S26.E09: Can I Get A Hot Tub

[Lingo]

About the title quote . . . anybody else think back to the State Farm commercial with the college bros getting stuff from their agent, concluding with the one guy shouting, "And can I get a hot tub?"? Or is it just me?

 

Definitely not just you!  I thought for sure that that's what Tyler was referring to when he said it.  But someone else in this thread mentioned James Brown, so if you told me James Brown said it first, I'd believe you.

[justawatcher]

King Ecbert would love the floating hot tubs

Extra points for a cross-show reference, fellow Vikings watcher!

[millennium]

Despite Hayley's nonstop yapping she and Blair seem to have a good relationship. Personally I don't see how he stands it but he seems to laugh it off.

 

 

Blair has the rare ability not to take a partner's complaints personally, even when most people would go ballistic in self-defense.   I believe he sees Hayley's yammering as her problem rather than his.    Throw in the creative editing by the show and the result is pure comedy.

 

Last week, I loved it when Laura referred to Blair and Hayley as "The Bickersons."

[greyhorse]

Matt was so idiotic with the klompen task.  I think we only saw him go back to look at the original clog maybe after he had guessed 30 times?  And why did it seem like at times he was comparing one shoe to another?  I gather you can't take the original shoe and walk around with it.  So he was carrying a shoe that he thought might be it and comparing it to another one?  Bizarre strategy.

 

Confused as to why the racers didn't have swimsuits to change into.  This would have been a perfect gratuitous "let's get them in bikinis" moment.  TAR certainly didn't have a problem when the racers went to Chile and had to float in a salt bath, especially considering that season had quite a number of lookers including the LA Kings ice girls.  Wonder why it was different this time?  Perhaps because there was the possibility Rochelle would do the task and she doesn't seem like the bikini sort?  At least they could have given the women all one-piece bathing suits.  I thought it was pretty silly for Jenny to go into the hot tub wearing her robe, but she's probably pretty modest in her personal life as well.

 

Once you got "skating rink", the "ice" part should have followed.  But you have to admit that the way it was written, II over III, was at least a little somewhat confusing.  It would have been much clearer if it was written "i i i i i".  Especially considering that the "skating" one was so simple and "rink" not much harder.

 

Why didn't the hot tub guy make Jenny and Jelani take another lap?  He even said that they would have to do it over.  So how come they could just walk around and ask somebody for help?

Edited April 26, 2015 by greyhorse

[millennium]

Definitely not just you!  I thought for sure that that's what Tyler was referring to when he said it.  But someone else in this thread mentioned James Brown, so if you told me James Brown said it first, I'd believe you.

 

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Tyler's hot tub reference wasn't to James Brown, but to Eddie Murphy impersonating James Brown in the infamous James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub sketch:

 

https://youtu.be/USHPc90MPl8

Why didn't the hot tub guy make Jenny and Jelani take another lap?  He even said that they would have to do it over.  So how come they could just walk around and ask somebody for help?

 

It seemed unfair that Jenny and Jelani were able to seek help from onlookers.   Matt had no help in the klompen shop.   Are there rules about recruiting help from outsiders?   Why is it okay in outdoor tasks but not indoors?   I realize there were no onlookers in the klompen shop, but it's the principle of the thing.

I've finally come around on Tyler and Laura. IMO, they have the best intra-team dynamic of the five teams left. And the banter they got into about peeing in the Hot tug was genuinely kind of funny.

 

 

I wanted to hate them because they seem so perfect ... but yeah, it's hard not to like them.   They appear to be laughing their way through this whole thing.   No challenge ever defeats their sense of humor.   I won't mind if they win ... although part of me wishes Blair could win too, if only for being a nice guy in a bad situation.  

Edited April 26, 2015 by millennium

[Camera One]

The shuffleboard had a bunch of people suggesting which slot to aim for, to gain the most points.  J&J were asking locals thinking that there was a specific skating rink they had to find in Amsterdam, so perhaps the producers felt asking people could technically have delayed them a lot as well.  I'm just guessing they didn't have to do another loop because they had already gone a second loop.  Or it was the type of task where you could guess a million times with no penalty, which has occurred on the race many times before.

 

 

 

Once you got "skating rink", the "ice" part should have followed.  But you have to admit that the way it was written, II over III, was at least a little somewhat confusing.  It would have been much clearer if it was written "i i i i i".  Especially considering that the "skating" one was so simple and "rink" not much harder.

 

Yeah, I interpreted the I I I I I as Roman numerals myself, so I didn't get the "I" thing until Tyler figured it out.

 

 

 

Confused as to why the racers didn't have swimsuits to change into.  This would have been a perfect gratuitous "let's get them in bikinis" moment.  TAR certainly didn't have a problem when the racers went to Chile and had to float in a salt bath, especially considering that season had quite a number of lookers including the LA Kings ice girls.  Wonder why it was different this time?  Perhaps because there was the possibility Rochelle would do the task and she doesn't seem like the bikini sort?  At least they could have given the women all one-piece bathing suits. 

 

I guess the men didn't have to go shirtless, and could have gone in with a T-shirt, but they all decided to go bare-chested for some reason.  Maybe because Jelani saw Tyler wearing no shirt, and Blair saw Jelani wearing no shirt.  You could only see Jelani and Blair's shoulders anyway, so everyone was being pretty conservative.  Except for Tyler.  The females were more practical, dressing for warmth since it was cold out.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Camera One

[kakiphony]

I thought the guys had the right idea. I would have worn as few clothes as possible in the hot tub. It would have saved time at the end to not have to struggle out of wet layers, and you'd have less wet stuff to haul around (and to soak into your dry clothes). I can't decide if Laura's running tights would have been easy to get off (wicking fabric shed the water) or awful (skin tight, long, and soaked). I'm tempted to wear a pair swimming this summer just to experiment!

[Jobiska]

Maybe it was the capital I's that could have also stood for roman numerals, or the placement, but I kept thinking it represented the name of the skating rink they were supposed to go to, not just "ice skating rink".

 

 

Part of my problem is that roller skating rinks are such a tiny part of my life experience (I've been to one once in 54 years!) and I also read Hans Brinker early on so I have always been familiar with the association of skates with the Netherlands.  So to me "Ice Skating Rink" is extremely redundant in context--of course it's an ice rink, it wouldn't be a roller rink, so "skating rink" was enough to indicate the type of location we were going for, so the first clue would have to relate to the specific name of the rink, because there could easily be more than one in a skating-mad country, right?  So I'd totally be going for a specific name of a skating rink.  Not to mention that Ize sounds nothing like ice to me.  I don't think J&J are stupid beyond belief.  Well, except Jelani comes close behind Hayley in not being able to wear a bicycle helmet correctly, but that's another matter.

I also could see what Jenny was going for with wearing a robe and standing up in the boat.  Even with the water starting to wick up the robe, I could see her hope that maybe the top would stay dry and she'd stay warmer that way than if her arms etc. were bare and sticking out of the water.

 

Edited April 26, 2015 by Jobiska

[kili]

Blair also needs to pay attention to Hayley when it comes to directions. She's been right more often than him.

 

We don't actually know if that is true. We only hear about it when he is wrong. Since they do seem to be pretty good at navigation and she makes him do it, he must be pretty accurate at it most of the time. She'll never admit when he's right or done something well ("You were lucky"), but she'll spend 2 hours complaining about a mistake. Since she keeps harping for hours on the same mistake instead of multiple ones, I have to believe we've seen all there are.

[Way Wes Jr]

I thought the guys had the right idea. I would have worn as few clothes as possible in the hot tub. It would have saved time at the end to not have to struggle out of wet layers, and you'd have less wet stuff to haul around (and to soak into your dry clothes). I can't decide if Laura's running tights would have been easy to get off (wicking fabric shed the water) or awful (skin tight, long, and soaked). I'm tempted to wear a pair swimming this summer just to experiment!

 

Plus, the men could go commando for the rest of the leg after they change, and not have any wet clothing on.  Don't teams pack a swimsuit of their own?  They had their packs with them ... There were some odd choices at the detour.

 

Did the shuffleboarders have to get fifty one points exactly, or just beat that score?  The difficulty level is different...

 

And, as nagitty nag naggy as Haley is, she's better than Flo.  (Low bar, I know.)

[dgpolo]

Confused as to why the racers didn't have swimsuits to change into.

 

Me too! They never seemed to have a problem before when there was a water task, everyone just changed, I wonder what the difference was this time? I know production provides cold weather gear (both for safety's sake and so the teams don't have to lug it around) but I thought all teams brought swimsuits.

I also agree with the post just above. We do not know if Hayley has actually been better at navigating. We only know when she says she has been better and never know when Blair has actually been correct because she doesn't screech those incidents at ear splitting levels. Considering their placements in the legs he must be doing pretty well.

 

ETA

And, as nagitty nag naggy as Haley is, she's better than Flo.  (Low bar, I know.)

 

True, at least Hayley will try to do the tasks, and the rules are different so she 'has' to do some of the tasks. But as to people who make me want to mute the TV, Flo and Hayley are tops.

Edited April 26, 2015 by dgpolo

[ByaNose]

Ah, Flo! Another one who (really) cried & whined. That said, I liked her. She was truly awful to Zach and didn't deserve her share of the money but I liked her. I've been watching show way too long. LOL!!!

[justawatcher]

Something's been needling at me since I watched the episode.

 

Going to Amsterdam makes no sense whatsoever. The race always goes in one direction around the world. The next stop is Peru, which fits in that. Also, there was no "get tickets at the airport" business, it was just all 5 teams on the same flight out of Namibia off to Amsterdam. Makes me wonder- did something happen in Namibia that The Race had to get out of the country fast? Because this almost seems like "load the cast and crew on a charter plane and get the hell out of here" kind of thing.

[aradia22]

 

Plus, what Jelani said at the end of this episode.  Individually, the blind daters are relatively strong players, so paired up, they can still do pretty well despite any disagreements they might have.

I still think that teams that come to the race as partners are better to watch. In spite of the success some of the blind dating teams have had, just putting people together randomly who don't have much of a reason to get along and who don't know each others strengths and weaknesses and who don't trust each other, etc. can be asking for disaster. That said, if they're committed to shaking up the format I'd prefer real power teams over the dating thing again. What I mean is no weak links. The producers go out and cast people that are legitimately really strong racers and then throw them together with a stranger (or at least someone who isn't a family member/friend if we're talking about repeat racers from past seasons). It'll probably be a mess but at least we can give up on the dating thing. 

[needschocolate]

Haley avoids making decisions, complains a lot, has little patience, and can't let things go....and she is a pediatric trauma nurse.  

 

I can't wrap my head around that.  She has displayed most of the characteristics that are opposite of what one would expect in someone who had to deal with high stress emergency situations on a daily basis.  I am not saying she is bad at her job (I would have no way of knowing that).  Perhaps it is the chance for a million dollars or the lack of sleep that are doing her in (although, one would think that having lives on the line would be considered "high stakes" and, depending on her shift, she may routinely work on little sleep).  

 

I like Blair's little "knowing glances" and side eye looks, as if to say "you can see what I am dealing with her, right?"  What gets me is that Hayley does the same sort of thing - saying that Blair is an idiot or has done something idiotic while looking at the camera with a "can you believe" sort of look on her face.  

 

I've lusted after these hot-tub boats before, but funny thing about them - the heat for them comes from a wood-burning stove that's in there with you.  That's cool but you have to keep them stoked in cold weather or they cool off, and there didn't seem to be much smoke coming out of them.  My guess is that water was pretty tepid by the end there, really not happy-making if there's a bit of wind.

 

I am almost positive I heard Phil say they were electric hot tub boats.  I remember thinking that mixing electricity with water was dangerous, until I realized that most boats have some electrical equipment (note: I am in no way suggesting that it is safe to take a bath while using a curling iron on your hair).  

 

I've now written Jelani and Jenny off as the dumbest people alive.  It's understandable to not get the rebus, but once you WRITE DOWN I's on your board, how does that not trigger your, "Oh YEAH!" button?

 

For me, writing it down wouldn't have helped, but saying it out loud would have --- "5 I's Skating ....5 Ice Skating....Ice skating!"  And I hope getting that would help me figure out "Rink" or I would be writing "ice skating rblot" or "ice skating rspat" on my white board.  

Edited April 26, 2015 by needschocolate

[ByaNose]

I've just come to the conclusion that 5 I's was a sucky clue. Ask said before, by itself it sucked but once you get skating ring it should have been easier. I still think it's weird that the racers or the show itself didn't have bathing suits. They provided the tents & I guess they wanted to see what the racers changed or nor changed into. It was pretty easy for the guys. Not so much for the girls. If I looked like Tyler I would have just gone commando.

[Vicky8675309]

I like how Tyler said "can I get a hot tub" several times. I would have thought he was too young to know Eddie Murphy's work. He also carried both backpacks and figured out the clues. Tyler and Laura are a strong team and I wouldn't be surprised (or sad) if they won. I'm liking them right now

Jenny did the shoe task super fast. I was pleasantly surprised with her giving away the "skating rink" clues without negotiating for something in return. It's not like Blair & Hayley needed the clues and I don't blame them for not sharing the "ice" part of the puzzle. J & J were not told to do the task again, but were told to "try again". "Try again" is vague and could mean do the task over OR keep guessing. I don't think they should be penalized.

Hayley makes me want to cut or choke a bitch (Lisa Rinna style, lol). Hayley never said "turn down this street" or anything like that! All she said was, look at this and/or this street name starts with an H, look at it, what do you think. I watched it twice and NEVER did she say "let's go this way" or anything to imply she felt strongly about going a certain way. Then she twists it up in her mind and convinces herself that she told him to go that way. No, you just said look at the sign and asked what he thought. He said something to the effect of "no, it's farther down" based on a local person's directions. Every scene she was in, she drove me nuts. I really don't know how Blare has put up with her. I kind of want them to win just so he can be rewarded. She isn't stupid but she lacks self-awareness and social skills (and seems like a totally annoying person). I remember her saying a few times, in other episodes, how he embarrassed her and everything he said was embarrassing…wtf & omg what a c-you-next-tuesday. I guess he just got lucky at the shoe task like he was lucky at the singing task. I'm sure in her mind she could have done it so much better.

Rochelle, calling yourself and underdog kind of makes you less of an underdog imo. Mike seems like a great guy and they are good together (please get off his jock, lol, about the glasses vs contacts issue).

Ashley & Matt: they are super supportive and seem like a great couple.

[backformore]

Something's been needling at me since I watched the episode.

 

Going to Amsterdam makes no sense whatsoever. The race always goes in one direction around the world. The next stop is Peru, which fits in that. Also, there was no "get tickets at the airport" business, it was just all 5 teams on the same flight out of Namibia off to Amsterdam. Makes me wonder- did something happen in Namibia that The Race had to get out of the country fast? Because this almost seems like "load the cast and crew on a charter plane and get the hell out of here" kind of thing.

I agree.  it was weird, how the placements at the end of the previous leg were wiped away and everyone started together.  It sometimes happens, I know, that there's only one flight.   But it seemed like they just all started out together, with no explanation.  Something was weird about that.  

 

Hayley makes me want to cut or choke a bitch (Lisa Rinna style, lol). Hayley never said "turn down this street" or anything like that! All she said was, look at this and/or this street name starts with an H, look at it, what do you think. I watched it twice and NEVER did she say "let's go this way" or anything to imply she felt strongly about going a certain way. Then she twists it up in her mind and convinces herself that she told him to go that way. No, you just said look at the sign and asked what he thought. He said something to the effect of "no, it's farther down" based on a local person's directions. Every scene she was in, she drove me nuts. I really don't know how Blare has put up with her. I kind of want them to win just so he can be rewarded. She isn't stupid but she lacks self-awareness and social skills (and seems like a totally annoying person). I remember her saying a few times, in other episodes, how he embarrassed her and everything he said was embarrassing…wtf & omg what a c-you-next-tuesday. I guess he just got lucky at the shoe task like he was lucky at the singing task. I'm sure in her mind she could have done it so much better.

 

Yes -  Haley says things like "I think it's this way - there's a sign that begins with H - is that it?"   Not just this leg, other times as well.  She suggests, in a very passive way, that maybe something  would work, but leaves the DECISION up to Blair.  He makes all the final decisions. If they work out, he gets no credit.  If his decision does not work, she gets to say "YOU NEVER LISTEN TO ME!!"  

[Guest]

Usually, or often at least, when a rebus has a row beneath another, that's relevant.  Like

 

arrest

you're 

 

= You're under arrest  

[possibilities]

Mike and Rochelle may be too polite for the race.  There's a Bonus clip in which they all leave the airport and there's a huge line of people lined up waiting for cabs.  Mike and Rochelle jump in the line and all the other teams just cut to the front and take off.  Eventually M&R decide they have to cut too, but they feel really bad about it afterwards.

I enjoyed that clip also, and I think it may explain quite a bit about why they are behind. They also said (besides cutting lines) that they are also very uncomfortable rushing locals or asking for directions without thanking people and being friendly and shaking hands, etc. They said it's understandable to be short with other racers, but to do that with locals is just not okay for them, that they realize that they are racing through people's everyday lives, and don't want to be disruptive. I really respect that, but I think it would indeed give them a huge disadvantage in the race.

 

If the editing showed all the other couples being rude or even brusque with locals, while showing Mike and Rochelle as being painstakingly polite, and then Mike and Rochelle actually won? I think it would be a sensational outcome that everyone would cheer for. But since it doesn't seem to actually magically be leading in that direction, the show has not been letting us see why Rochelle and Mike are so often lagging behind, and has spared us the footage of the other racers being impatient or rude and cutting lines, etc. so that we wouldn't dislike all the other teams. But it leaves Rochelle and Mike looking inexplicably show. I think her "underdog" comment was kind of snarky and self-mocking. She rolled her eyes when she said it. Rochelle and Mike seem to be self-aware and to accept responsibility for who they are. I really like them.

[Netfoot]

And, as nagitty nag naggy as Haley is, she's better than Flo.  (Low bar, I know.)

 

For the record, I love Flo.  And as for which is worse, I'd prefer my race partner fling down her bike-helmet a few times, rather than poke two electric drills into my ears all the time.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Netfoot

[henripootel]

I am almost positive I heard Phil say they were electric hot tub boats.  I remember thinking that mixing electricity with water was dangerous, until I realized that most boats have some electrical equipment (note: I am in no way suggesting that it is safe to take a bath while using a curling iron on your hair).

The electric part is only for moving the boat, and is battery-powered.  Heating water with electricity takes a LOT of juice, very difficult to do with a battery.  And, as you say, you don't want the heating element in there with you.  Having a fire-box in there in the water is less of a problem, just don't touch it for too long (there's usually a little fence).  

Edited April 26, 2015 by henripootel

[stanleyk]

But he has tried that too. Remember in an early leg when he made a point of leaving navigation choices up to her? She immediately stalled and asked "What do you think?" and insisted on hearing his ideas -- which she then immediately questioned. She really can't take the lead on navigation (she wasn't sure about the H-- street in Amsterdam either). Her only way to function is to let Blair decide and then nitpick him to death.

 

 

You know, sometimes I feel a smidgen of sympathy for Hayley, because she WAS right about the street and Blair just ignored her, and I can't have been the only one to notice that she figured out all the rebus clues before Blair did.  But then she just goes on and on and my sympathy is gone.

 

I don't know exactly why, but I feel the need to defend Hayley a little bit. To me, Blair and Hayley's problem is that they fundamentally operate differently in a team setting. My impression is that Hayley wants a cooperative dynamic - she doesn't want to lead, necessarily, but instead wants to work together. Blair wants to be in charge, and if when he "allowed" Hayley to take charge, he admitted part of him wanted her to fail. So he kind of made a point of refusing to work cooperatively with her in that instance. Her version of being "in charge" meant she wanted equal input from both team members, and his version of being "in charge" means that one person makes the decisions. Fundamentally incompatible, but to me understandable from both of them.

 

And we have seen Blair being dismissive when she tries to work with him on directions. Do I think her response is reasonable? No, because I am not an insane person. But as a person with a temper who doesn't let things go easily, I get why she acts the way she does, out of frustration at not being heard by a partner she'd like to have a more back-and-forth conversation with. I'd probably act the same way (to my eternal shame). I don't enjoy listening to her screeching either, but I guess I see it growing more out an understandable frustration with her incompatibility with her teammate, and I think Blair, intentionally or not, tends to escalate with his preternaturally calm responses. She wants him to ENGAGE, not try to soothe her. If I'm angry, one of the quickest way to escalate me to incoherent rage is to tell me to calm down, and I think Hayley just wants acknowledgement that she exists and that she is angry.

 

I do feel the show is piling on a little bit, with stitching together the exchange on the bikes with Blair all "it's a beautiful day" and her "I'm cold!" Well...it WAS cold. It was just above freezing. If I were riding a bike on a gray, cold day without gloves, I'd probably say "I need gloves," too. She may not be the most self-aware person, and certainly she has some anger issues, but I'm not unsympathetic to her.

 

In other news, I'm not sure who I'm rooting for. I have the same lukewarm feelings about all the remaining teams. I'd like Tyler and Laura more, but I just can't shake his ridiculous gay panic comments during the ladyboy challenge. WE GET IT, YOU'RE ALL MAN. And I like how chill Mike and Rochelle are, but the rest are just kind of...eh. Whatever.

[Richness]

It seemed unfair that Jenny and Jelani were able to seek help from onlookers.   Matt had no help in the klompen shop.   Are there rules about recruiting help from outsiders?   Why is it okay in outdoor tasks but not indoors?   I realize there were no onlookers in the klompen shop, but it's the principle of the thing.

 

Racers have gotten help from others plenty of times, both indoors and out. The only time they can't is when the rules specifically forbid it. And in the klompen roadblock, I recall one of racers reading the clue where it stated something to the effect of "You may not take notes to do this task". While I don't think that prevents them from asking for help, there's no way to ask for help in recognizing the right pattern. It did prevent them from drawing a rough sketch of the klompen though, and walking around with that sketch.

 

I don't think J&J did the hot tug route again because they had to, but because they wanted to in order to make sure they got the clues right. They were the only ones that failed to realized multiple I's meant ice, so therefore they needed to ask for help. Not that I blame them, because even knowing the correct answer afterwards, it still doesn't really fit to me. That rebus was badly designed compared to the other two, though the ink rebus was also somewhat difficult. It looked more blob than ink to me, so I was surprised how quickly they worked out that it was ink. I'm not sure under the stress of the race if I would have been able to have figured that one that. It's only by associating the other two with the skating rebus that you can solve it entirely.

 

We don't actually know if that is true. We only hear about it when he is wrong. Since they do seem to be pretty good at navigation and she makes him do it, he must be pretty accurate at it most of the time. She'll never admit when he's right or done something well ("You were lucky"), but she'll spend 2 hours complaining about a mistake. Since she keeps harping for hours on the same mistake instead of multiple ones, I have to believe we've seen all there are.

 

I'll concede that you're right in that there's no evidence that Haley is better at directions overall. However, I don't think the reverse can be proven either. When they have made successful navigation decisions that don't warrant screen time, we don't know if that's because Blair made the decision on his own, or consulted with Haley. While it might be the former, we just don't know for certain. I still think it would benefit Blair to consider her navigational input a bit more. But as I said, I fully understand and support blocking her out the rest of the time.

[etagloh]

Going to Amsterdam makes no sense whatsoever.

Actually, it makes a lot of sense, and there have been a few occasions where they've travelled east on a westbound race and vice versa.

Makes me wonder- did something happen in Namibia that The Race had to get out of the country fast? Because this almost seems like "load the cast and crew on a charter plane and get the hell out of here" kind of thing.

After a double leg, they weren't staying in Namibia any longer, no matter what. Perhaps there was a leg planned elsewhere in Africa or South America that had to be pulled late, but I doubt it. This was basically a transitional leg, because there are very few direct flights from southern Africa to South America. (Or even North America: I was on a flight once with someone going from California to Johannesburg, changing in Amsterdam. Long trip.)

My guess is that TPTB wanted teams bunched on a direct flight for the forthcoming leg, and they did it by setting up a quick leg in a major European hub. We've seen it a few times before, which is why Amsterdam shows up quite often on TAR.

Edited April 26, 2015 by etagloh

[selkie]

Something's been needling at me since I watched the episode.

 

Going to Amsterdam makes no sense whatsoever. The race always goes in one direction around the world. The next stop is Peru, which fits in that. Also, there was no "get tickets at the airport" business, it was just all 5 teams on the same flight out of Namibia off to Amsterdam. Makes me wonder- did something happen in Namibia that The Race had to get out of the country fast? Because this almost seems like "load the cast and crew on a charter plane and get the hell out of here" kind of thing.

 

 

Windhoek's international airport handles about the same number of annual passengers as Chatanooga, Tennessee. There are a handful of times when Production does indeed buy plane tickets on a flight for Racers and it's typically when those kinds of smaller airports are involved. (Especially after the flights fiasco in the first All-Stars Race) I suspect they knew that 'everyone booked the same flight to Jo'burg and then connected on the same KLM flight to Amsterdam' was not going to be nearly as interesting as E-S-M safari camp so they decided to not show the Racers pretending to buy tickets that were already in hand.

 

 

I kind of like the somewhat random trip to southern Africa between European legs. They may not have jet lag going north-south-north but those kind of long flights to create more fatigue for Racers and adds to their general stress level.

[J-Man]

 

(note: I am in no way suggesting that it is safe to take a bath while using a curling iron on your hair).

I have a feeling that Blair would have no problem if Hayley "accidentally" did this.

 

This episode provided two good examples of why people should think twice about going on reality shows:

 

1. Anyone considering hiring Jelani and/or Jenny who viewed the footage of them being unable to come up with "ice" after getting "skating rink" would definitely hesitate. While the "5 I's" clue by itself might have been somewhat difficult to solve, there's no excuse for not being able to come up with it when you have the other two-thirds of the answer. After all, they should have known they were trying to come up with a phrase or expression, and with "skating rink" your first two thoughts are going to be "ice" and "roller." (Think of "The Match Game. If your clue was "____ Skating Rink" wouldn't those be the top two answers?)

 

2. Anyone who would ever consider having Hayley as a friend, much less dating her or employing her, would back away after seeing her behavior this week. She's a harpy and a shrew, and life's just too short to have to deal with her. If they win the race, Blair should either (1) give her his half of the winnings if she's signs something promising never to contact him again or (2) use his winnings to hire a competent attorney (i.e., not Jenny or Jelani) to draft an ironclad permanent restraining order requiring her to be at least 300 miles from him at all times. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

As etagloh pointed out out, a leg starting in Namibia and going to Peru was going to be extremely complicated.

 

But I almost wonder if in the early planning stages there was a Middle East leg in works that ultimately fell through......you could have reasonably went from Bangkok to Dubai or Abu Dhabi and then continued onto Namibia via Johannesburg or Cape Town.....then had the three European legs of the race (Germany, Netherlands and Monaco) and from there connected to Peru via Amsterdam or a hub in Germany. But maybe they actively were trying to increase the level of killer fatigue for all of the remaining teams.

 

As long as J&J had the three components of the puzzle correct (and maybe they did show the judge and we weren't privy to that exchange)....they shouldn't have been forced to take another hot tug ride every time they incorrectly answered the judge. It's not like the clue would have magically changed on them. I'm a little surprised no one made the connection to ice skating (specifically speed skating) because that is such a huge Winter Olympic sport for the Netherlands, they always get the bulk of their medals in either short track or long track.

 

I haven't watched much of the bonus clips, so the information about Mike and Rochelle's "code" for running the race is really interesting. One of the major reasons I love TAR is that it's a game, but it's a game that plays out in the real world....and it is interesting (granted the editors have a large say in how the teams are portrayed) to see which teams see the humanity in the local (non-plants) populations they interact with, and whether they show them a level of respect vs. just treating someone as an obstacle or shortcut towards a million dollars.

[Camera One]

Anyone considering hiring Jelani and/or Jenny who viewed the footage of them being unable to come up with "ice" after getting "skating rink" would definitely hesitate. While the "5 I's" clue by itself might have been somewhat difficult to solve, there's no excuse for not being able to come up with it when you have the other two-thirds of the answer. After all, they should have known they were trying to come up with a phrase or expression, and with "skating rink" your first two thoughts are going to be "ice" and "roller."

 

I'm not sure about that... they've both being able to apply their law degrees to successful careers in their areas of interest (sports law for Jelani and fashion for Jenny), so I'm sure a potential employer would excuse a single instance of brain freeze which occurred in a hot tub in Amsterdam in cold weather.

[possibilities]

I don't mind if they zig zag around the globe. I think it makes things more unpredictable and therefore more exciting and challenging, if the racers are going back and forth from one time zone or climate to another instead of following a more or less linear course. The race has gotten less intense and less challenging over the years. I would love to see them take a more up, down, around, and back course.

[etagloh]

But I almost wonder if in the early planning stages there was a Middle East leg in works that ultimately fell through......you could have reasonably went from Bangkok to Dubai or Abu Dhabi and then continued onto Namibia via Johannesburg or Cape Town.....then had the three European legs of the race (Germany, Netherlands and Monaco) and from there connected to Peru via Amsterdam or a hub in Germany. But maybe they actively were trying to increase the level of killer fatigue for all of the remaining teams.

That's plausible, and the flight from Bangkok to Germany was certainly one of the biggest latitudinal jumps TAR has done over populated areas (i.e. not the Pacific) -- so yes, you wonder about a missing leg somewhere in-between. But that prompts further speculation related to the overt dating theme and the casting of gay (or simply unmarried) couples.

But perhaps it was just the easiest way to fit together some of these new locations. And I'd agree with selkie that long north-south journeys along roughly the same time zone but with very different environments and climate create a different kind of travel fatigue that's worth seeing. Going from the Namibian summer to an Amsterdam winter is quite a transition.

[Pepperminty]

Blair just made me laugh this entire episode, he was talking about how nice Amsterdam was and all Hayley kept doing was complaining about the smell and the cold etc. Can he win the million without her?

 

This.

 

Blair is basically a saint.  I mean, Hayley is a nightmare!!!

[BarneySays]

Hayley and Blair remain my favorite team.  I still think it's a dynamic issue between them, not just a problem with Hayley.  Blair does seem to cut her out of things, like the directions this time, the elephant search, and he must know at this point that that will drive her nuts.  Hayley seems insecure and needy and Blair seems to enjoy poking her to bring it out.  With the bike riding, he was smirking at the camera as she blathered on and then he said, presumably sarcastically, that he was trying to do the gentlemanly thing by setting the pace.  He knows that's not the gentlemanly thing to do.  Blair continues to metaphorically pull Hayley's pigtail and she responds exactly as he hoped. 

 

I like Rochelle.  She does seem to just put her head to the grindstone and get it done.  Her partner seems a bit useless though.

 

All in all, a good leg, but once again we had a team that was out of the running for most of the leg.  The production office must have been on edge as this season was playing out. 

[viajero]

As etagloh pointed out out, a leg starting in Namibia and going to Peru was going to be extremely complicated.

 

As someone who has actually flown to Namibia from South America, it wouldn't be all that difficult.   There are daily flights to Brazil and Argentina from Johannesburg from where you can connect easily to Lima.  They would probably have had to spoon feed that particular flight because they tend to be pretty full, but they seem to have done that anyway.  After all, they were all on the Air Namibia flight from Frankfurt into Windhoek, which is the one daily direct flight from Europe.

 

The idea that they were rushed out of Namibia on a charter flight doesn't hold up either.  For one, they showed them boarding a normal South African flight from Windhoek to Johannesburg.  I still think there must be some other reason for the weird routing. 

 

I may have a chance to get back to Namibia later this year for work related reasons and those episodes have me really hoping that it comes off.

 

I did enjoy this episode overall.  This leg only confirmed that Tyler and Laura are my favorite team.  I really like their whole attitude about the race, particularly the way they always seem to be having a blast.  I actually liked Jenny in this leg as well.  She seems to have gotten past some of the attitude problems she was having in a few of the legs in the middle of the season and is beginning to remind me why J&J were my favorite team early on in the race.  I also notice from their body language that the two of them seem much more comfortable with each other as the race goes on.  I wonder if the two nights of camping out in Namibia had a positive effect in helping some of these blind date couples bond with each other.

[proserpina65]

I'm probably in the minority, but I would've done the shuffleboard Detour since I really enjoy those types of games.

 

I totally would've done the shuffleboard task.  No hot tub appearances for me unless I have no option.  And the viewers would be very grateful for that, trust me.

 

It's a shame that Hayley is so annoying that Blair tunes her out, because more often than not she's right.

 

I was actually hoping Jenny and Jelani would be last, but I find her far more annoying.  Oh well.  I'm glad it was a non-elim since I like Matt and Ashley.

Edited April 27, 2015 by proserpina65

[henripootel]

After all, they were all on the Air Namibia flight from Frankfurt into Windhoek, which is the one daily direct flight from Europe.

Air Namibia used to fly out of London as well but they're kinda unreliable and mismanaged - I'd avoid them were I on TAR.  That means hubbing out of Joberg and from there, you can get anywhere, usually on a direct flight.  It does mean you're condemned to a long stop in Joberg as most of the long-haul flights out leave in the evening, which puts you in Europe bright and early in the morning.  If you're in Nam, might as well wake up late and have a nice relaxing brunch before flying to Joberg to connect, unless you enjoy long stretches in waiting in Joberg airport.

And I'd agree with selkie that long north-south journeys along roughly the same time zone but with very different environments and climate create a different kind of travel fatigue that's worth seeing. Going from the Namibian summer to an Amsterdam winter is quite a transition.

Always nice to not have the time-zone monkey on your back, but I always found going from southern hemisphere summer to northern winter kinda bracing, like the whole world was suddenly air conditioned.  Week or so later I was ready to go back to the heat, but I never found that aspect of this route all that taxing.  

 

Going in the other direction though, from dreary northern winter to hot african summer, that was like winning the lottery.  Shit, I was so happy to be warm again I was even euphoric about being in Joberg.

[proserpina65]

I'm not sure, but I think I saw this -  They don't have real phones with internet or GPS, they have phones with cameras only. When Blair stopped a local for directions, it looked like the local got the map on his own phone, and Blair used the camera/phone  to take a photo of the map.   Seems pretty smart to me.

is this the way others saw it?  

It would've been smart if he'd actually followed the directions correctly.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Also, who goes in the hot tub with the robe on?

 

Also, I feel strange that the greeter is a junior hockey player. A long-track speed skater would be much more appropriate as the Netherlands is never a hockey country.

 

To answer your first question, Jenny does.  That made no sense to me, I'd think as the robe absorbed water it would make her colder and colder.

And yeah, the Dutch are not known for their hockey prowess.  A total of two people born in the Netherlands have played in the NHL.  For reference, Brazil has also produced two NHL players.

 

 

I guess the men didn't have to go shirtless, and could have gone in with a T-shirt, but they all decided to go bare-chested for some reason.  Maybe because Jelani saw Tyler wearing no shirt, and Blair saw Jelani wearing no shirt.  You could only see Jelani and Blair's shoulders anyway, so everyone was being pretty conservative.  Except for Tyler.  The females were more practical, dressing for warmth since it was cold out.

 

I would have not worn a t-shirt either.  The shirt would just get wet, making you colder and you'd have a wet t-shirt to deal with in your pack.

 

Hayley and Blair remain my favorite team.  I still think it's a dynamic issue between them, not just a problem with Hayley.  Blair does seem to cut her out of things, like the directions this time, the elephant search, and he must know at this point that that will drive her nuts.  Hayley seems insecure and needy and Blair seems to enjoy poking her to bring it out.  With the bike riding, he was smirking at the camera as she blathered on and then he said, presumably sarcastically, that he was trying to do the gentlemanly thing by setting the pace.  He knows that's not the gentlemanly thing to do.  Blair continues to metaphorically pull Hayley's pigtail and she responds exactly as he hoped. 

 

 

I agree with a lot of your assessment.  Hayley's reactions are way overboard but Blair is subtly pushing her buttons.  I think they are both enjoying this in an odd way.

[proserpina65]

When this whole thing started I thought he was a dismissive jerk - now we know he'd spent five minutes with her and we were already seeing the first on camera reaction to the screeching.

 

Oh, I still think Blair's a dismissive jerk.  But Hayley is also a screeching harpy.  The two aren't mutually exclusive.

[TV Anonymous]

And yeah, the Dutch are not known for their hockey prowess.  A total of two people born in the Netherlands have played in the NHL.  For reference, Brazil has also produced two NHL players.

 

Ed Beers and Ed Kea were indeed born in the Netherlands. But both of them moved to Canada when they were very little and started playing hockey in Canada. Therefore, I would not categorize them as Dutch product, but rather Canadians.

[Jersey Guy 87]

Which makes the whole concept of the Netherland's next Gretzky even dumber.  If you're going to go with a potential Dutch superstar athlete hockey is pretty far down the list of potential sports.

[Pepper Mostly]

I enjoyed that clip also, and I think it may explain quite a bit about why they are behind. They also said (besides cutting lines) that they are also very uncomfortable rushing locals or asking for directions without thanking people and being friendly and shaking hands, etc. They said it's understandable to be short with other racers, but to do that with locals is just not okay for them, that they realize that they are racing through people's everyday lives, and don't want to be disruptive. I really respect that, but I think it would indeed give them a huge disadvantage in the race.

 

If the editing showed all the other couples being rude or even brusque with locals, while showing Mike and Rochelle as being painstakingly polite, and then Mike and Rochelle actually won? I think it would be a sensational outcome that everyone would cheer for. But since it doesn't seem to actually magically be leading in that direction, the show has not been letting us see why Rochelle and Mike are so often lagging behind, and has spared us the footage of the other racers being impatient or rude and cutting lines, etc. so that we wouldn't dislike all the other teams. But it leaves Rochelle and Mike looking inexplicably show. I think her "underdog" comment was kind of snarky and self-mocking. She rolled her eyes when she said it. Rochelle and Mike seem to be self-aware and to accept responsibility for who they are. I really like them.

I do too, and have from the beginning. I LOVED them at the shuffleboard detour. The joy on Rochelle's face was obvious, and they both seemed to be having a great time. I also loved how engaged the local crew was, cheering them on!

 

The hot tubs made me laugh and laugh. So silly! and I, sitting warm and dry on my couch, was stumped by  the I's, so I can't fault Jelani and Jenny for the hiccup.

 

I love Matt and Ashley too. She is so even tempered and supportive. I think they're just great and I'd love to see them win.

[joshmaeks]

The dinner they showed looked like the Thanksgiving dinner they had in Africa that Jenny mentioned in her blog.

Dear lord, I wish Hayley would stop. I bet if you met her in real life she would be the nicest person, but Blair is right: she does not handle stress well. I defended her for most of the season, but she is off the deep end now. Blair bikes ten feet in front of her, she yells that he's a bad teammate. He slows down to be next to her, she yells that he's too slow. She's just a miserable, nasty person on this show.

[Pallas]

If Haley had 'accidently' fallen out (read: been pushed, off-camera) would Blair get a new partner?

 

"My pox is broken!"  

[fishcakes]

If Haley had 'accidently' fallen out (read: been pushed, off-camera) would Blair get a new partner?

 

"My pox is broken!"  

 

"If your partner breaks down though no fault of your own, a new partner will be provided. However, no time credit will be given."

[Caelicola]

With the bike riding, he was smirking at the camera as she blathered on and then he said, presumably sarcastically, that he was trying to do the gentlemanly thing by setting the pace.  He knows that's not the gentlemanly thing to do.  Blair continues to metaphorically pull Hayley's pigtail and she responds exactly as he hoped.

Lately I've been jumping indiscriminately in and out of threads I'd given no contribution to previously, so why stop now.

I don't have a horse in this race, I think they both kinda suck, but actually, cycling in front of someone else sort of is the gentlemanly thing to do, because you're breaking the resistance of the air for them, and they end up expending a lot less energy. It's the reason why, during races, you see cyclists alternating at the head of the peloton, because the one in front is making a bigger effort than the ones behind. It's called slipstreaming, or drafting, and it's less effective at slower speeds, but still there.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Caelicola

[blackwing]

I really enjoyed this episode.  I chuckled a lot many times.  The exchange between Hayley and Blaire about how much he thought things were refreshing and how much she hated it.  Laura telling Tyler that he's missing the clues because he's too busy looking at his muscles.  The exchange between Tyler and Laura about peeing in the hot tub,  She says she already did and his expression and raised eyebrows and "did you really?" were too funny.  And I also really found Blaire's "I. Am. Amsterdam!" in their closing comments to be really funny.  I've been to that sign, and it's iconic, but it always struck me as a bit peculiar.  Tourists like me always seem to take pictures in front of it but it's funny for a tourist to think that they are Amsterdam.  Or something like that.

 

I did like how they were able to joke about Hailey falling in love at the airport in Namibia.

I was sure we were going to see some payoff to that, like the guy shows up again with flowers or something.  But..... nothing.  So why bother to show him again in a flashback?

 

Confused as to why the racers didn't have swimsuits to change into.  This would have been a perfect gratuitous "let's get them in bikinis" moment.  TAR certainly didn't have a problem when the racers went to Chile and had to float in a salt bath, especially considering that season had quite a number of lookers including the LA Kings ice girls.  Wonder why it was different this time?  Perhaps because there was the possibility Rochelle would do the task and she doesn't seem like the bikini sort?  At least they could have given the women all one-piece bathing suits.[

I guess the men didn't have to go shirtless, and could have gone in with a T-shirt, but they all decided to go bare-chested for some reason.  Maybe because Jelani saw Tyler wearing no shirt, and Blair saw Jelani wearing no shirt.  You could only see Jelani and Blair's shoulders anyway, so everyone was being pretty conservative.  Except for Tyler.  The females were more practical, dressing for warmth since it was cold out.

I think the men went shirtless because.... it was a hot tub.  And most men don't wear a shirt when going swimming or in a hot tub.  I thought Jenny wore her robe because she didn't have appropriate clothes.  I assumed she was wearing just her panties and a top.   I guess the racers don't normally pack their swimsuits in their backpacks unless they are going to a warm weather country?  Maybe they figured they're in Amsterdam in the winter, if there were any swimming tasks the Race would provide them with gear (like in China when Kesha and Jen had to do synchronised diving).  But other times Racers seem to have their swimsuits with them (last season when Bethany and others dove off a boat and retrieved a clue from a boat in a grotto).  Not sure why no one seemed to have their swimsuits.  Jelani wore shorts.  I understand why Tyler and Blaire figured their underwear is just as good, but not sure why the women didn't wear shorts and a T-shirt.

 

Usually, or often at least, when a rebus has a row beneath another, that's relevant.  Like

arrest
you're

= You're under arrest

But the clue (or Phil) specifically said to solve a rebus.  To me, a rebus is just pictures/symbols and you have to add, delete or replace letters.  Like what we saw.  What you are describing is what Games Magazine calls "Wacky Wordies".  There are many other names for them... wuzzles is one of them.  I do agree thought that the placement of the I's on two different lines was confusing.  They should have just had "I I I".

[justawatcher]

I think a poster upthread may be spot on with the suggestion that there was originally a Middle Eastern leg planned and the route had to be changed. Ya'll have told me before that the race planners and the casting dept are kept separate, so it might not be far off to say, Oh yeah and we're going to _____ and then have casting go "Um, we have gay couples and unmarried couples. No can do" That may also be why there have been limited Middle Eastern legs. Good catch!

[Guest]

 

I really enjoyed this episode.  I chuckled a lot many times.  The exchange between Hayley and Blaire about how much he thought things were refreshing and how much she hated it.  Laura telling Tyler that he's missing the clues because he's too busy looking at his muscles.  The exchange between Tyler and Laura about peeing in the hot tub,  She says she already did and his expression and raised eyebrows and "did you really?" were too funny.  And I also really found Blaire's "I. Am. Amsterdam!" in their closing comments to be really funny.  I've been to that sign, and it's iconic, but it always struck me as a bit peculiar.  Tourists like me always seem to take pictures in front of it but it's funny for a tourist to think that they are Amsterdam.  Or something like that.

 

 

 

I was sure we were going to see some payoff to that, like the guy shows up again with flowers or something.  But..... nothing.  So why bother to show him again in a flashback?

 

 

 

I think the men went shirtless because.... it was a hot tub.  And most men don't wear a shirt when going swimming or in a hot tub.  I thought Jenny wore her robe because she didn't have appropriate clothes.  I assumed she was wearing just her panties and a top.   I guess the racers don't normally pack their swimsuits in their backpacks unless they are going to a warm weather country?  Maybe they figured they're in Amsterdam in the winter, if there were any swimming tasks the Race would provide them with gear (like in China when Kesha and Jen had to do synchronised diving).  But other times Racers seem to have their swimsuits with them (last season when Bethany and others dove off a boat and retrieved a clue from a boat in a grotto).  Not sure why no one seemed to have their swimsuits.  Jelani wore shorts.  I understand why Tyler and Blaire figured their underwear is just as good, but not sure why the women didn't wear shorts and a T-shirt.

 

 

 

But the clue (or Phil) specifically said to solve a rebus.  To me, a rebus is just pictures/symbols and you have to add, delete or replace letters.  Like what we saw.  What you are describing is what Games Magazine calls "Wacky Wordies".  There are many other names for them... wuzzles is one of them.  I do agree thought that the placement of the I's on two different lines was confusing.  They should have just had "I I I".

 

I think both are usually considered a rebus.  I got that example from googling 'rebus puzzles'.  Wikipedia includes both kinds in their description.

 

A modern example of the rebus used as a form of word play is:

H + picture of an ear = Hear, or Here.

By extension, it also uses the positioning of words or parts of words in relation to each other to convey a hidden meaning, for example:

p walk ark: walk in the park

 

[needschocolate]

I do agree thought that the placement of the I's on two different lines was confusing. They should have just had "I I I".

 

Or they should have had the letter I in different fonts, so it wouldn't look so much like roman numerals.

 

Or they should have had two eyes.  Then J/J could have asked the judge "Is it the Retina Skating Rink? The Pupil Skating Rink?  The Cornea Skating Rink? The Cataract Skating Rink, one eye looked cloudy?"