The Amazing Race: 1/4/05

[Fenris]

@Fiver

I still don’t understand the Fast Forwards.

1. Phil said it allowed the team to “skip all tasks and proceed directly to the Pit Stop,” but Lori and Bolo didn’t skip all tasks; they had an alternate task (pig’s blood versus the polo/paddle option).

That green envelope isn’t the Fast Forward, it’s the clue that will take them to the task where they can earn the Fast Forward.

2. It seemed like only Lori and Bolo got a Fast Forward, but every team got the green card in their envelope. What was the point of that? How would the second and deeper teams know someone had already done the Fast Forward?

You don’t–or didn’t…that used to be part of the fun. In older races, it was part of the challenge to decide if it was a worthwhile risk to try for the Fast Forward knowing that another team might have already started the task…now, with only two in the race, everyone knows that the first team to get the Fast Forward clue will use it (if only to use it up so no-one else can) so nowdays, only one team ever tries. Given that the railroad thingie put a gap of, say, 10 minutes between each team, no-one else was willing to try for the Fast Forward knowing that Lori and Bolo had gotten a 10 minute head start on them.

3. There were enough glasses of pig’s blood for every racer to drink. Why, if only one team got to do the Fast Forward?

In the older races, we saw multiple teams try the Fast Forward clue, each thinking that they’d be able to do the Fast Forward task fastest (and no-one knew who’d take the Fast Forward)–you’d concievably have three teams there, in a race to see who could drink the stuff the fastest. A really good way to get screwed was to try for the Fast Forward only to have another team beat you. If that happened, you’d have to go back to the regular task and complete it, but you’d have lost all that time. FFs used to have a real element of risk to them.

[PastAllReason]

Also, keep in mind that Lori/Bolo only had to do one task to earn the Fast Forward where the teams that went the ordinary route had to do two: the water polo/paddling and the soup eating.

In the past the Fast Forwards have been interesting as Fenris said, because of their riskiness. I remember one season, it may have been the first, where two teams were racing simultaneously to complete a fast forward task. I don’t remember the details, unfortunately, but it was a really fast paced task, and the team that lost, barely, had to go back and carry on with the other tasks at a significant time disadvantage.

And then, of course, there was last season when the two models, Brandon/Nicole, refused to complete the Fast Forward task that would have required them to shave their heads.

[detop]

@rockle

Poor Shirtless Gus®. He’d have rocked at the water polo, and now we’ll never be able to get the Water Polo Accessory Set with Speedo®.

You don’t understand. He was under orders not to use his shirtless powers on this episode. Otherwise, do you think that before pumping and paddling, he wouldn’t have removed his shirt, say the magic sentence (“Shirtless powers, activate !”) and blow (literally) all the opposition out of the water ?

[Tangent]

@watsonwil

By my reading, she was being a little bit dirty!

That’s how we read it, too. In fact, we rewound it and watched her deliver that line a couple of more times! (and then I had to ‘excuse’ myself for a few minutes) :eek:

[Briny_Deep]

Funiculi, funiculi, funiculAAARRRRRR!!!

It hurt my ears to hear Aaron say “Dan-oob” almost as much as his non-singing cab ride last episode. These models are so horribly uncultured, it’s embarrassing.

What’s up with that accent Kendra has? It’s almost a Park Avenue Lockjaw.

Sorry to see Gus&Hera go. I like Gus a lot, and I’m practically in love with Hera – a beautiful, wonderful person. But this race is to the swift, mostly. I suspect Gus did less pre-race training than the elderly Don and MJ did, and I have limited sympathy for someone who can’t run at all on this show.

At this point I’m not going to be satisfied if Jonathan is eliminated in the normal way, by being last on an elimination leg. I want him to be forcibly ejected for assholism. “Jonathan and Victoria, you’re the first team to arrive. Victoria, I’m happy to tell you you’ll continue the race with the previously eliminated contestant of your choice. Jonathan, I’m ecstatic to tell you you’re eliminated for being a dick, and your passport has been voided.”

[KGS]

@Fenris

Gus and Hera were doomed from the minute they chose the boat (again, bullshit editing–the editor showed them finishing the boat-ride before they showed Freddy and Kendra starting their water-polo match and the rest of the episode doesn’t line up if that’s the case)

I agree with you, and in fact I’m pissed off about it. I thought something had gone wrong with Freddy & Kendra’s cab, but when they beat G&H to the roadblock I knew I’d been had. :mad: Still, Gus was an idiot to choose the boat paddling and deprive us all of his manboobs!

Jonathan’s yelling at little old Hungarian ladies now? What a class act.

That spicy soup looked mighty tasty. At least, until the puking started. I still can’t BELIEVE Freddy had to eat his own puke… :eek:

Railway Museum = Most. Predictable. Hours-of-Operation. Ever. I’m glad Lori & Bolo are still in it, but it’s kind of a waste since they’re almost certain to lose in the next two episodes. (Not as big a waste as Don & MJ’s NEL, though.) I really miss the old Fast Forwards on every leg; hopefully the show’s improved ratings will inspire CBS to pony up more budget money so they can bring them back!

[Ms_Macphisto]

@watsonwil

By my reading, she was being a little bit dirty!

Plus, didn’t she say something along the lines of “I wanna go again!” as they got off the train?

Those revolting eating tasks have got to go. I was starting to feel rather unwell myself just watching that. Of course, *'s behaviour there and elsewhere didn’t help (“That’s why women don’t rule the world”? There aren’t enough :wally es to cover that)

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be off mourning the loss of Gus and Hera.

[Smeghead]

Grr! I set the timer on my VCR before I left, then forgot to turn it on, dammit! Curse me!

[Dahnlor]

A “hear hear” and a “there there” to what’s been said already. I’m disappointed to see Gus & Hera go, and the editing gave a lot of false hope of a possibility that they might somehow sneak ahead of Freddy & Kendra. I should have known since

(a) They took the obviously much slower detour choice. When they were shown not to be in last place after that, I said “Huh?”

(b) By the time they got to the restaurant, it looked like the place had all been mopped up and sterilized from the carnage that had transpired there earlier. Seeing then getting the funicular as F&K were running up the long flight of steps got another “Huh?” out of me.

Then there was the non-drama earlier when * and Victoria were racing to the pit stop against Kris & John for second place. The “I don’t want you crying on the mat again” comment was rather colorful.

I did like Adam’s exchange with the cab driver.

Adam: Do you know where the “funkuler” is?
Driver: We don’t have any of those here.

Then Adam one-upped himself with the “two person bicycle” line.

Oh, and then there was the drama of Lori & Bolo being supposedly lost on their way to the Fast Forward after the Mother Of All Bunchings. At least that wasn’t dragged out too long. It’s nice to see these two won themselves a vacation before getting the boot.
D

[annieclaus]

@Fenris

And I’m getting sick of the “Fear Factor” elements that Amazing Race has picked up–the barfing was just gross and it wasn’t necessary to show the close-ups of Victoria’s barf-bucket or Freddy’s (?) barfed-in food. The show used to be so much better before the “binge-and-purge” contests and the deliberate selection of assholes-as-entertainment value. I miss the class that the first four or five (the one with the circus clowns was the last great one) seasons had.

I’m really not enjoying this season.

Frustrated Fenris

Boy, I’m with you here. Waaaaayyyyyy too much vomiting on last night’s show! Vomiting is one of my least favorite human activities and I really don’t like to have it portrayed on television. It’s just NOT entertaining.

And now that Gus and Hera are gone, there’s only one team to root for IMHO: Kris and Jon (or is it John?)! I want to adopt them. But the preview shot of Hellboy in the inflated deep sea diving suit was pretty funny. (Do we think they go to Greece to go sponge harvesting?)

[annieclaus]

@detop

You don’t understand. He was under orders not to use his shirtless powers on this episode. Otherwise, do you think that before pumping and paddling, he wouldn’t have removed his shirt, say the magic sentence (“Shirtless powers, activate !”) and blow (literally) all the opposition out of the water ?

The concept of Gus in a Speedo is even more nauseating than the soup vomiting contest!

[rockle]

@jayjay

Did you notice how he “distracted” the goalie? Kind of a twinkly wave…I expected him to yell “Yoo-hoo!” If that boy’s straight, I’m the father of twenty children.

You and me both, sweetheart. And that would really be something, since I was a woman last time I checked.

@whiterabbit

I’d have to go back to check, but when somebody was reading the instructions for the soup, they specifically mentioned that you had to use the spoon. To up the pain factor, I assume.

(Also watsonwil) Huh. I must have missed that part. I was too busy trying to guess what the special Hungarian blend of herbs and spices was. Hot paprika, I imagine, but what else? Anyway … did they say that the Racers were only allowed to have water to drink? Because I like to eat my spicy Indian and Thai food with milk because it helps cut the heat (hot pepper oil is fat but not water soluble or something). Just wondering.

@detop

You don’t understand. [Gus] was under orders not to use his shirtless powers on this episode.

That explains a lot. I suspect most mere mortals cannot comprehend the awesome powers that Shirtless Gus® possesses.

[middleman]

The funny thing about last night was that if Gus had gotten to the resteraunt (where the chef has no doubt hung himself by his own belt), he’d have been a force to reckon with. You don’t want to get in an eating contest with Shirtless Gus!

And though I’ve hated Kendra from the start, was there a prettier image than her slinking out of the pool?

If the wife hadn’t have been there, I’d have rewinded THAT!

[Fiver]

@watsonwil

The funny thing about last night was that if Gus had gotten to the resteraunt (where the chef has no doubt hung himself by his own belt), he’d have been a force to reckon with. You don’t want to get in an eating contest with Shirtless Gus!

He did get to the restaurant!

And yes, that soup did look mighty tasty, although I’m not sure I’d want 24 ounces of it.

I noticed that after * bitched at and belittled Victoria throughout the soup-eating, he seemed so spend almost as long afterwards apologizing to her. That’s a typical pattern for abusers, isn’t it?

And though I’ve hated Kendra from the start, was there a prettier image than her slinking out of the pool?

Yes: Kris slinking out of the pool.

I thought for sure we’d have another Non-Elimination Leg last night, and thus Gus & Hera would be spared. Clearly I’m not as familiar with this game as the rest of you. How widely-spaced are the NELs generally?

[The_Big_Cheese]

according to the website Hera got hit on the head too. Didn’t hear any whining from her. That dude sure had a bad day, hit on the head, goes ballistic, vomits and then eats it. Finishing last would have been insult to inuries. I wouldn’t have minded.

Gus is just too slow, you knew they were gonna get eliminated eventually. You need to rush every now and then and Gus just couldn’t keep up. Rowing across the Danoob didn’t help any.

Screaming at someone to eat faster is so annoying. Jonathan did that, and…that control-freak woman with the black hair was doing that too(not Kendra). It doesn’t help, why can’t they see that?

[KGS]

@Fiver

How widely-spaced are the NELs generally?

It’s different every Race, but once they appear, they happen every other leg (with the occasional back-to-back NEL to keep you on your toes.) This double leg took the place of one of the NEL’s, apparently.

[Barbarian]

Phil did say that MJ and Don encountered the 1st of three non-elimination legs. (He said ‘several’ the first day, when he explained the rules.)

That means two left over the next 5 eps. I think next week and week 11.

Note to Kendra: when your boyfriend’s eating, do NOT point out other people’s puke! But I did think the whole puke-the-soup episode was a riot (especially Rebecca heaving into the bush’s outside) reminiscent of the famous scene from Stand By Me. Juvenile, but funny.

That being said, I loved the mad rush to the numbered tags, teams getting scraps of paper that didn’t even hold numbers, and knocking over the post it was on. Them people are fierce! Except * never realizes when it’s necessary to be competitive, and when it’s useless…
As for the FF according to the CBS website, the next FF is next week.

[zut]

Finally a Pit Stop! It’s time for another proper

Taxi Assessment

Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Avi/Joe - Back to New York with you!
Meredith/Maria - Back to New York! Also!
Lena/Kristy - Back to Utah!
Don/MJ - Back to Stanford!
Gus/Hera (downgraded from We’ll Get There…) - Back to the North Pole! (Ah, just kidding.) This team has been yoyoing all season, running good legs, then not-so-good legs. With fewer and fewer teams left, they just couldn’t afford a not-so-good leg and the consequent yoyo into the bottom spot. Unfortunately, that’s what they did. Gus and Hera have got some smarts, but Gus’s general propensity to mosey (and Hera’s bad luck) dropped them to last at the railyard, and the wrong Detour choice (again!) sealed the deal. Ah, maybe Gus just didn’t want to wear a Speedo. Anyway, here’s hoping Gus takes Hera along on his next flight to the pole. Lift a beer while you’re there.

Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Empty this week, but ready to accept the next team to fall from grace.

Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Lori/Bolo (upgraded from Flat Tire) - But likely upgraded only for a short time, and only because they’re starting next ep in first. Lori, Bolo? You got lucky. Lucky, lucky,lucky. You were dead last, by a long shot, last ep… and it turns out to be, essentially, a non-elimination leg, only without the monetary penalty. You got a big bunching boost, then you won the wrestling contest for the number one slot at the railyard – and then got a fast-forward where you could go directly to the Pit Stop (and hopefully take a nap). Lord knows I loves me my meathead team, but both Lori and Bolo look like they’re hurting for lack of sleep, and that, combined with this team’s history of navigation/decision-making problems, spells trouble ahead. If there’s a major bunch next episode, like there nearly always is… look out.
Freddy/Kendra (downgraded from We’ll Get There…) - After staying in front for the entire last episode, this team fades badly in this episode. Sure, their down-spiral was precipitated by Freddy getting conked on the noggin, and woozily managing a near-last place at the railyard. But now Freddy’s starting to crack (and when Jonathon advises you to calm down? You’ve cracked pretty good.), and Kendra’s a bit high strung to be the sane one on the team. Yes, Freddy repented later, but what’s in store next episode?

We’ll Get There When We’re There - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Adam/Rebecca (holding steady) - Unspectacular, but hardly doing poorly. They actually seem to be having more fun racing than during the lulls in between tasks. This team may not quite be able to make it into the final three, but, surprisingly, they’re probably the best dark horse candidate. Who’d’a thunk?

In the Passing Lane - or, not too bad, just not top-speed.
Hayden/Aaron (upgraded from We’ll Get There…) - Despite the drop last week, this team had a solid, but not spectacular run this week. They’re upgraded, though, because they seem to be holding together better than any team other than Kris and Jon. In the latter half of the race, where fatigue is a factor, simply holding on and letting other teams self-destruct could be a viable strategy.
Johnathon/Victoria (holding steady) - And speaking of self-destruct, why doesn’t this team do that? Good Lord, screamin’ and cryin’ and abusin’ and generally carryin’ on… how does this team consistently wind up in the upper half of the finishers? Ack. I almost wonder if this team will go out in a spectacular, auto-ignited blaze of pure spite…but then, purely by the numbers, they’re doing pretty well so far. They’re looking pretty good for the final three (although, to speculate, the other teams seem to dislike Johnathon, and with a Yield coming up soon…)

Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Kris/Jon (upgraded from In the Passing Lane) - I don’t think Kris and Jon are quite the Racing monsters that, say, Colin was last season, but they have an important advantage: every single other team is showing signs of fatigue, but this one isn’t. They seem to be, for the most part, quietly making good racing decisions, so of all the teams, they’re best exemplifying the show’s “outwit, outlast, outrace” motto. Or is that some other show’s motto?
Special Guest Appearance: The Hungarian Greeter Guy - WELCOME TO BUDAPEST!..HUNGARY!! How awesome was that? I wouldn’t mind if they just took that guy along for the rest of the legs. WELCOME TO ANGOR WAT!..CAMBODIA!! WELCOME TO QUEENSLAND!..AUSTRALIA!! WELCOME TO CHICAGO!..ILLINOIS!!

[sub]Kudos to Mullinator for the original “Raj Rating” format.[/sub]

[DeVena]

I would just like to take a moment to praise Rebecca and Lori. Rebecca eating the spicy soup as fast as possible - Pain? What pain? - Only pausing to barf in the bushes while waiting on a cab. And Lori: Ewww Nasty It’s blood! Oh we drink it? <<chug>> Ewww, let’s go.

Now that’s the way to do it. I don’t like the Fear Factor elements but if you have them, do them as quickly as possible.

[Just_Some_Guy]

From Tivo’ing the incident and reaction afterward my impression is Bolo pulled the gate back down. He holds back as everyone shoots forward and grabs at the gate. Afterward he’s giggling about it to Lori and all but outright says that he did it. All in all the behavior at the train museum was not a good show and I expected to see some time penalties from it.

L&B got extremely lucky, from the timing it appears that they arrived at the netcafe just before it closed.

As for Gus and Hera, good people but not very good racers. This leg had too much bunching for a slow team to be able to pace itself like they do and no one made a major mistake.

I get the impression that the to be continued and double leg may have been due to a pitstop location falling through or a problem with a leg coming up requiring a massive Hungary leg.