I have “My Ox Is Broken,” and I’d just re-read it before this season started, so it was off the top of my head, but my head was pre-prepped with the information. 
Jayjay,
That it’s production stuff, I understand. I am guilty of having dabbled in production accounting with a previous employer, so maybe it interests me more than others.
But, I think that the viewing public, or at least me, really needs to understand what the teams are facing. Having two boat anchors to drag changes a lot. If you have two racers with the stamina to run 200 miles it seems unfair to saddle them with idiot children that need to be fed and coddled along. It would be my luck to get the 90 year old sound man trying to smuggle dope into Turkey.
It would make a fascinating documentary, though.
Semi-related…a few weeks ago, they showed Az waiting petulantly while his sister ran into a bathroom in Burkina Faso. I think it was the first time in all 12 seasons of TAR that they’ve shown any racer doing a non-race-related task.
Chip & Kim spent the evening having dinner with that family in Africa. That was entirely outside the race, I think.
Team Cha-cha-cha went shopping. I think they were waiting for some venue to open.
I hope somebody can explain this to me. In the previous episode, all teams arrived in Vilnius between 1:30 and 2:30 PM. It looked like it took a few hours to finish the tasks and the teams finished just before and after sundown. In the beginning of this episode, the voiceover states that since the first team arrived at slightly after 1 PM, they would be leaving at slightly after 1 AM. Did the tasks in Vilnius take almost 24 hours or did the teams do them in negative time? I just thought it was interesting because when they mess with the starting times (ie 24 hour rest period vs 12 hour rest period) they don’t usually mention the arrival time.
Also, they clearly didn’t mention the airplane arrival times. It looks like the first three teams may have been very very far ahead.
Finally, have I mentioned that I love Vyxsyn? She is the anti-Jen (either one). I love her response to Ronald’s latest airline rant “I have a dad too.”
I really like her too. I started out the season fully expecting to dislike Team Goth, but they were so not what I expected. One of the websites, might be TARFlies, is calling them Team Hello Kitty, which made me laugh. Anyway, it’s funny that you call her the anti-Jen, since apparently her real name is…Jennifer.
Team Guido relaxed with a refreshing iced tea in season 1 and almost got themselves Philiminated for it.
I referenced that in my explanation of the Fast Forward. Still the boneheadedest thing any team has ever done, I think.
I agree. Team Goth was on my shit list at the start of the season because of all their “we’re so unique” and “oh my goth!” talk. But I’ve warmed up to them a little bit. Well, I’ve warmed up to Vixen. I still think Kent is one step away from a complete meltdown (which may happen in two weeks).
Ah, yes. If only Nancy and Emily hadn’t given up on the Detour.
Back to the flying business class discussion, apparently it’s also a rule that if a team is offered an upgrade to business class, their production guys get first dibs on those seats. So if there’s only two business class seats open, then the racers still get stuck back in coach. Which makes sense, in a way; the camera and sound guys are running the same race as everyone else, only carrying twice as much weight and, much of the time, running backwards!
And while mostly the camera and sound guys come in for nothing but praise from racers, apparently Chris and Amanda from TAR4, I think it is, are still suggesting that their elimination was in great part due to their crew insisting on taking a leisurely meal break for Chinese food (which the racers, not wanting to spare the money, had to sit there and watch them eat, causing great resentment), delaying their getting in line at the mask roadblock and thus causing them to be nearly the last to get into the roadblock. (Although Chris’s lousy performance at that roadblock is actually probably the cause…but it is an interesting look at team/production crew interaction.)
So Vixen’s real name is Jennifer? Anybody know what Kent’s is?
Sorry, can’t help with that one. It wasn’t mentioned on the website where I read about Vixen’s real name.
On to some further news, EW online is reporting that CBS has picked up TAR for a 13th season. Good news indeed!
Seriously. I can think of at least two times where it has been mentioned that the camera crew ran down the battery on the racers’ car. I believe (someone else who remember help me out) that Phil said that the racers get no time credit for “this unfortunate situation.”
Wasn’t there a couple that spent a few hours at the beach one season? They had time to kill before the next spot opened so they just decided to enjoy it.
IIRC it was the Pinks (spelling unknown, pronunciation something like Wiz NOO skee) from the Family Edition both times.
Godlewskis, and I think they had it happen once, and the Linzes once.
I believe that was Kris and Jon from season 6.
About the meal thing. There must be rules that state that all teams and their crew take a pre-determined amount of time for each eating period, to keep the playing field level, right?
You are correct, and in reviewing the TWoP recaps to confirm we can add the Weevils to the teams who stopped in the middle of things, for ice cream, in Utah when they tragically were not Philiminated for the second NEL.