S25.E02: When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go

[Tara Ariano]

The race continues in London where teams try to win an Express Pass, but some pairs chances are capsized while boating in a punt in Oxford, England.

[riley702]

I've never tried punting before, but it seemed odd that it was boating that tripped people up. Adam and Bethany continue to kick ass. I hadn't watched TAR for several years, but really admire Bethany, so I'm here as long as they are. :) And I hope that's all the way.

[bmoore4026]

I only caught the last half-hour or so of this episode (brother-in-law's birthday celebration-small thing, just cake and conversation), but I from what I gathered from tonight's episode was that it was a cavalcade of whiners.

 

We've lost the Dating Couple but we still have the Mother and Daughter.  Fuck me, we still have the Mother and Daughter.

 

Next episode: Ponies!  Sheeps!  And one of the cute burly firefighter guys gets a serious boo-boo and might have to go home early. :(

[MaryM]

As a whole, the teams were much less annoying/obnoxious than last week.  However, the last two teams to arrive at the pit stop need to take some lessons from Carissa Gaghan on how to be eliminated with dignity.  I did feel bad for both teams, though, since they were obviously such huge fans of the Race - tough to be eliminated in the early legs.

[merylinkid]

Mom:   And don't smile.

Daughter:   Okay (while grinning madly).   

 

Mom and daugther got a bit intense there by the end but they seem fun.   Nice to have someone on who actually watched the show.   

 

Which team with a tall dark haired male and blonde woman (they all look alike except for Bethany) had to do the pancakes over again because they didn't run fast enough and the man immediately looked at the woman and said "You need to run faster."   I thought it was the dentists was immediately all "Free Misti."   After last week's "If the save is on the line, I do the road block" which implied she was incompetent and if it was him this week immediately blaming her, way to sound like an abusive jackass.   Hey guess what, your wife is a dentist too.   Which means she passed the same licensure you did.   You are not automatically better than she.

 

Loved Merry Olde England.   But boy that Beefeater was especially tough.   Usually you get judges that get these folks are professionals at the task and cut some slack.   He wanted people ready to go guard the palace.

[Wandering Snark]

London?? Realllly? C'mon Race! How much safer can you get? Are they going to fly to Hawaii or maybe something reaaalllly exotic... like maybe  Australia?

 

Damn... I'm glad that he's comfortable with Bethany's lost arm, but putting your arm around her and gripping what's left of her arm stub like it's a stick-shift kinda weirded me out...

 

Jim the Dentist is still an ass...

 

I love the abuses that the head guard dished out, especially when he said he'd "rip off your arm and beat you with the soggy end." Abuse that good takes practice, it's a real art. 

 

One would really think that the wrestlers would pick up the moves for the guard detail more quickly than that considering they do that for a living, learning exact moves in the ring so that you don't, say, kill someone. But there they were getting frustrated and floundering around. I think their real issue here is they're just both very dim.

 

I'm so over the whole 'Boston Strong' movement. You're not the only city to ever come back from a tragic occurrence. We get it... but you're getting a little past your time to constantly refer back to it. It's just annoying now. Move on, pleaaaase.

 

The dentists, I'm shocked actually read the clue! So they are well ahead of many teams current past and future.

 

Wow talk about a couple of emotional wrecks of teams! I mean I know you love The Race and are so happy to finally be running it... but did you ever notice over those 14 years that the teams that kept the most level head were the ones that did well? Spazzing out and breaking down in crying jags gets you nowhere but last... which is where they both ended up.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Wandering Snark

[Writing Wrongs]

So she pissed in the water? Ew.

 

I think part of the reason I have a hard time watching this show any more is the repetition. You see the first couple of teams do the tasks and then you have to watch all the other teams do the same thing. I get bored after awhile.

[etagloh]

So, there's a difference of opinion about how to punt: the Oxford technique is to stand inside the boat and punt from the back with the flat bit facing forward. The Cambridge technique is to stand on the flat bit and again punt from the back. The pole is both for propulsion and steering. Cambridge punts have reinforced flat bits to accommodate that. TPTB decided that the teams had to punt Cambridge-style on Oxford punts, probably because it's easier to fall in that way. But anyway.

 

Decent leg, lots of mixing up of race orders, and while the London tasks were a bit too Merrie England, it was a good Detour in that it rewarded teams that chose their task wisely and executed it well. We're already seeing the emergence of teams that are likely to be around for the long haul, along with ones that may be walking Philiminations.

 

Express Pass as well as the Save? Hmm. Not sure about that. At least it provided an excuse to see (the outside of) the Bear, which has good Guinness and a notorious collection of ties clipped from around the necks of patrons.

 

 

So she pissed in the water? Ew.

 

Rats piss in the Cherwell as well. I hope that none of the racers who fell in come down with eye infections later on.

Edited October 4, 2014 by etagloh

[Lantern7]

Well, that sucked. It's okay to have little to no hateworthy teams in the game . . . but seeing two teams break into tears? And all four of them are fans of the show? That's sad . . . even if Nici did lose her cool and have a potty break. She and Shelley are still in it, so not pulling over and going was a good move. Gross, but good.

 

Punting mishaps were funny. Probably not as much fun as whatever will happen next week with the livestock, but pretty funny nonetheless. And watching the military guys give the Racers shit was awesome . . . especially to Brooke, Robbie and Jim, all three of whom could dine on the flesh of humans (see: Lori on Phil, TAR6).

 

I wonder why there wasn't a Roadblock this week. I don't think things were altered for Bethany. She did get to flip a pancake, which was pretty interesting to watch. And I would've expected the firefighters to perform the "About Face" Detour. But they managed to lumber into the middle of the pack . . . at least until next week, when one of them gets a boo boo.

 

Good start to the Race so far. It just sucks that Dennis & Isabelle trained so hard for tenth place. At least they'll be sequestered somewhere nice, as opposed to directly going home.

 

ETA: Nice for the Express Pass to operate like a Fast Forward. It didn't take Bethany & Adam that long to find, though. BTW, how come Bethany doesn't get top billing? Amy got hers two years ago, albeit for a losing cause.

[enlightenedbum]

Hooray punting!  Season three nostalgia is best nostalgia.

 

Overall I'm still pretty much liking the cast.  Dentists are at least moving towards the Colin end (inevitably self destructing intensity) of your villainy spectrum and not actual villainy, which is good to see.  Don't like them, but they're not turning me off the whole show.  Too much of tonight was dominated by "we're superfans and now we're going to lose" whinging so I don't think we got enough on the personalities of the teams that weren't running for last.  One thing I'll say; the wrestlers seem like they keep threatening to bicker but when things went very wrong for them at the Detour they didn't take it out on each other.  I think that might be a functional relationship.

 

I'd like some people to step forward to being actually cool as opposed to a bunch of generally decent seeming people and one or two I'm side-eyeing.  Still though, this is a cast I'm enjoying more than any American version in a while so far.

 

As for the course.  There were... some tasks missing?  Adam and Bethany had to do something to get the Express Pass, right?  Like the idea to put a challenge to win it where they did is an interesting one, but if they just had to show up to win it, that's super lame.  And where was the Roadblock?  It wasn't the punting, because a couple teams switched punters, I'm pretty sure.  I'm all in favor of mandatory tasks like that, but I still want Roadblocks.

 

Still promising, but to be a truly good season we're going to need slightly better task design and some people to emerge as people to root for.  But there's no one I'm desperate to get rid of either, and generally I don't have a clear favorite after two episodes unless they're Ken and Gerard.

 

EDIT: As for the eliminated team, they seem like nice people, but probably not nearly physically powerful enough to win.

Edited October 4, 2014 by enlightenedbum

[Haleth]

Two for two for places I've been. :D

I hate whiners. Last week I had a positive opinion of both the dating couple and the mom/daughter team but I hate criers. I'm sure knowing you might be eliminated is emotional, especially after no sleep, but quit the drama.

On the other hand I'm loving Bethany's no drama competence.

[Heather Lynn]

The guys laughing at the daughter practically peeing in their face was hysterical. It was sad to see so many true fans (practicing running with a backpack was great) face elimination but it is nice to not have a team to loathe. It's early so that could change.

I love Phil just popping up at random spots each leg!!

[ShadowSixx]

Jim the Dentist is still creepy and annoying and his wife is all whatever you want to do, I guess she knows that she's useless as he does most of the tasks. He looked horrible in that uniform, like a stuffed penguin.

Brooke from the wrestling team needs to stop being so damn negative. 2nd show where she goes all we're last. Why don't you shut up and just race.

Good thing the girl didn't have to do #2 in the water I guess lol.

Good for Adam and Betheney for getting the express pass, they ran a good race.

The firefighters did come back but don't need to beat us over the head on where they're from which I think the bigger guy said it tonight.

The crying didn't do anything for me between the final 2 teams. Crying just doesn't work on me anymore, seeing so many shows and whatnot I'm about immune to it lol.

[etagloh]

 

Like the idea to put a challenge to win it where they did is an interesting one, but if they just had to show up to win it, that's super lame.

 

I think it was a decent set-up: had two or more teams been fairly close coming out from the punts then the choice was between going for the Express Pass and getting a jump on a cab to win the leg. (It's a straight 2-minute jog from Christ Church to the Bear.) In the end, the surfers had a sufficient advantage on other teams to get both the EP and the leg win.

 

 

I love Phil just popping up at random spots each leg!!

 

Twice is a trend. I thought perhaps it might be a setup for a memory challenge, but only the leading teams have got to see Phil do the task intro as they grab their clues, so it can't be that.

Edited October 4, 2014 by etagloh

[NYCFree]

We just spent five weeks in the UK over the summer so it was so much fun to see the places we just saw. Plus, we've run through Paddington station many times ourselves. I'm really enjoying all the teams, albeit I could do with less crying.

[HowdyTV]

What happened to the four-hour penalty those teams took? I thought I heard the first group of 6 teams say their flight was one hour ahead. Did they ever get a time assessment or an explanation of what?

[Quilt Fairy]

Mom and daughter had so many confessionals where they were calm and collected I was pretty sure they wouldn't be eliminated.  I wondered about the Express Pass, too. I thought they were supposed to search for the express pass at The Bear pub, not just walk up across the street from it and have someone hand it to them. Actually searching might mean more than one team would go for it and it wouldn't necessarily be first come, first served.

[netlyon2]

I can't be the only person who saw the Detour and immediately ran to watch Dandrew in Russia.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzNpJsJdpP4

Can you imagine if they had this judge?  Amazing!

 

Random Other Thoughts:

- Last week's bottom two teams were lucky to benefit from the travel bunch. 

- I'm glad that people were falling into the water before #TeamPissyPants hit the scene.  I know the reality that the water was probably none too clean, but knowing and seeing are very different things.

- I'm really liking Adam and Bethany, especially since they beat #TeamGleam out of the Express Pass.  They are competent without being obnoxious, which is always appreciated.

[etagloh]

 

I thought I heard the first group of 6 teams say their flight was one hour ahead. Did they ever get a time assessment or an explanation of what?

 

The edit was very vague about the start times at the back of the pack. I'm 99% certain there are no direct flights out of the USVI to Heathrow, despite what the blue line implied, and that they actually had to fly back to a US international hub first. I'm also certain TPTB didn't want to show the teams returning to the US. Perhaps one group had a Miami connection, another an Atlanta or NY one? Anyway, that's where the separation kicked in. 

[Haleth]

What happened to the four-hour penalty those teams took? I thought I heard the first group of 6 teams say their flight was one hour ahead. Did they ever get a time assessment or an explanation of what?

It was probably moot given flight times. I have no idea about flights from St Thomas but most flights to Europe from the U.S. are late afternoon. All teams probably hung around the airport most of the day.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Haleth

[selkie]

RFF has the Delta routing connecting through Atlanta, with a confirmed sighting on one of those flights.

[ghoulina]

Ummmm, the reference in the title. Wow. Just gross. Mom and daughter won't be around long. That's great that they are such huge fans, but so what? I'm a huge fan. I could never run this race. They just don't seem to have the stamina. 

 

The wrestlers aren't awful, but Brooke has a tendency to immediately go to the worst case scenario - "Oh man, we're done. That's it. We're going home". It was brief, but I heard her doing it last time, and she went there again this week. Very negative, defeatist mentality that's going to eventually get the best of her. (Meanwhile Robbie was marching like a toddler with a full diaper!)

 

So far I am tentatively rooting for Adam and Bethany and Kim and Ali (sp?) They race hard and seem to have good attitudes. 

 

I do like the firefighters as well. Well,I like that the fair-haired one was very supportive and encouraging with the darker haired one, when he kept flubbing during the pancake challenge. If there's one thing I hate, it's teammates being nasty to each other. But I just don't think they'll go far. 

 

The dentists are competent, but Jim is pulling a Ross Gellar with that tan, and I am not a fan of his "Second place is first loser" mentality. 

 

LOVED seeing England and the pancake race looked so adorably quirky and fun. Those aprons! Gah, I would have picked that challenge in a heartbeat.

[kaygeeret]

I loved the episode and the humor that the editors threw in "I'm glad I only fell in once" and down she goes into the river.

 

The crying is annoying to watch, but I have the same response when I am tired and frustrated.  In my defense, I usually burst it out and then calm down and move on - sort of like a build up to an explosion and then done. Also, it the person/people I am around just verbally smack me to suck it up, I also move on.  Mom was trying, but mom/daughter usually results in the whole consolation thing.

 

I liked the challenges as well.  They were interesting to watched, switched up positions, opened the editors to some humor and moved along.  Puzzle challenges are the ones that make me crazy.

 

Liking the Phil "pop ups"  a lot

[LadyNebula]

I giggled at "my worldly Yoda-like wisdom." That guy was fantastic.

So much whining, ugh. There's no crying in The Amazing Race!

My mother insists the actor playing Churchill appeared in Doctor Who. As I'm not a Whovian, I haven't the slightest idea if she's right, but if anyone knows, please chime in.

[QuelleC]

Maybe I was just in the right mood but the episode held my attention other than all of the punting that went on too long. When they were found to have the wrong end forward, was it that they had to go backwards to the start because they was mention going against the current (aside from the fork in the river I think) and you saw contestants going opposite ways?  If so that's crazy.

 

They made everybody, even the dentists, seem likable this week.  And I love to see me some England and I loved the guard's snark a lot!. On most shows one exotic location is starting to look like another to me. I guess this show has enough pull to persuade the English government to let the guards participate on a silly American show?

 

I agree with a few of you:  Enough Boston already.

 

I had no problem with the tears, it showed me how much they care. I don't think there's anything wrong at all with realistically looking at the situation and knowing you might be last, and being a bit upset about it. They were physically and emotionally drained and there was nothing they could do anyway until the end of the cab ride. Personally I don't think that constitutes a bad attitude, and I don't buy into the school of thought that I should pretend everything is just great all the time. Sometimes emotions help to understand a situation before taking another well thought out charge up that hill. Some people are faster at it and I know it's a race, I just don't think it should be a personal judgment that someone is negative or a whiner.  That's so harsh.  It was great to see the mother talking the daughter through it.  You can tell they're extremely close.

 

It's nice eliminated girlfriend said they had done a lot of preparation because you see teams that have clearly not overcome their fear of heights or water and that both teams were fans.

 

The surfers have a huge advantage.  If they win, let's say, the next two legs I might as well stop watching. 

Edited October 4, 2014 by QuelleC

[Donny Ketchum]

Loved the return to England, and I liked the Detour a lot.  Probably my favorite one in a while.  I'm actually not that thankful for the punting task because it ended saving a team I'd much rather have seen go.

 

Although did anyone notice that Phil wasn't shown saying the team placements from teams four through eight?

 

Adam & Bethany: Still cool, calm, and competent.  They pretty much dominated this leg quite deservedly.  Bethany, in particular, cleaned up at Pancake Race.  Nice job of them for having enough of a lead to get the Express Pass, too!  Also adored Bethany's brief glance and smile in Phil's direction when they passed him by. :)

 

Misti & Jim: Once again, still competent, but they made a slight mistake with the punts when they stood on the wrong ends.  Easily recovered, though, and a deserving second-place finish.

 

Kym & Alli: So far, of the three women's teams remaining, these two seem like the best one.  They capably rocked out About-Face and redid the punting with no real complaints or drama.  And they just plain hustled, on top of it all!  Great job, ladies!

 

Keith & Whitney: A fine recovery after taking the penalty last time, but admittedly, they owe it largely to rowing the punts and having Keith's strength for it.  Other than that, they faltered at Pancake Race and are lucky that Michael & Scott and Dennis & Isabelle faltered at it, too.

 

Tim & Te Jay: We saw them stumble quite a bit with About-Face, and then even more when they couldn't master rowing their punt.  They lost their cool for a slight moment, but on the whole, they recovered decently.  They need to stop the happy screaming, though, because that's gonna wear on the ears after a while.

 

Michael & Scott: Like Keith & Whitney, they owe a lot of their recovery to the punting task.  Scott's strength helped them fight back from his own failures at Pancake Race that got them stuck there to make four attempts.  But still, I'm just not feeling them very much.  Of all nine teams left, they are, IMO, the least interesting left, and I'm almost hoping the injury one of them gets next week does take them out just so they won't be around to bore me much longer.

 

Brooke & Robbie: Like Keith & Whitney and Michael & Scott, these two also owe the luck of getting the physical punting task to recovering after they bungled About-Face five times.  Brooke badly lost her cool, but thankfully, Robbie was there to calm her down.  I really thought Brooke would be the calming influence, but Robbie was instead, surprisingly.

 

Amy & Maya: Mostly silent this week.  Most we heard from them was when Amy gave Bethany a pair of her shoes (good for her generosity!) and when they talked about how they were staying calm and attentive to clear About-Face.  Oh, and Amy almost ramming Maya against a tree while on the punts.  Not their best leg, but their lack of physicality at the punts was more to blame for their lower placement as compared to their performance at the Detour.

 

Shelley & Nici: They did a good job using their military experience at About-Face.  But like most others, they lost me (or came close to it) with all of their crying near the end of the leg.  Especially Nici's.  I sympathize.  I do.  Had to be hard knowing they were almost out of a race they'd prepared so hard for.  But really, they didn't know if they were out yet, so they should've stayed calm until they knew for sure.  I still like them, though, and hope they can be calmer on the next leg.

 

Dennis & Isabelle: Really sad to see them go, especially after seeing them calmly reassess and then rock out Pancake Race, but yeah, as someone said above, they didn't seem to have nearly enough of the physicality needed to win this race.  Dennis's struggles with rowing their punt kinda proved that.  The only guy to really struggle with that current.  Also, Isabelle's crying near the end turned me off to them a bit.  Still, they seem like a lovely couple, and I wish them well.  Sucks to see another team of superfans go so soon after all of their preparation.

 

Another fun episode, though the ending was a bit saddening.

Edited October 4, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[green]

Mom:   And don't smile.

Daughter:   Okay (while grinning madly).   

 

Mom and daugther got a bit intense there by the end but they seem fun.   Nice to have someone on who actually watched the show.   

 

Which team with a tall dark haired male and blonde woman (they all look alike except for Bethany) had to do the pancakes over again because they didn't run fast enough and the man immediately looked at the woman and said "You need to run faster."   I thought it was the dentists was immediately all "Free Misti."   After last week's "If the save is on the line, I do the road block" which implied she was incompetent and if it was him this week immediately blaming her, way to sound like an abusive jackass.   Hey guess what, your wife is a dentist too.   Which means she passed the same licensure you did.   You are not automatically better than she.

 

Loved Merry Olde England.   But boy that Beefeater was especially tough.   Usually you get judges that get these folks are professionals at the task and cut some slack.   He wanted people ready to go guard the palace.

 

No.  The dentists did the palace guard detour, not the pancake flip.  Maybe the Michigan team or the Survivor couple.

 

The editing had the mother/daughter eliminated but half way through when they kept pushing it I said whoa this is too over the top.  You don;t set up your audience to feel devastated at the end of an episode.

 

And I don't care how heavy handed they were in the end.  As a viewing fan from TAR1, Episode 1 too I was overjoyed they get to continue on the Race.  All those hours.  All those years.  Cheering on the Frats and Oswald & Danny and Charla & Mirna and booing Boston Rob and Broken Ox Colin.  When Blake & Paige had the bright white teeth instead of Dentists the Menance.  And enduring the silly family version (except for awesome Mama Paolo), suffering through Jonathan and the fake "hippie" team and the insult of Eric & Fake GF non-team in TAR11.  And the blur seasons of endless mactor teams. 

 

Yes anyone who has gone through that I'm 100% for.  Needless to say they don't look to last much longer especially with two sharp, athletic teams with a Save and an Express Pass. 

 

But mom/daughter remember the times too like me when we didn't have these crappy things on the show.  Just the FF every leg and all the awesome strategy that implied.  When there was far more a sense of adventure and wonder and far less "reality" TV.  When the very first mom ever on TAR (the late and great sweet Nancy) uttered words something like "This is the most exciting thing I've ever done in my life" at the end of the very first episode ever with a grin on her face from ear to ear.  Yeah, fellow fans of the original A-M-A-Z-I-N-G race.

 

So yeah savor every minute, mom/daugher of season 25.  Nancy would be proud of you for this leg alone.

[terracool]

I'm not sure I get the risk part of going for the Express Pass. The only way it would be a risk is if one of the last teams tried for it, and they wouldn't because they'd know it was already gone. So the only "risk" would be the risk of not winning a leg or maybe finishing a place or two further back.

If it were me, and I knew that I wasn't in danger of elimination, I'd never not go get it. Losing a place or two is insignificant compared to having the ability to skip an entire task at some point in the race. And I'm not sure even the first-place prize would be worth passing up getting the EP.

On the other hand, we've had racers use the EP to win a leg, so I guess it's already been demonstrated that some racers value their standing within a leg more than potential safety within a different leg.

Loved the head guard/drill sergeant. He was awesome. A few racers seemed genuinely fearful of him.

Edited October 4, 2014 by terracool

[etagloh]

 

I guess this show has enough pull to persuade the English government to let the guards participate on a silly American show?

 

Well, it was at Somerset House, which is an art gallery / fine arts institute and used to house government offices, so while it was spitting distance from Whitehall and Buckingham Palace, it was as much of a mockup as the pancake race (which does happen in that park, but not in June). I wouldn't be surprised if TPTB were able to enlist off-duty or retired guards to run the task. The judge of the About Face Detour definitely came across like an RSM.

 

 

As a viewing fan from TAR1, Episode 1 too I was overjoyed they get to continue on the Race.  All those hours.  All those years.

 

Agreed. We complain about stuntcasting, but we also remember too many professed TAR-fan teams who leave early, and TPTB are explicitly telling us this season that yes, they have cast teams that have adored the show since TAR Classic and have prepared for it like it's the highlight of their lives. That's a blessing and a curse: if TAR-fan teams struggle, are TPTB implicitly saying that stuntcasting or typecasting delivers what the viewers actually want and respect from winning teams?

[TheRabbi]

I thought this was an enjoyable episode.  The 4 hour penalty for the late-arrivers last leg was likely built into the start times, and production just changed the length of the pit stop for everybody to make sure the 4 hour penalty didn't make the last 2 teams miss the second flight.

 

I think this is the first time (except the first season obviously) where they didn't show Phil saying "you're team number whatever" for every team arriving.  Editors getting bold!  I was a little surprised by the lack of a roadblock, but not really in a negative way; I like that they keep mixing it up.  I liked the concept of the express pass being set up like an FF with a risk of going for it, but I think it should have been even more out of the way and/or have a task to get it.  It seemed like it just cost the surfers maybe a minute or two.

 

I liked Dennis and Isabelle and am sad to see them go.  They got the lovey-dovey edit since they were only in a short time, but the extra videos on cbs.com last week sure did have them bickering a lot.  Interesting that almost all the good moments were what made it into the show (most teams will attest that only their nasty moments make it in).

 

Looking forward to animal-related challenges next week.  Those are always the best!

[Rick Kitchen]

 

So she pissed in the water? Ew.

 

Didn't she piss IN HER PANTS into the water?

 

Jim's got teh skeery eyes.

 

Where were Adam and Bethany planning on going to the pit stop?  They didn't know where it was till one of them's hat fell off, but they had already said, "Let's head to the pit stop!"

Edited October 4, 2014 by Rick Kitchen

[Way Wes Jr]

So the "superfans" remembered Jen&Kisha's predicament, and there wasn't a shout out?  On the 25th Season?  Come on show, that was handed to you on a *silver* platter.

 

(And a was another all female, African American team at that!  Too easy.)

[LilyoftheValley]

Okay, as to Bethany and Adam, I must say that they will be at a disadvantage at one point because of Bethany's arm, but Adam is clearly an insanely strong guy.  I mean, he is not just "big" like some of the guys who come on the show; he has that muscular build that guys with lean, wiry muscles have only he is massive.  He obviously was able to steer that entire boat without any of the struggles the other teams were having.  I think Adam may be the physically strongest man who has ever been on this show.  Even the other "big guys" were having some trouble with the boats.  Adam is not just strong, but he has a balanced core from surfing.  I expect this team will go far not just because Bethany is a good competitor, but anything where strength is an advantage that Adam is just going to sail through.  

[AZChristian]

I LOVED the entire episode . . . London is my favorite city ever!

 

Regarding the question of direct flights . . . they were on Delta.  We used to joke that if you were flying from Phoenix to Las Vegas on Delta, you'd have to connect through Atlanta.  EVERYTHING on Delta seems to go through Atlanta.

[Rick Kitchen]

I was checking flights from St. Thomas to London and yes, you have to change planes.  My favorite route was St. Thomas to Washington, DC to Vienna to London.  Eek.

[theschnauzers]

Let me just say that I was quite pleased to see that schnauzer at the pancake detour!

[Lantern7]

theschnauzers . . . the poor thing look startled by the airhorn.

 

Damn... I'm glad that he's comfortable with Bethany's lost arm, but putting your arm around her and gripping what's left of her arm stub like it's a stick-shift kinda weirded me out...

 

Wandering Snark . . . no kidding. I mean, he's probably a goofball at worst, but that was a little weird. I bet Adam and/or Bethany have a nickname for the nub.

 

And I don't care how heavy handed they were in the end.  As a viewing fan from TAR1, Episode 1 too I was overjoyed they get to continue on the Race.  All those hours.  All those years.  Cheering on the Frats and Oswald & Danny and Charla & Mirna and booing Boston Rob and Broken Ox Colin.  When Blake & Paige had the bright white teeth instead of Dentists the Menance.  And enduring the silly family version (except for awesome Mama Paolo), suffering through Jonathan and the fake "hippie" team and the insult of Eric & Fake GF non-team in TAR11.  And the blur seasons of endless mactor teams.

 

Well said, green. It would take a lot for me to root against Shelley & Nici. Pissing in the water does sort of qualify, but not enough. For now, anyway.

[Maharincess]

Border Collies next week! Best dogs ever. Mine are laying in bed with me as I tyoe.

I missed last weeks episode. I forgot it had moved to Friday. I settled in Sunday night and was pissed I had missed it.

I understand that when a person has to go, they have to go but I think I would have disguised it a bit better, like pretended to fall in and go while I was in the water.

Them saying they are fans of the show didn't mean much to me, I would imagine anybody who signs up to be on the show is a fan to some extent.

I've been impressed by Bethenny for years, this show is making me more imprssed. She seems like a good person too.

[Lamb18]

I was in Heathrow last month, walking down that same long hallway. On Delta, too, but connecting through Boston. I'm glad Adam and Bethany are doing well. I'm also glad that she's not giving us speeches about proving amputees can run the race. She's just showing us. Liked the soldier chastising the contestants. I'm glad that no one broke down and complained about him being too mean. But I would have liked watching the realtors do About Face.

[LittleIggy]

I loved the drill sergeant! He was awesome. BTW, not a Beefeater. The actor playing Churchill really was spot on.

[Lantern7]

My mother insists the actor playing Churchill appeared in Doctor Who. As I'm not a Whovian, I haven't the slightest idea if she's right, but if anyone knows, please chime in.

 

LadyNebula . . . I bet there's a cottage industry for Churchill impersonators. I don't think that was Ian McNiece, but my brain did go there. If it was him, it'll be the first time I ever got to meet a greeter.

 

Speaking of greeters . . . is it me, or are they getting chatty on the mat? I think I like it. Aside from maybe Phil's dad, has any greeter said anything beyond "Welcome" in the past?

[jjj]

I say boo on not telling us the departure times after the first five teams.  It is the only way to really tell how far behind some teams were, and I like knowing that, even if bunching is about to happen. 

 

I'm sure someone knows how long they all had to wait for flights (via Atlanta for at least one flight), but it seems odd that there would be only a 1:20 time difference between the arrival times at Heathrow, if the final two teams really had a four-hour delay.  I'm guessing this was due to layover time wherever the connecting flights were.  But it is irritating not to see each team have a time stamp on their departure.  Makes it look like shenanigans in production. 

[Lnmop]

I've been impressed by Bethenny for years, this show is making me more imprssed. She seems like a good person too.

My dad used to say that there are people born happy who can make the best of unthinkably horrible events and remain happy and people born miserable who can win the lottery and continue being miserable. I know which one Bethenny is.

[onthetrain]

I understand that when a person has to go, they have to go but I think I would have disguised it a bit better, like pretended to fall in and go while I was in the water.

 

Yes, with black pants, I think I would have just "let it go" and said nothing to draw attention, then find an excuse to "fall in". I doubt anyone would have been the wiser.

Edited October 4, 2014 by onthetrain

[J-Man]

It seemed like either Amy and Maya or Tim and Te Jay could've been called #TeamInvisible this week. I know there are still a lot of teams to keep track of but, for example, they didn't show a single one of Tim/Te Jay's rehearsal attempts at the first task (even though they were the second ones to arrive), and I think they were the only team not shown at the train station. Maybe they just don't create enough drama for compelling television, but for me, anyway, they were noticeable by their absence.

[shortsummers]

I started out routing for Bethany and Adam by default since I watch the show with my teenage daughter and she is a huge of Bethany's after watching the Soul Surfer movie.  But now I am a legitimate fan.  They are both likeable and strong, a great combination.

 

It's still early in the race, but I think Kym and Alli may be my favorite all female team ever on TAR, something I would not expect from a team from NYC.

 

I am also getting the Colin and Christie vibes from Misti & Jim.  But I disagree with the assessment that C&C self destructed.  If not for the bad luck of a delayed flight on the final leg, they easily could have won TAR5.  And I believe that Misti & Jim could easily win TAR25.

 

If Dennis and Isabelle are such great fans of TAR, surely they had to realize that brute strength is sometimes required on the tasks.  In all of their preparations you would think that maybe they would have lifted a few weights.  It doesn't do any good to practice running for the mat with your backpacks on if your lack of physical strength makes that irrelevant.  I will miss Isabelle though.  I found her face to be gorgeous.

 

 

 

 

[millennium]

Meh.   I don't like any of the teams, so I find myself not truly caring how things turn out.   But maybe I'll come back from this, because that's what people from Boston do.  They come back.   We saw that tonight: Like the wounded city rising from the ashes of a terrorist attack, an overweight Boston firefighter managed to flip pancakes and run at the same time.   Truly inspirational.

[GaT]

I was really hoping this would be the very first surprise double elimination, but no, the mother/daughter team are still in the race. I understand the race is tough, but this is only the second leg, I don't want to see you crying & whining the whole time. 

 

Bethany is truly impressive & they are really racing well. I don't love the dentists, but respected the fact that he acknowledged that Adam & Bethany had brains, that means he's not just thinking he's all that & everyone else is stupid.

[Donny Ketchum]

I am also getting the Colin & Christie vibes from Misti & Jim.  But I disagree with the assessment that C&C self-destructed.  If not for the bad luck of a delayed flight on the final leg, they easily could have won TAR5.

It wasn't a delayed flight, though.  It was being stuck on a later flight because they'd already checked in their bags and had to travel with them.  And even then, they still nearly won but for their private car getting a flat on the way to the finish line (though that wasn't shown).

 

I do think Misti & Jim are contenders, but their edit's gonna have to lighten up before I think they actually could win.

[Netfoot]

I really like seeing Phil introducing challenges in proximity to racers.  Twice now, it's happened, and I think it connects him to the actual racing, somehow. 

 

The changing of the guard was interesting.  Verbal abuse is expected at times like that, and I'm pleased it was accepted by all without rancor.

 

I'm surprised how well they did on the pancakes.  God knows how long it would take me to cook a pancake, and the chance of running around, tossing it, and not getting it on the floor would be remote.  Well don, racers!

 

Always fun to watch the inexperienced punting.  They almost always get wet, but not usually by wetting themselves.  The best part was the three lads in the neighboring punt, driven into a state of pure cataplexy to observe the mom bum-dipping.  Why didn't she just jump in?  She was already wet, right?

 

With two teams remaining to check in, and both becoming excessively emotional, I realised I didn't care which team went home.  It's too early to have become aligned for/against any specific teams.  There are some I'm starting to like, and TwinkleTeeth still creep me out, but generally, while I'm enjoying the show, I don't care much one way or the other about any of the teams.