# The Amazing Race 12/14 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 14, 2004, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770 "2004-12-14T12:47:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/121 "2004-12-16T15:27:50Z")
I just watched the “Phil’s Diary” video for the episode, (it wasn’t there yesterday). He downplays the whole situations. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/122 "2004-12-16T16:16:18Z")
> [@D-bear](#): > > you don’t suppose this dickhead’s antics is what delayed the premere of this season of TAR do you? CBS trying to decide what they should and shouldn’t show after Janet Jackson and the Tittygate scandal. I see no comparison between the two. Violence has been on television for decades. Nudity has not. Agree or disagree with the furor over Tittygate, there is no way you can suggest that the events of TAR border on “obscene” as defined by the American public or the FCC. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/123 "2004-12-16T18:53:09Z")
TAR6 was originally scheduled for Saturday nights, starting in September. However, when TAR5 actually got real ratings for once, the network showed surprisingly good judgment in holding the series as a “mid-season replacement”, in order to get a better time slot. (I’m positive the failure of _Clubhouse_ was caused by TAR fans boycotting Tuesday nights and sticking pins into Jeremy Sumpter voodoo dolls…lol.) Phil’s Diary this week seemed more like he was struggling to come up with SOMETHING positive to say about Jonathan. After all, he’s a game show host…it’s his freakin’ job to stay neutral and say only nice things about all players, no matter how despicable they are. Though I wonder if that will change after J&V get eliminated – you just know we haven’t seen the worst of this team yet. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/124 "2004-12-16T19:46:54Z")
A bit of Googling done: We may be underrating [Gus](http://www.gusmcleod.com/). He seems relaxed because this really is just a game to him, and that’s probably an advantage. Someone who’d fly a Stearman, an open-cockpit biplane, to the North Pole just for the adventure of it can’t be fazed by a glitch getting an airline ticket in Sweden. He has to be a better navigator than we’ve seen in the footage so far as well, and is certainly more resourceful than we’ve been led to believe. I just may take my vote from Kris and Jon after reading that site. Other sites show he temporarily abandoned his planned circumnavigation of the globe via both the North and South Poles earlier this year due to weather in Antarctica - freeing him to join his daughter for TAR. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/125 "2004-12-16T19:50:29Z")
Oh yes, there are articles linked there that say he added 60 pounds deliberately last year for insulation for the North Pole trip. That means he isn’t just a fat schlub; he just wasn’t back down to fighting weight during the TAR6 filming. ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/126 "2004-12-16T21:49:18Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > We may be underrating [Gus](http://www.gusmcleod.com/). He seems relaxed because this really is just a game to him, and that’s probably an advantage. Someone who’d fly a Stearman, an open-cockpit biplane, to the North Pole just for the adventure of it can’t be fazed by a glitch getting an airline ticket in Sweden. He has to be a better navigator than we’ve seen in the footage so far as well, and is certainly more resourceful than we’ve been led to believe. I just may take my vote from Kris and Jon after reading that site. Jumping Jesus on a pogo stick – Gus ROCKS! ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/127 "2004-12-16T22:05:32Z")
I think Gus has the right attitude. He knows that, until you get to the final three, the game isn’t about coming in first (unlike blue-haired boy) but rather it’s about not coming in last. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/128 "2004-12-16T22:22:44Z")
> [@Terminus Est](#): > > He knows that, until you get to the final three, the game isn’t about coming in first (unlike blue-haired boy) but rather it’s about not coming in last. Heck, even my eight-year-old son knows that. He was shocked by Jonathan’s behavior, too. He said, “Why is he acting like that? They don’t have to be first; they just can’t be last!” ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/129 "2004-12-16T23:17:37Z")
Anyone see \*'s latest blog entry/excuse? > [@](#): > > London 2:20am > > All of us have our faults. Unfortunately for me millions of viewers are getting to see mine each week. I do not abuse Victoria, > what you see is a heighten version of stress and obsession mix with medication for a sickness called Sarcoidosis. What was started as a Publicity Stunt turn in to an obsession to race and be first at any cost. This is a GAME and I set out to be the Villain to others not to Victoria. Victoria and I are working on our relationship to better our self and learn from our mistakes. I am taking full responsibly for my actions on screen. Please allow me to make the effort. > > I am deeply saddened by the storyline that CBS went with. I am sorry for my actions, I am sorry to Victoria. Most all I am sorry to the Fans of the Amazing Race. > > Jonathan Anyone know what medication he could be referring to? Sounds like he can’t escape the way the abuse looks now and is transitioning to conciliatory mode until it blows over. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/130 "2004-12-16T23:29:16Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Someone who’d fly a Stearman, an open-cockpit biplane, to the North Pole just for the adventure of it can’t be fazed by a glitch getting an airline ticket in Sweden. He has to be a better navigator than we’ve seen in the footage so far as well, What? It ain’t that hard to navigate your way to the North Pole; compass point, you go. Seriously, though, that does sound pretty damn cool. I’m sorry I’ve been missing the season so far, but I’ll be back home this weekend, so I can pick it up starting next week. I’m really sorry I missed the Brandenburg Gate thing, I was just there about a month ago. Actually standing in a place called the Death Zone can give you a whole new appreciation for late 20th century history. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2004, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/131 "2004-12-16T23:51:11Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > What? It ain’t that hard to navigate your way to the North Pole; compass point, you go. Umm. No. A compass points to the magnetic north pole. Magnetic north wanders around a bit, but is currently situated somewhat to the west of Ellesmere Island, at 82N 114W, which is a heck of a long way from the geographic north pole. That said, navigation these days is dead easy, since everyone just uses GPS. Still, I’d bet good money that anyone going on polar expeditions can navigate the old-fashioned way. Not that that will necessarily help a person navigate in a city. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/132 "2004-12-17T00:57:40Z")
Here’s something interesting that’s being discussed on the dedicated TAR forums: At the start line, Phil clearly said there will be EIGHT elimination legs. He said nothing about NEL’s and the new “twist” they entail (which I thought was sort of odd) but all it takes is simple math to figure out there will be 4 NEL’s + the final leg (which is neither EL nor NEL.) However, in the latest episode, Phil said (in voiceover) that last week was the first of THREE Non-Elimination Legs. All of a sudden, we’re missing a leg. This _could_ mean that a future episode was planned as NEL, but a team went home anyway. Which could only happen due to (1) serious injury, (2) a gross violation of the rules, or (3) a team just up and quits. Of course, what happens (if it’s even true) could be anything. Maybe Bolo gets trichinosis and croaks. Maybe Adam follows up on his threat to leap in front of a moving train. Maybe Hayden’s bungee cord really does go SNAP and makes a grease spot out of that racist bitch. Or maybe something completely different happens. 😉 In any case, I’m excited to see how this all plays out. ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/133 "2004-12-17T01:27:58Z")
No no, Kendra’s the racist bitch. Hayden thinks people abuse steroids. It takes _work_ to keep the model/actor/pablum teams straight 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/134 "2004-12-17T01:34:28Z")
I am not a physicist, but I don’t get how the soapbox derby part of the episode went down. The racers were powered by gravity. Therefore, I would have expected the lightest racers, the women, to have the worst times. But it looked instead like the women all finished fastest. Was this maybe because they presented a smaller sail area to the wind? ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/135 "2004-12-17T02:04:01Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > I am not a physicist, but I don’t get how the soapbox derby part of the episode went down. > > The racers were powered by gravity. Therefore, I would have expected the lightest racers, the women, to have the worst times. > > But it looked instead like the women all finished fastest. Was this maybe because they presented a smaller sail area to the wind? Gravitational force is proportionate to the mass of the driver/car, but the force required to accelerate the driver/car is also proportionate to the mass of the driver/car, so differences in mass cancel each other out. What will make a soapbox faster is 1) lower wind resistance relative to the amount of gravitational force, or 2) smoother driving resulting in less speed being scrubbed off while cornering. The time differences were small enough that it’s anyone’s guess which of the factors came into play. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/136 "2004-12-17T04:11:37Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Anyone know what medication he could be referring to? Sounds like he can’t escape the way the abuse looks now and is transitioning to conciliatory mode until it blows over. The Arthritis Foundation has a web entry about sarcoidosis. Here’s what it says: > [@](#): > > What Is It? > > Sarcoidosis (SAR-coy-DOH-sis) is an inflammatory disease characterized by granulomas (small rounded outgrowths made up of blood vessels, cells and connective tissues) that can produce many different symptoms. It is generally a chronic disease, lasting for several years or a lifetime. Some people, however, may have a type that only lasts a few months. > > What Are the Symptoms? > > Some people may have no symptoms; others may have symptoms that include: > > Skin problems > Lung problems > Eye problems > Arthritis > Myositis > Fever > Fatigue > Weight loss > What Causes It? > > Although the cause is unknown, suspected causes include: > > Viral/bacterial infection > A defect in body immune system > An unidentified toxic substance > An unknown environmental cause > An inherited or genetic factor > How Is It Diagnosed? > > During a physical exam, physicians check for: > > Enlarged, tender lymph glands. > Dry cough > Erythema Nodosum (redness of the skin) > Eye problems > Tests include: > > Biopsies of skin lesions, lymph nodes or lungs > Chest X-ray > Blood tests > Treatment Options > > Physical therapy > Medications: glucocorticoids, NSAIDs/salicylates, colchicine, hydroxychloroquine. Methotrexate, azathioprine and cyclosporine are being tested > Who Is At Risk? > > Sarcoidosis is most common in young adults between the ages of 20 and 40. It affects more women than men, and occurs more often in African-Americans. So, my question is: which one of them has it??? ---
**Author:** ![roger\_thornhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@roger\_thornhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roger_thornhill)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/137 "2004-12-17T05:03:09Z")
Anyone else think this leg didn’t really get going, just a lot of find this and find that in the first half of the programme. The beermat/sausage-making alternatives were rather tame as well. Regarding the disgust at Kendra’s remark that “Africa is so filthy and disgusting, and they just keep breeding and breeding”, and it’s being compared unfavourably with Don and Mary Jean’s appreciation of the beautiful colours and the smiling children, the context is important. If, as has been argued quite forcibly, Gramps and Granpa are just along for the ride - perhaps taking a kind of second honeymoon (or should that be third, given they were married before) - then their comments are in line with what would be expected of tourists who have chosen to include Africa on their itinerary. Back at the hotel, they would moan about the filth - we all do - but on camera, or while taking a taxi, they would look for nice things to say. However, teams that are really racing, such as all the model/actor teams, are in a different mindset. By the time they got to Dakar, they’d become used to the cameraman and sound recordist following them everywhere, and they’re set on racing, as they have been from the beginning. To them, seeing the children standing around in the middle of the day wasn’t a cute thing, it was a target for venting some of the irritability that fatigue and discomfort had generated. And what more do you expect when TAR handpick young, single, rich, white, privileged, beautiful, highly-esteemed people as the main staple of their show? I think one must lack the necessary cynicism if you don’t believe that such people are picked as the staple of the race at least in part because their rarified upbringing is going to get some good soundbites, i.e. some “racist” comments that will then fill internet chatrooms and fuel interest in the show and generate more advertising revenue? (Was it really racist anyway? “Breedist”, maybe.) Also, I’ve travelled a lot in the third world and it’s a fact that a lot of people are trying to rip you off. This can be a constant thing everywhere you go. (40 bucks for a short taxi ride in Senegal? You really think a local pays that?) It puts people on edge and then they can say stupid things. I can understand those who feel that these people embarrass Americans, but that’s what the show is set up to do. Pack it with academics, anthropologists, senior citizens and counsellors and it might be different. But from my experience with academics, perhaps not… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/138 "2004-12-17T10:09:18Z")
> [@Gorsnak](#): > > A compass points to the magnetic north… Yeah, I know. I was making a joke. Navigating by a magnetic compass in an airplane is even trickier than the magnetic/true north thing. During a turn, for example, the compass reading will either lag behind or anticipate your actual magnetic heading. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/139 "2004-12-17T14:11:41Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > But it looked instead like the women all finished fastest. Was this maybe because they presented a smaller sail area to the wind? They all more or less ducked down, and there wasn’t much difference in times anyway. I’d suggest it’s that the lighter racers put less load, and therefore friction, on the wheel bearings. Or they may have been just bushings - those wheels looked awfully light and flimsy. **KGS** , IIRC, at the first non-elimination pitstop, Phil said it was the first of _three_ “scheduled” ones. > [@\*](#): > > I am deeply saddened by the storyline that CBS went with. How could they \*not \* show an arrival at a pitstop? ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770/140 "2004-12-17T14:59:50Z")
> [@duality72](#): > > Anyone see \*'s latest blog entry/excuse? Gah. Yeah, I saw that. Allow me to interpret: 1. I, Johnathon, take full responsibility for my actions on screen. 2. Except it was really due to the medicine I’m taking, so it’s not my responsibility. 3. And CBS is editing me to conform to a predetermined storyline, so they’re not really my actions. 4. And actually, I’m only _acting_ like a villian. So it’s not even me. 5. And I was doing this as a Publicity Stunt, so it was for a good reason. 6. But I’ll just throw the word “sorry” in a bunch of times, and maybe people will leave me alone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-14/279770.md?page=8)