Wow, this was such a good episode. And they’ve finally gone someplace I’ve been - India! As expected, Lenny and Karen have finally been eliminated. I’m glad I never again have to hear her yell LENNY!
I somehow think that Frank and Margarita wasted their Fast Forward. They were already in first place. Could they have built up that much of a lead?
I thought this was a somewhat strange leg, as the bike ride was the only real challenge (and whatever lead anyone might have gotten with that vanished at the train station). And I’m probably the first one to notice this, but for the first time everyone finshed in the same order they started. A lot of scrambling like stage 6, but no developments to speak of. Other than Lenny and Karen’s vastly overdue exit. Good lord. Forget ignorant, weak, unwordly, etc., why doesn’t CBS ever screen out the completely incompatible whiners??
I also think they should remove some of the random chance elements for the next race. I mean, how many times has someone been held back because a ticket wasn’t available or a cabbie made a boneheaded error or a honest but clueless stranger pointed the wrong way? At the start, I’d pick Matt and Anna over either Paul and Amie or Lenny and Karen any day. The race should reward initiative and intelligence more than it does. Also, there really should be “mini pit stops” at all the big, unavoidable travel points, so the first-arriving teams aren’t robbed every time. (And you could occasionally have one without a mini pit stop, so you know you can look for an earlier way out…)
But really, like I mentioned before, you must, repeat, MUST keep your focus in this kind of contest. Rob and Brennan have, and they’re still in. So have Drew and Kevin. And Lenny and Karen…well, you saw what I saw.
Updated standings & prospects:
Frank & Margarita - Even though they now have a huge lead (they arrived at the hotel in the morning; Joe & Bill didn’t get there until at least late afternoon), they cannot allow themselves to get overconfident. Leads have been very fleeting in this race, especially for teams that have used Fast Forwards. They look good now, but there’s still no telling where they might end up.
Joe & Bill - Damned if this team hasn’t grown on me. Maybe it was the Jerry Springer moments with Paul & Amie and Lenny & Karen (and to a lesser extent, Nancy & Emily), but right now I just love watching a calm, cohesive, quick-thinking, focused team that, feeble excuses aside, is really easy on the ears. I honestly think they were just screwing around when they tried to explain away their bit of gamesmanship at the Tunisian airport (which I think they would have been penalized for anyway if they succeeded). They’re on top of every situation and have never looked bad. What more could you ask?
Then again, with no one to rely on, they’re just one bad situation away from disaster. And the race doesn’t get any easier from here. They run has been “Hatchian” (to borrow from CBS’ other serial elimination contest) so far, but do they really have what it takes to win this thing?
Rob & Brennan - Rob grumbled about rotten luck again, but I think he was just blowing off steam. For a pair that’s never left the country before (probably never faced any significant challenges in their lives), the fact that they’re here now says a lot. IMHO, the greatest irony is that every time they thought they were sitting pretty, they got thrown back, and every time they thought they were toast, they managed to move right back up. A quirky, hard to read team for a quirky, hard to read race. Like Frank and Margarita, they’re a wildcard right now. If either team ahead of them trips up, they have a clear shot to the final.
Drew & Kevin - For a team that did no preparation whatsoever, they’ve had a spectacular run. There’s some friction, but not to the point where it’s a detriment, and I think it’s actually kind of fun watching their personalities bounce off of each other. Sadly, this looks like it’s going to be the odd team out. I almost wish there could be more than three teams in the final just to see these lovable goofballs slog it out to the bitter end.
Nancy & Emily - If, after the first leg, you predicted them to make it this far, you’re a HELL of a prognostigator. Unfortunately for them, the last really hopeless team has fallen. They’re on the brink, and they know it. Right now, their only hope is to get a Fast Forward and pray that the Guidos don’t beat them to it. Third place would be a triumph.
I LOVE it! I haven’t read most of the thread properly, because down here in Oz we’re a week behind I think. Last Tuesday we saw them ending the race at the desert oasis.
It is certainly pacy, and it’s very interesting terrain they cover, and I can certainly identify with all that.
But what I really enjoy is they are mostly so awful!!
I’m afraid I’m so dazed by the show that I can’t recall their names. But my faves:
The two fatties who can’t shut up, and can’t say a kind word to each other. Constant pick, pick, pick, yelling and big-noting each other. We do have blokes like that in Australia but they’re usually silent with it. These two are so loud and obnoxious. Two Ralph Kramdens on speed.
The gay guys are also awful. Matching outfits? A Baaaad dye job? and bitch bitch bitch at each other? They’re smart but so aloof and unfriendly - don’t join in the group hugs.
The black couple where she is a little pudgy and he is handsome but, uh, not too bright. She is usually screaming at him and nagging and criticising him. He shows off his cheek bones to the camera and seems to be thinking “if they weren’t filming this I’d give you SUCH a slap!” That’s the guy who she sent back up the eiffel tower twice because he couldn’t find the clue.
I hooted with glee that week when the two bitchy, taxi-hi-jacking, queue-jumping women came in last. Ha!
Even this weeks losers, nice as they were had a moment where he was complaining about how he couldn’t stand the noise she was making when she was vomiting into the plastic bag on her lap. I mean it’s not a factor that much under your control when you’ve been puking from motion sickness for a few hours.
I rejoice in the fact that the makers of this prgram have given us what we like in shows of this sort: people just like us behaving worse than we think we would behave in a similar situation.
I watch with gusto and will certainly buy all products that are brought to my attention during that all-too-brief hour.
Redboss
PS and David B’s site is Fantastic! Extremely well-presented and provides hours of interesting reading.
At first I thought that Nancy and Emily were going to be eliminated, but they showed too much footage of them crying, and saying that they were going to be eliminated. Just a little too much forshadowing. I also wonder if maybe they got a little hint from the camera man. At one point, we see someone else in the background, when they’re in the taxi holding each other crying. I’m glad they made it this far, but I don’t hold a lot of hope for them making it much farther. I think they’re best bet is to take the fast forward in the next leg. Right now the Guidos are the only other team that hasn’t used it. If I were the Guidos, I’d wait a bit, since they’re in a strong 2nd place right now. Does anyone know if this is like Survivor? Where the final 4 players get something?
And once again, not paying enough attention was a huge factor in the confusion this leg. It seemed that the Guidos were the only ones that really looked at the little miniature, and knew what it was. Everyone else just grabbed the paper and jumped back into the rickshaw.
Although Rob and Bren did the right thing by just forking over the money, instead of arguing about it. It doesn’t seem like money has been a huge issue, so getting stopped and arguing about a “fine” would have cost something much more valuable…time.
Also, David B, since you’re pretty knowledgable about both this show and Survivor, do you know how many of the contestants lose their jobs? My wife and I have applied for Amazing Race 2, and we were talking about the odds of keeping your job after a 30 day hiatus to be on a game show.
Was anyone else struck by what a hellhole India is? What a nightmare.
I think Lenny was purposelly slowing the team down so he could get away from Karen, what a shrew.
All I could think of during this episode was “Ugly American”. India seemed terrible, plus the stress of the race geting to these people really made for some ugliness. I missed the first 10 minute so I was a bit confused why some were in gliders doing nothing while others were on bikes.
The first instruction this time was a Detour. The players could go to a bicycle shop and ride bikes to the next route marker. They would have to navigate themselves but there would be bikes for everyone.
Or, they could go to the glider. There, they would take a glider ride then a car would take them directly to the next route marker. The catch was that there was only one glider and it was first come/first served.
Of course, everyone caught up with everyone else at CPH anyway…
I think that they played up the hellhole-India angle, what with the quick cuts and all. Also factor in that everyone, except for Team Silly Nickname, seemed to be completely unprepared. I’m really disappointed that no one (again except for Ernie and Bert) seemed to have picked up the Taj Mahal clue.
Redboss - Ksar Hadada was at the end of the 5th leg. You’re two weeks behind the States. (I think the spoiler warning goes without saying, huh?)
The “fatties” are Drew Feinberg and Kevin O’Connor. Kevin is slightly shorter and wears glasses. They did bicker a lot in the early going, but I think CBS may have been playing it up. It’s certainly a lot more pleasant than at least three of the other teams.
The gays are Joe Baldasarre and Bill Bartek; Joe (I think) is the blonde. I really didn’t see a whole lot of backbiting. They’ve run a lot of ideas back and forth over the course of the race, but they’re always quick to decide on a plan of action. That incident at the Tunisian airport was just silly; I don’t think they’ll be pulling anything like it again.
It was Kim Smith and Leslie Kellner who had the dubious distinction of not only blowing the race on the second leg, but finishing behind Lenny and Karen.
Amie Barsky went in full steam and immediately found herself completely in over her head. Paul Alessi was just along for the ride. Never a favorite by any means.
Atrael - Survivor has a $100,000 prize for second, and even the last-place finisher gets $5,000. I’d be very surprised if The Amazing Race didn’t have a similar scale.
Well last night’s episode was one I was really looking forward to. I think these final five teams really are the cream of the crop and I would not be surprised if any of them won. This is like the playoffs now. I was happy to see the Guidos finally getting some bad luck and it looks like them and Emily and her Mom are far enough behind they both feel the need to go for the Fast Forward next week. But I am betting neither of them get eliminated, unless their “surprise ending” qualifier for next week was a bunch of hot air. I get mixed feelings about the Guidos, because I absolutely do not want them to win, but I also love having them in the show.
These last two shows are not the kind the Indian Tourism Board is wishing Ameircans would see. Temples with Rats? Kids who “stare right into your soul”? Insane cab drivers? Smelly smells? Of course there were some very interesting aspects, that temple in the middle of the lake, the Taj Mahal…
I was lmao when Kevin or Drew siad “That guy is like three days older than …kerosene.” Kerosene? Where in the world did he get that? That was freaking hilarious.
Another non-elimination point this week, and things have really shaped up. Drew & Kevin prove beyond any doubt that they’re legit, Frank and Margarita make a (good, IMHO) time-for-money tradeoff, and Joe & Bill FINALLY have a long-overdue major screwup. (C’mon, you knew they couldn’t keep it up indefinitely…)
Right now it’s impossible to pick a favorite, as everyone looks pretty good at this point. It could be a shootout at the finish.
Updated standings & prospects, and some additional comments:
1: Drew & Kevin
The wild, weird ride continues. This pair has been, in a word, unpredictable. Just when you think they’re fading, bam, back in first. Need I remind you that this is a team that, by their own admission, did no preparation whatsoever for this race?
IMHO, what’s helped them more than anything is that they’ve stayed loose throughout this whole ordeal, never taking anything too seriously, and never letting bad luck or wrong turns get them down. They’ve been on the same note all throughout…a somewhat sour note with plenty of insults, but the same note nonetheless. Compare this to Paul & Amie, Lenny & Karen, or even Matt & Ana (if you can actually remember back that far). They refuse to beat themselves, and that makes it all the harder for anyone else to beat them.
Their first place status is actually a bit deceiving, as they’re only a few minutes ahead of the next two teams at best (and that’ll disappear real quick), but it still has to be a tremendous morale booster. They look very good for the final.
2: Frank & Margarita
You know what, call me weird if you will, but I think going for the Fast Forward on the last leg may actually have been a good idea. Although it only gave them about an hour’s advantage in leg 8, it also gave them a lot of time to relax, go over strategy, and recuperate from the stresses the race had put them through (in addition to the time between their arrival and Nancy & Emily’s). Don’t forget, travelling thousands of miles in a matter of days is tiring, and it’s nice to have the luxury of stopping and recharging the batteries. They probably won’t have another crack at the Fast Forward anyway, so leg 8 was as good a time as any.
Contrary to what’s been shown before, money is now a VERY critical concern. They had the opportunity to save money with cheaper transportation, and they took it. They were still able to make the first train to Bikaner in plenty of time.
I may have been a little hasty to judge them after falling behind at El-jem Coliseum. Now they seem to be back in the saddle, and second place is nothing at this point. Barring any extremely weird developments (and there have been a few), they’re a lock for the final.
3: Rob & Brennan
Considering all the problems they had with transportation, it’s actually pretty remarkable that the finished just seconds behind Frank & Margarita. The main danger for them right now is mental. They HAVE to keep things in perspective and not lose their focus if they want to reach the end. Leaving Joe & Bill in the dust will help morale, and they’re probably the second most cohesive team remaining (behind Frank & Margarita).
I can’t really determine their overall prospects right now. It could be feast or famine for them. We’ll see.
[However, I do want to add this footnote…is it actually possible that they’re the winners? I mean, think about it, it’s always been “damn, we’re so unlucky” or “I can’t believe we finished behind them”, time after time. Knowing how CBS just loves to throw us off track, could all this just be a cover for their eventual triumph? Just a thought.]
4: Joe & Bill
The last time they were in fourth, it was because they got lackadaisical in Paris and let a couple teams run right by them. This time was no different, and you could really see the overconfidence right up to the six-hour stumble at the train station. Hell, they even discussed at length at how they’ve never finished worse than fourth and everyone else has had to come back etc. And now the big drop comes right when they can least afford it.
As the trailers for the next episode have shown, it’s coming down to a Fast Forward for them. If they beat Nancy & Emily to it, they’re safe. If not, they’re very likely out of it. A terrible way to go after they’ve pretty much breezed through 7 legs.
And again, how important is money now? You could see their disgust at how much entry to the Taj Mahal cost, and I can only wonder if one of the reasons they kept finishing in such good position is that they paid more than they should have for transportation. It’s like sports…sometimes it’s the little things that kill you.
5: Nancy & Emily
Not much to say about them that hasn’t already been said. For them, the Fast Forward decides everything. Even if they do get it, I think they’re looking at 3rd place at best. (Which would still be a triumph, considering all that they’ve been through.)
Tretiak - That was Drew. He also had a gem after having to pay 100 rupees for the boat ride: “The Staten Island Ferry doesn’t cost that much!” Quite a character.
This was again a great episode. Although I wonder if the producers are keeping track of the contestants, then decide before anyone get’s there if it’s going to be an elimination stop. Were I in charge, I may think about making it non-elimination, if there had been something particulary difficult and unforseen that occured. Although if the teams knew that it would be a non-elimination point, that could be a reason that Nancy and Emily didn’t use a fast forward this week. I thought that this week definatly should have been a fast forward for them. They were not in last place, but waaaay behind a lot of the other teams. It looks like Frank/Margarita have been putting thier time to good use. Researching a little about the country when they have some travel time, or pit stop time. She seemed to know the name of the Junipal (whatever) town right away.
I had heard about the temple of the rats before, so I wasn’t too surprised that it made it as a roadblock, but I was surprised that Kevin(Drew) seemed very freaked out about going inside. Really upset about it. And I was proud as hell for Emily for just walking right through it. When it came down to crunch time for her to have to beat the Guidos, she did what she had to do with little hesitation.
I noticed that money is getting tighter and tighter too, and thought it funny as hell when the guidos got called back to the gate for not paying. The only thing better would have been for them to get caught running, and kicked out. I’m glad to see them sweating it, and really hope they get eliminated next. Not because I think they’re playing the game poorly, I think we all know they’re actually doing very well, but because I just really dislike them. Thier smarmy attitudes just grate on my nerves. Anyway, this is by far the best show on right now, and I’m glad it will have a second season (hopefully with me in it).
Dammit!
That would’ve been the sweetest way for the Guidos to get the boot, losing because of their own arrogance. But rules is rules.
Man, the race is getting downright surreal as they head for the homestretch.
I still don’t know what the hell Nancy & Emily were thinking. How could they, after making it this far, suffer a complete mental breakdown at the absolute worst possible time? It’s possible that, if they’d taken the bus, Joe & Bill would have beaten them outright, but for crying out loud, at least go down fighting!
And Team Guido was supposed to be lucky? Did they forget missing the train by a minute??
In the end, what we had here was an emotionally fragile team that was not prepared in the slightest to deal with any kind of adversity and only made it this far because someone else always screwed up worse. It’s was a good run, yes, but they succeeded by luck more than anyone else.
To think of what Pat & Brenda could have done…
BTW, it was very classy of Team Still Haven’t Gotten Used To That Nickname not to rub their faces in it and accept their good fortune gracefully. For all their scheming and overconfidence, I have to give them credit for that.
This is looking to be one hell of a final. Updated standings, along with my final predictions (screw neutrality, I’m picking sides now!):
With all that, I still doubt that they’re going to win. Call it a “curse” or whatever, but something’s kept them out of #1 almost all the way. So I say they finish second, or possibly third.
This is by far the clear favorite, hands down, bottoms up, good night everybody. I’d be surprised if they didn’t win and absolutely shocked if they finished worse than second.
Drew & Kevin
Predicted finish: 4th
Well, they fought, they clawed, they scratched, they bit, they snarled and swore and screamed bloody murder. And you should see what they did to the other teams. 
Sadly, it looks like the roller coaster ride to end all roller coaster rides is about to come to an end. They’re breaking down, and don’t think they don’t know it. Good-natured bickering is okay up to a point, but I can see that it’s really taking its toll on their morale know (especially evident at the Taj Mahal, even though they finished first in that leg). Great run, but, barring an absolute miracle, they’re going to be the last men not standing.
Joe & Bill
Predicted finish: 3rd
For the first three legs, they raced like winners. Then they slipped to a runner-up team. Look for them to drop one more spot notch at the finish line. The inability to move up at all despite getting the Fast Forward was telling. Now it’s a straight race the rest of the way, and to be honest, they look like a team on the ropes. Beating out Team Fraternity and making it to the final will be easy. Passing Rob & Brennan (who are more focused and not prone to overconfidence), not to mention Frank & Margarita, is a different matter. I say they don’t come close.
Okay, that’s all he wrote. Two more episodes, y’all. And remember, it ain’t over until it’s REALLY over.
I don’t know…I mean, when the other teams bypassed the train a couple of shows ago, I seriously doubt that they got a 24 hour penalty. Maybe you could argue that Nancy and Emily did it knowingly, but I have a hard time believing that on a train with all the other teams, nobody was talking about having to take the train all the way. Especially when I don’t think Nancy/Emily gained anything by using the taxi, or at least not much. It didn’t look as if it was that long a trip down to whereever the next task was. Frank/Margarita made it in less than 3 hours it looks like. And the other teams couldn’t have been that far behind, because Rob/Brennen beat them to the pit stop.
Although I do have to say that Nancy/Emily gave up way too soon. The two places were right next to each other, literally took like 5 minutes to get from the Buddah to the Temple. So even being behind an hour or so wouldn’t have been that big a deal. We’ve seen how the producers like to keep things on an even keel, and how it’s easy to pick up an hour or so here or there, as long as you don’t make major blunders. After I lost the fast forward, I would have been hauling my ass across the river…hell, even team Guido was telling them to hurry, that they could have made it.
I don’t know…Sometimes I wonder how much the producers are arranging things, to make the show more dramatic, and interesting. None of the other teams that got penalized recieved such a huge time penalty. I mean they had to have been a good 4 or 5 hours ahead of team Guido.
Watching the previews of next week they are obviously trying to give us the impression that the Frat Boys and the Lawyers are in danger and the Guidos are smooth sailers. So of course I am suspicious and expect that the Guidos will be eliminated next week. Of course, maybe they are trying to pull the double switch on me here and it is in fact the Frat Boys. Or maybe it is the Separated-but-Regaining-Their-Love-For-One-Another couple who seems strongest (I agree they are the likely winners) that screws somehow and gets the boot. That’s why I will watch,fo course
and, hard to believe, crappier.
Whatever, clayton. With just two legs left, it’s far, far too late to try to deter me now.
Besides, of course they’re going to have problems the FIRST time. Same with Survivor. They’ll work on it for the next race.
Really, only two more episodes? But there are four teams left. So the last episode should feature three teams, and whoever comes in first, wins.
Third (and final) nonelimination point just completed.
This was, by far, the most physically grueling of all the legs, requiring a difficult hike up a mountain path, a claim straight up a mountain (and nearly everyone had real difficulty with it), a rappel back down, then a kayak paddle two ways, and finally a snorkel dive to the final route marker. Look back at some of the eliminated teams, I honestly doubt that some of them could have finished this leg at all. It was that challenging.
Standings-wise, not a whole lot to report. Despite CBS’s by now infamous misleading teasers, everyone finished in the same order they started. Rob & Brennan lost a little ground to the pack, while Joe & Bill made up a little time, but those damn opening & closing hours prevented them from moving up further. BTW, say what you will about Team Weird Nickname, but I have a lot more respect for them now than a few legs back. They realized that they were in serious trouble, they know that they’re probably not going to win this thing, yet they refuse to give up. Eyes forward, shut up and jam, and run 'till you can’t run no more. That’s a remarkable attitude, especially for a team that can count on no one else right now.
So here they are. One elimination for the road, then what should be a fantastic trophy dash.