S35.E04: The Day Keeps Rockin' Here in Vietnam

[Haleth]

Meant to post this here, not in epi 3:

I was trying to figure out the timing of these two episodes since the day seemed so long and grueling.  Last epi started with the flight to Vietnam and the hours of operation bunch at the floating market.  Between the earlier teams having some downtime there and the later teams having downtime waiting at the Bangkok airport they did get some rest (but probably no sleep).  The floating market was early morning (around 7am) then the rice paper/motorbike detailing must not have taken much time.  They all left the fake pitstop between 9ish and 10ish.  Hopefully the detour and roadblock didn't go too far into the afternoon so they all could finally crash at their hotel.  I imagine the folks who did the mattresses were especially exhausted and dehydrated from their labor.

[chaifan]

Damn, that was one brutal mega-leg.  I also don't understand why Phil is calling this Leg 4 when it was a "keep on racing" from Leg 3, not a NEL. 

I'm sorry to see Victor and Jocelyn go.  I think it was funny that they had so many advantages during these legs - some knowledge of the language, work in markets, with fish, etc.  And yet it didn't matter in the end.  They were such positive racers, even in their loss.  I'd love to know what they were doing wrong on the rice paper, and why the roller wouldn't pick theirs up. 

On the mattress vs. fish market challenge...  It seems a bit lopsided to me.  In one of the scenes with Anna Leigh and her dad, they showed the Beard Bros walking by with a mattress.  Because they're saying "it's the white building up here", and there are no other teams around them, it sounds like this is their first mattress.  (Even though the show already showed them delivering their first mattress.)  AL & dad had all the fish in place, except for the bucket of eels.  I know the guys got turned around, but they didn't go that far out of their way the first time.  And they were only 5 minutes behind AL & dad.  So it seems the only way a mattress team would have a chance against a fish market team would be to take the mattresses 2 at a time. 

At the roadblock, did each team have a totally different tile?  Or were there 3 or 4 of them between all the teams?  It was hard to tell with the quick flashes of the final matches on the screen.  And, sorry, Anna Leigh, that is most certainly NOT the task to team up on.  There's no way to concentrate on 2 details at the same time.  I could see it if 2 teams were looking for the same tile (and I still think that may have been a possibility), but absent that, nope, wouldn't work. 

This is a great bunch of racers.  The pink team bothers me a bit, but it's mostly just the one who keeps squealing - at the fish/eels, yelling "out of towners" while crossing roads.  Sorry, she grates on me.  I like her partner, though (Andrea, I think?).  But the lack of mactors and stunt casting is fabulous. 

 

[OlderThanDirt]

I'm impressed by her beautiful complexion in that heat and after so many hours on the run. It can't be makeup can it?  And she is a real TAR competitor, not just a pageant girl. Her dad maybe the weak link in their team.

[aradia22]

The editing felt like it was back to normal this leg (without the forced drama and tight shots) but it was still tough to watch at the end with some of my favorite teams at risk of being eliminated. It was sad to say goodbye to Victor and Jocelyn. I didn't think they were going to win, but I wish they'd stuck around longer.

No team is emerging as loathsome, but I would certainly trade Anna Leigh and Steve, Andrea and Malaina, Chelsea and Robbin, etc. for another leg with Victor and Jocelyn. Again, editing was good this episode and if there was KF, we didn't get to see too much of it (at least in terms of the teams being unpleasant to their teammates or others) but I just get the vibe that there's some footage that would make me like Anna Leigh, Malaina, and Robbin even less if they'd included it. 

Credit to Anna Leigh though, she mostly handled the fish task well except for the wiggling ones. I did wonder as the task went along if gloves were provided or something only certain teams thought to bring along. I couldn't really tell if the fish task was very strenuous. The marked buckets didn't seem that far from the display and the judge didn't seem that fussed as long as each container was filled with the right kind of fish. There wasn't like... an obsession with perfect placement. The judge for that task was very adorable. She looked so excited to be handing over the clue each time. 

We learned that Joel is a UPS driver. Otherwise, it seemed like there was a lack of personal info this leg. It felt very race-focused. 

I'm just accepting that I don't really get Todd and Ashlie's relationship. Like, is "it'll be fine, I've broken my fingers all the time" a helpful thing for her to hear or not? It seemed like he kept putting the weight of the mattress on her head but maybe she was just struggling (especially with the height disparity). 

John and Greg continue to be one of my favorite teams. John singing to the fish to calm himself was cute and not annoying and he has a good voice. I feel like they're just genuinely charismatic rather than trying so hard to play to the camera. Like Todd saying "pivot pivot" during the mattress task or writing "world peace" on their wish. OK, Miss Congeniality. 

I'm also liking Joel and Garrett the more we see of them. They try hard on tasks. They seem genuinely appreciative of the traveling and the places they get to see. And those were wholesome letters from home. 

Credit to Liam and Yeremi for brute forcing it with two mattresses at a time. Other teams tried, but they committed. They're one of the more likable athletic all-male teams to have been on the race. I'm sure part of that is that they aren't doing amazing so it's easier to root for underdogs, but that story about boot camp made me think they're trying to unpack toxic masculinity and be good brothers to each other. And good for them. 

Chelsea seemed to find her matching tile very quickly so they snagged first place. Shockingly given Robbin's sob story... I don't like them very much. They're getting the closest thing to a villain edit with Todd and Ashlie. Again, the editors aren't making any team hateful so far but yeah... they could definitely leave stuff out if they wanted Robbin to seem more likable. Steve and Anna Leigh were an okay second place. They earned it. I was getting bored so I didn't really pay attention to where the correct tiles were located. It seemed like they were in a similar area but it would have been a bit unfair to get a tile placed farther away from the others necessitating a broader search. 

[aradia22]

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They didn't even get the fish challenge as quickly as I thought they would. I think  they were tired.

Yeah, with the way they were struggling last leg and finished second to last, they would have had to pull out magical fish displaying skills to pull ahead. For all the squeamishness, it seemed like the other teams were getting it done and I assume J&V were also trying to get it perfect. But it didn't seem like the kind of task where you make up a lot of time anyway and by the time they got to match the tiles, I think Victor was fried. 

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If I had to guess, with so many teams bunching at the finish line like they did, the final Roadblock didn’t take hours and hours even though it looked brutal.

I would be really curious to see a map of the location with the spots marked where each team found their tiles. Were the teams who did well able to find the tiles because they were closer or were they better at searching. Chelsea's tile kind of seemed on the side near where they ran to find Phil at the mat and a lot of the other tiles seemed to be down the middle aisle but again, I got kind of bored watching it. I think four or five teams bunched up and then later two or three teams bunched up. It might have been difficult but people just coincidentally found their tiles around the same time. 

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I was dumbfounded by so many teams wearing their backpacks while doing the Detour. Are they worried about them getting stolen? You’d think at the fish market you could lighten your load. 

Same, but I can't say that wouldn't be a concern. I feel like the hotel would be okay if you had a fanny pack for all the important things. 

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Editing had me worried my beautiful Disney Princes were going to be Philiminated, they got quite a bit of screen time. So relieved I'll get more of their handsome faces. But how does Liam see with that mop of hair in his eyes?

Interesting... I think of them as beautiful actors from some CW teen drama. Corey is the one who immediately struck me as a Disney prince. He full on looks like a cartoon character. I'm happy they gave them some real challenges for the Detour but it must have been a real shock to the system with the additional sleep deprivation. I was getting a little worried, especially for like Joel and Garrett. I hope they get to rest up properly before the next leg.

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It did seem like a lot of the challenges were "we run a grocery store, we do this every day" for them.

Honestly, I was into it. TAR has done a fair number of food shopping/delivering tasks over the years. It was about time someone came on with the advantage of running a grocery store and not just like... being super buff. It's like with the dancing. After a bunch of choreography tasks, you'd think you'd get more dancers applying to be on the show (and we did). 

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I don't know all that but she is the lady that was first bullied in high school by her now partner, lost her husband tragically then shortly thereafter almost died herself and went through brain surgery so she has been through a LOT in life so may be seen as tough because of same.  Going through hell and back can do that to you.

I thought Robbin was the one who bullied Chelsea. But Robbin is also the one who had the personal health tragedies. 

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Speaking of Phil, I loved how quiet and respectful he was explaining the Wish Pagoda. Jeff Probst would have been yelling his head off.

Something in Anna Leigh's favor was reminding her dad not to run when they were at the temple. I was curious why only one member of each team seemed to be wearing that modesty shawl. 

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I agree with this.  I don't think she expected Chelsea to help, it was more small talk, an Amazing Race version of "crazy weather, right?"  So the "shows your character" comment was more about the rudeness rather than the unwillingness to help.  

Also, for all this talk of Robbin being working class, I remember that her "not here to make a new bestie" was partially snarking on the other racers at the airport. I remember it being something kind of snobby like she thought they were dumb or she was somehow better than them. I wouldn't be surprised if Anna Leigh picked up on that energy. 

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This is a great bunch of racers.  The pink team bothers me a bit, but it's mostly just the one who keeps squealing - at the fish/eels, yelling "out of towners" while crossing roads.  Sorry, she grates on me.  I like her partner, though (Andrea, I think?).  But the lack of mactors and stunt casting is fabulous. 

Oh, good. I like Andrea too but I was starting to worry I was the only one who found Malaina a bit annoying. 

[SG429]

26 minutes ago, aradia22 said:

I was curious why only one member of each team seemed to be wearing that modesty shawl. 

Only those with bare shoulders/upper arms.

[chicagofan]

1 hour ago, aradia22 said:

I was getting a little worried, especially for like Joel and Garrett. I hope they get to rest up properly before the next leg.

I don't know how things are now, but in early TAR teams left 12 hours after their arrival at the mat. In that 12 hours the teams had their post leg check in and interviews, eat/meet/mingle and sleep. If they overslept no one came to wake them up - I know that one team (I don't remember who or what season) did just that and missed their scheduled departure time. I think they just showed a shot of the departure area where the teams get and rip open their clue with no one there and the team name and departure time on the screen. I don't know how much time they have to recover and sleep nowadays, but it probably wasn't  a whole lot, especially when you're still hyped up from running the leg. All contributing to KF.

[Giuseppe]

2 hours ago, chicagofan said:

I don't know how things are now, but in early TAR teams left 12 hours after their arrival at the mat. In that 12 hours the teams had their post leg check in and interviews, eat/meet/mingle and sleep. If they overslept no one came to wake them up - I know that one team (I don't remember who or what season) did just that and missed their scheduled departure time.

I feel like there were two or three teams in those early seasons that we saw oversleep and miss their departure time, but the only one I can remember offhand was the Gutsy Grannies from season 2, at the start of the second leg. There was actually some speculation at the time that one of the members from the team behind them turned off the grannies' alarm clock.

But back to this season...count me in as being bummed about losing Jocelyn and Victor, but I didn't want to lose the sisters either. In fact I'm having a hard time rooting against any of the teams this season. The only ones I wouldn't mind seeing go home next are Robbin and Chelsea and Ashlie and Todd, and I only include Ashlie and Todd because we've had so many young couple teams make it deep in the race over the years and I wanna see some different type teams in the back half. I guess i'll include Joe and Ian too because I just don't get much from them so far. Not gonna jump on the Anna Leigh dislike train yet based on her reaction to Chelsea...I agree with others who thought Anna Leigh was more put off by Chelsea's brusqueness than her refusing to help.

Really enjoying the race this season. I'm excited for each new episode, and that hasn't happened in years, haha.

Edited October 22, 2023 by Giuseppe

[TVbitch]

I am thoroughly enjoying this season, most teams, and the longer episodes, but oh my goodness was it hard to look at all those poor fish writhing and trying to breath. I don't judge the people or their culture, but I had to look away.  

I also totally thought they were foreshadowing the brothers leaving, but then their story went on long enough that I figured it had entered into reverse psychology foreshadowing red herring. 😁

[Skooma]

16 hours ago, zapper said:

this.

how many times have we seen a competitor stand at the edge of a task and just say "I can't, i just can't"

by now, anyone on any variation of the franchise should 

• drive stick
• swim
• bungee jump
• not be afraid of heights
• eat anything

granted it can make for entertaining footage, but it can get - well, you know.

I can agree with your list except for fear of heights.  Some people have that phobia and it is a very real thing.  They shouldn't give up their dreams of being on TAR because of it any more than being deaf should stop the Dad or or being older should stop people.

The other items on the list people can  practice.  But the heights thing is a very very real thing.  I know I have it as well as vertigo.  I'd never go on any of these shows.  Just saying you can't learn or study your way out of it.

5 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

I feel like there were two or three teams in those early seasons that we saw oversleep and miss their departure time, but the only one I can remember offhand was the Gutsy Grannies from season 2, at the start of the second leg. There was actually some speculation at the time that one of the members from the team behind them turned off the grannies' alarm clock.

That was Blake who went on to found Tom's Shoes a few years later.  And he didn't turn off their alarm.  He just noted they slept through it and decided not to wake them up.

[zapper]

8 hours ago, Skooma said:

I can agree with your list except for fear of heights.  Some people have that phobia and it is a very real thing.  They shouldn't give up their dreams of being on TAR because of it any more than being deaf should stop the Dad or or being older should stop people.

fair enough. I was using "heights" as an example for phobias. So same thing for fear of snakes/bugs/whatever  - if it is a regular part of TAR, then TAR is not for you.

My mom could not swim because of a complete phobia of water and having her head under water. No amount of practice would get her to swim. She could not even shower because water on her head and face was impossible so only shallow baths for her.   And no TAR either :)

[Netfoot]

"Having  a wonderful time in Vietnam!"

The person who enjoyed themselves the most was fishmonger lady.

Red tiles immediately reminded me of Season 6 and the padlocks. (As mentioned by others above.) The locks were harder, though, because once you'd figured out it was about the number of "ears" on one of the figures, you could tell by a glance whether any tile was the wrong or not, whereas you actually had to try each lock.

With two teams battling it out for last place, I suddenly realized I would be happy with either of them going home.

Enjoying the season so far, with old-school ball-busting challenges rather than Sit-And-Listen-To-A-Street-Violinist type of "challenges". No particular favourites - kinda like the beards, the CODA father & son, as well as Dad & Anna Leigh. For no particular reason.

[blackwing]

On 10/19/2023 at 8:04 AM, Fukui San said:

Farewell team Everything Everywhere All At Once. Perhaps the show ran out of challenges which resembled your day jobs. 

Some would say it was prompted by production (like "as the wife of an NFL player") but I for one was so sick of them talking about their grocery store.  "This is just like every day when we stock items!"  One task was literally to collect items in a market.  One task is to identify and sort and present fish.

I get that there are often tasks on TAR that are of this sort, but I was tired of hearing about their store.  Even the fish sorting.  "No, that's the red rock river bass!  We need the yellow bellied striped bass!"  Other teams: "oh where is the big one?"

i liked Victor, but good riddance to Jocelyn.  She seemed artificially perky whenever they were doing well, and C-3PO "we're doooomed" when they weren't.  All those "oh we aren't giving up, we are so proud, we're happy" comments of hers as they were on their final steps to elimination seemed to fake.

On 10/19/2023 at 4:34 AM, Ancaster said:

I suspect the woman on the winning team (Robbin with two bs for some reason), who some people here seem to dislike, may have a bit of a chip on her shoulder - I'm guessing she's working class, she has an unremarkable body and face, prominent tatts, and she was probably expecting (having watched previous seasons) her competitors to be a bunch of bitchy, whiny, backstabbing mactors/reality show star wannabees and fame whore you tubers, and presented herself accordingly.  Hopefully she'll learn, just like well-fed, well-rested us, in our comfy armchairs with our drinks by our sides, that most of these people appear to be remarkably normal and nice.  I'm willing to bet she can drive a stick shift.

On 10/19/2023 at 12:51 PM, Skooma said:

I don't know all that but she is the lady that was first bullied in high school by her now partner, lost her husband tragically then shortly thereafter almost died herself and went through brain surgery so she has been through a LOT in life so may be seen as tough because of same.  Going through hell and back can do that to you.

I am not sure who is who, but the one I dislike is the blonde with the helmet hair who has really bad sunburn on her face.  I thought she is the bully?  It seems these two should be the same age, but the other one looks a decade younger and is far prettier.  I could have sworn the other one is the one that said her friend was mean to her at volleyball camp or something like that.

The blonde is perhaps my least favourite racer on this season.  Something about her just rubs me completely the wrong way.

On 10/19/2023 at 12:48 PM, Skooma said:

It is a rule on TAR that they don't guard personal items and it is up to you entirely unless there is a task where you start at one point and end at another like a long rappel say where a designated vehicle will bring your backpacks down to the finish of the task for you. 

But otherwise no, you are on your own.  And it was a very crowded, chaotic market where one bad apple amongst the hustle and bustle could purloin your backpack in a split second and basically end your race then and there.

It's interesting because in past seasons we saw a team leave their passports in a bag in a taxi and production just let the taxi and bag go and the team was eliminated.  But for some reason, production always seems to guard the Amazing Fanny Pack?  More than a few times a team has left the Fanny Pack and we always see a camera shot of it.  Does no one try to steal it because a cameraman is standing near it to get a reaction shot for when the teams come back? 

Wouldn't the same apply if someone's backpacks were on the ground?  I would imagine the show would want to station a cameraman by the bags to get a shot of them if the bags disappeared.  One season, I forget which one, one team took another teams' bags out of a taxi and just left them on the ground unattended.  I think they got a penalty for it.   I think a cameraman was probably stationed near them to protect the bags?

 

On 10/19/2023 at 9:37 PM, Roccos Brother said:

4 - I must be heartless, but I couldn't care less about Liam and Yeremi's very first-world sounding family drama.

Same.  This reminds me of the early days of the race, when teams seemed to be cast in part because of their marital problems and because production thought it would add drama.  Frangarita, the separated couple from TAR Classic who saw the Race as a chance to work on their marriage.  Or Tara/Will from Season 2... enough said about Will!

I couldn't care less about the fact that one brother was mean to the other and walked away, or whatnot.  I don't need to see splotchy-faced, red-eyed, snot-nosed crying over interpersonal problems on TAR.

[Angeltoes]

On 10/21/2023 at 12:35 PM, chaifan said:

At the roadblock, did each team have a totally different tile?  Or were there 3 or 4 of them between all the teams?  It was hard to tell with the quick flashes of the final matches on the screen. 

Phil said 11 of the tiles had no mate, so there would have been one unique tile for each team.

[iMonrey]

A few notes after a rewatch:

There were marked taxis waiting for the teams to take from the pitstop to the cafe. I wonder if production was afraid they wouldn't be able to find taxis on their own in that location. Also, they never showed how the teams got from the Detour location to the temple. It's possible they walked but the aerial shot made it look like it was nowhere near the market.

Joe and Ian also carried two mattresses on their first trip, but only one on the next two. And Liam and Yeremi left their backpacks at the hotel after their first trip. Nobody else did that.

Greg and John and Malaina and Andrea were the only ones wearing gloves at the fish market. I wonder if the other teams just didn't see or find them, or if maybe they had to buy them.

Joel's letter referred to "Smith" and Garrett's letter referred to "Strasser." I guess that's what their families call them, as opposed to their first names.

OK,  Anna Leigh and Todd compared tiles, and then Anna Lee found Todd's tile but "wasn't going to tell him." But then Anna Leigh wanted Chelsea to look for her tile. So she expected Chelsea to help her find her tile but wouldn't tell Todd she found his? And that says a lot about Chelsea's "character," huh? Uh, pot? Meet kettle.

Anna Leigh then asked Lena for help. In fact Anna Leigh was the only one asking other people to help her. It was also clear she wanted her dad to do this Roadblock and he wouldn't.

Edited October 23, 2023 by iMonrey

[aghst]

AL hated that the team whose character she questioned because of the tile thing beat them to the mat for first place for the leg.

[chaifan]

5 hours ago, Angeltoes said:

Phil said 11 of the tiles had no mate, so there would have been one unique tile for each team.

There was potentially one unique tile per team, but I don't know if they gave each team their own tile or not.  From what I remember, each team's tile was very similar - two figures with two or three antennae, facing one direction or the other.  I could see them picking 3 or 4 tiles that were all within a similar range from the starting point, instead of giving each team their own tile with the chance that some could be much much farther away than others.  I don't know either way, and haven't had a chance to do a rewatch with the ability to pause it to verify. 

[iMonrey]

3 hours ago, aghst said:

AL hated that the team whose character she questioned because of the tile thing beat them to the mat for first place for the leg.

Anna Leigh only wanted to work with other people so they would help her. She clearly wasn't interested in helping anyone else, since she didn't share with Todd where his tile was. Which I would be fine with as a strategy if she hadn't made a snotty remark about Chelsea's "character" for refusing to work with her. That just made her look like a hypocrite.

[aghst]

41 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Anna Leigh only wanted to work with other people so they would help her. She clearly wasn't interested in helping anyone else, since she didn't share with Todd where his tile was. Which I would be fine with as a strategy if she hadn't made a snotty remark about Chelsea's "character" for refusing to work with her. That just made her look like a hypocrite.

She's a former beauty pageant contestant?  So maybe she's used to batting her pretty eyelashes and getting others to help her.

 

[proserpina65]

On 10/21/2023 at 10:06 AM, zapper said:

not be afraid of heights

That's not exactly something one can change.  All they can do is power through it.  Or not.  And the eat anything is a bit of an issue as well.  Some food issues are not easily overcome.  Like mine with spicy food.  Literally burning my tongue is a huge problem.

On 10/21/2023 at 9:43 AM, Silver-hyren said:

I agree with this.  I don't think she expected Chelsea to help, it was more small talk, an Amazing Race version of "crazy weather, right?"  So the "shows your character" comment was more about the rudeness rather than the unwillingness to help.  

I didn't think she was rude at all.  She was focused on the task, which is what Anna Leigh should've been rather than trying to get a competitor to help her or trying to make chitchat.

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, blackwing said:

  It seems these two should be the same age, but the other one looks a decade younger and is far prettier.

The older-looking one is Robbin.  She's been through cancer treatment and both gained and lost a lot of weight.  Both of these probably contributed to her looking older than her years.  And some people just don't age as well as others.

22 hours ago, blackwing said:

But for some reason, production always seems to guard the Amazing Fanny Pack?  More than a few times a team has left the Fanny Pack and we always see a camera shot of it.  Does no one try to steal it because a cameraman is standing near it to get a reaction shot for when the teams come back? 

I don't think they guard the fanny packs any more than they guard backpacks left on the ground.  But having someone with a tv camera nearby would probably discourage all but the balliest of thieves.

[chaifan]

I'm not sure why, but I'm feeling the need to defend Anna Leigh a little bit...  maybe I'm forgetting something, but as far as I can remember she's really only had one "bad" moment so far, with her "character" comment about Robbin.  Other than that, and some freaking out over live eels/fish at the market, I think she's been a solid racer.  Not a pageant princess stereotype that some people are putting on her.  They've had a clip of her skeet shooting, she's talked about frog giggin', which are not the princess way.  She carries her own weight without whining, she's not strategizing about how to get by on her looks.  This was the end of a mega leg, KF was certainly hitting everyone.  Is she my favorite racer?  Nope.  I don't think this was a task suited to teaming up on.  But I'm willing to cut her a break on this. 

[Meowwww]

I thought the two ladies (not sure of their name but one has a super high pitched voice) were being disrespectful. The way they (mostly the one) were screaming and squealing and making faces and dropping fish…to me that was disrespectful and kind of “ugly American.”  I get that it’s not fun to handle raw fish, but it’s part of the Vietnamese culture.   

[Shermie]

On 10/21/2023 at 5:03 PM, aradia22 said:

TAR has done a fair number of food shopping/delivering tasks over the years. It was about time someone came on with the advantage of running a grocery store and not just like... being super buff.

Yeah, but what good did it do them? 

I like Anna Leigh, not sure what others are seeing and disliking. I was rooting for her and her dad to come in first after coming in first last week and not getting a reward for it (that seems like a ripoff to me). 

Good teams this time, regular people who are basically pleasant. I stopped watching TAR because I was tired of reality stars and fame-wannabes and teams that screamed at each other. TAR Canada has been so easy-going and fun to watch that I was afraid to watch TAR OG again, but I’m enjoying this season so far. No favourite team yet.

I always wonder, and even more after seeing them do a double leg with little break in between - when do they go to the bathroom? I know they don’t need to let the viewer see a team stopping a challenge for a pee break (or more), but obvi it happens. It just seems like a racer wouldn’t want to waste time when every second counts sometimes.

I vaguely recall one team hurrying to the finish line and one person absolutely had to have a bathroom break. Not sure if it affected their finish, but it must have or why would the producers have included it?

[aradia22]

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It was also clear she wanted her dad to do this Roadblock and he wouldn't.

I do like that we've gotten individual challenges this season where it isn't really clear who would have the advantage. Like the tiles and making flower bundles. So we're not just watching the "strong" member of the team do all the physical tasks but it's also not as neat as a simple memory task. I think Chelsea really oversold how much "practicing" with her daughter helped her find the tile. I still think their tile in particular seemed fairly close to where Phil was and as people have pointed out, a lot of teams bunched up so there wasn't that much of a gap between them all finding their tiles. 

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Yeah, but what good did it do them? 

As much good as it does when someone is good at dancing relative to how good the other teams are and how much the tasks shake up race placement. 🤷‍♀️

I find it strange that fish markets and letting fish suffocate are considered uniquely Vietnamese. How do you think fish are processed before they get neatly fileted for the grocery store? 

[chicagofan]

3 hours ago, Shermie said:

I always wonder, and even more after seeing them do a double leg with little break in between - when do they go to the bathroom? I know they don’t need to let the viewer see a team stopping a challenge for a pee break (or more), but obvi it happens. It just seems like a racer wouldn’t want to waste time when every second counts sometimes.

I vaguely recall one team hurrying to the finish line and one person absolutely had to have a bathroom break. Not sure if it affected their finish, but it must have or why would the producers have included it?

You're remembering sisters Kisha and Jen from season 14. After being u-turned they were able to leave for the pit stop ahead of one other team. As they neared the mat Jen had to desperately make another kind of pit stop after drinking several bottles of water at the roadblock. This allowed the other team to pass them causing them to be eliminated in 4th place, just short of the finale.

They redeemed themselves in season 18 - Unfinished Business which they won.

 

[blackwing]

So since the first teams started the last leg at 5:45 AM, and the first teams started this leg at 8:56 AM, the tasks from the last leg including travelling time only took 3 hours?  Originally I thought that the show was faking us out and did one of those "secret" 24 hour pitstops.  But then one person said they only slept 2 hours.

11 hours ago, Shermie said:

I always wonder, and even more after seeing them do a double leg with little break in between - when do they go to the bathroom? I know they don’t need to let the viewer see a team stopping a challenge for a pee break (or more), but obvi it happens. It just seems like a racer wouldn’t want to waste time when every second counts sometimes.

I vaguely recall one team hurrying to the finish line and one person absolutely had to have a bathroom break. Not sure if it affected their finish, but it must have or why would the producers have included it?

The need to use the bathroom is almost never addressed or mentioned on camera.  The only instances that clearly come to mind are Kisha and Jen's infamous bathroom break, and way back in TAR Classic when Brennan said he had to go to the bathroom.  I vaguely think there might have been one other time where someone mentioned the need to go.  

One of these days I'd love for Phil to write a tell-all behind-the-scenes book.  I've often wondered what people do as to the bathroom.  Do they just hold it while the leg is active?  I assume that if there is a task at a place of business that has a restroom, they would use it.  Do they wear Depends?

I also wonder when, what, and how they eat.  Do they get fed by production at the Pit Stop?  They definitely used to with Eat Sleep Mingle.  Then ESM was eliminated.  Did it get brought back and we just don't see it?  Presumably they are all at some Pit Stop hotel, are teams allowed to leave the hotel to explore?  They used to be able to but I'm not sure anymore.  While the leg is active, do they just not eat?  I guess if the leg is only 3 hours, I would just wait to eat too.  

7 hours ago, chicagofan said:

You're remembering sisters Kisha and Jen from season 14. After being u-turned they were able to leave for the pit stop ahead of one other team. As they neared the mat Jen had to desperately make another kind of pit stop after drinking several bottles of water at the roadblock. This allowed the other team to pass them causing them to be eliminated in 4th place, just short of the finale.

They redeemed themselves in season 18 - Unfinished Business which they won.

I really liked this team and felt so bad for them when they got eliminated because of a pee.  Was very happy for them when they won it all on their next appearance.

[iMonrey]

On 10/23/2023 at 10:46 AM, chaifan said:

I'm not sure why, but I'm feeling the need to defend Anna Leigh a little bit...  maybe I'm forgetting something, but as far as I can remember she's really only had one "bad" moment so far, with her "character" comment about Robbin. 

I think that one comment says a lot about her character though. 😉

[HurricaneVal]

Mr. HV and I watched this episode last night.  In the first part as we were seeing the teams for the first time on this episode, I was doing a running commentary of "Oh!  I like them....Oooh, I do not like her.....He's OK, but he's on the bubble with me...." etc. and Mr. HV turns to me and says "You're quite judgy about these people aren't you?"  I just looked at him, dumbfounded.  "Well, yes.  Duh."  He just cracked up.

 

I have to say, the team who made the wish for World Peace was not the team I would have thought would make a wish for World Peace, just sayin'.  I was sure their wish would be "WE WANT TO BE TEAM #1 TO THE END!!!!" and when it wasn't, and they were all solemn about it, I filed that under "things that make you go 'hmmmm'"  Hidden depths and all that.

[aradia22]

Quote

One of these days I'd love for Phil to write a tell-all behind-the-scenes book.  I've often wondered what people do as to the bathroom.  Do they just hold it while the leg is active?  I assume that if there is a task at a place of business that has a restroom, they would use it.  Do they wear Depends?

I also wonder when, what, and how they eat.  Do they get fed by production at the Pit Stop?  They definitely used to with Eat Sleep Mingle.  Then ESM was eliminated.  Did it get brought back and we just don't see it?  Presumably they are all at some Pit Stop hotel, are teams allowed to leave the hotel to explore?  They used to be able to but I'm not sure anymore.  While the leg is active, do they just not eat?  I guess if the leg is only 3 hours, I would just wait to eat too.  

I feel like one positive of individual tasks is the other teammate has a chance to relax (and maybe go to the restroom). I imagine all these questions could be answered by contestants but I don't feel like watching their social media content. 

Quote

I filed that under "things that make you go 'hmmmm'"  Hidden depths and all that.

I still say Miss Congeniality. There's a reason it was a joke; it's the most generic of responses. Even for the teams who didn't say "winning the Amazing Race" they had specific answers like Corey who said something about traveling to a different country every year or something like that. I don't find Todd genuine at all. 

[Netfoot]

On 10/22/2023 at 8:03 PM, iMonrey said:

So she expected Chelsea to help her find her tile but wouldn't tell Todd she found his?

That may be unsociable behaviour IRL, but in a RaceAroundTheWorld I think seeking the most advantage from fellow competitors while giving the least could be considered good gameplay. 

Of course, if you are playing that game you should not get upset when you don't get the advantage...

7 hours ago, blackwing said:

One of these days I'd love for Phil to write a tell-all behind-the-scenes book.

I'd buy that in a heartbeat. He could write a book-series; one for each season and make his retirement very easy! But I doubt that would happen while the show is still being aired.

[iMonrey]

17 hours ago, Netfoot said:

That may be unsociable behaviour IRL, but in a RaceAroundTheWorld I think seeking the most advantage from fellow competitors while giving the least could be considered good gameplay. 

Of course, if you are playing that game you should not get upset when you don't get the advantage...

And don't make a snotty remark about someone's "character" when you had no intention of helping anyone else. That was my issue, not the asking for help part.

[aemom]

On 10/21/2023 at 5:03 PM, aradia22 said:

Oh, good. I like Andrea too but I was starting to worry I was the only one who found Malaina a bit annoying. 

The whole "out of towners," thing that she keeps shrieking all the time really bothers me because you don't just get to run like a lunatic across a road  and hold up traffic because you're not from around here.  It strikes me as entitlement.

 

On 10/21/2023 at 11:11 PM, TVbitch said:

I am thoroughly enjoying this season, most teams, and the longer episodes, but oh my goodness was it hard to look at all those poor fish writhing and trying to breath. I don't judge the people or their culture, but I had to look away.  

That bothered me too.  I think that if we are going to kill animals/fish to eat them, that we should do it as quickly and humanely as possible and not drag out their suffering.

 

On 10/22/2023 at 8:03 PM, iMonrey said:

Joe and Ian also carried two mattresses on their first trip, but only one on the next two. And Liam and Yeremi left their backpacks at the hotel after their first trip. Nobody else did that.

I think that was really smart.  They were delivering mattresses to individual rooms and there was someone there to check the count, so they were probably as safe from theft as they could possibly be.

Edited October 25, 2023 by aemom
Typo

[Shermie]

On 10/24/2023 at 2:51 PM, HurricaneVal said:

I have to say, the team who made the wish for World Peace was not the team I would have thought would make a wish for World Peace, just sayin'.  I was sure their wish would be "WE WANT TO BE TEAM #1 TO THE END!!!!" and when it wasn't, and they were all solemn about it, I filed that under "things that make you go 'hmmmm'"  Hidden depths and all that.

I thought the “world peace” comment was totally performative. I don’t know people’s names, but this team - the guy, anyway - bugged me the most. She’s going on about her finger, how it might be broken, and he’s all yeah, okay, keep working. Maybe she’s a drama queen and he always reacts like that, I dunno. But he seems like an over-competitive dude-bro, so his “world peace” wish made me roll my eyes.

[Netfoot]

10 hours ago, iMonrey said:

And don't make a snotty remark about someone's "character" when you had no intention of helping anyone else. That was my issue, not the asking for help part.

Sure. As I suggested, if that's the game you're playing and you don't get the advantage you were looking for, you can't really be angry at the other person because they chose not to be conned.

 

[Lamb18]

On 10/24/2023 at 4:01 PM, aradia22 said:

I don't find Todd genuine at all. 

Has anyone noticed how Todd is copying Kevin and Drew when he greets people? He says, "Hello, my friend!"

[tkc]

On 10/18/2023 at 9:50 PM, Lantern7 said:

Of course Todd would shout "PIVOT!" while carrying the mattresses up the stairs. He strikes me as that big of a cornball.