S27.E02: Get In There And Think Like A Dog

[HaymakerHattie]

Confirmed, James Earl is named after relatives. Resemblances to Carter, Jones, and Ray are coincidental.

[Zuleikha]

Was the last reality show a one season only? Don't know anything about the Dance Crew franchises.

There were on the first season of America's Best Dance Crew, which is a competition show for hip hop dance teams. Their team did very well (runner ups), but there was some kind of fight post show related to gigs and use of the crew name. Ernest and Jin were on the outs with the rest of the crew. Ernest was on another season with a different crew (Legendary Seven), but they didn't make it far at all. Ernest's SYTYCD appearances weren't really being on SYTYCD... he was just featured as an auditioner. He never made Top 20. That type of thing doesn't give people much of a career boost.

I don't doubt they work hard, but I'm beginning to think that those "five jobs," are dance teacher here two days a week, dance teacher over there once a week, etc. Not an easy way to make a living, but not what is easily inferred.

I think that's likely. I did a quick search to see if I could find his web page (since dancers usually list where they teach and who they perform with), but if he has one, it's not turning up very quickly.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

It Takes Ten Teams To Tango On The Amazing Race
Amazing Racers head to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the city somehow gets them to handle a bunch of its sanitation labor en route to a drama-filled and injury-plagued Pit Stop.

[Netfoot]

Did I mention I'm old fashioned?

 

It always annoys me when I'm sitting in a restaurant and there are several people chomping away with their hats on their heads.  

 

It isn't their fault they are uneducated louts!  But it is regrettable that we have to share living space with them.

[Way Wes Jr]

And, they need to get off of our lawns!

[RCharter]

This  put me off too . Let's hope it was a one off and not a hint  of Ugly American Syndrome  in future episodes.

I can see why this would put people off.  I don't think he had any ill intent and meant to be self deprecating.  

 

I come from a pretty educated family.  When we have problems doing simple tasks I often joke "How many degrees does it take to [insert simple task]?  I asked this the last time we were all trying to figure out how to connect an "easy to install" sound system to the TV.  

 

I just think its funny because with as much education as a person may have they aren't above being befuddled by something that guy who installs car stereos could do in his sleep.  And the same way a person who is as educated as the doctor is isn't above finding himself in a situation where he is collecting cardboard boxes on the street.

[Sayla Vee]

There were on the first season of America's Best Dance Crew, which is a competition show for hip hop dance teams. Their team did very well (runner ups), but there was some kind of fight post show related to gigs and use of the crew name. Ernest and Jin were on the outs with the rest of the crew. Ernest was on another season with a different crew (Legendary Seven), but they didn't make it far at all. Ernest's SYTYCD appearances weren't really being on SYTYCD... he was just featured as an auditioner. He never made Top 20. That type of thing doesn't give people much of a career boost.

 

 

Thanks for your response.  I saw that Ernest had been greatly helped by a dance teacher in Vermont, and that he had a job with her, but left it in order to audition in SYTYCD.  In other articles I noticed that he also competed under the name of E-Rock or E-Knock (don't remember which).  I just thought that perhaps he had been decently paid by these reality shows....at least enough to support himself or secure an apartment for a while.

[selkie]

Big famous churches and places of worship seem to have long since made their peace with the undeniable fact that they're a tourist attraction too, and that people will enter and explore it who aren't there to worship. And for the Race in particular, they've been approached in advance for permission, undoubtedly paid (made a donation) for the time and trouble, and in some cases like this the clergy will participate. I guess it isn't so different in principle from running a picnic or fair to benefit the church, and all in a day's work if it doesn't interfere with services. (The choir would have been "placed" for this stop as atmosphere, and wasn't in the middle of a service.)

 

Those big famous churches often have big giant maitenance costs, and even in fairly wealthy cities, it can be a scramble to keep the holes in the roof properly patched. We pretty much walked into a full metal Catholic wedding with incense at Notre Dame de Paris- ceremony was going on in the roped off center of the sancturary and Manuel et Martine were getting filmed by the iPads of a couple hundred Asian tourists. 

 

I'm guessing that the 7:30-8:00am time slot here was picked in the name of not disrupting usual services and open tour hours.  And that, while not covering hats, the extended version of the clue that viewers don't see stated that they were supposed to walk slowly and respectfully while in the sancturary

[ItsJessMe]

This  put me off too . Let's hope it was a one off and not a hint  of Ugly American Syndrome  in future episodes.

He also at one point said to his wife "let's see that hustle" which I found condescending too.

 

I don't mind Justin.  He's passionate and intense and I doubt I'd like him in real life but I'm fine with him on the show.  I can. not. stand. the Texas boys.  Ever since Josh implied in their intro that sometimes Tanner gets girls over him "even though I'm 6'2"" I've wanted to slam something at him (and Tanner) every time they appear on screen.  I love that Justin annoys them - and beats them - and will be upset if they turn other teams against Justin.

[Steph01924]

I believe that was what they said to another team that asked them about what was going on. I think they were short with Justin when he asked and basically just ignored him. In fact, them ignoring Justin struck me as even odder after they seemed to joke around about it with another team. 

 

I went back to the first episode to see the exchanges you guys are talking about, because I couldn't recall it. If everyone is talking about when their water bikes collided in the water, then as soon as it happens, the Texas boys were talking to each other about how the bike must be broken, and then the only thing Justin says is, "Dude, I'd tow you, but you guys are beefcakes." as they pull away from the Texas team, smiling and laughing. The cousins who got eliminated came by and asked what was wrong and the Texas boys just quickly reply that their rudder is broken before focusing on steering. 

 

So I can see both sides: Justin is a bit socially dense and makes inappropriate comments, and combining this with his excitement at surpassing them in their water race, this probably made him seem like he was gloating and pompous to the Texas team as he went by them after choosing to make a snarky comment on their unfortunate predicament. 

 

That said, I currently prefer the Texas team over Justin, because his whining in the first episode and his need to comment on everything are things that just personally annoy me in real life; however, the fact that they are already plotting to 'turn everyone against Justin' made me roll my eyes and wish they'd cool it, since I don't want to listen to much more of that either.

 

I'm currently liking the Cheerleaders, the News Anchors, the Dancers, and the Track Stars. The rest of them haven't made much of an impression yet.

[RCharter]

I went back to the first episode to see the exchanges you guys are talking about, because I couldn't recall it. If everyone is talking about when their water bikes collided in the water, then as soon as it happens, the Texas boys were talking to each other about how the bike must be broken, and then the only thing Justin says is, "Dude, I'd tow you, but you guys are beefcakes." as they pull away from the Texas team, smiling and laughing. The cousins who got eliminated came by and asked what was wrong and the Texas boys just quickly reply that their rudder is broken before focusing on steering. 

 

 

Thank you for re-watching.  I remember there was something about that exchange that absolutely put me off of Justin because he was just so pleased with himself that someone else was failing.  And not just that, but that he would see someone struggling and make it a point to make an asshole comment to rub it in.  It reeked of smug arrogance and pettiness.  He and his green hat can make like an egg and beat it.

Edited October 4, 2015 by RCharter

[etagloh]

Once again, I miss that they've started.

Justin is kind of an amalgam of Romber and Brenchel, and while the amount of time we hear his voice is down to the edit (and the fact that he's either been at the front of the pack or the back) it feels representative of the race. While recent seasons have generally had one focus-of-attention team from leg one, it's odd for there to be a big rivalry between multiple teams so early on. It does feel like there are two different kinds of TAR entitlement butting heads -- the superfan who has dreamed of running the Race, and the alpha males who have seen lots and lots of alpha male teams win.

(I'm pretty sure that the Texas dudebros knew in their heart of Texas hearts that the Greens had finished in first, which makes the leg twinge even more hilarious.)

The cardboard was obviously planted, but the alternative was to require a smaller amount or limit the number of teams even more. Unless we missed something, it does feel like the reporters weren't really rewarded for doing well with their side of the Detour.

Edited October 4, 2015 by etagloh

[Etta Place]

I can see why this would put people off.  I don't think he had any ill intent and meant to be self deprecating.  

 

I come from a pretty educated family.  When we have problems doing simple tasks I often joke "How many degrees does it take to [insert simple task]?  I asked this the last time we were all trying to figure out how to connect an "easy to install" sound system to the TV.  

 

I just think its funny because with as much education as a person may have they aren't above being befuddled by something that guy who installs car stereos could do in his sleep.  And the same way a person who is as educated as the doctor is isn't above finding himself in a situation where he is collecting cardboard boxes on the street.

I totally get this, and when my PhD-having husband was working at a coffee shop, those jokes were there. However, I think it's different here because it wasn't a task that involved skills that other people have (like setting up audio equipment), and it wasn't a job he actually had to do to make a living. He is on a game show collecting cardboard. In any event, it came off tone-deaf.

[Scott]

I wasn't as surprised at the hat wearing in the Basilica (after all they weren't there to worship, just passing through and in other places teams have been told what is and is not acceptable in places of worship such as not running or giving the women head scarves) as I was that the clue was being given by a priest -in the church!- I have to admit I was a little shocked by that.

Yes!  And he was vested for mass, and handing them the clues across an altar.  I get the worship vs. tourism thing, but that really did seem disrespectful on the part of the show.

[Lingo]

Poor Adam and Alex couldn't find the "Cathedral of Polo". Their cabbie called someone (maybe his daughter), who directed them to a "Galeria Apolo" downtown:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2r0GafYStY

 

Hands-down best Web Extra of the week is Ernest and the Cheerleaders teaching each other dances and entertaining the rest of the racers in the airport:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb8LLrwXrxs

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ha, Ernest and the cheerleaders were so fun to watch! If you have 8-10 hours to kill at the airport, you might as well have fun. I love seeing dancers try something that's outside of their usual style too.

[jhlipton]

One of Team Texas hurting himself to beat mom and son to the mat had me smirking. I'm a bitch though admittedly. Also Justin is annoying but seeing him continue to steam Team Texas' clams and seemingly not care or be aware of it is going to be hilarious.

Like he said on the mat, they thought they were racing for first place.

But he had to have known that Team Green waqs way ahead of him. I think he was just trying to save face for being an idiot. And yes, I hope it does bite them. 

 

As mentioned above, that particular church is well known for its beauty and historical significance, so tourists are common there.  They may even conduct tours and such during the day.

I've been on the tour of The Cathedral of Notre Dame de Los Angeles -- the gorgeous church in downtown LA. If anyone comes here, you have to see it! (And I'm an agnostic...)

I like the Anchors (good attention to detail) and the Track Stars.

[shura]

Yes!  And he was vested for mass, and handing them the clues across an altar.  I get the worship vs. tourism thing, but that really did seem disrespectful on the part of the show.

 

I can totally picture Pope Francis giving out TAR clues, formal dress and all. I just don't think he would have a problem with it.

 

I too was glad to see that the cardboard for the task was "planted." I was concerned that someone's livelihood (which, at that level, they really need) was being taken away.

 

I got the impression that those people collecting the cardboard were city employees, or perhaps employees of a private contractor. They looked like there were wearing some kind of uniform. It's possible they are paid based on how much cardboard they haul in, of course, but if they are city employees, wouldn't they be salaried regardless? If the city is clean after they are done, it shouldn't matter how much or how little they had to do to clean it.

[Haleth]

Poor Adam and Alex couldn't find the "Cathedral of Polo". Their cabbie called someone (maybe his daughter), who directed them to a "Galeria Apolo" downtown:

 

I heard them say "cathedral of polo" and wondered what that meant.  Did it actually say that on the clue or did they misread it?  Is that a nickname for the polo grounds?  I guess the cabbie was confused because the cousins kept insisting it was a church.

 

Justin reminds me of Michael Symon of The Chew with his effusive personality.  I can see how a little bit goes a long way with people but he doesn't bother me.

[AZChristian]

I googled "cathedral of polo Beunos Aries."  Yep, that's what it's called.  Its official name is Campo Argentino del Polo.  

[needschocolate]

I wasn't paying as close attention to the episode as I should have - did anyone mention that they were doing the "horizontal tango"?

[xcrayon2215x]

Not a fan of Team Texas or Justin but I dislike Justin more. Liked Alex/Adam but their taxi driver was too bad for them too stay. Team Texas are quite good with finishing in the Top 2 twice in a row.

[Bosman]

Team Texas = Team Closet Case

[Bad Example]

One of Team Texas hurting himself to beat mom and son to the mat had me smirking. I'm a bitch though admittedly. Also Justin is annoying but seeing him continue to steam Team Texas' clams and seemingly not care or be aware of it is going to be hilarious.

 

 

Justin doesn't bug me but I agree about the hilarity.  I don't know what the Texas guys obsession with Justin was, they should just focus on their own race.  

 

 

I feel like we're missing something with regards to Texas' hate for Justin. I mean he is annoying and OTT, but Texas seems to disproportionately despise him. 

Yeah, Justin's kind of annoying.  I get that.  But I reserve all my hate for Texas because it seems to me that they hate him mostly because Justin's kind of weird and enthusiastic and awkward... and how can he possibly be doing better in ANY situation when Texas is so much cooler and better looking than he is?  They're entitled, his type is not.

 

I didn't really like it when Team Lunkhead were saying "Right!  We have to form an alliance and get them out!"  I don't like the idea of ganging up on a team because you don't like them.  If you want to win, don't conspire against the team that's beating you.  Race better!

 

That was what I liked so much about Jin and Ernest on the mat.  Their reaction was that they had to work harder.  Now, I'm not so sure how they think they're going to pull that off, but I like the sentiment.

 

And for the Race in particular, they've been approached in advance for permission, undoubtedly paid (made a donation) for the time and trouble, and in some cases like this the clergy will participate. 

 

And even realizing all of that, it still seemed strange.  "Let me, ever so solemnly and with due reverence for our surroundings.... hand you your next clue."

[Vyas]

I am so glad I'm not the only person who thinks of Pinky everytime Justin opens his mouth.

 

*high-fives*

 

(Much love to "No-Brain" Tim and "TAP* Winner" Diana for being resigned to act as their unsung sidekicks.)

 

* Acronym for The Amazing Proposal.

Unless we missed something, it does feel like the reporters weren't really rewarded for doing well with their side of the Detour.

 

Following Art and JJ's example with the firewood sure did backfire on them - ah, the fickleness of the Silver Nation.

[lianau]

Team Texas irritates me  so I like Justin to rile them up a little . Team Texas comes across like the games owes them a win because they are tall , athletic and conventionally good looking and  everyone else is just there to lose against them , like the rest of the teams are not there to win a leg or the race but to make things unnecessarily complicated before Texas will casually walk over the finish line first . I so hope they will be knocked down a peg somewhere .

[auntlada]

But I assume he hasn't actually pulled his hamstring and he just got a cramp or something anyway.

 

I may be wrong, but I was assuming he didn't really pull his hamstring -- or at least not very badly -- because he wasn't lying on the ground in a fetal position. He was standing upright at the mat and was able to talk normally without gasping or crying. The pulled hamstrings I've seen hurt worse than that.

 

I can totally picture Pope Francis giving out TAR clues, formal dress and all. I just don't think he would have a problem with it.

 

I think he might have the same reaction as a missionary friend of ours. He works in Burkina Faso (one of the poorest countries in the world), so when he was in the States on a speaking tour and stayed with us for a few days, we showed him the episodes of the season in Burkina. He was amused, but was really shocked (and dismayed) that they spent all that money to tape a whole show based around giving someone a million dollars.

[jhummerbird]

I'm Catholic, but TAR has used lots and lots of religious sites as part of the course. I seem to remember a snarky comment in the forums (or in a recap) about how TAR should be called The Amazing Appropriator of World Religions. So I cringed a bit when I realized they would have to enter a Catholic church, but I think they way they did it was fine, especially if they had taken the Eucharist out of the church before the racers entered. There have been other times when the racers have had to light a candle in a temple or leave a specific offering, and that always makes me a little feel a little squicky. There was one time last season, I think, where they had to burn incense in honor of a specific deity, and I honestly don't know what I would've done in that situation. I mean, people have been killed for refusing to participate in a religious ceremony that went counter to their beliefs...it seems disrespectful to them to do it just for money.

tl;dr I don't mind stops at religious locations when all the racers have to do is enter respectfully and pick up a clue. 

[justawatcher]

I just keep chewing on the cab at the end thing.

 

I don't recall any other team having trouble getting cabs to the pit stop. The first 7 teams were all athletic, white people. No problem getting a cab. The last three teams were two teams of color and one with a visible disability (for lack of a better way to put it). We watched cab after cab pass all of them by. At what point does the production crew call in and say "You know what? We're having a situation of DWB here. We need to let them all continue on and get out of here." I felt like it really came down to which teams had the least bigoted cab driver and that bothers me. The Amazing Race has always been played fair. It has always been competition exclusive of age, race, or gender. Being eliminated should not come down to who finally got a cab to pick them up. If one of them had flubbed the detour or the roadblock...but they didn't. Bigot cab drivers should not influence the race. Stupid cab drivers? Certainly. But not like this. This is wrong.

 

Edited to change my description of the cousins to "visible disability" which is more what I was trying to convey.

Edited October 5, 2015 by justawatcher

[limecoke]

In the race to the finish, I became fixated on that girl running through the streets of Buenos Aires barefooted.  Yikes and ewwwwww.

 

"I made you, You came out of my belly"

For the love.  I could not believe any grown woman said that to her grown son.  My sons would look at me like it might be time to put me in the Home.

[J-Man]

So, two episodes in and we haven't seen Phil doing a 'live" presentation while at one of the tasks while the first team is arriving like we did last season. Have they abandoned this idea? I would imagine it adds an extra layer of complexity in scheduling and transportation, so maybe they decided it just wasn't worth the trouble.

[Netfoot]

For the love.  I could not believe any grown woman said that to her grown son.  My sons would look at me like it might be time to put me in the Home.

 

From time to time, my mother would say "I took salt, and made you!"  Why salt, I couldn't say.  Maybe if I'd been a girl it would have been sugar.  And spice.  Who knows?  The only thing I know is that mothers always what is THE most embarassing thing to say at any specific moment...

[mojoween]

I don't really have warm and fuzzies about anyone but I really really dislike Logan.

First, in the airport, she was needlessly bitchy to Justin when he complained to the group that James Earl broke their agreement. I get that Justin was annoying, but he wasn't even talking to her so her snide comment was unnecessary.

Then at the detour in the church Chris says he wanted to do the statue and she says "whatever, I thought we should do cardboard" and then when he reads further outside and says they should do cardboard, she is passive aggressive AGAIN and complains that he said statue. No, lady, you should have been more assertive in the church, and not basically argued with all of his choices.

And then, in the cab after one of the tasks, Chris is talking to the cab driver and she says very snottily that he needed to be quiet because no one needed his input at that time. I get he may have been being annoying, but the WAY she said it makes me think she is not a very nice person.

[Wootini]

I had no idea why Texas was racing so hard to get to the Pit Stop until at the end they said they thought they were racing for first. How could they possibly have thought that? Did they forget about Green Team because they hate Justin so much? Serves him right for injuring himself. (Although as stated above, it can't be that serious because he looked okay, really…)

 

I hadn't really thought about how that recycling task was taking away people's livelihoods for that day, but I'm glad it seems that it didn't. I was more concerned with how slowly the Newscasters were doing their Detour task. I'm not sure what went wrong with that. They didn't seem to screw anything up, but still finished well behind a bunch of the recyclers. (also, hopefully I can remember who they are now because when they showed up at the beginning of the episode, I was like, "Wait, you were on the first episode?")

 

I feel like there was a lot of shifting of positions that happened off-camera, and hopefully when we get rid of a few more teams, there will be enough screen time that they can actually show us what's going on and not leave it up to our imaginations.

 

And hearing that the Dancers have been on a bunch of other reality shows and are apparently trying to make a career out of it, now I understand why I'm having trouble liking them as much as a lot of the rest of you. My husband suggested it's because they're always "On," and I think that's it. Whereas Justin is a bit hard to take because he's a "Superfan" and crying over just simply being on the show, the Dancers are just doing the reality show contestant thing, and I don't feel like we're actually getting to know them. However, if they last long enough, those walls should come down soon enough. (Unless this is actually who they are) The Amazing Race is really good at beating people down and showing their true colors! :D

[proserpina65]

Also, this is the first time I actually caught James Earl's name.  I'm hoping she named him after "Jones" and not "Ray".



 

Could be James Earl Carter.  Where is that team from?

 

[proserpina65]

Well, crybaby Justin is a jerk.  I have no prob with Tanner and Josh.

 

BTW, the guys were really cool to the track stars - letting them know where they left their cart.  If not, they could likely have been eliminated.

I don't have a problem with Tanner and Josh so far, but if they continue to focus all their attention on Justin instead of just racing, that'll change pretty fast.  I like teams who focus on their own race and don't worry so much about the other teams.  I did like them telling the track stars where to find their cart.

[Special K]

Justin is TAR's version of Billy Mumfrey.*  His downfall will be his unbridled enthusiasm.

 

 

 

 

*Seinfeld reference

[proserpina65]

Can Luke2 open his mouth without mentioning how he "came out" and all?

 

I imagine, like the dancers talking about being homeless, a lot of that is producer-driven.  Hopefully once the teams settle in a bit, the talking head bits will feature the backstories less.

I don't have a problem with Justin but came down squarely on his side when Billy Bob or whatever (ok, James Earl) immediately broke their agreement and shared the basilica information with Beefcake and the Paparazzi (which coincidentally is the name of my next garage band).  Hopefully now Justin and Diana will know not to share information with other teams.

 

Did James Earl actually agree not to share the info?  I heard Justin say that they should keep it to themselves, but didn't hear the others agree; there was a lot of ambient sound at that point so I might've missed it.

[hendersonrocks]

The first 7 teams were all athletic, white people. No problem getting a cab. The last three teams were two teams of color and one with a visible deformity (for lack of a better way to put it). We watched cab after cab pass all of them by.

 

Cindy and Rick are people of color, but STILL: I agree with you and had the exact same discomfort while watching. (And of course there is a racial difference between Cindy/Rick and Ernest/Jin/Jazmine/Danielle that may be relevant in this context.)

[kingshearte]

What annoyed me about Justin was him saying he would be better at the dance than his partner. Shut up and support her. It's easy to brag when you don't have to actually do anything, but it makes you a dick.

 

Also, I wanted the waiting team mates to be quiet while the actual dances were happening (not the practices, just the actual "trying to get approved" parts), instead of calling to their partners while they danced. I kept thinking all that "encouragement" would distract them and make them lose their places.

Count me in among those who find him annoying but can't quite figure out why. This wasn't it, though. Last season of TAR Canada there was one instance where one partner insisted he could have done a particular roadblock better, and went on and on about it, and that irritated the hell out of me. Justin's statement did not. I'm a dancer. My husband is not. If he ended up doing a dance-based roadblock instead of me, I'm sure that at some point while I was waiting, words to the effect of "this wold go way better if I were doing it" would likely come out of my mouth. I wouldn't berate him for whatever difficulties he might have with it (nor did Justin), and I'd be as supportive as I could be (as was Justin — although I would probably not cheer him on out loud while he was trying to perform). Nor is he the first racer to express such a sentiment. It's a simple fact that some people are better at certain things than others, and that sometimes the "wrong" teammate ends up doing a particular challenge. I don't think it makes anyone a jerk to say so. As long as it's, like, once, and not rubbing their partner's face in it for the rest of the leg. Oh and also, if another dance challenge comes up and he does it, he better nail it, or I take back everything I just said.

 

I think the reporters might end up being my favourites, if they carry on as they've started. I seem to have a soft spot for the quietly competent, low-key, "unmemorable" teams, which I think they've pretty much been so far. We'll see how it goes.

[backformore]

 

Did James Earl actually agree not to share the info?  I heard Justin say that they should keep it to themselves, but didn't hear the others agree; there was a lot of ambient sound at that point so I might've missed it.

What I saw was that James Earl and his mother found the address, gave it to Justin and his teammate. Justin then says that he won't share it with anyone else, and asks the other team to agree not to share it, but there is no agreement. 

To  me, it seems they were sharing the info with whomever was around, (perhaps NOT the smartest move),  and since Justin was there first, he inferred some sort of alliance. 

[mostlylurking]

Justin is not bothering me (yet). I do think he's a small doses kind of guy though.

"You came out of my belly" made me laugh. It definitely sucks that she wasn't supportive of her son when he came out as gay, but from their little intro last week she seemed pretty ashamed of the way she acted & it seems she realizes that she effed up with that.  I think she's trying to do better.  Time will tell.

When the guy on Team Texas pulled a hammie I thought it served him right. I mean there were three teams all finishing within seconds of each other. They are all going to start the next leg at the same time. Even if he thought they were first, does it really matter at that point? It was all ego. Completely pointless. They are both hot though so there's that.

Don't like Team Paps probably because I just really dislike paparazzi in general. No one is really horribly unlikable for me right now.

Edited October 5, 2015 by mostlylurking

[tanyak]

 I really think their dislike for Justin is what we saw in the episode. Justin does have an ability to come across incredibly annoying, perhaps without his realizing it. Yes, he supported his fiance throughout the task but he felt it necessary to point out as soon as she left to do the task that he's a better dancer than her. Then he was laughing at one point about one of the Texan guys not having the dance and he just kept up a steady stream of commentary throughout like he was narrating the show for viewers.

 

And I just felt like if I was annoyed watching the these few edited moments, I cannot imagine what it was like sitting there and having to listen to him. I think his personality is just grating without his realizing and then coupled with the whole airport thing of him walking up and confronting James about sharing the information that James found with the Texan guys and it was just on. I do think it's funny though that true to his cluelessness he doesn't even realize the guys are in this battle with him. 

 

Yes. I turned to Mr. Tanyak and was like "Does he ever shut up?!" I'm sure he's a fine person, but it's like someone else said upthread: He's definitely one of those people I wouldn't go out of my way to engage with. Oy. Meanwhile, Team Texas hasn't done a thing to annoy me yet.

 

I, too, want the Dancers to cool it with the sob story. I do find their reality show history interesting. I think it's probably less about being on TV and more about just trying to catch that big break. 

[Pallas]

I don't recall any other team having trouble getting cabs to the pit stop. The first 7 teams were all athletic, white people. No problem getting a cab. The last three teams were two teams of color and one with a visible disability (for lack of a better way to put it). We watched cab after cab pass all of them by. At what point does the production crew call in and say "You know what? We're having a situation of DWB here. We need to let them all continue on and get out of here."

 

We don't know if the earlier teams' taxi-wrangling had a different outcome or a different edit. The most probable explanations are, "Like most teams, these last three waved at any passing cab, whether or not it was occupied: it's what people do, especially when they're under pressure, out of time and out of their element. It's the equivalent of pushing the elevator button again. And at that later point in the day, more cabs were occupied." And, "We had the opportunity to set up what looked like a three-way race to the finish, by three likable teams: so we edited the hell out of that standard footage of fruitless, frustrating waving, for maximum effect."  

 

Or then again, "Yeah...you saw what we saw. A lot of empty cabs sped up past those three teams. Just like the last leg, and yeah, a lot more than the usual bunch of cabbies wanting no part of what looks like circus people with big bags and a camera. I really thought one of them was going to say, 'Here we go -- so. Maybe next time, we audition to get into the amazing race.'"

 

I'd love to know, but I doubt that TPTB would address either scenario. For the early elimination of a compelling team, they went heavy on the suspense and light on the poignant. To this disappointment, would they want to add a dash of cynicism, or a cup of gall? 

[blackwing]

I find Justin so incredibly irritating.  Considering the fact that he and his mostly silent partner are one team out of ten and that he seemingly is featured in about a third of the episode, it is particularly grating.  He's way too intense.  I hated the way he went up to the other teams in the airport and does a casual "what's going on here?!  So much for not sharing."  He is the type of racer that is all smiley and happy but the minute anything goes wrong he dissolves into a blubbery uncontrollable mess.  It has been a long time on the Race since I've loathed someone this much this quickly.  Part of me is tempted to go into the spoiler thread to see if he makes it to the end.  I won't look, but that's how much I hate him.  Watching the Race with him in it is just painful.

 

As for Male Chack and his "16 years of education and I'm picking up trash on the street" comment.... Ass.  I don't give him a pass at all.  He's on a game show to win a million dollars.  If he didn't want to do tasks he didn't want to do, then don't apply for a game show.  It looks even worse considering that Female Chack said last week that "they don't teach us how to do puzzles like this in medical school".  Uh, yeah.  I get it.  The two of them are smart doctors.  The rest of us are just lucky to breathe the same air that they do.

 

I mostly like the other teams.  I guess all of my hate is reserved for Justin this season.  I found it odd that his wife actually spoke this episode.  She did two (I think) confessionals but it was so weird, she and Justin were clearly standing next to each other but the camera just focused on her, almost as if they were purposely cutting him out so he wouldn't be in the picture.  Many times they have both people on camera even if only one is speaking.  I wonder if he was making weird intense faces or something.

 

Forgive me if this was asked last week . . .  what kind of name is "Logan" for a woman?

 

I didn't think anything of it.  There's already a whole host of unisex names, and it seems, there are increasingly more girls with traditional boy names these days.  My kids are in school and on soccer teams with girls named Evan, Tate, Dylan, Avery, Ryan, Connor and Kyle.  I'm not sure exactly when this trend started.

[Pepper Mostly]

 

 

He is a bit much to take but doesn't seem like an asshole or anything, just kind of socially clueless maybe -- the type of person in real life with whom you try to limit contact and small talk with even though he's a nice enough guy. To me, he just seems kind of...effusive, maybe? When he's bummed, he is a big mess, and when he's excited, he's bouncing off walls. Kind of like a big kid, which is what his face makes me think of. I thought he was sweet when he was so excited that his GF was tangoing so well. As far as that tango, I felt like I couldn't understand what I was looking at while they did it. That makes almost no sense, I know, but it was confusing me in a logistics sense. Then again, I am terrible with anything spatial-relations-related -- TERRIBLE!

 

My theory is that Justin in insufferable because he works in radio. I have never in my life met anyone who works in radio, especially on-air personalities, who wasn't a complete douchebag. (Except Darrell Martini, the Cosmic Muffin.) Pax to anyone here who works in radio or is an on-air personality, I'm sure you are a wonderful person. But Justin's level of insufferableness just screams radio guy. I don't think he's socially awkward or tone deaf. I think he's a radio guy and used to acting like a jerk. He may be kind to his mother and read to the blind, but he's got a persona and he's living up to it. jmo

 

 

 

 

 

For the love.  I could not believe any grown woman said that to her grown son.  My sons would look at me like it might be time to put me in the Home.

Yes. My son would be mortified also. Claiming credit for your son's accomplishments (even a tiny one like learning a few dance steps), but refusing to speak to him when he comes out? Um, ok. Mama needs to get a grip.

 

I have to love Ernest and Jin because they are my Boston homies. Good thing I love them. They were adorable at the airport. After them I like the news folks and the track girls. I hope they can make a big comeback. I can see that the Texas bros are living up to their initial impression of being meatheads with a sense of entitlement as big as Texas.

[blackwing]

I was so caught up in my dislike for Justin that I forgot to mention that I found this episode to be incredibly boring, and a bit confusing.  I didn't find it exciting in the least to watch teams collect planted cardboard.  Were all the dumpster bins within a few blocks' radius?  Obviously we don't need to see the entire process, but it was a bit odd how teams are at 30 pounds and then as if by magic, now they are at 115 pounds.  There was no sense of how long the task took or how spread out the teams were.  It would have been more interesting to watch if teams had to search dumpsters looking for the Amazing Travelocity Gnome or some other thing.  As it was, I was puzzled as to what was written on the clue instructions that made the statue delivery so unappealing that only one team elected to do it.  

 

Even after the track girls showed up and found there were no more carts, instead of immediately going to statue, they just ran around hoping to magically find a cart.  The statue task didn't seem that hard.  Were the teams intimidated by having to give directions in Spanish?  Kelsey seemed to have no issues, but she seemed to at least have some comfortability with Spanish, I'm guessing because she lives in Southern California.  Did they think the statue was going to break?  The task didn't seem that hard.  Maybe it was really far away.

 

I also would have appreciated watching a full walkthrough of the tango first.  We only seemed to get snippets of it.  It would have been nice to have seen the racers observing one run through first.  The only ones that really seemed to nail it easily (and make it look like a dance as opposed to some gingerly moving around) were the cheerleaders, the dancers and the track stars.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

hearing that the Dancers have been on a bunch of other reality shows and are apparently trying to make a career out of it, now I understand why I'm having trouble liking them as much as a lot of the rest of you. My husband suggested it's because they're always "On," and I think that's it. Whereas Justin is a bit hard to take because he's a "Superfan" and crying over just simply being on the show, the Dancers are just doing the reality show contestant thing, and I don't feel like we're actually getting to know them.

Ernest's previous reality show appearances were on two dance shows, so I don't see him as the same kind of reality show contestant who's constantly trying to get on shows like the Bachelor, Survivor, Bad Girls' Club, etc. which to me are just full of famewhores who want to be famous for being on tv. Ernest is a dancer who does not come from a rich family (unlike some of the studio dancers we see on So You Think You Can Dance whose parents could afford all kinds of dance classes and costumes before sending their little 18 year old dancers off to audition in LA while mommy and daddy paid their rent). Dancing is not a lucrative profession. Most dancers do it because they love it. Many dancers who are members of professional dance companies barely have enough money to get by. Competing on a dance show like SYTYCD or ABDC gives dancers the opportunity not only to win some prize money but to get exposure (S1 winners of ABDC, the Jabbawockeez now have their own show in Las Vegas), so I don't fault dancers for trying to get on one of the few shows that gives them national exposure and the possibility of getting paid. I don't see Ernest and Jin as being "on" all the time on TAR. They have seemed really mellow and almost like non-entities because they aren't obnoxious racers (ahem, Justin). They're doing the tasks without being jerks to anyone else or screaming for attention. I'll take that over Justin's crying and screaming and generally annoying behavior. The only thing I have disliked so far is their repeated "we're homeless" story, but I am assuming that at least part of that is producer driven (see also: "as football wives..."). But I don't see them being fake, insincere, or overly dramatic so I don't see them as having typical reality show fame whore personalities.

[paramitch]

I find Justin annoying as well, but I wonder how much of his perpetual mania right now is because he's so freaked to be ON the show, and he just can't get out of his head yet. I'll give him a pass for another episode, but if he continues to self-narrate (and self-congratulate), yeah, he's gonna get old for me real fast. As it is, for now, I kind of feel sorry for him because I don't actually get a mean vibe from him (which, honestly, I do from the Texas boys, no matter how good-looking they are). He's not douchey thus far to me, I just think he's so oblivious and socially awkward (ramped up by 1000% because he's ON! THE! AMAZING! RACE!) that he's barrelling through all these circumstances without a clue as to how others are reading him.

 

The thing that bothers me with Texas is that they are already not focused on running/racing themselves. No, they are just inexplicably fixated on beating Justin. And I hate that and find it really unpleasant television. Especially if they try to rope other teams in -- it quickly turns the race into nasty remarks, semi-bullying and infighting, when I'd really just rather watch people race and take in the experiences. So I hope they calm down too.

 

Hands-down best Web Extra of the week is Ernest and the Cheerleaders teaching each other dances and entertaining the rest of the racers in the airport:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb8LLrwXrxs

 

Thanks so much for sharing that! See, this is what bothers me: This clip was adorable and funny and showed us the entire group of racers hanging out, applauding, laughing, and having fun. Why wasn't this (however edited) in the show? It was ten times more charming and fun to watch than the 20 different shots of Justin babbling and Texas guy visibly fuming. The fact that the show seems to think that conflict/division is more interesting than fun and friendship makes me sad. (I still miss the ESM moments from so many great previous seasons, darn it... again, all to ramp up the competitiveness and isolation. Grr.)

 

Justin is not bothering me (yet). I do think he's a small doses kind of guy though.

"You came out of my belly" made me laugh. It definitely sucks that she wasn't supportive of her son when he came out as gay, but from their little intro last week she seemed pretty ashamed of the way she acted & it seems she realizes that she effed up with that.  I think she's trying to do better.  Time will tell.

Don't like Team Paps probably because I just really dislike paparazzi in general. No one is really horribly unlikable for me right now.

The thing that makes me uncomfortable with the Mom/Son team is that I just think it's an icky situation. She evidently did not speak to or accept her own kid for YEARS just because he was gay. It's a terrible hook because it just makes me not like her right from the outset. I can't help it, I even wonder if she would have forgiven or seen him if they hadn't gotten on the show together. It doesn't help that she isn't very articulate; she doesn't seem to actually ever explain herself or talk about how she has changed thus far (and granted, they only get tiny amounts of  dialogue and exposition, so that's not her fault). But -- aghghgh.

 

I know how I sound. I don't want to be too harsh; hopefully she learned a lesson about her own capacity for bigotry, but I dislike her so intensely it's very hard for me to be objective. I hope that as I watch them race, I can get a clue about what kind of person she actually is, as well as on how she has really changed for the better.

 

I don't see Ernest and Jin as being "on" all the time on TAR. They have seemed really mellow and almost like non-entities because they aren't obnoxious racers (ahem, Justin). They're doing the tasks without being jerks to anyone else or screaming for attention. I'll take that over Justin's crying and screaming and generally annoying behavior. The only thing I have disliked so far is their repeated "we're homeless" story, but I am assuming that at least part of that is producer driven (see also: "as football wives..."). But I don't see them being fake, insincere, or overly dramatic so I don't see them as having typical reality show fame whore personalities.

 

Great post. I agree that Ernest and Jin seem like pretty nice and talented guys who are just trying to work doing something they love, versus being professional reality types. I admit that I find the constant homeless references kind of awkward and off-putting, but I know how much of that is production, so I give them a pass. Meanwhile, on the race, they're just delightful -- they're outgoing, kind, exuberant, and lots of fun to watch. I hope they can move up in the ranks a bit, as I'd like them to do really well and stick around.

 

And dance more in airports. Lots, lots more airport dancing for everyone!

[North of Eden]

Just watched now.

 

Very pleased with the outcome. I like the brothers and the track stars are eye candy and I'm sorry but anyone who has a fear of heights dangling 2 FEET off the ground has "cannon fodder" stamped on their forehead.

 

Agree with the Texans....last week I liked Justin but this week he was so annoying that I was saying SFU at him during the dance challenge. I never care for reality show contestants who feel they constantly have to be "ON"...I'm looking at you BJ and Tyler among others.

 

I thought the Texans would burn their Express Pass on the dance challenge or worse get sent home with it in their possession. They really did screw up in the end injuring the one guy just to pass Team Bates Motel.

 

Logan appears to be some sort of Jeckyll and Hyde. She was two different people in this episode...a shrewish wench and a normal competent racer.

 

In the church scene I couldn't help but think if my Aunt Alice were there she would have snatched the caps off everyone of those racers who wore a hat into the church like she did to me once.

 

 

 

Don't know why more people didn't do the statue...it looked like the newscasters had a fairly easy go of it.

Edited October 6, 2015 by North of Eden