S26.E07: Back in Business / S26.E08 Moment of Truth (Namibia)

[Tara Ariano]

The race continues in Namibia where a flat tire deflates one team's hope of leading the pack. The racers also face a Double U-Turn.

[TheRabbi]

I just finished the first hour, don't think I'm watching the second hour until tomorrow, so I will vacate the thread until then.

 

Really liked the first hour, with the exception of once again the unbalanced detours.  All 6 teams wanted to do the obviously easier task, but they only had 3 stations available so 2 teams got stuck doing the more time-consuming task (I understand from a production standpoint, if they're spending money preparing these tasks, they want to make sure they get used, but sucks for the teams).

 

Besides that though, the RB looked like it required a decent amount of work, and color me surprised they actually made the teams drive 215 KM through the Namibian landscape to the pitstop.  They've been really cautious about teams driving through Africa ever since Brian and Greg rolled their jeep.  It's only been on rare occasions and usually short distances, well-supervised, so that was a pretty grueling drive tonight.  Throw in some gorgeous locales and animals and it was a great leg.  Aly got a little annoying with the whining about the RB, but I loved how she was basically ignoring Steve at the detour ("I'm watching the zebras!").

 

I'm rooting for Matt and Ashley, as I love their general rapport with each other and are very amusing.

[mtlchick]

Dave the Camel and Jerome the Gnome seem to be a better couple than Hayley and Blair.

 

Really surprised at the downfall of Aly and Steve, but one freak out too many derail things pretty fast.  

[enlightenedbum]

That is among the worst cases of Killer Fatigue ever.

 

First leg was terribly designed.  Second was reasonable, which was maybe the first such leg on the race.

 

Rooting for the remaining couples, who both seem very well matched.  And I like Laura.  Tyler I'm not as fond of, but I do like her.  If she and Jelani had been a team I think I would have liked that team.  Speaking of: Free Jelani.

Edited April 18, 2015 by enlightenedbum

[henripootel]

color me surprised they actually made the teams drive 215 KM through the Namibian landscape to the pitstop.

The roads in Namibia are pretty well maintained and that's not that far by local standards.  Just slow down on the dirt and you'll be fine.

 

The tents the overnighted in - super hot and stuffy.  Sweet place to camp though.

Edited April 18, 2015 by henripootel

[truthaboutluv]

I'm rooting for Matt and Ashley, as I love their general rapport with each other and are very amusing.

 

 

I shockingly find myself rooting for them as well. They're just such goofs but endearing at the same time. And I thought it was interesting they got Jenny and Jelani because that was exactly Jelani's warning to her many legs ago when she schemed to get away from Matt and Ashley when they were all trying to get the pit stop. Not that it really hurt them because of the express pass and not that she was wrong that leg when she tried to get away from Matt and Ashley. Yes, she's a bit high strung but I don't think she's done anything truly unlikable. 

 

Certainly not like Tyler and Laura who is the one team I really do not want to win. I'm torn about Hayley and Blair because I really, really can't stand Hayley but feel like poor Blair would have earned that money racing with Hayley and not losing his mind. But Tyler and Laura are both jerks which I've figured is probably exactly why they get along so well. There's no romantic interest but they compliment each other's toolish attitude towards other teams. 

 

Sucks for Aly and Steve (and honestly these non-elimination legs have been pretty useless this season) but her passive aggressive attitude wasn't impressing me very much. I get her feeling that Steve was maybe too relaxed but things happen and I also thought she was a little delusional in saying that all the teams were so terrified of them and they did them a favor in "eliminating themselves."

 

Aly and Steve had a couple of strong legs but it wasn't like they were dominating all race like some other pairings have done in the past. In the first couple of legs they were solidly in the middle of the pack. They were a strong team yes but I think Matt and Ashley have really found their footing and much as I hate to say it, Laura and Tyler are really good.

[bmoore4026]

Well, this is something you don't see often - the pretty side of Africa.

 

Namibia actually looks like a pretty decent place, a real change of pace from how African countries are usually shown on the news and movies and some TV series.

 

Plus, the terrain is absolutely gorgeous.  Even the barren desert had a beauty to it.

 

So, good job, show, for showing a bit of country from a continent most write off as an absolute hellhole.

 

Next episode: HOT TUBS!  Which makes me think of this: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/james-brown-celebrity-hot-tub-party/n9133

[mojoween]

Up until the skiing Aly could not possibly have been more annoying. Everything she said grated on my nerves. My hubby said that Steve must have the patience of a saint. I'm sad to lose the pretty that is Steve but not sorry for her to go.

Jenny was a complete tool to the innocent bystander helping them fix their tire. I was amusing myself imagining that she's like that in everyday tasks in real life.

Rochelle and Whatshisface just keep on keeping on. I felt so bad when he got kicked by the zebra, that could have seriously caused a hernia.

Edited April 18, 2015 by mojoween

[lianau]

I liked the local guy who translated the German text for one of the teams (don't remember which one) "You don't speak German?". 

And Nora the Zebra had a pretty good attitude .

[cooksdelight]

My dog and I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, although I did have to mute Hayley a few times. Scooby-Doo (below) backed up and got very still when he saw the wild dogs, and showed a great deal of interest when they were eating. He did the sideways head tilt when he saw the elephants. He's never seen those before, even on Animal Planet. He really loved all the different animals at the end.

 

I thought the scenery was wonderful and I'm glad that the teams seemed to be taking the time to soak it up as well.

 

[Lantern7]

Well, that wasn't a bad way to kill two hours. I don't think there was much movement among the teams, and the animals at the end of the second leg seemed tacked on, but it wasn't the worst episode(s).

 

I can't believe Aly & Steve are out. They had the best leg placement average going into this episode, and they more or less spun out of contention. They're probably a shoo-in for an "All-Star" edition . . . they're not exciting to watch, but they're competent.

 

Hayley didn't outright suck this week. Nice of her to play with the local kids, though she's lucky they can't sense shrews.

 

I see the credits got revamped. The only change that stuck out was Harley & Jonathan in their water mushroom hats.

 

ETA: Just checked Wikipedia . . . with the exception of the top two, none of the teams changed placements. That's a little impressive.

[Pallas]

Scooby-Doo (below) backed up and got very still when he saw the wild dogs, and showed a great deal of interest when they were eating.

 

Delightful, Cook's Delight!  Cheers to you and Scooby-Doo, the Amazing Animal (Home Edition).

[Tink]

I just realized tonight that I don't know the names of many of the racers They still blend together for me. I miss the different types of pairings such as friends, coworkers, family members. It's also hard for me to get used to Friday night, half the time I forget it is on. I don't really have a favorite nor anyone I'm strongly against. Even though they were in Africa which is on my bucket list and I loved seeing the animals in the wild, it still didn't keep my full attention. Very blah season to me for what is typically one of my favorite shows. Surprising myself, I think I like the couple with the tattoo woman the best. They keep trudging through, seem agreeable to each other and other racers, and seem to appreciate the experience.

[possibilities]

Jelani was rocking that pink bandana.

 

Aly was on my last nerve all episode. Wow. Her behavior at the hut-building roadblock made me really dislike her. I think Steve may need to be extra mellow just to keep the situation from going totally off the rails.

 

The fakeout of skydiving actually being a desert hike reminded me of when they used to do that sort of fake out all the time. I wish they'd do more of it, because I like seeing the racers actually be challenged and put into situations that are out of their comfort zones.

 

I liked the bottle-and-can toys, the sand sledding, hut-building, even the road smoothing. They were interesting, even if not all equally challenging.

 

The tracking seemed much harder than the dog-feeding, but I am always awed by elephants. The "painted dogs" were amazing-looking, too.

 

I love how in the rest of the world, people often speak multiple languages, and here in the stupid USA we practically try to stamp it out whenever anyone is actually multilingual.

 

Has anyone kept track of how many roadblocks the teammates have each done? As we get closer to the end, I'm wishing I'd kept track of whether they've all been splitting it evenly, or if there's likely to be a shift and scramble at the end for laggers to catch up.

 

It's amazing how beautiful sand can be.

Edited April 18, 2015 by possibilities

[Waldo13]

Hayley didn't outright suck this week. Nice of her to play with the local kids, though she's lucky they can't sense shrews.

Jenni doesn't to seem to be a bargain either. She can get pretty surely. The best thing I can say about Blair and Hayley is that they must have mad navigation skills. It propelled them to 1st place in Monaco and then 3 rd place tonight. Hayley must be a pediatrics nurse because she handled the little baby very well and said something about seeing healthy children for a change. Hayley also did a good job with the box drop and with handling the tires. She does put her money where her mouth is.

My son would have loved the sand skiing. He is a snowboarder so they call it sand boarding. He goes to Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. He said it's about a hour trudge up the dune for about a 45 second ride give or take.

The African animals are just beautiful but I don't know why they called the animals, being fed, dogs. They looked more like Hyenas to me.

[Maharincess]

My dog and I thoroughly enjoyed this episode, although I did have to mute Hayley a few times. Scooby-Doo (below) backed up and got very still when he saw the wild dogs, and showed a great deal of interest when they were eating. He did the sideways head tilt when he saw the elephants. He's never seen those before, even on Animal Planet. He really loved all the different animals at the end.

I thought the scenery was wonderful and I'm glad that the teams seemed to be taking the time to soak it up as well.

My favorite post of the week. My dog likes Pit Bulls and Parolees. She gets the head cock going and whines at the TV every time a dog is shown.

[blackwing]

So sad to lose Steve and Aly. Steve is very calm and collected. Part of that elephant hunt was Aly's fault. She didn't understand what she was supposed to do. But he didn't get frustrated at her at all. She says she doesn't know where he's pointing and he very calmly says "I know you don't. Let's work together." I noticed that Blaire did everything himself, so perhaps Steve should have taken over too.

But something is really wrong with the first leg's design when teams 4 and 5 can't do the really easy meat detour but the team in dead last can do it because they are so far behind that trucks opened up, and then dead last team completes the meat detour before teams 4 and 5 finish theirs.

I don't know what to make of Jenny. She is so type A control freak. Sitting there constantly chirping at Jelani during the hut task. Standing there by the side of the road with her hand raised but not waving and trying to get a car to stop. I know a guy that does that to signal a waiter when he feels like he needs attention. He can't be bothered to catch the server's eye or wait until they come to him. He just sticks his hand up like an entitled prince waiting for someone to serve him. Jenny is like that.

I feel that Steve and Aly deserve an appearance on the next Redemption race.

[ByaNose]

I like Tyler and Laura but it seems everyone else doesn't. What am I missing? How did Tyler finish that task when they arrived 2nd to last after going back to the salt lick? I know he's amazing but that was unbelievable. Blair deserves the whole $1,00,000. Jeez! Haley is such a PIA! I wish she would leave Blair along and STFU!!! The scenery was beautiful. I did like how everyone had to climb to get to Phil. I don't know if there was a right or wrong way for that?! Jenny sure isn't the warm and fuzzy type is she? Poor Jealni! Rochelle and whatshisfacename always look like they are going to be dead last but are always in the middle of the pack. I don't know how they are still in the race.

Edited April 18, 2015 by ByaNose

[henripootel]

The African animals are just beautiful but I don't know why they called the animals, being fed, dogs. They looked more like Hyenas to me.

They're definitely dogs and actually look more like a black-backed jackal, although jackals are finer-boned and usually alone.  They're hell on cattle so they've been exterminated from most of Namibia, which is actually mostly cut up into giant 'farms', ranches really.  Hyenas are ridiculous looking things, all front-loaded and scruffy looking.  And dangerous.

He goes to Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. He said it's about a hour trudge up the dune for about a 45 second ride give or take.

I've been to both and the sand at Great Sands seems finer somehow, as climbing up them is a long slog of exhausting 'one step up, half a step slide down', and you really sink into them.   The dunes outside Swakop are a bit more compact and walkable, somewhat like Jockey's Ridge in North Carolina. 

[Packerbrewerbadger]

Surprised teams kept picking zebras at the end, they're nasty! Smart pick was the camel, a lot of zoos feature camel rides. Didn't they see Disney 's Swiss Family Robinson??

[DB in CMH]

Haley is insufferable, but she is a good racer. The moment with the kids was really sweet.

[lilabennet]

But something is really wrong with the first leg's design when teams 4 and 5 can't do the really easy meat detour but the team in dead last can do it because they are so far behind that trucks opened up, and then dead last team completes the meat detour before teams 4 and 5 finish theirs.

 

That was complete BS.  If there wasn't enough space for all the teams to do the easy detour, then that option should have been capped once the top teams filled all the slots, and everyone else has to do the other one regardless of whether or not space was open because people had finished and left.

[blackwing]

The African animals are just beautiful but I don't know why they called the animals, being fed, dogs. They looked more like Hyenas to me.

The common name for those animals are "African wild dogs". Or perhaps "African painted dog". I've seen them in zoos before and zoos call them "African wild dogs". Wikipedia says the same.

Sadly, those animals were in the news when three years ago, some idiot mother in Pittsburgh lifted her 2 year old kid onto a railing so he could get a better look at them. He lost his balance, fell in, and was mauled to death.

[Zahdii]

The editors had some fun tonight.  When that one guy was telling his partner that salt blocks were 'given to horses', the background music suddenly featured a subtle little "neigh".  The ominous music "dun dun dun" when that one racer said she wanted to walk the killer zebra was hilarious.

[rockchicknyc]

I thought they had a local driver ferry them back from the desert? Or no, I guess they would have to drive themselves to the pit stop, otherwise it wouldn't be kosher. I don't remember it being 215 km, either; that's pretty far. Confused... Camels can be spitty and recalcitrant, but you'd think most Racers would know how nasty zebras can be. That oryx or whatever seemed chill, and donkeys are fairly calm too. A decent pair of episodes, I think.

[Ducky]

TAR animals!  Yes  the camels seemed the most docile of the bunch... those zebras were.. feisty.  I hope Mike and  Tyler are ok.. those zebras got some kicks in.

 

Hayley still insufferable and yap yap yap yap yap... though not sure what Blair's deal was with the Track detour and doing it himself- maybe he thought it better to do it that way than have her be more insufferable in telling him he's doing it all wrong.  But she did seem sweet with the kids.

 

Kind of on the fence with Jenny-- definitely an Type A competitive but at times she does seem fine.  I'm still in their corner though.  I saw nothing wrong with how Jenny tried to flag down somebody.  Some people do it that way- doesn't mean they're 'entitled prince/princess'.

 

  Matt and Ashley-- well... while they are great racers they were getting a taaaad obsessed with Jelani and Jenny (and not quite understanding that what Jenny did was part of the .. you know... RACE- strategy.  It may very well have been 'strategy' anyway to u-turn them but thinking the main reason for doing so was kind of petty imho.  I'm not even sure why Tyler and Laura u-turned Steve and Aly they were so far behind.  At least J&J were able to use up the Express Pass as they knew it would happen.

 

Still not feeling Mike and Rochelle I'm sorry to say.  They keep living for another day- and I don't know how.  Their navigation sucks,  a few times seems like they are going slow.  They do some of the tasks pretty well but always seem to be in the back of the pack.

 

Ahh so sorry to see Steve and Aly go but yeah...Something happened there as we saw the not so nice Aly this time... KF?  who knows.  That flat really did them in though unfortunately.  It looked like they had fun with the toy airplane making though- that was cool.

 

Tyler and Laura... uh... um... not much to say there... all them datin' couples (blind or not) are starting to blend...

 

Loved the switch-up on the skydiving... Hayley was so excited...until they found out exactly what they were doing.  Blair had it right-- she ain't gonna be happy! and I am sure poor Blair had to listen to that for about three hours.

[Ducky]

 

That was complete BS.  If there wasn't enough space for all the teams to do the easy detour, then that option should have been capped once the top teams filled all the slots, and everyone else has to do the other one regardless of whether or not space was open because people had finished and left.

I agree--  When teams 4 and 5 came and they were told no you can't do the Pack.. I fully expected that #6 would be told the same thing. Why weren't they allowed at least to be able to wait to do the Pack?  TAR makes 'em wait on other detours/RBs sometimes.  That has been done before- only X number of slots no matter how late you get there so the other detour become what they do.  I was a bit annoyed- it seemed a bit misleading- at least to the viewer.

[green]

Tara:  "We're in Namibia for God's sake!"  They went to a lot of the same places this episode they did in Season 2 which was the only other time they have been there.  Though Kevin kind of gave it a shout-out in Season 1 when looking at a map in Zambia that showed both countries.  ("That's Namibia ... jackass").  It was the first TAR quote to become a big deal.  So shame on truck stop guy for not knowing it thus not knowing the country existed or how to pronounce it.

 

But in season 2 (my favorite of all time) we had the Matterhorn sand dune and the sand boarding, Windhoek, Swapokmund which was the airport they flew into that season, Spitzkotte (spelling these wrong maybe) and Bushmen greeters that Chris nearly killed with his bear hug. 

 

They also had instructions that season to drive under the posted speed limits.  (Couple of teams didn't read the fine print and got time penalties to start the next leg since they went the official speed limit and not the TAR-imposed one).   The reason given for the slow driving was because wild animals cross those roads like crazy.  And in this episode sure enough some zebra did. 

 

So I assume this season's teams had the same restrictions since you could see they were driving like the little old lady from Pasadena in the middle of nowhere with no traffic slowing them down.  Where the one vehicle passed the other was only when the lead team stopped so it made me think of TAR2's instructions as in everyone was driving as fast as allowed so no racing on the road.

 

Stupid of team that did the whatever it is to the team that has the express pass.  I mean you knew they would survive especially with a second u-turn involved.  Now the other team has the ability to get you back.

 

Since I can't tell these teams apart and don't really care I spent the 2 hours remembering how Oswald & Danny got a free ride into town from the airport because they were calm and courteous.  How the twins got stuck in the sand.  How Peach soldiered on.  How on that season they had to carry a huge wooden giraffe to the mat instead of a product placement gnome.  And how back then YOU COULD TELL ALL THE TEAMS APART!!!

 

Anyhow, another white bland 20-something couples team gone and I don't have any distinct memory of their time on the race.  Did they do this or that or was that one of the other infinite number of bland white 20-something couple teams?  I won't remember much about this season, that's for sure.  I can't remember who did what where even now because they all look alike to me except the trucker/roller derby team and the Arfo & Asian lawyer team.

 

What a waste of Namibia having a bunch of bland people passing through it's beauty.  Oh well, Namibia, you will always have Season 2's teams to remember.

Edited April 18, 2015 by green

[viajero]

I like Tyler and Laura but it seems everyone else doesn't. What am I missing? How did Tyler finish that task when they arrived 2nd to last after going back to the salt lick? I know he's amazing but that was unbelievable. Blair deserves the whole $1,00,000. Jeez! Haley is such a PIA! I wish she would leave Blair along and STFU!!! The scenery was beautiful. I did like how everyone had to climb to get to Phil. I don't know if there was a right or wrong way for that?! Jenny sure isn't the warm and fuzzy type is she? Poor Jealni! Rochelle and whatshisfacename always look like they are going to be dead last but are always in the middle of the pack. I don't know how they are still in the race.

 

You are not alone.  I also kind of like Tyler and Laura.  They can be a bit snarky, but it doesn’t come across as mean spirited to me.  More importantly, they seem to be having the most fun of any of the teams.

 

Blair is getting something out of this experience.  He seems to have learned how to take things in stride and actually have a little fun, despite his partner.  What a contrast to how he started the race.  Now if only Jenny could learn to take it down a notch the same way.

 

Rochelle and Mike are really slow, but they also tend not to make major mistakes or at least not the worst mistake in any given leg.  I suspect they’ll keep surviving until the other teams stop screwing up.

 

It was great to see places where I've actually been.  Swapokmund really does feel a bit like a German town transported to the African coast and is very popular with German tourists (which is why a local may have found it strange to meet a blonde woman who doesn't speak that language).  I've also got a photo on the wall of my office that was taken on those very same sand dunes.  Those are the most impressive dunes I've ever visited, with the possible exception of the ones in Natal, Brazil (which coincidentally is almost directly across the Atlantic).  The ones near Walvis Bay are much more extensive, but the dunes in Natal are a bit more spectacular because of the way they tower right up over the ocean.

[Turtle]

I didn't really mind anyone this week. Jenny was Jenny, but pretty toned down. Blair and Hayley are amusing me with their seemingly mostly successful attempts to stop being asses to each other, even though we all know it won't last. I even found myself enjoying the hairstylists for the first time all season.

I don't mind having detour tasks limit the number of teams that participate at one time. What I do mind is all teams wanting to do one task over the other, every single week. It tells me that either the tasks are poorly planned in that one is obviously easier/ faster than the other, or that the descriptions are written so poorly as to make one task seem easier/ faster. It usually happens once or twice a season, but it's been almost every episode this season, and it takes a lot of suspense and fun out of it.

Edited April 18, 2015 by Turtle

[GaT]

Blair sure isn't perfect, but I don't know how he doesn't just stab Hayley in the eye & end her.

 

 

I'm rooting for Matt and Ashley, as I love their general rapport with each other and are very amusing.

Me too, I like how they don't let the race interfere with them as a couple.

[Haleth]

Omigosh, what a stunningly beautiful country.  I could have enjoyed 2 hours of the camera just panning the landscape.

 

But something is really wrong with the first leg's design when teams 4 and 5 can't do the really easy meat detour but the team in dead last can do it because they are so far behind that trucks opened up, and then dead last team completes the meat detour before teams 4 and 5 finish theirs.

 

Yeah, that was unfortunate, but on the positive side... elephants!

 

I'm not even sure why Tyler and Laura u-turned Steve and Aly they were so far behind.

 

To ensure they would stay so far behind.

 

Mike and Rochelle are like the tortoises in a race with a bunch of hares.  Slow and steady, a-yup.

 

I like Tyler and Laura too. They seem to be having fun so I wouldn't mind seeing them or Matt and Ashley win.

Edited April 18, 2015 by Haleth

[Scratch]

I'll admit that I'm rooting for Blair and Hayley to win. Their partnership has become rather amusing to me and give them some credit, they are working together pretty well now overall. I'm almost expecting that this will lead to some bizarre development of mutual respect that in the crucible of killer fatigue, leads to them developing admiration for one another and then to everyone's utter amazement, falling in love and winning the Amazing Race. 

 

But then it all falls apart later when the dreamboat bush pilot flies solo across the ocean to declare his love for Hayley. Or maybe Blair. You never exactly know these days what twists you'll see.

[Primetimer]

A double episode brings the Amazing Racers to Namibia; U-Turns spell trouble for some, while a hostile zebra causes problems for others.

Read the story

[Jobiska]

The African animals are just beautiful but I don't know why they called the animals, being fed, dogs. They looked more like Hyenas to me.

 

There was a hyena, though, in an enclosure near the butchering station.  He kept trotting around with an eye on the procedure looking as if he were thinking "does it all have to go to the dogs?  At least throw me a bone, here, people!"

I really didn't have a problem with the number limit at the butchering place.  They've had maximum #s of participants before (although usually someone can choose to wait).  At any rate, it's a lot better than the task being decided for you at a roulette wheel.

As soon as they they announced the skydiving thing, I told my husband, "the ones who want to skydive will pick it and then it won't be skydiving at all."  But wait--was that a second roadblock after the "grassy" one, or was it a route marker one?  

I was so irritated at Aly (especially since they'd been trading RBs all along and were just following that pattern, and it wasn't like she said "but I have a feeling this one will be better for you, so can we switch for once?"--she just did it and if she had just been complaining about how hard it was, that would have been annoying but understandable, but she was mad at Steve for not taking it!  That made no sense!

[thefog]

Aly certainly showed her truly ugly colors.  It was her that dragged the team down.  Steve seems like a really good guy and would be better without her. 

I wasn't in favor of Tyler and Laura using the U-Turn on them.  But I think it was justify that Matt and Ashley used against Jenny and Jelani.  What comes around, goes around.

I'm rooting for the under dogs Mike and Rochelle.  And Blair deserves a prize just for putting up with Haley.

[jah1986]

I think killer fatigue hit Aly hard in Monaco which was the first time I knew who she was. The girl does not take things not going her way well at all I thought she was Hayley when they got a flat tire.

 

Beautiful scenery and good tasks, maybe not great leg design but the tasks themselves were pretty good.

 

I did think free Jelani at one point, but he did rock the skydiving task.

 

I still like Mike and Rochelle just doing the work and somehow managing to stay in it.

[Jersey Guy 87]

So sad to lose Steve and Aly. Steve is very calm and collected. Part of that elephant hunt was Aly's fault. She didn't understand what she was supposed to do. But he didn't get frustrated at her at all. She says she doesn't know where he's pointing and he very calmly says "I know you don't. Let's work together." I noticed that Blaire did everything himself, so perhaps Steve should have taken over too.

But something is really wrong with the first leg's design when teams 4 and 5 can't do the really easy meat detour but the team in dead last can do it because they are so far behind that trucks opened up, and then dead last team completes the meat detour before teams 4 and 5 finish theirs.

 

Aly's attitude during the elephant search was frustrating.  I understand she didn't know what to do but she didn't even try it seemed.  Haley, on the other hand, got frustrated that Blair was basically ignoring her on the task although it looks like he gave in and let her help towards the end (and guess what - they found the elephant then).

 

I didn't like that Mike and Rochelle were rewarded for being last by being allowed to feed the dogs - the task was (obviously) much easier to figure out and seemed very straight forward.  I'm not sure they would have avoided last place if they had to do the elephant task.

 

Haley and Blair have actually become amusing again, now that Hayley has stopped yelling at Blair full time. They both took some shots at each other with snarky comments, they both seemed to recognize when they needed to bear down and work together.  I actually think Hayley, in her less nagging mode, is more pleasant than Jenni.  I think I'm rooting for these two now because I can actually remember who they are, they race more competently than Mike and Rochelle and Jenni is starting to really get on my nerves.

 

Really surprised by how thoroughly Aly broke down.  From being passive and non-engaged during the elephant search to acting like a flat tire was a completely insurmountable obstacle she seemed ready to check out.

[sinycalone]

The teams should have been allowed to wait for the feed-the-pack option.  The fact that the last team was able to take the easier challenge made no sense.  Of course, TBTB wanted the elephant-tracking option to be used....so guaranteed that it would be.  Just from a quick description, it was obvious which task was going to be the fastest....you control your destiny with the dogs or you learn a new skill and hope you find an elephant, lol.

[Bad Example]

So about the wild dogs:  What's the deal with feeding them?  They looked like it's something that they're used to having happen, but regular feeding seems like a strange thing.  Are they endangered?  Is it a tourist thing? Anyone know?

[humbleopinion]

I'm guessing Aly's true character finally was revealed to herself and the cameras when things stopped going their way.

She seems the type to learn from her meltdown and will not do that again.

Will it be a deal breaker for Steve and their relationship?

[TheOriginalDonald]

How Green can't tell Rochelle and Hayley apart is beyond my comprehension

[captain1]

I loved the scenery and the wildlife and I agree it was wonderful to see a different side of Africa. On a completely shallow note, though, what is up with all the women gagging and carrying on about the meat - I'm a woman and I love a good thick rare steak! I feel like I must be weird in some way after watching this bunch.

[TheOriginalDonald]

For those wondering what salt licks are......http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_lick

[cooksdelight]

I loved the scenery and the wildlife and I agree it was wonderful to see a different side of Africa. On a completely shallow note, though, what is up with all the women gagging and carrying on about the meat - I'm a woman and I love a good thick rare steak! I feel like I must be weird in some way after watching this bunch.

Several of the women mentioned they don't eat meat. One said she never even touches it. Which may have been why the gag reflex set in. That, and the smell of meat fresh off the carcas in the hot sun.

[Meraji]

Several of the women mentioned they don't eat meat. One said she never even touches it. Which may have been why the gag reflex set in. That, and the smell of meat fresh off the carcas in the hot sun.

Yes, and I imagine antelope is a bit gamey smelling even if not beginning to rot in the sun. I eat all sorts of meat, but have a problem with the smell of raw and the early stages of cooking red meat.

I was wondering what was with the bandanas? Have they worn those before and I haven't noticed? All of a sudden they all had them in Namibia. It crossed my mind that if we, as Americans and/or white people can't tell apart the teams after all this time that the bushmen wouldn't have a prayer, so the bandanas were for their benefit. Or maybe they explained it and I didn't catch the reason?

[eurekagirl mOo]

If I stand on the side on the side of the road and put my fist on my waist and stick my other arm out like a friggin superhero someone will stop and translate for me. Right? Right? Oh maybe not.

[peachmangosteen]

I was wondering what was with the bandanas? Have they worn those before and I haven't noticed? All of a sudden they all had them in Namibia. It crossed my mind that if we, as Americans and/or white people can't tell apart the teams after all this time that the bushmen wouldn't have a prayer, so the bandanas were for their benefit. Or maybe they explained it and I didn't catch the reason?

 

I pretty much spent the entire first ep trying to understand why the teams all had matching bandannas. I don't remember it being explained at all. Does anyone know what that was about? And they didn't have them in the second ep, which made the whole thing even weirder to me.

 

I kept waiting for there to be some 'shave your head' task because in one of Blair/Hayley's confessionals he had on a hat and had shaved his beard. But then he still had the beard all throughout both episodes. 

 

These eps were obviously very boring to me!

Edited April 18, 2015 by peachmangosteen

[backformore]

So about the wild dogs:  What's the deal with feeding them?  They looked like it's something that they're used to having happen, but regular feeding seems like a strange thing.  Are they endangered?  Is it a tourist thing? Anyone know?

Yeah, I always thought feeding wild animals was a bad idea, as it made them dependent on humans and not afraid to approach them. Wild dogs raised to expect humans to feed them might be more likely to attack a child, thinking it's a meal.

The whole thing seemed weird to me.

[fishcakes]

The wild dogs are endangered, so I think those particular dogs were in a protected reserve. Even so, that seemed like a lot of meat they were getting. By the time Mike and Rochelle got there, the dogs were barely interested in the food.

 

The way Jelani had his bandana tied made him look like Lucy Ricardo cleaning the house.

 

The elephant tracking would have made a better roadblock, since it was really a one-person task. Despite Hayley's constant stream of, "do you know what you're doing let me do it let me hold it why are you ignoring me let me hold the thing blair blair blair blair," it makes no sense for one person to hold the antenna and one to hold the monitor because the person holding the antenna has to look at the monitor to know whether they're pointing the antenna in the right direction. Two people can do it, but it seems a lot less efficient that way, since it essentially blindfolds the person who's pointing the antenna. Even so, Hayley was less obnoxious this episode than in the past and she was pretty cute with the kids.

 

I didn't even know Aly, but now I'm glad she's gone.

 

I'm solidly rooting for Matt and Ashley now. They work really well together and I was impressed with how he talked her through her the sand-ski task when she was starting to let frustration get to her. I think it was a mistake to U-turn Jenny and Jelani because they weren't going to be eliminated anyway and now Jenny's out for revenge with another U-turn still to come. But other than that, they've been racing well.

 

When Mike was reading the clue telling them to go to "Nambia," I felt the entire TWoP/TARflies/PTV universe shout out in unison.