After two non-elimination legs in a row, there has got to be an elimination tonight. Who will it be? Can we hope against hope that Colin finally melts down and falls apart entirely? Or will it be the Blue Lagoon team, who now have no money and are faced with panhandling in Calcutta, one of the poorest cities on earth?
Please…let it be Colin.
Panhandling in Calcutta? They’re up against too many professionals.
Anywho, The AP prep says tonight the remaining teams end up in New Zealand.
If this is the case it sounds like they’ll just have to panhanle enough to get to the airport. Once there they can put the air travel on their TAR credit card.
As noted on these threads before the trick is to get the first airplane that lands at the new site rather than the first airplane that leaves the old one.
I’m totally afraid that this might be an episode that’s decided within the first couple minutes. Brandon and Nichole have got to be way behind the other teams. Last week, it was already dusk when they did the car-pushing task, and full dark by the time they got to the pit stop. Couple that with the necessity of begging up some cash, and I’m afraid they might be caught a plane behind the rest of the teams. Hopefully, the producers will provide some spoonfed transportation to the airport, so Brandon and Nikki can beg there rather than on some random streetcorner.
I hate to say it, Jadis, but I just don’t see Colin going down until maybe the very last leg, if at all. Even if Brandon and Nichole can overcome their sans-a-cash setback, Nichole looks to be pretty fatigued. As is one, if not both, of the Moms. And the Twinks were born stupid. Colin would have to repeatedly pound himself in the head with a ballpeen hammer to lose to all three of those teams.
I have a suspicion this is a 36-hour stop, not 12. Enough for sleep and plans, anyway. The other teams that have been stripped of their cash have only needed enough for cab fare, anyway, and maybe Team Blue Lagoon can sell or barter something for that much.
C&C Anger Factory was further ahead at one point than B&N were behind, but it only took one airport layover to equalize. A quick check at Travelocity shows pretty sparse connections from Calcutta to Auckland, so Hairy and Hairiette will probably be either on the same flights or a full day behind.
Alright, y’all, I’m going with a new tactic this week. But first, a little bit of background, OK? Quick, I promise. From 1991-94, I cheered my (then) little butt off for my beloved Buffalo Bills in the Super Bowl. Unless you are from Mars, you know what happened. OK. So, from 2002-04, I cheered my (not so) little butt off for my equally-beloved Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. That also did not end well.
Having finally realized that having me cheer for a team is a big fat hairy jinx, I have decided to throw my support behind Colin & Christie. I will continue to hate them, of course, but I am going to cheer for them anyway. My second choice would be the Twinks. So, alas, tonight I will watch TV with many margaritas and perhaps a handful Xanax as I cheer for … Team Xtreme Evil. Go, Colin, you big dumb jerk!
[RIGHT]PS - Hopefully this will turn out the way it’s supposed to, and C&C will come in second, which will make Colin’s head explode, and I will be vindicated. Probably in rehab, from all the margaritas and Xanax, but nevertheless, vindicated.[/RIGHT]
Y’know, they’ve made some rule changes that I really like–[ul]
[li]the “take one of the following three flights” routine they’ve started this game (which doesn’t allow really tight bunching but doesn’t allow the same sort of silly spread you had in the first season…it also probably saves a ton of money.)[/li]
[li]limiting the number of fast forwards (huge change for the better. Although I’d have a few more FFs–maybe one for each non-elim round)[/li]
[li]giving a substantial penalty for being last in a non-elim round,[/li]
[li]Plus, they’ve apparently added a few unwritten rules since the first season: “No interacting with the cameramen”–one guy in the first season (Paul, I think–looked like Gilligan) shoved a cameraman.) “Obey traffic laws, dammit!” (In another episode, the players got into a car-race that would be totally forbidden by today’s rules.)[/li]
[/ul]
All changes for the better, IMO.
But one thing they have to do, IMO, is create a “No begging” rule. There’s something vaguely nauseating about rich Americans playing a game, begging from people in extreme poverty. Like I said, I like the penalty for coming in last in a non-elim, but what I’d do, if they asked me, was to take all the saved money (so they only get the starting amount) and give an hour penalty or better! the penalized team has to do BOTH tasks of the roadblock.
The other thing I’d like to see is the non-elim rounds spread out more–they’re all in the last half of the show. I’d prefer if they were more randomly distributed.
Finally, what about an “Amazing Race” allstars. I’d love to see a bunch of the competent, smart, nice players who lost because of a bad taxi driver or a delayed flight. Say, the two “fat brothers” (one gay, one straight) from season 3(?), the frat brothers, the clowns, the mom and daughter from season 1 and so on.
Fenris
Wonder Twin powers, activate:
Shape of - a 5th place finisher!
Form of - a bumbling chowderhead!
At least that is what I hope.
Based on a spoiler I saw somewhere (and if I remembered where, I would link because I love you all that much), the following happens:
This episode - Kami/Karli go home.
Next episode, Chip and Kim take last but it is shockingly non-elimination.
Following that, the moms are eliminated.
The final 3, from 3rd to first, are then:
Colin/Christie
Chip/Kim
Brandon/Nicole
No idea the accuracy of that. The same site had a spoiler for the last episode that was completely wrong so take it with a grain of salt.
More like, “Wonder Twinks.” Shape of: You’re doing it wrong! Form of: But we’re young and cute! Both: And we can manipulate people!
Ever since last week’s preview, where it appears that Christie snaps at Colin, I’ve been hoping against hope that she’ll grow herself a backbone, and that will be the cause of Colin’s Exploding Head. Maybe Colin secretly wants to be dominated, and he’ll be meek as a little lamb once she lays down the law.
Not likely, I know. But a girl can dream.
I have utterly and completely ceased to give a shit about Brandon and Nicole. I’m even past hoping that they get lost, stranded, cannibalized, what have you. As long as they don’t actually win, I could care less.
I think we’ve seen Christie snap at Colin once or twice, but she always seems to back down and take his shit. And then apologize for pissing him off when it wasn’t even her fault in the first place. She laid into him when they did the FF, and were carrying the sarcophagus, and he gave her shit (about where they went to look for it, I think), and then she backed off and said she was sorry, when she’d been right all along.
She also gave him an earful in the police station about the money, but again backed down and apologized after he’d finally paid the $100. She was right, of course, and they weren’t broke - and everyone else had paid about the same amount. The point was to get outta there and over to the airport NOW, but he just couldn’t let it go.
As I said in last week’s thread, at this point, I’d rather see Brandon and Nicole win, and say they won because of God and their constant praying, rather than see Colin win. I hate him THAT MUCH.
I’d even rather see the Twins win by blindly running across the finish line. “What, this is the finish line? Oh, we thought we were lost!”
Wanna try my tactic with me? We only have to do it this week, and if it doesn’t work, we can go back to hatin’ at 11pm EDT tonight. Pinky swear.
*::: raises eyebrows ::: *
Well, okay. If you’re sure it’ll work. Of course, my tactic is going to baseball and football games. If I attend a game, and cheer a team on, they’re sure to lose. So maybe it’ll work.
GO COLIN!
::: shudder :::
Ooooh, I think I’m gonna be sick…
Here’s what I’d like to see. Brandon and Nicole completely fail at begging, so they get the bright idea of getting some charity. Unfortunately for them, while looking for a building with a cross, they pass building after building that they dismissed as like “Starbucks”.
So I get to be the first to post my impressions of this leg? No one wants to chatter? Or is it just cuz there’s people still one hour behind me? 
~Spoilers if you haven’t seen yet~
I thought this was a fun leg. I would SO do that sledge thing and the big bubble ball. Looks like fun.
Brandon and Nicole didn’t have it so bad what with only needing cab fare to the airport. They annoyed me in the mud pit though. C’mon people, I got more muddy at summer camp during our game day. It’s MUD it won’t hurt you. Nicole, I’m looking at you. Mud is good for the skin anyway. It was somewhat amusing that Brandon found the clue shortly after he started praying.
Mom’s did a good job with catching up. They didn’t seem to have the bad luck they usually do.
Chip and Kim… well Chip needs to stop goofing off. We’re getting down to it here. If you aren’t using the yield just GO, don’t pretend to use it to psyche out the other players.
Colin and Christie… didn’t give us much entertainment this round. But Colin actually apologized! Now maybe if he can learn to not be such a dick (this was originally typed as ‘suck a dick’ is there a reason my subconscious wants it that way?) he might be a decent guy. But given the preview of next week, I really don’t think so. Christie appears to be getting some spine though. At least the start of one. Next weeks hint shows that too. I’m already impatient for the next episode.
Twins appeared to get a little luckier with the mud pits than B&N but still were too far behind to catch up. Bye-bye. No more twins. I would’ve rathered C&C to have gone but they I fear will win it.
OK since spoilers have been noted…
Happy Happy Joy Joy!! Buh bye.
And stop with the Colon love already. :mad: It didn’t work and I didn’t get a margarita! 
One last thing…
I wanna Zorb! They should set one up in the big brother house for the hamsters!!
Note to self: MUST go sledging at some point in my life. Preferrably before I have to really worry about hip breakage. That looked like SOOOO much fun!
BuhBye Twinkies. Don’t let the door hit y’all on the collective tushie on yer way out.
Now to send “Screw up” vibes to Colon and Christie.
So long, Team Anorexia! You were fun to watch misreading maps and driving right past clue boxes!!!
My heart was in my throat for Chip and Kim (my team in the office pool). This is the end of the race, folks. Let’s ratchet up the intensity (and hope for more gross eating tasks)!
Was anyone else offended at Team Blue Lagoon stopping for a prayer break in the mud and. . . wahla!. . . there’s the clue! Give me a break. Please. (Wait a minute. Maybe God DOES want Team Blue Lagoon to take home all the cash.)
And I can’t see next week being a non-elimination round. Don’t they make the Final Three competition a two-episode thingie? That would mean that the final non-elimination leg would be just before the ultimate episode. (At least that’s the way my feeble brain remembers it from previous Races.) Can anyone confirm?
Ok, go ahead. Hate me.
I’m rooting for Colin and Christie (pending next week’s “meltdown”. The promised meltdown this time (“Christie suddenly stands up to him!”) was what…one sentence and Colin reacted well.
Th’ thing is, they’re great players. Put aside the fact that he’s a dick, put aside the fact that he has (possibly serious) anger management issues, and you’re still left with the fact that they make the right choices every time, they’re fucking incredible in airports*, they perform challenges well (although with tantrums from time-to-time) and, as far as I can tell, they’ve come in first place more often this season than any previous team in history. If they win, it’s through sheer brute competence.
And I thought Chip (much as I like the guy) was stupid not to yield. Had the twins had the brains to use rule number 2 (“The challenge that looks better on TV and plays well with 20-somthings is almost always the better choice”), it would have come down to map-reading skillz (and yeah, the twins are pretty bad at that) and a footrace–and um…the twins are MUCH lighter on their feet than Chip. He got lucky. BIGTIME lucky. and that’s not a good way get to the winner’s circle.
I hope the final three turn out to be:
Colin and Christie–the most competent team ever (I reserve the right to rethink this pending Collin’s meltdown)
Chip and Kim–nice, smart, pretty competent
Bowling Moms—True grit and moxie. It takes guts to overcome a fear like she did. Good for her!!
The thought of God-boy and God-Lass saying “Nyaah! We won 'cause God cheated for us and he cheated for us 'cause he likes us better” is too much to bear!
If any of the other three teams win, no biggie (yes even C&C…brains matters)
Fenris
*I was so booing the twins when they lied to the ticket person. It’s allowed by the rules, but it’s pretty disgusting
The thing I noticed most was at the end, during the close race drama part. they showed tnem both driving there, then suddenly it becasme clear Chip and Kim were the first ones, and it was over. I was wondering about the editing choice until the wonder twits showed up. It was clearly dark by then, and editing between the two teams would have been pointless.
And I’m still glad Chip is still in it. He seems like basically nice guy. He tries to pretend he is competitive, but he is just a good guy. He has carried Kim on his shoulders all the way, and done it with a lot of class, a bit of bad strategy, but a lot of class.
Go Chip[sub](and partner)[/sub]. 
And oh yeah. The episode just convinced me more that Kiwi-land must be awesome. Anybody there wanna adopt me?