S25.E04: Thinly Sliced Anchovies

[Donny Ketchum]

WTF a non elimination leg this early. That's way too early to have one now.

We've had early ones before.  Fourth-leg NELs have happened in TAR6 (saved Don & Mary Jean) ,TAR16 (saved Jordan & Jeff), TAR19 (saved Liz & Marie), TAR20 (saved Bopper & Mark), and TAR24 (saved Brendon & Rachel).  TAR18 also had a TBC there (saved Kent & Vyxsin), as did TAR23 (saved Nicky & Kim).  TAR17 had one on the third leg (saved Michael & Kevin), and TAR9 had a TBC there (saved Dave & Lori), as did TAR22 (saved Chuck & Wynona).  And TAR15 had one on the first leg (saved Maria & Tiffany), as well as TAR19 (saved Bill & Cathi).  TAR18 had a TBC on that very leg, too (saved Jet & Cord).  So early NELs and TBCs aren't unheard of.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Donny Ketchum

[ghoulina]

Speaking of this being a roadblock episode... WHY did Bethany not do a non-physical task and leave a possible more challenging one ahead for her husband?

 

I immediately thought the exact same thing. Maybe she just has a really, really horrible memory?

[cooksdelight]

ghoulina, maybe I'm old school, but I'd make up rhymes based on the first letter... the Roy G Biv way of remembering the spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... the way the one guy was sing-songing it.

[etagloh]

 

Adam's memory problems at the Roadblock (Bethany, that was one you could've done easily)

 

What we saw was a discussion about memory that ended up with Adam taking the task. I suppose that if it were more of a serve-the-dishes task then Bethany might have been at a disadvantage, and that factored in (since they don't know the task specifics until one team member takes it) but given the shonky RB provision so far, perhaps they feel like they can take the risk.

[hoosier80]

I felt so humiliated for the dufus who asked "is Sweden a different country?".  You would think the contestants would at least crack open an atlas, look online, peruse a few regions of the world before going on the show.  And the dentists didn't know the capitals of the three countries?  Those are not difficult capitals or that offbeat to know.  

 

Mr. Dentist is wound really tight.  I'd hate to go see him as a patient.  You haven't flossed????  You have a cavity!!

 

He looked like he was glaring in the doorway.  Yet, he didn't yell at all or blame his partner, so kudos.  For a team as supposedly attuned to detail as he says they are - they sure missed a lot of details.  Now, I get that they're tired, but the other teams are just as tired and frustrated.  Riding with the cake, if anything you protect that cake above all else, make sure you've got all the flags.  Hell, I would have taken extra flags and icing.

 

The mom and daughter are going to implode.  Not telling someone who's driving DURING A RACE, oh I think that's our pitstop over there, is complete BS.  Especially, you're driving at night in a foreign place, for big prize money.  Mom is talking all about teamwork, yet she displayed a total lack of it herself.  

[cooksdelight]

I get the impression Daughter wanted to do the Race and Mom was dragged along. Because she's certainly not in the spirit of doing everything to help them win, in my opinion.

[ghoulina]

ghoulina, maybe I'm old school, but I'd make up rhymes based on the first letter... the Roy G Biv way of remembering the spectrum of red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet... the way the one guy was sing-songing it.

 

I'd be on the "old school" bus with you then. I would totally have had to make up something like that to get out of there alive. Because my memory is awful. I think the numbers probably would have tripped me up more. Maybe I'd do what I do when I'm teaching the kids our phone numbers - I just put them to a random tune.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ghoulina

[Shadow Wave]

I'll actually speak up for the ghastly dentist. I thought he looked stressed and unhappy outside of Ida Davidsen's-- I would have been after the day they had -- but he hasn't shown any sign of blowing up at Misti yet. I think he's hyper-competitive but that doesn't always translate to being a bad sport. Not saying I like him, but part of the fun of the race is getting to know different personalities, who don't always conform to our first impressions.

 

Very fun episode -- Maya turning around when she knew she didn't have the orders right was a masterpiece of comic timing.

[Rick Kitchen]

I immediately thought the exact same thing. Maybe she just has a really, really horrible memory?

 

Maybe they were worried about her trying to carry too many plates.

 

The wrestlers are doofuses, but at least the guy is funny and having a good time.

 

The cafe customer who told Nici her order was wrong was just *wrong*.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Rick Kitchen

[cooksdelight]

Yes, the wrestler guy of the duo is hilarious as hell.

[etagloh]

 

I felt so humiliated for the dufus who asked "is Sweden a different country?"

 

I'm going to be generous, because the idea of being able to drive from one country to another over a big long bridge (the Øresund Bridge is five miles long) without border controls, where the only indication you're entering a different country is a little blue sign, is likely to be weird for an American with little travel experience. You might know that Sweden is a different country, but you can just drive there? And the race before then had taken place on islands.

[Sharpie66]

I have to give big props to the Bike Girl who thought to grab an icing bag on their way out the door, because that was brilliant thinking on the fly.

[cooksdelight]

As someone who's decorated wedding cakes years ago, I would always take extra piping bags with me, just in case I needed to do a repair. Brilliant thinking on her part.

[Mystery]

 

The mom and daughter are going to implode.  Not telling someone who's driving DURING A RACE, oh I think that's our pitstop over there, is complete BS.

 

Sing it. I thought while I was watching that the mother had reached Weaveresque heights of dysfunction, but then I thought again: even the Weavers were only horrible to people outside the family, not to each other. And the smirk on her face when her daughter protested at the mat--HORRIBLE. She raised her daughter. The time to teach her how to act was the whole rest of her life, not on the race. 

Edited October 18, 2014 by Mystery

[bunnyface]

I fully and freely admit I am projecting here, but that mother daughter team?  Oy vey.

 

I have little to no doubt (again, projecting) that the mother is like that all the time and the daughter can never win.  First, the daughter did make a mistake with the directions.  She said she made a mistake, so they switched.  Yeah, she was edgy and a bit disrespectful, but I think she knew what was coming.  Then the mother completely shut down and refused to communicate.  And it was still somehow all the daughter's fault.  I think the daughter is falling apart because she knows she is never, ever going to win her mother's whole approval.

 

My life and welcome to it.

 

I don't dislike the dentists as much as I thought I would.  They were served a big ol' slice of humble pie on this leg and they admit it.  There was no screaming, no blaming, no shutting down (mom!).  Yeah, he glowered until a hole bored through the back of her skull but they still kept it together and finished.  That's better than we get sometimes from people who finish first. 

[ottoDbusdriver]

Highlights:

Phil and the dogs. "it's mating season!"

Amy giving Phil the eyebrow.

Kym and Alli rocking the leg and just looking to be having an outstanding time

Great detour of attention to detail vs. strength/navigation

The great censor of one of the T/T's saying "I'm a server, I better not fuck this up!"

Everyone wanting to eat all of the food in the challenges

Ida whatshername who runs the restaurant - she was awesome

 

@TheRabbi -- you forgot one highlight.  The hostess at the restaurant receiving the wedding cakes -- damn, she was all kinds of hawt.

[Charlesman]

Shelley, just because you don't raise your voice in an argument doesn't mean you win it.

 

 

Mrs. Dentist, I gotta say, impressed me with how she handled the sandwich fiasco. Didn't cry, didn't blame anyone else, kept trying her best, didn't complain when cheering for another team messed up her turn, didn't throw a fit, didn't break down... sure, she took forever to Read The Damn Clue, but, she was positively delightful in every other aspect of the challenge. Now, if Mr. Dentist is actually sufficiently humbled and truly knocked down a few pegs, and maybe if he can unclench his anus enough to get the ginormous stick out of it, I might not entirely and completely hate that team anymore.

[kili]

The Cyclist did have a good strategy of riding with the cake in two pieces and putting it back together when they reached their destination.

 

That is exactly how our local Danish bakery delivers that type of cake (transported in two pieces and then re-assembled). It is called a Kransekage.

 

I did not think the male dentist was looking supportive. I thought his head was about to explode. We were so close to them losing their save. Drat! That means they'll have to be last at least three times before we are done with them (this time, the save time and a final time).

 

Speaking of explosions, the daughter was right to be annoyed with the Mom. That was totally passive-aggressive. Finish the race and then discuss what you don't like. Choose your moments.

 

Lots of dogs lately. Were there dogs in the first two legs? Might the dogs be the thing people have to remember in the finale? This one had Great Danes and the previous one had border collies and some kind of hound (Scottish deerhound?)

[millennium]

I understand the mom wanting to teach the daughter a lesson, but come on! You don't pass by Phil on the mat just to prove a point.

 

I don't know.   Once upon a time I would have said, "you don't stop to pee when you're 100 yards away from winning The Amazing Race," but if I remember correctly that actually happened.

My husband and I had a disagreement, because I thought the Maitre D checking the cakes was hot but he thought the greeter was hotter. But I mean, it's Denmark. They're all pretty, heh.

 

The greeter.

[Subrookie]

TPTB just had a chance to have one of the most memorable moments in TAR history by taking the Save from a team facing elimination in a NEL leg, waiting a second, telling them they are not going to be eliminated, then saying they didn't have to use it and they didn't do that?! WTF! No wonder this show has ended up on Friday.

[GinevradiBenci]

I would so much rather deal with a super-competitive partner than a passive-aggressive saboteur. The dentists are not people I'd have a lot to talk about with, but so far they seem to be supportive and the arc constructed for them - dominant team gets knocked down a peg - doesn't mean that they're like some of the other creepy abusive-seeming teams of the past. But the mom and daughter...dear lord, that's some deeply rooted family dysfunction out in the open.

[stanleyk]

I did not think the male dentist was looking supportive. I thought his head was about to explode.

 

 

Yeah, I didn't get supportive from him. They're not the WORST we've seen, but I'm not ready to give him a pass. First, I took umbrage at his statement that he "let" Misti do the roadblock. Just in case anyone was in doubt that he is IN CHARGE. And his serial killer stare in the talking head when she was talking about his doorway glowering - I'm sorry, I mean "emotional support" - said to me that he totally blamed her for biffing the roadblock and she knew it. I just dislike their dynamic - he seems like the kind of guy who can't let anyone else even appear to make a decision or be in charge because that would challenge his idea of his masculinity, and she seems to cater to that idea.

 

I was disappointed the Save didn't have to get used, but the silver lining is that it's no longer an opportunity for Jim to blame Misti for coming in last in an elimination leg and having to use the Save. I just envision a talking head of her apologizing for "disappointing" him and him insincerely saying it's okay while staring sociopathic daggers.

 

In any event, definitely a fun leg. I can maybe get on board with the Bikers, and am happy the Scientists and Surfers were safe. I hope the Scientists can get their navigation in line, though, because I was concerned about their unexplained drop to fourth from second after leaving the Roadblock. And I'll breathe a sigh of relief when the Mother/Daughter are out. That is just uncomfortable to watch, regardless of who was right (correct answer: neither was right).

I thought that the two-sided vase, especially when one side was hidden, was really not fair. I assume some teams passed just because the vase happened to be turned the right way to start with. And didn't Ty see another team turn it, and that's what clued him in? Cheating!

 

I'm not sure this is right. I think I recall a shot of either of the Ts noticing the difference in the sides of the vase and turning it, and Adam and Bethany (the other team doing that parklet) also explained that they noticed the difference. So I don't think the teams who got it were clued in, or that it happened randomly (though that certainly seems possible).

Edited October 18, 2014 by stanleyk

[GaT]

Wow, the 7 or 8 petal vase was really tough, I'm surprised that anybody actually caught it, & the cyclists were really smart to take the icing with them & put the cake together at the restaurant. They were also really lucky when they found the receipt.

 

Shelley was wrong for not telling Nici that she seen Phil standing there. I would've been pissed off too if she just sat in the backseat with an attitude saying she didn't say anything because she wasn't driving. It would take every last breath in me not to reach back there and knock her out if I was Nici. If you're not driving you need to be the lookout and have your eyes open.

 

 

She was just so smug about it too, I would have just killed her. Doesn't she realize she loses if Nici loses? I have a feeling that would have made her happy though, she could have held that over Nici's head for the rest of her life. 

 

I wasn't watching the time, so when Phil suddenly said it was a NEL, it totally caught me by surprise. I also don't understand how the save works. Jim handed it over because they thought they were last, right? I thought it "saved" you from doing a task so you could get to the pit stop before other people. I thought you had to use it during the race, not after you came in last. So does this mean that as long as the dentists have it they don't have to worry about coming in last?

[Donny Ketchum]

So does this mean that as long as the dentists have it they don't have to worry about coming in last?

For one leg only, yes.  They just give it to Phil when they think it's an elimination leg and keep on racing on the next leg.  Once it's given up, though, the next time they finish last, they'll be out.

 

But since it was an NEL this time, they got to keep the Save.  Unfortunately.

[Netfoot]

Kym & Alli aced that economy drive.  They did six times better than the next best team!  I was worried when they took the icing bag, and again when Kym (wasn't it?) seemed to flounder initially with the sandwiches.  Well done, ladies!  So glad to see them running at the head of the pack!

 

Jim & Misti are good racers and seem to be good people, but Jim continues to give me the willies.  While waiting for Misti to finish with the sandwiches, I thought his eyeballs were going to pop out of his head and roll down his cheeks.  Surely that degree of goldfish-face is unnatural?  I'm somewhat annoyed that the extremely powerful Save was returned to this team to use again another day.  Hopefully, this close call will instil some humility.  I agree that the 30-sec. bragging flashback was superb.

 

Speaking of sandwiches... Yum!  If I lived nearby, I'd gradually work my way through the entire list!

 

Shelly and Nici need to go home.  You don't sabotage your own team while running The Amazing Race, to win points over your own daughter.  And you don't freak out and back-chat Phil on the mat because your mom (who you presumably know well, by now) decides to show her asshole quotient.  Of all remaining teams, these two are the team that least deserves to be on the race.  Time for them to go.

 

While I remember, let me just say that two-faced flower pot was deliciously evil.  Someone deserves a bonus for thinking that one up!

 

The dogs were beautiful, as were the Maitre D' and the greeter, in a totally different way.   Also, nice to see Phil putting in an appearance as teams race past.  It's something I liked in earlier legs, but didn't see last week, and I'm glad it's back.

[Richness]

I wanted to root for the Mother/Daughter Flight Attendants in the beginning, but the hysterical shrieking when in last place and bitchy attitudes toward each other tonight have officially placed them as the most hated team. The taxi and mat scenes were so awkward and difficult to watch. It's right up there with the abusive husband/boyfriend and wife/girlfriend teams.

 

Glad to see the dentists humbled, especially him, but I hate that they were able to save their Save due to NEL. Arg! However, I have to give them credit for being relatively supportive of each other. However, his creepy death stares continue to scare me.

 

Not sure what was up with the Master Thespian wrestler's overly dramatic reading of the menu, but it wasn't nearly as charming as the female dentist's song and dance method. In fact, he sort of creeped me out. I'm disliking the wrestlers more and more. However, that Roadblock would have killed me, as I'm lucky to remember my own name sometimes. Forget about 4 different deli sandwiches and their ingredients.

 

My love for the cyclists continues to grow. From begging for donuts to deli sandwiches, they were such charming moochers on this leg. Good job, ladies! Glad they won some echo friendly cars, but I hope they don't have a car curse visit them. I too was worried about the camera focusing on the icing bag.

 

Some random thoughts: Again, leave the eyebrow popping to the professional. That would be Phil, even if he was impressed by it. T&T made up for the "What's a quarry?" whiff last episode by knowing the capitals. However, they lost points for their horrid take two spaces car parking. Team Nashville weren't too sickeningly cute with their display of affection, so I'll overlook it this once. Beautiful dogs added to the amazing menagerie. However, I alternated between fearing them and fearing FOR them when racers arrived. Most of the racers seemed to mug the judges tonight, and I hate it when they do that. Leave them and the greeters alone please.

[Turtle]

Offering the save should expire the save; "No take-backs" is the official term, I believe. That annoyed me. 

 

That mom was really a passive aggressive asshole this leg. I totally get why the daughter was reduced to acting like a toddler at the mat. It's hard enough to deal with someone like that in daily life, much less on a stress-filled race around the world.

 

 

Yes.  I think the only people you'll find who side with Shelley on this issue are a) my mother, and b) maybe a few of your mothers.  Shelley was totally unfair and a little bit cruel in this leg.  She always has to be right, gives her daughter no credit, and then tries to humiliate her daughter when she responds to the mistreatment.  Narcissistic much?  I felt so bad for Nici during that whole exchange, especially because it was obvious that she's been dealing with this her entire life.  Yes, Nici could have responded differently, but her mom was being such a raging bitch that I completely understand why she flipped out.  And that's the hallmark of the narcissist: they poke and prod and wear you down, and then when you finally respond, they make *you* look like the crazy one.  

 

I don't like the dentists as people, but they are doing a great job on the race.  For people as cocky as they are, they took sliding in to last pretty well (the save probably helped).  And they don't lash out at each other when something goes wrong; they just keep trying to work through it.  So while they may not be likable, I think they might be good racers.

 

ETA: Lest it's misconstrued, my comment that only crazy mothers would side with Shelley is hyperbole.  I'm sure that there are many different opinions on the subject.  

Edited October 18, 2014 by Turtle

[waving feather]

Jim's looks scare me too and he may be too intense but I can't bring myself to hate him because he's at least self aware enough to eat the humble pie at the end instead of blaming something or someone. I think his expressionless face at the RB is because his ego was knocked down a few and him being hard on himself. That's what usually happens to super competitive people who are not used to losing. Misti seems lovely though.

[shok]

They're great and they're Danes. And yes, they are Big Dogs.

 

I keep an eye on the website of the Service Dog Project in Ipswich, MA. They breed and raise and train Great Danes to assist with mobility issues for wounded vets and people who have things like Parkinsons and MS and other neurological issues. They really are goofy lovable dogs with terrific personalities and are highly intelligent.

 

 

Drat! That means they'll have to be last at least three times before we are done with them (this time, the save time and a final time).

 

Yikes, you're right. That really seems like an unfair advantage.

[jjj]

ITA that like the Immunity Idol in Survivor, part of the game should be the dicey decision about whether to hand over the advantage or not. This is just win-win, no suspense!

Seeing Phil manifest out in the Race is like seeing a wrinkle in time.

[hincandenza]

Another solid leg, and entertaining TV.  A lot of people have covered the key points, including the great list of highlights- love the eyebrow exchange, and yes that cake maitre'd was foxy!  Well designed challenges too; we saw a lot of movement in the rankings, including the previous top 2 teams round out the bottom.

 

Absolute hatred for "Mom".  No, no, no; if she was the husband (like Jim) in a couple acting like that, we'd tear her to shreds and rightly so.  Her behavior was childish, passive-aggressive, and self-destructive, and she's the parent of the woman she's racing with! She in particular has been an awful, whiny mess from episode 1, so to hell with her and her self-important smugness.  She's a painfully stupid human being, and a rotten, mean one as well.  Sorry, Nici, but your mom is dead weight and you won't win this race with an evil shrew like that.  Sorry you had to grow up with her, too.  What a nightmare woman.

 

Still mostly positive on Team Dentists. It is true, Jim has "psycho" eyes and a hyper-intense demeanor, but they continue to not carp at each other, to show respect and acknowledgment to the other racers, and are never impolite or rude to locals, greeters, or challenge hosts. So they had a bad leg- eh, they're still a good racing team overall, and haven't really done anything super unlikable.  I'm kind of torn on the Save: one school of thought says you burn it if you aren't sure, like U-Turns or HII on Survivor... but on the flip side, if any other team had come last this episode, they'd not have gone home either with or without the Save.  So I'm okay with the Save being, well, saved; they don't get three last places, just one "mulligan" for a single leg- which happened to not apply tonight, being a NEL.

 

Lastly, and not to be arrogant, but... why are these people always so dumb?  Or do these memory/detail/clue-reading tasks never seem as hard to me as the teams make them?  I said it last week about another challenge, but TAR teams rarely are able realize that when other people are whizzing by you on a challenge- such as the Parklet, or the sandwich orders- that maybe, just maybe, there isn't "some hidden part not shown in the picture", maybe it's not "impossible".  If teams that are consistently in the bottom 3-4 this early are blowing past you, then maybe take three deep breaths, re-read your clue slowly, and then think about what you might be missing.  The Dentists at least said "It's gotta be something small"... but somehow the same people who could call out the rotation of the pillows didn't start counting things in the picture, like those "Find the differences" puzzles.  And how do you guess sandwiches nine times, without thinking "Okay, I KNOW that's the friggin' ingredients, I've memorized them repeatedly, so what am I missing?" before re-reading the clue?  Stupid, stupid, stupid..

 

Same goes for the three capitol cities; kudos to T&T, but why these other teams didn't just guess first, THEN go get help if somehow they couldn't pick Oslo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen from a list?  Those are probably the only cities an average American would even be able to name in Scandinavia, that seems pretty easy.  Boom, 5 minutes saved.

 

It gets frustrating watching people flail about helplessly so often, or over-complicate simple tasks because they panic.

[Lingo]

Man, if you *really* want to be mad at Shelley (the mom) this leg, you can watch the bonus clips on the website.  She seemed just completely uncooperative and passive-aggressive from the very start of the leg, and what's worse, she insisted on stopping their race progress and finishing (i.e. winning) the argument before moving on.  And on the mat Phil tries very hard to have a counseling session, which Shelley seemed totally insincere about.  I get that Nici is maybe freaking out too much but you gotta meet her halfway.

 

It's a real shame because up to this point, she was perhaps my favorite racer. I just love her sense of humor.  Forgive me if this sounds dumb, but I felt like Wanda Sykes was on TAR.  I found it hilarious when at the Roadblock, Jim goes, "This is a nightmare!" and Shelley cracks up and is all, "Telllllll me about it!"  She was probably thinking, "Why are YOU worried, you've got the Save?!  If WE blow this task, we're out!"

 

And speaking of Jim and Misti, I just can't dislike them yet. I think it's really unfair to judge them on what we EXPECT them to be doing (arguing, him abusing her) based on prejudice and then accuse them of doing it "when the cameras are off."  Even after such a horrible leg, they've had almost nothing negative to say to each other*, which I have to admire because I'd be doing a lot worse, and we've seen many other teams (especially Shelley/Nici and Keith/Whitney) act much worse toward each other.  They're doing great!  It's true that they, especially Jim, could be more verbally supportive; they're not really openly encouraging and complimentary and lovey-dovey like Adam and Bethany are, for example.  But they're doing fine.  I do think that they're especially self-conscious on camera because their business depends on their reputations.  But I also think that they've been married so long that they know how to communicate and deal with stress effectively.  Jim was quiet at the RB, and in the pit stop interview, because he was beat down.  And anyone with eyes as bright and skin as dark as his is going to look like he's glaring all the time.  (But yeah, I do wish the Save had been burned. It's like a really dumbed-down Express Pass).

 

*If anything, the bonus clips show Misti scolding Jim a little for losing his concentration and getting lost on the way to Sweden, because he was so frustrated at having wasted $50 on a Denmark guidebook.  (They had to sell the guidebook in Sweden to a stranger in order to have enough money to pay the tolls for the road back to Denmark.  Just a poor leg all-around for the Dentists.)  But even then she's not really throwing blame, she's just getting him to focus on the here and now.

 

I'm happy the bikers got first place, but a large reason for that is because they got a 2-4 hour lead on the other teams on a flight that the Dentists somehow missed. (I would be surprised if that flight was actually full when the Dentists got their tickets, and then seats opened up in the intervening 12+ hours on the ferry.)  They're doing pretty well, but Kym's memory was not that great!

Edited October 18, 2014 by Lingo

[cooksdelight]

goldfish-face

YES! That's it! I was trying to figure out what animal he reminded me of, maybe one of those big-eyed tree dwellers in Survivor or whatever, but with his over-tanned skin and THOSE EYES! I won't be able to look at the goldfish at the pet store with a straight face, ever!

[mertensia]

I have terrible rote memorization skills. I would still be there trying to memorize what goes on which four sandwiches.

That geography test should have been harder. And no help from passersby.

[icol]

Up until the last three mat finishes (annoying Mom, surfer couple almost on the brink of getting eliminated, Dentists still having their Save), this was probably my favorite episode in a long time. But hey, I won't let that ruin the fun I had this episode.

 

First, love the changes in rankings/placements. Mostly a combination of letting them set a flight of their own and indeed challenging tasks. I like how the episode is dependent on "memory": knowing the details in that Detour, the orders in the Roadblock, even the Scandinavian capitals (props to the Ts for not asking help and being very excited when answering it). This is the type of challenges that I love in TAR (the memory ones) because they're on the same field in terms of opportunities. Also, got a hoot with Wrestler guy delivering the orders in an operatic way! I would put Ida's sandwich store in my bucket list because those sandwiches look really delish.

 

As for Jim and Misti, I really appreciate him not lashing out on her (at least on camera) so as not to make the viewers uncomfortable and not giving the TAR editors to repeat a clip over and over again. Jim obviously looks defeated and they probably fought over that after, but we were spared from it. Oh and am I the only one who felt icky when female dentist was holding the cake in the bike embracing it and just using her bare hands? Umm. As for Mom, OH MY GOD. I would have thrown a hissy fit there if I were in daughter's shoes. What was Mother thinking!?!? Her point apparently.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ugh, I hate parklets, not because I dislike social spaces in the city but because here in San Francisco, they have certain days where people take over parking spaces in downtown areas where parking is already a nightmare to create the parklets. In a city where you already can expect to circle the same few blocks for 40 minutes trying to find an empty metered space with a 2 hour time limit where a quarter only gets you seven minutes worth of parking, it really sucks when any of those spaces are taken up by people putting down an area rug and couches. Now in Berkeley and Oakland, they are putting in permanent parklets which means they take out 2-5 parking spaces in downtown areas to create these little parklets.

 

Things I loved about this episode include Adam realizing the flower pot mistake and Tim and Te Jay already knowing the Scandinavian capitals. I couldn't believe that most of the other teams had to ask people. When I was in middle school, we had a yearlong geography unit where we had to memorize the capitals of every country along with major bodies of water, rivers, mountain ranges, etc. For our final, we were each given a giant blank piece of paper where we had to draw a world map and label everything we could remember. To be honest, I don't remember every single thing we memorized that year, but I do remember most of the European capitals. I thought it was hilarious that Jim's immediate reaction was not to ask a local what the capitals were but to ask a local to google the capitals and then drag her and her phone back to the geography student. He later bragged that Misti is super smart and good at memorizing things during the restaurant task, so why did he think she couldn't memorize three capital cities and walk back to the geography student?

 

I was initially on the mom's side because she was driving and the daughter's job was to be the navigator. That means reading the map and giving directions. The driver's job is to drive and follow those directions. What little I saw before the shit hit the fan was the daughter being a terrible navigator. Do not tell the driver she should have turned left after she already passed the street. It drives me INSANE when people do that to me. It is YOUR job to tell her where she is supposed to turn. She isn't psychic and she doesn't have the map. She can only go where you tell her to go. She isn't going to just start turning willynilly in the hopes that she has guessed the right street. That's why it's the navigator's responsibility to give the driver directions.

 

Wait.... he gives Phil the Save..... and gets it back because it's a NEL. That sucks. I wanted Phil to pocket it, THEN tell them, "Hey, no prob, it's a NEL! You wasted it!! HAHAHAHA!!" and watch the glow-in-the-dark smiles fade.

When Phil handed it back, I was like nooooooooo! Once you hand it over, you lose it!

[ShadowSixx]

Shelley does seem like she doesn't want to be in the race, from the simple fact that she's been half assing things since the 1st leg. Digging in the dirt for the treasure chest, she's mostly giving Nici a hard time. I don't know if Nici asked friends or other family members to be her partner but they couldn't take off work or wasn't interested in doing it. 

 

I was initially on the mom's side because she was driving and the daughter's job was to be the navigator. That means reading the map and giving directions. The driver's job is to drive and follow those directions. What little I saw before the shit hit the fan was the daughter being a terrible navigator. Do not tell the driver she should have turned left after she already passed the street. It drives me INSANE when people do that to me. It is YOUR job to tell her where she is supposed to turn. She isn't psychic and she doesn't have the map. She can only go where you tell her to go. She isn't going to just start turning willynilly in the hopes that she has guessed the right street. That's why it's the navigator's responsibility to give the driver directions.

 

 

IDK at least Nici recognized her error and felt bad and told Shelley that they should have turned while Shelley on the other hand seen Phil and was like, "Oh I see a man over there," without a care in the world. Nici asked why didn't she say anything and Shelley is all, "I'm not driving, so,"  Shelley was being a rather atrocious shitty navigator and wasn't even trying. I will say for Nici that she was navigating and reading the map but just read it wrong like so many people have on the race throughout the seasons.

 

The people that leave first kind of kill me when they think they gonna maintain their lead. I think they should be confident if they're staying in the same country for another leg and have a good hour or two above other teams but the minute you read, "fly to the country of.....", "take a ferry to...", your lead is gone because someone is going to get the same flight as you most of the time unless you're the only one with the first flight and that flight doesn't get delayed.

Edited October 18, 2014 by ShadowSixx

[Caio Fernandes]

 

TPTB just had a chance to have one of the most memorable moments in TAR history by taking the Save from a team facing elimination in a NEL leg, waiting a second, telling them they are not going to be eliminated, then saying they didn't have to use it and they didn't do that?! WTF! No wonder this show has ended up on Friday.

I know right?! That kinda screwed the leg for me.. First it shouldnt be a NEL, NEL are suppose to be those easy ones, this however had a bit of everything: pick a good flight, deal with navegation, choose between two challenging detours, and a quite stressfull roadblock to do with other teams around. If the dentists are not getting a speed bump next leg (and a good one, not a stupid thing that can be done in 10 mins), them its really BS and unfair with the other teams, specially having the double U-turn comming, 

Just wonder how past seasons teams that won their first leg are feeling watching how easier TAR is making for the dentists. This seasons was supose to be more challenging, not to be full of free pass/saves.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Caio Fernandes

[Latverian Diplomat]

Jim scares me (does he blink?) he doesn't take out his frustration on his wife, which puts them on the less objectionable end of the villain scale.  

 

I'll actually speak up for the ghastly dentist. I thought he looked stressed and unhappy outside of Ida Davidsen's-- I would have been after the day they had -- but he hasn't shown any sign of blowing up at Misti yet. I think he's hyper-competitive but that doesn't always translate to being a bad sport. Not saying I like him, but part of the fun of the race is getting to know different personalities, who don't always conform to our first impressions.

 

 

I don't dislike the dentists as much as I thought I would.  They were served a big ol' slice of humble pie on this leg and they admit it.  There was no screaming, no blaming, no shutting down (mom!).  Yeah, he glowered until a hole bored through the back of her skull but they still kept it together and finished.  That's better than we get sometimes from people who finish first. 

At the mat, Jim seems to be more in an existential crisis mode than angry at Misti, so apparently he correctly and refreshingly feels at fault in equal measure for their poor performance. "My obvious perfection did not translate to victory? My world is upside down! What does anything mean after this?"

 

I feel that some people's dislike of the Save and/or the Dentists is affecting their perception of how that should have played out with the NEL. Yes, Jim drama-queened it up with the premature handover, but if the Save exists, it should be as straightforward and simple as possible. I do not want to see Phil have to give the equivalent of a "I didn't say Simon-says, neener-neener no take-backsies" speech to a team that's had a bad day. No thanks.

Edited October 18, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[stopeslite]

Phil came off a lot better in that bonus clip than he did on the show, thanks Lingo for pointing us to it. He did seem to realize in the extended clip that a lot of it is Shelley's fault. I was really happy to see Nici hug Phil at the end - on the show, it seemed what hurt her the most was Phil yelling at her. I can't imagine finally getting on the race, meeting Phil for real, and then having him chastise me, so I'm glad they "made up". Shelley, on the other hand... what's infuriating is that you know that even after watching themselves on tv, she'll think she was in the right and practicing "tough love" parenting and looking like a good mom. 

 

I still can't get over Brooke holding the cake up for the entire trip, when the floor of the bike was RIGHT THERE. I guess it's just... you get one idea in your mind of "must carry cake", and get stuck on that, and can't even see the other possibilities. Poor thing, though. That had to hurt.

[Primetimer]

The Amazing Racers head to Copenhagen to serve sandwiches and learn about energy efficiency; a team forces Phil to play Dr. Phil when they melt down on the mat.

Read the story

[Way Wes Jr]

Nooooo!  He gave it to you before you told them it was a non-elimination.  Take it, then rub it in their faces! Or just skip the Speed Bump.

 

Nooooo!

[needschocolate]

I am, begrudgingly, wiling to let Phil hand back the Save on an NEL, because the racers can't know when an NEL will pop up, but if Jim and Misti ever assume they are last on a regular leg, when there is really a team behind them, and they hand over the Save, Phil better not hand it back.  As others have said, there should be some strategy to using it. 

 

If this had not been an NEL, and they played the Save, would the surfers have to go home?  The Save is already such too much of an advantage, IMO - using it shouldn't send home a team that already checked in. 

 

I don't think Shelley is trying to lose and go home, if she were, she wouldn't have told Nici that she saw Phil. I think she is just a horrible person.

[Netfoot]

Another reason for Nici to freak out at the finish:  As her team run towards the mat, she drops her backpack, and promptly trips over it for a faceplant on (inter)national television.  After the horrible day she must have had in close proximity to the passive-agressive shrew that she must call mother, I can see that being a sort of "final feather" moment.

 

Quick query:  I see some people including info with quotes -- name, posting time, etc.  How???
 

You might want to watch the part where Phil gets humped, and Shelley and Nici's mat confrontation brings some pretty catastrophic drama, but the rest of this leg, especially the predictable first-place finish and the anticlimactic ending, is kind of a suspense-free yawner.

 

 

Totally disagree.

[cooksdelight]

If this had not been an NEL, and they played the Save, would the surfers have to go home? The Save is already such too much of an advantage, IMO - using it shouldn't send home a team that already checked in.

I don't think it would send another team home, just keep them from being eliminated. And I also agree that if they use it, not knowing there's another team behind them, they'd better have to kiss it goodbye once and for all. I'm hoping there's a written rule on the thing that says they must hand it over before Phil utters a word.

[justawatcher]

I wonder if the producers decided last minute to make it a NEL based on watching the mother-daughter implode. If it had been a regular elimination leg and the dentists had been forced to use their save, then were eliminated later and the mother-daughter stayed....well, which would be the team you would rather watch as a viewer and have on your show as a producer? Keep the Dentist, find a way to flame out the mother/daughter, and then carry on.

Of course, I also think there was a mutually agreed elimination for the firefighters last week. I think we'll see them pop back up on a reunion/all stars/unfinished business season for a do-over.

[hendersonrocks]

I think this episode was a window into a whole lot of history between mom & daughter. Mom's comments made it pretty clear that she felt daughter's behavior was an ongoing pattern/problem and that she is not going to keep enabling it, race be damned. That, to me, makes her decision to respond as she did more nuanced (and interesting).

From my vantage point as a viewer & frequent flier, I sure know which of them I'd rather have running the show on my plane in the case of an emergency. Hint: not the one that threw a shit fit when things didn't work out as they were supposed to.

[tominboston]

A few random thoughts...

 

I'm beginning to like Kym & Alli because they seem to be having fun, which is what I hope I would do if I ever ran the race.

 

I thought that the team that parked in the handicapped space would be penalized at the mat and was surprised when they weren't. So racers are allowed to leave their cars anywhere they want rather than having to park them legally?

 

Like a bunch of other folks here I assumed that once you handed the Save over to Phil it was like the immunity idols on Survivor... once you invoke it, it has been used, whether it turns out to have been needed or not.

 

I didn't catch the seven-versus-eight flowers trick on the vase until I read this board this morning, so I guess I'd still be trying to build my parklet.

 

Those sandwich recipes sounded a little, uh, odd. Just make mine a BLT.

[Netfoot]

From my vantage point as a viewer & frequent flier, I sure know which of them I'd rather have running the show on my plane in the case of an emergency.

 

Not the one going "I'd show you where the emergency exit was, but not until you lose that attitude!"

[hendersonrocks]

Well played. (But still, no.) My take on their panic levels over the season so far is that one of them, Shelley, handles stress by shutting it down and the other one, Nici, by ramping it up. If someone on a plane is flipping out, damn straight I want someone who will sit their ass down and keep the rest of us safe!

And to be fair....who knows how they actually are in real life and doing their jobs on a plane. It's all just spitballing.

Edited October 18, 2014 by hendersonrocks