S34.E10: Don't Look Down

[Lantern7]

Tough to see Michael & Marcus go out like that. Does anyone think that a lack of bunching points makes things more predictable? You mess up one task, there seems to be little hope of moving on unless another team screws up worse.

Yeah, the bit with Derek making the turn was VERY Austin Powers. Less funny: Claire breaking down after completing that Roadblock. I'm rooting against those two because they're from Big Brother and CBS will keep foisting BB contestants on TAR . . . but I don't get off on suffering that bad.

Any other fans of The Challenge watch this episode? I think they wrapped up Vendettas in Ronda because I remember Cara Maria going on about how that was her mother's name.

[Notabug]

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Tough to see Michael & Marcus go out like that. Does anyone think that a lack of bunching points makes things more predictable? You mess up one task, there seems to be little hope of moving on unless another team screws up worse.

I think it's more likely the new staggered start of each leg which seemingly guarantees the last place team will be no more than 30 minutes behind the leaders.  It gives everyone a better chance to catch up to the leaders and even pass them than if they'd stuck to starting times consistent with the time they each finished the previous leg.  Then, along comes the linear, not much wiggle room, design of the legs and it is tougher for someone who gets significantly behind during the leg to make up time before the finish line.  It seems like, once they get to the first task, the order of finish is just about set most legs this time.

[blackwing]

I like Emily and Molly, and they are the only team left that I really like.  But I'm getting extremely tired of hearing "my knee" or "my leg".  It's consuming the show.  Obviously there are medical people on staff, she has her knee all bandaged up.  But can't they give her a cortisone shot or something?  Or some stronger painkillers?  Over on Survivor they probably would have medically evaceed her if they felt her knee was putting her at physical risk of getting injured.

I was disappointed that nobody biffed that tightrope/flag challenge.  I wish it had been more difficult, would have liked seeing the drama of at least one team having to repeat it.

I liked Marcus and Michael, but really, that was a costly error by the bigger one at the Picasso station in the first part of the megaleg.  I wonder how much time they were behind.  The editing made it look like their error on the archway cost them, but Emily and Molly made errors on the dancer as well.

Why so many dance or dance-adjacent tasks this season?  This was an observation and memory challenge, but still, it's like those two teams heard "dancer" and just immediately picked that one.

On 11/24/2022 at 3:27 AM, Skooma said:

I never once saw Derek criticize Clare.  On the contrary I see him being very supportive and caring towards her.

I still find something about them "off".  I still think they are a fake couple that is continuing the charade because this is their brand and generates them attention and continued casting on reality shows.  I'm sure they are going to end up on Survivor next.

I've seen people here say "they're not into PDA".  But the other two couples are married and it's not like they are kissing each other all the time.  And yet, it's obvious to me that those two teams are married couples.  Have Derek and Claire even kissed each other?  I just seem to recall him kissing her forehead. 

After she was done with the task, she just stopped and bent over and was sobbing.  He supposedly knew she was scared of heights and that the task would be tough for her.  But instead of immediately rushing over to her, he stood ten feet away and kept on saying "why are you crying?  why are you crying?" like a stupid donkey.  Eventually he made his way over and gave her a friend hug. 

The other thing is, it's not like she was looking to him for comfort either.  When someone is distraught/scared/anxious, they typically look to their partner for reassurance or comfort.  If they were a real couple, I would have thought she would have immediately thrown herself into his arms and buried her face into his neck while snotsobbing all over his neck and tshirt.    But instead, she just hunched over and solo sobbed while he stood there stupidly bleating "why are you crying".

They act more like good close friends than an actual couple.

[Leeds]

I couldn't believe how many didn't know what those "clappy things" (castanets) are called.

Didn't Claire tell Derek not to touch her, which is why he was hesitant?

[Midwestern Lady]

Amazing Race Drinking Game:   Every time the sisters reference the knee/leg take a swig.   

[JH Lipton]

On 11/28/2022 at 7:36 AM, Notabug said:

It seems like, once they get to the first task, the order of finish is just about set most legs this time.

Not necessarily.  The choice of which partner does the Roadblock (like Molly at the motorcycles) and, more so, which Detour is chosen, cam have a big impact.  The "Nut-Smashing" option was pretty linear. but the crushing the "Medieval Games" scooted Derek and Claire to the front of the pack.

It's a very fun group this time and I wouldn't mind any of them winning.    

[MMLEsq]

On 11/24/2022 at 11:47 PM, North of Eden said:

Liking Derek and Claire less and less each passing week. Claire was downright nasty to Aubrey and the challenge handler. These things are probably checked six ways to sunday. They aren't going to let you die Claire. I don't know if it makes me a bad person but I was hoping she'd get the wrong flag and have to do it all again.

....

Maybe it's just me but I wouldn;t trust walking under those centuries old arches at the bathhouse.

These two statements seem to be in conflict.  Claire should trust the safety of the tightrope challenge, but it's okay to question the safety of other parts of the race...?

On 11/25/2022 at 5:42 PM, Angeltoes said:

This was one of my favorite TAR scenes!  She's boohooing and carrying on.  The Harlem Globetrotters were the team behind her.  In a flash one of them runs up, pushes her out of the way and throws himself down the slide.  

As others have noted, the HGs didn't push her out of the way.  (Her partner actually pushed her a little bit and pried at her fingers, trying to get her to do it.)  The HGs did, however, try to psyche her out (trash talking her, in a way, I guess), which just played into her fears.

On 11/27/2022 at 11:07 PM, Lantern7 said:

Any other fans of The Challenge watch this episode? I think they wrapped up Vendettas in Ronda because I remember Cara Maria going on about how that was her mother's name.

Huge fan of the The Challenge here!  I forgot about that re: Cara Maria's mom though until you mentioned it.  

---

I guess I'm in the minority because I'm liking Luis and Michelle less and less each episode.  It seems like there are a lot of showboating, attention-grabbing "LOOK AT ME EVERYONE!" moments from Luis....  like all the shouting coming back from the "Sailboat Supply" Detour in the last episode.  I had to chuckle because it seemed (to me) like pretty much most of the people on the beach were ignoring him.  

Edited November 30, 2022 by MMLEsq

[blackwing]

On 11/29/2022 at 5:44 AM, Leeds said:

Didn't Claire tell Derek not to touch her, which is why he was hesitant?

I can't be certain, but I thought her nasty "don't touch me!" was directed at the other girl, who I think was Aubrey.  I thought Aubrey seemed to want to give her a hug in a "yay we both did it" but she didn't want any part of it.

11 minutes ago, MMLEsq said:

I guess I'm in the minority because I'm liking Luis and Michelle less and less each episode.  It seems like there are a lot of showboating, attention-grabbing "LOOK AT ME EVERYONE!" moments from Luis....  like all the shouting coming back from the "Sailboat Supply" Detour in the last episode.  I had to chuckle because it seemed (to me) like pretty much most of the people on the beach were ignoring him.  

I have finally been able to distinguish between the two married couples, and I completely agree with you regarding Luis.  He's a complete showboat and so much of what he does seems to be playing to the camera.  I like David so much better, he is low key and reserved.  But Aubrey seems to be a dim bulb, while Michelle seems much more outgoing and dynamic.  The ideal team for me would be to pair David with Michelle.

With only four teams left, it's looking increasingly likely that the chances are high that this will be another season where I shut off the TV as soon as the winner hits the mat.  There's only one team I really like (Molly/Emily) and despite Molly's insistence that there is a very real possibility they are going to win, I worry about the knee, since they've mentioned it about 100 times in the past two weeks.  I'm indifferent on David and Aubrey.  Luis is growing ever increasingly more annoying to me, and I can imagine him tearing his shirt apart and beating his chest like a gorilla as soon as they land on the mat first.  And I really dislike Derek and Claire and I can imagine her immediately sobbing when they hit the mat first and Derek standing around like a tool.  Ugh.  Hoping for some great things from Molly and Emily.

[Leeds]

9 hours ago, blackwing said:

With only four teams left, it's looking increasingly likely that the chances are high that this will be another season where I shut off the TV as soon as the winner hits the mat.  There's only one team I really like (Molly/Emily) and despite Molly's insistence that there is a very real possibility they are going to win, I worry about the knee, since they've mentioned it about 100 times in the past two weeks.  I'm indifferent on David and Aubrey.  Luis is growing ever increasingly more annoying to me, and I can imagine him tearing his shirt apart and beating his chest like a gorilla as soon as they land on the mat first.  And I really dislike Derek and Claire and I can imagine her immediately sobbing when they hit the mat first and Derek standing around like a tool.  Ugh.  Hoping for some great things from Molly and Emily.

And terrible things from some of the arrogant others so they won't have anyone to blame but themselves.

[North of Eden]

12 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

These two statements seem to be in conflict.  Claire should trust the safety of the tightrope challenge, but it's okay to question the safety of other parts of the race...?

Tight rope challenge is going to be put through rigourous safety tests because CBS isn't going to want to throw out an entire season nearly in the can because someone died on a challenge.

And I wasn't talking about the bridge. I was talking about the centuries old bathhouse with the overhead arches. Those I would not trust because You Tube is filled with "near death" videos where walls, boulders, trees...you name it suddenly come loose. Standing under an ancient archway is a lot riskier than 21st century safety protocals on a challenge. Hope that clears it up.

[SVNBob]

On 11/26/2022 at 8:33 PM, chaifan said:

If I remember correctly, there have been a handful of times where there were only X number of set ups on a specific detour, so only the first X number of teams who arrived could do that one.  The other teams were forced to the other detour task

Forced in that they need to do the other task if they don't want to wait for one of the X number to complete or quit the task.  And since it's a Race, they most likely will go to the other task.  But it's not a requirement.

It's more like the dancing performances earlier this season.  Only one team at a time could do the official judged performance.  Everyone else had to wait their turn in the rotation.  IOW, there was only 1 setup at those Detours, so only the first 1 team who arrived could do that.  (X = 1)  The other teams were forced to wait.  Or they could have gone to the other Detour task.

[ljenkins782]

On 11/24/2022 at 4:44 PM, Tiggertoo said:

I would have been Claire walking across that tightrope, plus the breakdown afterwards.

I admire Emily (Molly?) so much.  She was so matter of fact, checking out the flags while walking across.

And I can’t even imagine what it’s like to be like Michelle and be so excited to do the tightrope challenge.  Does not compute for me.

Super late to this party, but Paramount + autoplays TAR after the most recent Survivor and I ended up binging it all the other day.

I was FLOORED by Michelle, I have literally never heard anyone say they loved heights. I get flop sweat on a 6 ft step ladder, so I'm already in awe, but I've genuinely never seen someone enjoy heights to that level. 

I didn't think I'd like Luis and Michelle, but I came to love them and envy their joyful outlook. 

And Claire briefly looked like an asshole snapping at Aubrey, but I give her credit for apologizing afterward. And that full body meltdown proves that she was not in control of her emotions. And as a fellow heights-fearer, I give her all the credit in the world for actually doing it. I never could have. 

What a fun season! But was it incredibly short? It seemed like there were only handful of episodes. With the exception of the incredibly grating Rich & Dom, this was a remarkably likable group of people. Whoever cast this season, keep it up!