sinycalone

The BF told Hung after he had been alerted by the Bro about the measuring. At that market, everyone seemed to pitch in and offer assistance (in Manaus). The map idea was kind of strange....not really all that helpful...but it was a try to aid the alliance.

They are such friends....but after they "drop" the NFLers from their grand alliance....James has no problem asking Gary for help with the turban task. I'd say he's mean, sneaky...and devious. Will matches him.

I can recall quite a few instances of the other teams in the Alliance helping W/J ....but really don't remember any direct help they provided to the other teams. And, of course, Leo helped them.

Will and James are major fans of TAR. They have watched each season....so where did they get the idea that a big alliance was a good idea. The only other "big" alliance I can recall was the 6-pack, which became the backpack....and it failed miserably. At first, it kind of made sense for the weaker teams on that season to help each other...then it became absurd. The mine 5 was definitely Big-Brother related rather than TAR.

DeAngelo finished first -- and stopped to explain some of the detailing necessary. While Will may have been the one D was answering specifically, I'm sure others over heard it.

Look at the CBS clips for a better sampling of DeAngelo and Gary's conversation.

DeAngelo has given it right back to Gary....they are used to the trash-talking of competitive sports. I laugh at all their convos....because I think only really close friends could share that kind of humor.

You are right....both the Bro Team and the Boyfriends complained about the NFLers never helping, etc.

Let's not forget that DeAngelo helped the Boyfriends (and a few others) at the cello-making challenge. While it's been weeks for us between episodes, it's only been about 10 days for the racers. Convenient memory loss? Also, DeAngelo and Gary did wait around for the VBallers at the rappelling task...they could have just rushed away if they really were such "takers."

I lean towards their "niceness" in the chats as being more of their role-playing and manipulation.

Drama was the wrong word....I should have said the use of the yield would have been a cleverer use of a Race tool...rather than an alliance. Oh, and DeAngelo gave Will some very helpful tips when they were making the cellos.

A wise use of the yield in early episodes would have created some drama...without the alliance nonsense.

There was one in each leg....and all had to be used by episode 9

I was impressed by DeAngelo and Gary's all around abilities in this leg....mental and physical. Now they know they are on their own....and I hope they finish ahead of the 3 in the Alliance at the end. Chee/Hung were should have changed tasks much sooner. They were just not getting the hang of it. at all. They did the food delivery task fairly quickly Will and James - please vanish from my screen. I was not bothered by D's comment about the Blondes.....people use that expression all the time. It was used (cockroaches) years ago to describe Cher....in fact I think she originated it. I think all of them really respected the blondes for their tenacity.

The Phanatic would not be able to fit, either.

It could be that the information about the letters was phrased a bit ambiguously....because I can't believe so many were surprised about having to unscramble them. (The horn was clearly mentioned in that clue...but it's not always the case.) There is no way to know if Hung would have even been looking for the letters if DeAngelo had not alerted her. Hard to say if DeAngelo would have gotten the word on his next try....but at least he could have been checking them out prior to his second attempt.

Not only is Chee handsome....I think Gary (with the stubble) is good-looking, too.

I was wondering if there was going to be a penalty (Will/James) for abandoning their car.

This is true.

Didn't Maddison and Riley benefit from the shared "word", too. Alliances are not good ideas when it involves so many teams, for so long a period. I don't think the NFLers realized how long it would be before other taxis would arrive.

I didn't mean I would be prevented from seeing some parts of the world....just that you can't visit every corner of the world so doing it vicariously is the next best thing.

I can understand the lack of airport drama....when, as we've talked about, the airlines have reduced the number of flights quite a bit. I can live with just the occasional flight wrangling. There is always the possibility of missed connections to provide a little excitement. This is a race that is meant to challenge the participants on many levels...and I think TAR does a great job considering how travel has changed since 2001. Not just fewer flights, but much tighter security at airports. And speaking of security, there are fewer countries that offer a safe environment for the teams. I'm not interested in watching "Rick Steves well-planned tour of the world." It's fun to see the teams adjust on the fly, approach locals for assistance, conquer some of their fears, etc. And there is the bonus of seeing parts of the world that I'm not likely to see on my own.

The pie-throwing was my highlight....laughed so hard. Nice surprise for sure. I can't figure out, like others have mentioned, how Victoria/Michelle were driving that fairly short distance for 6 1/2 hours. Yes, it was raining; yes, traffic can be bad -- but they were getting maps with specific directions. What a nightmare for them...but I won't miss them. Well, Gary is a Renaissance Man! That was funny....he was not kidding. I think the smartest one (forget who it was) picked out Jesus in one of the paintings....and had no trouble finding the "duplicate" because he stood out. (I really thought some of the living doubles were not really very close in appearance to the paintings.)

Rewatched season 5 recently...and one thing struck me. Usually there is talk that the yield Chip/Kim used on Colin/Christie totally knocked them off their game. Not sure about Christie....but Colin certainly recovered quickly. I had forgotten him basically pulling Christie (using his ski poles) up the mountain to the top of the Continental Divide, then doing black flips (in full ski gear) down the mountain after getting their clue. Granted I was happy Chip and Kim won at the time....but Colin (and Christie) were one tough, super competitive couple.

Is production still discouraging teams to mingle during pit stops? If think around season 14 or so, there began regulations separating teams at the pit stops. Of course, they couldn't prevent teams from interacting during long flight, bus, or train rides.