S26.E04: The Great Amazing Nasty Race (Bangkok)

[Tara Ariano]

The race continues in Bangkok where teams must navigate the city's chaotic streets and eat a traditional delicacy known as a 1000-year-old egg.

[Watermelon]

I want to know how much time the last team made up.  I wonder would they be proud to know they were only behind 8th place by, for instance, 10 minutes; or did they never get closer than an hour behind the next team.

[cooksdelight]

That was the hardest speed bump I've ever seen. Lantern, if you remember a harder one, please remind me what it was.

And a blind date couple wins a trip for two. I want to hear about how that works out. This is one season that I wish they'd have a recap reunion so we know what happened after it was all over.

Hayley was driving me nuts, along with Jenny barking orders. I fear they will only get worse. Loved when Rochelle aced the clutch road block and Jelani said "I got beat by a girl." HAHAHA!!

I want a cat with ears that tip backward like the one in the window. My two cats were fascinated with that segment, both of them stopping what they were doing to watch.

[bmoore4026]

Soooooooo....any previously.tv users out there who have eaten 1000 Year Old eggs?  If so, please describe the taste in detail.

 

Also, kitties!

 

(And they need to rename "Speedbumps" "Punishment for failing the last leg".)  Bye-bye, favorite New Kid :(

[mtlchick]

(sigh) well Jon and Harley  got the admirable "superfans who got booted early" edit so there's that.  I guess they're on the shortlist for "Unfinished Business part 3: This is still a thing?"

 

Interesting mix on the detour with a couple of stops in between, but man I feel for those who are allergic to cats only to walk into a place overrun by them.

 

I'm noticing a lot of close finishes at the pit stop...a lot more teams meeting up at the mat.

[ShadowSixx]

Glad they didn't show everyone at the airport buying their tickets since they all teams were able to get on the same plane except for Jonathan & Harley. I'm so over the selfies by now, I want to take those cameras and hurl them in the river. Really wasn't much of a fan of this leg of the race, tasks were relatively too simple IMO, except for the egg eating. They just road in a boat, shoot pool, feed cats, eat an egg, and taking apart a transmission.

 

Hayley and Blair, they're a disaster. He wants her to take control so he can listen to her, but she wants him to and then she wants to go her way while going to the clue box to get the Detour.  Why won't they work together and compromise? She's a nag I'm sorry, Blair is trying to ask for directions to the other Detour and she just constantly nags. I think she lives to nag.

 

Funny though how Rochelle beat Jelani & Jeff at the Roadblock and she didn't even know what a transmission is. Do I blame Jenny & Jelani for hopping in a Tut-Tut and speeding off. Nope. You wanna get as high up in the rankings as possible when you're trailing behind.

 

Harley and Jonathan just couldn't catch up with the Speed Bump and all. That Speed Bump they had to do should have replaced one of the Detours IMO.

 

Now have to wait til next month to watch TAR. Which sucks.

[ottoDbusdriver]

Hayley was driving me nuts, along with Jenny barking orders.

 

Blair doesn't even look at Hayley anymore when she's talking in the cabs, but she keeps looking at him.

 

Jelani was really diplomatic about how he and Jenny are getting along.  But Jenny and Hayley are just going to get worse as the race continues.

 

I'm surprised at the Snooker Club portion of the detour that they only had to sink ONE red ball.  One ?

 

And TAR is off for 3 weeks for March Madness -- but why was there no next time, just clips of what's to come ?

[seacliffsal]

I would be so frustrated by Hayley.  Once they realize that there weren't anymore boats available and had to take a tuk tuk, Blair tried to ask for directions, but Hayley yelled at him to get going.  Then, when they got to the street, she stressed over having to get directions, which Bliar had just tried to do before she made him leave.  She may be someone who thrives on drama and chaos.  This seems to be the point at which the 'good' behavior of the blind date teams starts disappearing as the stress ramps up.

[Lantern7]

Three weeks. Stupid CBS. May all the games they carry have no shocking upsets. All chalk from start to finish. Meanwhile, Survivor gets a two-hour episode next week. Yes, I'm bitter.

 

I feel bad for Harley & Jonathan. They were almost three hours behind Jeff & Jackie starting out the leg. They had a challenging Speed Bump*. Sucks to see actual fans of the show go out that early. Also, they're the third dating couple out of the game, while the five blind date teams hang in there, even as most of them want to be friends.

 

Anybody else having troubles caring about which team is which? It's so annoying. I got a list of the teams, and I don't know all of their hashtags.

 

Man, Hayley can't get laryngitis fast enough, but she and Blair finished second two legs in a row. Who would've predicted that? Meanwhile, Jelani & Jenny fall out of the lead, and Bergen & Kurt get first place. Good for them. And the tasks were interesting enough. I'm more of  a dog person, but the cat café looked like fun.

 

At least the teaser for the rest of the season looks good. Zebra-wrangling? Should be awesome.

 

*Sorry, Cooksdelight, my memories of hard Speed Bumps is hazy at best.

[terracool]

The New Kid mentioned on the plane that he thought they would land about two hours behind the other teams. I think that teams should be able to make up - or at least have the potential to make up - two hours or so on every leg of the race. If it's impossible, I see it as bad leg design.

This one seemed impossible. Feeding cats and lighting candles and being driven through traffic? The navigation parts left some room to shuffle order, but there was no way to make up any significant time.

Sorry to see them go - they were nice to watch with no bs or drama.

Yay Rochelle for just owning that transmission. That couple is growing on me while most of the others are growing thin.

At least Phil isn't badgering the blind date couples at the Amazing Mat for signs of romance, or at least I didn't notice it as much this week.

Edited March 14, 2015 by terracool

[cooksdelight]

Too bad they can't do a team switchup and put Hayley and Jenny together. Their guys would be overjoyed.

[Tabasco Cat]

On the heels of an awful Survivor episode CBS dishes up a really bad TAR ep. Eat egg, say prayer, shoot pool, feed cats, remove 4 bolts. Last week and this week combined gave us 2 hours of one team elimination, and who that team would be was never in doubt only 10 minutes into last week's episode. Not impressed.

 

There were 2 good moments imo. When Blair told Haley she could lead, she insisted that he do it, and 30 seconds later, "I think we should go this way." That and Rochelle truckstop girl getting the transmission off in about 5 minutes. Other than that..... I got nothin'.

[nottopbravo]

For a minute, I was actually thought there might be a homicide on the Amazing Race.

 

Loved the Temple ceremony.

[Mountainair]

So, did the recently engaged couple just eat a random, fresh (ish) egg off the street which sent her into fits of gagging?

The old egg looked so gross. That would be my undoing if I were ever on the show. Blindfold me first, then feed it to me so I don't have to touch it and maybe.......maybe I could do it.

Three week break sucks but at least Spring is in the air and it's staying lighter later. Outside I will be for the next three Friday's!

Edited March 14, 2015 by Mountainair

[Jodithgrace]

Well, I've definitely come down onto Team Blair. How he managed to get through that leg with that smile pasted on his face is beyond me. I would have fed Haley to those cats. Or "accidentally" knocked her off the boat. What an annoying person. He declares that she can lead and make the decisions. She agrees. Then she rips open the clue and immediately asked him what he wants to do. Then when he makes a choice, at her request, she tells him it's wrong. Arggghh!

Jenny and Jelani also had a difficult leg, but she is aggressive, and he is going to have to deal with it. It's not a bad thing to be on the Race. 

 

What cracked me up with the blind dating gay couple is that the both of them did those flips after the Greeter. I mean are they twins who were separated at birth? No wonder they don't see romance in their future. It would be positively incestuous!

 

I've never eaten 1,000 year old eggs. I do know that they are not literally 1,000 years old, but rather eggs that have been left to ferment for a period of time. The fact that they have somehow turned into black fermented egg Jello is the part that turned my stomach. 

 

Sorry to see The Not so New Kid leave. He and his partner were delightful, but they had way too big a deficit to make up. 

[anhydrite]

Sooo, long time lurker, first time poster :)

 

Now where to start... For some reason I find Hayley/Blair kinda funny in their dysfunctional relationship. And for once, Blair was right for shutting off, because sometimes it's just the right thing to do. She wanted to decided, he let her decide, and she wasn't happy, and he had this "whatever" face on and this whole sequence was just comedy gold. Amazing how they managed to finish second. They'll have to bring it together regardless of their disagreements though. Sulking your partner is never a good idea, though I feel for them since they really have diametrally opposite and incompatible personalities.

 

On the other hand, Jenny was just completely unpleasant from A to Z this episode. The kind of person who loses it all when it doesn't go well. That was painful and frankly uninteresting to watch.

 

I've never eaten thousand year eggs but from what I heard they taste like "decomposing garbage". And apparently they are not rotten or anything, but warmed under ashes for a long period which "jellyfies" the egg and gives it this colour. I would have never wanted to do this challenge. (Although since the other side of the detour involved cats, I probably would be still there three months later petting the cats. I love cats.)

 

The grasshoppers were very nice. At the beginning I thought they were origami (or something similar since we left Japan two weeks ago) and was wondering how the racers would ever be able to complete it. Turns out the pieces only had to be assembled, but still hard nonetheless.

 

Bummed about seeing another interesting (and nice) team go, after Flight Crew on week one. Now we're stuck with all the 20-something generic dating couples. The Olympians are sweet, but painfully underedited, Team Law was an utter mess this week (although I never really cared about them in the first place, too alpha for my tastes), and Mike and Rochelle have wildly variable performances every week. Kudos for her for smoking the guys on that transmission challenge. There you go, machos.

 

My tricks for remembering the racers' faces: Laura is a blonde with a Cruella DeVil face (not her fault, but I have no better comparison), Jackie is the black/thick-haired woman with darker skin, Aly is short and skinny, Ashley is the brunette woman who is neither Jackie or Aly, Hayley is platinum blonde and has a high-pitched voice, Tyler is a buff, short-bearded guy, Steve has curly hair and looks like he's 17, Blair is the douche-looking guy with a long nose (again, not his fault). Jelani and Jenny are obvious. I have no clue how to distinguish Matt and Jeff, except that the former tends to wear purple.

 

ETA: forgot about Kurt and Bergen. In this case, I know that Bergen is the shortest one, has earrings (I think it's him) and sometimes his hair braided.

 

ETAAgain: Also, I keep reading the teams' nicknames wrong. #TeamSoCal = #TeamAsocial (or TeamSocial), #TheLegalTeam = #IllegalTeam. Heh.

 

Now we hae to wait three(!) weeks until the next episode. Seriously there was nowhere else where they could move whatever is coming on for the next two Fridays?

Edited March 14, 2015 by anhydrite

[QuantumMechanic]

Wow.  That was one of the most linear, boring legs in quite some time.  I realize this season was going to be a come-down after last season, but yeesh!  Very unimpressed by the race so far and this leg in particular.

 

That said, loved Phil messing with the first place team.

[ottoDbusdriver]

The old egg looked so gross. That would be my undoing if I were ever on the show. Blindfold me first, then feed it to me so I don't have to touch it and maybe.......maybe I could do it.

 

Even the preparation method sounds kind of nasty.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Century_egg

[enlightenedbum]

There were some nice tasks (well, the temple is a nice idea as a component of a larger task), but not really any tasks where you could make up ground, so this felt super random in terms of finishing order.  Except last place, which was obvious the whole time.  Route planners meh still.

[cooksdelight]

Those old eggs were an ingredient on Chopped once. I remember everyone having the same gagging reaction when they smelled them. I can eat just about anything, but if you notice it was mostly the women who had a hard time getting them down. I'd be one of those women. I couldn't help but laugh when I knew the couple ate the wrong eggs.

[Haleth]

The most interesting thing to me in this episode was that the detour involved two activities for each choice. As it turned out the tuk tuk option probably took less time, but the boat ride would have been a lot more pleasant.

Kudos to Rochelle for rocking the roadblock.

Does Hayley ever shut up?

Edited March 14, 2015 by Haleth

[truthaboutluv]

I was on a call for most of the show so I missed most of it though I did catch the last 15 minutes or so. Man, once things started not going their way Jenni sure unraveled didn't she? That said, I sort of understood where they were both coming from. She's right, it is a race and you do what you need to get ahead. She didn't actively sabotage the other team, just found a way to put some distance between her team and them. That said, I understood what Jelani was saying that there may come a time in another leg where they will need Matt and Natalie (? can never really remember her name) and they will not be inclined to help. 

 

Sucks for Jonathan and Harley but it was pretty obvious that it wasn't even close. Surprised Rochelle and her partner fell so low after being in first place. While I missed most of the episode I did see enough of Hayley and Blair and Hayley, Hayley - girl you need to quit with the nagging and bitching. I saw the scene where Blair says plain and clear to her that he's leaving it up to her and he will do what she wants to do. She says no, that she will do what he wants. Of course to only say they're going the wrong way seconds after he starts walking and bitching again. Honestly, this episode further solidified what I suspected last week, Blair tunes Hayley out. So it's not even just that he's ignoring her but that he's plain not listening and much as I've called out his behavior before, after tonight I can't completely blame him. 

[Pepper the Cat]

Kitties! I want all those kitties! I would have stayed there forever!

Hayley is seriously annoying. I bet she is a challenge to work with.

[TiredMe]

As someone both allergic and intolerant in general of cats, I would have preferred the rotten egg. When it comes to a million dollars I'd shove just about anything in my mouth and eat it. Now heights on the other hand...

Disappointing leg design. Virtually no chance to change it up, and by that I mean, Jonathan and Harley catching up. Bummer

[Quilt Fairy]

That had to have been the simplest, most boring detour ever (except for the egg eating). But it occurred to me that the most interesting thing about it was that you couldn't bald snark it, at least not without a considerable time penalty.

 

I did enjoy the 'Metal Castle' clue that had some of the teams flummoxed.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[Peanut]

I would totally still be in that cat cafe.  So many interesting cats!  And how are people scared of cats?  Allergic to them, sure.  Don't really like them?  Weird, but okay.  But scared?  Of cats?  I mean, my sister's 24 pound orange blob might crush a bone when he sits on you, but he's totally harmless otherwise. 

 

Hayley.  Damn girl.  Shut. up.  I think she might have a wee bit of a crush on Blair and is trying too hard?  I don't know.  It's so painful to watch.  I still think he's a tool, but I can't really blame him at this point.  

Edited March 14, 2015 by Peanut

[possibilities]

I'm sad to see Jonathan and Harley go. They were the most enjoyable team to watch and also seemed to be the ones enjoying both each other and the race the most. Hint to producers: cast actual race fans, and people who like each other, and the race is more fun to watch.

 

I think Hayley wants to cooperate, not just have one teammate lead while the other follows. But Blair is not interested in that. So she is now becoming annoying even to me. Give up! He's not interested! Either lead or follow, and stop trying to get him to be anything but a wall of smug and exasperation. His offer to let her lead was expressed in the most obnoxious way possible: "I'll let her decide, so she can take allt he blame if things go wrong." That''s the kind of offer that proives just what a generous heart you really have, dickfase! On the other hand, Hayley needs to know when to shut up and just be realistic about the situation. It may be hard to get her to change her approach when they're coming in close to first, but I think they do lose more time bickering than anything else, so if she can surrender her desire for co-operation and just take turns being dom/sub with Blair, they might win some prizes at least.

 

I loved Rochelle owning the transmission detour. The two guys are conferring with each other, getting nowhere, and totally ignoring her while she just takes care of it. HA! IN YOUR FACE SEXIST MOFOS!

 

The fortunes confirming that Kurt and Bergen are not a romantic pair was funny. It's like the producers are being chided from all directions for that bit of casting foolishness.

 

I'm glad Phil didn't bother with the "twu luv" queries at the pitstop this week. I suppose it was obvious enough that it wasn't happening, and they got their mat proposal last time so there's nothing going to follow that act really, but still-- I'm glad to see them let it go.

 

I have an adventurous palate, but there are certain things I just could not get down. Anything slimy or with eggs would be my un-doing. I don't like when they do eating challenges because it causes racers to be extremely rude to the locals, sometimes because they are ugly Americans but sometimes despite their efforts not to be, but because of a legitimate gag reflex.

 

Kitties! I know someone who lived in Thailand for a while, and she wrote about the cats there. I was hoping Phil would offer some context for the cafe, and was disappointed when the show didn't even bother. I think they should have explained how the eggs were prepared, also. There doesn't seem to be any effort at all this season, to give context. The dance by the mat greeter also deserved some honoring, like they could have done a voice over about how the name of this style of performance is ___ and it comes from the blah blah blah tradition (I have no idea-- but give us enough info that we could look it up for more details if we want to know more).

 

Jenny is losing it. Seriously: one minute she's complaining that they're running. The next minute she's complaining that they're moving too slow. I think KF has struck and she's unraveling. I admit I didn't see it coming. i guess you never know whose awesome will wear off fastest.

 

I wonder if the entire race will take place in urban areas.

[cooksdelight]

I loved the cat cafe. When one of the guys said "It's Grumpy Cat!" I laughed. Persians do indeed look grumpy. All shapes, sizes. It would be hard to pull me out of there.

[TV Anonymous]

Ah, Bangkok. City of a thousand temples.

 

If teams departures - except for NKOTB - are quite separated, how was it that we had them all lined up nicely on the mat as if they arrived together last week?

 

I do not like the "detour". There is not much opportunity to gain / lose leads on the trips, except when teams make mistake of getting lost. However, given the choice, 10/10 teams should choose the boat. Chao Praya is beautiful seen by boat and of course Bangkok traffic is one of the worst in the world. What are the challenges, really?

 

I have good laugh watching Westerners gagging while eating century egg / pidan. Eaten by itself the egg is a bit strong in flavor and in smell. But eaten with porridge, it is quite delicious.

 

Second laugh I have is watching them doing the mechanic roadblock with their watches / bracelets / rings on.

 

Third laugh is when Kurt and Bergen try to do Hanuman's jump.

[Rick Kitchen]

Will Hayley ever come home or will her decomposing body be found somewhere in the next couple of years?  Shut up, just shut up!

 

I was looking for Siamese cats in that Thai cat cafe.  Found at least one.  :D

 

KF is getting to Jenny the earliest of all of them.

Now we hae to wait three(!) weeks until the next episode. Seriously there was nowhere else where they could move whatever is coming on for the next two Fridays?

 

It's the NCAA basketball playoffs.  They can't and won't be moved.

[HappyDancex2]

Makes me wonder what Blair did in another life to get Hayley as a partner. Her wretched self esteem makes her the Girl Who Must Be Right and verbalize it. Then it became an episode of The Office when Blair looked into the camera and smirked when Hayley did a Hayley. Ugh.

Anyone else think it was wild when the gay guys papers from the temple both said they were not in love or find love or something like that?

[mtlchick]

 

Now we have to wait three(!) weeks until the next episode. Seriously there was nowhere else where they could move whatever is coming on for the next two Fridays?

 

It's always been like that in March on CBS.  I watch Blue Bloods on Fridays so I'm mentally prepared for it to go on break at this time of year.  However I do have to hope it doesn't damage TAR's number when it comes back on Good Friday. 

[yourmomiseasy]

Soooooooo....any previously.tv users out there who have eaten 1000 Year Old eggs?  If so, please describe the taste in detail.

 

 

I've had a 1000 year egg before.  It was part of a 20 course fancy Korean dinner.  It was maybe 4 years ago, so I don't remember the details of exactly how it tasted, just that it wasn't bad.  I didn't eat a whole one by itself though, it was sliced up and had something else with it.  It looks gross and smells bad but wasn't a big deal, except I do remember the yolk being a little strong, but I don't like egg yolks in regular hard boiled eggs either.  I think it would be harder to eat in the situation they were in, where you're doing it as a challenge, so you're already psyched up and just chomping into the whole thing.  

[Quilt Fairy]

But scared?  Of cats?  I mean, my sister's 24 pound orange blob might crush a bone when he sits on you, but he's totally harmless otherwise.

Cats have teeth and claws, I have a few odd scars that bear witness to the fact. Although I have to say that all the cats there looked pretty mellow.

 

ITA that there was very little explanation or context in this ep.  Just having the teams race around like crazy people doesn't make for an interesting show. And one of the few teams I could identify is eliminated.

 

Bergen got me intrigued with his comment that Kurt doesn't need the money. He can't use half a million (minus taxes)? Wow. And yet he can't meet a guy?

Edited March 14, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[anonymiss]

LMAO at how Jenny plastered on the fakery at the mat. Jelani seems cool and kind of cute, too. Her competitive spirit is right all day but not the "my shit don't stink" attitude. She was rolling her eyes last challenge at Jelani and muttering things like, "I hope he can manage this part at least."

[threebluestars]

Sad Jon and Harley got the boot - I hate race legs where it's all about the flights. Their deficit from the previous leg hampered them on this one, and I hate that. The Speed Bump also seemed really difficult compared to "go have a sauna" and crap like that in previous seasons. They were really nice to watch, and I love seeing people on the race enjoying the race and their partners. 

 

I am now on Team Blair - the minute she told him to make the decision on which direction to go because she didn't want to, and he did, then not 3 seconds later she was telling him where to go, I wanted to smack her. She doesn't want to be in charge and make decisions in case they're bad ones, but she also doesn't want him to make any decisions. Can't have it both ways.

 

OH - and cats! Best cafe ever! I WANT.

Edited March 14, 2015 by threebluestars

[Beebee111]

 

Honestly, this episode further solidified what I suspected last week, Blair tunes Hayley out. So it's not even just that he's ignoring her but that he's plain not listening and much as I've called out his behavior before, after tonight I can't completely blame him.

I admit my perspective has also shifted since last week. Blair may just be tuning out Hayley to maintain his sanity. Of course, it then appears that he's ignoring her which makes her even more of a nag. Who knows? I may shift loyalties again next episode.

 

LMAO at how Jenny plastered on the fakery at the mat. Jelani seems cool and kind of cute, too. Her competitive spirit is right all day but not the "my shit don't stink" attitude. She was rolling her eyes last challenge at Jelani and muttering things like, "I hope he can manage this part at least."

 

I concur. Jenny does not seem to be a particularly pleasant companion - she is unable to compose herself enough through tough times to gain perspective. My favourite racers are always those who can be calm and maintain perspective through a storm - perhaps because it's so tough to do, I find it very admirable.

 

BTW, what happened to TAR? I really miss the tough challenges of the old TAR that really gave an opportunity for racers to apply themselves to difficult tasks - it was fun for the audience to watch how the racers adapted. After skipping out on 1 or two seasons for lacklustre challenges, I'm back and disappointed that TPTB haven't addressed this issue yet.

Edited March 14, 2015 by Beebee111

[kaygeeret]

29 minutes ago

 

Will Hayley ever come home or will her decomposing body be found somewhere in the next couple of years?  Shut up, just shut up!

 

I have never quite understood the Blair 'hate' because I thought he always had a point.

 

The point being that she apparently has never stopped talking from the first moment they met and her voice has me heading for chopsticks to put thru MY own ears!

 

I am a female and I hate her.

 

I seriously can't believe she is an ER nurse.  Used to responding on a dime to unknown problems, serious problems.  WITHOUT question or backchat.

 

More used to following someone else's orders.  I know I have offended ER nurses everywhere, but to my understanding the ER MD is in charge, altho' the ER team is expected to function immediately and independently to crises - it is a fine and crucial line.  They are all smart, highly trained professionals who do in fact operate as a team. 

 

That said, if I were on her partner on TAR she would indeed be the first victim of the race.  She is the epitome of passive/aggressive. Constantly carping - no it is not even criticizing, it is carping - and then won't take leadership, and then when leadership is given (forced) upon her she can't handle it.

 

Perhaps I am hyper focused on her faults as female of a certain age. When I was working her behavior absolutely signaled you were not leadership material and once again, a female holds back progress for the rest of us.

 

Plus the voice - honestly, can't anyone tell these people the voice needs modification.  More and more on tv, women with screechy awful voices are speaking loudly. I reference The VIew - the screeching is beyond control over there.

 

This voice tone infantilizes women and guarantees that we will never be taken seriously.

 

Shoot, even I am questioning her credentials in an ER when I know her voice has nothing to do with her nursing skills and I feel bad for even thinking that.  She comes across as a needy twit and it irks me.

 

If Blair kills her, he is innocent only because he beat me to it.

[green]

Now we hae to wait three(!) weeks until the next episode. Seriously there was nowhere else where they could move whatever is coming on for the next two Fridays?

 

Like others have said, you can't move the biggest college tournament going to other nights to accommodate CBS.  Nor would CBS want it moved.  It's March Madness.  They paid a fortune for the rights.  It's their biggest ratings bonanza of the year.

 

I was on a call for most of the show so I missed most of it though I did catch the last 15 minutes or so. Man, once things started not going their way Jenni sure unraveled didn't she? That said, I sort of understood where they were both coming from. She's right, it is a race and you do what you need to get ahead. She didn't actively sabotage the other team, just found a way to put some distance between her team and them. That said, I understood what Jelani was saying that there may come a time in another leg where they will need Matt and Natalie (? can never really remember her name) and they will not be inclined to help. 

 

I found it ironic that she was the one who loudly lectured her partner on NOT debating which of two teams had rights to that first cab at the airport.  That it didn't matter, that it only cost them a few minutes to find another yadda yadda.  The result was they got another taxi that apparently sucked since they seemed to disappear into a vortex only to be shown again having lost a lot of time.  It put them way WAY behind that other couple that grabbed that taxi at the airport.  They (one of the generic ones, have no clue) shot into the lead until they couldn't find the Metal Castle.  Then she was the one screaming to get a cab FAST and leave them in the dust. 

 

At least I think it was the other couple claiming that first cab at the airport as well.  Like I say, it was one of the endless generic ones.

 

I have come to realize one of these generic couples is so under shown.  The Olympic team.  They have been hidden in amongst the blur of Generics.  Getting the same slow build-up edit like last season's winners maybe?  (I'm not spoiled, just commenting on how invisible they have been so far.  That usually means a team will go far in the race at the very least).

Edited March 14, 2015 by green

[blackwing]

I find myself amused by Hayley. Partly because I sympathise a bit with her. Blair is so ridiculously passive aggressive. His whole "you make all the decisions, I don't want to be responsible, so it's all your fault when we lose" act is so immature. The proper way to do this would be to stop and TALK to each other. "Hey, I know we haven't been getting along, but we need to work together, what's the best way to do this? You always say I don't listen, so each time we have to make a decision, how about we just talk it over instead of one of us just deciding?" I think she probably told him to lead just because of the way he was acting. It was clear he wanted to be the leader but he wanted her to say she wanted to do it. The team is very dysfunctional right now.

Although given a choice between Hayley and Jenny, I think I would take Hayley. Because Hayley at least seems like a reasonable person who you could have a rational discussion with. She is a nurse. She is used to working in a team, the whole team is dedicated to a common goal of helping the patient. On the other hand, I think Jenny has devolved into a complete shrew. She's the classic Type A lawyer with the "my way or the highway" approach. She's hard to get along with and quick to cast blame. Given her personality, her parents probably were a bit pushy. She reminds me a lot of Cindy (of Cindy and Ernie). Both of them had to be in control and in charge at all times. The problem with Jenny is that Cindy's partner was committed to her and clearly OK with her being in charge. Jelani on the other hand seems ready to run at the first opportunity.

I noticed that the gay blonde team made a concerted effort to look different from each other this episode. One put in contacts and put on a bandanna. I still have no idea who is who though. Is the one that made the comment about the other not needing the money the same one that cried about his own solo status at last week's pit stop engagement? Because that's the one I don't like, he has to be so dramatic about everything. If the one that doesn't need the money truly doesn't need the money, wouldn't being on the race be motivation enough to keep going? The sad sack one was all "he's from a rich family and doesn't need money, I hope he knows how much I do and how much this means to me". Like wtf. Plenty of people would kill to be on the race even if it was for zero money.

I still cannot distinguish between Jackie and the hairdresser's girlfriend, oh, excuse me, I heard they got engaged recently. "Fiance". Which is the one with the large breasts in her tight tank top and the shorts that stopped right at her crotch? A particularly tasteless outfit to wear into a Buddhist temple, no?

Speaking of the hairdresser and his fiance, I knew as soon as we saw their tagline changed to "engaged" in the opening credits that this will be part of their story until the end. Ugh.

[Lamb18]

Wow, Hayley, last week I sympathized with her but this week I was more on Blair's side. But for some reason they are my favorite team. They remind me of one of those old romantic comedies where a man and woman are forced to be together by some circumstance and they absolutely can't stand each other, but then they fall in love. Each deserves a bravo: Hayley for her snooker shot and Blair for getting the guy to write down the name of the metal castle in Thai. I actually liked the detour. The boat ride was faster but the egg was more challenging and the prayer ceremony more time-consuming, while the tuck tuk took longer, but the snooker went faster and the cats were quite easy. There would have been some opportunity for passing up another team if someone got lost in the market or couldn't get that red ball in, plus finding the salvage yard, then taking off the transmission. (Way to go Rochelle!)

 

Regarding speed bumps there was an elephant painting one a few years back, while not difficult, was time-consuming.

[ennui]

And how are people scared of cats?  Allergic to them, sure.  Don't really like them?  Weird, but okay.  But scared?  Of cats?

I was walking my dog and we came across a little pack of cats -- three. They ganged up on us! The owner came out and chased them off with a broom. It was weird.

Cats are unpredictable. Some are nice, some are not.

I was amused by Jackie and Jeffrey. She's saying how well they're getting along, while her breast is pressed into his arm. She seems like a very physically friendly person.

[LittleIggy]

I too would be stuck in the cat cafe. I would have to pet every kitty!

It was sweet when one of the temple dogs followed one of the couples.

[kaygeeret]

 

11 minutes ago

 

I find myself amused by Hayley.  Partly because I sympathise a bit with her.  Blair is so ridiculously passive aggressive.  His whole "you make all the decisions, I don't want to be responsible, so it's all your fault when we lose" act is so immature.

 

Wow, I respect your perspective, but she has assumed no decision making role at all.  She insists that he make all the decisions and sometimes insists they do it her way and then complains when it doesn't turn out or loudly and continualy disagrees with his decision, but does it anyway and then carps ad nauseum if it doesn't workout.

 

And when in a way to get himself off the never ending hook of defeat, tells her to take the lead, she resists and resists and he gives in and the VERY first thing he says to do - SHE DISAGREES AND GOES OFF HER OWN WAY - which would somehow in her eyes been his fault.

 

She is soul destroying

 

She is cute, perky, blond, apparently smart (ER nurse) and the single most annoying person on the season of the race.

[ennui]

I thought the transmission challenge was decent. We live in a world where people no longer work on their own cars, where young people opt out of learning how to drive. Even the people who admitted that their fathers worked on cars weren't sure how to start.

 

I suspect that the producers didn't expect everyone to figure out the hidden clue in the screwdriver, but everyone got it right away.

Edited March 14, 2015 by ennui

[fishcakes]

Hayley is the worst. In the very first scene, she's berating Blair for getting out of the cab at the last pit stop and running without knowing exactly where the pit stop is. But then when he tries to get directions to the tuk tuk stand, she starts yelling at him that they need to go and they'll just figure it out once they get to the street. He tells her he'll let her decide how to proceed and she says no, you decide, I don't believe you're going to listen to me. Fine, they go his way. NO WAIT, I WANT TO GO THE OTHER WAY WHY WON'T YOU LISTEN TO ME YOU ARE SO FRUSTRATING. I suspect there are a lot of people in her life don't listen to her because they've been on this crazy train before.

 

I wonder if Jenny and Jelani are just now fighting or we're just now seeing it. She said something like, "every day it's a fight on the race," and Jelani had no reaction to that so I couldn't tell if she was just being dramatic and he was ignoring her or if he had no reaction because she was saying something he agreed with. I hope they make up, though. They've been pretty likeable so far, and also, they're one of the teams I can identify.

 

And I'm a terrible person, but when Jenny and Jelani were running away from the hair stylists and in the background there was a slow-motion Ashley falling to the ground and calling out, "noooooooo," I burst out laughing. It was just so dramatic and comical at the same time, and the fact that they were making their escape in a tuk-tuk just put it over the top.

 

I can't remember the last time anyone looked at his partner or spouse on the philimination mat with as much love as Jonathan had for Harley. I'm really going to miss this team. I don't know how Kurt or Bergen, which ever one was all weepy last week, doesn't look at these two and cry every minute, because they obviously have a great and really loving relationship.

 

eta KITTIES!

Edited March 14, 2015 by fishcakes

[biakbiak]

Wow, I respect your perspective, but she has assumed no decision making role at all.  She insists that he make all the decisions and sometimes insists they do it her way and then complains when it doesn't turn out or loudly and continualy disagrees with his decision, but does it anyway and then carps ad nauseum if it doesn't workout.

 

And when in a way to get himself off the never ending hook of defeat, tells her to take the lead, she resists and resists and he gives in and the VERY first thing he says to do - SHE DISAGREES AND GOES OFF HER OWN WAY - which would somehow in her eyes been his fault.

 

She is soul destroying

 

She is cute, perky, blond, apparently smart (ER nurse) and the single most annoying person on the season of the race.

Completely agree, I didn't get the impression that Blair was saying she would make all the decisions and not have an opinion he just told her she should take the lead because she had a problem with him appearing to take the lead. She then immediately demanded that he make the decision and when he did state in a completely neutral "I think we should go..." she interrupted him immediately and just said "no this way" so it appeared the only reason he gave up control to her is so he didn't have to argue with her and hold her to accountabilty. As illustrated later when he quickly asked for instructions and she yelled at him to get moving to the main street and he immediately followed her and she kept complaning about how he should listen to her and he was silent and the only thing he said after a minute of silence when he was following her he asked "who are you even arguing with right now?" and then when the got to the main street where she insisted they go she complained that there wasn't anyone who they could ask for directions., he literally can't win.

Edited March 14, 2015 by biakbiak

[piewarmer]

I guess nobody works on cars anymore. This makes me sad.

 

[Guest]

Hayley just grates on me but the thing I hated the most was her line that named the episode:  "The great amazing nasty race."  I feel like she doesn't even know the name of the show or think before she speaks.   I know she added 'nasty' because she occasionally felt dirty... not exactly hilarious... but "great amazing"? 

 

My daughter laughed at Jenny berating the cab driver to go faster, faster, faster, then immediately berating Jelani to slow down and walk when they got out because they had to 'preserve their strength' or something.  

[etagloh]

Eliminated Team Walking legs are always painful to watch. This leg was clearly planned with an all-teams flight bunch, a Speed Bump to create distance, an interesting Detour, and nothing really to allow large gaps to be closed. TPTB never expected a team to be as far behind as Harley and Jonathan, who did indeed get a superfan exit.

 

So it's a pity that this leg was decided at the start of the last leg, because I'd be able to focus on a pretty good leg design that was obviously hyper-competitive and allowed for a lot of shifting of places among those who got in on the first flight. The edit would have had real competition at both ends, and less focus on the interpersonal draaaamaaaa. I liked how they set off two distinct Detour options with mini-tasks along the way, and I hope they try it again, perhaps with staggered departures (five minutes?) at each side, so that you don't get everybody heading in one direction at the outset.

 

So yes, there was a certain amount of linearity to the tasks, but it's also Bangkok, where you get a bit of crazy city KF and traffic and there's a certain amount of racing skill that's beyond taxi luck and just keeping your head in the craziness. Also, the final clue to the Pit Stop was sufficiently obfuscated that it stymied one team for (in their words) 90 minutes. Perhaps if everyone had started off even, it would have felt like a slightly random elimination, but I also think it would have got rid of a team that handled Bangkok badly and make the overall leg plan feel better.

 

(Tangentially, we've always known that TAR uses two tuk-tuks per team for the crew setup, but we actually saw a camera guy for extended periods in an adjacent tuk-tuk. Guessing they also mount a small reverse-facing remote camera on the dashboard of the one the team is travelling in, which adds a bit of time to any journey.)

Edited March 14, 2015 by etagloh