S35.E11: We're Finding Our Pot of Gold

[aghst]

14 hours ago, chaifan said:

For all of their navigation problems, and Steve lagging behind, the thing that actually cost Steve & AL a place in the final 3 was their failure to keep track of the roadblocks.  If they entered this leg with equal roadblocks, AL could have done the Riverdance roadblock, and they likely would have been out of there with a good lead on Joel & Garrett. 

I could be wrong.  Won't know until someone comments about the actual time gaps between the teams.  But I think in the end, that was the biggest factor to them being eliminated this leg.

Can't say I'm sad about it.  I love this final 3!  I'm rooting for everyone! 

I believe Steve finished his Riverdance task before the beard guy and Steve and AL left before the beard team.

But the beards got to the stadium before them and I believe they finished the hurling task and left the stadium as Steve and AL were arriving or even before them.

Also seemed like Steve and AL struggled to find the pub as well.

So I think navigation was the difference between making it third and being eliminated in this penultimate leg.

They didn't show if any teams had difficulty driving on the left side of the road but at one point, AL reminded Steve that he was on the wrong side of the road.  That's something I've experienced first hand, as I've driven in the UK and Australia more than once and for the most part I was okay but if I went to lunch or a store, once or twice as I pulled out of parking, I was on the right (wrong) side of the road briefly before I remembered.

 

I remembered seeing a short news feature on Riverdance, how it really wasn't authentic of traditional Irish dance, how it was brutal on the dancers.  But when they showed the first teacher showing all the moves, especially some of the steps on toes, it looked balletic and pretty intricate.

I don't think any of the racers got all those steps exactly as the real dancers demonstrated.  The judge allowed it if the racers were moving in the general direction of the dancers and moving as quickly, even if they probably didn't get all the intricate steps right.  John probably got it as closely as any of them.

Still think that music is faster than real Irish folk music and visually you don't appreciate all the intricate steps because they're done so fast.  But if they're still selling shows, I guess it's a big Irish cultural export.

I probably couldn't do this roadblock.

 

As far as the brothers team coming off too cocky, well they won the most legs IIRC and their average finish is ahead of other teams.

But I think the final 3 teams are always encouraged to talk up their chances to win the final.  You never see a team who say we exceeded our wildest expectation, we're just happy for making it so far and we really can't beat that other team, etc.

Even if they're not prodded to talk up their prospects at winning TAR, people are naturally going to be inclined to be optimistic, positive about their chances.

[shura]

2 hours ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

Her Race bio says she's a speech pathologist, influencer (ugh) and private plane attendant or something. No idea how any of that plays out. 

A speech pathologist and a flight attendant (if I am understanding that last one correctly)?  Now there's a combination!

1 hour ago, PurpleTentacle said:

The judges we see on screen rarely judge the task. Usually it's a producer behind the camera giving a thumbs up or down. Here the crowd was clearly instructed to react to that accordingly.

Is that right, rarely? So, the director at Gaiety Theater, the guy Xing peacock prints in India, the ladies checking hay stacking in Slovenia or lotus bouquets in Vietnam - fake, fake, fake, fake? Just reacting to whatever directions production was feeding them? If that's true, I think I wish I didn't know that.

[grawlix]

2 hours ago, snarts said:

Unsure of Corey's relationship status but I hope he took a minute to get his dance instructor's contact info. There was some definite attraction there on both sides. I loved how she walked them out :)

That is the first time I can recall an instructor joined with the reading of the clue away from the main area.  Has that happened before?  Perhaps Corey wanted his dad to meet Anna Mai (the instructor) for non-race reasons?

[Skooma]

28 minutes ago, shura said:

A speech pathologist and a flight attendant (if I am understanding that last one correctly)?  Now there's a combination!

Is that right, rarely? So, the director at Gaiety Theater, the guy Xing peacock prints in India, the ladies checking hay stacking in Slovenia or lotus bouquets in Vietnam - fake, fake, fake, fake? Just reacting to whatever directions production was feeding them? If that's true, I think I wish I didn't know that.

No they aren't fake.  But sometimes there is a mercy killing of a team already so far behind they are going to be eliminated anyway I'd guess as in letting the judges know it was okay to become more lenient after a zillion tries.  But here I think it was about getting the patrons at the bar to know when they could ham it up and show some enthusiasm or disapproval because they wouldn't know if a quote was 100% right or not without direction.

[Fukui San]

I’m guessing that there was one person in the crowd who was the leader judge that everyone else took the lead from. Or else you’d have to have everyone else on the same page with regards to Joyce. 

[NYCFree]

In 2017 we did a home exchange for two weeks that was extremely near the swimming location. Spotting the castle was our visual cue to turn left to get home. It’s in an extremely wealthy suburb of Dublin and it’s charming and gorgeous.

I am so pleased at the final three. My favorite final three ever!

[PurpleTentacle]

2 hours ago, shura said:

Is that right, rarely? So, the director at Gaiety Theater, the guy Xing peacock prints in India, the ladies checking hay stacking in Slovenia or lotus bouquets in Vietnam - fake, fake, fake, fake? Just reacting to whatever directions production was feeding them? If that's true, I think I wish I didn't know that.

Not all of them, but quite a few. Peacock guy and lotus ladies I assume were fake. River dance dude I'd assume was real and they just had a long discussion with him beforehand how harshly he should judge it. Hay-ladies, I don't know.

Sometimes it's a language barrier (a quick aside through an interpreter is hard) and sometimes the judges are just actors and have no idea what they are doing. For example the hay-ladies were clearly actors, because nobody has made hay like that in a 100 years, but the judging was pretty cut and dry, so maybe the producers just let them do it.

[Silver-hyren]

5 hours ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

Any time I read a snippet from Ulysses, it serves as a reminder to avoid reading that book at all costs. 

Never read Ulysses but read some other Joyce works.  If you have the patience to crack through the dense prose it's very rewarding, but it's hard.  

After about the third recitation I finally started to understand the two snippets and how they related to each other.

 

5 hours ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

Re: Race job descriptions. Corey is listed as a Senior Manager of Client Strategy and Analytics. I have no idea what that means, but it sure sounds impressive. 

Sounds like code for Sales.

[Hera]

17 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I know he was joking, but when John said it was "cute" that the other two teams only won one leg each it kind of rubbed me the wrong way. There's only one leg left and they only have to beat you once. They've both done it before.

Yeah, their cocky talking head at the end of the episode seemed like a shift from the way they've been edited previously. But they're not wrong; they are the ones to beat.

17 hours ago, chaifan said:

For all of their navigation problems, and Steve lagging behind, the thing that actually cost Steve & AL a place in the final 3 was their failure to keep track of the roadblocks.  If they entered this leg with equal roadblocks, AL could have done the Riverdance roadblock, and they likely would have been out of there with a good lead on Joel & Garrett. 

Yeah, although there's an argument that if Steve had done more of the earlier roadblocks, they might not have made it as far as they did.

I laughed at Corey asking who wanted to teach him at the Riverdance roadblock and both the female instructors' hands shot up. I also laughed at the crowd at the pub booing people who messed up their quotes. That said, only Riverdance and self-navigation shook up the order. The swimming, hurling, and recitation were all first in, first out and quick enough that teams basically didn't see each other while they were doing the task, which is a little disappointing. I wonder how far apart the teams were in arriving on the mat.

[Netfoot]

I've been rooting for Ateve Steve & Anna Leigh. And I think they had this leg to lose - and lost it. They slipped a place between river dancing and hurling. How? I have no idea. Bad navigation? Slow movement? Who knows. But their loss came down to the fact that they allowed themselves to be overhauled and have nobody to blame but themselves. If I comment on them personally, I think Steve was on the edge of physical competency for much of this race but he obviously loves his daughter and would do anything for her. While it's clear that Anna Leigh adores Steve, I think she described her own negative here. She is crazily competitive but at the same time not a team player. The first may be highly desirable in TAR but the second is a critical requirement too.

Even though my choice of team is out of the F3, I am pleased that of the three remaining teams, I have nobody to hate upon. I think all three teams are made up of good folks and onlike many finales in the past, won't be disappointed, no matter who wins. 

Although... Greg and John's self-congratulatory comments and obvious distain for the two remaining teams reveals an attitude that makes me thing an ass-whupping would probably do them both some good.

23 hours ago, iMonrey said:

If the steering wheel is on the right and the stick shift is on the left, is the clutch still on the left?

Yes. This means you use left foot and left hand to change. In other words, no cross-coordination of limbs. Which is one of several reasons why driving on the left is obviously a superior system.

11 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

Shifting with your left hand does sound very icky.

It's perfectly natural, and also it's the way dog intended it to be.

22 hours ago, bunnyface said:

Padraic has to have been one of, if not the very, nicest dance judge we've ever had.  What a nice man!

I agree completely. We've had good and bad judges in the past, but this was absolutely top-hole! In fact, I'd go as far to say he's one of the top-tier judges we've had for any challenge in the race.

10 hours ago, Whimsy said:

I am sure they had an ASL interpreter for this task that was off-camera to us.

I think this is obviously correct. Otherwise the average pub-crawler would not have been able to judge if he'd got it right or not. I did consider that the entire audience were ASL proficient as arranged by TPTB (and how cool would that have been?), but...

Looking forward to the finale with excitement. With Steve & Anna Leigh out I now have to find a new team to root for. Have given serious thought to Team Hirsute (being a fuzzy faced old-timer myself) but I think I will go for Rob & Corey. Not only because I think they have been great racers and great people but because Rob can show Luke how it should be done.

I wish I could figure out a way, If only we could all chip in a buck and have a custom shirt made for and sent to Anna Leigh. It could have custom printed on it "C'MON, DAD!" only, printed across the shoulder blades instead of across the front.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Netfoot

[Sarahsmile416]

Team Rob and Corey all the way.  I love them so very much! 

Like all three teams, but I am definitely rooting most heavily for Rob and Corey.  

And yes, totally shipping Corey and Irish Dance Instructor.  They could do some Irish Riverdancing at their wedding 😜

[watch2much]

If anyone made a drinking game out hearing "c'mon Dad" they'd be an alcoholic by now.  So glad that is over. I was truly expecting the life guard to jump in for Steve or many times I expected him to just keel over.  I mean the man was panting so hard while still trying to keep up, he had no more in the tank and all we heard was the constant, c'mon Dad. and I don't know why they had so many problems with navigation. Dublin isn't that big.  I was at that cathedral and it started raining and I couldn't get an uber so walked back to my hotel on the other side of the city and while not pleasant it didn't take that long. Putting herself in such stressful situations is not good for AL.  I know, because I would probably be the same.  it's why when Phil comes on and does the promo encouraging people to submit applications to be on the race, I laugh to myself.  I could not hack it.  

Count me on the Rob and Corey side for the win.  Such an inspiring father and son.  That being said, I would be truly sorry for the beard team because I also love their attitudes.  I like the brothers a lot, too and wouldn't be upset if they won.  However, they better be careful about the bragging.  All I could think of  when they were professing such confidence are all the times people got bad cab drivers, bad directions, flat tires, etc. too much hubris can get you.

as to the driving, my brother who is left handed and a real motor head said driving in Ireland was a real challenge. as someone else said, using the right to shift all those years does is embedded.

Edited December 7, 2023 by watch2much
+

[vousviou]

8 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

And really, it wasn't on his RB performance that they ultimately lost. It was there navigation (wondering if AL was unable to drive a stick at all, or if she just realized she would be better suited for the navigator role). They lost time getting to swimming challenge, the hurling RB, pretty much everywhere that required driving..

That was my impression too. When they hit the mat they knew they had lost, and I don't think it was as close as the producers tried to make it appear.

8 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by vousviou

[vousviou]

8 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

 

Sorry, double post.

Edited December 7, 2023 by vousviou

[vousviou]

6 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

If you know how to swim properly, it's very hard to swim with a life jacket on. Your buoyancy is thrown off and the bulk can impede your strokes. Their purpose is to keep you afloat in an emergency, not help you swim better/faster. 

One thing I would add is if you're not used to really cold water, it can completely mess up your breathing, and a life jacket will let you always have your head up so you don't struggle.

Although we don't know how cold it was, and how much of a factor it would have been.

[jabRI]

6 hours ago, snarts said:

being "dead last" on in the final four of the Amazing Race is the "absolute worst feeling in the world".

I thought that was really immature and classless.  If I liked her any better I'd be embarrassed for her.  Most people are more gracious and grateful talking to Phil on th mat.  Just really rubbed me the wrong way.

[aghst]

Just now, vousviou said:

One thing I would add is if you're not used to really cold water, it can completely mess up your breathing, and a life jacket will let you always have your head up so you don't struggle.

Although we don't know how cold it was, and how much of a factor it would have been.

Seemed like they could have put on wet suits if they wanted?

I guess the point of that swim location is to really feel the cold.

But maybe the racers didn't want to take the time to put on and remove wet suits.

[iMonrey]

6 hours ago, Tango64 said:

In reality, he may not be pleased with how she treated him in those moments but he still wants to protect her.

Well, we heard Steve himself tell Anna Leigh to "watch her smart mouth" about midway thru the season so no, I don't think he's pleased with her attitude all the time. 

5 hours ago, AnnaBaptist said:

He "knocked it out of the park" - figuratively - in the hurling challenge, getting it right on the second try.

This seemed edited down to me. When Phil was describing the task, I could have sworn he said they either had to get three goals in the net or one goal thru the goal posts (or whatever - not a sports person). We only saw Steve get one ball in the net.

[iMonrey]

5 hours ago, aghst said:

As far as the brothers team coming off too cocky, well they won the most legs IIRC and their average finish is ahead of other teams.

Oh, I get that John was just trying to be funny. The problem is, when you are that good, and you have won that many legs, even a whiff of arrogance - even in jest - is not a good look. It just made me cringe a little to hear him say it was "cute" that the other two teams had won a leg. 

It's kind of like if Anna Leigh said "I'm the prettiest one here." Even if she says it as a joke, it's just . . . no. Don't do that. You can make a joke about being better than everyone else if you aren't actually better than everyone else. But when there's a strong perception that you are, and solid evidence that you are? Don't do it. Don't say it's "cute" that other teams think they can beat you. Someone's going to take your little joke seriously.

[illdoc]

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

When Phil was describing the task, I could have sworn he said they either had to get three goals in the net or one goal thru the goal posts (or whatever - not a sports person).

I think he said that "in the net was worth 3 points, thru the goalposts was worth 1" and they had to get 3 total? So 1 netter would do it.

13 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

When Phil was describing the task, I could have sworn he said they either had to get three goals in the net or one goal thru the goal posts (or whatever - not a sports person).

I think he said that "in the net was worth 3 points, thru the goalposts was worth 1" and they had to get 3 total? So 1 netter would do it.

[Netfoot]

11 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

he said they either had to get three goals in the net or one goal thru the goal posts

three points for a goal in the net or one point for a goal between the high poles. That is how hurling is scored. I don't recall him saying you had to score any particular number of points. So maybe one goal of either type is all you needed.

[Browncoat]

I think Phil said they had to score the one point goal -- hit the ball between the high poles.

[vousviou]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

19 hours ago, bunnyface said:

Padraic has to have been one of, if not the very, nicest dance judge we've ever had.  What a nice man!

I agree completely. We've had good and bad judges in the past, but this was absolutely top-hole! In fact, I'd go as far to say he's one of the top-tier judges we've had for any challenge in the race.

He was a part of the Riverdance production, right? 

I think one of the marks of really good coaches, teachers, and directors is their ability to deliver rejection in a way that inspires people to try harder. You could see the four of them responding that way after being told they needed to go again. 

[Souris]

Most likeable F3 ever? Y/Y?

On paper, John and Greg are the team to beat, but my money is on Rob and Corey. J&G have a tendency to randomly and inexplicably bleed time sometimes. Plus it ending on them saying they are definitely going to win is an editing indicator they don't!

I laughed when John said he was glad the Riverdance Roadblock had a musical component because he played (listed seemingly the entire orchestra).

Add me to those shipping Corey and the instructor. Though talk about a long distance relationship! He is seriously attractive. Honestly, he, Greg and John are three of the most attractive male Racers ever.

Steve and Anna Leigh lost it on navigation from Riverdance to the stadium.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Souris

[sinycalone]

If there is someone to sign safety instructions (which would not be necessary at some of the challenges), I would assume that person was hired to be on hand throughout the Race.  Rob may not have been aware that there was someone was there all the way through...if he only saw them a few times.

 

Very happy with the final 3.  Been a long time since I've been able to say that.

[CriticalMass]

I want to go to Ireland! I think the coaches and the judge at the Riverdance challenge were the friendliest, most encouraging, most supportive, most patient that have been on the show. Many times the coaches are literally going through the motions and aren’t invested in their pupil’s success. Many times the judge just gives a head shake “No.” I assume much of that is due to language barriers, but they all made a much too long segment entertaining.

[Kelda Feegle]

Yay for a country that I, as an Australian, could easily drive in! And have. 

I too heard the cmon dad when AL was behind Steve, I'm so glad she's off my screen.

Happy with all 3 finalists.

[ML89]

11 hours ago, endure said:

It's all the moving ads on here interfering, making it hard to post etc.  Almost impossible on an iPad they just can't handle it.  Unfortunately I think they must need the revenue.

Download Opera browser app* for the iPad. Someone suggested that in another thread and it just works.

 

*edit to clarify what this Opera is!

Edited December 8, 2023 by ML89
Clarifying!

[Cotypubby]

7 hours ago, jabRI said:

I thought that was really immature and classless.  If I liked her any better I'd be embarrassed for her.  Most people are more gracious and grateful talking to Phil on th mat.  Just really rubbed me the wrong way.

I thought it was refreshing to hear some actually honesty when a team loses! Of course they must be feeling terrible, it annoys me when teams always fake happiness when being eliminated.

[Fake Jan Brady]

So nice to be going into the finale without having an "anyone but..." team there to add to the tension.

The final three is such a lovely collection of male relationships: father/son, brother/brother, best friends. They speak so lovingly of each other which is a pleasant change from the usual macho crap in the world.

[Lakebum]

Definitely my favorite Final 3 ever; there are reasons to be happy no matter who wins, and no reason to be upset if a certain team wins. I might even go so far as to say that if any of these teams were in past seasons of TAR, I'd probably be pulling for them to win it all.

Since somebody has to win, I hope it's Rob and Corey. But I'd be OK with any order of finish.

As for this episode... i would STILL be trying to complete the Riverdance task. My wife and I usually make a comment about which of us would be better suited for a Roadblock, and when we saw that this one involved dancing, we just said "We'd be doomed."

[Skooma]

2 hours ago, Cotypubby said:

I thought it was refreshing to hear some actually honesty when a team loses! Of course they must be feeling terrible, it annoys me when teams always fake happiness when being eliminated.

You can feel terrible but still be gracious and grateful for the opportunity you had to be on The Amazing Race and show some of that in your farewell.  It was an experience of a lifetime only a few will ever have after all.  Compare this farewell to Oswald & Danny's two times finishing fourth as well for some lessons on what class means.

[kitkat343]

18 hours ago, RunningMarket said:

 

I read elsewhere that Corey follows his dance instructor now on Instagram, and I hope so. I 'ship this, as the kids would say. 

 

 

They should totally give Corey and Anna Mai (the dance instructor)  some free vacations,  We'd love to watch them travel all over the world together!  

All of the Riverdance instructors and judge were amazing, and it was really nice seeing how supportive they were to the struggling racers.

[Browncoat]

Steve and Anna Leigh interview at Parade is up:

https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-35-steve-cargile-anna-leigh-wilson-eliminated-interview

[Haleth]

What a great race this has been!  Certainly one of the best in my memory.  The final 3 teams are all upbeat, competent, and supportive of their partners.  I love it.  I'll be happy for whichever team wins.  They've all surprised me by saying at various points that they have some experience that gave them a foot up in a challenge, whether it was making crepes in France or studying music or being a NATO buff.  Good insight into the racers.

Loved, loved the Riverdance!  Corey and John looked mighty good doing it and yes, Corey and his teacher should definitely keep in touch.  (I was sorry AL didn't get to do this challenge, she looks the part with her red hair!)

I'd never heard of hurling but it looks like something drunken frat boys would come up with - a combination of football/soccer and baseball with a hockey stick.

Great judges this whole leg, from Riverdance Padraic to the patrons at the pub.  I'm sure Padraic was instructed to pass the boys after so much time (or attempts) had passed.  They were never going to be perfect.

Aww, John's "cute" comment was teasing.  Sure, they know they're good and have the leg wins to prove it, but they've been shown to be friendly with all the teams and courteous to the locals.  I'm sure they were taking nothing for granted.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Haleth

[preeya]

On 12/6/2023 at 8:09 PM, iMonrey said:

If the steering wheel is on the right and the stick shift is on the left, is the clutch still on the left? That's what would throw me, and I drove nothing but stick shift for years. My first three cars were stick.

Starting from the left are the clutch, brake, and gas. The accelerator is always on the right, the Brake is always in the middle, and the Clutch is always on the left.

[chaifan]

16 hours ago, Netfoot said:

wish I could figure out a way, If only we could all chip in a buck and have a custom shirt made for and sent to Anna Leigh. It could have custom printed on it "C'MON, DAD!" only, printed across the shoulder blades instead of across the front.

I'm pretty sure that 90% of her Christmas presents from friends, family, co-workers, etc. will be something with "Come on Dad!" printed on it!

2 hours ago, Haleth said:

I'm sure Padraic was instructed to pass the boys after so much time (or attempts) had passed.  They were never going to be perfect.

I don't think perfection is ever expected in a task like that.  No one was even close to perfect.  But they likely have to hit certain points to get passed.  There has to be some objective measure for the judge to use - hit this turn, this stomp, the end turn-kick-head turn bit, with no obvious screw ups in between.

The Parade interview with Steve and AL is a good one.  They lost 45 minutes because they used the wrong exit out of the garage and had to go back and exit correctly.  Who knew TAR was that picky on driving instructions??? 

 

 

[fishcakes]

On 12/7/2023 at 6:30 AM, Skooma said:

I've been in Dublin before but the little tidal river that runs through it, the Liffy, was brownish and not the pretty blue in the overhead shots.  Was it photo-shopped?  Did the Dubs pour in blue dye for the occasion?  Or did they actually clean up the river?

I think a lot of these shows alter the colors in post-production. I saw some Gordon Ramsay show recently that had an episode in Seattle filmed in winter and it was all vibrant technicolor blues and greens. We're not even that bright in the summer! November to April (give or take a month on each side), our best days are pale gray and our normal days are suicide gray.

 

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

I don't think perfection is ever expected in a task like that.  No one was even close to perfect.  But they likely have to hit certain points to get passed.  There has to be some objective measure for the judge to use - hit this turn, this stomp, the end turn-kick-head turn bit, with no obvious screw ups in between.

Yes, I thought the judge was mainly looking for them to hit all the steps and keep up with the other dancers. Steve and Joel, in particular, were a bit too bouncy and slouchy, but the judge (who was a hammy delight) didn't seem to care about that. Their flaws were things that could be drilled out of them, but not in the time they had, so it didn't seem to count against them.

So happy for Rob and Corey that they finally got to be team number one. When Phil told them they won a trip to Fiji, I was half-afraid and half-hoping he would add "... to be contestants on the next season of Survivor."

I've seen every season of TAR and this is by far the best F3. Just a lot of really great people with supportive, loving relationships. I'll be happy for whoever wins but also a little sad for the two teams that don't.

Edited December 8, 2023 by fishcakes

[aghst]

If you Google Liffey, there are images of it being dark blue.

So maybe it's more muddy in different times of the year and other times it's blue, not carrying as much sediment which might turn the color brown.

[Skooma]

17 minutes ago, aghst said:

If you Google Liffey, there are images of it being dark blue.

So maybe it's more muddy in different times of the year and other times it's blue, not carrying as much sediment which might turn the color brown.

Thanks.  I was there the end of February and early March the year I visited.

Even though it was brown for me, I loved the name.  It sounds flowing like a river name should be.

Edited December 8, 2023 by Skooma

[Teriacky]

Watching the clumsy older men “River Dancing” got a few laughs out of me. They were so much like fish out of water and gamely giving it their all.

i’m also happy that Corey’s dad ( forgot his name John?) gets to take the trip he has always wanted to Fiji. Even if they don’t win the race, he has been a perfect representative of the deaf community and of fatherhood. His family, students, and community are lucky to have him in their lives. 

[proserpina65]

20 hours ago, Netfoot said:

And I think they had this leg to lose - and lost it. 

They were clearly the weakest team at this point, primarily due to their weaker navigational skills, imo.

20 hours ago, Netfoot said:

In other words, no cross-coordination of limbs.

The few times I've driven stick, I used my left foot for the clutch, so I don't think there's cross-coordination of limbs when you drive on the right either.  It's not like we're using the right foot for the clutch and the left for the brake.

19 hours ago, Browncoat said:

I think Phil said they had to score the one point goal -- hit the ball between the high poles.

I just rewatched Phil's explanation of the roadblock and that is indeed what he said.

7 hours ago, Haleth said:

I'd never heard of hurling but it looks like something drunken frat boys would come up with - a combination of football/soccer and baseball with a hockey stick.

More like a cross between field hockey and lacrosse, with a fair amount of violence thrown in and very, very fast.  I've seen a bit of it and it is a wild game.  A friend of mine has an Irish boyfriend and he played it when he was a young man.

5 hours ago, preeya said:

Starting from the left are the clutch, brake, and gas. The accelerator is always on the right, the Brake is always in the middle, and the Clutch is always on the left.

Just like in cars with the steering wheel on the left.

[aghst]

I just returned from Australia, renting cars in Sydney and Melbourne, both automatics.

BTW, there isn't a big premium to be paid for automatic so there's no reason to rent a manual.

In any event, the first car was an MG (Chinese company bought an old British brand) and the turn signal stalk was on the left side of the steering wheel.

The second car was a Toyota Carolla and the turn signal stalk was on the right side of the steering wheel.

That meant the wiper controls and the cruise controls were on opposite sides too.

Confusing for an American driver.

Plus they really like to park rear in first or they even have these 45-degree parking spaces on some streets where you must park in reverse so that you pull out forward into traffic going in the same direction.

 

I don't know that manual transmission is going to be representative for what travel is like in other countries.  Especially when more electric vehicles are integrated into the rental fleets and there's no such thing as manual transmission EVs or hybrids for that matter.

 

[eel2178]

On 12/7/2023 at 8:50 AM, Jaundiced Eye said:

Any time I read a snippet from Ulysses, it serves as a reminder to avoid reading that book at all costs. 

At least it wasn't Finnegan's Wake.

Admittedly, I don't think I've ever made it past the first chapter, but the writing is nearly pure gibberish.

[Jaundiced Eye]

1 minute ago, eel2178 said:

At least it wasn't Finnegan's Wake.

Admittedly, I don't think I've ever made it past the first chapter, but the writing is nearly pure gibberish.

I know Joyce was (allegedly) a genius, but I find him insufferable.

[aradia22]

I was worried I was losing interest in this season but nope, this was a great episode.

Starting off with the swim to get the clue was not that interesting (They can play all the dramatic music they want but having tourists happily milling about decreases whatever intensity they're going for.) but I was bribed with attractive shirtless men so I was content. I feel like they were really trying to play up how far behind Steve and Anna Leigh were but obviously there wasn't much of a gap because all the cars where they when they arrived and they were able to follow Greg and John driving out after the task.

The Riverdance task brought all the challenge I've been missing in the last few episodes. Also, I got very invested in Corey and Anna Mei's flirtation. It was very chaste, of course, but so are Hallmark movies. Interested to see what he says in the recap about admitting he thought she was cute. I didn't even think about the challenge of heeled tap shoes until Corey almost fell. I think Corey did especially well since the executive producer told him to "keep that shirt." And Padraic seemed genuinely thrilled for Steve after he succeeded on his 9th attempt. It was a good, tough judging. He wasn't so strict on expecting them to be at the level of the professionals with posture or clean footwork but if they obviously missed a step, he wouldn't let them just pass. Impressive that Corey and John made it through on their second attempts. If you watch the recaps from both teams, they really are fierce competitors. I'm glad casting went with two very competitive and strategic teams this year. Like, they are decently well traveled and they have actual skills beyond being vaguely in shape. 

It was interesting then that Corey took 7 attempts at the Croke Park hurling task since, according to him, he has basically tried every sport. I wasn't paying that much attention (cooking) at that point in the episode so I missed what he was struggling with. Garrett took 6 attempts while Greg and Steve managed in 2. 

The pub task with the James Joyce quotes didn't seem like that big of a deal. They talked it up a lot but it was like any other memorization task. The added bonus of getting watched by a totally silent pub and then cheered or booed was probably the tougher part if you're not comfortable with public speaking. 

In this episode I learned "fascinating" is a Corey euphemism. 

I was confused at the very end when John said the other teams had only won one leg apiece. Just looked at the tally and I forgot Steve and Anna Leigh winning twice and Robbin and Chelsea winning once. Rob and Corey have gotten second so often, I was just remembering it like they'd won. Also, Joel and Garrett have apparently finished second or third way more often than I realized. 

Great season so far and a great feeling heading into the finale. I won't be disappointed if any of the teams win but I'm definitely rooting for Rob and Corey.

[PurpleTentacle]

2 hours ago, aghst said:

If you Google Liffey, there are images of it being dark blue.

The dark blue ones are probably photoshopped and/or the saturation cranked to all hell. But it does seem to range quite a bit, from a green-ish brown to a pretty clear blue.

[SG429]

7 hours ago, preeya said:

Starting from the left are the clutch, brake, and gas. The accelerator is always on the right, the Brake is always in the middle, and the Clutch is always on the left.

IME, trying to signal turns with the wipers was the problem; they're reversed.

[aradia22]

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Those dance teachers were really good.

They were really great concerning the difficulty of what they had to teach to people totally unfamiliar with that style of dance and whom (as far as I know) don't have professional dancing experience. However, I'm glad they still had the instructor repeating the order of the steps during the routine because it would have taken way longer for the racers to pass the challenge without that constant reminder. 

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Is she a dancer or are we just speculating she would've been gone? I honestly don't remember what any of them do for a living.

I'm assuming they were going off the dance challenge in India? But it got me curious about her pageant talent. Google says she's a speech pathologist/flight attendant but I don't think anyone has talked about their jobs except Greg and John (tech), Garrett (UPS driver), and Jocelyn and Victor (supermarket). Morgan has her fancy business degree and Todd used to play basketball. 

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I'll go shallower. Corey in swim trunks, oh my. This is where I wished Liam and Yeremi were still there.

Joining you in the shallow end. At least we still have Greg and John. And it's kind of nice to see gym bodies on TV that are not bulked up with steroids. 

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I wonder how it was judged.  A specially provided ASL-speaking judge would check and signal to the patrons to cheer?

The way it was filmed, I'm pretty sure there was a judge cueing them for every attempt. Too many awkward pauses and tight reaction shots. Or maybe there was signage held up while the racers' backs were to the bar. 

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Sounds like some voodoo economics bullshit. I will try to not hold that against him.

Read an article somewhere about how it's trendy to give young people fancy titles (sometimes instead of paying them more and such). 

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I know Joyce was (allegedly) a genius, but I find him insufferable.

My knowledge of Joyce comes from the terrible off-Broadway musical Himself and Nora. So bawdy and scatalogical and horny.

 

[Ancaster]

I haven't read the comments yet, but I have to say (before my lizardy covid brain makes me forget), I kind of wish Anna Leigh had been the one to do the River Dance - I think she'd have done well and she'd have looked blended in with the other dancers!

Sorry if this has already come up - I doubt I'm the only one who had this thought!