S32.E08: Are You a Rickshaw?/S32.E09: This is Not Payback. This is Karma

[ByaNose]

I will say watching this season has gotten me wanting more. It’s too bad the latest season was stopped abruptly and I wonder if it will ever resume. Heck! Even Survivor hasn’t started filming and CBS loves Survivor more then TAR so who knows when it will continue again. It’s too bad they didn’t put another one in the can during these 2 years because they could have started airing in it February. Whenever the travel bans are lifted it be might be a while before filming and then editing can resume and on the air. 

[Waldo13]

I find being able to get yielded twice was a little over the top along with the 5 team alliance.  It makes the race very uncompetitive. 

What I found most deplorable is DeAngelo calling the Blondes cockroaches. DeAngelo and CBS would be up in arms if the Blonds compared Gary and DeAngelo to something sub human. 
 

The Blondes were eliminated but they left with a whole lot of class. 

[aghst]

Bangles thing had to be luck of the draw right?  Or maybe Gary and DeAngelo just aren't as strong.

So all the Yields are 20 minutes?  I thought there were a few 20-minutes but most of them were 10-minutes.

In any case, that second yield didn't really matter because the fifth team was almost done or already done by the time that yield ran out.  They don't show how long the blond spent on the place settings but there's probably a learning curve.

The beards say they like boyfriends and Asian couple the best, hanging out with them.  If that's really true, that's a dumb reason to for that alliance.  They'd be better off trying to eliminate what they see as their strongest competitors.

The brother and sister are the worst of the remaining 5 teams.  Then the fourth team is probably Gary and DeAngelo or Hung and Chee.

So the beards should have tried to eliminate the boyfriends and Hung and Chee or Gary and DeAngelo.  Then in the last three, they'd be way superior to the brother and sister and Hung and Chee or Gary and DeAngelo.

Unfortunately the most despicable team is probably going to win it all, the boyfriends. 

Blonds as usual smiled throughout and still enjoyed their race.

Edited November 26, 2020 by aghst

[aghst]

BTW, I mentioned they should be allowed to use phones to navigate.

So on the food delivery task, they give them two phones but instead of using a navigation app themselves, they had to be given directions by an operation, who was using a navigation app!

Not much of a mission.

It would have been tough to use GPS even if they had it, being in an unfamiliar city with names of places probably difficult for them to enter correctly.

[HurricaneVal]

As much as I was rooting for the blondes, I don't think the back to back yields had as much to do with their elimination as bad cab luck did, and mediocre racing.  They had grit, and stayed positive.  I'll miss them.

I was totally gnawing my fingers during the dental impression challenge.  If that is done wrong, you can actually choke and potentially kill someone.  That's why people have to go to school and get certified as dental assistants to do that in the US.  I speak from experience, I had to have dental impressions done when I was very young, and the assistant filled the tray like I had an adult sized mouth.  I started choking and gagging as that gooey material oozed out and went down my throat.  She and the dentist pulled it all out--amazing stuff, it stays together in a lump--but I had to have it done again to complete the job.  I think I clawed permanent divots into the arms of that dental chair.

When I've had impressions done now for crowns, that cool, slick oozing feeling against my gums brings it all back.  I was on the edge of my seat during that whole segment.  I hope production paid those people well.

 

[GaT]

2 hours wasted for the obvious elimination to happen.

[mertensia]

I have to agree with whoever said it up thread that that Swiggy guy's expression was priceless.

Also, I liked that they had to blindly choose This or That.

[DEL901]

A couple of comments mentioned yielding one of the better teams....however, those teams were far enough in front of the blondes that they would likely have survived and been vindictive...as would the rest of the alliance who wouldn’t trust you anymore.   Alliances are like the Mafia, once you are in, you are in.  

[Suzysite]

8 hours ago, dgpolo said:

 I find the hate filled posts here much more off putting than anything happening on the show.

Disliking a team that is gleefully nasty is not being hate-filled.  Nobody is commenting on anything about them other than their own wretched behavior.

[Haleth]

For a megaleg with double the everything, I was bored.  The first set of challenges had the racers waving their hands around for some reason I never understood or delivering food to people, something we've seen over and over.  The roadblock of matching the avatars to the real men is the same as matching the party goers to portraits in France.  Exactly the same concept.  (Yes, I know the added bonus of placing him on the correct square.)  The second detour was either a needle in a haystack (which we've seen countless times) or the extremely gross teeth thing.  Who wants to see that?  Then they had the oh so difficult task of setting a table, which was a rehash of the yurt challenge in Kazakhstan.  How about something different, show?

On top of all this I was so angry about the alliance ganging up on the blondes.  I hate the yield.  Racers should run their own race and not be given an opportunity to interfere with another team.  Besides being unfair to the targeted team, it ruins the suspense for the audience.  The blondes were obviously so far behind everyone else even after the first half there was no way they'd catch up.  I knew there could not be another NEL, but I was still hoping Phil would save them again, just to blow the minds of the other teams.  Right now I'm not too keen on any of the remaining teams, my interest has gone way down because of this alliance nonsense and repetitive tasks.

10 hours ago, toodywoody said:

Thank you. I have been saying this to myself all along. Hung and Chee and The Beards are just going to help them to the win. They were complaining about Gary and D'Angelo and it's been Will and Whine that are always receiving the help. And Gary helped Whine at the one with the turbans. 

It would serve them right to lose because they were too helpful.  I can't stand Will and James but if they win it would be a lesson for teams in the future - raaaaace!

8 hours ago, NYCFree said:

I was thinking that one thing the producers could do is to either outright ban teams helping each other (the way one partner can’t help the other on a one person task), or implement a rule that if you share information, you must stay until the team you gave information to has completed the task.

Excellent.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Haleth

[Browncoat]

I give Chee major props for her communication skills in the food delivery challenge.  She went about it in just the right way -- telling the operator what she was seeing instead of just relying on him to tell her what she should be seeing.  

And no, the blondes were not the most competent of racers, although bad taxi luck really did them in more than once, but they didn't deserve to be targeted the way they were simply because they weren't in the mine at the same time as the Mine 5.  I refuse to watch shows like Survivor or Big Brother because of the Mean Girl cliques that form.  I don't watch TAR to see a popularity contest.  The double yield was ridiculous.  I recognize it as a valid part of the game, but at that point (and even before that!), it was just piling on.  I would have had a hard time not taking in personally, both during the race, and even now.  Maybe more now, after seeing all the shenanigans that I wouldn't have been aware of during the actual running of the race.  I admire the blondes for not doing so, and for remaining upbeat -- even in their talking heads, even when we all knew their elimination was a foregone conclusion.

If and when the race returns, I really hope they can do something to prevent these ridiculous alliances.

[mertensia]

Surely the easiest would be for them to all have different answers. At the sauerkraut clue team one looks for blue letters, team 2 for red, etc. The turbans was good because you couldn't double up on a solved turban. 

[shura]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

So on the food delivery task, they give them two phones but instead of using a navigation app themselves, they had to be given directions by an operation, who was using a navigation app!

That’s the thing that baffles me - why have a whole call center full of operators like that?  Isn’t this supposed to be a tech company?  Why not program the whole thing, including tracking the person who placed the order, into the app the delivery person is using?  Wouldn’t that be more efficient compared to paying all the operators?

So the dentures aren’t really made right there while patient is waiting?  I thought this was something as easy as going for a stroll along the street, popping in and out of shops, getting yourself a bangle, then some dentures, then a samosa, all within an hour.  If it’s not like that, if you get your impression and then have to come back some other time to have the dentures fitted, then it’s just a regular dentist in a more open-air setup.  There is nothing Indian about that.

[ByaNose]

Unfortunately, the show even had a hard time disguising the fact that the blondes were getting eliminated. As usual, they were never in the same frame as another team, it was pretty much like that all season for them. Then you have the Mine 5 piling on and yielding them twice. That doesn’t make for exciting television. Like sands through the hourglass..........

[Racj82]

11 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

Forgot to mention;  since the most hated, unlikeable people like Flo and Kendra have won in the past, AND  because it’s still 2020, aka ,the year of all thing horrible, i think it’s preordered that Will and James will win this season.

Damn, I'm in the middle of trying to get through previous seasons on the race. I did not get to Kendra's season which I knew from the board is season six. I accidentally got season 4's win spoiled too which I was in the middle of. Oh well. The suspense for those seasons are gone.

I don't mind the alliance stuff. It is what it is. I would  hate it if I was a racer of course.

I wasn't a fan of the mega leg or the two hours.

I'm not a crackpot but I never need two hour episodes of stuff I watch. There is so much to watch and do these days. Having a set time with a conclusion within that hour is great for me.

All the endless tasks start to blur together as well.

[Racj82]

7 hours ago, Waldo13 said:

I find being able to get yielded twice was a little over the top along with the 5 team alliance.  It makes the race very uncompetitive. 

What I found most deplorable is DeAngelo calling the Blondes cockroaches. DeAngelo and CBS would be up in arms if the Blonds compared Gary and DeAngelo to something sub human. 
 

The Blondes were eliminated but they left with a whole lot of class. 

They literally only made that comment because the blondes cannot be stopped no matter how hard people tried to stop them or how bad their luck are...like cockroaches which are hard to catch. It's just a expression. Not literal and not meant to demean them. The blondes have made similar jokes about themselves and how they can't be taken down. If they had said it's like these women have nine lives, they wouldn't be calling them cats. Just that they can't be stopped even when it seems like they are done.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Racj82

[chaifan]

It just hit me...  Will and James are like Boston Rob (who I really really really couldn't stand having on my screen).  They get people to go along with things, thinking it's in the best interest of the group, when in reality, it's in their best interest.  I hate the Mine 5 alliance, and I think it makes for a boring TAR.  But in creating it and constantly referring back to it to the other 4 groups, really making it a thing, Will and James ensured their place in the final 5.  As much as I hate it, it's good racing strategy*.  But I can do without all the evil goatee stroking oh aren't we the most clever talking head segments that go along with it.** 

*disclaimer - it's good racing strategy up to a point... and now they're at that point, where they've brought 3 other strong teams with them to the final 5. 

** strangely enough, Will and James have had some really nice mat chats that are in the extra video clips on cbs.com.  They come across much more friendly, less manipulative in those segments.  So I think they're deliberately getting a villian-ish edit by TPTB. 

I'm not totally against teams working together, and I like seeing it when it is more spontaneous and makes sense in that moment.  Like when two teams are stuck at a task, but know there's at least one team behind them.  And they say "let's work together to make sure we aren't eliminated", because all that matters in that moment is not coming in last.  A one and done alliance is good.  TAR could easily have "you can't work with other team" instructions on every task, but they purposely don't. 

 

[sinycalone]

Quote

** strangely enough, Will and James have had some really nice mat chats that are in the extra video clips on cbs.com.  They come across much more friendly, less manipulative in those segments.  So I think they're deliberately getting a villian-ish edit by TPTB. 

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

[Chicago Redshirt]

12 hours ago, Lemuria said:

Especially as smart racing would be to use it against a strong team that could beat you in the finale.

 

12 hours ago, mtlchick said:

That's the problem in still being in alliance (or whatever form of it there is left) at this stage of the race.  By now you know who are the strong teams are.  Why waste it on a team that is soooo not a threat?  

Racers basically had three options: not use their yields at all, use their yields on a non-blonde team, or use it on the blondes.

If they used it on a non-blonde team, chances are that team would still beat the blondes and make it to the next leg. Not only could that team take revenge, it would muddy the waters with the other teams who saw you broke your word. So that could bite a team in the ass in future legs when people have a chance to target them (as in the forthcoming double U-turn).

They could have chosen not to yield anybody and hope that the blondes could somehow overcome their mediocrity as racers and their bad luck. And they may have done so if the producers didn't yell at them "THIS IS THE LAST YOU WILL GET TO USE THE YIELDS!! DON'T WASTE IT!"

11 hours ago, FlyingEgret said:

At least the show outsmarted the alliance at the turban challenge by allowing each man to only be used once.  James would still be there if he hadn't been told how to count the pillars...

It was interesting to me that the turban task (at least from the comfort of my living room) seemed easier the more people had done it, as opposed to the typical needle in a haystack. Because people were already on most of the pillars, you could more easily figure out which pillars to search for virtual avatars below, and you were less likely to make the James mistake of putting them on the wrong spot.

On an aside, I was bothered by the avatars being off in the color of the turbans.

11 hours ago, shura said:

How did this work with the dentures exactly? They were taking imprints from people with teeth, then somehow those were turned into dentures within minutes, and then fitted to entirely different people without teeth?

I am a little confused about the Swiggy idea. The operator is the brain and the actual delivery people are the eyes and legs? How is this more efficient than having delivery people know the area they are delivering in? Is it intended for random people to sign up at a Swiggy kiosk and deliver a couple meals just like the contestants were doing?

The blondes are absolutely terrific people. I have never seen anyone with such great attitude on TAR.

They were taking implants on Person A, and then polishing and putting in dentures that had been pre-made for Person B.

The real Swiggy presumably is fully operational with its app. But to just use it like a regular delivery person with GPS would be not really much of a challenge. So TAR gave the Racers hamstrung setups where they had to rely on a call center person for directions. Still easier than if they were just given a map and had to make the deliveries like Races of old, but then TAR wouldn't have gotten (I presume) that sweet sweet product placement cash.

11 hours ago, chaifan said:

If there has ever been a team that deserved - really deserved - to be invited back to an All Stars season, it is Kaylynn and Hayley.  They have to be two of the nicest racers to ever be on this show.  They had the worst taxi luck over and over, and then to get yielded twice only because they didn't happen to be in the mine at the same time as other teams just sucks.  Not that they did anything mean, underhanded or nasty to other teams.  They just weren't in an alliance that was based solely on being in one spot at the same time.  And they just remain so positive, even when they know they're going to be eliminated.  Yeah, I know, they aren't the best racers out there, but they aren't the worst, either.  Really, TAR, give them a second chance! 

And, TAR, please put something in place that stops these stupid alliances.  Besides getting one of my favorite teams booted, it just makes for a boring race.  At least 1/2 the tasks should have a specific rule prohibiting working with other teams. 

I agree that the Blondes have great attitudes, but that alone does not an All-Star candidate make IMO. By performance, they probably would be one of the worst teams to ever be invited back. 

My knowledge of the Race isn't encyclopedic, but it seems to me that this is the first time an alliance a) included basically half the field b) actually did things like solve things for alliance members c) held true for the entire time. Any one or even two of those things would be OK. The combination of the three is what makes this one not the best TV watching.

However, I am hoping that there will be a payoff now that there are no non-Alliance teams to be cannon fodder. Will the Beards, boyfriends or HungChee realize that they might be better off if Team Cal or Team NFL is in the final three? How will those teams react if/when they find out that there is a sub-Alliance.

Personally, I am hoping that karma is coming for the Boyfriends and that they get hoisted on their catty petards.

11 hours ago, xcrayon2215x said:

The blondes probably would have made it if it wasn't for being yielded twice,

I am pretty confident that the blondes were more than 40 minutes behind.

9 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

Also, how can they be such big fans and not know what a rickshaw is? When has this show gone to India and NOT used a rickshaw as a means of transport? I know that's petty, but whatever, lol.

The term "auto-rickshaw" or "rickshaw" isn't always applied to that vehicle. Sometimes they are referred to as tuk-tuks, as we saw Hung and Chee call them. I would think the average person who might aspire to be on the Race (let alone who has watched more than a couple seasons) would know a rickshaw is not a person. But I will cut some slack. At least he wasn't asking if the person was a candelabra.

Which reminds me: did Team Cal use or dive into their connection to India at all during the leg? They looked down on Hung and Chee calling them tuk-tuks, but we didn't get a clip of them speaking Hindi or another language (if they know any, which I assume they must having been born there and going back for several summers), trying to vibe with the locals, waxing poetic about how this connects them to a part of their heritage, etc.   

25 minutes ago, shura said:

That’s the thing that baffles me - why have a whole call center full of operators like that?  Isn’t this supposed to be a tech company?  Why not program the whole thing, including tracking the person who placed the order, into the app the delivery person is using?  Wouldn’t that be more efficient compared to paying all the operators?

So the dentures aren’t really made right there while patient is waiting?  I thought this was something as easy as going for a stroll along the street, popping in and out of shops, getting yourself a bangle, then some dentures, then a samosa, all within an hour.  If it’s not like that, if you get your impression and then have to come back some other time to have the dentures fitted, then it’s just a regular dentist in a more open-air setup.  There is nothing Indian about that.

Presumably, the call center would be needed to handle the normal problems one would expect with a massive food delivery company -- complaints about missed or messed up orders, overcharging, rude behavior by delivery people and the like. Because of TAR, the company just was ready to redeploy up to six of them to work with the Racers. 

It could be the denture equivalent of Lenscrafters, but regardless, the TAR gods (correctly) ascertained it would not be good television to make the Racers wait even a half-hour for the dentures that the Racers made a mold for to be finished so that they could put them in the same patient.

[Michichick]

56 minutes ago, Racj82 said:

Damn, I'm in the middle of trying to get through previous seasons on the race. I did not get to Kendra's season which I knew from the board is season six. I accidentally got season 4's win spoiled too which I was in the middle of. Oh well. The suspense for those seasons are gone.

I don't mind the alliance stuff. It is what it is. I would  hate it if I was a racer of course.

I wasn't a fan of the mega leg or the two hours.

I'm not a crackpot but I never need two hour episodes of stuff I watch. There is so much to watch and do these days. Having a set time with a conclusion within that hour is great for me.

All the endless tasks start to blur together as well.

It is hard to avoid spoilers for 16 years; I’m impressed you made it this far before getting spoiled on season 6 results! 

I agree that things started to blur together In these episodes, but in this case I didn’t mind them burning off two episodes in one night since the eliminated team has been circling the drain for a while and it seemed obvious who’d end up getting eliminated.

I don’t care for Will and James since they seem to revel in being gleeful reality-show villains. Gary and DeAngelo are my favorite of the remaining teams so I hope they make it to the final three.

[TVbitch]

I know it probably didn't affect the outcome, but being able to yield the same team twice in one leg is bullshit. None of the other racers seem to have any affection for the girls this whole race. I find that odd since they seem to have the most pleasant personalities of the bunch. 

A lot of the tasks were uninteresting or unpleasant.  

I'm grateful to have any Amazing Race, but I can see why they shelved this season. 

Edited November 26, 2020 by TVbitch

[RunningMarket]

Has James ever completed a roadblock without some kind of help from one of his "alliance" members?

Gary continues to impress. He's clearly quite smart, logical, and he likes art! (He has it in his house!)

At this point, I figure the final memory task will be "How many times did a stranger in a foreign country rebuff a hug from Hung?" Seriously, stop trying to hug everyone.

[blackwing]

I am happy to have this show back, but I agree with others that Will and James and the alliance are completely ruining it for me.  I like the volleyball brothers a lot and I like Chee, but I am mostly rooting for Gary and DeAngelo now purely because everyone else is ganging up against them.  Good for Gary to acknowledge that he was getting zero help but I'm glad he was observant enough to notice the guy using a ruler and using his finger.  Plus Gary and De did great on the binary code task.  They definitely are breaking the stereotype of the big dumb football player.

Will and James just suck in every sense of the word.  If Gary hadn't helped James at the soldier pillar task, James probably would still be there.  So ironic that Gary helped James, while not knowing that three of the teams have decided to work against him.  I'm sure that bitchy James of course won't remember that at all, and will continue with the "Gary and DeAngelo just take take take" mantra.  I can already see it, Gary and DeAngelo will go out in the dreaded #4 spot.

Eswar and Aparna suck too.  "Oh, we're Indian so we have an advantage!  Oh, we are software engineers so this task was made for us!  Oh, we know that they are called autos and not tuk tuks so that gave us a leg up!"  I wish there is a double elimination next and that Will and James and Eswar and Aparna both leave.

[Giuseppe]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

The term "auto-rickshaw" or "rickshaw" isn't always applied to that vehicle. Sometimes they are referred to as tuk-tuks, as we saw Hung and Chee call them.

I know, but my point was TAR has been to India (and many other cities for that matter) where they've frequently used rickshaws, and referred to them as such. I just would have thought a super fan would know what one is, lol.

[RunningMarket]

11 minutes ago, blackwing said:

[SNIP] If Gary hadn't helped James at the soldier pillar task, James probably would still be there.  

If Leo hadn't helped Will and James, they'd still be in a carpark in Paris.

[Brynnjk]

So I like the Boyfriends.  I know that's not a popular topic on this forum.  But they're playing the game.  And they love the game and love each other and for me?  I love that.  This episode was so beautiful.  We've had alot of India eps and most of them paint India as a pretty terrible country.  This felt more like a love letter to India to me and I was happy to see that.  There's always so much good & so much bad everywhere so for me, it was nice to see the upside. 

I do think the Beards are probably going to win this but I'm going to enjoy the Boyfriends as long as they are there.  I love the way TAR gives representation to gay couples.  The trend overall has still been that alpha males usually win but hey if Sam & Paul can win Canada TAR, hopefully another gay couple besides Chip & Reichan can win US TAR.  If we ever have another one that is.  

 

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, Michichick said:

It is hard to avoid spoilers for 16 years; I’m impressed you made it this far before getting spoiled on season 6 results! 

 

Its actually not that hard for reality shows. People don't usually just talk about endings or winners in mixed conversation. It's not Lost. But, it's cool. Shit happens.

Also, yes, at this point it's good to just get the targets out of the way so the game can begin. But, in that case, do a double elimination so we don't through two hours for the inevitable after multiple non elimination legs.

In regards to the boyfriends. I just really don't enjoy hearing them and the constant baby. They sound they are almost always stuck in a baby talk voice. It's grating and saying baby over and over on top of it is just too much.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Racj82

[illdoc]

Oooh! Here's a thought on "Yield"---Say Team B is yielded by Team A. Team B waits out the yield. A little further along, there's a box just for Team B (similar to the special "speed bump" box). Team B opens the box and finds a "Karma" card. They can play the Karma card or save it. If/when they play the Karma card, it will force Team A (it will only work on the team that yielded you) to wait the same amount of time before being checked in at the mat (assuming they haven't reached the mat before it's played--otherwise, it would be like u-turning a team that's not behind you (ie wasted)). Granted, a few bugs might need to be worked out (ie, teams would be more likely to yield the team in last place, figuring it will allow them more time to cross the mat and avoid "Karma". There would also have to be a designated "Karma" spot to play your Karma card if you decided to save it for a later leg. And so on).

[iMonrey]

The interchangeable blonde team is rarely one I root for, but damn it Kaylynn and Haley really won me over. They took both their yields so good naturedly. I have never seen a team behave so well, and remain so upbeat in the face of constant adversity. 

That said, I don't really mind the idea of the alliance. I don't actively dislike any of the teams left, nor did I really dislike any of the ones that have been eliminated. I think they did a good job of casting this season.

I think I am rooting for the beard bros. They are good racers and good sports. After the blondes, they are probably the nicest to each other. I don't think I've ever seen them squabble. I still like Gary and DeAngelo but I'm troubled by the seemingly unanimous opinion that they are taking advantage of the alliance without giving anything back (although Gary did help James this leg). I'm lukewarm to Hung and Chee. I don't dislike them but they tend to squabble and just aren't as upbeat. The siblings are just an enigma. I don't have a real feel for their personalities. All they ever seem to say is how they are coders and are perfect for whatever challenge comes up.

Will and James are abrasive, no question. But they do tend to be good racers. If the other teams are helping them, that's not on them. I guess it wouldn't be the worst team ever if they won. But I know a lot of others feel strongly opposite. And I suspect this might be why CBS sat on this season for 2 years. 

[blackwing]

51 minutes ago, Brynnjk said:

So I like the Boyfriends.  I know that's not a popular topic on this forum.  But they're playing the game.  And they love the game and love each other and for me?  I love that.  This episode was so beautiful.  We've had alot of India eps and most of them paint India as a pretty terrible country.  This felt more like a love letter to India to me and I was happy to see that.  There's always so much good & so much bad everywhere so for me, it was nice to see the upside. 

I do think the Beards are probably going to win this but I'm going to enjoy the Boyfriends as long as they are there.  I love the way TAR gives representation to gay couples.  The trend overall has still been that alpha males usually win but hey if Sam & Paul can win Canada TAR, hopefully another gay couple besides Chip & Reichan can win US TAR.  If we ever have another one that is.  

I agree that they are playing the game, but it's too bad they can't play the game without the constant self-congratulations and being so catty and bitchy.  They have an extremely high opinion of themselves, it's almost like they feel like they deserve to win because they were the ones that came up with the alliance that took out all of the cannon fodder teams.  Those teams would have gotten eliminated even without the alliance. 

I agree that it is good to have representation of gay couples, but I think it's too bad that the show chose this odious couple as the representatives.  There have been plenty of good representatives of gay couples that have been successful on the race without resorting to the nastiness of these two.  In addition to Reichen and Chip, the Beekman Boys (the goat farmers, I forget their names) also won the Race.  And Tyler and Korey are a gay couple who finished in the top three in both of their appearances.

There hasn't been an alpha male team that won the Race in 10 seasons... Bates and Anthony, the hockey player brothers.  Since them, the Race has been won by a father/son team, a team of two women, and the other seven times was a male/female couple.

 

[sinycalone]

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

[Tango64]

Echoing others here, but I have to say TAR is losing me by allowing these alliances. Detracts so much from the spirit of the game and what makes it fun to watch.

Used to be a huge fan and was excited to see this season, but it’s not as fun now. I want a race, not a traveling version of Big Brother. 

[Brynnjk]

I'm not really enjoying people's comments here so I think I'm going to exit stage left.  Probably a mistake to have commented in the first place.  I like the Boyfriends.  People make comments about races all the time.  I've seen every single episode and most of the international versions.  Producers encourage this type of thing.  They ask leading questions.  So for me the Boyfriends are having fun & enjoying the race.  And hey - just because people react differently than you do, it doesn't make them a bad person.  Anyway, I'm just going to keep enjoying the race.  
 

[redfish]

 

Quote

strangely enough, Will and James have had some really nice mat chats that are in the extra video clips on cbs.com.  They come across much more friendly, less manipulative in those segments.  So I think they're deliberately getting a villian-ish edit by TPTB. 

Actually I think the mat chats is how you want to be perceived to the website/host Phil so that you can still see yourself as "good people" but actions reveal your character more than words. And when you're being filmed especially documentary style you eventually forget you're being watched and let a little bit of yourself out (ex. when teams argue/meltdowns) because why would you intentionally playact a villain because that is how the audience will "know" you because it's supposed to be reality TV and this is supposed to be the real you.

 The point of being in TAR is to focus on their own race and see what they're capable of and not how you "played the game" or how many people you screwed over. If I wanted to see that, I'd go see Big Brother or Survivor.

[Ducky]

15 hours ago, mertensia said:

Will/James All Gary and DeAngelo do is take!

 

 

When did Will/James say this?  I know that one of the beard brothers said the same thing... "take take take..."  So it's not all on them.

[sinycalone]

5 minutes ago, Ducky said:

When did Will/James say this?  I know that one of the beard brothers said the same thing... "take take take..."  So it's not all on them.

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

[Lemuria]

I think it will be interesting to now watch the alliance turn on itself. 😈

I don't have a problem if one team tells another that they'll find the location they need "a couple of blocks down on the right side."  But these teams have outright either been doing the work for the other or at least showing another team how to do something step by step.  I was thinking that a time penalty might be able to stop that:  if Team A gives Team B the answer or detailed instructions on how to do the task, Team A--but not Team B--gets a 30-minute (for example) penalty.  So Team B now gets the time advantage of the assistance, plus Team B and all the other teams--who may have been disadvantaged by Team B getting all that help--get a time advantage against Team A.

[HurricaneVal]

3 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

On an aside, I was bothered by the avatars being off in the color of the turbans.

OMG.  Me too!  I was shouting "No!  That turban is purple!  The photo was pink!". Then it was right, and I'd throw up my hands.  I did like how the task got easier as each turbaned guy got placed.  That evened the playing field a bit.  And it made it so you couldn't team up, except to pass on column placement strategy.  Even though it was a bit of a rehash of the "find the portrait" challenge, it was unique enough to the location to make it fresh.

 

2 hours ago, RunningMarket said:

If Leo hadn't helped Will and James, they'd still be in a carpark in Paris.

As would most everyone else, since The Boyfriends were blocking the exit ramp.  😆

 

 

 

[Hera]

13 hours ago, dgpolo said:

It's a reality competition, teams are trying to win any way they can, nobody has quit a task, no one has tried to hit a teammate, no one has been rude to the locals.

Yeah, I don't think this season has any actual assholes. I can't get worked up about Hung and Chee's mismatched communication styles when we've seen people openly berate their partners (and worse), and I can't see Will and James as villains for engineering a five team alliance and then…sticking with it all the way to the final five. Honestly, it seems to me like the football players and volleyball players have been the ones driving it for the last few weeks. I'm also not sure James would have told Gary or Riley about finding the rulers for the table-setting task—not when there's a chance to catch up and nab a leg victory; it's just that Riley took the initiative and explained to him what dimensions the place settings needed to have once Gary was out of earshot.

I don't love the alliance, and I am absolutely shocked that it managed to last (as are a few of its members, I suspect), but I'm not offended by it either. It's going to work out well for exactly one team and everyone else is going to wish they hadn't participated. I do not believe that this is going to change the way the race is run in the future. There have been alliances before, and there will be after. I think this season will be aberration for how large and long-lived the alliance in it was, and for the fact that it included several strong teams who probably didn't need to be in an alliance in order to progress in the race in the first place.

Moving on, I was impressed that Hung and Chee seemed to run the entire time they were doing the Swiggy challenge. I also feel like getting directions over the phone really played to Hung's preference for constant verbal interaction (and gave Chee a break since he wasn't the one who had to give it to her). It's a shame they decided to try the number trap detour first—it would have been interesting to get a direct comparison of how long each side of the first detour took. On the other hand, we never would have found out Chee's Achille's heel: video games controlled by hand gestures. I laughed at Hung's reasoning for doing the denture detour: after years of being a parent, nothing can gross her out anymore.

I also have to give credit to Gary for nailing the tasks that require attention to detail: the paintings in France, and this week he did the turbans and the place settings. He has definitely redeemed his terrible performance with the steelpan in the first leg.

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

It was interesting to me that the turban task (at least from the comfort of my living room) seemed easier the more people had done it, as opposed to the typical needle in a haystack. Because people were already on most of the pillars, you could more easily figure out which pillars to search for virtual avatars below, and you were less likely to make the James mistake of putting them on the wrong spot.

I thought the same thing. There were also fewer people to have to choose from. For instance, it looked like there was only one guy with a pink turban left by the time Kaylynn got to it. For purposes of leg design, I think it's a shame that more tasks can't have this property. Most challenges take as long as they take and there's no advantage or disadvantage to being first or last. A number of challenges penalize people who turn up later, like needle in the haystack challenges (when there are fewer items left to find over the same number of places to search) and tasks with limited slots available. But once a team is trailing the others, it's more exciting to see them close the gap than it is to watch it widen. I imagine the producers wish they could come up with more tasks that got easier the more teams did them as well.

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Which reminds me: did Team Cal use or dive into their connection to India at all during the leg? They looked down on Hung and Chee calling them tuk-tuks, but we didn't get a clip of them speaking Hindi or another language (if they know any, which I assume they must having been born there and going back for several summers),

Eswar said in episode 9 that he and Aparna were born in Chennai. Aparna's LinkedIn says she's bilingual in English and Tamil (which is what the majority of people in Chennai speak), and speaks some limited Spanish and Chinese, but nothing about Hindi or any other Indian languages. Tamil wouldn't help them much in Hyderabad, where the majority of people speak Telegu and Deccani.

[Netfoot]

I am so sorry to see the DBBCF team Kaylynn and Haley eliminated. I know they have not presented themselves as great racers, but they have had the best (by far) attitude of anybody on the race - and probably the majority of earlier races as well. And as for not being great racers, they did manage to do the three turbans in three goes, no errors. So some tasks they have done well, and others not so well, but I think their biggest problem is taxis and luck. Perhaps they just don't know how to pick a decent cab, and/or how to direct the cabbie instead of just sitting there. Cabbie might be driving, but you can surely do some navigating in the back seat.

Any way, I'm sorry they're gone - in no small measure due to twin 20-minute Yields. Goodbye, ladies, and if there comes another All-Stars, I would be happy to see you return.

Will & Whiny Little Shit just are the worst. I'm almost (almost!) at the point of wishing for some sort of vehicular accident medical elimination. And the Mine5 alliance is a perfect example of how to spoil TAR. I don't know how this sort of thing can be eliminated but TPTB need to make the effort. OTOH, perhaps TPTB want the Survivoresque throat-cutting type of behaviour and not the simple "cross your fingers and race your best" that I prefer.

And for the record: I Love Flo.

Edited November 26, 2020 by Netfoot

[Racj82]

1 hour ago, Brynnjk said:

I'm not really enjoying people's comments here so I think I'm going to exit stage left.  Probably a mistake to have commented in the first place.  I like the Boyfriends.  People make comments about races all the time.  I've seen every single episode and most of the international versions.  Producers encourage this type of thing.  They ask leading questions.  So for me the Boyfriends are having fun & enjoying the race.  And hey - just because people react differently than you do, it doesn't make them a bad person.  Anyway, I'm just going to keep enjoying the race.  
 

Not everyone will be a fan of all the teams but I respect the differing opinions. And, I think people would like them more without the gloating aspects. Not necessarily what they are doing. On reality shows, I get that they ask leading questions and use audio to create narratives. But, I would also be mindful of that and not feed it to them. 

Also, we always need perceived unpopular opinions because you are not the only one. It's good to generate discussion.

[showme]

20 hours ago, Lemuria said:

The blondes were never going to win the race but I came to like and admire them.  They never gave up, they never turned on each other, they never got mean toward the other teams, they felt badly about yielding Leo & Alana.  I really don't like any of the remaining teams anymore.

The blondes are good people but definitely not good racers. Instead of yielding Leo & Alana, they should have helped them at the movie production place, their only chance of survival is to help each other. Instead of competing with each other for the last place, they should have worked together to force one of the alliance members into last place. 

Edited November 26, 2020 by showme

[Dobian]

18 hours ago, Suzysite said:

Why every team in the ridiculous alliance keeps helping Will and James is beyond me.  They are consistently in first or second place, thanks to all the help they get (cheating).  Do the other teams actually want to help them win?

This is truly a race of idiots.  If you want to play alliances so much, try out for Survivor.

[J-Man]

6 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

Still easier than if they were just given a map and had to make the deliveries like Races of old, but then TAR wouldn't have gotten (I presume) that sweet sweet product placement cash.

I wonder if they get product placement cash from a business that only operates in India. I guess it's possible that TAR airs in India, but if it doesn't, then I don't see a company like Swiggy paying for product placement.

[PoultryDancer]

Probably mentioned by now, but I thought this 'mega leg' stuff was really stupid. It was an extra set of tasks in the same city. They've done far, far more brutal legs in the show. Theres a 'to be contunued' episode almost every season now and often they head to an entirely new country without a pitstop. Pretending this was some brutally designed leg was falling on deaf ears for me. It was still just a flight and one day of tasks that they all finished before the sun set.

[Hera]

9 minutes ago, PoultryDancer said:

Probably mentioned by now, but I thought this 'mega leg' stuff was really stupid. It was an extra set of tasks in the same city.

Yeah, I felt like it was just a "super leg" with advanced warning. Normally on super legs, teams either arrive at the mat and are told to keep racing, or they open a clue expecting to be directed to a Pit Stop and are told to keep going. I feel like knowing in advance that you're going to have to do two roadblocks and two detours makes it less daunting and less exhausting, since when teams get to the middle of the leg, they already know that it's the middle of the leg and not the end.

[lilysmom]

4 hours ago, Lemuria said:

I think it will be interesting to now watch the alliance turn on itself. 😈

I don't have a problem if one team tells another that they'll find the location they need "a couple of blocks down on the right side."  But these teams have outright either been doing the work for the other or at least showing another team how to do something step by step.  I was thinking that a time penalty might be able to stop that:  if Team A gives Team B the answer or detailed instructions on how to do the task, Team A--but not Team B--gets a 30-minute (for example) penalty.  So Team B now gets the time advantage of the assistance, plus Team B and all the other teams--who may have been disadvantaged by Team B getting all that help--get a time advantage against Team A.

I thought something very similar to this. When you give an answer to a puzzle outright, (i.e. Sauerkrautgate) you should be penalized time wise. Bet the teams would think twice before they did it again, or even once! I think it is more grating this time because from the very beginning, a few teams were purposely left out of any help like that. 

And I think you are absolutely correct about the remaining teams, the "race" is about to begin!

 

[illdoc]

It should have been on a LED type screen and each team would have a different group of letters/word to unscramble!

[seacliffsal]

I must be the only one, but I had to fast-forward the dental molds challenge segments. Just grossed me out-probably not the reaction the producers wanted.  So, the second episode went fairly quickly for me.

I think the brothers, boyfriends, and Hung/Chee have all talked together and somehow have justified that the NFLers are not helping while taking help because it's just not true but is effective in creating a new target for them once the blondes were eliminated (and a target in which they feel self-righteously justified.  DeAngelo helped with the cello and with informing Hung to even look for letters, Gary helped in this episode with the turbans and columns, and there are probably other examples.  

I found it interesting that the blondes did not even know there was an alliance.  They had great attitudes and I did not enjoy the fact that they were yielded twice.  Once-fine.  Twice just seemed especially cruel.  But, they got to participate and race and that really should be the reward itself.  Sure, everyone would like to win, but to even be picked to be on the Race would be, well, amazing...

[raven]

5 hours ago, Hera said:

Yeah, I don't think this season has any actual assholes. I can't get worked up about Hung and Chee's mismatched communication styles when we've seen people openly berate their partners (and worse), and I can't see Will and James as villains for engineering a five team alliance and then…sticking with it all the way to the final five.

This is how I feel.  It's nice not to have teams screaming at each other or being rude to the locals.  Everyone actually seems to thank the locals and be polite, which is refreshing, not to mention that we have several people who speak languages other than English, which is nice to see.

The race is dumbed down and spoon fed but has been that way for a while so I'm resigned to that.  I enjoyed these two episodes and thought they were fun.

I was sorry to see the sisters go, their attitude was terrific even after being yielded twice.  I actually thought the second yield was the dumber of the two; the brothers only did so to be sure keep Chung and Hee in the game which.....why? Just because you like them?  Just don't do anything and hope to have a weaker team in the race.  Hence why I think the alliance is dumb.  

I've been more impressed with the football players in the last couple of eps than in the beginning; they're doing well.  I hope they make it to the final three, as they are my preferred team to win of who we have left.    I think the game is the bearded brothers' to lose though.   Hung and Chee were strong favorites but seem to be losing their mojo and I don't think Will and James could beat the brothers in a physical task.  FTR I don't hate the boyfriends and they don't seem like they're gloating to me.  For me they don't hold a candle to some of the truly awful and/or whiny people who have been on this show. 

I can sit here at my table for one and enjoy this season.   LOL, it's actually relaxing for me since I'm not really rooting for or against anyone; I can soak in the locales and chill out. 

The dental mold challenge was gross and I felt badly for the people having the racers in their mouths, though I'm sure they were compensated.   I did laugh at Hung saying she would do a colonoscopy if she had too.