Fair enough, Dallas and Toni have probably locked up the title for most-successful well-adjusted parent child team. 
I’m pretty sick of both Terence and Sarah and Andrew and Dan so the fact that one of them got eliminated made for a good episode.
Going into a fast forward when you know it will be a two (or more) team dance is pretty poor decision strategy. Since you don’t really know what the task is going to involve, estimating your chances of victory over the other team at over 50% would be foolish. Since coming in last is almost guaranteed if you fail the fast forward, there is way more downside risk than upside reward, especially in tonight’s case, when either of the teams who did the fast forward could expect a much greater than 50% of beating the hapless frat boys by playing it straight.
The only way I would ever take a fast forward is if I was comfortably in the lead, or knew that no team ahead of me tried the fast forward. If several teams get to the FF box at the same time, I might take the FF if no other teams were interested, but I would automatically call it off if another team jumped.
I did think it would have been a pretty good trick if the team that gave up on the FF tonight left like they had won. I don’t know if it would have fooled the other team though.
So, Andrew and Dan will be starting off next week with no shoes, yes? I wonder if they’ll have to detour to go pick them up. I could see them departing at 4:00 in the morning, and then having to sit outside the theater to wait for them to open up, thereby putting themselves way far behind.
Andrew and Dan deserved to win for their all-around bad game-play, but I’m OK with Terrence and Sarah going home. They’re annoying as hell, and who goes on a show like this expecting to remain a vegetarian the entire time?
On a completely personal note, my wife and I are pursuing foreign adoption. The process is rather long, and we’re only part-way through, but our country of choice in Kazakhstan. I doubt we’ll be falconing or trudging through chicken poop, but an interesting episode for me on a personal level nonetheless.
Also–“Play Like Mad” or “Act Like Fools”? Who’s doing the Detour naming this season? That’s seriously sub-par.
Taxi Assessment
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Anita and Arthur - Keeping bees.
Anthony and Stephanie - Not getting married. Bummer.
Mark and Bill - Rolling 2d10 to cast a spell of Readthecluedammit.
Marisa and Brooke - Ineptly and slowly doing something.
Aja and Ty - Dating long-distance from opposite ends of Sequesterville.
Kelly and Christy - Helping Mark and Bill cast that spell.
Terence and Sarah (down from “Passing”) - You know, sometimes the Amazing editors are just a little too predictable. If it’s a race between two teams, and the show team A ahead but lost and in trouble, and team B apparently catching up, it’s a pretty sure bet that team A winds up in the lead. I knew Terence & Sarah were toast when they were shown progressing swimmingly. Anyway, quite a gamble going for the Fast Forward, and one that didn’t pay off. I understand the attraction of a FF, and you certainly don’t want to just cede it to another team. However, objectively, putting yourself in a position where you have a 50% chance of losing the leg and thence Philiminated is not a good strategy, even if the flip side ensures winning the leg. Far more risk than reward, as T_SQURE points out. Moreover, I see Nick & Starr as having an advantage over Terence & Sarah in most tasks, so that 50% chance of losing is more like 75%. Bad gamble on Terence’s part, although to his credit he manned up and took responsibility. Still, too little too late, and hopefully Sarah finds a new carnivorous running coach.
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Andrew and Dan (holding steady) - Still the worst team left, and a second-to-last finish four legs in a row. That’s an astonishing record of ineffectuality. They’re sort of falling apart as a team, and they’re incredibly lucky there’s been one team each week that makes poorer decisions than they do. I would predict Andrew & Dan will be Philiminated next week, but a) next week’s probably a non-elim, and b) they have a healthy dose of the Luck of the Stupid, so we might wind up seeing them bumble through the next few episodes until they’re unable to find the finish line in the last leg.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
No one this week.
"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
No one this week.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Toni and Dallas (up from “Rapido!”) - Toni, Toni, Toni. Lemme 'splain information-sharing strategy here. You probably shouldn’t share information when it’s going to hurt you, that’s true. But Ken & Tina were behind you, certain to stay there, and sure to figure out their mistake (not wearing the costume) in five minutes anyway. In this case you have no incentive to hide the information, and any goodwill generated by sharing, even if temporary, is pretty much free of charge. So quit second-guessing. Also, Toni, I’ve heard you’re the worst wingman in the world. Still, only one minor error this week and this team handily beats the other non-FF teams.
Ken and Tina (holding steady) - Two bad decisions this week, but quickly corrected, and they still finish ar ahead of Andrew & Dan and Terence & Sarah. When Ken & Tina are on top of there game, they can easily win, but the seem to be more prone that the other top-three teams to making minor but time-wasting errors.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Nick and Starr (holding steady) - As I said, a chancy gamble going for the FF. As I also said, I see Nick & Starr as having an advantage over Terence & Sarah in most tasks, so maybe the gamble wasn’t all that chancy. Also, this team’s fourth number one finish in a row. I do believe that’s a new record (points for naming the old record holders). Previews show Starr worried about coming in last, which means they’ll probably win again next week.
Next Week: Has to be a non-elimination leg, right?
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]
Yes, the emphasis on their shoes still being at the theater seemed very foreshadowy (Is that a word? Well, it is now!), much more so than if it were just to point out how hard it is to run with just the cow costume boots.
How the hell did Dandrew (I don’t know which one it was) beat the genetically superior Nick in a footrace to the cluebox? He strikes me as the type to start throwing elbows as soon as the gate was opened, but he’s by far not the fittest competitor. Terence? Dallas? Hello? Anyone?
The exit interview with Terence & Sarah was the first time I actually thought the T-man had some redeeming qualities. At least, it’s the first time he didn’t come off as a total douchebottle. As annoying as the ‘got it, babe? c’mon, babe. yer doin’ great, babe. babe, I’m bleeding! help me, babe" was all season, I think he’s really truly over the moon about Sarah. God bless her.
Oh- and I so want Toni & Dallas to win. They have the right attitude and are fun to watch. They’re Rocky to Nick & Starr’s Ivan Drago.
Dallas was hysterical. I think they are probably one of the most well-adjusted teams I’ve ever seen on the show.
I’ve been pretty irritated with Terrence and Sarah all season because they are just…well, irritating. But, I have to say, I was disappointed that they got eliminated. I think it may be just because I have no idea how Dan and Andrew have made it to the final four. Must be witchcraft. Certainly more plausible than the notion that they may actually be competent.
I agree–and it seems to be because, unlike EVERY other TAR parent/child team, these two seem well-adjusted. Dallas doesn’t have to “prove” anything to mom and mom doesn’t have to learn to let go (or whatever). She likes him, he likes her…it’s actually refreshing.
Rule #1 of TAR: It’s not THERAPY, goddamnit! It will NEVER make your relationship better–it’ll make problems there already worse.
With 2 teams, it’s a risky strategy - someone will probably win, and it might be you. And seeing both teams arrived at the same time, it was a “who can eat faster” contest. The real question was how long did it take before Terrence & Sarah gave up?
With 3 (or more) teams trying to finish the FF, it becomes a much less risky decision. Then, the two (or more) bottom teams will end up racing each other for the next to last position.
Dallas was great this episode. He looked like he was having a blast in the cow costume.
I believe that’s actually Rule #3, which comes after Rule #2 (“Read the fucking clue!”) and Rule #1 (“It’s a RAAAAAAACE!”).
I got to use Rule #2 in class the other day! (Of course, since I’m a teacher, I used “Read the stinking problem”.) I told the kids that it was Rule #2 of TAR. They didn’t seem too impressed about that, but finally understood what I was getting at when I told them that converting 22 hours into minutes does NOT get you .367, as so many of them put on their test. It’s always fun to work in TAR references to real life. Right? I’m not alone here, right?
Oh, and favorite moment was definitely Dallas Mooing along! I want them to win.
Dallas and Toni have been fun for quite a few episodes now. Remember how they had the kids running along with them last week? They seem to be having the most fun out of all the teams left on the race.
I’m still trying to figure Terrance out. I think of people who compete in marathons and triathlons as being tough and willing and able to put up with a great deal of hardship, but that’s not the way he comes off at all. Could the marathons etc. be some way of compensating for a strength he lacks or does he simply run marathons for the same reason I knit – because he enjoys it and has gotten relatively good at it over the years? Either way, as I told the gentleman last night, given a choice between spending the rest of my years alone and celibate or spending a month as Terrence’s girlfriend, I’ll take the years of celibacy!
I don’t get the disgusting aspect of eating meat from a sheep’s rear end. I mean, while apparently the term “rump roast” has fallen out of favor and been replaced by “bottom round roast”, but it’s still the anatomically equivalent part of a cow and I think it’s delicious. I wouldn’t recommend it to a vegetarian and I know Americans don’t each much lamb and almost no mutton, but how bad could it be? If it was that bad, I do hope Nick is straight enough to be distracted by the pretty girls dancing near him. I’m starting to like him and Starr.
I could be wrong, but I thought it was eating the fat from the rear end of the sheep. Meat? No problem. Slimy fat? Problem.
Starr certainly powered through with no problem. 
I thought I heard something while watching the show and a quick google confirmed. Awful name. Seriously.
Starr Spangler?
Does she have a banner?
I was re-watching the episode on my DVR last night and I keep noticing something that I have been trying not to comment on. Does anyone else ever feel that Starr and Nick are a little overly…affectionate(wrong word?)… for a brother/sister team?
I don’t think there’s been a brother/sister team on this show that people haven’t said that about (with the exception of Family Edition), which leads me to believe that it says more about the people talking about it than it does about the brother/sister team in question at any given time.
Think about this…how often do you typically watch brother/sister interaction over an extended period of consecutive days while traveling very long ways and doing tasks as a close-knit team? It’s not that they are inappropriately affectionate. It’s just that, in most cases, they’re probably spending more time together in close proximity with a common goal than they have in their entire lives before this. People BOND in cases like that. It’s not that they’re creepily affectionate, it’s just that they will have more in common with each other, with a common goal, than they will with pretty much anyone else they’re sharing a screen with.
No.
There have been brother/sister teams that have displayed some weird family dynamics. But the thing that seems most off about Starr & Nick are their attempts to be “devious” at the wrong time, at the wrong place, to the wrong people, and for the wrong reasons.
I said the same thing after the second or third episode and apparently I also thought it about Azaria and Hendekea from a few seasons back. There must be something wrong with me.
And there’s jayjay with confirmation there’s something wrong with me. 
But I’m sorry, I’m not close at all to my sister and while I think we’d be pretty formidible on the race (I’m pretty smart and she is super athletic), the word baby would never come out of my mouth when addressing my sister. No matter how much close proximinity we’re in.