Adjust DVR’s accordingly. Looks like a 20 minute or so delay in my region
Team Tattoopid doesn’t disappoint.
“Hey, look at that thing, it looks just like a troll”
“No, it looks like you” :dubious:
Bestest friends EVER!
I was watching Team Tattoopid with absolute disbelief. Did they not get an orientation on the various features of the Race before they got to the starting line? Do they not WATCH this show? What kind of episode would it be if everyone got to take the Fast Forward, for Phil’s sake!?
ETA: I’d also just like to note, for posterity’s sake, that the guy on Team Tattoopid got his ass kicked by his teammate TWICE tonight. All that BMX experience 15 years ago really helped, didn’t it, Nick?
sigh
Lots of teams apparently that don’t watch the show. “Oh, I’ll go on the race even though I’m afraid of heights.” “Oh, I’ll go on the race even though I’m a vegetarian.” “Oh, I’ll go on the race even though I can’t drive stick.” “Oh, I’ll go on the race even though I don’t know what a fast forward is.” GAH.
I’m not reading la la la la. It’s delayed here by tornado warnings. It’ll show at 11:00.
StG
Couplea comments
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I’m really starting to enjoy the two doctors–their low-drama approach (“Tastes like a million dollars”) and quiet encouragement is a refreshing change. They’re strong, smart, make good choices and support each other. The Amazing Fenrisi Predicts: They’ll get a 4th place elimination. Because the teams I like almost always get that.
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Team Home Shopping Network is shrill but seems to have fun–that counts as a plus in my book.
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Team Tattoopid. What everyone else said. These may actually be the single dumbest racers ever on the show. Ever. And this is from a show that’s been scraping the bottom of the barrel for the last few years.
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I really, REALLY loathe the son of Team Dad/Son. “Gee dad, you’re weak, stupid, and don’t have tenacity. I’m glad you didn’t take this challenge.” The contempt this snotty punk has for his dad is honest-to-god revolting. The level of condescention is obnoxious. I hope dad belts the punk in the teeth.
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I’m not a big fan of team “I went to Notre Dame. By the way, that was NOTRE DAME. She didn’t.”
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The Norwegian guy at the pit stop had a great sweater. Very cool.
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One thing I really like about this season is the inter-team drama is nil. What a fucking refreshing change for the better after like the last 12 seasons of inter-team sniping, bickering and backstabbing. The least interesting part of any race is the inter-team draaaaaaama–“You threw my underpants off the balcony!”/“Oh yeah? You laughed at my son 'cause he’s deaf”/“No, I laughed at your son because he’s a panty-wetting wimp having a hissy-fit.” :rolleyes: Shut up and race.
They’re all running their own races (unlike The Coal Miner and his Pet Shrew and the rest of the “Back Pack”) but still being at minimum civil to each other and again, running their own races. I may have a lot of complaints about the toughness of the challenges (although this one wasn’t bad at all), and the luxury of their pit stops, etc. But in this case, the casting folks really got things right and it’s a huge change for the better.
Yes, and the one team that seemed like they had inter-team drama on tap and were just waiting for happy hour went away tonight.
I totally understand your point, and agree with it, but I kinda disagree with your first two examples–there’s nothing wrong with going on TAR and being a vegetarian or being afraid of heights: the problem is when the teams are shocked…SHOCKED!! that they’re being asked to do something involving heights or an eating challenge with meat.
TeamMD knew what they were getting into and didn’t whine once. It seemed like they’d already discussed their worries and had worked out a plan in advance (If it’s heights, just shove me off the cliff, if it’s meat, we chop it up into little bits and you’ll just swallow them) That struck me as good planning.
On the other hand, you’re totally right that there’s no excuse at all for not knowing how to drive a stick or not know what a FF is. 
Very little change from the previous leg; Brook & Claire dropped two spots, Jill & Thomas gained two spots, but that’s it.
And Brook still gets on my nerves. I’m waiting to see her do a serious Detour. So far she’s sold sunglasses while Claire has had to climb a rope under a bridge and took a watermelon to the face. (The other two were the boxing workout in Ghana and the sled dogs on the last leg; can’t remember who did which.) Yeah, it looks like they’re having fun, and that does count for something, but can she please stop talking just once.
They’re about even. Brooke’s done two, Claire three. I think Brook did the sunglasses and the boxing and Claire did the watermelons, the dogs and the bridge.
I have not seen ANY behavior at all to help me understand this view of the son—He seems to bend over backwards to encourage and support his dad without being condesending in any way that I can see.
I see Fenris’s point, though. Just tonight I said to the TV, “Can we have ONE episode where you don’t mention at least once how old and frail your dad is, kid?”
Agreed, but in fairness, he keeps mentioning it because they have to keep choosing the much slower task each week. This week they got to the roadblock (detour?) first* and sailed through the boat trip without a hitch and still lost two spots to the people who chose the much faster bike challenge. They knew it would be faster to do bikes but had to choose the slower challenge because dad really is frail. Same with last week when they chose the much slower hut-building instead of the super-quick sledding.
They would be winning every single leg if his dad were anywhere near as physically capable as that really annoying dumb-as-a-brick chick’s dad. Gary? I like Gary a ton; he may be my favorite racer this season. But I cannot stand his daughter. I really want to like her, but every week she makes me cringe multiple times.
Loved the physicality of the challenges this week.
Though they’re dumber than a box of rocks, mad props to Vicki. She is a demon-woman on physical challenges. First she kicked Chad’s ass six ways from Sunday on the very much anti-woman repelling challenge, then she rode circles around her BMX boyfriend. Pair her up with Gary (has common sense and isn’t a physical liability) and they’d own this race.
Putting a FF on this leg was either stupid or deliberate game manipulation. The FF should always be on a leg with a major bunching point. Otherwise you’re just awarding it to whomever finished the previous leg first, every time. There wasn’t even any randomization from cab driver luck. This whole leg was get in your own car, drive to next point, lather rinse repeat. Those kind of legs never see any movement, which is why the volleyball chicks never had a chance.
*Not counting the doctors who skipped everything with the FF.
I was surprised they had the Fast Forward this early too. WTF was up with that? Nevertheless, kudos to Nat and Kat for doing it well. I don’t remember which one is the vegetarian, but major, major kudos to her!
Agree with the Team Tattoopid assessment. Their major strength is Vicki at this point. I’m going to cringe if/when they’re presented with a mentally challenging task, though.
I don’t read condescension with Kevin. I’m reading his worry as half race panic/anxiety and half genuine concern for his dad.
Team Home Shopping is more amusing to me at this point. Sure, Brooke’s a chatterbox, but at least she’s amusing!
Thing is, Nat & Kat did suck it up - “I’m afraid of heights, but I’ll get over it” and then getting over it is perfectly valid. “I can’t drive stick” is just bad planning.
I was glad to see a fast forward that could have been a race (the first team there would not necessarily be the first team done with that sheep’s head), but I hate eating challenges.
I spent a few wonderful months this summer dating a woman who played the nyckelharpa. Never heard of it before I met her…and lo and behold, Nat & Kat were serenaded while eating their sheep’s head by someone playing the nyckelharpa.
Amazing.
No. If she stops talking she will die.
Normally I would be upset that a team of hot, blonde, women volleyball players with great asses got eliminated this early. But they were pretty boring and seemed like they might have a mean streak (though a few snide comments about other teams is all we really saw, so who knows). So no tears shed for those two.
I was dumbfounded that the tattooed team really did not know that only one team can win the Fast Forward. I mean, that’s TAR 101.
Kudos to Nat and Kat for pushing through their personal obstacles. I’d love to see them win, though Team Home Shopping is also growing on me.
Looking at the order of finish this week, it’s not that much different than last week’s finish, the only change being Jill & Thomas switching places with Brook & Claire. That’s indicative of a leg without much drama, as the teams are strung out with little passing.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Ron & Tony and Andie & Jenna and Connor & Jonathan - Already eliminated.
Katie & Rachel (down from “Rapido!”) - It didn’t seem as though Katie & Rachel did all that badly on this episode, but neither did anyone else. In legs like this, with no bunching points and relatively linear tasks, starting in last place is a considerable handicap, one that Katie & Rachel were never able to shake. They might have been able to make a race of it had they opted to bike rather than boat, but, bad move: they didn’t, and so the finish wasn’t all that exciting.
**Special Guest Category: Drawing Chalk Circles Around African Kids - or, out of the car, wandering around, and seizing on the first random idea to come down the pike.
Nick & Vicki (shifted from “Flat Tire”) - Nick & Vicki get to christen this newly formed, occasionally appearing category, which is reserved for particularly egregious ignorance. Particularly egregious ignorance being Nick & Vicki’s stock in trade, I’m expecting they’ll wind up in this category more often than not, so long as they’re still in the race. Their bad move this episode was going after the Fast Forward. That’s a strategically low-percentage move: with only two in the whole race, it’s almost certain a lead team will go after it, and any trailing team heading for it is just wasting time. One might reasonably argue that the FF site was relatively close to the Roadblock, and Nick & Vicki didn’t lose too much time on their small-d-detour, but they sealed their appearance in this category with their inability to decipher the runes “TAKEN,” which, when I ran it through my English-to-English translator, indicated a relatively simple concept. Luckily Nick & Vicki decided to bail rather than complete the puzzle task, and wound up in sixth place. Never stop being yourselves, guys.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Michael & Kevin (holding steady) - With this straighforward leg, Kevin again shephards his father through the tasks and the team maintains their fourth-place standing. Good for them and smart racing, I suppose, but I don’t think they can stay in the upper half by always choosing the less strenuous tasks. I admit they’ve outlasted teams I thought were better, but Michael & Kevin have essentially no chance of winning the whole Race.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Chad & Stephanie (holding steady) - Chad & Stephanie successfully kept ahead of Katie & Rachel this episode, which wasn’t exactly all that hard. However, to stave off Katie & Rachel, Chad wound up doing the Roadblock, which means he’s got four to Stephanie’s one. That might not bite them next episode, but over the long haul it probably will eventually, particularly in light of Stephanie’s performance in last week’s Detour.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Jill & Thomas (up from “Stopping”) - I’ve rather tentatively bumped Jill & Thomas up a notch. I’m not sure they’re all that much better than Chad & Stephanie, overall, but given Stephanie’s questionable prowess, my bets are on Jill & Thomas. I also note this team was one of the few to pick the bike Detour, which I thought was obviously the faster of the two, and indeed allowed Jill & Thomas to pass Michael & Kevin.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Gary & Mallory (up from “Rapido!”) - Gary & Mallory score their third second-place finish in a row. Always a bridesmaid, etc etc…but as everyone knows, all legs but the last aren’t about winning, they’re about not losing, and Gary & Mallory are looking pretty good as final-three material.
Brook & Claire (holding steady) - Brook & Claire slid backward in their finish time due to Claire’s lesser upper-body strength compared to Thomas and Kevin. So yes, the Amazing Race is slanted toward male contestants. But Brook & Claire are a tough team despite projecting a girly-girl image, and they’ve never yet been even close to last place.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Nat & Kat (up from “Passing”) - Nat & Kat’s second first-place finish comes courtesy of a leg designed to almost guarantee a repeat leg winner. So it’s not so much the fact that they’re in first that made me bump them up into this category, but Kat’s gameness in diving into the meatpile and the (slight but worthwhile) advantage this team gets from a more relaxing leg than their competition had. In addition, on the five legs so far, Nat & Kat’s poor showings in legs 2 and 3 were both directly attributable to bad cabbies. Bad cabbies are a part of the Race, to be sure, but primarily arise from random bad luck rather than an inherent flaw in the Racers.
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Rating[/sub]