S25.E03: Get Your Sheep Together

[jjj]

henripootel, it's possible to hobble on a broken ankle depending on the kind of break. My first break was in college, and I went a painful day on it before learning it was broken in two places. I could never have gone on even part of this week's tasks! But it looked like that until it turned purple. I'm curious to see how his injury turned out in the extras.

[xcrayon2215x]

I had a feeling that the firefighters would be gone once the bad directions, with the bad knee I don't think they would have lasted much longer. Surprised to see Shelley/Nici do that well..

[gryphon]

Besides Dentist Jim's ego, his Neanderthal brow makes him look kind of scary to me.  I would be a  little wary about seeing him for the first time as he bent over my open mouth. 

 

Go Candy Scientists from Madison! (Also a shout out to the bartender with the Miller t-shirt in the bar where a team asked directions). Wisconsin was represented very well in Scotland tonight! 

 

Hope your ankle heals well, Boston Fireman.  That looked rough. 

 

Still not feeling Team Survivor.  But loving the surfers. 

Edited October 11, 2014 by gryphon

[cooksdelight]

However, I'm missing the Roadblocks and hope they're not being skipped due to Bethany.

I'm starting to wonder about that myself.

[Browncoat]

I am so jealous that they had such gorgeous weather in the Shetlands!  The last time I was in Scotland, it was a bit dreich, and we missed the sun terribly.

 

But yay, sheepsters!  I hoped someone would try "baa ram ewe" too -- or at least that they would stop yelling at the sheep.

 

The dentists can get off my TV any time.

[Primetimer]

Peat, ponies, sheep, and a guy in a puffin suit await the Amazing Racers in the Shetland Islands.

Read the story

[blackwing]

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.

Sorry, but I think he just doesn't know what a quarry is. I think he's a dim bulb. My 7 year old knows what a quarry is. If he had known what a quarry is and simply just didn't understand the accent, he would have said "ohhhh, a Quarry!" once the guy described it further. When he repeated the word to the guy with "What's a quarry?" he said it properly and with no Scottish inspired accent or mispronunciation, so it seems to me he didn't have issues understanding the accent. Edited October 11, 2014 by blackwing

[ramble]

I'm glad the firefighters went home just because that ankle looked rough & I think he could've ended up hurting himself more if he'd continued. I sprained my ankle once & it looked a lot worse than his so my odd thought process wondered if his was fractured instead of sprained. My oh so kind doctor told me I would've been better off breaking my ankle because it would heal better. Thanks. I hope fightfighter dude is ok. I did love their enthusiasm while yelling with the Vikings.

The springing sheep make me giggle like a little girl. I love the editors putting in the "boing" sound the first few times they popped up. T&T's clothes barrier was funny too. I can't believe they thought it would work, but I was glad they didn't freak out that it didn't.

Adam & Bethany are just so pleasant. They seem to be enjoying themselves & her attitude impresses me to the point that I'm a little bit in awe of her. Contrast that with the dentists & it's ridiculous. He seems determined to prove how much of an arrogant ass he is with each interview. We get it, you have an ego equal to the whiteness of your teeth. There's no need to tell us how awesome you are repetitively.

Speaking of annoyances lady wrestler is so defeatist I can't believe she doesn't just forfeit every match she's in. She seems to believe something is going to go wrong all the time. If I didn't love Eeyore so much I would nickname her that, but I'm not doing that to poor Eeyore.

This episode was simply beautiful. It made me wish I was able to travel. Maybe someday. The scenery was stunning. This is why I watch The Amazing Race even if I don't like the teams. Fortunately the season most of the teams (so far) are pretty decent. Win/win.

[Whimsy]

Hi guys. As a reminder, please don't talk about the previews in the episode threads. We have a thread just for previews.

Thanks and happy posting!

[merylinkid]

Don't firefighters have some basic first aid training?     Maybe he wrapped it himself.

[tominboston]

Cute ponies! Woolly bouncing sheeps! A giant puffin greeter! Wonderful stuff. Not to mention the scenery. I wonder how the show arranged for so much sunshine on the day they filmed.

 

I've had a chance to visit Scotland a couple times, but never got as far north as Shetland. I definitely need to get back there. Meanwhile, I'm enjoying this season of TAR even though most of the teams don't seem all that much fun to watch at this point. Adam & Bethany are a notable exception and my early rooting favorites to win. They're another example of stunt casting in a way, but their good nature, enthusiasm, and can-do attitude are the sort of thing I want to see on this show, not bitching and snarking.

Edited October 11, 2014 by tominboston

[seacliffsal]

I have really enjoyed these last two episodes.  I was giggling with delight while watching the bouncing sheep and loved the Shetland ponies-but bah on those who really were pulling on the reigns.  Delightful episode.

 

I'm glad the firefighters left because his ankle just looked horrible.  Also, he wanted to take the 4 hour penalty, so (based on nothing) I think it may have really been hurting and he was trying to take a rest to ease the pain.  I certainly hope they had it looked at as soon as they left the elimination mat.

 

Okay, there is a part of me that takes delight in bad directions from locals.  The locals are all trying to help, but they are not going to win prizes or a million dollars (it always bothers me when racers, in order to hurry someone along [or as evidenced in last week's episode when someone who was trying to help took too long for the racer] yell 'it's for a million dollars' ummm, no, not for the helper it isn't and why should they care anyway?).  Locals are trying to help; I try to help people when they are lost, but I don't always know where everything is.  Therefore, to complain about 'he gave us bad directions' really points to the racing abilities of the racers.  Take an extra moment and double check elsewhere.  Don't blame those who are trying to help.  One of the firefighters kept giving the blame to the local bartender-the blame belongs to the firefighters (and other racers who blame locals for wrong directions).  I'm sure that if someone was in Boston and showed one of the firefighters a bit of silver that Paul Revere forged that they would know it immediately and be able to give accurate, specific directions to the foundry....

[jumper sage]

Another great leg!  Loved every part.  The sheep, very springy!  How to cut peet?  There is a tool but the hardest part is getting the Shetland pony up to the housewife.  Yikes!  Loved the Viking bonfire.

 

Oh firefighters, most of the teams asked at the museum and you guys ask in a pub.  Your own fault!  I do feel for the guys though, now they have to spend the rest of the race with the Miami girls.  They can't be very pleasant.

 

I like all the teams and am glad the only truly horrible team went home first.  Those women were just nasty.

[Alapaki]

Did I miss it, or did they ever show how the scientists figured out that Church wasn't the Pit Stop?  Because it seemed like one minute they were walking through the Church, and the next time we saw them they were hitting the Mat.

 

If I may don my tin-foil hat for a moment, I wonder if the Firefighters and Production agreed to basically self-eliminate the Team due to the ankle injury.  It seems a little peculiar that they both missed the Museum (which must have been very obvious since so many other Teams stopped there), and then "overthought" "where was this found" into "where was this foundry . . . ed?"

[iMonrey]

I have no objection to "Tooth Fairies" as a nickname for Team Dentist. In fact if any of the other teams wants to insult them I'm fine with it. They've had spectacular locations so far this season and yet I'm still not warming up to any of the teams. Maybe the cyclists, thanks to their attitudes about not wasting a precious moment on this race, but we seem to see so little of anyone who isn't Team Dentist, Team Surfer or Team Boston Strong. I knew Tim and Te Jay were safe because we saw so little of them this episode until the end. You know if someone's going home, you're going to get a lot of their THs in that episode.

[Tony]

Those ponies were awesome. I LOL'ed when the dentist's charged at him.

 

And the five-year-old me giggled whenever the female wrestler pronounced cement as semen-t.

[rlangmit]

And the five-year-old me giggled whenever the female wrestler pronounced cement as semen-t.

 

Wasn't that Whitney?

[AZChristian]

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

 

 

I, for one, love to see a man in a kilt holding a bagpipe.  In my mind's ear, I can actually hear him saying, "Welcome to Scotland!"

[TheRabbi]

Yeah I'm pretty sure that was Whitney with the amusing pronunciation of "cement".

 

I thought it was a very good episode.  As others have noted, anytime animals are involved, great episodes almost always follow.  Count me among those who are wondering if the roadblocks are being phased out due to Bethany's handicap.  The punting would have been almost, if not totally, impossible for someone with one arm, so I wonder if production changed that to just a group task when the cast became official.  As for herding, that shouldn't have posed any serious challenges, but teams looked tested enough even with two people trying to herd.  That said, there were several times Margie was required to do RB's as they required being able to hear, and I remember one skydiving RB where the bigger guys had to defer to their partners as they were above the max weight.  So I don't get why they're not RB's with just a production note "Adam has to do this".

 

I'm rooting for Kym and Alli or Amy and Maya.  Both are very pleasant and competent female teams.  Highlight of the episode was definitely the sheep breaking through Tim and TJ's barrier.  Love animal tasks!

[merylinkid]

Calm and cool works best with animals.   No matter Mr. Teeth's shetland pony went nuts, he was running ahead of the pony and yanking on the halter rope.   Poor thing.   Same with the sheep.   You run at them, they run away.   Fight or flight.

 

Loved the cyclists enjoyment, but I hope they don't tire themselves out.   If they had camped at the train station, they could have napped.  Great line when one of them said at the torch task "Take all the anger you feel at me now and take it out on this nail."   That was the way to handle it not bitching at each other about placement.   Also loved the firefighters commenting that a bent nail was easy, it usually happened by accident.

 

Loved the Puffin.   I always wave at the characters walking around amusement parks, festivals, etc.    I don't care how old I get, I will always do it.

[cooksdelight]

Maybe if Mr. Dentist had gotten down on all fours and tried to get the pony to follow him.....

I'd have paid to see that.

[nottopbravo]

 

However, I'm missing the Roadblocks and hope they're not being skipped due to Bethany

 

I hope not, but am still wondering.

 

 

I'm really loving Kim and Ali. They have great attitudes.

 

They are my favorite racers so far.  (Loved the Chaplin imitation last week)

[mtlchick]

 

Loved the cyclists enjoyment, but I hope they don't tire themselves out.   If they had camped at the train station, they could have napped.

 

I'm willing to guess that they asked around about how long the train ride would be and made a call from there.  

[jjj]

With the Shetland ponies in particular, I wondered if some of those Racers (Dentists!) had ever been around animals.  Pony does not care if you are Racing for a million dollars, unlike all those taxi drivers. (that was sarcasm)  Herding sheep is an entirely different matter! 

 

Normally I'd vote for resting while you can, but with a long train ride ahead and a six-hour wait, going to the pub was a great choice, and I'm guessing the Amazing Camerapeople also enjoyed it.    And then they could snooze for many hours in a somewhat cushioned seat. 

 

ETA:  mtlchick, great minds post the same idea at the same moment!

Edited October 11, 2014 by jjj

[Quilt Fairy]

Would that pub have been open or are closing times still heavily regulated in England?

[andromeda331]

Loved the jumping sheep, they were so cute. So was the baby lamb and of course the ponies.

[Guest]

I bet they have a medical center on notice each location, so if a racer does need medical attention (as determined by a show medic), they get shuttled to the front.  They couldn't hold up production for a 6-hour urgent care visit for one racer.  

 

And the racers can't be the ones to determine when they have to make a side trip to the doctor because their incentive is to race on through the pain.  But the show is probably exposed to legal liability if say a racer got long term damage from not stopping for medical care (his own choice or not).  

[Bella]

Don't firefighters have some basic first aid training?     Maybe he wrapped it himself.

 

In many communities, especially large cities, people who want to be firefighters have to work as EMTs first - in other words, the career path to being a firefighter is to become an EMT, then wait for an opportunity to move up. I would expect Team Boston to at least be trained EMTs, and possibly have that in their job history. 

[jjj]

The strict national regulations regarding closing time for pubs were significantly relaxed about ten years ago, with each public house requesting a license for specific hours of opening.  So, hours have become a more local issue, and some are open to 2:00 AM and beyond.

 

And this particular bar (their own term) was open to 2:30 or 3:00 AM, depending on the day!  http://www.thirstbar.com/oxford/

[Omega Mu]

It looks like I am the only one here annoyed by the amount of goofy showing-off that the bike girls are doing. I think they are playing to the cameras.

[green]

I bet they have a medical center on notice each location, so if a racer does need medical attention (as determined by a show medic), they get shuttled to the front.  They couldn't hold up production for a 6-hour urgent care visit for one racer.  

 

And the racers can't be the ones to determine when they have to make a side trip to the doctor because their incentive is to race on through the pain.  But the show is probably exposed to legal liability if say a racer got long term damage from not stopping for medical care (his own choice or not).  

 

One of the Bowling Moms from Season 5 sprained her ankle, which you saw in that episode, at the Great Pyramids.  But she hide the damage from production at the time because she didn't want them to decide to take her out of the Race so she just wrapped it heavily at the pitstop hotel room she said in a post-race interview and was good enough  to limp/go the next day.  She continued to keep it tightly wrapped the rest of the Race pretty much.

 

Older couple guy in TAR7 had a giant wooden elephant (with his wife riding on top of said elephant cause they misunderstood the clue, hah) land on his foot in India and he ended up with a hairline foot fraction from same but again didn't make a big deal of it and continued to race the rest of the way.  Both Racers were able to put some weight on their injured foot/ankle area and went on deep into their Races.

 

So I think it is up to the Racer.  Any legal liability issues would have been signed away when they signed their contract with the show which is pretty standard stuff on all reality shows I believe. 

 

And yeah like said above there is no show medic.  From what I understand there are "contacts" medically speaking for all the locations they go to on a Race but they have to be locals as a previous poster mentioned above because of licensing issues etc.

 

As far as Scott here, his ankle was far more swollen.  I had a ankle broken in two places with surgery and and screw put in it (old frisbee injury, heh).  I then proceeded to sprain said ankle a couple more times.  One of those sprains was worse then the two broken bones one in that it swelled up to the size of a pumpkin (well I thought so anyway) or at least so much so I couldn't get my foot in my sneaker anymore even with the shoelaces taken out.  Also turned purple all over like Scott's.  I spent 4 weeks on crutches from that sprain and had to use a cane for two more so yeah I agree that a sprain can sometimes be as bad if not worse than a break.  So I salute Scott for trying to go on and am glad it didn't lead to their elimination directly but glad for him he got out of there when he did.

[stanleyk]

It looks like I am the only one here annoyed by the amount of goofy showing-off that the bike girls are doing. I think they are playing to the cameras.

 

You're not the only one. They're a little try-hard for my taste.

 

Though I'm not as anxious to get rid of them as I am the blow-hard dentist. Blech.

Edited October 11, 2014 by stanleyk

[Netfoot]

are closing times still heavily regulated in England?

 

it's much more open than it was.  You can basically apply for your own choice of opening hours, and there are even some 24 hour establishments.

 

The chalk board outside the pub said "Open til 2:30" but it didn't appear that there was much activity in the place (even though there were some lights on inside), and the cyclists were filmed on the pavement outside.  Now, Kym & Alli left the mat 3rd at 12:22, Keith & Whitney 4th at 12:36.  We didn't see team #5 depart, because next we saw the firemen at #6 leave the mat at 1:56 (then came the fall and the injured ankle).  Right after this we saw the cyclists off in search of a pub, but scenes may have been shown out of order from how they were filmed.    The train station was in walking distance, and it wouldn't necessarily take them long to decide they wanted to go to a pub.  They could have got to the pub long before closing at 12:45-ish.  Or if they didn't even go looking until after the firemen left the mat at 1:56, K&A may have got to the pub very close to closing time, possibly even after it closed.

[Camera One]

The firemen did a good job of keeping pace despite that injury.  They would have won if they didn't over-think the word "found".  Though I'm fine with them being eliminated.  He would hurt his ankle further, and Scott was way too defeatist... taking a second penalty?  

 

I think T&T's baa-ing was actually scaring the sheep.  Most of the other teams eventually found out calm was better.  I liked the one T calling the other one out on being defeatist and being creative by creating a barrier (even though the sheep enjoyed jumping over it).  Nevertheless, I'm glad they were saved, but I hope they learn from their mistakes and start to develop some skills in navigation.

 

I was so worried when the food scientists got the wrong directions.  Why didn't they show us how they got back on track?  Was the Museum en route or did most teams go out of their way to go there to ask for help?  This should teach teams to double-check advice from locals.  I was pleasantly surprised when they suddenly showed up at the Pit Stop, though I hope the bonus clips show what happened.  I liked their "simple physics" comment regarding the tool to cut peat.

 

I don't mind the Dentists, but they should learn to shut up.  Being second isn't as bad as he was making it out to be, and painting a target on your back is not all that it's cracked up to be.  Wait 'til a U-Turn and I'm sure Big Mouth will find out.

 

The female Wrestler is so whiny and defeatist.... I really don't see how she could succeed as a wrestler.  I hope they are last next, though they usually manage to pull through probably because they are physically strong.  The Survivor man is rude to his partner, so I don't mind if they get eliminated either.  I like that the two cyclists decided to spend some town exploring the pub in the town, but there was a bit of arrogance in claiming all the other teams were boring, so I don't like them even though they are competent and will likely do very well.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Camera One

[Donny Ketchum]

Isn't this episode three?  Who changed it to episode four?

[jjj]

That's odd -- I thought it said "03" earlier, and indeed, it is episode three. 

[QuinnM]

i like that the two cyclists decided to spend some town exploring the pub in the town, but there was a bit of arrogance in claiming all the other teams were boring, so I don't like them even though they are competent and will likely do very well.

 

I'm trying to figure out what the kind of cycling/racing is that they do.  If it is the freelance, thrill chasing, asshole stuff that is currently all the rage in NYC then I really have a problem with these two.  The freelance dude that basically ran down and killed a woman last month is like, too bad but accidents happen.  So I don't want that to be what they are talking about here but since 'bad behavior' is all over one of their youtube channels I'm thinking they are the cyclists terrorizing pedestrians right now.

 

So I'm hoping to be told different. 

Edited October 11, 2014 by QuinnM

[MyAimIsTrue]

Yeah I'm pretty sure that was Whitney with the amusing pronunciation of "cement".

 

The only other time I've heard 'cement' pronounced as SEE-ment was while watching the old "Beverly Hillbillies"  TV show and the characters calling the swimming pool a SEE-ment pond.  And I honestly thought that was played up for laughs.

 

Awesome episode as it's always fun when animals are involved.  The Shetland Islands are gorgeous and I can't decide if I'd rather have a pony or a bouncy sheep.

[hincandenza]

This was a really fun episode to watch, even though there wasn’t a lot of position jumbling during the challenges, and two clear bunch points.  Because come on, puffins, sheep, shetland ponies, what a blast!!  Random thoughts:

We’re three episodes in and are kind of stuck in the United Kingdom.  Part of the race is the constant changing of countries- and time zones- leading to killer fatigue.  Not that I like seeing teams be overly emotional, but it shakes up teams to be moving around a lot, which we aren’t doing when every leg is within driving distance of the last one.

 

I hadn’t really noticed it until you guys pointed it out, but yeah we’re not getting many roadblocks this season!  Like time-zone hopping, roadblocks can help shake things up and push teams to be focused and calm; it’s usually after a few stress-filled roadblocks that we get the “C’mon BABE!” teams, those LA model/actor “newly dating couple” teams who knock themselves out after a complete mental breakdown.  And I like watching mactors break down and cry!

 

Brooke (of the wrestlers) is really whiny.  There's no crying in baseball, and no whining in TAR!  I can’t see them lasting; they’re very physically fit, but they psych themselves out so easily, get frustrated, and are consistently last coming out of challenges.  Someone above pointed out that they thought the burlap task was *hard*, didn’t know to hammer in a nail sideways (how is this possible?!?!), and were only even there because they got lost.  That’s just… pathetic.  I remain confused in every episode at teams that are falling behind and don’t figure out to look at how others are completing the tasks so much faster.  I can’t imagine not laughing if I was in that room when the wrestlers were trying to bend the nail against the table.  If they didn’t panic so easily, then they’d realize that if two big strong wrestlers are struggling to bend a nail against a table, maybe- just maybe- consider you’re doing it wrong.  You've seen people who weigh 100 pounds when soaking wet just blow past you, it's probably not a question of brute physical strength. 

 

Time and again, season after season, it seems to be the easiest way to spot cannon fodder; they freak out easily and then somehow come up with the most creatively dumb and inefficient ways to solve what’s actually a simple challenge.  Wasn't it the scientists who this very week were struggling to cut the peat, then realized "It can't be this hard" and switched up their style.  Why... why is that so uncommon among racers?!

 

I liked the design of the challenges.  The Torch one looked so much easier though, yet it seems the teams were finishing the Peat challenge a little faster; was it mostly the additional drive time to get to the Torch one?  Someone above mentioned a 15-mile drive.  Also, the torch one was called “Up Helly Aa”, which I’d originally heard of from AMC’s “Halt and Catch Fire”. And now I belatedly know what that meant…

 

I think the firefighters handled the ankle injury fairly gracefully, with a relative lack of drama or carping or blame-throwing.  I can’t be the only one who compared them far more favorably to say Dave from his seasons.  I liked that they roared with the Vikings loudly and with gusto…. might as well have fun on this race!  They deserved to go though; who doesn’t double check directions, especially on a 29 mile trip to the Pit Stop?  At one point didn’t they walk past a crowd of people on the sidewalk, possibly near the museum, to go into the pub… where I guess they were told where the nearest silver (?) mine was?

 

Tim & Te Jay are not very good racers; they hemorrhage time getting between tasks.  It was hilarious, but wasteful, that they took all that time to make a barrier out of clothing.  I mean, it’s not the *worst* idea, just… you know… not a very good one when you have sheep that can apparently jump 6 feet in the air.

 

I’m starting to like Kym And Alli (the cyclists?) and Amy & Maya (the scientists).  The authentic nerdliness of the scientists is winning me over; I think I still have PTSD from the “nuclear scientist” J’Tia from the last season of Survivor, so it’s nice to see apparently actual, adorkable scientists.  I agree with Alapaki: it was odd that they were lost at some remote church then- boom, Pit Stop!  I guess they lost a couple of spots in the standings, but them's the editing breaks I suppose.  I loved that Kym and Ally decided to have fun in their 6 hour layover, because you so rarely see that happen, but… does the race prohibit them from drinking while not part of a challenge or something?  I thought it was around 1:00am or so, and that pub seemed to have people and noise inside… yet they only seemed to dance outside a happening pub, but not go inside, almost like they couldn't or something.  Maybe the pub didn't want cameras inside?

 

I don’t hate Jim & Misti.  That could change, but while competitive they haven’t been dicks to anyone (unlike, say Lisa & Michelle), and are racing very well.  Simple, clean execution of each task, no biggie.  I'm old school, so while I enjoy my charming teams, it's pure racing competence without being a dick about it that wins me over.  The great Beauty Queens were my all-time favorite team for that reason, and I wish they'd won: smart, competent, and they had the best way of de-escalating their own arguments.  Jim does seem like he could 180 my opinion in a single episode, though, so I'm tentative on this. :)

 

Adam & Bethany are frighteningly fit, as they continue to show every episode.  Strong competitiors, freakishly so- watching Bethany try to help by one-arm lifting and balancing those peat slices on her forearm!  They’re balanced in skills, they race without carping, they are decent people who are very much in love and communicate well... so I think they will go very far barring some bad taxi/directions/roadblock luck.  Plus, they have that one Express Pass if they should hit a game-ending Roadblock/challenge, so…

 

Donny Ketchum: Nice guys (the Firefighters), 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

 

 

Let's be honest Donny.  Nothing was getting slimmer about those guys.  :)

[cooksdelight]

SEE-ment. It's a southern thang. :)

[Camera One]

Wasn't it the scientists who this very week were struggling to cut the peat, then realized "It can't be this hard" and switched up their style.  Why... why is that so uncommon among racers?!

 

I think that's actually pretty common.  On the Race, they're often doing things they have never done before and will never do again.  There is no doubt that all teams are adjusting and learning how to use new tools and using trial and error to get through tasks, but they don't show every team making these little discoveries, and we only see the teams who end up stuck in a rut, sometimes because of the time pressure/stress, the circumstances, prior misconceptions, fatigue and the inability to think clearly at that specific point in time.  

Edited October 11, 2014 by Camera One

[elizacat]

I'm glad the firefighters went home just because that ankle looked rough & I think he could've ended up hurting himself more if he'd continued. I sprained my ankle once & it looked a lot worse than his so my odd thought process wondered if his was fractured instead of sprained. My oh so kind doctor told me I would've been better off breaking my ankle because it would heal better. Thanks. I hope fightfighter dude is ok. I did love their enthusiasm while yelling with the Vikings.

The springing sheep make me giggle like a little girl. I love the editors putting in the "boing" sound the first few times they popped up. T&T's clothes barrier was funny too. I can't believe they thought it would work, but I was glad they didn't freak out that it didn't.

Adam & Bethany are just so pleasant. They seem to be enjoying themselves & her attitude impresses me to the point that I'm a little bit in awe of her. Contrast that with the dentists & it's ridiculous. He seems determined to prove how much of an arrogant ass he is with each interview. We get it, you have an ego equal to the whiteness of your teeth. There's no need to tell us how awesome you are repetitively.

Speaking of annoyances lady wrestler is so defeatist I can't believe she doesn't just forfeit every match she's in. She seems to believe something is going to go wrong all the time. If I didn't love Eeyore so much I would nickname her that, but I'm not doing that to poor Eeyore.

This episode was simply beautiful. It made me wish I was able to travel. Maybe someday. The scenery was stunning. This is why I watch The Amazing Race even if I don't like the teams. Fortunately the season most of the teams (so far) are pretty decent. Win/win.

I had a similar thing very bad sprain while out bush walking (Australia) had to walk for about an hour on it back to the farmhouse by that time it was literally black and huge! Was on crutches for sometime with that one and its never be the same since doesn't take much to sprain it ever since.

[Lingo]

I know it's doing more poorly in the ratings, but I'm enjoying the switch to Fridays, because I can watch the episode on the website after midnight (I don't watch it live) and then immediately take another hour to watch the bonus clips without worrying about having to get up early the next morning. And due to the clips, I'm enjoying the season so much more than normal.

This week's clips were especially delightful. It's a shame they didn't have time to show more of the Puffin Man at the pit stop, because he was consistently cracking Phil up and it's pretty funny. Bethany was all, "Phil's crying!" You also get to see some teams' reaction to being told that they "get to" (had to) camp out on the beach overnight. My favorite clip shows all the teams on the beach, trying to assemble their tents in the wind and discovering they had to cook their own food over a campfire. Of course some teams (Adam and Bethany) were really into it while others (Tim and TeJay) hated it.

I'm still enjoying almost all the teams. I even don't personally mind the Dentists. Yes, it's annoying that Jim is obsessed with being first, but unlike so many other odious dominant teams from previous seasons, they are so far unfailingly polite with the other teams and with each other. And they are not shit-talking the other teams behind their backs either. Jim is super-confident but so far that hasn't translated to bad behavior. He's not yelling at Misty (yet), and Misty, while a little quiet, is also tackling every challenge with enthusiasm and cheerfulness. So I just can't hate them yet.

That being said, I still kind of resent the fact that they were cast, because a team like this who comes out and says they will dominate the race usually does, unfortunately, and it's just so BORING to watch a team like this dominate the race. Especially a team like these two who, while not rude, are still pretty boring to begin with. So I'm still rooting for their elimination.

But my biggest ire is saved for Keith and Whitney, who besides being unrelentingly generic (WHY were they cast???) are also constantly bickering. I guess it wasn't so bad in this episode, since none of you are complaining about them, but they get so many long bonus clips, and almost all of them are about how they're constantly sniping with each other (like we saw on the beach in episode 1). It's apparently so bad that Phil has taken to incredulously quizzing the other teams about K&W's drama at every pitstop. So I want those two to be gone immediately. Unfortunately they're just the sort of bland, just-athletic-enough just-smart-enough generic bickering couple that makes it to the end of almost every race!

All in all, though, a great episode.

[Brookside]

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.

Bouncy lambs playing "king of the castle" should be filler for every reality show always and for ever.  And forever.  Always.

[Starla]

Lady dentist reminds me of Sarah Newlin from True Blood. Thank you Jesus!

[scrb]

This episode makes me want to visit Scotland, though the Shetland Islands are pretty far from Edinburgh.

[msburg]

Lady dentist reminds me of Sarah Newlin from True Blood. Thank you Jesus!

And Jim the dentist reminds me of Joe Piscopo from some (REALLY) old school SNL skit.  Like, so old school it was before this 40-ish person was allowed to stay up that late to watch SNL on network TV... the good old days of three channels.  Wasn't there some skit with a manic, bodybuilder type?

Edited October 12, 2014 by msburg

[etagloh]

 

it seemed like one minute they were walking through the Church, and the next time we saw them they were hitting the Mat.

 

Yeah, that was another bit of the chippy, clipped editing that's been prevalent this season. I don't even know why they went back to the castle when they were directed there, given that it was where they'd got the clue toward the start of the leg. Perhaps they found out the right location in a way that TPTB didn't really want to show.

 

 

The chalk board outside the pub said "Open til 2:30" but it didn't appear that there was much activity in the place (even though there were some lights on inside), and the cyclists were filmed on the pavement outside.

 

It's a little club/bar and clubs have always had longer hours (usually in exchange for cover charges). My guess is that it was either near closing time or there was mutual agreement that they shouldn't go inside because the only drinking / bar-related things on TAR are mandated. Still, there are far grimmer nightclubs in the vicinity, so they chose wisely.

[jjj]

And Jim the dentist reminds me of Joe Piscopo from some (REALLY) old school SNL skit.

 

Yes, msburg, that is who he reminds me of!  Not even a particular sketch, but Piscopo for sure!

[MyAimIsTrue]

And Jim the dentist reminds me of Joe Piscopo from some (REALLY) old school SNL skit.  Like, so old school it was before this 40-ish person was allowed to stay up that late to watch SNL on network TV... the good old days of three channels.  Wasn't there some skit with a manic, bodybuilder type?

 

Piscopo (great comparison, by the way!) wasn't in it but there was an SNL skit featuring the characters of Hans and Franz and the tag line was "we're gonna pump... you up."