S32.E03: We're Makin' Big Moves

[vousviou]

9 hours ago, Hera said:

I think the five team alliance is hilarious, mostly because it cannot and will not last. It includes a team that has finished first-first-second (I don't know how they do it—it seems like they're just very efficient at getting through tasks) and two extremely fit teams who can probably beat any of the other teams in a footrace and in any challenges where physical endurance and/or brute strength are advantages.

I think some of the obviously strong teams are savvy enough to know exactly how this plays out if other strong teams keep advancing. And I think they are savvy enough to realize the other strong teams are thinking the same thing too.

Fortunately for the watchability of the season, I think most of the teams in the alliance won't be throwing a pity party for themselves when the inevitable shakeup happens.

[vousviou]

1 hour ago, joanne3482 said:

I also liked father/son team and was a little sad to see them go, but they weren't good racers.

When the son revealed the dad had two hip replacements and knee surgery, I was sort of surprised they let him race at all. He obviously wasn't all that mobile, and it seems like they'd run into a challenge where he just couldn't make it.

[Good Queen Jane]

It's funny how herd mentality (as opposed to herd immunity) works. Once one team walked off without their bag, I knew that the teams that followed them would do the same. One clue (besides obviously the written one) that something was not right about leaving the bag was the fact that the table was so small and the bag checker didn't move the bags off the table even when it got full. But it all comes down to READ THE CLUE!

[Bunnyette]

Sport but I don’t like u turns.  Just run the race!  And with hip & knee replacements Dad wouldn’t have lasted.   Do they still have the rule where both have to do the single person tasks equally?  I remember that was put in to stop the more physically fit person doing all of them.

[iMonrey]

The marketplace segment was just utter chaos. You know that "clang clang clang" sound effect they use when a team does something wrong? Well, whoever pushes that button was really working overtime this episode. 

It thought it was a waste of time to U-turn Alana and Leo when Will and James were in first place. I don't know if the latter knew how badly Frank and Jerry had screwed up, but there was no chance they'd ever pass up Alana and Leo even with the U-Turn. I also don't know if Haley and Kaylynn knew how far back Frank and Jerry were because even without the U-Turn I think they still would have been dead last. So that's 2 wasted U-Turns. 

I really don't like all this talk of "taking out a stronger team" or forming alliances. Just run you own damn race and come in first. This isn't Survivor. I remember back when Boston Rob and Amber ran the race and Rob hid all the clues and his fans all thought that was brilliant. I've never approved of teams screwing around with the race or with other teams and I never will. The U-Turn itself (as well as the  yield) were bad ideas meant to foster animosity and drama. 

[PoultryDancer]

Sad to see Jerry and Frank go. They didn't get a lot of screentime or do anything too memorable, but it was hard not to tear up along with the dad when they were at the second detour and knew they would be out. So appreciative to just have the experience with his son, and it got me a little.

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, toodywoody said:

The football players were right not to give out info but then did but gave themselves a little head start on the sisters.

If I had been them, I wouldn't have told the sisters at all.  So good for them for being nicer people.

14 hours ago, weightyghost said:

They had a point though - they weren't u-turning them because they thought sharing information was mean. It made them realize they prioritized other teams over them and therefore when push comes to shove, they're going to get shoved. It was the Olympians last week, Frank and Jerry this week all because of the two of them being friendly with the blondes. It could easily be Will and James next week. Of course you're going to aim for the team who has shown they are willing to help others along that aren't you.

I think Will & James used their U-turn stupidly.  Saving it for later when it might take out a strong team would've been much better, strategically.  Or, as someone else pointed out, getting one of their alliance to agree to use the second U-turn on a team which they knew had already finished.  I hope it comes back to bite them in the ass on a later leg.

14 hours ago, North of Eden said:

If anyone has seen the movie THE GREEN INFERNO...I am totally hoping that the insufferable Will and James fall victim to that tribe next week. They are so annoying that I can barely listen to them when they open their mouths and I noticed they do a little 'victory dance' like children whenever something goes their way.

At this point, I am finding them insufferable, even more so than Victoria and Michelle, although it is very close.

 

[dgpolo]

9 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I remember back when Boston Rob and Amber ran the race and Rob hid all the clues and his fans all thought that was brilliant.

I don't personally like Romber, but they never hid any clues, and if they had they would have been penalized.

[Netfoot]

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I also don't know if Haley and Kaylynn knew how far back Frank and Jerry were because even without the U-Turn I think they still would have been dead last. So that's 2 wasted U-Turns.

I'm old-school when it comes to the use of time-wasters (like U-Turns and Yields).  The only legitimate use is to ensure that you don't get to the mat last. The best guarantee of this is to make the last team even laster! This guarantees you maximum time to foul up and still recover in time to make the mat and avoid elimination.

More recently, it's been used in an attempt to "eliminate a threat", so leading teams now routinely use these slow-down tactics in an effort to strategically oust potential rivals. And when they find themselves 2nd last and they've already used their Yield, they probably regret it.

[leighdear]

I can't fault Will & Grace for jumping on the let's-make-alliances bandwagon when the Geeks started it last leg to knock out the Olympians.  Obviously none of the teams are interested in running solo, so best to get a strong alliance at the start.  

That market was serious chaos.  I do like those kind of challenges because they don't rely on physical strength or speed.  "Don't run with the knife"!  hee!  Too funny them blurring out the boobs of the lady natives!

Of course the Geeks blather about "We're intimidating to the other teams".  Um, NOT.  Her Masters is in Literature & Poetry?  Seriously, to spend HUGE money on that?  For exactly what? 

Did the Indian sister actually say "As Engineers we thought the roof task would be easy, but I guess building is different from coding?"  She honestly thought a Software Engineer is like a Mechanical or Construction Engineer?  How are these "smart" people such idiots?

Yep, hate Michelle.  Victoria just simpers and giggles.  Not surprised Michelle is so harsh, she's probably spent her life cleaning up after Victoria.

I liked Frank & Jerry, would rather they stayed.  Like Beardy-ballers and HungChee.  Still don't like the way DeAngelo rides Gary, though I guess Gary is used to it and it's just "friendly" ribbing.  

Good episode, I always love cooking tasks!

[Lady Calypso]

I'm basically only watching for Hung/Chee and DeAngelo/Gary. All the other teams are either boring to me or they suck. 

The Leo/Alana/Will/James stuff was a mess, to put it mildly. I can see both sides, for sure. Will/James recognize Leo/Alana as one of the stronger savvy teams, the ones who see the strategic side to the game (even if this STILL relies on racing ability) and they don't want Leo/Alana to screw them over. But, at the same time, Alana DID have a point in that they are a middle of the pack team, at best, who aren't getting first place. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what teams are strategically better because it doesn't guarantee first place or anything not last. So why bother U-Turning a team that has been nearer to the back of the pack WHILE YOU'RE IN FIRST PLACE? It shows that Will/James aren't strategic racers either because they only thought about U-Turning a team they perceived as threats without fully considering if they actually WERE. And it seems like Frank/Jerry were so far behind that Leo/Alana were never in any danger of being eliminated anyway. That's why U-Turning a team when you're right in the front of the pack is a bad idea; you can't know if it will work since you don't know how far the last place team is behind everyone. 

I don't like either team, to be honest. Leo/Alana aren't winning any points with their alliance stuff (I HATE alliances formed this early on and I hate the constant mentions). But Will/James wasted a U-Turn for no real reason. I get why they tried, but they were blinded by one aspect (Leo/Alana) without considering the other factors (team placement, team dynamics). This does kind of show that U-Turning a team that you want out takes more strategy than anything, because you need to know WHEN to do it. They tried and they failed. But, even though this show doesn't have strategy as a major focal point, it DOES still factor in in certain situations, such as U-Turning. 

26 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I also don't know if Haley and Kaylynn knew how far back Frank and Jerry were because even without the U-Turn I think they still would have been dead last. So that's 2 wasted U-Turns. 

Not necessarily. All Kaylyn and Haley knew was that Frank and Jerry were in last place. They had to try since they wanted to return the favor with Leo and Alana. You're right in that they didn't know how far back they were, but it ensured Leo/Alana having a chance at not being last since, for all they knew, Frank/Jerry were minutes behind Leo/Alana instead of much longer. 

I'm rooting for The Big Alliance to be knocked out next. At least most of them. 

[proserpina65]

3 minutes ago, leighdear said:

I can't fault Will & Grace for jumping on the let's-make-alliances bandwagon when the Geeks started it last leg to knock out the Olympians.  Obviously none of the teams are interested in running solo, so best to get a strong alliance at the start.

I wouldn't really call what Leo and Alana did last week forming an alliance.  They shared information once; they didn't decide to try and run an entire leg together with other teams.  That's not to say that they might not end up doing that, but that wasn't what they were doing at the time.  Not like Will and James forming their giant alliance, which will probably last all of this one leg once they realize they aren't one of the stronger teams in it.  Just my opinion, of course.

[Pepper Mostly]

25 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

If I had been them, I wouldn't have told the sisters at all.  So good for them for being nicer people.

I think Will & James used their U-turn stupidly.  Saving it for later when it might take out a strong team would've been much better, strategically.  Or, as someone else pointed out, getting one of their alliance to agree to use the second U-turn on a team which they knew had already finished.  I hope it comes back to bite them in the ass on a later leg.

At this point, I am finding them insufferable, even more so than Victoria and Michelle, although it is very close.

 

All they've done with this stupid move is show their "super strategic" asses. Pointless and just petty and spiteful. Sending a message to a team you "don't like" is shitty sportsmanship and stupid racing. 

@AZChristian, I may have squealed a little bit at the mention of Manaus, and was hoping hoping hoping that someone would ask for the "bodock"! 

[Haleth]

Maybe I’m missing something but when have Alana and Leo ever shown themselves to be a strategic threat?  Because they gave one tip to one team?  Will and James out of spite wasted a tool that could have been useful down the road. 

[HurricaneVal]

OK.  If you want to form alliances, you need to go on Survivor or Big Brother.  TAR has had their share of teams partnering up, but that's usually on an ad hoc basis, and lasts as long as a single task.  The goodwill might last a bit longer, and that's OK, but that is very different than an alliance.  Especially a newschool five team massive alliance. 

And if there are alliances being formed, then TAR production needs to show the viewers how they formed and why, so we're going to need some camp footage and en route airplane footage of the scheming.  If this continues, half the race will be run in the interstitials. 

I liked the father/son team, but I didn't think they were going to be long for the race.  Still, sad to see them go, I think they are good eggs.

Hung and Chee were right up there.  The more I'm seeing of the boyfriends, the less I'm liking them. 

This episode was a mess.  I'm starting to wonder if this season was kept on the shelf for reasons other than CBS's indifference.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, leighdear said:

1.  Too funny them blurring out the boobs of the lady natives!

2.  Her Masters is in Literature & Poetry?  Seriously, to spend HUGE money on that?  For exactly what? 

3.  Did the Indian sister actually say "As Engineers we thought the roof task would be easy, but I guess building is different from coding?"  

4. Yep, hate Michelle.  Victoria just simpers and giggles. 

1.  I noticed in one scene there were two children of similar age and visible body features - a boy and a girl, both with their lower half covered and no signs of puberty.  They still blurred out the little girl's chest.

2.  Maybe she's going to be a college professor and teach the next generation of students learning Literature and Poetry.

3.  Maybe she meant "coding" as in studying or enforcing building codes???

4.  I don't care what Victoria does.  I just really dislike Michelle, just because.

[blackwing]

I don't care for either Will and James or Leo and Alana.  Will and James were less whiny this episode, but that's only because they were consistently near the front.  I'm convinced they stole/took other people's belongings in the mayhem at the shopping list check in table.  "These are ours."  How were they certain?  I really can't stand the small one's voice.  It makes my ears bleed.

I despise the smugness of Leo and Alana.  "His master's degree is from Harvard."  But isn't it in public policy or something?  Her masters is in poetry.  She is apparently some kind of PR person, and he is some kind of data analyst.  I'm sure they are smart people, but they are acting like they are the smartest people to have ever run the race.

I am glad that we saw Alana explaining that they helped the blondes last episode to try and knock out one of the other physically stronger teams.  So that there was at least some strategy to it, and not just "we like the blonde white girls because they seem nice".

That said, I wish there was a way both of these teams could have been eliminated.  Will and James used their U Turn poorly.  If they truly are in alliance with four other teams, they should have discussed more with them about the use of the U Turn.  It didn't matter that they couldn't have known the U Turn would occur this leg.  If they were really an alliance, they should have discussed how they should try and get a stronger team out if they have the chance.  "Whoever gets to the U Turn first, U Turn Leo and Alana.  And if there's a double U Turn, the next arriving team should waste it on whoever arrived first so that Leo and Alana have less of a chance to survive."  Now, Will and James have wasted their U Turn and might invite a revenge U Turn.  For all of their reasons why they wanted to use it on Leo and Alana ("they are strategic") other teams in their so-called alliance might view them the same way.

My favorite teams are still the Volleyball Brothers, the Football Players, and Hung and Chee.

The Indian siblings are a complete non-entity to me... they are just so boring, there is nothing even remotely memorable about them.  I did think it was nice for the blonde sisters to repay the favour to Leo and Alana by U Turning Jerry and Frank.  But I'm hoping somewhere down the line that it will bite them.  Others could target them for "being too strategic".

 

[Jobiska]

Though I find the boyfriends whiny and of questionable strategic strength, I did appreciate their appreciation of the beauty and excitement of the location and their good fortune to be there.  

I did a quick Google to try to find out the name of the indigenous group they visited, and found a travel site by the boyfriends, who said this, which I appreciate:  

Quote

 

It is important for us to shed light, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing across the globe, that indigenous populations are suffering at higher rates from the virus. Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil (APIB), a federation of the eight regional indigenous organizations in Brazil, advocates for indigenous communities across the country. You can learn more about the threats these communities face including COVID-19 as well as ways in which you can support indigenous populations.

Deforestation and climate change are additional threats to indigenous populations as well as the global population and in order for travelers to continue experiencing the beauty of the Amazon, addressing these issues must always be a priority. The Amazon is widely known as the “lungs” of our planet and without these stunning forests, our entire global ecosystem will be disrupted. We encourage everyone to do as much as they can to advocate on behalf of the Amazon for a shift in societal norms that prevent deforestation. We also urge everyone to make changes in their own lives that combat climate change so that if you ever want to visit this amazing sight, it will be there for you to enjoy. There are many organizations working to combat climate change across the world including those that assist in reforestation efforts. 

 

(I was wondering how the tribe and its homeland had fared in the past two years).

I too noticed that only the little prepubescent girls' chests, and not the boys', were blurred.  

Paraphrased:

Gary:  "I grew up in Florida, so [I'm used to heat like this]."

DeAngelo:  "I did NOT grow up in Florida, not in any way at all."  We laughed.
 

[Hera]

8 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

Since the stuff was only used for one side of the detour I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if one of them hadn't figured it out and they just did the hut detour by default.  Would they have gotten a penalty at the mat? For father/son I don't think it would have mattered. I don't think they could have done the hut task before the ladies who u-turned them finished their task. But I did wonder about it. 

Now that you mention it, so do I. I wonder if that was an intentional part of the leg's design. If you turned up without your bag of ingredients (or missing some of them), then you wouldn't be able to do the cooking task, which appeared to be the faster one, and would have to do the building one. So there's a time penalty built into the leg, since you might waste some time at the cooking task before realizing you can't complete it, on top of the extra time that the building task took already. Even if there was an extra penalty at the mat, it might have been better to risk it than to go back. Though it's easy to say that after watching the episode and knowing the the detour options were. In the moment, teams might have worried about getting too far from the boats and then finding out that the stuff from the market is required no matter what, thus costing themselves even more time when they have to return. And, like you said, Jerry and Frank would have been screwed anyway, since they were U-Turned.

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

The Indian siblings are a complete non-entity to me... they are just so boring, there is nothing even remotely memorable about them.

I think they lucked into the five team alliance by managing to be in the first group that left the mine in the last episode. It seems like the alliance started with everyone in that first group agreeing to work together in order to keep their 30 minute lead, and was made official for the longer term at the start of this episode.

[aghst]

Did the clue say simply take ALL your stuff on the boats or did it specifically say take the bag of all the items they picked up?

Also, if you're only doing the thatched roof task and didn't get U-turned to do the cooking task as well, maybe you would have been okay without the grocery bag?

Though it seems the cooking task was faster.

[TAG42481]

19 hours ago, Shadow Wave said:

I was also mildly annoyed that they're still doing the "First team to leave: 3:22 AM" bits at the beginning when they're all just piling into the same spoon-fed plane at the airport anyway. Although, at least they were honest enough to have Chee saying as much.

Yes, they are all piling into the same spoon-fed plane.  BUT I always like seeing it not for what it means in the upcoming leg, but for knowing how far apart teams were in the previous leg.  Of course, I don't remember all the particulars of the last episode time by the time the next one airs.

[Stardancer Supreme]

9 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

 Hung also moved in for a hug and was rebuffed.

I was the only one hollering for Hung to NOT hug the Chief, right?

[lilysmom]

7 hours ago, PoultryDancer said:

Sad to see Jerry and Frank go. They didn't get a lot of screentime or do anything too memorable, but it was hard not to tear up along with the dad when they were at the second detour and knew they would be out. So appreciative to just have the experience with his son, and it got me a little.

I agree. I also think they get the award for showing how to lose with grace. I don't remember exactly what they had to say at the end, but it did make me think at the time, "Wow, what a class act they are."

[Quilt Fairy]

I did appreciate the brief appearance of the Amazing Yellow Line, even though in this era of spoon-fed flights it has little to do. 

[Grizzly]

1 hour ago, aghst said:

Did the clue say simply take ALL your stuff on the boats or did it specifically say take the bag of all the items they picked up?

Also, if you're only doing the thatched roof task and didn't get U-turned to do the cooking task as well, maybe you would have been okay without the grocery bag?

The shopping trip also included the hammocks the racers were sleeping in on the boat. Phil said it in his voiceover about the pit stop.

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

I too noticed that only the little prepubescent girls' chests, and not the boys', were blurred.  

I'm pretty sure there were a couple of shots of little boy penii that were blurred too. I also imagine the Chief didn't hug Chee because there's some prohibition on men touching women, or the Chief specifically touching women.

[PaperTree]

11 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

Since the stuff was only used for one side of the detour I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if one of them hadn't figured it out and they just did the hut detour by default.

I think the two pair of gloves may have been for the hut making, but I didn't notice anybody use them.

eta:  Forgot about the hammocks.

Not bringing all the stuff you collected is like forgetting your gnome.

Edited October 30, 2020 by PaperTree

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Haleth said:

Maybe I’m missing something but when have Alana and Leo ever shown themselves to be a strategic threat?  Because they gave one tip to one team?  Will and James out of spite wasted a tool that could have been useful down the road. 

That tip given to one team helped contribute to a very strong and athletic team going home. That one tip also resulted in another team trying to protect them by U-turning Jerry and Frank. That’s decent strategy particularly when your surrounded by dumbasses who yell vital information to passing boats.

9 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

All they've done with this stupid move is show their "super strategic" asses. Pointless and just petty and spiteful. Sending a message to a team you "don't like" is shitty sportsmanship and stupid racing. 

Will and James are one of those teams that thinks their knowledge of the race makes them clever but really they just sabotage themselves. I can see their logic but that doesn’t make to good logic. 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Guest

[GenerationX]

Random thoughts on episode 3 "Useless-Turn":

• The only logical use of the U-Turn is to prevent your team from coming in last
• Survivor wannabes should've taken notes during the roof frond challenge
• Amazon parrots are cool, but Amazon blow dart clue releasers are way cool

It was great to see the Amazing Cameraman highlight the bag of goodies on the beach while the team that left them were in the shot running to the boat.  Heh.

[J-Man]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

Did the clue say simply take ALL your stuff on the boats or did it specifically say take the bag of all the items they picked up?

The clue said to make sure you have all your "belongings" with you. I could understand how people could have interpreted that to mean just their personal items (i.e., backpack, etc.) but since they purchased all of those things in the marketplace, I guess they belonged to them too. But anyone familiar with the race would know that the clue wouldn't remind people to bring their own possessions, since that's a given. 

[Michichick]

10 hours ago, leighdear said:

 

I can't fault Will & Grace for jumping on the let's-make-alliances bandwagon when the Geeks started it last leg to knock out the Olympians. 

 

Will & Grace??

[Shadow Wave]

3 hours ago, TAG42481 said:

Yes, they are all piling into the same spoon-fed plane.  BUT I always like seeing it not for what it means in the upcoming leg, but for knowing how far apart teams were in the previous leg.  Of course, I don't remember all the particulars of the last episode time by the time the next one airs.

You're right, of course. I should have said I'm missing the days when the time advantage really did mean something in their ability to get the next flight/boat/train out on the new leg.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I really don't like all this talk of "taking out a stronger team" or forming alliances. Just run you own damn race and come in first. This isn't Survivor.

I totally agree - you should win because you were able to do the actual tasks well, not because you were whispering behind someone's back about how to get rid of them.

11 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I wouldn't really call what Leo and Alana did last week forming an alliance.  They shared information once; they didn't decide to try and run an entire leg together with other teams.  That's not to say that they might not end up doing that, but that wasn't what they were doing at the time.  Not like Will and James forming their giant alliance, which will probably last all of this one leg once they realize they aren't one of the stronger teams in it.  Just my opinion, of course.

I agree - if sharing information now equals forming an alliance then there have been alliances since the first episode when one team pointed another team who was running by in the right direction. Sharing information is NOT the same as an alliance.

[BK1978]

14 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

Sadly, for me, if there is a team where both members are the same race and gender, it will take me forever to figure it out.

 

Same for me, I sometimes do not even know who is who until well after the season is over.  TAR people all tend to blend together in general.  I always have a hard time remembering old teams unless they were real standout teams.

Last week I was going to come on here and say, "Well I was wrong about all the teams that I said I disliked as nobody really did anything."  Well this week I am glad I did not post this because to quote Cody from Big Brother, "I'm still feeling some type of way., when it come to pretty much the same people.

I am not fond of Will and James still.  They just seem petty to me and I thought their genius move was not that great due to what others have said, their move really did not mean anything in the grand scheme of things but it did manage to get a team upset at them for no real good reason.

 

[Dobian]

Leo and Alana fun fact this week: four useless degrees, one from Harvard, and none will help them win this race.  Unless there's a poetry challenge.

Frank and Jerry, great father and son, knew they wouldn't last long in this race but sorry it ended this early for them.

Edited October 30, 2020 by Dobian

[HurricaneVal]

7 hours ago, Hera said:

I think they lucked into the five team alliance by managing to be in the first group that left the mine in the last episode. It seems like the alliance started with everyone in that first group agreeing to work together in order to keep their 30 minute lead, and was made official for the longer term at the start of this episode.

This is why production needs to show us these things developing in the "off camera" spaces.  Partly because I think we viewers deserve to know how these things developed, and what arguments were made, and where the other teams were when all this was being discussed.  And partly because I think that if it was being filmed, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

TAR participants have the luxury that when they aren't racing, they aren't being filmed.  So all that time waiting for spoonfed flights, all that time on the flight, all those rest stops, all those in-between times they have some sort of privacy.  

I think maybe "newschool" Big Brother and Survivor strategy is hitting TAR, which is a huge pity.  At least on those other shows, the cameras are on then the whole time, so we viewers can get an inkling of what is going on.  TAR rarely shows "behind the scenes" waiting around, rest time, or in-transit footage.  But if that is where the alliances are formed or discussions on race plans are made, then production owes it to the viewers to show that.

I remember interviews in early seasons gave the impression that racers were so exhausted that down times were truly down--you rinsed out your clothes, hoped they'd dry before you had to wear them again or pack them away, then and passed out--no time to interact with other teams.  Flights were much the same.

I feel a bit cheated.  This alliance thing had better break down soon.

[SVNBob]

On 10/28/2020 at 8:01 PM, Browncoat said:

Read the clue.  Read. the. clue.  READ. THE. CLUE.  You'd think they all would have learned from last week's episode to read the damn clue, but nope.  Were Will and James the only ones to figure it out? 

I think the Beards did.

On 10/28/2020 at 9:20 PM, chaifan said:

I am surprised at what a sloppy mess this whole leg was, for just about everyone. Did anyone run the leg clean, without careless errors? 

The Beards were as clean as possible.  Which is unfortunate for me, as I do not care for them that much.  But they are Racing well, so I could accept it if they win.

On 10/28/2020 at 10:30 PM, Netfoot said:

I think the takeaway this week is: READ THE CLUE!

That was supposed to be the takeaway from last week.  And see how long that lasted....

21 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I know people get frazzled in the moment, but I couldn't believe that the sisters missed the clue bucket when it was RIGHT THERE. I totally cracked up when one of them said, "Where's the clue?" and ran off without it and the camera then swung over and showed the bucket with the red and yellow clue envelopes.

And then finally looked in the basket 34 minutes later!  I literally facepalmed at that.  Bonus point though: while they were being panicky and stupid (again), they were passed by the Indian siblings.  And as the sisters finally found the clue, the picture of the Indians was visible on top of the U-Turn basket.  I don't recall if that picture was on top before hand, but if it wasn't, credit to the production person who made that change.

16 hours ago, vousviou said:

Pack leaders who are genuinely interested in the well being of all of the members of a pack will take care of all of the responsibilities of thinking for the group, even if that hurts them individually. Obviously Will and James didn't do that, but then there is ultimately no incentive for them to do that.

Will and James aren't the leaders of the pack.  The Beards are.  And they were shown regularly helping other members of the alliance.

5 hours ago, PaperTree said:

I think the two pair of gloves may have been for the hut making, but I didn't notice anybody use them.

I think I saw Jerry and Frank using them on the cooking task, as pot holders.

[Netfoot]

15 hours ago, Hera said:

If you turned up without your bag of ingredients (or missing some of them), then you wouldn't be able to do the cooking task, which appeared to be the faster one, and would have to do the building one

Ah, but the list of items may have included things needed for the other task. For instance, I doubt you needed the cutlass to make cassava soup, whereas it might have been deemed necessary for roofing. So perhaps you would have been denied entry to either side of the Detour, if you failed to arrive with the bag of goods.

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, Michichick said:

Quote

I can't fault Will & Grace for jumping on the let's-make-alliances bandwagon when the Geeks started it last leg to knock out the Olympians.

Will & Grace??

I laughed when I saw that.  He means Will & Whiney Little Shit.

[amazingracefan]

21 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The marketplace segment was just utter chaos. You know that "clang clang clang" sound effect they use when a team does something wrong? Well, whoever pushes that button was really working overtime this episode. 

It thought it was a waste of time to U-turn Alana and Leo when Will and James were in first place. I don't know if the latter knew how badly Frank and Jerry had screwed up, but there was no chance they'd ever pass up Alana and Leo even with the U-Turn. I also don't know if Haley and Kaylynn knew how far back Frank and Jerry were because even without the U-Turn I think they still would have been dead last. So that's 2 wasted U-Turns. 

I really don't like all this talk of "taking out a stronger team" or forming alliances. Just run you own damn race and come in first. This isn't Survivor. I remember back when Boston Rob and Amber ran the race and Rob hid all the clues and his fans all thought that was brilliant. I've never approved of teams screwing around with the race or with other teams and I never will. The U-Turn itself (as well as the  yield) were bad ideas meant to foster animosity and drama. 

I'm not into alliances, and teams telling other teams the answer.  They even have the locals give the answer, like the guy judging the building of the huts telling them what they did wrong.

The main interest so far is just how incompetent teams are.  The casting is very vanilla, but at least in this episode one team blew up at each other, to show they are just racing automatons.  It's all fast fast fast, the old days when you actually got to know the teams more (beyond just background stuff) is long gone.  Rob and Amber were good, people liked them or hated them, but at least they created an impression.

[amazingracefan]

7 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

This is why production needs to show us these things developing in the "off camera" spaces.  Partly because I think we viewers deserve to know how these things developed, and what arguments were made, and where the other teams were when all this was being discussed.  And partly because I think that if it was being filmed, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

TAR participants have the luxury that when they aren't racing, they aren't being filmed.  So all that time waiting for spoonfed flights, all that time on the flight, all those rest stops, all those in-between times they have some sort of privacy.  

I think maybe "newschool" Big Brother and Survivor strategy is hitting TAR, which is a huge pity.  At least on those other shows, the cameras are on then the whole time, so we viewers can get an inkling of what is going on.  TAR rarely shows "behind the scenes" waiting around, rest time, or in-transit footage.  But if that is where the alliances are formed or discussions on race plans are made, then production owes it to the viewers to show that.

I remember interviews in early seasons gave the impression that racers were so exhausted that down times were truly down--you rinsed out your clothes, hoped they'd dry before you had to wear them again or pack them away, then and passed out--no time to interact with other teams.  Flights were much the same.

I feel a bit cheated.  This alliance thing had better break down soon.

Early seasons definitely had more interaction between teams and downtime things and flights themselves were part of the race.  Because there is none of that now it's hard for me to really have much of an opinion on teams.  And the pace is unrelenting so the episode seems light.  The alliance part feels grafted onto the show rather than something that organically develops, the producers likely encourage it. 

[sinycalone]

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.

[blackwing]

6 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Will and James aren't the leaders of the pack.  The Beards are.  And they were shown regularly helping other members of the alliance.

I don't think this alliance has a leader, but I'm sure Will and James think they are the leader and that it is "their" alliance since they were the ones that approached others about it.  I think calling it an "alliance" on TAR is curious, because unlike in Survivor or BB, you pretty much rely on yourself during TAR.  There are times when having someone give you information is definitely helpful, but in the end, you're pretty much on your own, and you have to get the tasks done on your own.

Regardless of their misguided attempt to ensure that these top 5 teams remain top 5 for the entire duration, I do think they are going about it completely the wrong way.  If these 5 are supposed to be the strongest teams based on finish order during that one leg, why would you want to make an alliance with the other strong teams?  If anything, you would want to ally with the weak teams to try and push out another stronger one.

It does seem like there certainly should be time to talk to other teams, for example, on the plane ride, it's just that we no longer get shown any of this "Eat Sleep Mingle" time anymore.  I don't know the exact reasons why there no longer is any of this footage, it was always an interesting part of the show.  We saw Alex canoodling with Tara, Millie the Mole's face of terror and disapproval when Chip and Reichen disclosed that they are a gay couple, Oswald and Danny going shopping, Starr screaming at someone for throwing her sports bra off the balcony, and Chad Waltrip proposing to Stephanie, among other things.

So the hammock definitely didn't get used during the tent detour option, did it?  What about the machete?  That was a huge machete, I doubt that the teams would be expected to use it to chop items in the cooking task.  What about the two blankets?  All of these items seem like they might have been needed for the tent display, but we didn't see it.

Jerry and Frank had a wooden machete and had to go back and get a real one.  We didn't get any explanation of that.  Perhaps they went to the wrong stall, but the stalls were numbered and if they did go to the correct stall, why would they be given the wrong item?

I'm also wondering if teams had to buy these items with their $85.  I think they did, I believe I saw the Asian sisters handing some money over to a vendor.  So when teams misplaced their items or got them stolen by other teams, then they would have to spend additional money?  I suppose it seems like money is no longer an issue on TAR.  It's certainly been dumbed down from earlier editions.  I wonder if this is because they didn't want teams begging.  But I miss the earlier seasons when money actually factored into decisions, like a decision to take a bus or subway instead of a taxi.

[tljgator]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

I'm also wondering if teams had to buy these items with their $85.  I think they did, I believe I saw the Asian sisters handing some money over to a vendor.  So when teams misplaced their items or got them stolen by other teams, then they would have to spend additional money?  I suppose it seems like money is no longer an issue on TAR.  It's certainly been dumbed down from earlier editions.  I wonder if this is because they didn't want teams begging.  But I miss the earlier seasons when money actually factored into decisions, like a decision to take a bus or subway instead of a taxi.

Presumably they did -- I did take notice at the very beginning that the Amazing Voice-over told us how much money teams were given for this leg of the race, which I didn't notice for the prior episodes, so I figured it would matter and then *bam* a buy-stuff challenge.

I haven't watched the Race in a while (got tired of the gimmicks and such), but I too miss the olden-times when managing your money mattered and the keeper of the Amazing Change-Purse (Fanny Pack) was sacred. They were salad days, my friends. *sigh*

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, Dani said:

That tip given to one team helped contribute to a very strong and athletic team going home.

Eh, they weren't that strong, because it was the second leg in a row where they came in at the back of the pack; they only just barely survived the first leg of the race.  But helping the blond sisters paid off, plus Will & James wasted their yield early in the Race.

1 hour ago, tljgator said:

I haven't watched the Race in a while (got tired of the gimmicks and such), but I too miss the olden-times when managing your money mattered and the keeper of the Amazing Change-Purse (Fanny Pack) was sacred.

It's possible that later on having more money left from early legs might benefit a team.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Eh, they weren't that strong, because it was the second leg in a row where they came in at the back of the pack; they only just barely survived the first leg of the race.  But helping the blond sisters paid off, plus Will & James wasted their yield early in the Race.

I meant physically strong. They were definite cannon fodder but a real threat to other back of the pack teams like Alana & Leo. A team that can outrace every other team to the mat is always a little dangerous to have around. 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Guest

[proserpina65]

1 minute ago, Dani said:

I meant physically strong. They were definite cannon fodder but a real threat to other back of the pack teams like Alana & Leo. 

Yeah, I kinda misinterpreted what you meant, obviously.

[Balmafula]

12 hours ago, SVNBob said:

The Beards were as clean as possible. 

On the contrary, they had to return to the market due to forgetting a pair of gloves ("luvas" in Portuguese). 

[RoxiP]

For the most part I enjoyed this leg.  It gave me some teams to dislike (Leo and Alana, the Boyfriends), along with some I already disliked (the Cajun Asians), and the alliance didn't bother me because we all know it won't last (plus I would be that person because if someone asked me point blank about something I wouldn't be able not to tell them since I suffer from the niceness gene when directly confronted).  I still like the married couple but was glad that they didn't finish first again, and I think the Boyfriend couple will get over confident pretty quickly and now they have made two enemies (Leo and Alana and the blonde sisters maybe).  I fear the volleyball brothers are going to get out in front and run the table if the other teams aren't careful because they seem pretty competent.  Still kind of hoping for an NFL team win and I'm not usually rooting for the sports team.

Sorry about father/son team but they weren't doing a great job and I appreciate how gracious they were and never whined (unlike some others!).

[TVbitch]

Every time Phil says "Hung and Chee", I hear "tongue in cheek". Every time.