Mr. Tall Man for having them to Shanghai made me love them more.

And I was reallllllly hoping that the prize for Brent and Caite coming in first would be a trip to return to Shanghai.

[Edward_The_Head]

I think the cowboys are almost sure to win now. From the previews it seems they have to lug a big chest and do some climbing. These kinds of tasks were made for people who hustle and bitch about doing it.

Over all I thought it was a good episode, I hope the last one is just as good.

[howye]

Even funnier than the missing Brent moment, was when one of the cowboys got into the taxi and said “muy rapido!”. The other one took a moment and then looked at him like he had lost his mind. THEN they both laughed at it. No screaming, no temper tantrum, just a moment of tension release. They need some rest on the flight to the States and they should be fine.

[twickster]

@jayjay

I think if I were actually going on TAR, I’d at least learn four words in Chinese, Arabic, Spanish and Russian: “follow”, “quickly”, “please” and “thank you”.

Rapido! Por favor?

[Skammer]

Ok, I haven’t read this thread yet, because TAR was pre-empted locally last night for flood coverage (Nashville). I’ll have to watch this on CBS tonight or tomorrow, hopefully.

[rivulus]

@Hentor_the_Barbarian

If you had told me that one of the contestants on the race had been kicked in the head by some livestock, I would not have predicted that it would have been one of the cowboys.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha aaaaaahhhh! Yeah, you’re right.

[Tabby_Cat]

How on earth are Brent and Caite so lucky? Gah.

Chaps my hide.

[Tangent]

It was really an easy leg all around, except for finding that Garden Bridge at the beginning. Other than that, it was just “count these statues” (which Caite didn’t really do poorly on even though she didn’t fly through it–at least she stuck with it and didn’t get too frustrated) and “find a stamp with your name on it” (which looked fairly easy for a needle-in-the-haystack challenge and Caite and Brent beat the cowboys at it even after taking a potty-break).

Considering how far back the cops’ start time was, and Dan and Jordan’s incompetence at finding the bridge on their own, all Brent and Caite had to do was run the leg without any major screwups or meltdowns. Which they did.

[jsc1953]

If you think tossing the coins through the opening was ridiculously easy…I bet Brandy & Carol would have managed to make it look considerably more difficult. Throwing things (other than hissy fits) did not seem to be their forte.

Speaking of hissy fits: the policemen alluded to a translation service phone number posted in every taxi. Then we get the brothers with their hair on fire because their driver did not understand “follow! FOLLOW! F…OO…OOLLLLOOOOWW” Could they have had him call the translator?

[amarinth]

@howye

Even funnier than the missing Brent moment, was when one of the cowboys got into the taxi and said “muy rapido!”. The other one took a moment and then looked at him like he had lost his mind. THEN they both laughed at it. No screaming, no temper tantrum, just a moment of tension release. They need some rest on the flight to the States and they should be fine.

That and:

“We’re going to buckle.”
“I’ll have one made.”

I love them.

[obfusciatrist]

@Tangent

Considering how far back the cops’ start time was, and Dan and Jordan’s incompetence at finding the bridge on their own, all Brent and Caite had to do was run the leg without any major screwups or meltdowns. Which they did.

Though considering how little they actually did it is a surprise how much time the leg took. The cowboys started at 8am and based on the sun didn’t finish too much before sunset (around 4:50 in December).

Either counting statues and finding chops took way longer than it would seem or they spent much of the day crisscrossing the city in taxis.

I liked that for at least part of it they were pushed to non-taxi travel. I wish they’d done that for the entire leg. But then I always wish the teams were required to do more of their own navigation.

[jayjay]

@obfusciatrist

Though considering how little they actually did it is a surprise how much time the leg took. The cowboys started at 8am and based on the sun didn’t finish too much before sunset (around 4:50 in December).

Either counting statues and finding chops took way longer than it would seem or they spent much of the day crisscrossing the city in taxis.

I liked that for at least part of it they were pushed to non-taxi travel. I wish they’d done that for the entire leg. But then I always wish the teams were required to do more of their own navigation.

Shanghai’s BIG. And crowded. And there are a lot of vehicles with a driving safety level somewhere between Atlanta and Mumbai. I can believe they spent most of the day getting from one place to another.

[Robot_Arm]

@Hentor_the_Barbarian

If you had told me that one of the contestants on the race had been kicked in the head by some livestock, I would not have predicted that it would have been one of the cowboys.

I think the bull kicked him in the part of his memory that knew what the word ‘tranquility’ meant. Could have been worse.

[Saltire]

I was a little surprised that none of the teams mentioned being terrified during the motorbike ride. When I saw they’d set that up, it seemed like the whole point was to make Shanghai traffic look scary. But they all had a good time with it.