# The Amazing Race 12/9: Finale (possible spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 10, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566 "2012-12-10T03:00:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/41 "2012-12-10T17:12:40Z")
Bah. Not very deserving winners. They rocked the last leg, and that’s about all they did for themselves the entire race. ---
**Author:** ![stpauler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@stpauler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpauler)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/42 "2012-12-10T17:16:53Z")
> [@jsc1953](#): > > The Beekmans (why are they called that, btw?) The farm they bought is the Beekman farm built in 1802. We stumbled across their realty show on Netflix this weekend and watched five minutes of it before turning it off (our pug really hates horses, and llamas and will bark and scratch at the TV to get in there to get them). > [@notfrommensa](#): > > So what is stop thieves from waving their feet underneath bumpers of Ford Escapes to open the hatch? I’m assuming it’s like my keyless entry to my Prius where I keep the key fob in my pocket and just touch the door handle and it automatically unlocks. Proximity to the hatch coupled with the key fob on you and foot tap would do it. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/43 "2012-12-10T17:23:11Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > God forbid we have to bend over and put down what we’re carrying long enough to open the hatch. Americans certainly don’t need that kind of exertion. Then you are a better man\* than I am. \*generically, just to fit in the Kipling quote. Yes, if I were more highly evolved, I would approach the hatch of my SUV with an armload of bulky and heavy crap, and instead of asking my girlfriend “honey, wouldja get the hatch?” or waving my foot under the bumper, I would willingly, nay, eagerly lay down my burden and say “Hoorah! an opportunity to strengthen my weak back muscles! I will put this crap down & pick it up again!!” ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Doom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Dr\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Doom)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/44 "2012-12-10T17:35:48Z")
What are the chances Phil teams up with Sam Raimi for a classic redux? Bruce Campbell as Brent, obviously, but who as Josh? James Cromwell? Donald Sutherland? Tom Hanks??? ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/45 "2012-12-10T17:48:34Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > For people who can’t manage the little button on the key, I guess. > > Plus, that’s probably the first thing that’s gonna’ break and repairing it would cost more than the car would be worth. > > Another silly solution to White People Problems that nobody was asking for. > > Too bad we didn’t get to hear the director’s voice in those segments. “Alright, now act like this is the greatest thing you’ve ever seen in your entire life!” Based on the recalls it has had so far, it will die in an engine fire long before the hatch breaks, so that is a plus. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/46 "2012-12-10T17:48:51Z")
[Beekman’s thank you page](http://beekman1802.com/7-billion-thank-you-notes/) This made me sniffle a little. I would have been happier with a Ja(y)mes win but this was a very nice second option. There’s a link on their thank you page to the donation page that Blonde Ja(y)mes has set up for his father. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/47 "2012-12-10T17:52:33Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Bah. > > Not very deserving winners. They rocked the last leg, and that’s about all they did for themselves the entire race. They didn’t even rock the last leg; they were reliably behind Trey & Lexi and the Chipps right into the final task. They screwed up the pizza challenge. Brent got lost in the mushroom cave. They translated French for the other teams. About the only thing they did better was recognizing the UN logo, which is not that impressive to begin with but even less so when you know they live in New York. Josh did great on the final task, but that’s one of the few things they did well all season. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/48 "2012-12-10T18:07:59Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > [Beekman’s thank you page](http://beekman1802.com/7-billion-thank-you-notes/) > > This made me sniffle a little. I would have been happier with a Ja(y)mes win but this was a very nice second option. There’s a link on their thank you page to the donation page that Blonde Ja(y)mes has set up for his father. The gingerbread man representations of all the Teams is one of the best things I’ve ever seen on the internet. Especially Amy’s prosthetic legs, and the knife in Ryan’s back. ---
**Author:** ![Sally\_Mander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@Sally\_Mander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sally_Mander)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/49 "2012-12-10T18:14:52Z")
I love the abs and bow ties on the gingerbread Jaymes and James! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/50 "2012-12-10T18:43:33Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > And one of those teams that didn’t know had a college student thus showing me again that any idiot can apparently get into college. Meh. I don’t really think it’s a big deal that Trey/Lexi didn’t know what the logo looked like because as soon as someone told them “That’s the UN logo,” Trey jumped over to their cabbie and said “Take us to the United Nations headquarters.” So he knew what the UN was and he knew the headquarters was located in NYC. He just didn’t know what the logo looked like. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/51 "2012-12-10T18:47:32Z")
> [@Dr\_Doom](#): > > Bah. > > Not very deserving winners. They rocked the last leg, and that’s about all they did for themselves the entire race. I disagree. They rocked the windmill challenge and found the stone dog for everyone and although they made a poor showing, they did the challenges on their own. The posterchildren for undeserving were Kesha and Jen that got help on every challenge and end up winning because they did exactly one challenge on their own (the mobile home decorations) in the final leg. Second, you raise the same point I do every season. By creating artificial bunching points, the Gays are able to make up hours at a time. No longer is there an advantage in being one of the first teams; instead it is a race to not be last. Blame the producers for that. ---
**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 10, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/52 "2012-12-10T18:48:23Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > The gingerbread man representations of all the Teams is one of the best things I’ve ever seen on the internet. Especially Amy’s prosthetic legs, and the knife in Ryan’s back. Aww. I’ve been kind of ambivalent about this team all season: they seemed like OK people, but it also seemed like they just weren’t that much into the Race, and maybe they were just a little prickly. That gingerbread-team recap, though, is gracious and gentlemanly, while being quirky and interesting. I’m glad I read that. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/53 "2012-12-10T19:48:40Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Meh. I don’t really think it’s a big deal that Trey/Lexi didn’t know what the logo looked like because as soon as someone told them “That’s the UN logo,” Trey jumped over to their cabbie and said “Take us to the United Nations headquarters.” > . I just figured it was something everyone knew. She also didn’t know who Houdini was. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/54 "2012-12-10T20:19:14Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > They didn’t even rock the last leg; they were reliably behind Trey & Lexi and the Chipps right into the final task. I don’t believe that is accurate. Josh and Brent were second to arrive at the UN, so even with the pizza screwup they were in second and arrived shortly after the first team. I think the UN challenge was more physical than people are giving it credit. I think the big guys had a bit of an advantage on the physical nature of the task. The brute force solution required physical brute force to pull up all those signs many, many times. Two and half hours of pulling up and taking down signs would be extremely tiring. Physical strength would help in that task quite a bit. I think the physical part is why Lexi had such a hard time of it. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/55 "2012-12-10T20:33:54Z")
That’s a good point about the final task being physically taxing; I hadn’t considered that. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/56 "2012-12-10T20:39:48Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > [Beekman’s thank you page](http://beekman1802.com/7-billion-thank-you-notes/) > [@zut](#): > > Aww. I’ve been kind of ambivalent about this team all season: they seemed like OK people, but it also seemed like they just weren’t that much into the Race, and maybe they were just a little prickly. That gingerbread-team recap, though, is gracious and gentlemanly, while being quirky and interesting. I’m glad I read that. Agree. That was lovely, and I like them better for having read it. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/57 "2012-12-10T21:06:58Z")
I’m fine with the Beekman’s winning, they seem nice and that’s the way the ball bounces sometimes, it’s just that the ball bounced their way over and over and over. Starting in the fifth week, they finished last (non-elimination), second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, first. Several of those second to last finishes were not of their own doing. Once a stronger team gets roadblocked, once when they were a half day behind they got a near 24 hour bunching point, and one team inexplicably agreed to stay with them. Oh, yeah, on one second to last finish a team that was well ahead had their passports stolen. They were unbelievably lucky. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/58 "2012-12-10T21:10:03Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > I’m fine with the Beekman’s winning, they seem nice and that’s the way the ball bounces sometimes, it’s just that the ball bounced their way over and over and over. > > Starting in the fifth week, they finished last (non-elimination), second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, second to last, first. Several of those second to last finishes were not of their own doing. Once a stronger team gets roadblocked, once when they were a half day behind they got a near 24 hour bunching point, and one team inexplicably agreed to stay with them. Oh, yeah, on one second to last finish a team that was well ahead had their passports stolen. > > They were unbelievably lucky. Don’t forget that time they were racing to the finish line bhind the blondes whose bicycle-taxi driver turned the wrong way. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/59 "2012-12-10T21:35:35Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Don’t forget that time they were racing to the finish line bhind the blondes whose bicycle-taxi driver turned the wrong way. That was the teachers from Michigan. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2012, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566/60 "2012-12-10T21:47:40Z")
Oops, you’re correct. My bad. (In my defense, they were bad racers too :)) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-12-9-finale-possible-spoilers/643566.md?page=4)