I haven’t seen a thread for TAR yet this week, and I don’t THINK I missed it.
So, India. And a really, really deep eyebrow-raise by Phil.
What was with all the cheering and shouting and autographs for Meredith and Gretchen? There’s no way they’re stars yet…this season hadn’t even started airing in America at that point.
I loved the Boys’s amazement that Rob & Amber didn’t yield them…methinks they overestimate their threat potential.
I LOVE Phils’ eyebrow raising. It’s just evil.
I’m glad this leg isn’t over. I’m especially glad R&A didn’t come in first again. I hate them; have I mentioned that?
I did like Rob’s comment that Ron isn’t the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree for not Yielding them. How true - I would have Yielded them in an instant.
Alex to Lynn in the bicycle rickshaw: “Oww, my butt hurts.”
::spittake::
I wondered that myself. Maybe because the crowds had been hanging out all day and watched all the other teams pass, and then saw this final old couple bringing up the rear and wanted to cheer them on. Do the Indians revere the elderly much more than Western society seems to?
Reminded me of ‘The Temple of Doom’ for some reason.
Cursed Amazing Editors! :mad: I completely lose track of time watching this show (it doesn’t help that our month old baby causes us to pause the DVR every five minutes) so I had no idea the TBC was coming.
Great episode though. I was wondering what was going to happen with Meredith and Gretchen. On one hand it’s time for their dumb luck to run out - I’m ready for them to go.
On the other, it’d be hilarious for them to be non-philiminated again and have to give up the meager possessions they’d aquired since the last time, including G’s brand new backpack. 
Enjoyed everyone else this week. Especially Rob’s request to the ticket person to tell the other teams she couldn’t help them, pointing to Rob as the reason. Lynn and Alex have been much more fun to watch too now that they’ve toned down the Rob hate a few notches (or the editors did I guess).
Watching Gretchen panic after checking a grand total of 3 boxes at the detour made me miss the brothers. Actually it made me miss the Mormon girls from last year. I can’t imagine Gretchen’s reaction if she ever had to do something, you know… hard!
Can’t wait for next week!
Oh my goodness, a non-non-elimination leg. To be continued, even. I guess the powers that be liked audience reaction to last season’s inadvertent non-NEL. Actually, I rather like it too. I was figuring a Meredith/Gretchen elimination or NEL-mugging, but surprise! Keep on going, instead.
Taxi Assessment
Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Ryan/Chuck and Megan/Heidi and Debbie/Bianca and Susan/Patrick and Ray/Deana and Brian/Greg - What are, “Teams we won’t see again until the finish line,” Alex?
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.
Meredith/Gretchen (holding steady) - Ho-lee crap does this team get lucky. They were clearly far behind the rest of the teams – Lynn and Alex had already completed what looked to be a fairly time-consuming Detour when Meredith and Gretchen arrived, and it didn’t seem like it was that far to the not-Pit-Stop. Yet, not only is this not an elimination leg, it’s not even a non-elimination leg, so Meredith and Gretchen don’t even get penalized. Still, running two legs back to back without the Pit Stop in between has got to be grueling, especially on the older team. I hope that next week won’t be an hour of watching this team fall farther and farther behind… but then, maybe they’ll get lucky, like they have in nearly every other leg up until now.
"Hey, Homes!" - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Ron/Kelly (downgraded from Passing Lane) - This team is still comfortably ahead of the pack, but it’s clearly because they’ve followed Rob and Amber over the course of the leg. They seem to have progressed fron indifference toward each other to barely restraining their loathing for their teammate. Not a good sign, really. I predict another bunching point early in the next episode; one that will pull Meredith and Gretchen up, and also force this team to scrabble again. Let’s see how they do when the chips are down.
In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Lynn/Alex (upgraded from “Hey, Homes!”) - A solid leg, I think. Not quite as clever as they think they are, given that Rob outwitted them with on the plane scheduling. Still, Lynn’s offhand comment notwithstanding, this team doesn’t look like it will succumb to fatigue in the long term, unlike a couple other lower-graded teams.
Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Rob/Amber (holding steady) - Actually, it wasn’t all that dumb for Ron and Kelly not to use the Yield, Rob. Save it for staving off last place, not for staving off second. But… good race, out front, first to mat, all that stuff. A bit of luck (although not as much as Kelly snotted) didn’t hurt either. You can hardly argue with success.
Uchenna/Joyce (holding steady) - Not such a good plan, letting Lynn and Alex book your flights. If this team makes that mistake again, I’ll be forced to downgrade them. However, this is another team that doesn’t look like they’ll succumb to fatigue, and they pulled off a hard-charging leg to land what looks like a third place not-finish.
Next week: The second half! Whoopee!
[sub]Props to Mullinator and his Raj Ratings.[/sub]
Ack! Ack! Ack! My three least favorite words in all of television viewing: TO BE CONTINUED.
That being said. . . at least it stretches out the season another week. But next week better NOT be a non-elimination leg.
Eh…good episode, but that twist at the end seems rather pointless. Why bother?
I liked the twist at the end. The fact that this may be the ‘especially gruelling leg’ that causes the weak to begin to break down and start lots of nasty infighting among other teams.
::Phil doing his best Spock eyebrow::
**EEEvilll. Pure, unadulterated EEEvilll. **
Me likey.
It makes me miss the brothers. You know they would’ve had fun with this leg.
Maybe I’m missing something, because I’m not seeing how Rob outwitted him exactly. The counter lady was a bit more conscientious than the travel agent and it did work out for Rob, but that seems a little less brilliant and a lot more lucky to me. Seems like it could just as easily gone the other way, or at least had them all on the same flight.
I was kinda surprised nobody tried the coal. They seemed like they went up & down a lot of stairs as it was, would the coal really have been that much tougher?
Rob’s huge coup netted them all of, what, 8 minutes? I was thinking that maybe the ‘earlier’ flight would have some sort of delay, thus kicking Rob in the 'nads for all of his wheeling and dealing (even though I like Romber!)
I was shocked at the non-coal tries as well. Yeah, it’s 175 lbs of coal, but coal busts up fairly easily, and then you get to transport it on a bike. Seemed a lot easier than searching for 5 people in a crowded office building, one at a time, carrying hot tea. IMHO. I thought for sure Rob would go for the coal.
BTW, Amber seemed to catch on real fast that the final clue didn’t specifically mention a Pit Stop. Maybe she’s a little sharper than she (or the editor’s) lets on?
Actually, Rob was one I thought might not do the coal. He’s got some skills, no doubt, but he really can be a bit of a wussy sometimes. But Uchenna’s a pretty big boy, and I’m fairly sure Ron has done tougher stuff. One of them I thought would want to try it. If the brothers were still in it they would have.
I agree that the coal seemd like an obvious choice. They must truly be wiped out.
I had thought they would have to have one of these cliffhanger episodes. There were just too many legs left in the race for the number of non-elims. They tried, I think, three non-elims in a row once, but it was really frustrating to watch.
The only way I can figure it is if next week (ep 8) is a non-elim, ep 9 loses a team, ep 10 is another non-elim, ep 11 loses a team, and the two hour finale is simply the final three. I think they’ve done three for the last two legs in a prior season, haven’t they?
The field is now clearly Ron & Kelly and Romber out front, Uchenna & Joyce rounding out the top three, and the other two teams just trying to sustain denial as long a possible. Lynn and Gretchen are both too sensitive to setbacks. There could certainly still be an upset if we get some bunching, but then again, there was complete bunching this week, and it didn’t change a thing.
What’s with the camels? They’re not going back to Africa, are they? Or is that the Gobi desert?
Dude #1: “Dude, you wanna’ carry tea or bust some rocks!?”
Dude #2: “Dude, wadda u think?”
Dude #1 and Dude #2: “I was born to be a Coal Miner’s Daughter…”
Gawd, I miss them too… dumb as posts, but funny as hell.
When they went to that office building, I couldn’t help but wonder if one of those Indians has my old job. :mad:
I wonder if next week will be an NEL? There are still 2 NELs left and only four pitstops…unless they have 2 consecutive NELs on legs 10 & 11 (which they’ve done in the past) or go back to the old format of making the penultimate leg (#12) an NEL.
Best line of the night–
Alex: “I feel like Ben Hur.”
Lynn: “I don’t know who that is.”
I nearly choked laughing.
Eh. The Phil-Spock-Eyebrow thing was a bit much for me. Who directed that episode? Ed Wood?
Going into the final five, it seems like 4 of the 5 teams are probably the best overall. Meredith and Gretchen surely benefited from Team Non-Blond’s major mistake.
Meredith and Gretchen- I have no sympathy for them. They really annoy me. I liked Don and Mary Jane from last season. Both were inept, but Don and MJ didn’t have any luck (i.e.- People more inept). The box challenge just clinched it for me. “We’ve tried nothing, and we’re all out of ideas!” I almost tossed the remote when she was trying to keep the boxes from falling (not on her, but on the ground). That is gravity working for you! BOOOOOOO!
Lynn and Alex- “I can’t believe Rob and Amber didn’t yield us!” It is because they don’t care that you exist! Though Lynn is the sassy one, I think he is a good player. But Alex seems like his head will explode every time he has to perform. He also looks a little younger, thinner version of Jon Favreau.
Ron and Kelly- Ron, how many times are you going to pour fuel on the fire? When the producers ask those silly roadblock questions, like “Who has patience?” the proper etiquette is to avoid answering with an insult.
Joyce and Uchenna- Just make the final three. Just make the final three and anything can happen. I like this team quite a bit.
Rob and Amber- I wonder would they have been yielded by Ron and Kelly had they not been standing right next to them? It would not have been a smart yield (nor would it have been smart for Rob to yield R&K), but as usual, Rob makes his own luck. I wonder WOULD Rob have yielded them had he got there first?
Oh, and KGS, I completly was thinking along the same lines as you when they went in the office.
I SWEAR I could hear the other half of my coversation with “Steve” from my credit card in this episode.
In fact, I seem to remember “Steve” being interupted by someone with a Boston accent asking him if wanted so tea…:dubious:
I don’t think so. I think Rob and Amber realize that they have no friends in this group of five teams and it would have been a real mis-step to antagonize anyone even more with a YIELD. (Rob would be more likely to persuade some other team to YIELD another.) I think their real goal was simply not to have the YIELD slapped on themselves. Mission accomplished! But by my reckoning, there is one YIELD left, right?