S35.E07: Like Two Cats Fighting in a Car

[Whimsy]

Quote

Having experienced the U-turn in India, relationships are tested as teams take on their first self-drive leg in Germany. Also, teams rappel down a castle wall and use their taste buds to identify different mustards.

Original airdate 11/8/23

[mojoween]

Andrea and Malaina - two sweethearts who show you how much they like each other.

Robbin and Chelsea - quite possibly never spoke another word to each other after the race.

I would kick soccer balls until my feet fell off before I would voluntarily eat mustard.

[Guest]

Morgan & Lena are such a mess, I love it. "Slow downnnn!" as she's running after Morgan on the big horse bike 😆

You can sooo picture what they were like as kids, it's hilarious.

Edited November 9, 2023 by tracyscott76

[hendersonrocks]

Another really demanding leg! Unfortunately there was no drama whatsoever about the outcome, but I still enjoyed all the tasks and watching Steve lose his shit on his daughter while Rob and Corey are having the best time of their lives together. An interesting contrast of parent/child relationships, for sure.

[wintrygal]

I'm surprised that more of them didn't get lost on tonight's episode, they'd still be hunting for me.  No sense of direction at all, add in a foreign language, yikes.

These ladies did much better than I thought they would in the beginning, so good on them

Edited November 11, 2023 by wintrygal

[PaperTree]

Fun leg.  Glad the beard and stash survived.  Well done brothers.  No real suspense, but what can you do when one team gets totally befuddled.

6 minutes ago, wintrygal said:

I'm surprised that more of them didn't get lost on tonight's episode, they still be hunting for me.  No sense of direction at all, add in a foreign language, yikes.

I would love it, been a map nerd forever plus took a lot of German in school.😎

[susannot]

12 minutes ago, wintrygal said:

I'm surprised that more of them didn't get lost on tonight's episode, they still be hunting for me.  No sense of direction at all, add in a foreign language, yikes.

These ladies did much better than I thought they would in the beginning, so good on them

Me too!  plus the time changes and the unfamiliar foods would also totally mess up my system.  I used to think I would love to do this show--no longer.  But love to watch it on TV.

[iMonrey]

You heard it here first, folks. Even Steve thinks Anna Leigh has a "smart-ass mouth." His words, not mine.

This was a rather anti-climactic episode, as it became obvious early on that Malaina and Andrea were toast. Both Roadblocks seemed relatively easy, but the self-navigation was the real deal breaker. I missed where Todd and Ashlie switched Detours, but obviously it was the right choice. Having to get exactly 66 on "Just for kicks" seemed really hard. Kudos to Rob and Corey for being the only ones to pull it off.

Greg and John, Rob and Corey, and Todd and Ashlie are my top three. I really appreciated Ashlie helping Rob on the lock Roadblock. I was worried he would have trouble finding someone to help him with the combo, and she didn't have to do that. She and Todd are OK in my book.

Joel and Garrett are OK too but the bickerson sisters, Robbin and Chelsea and Smart-Ass Mouth and Daddy can't get off my screen soon enough.

[Skooma]

I like a relaxing ending and not worrying what team will finish last so I was fine with this leg.  The College Friends were much like the now gone Slow Poke Brothers, always one of the trailing teams from the beginning.  It was their time.

Glad the father told the bossy daughter off finally.

Also glad the Facial Hair team gets to see another country at the very least.

Refreshing episode after the disappointing Survivor one.

[Jodithgrace]

Andrea and Melaina, yes they were sweethearts and I was sad to see them go. OTOH, I was laughing out loud as they got the wrong change on the wrong ferry. I’m glad Phil gave them the sympathy elimination. 
 

That Cologne “carnivale” was so bizarre. I loved that all of the teams just embraced the weirdness. I put carnivale in quotes because I doubt that this was actual carnivale, taking place in the days leading up to lent, but rather something manufactured for the race. I don’t know when this race was filmed, but March is not shorts weather in Germany. 
 

I was impressed by the mustard tasters. Nobody had too much difficulty. 
 

Who was the racer who didn’t bother doing the written math, but instead brought different numbers of coins to the counter until she got it right? Pretty smart. 

[mertensia]

I could not have gotten that math one. I'd've been just bringing up different amounts until I got it right.

Man, Anna Leigh turns into a real bitch.

I think I've been on that section of the Rhine - we did a short river boat tour of it from Rüdesheim. 

[Cotypubby]

That math task was so simple. I liked how some teams just flew right through it.

[dancingdreamer]

I'll miss my pink ladies" out of towners ". But half way through, we knew they were going to be last.
Shame it wasn't Anna Leigh, at least her father told her off.
The difference in their relationship vs Rob and Corey, is like night and day.

I don't like the couple that came in second, the blond is okay, but the other one looks like she's headed for a dental appointment, smile, you're having fun...yes?

[Fake Jan Brady]

I'm not usually one for rooting for a guy/guy team but Greg & John, Rob & Corey and Joel & Garrett are my preferred final three.

I loved Melania's "The party was here without us" upon entering the empty ballroom. Lovely exit, ladies. 

[Skooma]

17 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

That Cologne “carnivale” was so bizarre. I loved that all of the teams just embraced the weirdness. I put carnivale in quotes because I doubt that this was actual carnivale, taking place in the days leading up to lent, but rather something manufactured for the race. I don’t know when this race was filmed, but March is not shorts weather in Germany.

It wasn't a "carnivale."  It was a typical "carnival" which is a lot like a county fair in smaller incarnations and has nothing to do with Lent. 

Think of the musical "Carnival" for example as a small version but Cologne's is the largest and longest running in Germany.  Cologne's -- according to the link below -- happens in November and runs in part into January.

And it wasn't manufactured for the Race.  The carnival wasn't happening probably but people from it took part in this activity.  Note the blue-shirted musicians in the second picture down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Carnival

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Skooma

[Lantern7]

Great episode, especially after the bummer that was Survivor. Aside from Anna Leigh continuing to irritate and Andrea & Malaina's telegraphed exit, I'd say this was one of the better legs.

I'm amazed Andrea & Malaina got as far as they did after they boarded the wrong ferry. How were they supposed to know that they needed old-timey money? The biggest bummer was that the party ended before either of them could ride the horsecycle. It was a horse and a bicycle! Well, tricycle . . .  I saw three wheels. It looked awesome to ride, but the pink ladies were denied.

Rob & Corey continue to impress. Okay, I was a little bothered that Rob got the 4711 clue from Ashlie, mostly because I thought cooperation between teams was limited after the Mine Five ran TAR32 into the ground. On the flip side, he and Corey were the only team to play soccer darts. I think they're the team that gives the best interviews . . . like the arguing about who was better at soccer.

Anna Leigh . . . I bet she's a real sweetheart in real life. With the pressure of the show, however, she's a bit too much. It didn't help that even her father is getting fed up. I did enjoy them trying to pronounce that one German mustard for what seemed like an eternity.

1 hour ago, Cotypubby said:

That math task was so simple. I liked how some teams just flew right through it.

I didn't like how Robbin or Chelsea just went back and forth with increasing amounts of Witten(?) to present to the robber baron. Seemed against the spirit of the game.

Anyone else have flashbacks of TAR6's lock Roadblock?

[Fukui San]

It might be editing, but Todd and Ashlie in particular seemed like mustard savants. Funny that Todd wanted to try soccer darts first. I thought that the mustard task would be harder than it was, with the testers giving no feedback if you got any wrong.

Brutal navigation errors by the out of towners. Too bad, ladies. You'll be missed.

[kitkat343]

I am just wondering - do the producers provide maps to the racers?  I don't even know if you can buy maps in airports nowadays.  When TAR 1 aired, I think you could still buy maps easily but now I don't know if I've seen maps for sale in stores that frequently.

Edited November 9, 2023 by kitkat343

[shura]

That was pretty epic. We need to take a ferry - that’s a ferry, let’s get on this one. Are you the money changer? Well, yes, I am the money changer, sure, I can change your fiver into coins. And they even went back to the same guy to ask for the wittens (to the ferry that was farther away, I’m assuming). Wow. Only flying to Auckland instead of Oakland could top this one.

4 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

I loved Melania's "The party was here without us" upon entering the empty ballroom. Lovely exit, ladies

It was so depressing to see the carnival people leaving and leaving behind some torn paper and a few balloons on the floor. It was like, you ladies are so far behind that we are not even going to try to make your elimination a respectable experience. You will be eliminated in a trashed hall.

6 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Who was the racer who didn’t bother doing the written math, but instead brought different numbers of coins to the counter until she got it right? Pretty smart. 

That’s quite a paradoxical definition of smart - refusing to do mental work in favor of brute-forcing it through the challenge. Good thing she only needed to pay 15 coins and not 115.

4 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

On the flip side, he and Corey were the only team to play soccer darts. I think they're the team that gives the best interviews . . . like the arguing about who was better at soccer.

I love how Corey laughs silently when he and Rob are joking in their interviews.

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Anna Leigh . . . I bet she's a real sweetheart in real life. With the pressure of the show, however, she's a bit too much. It didn't help that even her father is getting fed up.

Although if he was really just sitting in the back seat letting turns pass them by, I could get her irritation. I know he said he couldn't see, but it must be very frustrating to be at the mercy of a navigator who isn't doing anything, and you'd think his difficulty seeing would have come up before. Maybe they should have worked out a different arrangement.

[Ancaster]

It was weird to me how few managed to get out even a Danke, which is surely one of the easiest thank yous out there, and one I thought most Americans know.  Normally many of them make an attempt to get something vaguely local out, but it was as if they were so relieved to get back to "civilization" and recognizable cars, etc., that their brains just flopped back to middle America.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Ancaster

[Ancaster]

I cannot for the life of me understand why teams don't take the divide and conquer approach for task such as the mustard tasting - you have 9 flavours: one of you learns four and one of you learns five, instead of both of you trying to learn 9 each.  Doh!

[Skooma]

5 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm amazed Andrea & Malaina got as far as they did after they boarded the wrong ferry. How were they supposed to know that they needed old-timey money?

Because the clue told them they needed them.

[sugarbaker design]

6 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm amazed Andrea & Malaina got as far as they did after they boarded the wrong ferry. How were they supposed to know that they needed old-timey money?

The clue said they would receive a bag of old-timey money, not euros.

1 hour ago, Ancaster said:

It was weird to me how few managed to get out even a Danke, which is surely one of the easiest thank yous out there, and one I thought most Americans know. 

Wow, you have a way higher estimation of Americans' foreign language knowledge than I do.

9 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Even Steve thinks Anna Leigh has a "smart-ass mouth."

My favorite moment of the ep.

2 hours ago, shura said:

I love how Corey laughs silently when he and Rob are joking in their interviews.

My second.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Well, if you would've asked me to bet money on which team (the second self-navigation aka driving became involved) would've gotten so lost that Phil would have to eliminate somewhere along the leg? I would've bet a decent amount on the "Out-of-Towners".

We were overdue an anti-climactic (although don't tell that to the Beardo's who were having their own issues all through the leg) episode anyway..

Everybody keeps hating on Ana Leigh, while I'm over here watching the older of the two sisters in horror. She hates, no loathes her little sister with a passion. It literally drips off her every time she belittles her.

Speaking of Ana Leigh. If you are the true alpha of your team, which she clearly is you MUST be the navigator once self-driving comes involved. Unless your partner can't drive a stick, that's the only acceptable exception.

The Purple & Grey ladies have an "interesting" friendship, I'll just leave it at that.

Corey figuring out an actual technique/strategy for the foot darts (which I've actually seen a couple times when ESPN2 becomes ESPN8 "The Ocho" for a couple of days each year in honor of the Dodgeball movie), serious kudos to him. I didn't think anyone was going to be able to hit 66 on the nose.

If I had to guess right now, I'd say we might be looking at a Final 3 of Rob & Corey, Todd & Ashlie, & the Brothers. I'd like to see the Beardos sneak in there too, but I worry about their task ability. I think the other 3 teams will all melt down and dissolve over the course of the next 4 legs..

Edited November 9, 2023 by PhD-Purgatory15

[choclatechip45]

Great episode. I really liked Andrea & Malaina so bummed about how much of this leg was a disaster for them. 

[Lamb18]

10 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Another really demanding leg! Unfortunately there was no drama whatsoever about the outcome, but I still enjoyed all the tasks and watching Steve lose his shit on his daughter while Rob and Corey are having the best time of their lives together. An interesting contrast of parent/child relationships, for sure.

One big difference is that Corey cared whether or not his father is enjoying himself while I don't think Anna Leigh cares what kind of experience her dad is having.

[chaifan]

First off, I was bummed at the airport bunching.  I hate when they do that after a U-turn.  It's like, what's the point?

I was really surprised at how many teams were having such navigation issues.  I get missing an exit, only to notice it as you're passing it (I think that happened with Chelsea), but A&M getting so far off track - several times - is just ridiculous.  They didn't even seem concerned they were driving away from the river most of the time.  I give them props for being good sports about it, or maybe the Race editors just took pity on them and edited out any meltdowns.  I think for a lot of it, they were convinced they were in first, especially when the "money changer" told them he hadn't seen any teams.  Can't wait to read some interviews with them.

Whenever I travel and take public transportation (which is 95% of the way I travel), I always double/triple check that I'm on the right bus, train, whatever.  I check whatever signage there is on/around the bus, ask before getting on the bus, ask once I'm on the bus.  There was no reason for teams to get on the wrong ferries - they could see on the river that there were different ferries, each ferry dock had a name (that's just common sense), yet they weren't asking or verifying before getting on. 

Random comment on A&M - damn, they had some big backpacks!  What the hell were they carrying in there? 

And it surprises me when team members don't take their packs off for roadblocks.  A few had them on for the lock challenge. 

I know we only get short snippets of what's going on, but Steve didn't look like he was even trying to navigate.  I get why AL was snippy with him.  And for him to tell her to shut her "smart ass mouth"???  Wow.  Dude, she's been carrying you for most of this race.  Also, never an appropriate thing to say to your daughter. 

I loved Rob & Corey's system of navigating.  Someone in the live chat thread wondered about reading sign language "backwards" in a mirror, but yeah, I guess that's a thing!

7 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

I'm not usually one for rooting for a guy/guy team but Greg & John, Rob & Corey and Joel & Garrett are my preferred final three.

Yep.  Shocks the hell out of me to be rooting for three male teams, but those are my favorite teams, too.  I'm not clicking with Todd & Ashlie, I don't know why.  I love love love how Joel & Garret (Beard Bros) approached what they thought was the end of their game.  Pure enjoyment of every moment.  And I see the same in the other two teams.  They just love being there, with each other.  Hey TAR, could we have an All Stars season of fun, positive, loving teams?  I'd watch the hell out of that.

In the live chat, I commented that Robbin & Chelsea were taking notes at the mustard challenge, but now I don't think that's right.  Did anyone else notice?

It was brutal to put the pit stop on the roof of the chocolate museum.  Those stairs must have killed at that point in the day.  Wouldn't it be great if their pit stop were inside the museum?  With samples? 😁

[snarts]

58 minutes ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

Everybody keeps hating on Ana Leigh, while I'm over here watching the older of the two sisters in horror. She hates, no loathes her little sister with a passion. It literally drips off her every time she belittles her.

Maybe, but I too would've lost my shit if my partner didn't know their left from their right and kept turning the wrong way.

Will miss the pink ladies. I was amused every time with their "out of towners"

[bunnyface]

I have no doubt A&M are the absolutely sweetest ladies on the face of the planet.  No doubt.  But something about M's voice just killed me.  Like nails on a chalkboard.  

I would have lost it also when the one sister kept turning the wrong way. "NO, the other left!!!"

I know people hate AL.  But for some reason, she hasn't bugged me that much.  Some but not to the hate level.  Maybe I know too many people like her.  I don't know.  But Steve basically raised her to be a son and so if they yell at each other, men do that all the time.  Their dynamic is weird, but it's their dynamic and for the most part it works.  I think Steve is having some KF.  Otherwise, he has tolerated her pretty well.

(I can't make this computer cooperate, so no copy and paste.)  Someone mentioned "divide and conquer" with the mustard.  But would that really work on this one?  They are not told you got this one and missed this one.  It seems like they would have to both taste each mustard and say "I don't know this one, it must be yours."  I think two mouths would be better than one in this case.  Not mine, I barely like mustard at all, let alone spoons and spoons of it.

[Guest]

51 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I give them props for being good sports about it, or maybe the Race editors just took pity on them and edited out any meltdowns. 

Malaina accosting the (wrong) ferry changemaker with "you gave us the wrong coins!" wasn't being a super good sport, but agreed that they took most of it in stride.

[Door County Cherry]

5 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Anna Leigh . . . I bet she's a real sweetheart in real life. 

I bet she's a fake sweetheart.  She gives me mean girl vibes.  Nice to your face but talks about you behind your back.  And can be brutal, as we're seeing, if you get in her way. 

I thought her dad was a bit harsh on her, though.  To not even ease tensions at least temporarily in the car.  

10 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Okay, I was a little bothered that Rob got the 4711 clue from Ashlie, mostly because I thought cooperation between teams was limited after the Mine Five ran TAR32 into the ground.

I don't want to see teams work as an alliance but I'm okay that she helped out someone who likely would run into issues communicating with onlookers.  And it didn't look like he had an interpreter with him. 

I'm sad to lose the pink ladies but I did enjoy watching all the navigating.  

[Phebemarie]

I’m starting to worry that an old Amazing Race “curse” is going to catch up with Corey and Rob.  In the first few seasons, the most beloved team went out in fourth place:  Kevin and Drew, Danny and Oswald, among others… Have they come in higher than fourth?  

[Seelouis]

Chelsea and Robbin act like someone forced them at gunpoint to do this race. There is no joy. Especially from Chelsea. I thought she was rude at the castle when she said “I don’t know. You tell me” to the guy collecting her coins who asked “what’s the right amount?”  He’s just playing his role, Chelsea. Maybe stop and enjoy it. She looks so dour even in their talking heads that I am convinced every leg that they got eliminated. 

[Cotypubby]

16 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

Chelsea and Robbin act like someone forced them at gunpoint to do this race. There is no joy. Especially from Chelsea. I thought she was rude at the castle when she said “I don’t know. You tell me” to the guy collecting her coins who asked “what’s the right amount?”  He’s just playing his role, Chelsea. Maybe stop and enjoy it. She looks so dour even in their talking heads that I am convinced every leg that they got eliminated. 

Was she the one who didn’t even bother to do the challenge and just kept giving random amounts of coins? Whoever that one I hated them. It’s like some people see the word “math” and their brains turn to goo. Even though the task was no more difficult than “give me 2 quarters worth of nickels.”
 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Cotypubby

[Good Queen Jane]

29 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

Chelsea and Robbin act like someone forced them at gunpoint to do this race. There is no joy.

The only time that they seemed to be enjoying themselves was during the carnival. They both had the biggest grins on their face. Otherwise, they have been pretty dour throughout the race.

[Silver-hyren]

3 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I cannot for the life of me understand why teams don't take the divide and conquer approach for task such as the mustard tasting - you have 9 flavours: one of you learns four and one of you learns five, instead of both of you trying to learn 9 each.  Doh!

I think Robin and Chelsea tried that.  I remember hearing one of them say "this wasn't one of mine" at one point.  Didn't seem like it did them much good, though as it still took them a couple tries to get them all right.  

Speaking of Robin and Chelsea, they really are not enjoying being on the Race.  They are not having any fun and seem to resent having to take part in the required tasks.  Going back and forth to the judge with different numbers of coins until you get it right is . . . a strategy and clearly it worked, but it felt wrong - not in keeping with the spirit of the Race.  Even the TH snippet they played before that, about not having the time or desire to figure out the math, came off as entitled and obnoxious.  The the camera will cut to Rob or the Beard Bros (Facial Hair Bros? Forget, are they siblings or just friends?) who are clearly having the time of their lives and it begs the question why Robin/Chelsea even applied to be on the show in the first place.

[iMonrey]

9 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Anna Leigh . . . I bet she's a real sweetheart in real life.

What on earth would give you that impression?

1 hour ago, bunnyface said:

But Steve basically raised her to be a son and so if they yell at each other, men do that all the time.

Rob and Corey don't. Greg and John don't. Joel and Garrett don't.

It's just way more enjoyable to watch teams that actually seem to be enjoying the race and appreciating the experience. That's really what I'll miss about Andrea and Malaina, too. 

Morgan and Lena, Robbin and Chelsea, and Anna Leigh are just not fun to watch.

[kitkat343]

4 minutes ago, Silver-hyren said:

I think Robin and Chelsea tried that.  I remember hearing one of them say "this wasn't one of mine" at one point.  Didn't seem like it did them much good, though as it still took them a couple tries to get them all right.  

Speaking of Robin and Chelsea, they really are not enjoying being on the Race.  They are not having any fun and seem to resent having to take part in the required tasks.  Going back and forth to the judge with different numbers of coins until you get it right is . . . a strategy and clearly it worked, but it felt wrong - not in keeping with the spirit of the Race.  Even the TH snippet they played before that, about not having the time or desire to figure out the math, came off as entitled and obnoxious.  The the camera will cut to Rob or the Beard Bros (Facial Hair Bros? Forget, are they siblings or just friends?) who are clearly having the time of their lives and it begs the question why Robin/Chelsea even applied to be on the show in the first place.

To be fair, I blame the producers more for the coin skipping than Robin and Chelsea.  They could have picked up the coins at the top of the castle and gotten a pile of 40-50 coins which would have forced them to do the math.  Or had a time penalty they'd have to wait out after each wrong guess.

It was clear that  there were a very limited number of coins, so  randomly guessing without needing to wait for another chance to guess wasn't necessarily a much worse strategy than working out the math.  India is traditionally a killer fatigue leg, so I can understand just being so tired you might figure it would take longer to try the math than randomly guess.  

It reminds me of a very early season where they had to sell fruit, and one team figured out if they gave a massive discount on the fruit, they'd sell their bundle quickly and they could keep getting fruit bundles until they reached the required amount of money they had to earn while the other teams struggled to sell their fruit bundle at full price.

But I do agree I have no idea why Robin and Chelsea are on this race - maybe it looked easy from their living room? I was tired just watching the leg in Germany.

[chaifan]

Robbin had some genuine moments of joy this episode, it caught my attention while watching.  But Chelsea I think is just physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted.  She had a smile while doing the Carnival, but in her talking head segment talking about it she looked miserable, even while saying something about having so much fun. 

I think Chelsea gave up on the math way too early, I don't think she even tried, but I give her credit for knowing her limits (mental exhaustion) and figuring out a way to get through the task in the way that worked for her. 

On a different topic... does anyone know the significance of 66 as the point goal for the darts game?  Did they mention that at all and did I miss it?

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Steve got fed up with the tone AL was taking with him.  She had been doing that for a long time.  His KF showed in not watching his tongue when he was basically telling her to check the way she was speaking to him.  I.e., he is her father and she will treat him with respect. 

I don't agree that she is carrying the team.  She is louder about what she does, and there were some tasks right in her wheelhouse.  As I mentioned last week, she often doesn't give him a chance to do the thing before she snaps at him.  Then she acts like he couldn't do it.  So she was constantly belittling him.  Multiple times she has asked him to carry her pack.  He was well ahead of her at last week's flower task.  He is not a complete drag on the team, but he is in her mind.  

It's just a shame they did not have a discussion about her attitude off camera.  If they did, it didn't take.  So he snapped.  

I have driven in Germany.  I found driving in cities very difficult because of the different signs, and there are a lot of them. Also the streets are often narrow.  I was travelling with colleagues.  We decided I would drive on the freeways; I have a lead foot and could get us places quickly.  My colleagues drove in the cities.  Several teams seemed to be stuck trying to get to the parking garage that they could see.  That is an issue of the small streets, a lot of one ways, circles, etc.  I felt their pain. 

I will miss Andrea and Malaina.  They clearly really like each other and had fun.  Ultimately their issue was reading the clue.  If they thought through that they were taking a ferry, they would have turned around sooner.  Also check the name of the ferry, and the clue said ancient coins. 

Other teams failed a bit at clue reading this week, but they did not have long delays from it.  At the bridge, several teams got the answer for the combination prior to searching for the lock.  Others found the lock then realized they would need help figuring out the combination. 

[Ancaster]

3 hours ago, snarts said:

Maybe, but I too would've lost my shit if my partner didn't know their left from their right and kept turning the wrong way.

Will miss the pink ladies. I was amused every time with their "out of towners"

I'm sure I'm not the only person here who suffers from "the other left" -itis.  However, I also have a way of knowing how to deal with it so that if I'm in a situation where we're late and in an unfamiliar place and my navigator is yelling "next left, left, left, indicate, LEFT, LEFT" I have a way of overcoming it.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Ancaster

[Netfoot]

Wow! This was a great episode/leg!

Greg and John raced well and deserved the #1 spot this leg.

Despite getting on the wrong ferry, Robin & Chelsea went from last, briefly to first and finished second. I agree with the consensus that they don't really seem to be enjoying the experience of TAR, and I think that just trying every possible combination of coins should have come with a detraction. Possibly a time delay between attempts or having to do the rappel each time before getting another guess. I was surprised that Robbin (Chelsea?) thought that the way to find the needle in the haystack of a million locks was to examine each lock closely, one at a time. It seemed to me that the way to go was to take a brisk walk and keep your eyes peeled. Production is going to hide the lock - they will let the other locks do that.

Ashlie and Todd put in a run-of-the-mill performance and I'm surprised they came as high in the rankings as they did. But good for them. Something about Ashlie creeps me out a little, but since I can't figure out why I am not letting it turn me against the team.

Rob and Corey are having a ball, and they seem to work well together to get the tasks completed. I hope they go far, not because I want them to win, but because I want them to enjoy this experience together for as long as possible. I must say I thought they were crazy to choose footie-darts. I've played lots of darts and getting the exact score is harder than it might sound. I've also played footie and that only convinces me that it would have been even more difficult. 

Steve and Anna Leigh are my pick for winners. Even more so, after this episode. Steve sitting in the back of the car and actively not navigating would have gotten my goat, I have to admit. You can't see? Lean forward, put your head down low and look out the windshield. Or open the window and stick your hear out! Having said this, I do believe Anna Leigh should have been less snippy with him because he is, after all, her father. respect is due. Make your point, sure. But hold back that attitude. And Steve giving her what-for was great. It's the reason for my "Even More so". Hopefully she will show a little more respect for her teammate and for other racers from now on!

Morgan and Lena. Unbelievable. You are driving, your navigator says "Turn Left!" So you immediately turn right? I'm surprised they did as well as they did, what with the arguing and bitching. They are sisters and I hope like hell they live in different cities, because I can't see them treating each other better when there are no cameras rolling.

I was a little disappointed with Joel and Garrett. I understand they thought they were last and therefore out of the race in a season with no NELs. I understand they just kicked back and enjoyed the experience on what they thought was their last day. But the outcome is all the evidence you need to understand why you never kick back and take your time. You race balls-to-the-wall, every moment, right up until you hear Phil say "I'm sorry to tell you..." This is even more true when you think you're last. Because maybe you aren't, and taking your time can ensure that you are.

And finally, Malaina and Andrea. Well, I always found their "Out Of Towners!" shrieking to be somewhat annoying but I wouldn't condemn a team for that. But when a team admits that they don't know where they are and don't know where they're going, then decide to just keep on driving? They are no-hopers at that point. They went miles out of their way, got on the wrong ferry, thought Euros were an ancient coinage... frankly I'm surprised they finished the leg at all. Come to think of it, they didn't! They received the Minor Guido elimination from Phil, who couldn't wait for them to bumble their way around the city until they accidentally bumped into him - he had to go and find them to give them the boot.

An excellent episode with many and varied tasks. I have to say the mustard one strikes me as being impossible. To correctly recognize nine variations of mustard in a row, after your taste buds have already been assaulted nine time? Not me, never. And then to remember seven names in a foreign language? Hopeless. And yet so many teams successfully achieved the goal without undue effort or a high number of retries.

Looking forward to finding out what the brand new country they visit will be. 

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, Seelouis said:

Chelsea and Robbin act like someone forced them at gunpoint to do this race. There is no joy. Especially from Chelsea. I thought she was rude at the castle when she said “I don’t know. You tell me” to the guy collecting her coins who asked “what’s the right amount?”  He’s just playing his role, Chelsea. Maybe stop and enjoy it. She looks so dour even in their talking heads that I am convinced every leg that they got eliminated. 

I agree.  I wasn't minding them and am starting to quite like Robbin despite the way she spells her name, especially after her obvious delight at the carnival task.  I thought Chelsea was just, like me, a chronic sufferer of RBF (resting b*tch face) but this total lack of joy was really sad to see.

(Kudos by the way to whoever set up the carnival task, because it was obvious that it was a highlight for several racers, even though it came across as pretty soulless on screen in that sterile venue.)

[Ancaster]

1 hour ago, Silver-hyren said:

 

Speaking of Robin and Chelsea, they really are not enjoying being on the Race.  They are not having any fun and seem to resent having to take part in the required tasks.  Going back and forth to the judge with different numbers of coins until you get it right is . . . a strategy and clearly it worked, but it felt wrong - not in keeping with the spirit of the Race.  Even the TH snippet they played before that, about not having the time or desire to figure out the math, came off as entitled and obnoxious.  The the camera will cut to Rob or the Beard Bros (Facial Hair Bros? Forget, are they siblings or just friends?) who are clearly having the time of their lives and it begs the question why Robin/Chelsea even applied to be on the show in the first place.

The money?  They're doing pretty well and may have trained hard for the race.  We talk all the time about the mactors and wannabe influencers seeking fame and fortune, but there have been a couple of times when the money would have made a big difference to the lives of racers.  I don't have a problem with that (better odds than playing PowerBall), especially if they work for it, but if that is the case here, Robbin and Chelsea are certainly not coming across as the pair you want to have a drink with after the race.

[sara416]

6 hours ago, shura said:

 

I love how Corey laughs silently when he and Rob are joking in their interviews.

I noticed this last night more than before and it was delightful. I love these two! Can I find a way to hang out with them after the race? They seem like so much fun. 

[Ancaster]

4 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

Everybody keeps hating on Ana Leigh, while I'm over here watching the older of the two sisters in horror. She hates, no loathes her little sister with a passion. It literally drips off her every time she belittles her.

Speaking of Ana Leigh. If you are the true alpha of your team, which she clearly is you MUST be the navigator once self-driving comes involved. Unless your partner can't drive a stick, that's the only acceptable exception.

 

 

Loathe seems a little harsh, but I agree her relationship with her sister doesn't seem great - maybe she had to take care of her (perceived?) spoiled little sister when they were growing up?  We all love to speculate don't we?!  I wonder what they'll take from this experience and from seeing themselves on TV and reading about perfect strangers' impressions.

 

 

Edited November 9, 2023 by Ancaster

[eel2178]

42 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Looking forward to finding out what the brand new country they visit will be. 

They told us in the preview:

Spoiler

Slovenia

 

[Ancaster]

5 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

Speaking of Ana Leigh. If you are the true alpha of your team, which she clearly is you MUST be the navigator once self-driving comes involved. Unless your partner can't drive a stick, that's the only acceptable exception.

 

The problem with this is you end up with broken oxen.

Or maybe that isn't a problem at all.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Ancaster
Because oxen is the plural of ox, and some may find it pretentious, but I'm all in favour of enriching our lives through our wonderful language, and schadenfreude with oxen.

[proserpina65]

14 hours ago, mojoween said:

I would kick soccer balls until my feet fell off before I would voluntarily eat mustard.

I love mustard, but some of it apparently was spicy, which would've been problematic for me.

Self-driving is always good for serious reshuffling of teams.

I loved how much fun Rob was having at the circus parade task.

14 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Both Roadblocks seemed relatively easy, but the self-navigation was the real deal breaker.

The lock roadblock was a needle-in-a-haystack task, though, with the potential to really screw things up.  I was having flashbacks to Freddie & Kendra. 😬

13 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

That math task was so simple. I liked how some teams just flew right through it.

It might've been simple to you but it would not have been to me.  I'd have done what Chelsea did - keep adding a coin and going back until it was the right amount.

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

How were they supposed to know that they needed old-timey money?

There usually is more info in the clue than what we hear on tv.  Plus, didn't it specify a certain ferry?  They were on the wrong one.

11 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I didn't like how Robbin or Chelsea just went back and forth with increasing amounts of Witten(?) to present to the robber baron. Seemed against the spirit of the game.

Whereas I thought it was a great workaround.  It didn't violate the rules at all.

5 hours ago, Ancaster said:

I cannot for the life of me understand why teams don't take the divide and conquer approach for task such as the mustard tasting - you have 9 flavours: one of you learns four and one of you learns five, instead of both of you trying to learn 9 each.  Doh!

That might not have been an option.

2 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

Was she the one who didn’t even bother to do the challenge and just kept giving random amounts of coins? Whoever that one I hated them. It’s like some people see the word “math” and their brains turn to goo. Even though the task was no more difficult than “give me 2 quarters worth of nickels.”
 

The challenge was to give the judge the correct amount of coins.  No matter how you arrived at the correct number.  Some of us suck at math.  I would've done exactly what Chelsea did.

2 hours ago, Good Queen Jane said:

The only time that they seemed to be enjoying themselves was during the carnival. They both had the biggest grins on their face. Otherwise, they have been pretty dour throughout the race.

I think they're just pretty intense and focused people.

56 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I think that just trying every possible combination of coins should have come with a detraction.

Why?  If the clue didn't specify exactly how one got to the correct number, then there shouldn't be a penalty.