S33.E04: Ready to Restart the Race

[Whimsy]

Quote

Host Phil Keoghan gathers the teams in Switzerland to restart the Race nearly 20 months after it was suspended for the pandemic, making in the longest pit stop in the show’s history.

Original air date 1/19/22

[mojoween]

Since they were down two teams, I thought for sure it was going to be non-elimination.

This must have been filmed in September - October 2021 yeah?

Oh Michael and Moe.  Still completely not paying attention.  I thought for sure the belt would be the faster task, but the two teams that did it ended up behind everyone else.

Interesting to see how many Swiss did not sign waivers to appear on TV.

The mountains with the clouds rolling in were stunning.  But I’m confused why Sheri said Akbar was too big to do the climb, but he kept saying that he should have done it.

[chitowngirl]

I probably would have done the belt backwards too. Being left-handed, I start looping the belt on my pants on the left side, finishing on the right.

[CraftyHazel]

That first task would have been the death of me!!  I get shaky on a step stool!

[Caseysgirl]

If Sherie wants to divorce Agbar after this she has my blessing. She did that horrible climb for him & yet he read nothingness but negative and nasty with her. He may be a great role model for his students but he really is not a pleasant partner.

1 minute ago, Caseysgirl said:

If Sherie wants to divorce Agbar after this she has my blessing. She did that horrible climb for him & yet he was nothing but negative and nasty with her. He may be a great role model for his students but he really is not a pleasant partner.

[ByaNose]

Akbar is soooooo negative. STFU!!! They say the race brings the real you out so I can’t imagine what living with him is like jeez! He might be positive with the outside world but I suspect he’s much different in private. 

[meatball77]

The cops being eliminated first twice and first for the exact same thing (not being able to think critically about the task), is kinda hilarious. 

I wondered if they blurred the locals so they didn't have to deal with wavers, keeps them out of contact with randoms.  I'm surprised there isn't a rule that they need to be masked up when talking to locals (not pre-tested) just for extra security.

It was so great seeing everyone race again and it felt good to see the precautions and see post-covid traveling.  I thought the race was going to be further from society than it was (I figured that everything would be outdoors and mostly in fields and they wouldn't have contact with locals) so it was great to see a fairly normal post-covid leg.  I don't think I'm going to miss the airport drama.  It was fun but mostly it just ended up with everyone on the same flight anyway.

Sherri and Akbar have been married a while and he's a coach.  I suspect that she just stays out of situations where he would feel the need to coach her.  If I went on TAR with my husband we would probably resemble Zach and Flo, I'd be crying and he'd be raging and nagging, which is why I'd never go on TAR with my husband.

[Cotypubby]

Oof, to be the first team eliminated, twice! It’s weird because on paper they seemed like a strong team yet they were just constantly so slow at everything. Why would you think the story read from right to left!? It wasn’t in Hebrew!

Edited January 20, 2022 by Cotypubby

[Netfoot]

Poor M&M. The only team ever to be first-out, twice, in the same race!

And judging by their performance, A&N are all set to repeat their previous experience as well. Navigationally challenged seems to be their norm.

When those lads aced the flags, Kim looked like she was about to squeeze out a morningstar!

Breathtaking sight from the top of that mountain. A place definitely worth the "take ten" procedure.

The belt-making didn't look that hard. So long as you remember to read left to right... If I did the flags I'd either brain myself with the toss, or violate myself with the step-over. I'd have tried the belt making, guaranteed. Judging seemed reasonable. No giveaways but not hyper strict.

[InDueTime]

24 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Since they were down two teams, I thought for sure it was going to be non-elimination.

Me too. All those teams that didn't come back and TAR couldn't afford and extra NEL or "To be continued..." this season? Seriously? 

I'm not surprised Caro and Ray didn't return. The cracks were already starting to show in that relationship by the second episode.

I feel bad for Michael and Moe. However, did they even read the belt story first on paper like Arun and Natalia?

Akbar moaned and groaned about going on the mountain himself, but apparently he learned nothing if Sheri is doing another height-based task next episode. 

 

Edited January 20, 2022 by InDueTime

[Lola82]

I’m really rooting for Kim and Penn. I know they’re not a favorite but Penn seems very genuine with his energy and enthusiasm. And 4 episodes in, we haven’t seen them lose their cool with each other.

2 minutes ago, InDueTime said:

Akbar moaned and groaned about going on the mountain himself, but apparently he learned nothing if Sheri is doing another height-based task next episode. 

 

I hope they explain their thinking for this, it makes no sense unless he’s too big again.

[GenerationX]

Random thoughts on episode 4 - "Rebooted"

• The last two teams to check-in were the two previously eliminated teams
• Driving yourself takes more of the luck out of the race
• I would have appreciated a lot more focus on Raquel at the flag task

Speaking of stunning, the rock walking task provided some of the most beautiful shots the show has ever had.

[Guest]

It was nice to see Michael & Moe take their second elimination in stride, since they (particularly Moe) were so devastated the first time around. I guess they knew they were lucky to be back at all.

Also nice to see Penn be the calm, reassuring one when Kim struggled with the flags. Definitely a nicely balanced team.

Kind of wishing Taylor and Isaiah had come back instead of a certain other married couple, but oh well.

Still enjoying Raquel and Cayla's upbeat approach to everything. And, uh, Raquel in general.

[Bunnyette]

Good for Sheri doing the mountain climb, nice to see the other teams encouraging her.  Then that wretch of a husband, moaning & groaning, glaring at her doing the flags.   I hope he watched himself in shame tonight.   

[vousviou]

26 minutes ago, mojoween said:

Since they were down two teams, I thought for sure it was going to be non-elimination

That was my guess too, but I'm wondering if logistics had something to do with culling a team now.

At any rate, it wasn't the most interesting leg, but whatever -- big props for even getting this off the ground. I'm not sure this is going to be the most competitive bunch ever, but I'll keep my fingers crossed things pick up.

[North of Eden]

My gosh...talk about squandering a gift from manna...making an unprecedented comeback only to be first out  again!! Hopefully they are better cops than racers. I had to laugh when they floated the idea that it was the father/daughter that might be doing it wrong and not them and love the desperate MIKE!!!!

C'Mon Ackbar...someone with a room temperature IQ could have told you not to let your wife with a known fear of heights do the task. Speaking of Ackbar and his wife...loved Phil running psyops on them at the mat. 

Father and daughter need to pick it up and stop making mistakes...with my eye candy Caro gone I don't want to loose Natalia too!

I don't know if it makes me a bad person but I was desperatly hoping for Penn to fall when he was running/trying to pass people. It's not like he would have died but maybe it would have humbled him a bit and taken down his mania a notch.

Also I agree with anyone who thinks the judge got swayed by Kim's pretty face because it was not fair to pass them when her flag was all wrapped around the pole and not unfurled.

I won't lie...old people dying always upsets me, especially when we saw the flashback of the twins smiling gramdma and to know her life had to be cut short because of this unending nightmare.

Will we be watching the racers make there way through a mostly abandoned and depopulated Europe?

Lastly it was tough losing three of the teams I most wanted to see back. I really like Sam and her husband because they seemed like they were good people in their private lives and I so wanted to watch the Love Island couple implode as the seeds were there and the Train Heroes...well they are train heroes! In my heart I truly believe Phil and production will offer the teams that couldn't come back positions in a future race.

Slightly OT but That Animated Phoinix University commercial is simple beautiful...it pulls on the heart strings and gives hope at the same time. I don't know what the Emmys or Oscars are for commercials but that one would deserve to take home the top prize.

Edited January 20, 2022 by North of Eden

[xcrayon2215x]

The view where six countries could be seen was amazing. I don't understand why Akbar didn't do the roadblock with the way he was going on about Sheri. I liked Michael and Moe but they were clearly out of their depth.

 

Ryan and Dusty are looking quite strong and look like like the frontrunners, Akbar is showing me that the way he was in the first episode is a recurring thing with him.

[North of Eden]

12 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

 

Speaking of stunning, the rock walking task provided some of the most beautiful shots the show has ever had.

Looked like it was stolen straight out of a  JAMES BOND movie!

[vousviou]

14 minutes ago, Lola82 said:

I hope they explain their thinking for this, it makes no sense unless he’s too big again.

I wonder if there isn't some physical issue for one or both which means they really shouldn't be racing -- bad knees, back, or something else. They seem to be struggling more than even some of the less fit teams I've seen, to point where it feels like even being on their feet for a while is a problem, let alone running for five minutes. It seems more than just not being in shape.

[mertensia]

More self-driving! Yes!

I really would have thought the belt making would have been faster. 

I laughed when the one guy was all "it's not basketball" at the flag task.

I have a small case of vertigo - I wonder if I could have done that, though the teleférico wouldn't bother as I've been on the one in Merida, Venezuela several times.

 

[ProfCrash]

I am guessing that Akbar was too heavy for the task. They had the rope the harness was rigged into and a spotter. I can see there being weight restrictions. 

So great to have the teams back and glad that they decided not to cast a few random filler teams. I prefer a few extra non-elimination to new teams. I wonder if they approached some of the teams and tried to make hybrid team.

Loved the hiking task. Gorgeous views and it seemed like pretty much everyone handled it well. What the heck was up with the belt task, it seemed to take a lot longer the  I would have thought.

The Cops were really bad with details. They were the first done with the road block and got lost going to the flag task, at least I thought that was the task they choose. Then they seemed to follow Arun and Natalia and ended up at the belt one. Then they do it backwards. Then they get lost on the way to the pit stop. They seem nice enough but dude are they bad at the race.

Arun and Natalia need to learn to read a map. 

[Chicago Redshirt]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

 I thought for sure the belt would be the faster task, but the two teams that did it ended up behind everyone else.

Interesting to see how many Swiss did not sign waivers to appear on TV.

The mountains with the clouds rolling in were stunning.  But I’m confused why Sheri said Akbar was too big to do the climb, but he kept saying that he should have done it.

I'd bet that all things being equal, it would take the average team less time to do the belt-making task than it would take the same team to do the flag-waving task. However the Cops and Motown both pretty much suck at navigating. So part of why they were so far behind presumably has to do with their inability to drive themselves efficiently from A to B. 

Like others, I imagine that there is a weight safety limit. The spotters would be able to save a normal-sized person if that person slipped, but Akbar is big enough that they wouldn't be able to rescue him and he could pull people down with him. (Kind of like he does his team.) As for why he muses that he should have done it, it could be a case of him mugging for the cameras, knowing he was disallowed. In which case I like him even less than before. If there was a choice to be had, it seems like choosing the woman who had trouble walking for a length of team at sea level would be a particularly bad decision.

I spent most of the episode hoping that Sherri would get eliminated and be freed from her "partner." I assume in other contexts, Akbar very well may be an inspiring educator, a loving husband and father. But I just can't stand him as a Racer. Egotistical, cliche-filled, quick to blame but slow to accept blame, with no particular skill shown (thus far) that would seem to make him better or more interesting to watch than the average person on the street, pretty devoid of empathy. I want him gone. 

Most every other team was giving Sherri support on that task. When she finally completed it, nothing but crickets from Akbar. Now it could be that for some reason the Amazing Editors left the effusive support and praise that Akbar gave his wife on completion on the cutting room floor. But I'm thinking not.

So in summation, screw that Pepe Le Pew looking MF.

[Almanac]

I am wondering if it would have been non-eliminating had a team that was not previously eliminated been last. Phil did say “may” instead of “will”.

 

[Lantern7]

Phil suspended the Race the class, and he restarted it with class. I think Emmys for reality shows might be considered meaningless these days*, but I'm shocked Phil has never won Best Host. Jeff Probst won three times. What, were the voters impressed by how much of his head he could stick in his crack?

(*If you're a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race, I hope I didn't touch a nerve. I've never watched it, but I hear it's good. I'm just thinking about all the times TAR, and some people were all, "Did they really watch all the nominees?" I am sorry if you are offended. Ditto if you're into The Voice)

Damn, Buffalo Cops. It's one thing to be the first out of a show, get called back a few seasons later, then get voted off first again. Michael & Moe's situation might be historically worse than Francesca Fiore's combined six days of Survivor. The Cops don't have the excuse of being stuck near a mental patient like Philip Shepherd for their downfalls.

I'm calling Akbar "Pepe" until further notice. He's got the skunk spot and he stinks. I mean, I've seen worse on this show, but you'd think he would be more supportive. It didn't help that another Akbar -- Mr. Gbaja-Biamila -- popped up on The Price Is Right right before the episode aired. That Akbar is awesome. I was annoyed when American Ninja Warrior kept getting nominated for Best Competitive Reality Show at the Emmys, but I would've been great with him and co-host Matt Iseman getting recognized. Pepe? Ugh.

[choclatechip45]

I enjoyed the restart. I tend to zone out watching the driving tasks so that might be an issue.

Poor Michael and Moe. Guess the Race isn't for them.

[EllenB]

Kinda scary that two cops are so direction-challenged, both in the following directions sense, and knowing where the heck they are in  going from point A to point B. Nice guys, but really bad racers.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

At least a few teams talked about what they'd done during the down time to improve their racing. 

I don't believe that the "tossing" task was evenly judged. 

[Tdoc72]

2 hours ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

As for why he muses that he should have done it, it could be a case of him mugging for the cameras, knowing he was disallowed.

Snipped by me 

If they showed him musing about it once, it would’ve been fine. But they showed him talking about it 4-5 times. It was so annoying. I really hope he was appreciative & thankful when she was done and they just didn’t show us for whatever reason. If not, then yes, he sucks. I think there’s a line between motivating (like he claimed) and being a jerk. I’d be interested what he thinks about these episodes. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by Tdoc72

[30 Helens]

Well, I guess this proves that the first two eliminations were not just bad luck. Honestly, the finished belt was right there, why not take a look at it? Through every fault of their own, the cops are now officially the Francesquas* of TAR.

The flight attendants thought their knowledge of airports would give them an edge. Oh, well.

Beautiful scenery. I won’t mind reduced travel if it allows us to spend more time with the local nature porn.

I know the hetero married couple dropped out because they have a newborn, and the dating couple dropped out because they broke up (shocker!), but does anyone know why the gay married couple and the train friends decided not to return? 

Finally, yes @Lantern7, Drag Race is good! Give it a try!

*for Survivor fans only. With spelling by Philip.

[SHD]

47 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

Honestly, the finished belt was right there, why not take a look at it? 

I think only we got to see the finished belt to show when they got it right. Didn’t the contestants have to read a story, figure out the order of the symbols, etc.? I don’t think just copying a belt would’ve been a hard enough task because the actual handiwork didn’t seem that hard. But maybe I misunderstood?

[mertensia]

9 minutes ago, SHD said:

I think only we got to see the finished belt to show when they got it right. Didn’t the contestants have to read a story, figure out the order of the symbols, etc.? I don’t think just copying a belt would’ve been a hard enough task because the actual handiwork didn’t seem that hard. But maybe I misunderstood?

That's certainly what Natalie implied.

[mojoween]

At the beginning they had to get into three buses, but then all ended up in the same gondola, so what was the point of the three buses?

I really want to like Akbar, but it’s frustrating to watch him go through the leg so miserable and unsupportive when things are tough, but then sunshine and roses when he gets good news.

I can’t help it … for the rest of the race, I’m going to be distracted by mask usage and protocols.

[Fake Jan Brady]

8 hours ago, meatball77 said:

Sherri and Akbar have been married a while and he's a coach.  I suspect that she just stays out of situations where he would feel the need to coach her.  If I went on TAR with my husband we would probably resemble Zach and Flo, I'd be crying and he'd be raging and nagging, which is why I'd never go on TAR with my husband.

Zach was an absolute saint with the high maintenance Flo: he never lost his cool despite her many tantrums. He deserved all the prize money.

There have been plenty of dicky male partners over the years to use as examples, Akbar being the latest version.

[Netfoot]

17 minutes ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

There have been plenty of dicky male partners over the years to use as examples

There have been a few 'dicky' female partners as well. The aforementioned Flo, for example. Or Hayley of Hayley & Blair (TAR26). 

(Full disclosure: While recognizing her 'dicky-ness', I love Flo.)

Edited January 20, 2022 by Netfoot
Because FLO is not FLOW.

[Michichick]

4 hours ago, SHD said:

I think only we got to see the finished belt to show when they got it right. Didn’t the contestants have to read a story, figure out the order of the symbols, etc.? I don’t think just copying a belt would’ve been a hard enough task because the actual handiwork didn’t seem that hard. But maybe I misunderstood?

You understood correctly. Natalia said that the example belt that the judge was working in was just to show them the technique, and the racers had to do a belt with a different story. I don’t think the correct belt with the racers’ story was available for the racers to see.

[Haleth]

Wow.  The two already eliminated teams end up at the back of the pack again.  They were even passed by pokey Akbar and Shari.  That confirms their lack of racing ability.  

19 minutes ago, Michichick said:

You understood correctly. Natalia said that the example belt that the judge was working in was just to show them the technique, and the racers had to do a belt with a different story. I don’t think the correct belt with the racers’ story was available for the racers to see.

Ah, that makes sense.  I was wondering why the cops didn't just look at the example.

It's painful to watch Shari struggle and Akbar yell at her.  The other racers were more encouraging than her own husband.  Has he done a roadblock yet?  It's a shame that his size prevented him from doing the mountain challenge, forcing Shari to have to do tasks that terrify her.  What made them think they had the physical qualifications to race?  Yet they still managed to finish ahead of the two returning teams.  We didn't see all of their flag routine so I'm wondering if the judge graded them on a curve.  

[Jodithgrace]

I get that the sample belt was a different story, but surely the sample would have shown if the story started at the buckle end or the holes end. The cops just seem to have randomly chosen a direction and kept going with it, without ever checking the sample to see if they were doing it correctly. Nobody seemed to have a problem with the story itself. Pretty funny that they got eliminated first, twice. 

I guess there is going to be a lot more bunching because of the chartered flights, buses, etc. But at least the tasks, and the self driving enabled some separation, so that there were clear leg winners and losers. After the roadblock I was thinking, is everybody (except Shari and Akbar) going to show up at the mat at the same time?

Edited January 20, 2022 by Jodithgrace

[Taeolas]

Yeah the Demo belt had a different story. But if the CopTeam were more observant, they could probably have seen on the demo belt which direction the symbols were going and then being able to tell which way the story was to go.  Some of the symbols didn't seem to have an up/down orientation, but most of them did and that would tell them which way to go. 

It'll be interesting to see how the race unfolds from here on. I'm sure they refined the COVID rules and contact with the locals as the race went on. 

And I'm still mostly going for Kim and Penn. They seem so well suited to eachother, and very supportive. Last ep/a year+ ago, we saw how Kim could refocus Penn when he's about to blow up. This time we saw how Penn listened to Kim and let her take the break she needed and supported her through it. 

Granted, at that point they knew they were still at the front of the pack; there was another team with them and at least one or two other teams in the next gym over, so the pressure isn't as intense. Hopefully they remain strong and supportive, even when they inevitably have a leg where they're towards the back of the pack. 

[ProfCrash]

4 hours ago, SHD said:

I think only we got to see the finished belt to show when they got it right. Didn’t the contestants have to read a story, figure out the order of the symbols, etc.? I don’t think just copying a belt would’ve been a hard enough task because the actual handiwork didn’t seem that hard. But maybe I misunderstood?

 

30 minutes ago, Michichick said:

You understood correctly. Natalia said that the example belt that the judge was working in was just to show them the technique, and the racers had to do a belt with a different story. I don’t think the correct belt with the racers’ story was available for the racers to see.

They did have to tell the story, I am not sure if the belt was an exact replica or not, probably not, but they could have looked at the sample to figure out where the story began and ended. The Racing Cops didn't do that. They started it on the opposite end of the belt, they actually mentioned that a few times. It also looks like they had to nail in all the holes and each of the decorations had a bunch of holes so it could have been far more time consuming then we think. It might have been the easy but long, if you pay attention to detail, task. 

Arun and Natalia would have finished higher up if they hadn't gotten lost. Again. Their navigation is what killed them in Scotland. I saw other teams writing down the directions that people were giving them which seemed to be a learned trait because I don't remember seeing anyone do that in the first three legs.

ETA: Penn is the opposite of Akbar. He might love to mug but he is supportive of Kim, and vice versa. You can see how they work as a team. They both have had moments where the other has needed to provide comfort and support and they have done just that. 

I did love how excited Dusty and Ryan were to beat Kim and Penn at the flag task. It was more then being in first but knowing that they did better with a task that seemed to be made for Kim and Penn. It was fun to see. And Kim and Penn gave out fist bumps and words of congrats to Dusty and Ryan. I am liking how many of these teams interact with each other and their teammates. So much fun.

[seacliffsal]

I may be wrong, but I have never known of a situation in which someone was struggling and their partner yelling at them to "pick it up" ever led to them actually going faster ("oh, thanks, I didn't realize I should be going faster...").  I am really starting to wonder how Akbar has received such acclaim (even appearing on "Ellen").  If it's hard to hide who one is during stressful times, then being a high school principal would be nothing but stressful (unless he was a figure-head only).  Oh, and as far as his after-school program goes, I wonder just how much of its success is due to Sherri rather than Akbar.

Was sad about the teams that couldn't return.  I know they needed to bring back the eliminated teams to keep numbers, but it's painfully clear why they had already been eliminated.  I was just in shock that Michael and Moe didn't even stop for a moment to rewatch the demonstration (especially to see which direction the presenter was putting the medals onto the belt).  It's the same from the previous episode when Arun and Natalie switched tasks rather than just taking a moment to rewatch the barrel demonstration to see if they were doing it correctly (they weren't).  

That mountain task was scary to me.  But, I really liked that each participant had a safety handler and that the handlers themselves were very encouraging to the participants.

I really, really, really like self-navigating on the race (and always have!) and so am glad that there will be more of it.  Hilarity will ensue!

[Netfoot]

8 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm calling Akbar "Pepe" until further notice.

I actually like Pepé Le Pew. I think that Akbar would more accurately be called "Le Pew" or "The Stink".

54 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Arun and Natalia would have finished higher up if they hadn't gotten lost. Again. Their navigation is what killed them in Scotland.

They didn't simply go awry. They went in 180° the wrong direction! Their navigation is abysmal. They have survived two legs by the skin of their teeth, and done reasonably well (3rd?) in one leg. I kinda like them, but if they don't start taking navigation seriously, they won't be with us much longer. As things stand, Next Out is very likely.

1 hour ago, Taeolas said:

Yeah the Demo belt had a different story. But if the CopTeam were more observant, they could probably have seen on the demo belt which direction the symbols were going and then being able to tell which way the story was to go.

Toatly this! Their story was correct, but they just didn't pick up the clue that would have given them the  proper orientation. And given the 50/50 chance of getting it right, they rolled the dice and lost.

2 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

That mountain task was scary to me.  But, I really liked that each participant had a safety handler and that the handlers themselves were very encouraging to the participants.

I'm shocked that TPTB felt they needed a wrangler for each participant. You could probably have walked down to the cluebox and back without the least difficulty. The clip-on safety line was more than enough to compensate for nerves and the desire to rush. Perhaps the operators of the "ride" insisted? 

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

Penn is the opposite of Akbar. He might love to mug but he is supportive of Kim, and vice versa. You can see how they work as a team.

They may be good people and good racers (They're certainly getting a Winner's Edit) but I find they rub me the wrong way. It isn't like I hate them and want them to die, but if (as has been suggested elsewhere) that's how they are IRL, then I wouldn't want to have much to do with them IRL either.

[ProfCrash]

3 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I may be wrong, but I have never known of a situation in which someone was struggling and their partner yelling at them to "pick it up" ever led to them actually going faster ("oh, thanks, I didn't realize I should be going faster...").  I am really starting to wonder how Akbar has received such acclaim (even appearing on "Ellen").  If it's hard to hide who one is during stressful times, then being a high school principal would be nothing but stressful (unless he was a figure-head only).  Oh, and as far as his after-school program goes, I wonder just how much of its success is due to Sherri rather than Akbar.

 

There are plenty of Coaches who spend time in practice yelling at players for their lack of effort or that they could do more. Some athletes swear by that method and others crumble. Coaches like Bobby Knight and Tom Izzo (College basketball) have lots of players who swear that playing for them with their style of in your face yelling and the like worked wonders. I went to MSU and am most familiar with Big Ten basketball, I know plenty of other Coaches in other conferences coach the same way, you can see it on the sidelines. Investigations into football programs were a person died due to heat stroke normally point back to Coaches who are in the yell, scream, berate for lack of effort, and deny water breaks because people are being wimps category. I am not saying that Akbar is that type of a Coach that denies water breaks but I suspect he sees his comments as motivating and useful because that is how he was coached and how he coaches. It really seems to be an ingrained coaching method that continues to be passed down. 

His after school program probably is a joint effort, the show makes it clear that Sheri is involved with that program. I would bet that she was involved in the Ellen show. 

I don't deny that he has done some great things to help kids in trouble in his community. I bet that there are football players he has coached who swear by his methods and others who don't appreciate it, that is normal for coaching. I don't appreciate his style of coaching but I don't think it is something he is capable of really able to change at this point. He seems to acknowledge that it is a problem in interviews but he cannot turn it off during the actual event. 

 

[Bumblebee84047]

Ryan: "I'm used to being locked down."  He deserves a million dollars just for that!

[bearcatfan]

I have Paramount+ and there are a lot of extra videos on there. It sounds like there was nothing that said Akbar was too big to do it, that was a Sherri assumption. Akbar was then upset with himself because he let Sherri do it when he saw that she was struggling. I think it was part not liking to see her struggle and being last. He mentioned that she was starting to get anxious on the ride up. However, Sherri was happy that she did it and proud of herself. Of course this was after she knew they weren’t last. 

[Lady Calypso]

It was good to get back to the race and seeing how things have changed since February 2020. Seeing far less people in the background (I imagine either the crew had to clear the areas during filming or they got lucky with how few people were in the locations), them having to take their own personal planes to the destinations, seeing them wear masks in some public areas, and even the change of the first place prize, it really puts into perspective how things will change going forward. 

I totally understand how stress gets to people. Some handle it well, others not so much. I know I'd be a huge bundle of nerves and I would not react well if I was ever on the show, which is why I don't think I could do it. And I totally get how Akbar was feeling like he should have done the task since he didn't know for sure if this cost them the leg. That being said, I was getting frustrated with HOW many times he kept saying how he should have done it, how he regretted letting Sherri do it, how he wished he was doing it, etc. It just makes it seem like he doesn't trust his own wife and I wouldn't be saying that if he hadn't also criticized her in earlier legs. This is a pattern with him, and I don't love it. He may not have yelled at her this time, but him repeatedly making it clear about his feelings about her doing the detour to the cameras does say a lot. I was happy when she talked about how proud she was for conquering her fear. Because, yes, they didn't win the leg and they almost lost, but even if they HAD lost, I think Sherri should still be proud of what she accomplished. The journey is just as important as the destination. 

So, clearly, the Belt task was the exact wrong task to choose, as even Sherri and Akbar managed to get ahead of them at the end. Even if Arun/Natalia didn't get horribly lost at the end, I think the Flag task was easier, faster, and potentially closer to the Pit Stop. 

Kim seems great, Penn's energy is a bit too much for me, but I do enjoy seeing them do well. 

The two all women teams can stuff it. Yes, it must suck that Ryan/Dusty are doing well. But answering Phil's question and pointing fingers at Ryan/Dusty for doing well is...something else. Either we're missing the context of Ryan/Dusty acting cocky, or they're overexaggerating and salty because the men are doing well.

Shame about Michael/Moe, but it's clear that they weren't cut out for the race, even after 19 months. Same with Arun/Natalia, who got lost and almost lost.

[bunnyface]

One thing we wondered about, if anyone knows, is at what point did the eliminated teams learn they were going to be able to run again?  I mean, the other teams knew they were returning *at some point* and had time to learn to drive stick, etc.  But did the other two teams know all along they were going to have another shot or were they called at the last minute and therefore, didn't spend time learning to read a map or learning to pay attention to anything (M&M)?  I just wonder if they were called up out of the blue and went for it (as you would), but weren't any better prepared than they were the first time?

[AZChristian]

49 minutes ago, Bumblebee84047 said:

Ryan: "I'm used to being locked down."  He deserves a million dollars just for that!

I thought that line was AWESOME, too.  BTW, he got about $11,000,000 for the wrongful imprisonment . . . but he still deserves another million for that line.

Regarding Akbar and Sherry.  I rewatched the beginning this morning.  I didn't see anything about his not being able to do that task because of his weight.  He said, "This has 'jumping off something' written all over it.  If it's skydiving, she's got it."  Well, it wasn't skydiving, but it required courage.  That's what he didn't have.  It looks to me that Sherry is close to Akbar in weight (his long bones are heavy). Next week looks to be bungee jumping - that's more likely to have weight restrictions. 

It appears that they discussed it and she said (to the camera, "Akbar's too big for this."  She then looked at him and said, "I've got this one."  He looked at her and said, "You sure?"  She said, "Yeah."  That doesn't sound like he couldn't do it, it sounded like he didn't WANT to do it.  So she's gonna get stuck on two height-related tasks in a row.

[sugarbaker design]

4 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

That doesn't sound like he couldn't do it, it sounded like he didn't WANT to do it.  So she's gonna get stuck on two height-related tasks in a row.

Exactly.  No one in production said he was too big to do the roadblock.  Only Sheri said that.  He was in fact too big, too big of a pussy.

Sheri has my utmost admiration.  First for doing and completing the challenge, then for not reacting to Akbar's attitude during the color guard challenge.  If he had looked at me the way he looked at her he'd be in a Swiss hospital getting a flag pole extracted from his ass.

[Chicago Redshirt]

15 minutes ago, bunnyface said:

One thing we wondered about, if anyone knows, is at what point did the eliminated teams learn they were going to be able to run again?  I mean, the other teams knew they were returning *at some point* and had time to learn to drive stick, etc.  But did the other two teams know all along they were going to have another shot or were they called at the last minute and therefore, didn't spend time learning to read a map or learning to pay attention to anything (M&M)?  I just wonder if they were called up out of the blue and went for it (as you would), but weren't any better prepared than they were the first time?

Pure speculation, but I would assume that production would have told all the eliminated teams when the Race was suspended something like: "We're hoping to restart the Race. In the event that we do and some of the current teams cannot make it, would you be interested in a second shot?" I imagine TPTB are meticulous planners and the possibility that some of the current teams could not or would not want to go would have to have occurred to them upfront.  And while they also presumably could have thrown in a couple all new teams in the mix if they had wanted, it makes sense to include teams that they and the viewers would already "know."

Even if they thought "Hey, this Covid thing is going to die down in a month or two, so we don't need to have backups for teams right now," once that proved wrong and it became clearer to most (say in June 2020) that life was not going to be back to normal anytime shortly, I would assume TPTB would have then reached out.  

Whether the eliminated teams thought "Hey, we're going to put the time in to become better racers on the chance that a) they even revive the Race in the face of Covid and b) they choose us because enough teams drop out" is another story. 

I have literally dreamed about being on the Amazing Race at least twice. But I don't know if I would want to do it against the backdrop of Covid. 

[DEL901]

Regarding the teams that didn’t return, I’ve put a link in the media page linking to an article with the details.