S25.E05: Morocc' And Roll

[proserpina65]

 

Quote

When they kept showing an overhead shot of that Moroccan marketplace, I flashed back to Ab Fab hearing Saffron going "People keep taking things!"

Don't forget the "Pop-Specs"!  :)

 

"Who is Jesus these days?"

 

"Charles Dance"

[proserpina65]

Where this gets silly is at this point all four people are there.  Continuing to argue, whether Shelly’s “We were already here” or Keith’s “Back up”, is silly.  Shut up and get the clue before all of the other teams are there too.  Was Keith wrong to imply a threat?  Yes.  Was Shelly wrong to make this such a big thing?  Yes.

 

My thoughts exactly.  They were both in the wrong.  But there was no point in either them of continuing to argue about it instead of just getting their damned clues and getting on with the race.

[Guest]

That cracked me up too.  She very obviously spoke at best intermediate Spanish.  I am actually fluent in another language (German), and it took me years to get fluent.  I took one Spanish class for a few months years ago and I understood that entire conversation, which was obviously spoken in halting Spanish and with a poor accent.  No one learns to speak a language fluently in six months.  People who claim that are full of shit.  Now, I respect that a person can get a pretty good basis in six months if they are dedicated, and I also respect that after six months a person could be decent enough having a low information conversation (such as the one Nici had with the cab driver), but fluent?  Bullshit.  

 

I think if someone has full immersion in a language for 6 months, as in they're alone in a fully Spanish speaking country, they could come out with an awful lot of it.  But not at the Air Force Academy.  

[shura]

I was fine with Jim's comments about Maya, mostly because I know that if I was in a seriously foul-smelling place and someone else was like "Oh, this is such a wonderful experience, just enjoying the culture!", there is a strong chance that I would at least roll my eyes, if not make some snarky comment.  Sometimes, when you're in the middle of something unpleasant, the super-positive silver-lining people can be a little annoying.  I didn't think he was hateful about it, but just more like "COME on, it stinks out there!"

 

Same here. I wouldn't probably be annoyed by the cheerfulness, but I might find it amusing that someone would stop gagging for a moment to declare that she has found a silver lining. 

[Netfoot]

I mean as long as you are not last you can always U-turn someone else.

 

The thing is, with the U-Turn so close to the pitstop, it almost certainly means elimination.  If the U-Turn comes early in the episode, a team can hope to complete both sides of the Detour but make up for lost time with good navigational skills and/or a rapid execution of the next challenge(s).  With the U-Turn right before the roadblock, survival becomes virtually impossible. 

 

The U-Turn is simply a way for one team to "vote another team off the island."  And TAR is not Survivor.  Thank ghodd...

[Kel Varnsen]

The thing is, with the U-Turn so close to the pitstop, it almost certainly means elimination.  If the U-Turn comes early in the episode, a team can hope to complete both sides of the Detour but make up for lost time with good navigational skills and/or a rapid execution of the next challenge(s).  With the U-Turn right before the roadblock, survival becomes virtually impossible. 

 

The U-Turn is simply a way for one team to "vote another team off the island."  And TAR is not Survivor.  Thank ghodd...

But Keith and Whitney were last place and would have been eliminated anyways. If they weren't in last place, it was a double U turn and they could have U turned someone else and been saved. So sure someone would have been eliminated but in most cases the double U turn gives someone a fighting chance. 

[aradia22]

Hey guys, I know I'm getting to this super late. I usually watch online but I had it taped on the DVR and I wanted to catch it on a big screen after some of the gorgeous landscapes captured in previous episodes. Meh. I think I'll just stick to watching online.

 

Anyway, it's hard to complain about one team's behavior because they were all about the same. I think almost every team insulted the local vendors setting up the food carts except maybe the racing girls and the food scientists. Kudos to Whitney through for recognizing that her vendor probably helped them out more because he found her attractive.

 

I don't know how hard to be on Misti and Jim. On the one hand, he wants to be in control of everything like she's incompetent. On the other hand, she's not being very competent and she'll often act helpless or let him carry most of the weight. So... eh.

 

The tannery was a really nice location for the challenge. It was visually interesting and it gave the racers something to do that didn't fit into a traditional mold (e.g. find something, carry heavy things, solve a puzzle). Yay for Tim or Te Jay braking away from the pack to find #79. Boo for all the bunching up and pointless bickering. 

 

Misti does not read the clues!

 

Adam and Bethany are so great. I love that they practiced the tea pouring first. 

 

Woo for Kym and Alli persevering without any fighting or whining. 

 

I'm not broken-hearted that Keith and Whitney are gone.

 

Looks like we'll get interesting challenges next week as well. I'm kind of glad they got the English-speaking countries out of the way first.

[Netfoot]

But Keith and Whitney were last place and would have been eliminated anyways. If they weren't in last place, it was a double U turn and they could have U turned someone else and been saved. So sure someone would have been eliminated but in most cases the double U turn gives someone a fighting chance. 

 

Keith and Whitney may have been doomed, but the race setters didn't know that at the time they placed the U-Turn.  Any team in the pack might have gone, if they had been U-Turned instead of Keith and Whitney.  The chance of being U-Turned is greater, the closer you are to the back of the pack.  Team #1 obviously won't be picked because nobody is in front of them to pick them.  Team #1 and other early teams are more likely not to U-Turn because they feel secure in their front-running positions.  As you look at teams further back who are less sure of their survival, they are more likely to make that play.  And obviously, they are going to pick teams even further back than themselves.

 

When you place the U-Turn so close to the pitstop, you're practically guaranteeing that the U-turned team is eliminated.  Unless there is a team running very late, the U-Turned team won't have the chance to catch up from the delay.  U-Turning another team doesn't alter that fact.  It only makes it unclear which U-turned team is out.

[Guest]

I think they make it a double U-turn in hopes it'll be a contest at the end, not that it'll make the one losing team another hour behind.  Sometimes it doesn't work out, though.  

 

All it would've taken is for the first U-turning team to U-turn someone not in last, then that team would obviously U-turn someone behind them, and it wouldn't be a rout.  

[auntlada]

I think if someone has full immersion in a language for 6 months, as in they're alone in a fully Spanish speaking country, they could come out with an awful lot of it.  But not at the Air Force Academy.  

 

You can also do it if you're a child, particularly if you are immersed. My husband was placed in a French school (in France) when he was about 7. He said it was awful for about two months, and then everything clicked. Again, though, Nici wasn't 7 at the Air Force Academy.

[needschocolate]

Initially, I agreed with those who would like to see the u-turn or w-turn come earlier in the leg, but then I thought about how hardly anyone u-turns someone unless they are very near the end of the leg (or they have a vendetta against another team).  If the u-turns were earlier in the leg, there is a decent chance that they would never be used, because people wouldn't feel that they were in danger of being philiminated.  

 

I am more bothered that the u-turns seem to show up in legs after NELs.  Whichever team was saved by the NEL ends up having to do a speed bump before the u-turn, which makes it likely that they will be late enough to the u-turn that they will also be u-turned - double whammy. Since it was the dentists this time, it didn't bother me as much, but it usually seems like they are trying to fit too much into a leg - speed bumps and having a couple of teams do both detours.  

[Chyna]

I think if someone has full immersion in a language for 6 months, as in they're alone in a fully Spanish speaking country, they could come out with an awful lot of it.  But not at the Air Force Academy.

 

 

It's also possible that she she was once fluent but lost some of her fluency if she's not using it on a daily basis.

[North of Eden]

I know it was an accident but the dentist knocking that lady over with his backpack rubbed me the wrong way. And year the flight attendants should have made the dentists burn the save. Ratings st a series low...the end could be nigh sadly.

[Lamb18]

Second, I'm certain to the core of my being, that nobody placed people on the route, incognito, to assist Bethany or anyone else, to strap items to a bike, or do anything else, in this leg, or any other leg of this race, or any other race.  It would be impossible to do something like that and keep it secret.  And if (when!) it became known to the public, it would destroy the TAR franchise, and very likely result in civil suits galore, and probably criminal prosecution.  There's absolutely no reason for them to take such a huge risk to favour one particular contestant over another. There will be a winner no matter what, and they will have it all on tape and will make a season out of it.  They may hope Bethany does well, but they've had stunt-cast, pre-ordained favourites go out on leg#1 before. They've had completely colourless teams of hopelessly boring, talentless racers make the F3, and in one unmemorable occasion, actually win.  (Yes, I'm looking at your useless asses, Goat Farmers.)

 

Third, why would the fact that someone assisted Bethany mean that person must have been laid on specifically for that purpose?  Under the circumstances, wouldn't it be very likely that any random person in the vicinity would assist her?  Not because she's famous, or female, or blonde or has only one arm, but just because she was someone who could use a hand.

 

ETA:  O. M. G!  Could use a hand?  Did I actually say that? 

Also, Adam could have done the road block.  Coming into the leg TPTB wouldn't know which person was doing the roadblock, so they'd either have to have people in place in case it was Bethany or else scrounge around fast to find helpers once Bethany started the roadblock.  I think what really happened is that some kind-hearted men saw a one-armed woman struggling with strapping items onto a bike and they went over to help her.

[Bryce Lynch]

One annoying team out, three to go.  May Whitney never grace my tv again.  

 

I thought Jim insisting that the tannery didn't smell like a petting zoo, it smelled like SHIT, was offensive and 'ugly American'.  (And really how many things actually smell like SHIT besides SHIT?)

 

I'm loving the cyclists and the surfers.  I hope the scientists get some more airtime soon.

 

All the racers (except Maya) seemed to think the place smelled like "poop".  It was a tannery not a restaurant or a religious shrine.  There are stinky, smelly places in every nation, including in America.  Jim was no way insulting Morocco by saying the place smelled bad. 

 

If a Moroccan came to an American hog farm and said it smelled like crap, would he be an "ugly Moroccan" or just being honest?

[Bryce Lynch]

Mama pushing on Keith is just plain rude and aggressive IMO. Granted he should not have used a threat... could have simply said "please stop pushing me" but I definitely get why he would be pissed off about somebody pushing up on him like that. I hate when women get aggressive with men like that knowing that the man cannot respond in kind because he would then come off like an asshole. I don't get what the fuss was about anyway... just unnecessary.

Watching it again on DVR, it did seem like Whitney wasn't there when Shelley and Nici arrived.  Still, she shouldn't have pushed him.  The whole dispute was ridiculous, as whichever team was behind was going to get the clue about 2 seconds later.   The argument probably delayed both teams by 5 to 10 seconds, plus it might have gotten them a bit distracted as they read the clue and moved on to the next task.  Stupidity on both sides, IMHO. 

Jim mocking people who are enjoying the experience?  What a douche.

Maya might be my favorite racer this season, but I didn't have a problem with Jim mocking her sort of Polyanna like comment about the smell, in the talking head. 

 

They were both right.  It was part of their culture, but "culture" sometimes smells like s**t. :)

[kingshearte]

I have less trouble with the racers saying that the tannery smelled bad than the ones who complained that the food carts smelled bad. Every list of the world’s worst jobs I’ve ever read has placed tanner at the top, largely because of how awful it smells. This is a known fact about tanneries, albeit one I suspect that foreknowledge does not truly prepare you for just how bad it actually is. And as for Jim’s making fun of Maya for finding the good in it, don’t we all know people who can manage to find the silver lining in absolutely everything, and even if it’s usually endearing, doesn’t it occasionally make you roll your eyes a bit?

 

Complaining about the smell of a food cart, on the other hand? That was a lot more offensive to me. To say that someone’s food stinks is basically calling the food itself disgusting, and that I did not appreciate. Same with the wrestlers going on about the eggs. Wouldn’t it shock them to know that even in what I imagine they would consider the more “civilized” country of England, they don’t obsessively refrigerate eggs the way we do in North America. And the name of the place bit, in the cab? If one were feeling generous, one could choose to believe that they were making fun of their own inability to pronounce it, rather than the word/language itself, but even if that's true, you really need to be a bit more mindful of how things come across. The look on the cabbie's face pretty much said it all there.

 

I think Bethany is refusing to play the "I'm showing the world that amputees can be strong competitors" card, so production has to get Bethany is amazing quotes from other people. I do admire her attitude of jumping in to do the challenge.

You might be right about that. She has once or twice mentioned that something was difficult, but I can't remember her ever saying that she was trying to prove anything, or make any kind of braggy statements about her abilities. I actually thought the other teams' admiration was kind of nice, but on the other hand, I can see that she's awesome; you really don't have to tell me. But that said, it's no worse than any other team's particular gimmick that's been shoved down our throats for 25 seasons. It's just a part of the show that we have to put up with.

[fishcakes]

I feel the same about all of Keith/Whitney and Nici/Shelley, which is that I can't say I like any of them but overall they don't bother me. I thought Nici and Shelley behaved like children in this episode, although they might technically have been in the right, and I thought Keith overreacted to their overreaction. Whitney seemed to be the voice of reason while they were squabbling over who was first, but then she gave the TH where she said she couldn't even say the words she was thinking about Shelley and Nici out loud, which made me wonder exactly how bad those words could be and not coming to a conclusion that did Whitney any favors. I don't care that Keith and Whitney were philiminated and when it happens to Nici and Shelley, I won't care about that either.

 

As soon as the tannery task was announced, I thought about how bad it was going to smell, so I'm a little surprised that people are defending the honor of the odor or whatever. I'm pretty sure the Moroccans who work in the tannery know it stinks and aren't offended if people say so.

[awaken]

Wow, so impressed by Bethany!  I thought for sure when she started the roadblock and saw she'd have to scrape the goat skins, and load the pallets on the bike and ride through the city, they were setting it up as the one task she would not be able to do and they'd be out.  I was so happy to see that as usual, she rocked it, didn't complain, and just pushed through!  

 

Shelley or Nici (cannot tell which is mom or daughter!) looked like she was having a seizure when she was trying to twirl the hat tassel!  

 

Loved seeing the expressions of the players twirling the tassels!  that was hilarious!  I think they'd make a great GIF to watch over and over!  

 

Keith and Whitney being out just came out of nowhere!  It seems like the teams were clumped together for most of the episode so them leaving was a surprise.

[biakbiak]

I thought for sure when she started the roadblock and saw she'd have to scrape the goat skins, and load the pallets on the bike and ride through the city, they were setting it up as the one task she would not be able to do and they'd be out.

 

They have the express pass so if she discovered she couldn't do it they could have just skipped the task.

[Netfoot]

Wouldn’t it shock them to know that even in what I imagine they would consider the more “civilized” country of England, they don’t obsessively refrigerate eggs the way we do in North America.

 

Eggs here are not refrigerated in the supermarket.  When I get them home, I don't refrigerate them either, if I expect to use them within a few days.

Edited October 29, 2014 by GenL
Off topic

[Former Nun]

I found him a little dismissive and condescending towards Maya in the Bonus clip as well.  It's kinda weird why he felt he had to pick on her especially in the talking head after the leg.

 

 

Imagine how he speaks about his patients (most of them?) behind their backs.

[Former Nun]

Every list of the world’s worst jobs I’ve ever read has placed tanner at the top, largely because of how awful it smells. This is a known fact about tanneries, albeit one I suspect that foreknowledge does not truly prepare you for just how bad it actually is.

 

 

When her husband died in tragic circumstances in 1932, my grandmother went to work in a tannery when her five children were 7-15. She worked there until retirement age.  Before marriage and before The Great Depression she had been a proofreader at a newspaper.  Seeing this tannery made me respect her job more...oh, so much more.

[Bryce Lynch]

Eggs here are not refrigerated in the supermarket.  When I get them home, I don't refrigerate them either, if I expect to use them within a few days.

In all the supermarkets I shop in the eggs are refrigerated and I keep them in the refrigerator at home. 

[Bryce Lynch]

But don't you think the people who do these things think they are gross too?  Saying something smells bad or is disgusting isn't the same as degrading the people who have to work with it.  If anything, I think acknowledging the difficulty of someone's work (and I sure as hell couldn't do that--I would be gagging and puking rather easily) can show respect for the person.  That's not to say I'm giving any of the racers credit for some grand praise of the Moroccan tanners, just that I don't ascribe negative motives to their comments either.

 

(If anything, the most offensive comment to me would be from whoever said that this is why they prefer fake leather.  Unless I'm making that up...but I thought it heard it live at the challenge.  That's someone saying "Hey, I wouldn't even want to buy your stuff because I find it offensive to my sensibilities, so you're wasting your time with this disgusting work."  And I don't seriously think that's offensive either.)

 

 

I think it was more "Oh, come on, Maya."  I like Maya just fine, but if I were standing with her in a place that smelled awful, and everyone else was complaining about how it smelled (important, by the way, for TV, since we can't smell it ourselves), I would be calling BS on someone who was saying a bunch of flowery stuff about culture.  It's almost like she was playing up to the group of TAR viewers who love to look for the slightest sign of "Ugly American."

 

Well said.  I really like Maya, but in some ways her comment could be seen as a condescending version of the "ugly American".  Sort of like saying "Morocco smells, but it's their culture."  The fact was they were probably in one of the smelliest if not THE smelliest place in Morocco.  I'm sure the Moroccans hate the smell as well, though the workers there might have become somewhat used to it over the years.  I agree that she seemed to be going out of her way to not look like the "ugly American".  Being honest, courteous and tactful, would seem to be the best way to go. 

 

The other possibility is that she is blessed with a poor sense of smell.

[Bryce Lynch]

Sorry, merylinkid, but that's no excuse.  In fact, it makes it worse.  One of the words in this show's name is "amazing."  There's a reason for that.  You see all these amazing places, cultures, and peoples that you might never have seen otherwise.  Sure, it's race.  But I'd sure as hell try to enjoy it if I were on it, and I give Maya credit for taking the time to do so.  That Jim was that annoyed by someone enjoying the experience was off-putting.

In just about any nation there are amazing, beautiful places and stinky, ugly places.  Pretending that one of the stinky, ugly places is beautiful isn't a virtue IMHO.  Plus, several of the other racers commented on the stench and some either vomited or were gagging on the verge of vomiting. 

[Bryce Lynch]

Jim's calm exterior covering his seething interior seems to be cracking a bit over the last couple of episodes, but he is still pretty much keeping it together.  He really did show amazing patience with Misti, who two weeks in a row, caused them to hemorrhage time by not reading the lousy clues!  I like Misti a lot, but she was I believe she was the only one to neglect to give the sandwich numbers in that challenge and hold the tea tray with 2 hands.  Most spouses would have erupted after the second screw up, but Jim remained supportive of Misti. 

[peachmangosteen]

Misty does seem very lazy about reading clues, but I don't see how it's her fault only with the tea thing. Jim should've been reading that clue/paying attention to the demonstration, too, since it was a Detour.

[kingshearte]

Given that the editors gave us that lovely flashback to the "we're the best EVAR!" clip last week, I'm almost surprised there's been no callback to at least one occasion where Jim and/or Misti have touted their attention to detail, considering that attention to detail is the exact problem they've had for the last two weeks.

 

I do agree though, that while it was pretty much all on Misti last week, this week, they're both at fault.

[Guest]

All the racers (except Maya) seemed to think the place smelled like "poop".  It was a tannery not a restaurant or a religious shrine.  There are stinky, smelly places in every nation, including in America.  Jim was no way insulting Morocco by saying the place smelled bad. 

 

If a Moroccan came to an American hog farm and said it smelled like crap, would he be an "ugly Moroccan" or just being honest?

 

If they were hosted guests on my hog farm and being interviewed about it later on tv and sneered pretentiously that "It smelled like SHIT!", yes, that'd be ugly, also.  

[Maverick]

In all the supermarkets I shop in the eggs are refrigerated and I keep them in the refrigerator at home. 

 

 Eggs are processed differently in the US and England.  In the US, eggs are washed in high temperature water and chemical sanitizer, which destroys a protective layer and makes the eggs more susceptible to bacteria, including salmonella.  The USDA requires eggs to be refrigerated to reduce the growth/spread of bacteria.  In the UK, eggs are not allowed to be washed so the protective layer stays in tact and--probably more importantly--UK hens are vaccinated against salmonella and it has been virtually eradicated there.  Because of the reduced risk of bacteria, the eggs (and because the temperature changes from refrigerating them can actually promote bacteria growth) UK eggs aren't allowed to be refrigerated.  /Mr Wizard 

[merylinkid]

Moving this egg thing over to the Small Talk thread.

[Bryce Lynch]

Given that the editors gave us that lovely flashback to the "we're the best EVAR!" clip last week, I'm almost surprised there's been no callback to at least one occasion where Jim and/or Misti have touted their attention to detail, considering that attention to detail is the exact problem they've had for the last two weeks.

 

I do agree though, that while it was pretty much all on Misti last week, this week, they're both at fault.

Jim bears some responsibility for not reading the one hand instruction in the clue, but I still think it was mainly on Misti.  Jim did his job by pouring correctly.  It was her job to hold the tray properly.  That said, you'd think after the fiasco at the sandwich shop, after the first couple of times they were told they did the tea task incorrectly, and the problem was not obvious to them, they would have immediately and carefully reread the clue. 

[Bryce Lynch]

If they were hosted guests on my hog farm and being interviewed about it later on tv and sneered pretentiously that "It smelled like SHIT!", yes, that'd be ugly, also.  

Jim did not sneer "pretentiously", he sneered sincerely. :)  If anyone was being pretentious it was Maya.  If Maya hadn't downplayed the stench and praised it as "culture", I doubt Jim would have commented at all.  Maya was going out of her way to be overly tactful and Jim was blunt.  I didn't have a problem with either of their comments

 

If there is ever an AR task where the racers have to clean out my septic tank and one of them says it smells like "s..t", I will certainly not be offended. 

Edited October 31, 2014 by Bryce Lynch

[shura]

"Hi, this is Sandy from Tri-State Septic. We have thoroughly enjoyed your culture. Please pay balance due by the 15th."

[bpsoup]

Plus, I am always bothered by the teams that think that God cares how they do on a reality competition show.  The godbothering teams are always saying that God was watching out for them, and seem to be implying that they are somehow more worthy of heavenly intervention than the other teams.  Just once, I would like to hear one of them say, after doing poorly on a leg, "God didn't help us out on this one - we must not be as worthy as the teams that finished ahead of us." 

Lol! I think it was comedian Jeff Stilson who had a similar bit about how sports teams always praise God when they win, but blame themselves when they lose- and he'd like to see a losing team say "We totally had that game... until Jesus made me fumble".  I agree, Shelley was doing it this week with the karma speechifying, the country singers were especially bad at it last year, and there are always a couple of teams in each season that frequently voice their certainty that some divine force is helping them win, or assume every setback of an opposing team is because they were not somehow as noble and righteous as themselves. 

 

What was the old TWoP saying, "God is in the tub"?

I could go a lifetime without ever reading 'god is in the tub' again.  RIP TWOP but that was never that clever or cute.  

 

Just like a lot of other things from TWOP. It often seemed like if someone wrote it in their recap, it became the law there. In this case, it's being critical of someone else's religious beliefs. I guess that it's okay to be critical of the racer's beliefs, but not okay for racers to show any lack of complete appreciation for other cultures.

 

Proverbs 16:33 says that "The lot is cast into the lap; but its every decision is of the LORD (King James Version)." 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."

 

So, if they are Christian, then their religious text says that all things are decided by God, whether it's casting lots, a dice roll, or how fast their taxi gets them somewhere, and that glory should be given to God for every favor, including any food, drink, or not getting eliminated on a reality TV show.

Edited October 31, 2014 by bpsoup

[ProfCrash]

bpsoup: I get that. I understand that there are verses in the Bible that support that argument. I do. I also tend to think that God is more worried about the kids with cancer, the wars going on, domestic abuse, and Ebola then who gets a taxi or wins a game for a million dollars and I am Catholic. I have a feeling that there are a large number of people who see themselves as Christian who don't think that God cares about a Reality Show. I also know others who think that God makes all decisions. It is a well known theological disagreement that goes back thousands of years and is not going to be decided on the boards.

 

Personally, I have no problem with people praying and making the occasional comment along those lines. The folks who do it ad nausium drive me crazy but that is because I fall into the camp that our lives are not predetermined and that God blesses us with gifts and abilities and it is our responsibilities to use those gifts and abilities in ways that are good for ourselves and the people around us and, in the best case scenario, the world. And yes, I will then say "God doesn't give a crap that you scored a touchdown/made a basket/scored a goal/won an Oscar/finished a task on a game show."

 

(shrugs)

 

So my idea that God is in the tub is more of a take responsibility for your actions and be thankful that you have the abilities and training that allowed you succeed or the abilities and resources to pick yourself up if you fail. It is a different interpretation of the Bible and our individual responsibilities.

[Whimsy]

Talking about religion never leads to happy places when there is such a wide array of opinions. Let's please move on from this topic.

Thanks and happy posting.

[green]

A week late but wanted to at least express gratitude to all the TAR3 shout outs in this episode.  Cafe Glazier?  Ah yes the "rubbings" taken to reveal that destination.   Wow, remember when Flo sold snails in the square outside it.  One of the few Flo non-meltdown moments in her Race.  And in this episode another selling cart task though slightly different with just the set-up part of it.

 

Also another leather task though the TAR3 leather one was in Fez I think maybe.  And scraping off the bristles instead of dying the hide.

 

And I wouldn't be surprised if that carpet shop where the Dentists had their speed bump wasn't the same that hosted the Ian & Teri vs. Jill and Jon Vito "find the carpet" FF competition back in the day. 

 

So carpets, carts and tanning with the exact same Cafe Glazier used as well was one massive TAR3 trip down memory lane.  And since TAR3 is one of my favorite seasons ever this episode really amped me up. 

 

Glad the Survivor couple was eliminated.  Someone had to go and they didn't seem to be bringing much to the Race except just another of the endless boring young dating couples but this time with reality show baggage in tow as well.

[Lingo]

Misty does seem very lazy about reading clues, but I don't see how it's her fault only with the tea thing. Jim should've been reading that clue/paying attention to the demonstration, too, since it was a Detour.

 

Are you sure it was even mentioned in the clue? I think that for a lot of these kinds of tasks, the instructions simply say, "Do this task in the same way that the locals are doing it," and they have to figure out for themselves what that entails.

[peachmangosteen]

Are you sure it was even mentioned in the clue? I think that for a lot of these kinds of tasks, the instructions simply say, "Do this task in the same way that the locals are doing it," and they have to figure out for themselves what that entails.

 

It's certainly possible it wasn't in the clue. The fact that they both should've been paying attention to the demonstration still stands though, IMO.

[Taylorh2]

What happens if the team with the 'save' gets to the mat last and uses it ? Does that mean that the second to the last team is eliminated ? Wouldn't that be really mean? Phil says to X & X  "you are team # (insert # here) and you are still in the race" and then the team with the 'Save' uses it.

Edited November 4, 2014 by Taylorh2

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Wouldn't it have been really cool if Phil had Mike Rowe with him at the tannery to explain why it's a dirty job?

I was thinking of a season of Road Rules where they had to take part in the tanning process, as in get into the vats with the dung or urine. Compared to that, pulling hair off the skins on TAR seemed much less gross. That season of RR aired in 2001 which made me wonder how many of this season's racers saw or remember that old season of Road Rules!

[Lingo]

What happens if the team with the 'save' gets to the mat last and uses it ? Does that mean that the second to the last team is eliminated ? Wouldn't that be really mean? Phil says X & X your are the (insert # here)  team to arrive and you are still in the race and then the team with the 'Save' uses it.

 

Well, we simply don't know for sure yet.  But I'm betting that if the Save is used, then that leg becomes a non-elimination leg, and a later non-elimination leg will become an elimination leg.

[Netfoot]

I'm betting that if the Save is used, then that leg becomes a non-elimination leg, and a later non-elimination leg will become an elimination leg.

 

That would be easiest.  If the Save can be played up to end of leg#9 (is that correct?), then leg#10 will be planned as a NEL.  If the Save is played, leg#10 immediately ceases to be a NEL and there is an elimination instead.

 

This means we can predict leg#10 will be a NEL unless the Save is played.

[Jersey Guy 87]

 

What happens if the team with the 'save' gets to the mat last and uses it ? Does that mean that the second to the last team is eliminated ? Wouldn't that be really mean? Phil says X & X your are the (insert # here)  team to arrive and you are still in the race and then the team with the 'Save' uses it.

 

Well, we simply don't know for sure yet.  But I'm betting that if the Save is used, then that leg becomes a non-elimination leg, and a later non-elimination leg will become an elimination leg.

 

When the Save was initially described Phil said it turns a leg into a non-elimination leg. I doubt it has any impact on elimination in other legs.  After all, they already knew whether or not it had been used when the started editing the show down into episodes.

[Kel Varnsen]

When the Save was initially described Phil said it turns a leg into a non-elimination leg. I doubt it has any impact on elimination in other legs.  After all, they already knew whether or not it had been used when the started editing the show down into episodes.

It would have to because you have a fixed number of legs and a fixed number of teams. Unless you want to deal with potentially having 4 people in the finals instead of 3  the number of non-elimination episodes can't change. If the save gets used I don't expect them to mention that leg 10 is no longer non-elimination, but they have to have a plan for it.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Good point, my guess is the save is never used.