S33.E06: Say Cheese

[ProfCrash]

I don't think the Canyon task was difficult or scary. You jump in water, swim, slide, walk, and do a zip line. If Akbar was in ok shape he could have done it far more quickly then he did. He was passed by Arun, a dude who is in his mid 50's and not a former D1 Basketball player. 

Seriously, Akbar and Sheri were really badly out of shape.

[iMonrey]

I was quite impressed with this leg, and thought it was much tougher than anything we've seen in a long time. I thought both Detour options were equally tricky. Even though the mules were pretty docile, getting the saddle and gear just right seemed to take quite awhile, and tripped up at least one team. The cheese making looked pretty tricky too and I'm surprised nobody besides Ryan and Dusty had problems with it. 

The Roadblock was hella impressive, even with a guide. I did think they made it a little too easy to see the hanging clues, but just imagine if anyone had to do it twice because they missed them the first time around. I think that would have literally killed Akbar.

I don't like them bunching the start times fifteen minutes apart though. They're not at an airport and there's no real reason they can't start spaced apart according to how they finished the last leg. I was disappointed with the lack of self-navigation too, until they had to paddle their rafts to the Pit Stop. 

What little respect I gained for the twins last leg evaporated this leg as they whined about the flight attendants not waiting for them at the Roadblock. Race, people.

Finally, I do think it was a bit show-boaty of Ryan and Dusty to strip down at the pit stop. Ryan's Instagram is filled with shirtless selfies, he's clearly proud of his body. Mind you - if I looked like that, I'd be shirtless all the time, so who can blame him.

Quote

I don't think the Canyon task was difficult or scary. You jump in water, swim, slide, walk, and do a zip line. 

I think it was tougher than it looked and physically draining. It looked like a pretty long obstacle course. It got short-shrift in editing that made it look faster than it really was.

Edited February 3, 2022 by iMonrey

[cowgirlwen]

I, too, am wondering why Arun and Natalia didn't have to do a speed bump?

[ProfCrash]

I am not a fan of the bunching but I think the COVID protocols mean having them bunched at departure so that they don't have to worry as much about exposure in different places based on when Racers get there. 

[aghst]

2 hours ago, Brynnjk said:

Another absolutely beautiful place.  I now want to go to Corsica and take that water challenge. 

I visited Corsica once, want to go back.  Corte is in the middle of the island, kind of distant from the coasts.  The island is known for some serious treks through the mountains.

The coastal cities are stunning though, beautiful aquamarine Mediterranean waters with cliffs and caves along the southern coast.

I hope they go to one of the coastal towns on the next leg.

 

[aghst]

16 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I was quite impressed with this leg, and thought it was much tougher than anything we've seen in a long time. I thought both Detour options were equally tricky. Even though the mules were pretty docile, getting the saddle and gear just right seemed to take quite awhile, and tripped up at least one team. The cheese making looked pretty tricky too and I'm surprised nobody besides Ryan and Dusty had problems with it. 

The Roadblock was hella impressive, even with a guide. I did think they made it a little too easy to see the hanging clues, but just imagine if anyone had to do it twice because they missed them the first time around. I think that would have literally killed Akbar.

I don't like them bunching the start times fifteen minutes apart though. They're not at an airport and there's no real reason they can't start spaced apart according to how they finished the last leg. I was disappointed with the lack of self-navigation too, until they had to paddle their rafts to the Pit Stop. 

The description made it sound like there was a risk of spilling the milk from those tanks but it was not an issue at all.  Maybe if they let them drop off the saddle?  Plus the distance looked very short, unless it was editing.  When the guys switched tasks, it would have been a lot quicker for them to run over to the mule station but pushing that jeep up probably slowed them down.

So the only challenging part was putting on the saddle correctly.

The Roadblock, Ryan told him to go as fast as they can and he'd follow.  I guess those slides were cleared out to make sure you couldn't hit the rocks on the side, same with the zip line.  Good CV test but the other part of it is plunging into the cold water but it didn't seem that bad.

As for spacing the departure times apart, I don't know what the typical time penalty is for racers who come in last in an NEL when they do the extra task.  Guess they got off easy just being 15 minutes behind the second group.  But 15 minutes may not be too short compared to some other speed bumps in previous seasons.

[proserpina65]

I totally would've done that roadblock.  It looked fun as hell.

And I'm glad it's completely Akbar's fault that he and Sheri got eliminated.  She did roadblocks that were extremely difficult for her without complaining; too bad he couldn't do the same.

On a more shallow note: if it means seeing Ryan and Dusty shirtless again, I fully endorse more tasks like these!  Also, whatever her weight/fitness issues, Sheri's got nice legs and looked great in those shorts.

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, Netfoot said:

I still thought they had a chance to win, because Arun & Natalia would row their kayak down river by mistake, but...

lol

14 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Corsica! Who knew how lovely the countryside looked?

Me, from the last time AR was there.  But I had forgotten.  Now I really want to go there.

13 hours ago, Starchild said:

Dudebro teams almost always seem to be like that. All "whoo" when they're in front, but almost insulting to other teams when they dare to pass. When they low-key dissed Arun/Natalia and Sherri/Akbar for just catching up, I flipped the bird at them. I noticed they "whoo'd" extra aggressively once they caught up, like an implicit f-you.

I didn't think that was insulting at all.  I saw them as understandably disappointed that they'd lost their lead and frustrated that whatever they were doing with the goat mil wasn't working.  And then reasonably excited when they caught up.

8 hours ago, Zonk said:

Ugh Dusty is the type of guy I wouldn't want to spend 5 minutes with. As soon as there is some slight preassure he turns very unpleasent

I don't think he turned unpleasant at all.  Frustrated and upset, yes, but not unpleasant.  He seems a little intense but that's all, imo.

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Finally, I do think it was a bit show-boaty of Ryan and Dusty to strip down at the pit stop. Ryan's Instagram is filled with shirtless selfies, he's clearly proud of his body. Mind you - if I looked like that, I'd be shirtless all the time, so who can blame him.

It was, and it was amusing to see the flight attendants and the greeter laughing about it, but I did enjoy the view.

44 minutes ago, aghst said:

Good CV test but the other part of it is plunging into the cold water but it didn't seem that bad.

That was the reason for the wetsuit which added 300 lbs to Akbar.

45 minutes ago, aghst said:

But 15 minutes may not be too short compared to some other speed bumps in previous seasons.

Most of them seemed to last around 10-15 minutes, although one or two were pretty tricky.

[ChiefWiggum9-1-2]

Kim and Penn are so used to living their lives in the (self-imposed) spotlight, i never can tell if they’re being real. It seems like they are always “on.”  They kinda remind me of the horrible Weavers from the family race. 

Edited February 3, 2022 by ChiefWiggum9-1-2

[ProfCrash]

46 minutes ago, ChiefWiggum9-1-2 said:

Kim and Penn are so used to living their lives in the (self-imposed) spotlight, i never can tell if they’re being real. It seems like they are always “on.”  They kinda remind me of the horrible Weavers from the family race. 

I thought they were pretty chill this episode. If anything, this was the calmest I have seen them on the race. Penn had a blast with the roadblock and they rocked the mule. (shrugs)

[MerBearHou]

7 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I thought they were pretty chill this episode. If anything, this was the calmest I have seen them on the race. Penn had a blast with the roadblock and they rocked the mule. (shrugs)

Totally agree.  I really like Penn and Kim and my goodness, their fitness is inspiring to me (I'm of a certain older age).

I also really like Dusty and Ryan -- love their really supportive friendship and I thought they handled the maddening setback really well.  I don't hold it against them that they're handsome and super fit!  I, too, got a kick out of the FAs and the greeter at the Mat when the guys took their shirts off -- too too funny!

Edited February 3, 2022 by MerBearHou

[aemom]

15 hours ago, xcrayon2215x said:

I was surprised that Ryan and Dusty finished 3rd after looking so bad to start but having a lot of physical tasks probably helped. I was surprised that there was no Speed Bump. 

I read a long time ago that the idea of the speed bump was to delay a team by about 15 minutes.  By having Arun and Natalia leave the Pitstart on their own, 15 minutes after the other teams, they kind of covered that.

They scrambled to make up new race locations and tasks, so having to come up with new tasks for just one team would have been added work that they decided to avoid.

 

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I don't like them bunching the start times fifteen minutes apart though. They're not at an airport and there's no real reason they can't start spaced apart according to how they finished the last leg.

I suspect that they are working with a smaller production staff because of Covid, and keeping the teams a little more tightly packed timewise at the start makes it easier on them.

[blackwing]

 

2 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I don't think the Canyon task was difficult or scary. You jump in water, swim, slide, walk, and do a zip line. If Akbar was in ok shape he could have done it far more quickly then he did. He was passed by Arun, a dude who is in his mid 50's and not a former D1 Basketball player. 

Seriously, Akbar and Sheri were really badly out of shape.

I agree that I don't think the Canyon task was difficult.  Nobody had any trouble with it except for Akbar, who I hope now realises that he is not in as good shape as he thinks he is.  It was basically just jumping into water and hiking.  There was no ropes course or anything even remotely difficult beyond basic hiking.

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The Roadblock was hella impressive, even with a guide. I did think they made it a little too easy to see the hanging clues, but just imagine if anyone had to do it twice because they missed them the first time around. I think that would have literally killed Akbar.

Yep, I was disappointed that the clues were so easy to find.  They literally were hanging at a spot where the racers had to turn a corner to get to the path to continue.  There was no way anyone would have missed them.  I wish the clues had been spread out individually throughout the course.  That would have given some advantage to the first teams to go through because there are more clues to find.

Either that or I would have had like in past tasks where there are words on signs along the way.  I would have made at least six words and I would have had them in French.

2 hours ago, cowgirlwen said:

I, too, am wondering why Arun and Natalia didn't have to do a speed bump?

I am assuming that the 15 minute interval was the equivalent of a Speed Bump, but still.  Speed Bumps are hit or miss, but they tend to at least show some of the local culture, even if it's as stupid as sitting on a block of ice.

As far as the excuse that they had to "scramble" to come up with new locations and new tasks because of Covid... I am assuming they had months to plan the race.  It wasn't like all of a sudden the Covid restrictions were dropped, the teams are getting on a plane tomorrow, and they had to design it on the fly.  I would rather have had them do an actual Speed Bump.  There's something psychological about being forced to do an extra task that nobody else has to do because you sucked badly on the previous leg.

[HurricaneVal]

Dudebros--well, mostly Dusty--kind of showed their ass in this episode.  But they are fine asses indeed!  They are the least objectionable Dudebro team I've seen so far from TAR/BB/Survivor, so even though they've tarnished their glow for me, they're not really on my bad side.  Yet.  We'll see what their attitude is like if they fall behind other teams in future episodes.  This may have just been the tip of the iceberg. 

What an amazing roadblock!  And race to the mat!  Corsica is unbelievably gorgeous.  This is the show I love, people doing interesting things in amazing locations and mostly having a ball. 

The only people who didn't seem to be enjoying the roadblock were Akbar, who was so caught up in his exhaustion that he just zombied through the course, and the Dudebro (Dusty?  Ryan?) who was so focused on passing other teams and going as fast as he could that I doubt he had any idea of what the location was other than "wet."

I had to rewind and watch (several times) the scene at the mat with Raquel, Kayla, Phil and the greeter when the Dudebros were bro-ing out.  That greeter was so full of charm and twinkle.  Even Phil was cracking up.

Buh-Bye Akbar.  You're very lucky that your roadblock performance wasn't directly witnessed by your wife, so she couldn't heckle you and make disparaging remarks about your performance to the camera as you were slowly lurching around and gasping for breath.  You deserved all the P/A shade Sheri threw at you.  I hope maybe you watch your episodes and learn something.

[watch2much]

5 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

Dudebros--well, mostly Dusty--kind of showed their ass in this episode.  But they are fine asses indeed!  They are the least objectionable

I had to rewind and watch (several times) the scene at the mat with Raquel, Kayla, Phil and the greeter when the Dudebros were bro-ing out.  That greeter was so full of charm and twinkle.  Even Phil was cracking up.

Buh-Bye Akbar.  You're very lucky that your roadblock performance wasn't directly witnessed by your wife, so she couldn't heckle you and make disparaging remarks about your performance to the camera as you were slowly lurching around and gasping for breath.  You deserved all the P/A shade Sheri threw at you.  I hope maybe you watch your episodes and learn something.

the FA's correctly mocking the taking off of tops was hilarious.  and the second guy only did it after seeing the first one take his off...no way he was going to be shown up.  I immediately became a bigger fan of the FAs.

And Akbar.....oh my goodness.....he was complaining all through it--the altitude???? dude do you remember the altitudes involved with what Sherri did?  then the cold water..well, get moving you'll warm up.  like a lot of you I was yelling....pick it up, you're an athlete.  I give Sherri so much credit, she just put her head down and did the tasks, no whining, no complaining....just kept plugging.  He was laughing at the bungee jumping Sherri had to do instead of being concerned for what she had to go thru.  then she walked up all those stairs and complained not a whit....even the alphas were saying how hard it was.  wish there was a favorite racer award to give her.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, aemom said:

I suspect that they are working with a smaller production staff because of Covid, and keeping the teams a little more tightly packed timewise at the start makes it easier on them.

Naturally, they are working under new restraints, one of which is likely to be (as you say) a reduced staff. So all of what we are seeing is as new to them as to us. With time, new practices and procedures will become streamlined, simplified, altered and improved.

Things will get better. I just hope that the conditions & restrictions under which they are operating won't last forever, and some of the difficulties will be eliminated. I take hope for this in the fact that four countries in Europe have already declared an end to all related formal precautions and regulations. 

If When things return to normal, that won't mean that TAR will automatically also return to the normal we have known for 32 seasons. New practices and procedures devised for the current times may be adopted for long-term use, if they prove beneficial to Production, in terms of cost or ease of implementation. The normal we return to may be a new normal for The Amazing Race.

[Mittengirl]

6 hours ago, chaifan said:

My guess is that it's more practical - if the kayaks flipped, then there's the potential for losing a racer's pack, or the inconvenience of everything being wet, including their passports. 

Safety issues as well - you don’t want someone who is exhausted and not thinking straight trying to pull a heavy backpack out of the water if their kayak flipped.  I realize they were wearing PFD’s, but in a panic someone might take it off.

I like Ryan, but Dusty can go away.  He doesn’t really seem like he is having fun unless he is winning.  Obviously they all want to win, but most of the others seem to also be enjoying the experience as well (Akbar excepted).  My hunch is that once Dusty saw that Spencer and Anthony didn’t return, he figured that they were a lock to win.  No way were two guys going to get beaten by 2 overweight people, a couple of girls teams, a team that couldn’t navigate their way out of a paper bag and a pair of middle-aged parents.  Getting his first taste of not being a sure thing brought out Dusty’s ugly side.

 

 

[North of Eden]

5 hours ago, blackwing said:

I don't like the new race design.  I get why they all have to be on the same charter plane but I don't like how now the teams only are spaced 15 minutes apart.  I know that airport bunching has always equalised everyone.  But I am curious if they stay in the same country, if teams will still be leaving in groups 15 minutes apart or if teams can keep their lead.  If the first place team finished two hours ahead of the last place team, in the past they know they have a 2 hour buffer but now it's potentially only 15 minutes.

I don't agree... as I mentioned in a previous week's thread, the last team of alpha males to win was Bates and Anthony, the hockey brothers, and that was maybe like 12 seasons ago.  I think the producers do a decent job of making the race balanced.  Yes, there are challenges where strength is important, but there are also challenges where memory and brains are important.  Like what happened with the football players at the music challenge that got them eliminated (that and collusion amongst the others).  As far as physical fitness, I would think that every team that wants to be on the race should know that they should be in good shape.  Akbar and Sheri were perhaps the most un-fit team in recent history.  I am sure they were physically stronger than Lulu and Lala but Lulu and Lala are in much better shape.

I think we will have to agree to disagree...it isn't even completly about an alpha male team winning the whole shooting match. Their physical advantages have allowed many to go deep into the race at the expense of others that might have gone farther but for them. Right now there is not a team physically in the class of Ryan and Dusty and that greases their way to a very high finish if not winning outright barring some critical mistake. It could be worse though...two other alpha male teams did not return after the 19 month pit stop (though I will admit I would swap Dusty/Bryan for the Train Heroes anyday...those were good guys.)

[HurricaneVal]

Oh!  And I also meant to add that I agreed with the poster upthread who said it would have been better if the donkey option of the detour didn't end so close to the cheese making task.  I realize that might be due to COVID protocols...maybe only a few people could be cleared to staff the tasks so they had to double up...but it was poor race design.  Ryan and Dusty could clearly see that people accomplished the donkey task much faster than they were accomplishing their cheese making task, so that made switching tasks a no-brainer for them.  It would have been better if it were more cloaked in mystery, so they would have to make the task-switching decision in a vacuum. 

Of course, overall, it would have been better if they'd stopped dicking with the temperature controls on the burner, followed directions, and made the fricking cheese like everyone else did with no problems.  It looked like someone from the fromagerie or from production had to relight their burner several times, probably due to Dusty constantly telling Ryan to turn it down.  Like 85 degrees was a critical temperature they couldn't pass or it would destroy the world.  Ryan handled Dusty quite well then...carefully, with kid gloves, like an unexploded bomb.  Ryan looked pretty damn relaxed, really.  I think he was fine knowing they might be behind at that moment, but there wasn't any way they'd be last to the mat once they got past this task.  He was pretty zen about it.  You don't have to be first all the time, you just have to be first the last time.  Dusty on the other hand.......he apparently can only cope with having the view from the front at all times.  Dude was practically vibrating apart with the stress of being passed.  Dude needs to take one of Ryan's chill-pills.

[chaifan]

What I thought was funny about Dusty & Ryan at the pitstop is that they were the only guys to go shirtless for the kayaking.  I went back and watched the beginning of that task, and they arrived with shirts (tank tops) on.  By the time they have their life vests on, they're shirtless.  There is no reason - movement, heat, wanting a little sun tan, etc. - to take off a tank top, so that my friends was all for the cameras! 

I don't mind enthusiasm, I just think Dusty went over the top with the hootin' and hollerin' when they were pulling up in the kayak.  Shouting "Yeah! Yeah! That's what I call a comeback!"  But it was just so aggressive, in tone, expression and everything.  I think that's what is bothering a lot of people.  They knew very well they weren't in last and there were at least 2 teams behind them, so yeah, a bit over the top. 

And, I didn't notice it first time around, but on rewatch noticed that everyone had black pendants on.  I'm guessing those were locators, just in case they went floating down river? 

[Shermie]

I agree with those who thought Dusty was being an ass at the end. Yes, it’s frustrating to lose their lead, but it was the unspoken entitlement, like he assumed they should always have the lead because they’re the only team of young fit guys there. Which is a whole other complaint, but it is what it is. 

Is Akbar a coach? Because he could learn some coaching skills from Sheri. He’s yelling and shaming her throughout her efforts, while she (perhaps shadily) just says “you tried your best” as he did the challenge. I don’t understand why they even applied to this show; have they ever seen it? And if they have, why not get a little more fit? Especially with a 19-month break after they knew how physically taxing it would be. But no, they both show up just as out-of-shape as before.

I was prepared to dislike Kim and Penn because of the “whatever they do on the internet” thing, but they’re good-natured and hard workers. So I’d be happy for them to win. How old are they?

I’m also okay with the flight attendants winning, after their sad lack of knowledge in the first leg or two. 

If there’s one thing this race is good at, it’s promoting tourism for the places it goes. Except India unfortunately; I always come away from an India leg thinking I’d never want to go there.

[aghst]

I bet they sprinted down to the kayaks, got their heart rates up higher than others pumping up the boat, taking it up to the dam and then paddling it as fast as they could while others were going at a more leisurely pace.

They're not in fear of being eliminated but they probably suspected they could have been in the running still to make the first departure time.

Almost caught up to the flight attendants.

[QuantumMechanic]

57 minutes ago, Shermie said:

I was prepared to dislike Kim and Penn because of the “whatever they do on the internet” thing, but they’re good-natured and hard workers. So I’d be happy for them to win. How old are they?

I believe Penn is 47 and Kim is 44.

[ByaNose]

7 hours ago, WahooLAH99 said:

I was in Corsica in October! Ajaccio, which is where Napoleon is from. I never saw any of those mountains! I feel like I missed out because I was not really impressed at all.

Is Dusty the one that was in jail? I still have no idea who is who.  Bye Akbar, I don’t think I will miss you. I also was thinking Arun and daughter were going to paddle the wrong way down the river! And did they not have to do a Speed Bump!

It’s funny but I finally realize who’s who. LOL!!! Ryan was the one in jail and has the muscles and is tan. Dusty is the somewhat more thin and intense one with a tattoo on his right shoulder.. LOL!!! Also, when they check in Ryan is on the left and Dusty is on the right thus them being titled Ryan & Dusty. I’ve probably confused you even more but that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Anyway, the boys are still my Top 3 with Kim & Penn with either the twins or the FA bringing up the rear. While Ryan & Dusty have been the strongest team so far it was nice to see them mess up. It made it more competitive. It was hysterical when the FA and the greeter were laughing at the boys taking their vests off and showing off their pecs. Too funny! 

[Silver-hyren]

4 hours ago, aemom said:

I read a long time ago that the idea of the speed bump was to delay a team by about 15 minutes. 

Who could forget "sit on this block of ice for 10 minutes" 😆

[iMonrey]

Quote

I, too, got a kick out of the FAs and the greeter at the Mat when the guys took their shirts off -- too too funny!

They took their life jackets off. Which, OK I get it but they had taken off their shirts before putting on their life jackets and I don't know why. They were both wearing light-weight tank tops.

Quote

Ryan looked pretty damn relaxed, really.  I think he was fine knowing they might be behind at that moment, but there wasn't any way they'd be last to the mat once they got past this task.  He was pretty zen about it. 

I imagine after you've spent nine years in prison for a crime you didn't commit, you're going to be pretty chill about anything that comes after it.

Quote

I agree that I don't think the Canyon task was difficult.  Nobody had any trouble with it except for Akbar, who I hope now realises that he is not in as good shape as he thinks he is. 

They were all pretty winded by the time they got back. Even Ryan said he was feeling the pain. I think it looked like it was fun (except for Akbar) but also fairly exhausting. 

I think this episode spent so much time on Dusty and Ryan trying to make cheese and their ultimate comeback that the Roadblock itself sort of got short shrift in the editing. That was a pretty long-ass course judging by the Amazing Map.

[I Want My MBTV]

5 hours ago, aemom said:

read a long time ago that the idea of the speed bump was to delay a team by about 15 minutes.  By having Arun and Natalia leave the Pitstart on their own, 15 minutes after the other teams, they kind of covered that.

But in previous seasons the teams would have all left 12 hours after their arrival time at the Pit Stop and Arun and Natalia came in so long after everyone else at the pitstop the greeter had left.  So they should have left like 3 hours + 15 minute pit stop behind.  But nope all they get for coming in a thousand hours behind is to not be eliminated, depart a whole 15 minutes later then get driven around.  I don't have anything against them but they're the luckiest people ever.  When Natalia said something about "our 2nd chance" I was thinking "isn't this like your 10th chance?".  They've nice enough and are enjoying the race (as they should be as if it hadn't been for stop/re-start they wouldn't even be here) but I'll be very disappointed if they somehow manage to luck their way into winning the whole thing.  To me it's just not the spirit of the race.  And, like someone else said, glad to have the race back but this is race light.   I'll probably still keep watching any season they put on for Phil but the enjoyment isn't the same.  

Oh, and somehow Pen and Kim have grown on me. They are "on" but not as bad as I thought they'd be and not as bad as some other teams from previous seasons. 

[GenerationX]

Random thoughts on episode 6 - "Roadblock Relief":

• I did an excursion (hike and zipline with water) similar to the Roadblock in Puerto Rico.  Very exhilarating and highly recommended.
• While Ack!bar took his time and savored the experience, Ryan ripped through it in record time.  I'm no Ryan and Dusty fan, but it was fun to watch the Amazing Progress Tracker show Ryan's name gaining on the others.
• The impression I got from Sherri in all of her post-leg interviews scattered throughout the episode was one of relief.  I sensed she was glad their race was over and that it was 100% his fault they lost.

Adding Corsica to the list of places I need to visit someday.

[aemom]

30 minutes ago, I Want My MBTV said:

But in previous seasons the teams would have all left 12 hours after their arrival time at the Pit Stop and Arun and Natalia came in so long after everyone else at the pitstop the greeter had left.  So they should have left like 3 hours + 15 minute pit stop behind.  But nope all they get for coming in a thousand hours behind is to not be eliminated, depart a whole 15 minutes later then get driven around.  I don't have anything against them but they're the luckiest people ever.  When Natalia said something about "our 2nd chance" I was thinking "isn't this like your 10th chance?".  They've nice enough and are enjoying the race (as they should be as if it hadn't been for stop/re-start they wouldn't even be here) but I'll be very disappointed if they somehow manage to luck their way into winning the whole thing.  To me it's just not the spirit of the race.  And, like someone else said, glad to have the race back but this is race light.   I'll probably still keep watching any season they put on for Phil but the enjoyment isn't the same. 

What I spoke about was about covering the time for the Speed bump.

5 hours ago, aemom said:

I suspect that they are working with a smaller production staff because of Covid, and keeping the teams a little more tightly packed timewise at the start makes it easier on them.

What I said just above is why I think that they are doing compressed start times. They really can't have people too far apart because they are also using the Amazing Plane.

Yes, Arun and Natalia are definitely benefiting from this, but the potential benefit is there for all teams.

[katalizt]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

 

And, I didn't notice it first time around, but on rewatch noticed that everyone had black pendants on.  I'm guessing those were locators, just in case they went floating down river? 

I think those are waterproof microphones. They must've switched microphones off screen between blowing up the kayaks and getting in the river, and Ryan & Dusty's shirts probably came off in that process, lol.

[mojoween]

I realize this has nothing to do with anything and is a me problem, but Raquel not putting her hair up most of the time drives me insane.

[HurricaneVal]

27 minutes ago, GenerationX said:

While Ack!bar took his time and savored the experience,

I'm not sure Akbar was doing much savoring of the experience....  He looked like he was doing everything he could just to keep moving, I thought the guide was going to have to drag him through the whole course in full Weekend at Bernie's style.  I think he totally had tunnel vision, dude was just trying to survive!  😆

[dgpolo]

2 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

He looked like he was doing everything he could just to keep moving,

It was because his shoes are too heavy.

[Netfoot]

5 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

It was because his shoes are too heavy.

I've heard of sneakers being too light, but never of shoes being too heavy.  That sounds like an excuse to me.

[dgpolo]

4 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

10 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

It was because his shoes are too heavy.

I've heard of sneakers being too light, but never of shoes being too heavy.  That sounds like an excuse to me.

Yep, that was his excuse, he had big feet and his shoes were too heavy.

[katalizt]

40 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I realize this has nothing to do with anything and is a me problem, but Raquel not putting her hair up most of the time drives me insane.

Same. I can barely sit in my office all day with my hair down, let alone go exploring a river!

[toomuchtv]

15 minutes ago, katalizt said:

Same. I can barely sit in my office all day with my hair down, let alone go exploring a river!

Same! 

[ichbin]

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

What little respect I gained for the twins last leg evaporated this leg as they whined about the flight attendants not waiting for them at the Roadblock. Race, people.

 

There are always teams like this who take the working together concept a bit too far in their minds.  The only thing worse are teams who get upset when a competing team neglects to give them help.  As you said, "Race, people"!

 

6 hours ago, watch2much said:

And Akbar.....oh my goodness.....he was complaining all through it--the altitude???? dude do you remember the altitudes involved with what Sherri did?  then the cold water..well, get moving you'll warm up.  like a lot of you I was yelling....pick it up, you're an athlete.  I give Sherri so much credit, she just put her head down and did the tasks, no whining, no complaining....just kept plugging.  He was laughing at the bungee jumping Sherri had to do instead of being concerned for what she had to go thru.  then she walked up all those stairs and complained not a whit....even the alphas were saying how hard it was.  wish there was a favorite racer award to give her.

OMG, yes!!  Seeing him flailing through that water course was painful to watch. I would love to be a contestant, both for the travel opportunities and possibility of a large cash prize...but I know I would not be able to perform a lot of the physical challenges so I wouldn't enter myself even if I could pass the physical and whatever else production put them through beforehand.  Some people need both a reality check and some self-awareness.

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by ichbin
spelling

[Tango64]

Dusty fell victim to the “I’ve done this before!” trap, which is closely related to the “We’re from here!” trap. Almost always famous last words. 
When they first started watching the cheese demo, Dusty explained to Ryan how they can’t get the temp get too high or it just cooks. That was the one thing he sort of knew, so in his panic he fixated on that one thing to their detriment.

Just now, Tango64 said:

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Tango64

[Stardancer Supreme]

21 hours ago, sara416 said:

Dusty thought he knew how to make cheese better than the actual directions. Just follow the instructions dude. 

I cackled, especially when he said, "I cooked cheese before."  Apparently not well.  

[vousviou]

Cheese making usually involves some kind of acid to start the curdling process, and I strongly suspect something went wrong with Ryan and Dusty adding the milk that was the problem -- I wouldn't be surprised if it was sour milk full of lactic acid, and they just forgot to add it.

I wasn't a fan of Sheri and Akbar but I sort of wish this was an a non-elimination leg just to stretch out their role as the obvious sacrificial lambs. The show is going to get a lot more serious at this point and less touristy. I'm not in a rush to get there this time around.

I wish there was more time devoted to behind the scenes. This season, to be honest, the competition is going ro be a bit limited, and given the circumstances, this would be an interesting time to see the racers in less guarded moments. I like this bunch, and seeing them all decompressing and talking about what they've been going throuh could have been really interesting.

I've been wanting to feel snarky, but I can't, even to Akbar and team Youtube. Compared to last season with the endless maneuvering for the alliance and bickering over who was really nice enough, they all seem glad to just be there.

At any rate,  I hope they push the puzzles in coming episodes. In terms of Covid there's nothing problematic for producers about a good old TAR puzzle involving putting together a 100 piece goat herder costume and then walking backwards and blindfolded through a medieval courtyard full of mud to recite a memorized 500 word poem in ancient Croatian to a surly elderly judge. 

[Quilt Fairy]

Has the race been to Corsica before?  It was so beautiful and nothing like what I image when I hear the word "island".  

The Amazing Yellow Line returns!

 

[Fukui San]

10 hours ago, cowgirlwen said:

I, too, am wondering why Arun and Natalia didn't have to do a speed bump?

I think the Speed Bump this year is that they're alone 15 minutes in back of everyone else. Next week it's just two groups starting off.

I do wonder why though they grouped people's starting times after the restart. Why not First team 10 minutes before 2nd team and so on? 

[ZeeEnnui]

12 hours ago, blackwing said:

I think Ryan and Dusty might be the only team left that I truly like.  Kim and Penn annoy me with their "look at me" videos, the twins are twits, the "we want an all girl team to win" flight attendants annoy me, and Arun and Natalia are just hapless.  Dusty is really intense.  His "I'll be so pissed if we go home" outburst is probably the same thing all the teams feel every leg, so it wasn't unwarranted per se, but it was odd that he said it in front of every other team.  None of them want to go home.  But after hearing him talk about his father who died during the interracedom and the birth of his first child, I felt for him.

Hard agree with all of this. If Team Rusty had been eliminated, I probably would have lost any interest in watching the rest of the season. Between Cringe-fluencers Kim and Penn, the L is for Lame twins, Woo Girls flight attendants, and Mapquest Morons Arun and Natalia...I can't root for any of these people. The pandemic was hard on everyone, apparently it meant that CBS couldn't cast anyone you wanted you wanted to see win. Plus these people are either dumb, lack attention to detail or are physically not up to the race. You don't have to be a gym rat to be worth cheering for, but at least be good at something. Kim and Penn are the only ones that I'd trust to travel with, and I'd hate having to spend time with their "always on" asses.  Was Rusty a little intense? Sure. But as "dude bros" go, it's a lowercase "b" on the bro part. Also, Ryan is awesome and after everything that was done to him, I really appreciate his attitude. So, yes, I'm all in for Rusty. 

Miss me with that but the flight attendants left meeee, bs. Grouping the teams at the beginning of each leg is enough of a participation trophy. This is a race, not summer camp where you'll be friends forever. I have no time for people who lose sight of competing because of some made up "nice person" rules that exist only in their head. 

Interesting that Akbar didn't have anything to say about "....as a former competitive athlete" when he's the one lagging. Sherri deserves better. Glad they were put out of their misery and eliminated. I see marriage counseling in their future. 

[Tdoc72]

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

  It looked like someone from the fromagerie or from production had to relight their burner several times, probably due to Dusty constantly telling Ryan to turn it down.  Like 85 degrees was a critical temperature they couldn't pass or it would destroy the world. 

At one point, they showed the thermometer was 85.8 and Dusty is all “dude, this is way too hot. We’re cooking it.”  Then they show Dusty blowing (and possibly spitting, not very Covid compliant) in it, I assume to cool it down. watched that scene a couple times, laughing at him. 

Edited February 4, 2022 by Tdoc72

[MsJamieDornan]

20 hours ago, Zonk said:

Ugh Dusty is the type of guy I wouldn't want to spend 5 minutes with

Since the first episode he has been annoying. He just cant shut up. Endless unnecessary chatter.

[Haleth]

Normally a high test bro team that was this aggressive about always being first would annoy me, but I think Dusty whooping it up was justified in this case.  They went from a distant last place to third.  That is pretty impressive.  Now tone it down, dude.

The FAs were doing the Cam Newton/Superman rip the shirt off move.

[smartymarty]

19 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

That was the reason for the wetsuit which added 300 lbs to Akbar.

Actually, wetsuits float.

11 hours ago, dgpolo said:

Yep, that was his excuse, he had big feet and his shoes were too heavy.

Well, in the water they would drag him down, but if he was wearing boots instead of sneakers, that was his stupid idea, since he knew he was going to get wet.

9 hours ago, ZeeEnnui said:

Interesting that Akbar didn't have anything to say about "....as a former competitive athlete" when he's the one lagging. Sherri deserves better. Glad they were put out of their misery and eliminated. I see marriage counseling in their future. 

As they were leaving the water detour, he said something about having "left it all on the court."

[Blergh]

59 minutes ago, smartymarty said:

 

As they were leaving the water detour, he said something about having "left it all on the court."

Unless he somehow does a major 180 post-Race, perhaps Sheri might say the same after making a one-time trip to divorce court.

BTW, I wonder how Dusty's newborn son's mother will react to him having shown off his admittedly toned chest in front of all those somewhat attractive (and evidently single) women? Not that they were all set dump racing against him just to stroke his and Ryan's muscles but still. . .