S33.E09: Rock Bottom

[Whimsy]

Quote

Racers leave no stone unturned while looking for a clue in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Original airdate 2/23/22

[Netfoot]

Glad for the FA's Raquel & Cayla, who raced well and secured the win. The needle/haystack challenge had a big part to play in that, but give Jack his jacket - they did run the leg well. Raquel didn't show much of the KF displayed by the other three teams, but that was probably because she found her coin first, and so wasn't crawling around on her hands and knees for anything like as long as the rest.

Kim shows her inner snarl when the going got rough. I wonder how the modern teams of racers would manage in a race where all the challenges were ball-busters, like in the earlier seasons?

Arun is starting to get snippy as well. Is this KF combined with a tough challenge? Prolly. The editing made it look like it was a footrace to the mat between A&N and R&N but I suspect there was considerable separation between them, despite A&N's ever-present iffy navigational skills.

The NEL was obvious since last week, but I sure wish Ryan & Nasty had been eliminated. 

So, it looks like this race will not be a race around the world. That is unfortunate, but under the circumstances I am just glad we got any race at all, rather than the total cancellation of the show which was always a possibility. 

[hendersonrocks]

Ryan is a fucking gem. Getting Dusty to take a break and take in the scenery was legitimately moving. Can Ryan join Penn and Kim (and her rage) and the three of them just win together? I'd be cool with that.

[mojoween]

I was actually hoping for an Arun elimination because he was such a jerk.  Is Killer Fatigue a thing this year?  “Dad it’s to the right.” “You have to tell me left or right!”  “It’s to the right!”  “You have to give me clear directions!”

I don’t know why, but this ep was very underwhelming to me.  Two needle in a haystack challenges?  No thank you.

Although Socrates was amusing.

Edited February 24, 2022 by mojoween

[chitowngirl]

Man-3 hours on your knees turning over rocks….

[ProfCrash]

I really don’t like needle in the hay stack tasks. I really don’t like them. There is limited skill involved and far too much luck. Kim’s idea of a quadrant search made sense but was going to be hard to actually execute. I did notice that rocks that were flipped seemed to have a wet spot on the bottom but who knows how long those lasted.

Just sucky tasks.

Glad Cayla and Raquel got their win. They ran a clean leg. I thought the idea of looking at the bottom of the plate for the clue but I am not sure there was a lot of follow through on that. 

Arun and Natalia are falling apart. Arun isn’t listening to Natalia and then getting upset with her for not giving her good directions when she is telling him exactly what he needs to know.  

Penn was having a blast at the plate breaking task. I can see how he would annoy the hell out of Kim in the moment. But it was the goofy, fun, but oh so annoying energy. 

Dusty was about to blow. Ryan knew exactly how to chill him out. Ryan got it, the task sucked and there wasn’t any good reason to stress Dusty out by being stressed himself.

The plate breaking task was fun. Thankfully they set the breaking stations far enough away from the band or anyone else. 

I can’t wait to hear the podcasts to find out how far behind Dusty and Ryan were. They didn’t see Arun or Natalia at the task. I know that they wanted us to believe that Ryan and Dusty were gaining time but I would be shocked if they were not back by at least an hour or more.  

[bearcatfan]

According to Lulu and Lala on their podcast last week, KF was setting in. 

Arun was a jerk today. There was nothing wrong with how Natalia was breaking those plates. 

[Lady Calypso]

Once again, it was made clear that this was another NEL, but the scenery was pretty and I enjoyed the detour that everyone chose. Yes, after that needle in a haystack challenge, I'd be up for smashing plates too. 

I actually did feel for Dusty. Being there three hours, seeing teams find the coin and leaving, I can't blame him for getting angry and frustrated. It's a good thing that Ryan got him to calm down by making him take a break and take in the scenery. That's a good partner he has. And good on Dusty for talking about his anger issues and not wanting his son to ever see that side of him. I've never hated Dusty; he can be annoying, but he seems like a good guy. Maybe, out of a season of likeable teams (besides Akbar), it's easier to find the small flaws and blow them up, but everyone has mostly been great, and have just had certain moments to make them look worse.

Take Arun, this time. He got frustrated, snapped at Natalia and made some blunders, but we've seen that he's been a great sport up until now. Race Fatigue is real.

Good on Raquel and Cayla for winning this leg. Raquel got lucky with the stone turning and then there was really not much of a chance to switch the placements up. But Raquel had a great strategy for the plate smashing and it really worked in their favour. 

Kim/Penn did well. Poor Kim was clearly frustrated herself and exhausted, but it was good to hear her talk out her thoughts and why she was so frustrated. Anxiety is no joke. And I loved Penn's "Correct!" when she was describing how her anxiety worked in terms of her and Penn together.

I have to imagine Ryan/Dusty were FAR behind Arun/Natalia. They tried making it seem like they were close together, but as Ryan/Dusty got to the plate breaking with no other teams in sight, unless Arun/Natalia got VERY lost, it was over. My best guess is that Arun/Natalia were still a good half hour ahead of Ryan/Dusty, if not more, since they did show the timer, at one point, at 2 hrs 28 minutes when Ryan/Dusty were the last ones left. 

[chaifan]

I spent half the episode wondering if the Oracle at least had some sort of shade/parasol that she put up when the camera wasn't on her.  She had to be sitting out there for close to 5 hours.  It was somewhat overcast, but still.  Really, TAR should have provided all the racers, even the ones just watching, with wide brim hats and cotton cover ups.  Skin cancer is no joke.  Cayla was noticeably sunburned just from sitting there watching.  Seems like the orchestra left at some point in time when it was only Dusty there. 

I realize Dusty was frustrated, but he showed -0- sense of actual strategy.  I understand not wanting to leave an obvious sign that stones have been checked if there are other racers, but once it was down to 2, he should have just started at one edge, and just put all rocks he's touched on one side of him.  Even with needle in the haystack challenges there can be some strategy at play, and he just bumbled around until he lucked out.  He was the only one with gloves, though, right?  That was smart.

Arun yelling at Natalie how to break plates was such a parent/child moment.  But I liked whoever it was - Ryan or Dusty - that commented if you throw them on their sides they break more.  I'm glad they all did the breaking challenge - more fun to watch than someone running up and down a hill.  Penn & Kim were funny - "It's more fun if you yell each time."  "I'm not doing that."  (or something along those lines.)

What are the chances the philosophers' quotes will come into play in the final challenge?

Yeah, since we knew next week was going to be 2 hours it was sort of obvious this would be a NEL.  Sort of glad, I guess. 

I wasn't paying close attention to the preview.  Can anyone identify the stadium for the last pit stop?  Put it in under a spoiler tag, please, since we're not supposed to discuss previews in the ep threads. 

 

 

 

[mertensia]

Kim breaking rocks segues into the invasion of Ukraine.

[North of Eden]

So sad that was a NEL. I was hopping to rule out any chance of a young, alpha male sprinting to the winner's mat.

My gut tells me the two guys KNEW that it was a NEL and all the angst was for nothing and they knew that. What convinced me was there would absolutely be nothing that could make someone leave the rock pile and go sight seeing for a scenic view atop the amphitheater if they didn't know they were safe.

Didn't buy the editing that it was anywhere close between the last two teams thought I will admit the father/daughter and the constant bumbling was getting to be a bit much.

Props to the rock task though...especially the shots of the people having it under their fingertips and missing it. Almost as good a challenge as the Haybales from Hell and the Padlock challenge that reduced Hayden to tears all those years ago.

 

Penn acting like a jackass at the plate throwing was a given at this point in the race...I just console  myself that I never have to see him again after this is over. But I was able to overlook him anyway thanks to Kim who had the line of the night and gave me a pretty good laugh when she was talking to Socrates....I'm a big fan of your work  priceless! Thanks Kim.

Looks like Raquel's tank top got eliminated between episodes.

Edited February 24, 2022 by North of Eden

[Jodithgrace]

I think Socrates is hoping for an Emmy.

You know, Penn hops around saying goofy things all the time, but I find Kim to be the funny one. She is deadpan, but she said some funny things, like telling Socrates, "I'm a big fan of your work."

Needle in a haystack tasks are miserable. I was wondering, if the racers had all come at different times, if they would have replaced the coins that were found so that each racer would have an even playing field. They were all there at once so I didn't find out. But watching them, I couldn't help but have visions of bales of hay. Many bales of hay.

I always know that it's non-elimination when Phil keeps talking. He's kind, and never keep the eliminated racers waiting for the bad news. But if he starts commiserating with them, you know they aren't going home. 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Jodithgrace
had Kim's Socrates quote wrong

[GenerationX]

Related thoughts on episode 9 - "The Philosophy of the Amazing Race":

• Wearing gloves is good (Dusty at the stones)
• Taking notes is good (Kim when listening to Socrates)
• Appreciating where you are is good (Ryan at the stones)

Where's the full Amazing Race theme music?  It's been the seriously truncated version for the last few weeks.  The full theme sets the right mood for the show.  Grumble grumble.

[toomuchtv]

I was wondering why they didn’t have eye protection with the crazy plate breaking! And I was worried dusty abs Ryan would miss their clue since they seemed to be looking more at the plate as they took it from the stack than after it was broken.

[aemom]

21 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I realize Dusty was frustrated, but he showed -0- sense of actual strategy.  I understand not wanting to leave an obvious sign that stones have been checked if there are other racers, but once it was down to 2, he should have just started at one edge, and just put all rocks he's touched on one side of him.  Even with needle in the haystack challenges there can be some strategy at play, and he just bumbled around until he lucked out.  He was the only one with gloves, though, right?  That was smart.

If I had been the last one there, I would have started throwing the rocks into piles after checking to have a better sense of which ones I had already done. 

[shura]

37 minutes ago, mojoween said:

I don’t know why, but this ep was very underwhelming to me.  Two needle in a haystack challenges?  No thank you.

Yes, spending literally half of the episode watching people turn rocks over was a bit much.  And the show didn’t do any service to Thessaloniki.  What interesting things did we learn about the place?  They got rocks, cafes, old walls with towers and a waterfront.  Just like literally any other Mediterranean city then?  Yawn.  Socrates and Diogenes have nothing to do with Thessaloniki either.  I did like Socrates’ weird intensity though.

[Zonk]

Did they really try to edit that like it was a sprint to the finish, after they had given us a timer on how long Dusty was flipping stones? Seriously? I mean I know Arun and Natalia do get very lost, but not that lost.

I never like these needle in a haystack challanges. They don't require any skill, just luck and they disproportionally disadvantage teams that get there later or don't have as much luck in the beginning, as there get to be less and less needles. At least it was a non-elim.

The leg design was really bad. There was not even a theoretical chance to catch up after the needle task. Absolutely no skill incolved in the detour.

Didn't even have a bunch of colourfull task masters and clue givers like last week had. Only actors who played ancient greeks way too seriously.

Dusty was annoying as hell again. You have anger issues? You don't say. I never would have guessed that from the unhinged emotional state you've shown over the whole race. This time it was at least a bit more warrented than the last times, but still...

Really, only thing I enjoyed this episode was Kim explaining the dong-dong-dong-sound.

Let's hope next week is better.

[Starchild]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

Penn was having a blast at the plate breaking task. I can see how he would annoy the hell out of Kim in the moment. But it was the goofy, fun, but oh so annoying energy. 

He has said in the podcasts that he uses humour to help her get out of her own head. Since that's his go-to stress-management approach, it must work most of the time. Not today though. 

 

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

What are the chances the philosophers' quotes will come into play in the final challenge?

And there's detail-oriented Kim carefully writing it down despite the rage lol

 

59 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

Didn't buy the editing that it was anywhere close between the last two teams 

My eyes rolled right out of my head. I had to find them on the floor by feeling around. Rolled under the damn recliner.

 

49 minutes ago, toomuchtv said:

And I was worried dusty abs Ryan would miss their clue since they seemed to be looking more at the plate as they took it from the stack than after it was broken.

Ha, me too. I was thinking, "after all that don't miss it now" lol. Ryan seemed to spot it almost by accident.

12 minutes ago, Zonk said:

Really, only thing I enjoyed this episode was Kim explaining the dong-dong-dong-sound.

That was awesome. She is a true fan.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Starchild

[Lantern7]

We're in the home stretch. As much as I feel that this season is "off" thanks to the extended break, I'm trying to enjoy it. I'm not sure when the next season will get run. I do know I don't have to use the word "if."

I get how the needle-in-haystack challenges can bug. I think of it as a test of mental endurance. I kept waiting for someone to lift up a stone with a coin in it, only to look at the area the rock just occupied. "Leave no stone unturned" doesn't imply that the stone would have the coin, at least not to me.

One of the flight attendants actually brought up the failure soundbite that gets played, and she managed to trigger it a few times herself. That was awesome.

Arun & Natalia should not be racing anymore. Forget them coming in third out of four . . . it's clear that they are terrible Racers, and that they have saints and gods looking out for them. If it's not the twins screwing up finding a clue, it's Dusty neck-deep in Roadblock Hell. Of course, those two winning in the end would be oddly fitting for such an . . . unusual season.

I'm so thankful Akbar & Sheri were eliminated. They probably would have opted for carrying the plates uphill.

1 hour ago, Jodithgrace said:

I think Socrates is hoping for an Emmy.

I think the folks hosting the Greece-based tasks should get extra Euros in payment. The Oracle repeating "leave no stone unturned," Socrates and Diogenes going full-on into their roles, Souvlaki Lady not cluing teams on how to proceed . . . great performances all around. And if Ryan hadn't gone stone-turning for three hours, I'm thinking either him or Dusty would have enthusiastically greeted the philosopher as "So-Krates."

Edited February 24, 2022 by Lantern7

[LotusFlower]

1 hour ago, GenerationX said:

Where's the full Amazing Race theme music?  It's been the seriously truncated version for the last few weeks.  The full theme sets the right mood for the show.  Grumble grumble.

I think it’s because of this season being so unusual, with a good number of the original teams not being around for round two. 

[RunningMarket]

Dang, if you're the last person at the rock challenge, they start to smoke you out! Suddenly it was like a high school dance over near Dusty. I have little to no patience myself, so I could feel the frustrations of all of them. I read a comment elsewhere that speculated if racers were not allowed to pile up or gather rocks they've checked to keep it consistently as difficult, even if you were the last one there.

Arun is definitely suffering from killer fatigue. "I had to yell at Natalia a couple of times". No, actually you didn't have to do that. You chose to do that. And you did it after she gave you exactly the information you requested.

Loved Kim mentioning the Gong of Error. I hope she's getting a good laugh watching that part of the episode tonight.

 

[bankerchick]

I would never want to do the rock task and I can't blame Dusty for his frustration, but I cannot imagine how on earth he expected to find the coin by turning over 10-15 rocks, then walking to an entirely different area and starting over.  Kim had the right idea by trying to be more methodical.  I'm convinced that after some time, perhaps after Arun and Natalia checked in, Dusty was directed to the coin.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, Zonk said:

Did they really try to edit that like it was a sprint to the finish, after they had given us a timer on how long Dusty was flipping stones? Seriously? I mean I know Arun and Natalia do get very lost, but not that lost.

I never like these needle in a haystack challanges. They don't require any skill, just luck and they disproportionally disadvantage teams that get there later or don't have as much luck in the beginning, as there get to be less and less needles. At least it was a non-elim.

The leg design was really bad. There was not even a theoretical chance to catch up after the needle task. Absolutely no skill incolved in the detour.

Didn't even have a bunch of colourfull task masters and clue givers like last week had. Only actors who played ancient greeks way too seriously.

Dusty was annoying as hell again. You have anger issues? You don't say. I never would have guessed that from the unhinged emotional state you've shown over the whole race. This time it was at least a bit more warrented than the last times, but still...

Really, only thing I enjoyed this episode was Kim explaining the dong-dong-dong-sound.

Let's hope next week is better.

Dusty’s anger issue is a stench for a storyline on TAR. It was so random and it was like he wanted have an excuse for coming in last. Also, I think his hooting and hollering when he’s not even in first is so annoying. I don’t hate him but Ryan has hardly talked this whole season and it’s been all about Dusty. I know he is well liked by the cast but he’s so OTT with his reaction(s). 

[Mittengirl]

I can’t believe that none of the people wearing shorts escaped the plate challenge without a hundred tiny (or not) cuts from all the flying shards.  
 

I was worried that Arun’s knee was going to give out while running at the end, after he told Natalia his knee was buckling after crawling around on the rocks.

[Chicago Redshirt]

I definitely imagine the Amazing Editors laughing themselves half to death when they got to play the Gong of Failure multiple times after Kim was talking about it. 

I'm glad I was cushioned for a NEL or else I would have been disappointed that R/D managed to fight another day. I kinda wish NELs were eliminated. 

[ByaNose]

10 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I definitely imagine the Amazing Editors laughing themselves half to death when they got to play the Gong of Failure multiple times after Kim was talking about it. 

I'm glad I was cushioned for a NEL or else I would have been disappointed that R/D managed to fight another day. I kinda wish NELs were eliminated. 

I kind of assumed it would be a NEL since next week is 2 hours. The Rock Bottom challenge had the desired affect to mix it up a bit but the NEL made it so it didn’t really matter. I was glad the FA came in first because they’ve been so close so many times. Also, to be perfectly honest I wanted Kim & Penn to come in last at the Rock Challenge just to freak them out a bit. LOL!!!! I didn’t want them to be last but I did want to see them to sweat it out a bit. I guess it’s anyones race next week. I still think Kim & Penn are the prohibited favorites to win (IMO) but the FA seem very determined and don’t give up. 

Also, Arun when your daughter says right she is giving you directions. That was bizarre how he was yelling at her about the directions when she was doing just that. I’m sure she will defer to him when explaining it because that’s the daughter she is. I think he just tunes her out which isn’t the best thing to do on TAR. 

[30 Helens]

Who knew Socrates was so scary? 

I don’t blame anyone for getting frustrated or losing their temper at the stones task. Crawling/ squatting over rocks for any amount of time would be painful, but hours? Brutal.

Phil: “Racers can choose to carry stacks of plates, or they can break them one by one…”
Me: “BREAK BREAK BREAK!!”

No surprise everyone picked that, too. What better release of stone-turning frustration. But, question for Arun: How exactly do you break a plate wrong?

2 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Ryan is a fucking gem. Getting Dusty to take a break and take in the scenery was legitimately moving. Can Ryan join Penn and Kim (and her rage) and the three of them just win together? I'd be cool with that.

Agree that the bond between these two men is lovely to see. I don’t share the hate that others have for them. Dusty understands his issues and is working on them, which puts him above most people with anger problems. And so what if they’re alpha males? They’ve run a clean race, they consistently support each other, and the other racers like them. What’s so bad about that? I’m glad they get a chance at the finals. Although I’m still pulling for the flight attendants to win.

2 hours ago, mojoween said:

I was actually hoping for an Arun elimination because he was such a jerk.  Is Killer Fatigue a thing this year?  “Dad it’s to the right.” “You have to tell me left or right!”  “It’s to the right!”  “You have to give me clear directions!”

He’s a terrible driver. She’s a terrible navigator. WHY don’t they try switching! Just once??

2 hours ago, toomuchtv said:

I was wondering why they didn’t have eye protection with the crazy plate breaking! 

Dad, is that you?? (lol)

[Mediocre Gatsby]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

 I realize Dusty was frustrated, but he showed -0- sense of actual strategy.  I understand not wanting to leave an obvious sign that stones have been checked if there are other racers, but once it was down to 2, he should have just started at one edge, and just put all rocks he's touched on one side of him. 

Maybe, as someone said, they couldn't move the rocks. If that wasn't an issue, as soon as all 4 teams were there I would have asked if everyone wanted to start putting aside the rocks that they'd looked at. For sure I would have done it if I were the last team. 

For the plate breaking, again if it wasn't prohibited, I would have unstacked the plates and started in the bottom half of each pile, just assuming that the show wouldn't want me to find the clue quickly. 

I was sure they were going to have to quote Socrates at the mat!

Edited February 24, 2022 by Mediocre Gatsby

[dbklmt]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

Can anyone identify the stadium for the last pit stop?  Put it in under a spoiler tag, please, since we're not supposed to discuss previews in the ep threads.

Spoiler

It's the LA Galaxy Stadium, the home of one of the original Major League Soccer clubs.  It's located on the campus of Cal State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, CA which means the final leg is in Los Angeles. 

 

[HurricaneVal]

In general, I'm not fond of DudeBros in any aspect of life, let alone on TAR, BB, Survivor etc.  So Dusty started out on my list, then his shirtless testosterone display in Corsica kept him there.  But his true blue, I've got your back friendship while you're unjustly imprisoned, friendship with Ryan mitigated that for me.  His being so open about not wanting his kid to see his anger issues made me see beyond his DudeBro-ness.  I'm not gonna say I like him, but he's alright by me.

Ryan is as good a friend right on back, that was nice to see.

I kind of feel sorry for the FA's.  They ran a flawless leg, and are all but forgotten with all the other drama in the episode.

In a small way, Arun is right.  If the clue is baked into the plates, you've really got to be sure they break into small enough pieces so you can be sure you've released the clue if it was there.  However, I saw no evidence that Natalia wasn't doing what was needed.  Arun was lucky Natalia wasn't breaking them over his head.

Honestly, I'd be OK with any team winning, but my personal rankings are:

1. Kim and Penn  

2. Raquel and Kayla 

3. Ryan and Dusty

4. Arun and Natalia

[Blergh]

OK, while I wasn't surprised that the tediousness and monotony of the task got on Dusty's notoriously frayed last nerve, I did have to give him credit for wanting to not give into a full-blown tantrum for his new son's sake (and I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't solely due to it being filmed). GREAT kudos to Ryan who literally got him to see the bigger picture by showing him the glorious, Classical setting they were in at the top of that  amphitheater- which, no doubt reaching that spot was something that would have been considered an impossibility for the unjustly imprisoned Ryan for all those years! 

BTW, I hope the contestants were impressed with Diogenes's sartorial splendor for the network's sake -as he usually was starkers while spouting his philosophy from his urn home!  

[LennieBriscoe]

I've  figured out why I cannot abide Arun: He is a delusional incompetent. 

Yay for The Girls! 

Edited because I stopped watching before nobody was eliminated! 

Edited February 24, 2022 by LennieBriscoe

[Tdoc72]

2 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I would never want to do the rock task and I can't blame Dusty for his frustration, but I cannot imagine how on earth he expected to find the coin by turning over 10-15 rocks, then walking to an entirely different area and starting over.  Kim had the right idea by trying to be more methodical.  I'm convinced that after some time, perhaps after Arun and Natalia checked in, Dusty was directed to the coin.

Dusty was driving me nuts!  It seemed like he’d move to an area, look under a few rocks but leave many others unturned, and then move again.  
~~~
I went from feeling sorry that Dusty was last, then glad b/c he annoys me, then happy he found the coin, then one second later, annoyed again b/c he started his over dramatic screaming.  I feel bad wanting Dusty to lose, b/c I like Ryan and wouldn’t mind him winning.  I really like Penn & Kim, but as long as it’s not Arun & Natalia, any other team could win.  

 

 

[Quilt Fairy]

Did anyone else think it odd that the coins weren't more evenly placed?  They were all in pretty much the same half, which if it was intentional was pretty devious.  If someone found a coin in one quadrant, my first thought would be that there wouldn't be any more coins in that area. 

It's too bad they're not using quotes for the episode titles this season because Kim's "I have a lot of rage" would be perfect.  

[aghst]

They must have found all the hammy actors in Greece for this leg. 
 

Other teams still struggle in navigation compared to Kim and Penn.

It would have been unjust for it not to be an NEL because it was purely luck who found the rock last.  Usually in tasks like this, they would have more things to find than just the number of teams competing, like there would be 8 or more.

Everyone chose the smashing rather than delivering.  Kim said she had anger to work out.  But the other factor is, the rock task was physically hard on bodies so less demanding to throw down plates than running 300 plates for who knows what distance.

 

[ProfCrash]

8 hours ago, aemom said:

If I had been the last one there, I would have started throwing the rocks into piles after checking to have a better sense of which ones I had already done. 

I am pretty certain there had to be a rule to prevent moving the rocks, otherwise Dusty was an idiot to not move the rocks out after everyone left. 

And I loved Kim's gong of missed clues/item discussion while the editors showed multiple misses on her part and chimed the gong. It was fun and she totally knew that was coming.

[Guest]

I know it was just Phil's typical fake-out "gee you guys have worked hard...and surprise it's an NEL!" chat, but when he said to Dusty/Ryan at the mat, "you guys have been the strongest team", I thought "no, the strongest team checked in a long time ago."

Amused by Raquel and Cayla having flashbacks to taking the scenic route in a previous leg, convincing themselves they had gone the wrong way, about to turn around, asking someone for directions...and those directions? "It's right there." "Oh! Hahaha!" They continue to be delightful.

I'm not about to call Arun a jerk or anything for snapping at Natalia. He's just tired, and we've seen way worse. She seemed more bemused by it than anything.

I am about to call Natalia quite pretty. Always thought so, but took particular note of it this episode for some reason.

Edited February 24, 2022 by tracyscott76
Grammar rules!

[Haleth]

"I'm a big fan of your work!"  Quote of the week after last week's "Don't talk to the priest!"  The actors they had in this epi were hilarious, the Oracle with her scowl and Socrates with his manic expression.

I'm glad it was an NEL since I'm still so afraid Arun and Natalia are going to blunder their way to the finish line.  Any team that has been bailed out countless times has no right to call themselves the winners.

Ryan was incredibly patient and consoling in talking Dusty down from the ledge.  I noticed the musicians had left so he must have exceeded the allotted time at the theater.  You can always tell when a team is way behind by the different light.  It was pretty obvious they came in far later than A&N.  I don't mind Dusty's mood swings.  That task was pretty brutal.  I did laugh at his comment about giving anything to make some cheese.

10 hours ago, Zonk said:

Really, only thing I enjoyed this episode was Kim explaining the dong-dong-dong-sound.

And then she had her hand on a rock with a coin but missed it.  Oh, Kim!

11 hours ago, toomuchtv said:

I was wondering why they didn’t have eye protection with the crazy plate breaking!

I know!  I was cringing with all that flying broken glass.

Edited February 24, 2022 by Haleth

[bearcatfan]

Watching the extra clips now. Kim was there for 2 and a half hours herself at the rocks. Phil also has some fun with them by not telling them immediately what place they are in. As they hadn’t seen any other teams after the rocks, they really don’t have a clue. Phil told her that she had touched the correct rock several times and she she wasn’t surprised. 
Arun and Natalia got lost going from the rocks to the theater. 
Ryan talked about how he has had nothing but love and support his whole life but Dusty has not. Makes me wonder what happened in Dusty’s childhood. Also, it says something about Ryan for him to see himself as the lucky one after being unjustly imprisoned for 10 years. 

[choclatechip45]

I liked Ryan this leg. I am curious how much time Natalia/Arjun bled.

[seacliffsal]

I thought that Natalie kept changing the direction to go when they were driving-she kept going "straight, no this way, no left.." and then even when she was laughing about her dad not following her directions she said "I told him the parking was on the right" while motioning with her left hand (like go to the left), so I don't think it was so much that she wasn't giving directions it was more that she kept changing them and/or confusing right and left.

I am glad that this was a non-elimination leg.  I seem to like Ryan/Dusty more than some others do and Penn and Kim less.  Penn just grates on me-like when breaking plates and when the music stopped he looked right at the camera and then struck a pose (once he realized the camera was on him).  I guess Phil isn't paying attention to the season as he stated to Ryan and Dusty that they were the strongest team and they aren't.  Penn and Kim have won more legs and had overall better placements.  Phil, if you're not paying attention how can you expect us to pay attention?

And, if you're going to have the Oracle of Delphi, then go to Delphi.  I've been there a couple of times and yes, it's isolated, but the climbing uphill could be a challenge.

[Guest]

Just now, seacliffsal said:

I thought that Natalie kept changing the direction to go when they were driving-she kept going "straight, no this way, no left.." and then even when she was laughing about her dad not following her directions she said "I told him the parking was on the right" while motioning with her left hand (like go to the left), so I don't think it was so much that she wasn't giving directions it was more that she kept changing them and/or confusing right and left.

The "go straight, no left" was I think a situation where the road branched, but one branch was more subtle than the other. So Natalia was interpreting it as one branch went straight in relation to the direction they were already facing, and the other branch went to the right, while Arun interpreted it as one branch to the left and one branch to the right. So when Natalia said "go straight", he didn't understand because from his perspective, going straight wasn't an option. She finally realized his confusion and changed to "go left."

Regarding the parking, I don't remember what she was gesturing during the interview after the fact, but during the actual incident itself, she was motioning to the right (which he couldn't see, to be fair), but very clearly saying "it's on the right." So that one was just Arun in a fog, I think.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, bearcatfan said:

Arun and Natalia got lost going from the rocks to the theater. 

Now, there's a surprise!

[Taeolas]

8 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Now, there's a surprise!

The Oracle could never have predicted that happening! :) 

 

I suspect this was probably one of the more difficult Needle tasks the show has ever done. There must have been pretty strict rules on how far they could move stones too. Because if i was doing it, I'd start at the outer edge and start flipping, but also be nudging them back as far as the rules would allow, so I'd have more of a gap between what i've checked and what I still need to do. 

When they had the Staffers do the plate running task, I knew all the racers ended up doing the plate smash. Even with the hill, I suspect the plate running would probably have been faster, but smashing was by far more cathartic, especially after the previous task. I wonder what the penalty would have been for smashing a plate after the music stopped? Especially if they lucked and found the clue on that splash? 

The scenery as usual was gorgeous, but I'm amazed at how empty/uncrowded it was, especially for what Phil said was the second biggest city in Greece. Also, this is probably the North American in me speaking, but for what should be such a big city, it really felt small and tight as far as a city goes. That just goes along with how ancient that land is I guess. 

[Lady Calypso]

9 hours ago, bankerchick said:

I would never want to do the rock task and I can't blame Dusty for his frustration, but I cannot imagine how on earth he expected to find the coin by turning over 10-15 rocks, then walking to an entirely different area and starting over.  Kim had the right idea by trying to be more methodical.  I'm convinced that after some time, perhaps after Arun and Natalia checked in, Dusty was directed to the coin.

To be fair to Dusty, the show had to edit out 95% of his search because he spent three hours at the task. He could have very well spent a lot of time in one area before moving to another, we just didn't need to see it because this isn't a three hour show.

Dusty even said he started out with a strategy on how to search but it fell apart, just like the others. 

[Taeolas]

Fatigue and pattern blindness would certainly be a factor against any plan a racer might come up with for the rock search; not to mention the actions of other racers. After a certain amount of time, doubt starts setting in, and you forget "Did I already check there? Did I move that rock over on purpose or by mistake?" etc....  Even if you have 3/4 of the field still to go, the doubts start setting in and you worry "Did I miss it in the ones I've already searched?". It could be a very frustrating task. 

 

At least it was happening in mid-late fall, so while it was probably warm, it wasn't likely "Hot". From watching the racers, they never seemed to comment on how hot the area was, so it was probably a very temperate time of the year. 

[bunnyface]

While I figured it was a NEL, the whole time Phil was vamping with the boys, I was chanting "cut 'em loose, cut 'em loose, cut 'em loose."  But alas.  I don't mind Ryan, but Dusty just irritates me with his screaming and carrying on.  I just don't like that and/or him.

Someone upthread said Penn was being an ass during the plate throwing.  I didn't see that.  I did see him attempting to lighten the mood and cajole Kim into a better mood, but I didn't take it as being an ass.  Maybe that's the difference in how I see people. I see Dusty as aggressive and don't like that but I don't see Penn that way and like him just fine.

[sugarbaker design]

10 minutes ago, bunnyface said:

I don't mind Ryan, but Dusty just irritates me with his screaming and carrying on.  I just don't like that and/or him.

Ditto, he's annoying as fuck.  It's not heartening to know that he's procreating.

11 minutes ago, bunnyface said:

Someone upthread said Penn was being an ass during the plate throwing.  I didn't see that. 

I sure did.  Penn is the source of 99% of Kim's rage.  I don't know how she puts up with his bouncing around manic bullshit.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  I hope Dusty and Penn fall into a live volcano, leaving Ryan and Kim to team up and win!

[ProfCrash]

Different people process emotion differently. Dusty is super intense and he does the whooping thing as a release. I can't say that I appreciate it or like it but I doubt that it is something that you would see on a regular basis in real life. The fact that he did it after the grape leaf wrapping and the rock task tells me it is simply a release and less braggado. 

I find it more annoying then Penn's goofiness and silly dances and whatever other smaller things Penn does. Penn is impulsive and goofy, Dusty is loud and braying. I don't think either are done to intentionally annoy but both are annoying, in different ways. 

I do think Penn was trying tp chill Kim down at the plate breaking. She was still tense and worked up from the rock task. He has said on camera that he uses humor to try and help Kim loosen up, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. We saw it on the way to the bungee jumping task and we saw him stop trying because Kim told him to. It might not be a dynamic that most married couples have but it works for them and they have both been pretty open in discussing it. So yes, Penn knows what he is doing when he is breaking the plates. He is doing it for Kim. He is mugging, for Kim.  And I get people not liking it because it can be annoying. 

 

[Sarahsmile416]

5 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

Ditto, he's annoying as fuck.  It's not heartening to know that he's procreating.

I sure did.  Penn is the source of 99% of Kim's rage.  I don't know how she puts up with his bouncing around manic bullshit.

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  I hope Dusty and Penn fall into a live volcano, leaving Ryan and Kim to team up and win!

As someone who suffers from anxiety, Penn’s trying to lighten the mood would bug the hell out of me…so I can see why he would bug there, in particular. But in defense of him, I imagine your spouse is the source of 99% of everyone’s rage.  It is for me! 😜

Edited February 24, 2022 by Sarahsmile416