DAMMIT!! I had no clue this was going to be on early, so I set the VCR for 9 like normal and missed the whole thing! I just got home from work and was looking forward to watching it. 
Is there any detailed description of the episode anywhere? Who got eliminated? ::Please let it be John. Please let it be John.::(Actually no, I wanna watch his sorry ass go home, so let him go next week when I won’t miss it.)
If you can wait a few days, Television without Pity has excellent recaps (by the ever-snarkful Miss Alli).
Eyebrows of Doom, nobody was eliminated. The episode ended with “to be continued”. You did miss seeing Jonathan get kicked out of a cab. Unfortunately, it didn’t cause him that much of a delay.
Question: How DID Gus and Hera get the plane tickets when * and Victim were at the ticket counter BEFORE G & H? Was it a case of the tickets go to the nice folks?
I loved Gus driving that tiny little rotten vehicle and just saying something like “We’ll just take it nice and easy.” But they did make a bad choice with the melon-flinging. Thank Og they bailed and did the one they could control.
And does anyone else have a feeling that Lori and Bolo will actually catch up with the group, even though they seem to be on the threshhold of the EXIT door?
Hated moment: Jonathan crowing “I can’t believe how great I’M doing!!!” We can’t either! (But I did predict that * and Victim would be all canoodly this episode and didn’t Victim once again tell us how much she loved him? What a dope!)
My guess is that the travel agency had priority over the service desk on available tickets. It didn’t look like they were there before * and Victoria so much as there at the same time and the travel agent got her order in seconds before the service desk did. With editing, though, it’s hard to tell.
If you’re really a geek, you know a trebuchet is a type of catapult.
Bollocks to that technicality. Phil is usually very specific in describing the objects / weapons / modes of transportation that they use. And how hard is it to say? TREH-BOO-SHAY. TREH-BOO-SHAY. It sucked to see everyone give up on 'em so quick, trebuchets are extremely accurate once you get them lined up just right.
I would have used the trebuchet to launch the cannon up the hill. There’s no rule preventing that, right? 
CIA training comes in handy again when Gus used that travel agent. Jonathan got PWN3D!! And speaking of which…now that I’ve seen Jonathan and Gus shirtless at the same time, Gus is starting too look mighty sexy. 
(Bolo’s ok too, I guess.) Sure hope this extended leg allows a chance for the wrestlers to catch up, I’m not ready to lose them yet.
…TOO BE CONTINUED??? WTF?? I guess we know where that missing NEL went…
On the wrong channel waiting for the show to start, I was watching Access Hollywood, and they had a piece on reality shows and how “real” they are. The first part of the segment focused on * and Victim, including a clip of the shove in last week’s episode, where they had a short interview with them, again defending his behavior, saying they came in “playing the villain” and weren’t that bad in real life, and pointing out that they were still together. Victoria did add that her partner’s worst came out on the show.
The above may have colored my reaction to when they got pulled over, and * manages to talk the cop into escorting them. His comment at the end of the sequence, “It’s amazing the things I can do,” gave me a good laugh. Pure narcissism.
A better laugh came when Gus & Hera yoinked the plane tickets out from under them. Shame that * had the opportunity to harrass them about it.
I was pretty disappointed when Lori & Bolo were told to wait until tomorrow at the train station. The “To be continued” bit gives them an extra hour of hope, but considering how far behind that will put them, it’s going to take some more serious bunching for them to survive.
D
That’s what I thought when I saw it! (And I only knew it because of here)
and To be continued?
I missed the end cuz the bubs was fussy but was half listening and then it was over… I wondered how the hell I had missed the pit stop. Grah… a whole week to wait!
No, they’ve been blond since the beginning, but they’ve also been pretty much under the radar up till now too. Probably because they actually seem to have a functional relationship, so we don’t get any fun footage of them screaming at each other.
Kris and Jon and Gus and Hera are by far my favourites at this point. I really felt for Gus and Hera when they wound up on the same train as *. I wonder if he kept at them about the plane tickets for the entire trip. I hate to say it, but * is not only making me miss Colin, I’d even take Flo at this point.
And add me to the chorus wondering what the hell is with the “To be continued”. I’d lost track of time, so I was stunned when that came up on the screen.
I don’t mind the bunching as long as people can catch up with Kendra and what’s his name. Maybe they can use the time to do some ‘research’.
When Jonathan got kicked out, the cabbie was saying “nyugi”, calm down. And you know what ‘finite’ means.
I can’t see how Bolo & Lori can catch up being 10 hours behind, unless there’s another leg to the race, and seeing as they have another hour to kill, maybe there will be. If they do go, it was fun watching them. Unfortunately that leaves the rest of the contestants which all seem so similar(and boring!), except for Gus & Hera and V&J.
Thanks – I was wondering whether he was saying something soothing or muttering “asshole, asshole,” or what.
Chiming in on the Gus and Hera love – I was definitely digging them being in the lead for long stretches of time.
I didn’t catch Phil’s explanation of what was going on with the crappy cars, but I could swear that I heard that there would be some sort of time credit or consideration if a car broke down due to no fault of the team driving it. Is it possible that Lori and Bolo will be time credited for the delay that they had due to waiting for their replacement car? Because really, it’s not their fault that the car they were given died, which put them so far behind that they couldn’t even catch the train they needed until the next day.
Nope…I think whenever they have questionable modes of transportation, the line has always been that they’ll replace the vehicle, if it really is broke, but won’t give them a time bonus.
Personally if I had been Bolo and Lori, I’d have found another way to the city. Sure you’d get a time penalty for using the wrong mode of transportation, but as I recall from a few times when that happened, it’s only an hour or two. Better that than waiting all night. You know there’s absolutly no way to make up for that kind of time difference. Might as well just give up and ask to be sent home. My ass would have found a bus/taxi/or hell, even driven that crappy car back before I would have laid down on a bench. Even if they make it there the next morning, the cafe doesn’t open until 10pm. So that’s another whole day that they’ll have lost. So if they somehow do catch up, I’ll loose all sorts of respect for the show.
I did notice that on the “Next time on amazing race” previews, I didn’t see Lori or Bolo at all.
How close do they have to follow the “clues”? I mean Lori and Bolo could have taken a taxi or even a bus from the train station instead of waiting. I’ve actually broken down in Hungry, though south of Budapest, this past summer, and they have a lot of busses that run. I mean if you’re in last place you might as well go for broke even if it does cost you a ton for a taxi.
I’m really hoping that Lori and Bolo don’t get the boot, them and Gus/Hera are the best this time around. Lori and Bolo got the shaft on the car, they had to have waited a couple of hours for the new car.
Booooooo! Boooooooo! TO BE CONINUED!? Aren’t ALL reality showslike this “TO BE CONTINUED”? You still have some resolution. Either give us an NEL or bounce the Wrestlers.
A few random thoughts:
-
Ass may be annoying, but the feat with the cops was impressive.
-
Gus and Hera are looking much more impressive than earlier in the race. They really seem to be finding their stride.
-
I like Gus and Hera and Kris and Jon the best. Kris and Jon actually seem to be enjoying the race. They are nice to each other and seem to have true affection. Who says long distance relationships don’t work?
-
Freddie and Kendra seem to be doing very well. I’m sure it has nothing to do with Freddie. Kendra’s research keeps them going.
And because NO ONE asked for it, I offer my popularity rankings, not based on teams, but on individuals.
REALLY ENJOY:
Gus- I hope he stays in a long time. He has been the most interesting person on the show.
Bolo- He just makes me laugh.
LIKING:
Jon and Kris- As a team,but also as individuals. They seem like nice people. And she sure is cute.
Aaron- He seems sharp. Hayden doesn’t drive. Bad with directions. Sounds like Aaron is single handedly keeping them going.
LIKING TO DISLIKE:
Adam- Makes Elton John look like John Wayne. I can’t stand the guy, but his drama queen antics make me laugh.
Lori- She’s just playing the “villian” wrestler role. But she doesn’t rise to the level of true dislike, because she really seems to love Bolo. Is she from West Virginia?
MEH:
Hayden- Coattail rider.
Freddie- I admire his skills, but he hasn’t really had much of a personality.
Hera- Seems like a great person. Her support and love for her dad seems genuine. But by being paired with Gus, she doesn’t get the attention. He sucks up all the oxygen on that team. Closer to “LIKING” than anyone else.
ANNOYING:
Victoria- I just feel sorry for her, but she is SO “blah.”
DISLIKE:
Jonathan- He is obnoxious, abusive and cold. I wish he wasn’t on the show. He isn’t the type of villian that makes the show more interesting.
BAD HUMAN BEING:
Rebecca- At her core, I just see her as a rotten person. She seems to enjoy upsetting people. At LEAST Jonathan is delusional.
First, “To be continued”? What the hell is with that? They’re still in the middle of a leg and had the roadblock and detour done. Are they going to have another full leg of tasks or are they going to give the end of the leg as part of the recap episode next week? That is pretty stupid.
I don’t see how Lori and Bolo can pull out of this. They get the train tomorrow morning and reach the Internet Cafe after the hours of operation putting them a full day behind everyone else. They’re going to get a “go directly to pitstop” message I think.
Regarding potential driving penalties (no need for spoiler box at this point I think since it’s well past air time on both coasts), the penalty for taking the wrong transportation is thirty minutes plus the estimated time that they gained. So I would expect about fourty minute penalty for that. But I don’t think we’ve seen a “taking the car away from the turn in point” penalty before. I would be shocked if it was more than an hour. The only day penalty we’ve seen has been for completely skipping a task so don’t get your hopes up.
Gus and Hera really are the smart team that Don and MJ thought they were going to be. Now that Gus is willing to move a bit they’re not doing bad. I thought they were going to nail it with that trebuchet task but I guess that’s one weapon Gus isn’t a master of. Second biggest disappointment of the night after the ending was Gus having to look at a map to find Checkpoint Charlie. I was expecting him to say, “Over here is the secret tunnel that goes right to it; it’s faster than taking a cab so lets use it.” 
God, me too!
With the TBC ending of this episode, we didn’t get an official Pit Stop, but since we did get a complete episode, Pit Stop or no, it’s time for another
Taxi Assessment
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Avi/Joe - Jewish! From New York!
Meredith/Maria - Lost! Stalled!
Lena/Kristy - Unrolling! Unrolling some more!
Don/MJ - Old! Tired! Outta here!
Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Lori/Bolo (downgraded from Stopping for Gas) - Y’know, I’m not quite sure what to expect from the next episode. A normal leg has a Roadblock and a Detour, plus perhaps one or two other tasks. We’ve already had a Roadblock, a Detour, an airport section, and the start of the Internet cafe task. How much can there be left to do before the Pit Stop? This is an important question for Lori and Bolo, because they’re something like ten hours behind, and it’ll take some serious bunching to get them back in it. However, even ignoring their current (apparently) dire situation, this team is showing a serious lack of navigation skills, so I’ve got to downgrade them to here.
Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
(empty)
Go! Green Light! - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
A logjam in the middle of the pack this week, with some teams on their way up, some on their way down, and some holding steady. A mirror of the end of the episode, if you will.
Adam/Rebecca (upgraded from Stopping for Gas) - If it wasn’t for double entendres, this team would get no camera time at all. Which means that they’re doing nothing flashy, but nothing wrong, either. So in the middle they are.
Gus/Hera (holding steady) - A mostly well-raced leg by Gus and Hera. Kudos on snatching the last seats on the Budapest flight away from Johnathon and Victoria. I’m almost tempted to upgrade this team, but it’s the point in the season where the weaker teams have already fallen, so small differences in ability have more of an impact. The wrong Detour choice cost them some time; as a less-physical team, they can’t afford to do that too many times. I don’t think Gus and Hera are as good as the front-runners, so they stay here.
Freddy/Kendra (holding steady) - In front most of the way, but primarily because their Pit Stop lead held up, with some luck, through until their return to Budapest. Still, I’m not convinced that this team can lead long-term. Show me something, Kendra. Umm, something mental, I mean.
Hayden/Aaron (downgraded from In the Passing Lane) - Hmmm. Punching the post, Aaron? Getting lost? That could have been critical. Not a horrible job, but just enough out of synch to seperate you from the leaders.
In the Passing Lane - or, not too bad, just not top-speed.
Johnathon/Victoria (holding steady) - Still in contention, but I think squabbles are starting to sap their effectiveness. Second at the Pit Stop, but they didn’t make the first flight out of Berlin. Caught up again, but perhaps lucky that their car performed acceptably. I’m not ready to move them yet, but look for a downgrade in the near future.
Kris/Jon (holding steady) - Not necessarily a stellar performance, and certainly not as dominating as they were in earlier episodes. Still, their biggest problem was their Trabant crapping out – hardly an indictment of their skills. Other teams are showing signs of fatigue; this team isn’t. That’s enough to keep them out here in front.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Still empty this week.
I do believe next week is a clip show (someone speak up if it’s not!), so I’ll see you in two.
[sub]Kudos to Mullinator for the original “Raj Rating” format.[/sub]
Most of the 30-minute penalties come from misreading a clue, or making a mistake that they’re not aware of. But in TAR1, Nancy & Emily received a 24 HOUR penalty for taking a taxi instead of bus or car. The difference seemed to be that they made a conscious decision to break the rules, which is what Lori & Bolo would have to do. Plus, it’s not just 30 minutes, but also the time they saved – which could include those 12+ hours spent waiting for the train!
The Big Cheese – you know Magyar? What was that drunken weirdo shouting at Kris? (Where she said, “I know what that means, and it’s bad!”)