The Amazing Race 11/26 - "We Just Won't Die, Like Roaches."

Cafe Society
21

The Yield wouldn’t have worked outside the gate. The rules say that when the yielded team arrives at the Yield, they have to turn the hourglass, which to me means that it has to happen immediately. I don’t think you can yield someone at 3AM to have them wait for the sand at 8AM. If the BQs had arrived to find themselves yielded, what good was yielding them for fifteen or twenty or thirty minutes going to do when nobody could do anything for probably at least 5 hours?

That said, it was a really stupid place to put a Yield.

22

The producers could certainly have modified the Yield to require that it start at the time the gates open. “If the venue is closed, the Yielded team must wait until it opens before turning the hourglass.” Easy.

23

True. Or they could have just put it on a leg that didn’t have constrained operating hours.

I was surprised the antique shop was open. Are casbah shops open very late?

24

Or a leg that wasn’t an NEL like usual.

25

Another question I’m wondering about…how did the BQs get on the plane before everyone else, and apparently without any of the other teams seeing them get on? I don’t see any reason they’d get to pre-board.

26

Nope. I really wanted them to go there - just to see the looks on their faces if they didn’t discover that until they’d arrived.

I dislike all of the teams. Right now I’m interested in seeing who will win, just to see who will win. But I don’t actually want any of them to.

I didn’t like the yield right after a bunch. I want a bit more distance so it isn’t a plain footrace, but something else that might determine the yield.

27

Maybe like the *lyns got a bunch of Dave and Mary’s clothes the BQs snagged one of Sarah’s spare feet.

28

I was convinced I’d misheard it until they realized the mistake. Your way would have been more fun. What would they even think the challenge would be in simply heaving (throwing) two already made pottery vases and why would it require a workstation? Wow. (or looking back through the thread, what Wolfian said!)

jayjay, I think they just went straight to the plane because they had landed so late, unlike the other teams who had time to sit around the airport and pray that the BQs didn’t show up. They might not have gone to any of the common areas. I was also surprised that the antique shop was open and thought that would be where the bottleneck would be. Of course, given where the yield was, maybe that was the plan but the shop owner got excited about being on TV or something and stayed open? The streets looked pretty much deserted and it would have been around midnight. I cannot imagine that they would have normally been open that late. The footrace to the yield was a bit anti-climatic.

I was shocked that the BQs made so many mistakes, highly unlike them. Grudgingly, I have to say that the Bama moms picking up a map at the airport was a smart move and probably is what kept them in the hunt. I do want them to go home next week. They deserve it. Rob and Kim, the BQs and the model boys deserve the final three. They would be arguably the best final three that TAR has ever had.

Mama Tiger, I think the smiles are a combination of pageant training and the fact that the barbies are having a GREAT time. They are optimistic and competitive. They enjoy the race, the competition and the experience. They are in it to win, but not because of the prize…they just want to WIN. It’s a great attitude, regardless of how the other teams view it.

Finally, Otto, I’m also excited to see what prompts next week’s tomato assault as well as why the Bama girls are fighting. Sadly, the Bama girl incident was probably blown out of proportion on the previews.

29

I think the arrival numbers for the Yield should have been outside the gate, without doubt. That Yield didn’t do a whole lot of good, there wasn’t much point to it.

I just can’t wait for the tomatoes. I don’t care what the circumstances may be–that’s funny.

At this point, I think I might have to say I’m rooting for the Brokebacks. Bama isn’t worth wasting time on, Rob & Kim are annoying, and while I don’t think the BQs are nearly as bad as they’re being made out to be, they have been smug enough (whether it’s actual smug or beauty-pageant smug) to annoy me.

30

There was a certain Weaver-ness to the Bamas last night. You know they would have Yielded the BQs without a second thought (and been very smug about it), but when they were the ones Yielded, they were irate.
If the BQs had been Yielded, they probably would have been pissed, but would have taken it in stride.

And I’m with Ginger on their physical shape. I don’t think they were moseying. I think they just can’t run.

31

Otto chastizes ElvisL1ves for mentioning something happening in an unaired leg, then mentions something happening in an unaired leg? I don’t care (I watch the next-times), I’m just confused on the rules for these threads.

The Alabama Moms are just plain obnoxious. They remind me of a dude I saw in a Gamestop last week. He was talking to someone (most likely his wife) about the differences between a couple systems when he said something that she thought was addressed to someone else. He halted the conversation and said, “Listen, when I’m talking to someone on the phone I don’t talk to anyone else at the same time. That’s rude. OK?” He said it with the most condescending tone I had ever heard, and probably made his wife feel like crap when he could have just moved on.

The Moms are the same way, patting themselves on the back with apparently no trace of self awareness about how they’re actually acting. I’m sure they enjoyed watching Karlyn flipping off Kandace and Dustin with their kids last night. I’m glad Lyn shut her down.

Can’t wait for next week. Go beauty queens!

32

Was it just me or did the clue guy in the antique shop actually Phil?

33

I thought the same thing!

34

Previews are fair game. The previews (and indeed the credits sequence) showed the chariot race, so mentioning the chariot race is fine. Mentioning that the chariot race took place in Morocco, information that had not yet been revealed on-screen, is not OK.

Team Ugly Americans getting pelted by tomatoes has been shown on-screen, so it’s OK. Saying where they get pelted by tomatoes (even though I think we can all probably guess) would not be OK.

There’s no special rules for these threads, just the same rules that apply everywhere regarding spoilers.

35

I think it’s unlikely that the tomato-pelting is part of the task – but we can all hope, right? Seeing reality show contestants come under juicy-vegetable fire is just plain funny. Especially beauty queens. Plus, we get to see Kimberly storm off a task for a change.

After further review, I yield to Ginger and BiblioCat that Alabama doesn’t have the physical ability to run. I consider sprinting to be just as necessary in TAR as the spirit to “Never give up, never surrender.” (tm GalaxyQuest)

36

We didn’t get more tanks this week, but chariot racing is a close second. And how did the teams do? Time for the…

Taxi Assessment

Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Bilal & Sa’eed and Vipul & Arti and Kellie & Jamie and Duke & Lauren and Tom & Terry and Peter & Sarah and David & Mary and Erwin & Godwin - Having amusing conversations in Sequesterville.

Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
No one this week.

Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Lyn & Karlyn - (holding steady) - Lyn & Karlyn looked pretty good this week, better than I had expected–it looks like Erwin & Godwin weren’t the only ones hurt by their ill-conceived alliance. Their navigation, particularly at the beginning of the episode, looked sharp. However, they’re still at a disadvantage in a footrace (witness the fact that they got Yielded because they could beat nobody to the Yield marker), and I think they’re the weakest of the remaining teams.
Dustin & Kandice - (down from “Cruisin’”) - A freefall this week for Dustin & Kandice because of one little mistake (although booking a tight connection in Milan wasn’t all that smart either, it didn’t hurt them). I still think they’re strong racers, but beating the last-place team by a half-hour at this stage of the race is a tall order. They can’t be just good–they need to be both good and lucky. If they’re not eliminated next week, they bounce back up in the rankings, but right now it’s not looking good.

"Rapido! Por Favor?" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Rob & Kimberly - (holding steady) - Car trouble again? How is that possible? I swear to God, someone must be sabotaging Rob & Kimberly’s transportation. Rob & Kimberly (and Tyler & James) look certain to make the final three, but Rob & Kimberly have (almost) never really looked like winners. I predict a second-place for this team.

In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Tyler & James - (holding steady) - In the not-unlikely event that Dustin & Kandice get eliminated next week, Tyler & James look like the team to beat. They seem to be unduly willing to follow other teams (witness the three-team caravan asking for directions to the antique shop), and navigation might be their downfall yet, but they rock the tasks and aren’t horribly stupid.

Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
No one this week.

Next week: Last episode before the finale! Plus… tomato fight!

[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]

37

Regarding the Moseying BamaMoms: If I were up against the ModelBoys in a footrace, they would definitely win, but I still wouldn’t give up and walk - I’d continue running, because your ending time is important, too. It determines when you leave the next day. Those few minutes could mean a lot when you get to the airport or train station (or wherever) and get that last pair of tickets to Katmandu or Machu Pichu.

38

I’m assuming that (speculation about upcoming leg) the task is going to involve the annual tomato fight in Bunol, Spain, Spain being very near Morocco. Per the Wikipedia article the filming dates didn’t coincide with the annual festival dates but the producers could certainly have arranged to recreate it.

Link related to prior speculation, don’t moiseover if you want to avoid possible spoilage!

39

Are you saying he actually was Phil, or are you using the verb “to Phil” in a sense I’ve never heard?

I totally agree. I don’t particularly like Lyn & Karlyn, but to essentially have nothing to show for arriving in first seems unfair.

What I’d like to see at all these artificial bunching points is some maintainence of the order of arrival. Grab numbers when you arrive, and when the place opens in the morning, the teams are allowed in at five-minute intervals (or thirty-second, or even five-second intervals). The bunching element is essentially preserved, but there’s some reward for arriving first, even if it’s only a five second head start to get to the Yield.

That tells me the teams are getting too much money for each leg. Cut down on the cash payout, or take money away from the teams at the beginning of some legs.

40

Sorry for the pre-coffee post typo: The “did” should have been “was”.

Was it just me or *was * the clue guy in the antique shop actually Phil?