S02.E04: They're Harshing Our Mellow

[radishcake]

The remaining teams race to Macau, China and face a confusing casino challenge.

 

[Blackie]

ugh I figured it would be a non-elim leg because they have to bring those people home, but Suki and Jinder should have just been left there.

 

They made it seem like the hockey girls tried the dance about 50 times but really they got it on their third attempt.

 

I liked when Michel (?) found the cookies by smell'

 

Can someone name next week's thread "Who makes these challenges? Satan?"

[Taeolas]

Fatigue seems to be starting to hit in. This felt like a LONG leg. 

 

Loved the Hippie's attitude for "emptying your pockets" during the jump. 

 

Stamp vs Stomp. Judges vs a Haystack search, it's tough to say which would be better. I'm glad we did get to see how the Stamp would work in the end and it seemed easier in the end, but that's a tough call to make. 

 

But man, how fatigued do you have to be to keep missing the box like that? Wow. He damn near bumped into it. 

 

The casino task was interesting. It is all about the patterns as some of them noted, but if you have no head for patterns it can be tough to figure out. (Hell I can't even figure out what the random element is with the buttons).

 

The Hockey Girls have 4 wins in a row, is that a record? For a female team it must be. They are without a doubt the team to beat, but they are playing so smartly (for the most part) that the wins seem right. The other teams aren't making too many mistakes, and seem to be staying on their heals so it is a race. 

 

And now back to the Yukon. That's gonna be a Fatigue killer too. 

[mtlchick]

There have been many times where i just shake my head at racers passing the clue box. But tonight I actually gasped and yelled.  Not only do they bypass it, they almost knocked it over at one point.  Then I got pissed that Jinder and Sukhi kept on asking EVERYONE on how to do it.  Then I threw something that they got saved by a non elim. 

 

Meanwhile the Olympians...they cannot be stopped. 

 

John still sounds like he belongs in South Park. 

[Rusun]

The Hockey Girls have 4 wins in a row, is that a record?

 

They're the very first team across all TAR editions to win four legs in a row from the start. (Sucks to be Romber!)

 

P.S. Parabéns, senhoras ~

Edited July 30, 2014 by Rusun

[allypenguin]

Yay for Natalie and Meaghan! That mini fight was cringeworthy though. I was also really impressed with Bob/Rex and Cormac/Nicole for the casino challenge. They seriously made up major ground. I like that if you could figure out the patterns, then teams that were behind could catch up if they were paying attention and could work it out. It seriously seemed tough!

 

Sukhi and Jinder seriously bugged this episode. They should've spent less time asking people for help and more time paying attention to the challenges.

[Shermie]

Why does Suki think other racers will tell them where/how to do stuff? Did they grow up playing only cooperative, don't keep score, trophies for everybody games?

I'm tired of the hockey players constantly being first. There's no entertainment in that. And I just realized that they and Jon must be buddies from their shared Olympic experience in Vancouver. Not sure I care for that.

[Newbietunes]

There have been many times where i just shake my head at racers passing the clue box. But tonight I actually gasped and yelled.  Not only do they bypass it, they almost knocked it over at one point.

 

 

How could a racer's eyes not be laser-focused on finding a route marker?  You always look for the route marker.  The clue isn't going to be in a random cookie tin, Jinder.  Jinder and Sukhi seem like nice enough people, but the fact that Sukhi starting asking for help at the casino challenge before even trying to figure it out (or at least editing made it seem that way) really turned me off them.

 

That being said, I think Nat and Meg should totally give them the other express pass.  They are easily the weakest team.  I also think Nat and Meg are secretly superheroes and are probably flying around over Canadian cities fighting crime right now.  I'm not even a sports fan, and didn't know who they were before TARC, but they are awesome.

 

Also liking surfers, comedian and buddy, and Audrey and Alain.  Rex lost me with the twitter rant after ep 2 (though Bob seems okay).  Mom/son bug me but whatever.  Butcher Brothers are definitely the villains this season.  "If Meg/Nat don't give us the express pass we're going to U-turn them."   Total a-holes (which probably means they'll win).

 

 

[Sarahendipity]

Once again, a single leg that was more difficult than the entire last US TAR edition.

Mickey and Pete were the only ones to get the gambling challenge on their first try.

Some great edits with Sukhi and Jinder, 'look, look, look' and then next 'what are we looking at?'

Also 'where do we get a taxi?' Shot of them taking off in different directions. I hope they have 2 camera crews, or they cameraman gets a bonus to keep track of them.

[beedub]

Seeing how much the teams were sweating in Macau, I felt bad for those demo dancers in full costume, doing that dance over and over while the teams took turns joining in. They better have been paid well, Amazing Race Canada!

 

And I completely sympathize with anyone showing terror at that tower bungee-jump. WTF, humans were not meant to do that shit! That was so high, they had enough time to read a couple of novels on the way down. Like, War and Peace-length novels.

[bagatelle]

It looked so humid when they were doing the Portuguese, traditional Macau dance. The sweat was dripping through everyone's clothes.  I have to ask, was Rex Harrington a great ballet dancer or just a so-so dancer?  

[UsernameFatigue]

The siblings have bugged me since the first epi, so I am very disappointed that they were not eliminated. They are the classic example of book smart, but not particularily smart where real life is concerned.

 

Love Rex twirling the judge around after they were awarded the next clue.

 

I am bored with the hockey players being first again. Even though they deserve it.

 

My favourite team is still the hippies - love those two! I knew (as did most I am sure) before the show aired that the title had to come from them.

 

So glad the show is returning to Canada.

Edited July 30, 2014 by UsernameFatigue

[shok]

I'm not the least bit bored by the hockey players always winning. It's almost becoming a contest to see how many times in a row they can come first and when their undefeated streak ends I'm going to feel bad. They're not just doing it with brute athletic strength either, although of course their physical condition is helping them but they're figuring out all the puzzle type challenges and eating horrendous things and keeping their heads on straight with directions and taxis and whatnot. Very impressive young ladies.

 

I'm liking mother and son more than I expected to. They're also excelling in pretty much all the tasks and they seem to have an excellent relationship without a lot of the parent/child angst we usually see with that type of couple.

 

Didn't like the brother/sister from the getgo and was saying some not nice words when they were saved tonight. Hopefully they'll get booted next week.

 

So glad the show is returning to Canada.

 

Me too. Especially to the Yukon which is so beautiful. :)

[HistoryGirl]

I have a theory (that has only been disproven once I think on tar:us) that a team that wins first constantly never wins when it counts (the last leg). While I can't fault their wins (except their poor choice in the use of the express pass) I do agree that it's becoming tedious. I'd rather see someone else come first for once. But they have earned each of their finishes.

Giving the express pass to a weak team is my least favourite thing. I get why they'd do that, but mostly I hate the weakest team so much that I'd rather them eliminated than hanging around undeservedly. Sukhi & Jinder are like the sisters from last season. Man, I hated that they got to stick around especially with all their "we're just girrrrrrls" whining when a fun team like the body builders were eliminated. The fact that Jinder practically tripped over the clue box and still didn't see it? Lord! Open your damn eyes. I hated that they wanted people to just give them the answers and I'm glad the surfers dumped them. Audrey had every right to be insulted by their request for help. Look around, you're the last teams, hell would have to freeze over before I would give another team a tip.

[aemom]

Quote

Butcher Brothers are definitely the villains this season.  "If Meg/Nat don't give us the express pass we're going to U-turn them."   Total a-holes (which probably means they'll win).

 

Strategically that makes a lot more sense than the usual "they were mean to me so I'm going to U-Turn them," that we typically see.

 

If the hockey ladies give them the express pass, then they have an advantage and will leave them alone.  If they don't, then u-turning them is a means to slow them down which makes sense since the ladies are currently the dominant team.  I can't fault their logic.

Edited July 30, 2014 by AEMom

[HistoryGirl]

100% Natalie & Megan should be U-Turned (if a team can get ahead of them, that is!).  I can't fault Pierre/Michel on their logic; it's a smart move. I'm sure other teams would like to come in first and no one wants to be next to them in the final leg.  I wouldn't. 

[Rachel RSL]

 

Butcher Brothers are definitely the villains this season.  "If Meg/Nat don't give us the express pass we're going to U-turn them."   Total a-holes (which probably means they'll win).

I've actually never had the impression that they're villains. I've definitely never had the impression that they're a-holes.  In fact, they seem like likable guys to me. *shrug*

 

I still think Rex is kind of a douche because of his behaviour on Twitter but they sure do make me laugh while watching the show.  And I absolutely LOVED how they quickly and unapologetically said no whenever Sukhi asked for help. (Ditto Audrey.) I very much appreciate the fact that this group of Racers seems to understand: RAAAAAAAACE!

[ladymon]

 

I have to ask, was Rex Harrington a great ballet dancer or just a so-so dancer?

really?  .... a GREAT ballet dancer!

[LakeGal]

I knew it was going to be a non-elim.  It always is when I dislike the last team.  Sukhi needs to do her own racing.  She acts like the others should stop and help them.  What part of RACE does she not understand?  Yet she keeps asking rather than doing her own thing.

 

I believe the teams that showed up later had an advantage finding the clue box in the market.  The first teams were fighting heavy crowds and all the market place was open.  The later teams had very few people in the way and some of the stores were even closed by then. 

 

I am still happy the hockey gals are in first place. 

[beedub]

I believe the teams that showed up later had an advantage finding the clue box in the market.  The first teams were fighting heavy crowds and all the market place was open.  The later teams had very few people in the way and some of the stores were even closed by then. 

 

This makes sense. Such a big deal was made of how hard the two lead teams found it to locate the shop, having to join up to do so. Then everyone else (well, except for the Magoo Twins) seemed to get it without too much trouble.

[Pepper the Cat]

Another great episode with great tasks. I think the gambling task was hard, and am still amazed that the teams were able to figure it out

I was worried that the Hockey Girls were going to have a breakdown but they pulled through.

Edited July 30, 2014 by Pepper the Cat

[SledDog]

I have to ask, was Rex Harrington a great ballet dancer or just a so-so dancer?

Rex was a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada from 1988 until his retirement in 2004. During that time he partnered numerous prima ballerinas including the "Big Three" of Canadian ballet: Veronica Tennant, Karen Kain, an Evelyn Hart. He is currently artist in residence at the National Ballet of Canada. He is an officer of the Order of Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was also a recurring guest judge on "So You Think You Can Dance Canada."

So yeah, he was a great ballet dancer.

[beedub]

Rex was a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada from 1988 until his retirement in 2004. During that time he partnered numerous prima ballerinas including the "Big Three" of Canadian ballet: Veronica Tennant, Karen Kain, an Evelyn Hart. He is currently artist in residence at the National Ballet of Canada. He is an officer of the Order of Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was also a recurring guest judge on "So You Think You Can Dance Canada."

So yeah, he was a great ballet dancer.

 

Which begs the question, why would an artist of his stature be on the Amazing Race? I'm sure he has the means to travel and/or bungee jump if he wants to. Other than the money, there isn't much of an upside, and it could be argued that his rep is taking a bit of a hit.

[SledDog]

 

SledDog, on 30 Jul 2014 - 3:25 PM, said:

    Rex was a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada from 1988 until his retirement in 2004. During that time he partnered numerous prima ballerinas including the "Big Three" of Canadian ballet: Veronica Tennant, Karen Kain, an Evelyn Hart. He is currently artist in residence at the National Ballet of Canada. He is an officer of the Order of Canada, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. He was also a recurring guest judge on "So You Think You Can Dance Canada."

    So yeah, he was a great ballet dancer.

 

 

Which begs the question, why would an artist of his stature be on the Amazing Race? I'm sure he has the means to travel and/or bungee jump if he wants to. Other than the money, there isn't much of an upside, and it could be argued that his rep is taking a bit of a hit.

 

Why would football coach Jimmy Johnson appear on Survivor? Why would former basketball player Cliff Robertson (or any of the other professional athletes who've been on it) do Survivor? The simple answer is the same for all three people; they love the game and they want to challenge themselves to see if they can do it. Moreover they don't want to do participate in some dumbed down "Celebrity" version of the show; they want to have the full experience, even if they fail at it.

 

I'm not sure what the salary at the National Ballet is, but I assume that you are right and he and Bob are financially comfortable enough so that they could travel to Macau and bungee jump. The thing is that Rex said that bungee jumping is not something he would ordinarily do because he is afraid of heights. Similarly I doubt that he would have submerged himself up to his waist in frigid water and tried to plug holes in a sinking warship or sorted fish, or many of the other things that he's done so far in the race by hs own choice. However, I think that being on the show, and being part of a competition (and by reputation ballet dancers of either gender are fierce competitors) gives him the freedom to do things he wouldn't ordinarily do because it's required of him as part of the competition.

Edited July 30, 2014 by SledDog

[beedub]

I see your point, and I do get why anyone would want to be on the race, for exactly the reasons you give. Just that in his particular case, previous to this week he hasn't exactly come out smelling like roses, and I have to think he cares about his legacy (he even alluded to the fact that he was expecting himself to ace the dance). But if it's not all that important to him, more power. Or, maybe he's doing it for Bob!

[bagatelle]

really?  .... a GREAT ballet dancer!

I asked the question because there is no  sense of it when I watch him.  The women tend to stay so slim and graceful, but if you hadn't told me he was a ballet dancer, I would have no idea.  I guess he lost a lot of his agility and flexibility.

 

That being said, I find him very attractive and I love his quips and attitude (not counting when he quit those two times).  I'd hate for him to be eliminated.

[Kromm]

100% Natalie & Megan should be U-Turned (if a team can get ahead of them, that is!).  I can't fault Pierre/Michel on their logic; it's a smart move. I'm sure other teams would like to come in first and no one wants to be next to them in the final leg.  I wouldn't. 

If you are going to take a ruthless enough approach as U-Turning someone for being a threat, then whether or not you can extort them into giving you an Express Pass would probably be irrelevant.  I mean that IS what they were talking about--Extortion (vs. Blackmail, which is about information).  Anyway, I wouldn't trust the word of someone resorting to extortion--I'd inherently assume they'd be willing to backstab me anyway.

 

And of course the Frenchies can only follow through with the threat if they reach a U-Turn first.  And since the only way they can USE their threat to extort is to reveal the threat to Natalie & Megan, they instantly create a situation where those girls now know who's threatening them, thus ensuring if Natalie & Megan reach the U-Turn first they will in turn, in defense, use it against Piere & Michel. So no, it's not smart.  To leverage this threat you have to create an enemy who experience shows is more likely to be in a position to carry out the SAME threat back to you than you will be.  In fact making this extortion idea epicly stupid.

[Kromm]

But man, how fatigued do you have to be to keep missing the box like that? Wow. He damn near bumped into it. 

His hand was literally (not figuratively, I actually mean literally) about 4 inches from the box.  It was in his field of view at least twice (it's not like it was low down or hidden behind something).

[Kromm]

Why does Suki think other racers will tell them where/how to do stuff? Did they grow up playing only cooperative, don't keep score, trophies for everybody games?

I'm tired of the hockey players constantly being first. There's no entertainment in that. And I just realized that they and Jon must be buddies from their shared Olympic experience in Vancouver. Not sure I care for that.

Canada sent over 200 athletes to that Olympics. And Hockey and Skeleton racing have very little in common. So I think it would be more along the lines of "Jon may have been in the same room once, taking Canadian Olympic Team photos with 200 other people, as these girls" or "Jon may have attended a dinner honouring Canadian Olympians at the same time as these girls... plus.... 200 other people".

As for Suki, I'm not sure there are even words for how much of an idiot she made of herself this episode. Asking people for help who clearly don't like you (Bob & Rex) is bad enough. But asking your direct competitors for elimination (Alain & Audrey) for help?Good grief. It's like she woke up that morning and took Stupid Pills.

[Kel Varnsen]

 

I'm not sure what the salary at the National Ballet is, but I assume that you are right and he and Bob are financially comfortable enough so that they could travel to Macau and bungee jump. The thing is that Rex said that bungee jumping is not something he would ordinarily do because he is afraid of heights. Similarly I doubt that he would have submerged himself up to his waist in frigid water and tried to plug holes in a sinking warship or sorted fish, or many of the other things that he's done so far in the race by hs own choice. However, I think that being on the show, and being part of a competition (and by reputation ballet dancers of either gender are fierce competitors) gives him the freedom to do things he wouldn't ordinarily do because it's required of him as part of the competition.

I would be kind of surprised to learn that a ballet dancer in Canada, even a former best ballet dancer in Canada, was paid well enough as a dancer to be set up for life.

 

I think the gambling task was hard, and am still amazed that the teams were able to figure it out

 

 

I still can't figure it out. I mean if it is a game where you are basically trying to guess a random number, how the hell can you tie? Either you guess the number or you don't.

[HistoryGirl]

I was curious to see what Rex was like as a dancer after the discussion above and found this.  One of the goals when dancing ballet (or any dance) is to make the jumps and moves look easy and effortless.  I was blown away.  Sometimes the male dancers seem to just facilitate jumps for the female dancer, but Rex really is a part of the moves.  You're watching both of them, rather than just Evelyn Hart.  And, wowza.  Rex Harrington was a good looking guy in his younger years. 

 

I still can't figure it out. I mean if it is a game where you are basically trying to guess a random number, how the hell can you tie? Either you guess the number or you don't.

 

It looked a bit like roulette. I have no idea what purpose the small buttons served, but the coloured buttons were the easiest to figure out I think.  While in this scenario the winning bet was always four, but in reality how do you randomize the buttons without having the potential for a cheat on the dealer's side?

Edited July 31, 2014 by HistoryGirl

[Kel Varnsen]

It looked a bit like roulette. I have no idea what purpose the small buttons served, but the coloured buttons were the easiest to figure out I think.  While in this scenario the winning bet was always four, but in reality how do you randomize the buttons without having the potential for a cheat on the dealer's side?

It looked to me like a random amount of white buttons gets poured onto the table. Then the person with the stick breaks them out into groups of four. After you have made all the groups of four you can I think the remainder that you have left is the winning number. So if there are 17 white buttons, the winning number would be 1. But like I said if that is the case, I am not sure how you can tie.

[Fake Jan Brady]

What's the connection between Team Mascara and the Butcher Brothers? The women are clearly Olympic hockey players (can you believe I picked up on that when it's  only been mentioned once or twice?) but the Butchers cited some athletic allegiance in an effort to get the Express Pass.

 

Trivia: I only realised when they finished back to back but: Mickey and Pete/Michel and Pierre. 

[Rachel RSL]

What's the connection between Team Mascara and the Butcher Brothers? The women are clearly Olympic hockey players (can you believe I picked up on that when it's  only been mentioned once or twice?) but the Butchers cited some athletic allegiance in an effort to get the Express Pass.

 

According to their bio on the CTV site: "Before becoming dedicated to their current roles, both brothers competed in high-level freestyle skiing. Michel gave up his dream of being a competitive skier so that Pierre could compete full time, as their family could not afford for both boys to be heavily involved in the sport. Pierre went on to become a member of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association team and won the International Ski Federation (FIS) Moguls World Cup title in 1994."

 

Wow! Young Rex looked a lot like young Elvis!

[Miss Scarlet]

I just wanted to echo the posters who like Natalie and Meghan, but think that this show should be focused on casting "normal" people, rather than celebrities. It's not because I think that these people have already had their chance to shine and so they should move out of the way. It's more because I'd rather have a female team who are not professional athletes, but are still strong and competent. I feel like this would really show that with the right casting, female teams can do well on the race. Whereas when Natalie and Meghan do well it's more of like "Of course they're doing well, they're Olympic athletes. They're an exception, but other than them female teams can't well on the race".

[bagatelle]

I was curious to see what Rex was like as a dancer after the discussion above and found this.  One of the goals when dancing ballet (or any dance) is to make the jumps and moves look easy and effortless.  I was blown away.  Sometimes the male dancers seem to just facilitate jumps for the female dancer, but Rex really is a part of the moves.  You're watching both of them, rather than just Evelyn Hart.  And, wowza.  Rex Harrington was a good looking guy in his younger years. 

 

Good looking then and still good looking, in my opinion.  I'm just not sure he is the same guy as in the video you posted.

[SomeTameGazelle]

Good looking then and still good looking, in my opinion.  I'm just not sure he is the same guy as in the video you posted.

 

The credit captions on the dancing at about 0:31 clearly indicate that the dancers are Evelyn Hart and Rex Harrington.

 

As with the fish task, I would have liked it if the show had explained to me more details about what the right answer was for the fan-tan. It wasn't really possible for us to tell how well any team (that was actually TRYING, not just asking other people to help them without offering anything in return, Sukhi and Jinder) was doing until they got their next clue.

[bagatelle]

The credit captions on the dancing at about 0:31 clearly indicate that the dancers are Evelyn Hart and Rex Harrington.

 

I realize that, I was joking.  It's hard to believe the Rex Harrington of today could do what he once did. 

 

He's still good looking and I love the snark, but he doesn't  have any of the grace he once had.

[Camera One]

I want to like Sukhi and Jinder, and they are comic gold with their frantic walking off in opposite directions, but Sukhi sort of lost me when she was spending more time asking people for help than trying to figure it out.  I suppose it could be the edit since they only took 5 more minutes to deduce the pattern, or maybe Jinder was actually doing the work (though he was completely absent-minded in the cookie store).  They're the type of people who are so busy fretting and freaking out that they take twice as long doing anything.

 

Rex may have been an awesome ballet dancer but this show isn't making him look that great.  He was better in this episode but it's hard to like him after the giving-up of the previous leg.

 

I don't mind the rest of the teams.  The Butcher Boys are definitely aggressive... they're the ones who have been shown lying, butting in line, etc. the most.  The mother/son team has good focus and a positive attitude, and the French couple are pretty supportive of one another.

 

I'm bored with the constant first placers, though that fight at the dance got a bit ugly.  She really did need to watch it, and she got it, so maybe that other partner shouldn't pressure her too much.

 

This was a tough leg.  I've gotten lost in Macao's old town before, since every winding road looks similar.  I was trying to find one of the cookie shops and there were so many of them.

Edited August 2, 2014 by Camera One

[Newbietunes]

100% Natalie & Megan should be U-Turned (if a team can get ahead of them, that is!).  I can't fault Pierre/Michel on their logic; it's a smart move.

 

 

I definitely agree that it is a smart move to u-turn Nat/Meg because they are strong players.  That is the reason to use it, IMO*.  I just don't like it when racers use the u-turn as "payback".

 

ETA:  *  Or, of course, if you're near the back of the pack, to save yourselves.  That's another good reason to use it.

Edited August 5, 2014 by Newbietunes