S32.E07: Give Me a Beard Bump

[bankerchick]

Quote

Speaking of Eswar and Aparna, if I were them, I'd be really disappointed in my edit. They haven't been shown to be good at anything in particular, and all we know about them is that they grew up watching the race and that they're engineers who studied at Cal. We don't even get to see them interact with the other teams all that much. It feels like the editors don't want anyone to root for them, but can't show us any footage to make us hate them because it doesn't exist.

What I know about them is that the girl told us in her into that they were 'really f* smart' so watching them unable to do anything has sent my schadenfreude off the charts. 

Quote

I'm not even watching any more. This episode has finished me. I broke up with Survivor years ago because of shits like Will and James who can't stop congratulating themselves on how shitty they are, and lunkhead jocks who think they're all that like the beards. I can see why this godforsaken season stayed in the can for so long. I'd have burned it and denied everything. 

Table for two.

[Browncoat]

1 hour ago, eel21788 said:

I was afraid they were going to have to eat the sheep's head.

It wouldn't be the first time!

[Tango64]

Hung puts on a so sweet affectation, but she must be hell to live with. You have exactly 90 seconds to be unhappy and then you're done. You can't be happy now. The 90 seconds is not yet complete. I insist you be unhappy until the 90 seconds is over, and then NO MORE. He looks so defeated in their relationshiop. It won't get better. 

Can't stand Will and Grace. Why do they have to be such bitchy stereotypes? 

Anyone else think Kazakhstan has some beautiful women?

[TVbitch]

They totally should have had to eat that sheep's head! C'mon! 

If it wasn't for the alliance, these last couple legs could have been really dramatic with lots of team meltdowns and order changes. As it is, Phil has to implore them to make the race more exciting. "I've never seen a team wait on another team before! It cost you $15,000!" Even the clues are trying to get them to pick it up. "Yield ahead! There are only two legs left, don't waste it! You guys are ruining the ratings for this season!!!!"

[seacliffsal]

I agree with many other posters about Hung.  She could go on and on about DeAngelo 'stealing' their cab (which, in my opinion, didn't happen) for the entire second half of a leg (previous episode), but Hung better not be frustrated for more than 90 seconds or he's in big trouble.  She also berated him in an earlier task for not talking enough to her when he was trying to figure out the task.  And, she continually presents herself as the friendliest, nicest person on the race, even insisting on hugging people who clearly indicate that it is not culturally appropriate.  I really feel for Chee if they lose...

I am also all in for the sisters as they have not given up even when convinced they would be eliminated and have no alliance making the race easier for them.  I think they were shocked when Leo did not help the one sister with the puzzle word, but they were not going to hold it against them as they were not initially going to yield them.

I can hardly wait for the alliance to start turning on itself.  

[eel21788]

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

 

 As it is, Phil has to implore them to make the race more exciting. "I've never seen a team wait on another team before! 

It isn't even true. Season 1, the team that was the first to leave Pit Stop #1 decided to wait for the second team before departing. I'm sure that isn't the only example. It is just the first one that came to mind.

[ByaNose]

I don’t think the Mine 5 necessarily have to turn on each as much just let it play out. Of course, they still need to contend with the blondes and fringe alliance members DeAgenlo & Gary. I’m thinking the Beard Bros and Hung & Chee make the Top 2 with maybe Will and James rounding out the Top 3. I would love the blondes to squeeze on in but that might be though against an alliance they know nothing about. While I’m enjoying the season it has been a little dull because of the alliance. That’s why I want the Blondes (underdog edit) to divide and conquer without knowing they are actually doing it. LOL!!!!!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I didn't see Hung asking Chee if he was mad as berating him. She knew she fucked up by helping the NFL guys again and she knows that Chee tends not to communicate. When she asked if he was mad about what she did, I thought she was acknowledging that she did something wrong and she was giving him a way to say he was mad about it.

She knew that he wouldn't just blurt out that he was mad (they have both discussed that he is not very communicative) so it seemed to me like she was giving him an easier way to express his anger. As someone who is not always as communicative as I could be, I know that answering a yes/no question can be more comfortable than having to make a statement about my feelings.

[chaifan]

Kaylynn and Haley actually had a pretty good leg.  Considering they had the speed bump, which probably took at least 20 minutes, they weren't that far behind the "Mine 5" at the yurt challenge.  If you take the speed bump out of it, they would have been among the top of the pack.  So to place 5th in a leg where 5 teams were all working together, and you had a 20-30 minute penalty, is actually pretty good. 

They're biggest challenge (other than driving stick) is that they are now the only non-alliance team.  Which means if they don't get to the Yield(s) before everyone else, someone will surely yield them.  Unless someone in the Mine 5 wises up and decides they need to start getting rid of the "strong" teams and they start eating their own. 

 

[springbarb]

21 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Tuned out at the halfway mark when every single team came out of their yurt to tell the sisters to yield the nerds.  Why do they care which of the  last two teams are eliminated?  Weren't they all just that morning saying that finally the blondes were out? It just seemed personal at that point.  I can't imagine how it would feel to know that every single team wanted me out, especially when there's no particular reason for it.

I don't think the teams--other than Will and James--cared which team was yielded; they just wanted the second-to-last team to yield the last team. Whether that was the Blondes or Leo & Alana didn't really matter. Just need to give themselves that cushion.

My boyfriend pointed out that Will & James are playing TAR likes it's Big Brother. They really shouldn't be "targeting" anyone; you just race as best you can. It's annoying. With the alliance, it doesn't need to actively break up; just everyone should start playing their own games. I don't mid its existence, honestly, but I do think everyone is putting more emphasis on it than it should have.

The movie studio was SO cool! That's one of those experiences where even if you get eliminated, it would be so cool to have done.

[Quilt Fairy]

44 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

She knew that he wouldn't just blurt out that he was mad (they have both discussed that he is not very communicative) so it seemed to me like she was giving him an easier way to express his anger

I'm beginning to think that the reason he's not very communicative is that she never gives him a chance to speak.

Edited November 20, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[Guest]

Kudos to Leo and Alana for being relatively chill and understanding about the yield. Now, it might have been different if someone else had yielded them rather than the sisters, but even so, it was a good look for them. Kaylynn and Haley continue to soldier on like the chipper champs they are.

In terms of rooting ranking, it's Kaylynn and Haley all the way for me, but Gary and DeAngelo would be more than acceptable also. I find the siblings to be lowkey hilarious, unintentionally so, and if they pull out a win somehow I'd be highly amused and not mad. Hung and Chee have fallen out of the running of really rootable teams for me, though they're still ok. The brothers do nothing for me - capable and not really unlikeable, but kind of boring.

Am I missing anyone?

[vousviou]

21 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

In terms of rooting ranking, it's Kaylynn and Haley all the way for me, but Gary and DeAngelo would be more than acceptable also.

It's not how I feel about the team, but the one thing that keeps me from wanting Gary and DeAngelo to win is they both had successful NFL careers, and it is hard for me to see them needing another $500 K each.

I'd still pick them over Will and James. They rank with some of the worst teams since I've been watching, up there with Brooke and Scott from a few seasons ago.

[Vermicious Knid]

Leo and Alanna interview. They have gotten married since the Race. They were at the yurt for hours and knew they were behind before they even got there. And they don't hate Will and James.

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On the subject of Will and James, it was clear you didn’t forget them U-Turning you for the rest of your time on the race. What were your feelings towards them, especially in complicated moments like helping them get out of the parking garage in Paris?

Leo: We were really determined not to let a desire to get them back influence our strategy in the race. To cause us to use a Yield or U-Turn when it wasn’t best for our game. That was first and foremost. We never disliked them as people. We thought we would be friends in real life, and we are!

 

[Balmafula]

On 11/18/2020 at 8:16 PM, goldeneye said:

Shades of Season 13 come back with that find the clue in the Meat Market in Almaty - I wonder if that is the same marketplace they went through like the one back in Season 13 - shades of a Switchback there too.

It is indeed the same Green Bazaar that had that culturally irrelevant cow costume Detour; thank Allah that this return trip to Almaty featured no such gratuitous stupidity, though a Roadblock based around the Silk Road would've been nice. 

[luvbadtv]

15 hours ago, springbarb said:

My boyfriend pointed out that Will & James are playing TAR likes it's Big Brother. They really shouldn't be "targeting" anyone; you just race as best you can. It's annoying.

I said the same thing.  They were also using BB terminology like "blood on our hands".

[Fukui San]

I'll say this for the alliance of 5, they've successfully managed to eliminate every other team except for the sisters who are objectively terrible at every aspect of racing aside from getting along with one another (which is not a small area of strength). 

If the sisters and Aparna and Eswar were the top 2 teams at the end it'd be utterly hilarious. I'm rooting for that outcome.

[lilabennet]

I started to like the siblings when they were mindlessly screaming throughout the movie task, even when they were climbing the ladder for the jump.  I think they were supposed to be yelling like fierce warriors, but instead it came off like they were scared out of their minds.  High comedy.

[Jobiska]

8 hours ago, lilabennet said:

I started to like the siblings when they were mindlessly screaming throughout the movie task, even when they were climbing the ladder for the jump.  I think they were supposed to be yelling like fierce warriors, but instead it came off like they were scared out of their minds.  High comedy.

Agreed--If the director called "cut" at least a couple of times because they weren't loud enough, then why not just go ahead and scream their heads off the entire way!  I like them.  I don't care if they say "engineer engineer engineer" all the time.  

I was so amazed at the costuming for the "movie" scenes, and the traditional wear/dance at the end.  Just gorgeous.  And that hat (during the Khan's spies detour) really suited Chee very well.  Showed off his cheekbones even more!  And the textiles for the yurt--lovely.  

In the first camel scene, I said "wow, it's a Bactrian camel!" and then I saw a one-humped dromedary and thought I'd mis-seen, and then I saw a 2-humped one again, and so today I looked it up and now I know that there are both kinds in Kazakhstan and you learn something new every day.  B sideways--2 humps--D sideways--1 hump--that I learned as a child!  They were so cutely fluffy against the cold!  (and I haven't called a TAR camel cute before either!)

Wish I had seen more of the pit stop where they all were when the sisters arrived--because it looked like a museum or something?  Last scene from there was the sisters tucking themselves into some kind of VW?  Camper?  Any insights or knowledge from you wise and well-traveled TARfans?

Gary keeping on having to tie up deAngelo's cuffs--like a kid whose shoelaces keep coming untied!  It made me laugh.

Why did all the meat market stall holders feel like they should point out the clue box to people?  Too friendly!  

 

[mojoween]

21 hours ago, luvbadtv said:

I said the same thing.  They were also using BB terminology like "blood on our hands".

That’s when they lost me.  This is not. That. Show.  Just raaaaaaaace.

“Gary and De’Angelo, you NFL millionaires, you each won 7500 bucks!  What do you say to that?”  “Woo.”

(I love them, but that cracked me up)

When Chee was silently sitting in the back of the cab during his allotted 90 seconds of stewing it struck me how good looking he is.  I hate to be so shallow, but here we are.

[Balmafula]

12 hours ago, Jobiska said:

Wish I had seen more of the pit stop where they all were when the sisters arrived--because it looked like a museum or something?  Last scene from there was the sisters tucking themselves into some kind of VW?  Camper?  Any insights or knowledge from you wise and well-traveled TARfans?
 

It's called the Hut Palace in German:

[Never Again]

This was a very satisfying leg: great tasks, a yield, some sniping, an elimination, amazing scenery, needle in the haystack (to find the clue) all the elements that I enjoy!  Also I have been to many places the teams go but never anything like Kazakhstan, and I love seeing these exotic places that I’ll likely never visit.  On a different note, where can I get this magnificent coat?

[Quilt Fairy]

Another leg without a roadblock.  Does anyone know if there are a lot of Roadblocks/Detours that are being edited out this season?  While I really appreciate tasks just to get route info (like the yurt decorating), when I don't get a roadblock and a detour in each episode I feel like I've been cheated. 

[Bad Example]

On 11/19/2020 at 7:35 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I didn't see Hung asking Chee if he was mad as berating him. She knew she fucked up by helping the NFL guys again and she knows that Chee tends not to communicate. When she asked if he was mad about what she did, I thought she was acknowledging that she did something wrong and she was giving him a way to say he was mad about it.

She knew that he wouldn't just blurt out that he was mad (they have both discussed that he is not very communicative) so it seemed to me like she was giving him an easier way to express his anger. As someone who is not always as communicative as I could be, I know that answering a yes/no question can be more comfortable than having to make a statement about my feelings.

Yeah <shrug>, I'm just not hating on Hung.  As for the whole 90 seconds thing... yeah, it's abrupt, but it's also brutally pragmatic.  Fighting between yourselves is not going to get the race won.

I'm saving all of my hate for Will & James.  They are so in love with themselves with absolutely no sense of self-awareness.

I thought it made sense for the Blondes, for their own race, to use the Yield.  They didn't know how far behind Leo & Alanna were.  I'd written them off since the beginning, but now I am rooting for them and hoping their luck holds.  

[chaifan]

18 hours ago, Jobiska said:

Wish I had seen more of the pit stop where they all were when the sisters arrived--because it looked like a museum or something?  Last scene from there was the sisters tucking themselves into some kind of VW?  Camper?  Any insights or knowledge from you wise and well-traveled TARfans?

 

There are a bunch of "extra" video clips on cbs.com, and one of them is of everyone picking their "room".  Gary was going from camper to camper just trying to find a bed that would fit him!  It's a really cute clip.  I can't remember the title, but the photo shows Aparna in one of the chicken outfits. 

[ML89]

Some kids go through Egypt phases, mine was finding a book about Genghis Khan and reading it over and over at around 10 so this was right up my street. Loved the stunt fight as well as the "watch this scene" challenge. I'm also cheering for the sisters, after being pretty indifferent to them at the start. I liked the NFL guys but that's wearing off, I'm souring on the beard bros too and Will and James are on my last nerve. Hung and Chee and Eswar and Aparna are in the middle for me, although I would definitely be the one helping out and then thinking "WHY DID YOU DO THAT!" Leo and Alana were okay until he left the sisters there on the last challenge and I know he was right in a game sense but as they used to say on Hollywood Squares, turnabout is fair play.

I think it's the alliance that's annoying me, especially Will and James going on about how smart they were to set it up. I'm sure it's going to implode and I frankly hope it does to their detriment. I agree that they are playing the Big Brother game and there is a reason I stopped watching Big Brother. Too bad Rachel isn't around to show them how to really do it...

 

 

 

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Another leg without a roadblock.  Does anyone know if there are a lot of Roadblocks/Detours that are being edited out this season?

At the mat, Phil said: "The next leg of the race is a megaleg. A megaleg, meaning double the Detours, double the Roadblocks, double the distance."

This rather implies that they have been having Roadblocks all along, otherwise "...double the Roadblocks..." would be a pointless thing to say. Of course, no way to be certain without consulting Phil, racers or someone with first-hand knowledge.

I must admit I've never liked to hear about challenges that were edited out. To think that they did something and then hid the video from me!

[Quilt Fairy]

16 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I must admit I've never liked to hear about challenges that were edited out. To think that they did something and then hid the video from me!

Yeah, they only cut tasks where the order of the teams is not affected, but I'd like to see everything anyway.  

[Infiltr8]

Soo the one team I don’t want to win is Will/James — so that probably means they do... rarely does the team I like win😀 — the. Alliance has actually not bothered me too much are all strong teams— one would think they would want some of the stronger team out — so could make for good final I’m hoping— I’d love the blondes to make it as love their attitude but they are going to have to pick it up big time! 

[watchingtvaddict]

9 hours ago, Never Again said:

This was a very satisfying leg: great tasks, a yield, some sniping, an elimination, amazing scenery, needle in the haystack (to find the clue) all the elements that I enjoy!  Also I have been to many places the teams go but never anything like Kazakhstan, and I love seeing these exotic places that I’ll likely never visit.  On a different note, where can I get this magnificent coat?

The clothing on this leg was truly awesome. I want to figure out a way to get some sort of textile from Kazakhstan and get a nice coat or dress or skirt made. 

[Never Again]

1 hour ago, watchingtvaddict said:

The clothing on this leg was truly awesome. I want to figure out a way to get some sort of textile from Kazakhstan and get a nice coat or dress or skirt made

Me too! So unique and beautiful 

[Vermicious Knid]

If you love the clothing some of you might enjoy A Bride's Story, even if you're not into manga. The story takes place in Central Asia and features exquisitely drawn clothing and textiles that are true to the tribes and cultures. The story's pretty good too.

There seems be some available on Etsy through various sellers.

[eel21788]

13 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Another leg without a roadblock.  Does anyone know if there are a lot of Roadblocks/Detours that are being edited out this season?  While I really appreciate tasks just to get route info (like the yurt decorating), when I don't get a roadblock and a detour in each episode I feel like I've been cheated. 

Wasn't it just two legs ago that had two roadblocks, one to be done by each team member? 

[30 Helens]

11 hours ago, Bad Example said:

Yeah <shrug>, I'm just not hating on Hung.  As for the whole 90 seconds thing... yeah, it's abrupt, but it's also brutally pragmatic.  Fighting between yourselves is not going to get the race won.

I'm saving all of my hate for Will & James.  They are so in love with themselves with absolutely no sense of self-awareness.

I thought it made sense for the Blondes, for their own race, to use the Yield.  They didn't know how far behind Leo & Alanna were.  I'd written them off since the beginning, but now I am rooting for them and hoping their luck holds.  

I’m with you on all these points.  Watching the Boyfriends cackle over their ability to pit the non-alliance teams against each other was annoying, but the Blondes made the right decision with the knowledge they had at the time. I just wish they had another yield to use on the Boyfriends later.

I also agree that Hung’s 90-second rule was purely pragmatic. It’s like people who schedule a set amount of time in the day to cry or yell.  Open up, let it out, then put it behind you and move forward, unencumbered. I find it weird, personally, but it works for some people.  And given the number of people we’ve seen sidelined by a festering grievance, it’s a strategy that maybe more racers should adopt.

On the other hand, if Hung had said that to me, I’d have given her precisely 90 seconds to get out of the damn car.

[blackwing]

19 hours ago, Bad Example said:

Yeah <shrug>, I'm just not hating on Hung.  As for the whole 90 seconds thing... yeah, it's abrupt, but it's also brutally pragmatic.  Fighting between yourselves is not going to get the race won.

I'm saving all of my hate for Will & James.  They are so in love with themselves with absolutely no sense of self-awareness.

 

7 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I also agree that Hung’s 90-second rule was purely pragmatic. It’s like people who schedule a set amount of time in the day to cry or yell.  Open up, let it out, then put it behind you and move forward, unencumbered. I find it weird, personally, but it works for some people.  And given the number of people we’ve seen sidelined by a festering grievance, it’s a strategy that maybe more racers should adopt.

On the other hand, if Hung had said that to me, I’d have given her precisely 90 seconds to get out of the damn car.

I agree that it is practical to just get it out of the system.  However, this is Chee.  He doesn't seem like the type of person who is going to yell and scream.  He is her husband, and I would think she should know that about him by now.  That scene to me just appeared to me to be all about control.  She seems to be the type of person that needs to be in control and calling the shots, "I gave you a chance to say something and you didn't, so I will castrate you in the future if you ever dare to bring it up again, and there is no expiration date on this, it lasts until eternity". 

However, I am willing to bet that of course the rule does not apply in reverse, based on what we have seen.  If he makes a mistake, based on what we saw with the watermelons, I think she is the type that is never going to let him forget it and will remind him about it endlessly.  I am sure some of this is due to the stress of the race, but just looking at his reactions, he seems like the kind of husband who has accepted his fate in life.  Happy wife, happy life.  Sometimes it's just better to shut up and not rock the boat.

But I completely agree that even with her nagging and shrewish tendencies, I like Hung 1000 times better than Will and James.  At this point, a win by anyone except Will and James would be welcomed.

[Quilt Fairy]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

However, this is Chee.  He doesn't seem like the type of person who is going to yell and scream. 

The one time I saw Chee animated was in the last leg when Hung was doing the roadblock walking down the building.  She was in obvious fear, shrieking her head off, and he was down below, jumping up and down and laughing.  It was - odd. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

The one time I saw Chee animated was in the last leg when Hung was doing the roadblock walking down the building.  She was in obvious fear, shrieking her head off, and he was down below, jumping up and down and laughing.  It was - odd. 

I took notice of that as well. I also noticed he was standing with Gary and whichever bearded brother wasn't doing the task, who were both also laughing their heads off. It had a bit of a "guy knocking his wife cuz he's with his bros" vibe that wasn't super great. I won't ascribe too much to it, or to Hung's 90 second rule, since these are tiny slivers of who they are - but...it wasn't super great.

[Gummo]

5 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

it wasn't super great

I wouldn't give him too much grief - she had boasted how she was primed to do all the heights stuff, she was perfectly safe, and she'd been ragging on him the whole race. Better a quick laugh at her expense than letting it all build up to an explosion later on.

[mtlchick]

On 11/21/2020 at 12:42 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

Another leg without a roadblock.  Does anyone know if there are a lot of Roadblocks/Detours that are being edited out this season?  While I really appreciate tasks just to get route info (like the yurt decorating), when I don't get a roadblock and a detour in each episode I feel like I've been cheated. 

There probably was one but was edited out because it either lacked drama for the "storyline" or (more likely) didn't affect the leg rankings.  

[North of Eden]

What more can be said other than the boyfriends are loathsome vile people who would waste time constructing the Yurt to prance around outside in order to encourage the use of the yield. They look alike, they talk alike and act alike...just on amorphorous vile blight on the race.

Also Hung...stop helping the people that screw you over and give Chee back his cojones you are carrying around in the Amazing fanny pack.

Thanks editors by telegraphing the ending early on with the female nerd's demeanor during the confessionals.

MVPS: Stern female movie director and the Great Khan

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, North of Eden said:

What more can be said other than the boyfriends are loathsome vile people who would waste time constructing the Yurt to prance around outside in order to encourage the use of the yield. They look alike, they talk alike and act alike...just on amorphorous vile blight on the race.

Also Hung...stop helping the people that screw you over and give Chee back his cojones you are carrying around in the Amazing fanny pack.

Thanks editors by telegraphing the ending early on with the female nerd's demeanor during the confessionals.

MVPS: Stern female movie director and the Great Khan

Yeah, the talking head confessionals have been spoiling the show for me this season. I’ve been watching since Season 1 and, it’s gotten more obvious as the years have gone on. It used to be that some of the racers were doing theirs when it was light out and others were in darkness. When Alana was shown crying I’m like well I know who’s leaving. I don’t know how to fix this other than having production telling the racers to get a grip for their confessionals. Now, I pretty much go in dumb mode watching the show so I don’t spoil myself. LOL!!!! It will be interesting in this weeks show if it’s as obvious again. 

[Halting Hex]

Quote

HUNG: You have exactly 90 seconds to get over it.

CHEE:  We've got a 30 minute cab ride until we're racing again.  Keep this up and I'll spend 28.5 minutes wondering which of our friends knows a good divorce attorney.

Okay, not actually.  But still.

Never have I seen a team so happy to place 5th.  But good on the blondes for passing the engineers, no Yield required.  And how did "We need to get a head" not make the episode title?  Obvious pun, but the show loves those.

Won't miss Leo & Alana at all.  Wonderful karma that they got taken out by their own allies after they tried to ditch them last episode.  And all the "oh, it wasn't the Yield, it was [not being able to tell the difference between a flag and a spear, time after time after time"] self-justification only goes so far.  Do we know they weren't within 20 minutes of Stanford?  Do they?  In that case, you may have put yourself in a position to be hurt by the Yield, but the blondes still got you out.  Give them the credit they deserve.

OTOH, I have zero problems with Will & James.

Edited November 23, 2020 by Halting Hex

[Netfoot]

9 hours ago, North of Eden said:

...just on amorphorous vile blight on the race.

Human? Or Amazing?

 

[HurricaneVal]

On 11/18/2020 at 11:19 PM, Hera said:

At the detour, it looked to me like the actor playing The Great Khan was struggling a bit to maintain his stern expression when he saw their faces.

I thought the actor playing The Great Khan was having an absolute blast.  He totally broke character when the blonde beards showed up and were so earnest and enthusiastic and ridiculous.  He was a great find.

 

On 11/19/2020 at 8:42 AM, eel21788 said:

I was afraid they were going to have to eat the sheep's head.

OMG.  Me too.  I would love to do the amazing race--except for the fact that I'm old and lazy and not good looking enough for TV so I'd never get picked.  I would give a good try at every challenge, except....I would not be able to deal with any eating challenge, and it wouldn't even have to be a gross food eating challenge.  I'd just have to take a penalty and hope another team had problems.  I just don't eat a lot at one sitting, my stomach gets full like right away.  There's no way I could even eat tasty food for this.  Remember that one gourmet trolley tour they had to take through the scenic streets and eat every course while looking out the windows for signage that held clues?  And if they didn't get it right, they had to go around again, and eat the full meal again?  That's heaven turning rapidly to hell for me. 

I'd also have to sit my ass down for a penalty for any challenge involving snakes in any way, whatsoever.  Lizards?  Fine.  Turtles?  Fine.  Any other reptile, just not snakes.  A few seasons ago, they had to deliver baskets of snakes to that one snakey temple, and I could barely watch that episode.

 

Kazakhstan was just an outstanding location for an Amazing Race leg.  Outstanding.  I don't think they've ever been there before, and the film studio challenges were really fun to watch and looked really fun to do as well.  Decorating the yurts to spec feels much like something we've seen before, and not just a few legs in the past.  Didn't they decorate a bedouin tent once before, on a middle east leg?  Even so, it was a good challenge showcasing the local culture, and I liked the twist that they had to figure out the missing sheep's head was to be sourced from the ladies boiling them up in the equivalent of a village square.  They should have had a few more things like that, the thought process that lead them to asking for the head is a good "think outside the box" or in this case "camel packs" exercise.  A little more of a scavenger hunt would have been good.

 

I'm good with getting Will and James off my screen any time now.  They are petty and mean and rude and I just want to reach through my TV screen and slap them silly.  Leo and Alana weren't particular favorites of mine, but they seemed quite harmless and enthusiastic, so why do the boyfriends seem to hate them so much?  Leo actually helped them out--admittedly helping them out of his and everybody else's way at the time--so why all the vocal and seething haaaaaaaate?  I just don't understand that, and if we're not going to be shown or given any reason, I'm only left with supposing Will and James are just not very nice people.

Jokes on them though, because as I understand it, the eliminated racers keep "racing" so as to throw off any spoilers from getting out, so they'll keep seeing Leo and Alana having the time of their lives.  But I'll bet they don't have the privation that the actual racers have, so they get the fun travel and the fun experiences without the frustration and maybe even hunger the actual racers experience.  No need to worry if your taxi driver is going to abandon you outside the city dump, you're in a production sponsored cab with some TAR PA rockin' the casbah.

[Halting Hex]

12 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Leo and Alana weren't particular favorites of mine, but they seemed quite harmless and enthusiastic, so why do the boyfriends seem to hate them so much? 

As I understand it, once Will & James spotted Leo & Alana taking charge of a (minor) alliance that excluded them (helping the Blondes in Leg 2), they decided that Leo/Alana were a logical U-Turn target, which is why they attempted it in Leg 3.  It didn't work, and so after the Leg, Will attempted to offer an "explanation".  Which was obviously BS, and Leo knew it was BS, but the boyfriends presumably knew that Leo knew this, and all that was happening was a formality for the sake of good feelings.

Instead, Leo cut off Will's "explanation" and mocked him.  Apparently, Will (& James) didn't particularly like that.  Understandable, IMO.

18 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

as I understand it, the eliminated racers keep "racing" so as to throw off any spoilers from getting out, so [Will & James will] keep seeing Leo and Alana having the time of their lives

As I understand it, the eliminated teams go through the motions significantly ahead of time, so that the locals can be deceived, but the active teams don't get any benefit from seeing production in action.  Will & James shouldn't see Leo & Alana again until the Finish Line, or until they themselves are eliminated.

(And I don't know that pretending to engage in a competition that you've already lost, knowing that others have the chance to win the $$$ you've already screwed yourself out of, would necessarily qualify as "having the time of their lives".  I wouldn't want Leo & Alana to stew over their outcome, but I'm sure some teams have.  ["JFC, if I hadn't wasted all that time on the 'spears', we'd totally be killing this Leg.  ARRGGH!!!"]  We'll never know, I suppose.)

[HurricaneVal]

Oh, I think (or would hope) that most people sign up for TAR for the experience, and the money and prizes are a nice side benefit.  There's just too many variables and too much out of the immediate control of the racers that being on the show for the sheer chance at the money seems to be a risky proposition.  We've seen racers with steely focus on winning--like Jessica and Cody for instance--but I think it was mostly winning, not money, that ultimately motivates those types of racers.  Racers don't seem to really even talk about the money like the hamsters on Big Brother or the castaways on Survivor do.  If they do, it is in the abstract.  I dunno, maybe I'm projecting, but the experience of the race would be the big prize for me.  But, like I said above, there's no way this old, dumpy, ugly lady's team would win, so I'd have to be in it for the experience!  😆

I didn't realize that Leo mocked Will and/or James over their BS explanation.  That's not very nice either.  Will and James seem to be taking a towering and exaggerated rage over that though.  It also seems to be a bit hypocritical to be taking such a stance for two lower placing teams sharing info a couple of times all while you're in a giant blatantly sharing five team alliance. 

I just want the teams to race, that's all.  I'm not overall fond of alliances in general in reality TV, but they definitely belong more with Big Brother or Survivor where having a voting block is part of the game.

[Roccos Brother]

Sad to see Leo and Alana go, definitely preferred them over most of the teams left. It never would occur to me to confuse flags for spears though.

Eswar and Aparna have been a very boring and unimpressive team thus far, but watching them overact during the challenge was very amusing; overacting is never not funny.

I think a lot of people are unfairly misreading the Hung and Chee situation. I distinctly remember them saying that the "90-second" rule was part of a strategy that they mutually agreed upon to prevent conflicts from escalating. I don't remember if they had mentioned it in a previous episode or one of those social media exclusive interviews.

Can't wait to see the alliance fall apart next episode! YES!

Edited November 24, 2020 by Roccos Brother

[Jobiska]

22 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Jokes on them though, because as I understand it, the eliminated racers keep "racing" so as to throw off any spoilers from getting out, so they'll keep seeing Leo and Alana having the time of their lives. 

I'd always understood that it was the last 5 or so teams left that included the non-final 3 teams as decoy racers.  Also backing this up, from social media (hidden in case others don't like that extra info, but it doesn't have spoilers for future):

 

Spoiler

Also, per some social media--maybe it was Twitter?--I saw L&A saying how they bonded with Kellie--I think they said she and one of the catfish guys did a lot of cooking?  and the others were great dishwashers?  in sequester--so they didn't spend a ton of time as decoys, if they did it at all.  Remember back in the day where you could watch "Elimination Station" online?  Wish they still did that!

 

[redfish]

Quote

I still hate Will & James. Especially, when they were giggling in the yurt when the blondes yielded Leo & Alana. 

ITA. They're becoming real a-holes especially making the Blondes do their dirty work so that they can look like good guys? If they wanted to yield them, then do it themselves. They really got on my nerves over their obsession with Leo and Alana. Focus on your own racing.

 

[ByaNose]

I tried watching Will & James recap video. It’s so painful to watch. The way they talk, their expressions and how they love everyone to offset how bad they come off on the show. Basically, it’s damage control. Of course, they continually justify it because it’s a race and not pick your best friend race...blah, blah, blah. I would love for them to get eliminated but I have a feeling (No spoiler) they won. When they are racing they are in a zone. Now, that Leo & Alana are gone they can focus even more. I know that not all super fans win but they seem very in control of their emotions and I don’t even think they fight with each other. I’m sort of impressed by that. 2 hours tomorrow isn’t. I guess....maybe...it’s one more non elimination leg and then another team gets eliminated. They’ve done 3 non elimination legs before, right? I can’t imagine 2 teams leaving but I could be wrong.