S36.E06: Our Alliance Strikes Again

[proserpina65]

17 hours ago, dancingdreamer said:

I think it was more subtle.  Amber practically  did the puzzles  for Latisha and Angie . It spoils it for us, because  someone  is going  to stay behind  and then come in last.

I don't disagree that it was more subtle most of the time in previous Races, but it's apparently not against the rules or they would've been penalized.  I wasn't thrilled with it but I also don't blame the teams for working a loophole as much as they can.

17 hours ago, shura said:

Why wouldn’t they have the right to ask for help and get upset when refused?

Asking was fine, sure, but getting upset when other teams refuse to help is ridiculous.

14 hours ago, InDueTime said:

The fingerprint Detour looked really interesting. I wanted at least one team to try it.

I was really sorry no one chose it.  I guess they thought it sounded like it would take more time but it looked easier than the meat task to me.

12 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Alternately, completing a leg with no assistance could earn a reward, something like an earlier start time on the next leg.

That seems like it might work quite well.  I would not object at all if TPTB go with that approach in the future.

12 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

But this time, I would be fine with a victory by the ex-Cops

I thought Derrick and Shelisa were the ex-cops?

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

And yes, I was one of those people that was screaming at the screen - it's a puzzle challenge!  Not a memorize the route challenge! 

I kept telling them to forget the route entirely and concentrate on what pieces of the puzzle linked up in a continuous path.  Obviously they didn't listen to me.

2 hours ago, Lovecat said:

I was kind of stunned at Amber's hysterics at the thought of leaving Angie behind, too.

All I could figure is that she knows how bad she and Vinny are at navigation and that they really needed to be able to follow Danny and Angie.  Because otherwise, yeah, that was weird.

 

[Skooma]

16 hours ago, rr2911 said:

In this day and age where everyone receives a trophy and actually being a competitor is a thing of the past, it's no wonder that there are some that like and agree with this....cheating!  

I know the showrunners at TAR won't listen to the fans, but I hope they change the rules.

I don't like participation trophies nor do I necessarily like being told that I like "cheating." 

I found Danny's strategy VERY competitive and it helped Amber & Vinny's navigation problems as well.  It made both teams far stronger and more competitive then just going it alone on this longer, mega-leg.  And it worked brilliantly too. 

There is always more than one single way to compete.  It isn't a track meet alone.  It involves strategy too.  Sometimes bullpen games are better than sticking in your fifth starter after all.

And yeah I hope Bertram and Elise do listen to ALL fans and know a lot of us love alliances like this too and appreciate the beauty of them.

14 hours ago, InDueTime said:

When Danny saw his mom covered in sweat and chugging water on the car challenge, why he didn't volunteer for the bubble soccer Roadblock is beyond me.

Danny had already done a lopsided amount of Roadblocks and forming that alliance for the megaleg was in part so his Mom could get some of hers' out of the way while using the alliance to stave off elimination.  It worked perfectly.

And who knows what Roadbocks could be ahead.  Far more physical ones than running around on half a soccer field.

2 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Precisely.  I was kind of stunned at Amber's hysterics at the thought of leaving Angie behind, too.  She does realize that *Vinny* is her teammate, not Angie, right? ...

Actually she knew Danny was her navigator for this leg and after the horror of Vinny endlessly alternating between screaming at her and being passive aggressive toward her over directions leg after lag I don't blame her for near hysterics at the thought of having to go through the rest of the leg with this nightmare happening again to her if Danny and his Mom were left behind.

Like other posters said, she and Vinny would still be lost somewhere in South America to this very day if left to their own lack of navigational skills.

[ElleryAnne]

I really wanted to see someone do the fingerprinting task. 

I agree with others that the beef task was poorly designed in that the teams could monopolize the stations and shut out other teams. Danny himself admitted it wasn't a nice strategy. If it's an effective way to a million dollar prize, I can't fault him for it.  But it didn't make the episode more enjoyable to me as a viewer, though.  (Unlike the racecar maps, which I found hilarious in some cases. Leticia's first attempt had me laughing for a solid ten minutes.) 

I don't automatically hate alliances, but I prefer them to be short-term and specific. So if they agreed to help each other survive the megaleg and that's it, I guess I don't mind. And I was glad that Danny said they should go on their own to the mat after the last task of the leg.  Still, watching some teams work together in a really obvious way like they did at the beef stations while essentially preventing other teams from being able to make their own progress (whether from the alliance or the game design or both) isn't ideal "Amazing Race" to me.

Fortunately, the two teams I'm rooting for came in first and second place, and both of those teams are running their own races.

[eel2178]

18 hours ago, rr2911 said:

 In this day and age where everyone receives a trophy and actually being a competitor is a thing of the past, it's no wonder that there are some that like and agree with this....cheating!  

I know the showrunners at TAR won't listen to the fans, but I hope they change the rules.  They made some progress with having each pit stop an elimination one.

I do viewer reviews for CBS. Every single season I tell them they need to make a rule to stop collusion between the teams.

I'm obviously getting nowhere.

[TheRabbi]

On the bright side, they didn't drag this mega leg out into 2 90 minute episodes. That would have been absolute torture. The original edit likely had this as 2 1 hour episodes, so this is a weird occasion where they actually cut 30 minutes from the original edit (15 minutes in each half of the leg) where every other leg has actually had 30 minutes added. Shame about Derek and Shelisa. Would have been more interesting if they had succeeded at the bulls and one of the alliance teams had to fight to avoid elimination. 

Edited April 19 by TheRabbi

[tinkerbell]

15 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Bottom line, teams of two should not have to compete against teams of six 

Exactly. The female team who showed up to the beef challenge, saw everybody cooperating, asked a question and received an icy response. Wow. Yeah, nobody HAS to help you, but that was rude. 

[mrc12671]

I think what set this example of teams working together apart from others was the fact that a team completed a task and stayed at the location until other teams also completed the task.  It seems the compromise for those who like alliances and those who don't would be for the show to make it a rule that once you complete a task, you must leave the gameplay area immediately.  You can shout out instructions or hints that helps a team you're aligned with as you leave if you so choose, but that information could also help a team in the same area you aren't aligned with as well, thus presenting a gameplay conundrum for the team that's leaving.

[chaifan]

31 minutes ago, tinkerbell said:

The female team who showed up to the beef challenge, saw everybody cooperating, asked a question and received an icy response. Wow. Yeah, nobody HAS to help you, but that was rude. 

But this is a bit contradictory.  People are criticizing teams for working together, and then criticizing one of those same teams for not working with another team.  The point of an alliance is to help teams within your alliance, not to help everyone.

I don't think the response was rude, it's just that there's really a not nice way to refuse to help someone in that situation.   The racer who asked the question (sorry, I don't know who is who on that team) knew these three teams were an "alliance", she knew they knew she was working with the firefighters, so she really shouldn't have had any expectation of receiving information.  It never hurts to ask, but let's keep expectations real.  Would she have done anything different if Derek & Shelisa asked her for help?  

 

[realitytvfan1017]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:47 PM, iMonrey said:

Yeah but it doesn't. And I called it. Danny helping everyone paid off when Angie finally had to do a Roadblock because Amber wanted to help her.

This falls into the category where its not against the rules but it's something I'm not crazy about. But if it's not against the rules and it helped Danny and Angie as you said, I can see why they did it. I had mixed feelings because I like Danny and Angie and want them to stay longer.

[realitytvfan1017]

On 4/18/2024 at 2:40 AM, rr2911 said:

Wow!  I just can't believe all the cheating that went on on TAR!  I call it cheating because Amber basically worked the puzzle for Angie and Leticia.  TAR needs to look into this and how it really takes away alot from the competition.  It's a race for a million dollars for crying out loud!!  I hope that cheating alliance each gets eliminated starting with the mother and son.

The couple that went home got on my nerves a bit, so I'm glad they went home.  

I'm pulling for the firefighters!

 

 

I call it cheating!  For a team to basically do the puzzle for another team is pure cheating!

I'm not 100% happy about it but it's not cheating if it's not against the rules.

[30 Helens]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Do you mean Juan and Shane? They are air force pilots. And dating twins? The only twins were Anthony and Bailey. Or do you mean Ricky and Cesar, because they look very similar?

Yes, I meant Juan and Shane. I got the jobs mixed up. And Twin Boyfriends has been shorthand for Ricky and Cesar for me all season. Not only do they look alike, they are styled alike. Same hair, same beard. Five bucks says Cesar adores a minuet and a hot dog makes Ricky lose control.

[Red Bridey]

Regarding the rally RB, when Phil was describing the task, I thought the passenger would have to draw the route on a board, not piece together a puzzle. Can you imagine having to freehand trace the route after falling out of a car after a dizzying ride like that? I was so excited! But then I was disappointed when they just had to put puzzle pieces into place.

Then I was so excited to see someone do the fingerprint task and I was sorely disappointed that it wasn't chosen. Then I was somewhat queasy and nauseated by the meat task, where were all the flies? Ick! Why didn't each team member memorize seven meats? That's what I would have done, even though I wouldn't have done it!

I am so bored with this season. There is not one team that I am invested in. I'm sad because there were several teams last season that I really enjoyed watching. I guess you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Sigh.

[Neveragain]

On 4/18/2024 at 2:50 AM, Skooma said:

On 4/18/2024 at 2:40 AM, rr2911 said:

I call it cheating!  For a team to basically do the puzzle for another team is pure cheating!

We will agree to disagree since I call it cooperation and collaboration for an alliance.   Like the NFL player in that alliance said.  You play for the team and everybody has their strengths and duties to do.

But in the NFL they all split the winnings.  That’s because they are one team. The amazing race is several teams, each consisting of two people, and those teams are racing AGAINST each other, and only one team will win the prize.  The concept is 180° different and it’s ridiculous to help each other, especially to that extent.  If you want to win, you have to beat them.  Not win together.  

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Red Bridey said:

I am so bored with this season. There is not one team that I am invested in.

I was looking forward to this season because it was primarily in South America, which they haven't visited a lot lately.   But unfortunately, there is a sameness to these countries, even though they're spread out across a continent and have different cultures.  If you know one language - Spanish - you're set, and that advantage carries over leg after leg after leg.  It also seems that you're less likely to find people who understand English.

[tinkerbell]

4 hours ago, chaifan said:

But this is a bit contradictory.  People are criticizing teams for working together, and then criticizing one of those same teams for not working with another team.  The point of an alliance is to help teams within your alliance, not to help everyone.

I don't think the response was rude, it's just that there's really a not nice way to refuse to help someone in that situation.   The racer who asked the question (sorry, I don't know who is who on that team) knew these three teams were an "alliance", she knew they knew she was working with the firefighters, so she really shouldn't have had any expectation of receiving information.  It never hurts to ask, but let's keep expectations real.  Would she have done anything different if Derek & Shelisa asked her for help?  

 

I'm not convinced that all the teams know about the others alliances. Or, they have an idea which teams work together, but not the extent to which teams are willing to go to make sure their alliance members advance past the other teams.

I guess what bothers me is the "us vs. Them" mentality, that 3 teams work together to bully another team. At the beef task, grabbing  all the tables the way they did was basically ganging up on another team.

Helping teams by giving them a hint or a tip has always been a part of TAR. But running the race as a team of 6 is just unfair.

[PurpleTentacle]

On 4/18/2024 at 4:45 AM, Tango64 said:

It’s bad enough when they follow each other. Danny looked like he was leading a field trip. “Okay, everyone follow me! Stay together! We’re changing detours, so come on everybody!”

But standing next to an opponent and just giving them the solution to the puzzle should get a four-hour penalty. 

But since it doesn't, Danny actually had a good strategy. The other teams played it like "uh we just couldn't bear to see Angie suffer", but reality was that they didn't trust their own navigation skills and wanted to follow Danny. He had made himself indispensable. That's why they gave their "opponent" the solution.

On the amazing race you really are only opponents to a point. If you are not coming in first anyway, it is often good strategy to work together and make sure you are not coming in last. The only leg you have to win is the final one.

On 4/18/2024 at 4:58 AM, Browncoat said:

The way Danny and the alliance just flat out lied and shut the others out?  That's mean girl behavior to me.

That's just playing the game. You always want teams behind you and they couldn't be sure there was yet another team even further back.

On 4/18/2024 at 5:05 AM, dancingdreamer said:

That was some mega leg. I'm surprised  the alliances are allowed  to literally help do the puzzles and chat with their  alliance, at one time that wouldn't  have been allowed.

That was always allowed. Your teammate can't help during a roadblock, other teams can help as much as they want. Them's the rules. It just used to be done less and I suspect will be done less again, when there is less self-driving (as we saw last season). Teams like to stay in a pack during those, since getting lost completely, when you are alone, can easily mean the end of your race.

On 4/18/2024 at 4:38 AM, Jaundiced Eye said:

I know she can drive, but that seems to be all she can handle. Did she honestly think she had a shot to be competitive in the Race?

I mean they made it pretty far. Danny is the race fan here. He had applied multiple times with his sister, but the producers only let him on when he applied with his mom. Them's the breaks. You can only participate if production lets you.

On 4/18/2024 at 8:40 AM, rr2911 said:

I call it cheating!  For a team to basically do the puzzle for another team is pure cheating!

Except it's not cheating, since the rules permit it. If they didn't, Phil would have had them sit next to the Pitstop for at least half an hour.

You may not like it. I'm certainly not wild about it. But it's within the rules.

On 4/18/2024 at 10:39 AM, Fukui San said:

The show enforces "You can't help your teammate during a Roadblock". There's no reason it can't enforce "You can't help other teams during tasks". 

The reason is that production likes it when teams help each other. And usually so do the viewers. It's just that it's too much this season. But how do you regulate that? A rule allowing or disallowing something is easy, a rule defining something in between is hard. So maybe we'll just have to suffer through a bad season from time to time. I'm sure if it happens too often, production will do something about it. But 2 seasons out of 36 doesn't seem too bad.

On 4/18/2024 at 1:11 PM, Haleth said:

Does Danny seriously believe that when it comes down to a foot race that Rod or Vinnie are going to wait and hold hands and jump on the mat together all kumbaya?

He doesn't have to. They were solidly middle of the pack. If not for them working together, his mom might still be doing the puzzle. I really think they got the better end of the deal this episode.

When it comes to later legs, they'll have to do their own thing. But hopefully Angie will have banked so many roadblocks by then that Danny can do the rest.

But let's be real here, they have no shot of winning this anyway. So their best case scenario is making it as far as possible and seeing as many things as they can.

On 4/18/2024 at 6:23 PM, Browncoat said:

Collaboration, sure.  Helping, eh, not a fan, but it's way better than outright doing the task.  Why did Angie even bother to get in the race car if Amber was just going to do the puzzle for her? 

Because you had to get into the race car between every puzzle attempt? I'm sure Angie would have prefered to just stay with the puzzle and try to solve it without driving around the track multiple times.

On 4/18/2024 at 7:59 PM, eel2178 said:

I still want to know what they do with all the plastic after it is shredded.

Those bottles are Polyethylenterephthalate and usually get turned into fibres for clothing. It's just that the shredding is usually done by machines...

On 4/18/2024 at 8:26 PM, Netfoot said:

Put it in a landfill, probably...

Nope, that stuff is actually worth money and easily recyclable. It's not your run of the mill plastic where the best you can hope for is that it's burnt for electricity.

23 hours ago, rr2911 said:

I posted that I thought what "the Alliance" did was cheating and of course it was brought to my attention that it is within the rules.   Well hot damn!  I know that!  I know it's within the rules! 

Well if you know that, then why did you call it cheating? "Cheating" is not a synomym for "I don't like that".

23 hours ago, rr2911 said:

In this day and age where everyone receives a trophy and actually being a competitor is a thing of the past, it's no wonder that there are some that like and agree with this....cheating!

Nobody who's getting participation trophies likes them. It feels like somebody rubbing it in, that you lost. Participation trophies are for the parents, so they don't feel as bad about their kids losing.

Also I fail to see how that has anything to do with what happened in this episode.

20 hours ago, 30 Helens said:

Not every couple has the opportunity to enlist four other teammates, even if they want to.

Well if they don't, doesn't that mean they lack an important race skill, like driving stick or being physically fit?

10 hours ago, Lovecat said:

Precisely.  I was kind of stunned at Amber's hysterics at the thought of leaving Angie behind, too.  She does realize that *Vinny* is her teammate, not Angie, right?  Maybe she was over-emotional in the heat of the moment (or maybe I'm just a stone-cold bitch), but I thought her tears and hand-wringing were unwarranted.  Give the lady a hint, a hug, and an encouraging pat on the back, then get the hell out of there and raaaaaaace.  Sheesh.

I think she was way more calculating than you give her credit for. If they had gotten out of there, there is a good chance they would have gotten so lost, they would have come in last, given the navigation skills we have seen from them in previous episodes. This way came in 4th. So, not bad.

[North of Eden]

Amber doing the puzzles for Angie and Leticia was some world class BS!

They might as well just drop RACE from the title when 99% of the teams are working together...it violates the spirit of the race and is not good television.

The other two women would STILL be there to this day trying to figure it out without being given the answers. Can Phil really be cool with this?

Amber weeping and not wanting to leave Angie was ridiculous (a part of me wants to believe Vinny would have beat feet out of there as soon as they won but knew he would be doing the eat, sleep and mingle alone without Amber after she kicked him out of their hotel room bed.

The setting sun DOES NOT lie. No amount of editing was going to be able to cover up how far behind the grandparents were. So disappointed to have the two teams I was rooting for the most leave in back-to-back episodes.

Ricky and Cesar can go fly a kite. I'm tired of them and am glad they didn't get first place.

I never trust competitions like the soccer one where it can be manipulated by the racer simply being allowed to kick the ball for a win. It takes little for it to be thrown to the racer if the other players decide "okay that's enough, let's let them make the goal".

Seeing the two all women/clones team together at the meat challenge reminded me of the Bizzaro Jerry episode of Seinfeld when the gang meets their doppelgangers.

Lastly by being forced not to leave South America it FEELS like they are still in the same city from the season premier...everything is so similar. Its definitely to the show's detriment.

Edited April 20 by North of Eden

[Tango64]

6 hours ago, eel2178 said:

I do viewer reviews for CBS. Every single season I tell them they need to make a rule to stop collusion between the teams.

I'm obviously getting nowhere.

Don’t give up. 

[Netfoot]

45 minutes ago, PurpleTentacle said:

doesn't that mean they lack an important race skill, like driving stick or being physically fit?

Only if you conclude that TAR has become a popularity contest and is no longer a race. Only if you accept that you aren't physically fit and can't drive stick but you should still win because you Mean Girled the talented teams out early by manipulating an alliance of dumb-asses. 

[PurpleTentacle]

20 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Only if you conclude that TAR has become a popularity contest and is no longer a race.

I don't think pooling your skills to make it further in the race is a popularity constest. Danny is good at navigating, Amber is good at puzzles (well at least better than Angie). Why shouldn't they help each other?

Also as multiple people have pointed out, this has been going on since season one. So it hasn't "become" anything. It always has been this way. It's just happening more often this season because of the covid setup (bunched starting and all self driving).

24 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Only if you accept that you aren't physically fit and can't drive stick but you should still win because you Mean Girled the talented teams out early by manipulating an alliance of dumb-asses.

That's about the opposite from what is happening here. Building alliences and showing your worth to other teams is a skill, just like driving stick and being physically fit.

What you are describing is a team that lacks any and all social skills.

[srhall79]

There was a period where I watched a lot of Tiny House Hunters, and in most couples, there was one part who was way more into the tiny house concept than the other (usually the one going ga-ga over a compost toilet). I'm reminded of that with Danny and Angie. Yeah, she's out there and competing, but I don't think she's spent the last decade dreaming about being on the Amazing Race.

I also wanted a follow-up show, revisiting after 6 months to see which couples were still together, because for a lot of them it seemed a tiny house was only going to bring them together physically. I'm reminded of that with Amber and Vinnie... although tonight seemed better. I do figure Vinnie was off camera fuming while Amber helped with the puzzle.

I guess I'm not so bothered by the alliance and cooperation because I link this game with Survivor. Obviously it's a much more physical game, but I think there's room for a team that's not as physically strong or fast as others to leverage their social powers. I do feel bad for the teams behind and outside the alliance (the boyfriends and the bros don't seem to need any help). And the thing to remember is only one team can cross the finish line. Tonight's help on the puzzle did seem excessive; last week, a quick "look at the colors of the wheels" was enough help.

I appreciated that Rod's head stuck out of his bubble.

[Netfoot]

7 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

It's just happening more often this season because of the covid setup (bunched starting and all self driving).

Thankfully, this is true, and exacerbated in our minds by the out-of-order release. Hopefully we will see less of this in subsequent seasons.

7 hours ago, PurpleTentacle said:

What you are describing is a team that lacks any and all social skills.

No, I am describing a team that has all the required skills to be sitting on an island somewhere shit-talking their fellows. What I'd prefer is a team that has the required skills for racing around the world.

3 hours ago, srhall79 said:

Yeah, she's out there and competing, but I don't think she's spent the last decade dreaming about being on the Amazing Race.

I my be wrong but I think Danny spent the last decade dreaming about getting his face on camera. 

3 hours ago, srhall79 said:

Tonight's help on the puzzle did seem excessive; last week, a quick "look at the colors of the wheels" was enough help.

I don't think you could or should necessarily ban the utterance of a friendly, helpful word now and again. But the "You just lie here and take a nap while I do your challenge for you!" type of type of alliance ruins the show for viewers who think that The Amazing Race  is the best "reality show" ever devised and that Survivor is the worst.

3 hours ago, srhall79 said:

(usually the one going ga-ga over a compost toilet).

LOL! Are you seeing anyone?  Maybe we could have coffee.....

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, srhall79 said:

Tonight's help on the puzzle did seem excessive; last week, a quick "look at the colors of the wheels" was enough help.

A quick "look at the colors of the wheels" as you're leaving the challenge is vastly different from, "hey, sit over there and rest while I do your challenge for you."

Or what @Netfoot said.

Edited April 20 by Browncoat

[seacliffsal]

I actually think Danny has convinced his alliance mates that he is better at navigation than he actually is.  In this episode alone they got lost so that the firefighters (who we know are horrible at navigation) and girlfriends were able to pass them at one point (and were ahead of them at the meat challenge) and were not far behind them at the mat.  In previous episodes they also lost placement due to navigational errors.  However, the two team working with Danny have proven that they are terrible with navigation, so maybe they really do need him, but he's not an exceptional navigator.

But, I will also admit when I am wrong, and I really criticized Danny for making alliances at the beginning of the season, but he was right to do so as I think they would have come in last had it not been for Amber's help at the race track.

I think the race has tried to eliminate some of the answer sharing-at the one challenge in an earlier episode, the judges pulled down the 'shades' over correct mapping answers of the statues, and the puzzle stands in this episode were separated from each other.  But, unless the instructions specifically state that answers may not be shared, the racers are allowed to do so.

It's almost like I'm watching two different shows.  One in which the top two teams are racing and the other with all of the other teams.

Oh, because I am shallow like this-I really wanted it to be a real horse at the pitstop instead of a plastic one (maybe made from all of the plastic recycling pieces...) because...animals!  

[fishcakes]

Boxing out Bizzy/Sunny and Yvonne/Melissa from even being able to attempt the meat challenge was bad, but the thing that bothered me was that when Yvonne (?) asked if they could all work together, they didn't outright refuse, they suddenly just got very shifty. They either pretended they didn't hear her or acted like, "ha ha! we don't know either! don't mind us and these clues to the Pit Stop in our hands!" A simple, "I'm sorry, we wish we could help, but we can't be sure there's anyone behind us," would have at least been respectful.

It could come back to bite them anyway because as it turned out, those two teams were right on their heels. The three allied teams were still on the mat when B/S and Y/M showed up. So not helping them may have affected placement, but there's virtually no time advantage and they've engendered some bad will there. As someone upthread noted Danny/Angie were third of the three, so they may start out in the last group next week anyway, and they're not likely to get any help from teams they snubbed.

I liked Derek and Shalisa too and am sorry to see them gone. They did bicker a lot, but that seems to be their thing and they both let it roll right off. I very much loved them at the skateboard task:

Derek: Get ready to go, honey!
Shalisa: I've been ready!
Derek (laughing): She didn't have to say it like that.

[daisybumble]

I do not like alliances on TAR.  It weakens the show significantly.  Alliances work on Survivor because it's a completely different competition.  If they want to encourage teams to work together, then change the name of the show to The Amazing Teamwork. 
I'm not enjoying this season at all.  I agree that staying in South America is too much of the same thing.  I like TAR because of the changes in different parts of the world - culture, language, climate, etc.  And yes, this gives Spanish-speaking contestants too much of an advantage.  I also miss airport drama - YMMV, but I like seeing teams strategize to get the best flights, or a team who thinks they're ahead get screwed over by a missed or delayed connection.  And these teams are so meh.  I feel like Danny badgered Angie to be on the show - she's totally game, but has admitted all along that she's not up to a lot of what is required.  Leticia does not seem to be good at anything, ever, or just gives up too quickly.  I'm not rooting for any of these teams, and it's rare that I can say that about any TAR season.

[katalizt]

I was baffled when Danny and Angie, standing in front of a stadium, read a clue that says "who wants to score?", then were surprised to find the task is soccer. I would get it if the clue had been cryptic, but it was pretty obvious... 

I think for roadblocks, I don't mind them cooperating during the task, but I would like a rule that says that once you finish your task and receive your clue, you may no longer help other teams. 

And for the meat detour, it would've been simple to have a rule "if you guess wrong, you must go back to the instructor before returning to the guessing area." Just like at the car roadblock they had to ride the car again between puzzle tries. 

[Roccos Brother]

How long are they going to just stay in Latin America??

I normally enjoy the goodwill and comradery that comes from alliances and teams helping each other - but this was too much. The meat challenge in particular was a chaotic mess; not to mention all those dirty hands touching the raw meat. Ugh! Why did Danny feel inclined to help the girls out when they would have all been essentially tied at that point? More UGH!

I'm a little more sympathetic when it comes to helping out in the race car challenge, knowing I would have been vomiting and passing out after one lap. That honestly looked rough.

The detective detour looked fun. Wish we could have seen at least one team participate.

I enjoyed the older team and their ribbing of each other, especially the way Shelisa gave Derek a hard time once she saw what the actual puzzle challenge was. They will be missed.

 

[dizzyd]

So after a long day and a crazy Survivor episode, I fell asleep in the middle of TAR and completely missed the egregious alliancing that occurred and had to catch up later. Looks like TAR is open to alliancing like Big Brother and Survivor now. Do they have an alliance name? I will say this alliance is striking and taking casualties better than the plus one alliance on Survivor that was doa and self imploded this week. I concur that the rule should be revised to disallow that extent of assistance because even in survivor, alliances don’t usually assist in challenges besides an occasional thrown challenge or a deal made at the end of a challenge but for the Race that has been solely based on speed of challenges and navigation, it’s no different to form a pack to take you to the final 3 and then duke it out. That being said, if they make it to final 3, Danny and Angie surely know that they’re the weakest link among the 3 teams and have no shot of beating the other 2 to the final mat, right? I would love to see Danny lead all 3 teams off a cliff or into the river to drown like the Pied piper and his rats and lead to the demise of all 3 teams in the Race. 

[choclatechip45]

I enjoyed this episode probably because the megaleg works well with 90 minutes. Amber doing the puzzle for Angie was ridiculous. The problem with alliances on The Amazing Race it's great for the racer, but as a viewer it is not as fun to watch. Great strategy though. 

Edited April 24 by choclatechip45

[MMLEsq]

On 4/19/2024 at 12:46 AM, 30 Helens said:

I haven't been commenting this season because with both Survivor and TAR airing 90-minute episodes back to back, my TAR viewing is always delayed. (Not that I'm complaining! I love the super-sized episodes.)

But I had to drop in tonight and see if everyone was as frustrated with this episode as I was. ...

Derek and Shelisa may have arrived at the mat last, but they did NOT run the worst leg. They just didn't have the benefit of being virtually strapped to someone else's back and carried along.

...

I can't even get into the frustration of watching people trying to create a map where none of the road lines meet. GAH. Like others have said, this was nothing but a visual puzzle-- and a nine-piece one at that. Such idiocy should not be rewarded with an Express Pass from another team.

I usually root against the teams that run a dominant game, constantly leaving others in the dust, because that tends to be boring. But this time, I would be fine with a victory by the Pilots or the Dating Twins. At least they're running a RACE. And I hope Sunny and Bizzy can join them in the finals, because they are ALSO RACING.

Yes, to all of this!  I'm frustrated with the entire season.  I miss the old days with 12-hour pit stops (this season, they clearly just start each episode in the morning), with teams leaving in the order they arrived (I can't stand the bunched starts), with a clearly established amount of money for the leg (I can't even remember the last time I heard, "We have $X for this leg of the race" -- has it happened at all this season?).

On 4/19/2024 at 6:59 PM, Red Bridey said:

Regarding the rally RB, when Phil was describing the task, I thought the passenger would have to draw the route on a board, not piece together a puzzle. Can you imagine having to freehand trace the route after falling out of a car after a dizzying ride like that? I was so excited! But then I was disappointed when they just had to put puzzle pieces into place.

...

I am so bored with this season. There is not one team that I am invested in. I'm sad because there were several teams last season that I really enjoyed watching. I guess you can't catch lightning in a bottle twice.

Sigh.

The rally car/map challenge was boring -- once it became clear it was about putting 9 puzzle pieces containing only lines that clearly needed to line up.  Some of the attempts were pathetic.  I feel like this entire season has a lot of teams with that seem to be thriving with little athletic ability and that are not mental giants!

On 4/19/2024 at 8:18 PM, Quilt Fairy said:

I was looking forward to this season because it was primarily in South America, which they haven't visited a lot lately.   But unfortunately, there is a sameness to these countries, even though they're spread out across a continent and have different cultures.  If you know one language - Spanish - you're set, and that advantage carries over leg after leg after leg.  It also seems that you're less likely to find people who understand English.

Knowing Spanish has been a huge advantage this season -- it seems pretty unfair.  Part of the charm of the Amazing Race is jumping from country to country, the language and culture differences, etc., except we've pretty much had none of that this season....

[kitkat343]

I didn't love watching Angie do the soccer bubble thing because I really didn't want to see her get hurt on this race (there's a few former racers I wouldn't have minded watching getting knocked around though!) .  But we've seen TAR place weight/height restrictions on road blocks before (I think Flight Time/Big Easy was affected by that) so I think if Angie was in any actual danger due to her age, they would have not let her do that roadblock.  So while it is really unpleasant watching her get knocked around, the thing about bubble soccer is that eventually the opponents seem really likely to let you score (how many times could you knock down someone who looks like your mom before you'd step back and let her finish the challenge?) and I think eventually everyone could probably complete the soccer bubble task, but it seems pretty easy to imagine that if her son keeps doing all the roadblocks they are going to get stuck.  And eventually their alliance is going to stop being able to bailing them out.  

3 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

Yes, to all of this!  I'm frustrated with the entire season.  I miss the old days with 12-hour pit stops (this season, they clearly just start each episode in the morning), with teams leaving in the order they arrived (I can't stand the bunched starts), with a clearly established amount of money for the leg (I can't even remember the last time I heard, "We have $X for this leg of the race" -- has it happened at all this season?).

The rally car/map challenge was boring -- once it became clear it was about putting 9 puzzle pieces containing only lines that clearly needed to line up.  Some of the attempts were pathetic.  I feel like this entire season has a lot of teams with that seem to be thriving with little athletic ability and that are not mental giants!

Knowing Spanish has been a huge advantage this season -- it seems pretty unfair.  Part of the charm of the Amazing Race is jumping from country to country, the language and culture differences, etc., except we've pretty much had none of that this season....

I totally agree I prefer watching the race go around the world, and hope this was simply a response to Covid and not a long term cost saving method to try to restrict travel to one geographic location.

[tinkerbell]

5 hours ago, dizzyd said:

So after a long day and a crazy Survivor episode, I fell asleep in the middle of TAR and completely missed the egregious alliancing that occurred and had to catch up later. Looks like TAR is open to alliancing like Big Brother and Survivor now. Do they have an alliance name? I will say this alliance is striking and taking casualties better than the plus one alliance on Survivor that was doa and self imploded this week. I concur that the rule should be revised to disallow that extent of assistance because even in survivor, alliances don’t usually assist in challenges besides an occasional thrown challenge or a deal made at the end of a challenge but for the Race that has been solely based on speed of challenges and navigation, it’s no different to form a pack to take you to the final 3 and then duke it out. That being said, if they make it to final 3, Danny and Angie surely know that they’re the weakest link among the 3 teams and have no shot of beating the other 2 to the final mat, right? I would love to see Danny lead all 3 teams off a cliff or into the river to drown like the Pied piper and his rats and lead to the demise of all 3 teams in the Race. 

Yes. Alliances work in Survivor and Big Brother because the game is about voting other players out. TAR has always been a superior show because victory isn't about avoiding getting voted out, it's about racing to the finish line. Each team runs their own race, they don't HAVE to team up against  other racers. 

Maybe that's why I am bothered by the way the alliance was going. It was more like a Survivor/Big Brother alliance, where 6 people try to get others eliminated.

[Quilt Fairy]

On 4/19/2024 at 3:26 PM, mrc12671 said:

It seems the compromise for those who like alliances and those who don't would be for the show to make it a rule that once you complete a task, you must leave the gameplay area immediately. 

They shouldn't need a rule like that, because teams generally realize it's a RACE.  It's in the name of the show and everything.....

[millennium]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:33 PM, iMonrey said:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Angie doing the Roadblock again?

Elder abuse/emotional abuse.

Danny is heartlessly exploiting that woman's maternal love for him.  She would drop dead in the pursuit of fulfilling his dream and smug boy would stand by and let her.   Somebody should yank him aside and ask what the fuck are you thinking?

Edited April 21 by millennium

[chaifan]

12 hours ago, MMLEsq said:

The rally car/map challenge was boring -- once it became clear it was about putting 9 puzzle pieces containing only lines that clearly needed to line up.  Some of the attempts were pathetic. 

I give everyone a pass on the first attempt.  But at that point they knew there were 9 pieces and 9 spaces.  There were no "extra" pieces to throw them off.  At that point, they should have realized it was a puzzle challenge, figure out the first turn or so, so they have a starting point for the puzzle, and that's it.  I get that Angie was struggling with the heat and just couldn't concentrate on it. 

But Leticia and Derrek...  I don't have excuses for them.  Really quite baffling.  Shelisa's comment with Derrek was spot on. 

 

[chaifan]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

Elder abuse/emotional abuse.

Danny is heartlessly exploiting that woman's maternal love for him.  She would drop dead in the pursuit of fulfilling his dream and smug boy would stand by and let her. 

Seriously?  First, Angie is now 55.  This was shot 2 years ago.  As someone in that age range, I'm a little offended to be put in the category of "elder" as in "elder abuse".  Do you think she has no agency?  No ability to say no?  She's had 2 issues with heat.  She's holding her own.  I'm cheering her on, not having a pity party for her.  

[QuantumMechanic]

17 hours ago, Roccos Brother said:

How long are they going to just stay in Latin America??

Pretty much the entire season :(

My favorite moment in the episode was when Rod finally realized all he had to do to get the soccer goal was to just truck everyone in his way and just kick it in.  Especially the background music and clobbering that one guy just before the goal.

[lilysmom]

14 hours ago, choclatechip45 said:

I enjoyed this episode probably because the megaleg works well with 90 minutes. Amber doing the puzzle for Angie was ridiculous. The problem wy. ith alliances on The Amazing Race it's great for the racer, but as a viewer it is not as fun to watch. Great strategy though. 

I totally agree. Cheating or not cheating, ethical or not ethical, I simply don't enjoy the seasons/episodes where several teams work together to get an advantage as much as the ones where teams use their own abilities and shortcomings to succeed or not. 

Perhaps the meat challenge would have been more fair if (a) there were enough stations for every team to compete or (b) the team had to revisit the demonstration if they didn't complete it correctly (like so many of the other detours/roadblocks.)

 

[Cotypubby]

On 4/18/2024 at 9:33 PM, rr2911 said:

I know it's within the rules!  In my book what they did was cheating even though it's allowed

🧐 I don’t think you understand what “cheating” actually means. If something is allowed, it is by definition not cheating.

On 4/18/2024 at 8:23 PM, Skyfall said:

I've only seen the first two episodes and I think that may speak volumes on my interest in this season. Does it get better or should I skip this season?

Not really. Boring tasks, every episode in a location that seems the same, bunching start-times. One of the worst seasons overall so far. (Nothing will touch the awfulness of the Family season)

[Skyfall]

15 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

🧐 I don’t think you understand what “cheating” actually means. If something is allowed, it is by definition not cheating.

Not really. Boring tasks, every episode in a location that seems the same, bunching start-times. One of the worst seasons overall so far. (Nothing will touch the awfulness of the Family season)

And sounds like there is an alliance and I HATED the other recent season that had an alliance.

[Netfoot]

17 hours ago, Roccos Brother said:

How long are they going to just stay in Latin America??

Not ideal, I will admit. But consider that this was filmed during the epidemic and they had to finesse transportation by hiring an aeroplane (which they have not shown so far, but we are aware is happening "behind the scenes") and may have had difficulty finding countries where they were welcome.

Also, they would have to be comfortable that if, despite precautions, a racer became ill, the country they happened to be in would be in a position to provide medical aid to a standard that TPTB found acceptable. The country where I live (like many, I think) decided that there were not enough ventilators. A number of ventilators were ordered, paid for and sent. Unfortunately, when they reached Miami and before they could be put on a ship, they were stolen confiscated by the authorities for use by those who deserved a better chance of survival that the third world peasants who actually owned the ventilators.

We already know what the next season will be (because we saw it already as S35) and that the next season will be one of the best for a long, long while (my opinion, at least). So, I can forgive much of what I am seeing that I don't like, because I realize that it's an aberration forced upon TPTB by unavoidable external factors.

However poorly the season turns out, I'm glad they tried and didn't simply elect to skip a year. 

[millennium]

4 hours ago, chaifan said:

Seriously?  First, Angie is now 55.  This was shot 2 years ago.  As someone in that age range, I'm a little offended to be put in the category of "elder" as in "elder abuse".  Do you think she has no agency?  No ability to say no?  She's had 2 issues with heat.  She's holding her own.  I'm cheering her on, not having a pity party for her.

I take your point about the use of "elder" -- wrong choice of words,  I meant it as she's his elder, actually.   I'm your elder and my skateboard would be offended too had my words been intended in the way they came off.

But I stand by emotional abuse.  And while, sure, she probably has the ability to say no to him, I think she would rather run herself into the ground than disappoint him.  Danny knows that and will milk it for all it's worth.   He gives the impression he's been doing it all his life.  Worse than Annaleigh last season, IMO.

[Skyfall]

7 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Not ideal, I will admit. But consider that this was filmed during the epidemic and they had to finesse transportation by hiring an aeroplane (which they have not shown so far, but we are aware is happening "behind the scenes") and may have had difficulty finding countries where they were welcome.

Also, they would have to be comfortable that if, despite precautions, a racer became ill, the country they happened to be in would be in a position to provide medical aid to a standard that TPTB found acceptable. The country where I live (like many, I think) decided that there were not enough ventilators. A number of ventilators were ordered, paid for and sent. Unfortunately, when they reached Miami and before they could be put on a ship, they were stolen confiscated by the authorities for use by those who deserved a better chance of survival that the third world peasants who actually owned the ventilators.

We already know what the next season will be (because we saw it already as S35) and that the next season will be one of the best for a long, long while (my opinion, at least). So, I can forgive much of what I am seeing that I don't like, because I realize that it's an aberration forced upon TPTB by unavoidable external factors.

However poorly the season turns out, I'm glad they tried and didn't simply elect to skip a year. 

I think it's also telling the producers delayed this season as long as possible and placed it in the lower watched spring.

[North of Eden]

5 hours ago, millennium said:

I take your point about the use of "elder" -- wrong choice of words,  I meant it as she's his elder, actually.   I'm your elder and my skateboard would be offended too had my words been intended in the way they came off.

But I stand by emotional abuse.  And while, sure, she probably has the ability to say no to him, I think she would rather run herself into the ground than disappoint him.  Danny knows that and will milk it for all it's worth.   He gives the impression he's been doing it all his life.  Worse than Annaleigh last season, IMO.

It think your assessment of Danny?Angie is 100% accurate and I like him less and less with each episode.

[Roccos Brother]

On 4/18/2024 at 8:23 PM, Skyfall said:

I've only seen the first two episodes and I think that may speak volumes on my interest in this season. Does it get better or should I skip this season?

It's middling, probably one of the weaker seasons, but still very much worth a watch if you're a TAR fan who wants to support the show. I don't know if I would recommend it to non-fans just looking for something new to watch. 

[WatcherUp2]

9 hours ago, millennium said:

I take your point about the use of "elder" -- wrong choice of words,  I meant it as she's his elder, actually.   I'm your elder and my skateboard would be offended too had my words been intended in the way they came off.

But I stand by emotional abuse.  And while, sure, she probably has the ability to say no to him, I think she would rather run herself into the ground than disappoint him.  Danny knows that and will milk it for all it's worth.   He gives the impression he's been doing it all his life.  Worse than Annaleigh last season, IMO.

Didn't Danny have some major health issues when he was younger? That may be why Angie wants him to have this ultra-bucket list experience, to make up for that. I think behind that big ol' smile of his, he's a manipulative shit who has taken advantage of her motherly good nature for years. It steams me because I like Angie but I think she has a huge blind spot about sonny boy.

[Netfoot]

21 minutes ago, WatcherUp2 said:

I think behind that big ol' smile of his, he's a manipulative shit....

I just wish they would stop giving him a pulpit from which to preach. I'm tired of hearing him explain how wonderful he is. Just let the manulipulative shit run his race. 

[Lantern7]

I don't mind Danny. I don't think he's out to kill his mother.

[seacliffsal]

Angie feeds into some of Danny's negative character traits as she's the one who keeps talking about his wonderful navigational skills (which actually hover between average and a bit below average [they have gotten a bit lost a few times'), his ability to get them around last episode as he lived there for a while (didn't see any advantage from that during the episode), etc.  So, she does build him up, which I get as she's his mother.  But, she has also drawn the line a few times and been a bit passive-aggressive, such as when she thought she might take the time penalty during the race car task or during the coffee bean picking task.  What we're seeing is most likely their lifelong dynamic.  I think part of his seeming to take advantage of her is that she 'reads' older than 53-55.  I was surprised when I read her age as I thought she was much older.  I just hope that they are enjoying their time on the race and that it will be a lifetime of wonderful memories.

But, I also think once there are fewer teams and Rod and Leticia feel held back by Angie and Danny that they will be out of there.  Amber may want to stay and help, but I think Vinnie won't be that patient down the road.