S26.E11: In It To Win It (Peru)

[dgpolo]

I noticed that Rochelle and Laura were required to do the last roadblock to maintain a balance within the teams.  Has this always been enforced?

 

I think they started in season 6, in season 3 Flo only did 1 roadblock. I think it was teams like this, where one person was doing almost all of them, that had them change the rule.

[aradia22]

I like watching Blair and Hayley when they're getting along. I knew they wouldn't pick the dancing but I kind of hoped they would. Oh, this team. How did they become my favorites? Also, I hope they win even more because Laura and Tyler would hate it.

 

I almost think the Peruvian dancing should have come earlier in the race. In fact there probably should have been more romantic challenges where they bribed the judges to try and provoke some lovey-dovey feelings instead of having Phil's awkward matchmaking attempts at the mat.

 

It was crazy that Tyler and Laura tried to take all the bricks in one shot. I don't like them but I was worried about him. You don't want to injure yourself right before the last leg. And I will give him credit for not getting mad at her for the broken brick.

 

UGH. Stop it with this four teams in the final nonsense. It makes the second to last leg meaningless.

[kili]

I think they started in season 6, in season 3 Flo only did 1 roadblock. I think it was teams like this, where one person was doing almost all of them, that had them change the rule.

 

Yes, it started after Season 5 where the top 3 teams had the males do all but one of the Roadblocks (Chip did 10, Colin 9 (skipped one with a fast forward) and Brandon 10). Meanwhile, the Bowling Mom's struggled to 4th and got taken out by a physical road block. It made for boring television (you knew the male of the couples were going to always take all but one token roadblock) and made it seem impossible for a female team to win (all female teams with more balanced roadblock distribution went out 4th, 5th and 6th that year).  Forcing equalization of Roadblocks made the choice of who to do a task more strategic.

[Lamb18]

Hayley must have gotten that blister from chopping the sugar cane with the machete.  She and Jenny were smart to do that Roadblock and save the men for one that may need more strength.

[kingshearte]

I think a lot of people, myself included, use the word praying in a figurative, hyperbolic sense, as in "hoping and praying for ___ to happen".   Usually people who pray (literally) have more reverence than to ask for misfortune to befall others or fortune to fall on them.  

This. When someone who has been shown to be, or professes to be, especially religious, I roll my eyes a little when they pray for just about anything race related except strength, and look pretty askance if they actively "pray" for someone else's downfall. But if someone who has shown no particular religious leanings happens to use that word, it carries a lot less weight for me. In this case, I'm fairly certain that Laura was not sending a devout prayer to a deity in which she sincerely believed, so it didn't bother me.

[Jersey Guy 87]

I'm not a fan of Mike and Rochelle but I doubt that the push she got in the boat was cheating - if it was they wouldn't have shown it.  They're the only team I don't want to see win, mainly because I don't think they're particularly good racers.  And also because I never want the "I have hardships at home, I deserve this more than anyone else" team to win.

 

Blair and Hayley seem to be getting the serious redemption arc - the bickering is all but gone, they joke with each other, they work cooperatively, they're supportive of each other.  And Hayley proved she's not just along for the ride by helping push the wheelbarrow of bricks.

 

I thought it was a riot that Laura thought there was any chance her damaged brick was going to not be noticed.  She had to carry one brick (while Tyler pushed the wheelbarrow with all the other bricks) and she failed at it.

 

I'm not a big fan of the four team, one eliminated mid-leg finale format, hopefully that doesn't continue in the future.  I'm guessing that Mike and Rochelle somehow survive that because they seem destined to be the "how did they make it to the end" team.

[ChuChu]

My take on the remaining teams...

 

I don't hear Rochelle saying that she deserves to win as much as she says that her son motivates her -- and that's a big difference.  I still don't want them to win because they're the weaker team and honestly don't seem to be having a lot of fun.

 

Hayley's bickering went away when she and Blair became the leaders.  It's someone's behavior when things get tough that means a lot more to me, and I can't forget how horrid she was when staying in the game was in doubt.

 

Jenny / Jelani are just meh.  I don't dislike her as much as some, but Jelani is so overshadowed it's hard for me to get any connection with them as a team.

 

I still like Laura / Tyler.  It's probably because I'm a joking-snarky type, so I don't take what they say as seriously as some TAR fans.  They're having fun, keep their cool when things didn't go their way, and generally run strong race legs.

 

It will be an interesting finish!

[aradia22]

 

I think her trying to wheel the wheelbarrow for a couple steps before whining about her blister was the first time she ever tried to pull her own weight. Too little, too late, for me.

Your imitation of Hayley did make me laugh but I have to disagree about her pulling her weight. She pretty much solved the hot tub clue in Amsterdam. She got through running around Monaco, racing to find a clue dropped from a plane, and cutting sugar cane fine. Granted, those were individual tasks and not team tasks. But it's not like she hasn't been pulling her weight at all or has only been doing puzzles that don't require anything physical.

 

I partly suspect Blair/Hayley (Blayley, Hair?) win because Jeff must be dating Hayley for some discernible reason.  Ditto for Blair remaining friends with her.

Wait, what? Who is this Jeff person.

 

I'm just going to throw this out there now that we're almost at the end. I've always gotten the impression that Rochelle is not that into Mike.

[vousviou]

Yes, it started after Season 5 where the top 3 teams had the males do all but one of the Roadblocks (Chip did 10, Colin 9 (skipped one with a fast forward) and Brandon 10). Meanwhile, the Bowling Mom's struggled to 4th and got taken out by a physical road block. It made for boring television (you knew the male of the couples were going to always take all but one token roadblock) and made it seem impossible for a female team to win (all female teams with more balanced roadblock distribution went out 4th, 5th and 6th that year).  Forcing equalization of Roadblocks made the choice of who to do a task more strategic.

Thanks for the background.  Does anyone know what the rule spells out exactly?  This thread on another site suggests that they let the equal roadblock rule slide for season 24's winners for some reason, but the producers claimed they were somehow even though the son Connor ended up doing 3 more than his whiny dad Dave.  At rate, the explanation for the difference for those guys doesn't seem to mesh with the enforcement of the rule for the two teams in this season based on the number of roadblocks performed.

 

http://survivorsucks.yuku.com/topic/113648/Phils-Reply-on-the-RB-Rule

[Guest]

My take on the remaining teams...

 

I don't hear Rochelle saying that she deserves to win as much as she says that her son motivates her -- and that's a big difference.  I still don't want them to win because they're the weaker team and honestly don't seem to be having a lot of fun.

 

Hayley's bickering went away when she and Blair became the leaders.  It's someone's behavior when things get tough that means a lot more to me, and I can't forget how horrid she was when staying in the game was in doubt.

 

Jenny / Jelani are just meh.  I don't dislike her as much as some, but Jelani is so overshadowed it's hard for me to get any connection with them as a team.

 

I still like Laura / Tyler.  It's probably because I'm a joking-snarky type, so I don't take what they say as seriously as some TAR fans.  They're having fun, keep their cool when things didn't go their way, and generally run strong race legs.

 

It will be an interesting finish!

 

What I heard Rochelle say was that it'd mean more to them, the money.  Which I think (1) is producer-prompted and (2) is kinda/sorta true, in that they're not doctors or lawyers or whatever the other beautiful people are, so the winnings would probably change their lives more.  Not that anyone deserves to win for that reason, of course.  I don't think they do, based on race skill.  

 

Your imitation of Hayley did make me laugh but I have to disagree about her pulling her weight. She pretty much solved the hot tub clue in Amsterdam. She got through running around Monaco, racing to find a clue dropped from a plane, and cutting sugar cane fine. Granted, those were individual tasks and not team tasks. But it's not like she hasn't been pulling her weight at all or has only been doing puzzles that don't require anything physical.

Wait, what? Who is this Jeff person.

 

I'm just going to throw this out there now that we're almost at the end. I've always gotten the impression that Rochelle is not that into Mike.

The guy who raced with Jackie.  

[gator12]

Jeff and Hayley are dating?

[Lingo]

Thanks for the background.  Does anyone know what the rule spells out exactly?  This thread on another site suggests that they let the equal roadblock rule slide for season 24's winners for some reason, but the producers claimed they were somehow even though the son Connor ended up doing 3 more than his whiny dad Dave.  At rate, the explanation for the difference for those guys doesn't seem to mesh with the enforcement of the rule for the two teams in this season based on the number of roadblocks performed.

 

http://survivorsucks.yuku.com/topic/113648/Phils-Reply-on-the-RB-Rule

 

Yeah, Connor and Dave's split was 8-5, and Phil's tweet about it didn't make much sense. But I keep in mind that the ideal split would have been 7-6, i.e. Dave only needed to do one more. So it's only one roadblock off from what it should have been.  It definitely mars the season, though.

Jeff and Hayley are dating?

I'm not convinced they are. I've seen pictures of them together, but they may just be friends or visiting each other.  But they both live in or near Florida, much closer together than either live to Blair or Jackie, so it would make a certain amount of logistical sense.

[aradia22]

 

I'm not convinced they are. I've seen pictures of them together, but they may just be friends or visiting each other.  But they both live in or near Florida, much closer together than either live to Blair or Jackie, so it would make a certain amount of logistical sense.

What? No. Physical proximity has nothing to do with relationship success. Ask the "experts" on Married at First Sight. ;)

[Vyas]

Yeah, Connor and Dave's split was 8-5, and Phil's tweet about it didn't make much sense. But I keep in mind that the ideal split would have been 7-6, i.e. Dave only needed to do one more. So it's only one roadblock off from what it should have been.  It definitely mars the season, though.

 

The winners of the first Canadian season were a more legitimate parent/child contender on multiple levels anyhow.

 

On-topic: the history nut in me enjoyed every task this leg. The mural RI, the Detour at Chan Chan, and the rowing RB all hearken back to the Chimu/Moche/Inca eras, while the hospitality of everyone at the marinera show - judges, spectators, instructors, and racers alike - exemplified the high courtesy of colonial times.

 

I suppose that it was an intentional contrast to the previous, comparatively more contemporary leg featuring "modern" Peru.

Edited May 13, 2015 by Vyas