S25.E03: Get Your Sheep Together

[Tara Ariano]

The race continues in Scotland's Shetland Islands, where the teams tackle an obstacle course while attempting to corral a flock of sheep.

[mojoween]

Such a shame they had to travel in such a heinous looking country. I mean, what a dump.

In other news, I have never wanted to go to Scotland more. Someday!

Why are Jim and Misti still here? All those talking heads are supposed to be foreshadowing their demise, I don't get it. The editors must have something tricky up their sleeve for them.

I'm glad Brooke persevered but I kinda hate her because she has such a defeatist attitude about EVERYTHING. It's exhausting to listen to.

Scott's ankle was so freaking gross.

Bouncing sheep are fabulous.

[mtlchick]

The Amazing Menagerie didn't let me down. But none of them are the Sheep Whisperer, Chris (or Alex, I forget who it is.)

Edited October 11, 2014 by GenL
Removed preview talk

[ShadowSixx]

I liked that Bethany offered to help. She know she couldn't use the shovel so she found something to do to help out. I'm just loving her as I knew about her shark attack but didn't follow her or her career but she has impressed me so far. She's not whining or blaming anything on her physical limitation which is just awesome.

Brooke from the wrestling team is really starting to get on my damn nerves. She's such a defeatist and why the hell is she in wrestling to begin with, with an attitude like that? If they don't know how to bend a nail, it's really embarrassing. I know how to bend a nail and I don't work with nails at all. Sick of her thinking that they're last all the time.

Team Lighthouse still irritates me too. If we're there first, no team should pass us. Ugh, I want a team to pass them in a detour/roadblock just for the hell of it and maybe the tan and whiteness would drain off his body and maybe he wouldn't look like such a freakazoid. Team Domination, more like Team Annoying. He swears that he's just so great and no team is better than them. I really need a roadblock/detour to mess them up badly after using the express pass.

I never seen a sheep skip before. I seen them fall down pretending to be dead but never skip, it was so cute. Got a laugh at them skipping over T&T's barrier.

Were Shelley & Nici referring to T&T as Team Fairy? I know team dentist couldn't possibly be called that for a nickname cause there are other nicknames to call them and doubt any other teams you look at and nickname Team Fairy. It could be offensive unless T&T are OK with it. I missed the first 15 mins of the show so don't know.

Team firefighter at least the thinner one didn't want to take the 4 hour penalty and continued on with the sheep. Wrong direction was definitely their downfall, the person they asked just sounded like he didn't know what they were talking about. I think even if they had made it to the next round they wouldn't have lasted long with that one guy's leg knee about to give out. So good thing they were eliminated when they were.

Edited October 11, 2014 by GenL
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[RedheadZombie]

Was this the first time that a greeter stands there mutely?  I'm sure there's so much more to Scotland than a bird.

[Lamb18]

The dentists ponied up and definitely were not sheepish. But the firefighters peatered out and walk away with only a torch song. By the way, what's a quarry?

 

I'm surprised the sheep weren't shorn yet as it was late spring when this was taped. Their fleece was pretty long.

 

ETA they were calling the dentists Team Tooth Fairy, I think.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Lamb18

[Lantern7]

Looks like we can add the Shetland ponies and bouncing sheep to the Amazing Menagerie. Awesome job from the farm animals. Only thing missing was one of the Boston Bouncers looking at the clue and muttering, "Can't tackle 'em."

Nice to see Misti and Jim excel. Jim was a competitive bodybuilder? Nooooo!!! Really?!? Seriously, though, while they consider themselves "Team Domination," they could be so much worse. They do suffer then in direct comparison to Adam & Bethany, who are just lovely people.

Amazing . . . no Survivor references from Keith & Whitney in regards to lighting torches? I'm disappointed.

Yeah, Brooke needs to clam up with the negativity. Great that she and Robbie can outrun others, but it's like seeing a bulked-up Flo. That's not good. Meanwhile, Kym & Alli are having too much fun. Brooke should lighten up and learn to enjoy herself.

I feel bad for Boston Strong, but Scott's ankle probably wasn't going to last that long. I'm glad Tim & Te Jay are still in it, because they're fun to watch. Also . . . a clothes barrier? That was creative. Dumb, but creative.

Edited October 11, 2014 by GenL
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[henripootel]

Team Hairplugs is being to grate.  They did do pretty well, although I'm now sure that animals are scared by the smell of teeth whitener and spray tan.

Edited October 11, 2014 by henripootel

[enlightenedbum]

Were Shelley & Nici referring to T&T as Team Fairy? I know team dentist couldn't possibly be called that for a nickname cause there are other nicknames to call them and doubt any other teams you look at and nickname Team Fairy. It could be offensive unless T&T are OK with it. I missed the first 15 mins of the show so don't know.

Team Tooth Fairy, referring to the Dentists, I'm pretty sure.

 

I've done that to my ankle when I managed to step on it when it was asleep.  Looked about that color.  Fun times and I'm kind of impressed the dude managed to be that mobile.  Not terribly sad to see them go, even though they seemed like reasonably fine people.  But there's no one super annoying here except for Jim's "WE ARE THE GREATEST!" bullshit which has to be set up for their eventual defeat.

 

Also, where are the Roadblocks?  Confused.

Edited October 11, 2014 by enlightenedbum

[Quilt Fairy]

I never seen a sheep skip before. I seen them fall down pretending to be dead but never skip,

Isn't that goats? Fainting goats?

 

In other news, I dislike the dentists as much if not more than any team I can remember and if they're going to dominate this season it will suck. He's really annoying and she  - has she even said anything lately?

 

I like route tasks (tasks that the team has to perform just to get the clue) but I want to see some damn roadblocks!

Edited October 11, 2014 by Quilt Fairy

[Heather Lynn]

Were Shelley & Nici referring to T&T as Team Fairy? I know team dentist couldn't possibly be called that for a nickname cause there are other nicknames to call them and doubt any other teams you look at and nickname Team Fairy. It could be offensive unless T&T are OK with it. I missed the first 15 mins of the show so don't know.

I believe they were calling the dentists Tooth Fairies.

I still don't hate anyone so I'm happy. I love how T&T calls everyone Mr. or Ms. I called the Mr. Viking when we heard about the task. I also love the scientists but was sure they were going to get lost right out of the race. I love how they apply logic to everything.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Heather Lynn

[QuinnM]

I think they should have bouncing sheep in every episode. They made me so happy.

And also a little baby lamb. They make me happy too.

[Haleth]

Were Shelley & Nici referring to T&T as Team Fairy?

They called them the tooth fairies. I don't mind the dentists. They may be excessively competitive but I like watching teams that are focused and competent. (As opposed to those who can't figure out how to bend a nail while holding a hammer.)

The sheep were hilarious. Why did it take so long for teams to figure out that the louder they screeched, the more freaked out the sheep would be? My sheep is broken!

Ohmygosh! Next week

Copenhagen!

Thats 3 for 4 for places I've been! (Incidentally one of the best places on the planet.).

Edited October 11, 2014 by Haleth

[etagloh]

Okay, the dentists are officially insufferable. Trust the pony there.

 

Up Helly Aa is a real thing, though it normally happens at the opposite end of the year, with burning ships and all. The Shetlands are still culturally closer to Scandinavia than Scotland in many ways.

 

The sheep-penning was one of those situations where the ideal tactic is to be as calm as possible and not spook them from the outset, but it looked like after about half an hour of being chased around, the sheep were happy to pen themselves and be done with it. Needed more cutaways to unimpressed sheepdogs.

 

The lack of Road Blocks is weird. I liked Kym and Allie deciding to have fun while waiting for the train (and Thirst is a very decent club) though I'm now confused about where the leg actually started, given that Blenheim is well outside of Oxford and there's no train station there, let alone one within walking distance, and probably not many cabs at that time. My guess is that they actually stayed in Oxford itself and started the leg near their hotel -- the fish restaurant they passed is definitely in Oxford -- or got silently ferried down into the city and then told to start racing.

 

Were Shelley & Nici referring to T&T as Team Fairy?

 

No, they called the dentists the Tooth Fairies.

Edited October 11, 2014 by etagloh

[Lamb18]

What's fun to see is little lambs running around in a big circle and they'll jump straight up and down, like popcorn popping. I'm glad Bethany and Adam are doing well, also Amy and Maya. I'm getting a little tired of the bikers' showing off--high spirits and having fun are fine but there's no need to call the other teams names.

[cooksdelight]

Adam & Bethany, who are just lovely people.

That is what I took away from this episode. I am truly in love with them, would love to have them hang out with me at my house for a weekend.

And the bouncing sheep. I want some. They could cut my grass and entertain me at the same time.

[leighdear]

The sheep were so cute! Seriously hilarious to watch them bounce. But as a knitter, all I saw was Shetland wool, on the hoof. Sweaters, scarves, and socks, oh my!

 

I really hope Misti will stop calling on Jesus to help them. I don't think he's watching this show. They did well, but Jim needs to seriously rein in that ego. It's annoying.

 

Funny when Tim ( or Te Jay), doing the Viking flame said about the other task "I hope the ponies are aggressive Ponies"!

[Donny Ketchum]

Pretty good episode once again. And unlike some others, I still love this cast very much. I liked the Detour choices. Ornery animals out of your control vs. a building task well within your control, yet still a navigational component. The sheep flocking was hilarious and brought me back to every animal-handling task I can remember, most notably TAR15's duck-herding Roadblock in Vietnam! The same top two as last week, but a bad suggestion en route to the Pit Stop made that happen more than anything. I just hope the same two teams aren't topping the standings every single leg from here on out. I don't want another TAR9 on our hands! That season alone was nightmarish enough!

Even better, I'm not big on men's teams, so seeing both of those teams in the bottom two, guaranteed to have one of them sent home (unless it was an NEL, which we all now know it wasn't), was like Christmas come early for me! Even more so when the less interesting, far more boring team of the two went home, leaving the highly interesting one behind!

Now, then. The teams this week:

Misti & Jim: Well, at least Jim looking so jacked is explained. He did some competitive bodybuilding. This team's still not hateful, but Jim's starting to lose me. Please stop the bloviating. Just let your racing performance speak for itself. That's why Meghan & Cheyne's TAR15 domination and Rachel & Dave's TAR20 domination were a lot less irritating. They let their performances speak for themselves. That said, nice racing, even in spite of the ornery Shetland pony and the sheep. But I'm still waiting for Misti to do a Roadblock and show that she can be more than Jim's pretty sidekick.

Adam & Bethany: Let's stop the mentions of Bethany's one arm, okay, Adam? Bethany's not beating us over the head with it, so you shouldn't, either. Good job by them to finish second, even though they have Amy & Maya's local guides to thank for giving them bad information.

Keith & Whitney: Happy third anniversary, you guys! These two did a great job throughout the leg, for once! The only real slip they seemed to have was going the wrong way to find the Vikings. But other than that, very solid! Working their way up, indeed!

Shelley & Nici: Nice recovery, ladies! No whining or crying from Nici, either! They did well with the Shetland pony and seemed to do okay with the sheep once they figured out how to corral them. Their joy at fourth place was adorable. But I wonder what Nici is getting upset with Shelley about at the Pit Stop next week? Shelley had better not be quitting, or refusing a save if it's an NEL! I'm hoping it's just exasperation at having to go back and complete something they didn't previously finish or do correctly.

Amy & Maya: Ouch! Pretty solid leg, figuring out the right way to cut the peat and then dominating with the sheep with no real problems, only to miss out on second because those guys gave them bad information about the medallion. But I loved their reaction to the empty church, and I loved their reaction to at least coming in fifth even more! Much better job this week, girls!

Brooke & Robbie: Yet another week of defeatist Brooke, this time at the Light My Fire Detour. I give Robbie a lot of credit for calming her down once more. Then, they make up time admirably with the sheep. Rushing in front of Kym & Alli wasn't cool, though. They knew they weren't last, so what was the point other than getting a higher place and needlessly pissing off another team?

Kym & Alli: The girls were so close to a higher finish this week! I enjoyed their dancing in front of the pub! Cute, and kinda hot (and I'm not even a straight guy)! They dominated that Detour, but lowered their place due to going to the wrong dock. Nice recovery to beat both teams who passed them at that Detour to the sheep task, and good on them for keeping their cool with the sheep themselves. Having seen more of them, I'm loving them a lot more and wanna see more of them next week. Seems like we do, by the looks of the preview!

Tim & Te Jay: Navigation clearly isn't their strong suit, even though they can do their tasks reasonably well. They did well to recover from getting their Detour clue in last, but faltered again in driving to Berry Farm, and even more in doing the sheep task. Honestly, they'd better count themselves as extremely lucky that Michael & Scott got that bad advice about their medallion, or they would've been hot, buttered toast! Shape up, gentlemen! But the two men's teams being in the bottom two was like red-letter day for me! :)

Michael & Scott: Honestly, while I'll miss Michael a little, I don't think I'll miss Scott. He was almost as defeatist as Brooke, complained almost as much, and was too quick to give up at the sheep. Good on them for rocking out the Detour, I guess, but honestly, while their elimination wasn't totally their fault (the guy who told them to go all the way to that faraway town deserves way more blame), Scott's sprained ankle would've taken them out eventually. Also, I was interested and invested in them the least of the teams. So now, eight far more interesting teams remain! Later, boring dudes!

Again, a fantastic and even funny episode!

Edited October 11, 2014 by GenL
Removed preview talk

[Wandering Snark]

Loved Phil with the torch and the Vikings.

 

Ugh, Brooke is terrible... she gives up on everything before she starts and then is the ultimate Debby Downer from then on... I have to idea how she made it all these years in something as competetive as professional wrestling. Also, to say the obvious how do you NOT know how to bend a nail!?!

 

I loved the chorus of hearty "AYYYYY!!!"'s coming from the Vikings. I was standing up with my arms aloft cheering along with them.

 

Okay who knew sheep had springs in their legs?

[ghoulina]

Well, bye firefighters. It was nice knowing you. I liked them as a team because they were easy going and worked really well together. The blonde one (I have no idea which one is Michael and which one is Scott) was adamant that the other's ankle wasn't a factor in them losing. Good friend. Although, I do think if they hadn't picked the wrong place to ask directions, they'd probably be out soon anyhow because of that ankle. 

 

I'm really loving Kim and Ali. They have great attitudes. How cool was it that instead of just waiting for the train they decided to go see the town? That's totally what I would have done. 

 

Jim and Misty continue to be very competent racers, and his cockiness isn't insanely annoying....yet. And his wife kind of made a face when he was getting a bit puffed up in the car, so I enjoyed that. 

 

Brooke and Robbie are the most annoying team at this point, due solely to Brooke's constant negativity. She just automatically becomes defeated by any obstacle that comes up. Very grating. 

 

LOVED the location this week, LOVED the tasks. I am now begging Mr. Ghoulina to take me to the Shetland Islands and bring back a sheep. Those suckers can jump!

Edited October 11, 2014 by ghoulina

[serenitynow]

Not one team tried "baa ram ewe" ?!?! Has everyone forgotten Babe?

And, really? Not knowing how to bend a nail?

[Donny Ketchum]

(I have no idea which one is Michael and which one is Scott)

Blond = Michael, ghoulina.  Brunet = Scott.

[bmoore4026]

Aww, my slab-o hunk-o man firefighters got eliminated :(

[selkie]

Note to self- roll of duct tape and some nail clippers in the pack if I ever get cast on TAR because at least you can tape up that kind of nasty ankle sprain and get some support for hobbling along.

 

I assume that there was a 'no touching the sheep' line in the Racer's extended instructions because otherwise the dentists would have just picked them up and carried them into the pen directly.

[Wandering Snark]

Hah, I'm getting ads that say "Looking For Sheep And Goat Farms?" *laughs*

[terracool]

Loved this episode.  The scenery was breathtaking, and the sheep made for the best AR-watching in a long time. Hee.  I had no idea they could bounce around like that.  It has changed my "counting sheep" image forever.

 

I am dismayed by the lack of Road Blocks.  If they have fewer RB's this year but still allow one person to do six of them, which may be way more than half, then that would allow Jim to do most of his team's RB's.  I was hoping for a late RB that required strength or whatever that she would have to do.  Something, anything, to trip them up and flush out the Save.

[Starchild]

I also did that to my ankle. It happened in much the same way (running on uneven pavement) and looked much like that afterwards. Once the shock wore off I thought it might be broken. So yeah I don't think they would have lasted much longer anyway.

[Shadow Wave]

"What's a quarry?" Dude, seriously?

[magenta]

Where you mine sand or rocks.

Rather than going underground. Looks like a small grand canyon.

[Quilt Fairy]

Aww, my slab-o hunk-o man firefighters got eliminated :(

Slab-o hunk-o? Slab, yes, hunk, I don't think so. While watching their elimination interview I decided that I would rather have either one of them be my dentist and have Jim be my local firefighter.

[Lnmop]

Not one team tried "baa ram ewe" ?!?! Has everyone forgotten Babe?

And, really? Not knowing how to bend a nail?

I told Mr. Lnmop that I was waiting for either that, or "Begging your ladies' pardon, but if you would be so kind...". So disappointing.

Mr. Dentist sounds like he went to one too many Tony Robins seminars.

Otherwise, good leg.

[bmoore4026]

Slab-o hunk-o? Slab, yes, hunk, I don't think so.

 

I have low standards.

Edited October 11, 2014 by bmoore4026

[LittleIggy]

I was so mad at racers who screamed at and pulled those Shetland Ponies (they were so pretty!) when they got balky. Team Scientists were great with their pony. And, yes, the springing sheep were tote adorbs!

[green]

Weird they had one roadblock in the first leg and none since that are shown anyway.  Meanwhile we have had an elaborate task the team has to perform to move on and which garners tons of film footage and looked to be planned to be a major task to gather major film footage in each of the last two legs.  (Punting and sheep of course).  Wonder if the roadblock is being eased out of TAR.  That would be a bummer if so.  Not that punting and sheep tasks weren't fun. 

 

I haven't read any spoilers at all so this is just me.  I don't think I've seen anyone get as much of a "Colin" edit then Jim from the Dentists.  I got to think this is a set-up for a major fall late in the Race.  Again, just my speculating.

 

Like that the bicycle women are enjoying themselves though the pub looked closed to me.

 

Liked when the ponies, who seem fine, suddenly all went gonzo and twirled round and round and looked like they had suddenly been possessed by the ghost of Trigger or something.  That was really weird.

 

mtlchick, yeah you got it right.  Chris was the Sheep Whisper and the one quoted in another post I can't find right now (sorry) when he re-read his instructions then said "Yep. Can't tackle 'em."  Also loved Wil using his version of plural in the form of "sheeps" and being terrible at the task.  And Oswald laughingly threatening them in Spanish to no avail.  Probably cause they were New Zealand sheep and only spoke English Baaa is my guess.  Good times.  But those "sheeps" didn't come fully equipped with springs for hooves.  Man the Scottish ones could become Olympic gymnasts doing totally insane floor exercises.

 

Liked when bad ankle fireman referred to two sheep that busted loose from him as "escapees."  I'd be so frantic I'd be like the teams running around like crazy shouting by head off.  Then I would finally have collapsed to the ground after an hour and the sheep would show my up by walking peacefully into the pen on their own.  Who knew that shepherds down the ages didn't spend their time running around like mad men?

 

Good thing it was sheep and not goats in that task cause otherwise the Asian guys could have had their clothing eaten on the spot.  Loved how they made a totally insane weird clothes "barrier" and the sheep are all "Whoooohoo, over we go.  Wee, that was fun.  Thanks guys."

 

Wrestling team thought wrapping burlap was really hard?  Wait they were the ones that didn't know how to bend a nail either.  And they did the task only cause they got lost going to the other task and ended up at this task?  They are making Lori & Bolo look like brain surgeons by comparison.

 

Sorry to see the firemen go but asking about a replica of an artifact at a pub over asking at a museum wasn't probably their smartest decision.  Glad they took it well.  They seem like nice guys.  But firemen have never done well on TAR that I recall.  I think the two from Oklahoma was it went out really early.  And TAR3's Firecop (fireman/cop) team ended up taken to a shady location in Morocco by an even more shady taxi driver where a still more shady "official" tried to get their passports from them.  One of the few times if perhaps the only time the private security team TAR hires had to move in and get them out of the mess.

 

I'm enjoying all the teams fine so far.  The edit that the Dentists get just makes them more interesting to watch for me.  I really want to see if a broken ox is in Jim's future now.  Nice start to the season.

Edited October 11, 2014 by green

[sigmaforce86]

I have never, never, ever laughed at this show as much as tonight. From what's a quarry to the dentist wrangling his pony to the makeshift clothing barrier to how do you bend a nail (seriously how can a person not figure that out)........but the winner is not just the bouncing jumping sheep but also whichever sound guy got the brilliant Idea to add a "boing" sound to the jumps.

Sorry to see the firemen go, they were a middle of the pack team for me but I hoped they'd last longer. The ankle probably would have done them in next round anyway, he could hobble along but he wasn't going to win any foot races on that for awhile.

[etagloh]

Okay, I now know where the Pit Start for this leg was: it was the OUP entrance in the Jericho district of Oxford, probably because it looks a bit like Blenheim on close-up. About 10 minutes' walk to the train station.

 

More logistics: the Detour options had a travel element, because the torch task was back in Lerwick, while the peat-cutting was near Scalloway, and the sheep task was also in Scalloway. That's a round trip of 15 miles or so for the torch-makers (roughly half an hour on narrow roads) so the peat task was probably the smart option in hindsight, though teams had no way of knowing that.

 

The editing in this season so far has still been... clippy. I don't mind condensing the travel at the start of the leg when it's basically spoonfed -- and I like TPTB using trains and ferries whenever they can -- but there's also been a lot of abruptness at the end when checking teams in.

[blackwing]

Don't think I've hated a contestant this much this quickly. So congrats Jim for being an arrogant blowhard. I'm disappointed that there doesn't seem to be roadblocks. I was trying to figure out if there could have been one that got edited out. But based on the clues, we saw the whole trail of locations and I don't know where it could have been. Unless the roadblock directed them back to where they got the roadblock clue for the next route market clue.

The show toned down the "Golden Girl Bethany" edit this week and I surprised myself by really liking them. I liked how during a moment on the train to Aberdeen, Bethany is quietly staring at her husband and calm and relaxed and visibly mouths "I love you" to him.

What's up with Phil telling Keith "the word is that you need to be nicer to her." What? Whose "word"? I can only assume cameramen because why would another team comment on them? What business is it of Phil's? It's not like he's beating her or closing lift gates on her head.

Not sorry to see firemen go. They were pretty hapless and once the fat one twisted or broke his ankle, it was pretty much over for them. They went out with class though.

[Donny Ketchum]

Not sorry to see the firemen go. They were pretty hapless and once the fat one twisted or broke his ankle, it was pretty much over for them. They went out with class though.

Main reason I'm pretty much stymied that anyone would be sad to see them go.  Nice guys, sure, but . . . they weren't gonna win.  I mean, their chances were pretty slim from the get-go, and Scott's injury all but made them slimmer, if not nonexistent.  Leave the race to the eight teams who'll actually be contenders, boys.

[millennium]

I also did that to my ankle. It happened in much the same way (running on uneven pavement) and looked much like that afterwards. Once the shock wore off I thought it might be broken. So yeah I don't think they would have lasted much longer anyway.

 

Me too.  My foot fell asleep and I tried to walk on it.   The ankle turned right under and cracked.   Although I could walk on it the next day it swelled and became purple.   X-ray revealed hairline fracture.   Thing is, it didn't look even half as bad as the firefighter's ankle.  I think he must have broken it.

 

Anyway, those two deserved to go home for that hare-brained conclusion that "found" meant "made."

[jjj]

I still like knowing how far apart the teams had been the previous week.  So Adam/Bethany really took a chance to be out of first by getting the Express Pass, since Mitzi/Jim were just 16 minutes behind them.  And the next team also fairly close. 

 

That ankle was bad -- I have had two broken ankles and other times sprained them, and they only looked that bad when they were broken.  It did look like he got it taped up or an Ace bandage between the train trip and the Detour.  That can help, although if broken he will need a cast.  I'm sure the extra video clips will fill us in. 

[Guest]

I'm pretty sure they have medics traveling with them and his ankle was xrayed before being allowed to race much further.  

 

I laughed til I cried at Tim and Te Jay baaa-ing at the sheep, then the silly clothes-fence.  Though good for them for thinking outside the baaaaaa-x.  LOL

[jjj]

No, Survivor has medics on site.  TAR uses local doctors when needed. 

[Muffyn]

Adam & Bethany: Let's stop the mentions of Bethany's one arm, okay, Adam?  Bethany's not beating us over the head with it, so you shouldn't, either.  Good job by them to finish second, even though they have Amy & Maya's local guides to thank for giving them bad information.

Well, she can't really beat us over the head with it.  After all, the shark ate it.    I'll let myself out . . . . 

[shok]

That ankle was bad -- I have had two broken ankles and other times sprained them, and they only looked that bad when they were broken.  It did look like he got it taped up or an Ace bandage between the train trip and the Detour.  That can help, although if broken he will need a cast.  I'm sure the extra video clips will fill us in. 

 

I'm pretty sure they have medical staff following the racers around. With all the physical tasks they do there's a better than average chance that someone will suffer some kind of injury. On the recently finished Canadian TAR one of the challenges was surfing and one of the guys dislocated his shoulder out on the board. His wife immediately began yelling 'Medic! Medic!' and several emt guys came running into the shot. The firefighter must have had treatment on the train because there was no way he could have walked on that ankle the way it looked.

 

The bouncy sheep were just the cutest things ever and being unsheared they looked like giant cotton balls bouncing around. Do sheep normally bounce? Or is it just that particular breed of Scottish sheep?

[etagloh]

 

It did look like he got it taped up or an Ace bandage between the train trip and the Detour.

 

Probably on the ferry. Ferries travelling that distance will have, at very least, staff trained in first aid and medical supplies on board. The Aberdeen-Lerwick ferry is at least 12 hours, on top of eight hours on the train: more than 24 hours total between getting on the train in Oxford and arriving in Lerwick.

[selkie]

The times we've seen Racers get medical care in the past, it's been from local doctors and clinics. (Achilles Tendon in Tahiti, someone getting sick in the Middle East, and probably a fe more I'm forgetting) Credentialing is  likely an issue in that regard- once you get outside of the usual regional pacts like the EU, there probably aren't a ton of reciprocal agreements about accepting a medical services license for a doctor/nurse/paramedic from Country A when you're in Country B. 

[GaT]

I don't care either way about the firefighters either way, so it's OK if they get eliminated. The guy's ankle looked pretty bad, so as other people have already said, I doubt he would have lasted that much longer.

 

LOVED the bouncing sheep, I had no idea they did that. Kudos to everyone who figured out that the sheep would go in the pen if they were quiet & didn't scream at them.

 

I'm not really fond of the dentists, but they ran a really good leg & nailed the challenges.

 

By the way, what's a quarry?

 

 

When he said that, I didn't think he didn't know what a quarry was, I think he just didn't understand the accent enough to figure out what he was saying. I immediately remembered when I moved from New York to Massachusetts & was discussing some home stuff with a worker at my new house. He kept talking about "bakmilch" & I just had no idea what he was talking about until he showed up with bags of "bark mulch", then I finally understood. If it's a word you don't use often (quarry doesn't come up in my conversation much) that just makes it even harder to understand.

[Netfoot]

Good episode, but I'm pretty much over Toothy McBlowhard.  Hope he goes in some embarassingly stupid way.

 

I like Kym & Alli's attitude.  Free trip around the world?  Enjoy every minute of it.  Finding a pub still serving after 2:00 AM would not be easy, even under the new licensing laws.

 

There was only one very brief glimpse of one lonely puffin.  But I guess that's better than nothing!

[henripootel]

No, Survivor has medics on site.  TAR uses local doctors when needed.

Well, if he'd had to use NHS, he'd be waiting still.

 

That ankle did look bad but, and correct me if I'm wrong, jjj, but broken ankle = no pressure on it without searing agony.  I've had turns that show lots of bruising (although not quite as bad as that one looked) which still allowed for a bit of hobbling.  Still, painful, and one more minor turn from needing crutches.

Edited October 11, 2014 by henripootel

[Richness]

"Sassy" Shetlands for the win! No wait, Jumping sheep for the win!

 

Anyone but the dentists for the win! His ego and her Jesus-bothering are getting on my nerves, though I've got to admit they're good racers.

Kym and Alli scored some major likability points this leg. You go, girls! Shake that booty. However, the surfers remain my favorite team.

 

But the stupid, it burned so bright this episode. Wrestlers can't figure out how to bend a nail? And T&T, "what's a quarry?" Really?!? *head desk followed by a face palm* Though I will admit that the latter may have been a momentary brain fart due to killer fatigue, especially if "rock" wasn't said in front of it. And maybe the accent threw them off, though I have no real love of T&T to defend them. Cute idea with the clothes, not that it did any good.

 

However, I was also about to get irate at the mom and daughter flight attendants for the "fairies" comment. Because it was too mumbled to hear "tooth" in front of it, and the DirecTV captioning didn't catch any of what she said. Therefore, I'll take everyone's word for it that it was actually "tooth fairies" in reference to the dentists.

 

Sorry the firefighter got injured, and eliminated due to bad directions. But at least we won't be subjected to endless Boston Strong sound bites again. The "I'd die for brother" routine got a bit thick at the end. It's a very admirable quality in their profession, but was too much for my fun TV adventure race.

 

Overall, excellent leg and tasks, though the double bunch (ferry AND train) was a bit of a let down. However, I'm missing the Roadblocks and hope they're not being skipped due to Bethany. Also loved Phil getting his Viking on.