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aradia22

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Everything posted by aradia22

  1. Saw Here Lies Love tonight. I might have more thoughts in the coming days but I wanted to get some thoughts down right now while it's fresh in my mind. First of all, I thought it was a great show for a $35 rush ticket and I would recommend it. I wanted to be in the standing area (orchestra) but the mezz was not bad. I do have binoculars but they actually made smart use of the screens to make up for the audience's distance from the actors. They also make smart use of levels. It reminded me of both KPOP and Great Comet. I was highly impressed with the talent of the entire cast, especially on a two-show day. Conrad was out but his understudy (Aaron Alcaraz) was fantastic (and I imagine is the superior vocalist) but Arielle Jacobs really impressed me as Imelda. I've heard some criticisms of how she wasn't able to bridge the gaps in the narrative and the transition from country girl to dictator's wife but I don't lay the blame at her feet. For what the show asks of her, she fully commits and gives a fantastic performance. They really make use of her Disney princess energy and there's a slyness to her as her personal mythologizing is counteracted by Estrella. A lot of Evita comparisons but I thought it was smart to not simply have a "Che" in Ninoy but also bring back Estrella as a recurring voice. And Why Don't You Love Me felt much more impactful than a Don't Cry For Me Argentina. I do think it goes for a Cabaret indictment of the audience move but it's also very forgiving because it encourages audience participation throughout. You can also just... choose not to participate when it asks you to stand up and clap for other problematic leaders. I did miss a few words here and there but not much. I liked the use of screens and platforms, locating the cast in different areas of the theater though I think walking around in the orchestra could get tiresome. I understand that they didn't want to be Evita (with an all-male creative team) but I do think they were a little too sympathetic and facile with the storytelling. The emphasis on love at the beginning makes it seem like Imelda was just broken-hearted when Ninoy broke up with her for being too tall and was desperate to please her husband and then became addicted to pills and girl bossed too close to the sun. It's better than the entirely calculating and mercenary version of Eva Peron but it does try a little too hard to sand off the rough edges and make her more sympathetic. I wasn't deeply offended, but I can understand the criticism. Costuming was solid. Not standout but there were moments and I appreciated the quick changes and the things the clothes were communicating. Choreography was distinctly... fine. Serviceable. Maybe I should have led with this, but I felt like I met the show where it was. I felt this way about KPOP too but even more so about Here Lies Love. I think a lot of criticisms are coming from people who wanted the show to be something else rather than accepting what it is. I knew it was going to be 90 minutes (I think it actually ran a little longer but I'm never entirely clear when shows start because I turn off my phone and don't wear a watch.) From very early on, I interpreted the show as an exploration of propaganda. It feels like a mix between a historical pageant and a political rally. While I referenced a bunch of other shows, it's not trying to be a traditional musical. There are some more traditional musical theater style numbers. But most of the time, it feels like it's directly speaking to the audience, persuading, entertaining, cajoling, instructing, etc. Asking for more depth in character relationships or book scenes is missing what the show is. And while there are things they could have hammered harder, I can read quickly so I didn't miss anything on the screens. And I liked that they were more subtle. They could have just had Ninoy yelling at her like her Che. But they slid in Estrella during key moments to counteract even her interpretation of events. I feel like if you thought the show was telling you a story, you missed the point. This felt like a jumble of competing narratives and in the way it was communicated with that heavy sense of propaganda in the air, I really enjoyed going on that journey. Also, a bunch of the songs were catchy and the cast sang the hell out of them.
  2. Eh... We can make all the excuses in the world. Corey and Morgan flew through it. There's no reason they'd be less tired than the others. And remember how much they struggled at the word puzzle in episode 1? I think some of them just aren't very bright. When @PurpleTentacle wrote out the conversion, I did it in my head. And I'm not particularly good at math. I figured out how many witten = 1 groschen and then multiplied by 5. The only "difficult" math is 24/4 =6. Then you divide by 2 to get 3 witten. 3 x 5 = 15
  3. I feel like that's a problem though. Production can't keep counting on someone having a fear of heights. It's not really a challenge for the racers and it's boring for viewers to watch. (Also, personally, I don't like seeing someone struggle with a phobia. That's not really drama I'm into.) I struggle to think of a really compelling challenge that involved heights. They sort of tried with that task (maybe in France?) where they had to look at the coat of arms and also rappel and I think if you failed the memory task you had to do it again. And there was one of those rope tasks that involved a flag recently but I think that also ended up being boring. I think there's just too much safety stuff involved to have these heights tasks be something they repeat over and over to complete. And when it's a rope walk, they can't be hanging out there for too long. Could they maybe find a safe way to do rock climbing? Something that's an actual physical challenge? Or, if they want it to be psychological, maybe go to one of those places that's high up that has a glass floor. And then have something they have to look at through the floor to challenge any fear of heights. Also, Greg is the only one left that I remember having a fear of heights and John was the one who did the task.
  4. Full disclosure, I wasn't watching the episode all that carefully and if people were bickering and I missed it, I didn't rewind. I think Robbin got a more positive edit in that they mentioned more of her backstory stuff but she was still snapping at Chelsea. Morgan and Lena cannot hide their dysfunction but I missed most of it during the driving. I totally missed most of the Steve/Anna Leigh stuff until he finally told her to stop talking to him like that. But honestly, with Andrea and Malaina gone, I think I'll like all of the racers fine if/when Robbin and Chelsea leave. I mean, I don't want Steve and Anna Leigh to win but they can hang around a while as long as the editors focus on the likable teams. As dysfunctional as they are, I wouldn't mind Morgan & Lena pushing Joel & Garrett out but yeah, those are the most likable teams left. Todd & Ashlie are okay but I don't want them to win. Yeah, I really hated that. And after she bragged about puzzles during the tile task. Agreed, especially when three of them have lived in Germany. Not just vacationed, but lived there. They didn't really show it but I assume both team members could taste each flavor at first and then during the actual task. I get why it would be good to have someone back you up on what things tasted like. If only one person could taste each mustard while guessing, it makes sense not to divide things up because you don't know the order. Either way, I think this time it made sense for a task they were doing together because they could help each other. It wasn't purely about memory. I don't think she loathes her at all but I wonder if Morgan talks to everyone that way or just Lena. From episode one, I've found her shockingly mean and dismissive. It's like when she gets stressed, that's the only way she can process it. A bunch of nice people having a good time? Sounds great. tbf, they got pretty close this season And this is why everyone who didn't U-turn Steve and Anna Leigh picked them instead. They both kind of seem like jocks (Rob's a football coach) and maybe they were worried about communicating at the mustard task or just didn't want to eat mustard. They seem inclined towards physical tasks. I hope they would have switched if they were really struggling but it didn't seem to take them that long to figure it out given their placement at the mat. I think it would be nice to have another mini puzzle, especially since there were four digits. Give them something that adds up to 4711 or let them guess each digit individually from a different clue. Or at least have like a sign somewhere along the bridge that they need to locate to find the answer. But with something like that, finding someone with a phone really is the fastest way to get through it.
  5. This was a bit of a boring episode. The tasks weren't that great and weren't very visually interesting to watch either and as much as the editors tried to hide it, it was pretty damn obvious that Andrea and Malaina were going home from very early on. Joel and Garrett were very lucky. The ferry was not exciting at all but I guess it provided some drama in shaking up the placement after they'd bunched up on the flight. But navigation woes did that throughout the episode. I'm not sure production really thought it was going to be that big of a deal though actually finding the man with the bag of coins should have been a clue to Andrea and Malaina. I was expecting the worst from the money conversion task after the scramble puzzle in episode one. But Corey has always seemed good at math, Morgan aced it, and most of the others didn't struggle too much. Chelsea was just embarrassing though. I guess there was only one type of coin if she could just keep returning with different amounts. They should have made it more difficult (like having to use the three types of coins on the board to make proper change). Greg and John seemed good with navigation this episode and that really helped them secure first. I did not like Robbin and Chelsea tailing them (especially since they're bad at navigation and haven't wanted to help other teams). The carnival task didn't seem to affect placement at all. The challenge seemed to just be finding the location. No one really struggled with pedaling but I guess it broke up the boredom of watching them do the other tasks. There was a certain style to the carnival packing up and going home before Andrea and Malaina got there. Those poor actors/musicians. I hope production was in communication when racers were getting close so they could just be on break the rest of the time. Production was nice to them in making the locks big and obvious compared to the regular locks on the bridge. I was a little confused at how much the early teams were struggling if all 7 locks were attached to the bridge at the start. Surely it should get more difficult over time? Nice to see Ashlie help Rob with the combination. I have no idea how they planned to get around that if he'd been unable to ask someone with a cell phone for help. Would there be an ASL translator to intervene and ask a passerby for him? Robb and Corey were very cute talking about darts. It's like they both rolled super high on charisma. Todd picking the soccer task was bananas. But luckily they switched early and still ended up in third. The mustard task seemed reasonably difficult. You had to be good at identifying the flavors as well as keeping the memory task part in mind. Obviously it was preferable to soccer unless you had soccer skills but I can see how you'd struggle. Greg and John continue to prove themselves very likable and competent racers. It took them two tries at the mustard and there weren't any big struggles this episode.
  6. Haha, she's ridiculous. I don't know why it doesn't bother me but this and being mad at Chelsea for the tile task just seems like silly pettiness that takes over in between actually doing the tasks. She's competent and not annoying during the actual racing. This might also be why she doesn't bother me. All bark, no bite. I wrote down the race order from last episode. I think they were too close to the bottom of the pack and the slow driving (and apparently getting lost?) didn't help them keep their place or make up any ground. I enjoyed how easy going (and yes, fine, attractive) they were but they couldn't hang on forever. I think everyone likes them too much. 😅 Agreed. Malaina and Robbin annoy me much more. Like, who cares if Anna Leigh puts on makeup? A lot of women on TAR have worn makeup. They're still on TV. There have been hints at "ugly American" behavior/attitudes from Malaina and Robbin and that always puts me off. Anna Leigh can be brusque but she always seems relatively polite to the judges and though I don't think she slows down enough to enjoy the scenery that much, the worst she freaked out was at the eels. She's generally game and a tough racer and that wins her points for me. I'm irrationally upset with the racers for not u-turning Robbin and Chelsea and getting them eliminated so we'd have another week with Liam and Yeremi. Though no one could have predicted Robbin and Chelsea's navigation struggles. I do see the argument that some teams thought they were racing for first but it's very short term thinking as the "prizes" for winning a leg don't seem as valuable as knocking a team out. Yup. All of this. The repeated stuff from their bios can be a drag, but sometimes I swear they will even replay the same soundbites (presumably if they couldn't coax them into talking about it all again). Yeah, Yeremi and Liam's personal history is not that unique but it's meaningful to them and I'm sure the producers are prodding to get the tears. So Anna Leigh and Steve complaining... especially in the talking heads rather than fighting with others teams... it doesn't bother me.
  7. I wonder if they're pushing a few bad moments in the edit or actually being generous and leaving things out. Given her backstory, it's surprising Robbin is getting the villain edit. She seems to dislike animals, some of the locations, the other racers... Everyone is going to have their moments but she seems particularly grumpy and that's a tough personality to like on a season when everyone is generally upbeat and enthusiastic. And she doesn't even snark or make jokes like Joe and Ian did. It's just.. unpleasant.
  8. Morgan is the older one who tends to make mean, unhelpful comments. Lena is the younger one who gets stressed out. Funnily enough, Morgan got the eels and the needle in her face though she's the one provoking a lot of the fights 😄 Maybe Lena retaliates in her own way. Agreed. I'm sure they're dealing with other stuff like navigation but mostly it seems like they get in their own ways sniping at each other. The vinyl task is one of the few where I remember them not arguing and Morgan being supportive.
  9. This episode started off great for me. Yeremi with his hair down and Corey in his glasses looking like a young Clark Kent? Also, then the editors got to be cute and include clips of every animal Greg and John listed off. The telescopic monocular didn't seem that tough for anyone but it was a cute touch. Pushing the rickshaws didn't seem to be that difficult of a task but it certainly got harder with fewer cars to choose from. Steve and Anna Leigh being u-turned wasn't a surprise but it's interesting how close it was and only between two teams. I think people just don't like Robbin and Chelsea. Though arguably, it was also strategic because they could have been knocked out entirely. The vote was 5 for Steve and Anna Leigh (Robbin & Chelsea, Andrea & Malaina, Rob & Corey, Joel & Garrett, Greg & John) and 4 for Robbin and Chelsea (Morgan & Lena, Todd & Ashlie, Liam & Yeremi, Steve & Anna Leigh). The detour was tricky. I feel like Bundles with the flowers sounds way easier but they threw off a lot of teams by telling them they had to go to two locations. So many teams opted for Bricks doing the more physical task and it didn't seem that much easier to find those locations. I continue to find Malaina annoying. This episode did not end up being a great advertisement for the pink taxis with female drivers. I enjoyed the block printing roadblock that forced the teams to slow down. Use 4 colors and make 9 peacocks. John was great at it and Rob struggled but it didn't seem like it slowed any of the teams down crazily. When we got down to the last two, it made me realize how much I wanted Robbin & Chelsea to be eliminated and Liam & Yeremi to stay. The brothers were never going to win but they were nice to have around. We can definitely afford to lose more people though. I'd happily cut everyone below top three in this episode (1. Greg & John, 2. Corey & Rob, 3. Joel & Garrett with maybe Morgan & Lena or Steve & Anna Leigh as the wild card). But if anyone outside of that top three gets eliminated... I don't think I'll care that much.
  10. Late to this one so I'll try to keep it quick. It was sad to lose Ian and Joe just as we were really starting to see their personalities. They were cute and funny and fairly competent racers aside from a bit of bickering. I think they were just too far behind with the dancing and didn't make up any time at the detour. The Bhavanian foot dance was a fun roadblock because it combined choreo with balancing and there was no way to just fly through it. You had to get it right. Even if they'd been so inclined, the judge couldn't let you go through because it was obvious if the pots fell off your head. Credit to Anna Leigh for getting out of there first with 3 attempts and John and Morgan with 2 attempts. John actually seemed decent at it. Same with Andrea who took 6 attempts but looked graceful. The worst dancers were probably Yeremi and Corey (15 attempts!) who looked stiff and awkward even when they succeeded. Also, I kept thinking to myself that having my teammate yelling encouragement during the task would be distracting and incredibly annoying. I liked the balance between the two detours. I would have picked the dolls because I liked crafting but it also ended up being the much easier task. Maybe they were scared off by the "performance" part but everyone seemed to just shake the dolls for a minute before getting the clue. Mimicking the painting wasn't impossible but they're being very tricky with memory tasks lately and it involved a lot of running around. Interestingly, Anna Leigh & Steve and Greg & John seemed far ahead. Then Joel & Garrett, Andrea & Malaina, Todd & Ashlie, and Corey & Robb all bunched up at the mat. So there was some room to shake up the order but the tasks didn't seem to take that long. Then we had Robin & Chelsea and Liam & Yeremi, and Morgan & Lena and Joe & Ian at the end. Finally, the editors had a genuine race to the finish to work with. Honestly, Morgan & Lena worked quick for switching detours. I think they just bicker way too much. They're relatively competent racers who waste a lot of time arguing and stressing each other out.
  11. I went to Lea Michele's solo debut at Carnegie Hall last night. More thoughts to come... maybe? No setlist in the program so I think it was up in the air for a while but I can work to recall the setlist if that interests anyone. I wouldn't call it uneven exactly, but it felt like a bit of a marathon so while she was fine throughout, there were definitely moments she seemed to be saving her voice for and places where she really shone. Also, maybe it's just me but I felt like her upper register was a little shaky and she seemed more comfortable in her mezzo belting range. While she was holding back a bit, the vocals were still fairly flawless. I do think she was slightly overamplified but that's been a problem at Carnegie Hall before. Jonathan Groff was an expected but very welcome guest. I wasn't thrilled when Darren Criss appeared but he held his own. Unlike in the past concert I saw where he was replacing someone and sang songs that were way beyond him, they picked songs that were not big challenges and he held his own. No outfit changes. I have some feelings about the patter that I might dig into more. In a way, it was a performance of gratitude and (not entirely sincere) humility. No real acknowledgement of wrongdoing, but that wasn't obligated on a big night for her, but it did seem... like a carefully spun narrative. That said, she's more charismatic than I expected as a performer and surprisingly funny. I can see how she would have done okay in Funny Girl. It's definitely practiced, but it's not as awkward as she was when she was playing Rachel Berry trying to be funny as Fanny Brice. It was the likable, amusing patter you'd expect from a competent cabaret performer. She did manage to make it feel surprisingly intimate even in a bigger venue. The crowd was a little rowdy (nothing crazy) but you had to forgive people cheering, talking a bit, and the guy behind me humming a little.
  12. I don't know if this will interest anyone but I saw my first show of the fall. It was the 92Y tribute to Howard Ashman. I enjoyed it for what it was, but it was also a bit of a disappointment. It ran under 80 minutes with no intermission (I turn my phone off so I can't give a more exact time). It was advertised with Christian Borle's name but he did not narrate or perform. His directing was completely behind the scenes. So the most notable names for the evening were John Cariani and Manu Narayan. Heather Ayers was the other adult. Nadina Hassan and Khadija Sankoh appeared fresh out of college. It was like a good cruise ship performance (I think cruise ship performers are terrible) or like a more intimate show at a Disney theme park (since they often call in Broadway talent). The script found some nice little moments but I guess I expected more humor from Christian Borle and it was missing the magic of lyrics & lyricists which is hearing from the actual composer or lyricist or a close collaborator or someone who has intimately studied their work. It felt a little like a pleasant but not terribly informed youtube video essay. There are definitely better shows I could have rushed for almost $40. I still cried but Howard Ashman/Disney stuff is a weakness of mine. There were some familiar songs that were highlights like Poor Unfortunate Souls, Proud of Your Boy, and Mean Green Mother From Outer Space. Overall, though, it was a bit lackluster with the Disney songs and Suddenly Seymour. No major insights into Howard's life or work and the actors just sort of presented together, but they did spent a good chunk of time on the deep cuts from Smile and Babe and there was one song from Rosewater that was performed in a really lovely way. It always makes me sad thinking of what Howard would have done artistically if his life hadn't been cut short. He was at the height of his powers. Who else might he have collaborated with? In the non-Disney work there's a thread of cynicism that only really works well in Little Shop of Horrors. The time he was working was definitely not my favorite period of musical theater. I hear more Maltby and Shire and Marvin Hamlisch than Kander and Ebb and Sondheim. Partially it's the sound of the time. It's the mix of the proto-contemporary musical theater sound and the vaguely folksy saccharine mush of 70s music. (And I like the Carpenters.) Partially I think it's that these adult stories concern quiet characters with complex issues but Howard really thrived on simple stories with passionate, earnest characters. To me, that's what ties Little Shop and the Disney stuff together. And then the cynicism and commentary is kind of layered on top. Also, why is there a song for the beauty pageant photographer? It was an okay night out but the train ride back with all the Halloween costumed characters was not fun. Why are the subways so hot at the end of October?
  13. I feel like one positive of individual tasks is the other teammate has a chance to relax (and maybe go to the restroom). I imagine all these questions could be answered by contestants but I don't feel like watching their social media content. I still say Miss Congeniality. There's a reason it was a joke; it's the most generic of responses. Even for the teams who didn't say "winning the Amazing Race" they had specific answers like Corey who said something about traveling to a different country every year or something like that. I don't find Todd genuine at all.
  14. I do like that we've gotten individual challenges this season where it isn't really clear who would have the advantage. Like the tiles and making flower bundles. So we're not just watching the "strong" member of the team do all the physical tasks but it's also not as neat as a simple memory task. I think Chelsea really oversold how much "practicing" with her daughter helped her find the tile. I still think their tile in particular seemed fairly close to where Phil was and as people have pointed out, a lot of teams bunched up so there wasn't that much of a gap between them all finding their tiles. As much good as it does when someone is good at dancing relative to how good the other teams are and how much the tasks shake up race placement. 🤷‍♀️ I find it strange that fish markets and letting fish suffocate are considered uniquely Vietnamese. How do you think fish are processed before they get neatly fileted for the grocery store?
  15. Yeah, with the way they were struggling last leg and finished second to last, they would have had to pull out magical fish displaying skills to pull ahead. For all the squeamishness, it seemed like the other teams were getting it done and I assume J&V were also trying to get it perfect. But it didn't seem like the kind of task where you make up a lot of time anyway and by the time they got to match the tiles, I think Victor was fried. I would be really curious to see a map of the location with the spots marked where each team found their tiles. Were the teams who did well able to find the tiles because they were closer or were they better at searching. Chelsea's tile kind of seemed on the side near where they ran to find Phil at the mat and a lot of the other tiles seemed to be down the middle aisle but again, I got kind of bored watching it. I think four or five teams bunched up and then later two or three teams bunched up. It might have been difficult but people just coincidentally found their tiles around the same time. Same, but I can't say that wouldn't be a concern. I feel like the hotel would be okay if you had a fanny pack for all the important things. Interesting... I think of them as beautiful actors from some CW teen drama. Corey is the one who immediately struck me as a Disney prince. He full on looks like a cartoon character. I'm happy they gave them some real challenges for the Detour but it must have been a real shock to the system with the additional sleep deprivation. I was getting a little worried, especially for like Joel and Garrett. I hope they get to rest up properly before the next leg. Honestly, I was into it. TAR has done a fair number of food shopping/delivering tasks over the years. It was about time someone came on with the advantage of running a grocery store and not just like... being super buff. It's like with the dancing. After a bunch of choreography tasks, you'd think you'd get more dancers applying to be on the show (and we did). I thought Robbin was the one who bullied Chelsea. But Robbin is also the one who had the personal health tragedies. Something in Anna Leigh's favor was reminding her dad not to run when they were at the temple. I was curious why only one member of each team seemed to be wearing that modesty shawl. Also, for all this talk of Robbin being working class, I remember that her "not here to make a new bestie" was partially snarking on the other racers at the airport. I remember it being something kind of snobby like she thought they were dumb or she was somehow better than them. I wouldn't be surprised if Anna Leigh picked up on that energy. Oh, good. I like Andrea too but I was starting to worry I was the only one who found Malaina a bit annoying.
  16. The editing felt like it was back to normal this leg (without the forced drama and tight shots) but it was still tough to watch at the end with some of my favorite teams at risk of being eliminated. It was sad to say goodbye to Victor and Jocelyn. I didn't think they were going to win, but I wish they'd stuck around longer. No team is emerging as loathsome, but I would certainly trade Anna Leigh and Steve, Andrea and Malaina, Chelsea and Robbin, etc. for another leg with Victor and Jocelyn. Again, editing was good this episode and if there was KF, we didn't get to see too much of it (at least in terms of the teams being unpleasant to their teammates or others) but I just get the vibe that there's some footage that would make me like Anna Leigh, Malaina, and Robbin even less if they'd included it. Credit to Anna Leigh though, she mostly handled the fish task well except for the wiggling ones. I did wonder as the task went along if gloves were provided or something only certain teams thought to bring along. I couldn't really tell if the fish task was very strenuous. The marked buckets didn't seem that far from the display and the judge didn't seem that fussed as long as each container was filled with the right kind of fish. There wasn't like... an obsession with perfect placement. The judge for that task was very adorable. She looked so excited to be handing over the clue each time. We learned that Joel is a UPS driver. Otherwise, it seemed like there was a lack of personal info this leg. It felt very race-focused. I'm just accepting that I don't really get Todd and Ashlie's relationship. Like, is "it'll be fine, I've broken my fingers all the time" a helpful thing for her to hear or not? It seemed like he kept putting the weight of the mattress on her head but maybe she was just struggling (especially with the height disparity). John and Greg continue to be one of my favorite teams. John singing to the fish to calm himself was cute and not annoying and he has a good voice. I feel like they're just genuinely charismatic rather than trying so hard to play to the camera. Like Todd saying "pivot pivot" during the mattress task or writing "world peace" on their wish. OK, Miss Congeniality. I'm also liking Joel and Garrett the more we see of them. They try hard on tasks. They seem genuinely appreciative of the traveling and the places they get to see. And those were wholesome letters from home. Credit to Liam and Yeremi for brute forcing it with two mattresses at a time. Other teams tried, but they committed. They're one of the more likable athletic all-male teams to have been on the race. I'm sure part of that is that they aren't doing amazing so it's easier to root for underdogs, but that story about boot camp made me think they're trying to unpack toxic masculinity and be good brothers to each other. And good for them. Chelsea seemed to find her matching tile very quickly so they snagged first place. Shockingly given Robbin's sob story... I don't like them very much. They're getting the closest thing to a villain edit with Todd and Ashlie. Again, the editors aren't making any team hateful so far but yeah... they could definitely leave stuff out if they wanted Robbin to seem more likable. Steve and Anna Leigh were an okay second place. They earned it. I was getting bored so I didn't really pay attention to where the correct tiles were located. It seemed like they were in a similar area but it would have been a bit unfair to get a tile placed farther away from the others necessitating a broader search.
  17. I think the editing focused on them because after getting frustrated at the fruit task and then running around trying to find the rice paper task, they were agitated and primed to bicker and this editor loves drama. But putting aside the teams who aced it (Joel/Garrett, Corey/Rob, Andrea/Malaina), they didn't seem that much worse at making the rice paper. They just had issues because they were rushing and frustrated. Steve and Anna Leigh probably struggled as much or worse. It's a task where you need to be focused and deliberate. Both detours really forced the contestants to slow down and be patient to do the task correctly. I also find them likable, but I'm not going to pretend that's not part of it. Greg and John (at least on camera) are doing their best to stay calm and be agreeable and friendly wherever they go. They're competitive but they seem to be having a good time... even when one of them fell in the water at the pomelo task (though maybe they left out Greg getting upset). And Liam and Yeremi are CW pretty. And the fact that they haven't mentioned any acting or modeling aspirations makes me like them more. I did feel duped! It did create more tension for me as I didn't realize until Liam and Yeremi made it to the mat that they would also be allowed to continue racing. I guess there's a slight difference since they might have been able to sleep in between if it had just been a NEL. But, come on. I think Steve and Anna Leigh actually did have the same travel agent... or someone did. I assume there was a cancellation while they were booking flights so Joe/Ian could suddenly get on the better flight when the earlier teams couldn't. I've had sweet ones but usually, at least here in the US, they're so bland. I briefly flirted with the idea of growing one to have a cheap cactus but I'm in the wrong climate for it. Victor. For all Todd has said that Ashlie needs encouragement, Jocelyn seems like the one who immediately gets down on herself. She pushes through but if you watch for it, she makes a lot of self-deprecating comments even when they're doing relatively well. I think the contestants stressed themselves out. It was not knowing. Though even at the airport, someone guessed that there probably weren't a lot of tasks they'd make them do in the dark (it was when they mentioned frog catching) and obviously the boat task wasn't happening at night. Same... I wonder if production made them at least get on the boat. Was it even an option to drive to the Detours? I like that racers this season evaluate their skills differently. Like everyone who chose Plastic (the vinyl task) obviously thought they'd be good at it. Everyone was scared of the choreography task with the swords in episode 1 but Joe/Ian aced it. I find it boring when there's one obviously "easy" detour and people only choose the other option if there are limited spaces and they're forced to switch. Similarly with pomelos and market shopping, it'd be boring if everyone only wanted to do the physical task.
  18. I'm very late to this one. I did watch the episode and take notes but I wasn't in the mood to comment. Anyway, I really didn't like the editing this episode. I don't know if it was a different lead editor or they were going for a different vibe, but I wasn't into it. It was subtle but noticeable, especially in a longer episode. I don't think it was really KF. The contestants weren't behaving that differently... it was the framing. For example, Corey came across more influencer-y. They kept the shot of him jumping over the bumper pole at the airport for no reason (dumb, could have injured himself and been out of the race) and there were not only more shots where I noticed the awkwardness of Corey and Rob talking to camera instead of to each other but also the editing didn't seem as interested in highlighting Rob. Like, if he's signing for a talking head, why make that a split screen? Weird choices. There were weird choices throughout with the editing though like using all these tight shots and close ups. But also shots that didn't make any sense... like when Liam and Yeremi were doing the vinyl wrap at first they were saying something uninteresting and the shot was of them putting on their gloves. If them putting on their gloves is the only footage you took (like only a tight shot of their hands) and the words are not that important, why use that? Ugh. Overall, a lot of the racers felt ruder to the locals this episode but I blame the editor. That said, while I already liked them, Greg/John and Joel/Garrett rose in my estimation for their enthusiasm and politeness. Robbin's "not really looking to make a new bestie" was so close to "I'm not here to make friends." Credit to Anna Leigh for finding the extra envelope for the early group but I didn't need to hear about it so many times. Todd playing pro basketball for France and Germany... Them being a couple since fifteen also explains a lot. I wonder when Morgan and Lena were told they could use the Express Pass. I assume they had to get on the boat first. It seemed like they waited a long time. While they did slip in placement and it looks like the next half of the leg will be challenging, I don't think there were really great options for them. There was no way of knowing they'd have to keep racing and they would have lost time either waiting for the boats or doing the vinyl. For all the talk of Victor having a language advantage, it was fun to see some special skills like Joel and Garrett being good at the rice paper task because one of them lived in France and made a lot of crepes. And Lena having worked with vinyl before. I do like that at least some of the group seems well traveled and they have different experiences and skills to bring to the table. Morgan telling Lena "slow and steady, we're here, nobody else is here" is probably the nicest, most encouraging thing I've heard her say so far. There were at least 4 chubby little dogs running around at the rice paper task and I enjoyed that very much. The monastery for the pit stop was gorgeous. The architecture in SE Asia is severely underrated. The greeter at the mat was lovely. I wonder if they'll have to remember traditional dress for the final task this year. I don't know how well they deal with sleep deprivation so I'm worried about KF for next week's episode. I don't want to watch 90 minutes of bickering and breakdowns.
  19. Pomelos can be very sweet or a bit bland. Like other fruits, it's about seasonality, sourcing/transportation, and being able to pick a good one.
  20. It was some kind of lizard/big iguana-looking reptile. That kind of head shape with a long tail.
  21. I don't mind the 90 minutes. But it does feel like the editors run out of steam after they're done with the teams in the lead and it's an obligation to show enough of the teams at the end so there's drama to see who gets eliminated. But we still lose out on the teams in the middle. There seems to be little interest in the middle of the pack doing the tasks. Now personally, I find the brother teams Greg/John and Liam/Yeremi attractive so I didn't mind watching them. But while Greg/John get to be charismatic we really barely hear Liam/Yeremi speak. Surely they're saying something. And with Robbin and Chelsea, we only got to see them being stressed and nothing else. While being at the back of the pack must be more stressful, I find it hard to believe Jocelyn and Victor are the only ones dropping cute soundbites. A lot of countries don't refrigerate eggs. Explanation quoted from this website: https://www.organicvalley.coop/blog/why-does-us-refrigerate-eggs/
  22. I think it was also their weight. Racers who weighed less might be able to fit more in their boats. In spite of their size, pomelos aren't always that heavy. There can be a lot of pith... which probably helps them float. I wasn't paying that much attention to how many trips each team took. But it seemed like Anna Leigh made the mistake of thinking they could only do one trip. The comments were mostly cut out, but it felt like they were also being told what was wrong with the arrangements throughout the task. I do think Jocelyn was graded more harshly because her arrangements did not look bad to me. It's possibly that they also just explained the issue with the leaves and bamboo ties badly for the audience because I did not understand why the women all had to do so many attempts to pass. I think it's something young people say. I think Todd and Ashlie proved you could do okay with enthusiasm and trying to sound out the words in different ways. Unlike Andrea/Malaina and Elizabeth/Iliana who said the phonetic pronunciations the way they wanted to, showed the locals the paper so they could sound it out, and basically let the vendors in the market do the task for them. Though I don't know that they took that much longer than Todd and Ashlie. They just seemed stressed about it. Pomelos grow on trees like other citrus fruit. It seems like in this case, they were planted over manmade waterways to make it easier to collect them. I don't know if they drop when they're ripe. We saw in the clip with Phil that they were being cut down. I do think they probably put more in the water so all of the teams would be able to fill 5 buckets. Durian is creamy. There's a custard-y richness to it. Maybe think Philippine mango in texture? But it's not really like much else. It's quite soft and really feels like you're eating a custard like the inside of a cream puff that's just slightly set. More floral and custardy than just sweet. If you get high quality durian that's probably ripened, there's less funk. It's not something you want to eat a lot of though. It's nice to have a piece or two or have it mixed in to flavor desserts. Unripened jackfruit can be a bit dry. Ripe, it is sweet and has a nice bite to it. I don't know... it just tastes tropical? It doesn't taste exactly like one thing but maybe if you were to blend a bunch of fruits together, like POG juice, you could approximate the taste. I think it's closest to having the syrupy sweetness of canned guava juice or canned mango juice but naturally. In my experience, they're always that size.
  23. The Lotus Flower task was surprisingly difficult. I thought wading through the water would be difficult, especially as more teams showed up and you had to wade out further to get to the unopened flowers. But I didn't expect them to be judged so harshly on what seemed like a pretty simple floral arranging task. I felt for Jocelyn going through 12 attempts when her bouquets looked pretty decent. She deserved her little cry. Ashlie too with 15 attempts watching everyone pass her. Some of them did okay so it wasn't impossible to get through it. Rob took 5 attempts. They didn't tell us how long Greg and Ian took but they seemed to get out of their quickly to when they arrived. I felt a little bad for Greg having his fist bump rejected. He didn't seem to be posturing, just making a genuine faux pas. It was cute how the other half of the teams amused themselves feeding the catfish. Steve's bundles were the ones that looked most obviously wrong to me so I wasn't surprised he took 12 attempts though it did get confusing because it seemed like there was a translator there telling them what they did wrong and it still kept happening. Yeremi only took 4 attempts and he was very adorable when he succeeded. Elizabeth took 10 attempts, Malaina 11, and Robbin 16. Maybe it was tough to get the bundles tied tightly? It's weird that the women (and Steve) seemed to struggle so much more. The detour split between Stock Up and Scoop Up was interesting. John on the brothers team was super relatable when he said "I mean that sounds fun" reading the Scoop Up task. It did seem like the more enjoyable task (until the end when the teams were brute forcing it as a physical task). Still, Jocelyn and Victor aced the shopping task. Yeah, they have an advantage right now but I hope they stay in the race and don't get KF because they're pretty wholesome to watch. Same for Rob and Corey. I do think there's a slight issue with the episodes right now where I have fun watching the wholesome teams at the front of the pack and seeing who wins... and then there's kind of a drag with all the other teams and it feels like the editors even lose interest. Like there was mild drama with Joel and Garrett when a fanny pack got left behind. But then we also kind of lost track of them (even in a 90 minute episode) because there were so many teams to keep track of. Credit to Rob and Corey for making the pomelo task look easy. Credit to Greg and John for being adorable and having fun, even if John abandoned his brother for a second and let him fall into the water. Respect to Todd and Ashlie for choosing the shopping task and doing it with enthusiasm (unlike the last two teams who seemed to not be having as much fun and also to be making the vendors do the task for them). I wonder if the TAR crew spoke to the vendors. Because when the 3rd team comes rolling through, you must know what the grocery list is already if you've already seen two other teams pass through. Yeremi and Liam are young and strong but still, credit to them for making up time at the pomelo task and racing to the mat like giddy children. I was surprised when Ashlie mentioned she has 3 kids. I feel like there hasn't been a young couple in a while who already has kids. Either it's a couple without kids or it's a friend team like Robbin/Chelsea so someone is at home watching the kids, rather than both parents being on the race, especially with younger children. I wonder how young Victoria and Jocelyn's kids are. It didn't seem like the first two teams were that close at all in spite of the editing. I think Jocelyn and Victor really breezed through that task. I think Elizabeth and Iliana were just not built for the race. I feel like Joe & Ian seem like a competent team in need of some navigation luck. I feel like most of the other teams at the bottom will probably stay there. Maybe Yeremi and Liam could be doing better with more physical tasks and Morgan and Lena could move up if one of the first three teams falters. If I had to pick a winning team right now, I'd vote for Rob and Corey or Greg and John. Of course the different countries and style of task can always shake things up. I want an update on the shoe situation. I thought maybe they provided water shoes for the lotus task. But then Ian and Joe had no shoes when they were scooping pomelos. What happens if they actually lose their shoes? Did the shopping task eat into their budgets or did they have money to complete the shopping list?
  24. Agreed. It was strange she absolutely refused to give her sister ANY positive motivation or answer questions. It was ALL negative. Maybe she knows it works best with her sister but it seemed like she was playing it up for the camera or genuinely being mean and unable to comprehend why that was not helpful. It felt like a weird attitude to take right at the start of the race. She acted like her sister was on her last nerve when they seemed to be keeping pace with each other pretty well and her sister gave no indication of wanting to quit the task. It was a very small moment but I'd compare it to Greg and John where one of them told the other something like 'hey, if the massage gets to be too much, let me know and maybe we can talk through it instead of quitting.' We've seen stubborn contestants on this show. Nothing the one sister was saying seemed to warrant all that negativity. (Eventually I will learn their names... I'm doing my best just to recall team names now. Next I'll try to remember which is which.)
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