S33.E03: Who Has This One in the Bag?

[Roccos Brother]

Nooo, all my favorite teams (which all happen to be the PoC teams) were in the back this episode! Hopefully, the eliminated daughter/father team get brought back - then I'll be happy! I got a little teary eyed seeing the father get emotional and blame himself. It was really hard to watch.

Edited January 14, 2022 by Roccos Brother

[Netfoot]

28 minutes ago, Roccos Brother said:

I got a little teary eyed seeing the father get emotional and blame himself.

True. But I believe she was more to blame for their demise. She insisted they Bald Snark the Detour. If they had stuck with it like he urged and spared a minute for thought, they might have realized what they were doing wrong. After that, the task looked to be pretty straightforward and quick to accomplish.

[ByaNose]

According, to the Holderness couple they said Natalia “helping” the other teams was only a few minutes and didn’t affect them coming in last. Them switching the task and having to drive to the task is what did them in. Unless, you know that another task is a block away you are better just staying where you are and finishing said task. I think Arun was just be a good Dad and taking the blame but in reality the switch and driving was the problem. That said, Arun didn’t seem to think they’d get those barrels done either if I’m not mistaken or am I wrong? 

[SVNBob]

On 1/13/2022 at 12:31 AM, GaT said:

So they started filming on 2/22/20, & stopped because of the pandemic on 2/28/20? What happened? Did Phil finally watch the news during that week? "Hey guys, have you heard of this covid thing?" I mean seriously, they couldn't figure out they had a problem a week earlier & just stopped people from leaving their homes?

 

21 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

It was a simpler time. Maybe they thought they could literally outrun Covid? Maybe the next leg was going to be Italy or another country that had been hit hard. Circumstances were changing fast and often back then and there was a general air of "How bad could this be?" [a lot worse, as we discovered]

 

18 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

They could have been in some level of denial/ignorance of how fast or broad the sweep of Covid was. From the perspective of two years later, we know the effects of a once-in-a-century pandemic have been devastating. But I don't think in late February 2020, it would have been as easy to predict how bad. Indeed, in interviews, Phil has said that some thought at the time that shutting things down was an overreaction.

...

Say Covid was running rampant in February 2020 in Countries A, B, and C. They could have thought, "Well, we're not planning to go to those countries, so that doesn't affect us." Or they could have thought, "We can just alter our plans to go to Countries D, E and F instead" before it became clear that there were no Countries D, E and F.

They could have run into their first logistical hurdles. The Racers have not had to do any real air or water travel up to this point after getting to London. Attempting to make the arrangements to get them from Glasgow to whatever the next destination was supposed to have been might have had the producers deal with the reality that there was little chance of pulling the rest of the Race off in that immediate time frame. 

As to the trips, I assume Travelocity picks the destinations, and not the Amazing Race people. I also assume that the destinations were chosen well in advance of Covid entering the public consciousness. 

According to an article I read after the episode was over, pretty much this.  Bert and the rest of TPTB were monitoring the virus situation and had alternate routes planned.  Bert was even in the next country already (which was not Switzerland), but called back to Phil in Scotland to postpone the Race.

16 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Notice they halted in Scotland but restarted in Switzerland. Scotland might have been considered too hot for a restart. So, yes, I'm sure their continued route has to be quite different from that originally planned.

There's also the fact that Brexit finally actually happened during the interregnum.  Meaning it was probably easier to restart the Race in a EU-member nation than to deal with the rigamarole of going through the UK again.

14 hours ago, vousviou said:

I don't want this info now, but I would be very interested after the season is over in knowing how they dealt with the restart. What places were scratched and what were the replacements? What kind of safety measures did they put in place, such as putting in a lot more self driving and moving challenges outside. Did they have vax and mask requirements, and did they require a lot more turn taking rather than simultaneous challenges?

I don't think it would possible to read this now without a lot of spoilers, but it would be fascinating once it's all played.

I commented at the end of the episode that this is one of 2 seasons of TAR (the other being the first) that I'd love to see a BTS documentary about.  The logistics have to be fascinating.

 

12 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I read a few articles about the changes they had to make to finish the season. I won’t give details because they might be considered spoilery, but suffice it to say that the intense planning and consideration that went into getting this season back up and running will provide a template for future seasons, as well. We’ve yet to see how these changes will impact our enjoyment, but I don’t think there’s any reason to think the show can’t continue for many years. And who knows? Maybe a revamped TAR will be a better TAR.

The article I mentioned above also talked about a couple of the changes, including the safety measures they took (as @vousviou wondered about).  Everything I read made a lot of sense for precautionary measures, and a couple of the changes sounded like they'd be great if they kept them as permanent alterations.  One non-spoilery change I will mention: no hugging Phil at the Mat.

While I would have picked the cooper side of the Detour, as a Rennie I was also aware of that particular song.  Here's the version I was acquainted with, as part of a medley:

Also as a Rennie, I have a fondness for the pipes.  Though my preference is less for the traditional, and leans more towards rock...

 

[greyhorse]

Kim and Penn - they rocked that singing and dancing challenge.  But I just can't stand them and people who ham for the camera.  Yes, that's how they make their living.  But something about them just bugs.  I did really enjoy their Peloton video though, so maybe it's just overexposure that bothers me.

Flight attendants - enough with the "all girl team" references.  How many times are we going to have to hear that?

Love Island couple - not a fan of the dude.  "That was OD!"  What the heck does OD mean?  

Indian dad and daughter - so dumb to switch detours.  English isn't this guy's first language.  I'm sure he doesn't dance.  Why did they skip the barrels?  They didn't lose because the daughter helped two teams for five minutes.  They lost because of poor decisions and not being able to learn a song.

Typical TAR ending between the two teams.  The team that looks lost and far away always comes in before the team that looks like they are really close to the pit stop.

So Paris train guys, the husbands, Love Island, Asian woman and white husband not back.  Sorry, still haven't learned names.  Love Island probably broke up immediately when they got home, just seemed too toxic a relationship for something so new.  I'd be curious to learn why the others didn't come back.

Will be curious to see how they handle the tasks.  Will they be wearing masks all the time?  How will social distancing work for some of these challenges?  I'm going to assume a lot of it will be out the window.

[Chicago Redshirt]

2 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Indian dad and daughter - so dumb to switch detours.  English isn't this guy's first language.  I'm sure he doesn't dance.  Why did they skip the barrels?  They didn't lose because the daughter helped two teams for five minutes.  They lost because of poor decisions and not being able to learn a song.

As other posters have said, the dad and daughter had the technique wrong on the cooper task. It's easy from the comfort of our living rooms to say they should have rewatched the demonstration or hoped for a little Race Karma and hope that one of the departing teams would be kind enough to explain what was going on. And that's probably still overall true. But I can understand how in the heat of the moment and being very frustrated with a physical task, daughter could have thought it was more likely Dad would pick up the song and dance routine than they would figure out the barrels.

I don't think Dad's not being a native English speaker was the source of any problems. Certainly, in past seasons, Racers have learned to sing in non-native languages. It's a memorization thing more than anything, and for whatever reason dad wasn't easily able to memorize his lines. Whereas again in the comfort of our homes and without the benefit of possibly having a million dollars at stake, I'm guessing a lot of us just watching probably have parts of that song stuck in our head after far briefer exposure than they got. I don't remember: did they explicitly say how many tries they needed to get it right?

[Taeolas]

13 hours ago, eel21788 said:

Maybe I'm just too cynical, but I wouldn't want to see either of them win. It would be de ja vu, like watching Drew Dreschel win American Mutant Ninja Warriors on a do-over all over again.

In this case, I don't mind it so much. Many shows have brought back a just eliminated team /contestant when another contestant has to drop out before the next round starts (or even as the next round is going on). In this case, only 2 teams total have been eliminated, and while the first team 'missed' 2 legs of the race, it's not that deep into the race. 

Ultimately, I'm almost viewing the Switzerland restart as an entirely new race, now with a little more experienced racers; an "Almost All-Stars" race basically. As I mentioned earlier, they probably only showed the 3 previous legs for the story arc and/or to legally be able to award the prizes they announced on those legs. 

 

Now if they were halfway through the race or near the end when the shutdown call was made, then it would be a different matter. But if that were the case I'm sure they would come up with a different solution for restarting the race. 

[ProfCrash]

7 hours ago, ByaNose said:

According, to the Holderness couple they said Natalia “helping” the other teams was only a few minutes and didn’t affect them coming in last. Them switching the task and having to drive to the task is what did them in. Unless, you know that another task is a block away you are better just staying where you are and finishing said task. I think Arun was just be a good Dad and taking the blame but in reality the switch and driving was the problem. That said, Arun didn’t seem to think they’d get those barrels done either if I’m not mistaken or am I wrong? 

I think it was a huge mistake to change tasks, not only because of the distance but because her Dad was very clear that he sucked with things like song and dance. The barrels would have been hard for them but it is something that they could literally muscle through. They should have gone back and rewatched the demonstration a few times before switching tasks. The few minutes she spent helping people at the bagpipe challenge and even their crappy directions did not cost them the race. 

Everyone else seemed to get the song and dance in 1-2 takes. It took them a lot more then that. I suspect that they got the last one only because they didn't want to pay for another set of kids to come in and they were at the end of the time the current kids could work. I seem to remember reading that shooting on Harry Potter took a long time in the first few movies because of the regulations for working with kids.

Arun and Natalia were doing the task wrong and I am not sure that they were aware of how wrong they were doing it. Had to watched the demonstration again, I think they would have understood it better. Slow and steady would have worked on the task and they would have finished it far more quickly then they did the song and dance. 

[proserpina65]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:14 PM, iMonrey said:

Bagpipes are like nails on a chalkboard to me,

I like them up to a certain level and then they are too much.  So while I enjoy the local Highland Games, I don't go every year because there are too many damned bagpipes.  I was worried when the clue said they had to play them, figuring we'd hear a lot of badly played pipes, but they only had to play the drone, so not as bad as I feared.

I'd totally have done the barrel task - as long as you paid attention to the technique described, it didn't look too hard.

I'm surprised that I'm really like Kim and Penn.  I expected to hate the internet people, but so far they've been gracious and clearly enjoying the race.  Sorry to lose Arun and his daughter, but honestly, nobody bothered me much this leg, not even the twins.

Scotland is always wonderful.  And obviously someone corrected Phil's pronunciation of Glasgow because it changed around the point that he was describing the detour tasks.

On 1/12/2022 at 10:33 PM, North of Eden said:

Stick shift novices are ALWAYS fun  and I say that as someone who burned up the clutch on my '88 Turismo Duster because I wasn't the greatest at it either.

You had a Turismo Duster?  I did, too, although it was an automatic.

On 1/12/2022 at 10:46 PM, knitorpurl said:

I still have "Donald, where's your trooosers" stuck in my head!

Me, too.  It was catchy.

On 1/12/2022 at 11:14 PM, Lantern7 said:

That said, watching Phil break the news to the Racers warmed my heart. The man is class. He gave them the news, tried to put a positive spin on it, and I'm betting the teams had a little hope the race would continue. Now . . . .imagine Jeff Probst in Phil's place. He would have made it mostly about himself, he would have needled the racers, and maybe try to jump in the lapse of the alpha dudes in the cast. I feel Phil wants TAR to continue. Even with Tough as Nails finding a niche as CBS's blue-collar reality competition program, TAR would still be an ongoing thing for him.

Yep, Phil is head and shoulders above most reality tv hosts in this respect.

On 1/13/2022 at 4:46 AM, Zonk said:

Meh. Dude has bad ADHD and is excited to be on the race. I give him a break. I buy that he's just having fun and not mocking for the cameras.

That's my take on Penn as well.  I'm actually enjoying his enthusiasm and will continue to do so as long as he and Kim continue to treat people well and not become argumentative or abusive.

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by proserpina65

[One Imaginary Girl]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:46 PM, knitorpurl said:

Noticed they had switched out the boys at for kilt song as it went on. 

The wee ginger fella who presented the next clue to Kim and Penn had such a delighted expression on his face that I had to back up my recording and watch that part again, it was so cute, but sadly, he didn't seem to be there with the other racers.

[Thalia]

I am finishing up Kim and Penn's podcast on this episode and covid.  The most interesting non-spoilery thing about the interruption is that they said they turned down the chance to return in September the first time TPTB called.  They thought it would be too irresponsible to run around in the Covid world.  But once the show explained safety protocols they reconsidered.  Kim says that the show's covid plan was "Super safe." 

They said their MVP for the episode was Arun, and talked about how touched they were with his devotion to his daughter.  

[iMonrey]

Quote

 This is the first time that I've noticed Phil's accent. 

Really? I hear it every time he's describing the Travelocity vacation and gets to the word "spa." It always sounds like "spar." Also, several years ago, they had a leg in New Zealand (where Phil is from) and his father was the mat greeter. Phil's accent then was thick because he'd been standing around all day talking to his dad.

[proserpina65]

On 1/13/2022 at 9:42 AM, Netfoot said:

I don't understand why motorists find it so difficult to learn to drive a stick-shift. Coming from an automatic, you already know how to operate brake and throttle, how to steer, speed up, slow down, change lanes, avoid running over people and all that stuff. All you now have to learn is how to coordinate the shift lever and the clutch.

You make it sound like learning to coordinate the shift and the clutch is easy.  For a lot of us, it's not, especially if we learned to drive on an automatic and are not used to using our left feet while driving.  My best friend tried to teach me about 10 years ago, and I could do it in an emergency, but getting the hang of the clutch is hard.  Throw in the whole rolling backwards on inclines thing (which terrified me and is the reason I didn't stick with trying to drive stick) and the process is not a simple one.

On 1/13/2022 at 9:42 AM, Netfoot said:

So, yes, I'm sure their continued route has to be quite different from that originally planned.

I'd say Australia and New Zealand would be out, for starters.

22 hours ago, Netfoot said:

For instance, that Holderness woman won't be grabbing everyone and demanding a hug anything like as often...

She didn't demand a hug from the guy at the bagpipe task.  She asked and he said yes.  I appreciate her asking.

21 hours ago, bankerchick said:

Here in Canada (Ontario anyway,) everything shut down on Mon Mar. 16. 

That's when the courts went into shutdown here in MD and my office shifted to 2-person week in/week out teams.  The sort of irony is, I was out sick the previous Thursday/Friday but just with a bad cold, not covid, and I haven't had my 2-3 per year severe colds since.  Must be the mask wearing.

20 hours ago, Hera said:

Just admit that you're doing the Race because you wanted to (and for the money), you know?

I doubt they did the Race as an example to the kids in their school, just that they want to be a good one while racing.  At least that's what I got from what they were saying.

 

[blackwing]

On 1/12/2022 at 9:14 PM, iMonrey said:

Switching detours is probably what did Arun and Natalia in. It also probably didn't help that English isn't Arun's first language, from what I can tell. They had a nice relationship, I wouldn't mind if they got to come back because of whoever couldn't return 19 months later.

Yes, it was completely Natalia's fault.  She insisted that they switch detours, he mentioned that he didn't think he could learn the song and dance, and sure enough, he had issues with the song and dance.  She was commenting about karma of helping others but that's not what made them finish last.

On 1/13/2022 at 8:38 AM, seacliffsal said:

Okay, I am now officially over Kim and Penn.  Yes, yes, I know that many people love their videos, but I have never seen them so I judge on their actions on the Race.  They were showing surprise, delight, enthusiasm, etc., before they even turned the corner in the theatre.  So, what were they reacting to?  Oh, I know--the fact that the cameras were there even though they saw nothing of the task yet.  Oh, and Penn played directly to the cameras a couple of times with very specific looks through the challenge.  Oh, and admitting that one is a bit of a diva (Penn) doesn't lessen the fact that one is being a bit of a diva (no, it's not a cute "look at me, aren't I a cute diva?").  

He always looks like he is oh-so-very-pleased with himself.  No matter what, they have this very "oh the camera is on us, let's give a show" expression.  Classic definition of mugging, and I've never been a fan of mugging on this show.  Not sure why TAR seems to bring out the muggers... cameras are on Survivors constantly as well and I don't seem to recall as much mugging.  Tiffany last season at times.  But TAR always seems to have at least one over-the-top mugging team every season.

On 1/13/2022 at 8:42 AM, Netfoot said:

I learned to drive on a manual car, and continued to drive a manual for the next 20-ish years. Apart from one vehicle (an Opel Kadet) all those vehicles were right-hand drive with the stick to my left hand. And to this very day I have never driven on the right-hand side of the road, and hope I never have to. Despite it being probably 20 years since I last drove a manual shift, I doubt it would take more than a minute or two to get the hang of it again, admittedly with the occasional brain-fart moments as we went along. 

I don't understand why motorists find it so difficult to learn to drive a stick-shift. Coming from an automatic, you already know how to operate brake and throttle, how to steer, speed up, slow down, change lanes, avoid running over people and all that stuff. All you now have to learn is how to coordinate the shift lever and the clutch. It's not like learning to drive from scratch on a stick-shift, where you have to learn all that stuff at once! I must admit though, that RHD vehicles are probably easier to pick up than LHD, because you use left foot and left hand. No cross-coordination required.

 

I learned how to drive on a stick shift car.  Haven't driven a stick shift since I sold my last one 20 years or so ago, but I'm sure I would be able to easily pick it up again, like riding a bike or like being on skis after a long time of not skiing.  However, I would probably have been thrown off a bit by the left hand gear shift.

I don't fault teams at all if they had trouble with stick shift.  There's a lot of coordination between getting the hang of letting the clutch out just enough while shifting gears.  When I took drivers ed in high school ages ago, all of the cars were automatics.  But there was a designated stick shift week where they made everyone try and drive stick shift.  The kids who had never tried before had a really rough time.  Stalling and grinding and bucking to no end.  It was tough watching the teams on the race that kept stalling... I kept yelling at the TV to get to third gear and just drive.  Once you're in third, you can go faster or slower and it's a bit more forgiving and won't stall out.

[Netfoot]

3 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

You make it sound like learning to coordinate the shift and the clutch is easy.  For a lot of us, it's not, especially if we learned to drive on an automatic and are not used to using our left feet while driving.

Myself and my entire generation learned to drive with manual transmission, as did earlier generations and (I suspect) many younger people since then. I was just saying that however difficult learning the clutch and shifter may be, it is definitely easier than learning clutch, shifter, steering, brake, throttle, and everything else that goes in to driving a car. And that is what everyone in the world used to routinely do as a part of growing up.

7 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Throw in the whole rolling backwards on inclines thing...

Ok, holding the vehicle on an incline using the clutch is a bit of an advanced technique, which is why our laws require you to use the handbrake on an incline. But it's a technique that everyone comes to master once they become an experienced driver, which is why the law about using the handbrake is routinely ignored by everyone.

I just feel that learning to drive a manual transmission is something that was done by generations of people in the past, and pretty much everyone succeeded without too much difficulty. For a person who can already handle all the other aspects of driving, I don't see why this is such a hurdle.

 

[momlyd]

I'm glad I'm not the only one surprised by intense emotion of the dates and the title card "19 months later". I'm getting a little teary just typing this.

 

For me, it's like watching a documentary on 9/11; I know what's going to happen and I grieve for the lost past and aborted future. 

[Skyfall]

On 1/12/2022 at 10:24 PM, Ananayel said:

This is the first episode I've actually watched in a long time. I got tired of the stunt casting and ridiculous twists. But this felt like old school Race, and I was interested in seeing how they'd handle the suspension. I liked most everybody, and it's sad some teams couldn't make it back. Perhaps they can return on a future season once things get back to more of normal.

I did want to see Scotland, but I'm not a Penn Holderness fan. He's local to me, and was a local tv news anchor for a bit. I've always found him to be somewhat insufferable. 

Well one team won't be as they broke up. The other couldn't cause of a new born so they are possible. Not sure what happened with the other two.

[proserpina65]

37 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Myself and my entire generation learned to drive with manual transmission, as did earlier generations and (I suspect) many younger people since then. I was just saying that however difficult learning the clutch and shifter may be, it is definitely easier than learning clutch, shifter, steering, brake, throttle, and everything else that goes in to driving a car. And that is what everyone in the world used to routinely do as a part of growing up.

By the time I got to driver's ed in school (1982), it was all automatic transmissions.  It's not necessarily easier to learn to drive stick once you've learned automatic; I wouldn't say that it's harder, but it goes against a lot of what you learn to do with an automatic.  Learning manual to start with means not having to unlearn/ignore what you do with an automatic.  I realize most of the world learns to drive with a manual transmission, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with those who struggle to learn it after driving an automatic for years.

I do think that people going on the Amazing Race without at least trying to learn to drive stick are missing a really important skill but given that cars with manual transmission are become more of a rarity at rental places in a lot of the country, I cut them a little break on that.

47 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Ok, holding the vehicle on an incline using the clutch is a bit of an advanced technique, which is why our laws require you to use the handbrake on an incline. But it's a technique that everyone comes to master once they become an experienced driver, which is why the law about using the handbrake is routinely ignored by everyone.

No such laws in the US, at least not regarding taking off after stopping at a stop sign on a hill, which was what my friend was trying to teach me.

We're not going to agree on this so I'm not going to continue to argue about it, but it simply isn't as easy a task as you imply.

[Ilovepie]

Man, this episode was so hard to watch knowing what was coming. I cringed watching that bagpipe challenge knowing it was the start of Covid - a whole room of people blowing into instruments! Gah! It was also hard hearing Arun say that Natalia is "getting married in June". Wonder if that happened or not what with the pandemic upending plans like that in 2020....

I still love Kim & Penn. Their attitude is fantastic, and what really won this for them was the driving and navigating. I'm not surprised that an older couple did better with that - shoot, the one girl doesn't even have a drivers license let alone being able to drive a stick! I love self navigating episodes - it always causes more organic team placement shuffling and natural drama that is missing in these newer seasons with everyone flying on the same planes.

I'm sorry that some teams dropped out, but I am glad they picked it back up. And seeing the casting call at the end gives me hope.

Now I'm off to sing "Donald Where's Your Troosers" (Not sure how to spell troosers/trousers?). Maybe my favorite song from a TV show since Toss a Coin to your Witcher......

[greyhorse]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

You make it sound like learning to coordinate the shift and the clutch is easy.  For a lot of us, it's not, especially if we learned to drive on an automatic and are not used to using our left feet while driving.  My best friend tried to teach me about 10 years ago, and I could do it in an emergency, but getting the hang of the clutch is hard.  Throw in the whole rolling backwards on inclines thing (which terrified me and is the reason I didn't stick with trying to drive stick) and the process is not a simple one.

Maybe it's a generational thing.  But I learned to drive on a manual stick shift.  Back then, you had to pay extra if you wanted an automatic.  So I think that might be in part why my parents had a manual.  

I do remember a lot of stalling as we were learning.  My brother and I would each get a turn to drive going to church, one of us going and the other back.  We'd make fun of each other when we stalled.  I remember my first time driving alone on the day I got my license, we took the car out and encountered an incline where I almost rolled into the car behind me until I put the emergency brake on.  So I get it.  It's hard and there's a learning curve.  Simply going to a parking lot with a rental car a few times before the race is probably not sufficient.

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Yes, it was completely Natalia's fault.  She insisted that they switch detours, he mentioned that he didn't think he could learn the song and dance, and sure enough, he had issues with the song and dance.  She was commenting about karma of helping others but that's not what made them finish last.

He always looks like he is oh-so-very-pleased with himself.  No matter what, they have this very "oh the camera is on us, let's give a show" expression.  Classic definition of mugging, and I've never been a fan of mugging on this show.  Not sure why TAR seems to bring out the muggers... cameras are on Survivors constantly as well and I don't seem to recall as much mugging.  Tiffany last season at times.  But TAR always seems to have at least one over-the-top mugging team every season.

I learned how to drive on a stick shift car.  Haven't driven a stick shift since I sold my last one 20 years or so ago, but I'm sure I would be able to easily pick it up again, like riding a bike or like being on skis after a long time of not skiing.  However, I would probably have been thrown off a bit by the left hand gear shift.

I don't fault teams at all if they had trouble with stick shift.  There's a lot of coordination between getting the hang of letting the clutch out just enough while shifting gears.  When I took drivers ed in high school ages ago, all of the cars were automatics.  But there was a designated stick shift week where they made everyone try and drive stick shift.  The kids who had never tried before had a really rough time.  Stalling and grinding and bucking to no end.  It was tough watching the teams on the race that kept stalling... I kept yelling at the TV to get to third gear and just drive.  Once you're in third, you can go faster or slower and it's a bit more forgiving and won't stall out.

Natalia and Arun were at a disadvantage for pretty much everything because 1) they don't appear to be the most athletic or physically strong and 2) they're not natural showmen like the mugging Penn and Kim.  So you had a detour where both options didn't play to any of their strengths, which I'm going to say stereotypically was their intelligence and logic.  Never a good idea to bald snark a detour.  Even worse when there's already many teams at that task.  Instead of panicking, they should have taken a deep breath, looked around the room to see how others were doing it (like the husbands copying other peoples' cakes, watched the demonstration, etc.  I knew they were done the minute that they ran out.  Arun himself said he can't sing and dance, so why would he agree to do it?  They deserve what they got.  That said, I did find the moment where he thought he let her down to be very touching.  It was odd that they are rushing to the end, yet they had a moment of live interview (and not a calm collected recap where we know gets filmed after the pit stop) where they took the time to talk it out.  I'm guessing that they were waiting for whomever to come back with directions or something.

I hadn't driven stick for years but in Italy on vacation it was the only option.  So fun.  Like riding a bike, yes.  I'm shocked that there were no accidents.  I kept waiting for a team to ram the car in front of them.

 

[aghst]

That's why I've alway rented automatics in Europe, the inclines.  I've driven several times through different parts of the Alps, not many stop signs but plenty of places where you have to slow down or stop as you negotiate sharp turns or narrow roads where cars in opposite directions have to take turns to pass a stretch because there's only room for one car.

Also didn't want to deal with navigation and learning to drive manual at the same time, often on hilly roads.

At first, you paid a higher rental rate for automatics but over the years, that difference in rates became minimal, unless you were willing to get these tiny subcompacts which wouldn't even hold a full size suitcase in the trunk.

 

[chaifan]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

He always looks like he is oh-so-very-pleased with himself.  No matter what, they have this very "oh the camera is on us, let's give a show" expression.  Classic definition of mugging, and I've never been a fan of mugging on this show. 

I'll disagree on this one.  The key element of "mugging for the camera" is the "for the camera" part.  From everything I've heard about Penn, he's like that whether a camera is on him or not.  He's not doing it for the camera, he's having a genuine blast. 

Whether it's "for" the camera or not, I'll take muggers over the fake Rachel whining pouting crying hysterics any day of the week.  I'll take an entire race full of Penn's, BJ's and Tyler's over a single Rachel in any season.  I love seeing people excited about being on TAR, and the Racers who have been most accused of mugging have also been some of the biggest TAR fans, so you know they're super happy to be there.  Not just trying to get cast for the next reality show.  (I personally hate the professional reality show contestant Racers.  ugh.) 

OK, hopping off my soap box now!  🙂

 

[greyhorse]

8 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I'll disagree on this one.  The key element of "mugging for the camera" is the "for the camera" part.  From everything I've heard about Penn, he's like that whether a camera is on him or not.  He's not doing it for the camera, he's having a genuine blast. 

Whether it's "for" the camera or not, I'll take muggers over the fake Rachel whining pouting crying hysterics any day of the week.  I'll take an entire race full of Penn's, BJ's and Tyler's over a single Rachel in any season.  I love seeing people excited about being on TAR, and the Racers who have been most accused of mugging have also been some of the biggest TAR fans, so you know they're super happy to be there.  Not just trying to get cast for the next reality show.  (I personally hate the professional reality show contestant Racers.  ugh.) 

OK, hopping off my soap box now!  🙂

 

But what have you really "heard" about him?  Do you know people who know him personally?  His entire claim to fame and reason why he is on this show is because he's a performer and a good mugger for the camera.  If you put out drab videos, you're not going to amass the following that he does.  Everyone's saying that he's always "on", well, you have to be if that's your public persona.  What would be interesting is to see how he is at home when the cameras are off.  Is he generally this hyper?

I don't like muggers, but I'd also argue that Rachel was a mugger as well, just in the negative sense.  I think more so people don't like contestants that get on because of some internet fame and we'd rather just see normal people.  Of course people that make it on this show are naturally going to look good in front of the camera.  TAR casting directors aren't looking for some wooden characters to put on their show.  So some of it is expected.  

[proserpina65]

34 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

Maybe it's a generational thing.

It probably is.  Our school system had moved to all automatic cars for driver's ed by the time my brother took it in 1977, but my best friend learned on a manual only a couple of years earlier.  And a lot of kids, even in my class, learned at home on cars with stick.  Yeah, cars with automatic transmissions cost more, which is why my dad's truck was a manual.  My mother's car was an automatic, though.  My dad tried to teach both her and my brother to drive stick but it did not go well in either case; my brother actually almost backed into our house on his one attempt.

Self-driving legs always tend to create a gap between teams.  And organic drama, which I love.

As for Penn mugging for the camera, maybe he is and maybe he's just like that all the time whether or not there's a camera around, but I'll take that over teams who argue constantly or cry/whine all time or who are always bashing other teams.  Just my personal preference.

[ali59]

I don't play the pipes myself but I have taken chanter lessons.  To everyone who is judging the sound coming out of the racers pipes, they didn't have to maintain a certain note.  They just had to keep the sound coming for the length of Scotland the Brave.  None of them had their fingers on the holes used to make certain notes, they were just blowing air across the reeds.

[greyhorse]

16 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

As for Penn mugging for the camera, maybe he is and maybe he's just like that all the time whether or not there's a camera around, but I'll take that over teams who argue constantly or cry/whine all time or who are always bashing other teams.  Just my personal preference.

Oh I agree.  Penn and Kim may bug a little, but I'd much rather watch them than the now-over Love Island couple.  How many times did we hear the girl say "I've never seen him in a stressful situation like this and it's surprising"?  Maybe the guy is just a jerk and you didn't realize it because you don't live in the same city and just see each other occasionally?

TV producers love all of these types.  The muggers.  The ones where they think there will be some drama and fighting.  Even the out of shape heavy AA wife and the athlete husband were fighting.  They like the lovey dove husbands who can pull off a sharp dance.  They like the family bond of an immigrant father and his overachieving daughter.  What makes for the most boring racers are ones that have no drama.  Like Spencer and the other guy.  Like the wrongly imprisoned guy and his partner.  But these guys are on the show because of their back stories.

[Netfoot]

48 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

As for Penn mugging for the camera, maybe he is and maybe he's just like that all the time whether or not there's a camera around, but I'll take that over teams who argue constantly or cry/whine all time or who are always bashing other teams.  Just my personal preference.

Whether it was for the camera or was his normal self, leaping into the bagpipe challenge like a cross between a court jester and a prancing pixie is the kind of behaviour exhibited by people I don't like.

Racers like Rachel with her crocodile tears don't endear themselves to me either. I am officially entitled to dislike both traits.

[Meredith Quill]

8 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

You make it sound like learning to coordinate the shift and the clutch is easy.  For a lot of us, it's not, especially if we learned to drive on an automatic and are not used to using our left feet while driving.  My best friend tried to teach me about 10 years ago, and I could do it in an emergency, but getting the hang of the clutch is hard.  Throw in the whole rolling backwards on inclines thing (which terrified me and is the reason I didn't stick with trying to drive stick) and the process is not a simple one.

 

8 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Ok, holding the vehicle on an incline using the clutch is a bit of an advanced technique, which is why our laws require you to use the handbrake on an incline. But it's a technique that everyone comes to master once they become an experienced driver, which is why the law about using the handbrake is routinely ignored by everyone.

Indeed, driving a manual transmission is by far the norm here in the UK, in fact, being able to remain stationary using only 'clutch control' and not rolling back when moving off, is an - admittedly small  - point of pride for many of us, heh. Those who do roll back (learner drivers excluded, we naturally tend to give them a wider berth anyway) are viewed as having inferior driving skillz and are subjected to many an eyeroll or even a yelp of 'WTF!?!' if one rolls back toward you too much. 

I found the episode itself very run of the mill this week. Will be interesting to see who does replace the non-returning teams next week. 

[vousviou]

19 hours ago, SVNBob said:

On 1/13/2022 at 1:46 PM, 30 Helens said:

I read a few articles about the changes they had to make to finish the season. I won’t give details because they might be considered spoilery, but suffice it to say that the intense planning and consideration that went into getting this season back up and running will provide a template for future seasons, as well. We’ve yet to see how these changes will impact our enjoyment, but I don’t think there’s any reason to think the show can’t continue for many years. And who knows? Maybe a revamped TAR will be a better TAR.

Expand  

The article I mentioned above also talked about a couple of the changes, including the safety measures they took (as @vousviou wondered about).  Everything I read made a lot of sense for precautionary measures, and a couple of the changes sounded like they'd be great if they kept them as permanent alterations.

I'm really in awe they seem to have pulled this off. I have to take my hat off to the amount of thinking and work that had to have gone into this, even as I'm keeping myself willfully spoiler-free until it's all over.

I just finished watching the 2020 Great British Baking Show and the finale when they brought out all of the crew, medical and hospitality staff who had been in a bubble to make the show possible was striking -- so many people you never even see who are involved. And they were in a single location show with a predictable set of tasks.

TAR has so many moving pieces, and so many language and legal and logistical issues. If they had simply moved it to rural Canada it still would have been hard to pull off. I really can't get my head around how the did it, and I look forward to reading about it when it's over.

 

[J-Man]

On 1/13/2022 at 7:45 PM, Zonk said:

On 1/13/2022 at 5:55 PM, ProfCrash said:

And they will be interviewing friends on the show starting next week but they have to wait for next reasons for reasons we will discover next week. ie They cannot discuss who returns and who doesn't, even though we already know who comes back and who doesn't. 

That's really weird, since they showed who's returning in their own preview. Or were we not supposed to be able to identify these very distincitve looking teams from behind?

Perhaps the issue was identifying the OTHER teams that were not shown -- the eliminated teams that were rumored to have returned. They were not shown in the preview--only the original non-eliminated teams who were able to return.

[ProfCrash]

5 minutes ago, J-Man said:

Perhaps the issue was identifying the OTHER teams that were not shown -- the eliminated teams that were rumored to have returned. They were not shown in the preview--only the original non-eliminated teams who were able to return.

I would think that they could have interviewed one of the 4 other teams we knew were back but I know that they are following the rules set by CBS.

[Zonk]

3 minutes ago, J-Man said:

the eliminated teams that were rumored to have returned. They were not shown in the preview

Yes they were. Look at the wide shot at the end of the preview. The two teams are on the right and you can clearly see who it is. I won't say who, because of the no-preview-spoiler-rule, but they are there.

There is also a wide shot at the end of the episode, before the previews where you can see 7 teams standing there, so I don't think that part is a spoiler. But that wide shot isn't high enough quality to make out who the teams are, at least not in my recording.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, J-Man said:

Perhaps the issue was identifying the OTHER teams that were not shown -- the eliminated teams that were rumored to have returned. They were not shown in the preview--only the original non-eliminated teams who were able to return.

I think there was a wide and overhead shot and you can make out who said returning teams are. I’m actually surprised they showed it. I guess they don’t think geeks like me freeze frame my dvr like it was the Zapruder film. Wait! Am I showing my age? 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Classic definition of mugging, and I've never been a fan of mugging on this show.  Not sure why TAR seems to bring out the muggers

I take exception to the idea that anyone who looks into the camera is "mugging." I can never understand this complaint. Apparently some feel the racers are supposed to pretend there is no camera man.

That said . . . the show does seem to be increasingly relying on casting social media pseudo-celebs, and I think it's because of the number of views they get on their respective platforms. The network must figure their built-in fanbases will help to lift the ratings. I understand it from a fiscal standpoint, but it's a shame how the influence of social media has infiltrated so much other entertainment.

[tvfanatic13]

Yup. Still singing…

[millennium]

On 1/12/2022 at 11:41 PM, 30 Helens said:

Since the episode ended, I’ve been annoying various members of my household by singing “<Insert Name here>, where’s your trooosers?”

It's hard to resist.

I like Kim and her FM radio voice, but if the strongman had dropped his 100 lb boulder on Penn's head I wouldn't have been very upset.

Edited January 15, 2022 by millennium

[jpgr]

On 1/14/2022 at 12:13 PM, greyhorse said:

Maybe it's a generational thing.  But I learned to drive on a manual stick shift.  Back then, you had to pay extra if you wanted an automatic.  So I think that might be in part why my parents had a manual.  

I do remember a lot of stalling as we were learning.  My brother and I would each get a turn to drive going to church, one of us going and the other back.  We'd make fun of each other when we stalled.  I remember my first time driving alone on the day I got my license, we took the car out and encountered an incline where I almost rolled into the car behind me until I put the emergency brake on.  So I get it.  It's hard and there's a learning curve.  Simply going to a parking lot with a rental car a few times before the race is probably not sufficient.

I agree it's at least partly, if not mostly, generational. The other thing I've noticed in all the posts from those of you who learned stick is that your parents had manual cars. Therefore, you had a certain familiarity from riding with them and seeing how they coordinated their feet and hands, even if not consciously. That is a tremendous advantage over someone who hasn't ever been in a manual car. You would be much calmer in figuring it out for yourself.

 

[30 Helens]

1 hour ago, jpgr said:

I agree it's at least partly, if not mostly, generational. The other thing I've noticed in all the posts from those of you who learned stick is that your parents had manual cars. Therefore, you had a certain familiarity from riding with them and seeing how they coordinated their feet and hands, even if not consciously. That is a tremendous advantage over someone who hasn't ever been in a manual car. You would be much calmer in figuring it out for yourself.

 

I grew up riding in (mostly) stick shift vehicles, but I guarantee I never noticed what my parents’ feet and hands were doing. It’s not something that can be learned by watching, anyway. Knowing just when to take your foot off the clutch takes a LOT of practice. Release too soon, and the gears crunch. Release too late, and you either lurch forward or stall (sometimes both).

The window between the two is very small and it’s very hard to get it right when you’re first learning. It took me probably a year before I could do it consistently, without thinking about it. So taking a few lessons before going on the show just isn’t going to cut it. (Advice to future contestants: Start much sooner.)

And now I’m getting all nostalgic for driving stick! You have a degree of control that automatic cars just don’t give, and it really makes driving fun. There’s nothing like the feeling of steering a stick-shift sportscar down a winding country road…

[blackwing]

I haven’t checked out Kim and Penn’s video recap of each episode, but I’m curious as to why TPTB are allowing them to do this.  Once upon a time, wasn’t there a nondisclosure agreement for everyone on the race?  I am pretty sure they weren’t allowed to tell anyone that they were even going to be on it (perhaps family was an exception).  And I thought there was a “no social media” policy, lest they spoil anything.

It seems like their first recap talked about tasks that weren’t aired… just curious as to whether those in charge approve these recaps in advance.  Obviously Kim and Penn know exactly how they finished, and their comments might be biased or give away some information (“she was able to get that done but what happens in future leg if she has to eat stinky food, hmmm”).  
 

It was reported that producers were not happy about them talking about an unaired task, so I am wondering why they are being allowed to continue without any pre-approval.

[ProfCrash]

29 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I haven’t checked out Kim and Penn’s video recap of each episode, but I’m curious as to why TPTB are allowing them to do this.  Once upon a time, wasn’t there a nondisclosure agreement for everyone on the race?  I am pretty sure they weren’t allowed to tell anyone that they were even going to be on it (perhaps family was an exception).  And I thought there was a “no social media” policy, lest they spoil anything.

It seems like their first recap talked about tasks that weren’t aired… just curious as to whether those in charge approve these recaps in advance.  Obviously Kim and Penn know exactly how they finished, and their comments might be biased or give away some information (“she was able to get that done but what happens in future leg if she has to eat stinky food, hmmm”).  
 

It was reported that producers were not happy about them talking about an unaired task, so I am wondering why they are being allowed to continue without any pre-approval.

They started the podcast saying that there are things they cannot discuss and that CBS had the right to limit what they discuss because they own the show. They flat out said they could show the picture of Penn doing a different task, that wasn’t shown on the show, because the picture had been used in the publicity package for the show. All they said was that was what they did when they got to Glasgow and that helped explain some of the separation that we saw in the episode. They did not describe the task, how long it took, or anything along those lines. Just that it existed and that it influenced the spacing. 

There was a lot less insider info in this podcast. It was clear that they were told that they could only discuss what was shown on the episode and they stuck to that.  

As to why they are allowed to do it? Read the comments from their Amazing Race posts and you will see that there are a good number of people who are saying that the only reason they are watching the show is that the Holdernesses are on it. If those people are watching and it is become the Holdernesses then shutting down their podcast about the show would be counterproductive.

I know not everyone likes having the social media folks on the show. God knows I hated the social media season. I like the Holdernesses because they are huge fans of the show. They have watched the seasons, they know the show, and they seem to adore the show. A combination of people with a large following who happen to love the show can be really great. 

I don’t think everyone should love Kim and Penn, I get why people are not fans but I think that CBS gets that there is a benefit to their promoting the show and letting them do a genericish recap. 

[Leeds]

 

 

 

 

On 1/14/2022 at 12:13 PM, greyhorse said:

Natalia and Arun were at a disadvantage for pretty much everything because 1) they don't appear to be the most athletic or physically strong and 2) they're not natural showmen like the mugging Penn and Kim.  So you had a detour where both options didn't play to any of their strengths, which I'm going to say stereotypically was their intelligence and logic.  Never a good idea to bald snark a detour.  Even worse when there's already many teams at that task.  Instead of panicking, they should have taken a deep breath, looked around the room to see how others were doing it (like the husbands copying other peoples' cakes, watched the demonstration, etc.  I knew they were done the minute that they ran out.  Arun himself said he can't sing and dance, so why would he agree to do it?  They deserve what they got.  That said, I did find the moment where he thought he let her down to be very touching.  It was odd that they are rushing to the end, yet they had a moment of live interview (and not a calm collected recap where we know gets filmed after the pit stop) where they took the time to talk it out.  I'm guessing that they were waiting for whomever to come back with directions or something.

If their strengths are intelligence and logic, the barrel challenge should have been a no-brainer, so to speak.

[katalizt]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I haven’t checked out Kim and Penn’s video recap of each episode, but I’m curious as to why TPTB are allowing them to do this.  Once upon a time, wasn’t there a nondisclosure agreement for everyone on the race?  I am pretty sure they weren’t allowed to tell anyone that they were even going to be on it (perhaps family was an exception).  And I thought there was a “no social media” policy, lest they spoil anything.

It seems like their first recap talked about tasks that weren’t aired… just curious as to whether those in charge approve these recaps in advance.  Obviously Kim and Penn know exactly how they finished, and their comments might be biased or give away some information (“she was able to get that done but what happens in future leg if she has to eat stinky food, hmmm”).  
 

It was reported that producers were not happy about them talking about an unaired task, so I am wondering why they are being allowed to continue without any pre-approval.

There have also been other teams in the past who have done recap podcasts/YouTube videos. I'm sure CBS even somewhat wants/expects the "social media" type teams to do them in order to get their followers to watch the show.

I'm liking Kim & Penn's recaps and I'm looking forward to them talking to other teams.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

20 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I think there was a wide and overhead shot and you can make out who said returning teams are. I’m actually surprised they showed it. I guess they don’t think geeks like me freeze frame my dvr like it was the Zapruder film. Wait! Am I showing my age? 

They just showed that shot again during a commercial during the Buffalo-New England NFL game. Along with a clip of the suspension of the race from this episode. 

[hula-la]

On 1/13/2022 at 8:33 PM, Roccos Brother said:

Nooo, all my favorite teams (which all happen to be the PoC teams) were in the back this episode! Hopefully, the eliminated daughter/father team get brought back - then I'll be happy! I got a little teary eyed seeing the father get emotional and blame himself. It was really hard to watch.

Me too. I texted my dad after the episode to tell him I loved him and that he’s awesome. 

[desertflower]

I’ve followed Kim and Penn for a while and I really like them. I think their videos are clever and funny, and they can talk about serious topics too. They seem to be pretty grounded and self aware. I think Penn’s excitement is partly his personality and partly because he’s such a fan of the show. He’s just so excited to be there, it doesn’t matter what the task is, he’s amped up before he even gets in the door. Their recaps of the race have been really interesting so far. I thought it was fascinating when they talked about coming home when the race was canceled and being surprised no one was really talking about Covid yet in the US, at least not like they were in Europe. Anyway, I’m rooting for them!

 

[ByaNose]

2 hours ago, desertflower said:

I’ve followed Kim and Penn for a while and I really like them. I think their videos are clever and funny, and they can talk about serious topics too. They seem to be pretty grounded and self aware. I think Penn’s excitement is partly his personality and partly because he’s such a fan of the show. He’s just so excited to be there, it doesn’t matter what the task is, he’s amped up before he even gets in the door. Their recaps of the race have been really interesting so far. I thought it was fascinating when they talked about coming home when the race was canceled and being surprised no one was really talking about Covid yet in the US, at least not like they were in Europe. Anyway, I’m rooting for them!

 

I was the person in March 2020 who was sent home to work remotely and thought it would be two weeks. Of course, I (and, others) had no idea or clue. I just remember their being this discussion about a pandemic and so on. I still work from and have never gone back and don’t think I ever will. I miss the perks of the office life because I did it for so long. Enough about me though.  

I vaguely knew who Kim and Penn were but didn’t watch their videos nor watched their podcast. Since they’ve been on TAR I have been watching their recaps. They are well done with good production values. They have television experience which helps, too. They do always seem ON though. I wish they would dial it back but maybe they can’t and it’s just how they are. There have been other teams who have done recaps so it ain’t anything new for the show. A lot of it is biased but it’s what they know from their point of view. I have said, I see them as a Final 3 team and I still think it will hold that way even with the reset. I’m curious to see how it plays out for them. They aren’t necessarily my favorite team but I don’t hate them by any stretch of the imagination. 

[Kel Varnsen]

11 hours ago, Leeds said:

 

 

 

 

If their strengths are intelligence and logic, the barrel challenge should have been a no-brainer, so to speak.

There big weakness seemed to be navigation. So I was surprised they switched just because finding the second detour location was a huge risk. Although I did like the husband/wife team showing up after them, seeing their performance and realizing that you didn't be good at singing just get the words right and put on a show and you would pass.

[bearcatfan]

Back in the late 80s my sister and I decided to take our kids to Disney. We used my car which was a Mustang with a 5 speed manual transmission. My SIL decided to join us. So I wouldn’t have to drive the entire way, I taught my sister and SIL how to drive my car. My sister picked it up easily in about 10 minutes. My SIL couldn’t get it at all. She only drove on highways where we figured there would be minimal starting and stopping. I think if you have experience doing some sort of activity where you had to one thing with your hands and another with your feet, it helps. My sister and I both did color guard (twirling a flag/rifle while marching). While you need to shift and release the clutch in a coordinated manner, there also needs to be a certain disconnect as the tasks aren’t similar. It’s much easier to learn when you are a teen than as an adult. 
 

Kim and Penn did a Gen X song once that had a line in it about knowing how to read a map. I thought of it as I saw the teams driving with their maps. 

[Hera]

It's also true that different cars have different engagement points for the clutch. I could see how the race would trip up even those who had taken lessons because the car provided won't be the car they learned on and they won't have had the years of experience that people who drive manuals in their normal lives in acclimating to an unfamiliar clutch. That, plus the general state of being frazzled that comes with racing is a recipe for the types of struggles we regularly see.

[Meredith Quill]

23 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

I grew up riding in (mostly) stick shift vehicles, but I guarantee I never noticed what my parents’ feet and hands were doing. It’s not something that can be learned by watching, anyway. Knowing just when to take your foot off the clutch takes a LOT of practice. Release too soon, and the gears crunch. Release too late, and you either lurch forward or stall (sometimes both).

The window between the two is very small and it’s very hard to get it right when you’re first learning. It took me probably a year before I could do it consistently, without thinking about it. So taking a few lessons before going on the show just isn’t going to cut it. (Advice to future contestants: Start much sooner.)

And now I’m getting all nostalgic for driving stick! You have a degree of control that automatic cars just don’t give, and it really makes driving fun. There’s nothing like the feeling of steering a stick-shift sportscar down a winding country road…

 

8 hours ago, Hera said:

It's also true that different cars have different engagement points for the clutch. I could see how the race would trip up even those who had taken lessons because the car provided won't be the car they learned on and they won't have had the years of experience that people who drive manuals in their normal lives in acclimating to an unfamiliar clutch. That, plus the general state of being frazzled that comes with racing is a recipe for the types of struggles we regularly see.

Both of these comments refer to what is known as the 'biting point' of the clutch over here; you just have to get used to what that feels like with your foot. As soon as you have enough experience to be confident that you know what it feels like, you can pretty easily find it in any car quickly tbf. 

As for the control with a manual transmission - 100% agree, it's a lot of fun to drop down a gear (usually 2nd or 3rd) and push hard on the accelerator (gas) to really get some torque and speed, fast, when necessary. The whole experience is more interactive and visceral than driving an automatic, but perhaps that only appeals to petrolheads like me, heh.

As for 'Donald Where's Your Troosers' - I'd be surprised if any British person over 35 wouldn't be at least somewhat familiar with it - the song actually made it to #4 in the UK charts back in 1989. (I suspected as much but Googled for confirmation).