S27: Denise & James

[Donny Ketchum]

Hi.  We're the first new mother/son team since Margie & Luke.

 

And hopefully, we'll be a thousand times more likable and rootable.

Edited September 2, 2015 by Donny Ketchum

[Donny Ketchum]

About time we have another mother/son team, but man.  Other than Toni & Dallas from TAR13, every single one has been a mother with a gay son.  Patrick was gay, as was Luke.  Dallas was the only straight son to be on the race with his mother.  That said, they performed surprisingly well.  I give them props for tackling that challenging sidewalk puzzle.

 

Fourth place was deserved, but I'm confused as to how they didn't finish third.  They were in that position when they cleared the Detour, after all!

 

I like them a lot and hope they stick around for a while.

[merylinkid]

Mom trying to control her son.   Then stopping to put on lipstick before hitting the mat.    Just weird.

[SomeTameGazelle]

It gave me a bad feeling when she said her motivation for going on the race with him was because she wanted to be his hero again. If everything is going to be about her feelings with no regard for his that doesn't seem to bode well for their relationship.

[Donny Ketchum]

It gave me a bad feeling when she said her motivation for going on the race with him was because she wanted to be his hero again.

That didn't bother me.  As said in the episode thread, lots of children -- kids and adults -- want their parents to be their heroes and heroines.  I don't see anything wrong with Denise wanting to be James Earl's again.

[SomeTameGazelle]

That didn't bother me.  As said in the episode thread, lots of children -- kids and adults -- want their parents to be their heroes and heroines.  I don't see anything wrong with Denise wanting to be James Earl's again.

 

If he thought their relationship was already great I wouldn't be as bothered. It's the fact that they have been on bad terms since he came out to her and she makes it sound like the problem is he doesn't put her on a high enough pedestal. Maybe she said a lot of other things and it's editing that made it sound like that was the ONLY thing she thought was wrong in their relationship. If she shows herself to be more considerate in general I won't be so down on her.

[biakbiak]

If he thought their relationship was already great I wouldn't be as bothered. It's the fact that they have been on bad terms since he came out to her and she makes it sound like the problem is he doesn't put her on a high enough pedestal. Maybe she said a lot of other things and it's editing that made it sound like that was the ONLY thing she thought was wrong in their relationship. If she shows herself to be more considerate in general I won't be so down on her.

That was also my issue and coupled with the side eye he gave her when she said it, it made me think it's all about her.

[goldeneye]

This team reminds me of a "generation gap" team like Ron and Christina, but with a Southern slant (since they're from Alabama), but of a different type of "generation gap" though.

[hendersonrocks]

I legit felt bad when one of the TMZers compared James Earl to Norman Bates. I mean, yeah - there's some oddness and/or awkwardness happening here. But I just imagined him being so excited to see the first episode on air and then hearing THAT...it felt more personal and mean-spirited than what they were saying about the other racers. My heart kind of broke for the guy. 

[Paron Xanthis]

So far, they seem like one of the stronger parent/child teams we've had in recent seasons.  They kept their calm and focus at the Detour, and James Earl, from what we saw, did an excellent job at the Roadblock.

 

Seems like they'd have had second had they seen the right entrance to the Pit Stop, but third isn't bad.

[RemoteControlFreak]

What person in the American south, or America anywhere, gives birth to a child after April 4, 1968 and names him "James Earl?"  

[auntlada]

What person in the American south, or America anywhere, gives birth to a child after April 4, 1968 and names him "James Earl?"  

 

Probably someone whose father is named James and whose father-in-law is named Earl (or vice versa).

 

I kept thinking there was a bad James Earl somewhere but couldn't remember it. All I could think of was James Earl Jones.

Edited October 4, 2015 by auntlada

[Paron Xanthis]

I kept thinking there was a bad James Earl somewhere but couldn't remember it. All I could think of was James Earl Jones.

There's also James Earl Ray, assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., around the date given above, which is what I think @RemoteControlFreak meant.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Paron Xanthis

[auntlada]

There's also James Earl Ray, assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. around the date given above, which is what I think @RemoteControlFreak meant.

 

I figured that. I had forgotten him, which is why I said I kept thinking there was a bad one, but couldn't remember who it was.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Probably someone whose father is named James and whose father-in-law is named Earl (or vice versa).

 

I kept thinking there was a bad James Earl somewhere but couldn't remember it. All I could think of was James Earl Jones.

James Earl Ray, killer of Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis on April 4, 1968.

 

There's a reason why, for example, people no longer name their kids "Adolph" or "Lee Harvey," despite a family connection.

Edited October 5, 2015 by RemoteControlFreak

[auntlada]

Just so people can stop thinking I am an idiot, yes. I've got it. I know who James Earl Ray was. I momentarily could not remember his name, probably because James Earl Jones is much better known now.

I also think that although he was clearly not someone to name your child after, there are other reasons to name your child James Earl, like if theybare family names, for instance. It is nowhere near the level of Adolf, I think, and probably not on the same level as Lee Harvey either. More people have heard of Oswald now, I think, and although there are other famous people named James Earl (Jones, Carter), there aren't any other famous people named Lee Harvey -- at least not who are known by both names. (Granted Carter isn't usually known by James Earl, but his name is on formal things that way and he is known that way sometimes, althoughh usually by older people, probably.)

[Chyna]

What person in the American south, or America anywhere, gives birth to a child after April 4, 1968 and names him "James Earl?"  

Yup, we had this same conversation in my living room. I went "Ew, James Earl?" and Star Wars mega-fan spouse went "Woot! James Earl!"

[Paron Xanthis]

I hope this finish teaches Denise not to smother James Earl too much during Roadblocks.  And they need to both stay calm during Detours.

 

But I'd like to see Denise finally do a Roadblock.  James Earl has done both so far, so I don't wanna see her basically coasting on his work.

[biakbiak]

I want them to be eliminated because I hate her so much!

[janeyjay]

I'd just like to see her "lose" her black eyeliner pencil. Whoa. 

[Bryce Smith]

Justin wasn't the only one toned down this week.  Denise was, too.  She did her first Roadblock very well, and she seemed to have no trouble with the Croquet Detour, to her credit.  James Earl definitely seemed more comfortable with her, too.  So I think she really did take her own advice from last week.

[Chyna]

Denise's facial expression when she got water spit in her face was the highlight of the episode.

[Bryce Smith]

Congratulations to these two, winning their first leg!  Yes, they used the Express Pass to do it, but I think, in this case, it made sense.  They were stuck in a wait-in-line task, and I think that made it the perfect time to use it.  James Earl did the Roadblock very well, and they had no problem with the lion task.  Balancing the fruit made all the difference, and they notched a well-earned win!

 

Good job to them!  Plus, Denise was less annoying this week!

[Bryce Smith]

From first to last.  Kind of a shame after they cleared both Roadblocks with amazing ease.  But getting lost trying to find the Bust a Crab Detour (why didn't they just find a cab to take to the restaurant?) and then having to switch to the Drops Mic Detour and not even doing well at finding or performing it has definitely put them in danger.

 

Obviously, they'll be fine since this is a TBC, but if this were a normal leg, no question they'd have been toast.  Phil would've come out to personally eliminate them by now.

[Lingo]

From first to last.  Kind of a shame after they cleared both Roadblocks with amazing ease. 

 

Well they were amazingly easy roadblocks! As I was watching, I thought, "Oh here we go, another RB that's impossible to mess up", and then Logan found a way to mess it up.  Heh.

[Twopper]

I think James Earl should have tried the shellfish detour.  I would think his experiences in medical school would give him  cutting skills. Or did his mother have to do it this time?

[Bryce Smith]

Twopper, on 01 Nov 2015 - 08:56 AM, said:

I think James Earl should have tried the shellfish detour.  I would think his experiences in medical school would give him  cutting skills. Or did his mother have to do it this time?

Detours have both members doing them, so she would've had to do it with him.

[Twopper]

 

Detours have both members doing them, so she would've had to do it with him.

Thanks! I haven't watched this show since the first few seasons, and I can't remember the rules at all.

[Dale Griffin]

Honestly, they fought their way back into the thick of things so well, they deserved their survival.  Denise didn't take too long at the Roadblock, and they chose the right Detour for them by picking Ship.  They faltered a fair bit, but concentrated and focused long enough to pass up Cindy & Rick.  James Earl, in particular, is the team's MVP for the risky decision to catch the later, direct train to the Pit Stop while Cindy & Rick took the one with two stops.  That may have been what cemented their survival, and kudos to them.

[Bryce Lynch]

Honestly, they fought their way back into the thick of things so well, they deserved their survival. Denise didn't take too long at the Roadblock, and they chose the right Detour for them by picking Ship. They faltered a fair bit, but concentrated and focused long enough to pass up Cindy & Rick. James Earl, in particular, is the team's MVP for the risky decision to catch the later, direct train to the Pit Stop while Cindy & Rick took the one with two stops. That may have been what cemented their survival, and kudos to them.

Actually the train they chose arrived later than Cindy and Rick's train. They were bailed out by Cindy and Rick inexplicably getting on Tram 9 while saying "We need to get on Tram 1".

[Chyna]

Choosing the direct train turned out to be a mistake when it was delayed, but I understand the logic. I'm glad they were saved by Cindy and Rick's screwup.

[Dale Griffin]

Bryce Lynch, on 07 Nov 2015 - 08:26 AM, said:

Actually the train they chose arrived later than Cindy and Rick's train. They were bailed out by Cindy and Rick inexplicably getting on Tram 9 while saying "We need to get on Tram 1".

Ah, I was blogging as the episode happened and didn't catch that.  So they got a bit of luck there.  Still, it worked out for them.

[Chyna]

I'm curious about the young woman who came back to give them the rest of the money they needed. Was it the TV cameras?

[Bryce Lynch]

I'm curious about the young woman who came back to give them the rest of the money they needed. Was it the TV cameras?

It was unclear to me what her motivation was, but I think she was bribing them to stop the awful noise they were making.

[Jersey Guy 87]

It was unclear to me what her motivation was, but I think she was bribing them to stop the awful noise they were making.

 

I had that impression as well.

[backformore]

I try to like this team, but she has to stop with that shrill "WOOOOOOO!"   when they complete a task.  

[Chyna]

Denise's hootin' and hollerin' was annoying, but I have to give her credit--physically, she held up better than Racers more than 20 years her junior. That is one fit mom.