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

[RockShrimp]

So would Bethany have been allowed to do the palace guards detour? I'm wondering if that will happen a lot- where they get stuck in one task

[shok]

The surfers have a huge advantage.

 

Really???? The girl has one arm!

 

 

Most we heard from them was when Amy gave Bethany a pair of her shoes

 

This bit left me agog. Bethany was barefooted because she had lost one of her shoes?? How could it be that anyone would plan for a race around the world and only bring one pair of shoes - flip flops at that. Makes no sense whatsoever.

[ShadowSixx]

Phil did say if going to be on TAR do bring a sense of humor, high level of fitness, sunscreen, passport, and an open heart and said do not bring flip flops, ugly American tourist mentality, heavy backpack, and extra pounds of body weight.

[jjj]

Really?  Phil said that? 

 

I think Bethany would have been fine with the guard changing.  She could have balanced the weapon with her arm.  I'm sure standing on the punt was child's play compared to standing on a surfboard! 

[xcrayon2215x]

It made me laugh when the sargeant looked so uncomfortable when one of Kym and Alli kissed him. The crying towards the end was over the top, I think the mother/daughter team or the firefighters will be gone next due to his injury.

[ShadowSixx]

Really? Phil said that?

I think Bethany would have been fine with the guard changing. She could have balanced the weapon with her arm. I'm sure standing on the punt was child's play compared to standing on a surfboard!

Yes Phil did say that when he was answering questions from fans.

[SledDog]

So would Bethany have been allowed to do the palace guards detour? I'm wondering if that will happen a lot- where they get stuck in one task

 

I wonder. She would probably have required some help bringing the rifle to her right shoulder, but the big problem is the requirement to swing her left arm to shoulder height or close to it. That would be the arm that she doesn't have of course. Probably the Guards sergeant (who I'm guessing is a retired sergeant) would have cut her some slack but it's difficult to tell.

 

I don't think that the reason the Bethany and Adam chose the "Pancake Race" had anything to do with her arm situation. The "Changing of the Guard" task had all of the earmarks of the various dance tasks we've seen over the years: a series of moves that have to be done precisely and in order. You don't normally see those sorts of tasks being completed in one or even two tries. The "Pancake Race," at least at first blush would seem to be more free form, with fewer restrictions on how you accomplish the task based on the summary given in the clue. It would be a perfect choice for a pair of fit and coordinated people like Bethany and Adam.

Edited October 4, 2014 by SledDog

[cooksdelight]

EVERYTHING on Delta seems to go through Atlanta.

It's their hometown hub. And they have an awesome museum of Delta stuff there, take time to see it if you are ever in the neighborhood. :)

I've still got the little metal wings given to me on my first flight from LAX to ATL in 1969. Summer of the Manson creeps, my aunt not letting me run out to greet the ice cream man when I spent the summer there.

[ShadowSixx]

Betheney and Adam probably read the About Face detour and thought it might be harder to accomplish than making a pancake and running with it her having to use both shoulders and arms in the About Face detour. So don't know if she would be given any slack.

Like Luke and Margie had to do the pouring drinks detour because the other one required being a DJ and mimicking the music which Luke couldn't do cause he's deaf and Big E couldn't do some because of his height. It's the risk you take if you go on the show with a handicap or being too tall or short. Don't think the show has time to prepare an alternate detour for those who have a disadvantage.

[pippity j]

I am also not a fan of team pearly whites.He just makes my skin crawl.Between the horrible skin colour and the I've got the crazed eyes of a berserk lunatic you don't even have to look at her to know you don't like this team.I was glad to see they went to London.It was also nice to see the express pass handled in a fresh way although I agree it was a bit too simply handed out.Where was the risk involved in deciding to try for it?I like the firefighters when they are just plain racing but the constant back to Boston references need to go.We get it.You are proud.You were there in a crisis.We just want to watch the race.They seem like they are nice guys they even thank their drivers.Please don't make me want to see you go.I like seeing the racers run by Phil.That is a nice addition.So far I don't have any team that I like more than others but I will soon.

Edited October 4, 2014 by chunky junky

[Primetimer]

Amazing Racers learn that no amount of advance preparation can prepare you for inadequate pancake-flipping, tricky river currents, or betrayal by one's own bladder.

Read the story

[ottoDbusdriver]

Some awesome lines from the drill sergeant:

"I gave you specific instructions earlier and you completely chose to ignore my worldly yoda-like advice."

"Swing your arms shoulder high. If you do not I will tear it off next time and beat you around the head with the soggy end."

But my favorite was this one

"I don't know where it was, but you've obviously seen service or some sort of service in your own army but we do not about turn in that manner. The next time young lady you use your toe to pivot yourself around, I will shove my painstick through your ears and ride you around like a moped."

[green]

I am also not a fan of team pearly whites.He just makes my skin crawl.Between the horrible skin colour and the I've got the crazed eyes of a berserk lunatic you don't even have to look at her to know you don't like this team.I was glad to see they went to London.It was also nice to see the express pass handled in a fresh way although I agree it was a bit too simply handed out.Where was the risk involved in deciding to try for it?I like the firefighters when they are just plain racing but the constant back to Boston references need to go.We get it.You are proud.You were there in a crisis.We just want to watch the race.They seem like they are nice guys they even thank their drivers.Please don't make me want to see you go.I like seeing the racers run by Phil.That is a nice addition.So far I don't have any team that I like more than others but I will soon.

 

I am sure they would have loved not to be making them constantly too. 

 

But remember Season 4"s "NFL Wives"?  Every single comment began with "As wives of NFL players" as in "As wives of NFL players we found windmills interesting" and junk like that.  And people started hating them for it.  Turns out the production assistant taking their voiceovers at the pit stop made them start every single sentence that way.  (Source:  One of the women in an interview after their time on the Race).

 

She went on to say that production had told them to bring replica jerseys of their husbands to wear at the start line.  They didn't want to do that and "forgot" to pack same.  Production was not pleased and made them FedEx next day delivery said jerseys to their pre-Race sequester hotel.  Thus the Atlanta Falcons jerseys they wore at the start line.

 

I love TAR and the producers do a great job but they aren't saints and they do this constantly with "themed" teams.  So I'd never blame the Boston firefighters for these comments since I know it is production that is behind this and every other "themed" team's endless self-referencing comments.  So I reserve my annoyance for production ever since Season 4.

 

And thanks, ottoDbusdriver for getting the quotes down above.  I caught some of what he said but far from all of it.  "My worldly, Yoda-like advice" is one I'll have to pull out in the future.  That dude was awesome.

Edited October 4, 2014 by green

[Jodithgrace]

Was I the only one who noticed that one of the third teams to check in (I think it was the candy scientists) had painted on a Charlie Chaplin mustache to go with her bowler and umbrella and did a Charlie Chaplin waddle to the mat? Did I imagine this? Makes me want to keep my eye on them..they might be really fun to watch.

 

I could not get over the way the wrestlers marched..they looked like the ministry of funny walks. So bizarre. 

 

It does seem odd to me that the racers have gotten such an easy start. Not in tasks..that punting WAS evil, but in foreignness. Usually the racers are plunged right into deep culture shock..but England? Really? I love the place, don't get me wrong, but it's hardly a cultural challenge. Next week they seem to continue in England..or at least the British Isles, but I hope that they start socking it to the racers pretty soon. I need some me some teeming India or Africa. 

 

Hmmm..I wonder..do you think Africa might be off the table because of Ebola? Had that scare started before the race took place? 

[green]

Yep I saw the Charlie Chaplin waddle and mustaches too.  Inspired by the bowlers and using the umbrellas like Chaplin's cane.  These NYC ladies bring the funny.  Like them a lot.

[MyAimIsTrue]

I'm not exactly a world traveler (though I did go to Ireland this past June) but I was so excited about seeing places I have been such as London, the college in Oxford, and Blenheim Palace that I didn't mind all of the whining in the episode.  And what can I say, I thought Nici's bathroom break was hysterical.  She's right, sometimes you just have to go and at least her "pit stop" didn't do in the team a la Kisha and Jen in their first season.

[NutMeg]

I am sure they would have loved not to be making them constantly too.

But remember Season 4"s "NFL Wives"?  Every single comment began with "As wives of NFL players" as in "As wives of NFL players we found windmills interesting" and junk like that.  And people started hating them for it.  Turns out the production assistant taking their voiceovers at the pit stop made them start every single sentence that way.  (Source:  One of the women in an interview after their time on the Race).

She went on to say that production had told them to bring replica jerseys of their husbands to wear at the start line.  They didn't want to do that and "forgot" to pack same.  Production was not pleased and made them FedEx next day delivery said jerseys to their pre-Race sequester hotel.  Thus the Atlanta Falcons jerseys they wore at the start line.

I love TAR and the producers do a great job but they aren't saints and they do this constantly with "themed" teams.  So I'd never blame the Boston firefighters for these comments since I know it is production that is behind this and every other "themed" team's endless self-referencing comments.  So I reserve my annoyance for production ever since Season 4.

 

Thank you for this post, Green, I already kind of knew production was prodding teams but had no idea it was to that extant. Ugg.

 

Otherwise, my only beef with this episode was that the Express pass could be gotten so easily. If there was ever a time to stage a needle in the hay task, that would have been when, I think. Balancing potential of Express Pass with certainty of placement could have been gold.

[TudorQueen]

I floved this episode. London is one of my favorite places, and the tasks were interesting and challenging. Thought the Drill Sergeant was hysterical, with his "worldly Yoda-like wisdom" and frequent poetic threats of Racer mutilation. I would have seriously considered the "About Face" detour since I've been known to drop pancakes without running. 

Sorry to see Dennis and Isabelle go, but not as sorry as I would have been if Shelly and Nici had gone, meltdowns and all.

Churchill impersonator was a terrific greeter, really got into it.

More Phil is always good, and seeing him actually on scene with a team or two at task explanations is adorable, especially when they acknowledge him cheerfully in passing.

Loved when the one team kept tipping their hats at the amused clue giver before they finally realized the clue was inside the bowler.

Interesting way to bring in the Express Pass - second leg, and you have to go for it.

Congratulations to Bethenny and Adam for a flawless leg.

 

Note to reality show producers - this is what makes great Reality TV - not manufactured 'drama' and unpleasant people glorying in their unpleasantness - or refusing to see it as anything but justified - but challenging, interesting tasks that lead to natural shake-ups in the standings, and mostly appealing people doing their best.

 

And Phil.

[hincandenza]

"Am I the only one who fell in?" Splash... splash. .. splash... ah, the magic of good editing.

Is the Express Pass as a saveable item new? I thought it used to be available early in a leg, and for that leg only; am I confusing it with the Fast Forward? I've watched from the first season, missed a handful of races in the teens, but I don't recall them doing this before. Having that and the Save (bonus points to whomever in the E1 thread suggested names like "Free Ride") in play at the same time will actually be interesting, I think. Heck, I'm probably in the minority, but I'd even be interested if they dialed it up to 11 for one season, adding in all kinds of earnable, saveable gimmicks throughout every leg (but you can only hold one at a time), almost like a game of Mario Kart, or Uno.

Another entertaining leg; the plane bunching sadly negated the penalty of last leg, but otherwise the tasks were again difficult and unpredictable enough to allow jumbling of orders. This is very promising for this season, maybe they really dug in and put together an awesomely designed race for their 25th season. Dumb question, but has any other reality show hit 25 yet, except maybe Survivor? Survivor I thought was just shy of that, or has it passed 30? Too lazy and stoned to google it right now... :)

Still no strong impressions about any team yet, either way. I want to hate Misti & Jim, because they remind me of past Type-A hyper-intense married couples this show has seen. But other than their overtanned appearance and Jim's *crazy* eyes, they're not really objectionable, and have been pretty drama free and competent racers so far. I'm probably misremembering because I was surfing the web while watching, but weren't they the ones who had to restart their punt because they were standing wrong, and didn't throw a big fit?

I'm kind of surprised at how much early whining and frayed nerves we're seeing in the first two episodes; how are some of these people going to avoid having a heart attack by the halfway point? Maybe it's just me, but it seems like we're being shown more bickering than normal among many teams. Plus, in both episodes the woman in the Asian dating couple was rapidly reduced to an unsightly puddle of tears (being eliminated might have saved her life!), and now that mother/daughter team disintegrated in no time flat.

Speaking of which, boy, the editing telegraphed their safety throughout the whole episode, because it would have been far too obvious if they'd indeed gone home. I thought it might be the old double-switcheroo: make the elimination seem so obvious, we the jaded TV viewing veterans are actually surprised that it's exactly that. But in any case, I don't imagine they're long for the race, super fans or not.

[peachmangosteen]

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'm pretty sure that was Keith and Whitney.

 

I liked this ep better than the first one, but I'm still not that into any of the teams.

[Cobb Salad]

It'll be interesting to see how the Express Pass and Save factors in with the current top 2 teams having them. After the first couple of teams they didn't mention the clue for it to the other racers so they don't even know about it, right? The dentists know about it and figured Adam & Bethany went for it but all Adam and Bethany have to do is keep mum about having it to avoid being a U Turn target later, if they make it far enough into the race.

[iMonrey]

 

Was I the only one who noticed that one of the third teams to check in (I think it was the candy scientists) had painted on a Charlie Chaplin mustache to go with her bowler and umbrella and did a Charlie Chaplin waddle to the mat?

 

Yeah, that was the cyclists. They might turn out to be a team to root for, if they would show more of them.

 

 

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.

 

Which is how I knew they weren't going anywhere. When you don't see a lot of a particular team, you know they're safe for the leg, because the producers are going to show you lots of talking heads from the team getting eliminated or coming in last if it's non-elim.

 

I call foul on that whole Express Pass thing. Have a "Save" or have an "Express Pass," don't do both. And they didn't have to "search" for it either, they just walked up to the pub and had someone hand it over. Lame.

[enlightenedbum]

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.

Additionally, they got tremendously lucky with a non-elimination leg when Colin's ox was broken.  IIRC up to that point, that leg had been an elimination point in the previous four races with the second to last being non-elimination and it was flipped in TAR5.

 

EDIT: Also to not get arrested.

 

Anyway, I agree that they're a strong team, but the edit thus far makes them seem like they're going to be foiled in the end.

Edited October 4, 2014 by enlightenedbum

[Latverian Diplomat]

 

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.

The Queen's Guard are known for their insane precision, though, so one could have anticipated this would be one of those tasks where the judge would be quite picky.

 

Speaking of precision, those were not beefeaters, who are a different group of ceremonial guards known officially as the Yeoman Warders. Sorry. :-) If it helps, it is a common misunderstanding. 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen%27s_Guard

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeomen_Warders

Edited October 4, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[etagloh]

 

Have a "Save" or have an "Express Pass," don't do both. And they didn't have to "search" for it either, they just walked up to the pub and had someone hand it over.

 

It gets rid of the dumb drama of recent seasons where there was the additional EP to give away, but it does feel like too many get-out-of-jail cards distributed early on, especially when there was a very good chance of both of them ending up in the same hands. I'm not sure why they made it a walk-up-and-grab instead of a proper task inside the pub, though it is a very small pub.

 

Pedantic correction for the leg writeup: Osney is on the other side of Oxford and on another river. The island that racers had to punt around is known as 'The Water Meadow'. [ETA: no it wasn't: it was the Magdalen College School playing fields.] It's part of the flood plain and actually did flood a couple of years ago.

Edited October 6, 2014 by etagloh

[Netfoot]

I noticed the Chaplin impersonation and thought the waddly walk was rather well done.  I was going to comment in my last post, but forgot.  Those two seem to have a bit of a sense of humour and are reasonably competent racers, to judge by the two legs we've seen. 

 

I don't think SharkBait only took flip-flops.  She took shoes and flip-flops, but lost a shoe, so was forced to wear the flip-flops thereafter.  Until she borrowed a pair, that is.  What I'm surprised at is that anyone took a spare pair of shoes!  I'd carry one pair of proper shoes for cold weather, and one pair of sandals for normal use.  (I wear sandals all the time.  Don't think I've worn anything else for the last year!)

 

Speaking of Sharkbait, I'm pleased she isn't being cajoled into beginning every sentence with a reference to the fact that, well, you know...

[stopeslite]

 

"Swing your arms shoulder high. If you do not I will tear it off next time and beat you around the head with the soggy end."

 

How much I would have given for Bethany to be right there and then yell "That's what happened to meeeeeeee"

 

On the mom and daughter: if they are this emotional and out of it now, I hate to think about what will happen when Killer Fatigue sets in.

 

I cannot even with the peeing off the side of the boat. I'm the type of person who will not even walk into a restroom if someone I know is passing me in the hallway right then; I'll walk on past it and double back once they're around the corner. I just can't. What she could easily have done is said "I'm really frustrated and hot, I'm jumping in the water a minute to cool down", or even orchestrated an "accidental" falling into the water moment, and then done it while chest-deep and no one would have known a thing and she could have taken The Secret Pee to her grave. Her grave. But instead, she hung her butt out over the edge and announced it to the whole world? What? 

[LilyoftheValley]

Yeah man that woman needs tips on how to pee in the water without anyone knowing.  Those blokes in the boat going past them were hilarious.  I would have been laughing my butt off too.  

 

I have never been on a boat like that but I have been on a canoe and kayak many times.  Getting caught in a current is really frustrating and it is a lot more difficult to get out of than many people realize.  Plus, something about being on a tippy boat brings out a great deal of agitation.  

 

I hope next episode has some sort of "mental" task.  I like the things that require teams to slow down and really think something through.  

[nottopbravo]

I know that judging these tasks is very subjective, but the pancake flipping was very subjective.  One of the female racers was only flipping hers once about every 15 feet.

 

With the "Amazing Save" in play, I guess Phil will have to say from now on, "The last team to arrive may be eliminated".

[jjj]

I guess Phil will have to say from now on, "The last team to arrive may be eliminated".

He actually always says that in the past 20 or so seasons, except for the first leg and the leg that that will result in the final three.  Except for early seasons, when he would telegraph the NEL by saying "may"! 

 

I understood the reason the EP was so easy to get -- it was to force a quick decision about whether to be first or get the pass, assuming that the first two teams were within ten or fifteen minutes of each other (I think Team Bethany was much farther ahead than that, and they knew it!).  But it would have been interesting if the first two teams were within sight of each other, because if team one went for the win, the other team would have nothing to lose by going for the EP, knowing many teams were behind them.  At the Pit Stop, going off to do an actual task for the EP would be too risky.  I'd much rather have the EP than a trip to Sweden, though I'd love to stay in the ice hotel! 

Edited October 4, 2014 by jjj

[MyAimIsTrue]

Note to reality show producers - this is what makes great Reality TV - not manufactured 'drama' and unpleasant people glorying in their unpleasantness - or refusing to see it as anything but justified - but challenging, interesting tasks that lead to natural shake-ups in the standings, and mostly appealing people doing their best.

 

And Phil.

 

Yes to all of the above but especially to Phil.  Always Phil.

[LadyNebula]

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?

It seems that's who my mother was thinking of. Whether or not it was him, it's very cool you got to meet him!

I'm liking the chatty greeters as well.

[lianau]

Everyone has peed into water at one point , but you do it while being in water . All she had to do was "accidentally " falling off the boat .

[djlynch]

He actually always says that in the past 20 or so seasons, except for the first leg and the leg that that will result in the final three.  Except for early seasons, when he would telegraph the NEL by saying "may"! 

 

Doesn't he now say "...may be eliminated" on the first leg, too? Ever since season 20(?) when the grandparents got saved by a NEL on the first leg?

[Kromm]

Ugh.  I wonder if that lady is EVER going to live down peeing barely off camera, in public.  Not to mention that various other teams (and future people who use that waterway) could be drinking her pee.

[Kromm]

That daughter from the mother and daughter team? SO annoying. The other crier, Isabelle?  I wonder if she's got some medical condition or injury.  Every part that involved actually running, she practically crawled (the problem that team had on the boat was only icing on the cake)

[Gummo]

Was I the only one who noticed that one of the third teams to check in (I think it was the candy scientists) had painted on a Charlie Chaplin mustache to go with her bowler and umbrella and did a Charlie Chaplin waddle to the mat? Did I imagine this? Makes me want to keep my eye on them..they might be really fun to watch.

 

I'm assuming there was a Chaplin-themed road block because another team came in and one of the teammates had a Chaplin bowler on and was doing a Chaplinesque walk , too (IIRC).  It was probably edited out because it didn't change the rankings in any way so they cut it for other, more fun, stuff.

 

Pure blue-skying on my part. 

 

I usually hate racers like Team Dentists but they are racing smart and he's being decent to other racers, helping them with clues and things -- and even if that is coming from an arrogant place, it's still manifesting in mensch behavior, so -- good on him.

 

Won't miss Team Who? at all. 

 

Team Wanda Sykes is funny, exasperating and endearing, in equal measure, often at the same time. 

 

Really enjoying the season so far, except there are too many gimmicks.  Ah well, it's the Reality Game Show That's Been On A Long Time disease.  Survivor suffers from it, too. But I do love Phil popping up along the route while racers dash madly behind him! 

 

And I agree that the racers are getting off way easy so far this season, TWO English speaking countries to start!?  Come on!  Though I have to admit, that the tasks in England turned out to be a lot harder & more frustrating than they looked at first.

 

Fun stuff all around.

[Donny Ketchum]

Doesn't he now say "...may be eliminated" on the first leg, too? Ever since season 20(?) when the grandparents got saved by a NEL on the first leg?

That was Bill & Cathi in TAR19, but yes, he says "may" only if it's gonna be an NEL or TBC.  Other than that, if an elimination is happening for sure, he'll say "will" on the first leg.  The only leg in which an elimination still occurred despite him saying "may" was Vipul & Arti's ouster in TAR10 after Bilal & Sa'eed's mid-leg elimination.

[beedee]

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.

 

That team was Keith and Whitney (the ones from Survivor) and not the Dentists.

 

I actually don't mind the Dentists. Sure, they look incredibly fake - overtanned, incredibly white teeth - but they haven't been mouthing off about how superior they are compared to the other teams. They also helped other teams with the treasure challenge, and acknowledged that the Soul Surfers are a smart team. They also did not throw a tantrum when they had to start the bunting challenge over again.

 

The team that grates me are the Wrestlers. They keep mentioning how other teams underestimate them. Geez, it's only been one leg of the race. They clearly struggled on this second leg.

 

I can't tell Kym and Alli apart! The two look like twins!

[fishcakes]

Team Wanda Sykes ...

 

Ha. That's what I've been calling them too. (I wonder if the real Wanda Sykes is still a big TAR fan; there are stories about how she attended an early TARcon and was evidently a giant jackass to everyone.) I do like this team a lot, but the crying in the cab was a little much, especially when the daughter said, "it's so scary," and sobbing. Not really sure what she was talking about there, but whatever it was, I'm willing to bet it wasn't scary. Difficult or disappointing maybe, but not scary.

 

I also really liked Dennis and Isabelle, but mostly Dennis (because again with the crying; it's Philimination, not execution). He said something in this episode that made me think, "aw, I LOVE him, " but I can't remember what it was and it doesn't matter now anyway because we're only going to see three more seconds of them when they applaud the winning team in the finale.

 

What I liked most about those two teams is how much they love TAR and how they seemed to enjoy the other teams as well as the race itself. We saw them sitting and chatting and not about some BS alliance, just talking like normal people. I've really missed this aspect of the race, where the teams were competing, but were also having fun with the other racers. I've said it before, but the worst change that's been made to TAR has been getting rid of the 12 Hour Eat Sleep Mingle at the pit stops.

 

A lot of the teams seem to be genuinely nice people this time around. Jim and Misti are a sight to behold, but they're good racers and helpful when they can be. The candy scientists gave Bethany shoes! I hope the general good will lasts throughout the season; it will go a long way toward erasing the ugliness of last season's Dave & Connor/Caroline & Jennifer "quality people" alliance.

[Donny Ketchum]

I can't tell Kym and Alli apart! The two look like twins!

If you watched TAR23, Kym is the one who looks like Amy of Jason & Amy from that season and, when they're at the Pit Stops and talking in interviews, stands on the left side.  Alli's the one who looks like Marianna of Marianna & Julia from TAR12 and stands on the right.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[aradia22]

Woo, Adam and Bethany just tore through the pancake. Way to make it look easy.

 

Even more interested in team mother/daughter now that I know that one served in the military and the other served in the air force.

 

I find the firefighters annoying. Not crazy, intensely annoying. Just a little more annoying than any other team. 

 

With so many teams it was hard to focus on what each team was doing wrong. They didn't always have a little counter telling us how many times each time had attempted a task, etc. so the clips could have come from any time. And we didn't have people commenting on how a judge kept making them go through training instead of letting them just attempt the task like we've had for tasks in other season so I didn't know how that might have played into things.

 

Keith seems like a jerk. So far not a massive jerk. Just a little bit of a jerk.

 

The actor holding the express pass at the Bear Inn in the clip was a cutie.

 

Oh, lord she peed in the river.

 

Hush up, fake Winston Churchill.

 

I don't feel too badly for Dennis and Isabelle because we know so little about them. 

[lianau]

That was Bill & Cathi in TAR19, but yes, he says "may" only if it's gonna be an NEL or TBC.  Other than that, if an elimination is happening for sure, he'll say "will" on the first leg.  The only leg in which an elimination still occurred despite him saying "may" was Vipul & Arti's ouster in TAR10 after Bilal & Sa'eed's mid-leg elimination.

Am I the only one who finds this will be /may be eliminated thing annoying ? I wish he would stick with the may be eliminated for all legs , NEL or no NEL . It takes a lot out of the episode if I know half way through that nobody's going to be eliminated because it's a NEL .

[PaperTree]

That was a fun episode until the tear fest at the end.  I felt bad for both of them, but that was a bit much Mr. Editor.

 

Two English speaking legs up front is too easy on them.  

 

Nici needs to improve her technique.  Do what you need to do and don't make a big deal out of it.  If somebody catches you, call them a pervert and deny everything.  I wouldn't worry about the water.  Between the fish and the birds, dogs and other critters, her little squirt won't make much of a difference.   Just keep her out of the fountains.

 

I most enjoyed the guys in the other boat!

 

Looks like the firemen are in trouble.  They never seem to do well on these shows.

 

Nice to not see any silly "alliances" . . . yet.

[Alapaki]

I don't think Bethany and Adam could have done the Royal Guard Detour option.  Swinging your arm to shoulder height was obviously a required element of the performance.  As unfair as it might be to have one team precluded from doing a Detour Option, I think it would've been unfair to let one Team do it but give them a pass on a part of the task that was required of everyone else.

 

In the end it worked out because I think the Royal Guard option was the sucker-choice.  

 

To wit, it seemed like a combination of running fast and occasionally flipping the pancake was all that was required to successfully complete the task.  I think the teams that failed to finish in the required time-limit were trying to flip the pancakes more than then probably had to.  

 

One of the firefighters got jacked for not flipping them enough.  But it sure seemed to me that other teams were taking a lot of steps in between flips.  I wonder if there was some objective criteria for that or if it was purely subjective.

[Quilt Fairy]

Doesn't he now say "...may be eliminated" on the first leg, too?

He said 'will be eliminated' last week.

[Richness]

The only thing I liked about the guard's drill instructor tirades was the phrase, "worldly, Yoda-like advice." His shouting and the bottom two teams crying and whining their hearts out got old real quick.

 

I want to like the mother/daughter flight attendant team, but they're making it really hard to. Not only did the histrionic wailing at the end get on my nerves, but their shrieks got so shrill at one point that I had TWIIIIIINNNNNIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!! flashbacks. Though I will admit that may be due to CBS forcing the actual Twinnies on me on Survivor. On top of all that (or maybe bottom), I couldn't believe the one lady actually made that big a deal about peeing. "Fall" in the damn water for crying out loud; just don't announce your actions to the world. Even if she was too proper to piss in a pool or stream in real life, it would save her tons of embarrassment on broadcast TV.

 

The Charlie Chaplin walk was cute. Wasn't it the food engineers who did the rabbit years in the first episode? If so, it looks like this team is bringing some much enjoyed levity to race. Not to mention compassion thanks to the shoes. Awesome!

 

Speaking of awesome, Team Surfers continue to rock. Glad they got the Express Pass and the first place prize. Though I think they probably should have had to work for it a bit harder though. The guy seemed less of a stoner dude this episode, and more competent as a racer.

 

Overall, enjoyed this episode and the tasks. They were quite entertaining and allowed for position changes. Not sure how I feel about the appearance of Phil in the middle of the leg though. While more Phil is usually a good thing, it feels rather forced and gimmicky. I know it was probably added to try and keep the show feeling fresh after 25 seasons, but it doesn't really do anything for me at all.

[legaleagle53]

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.

 

Funny you should say that.  My first trip to Rome in November 2006 was on Delta, but the itinerary was Phoenix - Chicago - London (!) - Rome.  It was in London that I had to change from Delta to Alitalia.

 

Anyway, as for the episode -- I was glad to see London showcased so fully.  I'm not the most coordinated person in the world, so I"m not sure which Detour I'd have chosen -- I'd probably still be out there waiting for a Guido elimination!

[LilaFowler]

This season isn't grabbing me at all so far, and that makes me sad.  I feel like I already know who will be in the F3 just based on editing.

[Donny Ketchum]



Wasn't it the food engineers who did the rabbit ears in the first episode? If so, it looks like this team is bringing some much enjoyed levity to race. Not to mention compassion thanks to the shoes. Awesome!

Amy & Maya were indeed awesome to give Bethany Amy's shoes.  But sorry to say that they didn't do the rabbit ears thing.  That was Kym & Alli, who did it to Misti & Jim.