S26: Tyler & Laura

[Donny Ketchum]

Hi.  We're from California, and one of the five blind date teams.

[Chyna]

aka Team Who? Not much memorable about this team thus far, although they seem competent.

[cooksdelight]

Tyler looks REALLY familiar to me but I cannot place him. It's almost like I've met him somewhere, or seen him on another reality show.

[Donny Ketchum]

So far, I like them.  And I like their racing.  They calmed down when everyone else was screwing up that Syncing Steps Detour, but somehow lost their way to the U-Turn despite getting out of there first of the teams who chose their Detour.  I hope they can pick it back up and keep going strong, because they're one of the few pretty couples I can at least somewhat tell apart.

[Donny Ketchum]

Stayed in first for most of the leg, thanks to Tyler being good at puzzles and them taking the Share Detour quickly.  But never give you cabbie up unless you're absolutely sure you're not gonna need him or her for a long time.  If they hadn't, they'd probably have won this leg.

[Souris]

I keep expecting Laura to faint, because she reminds me so much of Rebecca, the contestant who fainted during panel on America's Next Top Model.

[AngelinaMaria]

Laura reminds me of Amy Adams.  A lot.

[awkward1penguin]

They've stood out in my eyes in one aspect: Tyler's abs. Now, I'm usually an ass guy, but when Tyler took off his shirt in the shower in Episode 1, I might've drooled just a bit. 

He and Laura also just seem like overall decent, competent, low-drama people. They might not be the most stand-out team, but they are unlikely to bring too much drama. (And bring the abs!)

[aradia22]

I feel like they'd be the kind of couple who would annoy me if they came as a pre-existing couple but something about them being strangers makes them more likable to me.

[tavir]

Laura reminds me of Amy Adams.  A lot.

 

Yes, thank you!!  I've been trying to figure out who she reminds me of since the premiere!  I kept wavering between either Dreama Walker or Janet Varney, but Amy Adams is a way better comparison!

[Donny Ketchum]

Kinda low-key leg for them.  From what I could see, no major mistakes made.  Actually, I think they were the only couple to do the Tree Detour in one shot, so kudos to them for that!  But they did slow down at the cabaret thing, but getting to pony off Aly & Steve helped them out.

 

Still, fourth isn't bad at all.

[Lingo]

Laura seemed really interested in Tyler at the beginning, but now it seems they've cooled off toward each other.  There's a new Bonus Clip on the website of Tyler making fun of Laura's insistence on fast-walking to a closed part of the Narita airport at 4 in the morning.  He doesn't seem to respect her very much.

[Donny Ketchum]

It's weird how I do like these two, yet I was oddly satisfied by them not winning this leg, despite leading for most of it.  They plowed through the Water Detour, and Tyler did a great job with the Roadblock.  But their cabbie took them to the wrong place when it was Pit Stop time, dropping them down to fourth.

 

They could still win a leg, but they're gonna have to watch the cabbies they get.

[Donny Ketchum]

They seem to be the most functional blind date couple.  But they're also the blandest one because of it.  And apparently the one who can start out in such a good lead, but make a terrible mistake or two and lose that lead.  This week, it was the fanny pack.  They got lucky that they found it in Jeff & Jackie's car.  After that, no huge mistakes followed.  They did the Stack Detour in a good enough amount of time, and Laura did the Roadblock well enough.

 

Without the fanny pack snafu, they probably would've won the leg.

[scrb]

Laura is obviously not attracted to him. But it looks like he would be if she was.

[etagloh]

It's worth watching the bonus clip of them waiting around in the hope of finding the fanny pack ('At Least We're In Lederhosen') mainly because of how impressively Laura can swear. Also includes her saying 'if you were my boyfriend, your ass would be grass'.

[interesting]

I think they are both hilarious people, seemingly nice too. 

 

Tyler was hilarious!!! So quotable this episode:

Towards Hayley:  "I would rather be standing here all day than be with her", "Here comes the Wicked Witch of the West"

 

Towards Laura:  "She's no Beyonce" right after her singing got her a bucket of water.

[aradia22]

 

Laura is obviously not attracted to him. But it looks like he would be if she was.

I thought it was the other way around.

[scrb]

He didn't seem to mind looking down at her after she got doused in the singing task.

 

Seemed to like that it became a wet T-shirt contest.

[blackwing]

I like this team a lot.  They both seem very easy going and fun loving.  But I'm confused as to where things went wrong for them as a couple.  In the first episode, she gushed about how hot he was, he took his shirt off to try and impress her.  She seemed very interested in him at first, then quickly became "it's all about winning the race".  He now says they are "firmly in the friend zone".  What happened?  Some people speculated that he's gay, not sure where that came from.  

 

Out of all of the blind date couples, I believe they are the only ones who haven't been shown bickering badly at each other.  So not sure where things went wrong, or if there was ever anything there to begin with.

[Camera One]

The episode cut out the arguing/passive-aggressive blaming that did actually ensue while waiting for the fanny pack (as seen in the bonus clip).  However, it was fairly minor, so I do give them kudos for remaining relatively calm.

 

Tyler posted his audition video on Youtube, so he applied to race with his childhood best friend.  It must be bittersweet to be selected to go on the Race, but not get to race with your chosen partner.

 

Laura initially auditioned with her best friend 5 years ago and roommate, but wasn't chosen.  Recently, she bumped into the casting agent, and this time, she auditioned knowing the twist of singles being selected for blind dates (her roommate only applied because she wanted to Race), though it sounds like she agreed more because she wanted to Race rather than wanting to find true love.

http://www.natsnextadventure.com/laura-pierson/

 

http://dailyfreepress.com/2015/02/18/smg-alum-talks-teamwork-in-running-the-amazing-race/

Edited April 6, 2015 by Camera One

[Special K]

 But I'm confused as to where things went wrong for them as a couple.

 

Oh probably, you know, that completely unpredictable, mysterious thing we call "chemistry."

[blackwing]

Ah ok, interesting.  So neither of them really went on the race hoping for a "love match" a la one of the blonde guys.  They just agreed to do the race with the pretext of trying to find a date because it was a way to get onto the show.  That makes sense.  Wouldn't at all be surprised if Laura has a boyfriend back home.

[Boilergal]

I can see them being good friends after this - they seem to be having a good time together, and not hateful bickering like the other teams.    In the bonus clip they said they are sleeping in separate rooms and just focused on the race - I Hope they can pull it off!!! 

[TudorQueen]

There's something sweet about them that I find very likable, and yes, they have disagreements but, you know, real people do disagree without destroying whatever relationship they have. I like them quite a bit, but don't have a strong investment in them. I'm glad they finished well despite the fanny pack incident - and they were as proactive as possible. Thank God they didn't take Jeff and Jackie's word that they didn't have it in their blue car!

 

I don't think they'll win - though far stranger wins have occurred - and right now don't feel a strong pull towards that outcome, but it wouldn't offend me at all at this point.

 

[Donny Ketchum]

While I definitely don't have a problem with capitalizing on a team's mistake, something about the way they kept Jelani & Jenny's map felt a little . . . I don't know the word for it, but I didn't exactly feel too good about it.  Still, Laura did a good thing by teaming up with Jenny at the Roadblock, as it kept another team with her and Tyler.  Their navigation to the Detour seemed solid enough, but it was Tyler's turn to test my patience with his remarks about Mike & Rochelle during the task.  They seemed to navigate poorly to the Pit Stop, though, since they dropped to sixth and next-to-last.

 

Let's see if that's gonna continue being a habit for them.

 

I don't think they'll win - though far stranger wins have occurred - and right now don't feel a strong pull towards that outcome, but it wouldn't offend me at all at this point.

After this week, it'd offend me.

[etagloh]

They're sort of running a real-time ironic commentary on the Race. Not mugging (mostly) but they're the ones most likely to step back and offer an assessment of the other teams, the blind-date gimmick, and the legs themselves, like the 'bougie' stuff in Monaco. Sometimes that's just nasty-snarky, like Tyler on Mike/Rochelle -- and Tyler is the more likely of the two to cross the line -- but sometimes it's fairly accurate.

 

They clearly never had any illusions about the blind date aspect, and yet TPTB managed to match them well in terms of personality: each can give as good as they get, but they don't take it personally. I can't decide whether i should want them to win for that, or whether a bona fide couple like Matt and Ashley (who are endearingly goofy) have a better claim.

Edited April 11, 2015 by etagloh

[enlightenedbum]

I do wish they had exclusively referred to themselves with their middle names after introducing that joke which I thought was funny.  And then if the show changed their chyron I would have forgiven a lot of the shitty leg design thus far.

Edited April 11, 2015 by enlightenedbum

[aradia22]

 

While I definitely don't have a problem with capitalizing on a team's mistake, something about the way they kept Jelani & Jenny's map felt a little . . . I don't know the word for it, but I didn't exactly feel too good about it.

Yeah. That didn't seem like a mistake that Jenny had made either. It wasn't like she'd just left her map behind and they'd picked it up. It was a little shady. I guess it might explain why they weren't that bothered about the other team hiding the fanny pack if they're prepared to play a little dirty but it doesn't seem right to take it out on a team that has only seemed to be friendly with them.

[Camera One]

Yeah, it's a race, but keeping the map rubbed me the wrong way as well, especially since Jenny agreed to work with her.  It was just unsportsman-like.   Still, I did cheer for this team earlier on and I liked how they didn't completely freak out over the fanny pack delay, so I'll wait and see on them.

[Rinaldo]

I'd want to wait till we know more (if we ever do) before condemning Laura too much. They seemed to be sharing the map while working together, probably passing it back and forth. If Laura happened to be the one holding it when they found the boat and ran in, I find it easy to imagine her stuffing it in a bag without either of them giving it a thought at the time. And we saw that Jenny hadn't been thinking about it for a while till they were in the car and needed it again; she hadn't been keeping track of it for long enough that she figured if she wasn't holding it, Jelani must be. I'm inclined to call it an honest mistake till proven otherwise.

[biakbiak]

I'm inclined to call it an honest mistake till proven otherwise.

 

What was the mistake? I mean I don't have a problem with them keeping the map but Tyler and Laura knew they had their map, knew they didn't know where they were going because they had their map, and stepped out of view of J/J so that she wouldn't put two and two together and remember that Laura had it.

[enlightenedbum]

The semi-shady thing was realizing she had their map and stepping out of view while Jenny panicked.  I'd say that's a minor foul.

[Camera One]

Maybe karma does bite back.  Jackie and Jeff hid the fanny pack... gone this episode.  Laura and Tyler hid the map... fell to second last.  The navigational gods are angry.  Meanwhile, Hayley helps another team for no reason... number one!  

[Way Wes Jr]

While I definitely don't have a problem with capitalizing on a team's mistake, something about the way they kept Jelani & Jenny's map felt a little . . . I don't know the word for it, but I didn't exactly feel too good about it.  

 

Sketchy.

 

That being said, in their defense, a team did try to hide their amazing fannypack under the driver's chair of the car they switched out of.  (Was it the hairdressers?  I feel like it was the hairdressers.)  I believe that either Tyler or Laura said something to the effect of, "the race is on, now."

 

While the return of "Eat, sleep, mingle," has resulted in a pretty amiable group of racers, it's only a matter of time, (and proximity to the finish,) before Raaace! kicks into gear.

[figwink]

Tyler and Laura are the strongest team and I think the race is theirs to lose. But I don't like them.

Tyler has an arrogance that rubs me the wrong way. He is the most clever racer this season. But the way he remarks on other teams, Hayley's bitchiness, Mike and Rochelle being weak, makes him come across as someone who thinks he's above everyone else. So I love it when he makes huge mistakes.

Laura is also really snooty with her "I'm going to throw up" comment when Jackie was talking about being passionate with Jeff. I bet she's the one who leaked the gossip about Hayley trying to sleep with Blair.

Anyway, I'm rooting against them winning knowing they'll most likely win.

[Camera One]

I just watched their bonus clips on Youtube, and they're both kinda cocky, and they tend to talk negatively about other teams more than the others, especially about Hayley and Blair.  They're always half joking about it, but still.  I like that they are mostly able to keep their cool but they don't seem too nice.

[enlightenedbum]

I'm closer to he's mean, she would be a stellar recapper.

[Rinaldo]

The semi-shady thing was realizing she had their map and stepping out of view while Jenny panicked.  I'd say that's a minor foul.

OK, I must have looked away and missed the stepping out of view. Comment withdrawn.

[aradia22]

I'm not entirely sure why but I really dislike this team now. I don't think they're any worse in Africa than they were in other legs but they have emerged (yes, even before Hayley and Blair who are hard to watch... not hateful) as the team I am probably rooting against the most.

[ByaNose]

Who's in love with Tyler more? Tyler or Laura? LOL!! They don't bug me as much as everyone else because they don't fight. I know this show (and, every reality show) thrive on conflict. I actually hate that & I'm happier with people like Tyler & Laura. They are running a good race, having fun & are nice to each other. Of course, Tyler is slightly obnoxious but he's much better then other guys on his season & others before. I think if I looked like him I be pretty happy, too. Yes, I'm shallow that way. LOL!!!

[TudorQueen]

I really liked this team at first, but lately I've found them irritating. Last night I finally figured out why - there's a mean streak in them. They tend towards schadenfreude, and are sometimes actively mean to or about teams they don't like.

 

They aren't truly awful, but I don't really like them a lot.

[ByaNose]

I finally saw the not nice Tyler & Laura. In the final confessionals they came off very mean & entitled. Other teams have mentioned that they really weren't that nice but I didn't really notice it. Granted, they are really low on the mean chart compared to other teams. In fact, they haven't been as strong in the last few weeks. I'm not sure where it went wrong for them but they have fallen apart lately.

[Special K]

I could get behind them calling Blair and Hayley "the Bickersons" because that seemed benign enough, but I can't get behind Laura calling them "nimrods."

[Camera One]

Tyler seems to have a dislike of Blair too, not just Hayley.  Tyler and Laura seem like mean girls in their Bonus Clips, though they did speak nicely of Matt & Ashley and Mike & Rochelle, so is there is something up with Blair/Hayley aside from the arguing?

Edited May 12, 2015 by Camera One

[biakbiak]

That they think they are stiffer competition than M/A or M/R?

[humbleopinion]

T/L have no gimmick other than they are competitive, competent, so BORING so their snarky comments come off as mean and cocky.

 

B/H have their identity as fussing, fighting and feuding within themselves, they are their own worst enemies, BUT they have gotten out of their own way and won the last two.

B/H don't need to throw shade on other teams, they just pick on each other.

 

J/J have the rep as too analytical, not as athletic so T/L dismiss them.

M/R has come off as a hot mess with any physical challenges and driving directions so are hanging in there by a thread.

I wouldn't be suprised if the other teams act together to get them eliminated so only the "worthy" teams race to the end.

[Chyna]

My feelings on this team continue to be: Meh.

[ByaNose]

While they were very pretty (Tyler told us....LOL) they were boring television. They did the race and won so they deserve it. I guess they have to thank J&J taxi driver. Can you imagine if he hadn't told them?! It might have been J&J who had won the race. Usually, it's the taxi driver getting people lost. Here it was the another taxi driver giving them directions. I wonder J&J knew this during the ride to the finish line?!

[biakbiak]

Laura was the one who spotted the flags and was the one who told her, plus on the way to the flags it was Laura who told the taxi driver the correct way to go which is the reason they got there first.