S03.E05: The Face Off

[radishcake]

The remaining teams discover the Magdalen Islands and face the first Face Off Challenge.

[Vyas]

Never been happier for a W-Turn on a TBC: DIEU EST VRAI!

 

(Can you tell what I think about both dad/daughter teams?)

[Pepper the Cat]

Now THAT is how you do a TBC!

Great episode! I love the sand castle building. Would like to have seen more of the horse riding task.

I wonder what the time for waiting was for the team that couldn't do the task, Sabrina and whatshisname.

I am thinking 30 minutes? 2 people had to do task within 8 minutes, say 2 tries each? I wish instead of saying a pre-determined time they would say a pre-determined time of x minutes.

[Shermie]

Vyas, why don't you like the dad-daughter teams? I can't think of anything offensive about either of them.

And Nick and Sabrina live to race another day, egads. She just lollygagged her way through that sandcastle challenge. I kept thinking, move faster woman, you're the last team there! And calling him "love" throughout, gag me. She's probably one of those irritants who refers to her husband online as DH. Blegh.

Another leg with a LOT going on - sandcastle building, cow milking (not bull milking, whoever said it, sheesh!), bale rolling, stair climbing, and kayak water polo. Wow. I used to think I wanted to go on this show (and I can swim and am not afraid of heights) but I don't think so.

The gay brothers bug me because they are so damn smug. I think it's funny that the wrestlers have come in third every time.

I like the twin brothers but they seem to have an advantage with their youth, fitness and strength. TAR US used to have a young fit male team win every year until they stopped casting them and added more brain challenges to level the playing field. Sure, it's a race, but I think it should be about more than just athleticism.

And yeah, great surprise ending with the "keep racing!" I kinda thought it would be non-elim, but that seemed dumb to pair it with the u-turn.

The faceoff is an interesting twist.

Edited August 6, 2015 by Shermie

[Vyas]

Why don't you like the dad-daughter teams? I can't think of anything offensive about either of them.

 

On the contrary, I included the "God is real!" bit en Francais to show that they're my two favourite teams besides the exes. ;)

 

(Irony/sarcasm failed me this time...)

[allypenguin]

For the Face off what would have happened if nobody took a penalty? Would the two last kayak teams get to leave at the same time, or would the team that lost have to wait for a bit?

 

I feel really bad for the daughter (I forgot her name) with all those body cramps. Those are brutal. 

[SnideAsides]

As I understand it from the other versions of TAR that have used the twist, the team that loses the last round gets a short time penalty.

[Trick Question]

I like the twin brothers but they seem to have an advantage with their youth, fitness and strength. TAR US used to have a young fit male team win every year until they stopped casting them and added more brain challenges to level the playing field. Sure, it's a race, but I think it should be about more than just athleticism.

Gino & Jesse's finishes have varied wildly from leg to leg.  In some legs they'll have a clear advantage if the tasks are more physical; in other legs, they'll be at a disadvantage since (to be kind) neither seem like brain surgeons.  On the other hand, they did make an interesting strategic choice in U-turning the other brothers in order to get them to burn the express pass.  It was a good move on paper, though it backfired in the sense that a) Brent & Sean didn't need to use their pass and b) now G&J have used their U-turn so they can't help themselves later in the Race if they're targeted at another double U-turn.

[Vyas]

now G&J have used their U-turn so they can't help themselves later in the Race if they're targeted at another double U-turn.

 

That'd be the case on the American edition, but Canadian teams may in fact use a U-Turn more than once at the risk of incurring the nation's wrath on social media. It's a TARCAN quirk in the same manner that Fast Forwards somehow appear after at least one task rather than from the get-go, e.g. police-car after lentils, vintage-ads after coin flag matching, and nude-modelling after the Racecar Roadblock.

 

The W-Turn precedents involve the Tims of S1 and Sukhi/Jinder of S2, the former openly considering a second use in Lunenburg after already dispatching one in Regina against TeamBodyBreak and the latter succesfully deploying another one in Paris versus the Bartenders despite having utilized their first in Hong Kong on Pierre/Michel (which les Twins ironically mentioned during "After the Race" in spite of it being edited out of the episode altogether).

 

Speaking of which, very disappointing of Brian/Cynthia to pull an "Ernie/Cindy in Malawi" rather than a "Brenchel in Italy". Were it not for the Boyds' misplaced ethical stand, the ultra-bland Italian brothers would be tied with four other teams - each with one leg win - rather than the only one with multiple prizes. B/C are nowhere near as good as Natalie/Meaghan to be able to decline a W-Turn and still finish well ahead of everyone else, especially when the drive from the board to the PitStop was over an hour long.

 

If either the Lumsdens or the Fagbongbes had been eliminated after taking understandable penalties, this leg could've easily been the unfairest in TARCAN history. Thank heavens for the show taking the higher road!

Edited August 6, 2015 by Vyas

[Vyas]

I feel really bad for the daughter (I forgot her name) with all those body cramps. Those are brutal. 

 

Kristin (what a trooper) is somewhat easier to remember if one pictures her as Helena Bonham Carter's younger sister/cousin:

 

Edited August 6, 2015 by Vyas

[aemom]

Speaking of which, very disappointing of Brian/Cynthia to pull an "Ernie/Cindy in Malawi" rather than a "Brenchel in Italy". Were it not for the Boyds' misplaced ethical stand, the ultra-bland Italian brothers would be tied with four other teams - each with one leg win - rather than the only one with multiple prizes. B/C are nowhere near as good as Natalie/Meaghan to be able to decline a W-Turn and still finish well ahead of everyone else, especially when the drive from the board to the PitStop was over an hour long.

I actually think that Brian and Cynthia were smart not to U Turn anyone. They were in front and had no risk of being eliminated at the risk of bad feelings from the brothers.

I personally would only have U Turned somebody at that point if I was in the back, or had incurred a penalty and was at risk of elimination.

Now for the second U Turn that will happen in a later leg? Then I would seriously consider using it since it's closer to the end and smarter strategically. YMMV.

[Fake Jan Brady]

I like the twin brothers but they seem to have an advantage with their youth, fitness and strength. 

 

Surprisingly, Gino and Jesse aren't twins. Gino is 28, Jesse is 25. Coincidentally, the other brother team are also 28 (Sean) and 25 (Brent).

 

Loved keeping "keep racing" a secret until the end [although I had wondered why we saw earlier teams jog off the mat].

 

My favourite bit: After bragging about being a master of detail, Brian declaring "I've never milked a bull".

Edited August 6, 2015 by cousin oliver

[Vyas]

I actually think that Brian and Cynthia were smart not to U Turn anyone. They were in front and had no risk of being eliminated at the risk of bad feelings from the brothers.

I personally would only have U Turned somebody at that point if I was in the back, or had incurred a penalty and was at risk of elimination.

Now for the second U Turn that will happen in a later leg? Then I would seriously consider using it since it's closer to the end and smarter strategically. YMMV.

 

As law enforcers accustomed to fending off hostile presences, using the tool(s) necessary to claim the prize ought to have outweighed the fear of pissing off G/J and gaining a "tarnished reputation" stigma among the other teams and the audience. Then again, they've given off the vibe of knee-jerk rejecting any offer that would greatly benefit them, c.f. her poor social game with Hamilton costing them the second EP.

 

In terms of tactics, having unlimited use of the W-Turn should encourage bolder TARCAN teams to have little or no hesitation in employing them against their competition. (It's funny how America would be better served with this stipulation and Canada restricted to one per season rather than the other way around.)

 

Kudos to the Sweeneys for keeping their heads cool about saving the EP beyond this first W-Turn of two and postponing its use closer to the expiration date (end of Leg 7?).

Edited August 6, 2015 by Vyas

[shok]

What a brutal leg this was - really punishing challenges plus the day seemed very very long. Sure was glad to see Simi and Ope make it through.

 

I don't like the premise of the Face Off. The results should be dependent upon the performance of each team but one team could get to the location early and have to wait and wait for another team that is botching up the prior task.

[Shermie]

Vyas, can I request that you not refer to the teams by their last names? The show refers to them mostly by first names only and it's hard enough to remember those. I don't watch or post here with a TARCAN guidebook next to me. And in that vein, detailed references to nicknamed teams and strategies from other versions are pretty meaningless too.

And yeah, "milking a bull". If he knew what that really entailed...

[ottoDbusdriver]

I don't like the premise of the Face Off. The results should be dependent upon the performance of each team but one team could get to the location early and have to wait and wait for another team that is botching up the prior task.

 

TAR US did a variation of this a few seasons ago only they called it the Intersection -- the difference was that two teams had to work together to complete a task and then proceed.  It still required one team to wait until another team caught up to them.

[Vyas]

I don't like the premise of the Face Off. The results should be dependent upon the performance of each team but one team could get to the location early and have to wait and wait for another team that is botching up the prior task.

 

Agreed, it's just as much of a failure as the Double-Battle twists have been for non-Canadian TAR. Bravo to both dad/daughter teams for beating production at their own game, i.e. taking penalties on a TBC when said time deficits will be least likely to affect them (ahem, Nic/Sabrina?!).

 

Vyas, can I request that you not refer to the teams by their last names? The show refers to them mostly by first names only and it's hard enough to remember those. I don't watch or post here with a TARCAN guidebook next to me. And in that vein, detailed references to nicknamed teams and strategies from other versions are pretty meaningless too.

 

Er, in my defence, it's an indirect way of distinguishing the family teams from the non-related ones, e.g. Team *Insert-Surname* is by definition limited to married spouses or blood-related pairs while ruling out friend/co-worker duos and dating couples.

 

The analyses of other editions as they apply to TARCAN are also included in order to enrich our collective understanding of show mechanics.

 

With that said, I'll be sure to accommodate your request to the best of my ability, Shermie. :)

Edited August 6, 2015 by Vyas

[Starchild]

My favourite bit: After bragging about being a master of detail, Brian declaring "I've never milked a bull".

I know. After he said "I've never milked a bull", I said "Neither has anyone else".

[Blackie]

I agree those were very tough tasks.  As a person who once I get cold I can't warm up on my own, I felt for Simi and Opi after being freezing from the sand castle challenge they had to sit around freezing waiting for the next team.  It seemed like the production team wouldn't give them a blanket or anything to warm them up until they decided to take the time penalty.  That was borderline torture so I am glad that they did not get eliminated.

[wintrygal]

I pretty much like all the teams this time around.  Was impressed by Sean and Brent(?), when they found out they were U-turned, just went about their business and got it done, glad they could save the express pass.  Expected it to be a non-elim, that was a hard leg this time, that poor girl who took the muscle cramps, ouch, have had those, and limped for days after, extremely painful!

[aemom]

I was surprised at how badly Kristen cramped up. I bet that the show designers weren't expecting that to happen.

It was bothering me that they kept saying "X team to arrive" and "not Team number X." Then the TBC made sense. Poor Kristen probably just wanted a massage at that point.

[Delwyn]

There were some okay parts, but I really hated this leg for a few reasons.

1. Putting racers in possibly physically harmful conditions back to back. Burying someone in cold sand in a trough of North Atlantic Ocean water and then putting them straight back in the cold water, both for an indeterminate amount of time on the same day, seems dangerous and mean. The poor person's sacrifice of freezing their butt off at the sandcastle was then immediately negated by the kayak hockey results. I can't imagine how it must feel as a father to watch your kid suffer that badly because you are struggling with a detail on a sandcastle. That is a psychological aspect that was hard to watch. No wonder once Kristen was unearthed and couldn't move, he was like "nope, straight to the hospital. My kid's welfare is more important than this stupid race."

2. Sabrina and Nic did not get the advertised "hourglass" penalty at the Face Off for being last. Why did the editor's even include that part if they just had to explain it away later? They didn't have to do a task that teams had to complete simply because others physically couldn't it without risking their health. Then, despite having skipped that, they still didn't do the u-turn detour because they were so frickin' late and still somehow came in ahead of two teams. It would have been a pretty depressing result if not for the TBC.

ETA: after typing that out, I realized that even though Nic and Sabrina skipped kayaking, they were still so far behind that it became impossible for them to have completed both sides of the detour because it got dark. That must be poor production planning? When your u-turn amounts to a time penalty instead of doing the task?

3. I think I can see what they were trying to do with the activity and gimmick heavy leg. All teams are bunched arriving at a very small location. You need Face Offs and u-turns to have any hope of shuffling teams. But! Then they don't eliminate a team and there will almost certainly be a bunch getting off the island so NONE of it mattered in the end. Kristen got injured for no reason. (Was I not paying attention or did she not have to climb those stairs?)

I did like how, in theory, the tasks had a lot of variety and it was engaging in that way. Gino and Jesse made a fairly reasoned use of the U-turn, considering most people use it for petty revenge. But I also loved Brent and Sean outsmarting the situation and correctly assessing that they would be fine without burning the EP.

Sorry, that was really long. I love when a leg really tests the teams but the unneccessary cold torture and Nic and Sabrina's free passes really bugged.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Delwyn

[Kromm]

I was surprised at how badly Kristen cramped up. I bet that the show designers weren't expecting that to happen.

If we have any doctors or physical therapists posting I'd like to know if the apparent conditions they were in tends to cause the level of suffering she SEEMED to claim she had. Because if you watch, she started bellowing about it after a very short time. While it's true they wound up staying quite a while after that, she seemed to go into agony-mode really quickly.

 

I mean it's very possible she just has a low threshold. I mean I'm basically saying she might be a wimp--and that's not a kind thing to say--but there's no way they got in and out of the hospital as fast as the show seemed to display if a doctor had found any actual damage. Not to mention the show's OWN medics and legal council wouldn't have allowed it.

[Blackie]

I believe that she had really painful muscle spasms. Laying still in very cold water for so long, low body fat, fatigue ,maybe even hungry; who knows what and when they eat.  Anyways I believe it. Just imagine really bad "charley horse" in each calf, at the same time.  I'm sure they sent her to the hosptial as a precaution but really there is not much Dr's can do about it, maybe they checked her electrolytes.  Hopefully where she stayed that night has a jacuzzi tub!!! (I would choose a jacuzzi over a massage at this point and I am an RMT) My experience with bed leg muscle spasms like that is that that some amount of calf pain can linger for days so we will see how affected she is in the upcoming leg of the race (no pun intended).  The funny thing was when she first saw the horse challenge she freaked out that she needed her calves to ride a horse but then when she saw the lame challenge (for an experienced equestrian) she says "its all in the reins, I don't even need to use my legs'.

Edited August 7, 2015 by Blackie

[innocuouspuff]

Not all pain means dramatic treatable medical issues, in fact frustratingly few pain sources are ones the ER docs can do anything about (besides dope you up if necessary). At that point it would have been up to Kristen whether she could get through it and she did try to keep racing. Plus she was shivering during the sandcastle task and that's hard to fake.

I was feeling all of Neil's parental worry as well. He was ready to do whatever would make her feel better, lol. "Let's go and see the horses." Was wondering about Nic and Sabrina's choice to have the "weaker" teammate in Sabrina do the digging, but once all the women started shivering it seemed like they may have lucked into a reasonable strategy, since men generally don't get cold as fast.

Glad we still have Simi and Ope! I hate, hate the Face Off. It basically ranks the teams by athletic ability and that's not sporting enough to be fun to me, maybe if they came up with something that called more on a range of skills. I'd probably still hate it though.

This leg was stressful to watch, can't imagine how stressful it was to run.

Edited August 7, 2015 by innocuouspuff

[enlightenedbum]

I enjoy this version of the show more overall these days, but man they are hamfisted with product placement.

 

EDIT: Also, I think Sabrina might be Canadian Mirna.

Edited August 7, 2015 by enlightenedbum

[etagloh]

Late to show up here for this season of TARCan, but that was a brutal leg. Brutal brutal brutal. And I don't actually mind that, because TARCan still has some ragged edges and you get to see teams put through the wringer. I expected a NEL at this point in the race, but liked the stealth TBC, even though it's one of those semi-TBCs where there's an airport bunch. (I doubt the 4-hour penalties were actually enforced at the mat, as they were mooted by it being really dark and everybody needing to fly out to their next destination. They'll be enforced in spirit.)

 

It also exposed the big problem with the Face-Off concept: that if a team sucks at a head-to-head physical task, they'll probably suck their way right to the back of the pack, because repeated attempts are only going to tire them out more. If you don't get good at a head-to-head challenge on the second attempt, then you're going to end up like Simi and Ope. I don't mind TPTBCan experimenting, and it's probably a better two-team task than the collaboration approach of the short-lived Intersection in TAR-US, but the Face-Off probably needs to be a skill or mental challenge rather than a physical one.  

 

I don't like how it neutralises the time gap gained by good racing in the first task -- you basically inherit the time gap of the team directly behind you -- but on this leg, with self-navigation and a Detour and a W-Turn and a drive to the Pit Stop, I'm more comfortable with that mechanic than if it were a tighter city- and taxi-based leg.

But! Then they don't eliminate a team and there will almost certainly be a bunch getting off the island so NONE of it mattered in the end.

I think it mattered in terms of testing the teams, setting up tensions, forcing the team with the Express Pass to make a choice. I'm actually happier with how this leg was structured than ones where being at the back end of a W-Turn is a guaranteed elimination.

Edited August 8, 2015 by etagloh

[Vyas]

I think Sabrina might be Canadian Mirna.

 

Since she hasn't antagonized the other teams or the locals in either Canada or South America, Flo would be a closer comparison (even if Nic's nothing like Zach).

[enlightenedbum]

Since she hasn't antagonized the other teams or the locals in either Canada or South America, Flo would be a closer comparison (even if Nic's nothing like Zach).

This is true, but she has more of a Mirna style defeatism as opposed to the Flo childish tantrum.  And her voice makes me think of Mirna.  Which makes me sad.

 

Also people who race that badly that consistently not being eliminated makes me sad.

[Vyas]

This is true, but she has more of a Mirna style defeatism as opposed to the Flo childish tantrum.  And her voice makes me think of Mirna.  Which makes me sad.

 

Also people who race that badly that consistently not being eliminated makes me sad.

Eh? The lady wailing at the Toronto obstacle course RB during the premiere resembles Charla's ENTJ cousin more than the ENFP public relations associate who became TAR's first individual female winner? Even though said gal shares an Italian heritage with the latter, she still sounds more like the (Armenian) former?

 

Yea, I would've preferred the lady cops Dana/Amanda or the teenage couple Hamilton/Michaelia to have made this leg rather than Sabrina and her boytoy.

[Kel Varnsen]

I mean it's very possible she just has a low threshold. I mean I'm basically saying she might be a wimp--and that's not a kind thing to say--but there's no way they got in and out of the hospital as fast as the show seemed to display if a doctor had found any actual damage. Not to mention the show's OWN medics and legal council wouldn't have allowed it.

 

On the flip side I wondered how she made it in and out of an emergency room so damn fast, considering she had a non-life threatening injury. My understanding is people in those situations (having been one about a month ago) are considered very low priority in Canadian ER's. How was her wait time not hours and hours? Is it just a small town hospital that is not at all busy?

It also exposed the big problem with the Face-Off concept: that if a team sucks at a head-to-head physical task, they'll probably suck their way right to the back of the pack, because repeated attempts are only going to tire them out more. If you don't get good at a head-to-head challenge on the second attempt, then you're going to end up like Simi and Ope. I don't mind TPTBCan experimenting, and it's probably a better two-team task than the collaboration approach of the short-lived Intersection in TAR-US, but the Face-Off probably needs to be a skill or mental challenge rather than a physical one.  

I was wondering if the team that was waiting was allowed to practice while they waited for another team. They never showed it, but if allowed it would have been smart to at least practice moving the kayak or passing the ball around. That way if you suck the first time you play, you might not suck the second time. Plus what else are you going to do while waiting?

[innocuouspuff]

The Magdalen Islands have a population of about 13 000 people, so I buy there could have been no wait at the hospital. Plus some ERs are actually set up that having nothing majorly wrong gets you out faster, because they don't want you cluttering the place up.

I wondered if they weren't allowed to practice the kayak thing. It seems like there should be some benefit to getting there before another team. But maybe between the cold and fatigue teams judged it not worth it.

[Kel Varnsen]

The Magdalen Islands have a population of about 13 000 people, so I buy there could have been no wait at the hospital. Plus some ERs are actually set up that having nothing majorly wrong gets you out faster, because they don't want you cluttering the place up.

 

 

Yea I guess if it was a tiny island it could have been the case that the hospital wasn't very busy. Although too if it was a tiny island, you would think it would have a proportionally small hospital.  Interesting what you said about some other ERs, because I can tell you the ones in Ottawa aren't like that. I had to go to the hospital a few months ago and once I got past the waiting room I was basically told by a nurse to expect to wait for awhile, because my injury was considered low priority. They even had a whole other area of the ER for people like me.

 

I wondered if they weren't allowed to practice the kayak thing. It seems like there should be some benefit to getting there before another team. But maybe between the cold and fatigue teams judged it not worth it.

 

I thought maybe that's why they didn't. Although if they were worried about the cold they could have just stood in shallow water, and practiced passing the ball with the paddle or something. But maybe like you said they weren't allowed.

[Shermie]

Small town ERs are generally faster than city ones, probably because many urban people use the emerg as their primary care. Small town hospitals still have nurses there and a doctor on call, no matter how small. The few times I've had to go to emerg in our small town, it's been quick and efficient.

Yeah, I would have practiced passing on the paddles if that was allowed. I think the water was too cold to be there for any length of time unnecessarily.

[innocuouspuff]

Yeah the ERs in Toronto are generally similar with their triage practices, but once you get into the hospitals a wee bit further from downtown I've had them separate me into the "probably perfectly fine" area, and send a dr to have a quick conversation about how I'm fine very shortly. That place has major crowding issues though, so maybe the getting rid of people strategy is tailored to that (and I'm sure not a problem experienced in rural Quebec).

And of course it depends what kind of crises are ahead of you, sometimes there's just really not much else happening.

I got through this week's podcast at RHAP and they're saying it was 2°C that day? I wouldn't want to get in the water either!

Edited August 11, 2015 by innocuouspuff

[RCharter]

This had to be one of the most unfair legs I've even seen -- how are racers basically rewarded by not doing half the tasks?  Sabrina and her guy didn't do the face off, didn't do the horse challenge and basically got no time penalty and came in 6th.