The Amazing Race (TAR) 11/7/14: Pretty Fly For A Food Scientist

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) & Keith & Whitney (#TeamNashville) and Shelley & Nici (#MomDaughter) - Already eliminated.

Flat Tire - or, not likely to get anywhere soon.
Tim & Te Jay (#CollegeSweethearts) (down from “Flat Tire”) - Yeah, not so good this week. Yet again, Tim & Te Jay don’t really do anything that will put them ahead, and just muddle along with the rest of the pack. Unfortunately, this time, two teams sprint ahead of the pack, two more pull ahead with a lucky Detour choice, and Tim & Te Jay are left battling Adam & Bethany for last place. Adam & Bethany are better (although apparently just by a few minutes), and now Tim & Te Jay are stuck doing another task in the next leg. Misti & Jim can handle doing that; I don’t think Tim & Te Jay can.

Stopping for Gas - or, not broken-down, exactly, but not a good sign.
Brooke & Robbie (#TheWrestlers) (holding steady) - Brooke & Robbie are yet again ineffectual at finding a cab, but wind up barely catching up at the Roadblock, then make a lucky Detour choice and sail into fourth place.

“Rapido! Por Favor?” - or, making meaningless ineffectual comments from the back seat, but in no immediate danger.
Maya & Amy (#SweetScientists) (holding steady) - An up-and-down leg for Maya & Amy - they wound up getting to the Roadblock in third place, then dropped back into the pack when Maya missed her time in her first go-kart heat. They were briefly last when they wound up as fifth wheels at the painting Detour, but providentially the opera choice wound up quicker, so Maya & Amy score their first top-three finish.

In the Passing Lane - or, ahead of the pack, but not quite comfortably.
Kym & Alli (#TheCyclists) (holding steady) - Kym & Alli edged in front of Adam & Bethany to score tickets on the earlier flight, then, working with Misti & Jim, made sure they held onto one of the first two spots. I’m not sure whose idea it was to ask a bystander to call for taxi, but that gave the two teams some critical breathing room. In any case, Kym & Alli now have finished in the top three in six out of seven legs.

Cruisin’ with Earl - or, drivin’ on the shoulder, takin’ shortcuts, and generally kickin’ butt.
Adam & Bethany (#SoulSurfers) (holding steady) - Adam & Bethany score a disappointing fifth this week, just barely ahead of last-place Tim & Te Jay. Still, they’re not starting out in last place on the next leg, so they have some time to recover. And their Express Pass needs to be used on the next leg (or it expirees), meaning Adam & Bethany essentially get a free jump on the other teams.
Misti & Jim (#TheDentists) (holding steady) - This week, it seems, the flight arrangement and airport bunching worked just the way it should - Misti & Jim, leaving first from the Pit Stop, scored seats on the first plane out; Kym & Alli joined them after beating Adam & Bethany to the travel agency. The remaining teams wound up forty minutes behind, so being ahead last week still counted, but all the teams were still reasonably close. Too bad the producers decided to add another bunching point in Sicily. In any case, Misti & Jim and Kym & Alli remained in the front of the pack the entire leg, with Misti & Jim nosing it out for a win in the end.

2

Thanks zut, appreciate the Taxi assessment like I do every week.

At least one team don’t like the Dentists, and I imagine the others do not like them either. I guess anything that says “Opera” is a scary option for the Detours and all the teams wanted to stay away from it. I’m surprised it took the Wrestlers and Scientists awhile to team up.

The Go-Kart race looked fun! And apparently they had to go balls to the wall to finish on time.

Sicily was beautiful!

There has been a discussion drop of TAR this season at the SDMB. I hope that is just a Dope thing because it is Saturday Morning than Global thing that might mean the end of TAR.

Of course, many of the comments when TAR was on Sundays was a lot bitching because it got delayed by football

3

This was the first episode I’ve managed to catch this season. I’ve been meaning to catch up on the CBS website, but haven’t found the time yet.

I’m not liking the dentists much, but he did choose the best car for his ride back down the hill, so at least he has some taste.

4

The Dentists really bug me. They’re just not my kind of people, I guess. But I gotta give them credit they’re very good players so far.

I’m kinda rooting for The Cyclists, isn’t it rare for a female-female team to win, or even place in the top three?

I hope Friday night doesn’t toll the death knell. I was able to watch the Sunday night airing as it happened, but I have to time shift the Friday night shows. I imagine that’s where the low volume on this season’s threads is coming from, not as many people are watching as it airs, are time shifting when they watch, and it’s not as fun to ring in on a thread that might be a few days old before you can participate.

5

I’ve actually been watching it as it airs on Fridays (except for Halloween) but I’ll admit - I’ve been lazy and wait for someone else to start the threads.

Sicily was gorgeous. The go kart races looked fun (although the shaky cameras were annoying) and the classic cars were very cool!

6

It’s funny; Sundays were terrible for the frequent sports delays, but I just can’t get used to the Friday night time. We didn’t get back from trick-or-treating until 8:30 on Halloween, so we watched that one later. Another time, must have been the Friday before, we just plain forgot that it was on until Saturday morning when I saw the thread here.

That being said, I think this season is one of the better ones in recent years. I’m enjoying the tasks and there is no team that’s really annoying me. I’m not fond of the dentists, but they’re good racers. I do wish the scientists weren’t quite so bland, as having two strong female teams (scientists and cyclists) would be fun.

7

I have to admit I think I was wrong about the dentists. I still think they are jerks but after those bad legs I had chalked them up as a paper tiger who was all talk but it looks like they have the goods. Still rooting for the cyclists though.

Regarding this episode, you could probably write a psychology paper about how by stating the painting task could only accommodate four teams, it made that one seem immediately more appealing to all of them.

8

Top Three isn’t too rare, but checking Wiki, the only female-female teams to win are Nat and Kat in season 17 and Kisha and Jen during the “Unfinished Business” all-stars season.

But I too am rooting for The Cyclists and I hope they get it.

9

I like the cyclists and the surfers so I’d be happy with either team winning. Conflict between team members really drags me down so I was glad to see the mom & daughter gone last time.

The dentists bug me, but at least they’re nice to each other and they don’t really bad-mouth other teams either. They’re super cocky (at least Jim is) but they’re very good too.

10

This exactly.

My biggest issue with the dentists is Jim’s eyes. :eek: (never has this smily been more appropriate)

I have really been enjoying this season, it’s been really enjoyable getting to know the teams without wanting to throw stuff at the TV all the time.

11

Same here. I keep forgetting it’s on Friday nights now and I’m usually doing something else and nowhere near a TV.

I’d be curious to know how the Nielsen numbers are. As much as we all bitched about the Sunday night delays, I’m betting TAR had more viewership.

12

TAR’s Wikipedia page for season 25 shows an average of about 6 million viewers per episode. That’s down from the 8 million range last season and the 9-10 million before that. Part of that may be just the night: TAR’s still getting a 4-5 share in the 18-49, which is basically what it was getting last season (although lower than previously).

13

I’ve actually been time-shifting it to almost exactly the old Sunday time slot - and it’s never late because of football!

I looked up the dates that they were in each place because I thought they were filming when I was traveling Europe this summer - as it turns out, the night they arrived in Sicily, they were about as far south as you can get in Italy and I was about as far North as you can get in Italy (Bolzano)! It’s kind of fun to think of all the things I was doing while traveling and seeing what they were doing on those same days.