Once again, it’s your friendly TAR-addicted Doper placing the placeholder flag 
And the Oscars are also on tonight…
According to the previews, seems Mallory and Mark run into a bit of a snag personality-wise. Took me aback when I first saw it because, out of all the racers I’ve seen these past few seasons, she’s the one I’d pick as the most easy to get along with…
I wonder if he doesn’t like “UP” people in general?
Looks like it might be 5 minutes late in the Midwest.
On time.
Couple of interesting strategy moments.
Can I want half a team to be eliminated? Mallory is driving me nuts. She’s like a chicken with its head cut off.
Poor Mark. He is being so gracious. Unlike Mallory.
“Do you really have your medication?”
It was really cool to see all the teams gathered at the mat applauding Mark.
StG
I was surprised at 1st and 2nd. The editing led me to believe they were running for 3rd and 4th. Anyone else get fooled?
There was a surprising gulf of privilege between Mark and Mallory that I hadn’t realized before. First of all, it was Mallory’s fault that the bag was left. She was carrying it because Mark had the car. The only way she stops being responsible for that bag is if she verbally tags Mark to take it again, and she didn’t.
Second, the whole issue of not having clothes for the next month, basically, if they left it. That doesn’t mean much to a woman who’s been brought up middle class (at least), and neither does leaving the backpack itself (as Mark said, it wasn’t even HIS). It must be a lot easier to just throw away possessions when you can replace them at leisure with no huge amount of effort. Mark seemed pretty aware of the differences (“Mallory’s up here and I’m down here”) while Mallory was just oblivious.
I’ve often said that my favorite reality show stars rarely survive a second season with my goodwill toward them intact, and Mallory really did a lot tonight to make sure that rule hasn’t been broken yet.
I felt like that post-elimination interview was very awkward. Their body language and facial expressions completely contradicted the words coming out of their mouths.
As much as the blonde’s annoyed me, that was actually a good use of the extra express pass. You had a good idea you won’t lose, it gets it out of the way early and the team you’re giving it to will probably fail at some other point anyway.
I wonder what was the primary reason for Mark and Mallory elimination?
The time it took to retrieve the backpack?
or their inability to the hackysack detour?
They were ahead of at least two teams when they got to the featherball challenge. Mallory was awful at it.
NOONE did the cupping? Maybe the description made it sound harder/grosser than it really was…
I was also surprised by Lady YouTube regretting her helpfulness. I mean, her conclusion was correct (i.e., it’s a RAAAAAACE) but I didn’t think the few minutes she took were game changing. Not this time, anyway.
Every season there’s a few of those - the option that no one chooses that seems so straightforward (there’s no skill, there’s no opportunity to make a mistake and you get to lie down and rest while it’s happening. Where’s the downside?)
The cowboys made a good decision for them (they’ve never done the alliance thing. This got rid of the express pass quickly. The blondes are not long for this game), but the blondes were pathetic. I know there are women like that - but shouldn’t that be a thing you try to hide on national tv?
I can’t imagine Mallory racing without makeup, much less without her backpack. Even without the class differences, it was easy for her to say that a bag wasn’t necessary when she still had hers. With them, it was just classless of her. Hopefully, she’ll learn. She does strike me as the kind of person who could after she’s gotten some distance and isn’t caught up in the heat of the race.
They ended up 9th in this leg, and the team that they helped ended up 8th. If Mallory and Mark had done better this race, that helpfulness would have got the Youtubers eliminated.
Giving the express pass to a team that’s going to use it immediately is probably the best possible use of it as long as you’re not in major danger of elimination yourself. It’s much more dangerous to give it to a team that’s going to save it until later on in the race. Extra points for giving it to a team that’s probably not a major contender to win the Race.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Natalie & Nadiya (already eliminated)
[del]Bopper[/del] Mallory & Mark (down from “Stopping”) - I said before that I thought Mallory & Mark’s non-existent relationship would wind up hurting them, and I think that’s indeed what happened. The whole backpack issue was because each thought the other had taken it, and neither one checked. One could make a case that that was squarely on Mallory, because she was the last one that actually carried the backpack, but in the end the bickering about what to do sunk this team as surely as the missing backpack did.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Caroline & Jennifer (down from “Stopping”) - So Caroline & Jennifer finished Season 22 with some help from eventual winners Bates & Anthony. They finished the last leg with help from eventual losers Natalie & Nadiya. And they finished this leg with some help from Jet & Cord’s Express Pass. So far, they’ve not shown a penchant for doing much of anything on their own. That’s one wasy to run a Race, but not, I think, the most effective way.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Joey & Meghan (holding steady) - Joey & Meghan will again leave in last place at the start of the next episode. They can’t keep that up for very long, and the competition is too tough.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
John & Jessica (holding steady) - So the only teams John & Jessica have beaten so far are Caroline & Jennifer (once) and Joey & Meghan (twice). That puts them near the bottom on the power rankings for this season.
Leo & Jamal (holding steady) - Again we don’t see very much from the Afghanimals in this episode, as they finish comfortably in the middle of the pack
Margie & Luke (holding steady) - Margie’s done both Roadblocks so far, and we’ll see if that’s a winning strategy or not. They have, however, come in fourth and now second, well out of contention for last place.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Flight Time & Big Easy (holding steady) - Again we don’t see very much from the Globetrotters in this episode, as they finish comfortably in the middle of the pack. (I purposefully used the same words for Flight Time & Big Easy and for Leo & Jamal: both teams have had little screen time, and have finished fifth and seventh in the last two legs).
Brendon & Rachel (up from “Rapido!”) - I’m still of the opinion that Rachel is a pretty unreliable partner, and indeed she hasn’t actually done much of anything, with Brendon doing both of the Roadblocks so far. However, she has been a pretty good teammate so far, and Brendon & Rachel have now finished first and second on the first two legs. I’ll move them up a notch this week, but I’d like to see how Rachel performs when she actually has to do a Roadblock.
Dave & Connor (holding steady) - Dave & Connor have been pretty impressive so far. I wondered what their performance would be now that they know they could win, and they’ve been doing pretty well.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Jet & Cord (holding steady) - Ouch! Rookie mistake by the cowboys: TAR Rule #11 is, “if you decide to hoof it, make sure you now exactly how far away your destination is.” They might have thought they did, but their information was at best uncertain. Still, despite dropping briefly into last place, they powered through the Roadblock and then the Detour - although they’re officially sixth, it looked like they were at worst only two minutes out of third, and only a few minutes more behind first place. Had there been only six teams, how “close” they were wouldn’t have mattered, but the point now is that a whole passel of teams, including the cowboys, will start out at the same time next week. And, don’t forget, they still have an Express Pass in their pocket. Neither do they have to worry about the other one, having already given it to the hapless Caroline & Jennifer (a decision which, I think, was strategically sound: you don’t want the pass used to your detriment, so giving to a weaker team who uses it immediately is actually a smart move.)
OUCH. I think Mallory knew full and well she forgot the backpack, but damn if she would admit it. A lot privilege revealed, too, in that whole “I have your passport, I have your meds” exchange. Yeah, people would have given Mark clothes, but that’s NOT the point. This is a guy who literally has NOTHING and harks from one of the poorest counties in your state, if not the entire country. You’re a former Miss Teen USA or other such title and your family is well off.
That said, I think she might have realized all this by the time they crossed the mat, and you know how you can’t take back something you’ve said without being awkward? That was so evident in their exit interview.
OMG, the blondes :headdesk: There’s a saying that there’s truth behind every single stereotype out there. Yes, yes there is. Just watch them.
I like the fact that Brendon and Rachael are flying under the radar. Say what you will about her, but they played a very good race the last time around and I don’t expect anything less from them. As long as she doesn’t flip out, I think they’ll be OK.
I was surprised everybody did the featherball. The cupping probably would have taken less time. I once had cupping done, and IIRC I was in and out of there within an hour. It looked like some teams were at the featherball place for more than that.
It was only the second leg, and Mallory was really expecting Mark to finish the entire race with only the clothes on his back? What would have happened when they got to one of the cold weather locations, and all he had was a T-shirt? And it’s not like she could have loaned him anything to wear either.
I loved that the kids were giving the globetrotter a hard time while he was building the car. I’m a grand master at putting together kids toys, even with foreign language instructions, but my one ironclad rule is that no kids are allowed within 15 feet of the assembly area.
I pointed out to my youngest daughter that when someone says “I’m not blaming anyone” three times, they’re blaming someone.