S33.E04: Ready to Restart the Race

[greyhorse]

11 hours ago, vousviou said:

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.

 

11 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

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. 

The physical issue is that the wife is probably one of the most out of shape racers in the history of the show.  If I knew I was coming back on the race at some point, I would have used quarantine time to at least improve my fitness if I knew that was a problem.  The wrongly prisoned guy and his buddy talked about how they did a lot of mountain hiking to train.  Doesn't seem like this woman even rode a stationary bike.

Yes, she has a fear of heights and that's what slowed her down.  But also climbing up and down the mountain was challenging for her.  After getting the clue, you saw her just walking slowly back, huffing and puffing.  Whereas we saw Penn sprinting back up the mountain.

I didn't understand the "He's too big" comment.  He's too big that he can't walk on a one foot ledge?  His feet are three times the size of a normal human?  I thought that there had to be a weight restriction and that's why Akbar couldn't do it.  But if that really was the case, then why did Akbar keep saying at least five times "I should have done this one?"  I would think that if there was a rule that prevented him from doing it, he would have been on camera saying something like "I wish I could do this one but they're saying I'm too heavy."  

They should let out of shape woman do the tasks that don't require anything physical.  Such as just getting strapped up and bungee jumping.  Anything that involves any physical exertion, they should let Akbar do.

I didn't understand why the cops couldn't understand the belt.  You go from left to right, and it makes sense that you start at the buckle.  I don't know if there was a sample belt to look at (I doubt they would have shown the one with the right order), but come on, it wasn't that hard.

So Asian woman and white husband had baby.  Love Island couple obviously broke up.  What was the reason why husbands and Spencer/other guy didn't come back?  Anyone know?

[Haleth]

24 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

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.  

I also wonder how much longer they would have delayed before deciding to scrap the whole thing. 

[bunnyface]

13 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

 

The physical issue is that the wife is probably one of the most out of shape racers in the history of the show.  If I knew I was coming back on the race at some point, I would have used quarantine time to at least improve my fitness if I knew that was a problem.  The wrongly prisoned guy and his buddy talked about how they did a lot of mountain hiking to train.  Doesn't seem like this woman even rode a stationary bike.

 

 

But to be fair, the guys are not raising two kids (and a husband) and running a family and an after-school program.  At what point was she supposed to magically produce an extra 12 hours a day to train and the $$$ to leave home and go mountain climbing and hire someone else to run her life?  I obviously don't know, but in my mind, I don't see Akbar saying "yes, honey, you spend the weekend hiking and I'll take care of everything here."  There is a world of difference between being a single man (are they single?) and a married woman with kids.   However, I do think she did "something" because she does appear to be in slightly better shape than the first round.  Not Racing shape, but somewhat better.  

P.S. I have dreamed or fantasized or whatever about being on the Race a thousand times.  But every one of those dreams includes the reality that I would probably die in the first leg.  I'm not in Racing shape either.  

Edited January 20, 2022 by bunnyface

[sugarbaker design]

12 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I didn't understand why the cops couldn't understand the belt.

The same reason they were wallpapering the graffiti art willy-nilly.  They are dumb.

[iMonrey]

I've grown increasingly critical of the simplicity and ease of the challenges for several years now, but given the new Covid restrictions, I'm going to give this season a pass on that. For now. The Roadblock was typical of the kind of challenges we get nowadays: visually arresting, but not terribly difficult for the racers and with very little opportunity to shuffle placements. I don't think they could pass anyone when they were clipped to the guide rope, and the fact that they were tethered to a guide pretty much eliminates the chance of someone just sitting their ass down and quitting.

The Detour options both made me wonder why we don't get a "time elapsed" chyron on the various challenges, because it would be interesting to know exactly how long each team had to practice the flag waving before trying to perform it, and how long each team actually took to do the Roadbock and the Detour. 

I guess we have more self-navigation chaos to look forward to, so that's something at least.

I'm terribly disappointed that Spencer and Anthony could not return to the race but I don't much care about the other three teams. That said, there's a reason the cops and the father/daughter team were out first and second, and coming back for a second chance might end up being something they regret. Those cops are going to get all kinds of shit from their co-workers.

Rooting for Ryan and Dusty, but I wouldn't mind Kim and Penn. The rest are just kind of meh.

[ProfCrash]

53 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?

 

28 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

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. 

I don't know the time line, I have not seen that published yet. I do know that Penn and Kim said no the first time that they were asked and yes the second because the coordinators were able to lay out all the safety protocols they were going to be employing. I would guess that there was a hard no from the other married couple because she was pregnant and Caro and Ray had already broken up. So Producers should have known quickly they had 2 hard "nos" and probably then asked the eliminated teams back.

In one of Kim and Penn's video Penn said Kim made him take an orienteering class at REI. He found it funny because he earned the rank of Eagle Scout, which requires merit badges on map reading and the like. He also said he learned a ton in the class. There is no good reason for Arun and Natalia or the Cops to have done something similar or watch some freaking YouTube videos on reading a map or orienteering if they only had a short period of time to get ready for the race. 

I will point out that all participants were required to be vaccinated so I would guess that Production was talking with everyone, including the eliminated teams, about returning and making sure that they were vaccinated. That was a 6 week long process initially, because Pfizer and Moderna were the first approved. J&J still would have required a 3 week lead time. More then enough time to learn how to read a freaking map or deal with directions.

As for Akbar and Sheri, I only made my comment that Sheri felt like she had to do it because she said that and the way she said it made it sound like there was some type of restriction in play. We saw that there was a task that one of the Globetrotters couldn't do because of his height so I don't think that it is a stretch to say that there might have been a restriction in play. 

It is confusing because Akbar's statements when waiting for Sheri to come back sure make it seem like there was not a restriction in play. Maybe Sheri was wrong and was using that logic to justify doing something that terrified her, I don't know. 

And yes, Akbar and Sheri were working during the Pandemic, lots of people were. They didn't have to exercise for 12 hours a day to get into better shape. They could have watched YouTube exercise videos for 45-60 minutes a day and greatly improved their condition. They would have lost weight, improved cardio, and improved muscle tone. There is no indication that they did anything along those lines. I am a part of the cult of Peloton. I know people who were improvising weights at home because it was near impossible to find weights during 2020 and into 2021. If people could find the time to lift water bottles at home, Akbar and Sheri should have been able to do something. 

Forgetting about the fact that they knew they could be back on the race, the race should have shown both of them that they were not in great shape and it would be a good idea to find away to take better care of themselves. 

[vousviou]

42 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

The physical issue is that the wife is probably one of the most out of shape racers in the history of the show.

I think a lack of fitness is clear but I also wonder if more is going on, possibly even contributing to the fitness issue. 

She was a former Division 1 college basketball player, and while I've known former athletes who have gone seriously out of shape, the only top level ones I've known who move so tentatively even from a resting state are ones who have had major injuries -- blown out knees, bad discs, etc.

I'm sure she never played at the level of Sheryl Swopes or Diana Taurasi, but even benchwarmers for minor Div 1 level teams are very good athletes. To my eye there is something more than just fitness, time and having kids at work. 

Edited January 20, 2022 by vousviou

[Lovecat]

8 minutes ago, vousviou said:

She was a former Division 1 college basketball player, and while I've known former athletes who have gone seriously out of shape, the only top level ones I've known who move so tentatively even from a resting state are ones who have had major injuries -- blown out knees, bad discs, etc.

I was wondering the same thing...I would have been moving the same way, not because I am afraid of heights but I fell last year and splintered my humerus and am terrified of falling and injuring myself again!  I'm working hard on my strength and balance, though, so maybe someday I'll be able to walk a rocky path with more confidence.  Also, that altitude is no joke, and could wreak havoc on someone with an average fitness level.

[Seelouis]

47 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

The same reason they were wallpapering the graffiti art willy-nilly.  They are dumb.

Also, if you truly are not sure which of two ways to do something is correct, and you see the other team doing it one way, copy them! That way, if it’s wrong, you both have to start over. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

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.

I think the grousing about Ryan and Dusty doing well was tongue-in-cheek, at least on Raquel/Cayla's part. Phil asked a leading question about girl power (probably knowing that they'd been talking about it in interviews), so they went with it, and it turned into some good natured digs at the guys. So I don't think it was salty at all.

[aghst]

12 hours ago, GenerationX said:

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.

I think navigation was obviously a problem. 

Thing is, these days people would use GPS.  I know travel is central to the game but people wouldn't be driving thees day only using paper maps.  Seems like the eliminated team not only departed for the pit stop later, they also got lost.

But they want to keep the format of the partner being in the back being the navigator so that there might be some conflict if they're having problems finding their destination.

Or is it because they have to have the camera crew on the right side of the car that they can't have both racers in the front seats?  Have they not heard of dash visor cams?

Seemed a long shot that the couple who left the mountain the last were able to ace the flag tossing.  Did they pass on the first attempt?

The peak they went to is Santis, SW of St. Gallen where they started.  The cable car is only like 10 minutes to climb and descend, despite being 8200 feet above sea level because they're already at high elevations.

 

[Lady Calypso]

9 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

I think the grousing about Ryan and Dusty doing well was tongue-in-cheek, at least on Raquel/Cayla's part. Phil asked a leading question about girl power (probably knowing that they'd been talking about it in interviews), so they went with it, and it turned into some good natured digs at the guys. So I don't think it was salty at all.

I'm happy to be wrong and have misread that entire exchange. It was definitely a moment that stuck out to me while watching it so I'm happy to be wrong on my assumption.

[sugarbaker design]

21 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

Phil asked a leading question about girl power (probably knowing that they'd been talking about it in interviews), so they went with it, and it turned into some good natured digs at the guys. So I don't think it was salty at all.

No salt, with tongue firmly in cheek.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, sugarbaker design said:

The same reason they were wallpapering the graffiti art willy-nilly.  They are dumb.

Unkind! But probably correct.....

21 minutes ago, aghst said:

I know travel is central to the game but people wouldn't be driving thees day only using paper maps.

A few years ago on a road trip in another country, we planned to use GPS navigation systems... which we did. Except when we lost connectivity for several hours one day. Good thing, then, that we had a complete set of road maps for the entire country with us, and knew how to use them! Certain life-skills you should learn, whether you're going on the race or not!

 

[Runningwild]

Akbar is awful. If he wants to be a good example to his kids, speak proper English and love, support and encourage your wife. Asshat. 

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I was sure that Akbar and Sheri were out because of his expressions during her talking heads about the mountain task. Even for the camera, he couldn't fake being happy and proud of her. 

[Sarahsmile416]

3 minutes ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

I was sure that Akbar and Sheri were out because of his expressions during her talking heads about the mountain task. Even for the camera, he couldn't fake being happy and proud of her. 

As awful as he was on the mountain, I thought he was worse during the flag tossing.   She is a better person than I am…I might have just tossed the flag at him.  

[aghst]

28 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

A few years ago on a road trip in another country, we planned to use GPS navigation systems... which we did. Except when we lost connectivity for several hours one day. Good thing, then, that we had a complete set of road maps for the entire country with us, and knew how to use them! Certain life-skills you should learn, whether you're going on the race or not!

 

I used paper maps for decades before I went GPS.

I would pull over and check paper maps more than once during a drive in an unfamiliar place.  Would have to find where I was to get a sense or how much further I had to go or even to make sure I was on the correct path.

It used to be Garmin devices on which I'd spend time and money downloading new maps of foreign countries.

Then with smart phones, I just decided I would pay for mobile data to have flexibility, like during a drive it would let me detour.

There are times when you drive in rural areas where you lose connectivity.  But the way Google Maps works is that when you calculate the route at the start of the trip, it will keep tracking even if you lose data connections during the drive.  The GPS will keep tracking unless you're in some canyon or something.

Or navigation apps will let you download maps for offline use.  But it's rare that you lose connectivity and can't have it recalculate the directions.

[ProfCrash]

We have a book of maps in the car as a back up. I know how to use them. We'll end up teaching our son because it is a good life skill to have. But I prefer using the GPS because I have a sucky sense of direction. That said, knowing how to navigate using a map is a Race basic. Buy a book of maps when you start interviewing and start picking places to go and navigate using the map book. 

[blackwing]

 With the four teams that didn't return, the race lost 6 of the 10 remaining minority contestants, so in addition to bringing back the two eliminated teams for numbers, it also helped to replace some lost diversity.  I do wish Phil could have made a brief comment on air as to why each of the other teams couldn't return.  And maybe as he is doing a voiceover, there could be an updated picture of each team.  We shouldn't have to resort to google to find out why teams didn't come back.

Considering that we lost four teams and only two came back, I was surprised this leg wasn't a non-elimination.  How tough to get eliminated, be absent for 19 months, get a second chance, only to make similar mistakes as the last time.  I think Phil was expecting some to say it was unfair that eliminated teams were brought back, but as one said, it allowed the race to continue so it's all good.  I'm sure it didn't hurt that everyone viewed those two teams as terrible and cannon fodder.  I do wonder what would have happened if they invited two past teams who were early boots.  Like from Season 32, the Olympic hurdlers, the bickering sisters Victoria and Michelle, or the father/son Jerry and Frank.  It would have been nice to have given another two teams a second chance.  Because they were early boots, it could have lessened the perceived unfairness.

Mike and Moe, the only team in TAR history to get eliminated first two times, if we consider the restart and second boot as a "first out".  I guess they now can join Francesca from Survivor in some dubious company.  Sad for them but they were truly hapless.  My wife was shocked that they were cops, considering how incompetent they were at following instructions and navigating themselves.  You would think cops by the nature of their profession would have trained themselves to have developed a keen sense of observation (Sarah Lacina:  "I'm a cop, I nooootice things") and better driving/direction skills.  I have to wonder how good they are at their jobs.  Maybe they are like public relations cops, the Officer Friendly who gets sent to schools to sing and give motivational speeches.

Not sure why they had so many issues with the belt.  It looked to me that the belt already had prepunched holes for where the center of the emblems should have been placed, and one of them said something like "I found another hole".  That's how both teams were able to space out the emblems so perfectly.  But they should have watched the guy working on his sample and noticed the guy was working from left to right.  Why on earth would they put the symbols in order but then have them coming from the wrong direction?  Considering that everything in most parts of the world (in particular, US and Switzerland) is read from left to right.

14 hours ago, mojoween said:

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 think they heard or saw that you would have to walk along a narrow path against a cliff and they thought he was too big to walk along a narrow path?  I guess he realized there was no restriction and that's why he kept on saying it.  When she got back, he at least could have told her he was proud of her, instead of just saying "well we are last".

13 hours ago, North of Eden said:

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'm right there with you.  I really dislike this team.  Oddly, one of the many things I didn't like about him was his unkempt hair, so at least he got it cut this time around.  But I was hoping for him to trip and fall, to show that you don't always have to be trying to get ahead in life, in the end, it really doesn't make that much of a difference.  He is almost certainly the guy that is weaving in and out of traffic, just so he can get to his destination a few seconds faster.  I agree that Kim's flag was all furled up, if the judges are going to be so exact on the moves and the look, why allow her to pass?  She clearly must have done something wrong with her movements in order to get the flag furled, since nobody else did that.

12 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

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?

Agreed, I am shocked that Phil has never won.  He was nominated four years in a row in the second to fifth year the award existed, and lost to Jeff Probst three of those times.  Hasn't been nominated in years, while RuPaul has won the past SIX years in a row.  Nothing against RuPaul, but what does Phil have to do to get an Emmy?

4 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

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?

I don't understand why those three minibuses ("first come first serve" as Phil said) didn't have 15 minute staggered departure times.  Would have spaced the teams out more.  

 

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

I think the grousing about Ryan and Dusty doing well was tongue-in-cheek, at least on Raquel/Cayla's part. Phil asked a leading question about girl power (probably knowing that they'd been talking about it in interviews), so they went with it, and it turned into some good natured digs at the guys. So I don't think it was salty at all.

I think it was indeed a leading question, but they were talking about girl power and how they wanted either them or the Twin Twits to win even before he asked them.  It's clear they don't want a team of two men to win.  They mentioned that it's been a long time since an all-female team has won.  They seem to view a team of two alpha males as the worst kind of winner.  I agree it's been a long time since an all-female team has won (Season 25, Amy and Maya, the food chemists).  But it's been an even longer time since an alpha male team has won (Season 22, Bates and Anthony, the hockey players).  A good majority of the teams that have won in the intervening years were male/female couples.  I wouldn't call Will and James from last season an alpha male team... the alpha male teams were quite clearly the volleyball brothers and the football players.

[Netfoot]

3 minutes ago, aghst said:

Or navigation apps will let you download maps for offline use.  But it's rare that you lose connectivity and can't have it recalculate the directions.

I found that out after we had our outage and had to switch to paper. Made sure each night thereafter to download the map for the following day in case we had to go offline again.

Obviously, online is better, because apart from suggesting routes, we were also informed of traffic hot-spots and other issues that changed dynamically in real-time as the day progressed, and even altered the recommended route ahead to compensate.

Not to mention that the additional daily charge for GPS nav systems in the rented vehicle(s) was exorbitant. We worked out it was cheaper to actually buy an 11" tablet and use that with Google Maps, so we did that. And Google maps will also allow you to type in "coffee" or "pizza" and have a bunch of pins pop up along the route. The in-dash nav system couldn't do that for us.

5 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Nothing against RuPaul, but what does Phil have to do to get an Emmy?

I'd tell you, but I'd get Philiminated.

 

[kris4n6]

2 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

The same reason they were wallpapering the graffiti art willy-nilly.  They are dumb.

I saw on another forum that someone paused and read the directions for the belt task, and it clearly said to start the story at the buckle.

So yeah, seem to be nice guys but I think your assessment is correct.

[Lantern7]

10 minutes ago, blackwing said:

 Nothing against RuPaul, but what does Phil have to do to get an Emmy?

Host two shows? Hey, wait a minute . . .

[proserpina65]

14 hours 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. 

On one hand, I wanted Akbar off my tv so I was hoping they'd be eliminated, but on the other hand, I did want Sheri to be rewarded for completing a task which probably would've killed me.

2 hours ago, greyhorse said:

What was the reason why husbands and Spencer/other guy didn't come back?

The timing didn't work out for Spencer & Anthony - apparently one of them had just gotten a new job and couldn't really take the time off.

14 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

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.

I think the previous 19 months put a lot of things in a different perspective for everyone involved with the Race.

 

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

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? 

Some of the path had a pretty steep drop off, so it doesn't surprise me at all that the racers had to be clipped to someone for safety reasons.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

I'm happy to be wrong and have misread that entire exchange. It was definitely a moment that stuck out to me while watching it so I'm happy to be wrong on my assumption.

It's just my interpretation as well, so you could be right. Maybe it's a bit of both. No one knows for sure except them. I volunteer to ask them later 🥰

[proserpina65]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The Roadblock was typical of the kind of challenges we get nowadays: visually arresting, but not terribly difficult for the racers and with very little opportunity to shuffle placements. I don't think they could pass anyone when they were clipped to the guide rope, and the fact that they were tethered to a guide pretty much eliminates the chance of someone just sitting their ass down and quitting.

Actually they did have the opportunity to pass.  Penn passed more than one team on that task and I think Arun might've as well.  And given that everyone going back up had to pass Sheri, who was still coming down, on the guide rope, that wasn't much of an impediment either.

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

A few years ago on a road trip in another country, we planned to use GPS navigation systems... which we did. Except when we lost connectivity for several hours one day. Good thing, then, that we had a complete set of road maps for the entire country with us, and knew how to use them! Certain life-skills you should learn, whether you're going on the race or not!

Yep, I have never used gps, and am reluctant to trust it after a friend's made us go in a circle for absolutely no reason whatsoever on two different trips to Atlantic City.  It's not always better.

 

[Netfoot]

5 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I have never used gps, and am reluctant to trust it after a friend's made us go in a circle for absolutely no reason whatsoever on two different trips to Atlantic City.  It's not always better.

There are stories of Google Maps directing people to drive into a river. On our trip, Maps told us to drive down this road, in order to get to Foreland Light (white cliffs of Dover).

Obviously we chose not to. And as we were very close to destination we simply parked and walked the remainder of the way, eating blackberries we found along the way.

Mapping software can be very helpful indeed, but mustn't be followed slavishly. We frequently ignored the voice and went off-route when it suited us. I wonder what a self-driving car would have done had it arrived at that footpath, leading to the lighthouse?

[MerBearHou]

I really don't think Mike and Moe are dumb at all.  I think neither has an artistic bone in their body because both eliminations involved blowing a visual challenge.  My husband is the same way and in a competition, he would have just hurriedly launched into those challenges without taking a few minutes to really "see" what needs to be done.  

Edited January 20, 2022 by MerBearHou

[blackwing]

I'm very happy to see the teams having to drive themselves, and to have to navigate themselves.  It reminds me of the earlier days of TAR.  Were the two trailing teams so used to GPS and iPhones that they can't even navigate at all?  They were both going completely the wrong direction.

I'm assuming the show obtains cars that don't have a navigation system.  Does the show also provide maps for them?  I recall in past seasons where Racers obtain maps from a car rental agency or have to buy a guidebook at the airport.

5 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

There are stories of Google Maps directing people to drive into a river. On our trip, Maps told us to drive down this road, in order to get to Foreland Light (white cliffs of Dover).

Funny enough, my family is watching "The Office" for the first time, and we just watched the Season 4 episode where Michael and Dwight followed the GPS and drove their car off a dock and into a lake.

[proserpina65]

10 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Mapping software can be very helpful indeed, but mustn't be followed slavishly. We frequently ignored the voice

I referred to the voice in my friend's car as "GPS Bitch" after the first AC trip.  Then I saw a House Hunters International a few months ago which featured the woman who does that voice.  Oy.

1 minute ago, blackwing said:

I'm very happy to see the teams having to drive themselves, and to have to navigate themselves.  It reminds me of the earlier days of TAR.  Were the two trailing teams so used to GPS and iPhones that they can't even navigate at all?  They were both going completely the wrong direction.

Some people just have a terrible sense of direction, even with a map.

[blackwing]

1 minute ago, MerBearHou said:

I really don't think Mike and Moe are dumb.  I think neither has an artistic bone in their body because both eliminations involved blowing a visual challenge.  My husband is the same way and he would have just hurriedly launched into those challenges without taking a few minutes to really "see" what needs to be done.  

But I don't think that was an artistic/visual challenge.  It was a physical challenge involving hammering some emblems into a belt.  They had to read a very simple story, identify elements from the story and put them in the correct order.  They had the symbols in the right order... they just put them on backwards.  And that seemed to be purely an exercise in common sense and observation.  Common sense would have told them to start at the buckle and go in order, and observation would have shown them which direction the guy was working.

I'm still going with "dumb".  Sorry.  They seem like nice guys, but pretty dim.

[Tango64]

So apparently Ryan spent the entire 19 months in the gym. 

As for the busses at the beginning, they all ended up leaving at the same time but maybe the producers were hoping that at least one team would be delayed finding the busses and the last bus couldn't leave without the last team on board. Could have created a real gap for two or three teams.

Curious detail: What was the silver handle with a black knob that was so prominent on the back of each bus seat? Just a handhold?

[aghst]

Yeah GPS has taken me on some rural roads where there was barely room for one car in one direction let alone two cars.

In some cases, I didn't take the turn and it recalculates for the most part.

Obviously there are going to be areas where they haven't surveyed the roads recently.  But the point is, GPS software is constantly getting updated maps while paper maps are static.

Then you have the points of interest information, so you can search for parking, restaurants, gas stations or tourist attractions -- you can use it while walking on foot to navigate an unfamiliar town.

 

 

[Rootbeer]

Quote

So Asian woman and white husband had baby.  Love Island couple obviously broke up.  What was the reason why husbands and Spencer/other guy didn't come back?  Anyone know?

Husbands had a death in their immediate family right before the race was to resume.  One of the French train heroes had an injury and couldn't race.

[Taeolas]

I do wonder if they're going to have to reconsider the "No phones/No GPS" rules as technology continues to progress. Sure the self navigating is a good challenge for the race, but more and more it's becoming an artificial limitation.

I'm sure TAR could arrange sponsorship deals with Samsung or some other phone company to provide phones for everyone (to make sure its fair) and each leg/new country they could get SIM cards for local data access (but no phone calling) and make it part of the race. (I'm pretty sure they've had stages in the past where they've had to take selfies with the Travelocity Gnome, so that's 2 sponsorship birds with one task :) )

[ichbin]

3 hours ago, greyhorse said:

The physical issue is that the wife is probably one of the most out of shape racers in the history of the show.  If I knew I was coming back on the race at some point, I would have used quarantine time to at least improve my fitness if I knew that was a problem.  

Not only that.  They had a few segments under their belts before the race was suspended and over a year to analyze and contemplate what they could have done better.  Not just physically, but their interactions and behaviors also. I know the past two years have been stressful, but if someone is really invested in winning the top prize they do whatever they can toward making that a reality. If they have seen any seasons they had to know that just showing up with matching t-shirts isn't enough.  This race tests competitors mentally as well as physically.

As for that mountain task, unless Akbar was specifically told he could take part, why on earth would he allow a partner with an intense fear of heights do that.  I commend her for completing it but when time is a huge factor a sense of self-accomplishment should be taking a back seat.  

 

[ProfCrash]

41 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I really don't think Mike and Moe are dumb at all.  I think neither has an artistic bone in their body because both eliminations involved blowing a visual challenge.  My husband is the same way and in a competition, he would have just hurriedly launched into those challenges without taking a few minutes to really "see" what needs to be done.  

Penn started in on the mural task and Kim stopped him and told him it couldn't be just to put the stuff on the wall. Then they figured out it was a puzzle and did it properly. 

Given that the the Cops already had one massive screw up in a task, you would think that they would have been more careful in reading the clue. They noted that Arun and Natalia were doing the task the opposite of them but didn't look at the sample or re-read the clue. The answer was in both places.

12 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

Husbands had a death in their immediate family right before the race was to resume.  One of the French train heroes had an injury and couldn't race.

Spencer had just started a new job and wasn't able to leave for the Race. The Husbands were actually ready to restart when one of them lost a brother to COVID and they choose to go home to be with family after their loss. 

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

 

Considering that we lost four teams and only two came back, I was surprised this leg wasn't a non-elimination.  How tough to get eliminated, be absent for 19 months, get a second chance, only to make similar mistakes as the last time.  I think Phil was expecting some to say it was unfair that eliminated teams were brought back, but as one said, it allowed the race to continue so it's all good.  I'm sure it didn't hurt that everyone viewed those two teams as terrible and cannon fodder.  I do wonder what would have happened if they invited two past teams who were early boots.  Like from Season 32, the Olympic hurdlers, the bickering sisters Victoria and Michelle, or the father/son Jerry and Frank.  It would have been nice to have given another two teams a second chance.  Because they were early boots, it could have lessened the perceived unfairness.

 

They already had the visas for everyone on this season.  Presumably they will visit a subset of those countries on this abbreviated race.  To get visas for new people from other seasons during COVID would be a monumental undertaking, and probably not possible.  Plus it turns it into a different race with people who didn't have to do the first three legs leapfrogging into the fourth.

I have always hated hearing other people describe how the racers are being "spoonfed" - if they get to use satnav, you'll hear me yelling about it too.

[Lady Calypso]

49 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I really don't think Mike and Moe are dumb at all.  I think neither has an artistic bone in their body because both eliminations involved blowing a visual challenge.  My husband is the same way and in a competition, he would have just hurriedly launched into those challenges without taking a few minutes to really "see" what needs to be done.  

My issue with Mike/Moe is that they saw Arun/Natalia's belt being completely different than theirs and instead of taking a moment to say "hey, we should probably stop and think if we're doing it right. Maybe we should take a look at the demo", they decided to go with "Well, let's just keep going and hope Arun/Natalia are wrong". Which cost them the leg.

So it doesn't have to do with artistic ability, but common sense. When you see that the other team is not doing what you're doing, you have to consider the possibility that you're wrong, not the other team. So they wasted probably 20-30 minutes because of this, depending how long it took them to notice and how long it took them to redo it. I can't remember if they only noticed as Arun/Natalia were finishing or if they noticed earlier, but they also were completely unsure when they started, so maybe they should have made sure first.

[sugarbaker design]

10 minutes ago, ichbin said:

why on earth would he allow a partner with an intense fear of heights do that.

The same reason Sheri is bungee jumping next week.  Akbar's afraid of heights.

[aghst]

37 minutes ago, Taeolas said:

I do wonder if they're going to have to reconsider the "No phones/No GPS" rules as technology continues to progress. Sure the self navigating is a good challenge for the race, but more and more it's becoming an artificial limitation.

I'm sure TAR could arrange sponsorship deals with Samsung or some other phone company to provide phones for everyone (to make sure its fair) and each leg/new country they could get SIM cards for local data access (but no phone calling) and make it part of the race. (I'm pretty sure they've had stages in the past where they've had to take selfies with the Travelocity Gnome, so that's 2 sponsorship birds with one task :) )

Thing is, they've been getting bystanders to open GPS apps for them on their phones or borrowing the phones.

They've done the same with their taxi drivers too.

Or they even got people to lend them their phones to run apps or make phone calls.

So they either ban technology or allow it all the way.

Choose a lane.

[aghst]

19 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

The same reason Sheri is bungee jumping next week.  Akbar's afraid of heights.

I missed that.

So maybe Akbar was beating himself up, not just Sheri, for doing that task.

Can people with fear of heights go on cable cars or peer over the railings from an observation deck at 8000 feet above sea level?

I've never had problems with those but I don't know that I would bungee-jump or do paragliding where you're running off a cliff with an experienced tandem paragliding pilot.

Has TAR ever done a tandem paragliding or parachuting detour/road block?  I've seen tandem parachuting on some other shows but maybe there are insurance issues or TAR doesn't make them sign the same kind of liability waivers as shows like The Challenge.

I believe that some professional athletes have contracts with specific provisions to bar them from doing things like that or even something like skiing, not just because of the risk of fatality but serious injury which devalues a multi-year contract.

[Taeolas]

3 minutes ago, aghst said:

Thing is, they've been getting bystanders to open GPS apps for them on their phones or borrowing the phones.

They've done the same with their taxi drivers too.

Or they even got people to lend them their phones to run apps or make phone calls.

So they either ban technology or allow it all the way.

Choose a lane.

Exactly what I was getting at. Tech has caught up with the race to the point that limiting smart phone use is an arbitrary limitation that really isn't all that fair now (since it now relies on the luck of the bystander). 

 

So get a smart phone sponsorship deal, and give teams access to the same smart phone tech and let them loose. They're still going to get lost, and get clues wrong, but at least everyone has the same access to information. 

[PaperTree]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

Phil suspended the Race the class, and he restarted it with class. I think Emmys for reality shows might be considered meaningless these days*

I haven't paid any attention to any of these stupid, self congratulatory "awards" in decades. 

[sugarbaker design]

6 minutes ago, aghst said:

Has TAR ever done a tandem paragliding or parachuting detour/road block?

There was one where the roadblocker tandem-paraglided with a professional.  It was in South America, I believe, it started on a mountain, and they landed on a beach.  It was breathtaking.

Edited January 20, 2022 by sugarbaker design

[blackwing]

5 minutes ago, aghst said:

So maybe Akbar was beating himself up, not just Sheri, for doing that task.

Can people with fear of heights go on cable cars or peer over the railings from an observation deck at 8000 feet above sea level?

I've never had problems with those but I don't know that I would bungee-jump or do paragliding where you're running off a cliff with an experienced tandem paragliding pilot.

Has TAR ever done a tandem paragliding or parachuting detour/road block?  I've seen tandem parachuting on some other shows but maybe there are insurance issues or TAR doesn't make them sign the same kind of liability waivers as shows like The Challenge.

I believe that some professional athletes have contracts with specific provisions to bar them from doing things like that or even something like skiing, not just because of the risk of fatality but serious injury which devalues a multi-year contract.

I have a slight fear of heights, and I think each person is different.  For me, it's not really so much a fear of heights as it is a fear of falling.  I would have no issues being in a cable car, or walking on a glass bottom ledge like in the Grand Canyon.  Peering over the railing, it depends, is it windy?  Is the railing low?  As long as there's no chance of falling, I'd be ok.  Bungee jumping, I would probably be ok, I would have to assume that the cord is secured properly.
 

The show has definitely done tandem paragliding in the past, I forget the exact season.  As for the professional athletes (like Bates Battaglia, who may have been an active NHL player at the time), I would assume he would have to get approval from his team, or not race at all. 

[aghst]

1 minute ago, sugarbaker design said:

There was one where the roadblocker tandem-paraglided with a professional.  It was in South America, I believe, it started on a mountain, and they landed on a beach.  It was breathtaking.

Surprised they don't do that in Europe.  Tons of paragliders in the Alps.

In fact, now that I think about it, they may have done it in Chamonix, France, which is near Mont Blanc.

[RunningMarket]

8 minutes ago, aghst said:

Can people with fear of heights go on cable cars or peer over the railings from an observation deck at 8000 feet above sea level?

YMMV of course, but speaking for myself - if I have to take a cable car, I will position myself in the middle so I can't see out as well and clutch onto the post. It would be unlikely you'd get me near the railing of the observation deck, but if I really, really wanted to, again, white knuckle clutching onto the railing. I once took a chair lift (in the summer, so you could see much further down as it wasn't covered in snow) and I was just shy of sobbing completely the entire way up. 

However, if I'm inside but high up, I'm completely fine. I'll be right up against the window checking out the view. It's something about feeling the air (as lovely as it is) that makes you realize how easily you can tumble to your painful death.

I'm not as fussed about Kim's flag being a bit twisted. I think that task was more about getting the moves down properly rather than how they flag itself looked. 

Ryan's line about feeling like he was back in prison was priceless. 

[PaperTree]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Some people just have a terrible sense of direction, even with a map.

Mom was one of those people.  She got us terribly lost in Hawaii, Dad threw the map to 7 year old me and I promptly got us where we wanted to go.  Mom was pissed😎.  I've always been a map nerd.

Edited January 20, 2022 by PaperTree

[30 Helens]

8 hours 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.

But the example belt was still in the proper order, no? ( Left to right or right to left, whichever it was— I’ve already forgotten.) That is what I was referring to. The cops were unsure if they were placing their symbols in the right direction, but they just had to look and see.