Placeholder!
Double U-Turn!
Something about stuffing sausages, I think? There’s a photo on the CBS site of somebody holding up a long wide strand of some kind of intestine…hey, maybe they’re going to make haggis? After all, they’ll be in Scotland!
Yes, haggises, or is it haggi ? 
The clue should read: “Who has the guts on your team?”
I really don’t want to spoil anything, but…you know…double U-turn…what is the point of them, really?
Did the clue ever say they were making haggis, or did they just figure it out? I kept hearing them mention Scottish pudding.
Mona and Beth seem to be having en easier time with the barrels than Bates and Anthony did.
Phil said haggis in his introduction to the task. One of the teams, I think, referred to it as pudding…?
They called it Tasty Pudding in several places, but Phil, as well as the character called it haggis.
I don’t entirely agree with their translation of the Burns; “great chieftain of the sausage race”? Pudding race. Pudding!
And I’m developing a slight crush on Beth. Not sure why it took so long.
We were wondering if Bates & Anthony were going to get a penalty for carrying their barrels. I wasn’t sure if the clue had actually said to roll them or not. If it did, there SHOULD have been a penalty. Not that it would have made a difference, considering the time gap between the first three and the last two teams.
“The character” was Robert Burns, reciting his “Ode to a Haggis” poem.
Me either! They’re both pretty awesome. I was glad the pressure of trying to beat the last team in the dark didn’t result in their elimination.
I also wondered if Bates and Anthony would get a penalty for carrying. Considering the cheese task penalty for Chuck and Wynona, I was surprised that they didn’t.
I thought the look on Max’s face when the other teams boarded the plane was priceless.
Count me as another who thought Bates and Anthony were in for a penalty for carrying the barrels. I’m a little bummed to see Joey and Megan go, just because they seemed to be having such fun and seemed to appreciate where they were each step of the way.
My cable systems’ program guide didn’t have the title in the description this week, but when I heard the hockey players say “We’re working our barrels off”, I figured that had to be the title.
This is what I can’t stand about double U-turns: For the last couple of seasons the teams being u-turned are almost always the ones who have been consistently lagging behind. What’s the use? The point of a U-turn is to use it on your biggest competition to limit any advantage they may have over you! Alliances are fine, but c’mon, people, it’s a freaking RACE, not a hand-holding let’s-sing-kumbaya!
Because for some reason, the teams that are in the lead want to be magnanimous, and show how wonderful they are by not u-turning anyone, so that leaves the last couple of teams to do the u-turning of whoever’s behind them.
I disagree. The point of a u turn (if I’m using it) is to make sure that I don’t lose the leg. Which means I am going to kick the person farthest back even farther to help ensure that no matter how much I might screw up on the leg I’ll have the maximum amount of time to recover.
If I u turn the next team behind me and then pull a major boner on the next task I’ve accomplished nothing. And even if I don’t, there’s a pretty good chance that team still won’t be eliminated and then we’ll all just get bunched on the next leg.
Unless everybody is tightly bunched I don’t see any reason to not use it on the team in last place.
Exactly. The most logical use of the U-Turn is to make what might turn out to be a five-second loss into a twenty-minute lead.
Taxi Assessment:
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Matthew & Daniel and Idries & Jamil and John & Jessica and David & Connor and Pam & Winnie and Chuck & Wynona (already eliminated)
Joey & Meghan (down from “Rapido!”) - Like Joey, I didn’t expect this team to last quite as long as they did, and their ouster here was more about being out-thought by some otherteams than by under-performance on their part. Which I suppose is nearly the same thing, in a race, but the point is that for a relatively inexperienced team, Joey & Meghan didn’t make too many mistakes. This episode, they were obviously in trouble when they wound up on the poorest flight, and when I saw how physical the barrel-rolling Detour was, I knew they were toast. Kudos to Joey for just dealing with Meghan’s inability to barrel-roll by co-operating, even though it meant they dropped further behind. As much as his over-the-top flair could be grating at times, he (and Meghan) were great teammates.
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.
Caroline & Jen (holding steady) - Oddly, Caroline & Jen got awfully lucky that they missed the seats on the 1:00 flight, because that was the only reason they found out about the 10:30 flight, which put them solidly in third place. Given the U-turn, the overall standings may have been the same if everyone had been on the same flight, but with Caroline’s problems at the Roadblock, they may have had some major issues.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Mona & Beth (holding steady) - Mona & Beth got lucky that a clearly weaker team shared their last-place plane. They’ll be starting the next leg far behind the other teams - it’s a good bet that they’ll be immediately bunched, but the extra work and time spent on this episode will affect them next episode. Plus, they do have a propensity to get lost. I’m sure it was exaggerated for dramatic effect this week, but they can’t afford to have direction difficulties for real next week. Still, I think they’re a notch better than Caroline & Jen, so I still think they make the final three.
Max & Katie (up from “Rapido!”) - That’s two firsts in a row, and much as I hate to agree with Max, he’s right that they’re peaking at the right time. Some smart research got them onto the best flight, a good Roadblock performance put them in front, and some strategy-making on the Detour choice pulled them ahead of Anthony & Bates.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Anthony & Bates (holding steady) - Max & Katie’s recent performance notwithstanding, Anthony & Bates still look like the best bet to win it. They’re stronger than the other teams, and arguably smarter as well. Max & Katie might give them a run for their money, but I’m predicting Anthony & Bates for the win.
Haggis is boiled, therefore it is a pudding. (I had the honor of reciting “Address to a Haggis” at our Burns Dinner this January.)