The Amazing Race (TAR) 10/24/14: Morocc’ And Roll

Cafe Society
1

Taxi Assessment:

Stuck in the Desert and Officially Detained - or, Philiminated with extreme prejudice.
Lisa & Michelle (#MiamiRealtors) and Dennis & Isabelle (#TheDatingCouple) & Michael & Scott (#TheFirefighters) - Already eliminated.
Keith & Whitney (#TeamNashville) (down from “Passing”) - Wow. As of last week, Keith & Whitney were my pick to slip into the top three along with Adam & Bethany and Misti & Jim. This week, though, shows how just one wrong decision can ruin a team’s chances. And not even a “wrong” decision, just a sub-optimal one, like Keith & Whitney’s choice of Detour options. They’re probably right that, had they chosen the tea option, they would have breezed through, passed the U-Turn ahead of Shelley & Nici, and been competing for first place. Instead, they took so long at fez-twirling that by the time they abandoned it, all the other teams had hit the mat and even the U-Turn was moot.

Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Shelley & Nici (#MomDaughter) (holding steady) - Yeah, they say a long talk has made things better, but the ugly interpersonal dynamic is still there, and I don’t see a long talk as anything but a Band-Aid. Mom was already being really unhelpful at the Roadblock with her inability to STFU, and the first time anything goes truly south, we’ll see the Band-Aid get ripped right off.

Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Tim & Te Jay (#CollegeSweethearts) (holding steady) - Tim & Te Jay are back in the top three, mostly on the strength on not completely screwing up the tea-pouring. That’s not a glowing recommendation, and I continue to be unimpressed with this team.
Brooke & Robbie (#TheWrestlers) (up from “Flat Tire”) - I’m bumping the wrestlers up this week, not so much because I think they’re great, but to separate them from Shelley & Nici. Brooke & Robbie are still erratic performers, as we saw in the tea task. But erratic means unpredictable: I wouldn’t be surprised if they pulled out a win in the next leg, nor would I be surprised if they go home. They might last a while, but right now their chances of winning it all seem slim.

“Rapido! Por Favor?” - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Maya & Amy (#SweetScientists) (holding steady) - Maya & Amy have been plodding along with exactly zero top-three finishes, and on paper they seem no better than Shelley & Nici. However, I like their problem-solving and on the whole they seem unlikely to blow up in a fiery pout (Shelley & Nici), run in circles ineffectually squawking (Tim & Te Jay), or dissolve in a puddle of self-deprecating dumb (Brooke & Robbie) than some other teams I can mention. Which, surprisingly, puts Maya & Amy fourth on my list, and a darkhorse to make the final three.

In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Kym & Alli (#TheCyclists) (holding steady) - With Keith & Whitney now relaxing on the beach in some undisclosed location, Kym & Alli are pretty clearly the third top-three team. They’ve got two firsts in a row, and 4/5 finishes in the top three, which is better than every other team, including the two I’ve ranked above them. What they don’t have is a Save or an Express Pass, so they’re still at a strategic disadvantage compared to the teams who do have one of those. Still, with a little luck, we’ll be seeing them for a long time.

Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Adam & Bethany (#SoulSurfers) (holding steady) - Bethany made a very telling comment at the tea-pouring Detour: “We’ve been continually learning to take our time.” One thing I like about this season is that (it seems to me) a larger proportion of the tasks can be completed faster with a little forethought, as opposed to bulling through. We saw a little snapshot of that this week, with Adam & Bethany taking a minute to make sure they got the procedure down, then doing it right the first time. I still think we’ll see Adam & Bethany battling Misti & Jim in the final episode, and I think the performance on the tea task might be an indicator of how that last episode will go.
Misti & Jim (#TheDentists) (holding steady) - Misti & Jim had a not-great episode to follow up their terrible one last week. They did catch up to the rest of the teams, but through a combination of the airport bunch, and all the teams inability to find the slipper-maker at the Roadblock. Not so impressive, but less impressive was their inability to stop and rethink a task once it goes wrong. That’s what happened last week with the room-arranging and with Misti at the restaurant, and it happened again this week at the tea-pouring. They still have a Save in their fanny-pack and a string of other teams that they can easily beat on a good day, so I expect them to be with us for a long time, but invincible they’re not.

2

I think the dentists’ smiles have lost their gleam. Contrast their approach to the tea-serving with the surfers’. The former repeat the same thing over and over, with the same result (how does that definition of insanity go again?) while the latter stop and take a moment to assess the situation. I’ll grant that the surfers actually had one advantage doing the task: Since two teapots had to be poured simultaneously, Bethany had to hold the tray. So they got that part of the task correct pretty much by default.

3

Thanks for the Taxi assessment. I might have put the cyclists as Cruisin’ with Earl.

I hope the lack of comments here is not foreshadowing a TAR cancellation. Friday night is like a hospice for TV shows.

Note to Self: Put Bobby Pins or Double Stick tape goes in the Amazing Fanny pack to help keep ill-fitting hats on head.

4

I liked how Bethany’s disadvantage actually worked to her advantage in the tea pouring task. That certainly would have been…handy for that other team that kept messing up.

5

I think of the Taxi ratings, through most of the season, as reflecting “most likely to make it to the final three” rather than most likely to win any given leg, or even win it all. (This reflecting TAR rule #1, that the point of all legs save the last is not to come in first, but rather not to come in last.) Any team can make a silly mistake, so an Express Pass or Save in the pocket is a big deal. I think the Cyclists are the best team right now, but they don’t have the Save luxury that the Dentists do.

6

I’m rather surprised that no one U-turned the dentists to at least make them use their Save. I guess they wanted to save the option for a future leg.

7

Very true, but when the Cyclists took the tube of icing last week on the bike detour and two consecutive wins, I think of that of “or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.”

8

Me too. That just seemed like bad strategy.

9

The dentists’ thought process was a good one. Make sure every other team knows they still have the save, so if anyone U-Turns you they will be certain to make an enemy that’s still on the race.

If I were on the race on one of those middle-of-the-pack teams, like say the wrestlers or boyfriends, I would definitely NOT have U-Turned the dentists. Why put a target on my back? Having a target sure didn’t help Keith & Whitney, though it looks like they were fated to go this week even if they weren’t U-Turned.

10

Almost every double U Turn that is used properly would leave one team in the Race so that argument doesn’t really make sense to me. Plus this isn’t a voting contest. If the dentists are in the U Turn you either eliminate someone or burn a Save. It’s a win-win.

11

But that’s not how Amazing Race works. Yes, you open yourself up to being U-Turned later, but that is the only penalty for a play that takes a major advantage away from another racer.

They should have U-Turned those bad plastic surgery victims!

12

This statement doesn’t make sense to me, so I guess we can call it even. Only one team could have U-Turned the dentists, who were guaranteed to not be eliminated. So whoever U-Turned them would have made an enemy who for sure would still be racing, and who has demonstrated an ability to race well.

It’s not a win if you burn their save and they U-Turn you later in the race as revenge.

Who cares about their major advantage? As is always pointed out, nothing matters before the last leg except not finishing last. Let’s say I’m the candy scientists. I don’t care that the dentists get a free pass. I just care that I never come in last. And if I U-Turn the dentists, I’m greatly increasing the chances I’ll be U-Turned later on in the race. Therefore it would be a bad move to U-Turn the dentists now just to burn their save.

This isn’t Survivor. It’s not about burning the hidden immunity idol to get the numbers on my side. There are no numbers in the Amazing Race. All that matters is not coming in last. Pissing off a strong team (last two legs notwithstanding) is a bad move at this stage of the game. It can only hurt you.

I was going to say there’s only one way burning the save can help you, but I can’t even think of one way. Is there any scenario in which the dentists no longer having a save can save you in the race? It’s only relevant if the dentists finish a leg last, and if they finish a leg last you were never in any danger that leg anyway.

13

Don’t know about the double U-Turn (not good at math) but if they don’t stop doing closeups of the dentist guy’s face/eyes, I’m gonna freak right out!

14

I’ve noticed that the worse they do, the more his eyes bug out. Lord only knows what will happen if they finally get eliminated.

15

The Dentists are a moderately strong team. Bumping off the Save could possibly shorten their time in the game (because they have a tendency to make the same really stupid mistake over and over again) and competing against weaker teams is always better than competing against stronger ones.

I would have done it, is all I’m saying.

16

Which is fine. My opinion is that doing so what have been a very poor play. Not only would they not have gone home, but in all likelihood they wouldn’t have even burned the save due to Keith & Whitney being almost incapable of completing the spinning hat thing.

So you would have pissed off a moderately strong team without accomplishing anything other than making an enemy. Additionally, even if you did manage to burn their save, that would gain you nothing.

Them having a save doesn’t hurt you in any possible way. Think about it: The only time a save matters is when the save-holders come in last. So unless the dentists are coming in last, the save is wholly irrelevant. But if the dentists are coming in last, you want them on the race.

17

I guess my point is who cares if that one team doesn’t like you. Them liking you gains you nothing. And even if you believe teams liking you does help, forcing them to burn their save gets all the other teams to like you more.

I would also argue the Dentists aren’t a strong team. He talks a good game but they are in the back of the pack so far as often as the front.

18

I know this is a bigger thing than just TAR, but when Misti said God blessed them and kept them in the race after the NEL last week, my head almost exploded.
Yeah, God loves you more than all the other teams. Sure, he does. :rolleyes:

19

Maybe they have a different god.

And last week, he was on the privy.

They should’ve called out louder so he could hear them.

Ba’al vs YHWH

20

The Dentists can easily correct their mistakes by slowing down and reading the clues carefully and making sure they do everything precisely. They seem smart. No moron is going to get through all the schooling for a license to practice dentistry. Smart people can adapt. And the dude is strong, so they won’t be auto-wiped by a strength task.

And it was smart gameplay to tell everyone they still have the Save. In fact, I wonder if the Dentists come in last again and burn their save, can they still tell everyone it was another NEL (a lie) and they still have their Save? That would be cunning play; I wonder if the other racers would even think to ask to see their Save.