S33:E05: Stairway to Hell

[ByaNose]

7 hours ago, shura said:

I couldn't understand that either.  If you are on a freeway with exits, or on any street with intersections with other named streets, all you need to know is that you have to get to exit X and you should see exits M, N and O on your way there.  That's how you know that you are going in the right direction.  It makes absolutely no difference whether you are heading south or southwest, you follow the road whichever way it happens to be going.  Of course, you need to have taken a look at a map and know where you are and what your destination is, but a compass can't help you with those things anyway.

As for Arun's "we are better than this," no, I don't think there is any evidence of that.  If you keep being this, then this is what you are.

Your last line is hysterical and so true. Seriously, they got lost finding their own car. The simply don’t have the driving with a map & traffic signs gene. They are either going to be second to last or dead last next week. They just don’t have the skills of the Top 3 tier of the other racers to compete. They weren’t even in the same shots of any of the other teams. They must have been driving for hours. 

[HurricaneVal]

Some people just literally are born with no sense of direction, no map reading skills, nothing.  The rest of us have varying degrees of navigation ability, but hoo-boy, Arun and Natalia really are lacking that bump of direction!  My mother-in-law is one of those.  She can get places if she's been there before, or has someone with her who can give her very specific and immediate directions.  But if she encounters an obstacle in her way, like road construction or an accident shutting an intersection along her route down?  She will literally turn the car around and go home and just tell her friend she couldn't make it, or go shopping for whatever took her out of her little town next week.  She will not make that right turn, then left turn, then left turn, then right turn to get going the same way again past the obstruction.  She is literally incapable of doing that.  This took me some getting used to, since my whole family has a very good sense of direction.

Sausage making was clearly the better choice of Detours.  I wonder how it was characterized in the clue sheet, maybe it just seemed like the less attractive option?  Maybe they had a difficult set of directions to find the sausage making?  Speaking of, who the hell makes sausage on the rooftops?  That was obviously all staged for TAR for the views.  I'm glad the twins realized they didn't just have to observe the demonstration from their rooftop aerie and could move to the other rooftop to get a more close-up view of the demo.

What squicked me out about the sausage making, though, was........I presume they had some sort of facility for them to wash their hands?  Otherwise they're running around and up to the mat with sausage covered unhygenic hands, and that grossed me out. 

I wish CBS or TAR would post images of the actual contents of the clue envelopes so viewers could get a better understanding of what the racers actually base their decisions on.  Like for the stairs, maybe there was a requirement for them to have their backpacks on at all times.  Or maybe that was just what the first team did, and everyone stupidly copied them.  What about teams that don't carry backpacks?  I remember in earlier seasons there being some teams that hauled around rolling suitcases rather than backpacks.  How would they have handled the stairs?

It certainly appears to me like the twins spent the pandemic hiatus to work on their relationship.  I found them enjoyable to watch last night.  I wish Akbar and Sheri had done the same....

[ProfCrash]

I am not sure how much better sausage making was. We don't really know how long it took. We saw a few broken cases, there could have been a lot more then that. And we saw them struggling with getting the casing on. 

I wish that they would show how long certain things took so that you really had a clue. 

The twins got to the sausage thing after the guys but before Kim and Penn had gotten into town because Kim and Penn got lost. the twins checked in just before Kim and Penn did, K&P arrived on the mat when the twins were talking to Phil. That tells me that Kim and Penn made up some time. 

Kim and Penn are in good shape, maybe not Ryan and Dusty shape but in good shape. K&P managed to get to town after the twins, bring up the chestnuts, get a little turned around finding the wine, get the wine, and make that trek twice. I am guessing the sausage was a good deal more time consuming then we think.

[RunningMarket]

I wonder if teams who were doing the Bartender Race were allowed to stop and put down their items along the way up? I think it was Sheri (?) who looked to be just a few steps up and put down some bottles to readjust her grip. I sweat so easily when I exercise that that task would have been super difficult for me - there would likely be broken bottles up and down that lovely staircase.

Lulu and Lala definitely improved for me this week. While they have the "twin connection", they in general seemed to mesh well and make good strategic moves.

Arun and Natalia seem like lovely people, but not cut out for TAR - especially one where there will be a lot more self driving due to COVID protocols.

[PaperTree]

14 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Like for the stairs, maybe there was a requirement for them to have their backpacks on at all times.

I've often wondered why those backpacks always seem so big.  How much stuff do you really need?  Is it possible to buy supplies/warmer clothes along the way? 

I've started bringing old clothes/underwear with me on vacation and just throw it away when it gets dirty.  Makes room to bring more stuff home😎.

[desertflower]

When they showed the shot of the spilled wine on the steps, I thought “That’s going to be Akbar’s blood in a minute when Sherri stabs him with her broken bottle!” 
 

I thought it was very sweet when Penn cried after Kim jumped. The emotion seemed genuine and it probably took him by surprise. 

[RunningMarket]

30 minutes ago, PaperTree said:

I've often wondered why those backpacks always seem so big.  How much stuff do you really need?  Is it possible to buy supplies/warmer clothes along the way? 

I've started bringing old clothes/underwear with me on vacation and just throw it away when it gets dirty.  Makes room to bring more stuff home😎.

There's interviews with former racers who state that you must carry everything you need for the race with you. You are not allowed to bring your own money, and the money supplied to you, even if you saved up along the way, would probably not be enough to buy proper clothing.

Edited January 27, 2022 by RunningMarket

[Tango64]

I couldn't believe Akbar and Sheri chose the stairway instead of sausage making. Granted, they didn't know yet how involved the sausage making was going to be, and if they know anything about making sausage they could have been deterred. I used to make sausage as a hobby, and the whole process from start to finish can be a lot of work with a lot of opportunities for it to go wrong. After too many instances of spending hours on a gourmet batch and it suddenly turning to very expensive cat food because it broke in the grinding process, I lost interest in that little kitchen hobby.

So maybe they knew something of that and thought it too risky and time consuming. In actuality, all the hard work had been done already and they only had to fill the casing. A little tricky, but you get the hang of it. 

Even if I thought the sausage task might be more than it actually was, one look at that staircase and I'd be saying Nope! Akbar and Sheri should take any task other than one so physically demanding.

Surprised they didn't show any of the sausage teams being icked out by the casings. They were intestines, most likely sheep. But maybe they didn't know.

And for the record, sausage like you would get from a nice butcher shop they went to is not made from gross stuff swept off the floor or bits that you wouldn't eat otherwise.

I second the idea of showing the actual clue information and whatever rules they must follow for a task. They must have been prohibited from stuffing wine bottles in their backpacks, right? 

[Bunnyette]

10 hours ago, Blergh said:

I seriously  thought Sheri was going to collapse and/or have a heart attack on those stairs.  However, this Race winds up, I think she needs to do some major evaluations about whether it's to her or her children's benefit to spend the rest of her life with Akbar (who I noticed was the only racing partner NOT scared for the bungee-jumper life at the dam). 

Probably checking Sheri’s life insurance…certainly not a very caring husband!

[seacliffsal]

I was very impressed that the twins made extra sausages (six instead of four) in case they made a mistake.  Very smart (and the flight attendants did have to go back and make another one because the judge told them no the first time).  That's the kind of thinking I really enjoying seeing.  Smart.

[Amy Beth]

I wonder if Arun and Natalia knew how bad they are at navigation. I have a horrible sense of direction, but I’m very much aware of it. If I ever did the Race (100% theoretical), I would need a partner like my son, who we call the Human GPS. 

[bearcatfan]

I’m listening to the Holdeness’ podcast and they said the clue explicitly stated they had to carry everything in the hands and arms. They were not even allowed to rest anything on their fannypacks. They also said they reason they got lost was because Kim was navigating and was still effected by the jump (though not as bad as later when they got to their room at the pit stop). She took them in the wrong direction. Penn realized it, but also knew that she was not in a head space for him to correct her so he kept going. They weren’t lost that long. They also had most of the other racers on later to talk about the bungee jump as well as Sam, Connie and their baby. 

[bearcatfan]

I forgot to mention, Penn stated that one of the reasons he got so emotional was because Kim pretty much disappeared from sight after a certain point. At that point he just wanted her back up there with him. 

[chaifan]

26 minutes ago, bearcatfan said:

I’m listening to the Holdeness’ podcast and they said the clue explicitly stated they had to carry everything in the hands and arms. They were not even allowed to rest anything on their fannypacks.

I do wish production would at least include that type of instruction on screen.  I was wondering why no one asked someone at the market for a box, or took one of their coats and tied things up in a bundle.  I mean, that would still technically be carrying with your arms & hands, but I'm guessing there was something in the instruction that said that wasn't allowed. 

 

11 minutes ago, bearcatfan said:

Penn stated that one of the reasons he got so emotional was because Kim pretty much disappeared from sight after a certain point.

I never really thought about that, but yeah, even a second or two out of sight is enough for your brain to go "well, the rope snapped and they're in a bloody heap at the bottom of the dam". 

[Lisa418722]

I know  Akbar and Sheri don't have a chance, but I am cheering for Sheri.  The fact that she has done the height tasks that she is afraid of makes me admire her even if she didn't have a choice in the bungee jumping.  Akbar needs to shut up about the fact they were athelets. Yeah, you WERE, but now, especially after the pandemic, you are not in the same shape you were when you were younger.  

I want to like Arun and Natalia but their navigation skills.... When I was younger I remember my parents and I had gone on vacation and we were around Niagara Falls and my dad had decided to cross the border into Canada (this was before you had to have a passport).  My parents were arguing about where to turn and I'm sitting in the backseat "um, the exit was back there."  We didn't go to Canada on that trip.  

[vousviou]

2 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Some people just literally are born with no sense of direction, no map reading skills, nothing.  The rest of us have varying degrees of navigation ability, but hoo-boy, Arun and Natalia really are lacking that bump of direction!

To be honest, if I ever found myself picked at random to be on the show out of the blue, I'd forget about training to run up stairs or carry a 75 pound sack of potatoes while memorizing songs in Italian.

I'd ask friends to drive me and my teammate somewhere blindfolded in a strange city with nothing but a map, drop us off at random and give us a navigation challenge.

[vousviou]

20 hours ago, North of Eden said:

If men were anything like Penn is back then we'd never gotten past the Mississipi...those were damn tough people men and women (gotta plug the new show 1883 which is wonderful and depicts the hardship of pioneer life)

The thing is, if you read first person accounts from the 19th Century, there are both incredibly stoic accounts but also extremely hyperbolically emotional ones. 

There were some people -- Scandanavian immigrants for example -- who were extremely taciturn. But there were also people who would literally go on for hours in ways which we simply wouldn't recognize today, talking about bosom bonds they felt with people they had only met that very day.

When you read the Lincoln-Douglas debates from the 1850s you get a flavor for it -- and Illinois was barely settled land back then. For some of the people it was taken as a matter of course that you would swing back and forth between grim determination, philosophical analysis, and gnashing and wailing, all within the course of an hour.

Many people (not all, to be sure) loved performative talking -- it was one of the few forms of entertainment sometimes. I think it's fair to ask whether Penn isn't actually all that far from the kind of patent medicine salesmen who used to sell Dr. Longbottom's Patented Tonic Elixir to Colorado silver prospectors in the 1880s.

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, chaifan said:

45 minutes ago, bearcatfan said:

Penn stated that one of the reasons he got so emotional was because Kim pretty much disappeared from sight after a certain point.

I never really thought about that, but yeah, even a second or two out of sight is enough for your brain to go "well, the rope snapped and they're in a bloody heap at the bottom of the dam".

Especially if they don't let out a "whoo!" of excitement or even relief as they dangle. I don't think Kim made any noise at all the whole way down.

[vousviou]

One thing I thought was interesting was Ryan and Dusty thinking through from the beginning that trying to manhandle everything up the stairs at once was not going to work. They even told Sheri and Akbar not to bother. 

They're clearly the most physically fit duo, but they seemed smart about not being meatheads.

[Stardancer Supreme]

2 hours ago, Tango64 said:

And for the record, sausage like you would get from a nice butcher shop they went to is not made from gross stuff swept off the floor or bits that you wouldn't eat otherwise.

I second the idea of showing the actual clue information and whatever rules they must follow for a task. They must have been prohibited from stuffing wine bottles in their backpacks, right? 

Third. All of this could simply be the racer's inability to READ. THE. CLUE.

[Hera]

9 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

[The twins] weren't like that on the first two legs in London.  They were argumentative and hard to watch.  They improved on the Scotland leg, and their grandmother's death seems to have given them perspective since then.  I started out hating them but now I'm fine with them.  They really impressed me with how they just got on with the sausage task.

The twins have grown on me since the restart as well. They seem to be having more fun this time around. I think you're on to something with them having more perspective, and from their interview, it also sounds like they did some self-reflection on how their race had gone prior to the restart and have managed to stick to whatever their plan was for doing better.

Count me in as one of the people amazed that more teams didn't opt for sausage. I'm guessing the information was light on just how physically grueling the wine challenge was and made the sausage one sound like it would be complicated than it actually was. Strategically, I can see why it might seem like a good idea to prefer a non-judged task over one that was judged. I know some teams (I think Uchenna and Joyce were one—I suspect Ryan and Dusty are probably another) always choose the more physical detour because how fast you get through it is more directly in your control.

[Thalia]

1 hour ago, vousviou said:

To be honest, if I ever found myself picked at random to be on the show out of the blue, I'd forget about training to run up stairs or carry a 75 pound sack of potatoes

Kim and Penn said in the podcast that they spent a lot of their training time running up stairs carrying a lot of weight.  One reason they went for the step challenge is that they had decided before the race to choose the physical challenges when there was a choice.  They then said they made a mistake in choosing the step challenge because the sausage task did not require as much time.  

Most of the players were on this week's podcast, and for whatever reason, they were supportive of Akbar, and saying he wasn't a bad husband.   Whatever.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Thalia

[meep.meep]

4 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

 

Speaking of, who the hell makes sausage on the rooftops?  That was obviously all staged for TAR for the views. 

It was probably staged outside to lower the risk of COVID transmission.  I bet we see a lot more outside activities than in the past.

Whatever the race includes in the future, there needs to be at least one task that pushes Akbar to the breaking point - just so he can find out what it feels like.

[HurricaneVal]

4 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Whatever the race includes in the future, there needs to be at least one task that pushes Akbar to the breaking point - just so he can find out what it feels like

Do mean to say that you'd like for Akbar's ox to be broken?  😆🤣

[meep.meep]

I'd like his ox to be broken after he's ridden 100 miles in a taxi on a donut tire and after he's been "packing it" in a brick factory.  Preferably in the heat while Sheri sips an iced beverage.

[dgpolo]

24 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

4 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

 

Speaking of, who the hell makes sausage on the rooftops?  That was obviously all staged for TAR for the views. 

It was probably staged outside to lower the risk of COVID transmission.  I bet we see a lot more outside activities than in the past.

Oh! I forgot to mention how hysterical I thought the one twins encounter with the bee was! She kept trying to bat it away from her and when she finally succeeded she looks down and says 'Did I kill it?'

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

What squicked me out about the sausage making, though, was........I presume they had some sort of facility for them to wash their hands?  Otherwise they're running around and up to the mat with sausage covered unhygenic hands, and that grossed me out. 

I remember Cha-Cha-Cha running up to the pitstop, literally as black as chimney-sweeps from making charcoal bricks. And chasing Phil around the mat, threatening to give him a hug. (We won't see the like again, alas!) So don't assume they weren't made to run on without a chance to wash their hands. But, considering the times, I think they would have been able to get their hands on a squirt bottle of alcohol pretty easily, so they probably did clean up at least a bit!

3 hours ago, Tango64 said:

Surprised they didn't show any of the sausage teams being icked out by the casings. They were intestines, most likely sheep. But maybe they didn't know.

Nowadays, most sausage skins are artificial. But not all, so they could have been intestines. But if you can put it in your mouth, you shouldn't think of it as all that icky...

2 hours ago, vousviou said:

I'd ask friends to drive me and my teammate somewhere blindfolded in a strange city with nothing but a map, drop us off at random and give us a navigation challenge.

You can test yourself right now! Use Google Maps and select the overhead map view of any city. Print the map and pick a starting and stopping point. Then go to Street View at your starting point, and using the map you printed, navigate yourself to your selected stopping point.

 

[Zonk]

23 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I knew as soon as they allowed Arun & Natalia to finish the detour that it was a non-elimination leg.  A little disappointed by that but I don't dislike them so whatever.

That really wasn't any kind of clue. Phil only comes out when you are hours and hours behind. Here, it was late, but the sun was still up. That is still well in schlepp-yourself-to-the-mat-territory.

22 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Every time I see a man like Penn having a ridiculous emotional breakdown such as witnessing your wife bungee jumping it always makes me think of the pioneers who crossed a continent to settle the West. If men were anything like Penn is back then we'd never gotten past the Mississipi...those were damn tough people men and women (gotta plug the new show 1883 which is wonderful and depicts the hardship of pioneer life)

Is that the "good old days" we are wishing back for now? Yikes. I certainly wouldn't want to live in that time or have a man, like the men you wish for, in my life.

I for one appreciated Penn getting emotional here.

22 hours ago, Netfoot said:

The strength of the bungee isn't the issue. The heavier they weigh the deeper down the bungee pilot will go. And there is a finite distance to the bottom of the dam.

I doubt that's the problem. All your wieght is attached to your ankles. The harness is jsut for additional safety. So your ankles and your legs are the weak point and if there is too much weight pulling on them, that could lead to serious injury.

22 hours ago, Stardancer Supreme said:

One question I would like answered: For the Wine and Chestnuts Detour, did the racers have to keep their backpacks on? I would have thought that they could have left them at the bottom of the stairs. Hell, Dusty and Ryan were having a hard time and they are arguably in the best physical shape of all the racers!

I was asking myself the same, the whole time. Unless there is now a general rule which states you can't leave your backpack, that didn't use to exist, I don't get it. There was probably not a rule special for this task and it's a tourist town in switzerland, not some bad neighbourhood in india. They could have totally dropped their bags close to the chestnut stand and nobody would have taken them.

21 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm going to figure that kind of relationship works for them at home, and it isn’t as toxic as we’d think. Seeing it on camera and in a foreign country? Yikes. And now we find out that Akbar has been too heavy to do Roadblocks twice, forcing Sheri into really uncomfortable situations. It's cringe. We've seen worst teams/couples, but I don't see much hope for them . . . at least not on this Race.

He wasn't too heavy for the roadblock last episode. That was just them being dumb.

21 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I don't think we've seen teams suffer cramps and Charlie Horses before. Asking teams to climb those stairs was a bit sadistic. When you see two alpha dudes struggling to make it to the Pit Stop without being forced to roll themselves in that direction, you know the show has gone a bit too far.

Oh we have seen teams suffer cramps and much worse in previous races. A cramp really isn't too bad. They are young men with big muscles. They will sweat a lot and their muscles use a lot of minerals. For the next legs they should stock up on sports drinks and they'll be fine.

14 hours ago, Taeolas said:

The Bungee jump probably had height and/or weight limits that Akbar was over. I wonder if Penn was too tall as well and they just skipped him saying he couldn't do it. 

They specifically said it was his weight. Penn didn't do it because they made a pact to always switch, before the race, as to not hit the limit and he did the last roadblock. Plus they thought it was dancing. Since the clue only said "Who wants to get down?".

Production cleverly gave that clue far away from the jump-spot. Usually it's right there and it's obvious. I appreciate them mixing it up

 

Edited January 28, 2022 by Zonk

[Netfoot]

12 hours ago, Zonk said:

All your wieght is attached to your ankles.

As far as I know, bungee jumping harnesses are firmly attached to your waist and thighs. Sometimes also shoulder straps to prevent you from shooting out the top. Er, bottom.

Anyone with actual BJ Bungee Jumping experience care to chip in?

Edited January 28, 2022 by Netfoot
Because "BJ Experience" might be misunderstood...

[ZeeEnnui]

The next time I'm a dick to someone and they call me on it, I'm just going to tell them, "well, as a former competitive athlete...."

I hope that the next challenge takes place in a paper bag. Guarantee Arun and Natalia won't be able to find their way out. 

I can't take the twins or the flight attendants with their "you're amazing. NO you are. tee hee." Vom.

Team #RUSTY for the win! The only thing that can stop them now...a Charlie Horse. 

[proserpina65]

6 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

She isn't and look how very hard it was for those who ARE fit.  

And yet she managed to do it.  Which is something I don't think I could do, so props to her.

[proserpina65]

36 minutes ago, Zonk said:

A cramp really isn't too bad.

Speak for yourself.  The charley horses I get are excruciating and some of them take quite awhile to let go.  If I'm sitting when one starts and I can't immediately stand up, I'm stuck in a weird and very painful half sitting position for 10-15 minutes or more.  The really fun ones go from the ankle to the groin and hit both legs at the same time.  Now admittedly, I am neither as young nor as fit as Dusty.  Still, good for him for getting back on his feet so quickly.

[Tango64]

55 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Nowadays, most sausage skins are artificial. But not all, so they could have been intestines. But if you can put it in your mouth, you shouldn't think of it as all that icky...

 

I’ve worked with both, still have some of the artificial ones in my pantry. Those were intestines. Doesn’t ick me at all but would expect some people to be put off. 

[greyhorse]

3 hours ago, Lisa418722 said:

I know  Akbar and Sheri don't have a chance, but I am cheering for Sheri.  The fact that she has done the height tasks that she is afraid of makes me admire her even if she didn't have a choice in the bungee jumping.  Akbar needs to shut up about the fact they were athelets. Yeah, you WERE, but now, especially after the pandemic, you are not in the same shape you were when you were younger.  
  

Yeah, probably about 20 years and 50 pounds ago.  I wonder how many times he's used that line.  No offense to Florida Atlantic University, but it's not like they were players at revered college basketball institutions like Duke, North Carolina, etc.  I have plenty of friends that were Division I athletes and they never bring it up in daily conversation.

2 hours ago, vousviou said:

One thing I thought was interesting was Ryan and Dusty thinking through from the beginning that trying to manhandle everything up the stairs at once was not going to work. They even told Sheri and Akbar not to bother. 

They're clearly the most physically fit duo, but they seemed smart about not being meatheads.

Yeah, but why did they think they couldn't carry 6 bags of chestnuts each?  It's not like they weigh anything and I'd be surprised if they had tiny hands.

Thought it was interesting that Kim/Penn and Ryan/Dusty roshamboed to determine who got to jump first, but then there was no agreement to wait for the other after the first team was done.

Hey, an episode where we didn't hear glasses wearing flight attendant talk about girl power and wanting an all female team to win.

Arun is enthusiastic.  But he just doesn't have the game to back it up.

[Netfoot]

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

The charley horses I get are excruciating and some of them take quite awhile to let go.  If I'm sitting when one starts and I can't immediately stand up, I'm stuck in a weird and very painful half sitting position for 10-15 minutes or more.  The really fun ones go from the ankle to the groin and hit both legs at the same time.

I had one recently. Hit me in the middle of the night. Affected the foot, calf, and thigh on one side. I dragged myself out of bed and hobbled around with the leg locked in a semi-bent position, gritting my teeth and trying not to shout out the pain. It was about fifteen minutes before I could go back to bed and try to get back to sleep.

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Somehow I think the descendants of the people who were already living in that wilderness might disagree with you.

Whether or not you condemn the early pioneers, their strength, courage and determination to survive in unforgiving circumstances is something to admire.

3 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

Yeah, but why did they think they couldn't carry 6 bags of chestnuts each?  It's not like they weigh anything and I'd be surprised if they had tiny hands.

Since there didn't seem to be any objection to putting your fingers into the chestnut bags, they should have easily been able to carry three bags in each hand. Quite possibly more.

[bearcatfan]

5 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

Yeah, probably about 20 years and 50 pounds ago.  I wonder how many times he's used that line.  No offense to Florida Atlantic University, but it's not like they were players at revered college basketball institutions like Duke, North Carolina, etc.  I have plenty of friends that were Division I athletes and they never bring it up in daily conversation.

Thought it was interesting that Kim/Penn and Ryan/Dusty roshamboed to determine who got to jump first, but then there was no agreement to wait for the other after the first team was done.

Ryan and Dusty did wait for Penn and Kim. They got separated at an exit when Ryan and Dusty couldn’t get over. This also was on the podcast. 
 

I believe the point about them being athletes is more about the competitive attitude and how they interact with each other. That attitude doesn’t go away just because you are no longer competing. Also, Sheri probably heard worse from her coaches than she does from Akbar and she likely couldn’t talk back like she does to Akbar. I know it’s off putting, but I think it bothers the viewers more than it bothers Sheri. 

[HurricaneVal]

I've only ever had charley horse cramps in my calf or my feet.  For my feet only heat helps relax them.  For the calf cramps, Mr. HV taught me to stand on a broomstick or dowel with the affected leg.  The knot will melt away.  It is the weirdest thing, it must be related to some sort of trigger point nerve nexus or something.  One time, in the middle of the night, in desperation when nothing else was available, I ripped apart our clothes hamper fashioned from PVC pipe to get a dowel-like thing to stand on.  Mr. HV was not impressed with the destruction.

So I was holding my breath when one of the boys got the muscle cramps there on the lakeside where all those folks were relaxing in those lovely lounge chairs.  Depending on how desperate I was and/or how painful the charley horse was, I'd have dumped someone out of their chair so I could stand on one of the legs or whatever I could find.  So I half expected whichever one that had the cramp to do something like that.

Thankfully they did not.  

[J-Man]

When Arun and Natalia were having their Lugano/Luzano mix-up, I was immediately reminded of the Mertzes and the Ricardos in Switzerland--when Fred confused Locarno and Lucerne. This was the episode where they ended up trapped by an avalanche in an Alpine mountain cabin. 

[aghst]

Just to be clear, there is no place called Luzano in Switzerland.

There is another city in southern Switzerland called Locarno.

 

[Zonk]

12 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Well, the issue is that, once they now leave a country, they're gonna have to get on the same plane(s), so there's no changing that aspect. They don't have infinite number of planes to get someone from one country to another, so I do think this is simply one of the changes they have to make, and also make consistent so it's not changing, depending on the mode of transportation at the start of the leg.

People being on multiple flights sadly hasn't been a thing for a number of seasons now. Tickets were prebooked for the teams. So the charter plane doesn't actually change that much.

I think it's more of a problem with public places like museums not being open and them not being able to take public transport. With HoO and train departure times, they could always build in natural bunches. That's out the window now, so they have to make it more obvious.

I too am sad that TAR is now more a gameshow set in multiple countries than a race around the world, but what are you going to do?

12 hours ago, AZChristian said:

The weight limit for jumping off that dam is 253 pounds.

So 115kg. Yeah, I would be over that, too and I don't think I look much heavier than Akbar. At 6'8 100kg would still be a good normal weight for you, so 15kg more isn't that much.

12 hours ago, QuantumMechanic said:

I was thinking that, so I looked it up.  Turns out the lake is only 889 feet above sea level.

Yeah, those mountains are tall, but not everything is super high. It's mountains, not a plateau.

I don't live in switzerland, but germany's Mittelgebirge. My town is at 222m (728 feet) above sea level, but drive less than 20km (12 miles) and you are at 634m (2080 feet) above sea level.

12 hours ago, toodywoody said:

Every time they showed the stairs I saw the tram skeleton next to it and am very interested into reading why it wasn't still in use. It was overgrown and the landing up at the top looked rusted. 

Seems like the alley even got the name from the funicular, "Funicolare Angioli Lugano" (funicular of angels). It got the name from a church that is next to the bottom station.

It was mainly there to bring guests to a hotel that closed in 1981 and the funicular got closed down consequently in 1986.

Infos in german and some photos: https://www.standseilbahnen.ch/lugano-angioli.html

11 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Usually, at the start of the leg, they race to the aeroport, book their flight, and depart to the next country.

They haven't booked their own flights in quite a few seasons.

11 hours ago, Amy Beth said:

I do not understand the purpose of having a Race activity that a Racer is disqualified  from doing. Either do not cast that person or don’t include that activity. 

If it's a roadblock it's fine, imo. Only one person can do that one anyway. So they do not have a choice who does it. Big whoop. They have to split roadblocks between them anyway.

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

It certainly appears to me like the twins spent the pandemic hiatus to work on their relationship.  I found them enjoyable to watch last night.

I get the feeling that was their usual selves. When we last saw them one of them had just gotten dumped and the other just couldn't stand her whining about it anymore.

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

Speak for yourself.  The charley horses I get are excruciating and some of them take quite awhile to let go.  If I'm sitting when one starts and I can't immediately stand up, I'm stuck in a weird and very painful half sitting position for 10-15 minutes or more.  The really fun ones go from the ankle to the groin and hit both legs at the same time.  Now admittedly, I am neither as young nor as fit as Dusty.  Still, good for him for getting back on his feet so quickly.

I'm 99% even you with your bad charlie horses would prefer those to the heat strokes and exhaustion to the point of fainting, previous racers have had. I was comparing a thigh cramp to these prior problems racers had and in that comparison cramps aren't all that bad.

Also you might want to take magnesium daily, if you get cramps that bad.

1 hour ago, bearcatfan said:

Penn and Kim addressed the backpacks on their podcast. If they dropped them, they would not be able to have them for the rest of the race. 

It wasn't quite clear, when they adressed it. From my understanding it was more a "when they are gone, they are gone" and nobody will watch them. Still very unlikely that they would be stolen, but I do get the anxiety when you could be without a change of clothes for the rest of the race.

[SVNBob]

18 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I wasn't thrilled at the 15-minute starts of two teams at once. TAR has always had teams depart in the same order and at the same time interval as arrival.

They actually haven't done that for a while.  Look back at the last few seasons and you'll typically see the first place team read the clue that says "Fly to (new country)", Phil's VO of the gist of the clue, then stock footage of airplanes and airports, then finally all the remaining teams rushing out out the doors of the new airport towards cars/taxis en masse.

16 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I'm really curious as to how The Amazing Plane is used. We haven't seen it as yet, but hopefully soon!

The normal sequence of events, as far as I know, is that when a team arrives at the mat their 12-hour pitstop begins. (Recently, possibly longer at TPTB's discression.) They are required to do some interviews, plus what ever administration the race requires of them, and then they are taken to the pitstop accommodation, to wait out the balance of the 12 hours. Hopefully, taking the opportunity to eat, do some laundry, and sleep. When their 12 hours is drawing to a close, they must prepare to resume the race, and are taken to the departure mat in time for them to clock off onto the next leg.

I don't think Pit Stops have specifically been 12 hours for a long time either.  They're as long as TPTB need them to be.

And as for TAP, the only real difference that we know of so far is that the Racers and crew simply won't be on flights with the general public.  Given what I said above, there doesn't appear to be that much difference.   However,...

16 hours ago, morgor54 said:

I don’t know why they can’t all fly together to the next country then be released from the airport for the new leg of the race as usual (pre Covid) based upon order and arrival time at the last pit stop. 

...Some folks, myself included, are presuming that this is what will happen once they head to a new location via TAP.  We'll see when that finally happens.

 

7 hours ago, meep.meep said:

11 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Speaking of, who the hell makes sausage on the rooftops?  That was obviously all staged for TAR for the views.

It was probably staged outside to lower the risk of COVID transmission.  I bet we see a lot more outside activities than in the past.

This was absolutely the primary reason.  The view and the excellent weather on the day were just bonuses.

TAR came up with lots of safety protocols for the restart, and doing more tasks outside when possible was one of them.  Another we saw in the previous leg with the flag tossing Detour.  Instead of all the teams bunching into one gym to learn from one instructor as they would have before, there were at least two separate gyms with instructors in each to allow for smaller "class sizes" that could spread out more.

 

5 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Since there didn't seem to be any objection to putting your fingers into the chestnut bags, they should have easily been able to carry three bags in each hand. Quite possibly more.

Don't forget, they also had to carry the Gnome as well.  That makes things more difficult.  Not entirely impossible, since Kim and Penn managed it, but it is a factor.  An even bigger factor for the wine though.  Ryan and Dusty solved that by having the Gnome-carrier bring fewer bottles on each trip. (3 vs 4, and 2 vs 3 on their two wine trips respectively.)

[EllenB]

12 hours ago, desertflower said:

 

I thought it was very sweet when Penn cried after Kim jumped. The emotion seemed genuine and it probably took him by surprise. 

I wasn't too thrilled that Kim had to comfort HIM. He should have been comforting HER after she did a task that scared her, instead of being the needy one. It reminded me too much of guys whose spouses are ill, but they make the situation all about how brave THEY'RE being.

[Lamb18]

The teams all drove to the different locations, didn't they? I don't think they walked or ran to the pitstop. So why couldn't they leave their bags in the car trunk, unless the clue specifically said you couldn't. They had to go back to the car anyway.

I was wondering if Sheri and Akbar are Muslim and didn't do sausage for that reason. 

I've gotten charleyhorses in the calf and the pain is excruciating. Also bad foot cramps. I actually stand on one foot, on the painful leg, to relieve them. I don't know why that works, the muscles seem to unknown and get back into position. The leg still aches but it's not excruciating. When the cop team came back for the reality show version of TAR, one got bad cramping in his leg and couldn't finish the Roadblock. 

[ProfCrash]

My assumption is that they were told that they had to bring their bags with them. Or they were told if they didn't take their bags they couldn't go back and get their bags. If they thought that there might be something in their bag that would help on a challenge, then they would want their bag with them. Or it could be that they were told that they would not be returning to their car and anything left in the car was gone for the Race. 

We don't see all the rules but we have to assume that the Racers don't want to carry their bags up and down those stairs and would only do so if they had to.

As someone who backpacks, my pack is bigger then the ones that they are using on the race. I am carrying water, food, part of a tent, clothes, and the like. My pack normally comes in at 30 pounds. I would guess that their packs are lighter then that since they are not carrying water bladders (which are heavy), tent, sleeping bags, and the like. the more athletic clothing most of the teams wear is pretty light weight. If they are smart they have down jackets and vests, which are not that heavy. They probably have rain gear, which is pretty light. I am guessing that they are not using compression sacks which is why their bags look bulky. 

Heck, if I were them I would start to think about packing any extra things that you think you might need, an extra layer for cold or rain gear or extra socks and the like in one bag and the things that you don't think are necessary in the other bag. Then grab the one bag for each leg and leave the other in the car if allowed. That way one person on the team isn't carrying a bag. If they have to carry both bags, one person could carry the lighter bag. 

 

[sugarbaker design]

19 hours ago, OldWiseOne said:

thought the opposite - that she was giving directions, and he was brushing her off because he thought he knew better.

 I don't why he was brushing her off, she was holding a compass!

When she reconciles her bank statements, does she use an abacus?

[Seelouis]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

As someone who backpacks, my pack is bigger then the ones that they are using on the race. I am carrying water, food, part of a tent, clothes, and the like. My pack normally comes in at 30 pounds. I would guess that their packs are lighter then that since they are not carrying water bladders (which are heavy), tent, sleeping bags, and the like. the more athletic clothing most of the teams wear is pretty light weight.

 

 

On the Holderness podcast this week, Kim said her pack weighed about 9 pounds. They said the packs weren’t a problem on the stairs. The main issue was how sweaty they were so it was hard to hold the bottles. 

[LennieBriscoe]

Which team won?

[LennieBriscoe]

On 1/26/2022 at 10:43 PM, North of Eden said:

If I had to guess Stairway Ackbar is the REAL Ackbar as opposed to the supportive  post-bungee jumping Ackbar who is likely a construct for the cameras. He really is mean spirited and I was like you've got to be kidding when they chose that task. Neither were in shape for it and it was just going to bring out the worst in him. As soon as that bottle dropped I was like its time to Bald Snark.

My favorite teams unfortunatly did not return after the 19th month pit stop so I am rooting for the father/daughter  as all the other teams I either don't care for or are meh on but they are just making it so damn hard to....they've got to GET IT TOGETHER...I want to believe they were fairly confident that it was non-elim or how else could you explain their lack of fire when they fell so far behind? 

Not a ringing endorsement for the quality of the bungee ropes if a man who is not overly heavy is  forbidden to jump. You would think they would be designed to hold just about anyone.

Every time I see a man like Penn having a ridiculous emotional breakdown such as witnessing your wife bungee jumping it always makes me think of the pioneers who crossed a continent to settle the West. If men were anything like Penn is back then we'd never gotten past the Mississipi...those were damn tough people men and women (gotta plug the new show 1883 which is wonderful and depicts the hardship of pioneer life)

That must have been TAR playing headgames....making sausage looked so EASY...not sure why so few took that challenge.

Side note: Saw the BB Celebrity commercial Only Todd Bridges and maybe two others are card carrying celebrities...the others are nobody I've ever even heard of...we are tallking Z list here.

Re: Arun and Daughter and "Get[ting] It Together." There is no there there.

I wish the Heroes could have returned. Now I just find myself rooting against (Penn, Arun, Akbar). 

Edited January 28, 2022 by LennieBriscoe

[momlyd]

17 hours ago, vousviou said:

I think it's fair to ask whether Penn isn't actually all that far from the kind of patent medicine salesmen who used to sell Dr. Longbottom's Patented Tonic Elixir to Colorado silver prospectors in the 1880s.

I think he would have made a good living at it, too!

He seems to be a whoa or go kind of person and that would really take a toll on me. I'm glad Kim is his wrangler and their relationship works for them. 

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

've only ever had charley horse cramps in my calf or my feet.  For my feet only heat helps relax them.  For the calf cramps, Mr. HV taught me to stand on a broomstick or dowel with the affected leg. 

For me, the only thing which works, other than waiting them out and trying to stretch the legs, is cold, preferably an ice pack.  I hate the damn things.