S27.E05: King Of The Jungle

[Zahdii]

Out of topic: too bad that no action is taken on the other side of the equation. Case in point, what action has been taken toward Dr. Walter Palmer?

 

Asshole got off.  Now he wants us to all stop being mean to him so he can go back to his regular life.

[InDueTime]

Damn, damn, damn.  I wish Jazmine and Danielle would've pulled it out, but like others said, they brought it on themselves with so many mistakes.  All three of my favorite teams left back to back.  I guess I'll root for the news anchors, and maybe the Chacs if he keeps his behavior in check.

 

I'm not a fan of Denise, but I'm glad she and James Earl were team Team #1, if only that it breaks up the monotony of Texas and Green always being first.

 

Between the orphanage donations incident and the nonstop squabbling, the elimination of the Paparazzi team can't come soon enough.

 

While I don't care for Zimbabwe's president, I hope to see a part of Africa one day.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

The Amazing Race Encounters Lions And Gorges And Crocs. Oh My!
In Zimbabwe, Amazing Racers scream their way through adrenaline-filled tasks and get up close and personal with the local wildlife.

[etagloh]

Spectacular legs are often ones with the most problematic design, and this was no exception: the Detour was the only place with much opportunity for the order to change, and with most people choosing the (quicker) croc side, it got very processional; it feels as if TPTB knew that and threw in the fruit-walk at the end to offset it, but it didn't make much difference. And the order was set by the previous Detour.

(There's now a disincentive to use the first W-Turn unless you are in danger of elimination. The cheerleaders may not make it to the second one, but they really shouldn't have bothered using it.)

Lots of KF at work there, but also some really poor teams at the back of the pack who managed to throw away their advantage on an Amazing Wait Your Turn leg. Read the damn clue, don't air your dirty laundry in public. It feels like there's a big gap between the three strong and competent teams (Green, Texas, anchors) and the rest.

[Richness]

I'm surprised by how many say they want to go on the lion walk, while so many said they wouldn't dare go on the microlights in the previous leg. Maybe it's just my background in aviation, but I'd be more scared of being mauled by the lions. Even if there was someone with either a tranquilizer gun or something more lethal just off camera, I suspect a lion could do a lot of damage before that person or the tranquilizers could react. Sure, it might not be as lethal as a catastrophic structural failure, but lions are much more unpredictable unreliable. Not that it matters really, but I do find the juxtaposition interesting.

[ProfCrash]

 wanted to turn the TV off but made myself watch because I thought the paparazzi were gone. But then I knew they were not going to be eliminated because they thought they were so focused on being eliminated. I wanted them gone in week one because I hate their profession and now I really want them gone because I hate their profession and they are just so fucking annoying. Their people skills are probably how they ended up in their current profession. Strong dislike.

 

The track stars could not read a clue if you paid them to. They missed the lion encounter and then they miss how to get the clue at the lions.

 

It was nice to see Texas at least acknowledge that Team Green honored their agreement when it would have been advantageous to U Turn them. And watching the cheerleaders waste their U Turn was simply ridiculous. Waste your U Turn for no good reason and if Team Green finds out you did it it could bite you in the butt.

 

Just a bad episode.

[needschocolate]

Can you imagine what Chris is like when he is working --- He is walking 8 feet behind Angelina Jolie and she turns a corner.  Rather than following her around the corner he stops and whines "Oh no, she turned the corner, now I will never get her picture! Maybe I should walk in the opposite direction around the block and hope I run into her again.  Or maybe I should hail a taxi and take the freeway to the next exit.  No, it would probably be better to find a shoe store and get some good running shoes so I can keep up.  Nah, that will never work, I should go to the roof on a tall building and track her from there. Or maybe I should...."

 

 

 All three of my favorite teams left back to back.  I guess I'll root for the news anchors, and maybe the Chacs if he keeps his behavior in check.

 

Can you please do me a favor?  Given your track record so far, can you declare the Paparazzi your favorite team?

 

I'm surprised by how many say they want to go on the lion walk, while so many said they wouldn't dare go on the microlights in the previous leg. Maybe it's just my background in aviation, but I'd be more scared of being mauled by the lions. Even if there was someone with either a tranquilizer gun or something more lethal just off camera, I suspect a lion could do a lot of damage before that person or the tranquilizers could react. Sure, it might not be as lethal as a catastrophic structural failure, but lions are much more unpredictable unreliable. Not that it matters really, but I do find the juxtaposition interesting.

 

I don't have a fear of heights and, as far as I know, I don't have a fear of lions.  However, I enjoying being alive and would find both of these tasks to be scary. 

 

However, I think I would find the lion walk less scary than the microlight.  If he microlight fails, I will most likely die in the crash.  If the lion decides to attack, I don't have to be able to outrun it, I don't even need to be the fastest human there, I just need to be able to outrun one of the other humans. The camera guy is weighted down with equipment.  I could probably outrun him if he keeps the equipment on, and, if he takes it off, I would have the opportunity to push him down while he is removing it. The lion will go for the human already on the ground.

 

Joking, of course, as much as I like living I don't think I could push the camera guy to his death (unless he kept filming me from my bad side).  I would think that, if I were on TAR, I would just keep telling myself that the show would not have us do anything that really put our lives at risk, because if someone dies when doing a task, the show would get canceled.  Therefore, there must be precautions in place to keep us from being in as much danger as it looks.

[Hanahope]

For the life of me, I can't understand using the Express Pass on such wonderful tasks in Africa.  I mean, more than likely, you will never go there again, never have the opportunity to fly over Victoria Falls or feed crocodiles while underwater in a cage.  I didn't think that Alabama had to use the express pass this episode, and given their placement, they should have held it for another week (or two maybe).  I suppose it was of some benefit to them because it did get them first, but only because of the fruit basket task.

 

Alabama was probably the correct team for Texas to give the pass to, for the reasons stated.  Had to laugh at the cheerleaders U-turning Green, as if they've ever beaten Green.  Probably no big loss though, I doubt they'll be around for the next U-turn, unless its in the next episode or two.

 

And then both Chak attack and paparrazzi failing to realize that the roadblock was not where the clue was (when has that ever been the case?), and then not listening to their cab drivers.  Paparrazzi especially being so focused on keeping up with the Chaks that they just blindly followed them instead of running their own race. 

 

And the track stars clearly failed to read their whole clue twice (once by missing the lion encounter turn off - or miss-instructing their cab driver) and then while on the encounter missing the clue.  Not reading the clue will burn you nearly all the time.

 

I always love the Africa episodes, such great scenery and activities.  Always ends up pushing Africa up on my travel to do list.

[proserpina65]

Sorry to see the track ladies go, but READ THE WHOLE CLUE!!!!!!

 

I wouldn't want to canoe in the Zambezi River - not with hippos around.  Those things are very dangerous, particularly if you get between them and deep water.  Also, those paddles looked like kayak paddles.

[danheaton]

Easily the best episode of the season. Reminded me why I like the show, though I still don't enjoy much of this cast that much. It's amazing (no pun intended) what can happen when they add tasks beyond a Detour and a Roadblock. More chances to swap places and for mistakes.

[RCharter]

However, I think I would find the lion walk less scary than the microlight.  If he microlight fails, I will most likely die in the crash.  If the lion decides to attack, I don't have to be able to outrun it, I don't even need to be the fastest human there, I just need to be able to outrun one of the other humans. The camera guy is weighted down with equipment.  I could probably outrun him if he keeps the equipment on, and, if he takes it off, I would have the opportunity to push him down while he is removing it. The lion will go for the human already on the ground.

 

Joking, of course, as much as I like living I don't think I could push the camera guy to his death (unless he kept filming me from my bad side).  I would think that, if I were on TAR, I would just keep telling myself that the show would not have us do anything that really put our lives at risk, because if someone dies when doing a task, the show would get canceled.  Therefore, there must be precautions in place to keep us from being in as much danger as it looks.

 

Quit lying, you know you're not joking.  But I don't judge, because I would do the same thing.  :)  just kidding

 

In all honesty though, I feel like that microlight must be safer than it looks.  A lot of it has to do with what you're saying, but also that no one had a straight freak out...even those that had a fear of heights.

For the life of me, I can't understand using the Express Pass on such wonderful tasks in Africa.  I mean, more than likely, you will never go there again, never have the opportunity to fly over Victoria Falls or feed crocodiles while underwater in a cage.  I didn't think that Alabama had to use the express pass this episode, and given their placement, they should have held it for another week (or two maybe).  I suppose it was of some benefit to them because it did get them first, but only because of the fruit basket task.

 

Alabama was probably the correct team for Texas to give the pass to, for the reasons stated.  Had to laugh at the cheerleaders U-turning Green, as if they've ever beaten Green.  Probably no big loss though, I doubt they'll be around for the next U-turn, unless its in the next episode or two.

I thought that they had to use the express pass in that particular leg of the race.  Texans had to use it within the first 5 legs, and the person they gave it to had to use it in the same leg they got it.  But if not for that I agree that they should have kept it for a bit, they weren't really in any danger of going home at that point and would have been in a good position to do the croc challenge which was the faster of the two.  Although it would have made for great drama watching the two of them try to paddle that thing across a body of water.

Edited October 26, 2015 by RCharter

[Dobian]

Chris is such a whiner and a quitter.  STFU alreaady.

 

On a side note, I wonder how many of those caretakers get attacked by the lions each year.  Walking around them with their sticks for protection, sheesh.

[ProfCrash]

From what I read, the lions are used to being around humans . That is not to say that they are safe but that they are not likely to attack the people who feed them and care for them. Think about how infrequently Zoo Keepers are attacked by the animals they care for. It happens but it is pretty rare due to training, protections, and familiarity between the animals and keepers. I would have been nervous but that would have scared me less then flying over anything in one of those micro lights.

 

It sounds like the animals that are used in this program have been raised by humans and might be released into a controlled preserve as a pride. Hopefully they give birth to cubs and raised those cubs. Those cubs are suppose to be taken into an unprotected preserve to live. The volunteers who have worked with these programs say that it is rare for the animals to be released and many of them are sold to preserves for paid hunts. The program we saw has actually stopped doing to paid walks with humans. Essentially, they have been abused and used to raise money for the owners of the programs but have had little to do with actual conservation.

[Jersey Guy 87]

If they donated all their money to charity, then how did they pay for the taxis?

 

Money was given at the start of the next leg (immediately following giving all of your money to charity).

 

My issue is that most of the shuffling had nothing to do with the tasks. All they had to do was wait their turn and then the task itself took the same amount of time for everyone who didn't screw up. Compare that to previous tasks that took teams different amounts of time (learning a dance, putting the meat on sticks correctly, building things, etc). Almost all of the shuffling was non-task related (using the express pass, not reading the clue thoroughly, etc). If not for four different teams making non-task related mistakes, we would have been watching everyone do the tasks in the same order for the entire episode.

 

I'm okay with having some tasks that will take the same amount of time and just require teams to wait their turn (like the first task this week) but to have the bungee jump thing, the crocodile cage, and then the lion walk all in a row in the same episode was not great from a design viewpoint. Luckily for the producers, enough people screwed up that the teams got shuffled.

 

Teams did have the option of the canoeing task, although that wasn't a popular choice.  But, despite the "wait your turn" nature of the tasks there was a fair amount of shuffling.  And it's a given that some team(s) will not read their clues thoroughly so that's part of the race.

 

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I enjoyed the hell out of this episode.  The scenery and photography were consistently gorgeous, the tasks were fun, and despite the take-a-number-and-wait nature of the tasks, the order of the teams kept changing in surprising ways. 

 

 

Exactly - the scenery was great and there was a fair amount of shuffling.  Not a great episode, to me, but not a horrible one either.

[proserpina65]

I didn't think that Alabama had to use the express pass this episode, and given their placement, they should have held it for another week (or two maybe).

 

Rcharter is correct: whoever got the express pass from Team Texas had to use it in the very next leg.

[green]

Did one of Team Lunkhead (er, Texas) really say "george" instead of gorge?

 

Yeah you would think it was a shout-out to TAR1 Matt if superfan Justin has said it.  But Team Texas was just plain channeling Matt not ever knowing who he was.  Matt & Ana, the answer to the most obvious TAR trivia question.  (I think Justin probably has been making comments about past races all along.  He probably hasn't phrased any of them in a witty enough sound bite to use so far is my guess).

 

I loved the balancing task right at the end. Why does it have to be a foot race to the mat every time? Nice to see the order shuffled up.

I remember Kevin and Drew at the drop, but also the guy who totally freaked out about doing it.

 

That be Paul who said he didn't care if the Pope would do it, he wasn't doing it.  Though he finally did do it of course.  But not before one of TAR's first ever fade to commercial break in a "will he or won't he" moment.

 

Thought this was one of the best episodes in a long time.  First cause of the TAR1 shout-out.  And I have no problem with "in-line" tasks.  Like stated above, they could have canoed at the detour.  Plus almost all legs come down to people making mistakes.  This was absolutely no different.  Thought the leg was pretty exciting myself.  There was massive shifts in the race order.  Texas can't row.  Half the teams are dumber than a bag of rocks.  And great scenery to boot.  Definitely the episode to submit for the Emmy.

 

Loved the fruit balance task to the mat.  They need to do more of these non-sprint type ways to reach the mat at the end of legs.  Having to slow down when every muscle in your body is screaming to run as fast as you can to Phil was one great idea.  Though I would have been happier if the producers had put in a disclaimer in the credits that "No fruit were injured in the filming of this leg".  But I guess they couldn't after visual evidence proved otherwise.

 

Sorry the track stars went but they screwed up reading their clue last leg then they screwed up twice this leg.  No way you can keep recovering from making endless failures at reading the clue.  They weren't annoying though like some teams messing up were so I was sad to see them go.

 

Which brings us to the paparazzi dudes who are one of the most annoying teams ever but fun to root against.  They do have more lives than a cat though as they keep surviving through the grace of other teams' endless screw ups.  So much promise when they ran after the doctors toward oblivion too.  I didn't mind the doctors' mistake at that moment cause they were leading the gullible paparazzi on an accidental wild goose chase.

 

If it wasn't for the two (three, counting the doctors bolting away from the RB too) teams above being so stupid -- as in any normal leg on any other season -- then the dumbest moment would have totally belonged to the clueless cheerleaders.  How do you "honor a promise" by u-turning a team you really in your heart know is way way ahead of you therefore you did NOT u-turn them?  And since when is helping the alpha male team in your best interests?  And if you miraculously survive to the next u-turn leg you think you will be off leading the pack so you really won't need your freaking u-turn option at that point?!?!  Dumb & Dumber, you are making Dani & Danielle look like rocket scientists.  (Plus even they didn't cry, whine and scream endlessly).

Edited October 26, 2015 by green

[etagloh]

I have no problem with "in-line" tasks.  Like stated above, they could have canoed at the detour.

The pros and cons of the Detour, time-wise, were that the croc side was probably quicker if you didn't have to wait, but more teams were likely to choose the croc because of that and thus create a backlog. Can't fault teams at the back end of the pack for making that choice.

There was massive shifts in the race order.  Texas can't row.  Half the teams are dumber than a bag of rocks.  And great scenery to boot.  Definitely the episode to submit for the Emmy.

See, I beg to differ there. There were three and a half shifts: the cheerleaders got ahead of Chac and Pap at the RB and stayed there for the rest of the leg; Alabama jumped up with Green via the EP and sneaked the win; the track team sent themselves to the back with their mess-up of the lion task. No team actually gained a place through their own efforts, which is what made it a let-down for me. And it's still too early for the Emmy episode.

[Wandering Snark]

The one thing I was looking 'forward' to was when they showed that clip and Mr. Green Jeans said "There's that nervous laughter again" and I then saw them telling people not to make any strange noises on the lion walk... damnitall for missed opportunities!

 

But seriously, that task scared the holy hell out of me just watching it... IF I actually did it I would be at the back of the pack with a guard between me and the lions at ALL times. No time to get overconfident/relaxed, as that shit could end very badly. I kept saying to myself just look at the size of those paws! One quick swipe and you're disfigured for life or worse. And where exactly are they going to take you for emergency care?? Yeah I'd have to pass on that one.

Edited October 26, 2015 by Wandering Snark

[andromeda331]

If Chris is the same in his work as he is on the race, celebrities would love him. He'd never get a picture of any of

them. He'd spend the whole time trying to decided where to go to spot them then when he actually does spend

the whole time worrying he should have gone somewhere else to spot them. That's the kind of paparazzi they

want.

[catalogrrr]

 

James Earl is Denise's only child, and yet she felt it appropriate to freeze him out of her life?

 

This is why we refer to them as #teamshittymom in our house.

[kdm07]

From what I read, the lions are used to being around humans . That is not to say that they are safe but that they are not likely to attack the people who feed them and care for them. Think about how infrequently Zoo Keepers are attacked by the animals they care for. It happens but it is pretty rare due to training, protections, and familiarity between the animals and keepers. I would have been nervous but that would have scared me less then flying over anything in one of those micro lights.

 

It sounds like the animals that are used in this program have been raised by humans and might be released into a controlled preserve as a pride. Hopefully they give birth to cubs and raised those cubs. Those cubs are suppose to be taken into an unprotected preserve to live. The volunteers who have worked with these programs say that it is rare for the animals to be released and many of them are sold to preserves for paid hunts. The program we saw has actually stopped doing to paid walks with humans. Essentially, they have been abused and used to raise money for the owners of the programs but have had little to do with actual conservation.

 

I know this is veering off-topic but I just want to say that Lion Encounter is actually still open. The Zambian side may have been shut down but the Zimbabwean side is still open to this day.

[irisheyes]

Sorry to see the track ladies go, but READ THE WHOLE CLUE!!!!!!

 

Anyone going on TAR should have "READ THE WHOLE CLUE" tattooed on the side of their right thumb so they see it every time they tear open one of those yellow envelopes. An extra 30 seconds of reading can be the difference between continuing or getting Phil's sad face.

[North of Eden]

No! My favorite team out because of their own mistakes! Good bye you gorgeous sexy eye candy. As for team Alabama ease up on the celebration as you were partially handed your w in.

[TudorQueen]

Scenery porn of a very high order for two weeks, majestic animals, a beautiful callback to a favorite first season moment (I so want to see Victoria Falls!), and Team Texas acknowledging that there's some good in Team Green.

If the Paparazzi had shut up occasionally and the Track Stars had read the damn clue(s), it would have been a nearly perfect episode.

[Wandering Snark]

Anyone going on TAR should have "READ THE WHOLE CLUE" tattooed on the side of their right thumb so they see it every time they tear open one of those yellow envelopes.

 

They could get READ on one hand and CLUE on the other across their knuckles.

 

Or at least a T-Shirt with READ YOUR CLUE on it upside down so every time they look down toward their hands they'd be reminded. You could put 'DID YOU READ YOUR CLUE?' on the back of the shirt to remind others as well.

[Bryce Lynch]

This times 100. Let yourself fall on a perfectly safe zipline and get pulled back up, let yourself be led around a perfectly safe wild animal preserve with multiple handlers to spy a very visible large bleached white skull, go into a perfectly safe croc cage with a a photographer and stick a piece of bait out the cage.... No racing, no skill. Thank God they at least had to balance the fruit bowls on their heads for at least some suspense and a tiny bit of skill, but they didn't even have to start over when the bowls fell, they just picked up where they were and kept going.

I agree that there was almost no skill required for most of the tasks other than reading the clue, but I disagree that they were all perfectly safe.

I am not 100% confident that a swing over a gorge in a 3rd world country is 100% reliable.

The lion task had a real element of danger. If the lions decided to attack I don't think the men with sticks could have stopped them from injuring someone.

If a racer accidentally stuck an appendage out of the croc cage serious injury could have occurred.

The canoeing task was the only one that required skill and it was also dangerous with the crocs and hippos in the river.

If they wanted to do all these waiting in line tasks, it should have been a non-elimination leg.

Anyone going on TAR should have "READ THE WHOLE CLUE" tattooed on the side of their right thumb so they see it every time they tear open one of those yellow envelopes. An extra 30 seconds of reading can be the difference between continuing or getting Phil's sad face.

I always think it is stupid for teams to read their clues on the run. As you said, an extra 30 seconds of reading could save you an hour or more. It is very rare for a team to finish last by the amount of time it would take to carefully read a clue, but it is common to see them eliminated by misreading a clue.

[vousviou]

Can you imagine what Chris is like when he is working --- He is walking 8 feet behind Angelina Jolie and she turns a corner.  Rather than following her around the corner he stops and whines "Oh no, she turned the corner, now I will never get her picture! Maybe I should walk in the opposite direction around the block and hope I run into her again.  Or maybe I should hail a taxi and take the freeway to the next exit.  No, it would probably be better to find a shoe store and get some good running shoes so I can keep up.  Nah, that will never work, I should go to the roof on a tall building and track her from there. Or maybe I should...."

 

 

I've read that there are different types of papparazi.  There are the ones who are like private detectives who stalk celebrities, and then there are the ones who basically work for celebrites -- their agent calls a bunch of them up, tells them that a teen star will be arriving at a certain club at midnight, and then a scrum of papparazi stand around jostling for position to get a photo.  Basically all you need is a loud voice and sharp elbows.  I have a feeling these two fit squarely in the second category.

 

Rcharter is correct: whoever got the express pass from Team Texas had to use it in the very next leg.

 

 

Loved the fruit balance task to the mat.  They need to do more of these non-sprint type ways to reach the mat at the end of legs.  Having to slow down when every muscle in your body is screaming to run as fast as you can to Phil was one great idea. 

 

I like the way the express pass is handled this season.  When it was one team wins a pass for themselves and a pass to give away, the strategy seemed too easy -- you give the extra pass early to a weak team on the condition that they use it immediately and then keep your pass as long as you need.  By requiring it to be used fairly early and then passed on, you have less leverage and handing it off may come back to bite you.  I'd love to see it done the same way in the future, except the next team getting it then must pass it on to a third team for use in the next round.

 

I also like the additional challenge going to the mat.  I wish there were more like that in the future.

 

The pros and cons of the Detour, time-wise, were that the croc side was probably quicker if you didn't have to wait, but more teams were likely to choose the croc because of that and thus create a backlog. Can't fault teams at the back end of the pack for making that choice.

 

Although it worked out for them, I think the Papparazi made a bad choice in that situation.  If you know you're in last and you're at a task where you know you're going to finish at least 10 minutes behind every other team, your chances of catching up are very small.  I think you might want to gamble on switching tasks immediately on the chance you can make up some time.  On the other hand, they may have known they were such bad paddlers that there was no point in this particular case.  But in general, I'd rather gamble that the other task is faster than guarantee you stay in last and add to your time deficit.

[andromeda331]

I am not 100% confident that a swing over a gorge in a 3rd world country is 100% reliable.

The lion task had a real element of danger. If the lions decided to attack I don't think the men with sticks could have stopped them from injuring someone.

If a racer accidentally stuck an appendage out of the croc cage serious injury could have occurred.

The canoeing task was the only one that required skill and it was also dangerous with the crocs and hippos in the river.

 

 

I'm pretty sure that's how my race would have gone if I ever went on Amazing Race. The cord would snap

as swing over a gorge, my canoe would have tipped over, the shark would have tried to eat my arm or

toe, and the smell of blood from any or all of these would have brought the lions over for a nice snack.  

[Netfoot]

And after all that, someone would form an alliance to U-Turn you!  Because the race isn't hard enough, so we need to inject inter-team conflict to make it so much better!

[needschocolate]

So the Mom and Son had to use the express pass by the end of the next leg, but was this really the next leg?  It was a TBC and they got it when the got to the mat and told they were still racing. Therefore, one could take it as they were still in the same leg in which they got the pass.  So could they use it on the next leg (the one in episode 6)?

[TudorQueen]

IIRC, Phil said, "The next leg starts now," so it seems to me that they had to use it during the 'next' leg.
 

[Atlanta1980]

So the Mom and Son had to use the express pass by the end of the next leg, but was this really the next leg? It was a TBC and they got it when the got to the mat and told they were still racing. Therefore, one could take it as they were still in the same leg in which they got the pass. So could they use it on the next leg (the one in episode 6)?

I don't know why people are trying to debate this. Hitting the mat is the end of the leg and they started the next leg. Phil made the Texans decide who to give the pass to because to quote him "the next legs starts right now." So they clearly had to use the pass.

[innocuouspuff]

Jazmine & Danielle: I'm very sorry to see them go, but it really was their own fault. They should've used that U-Turn on Tiffany & Krista to get themselves a time buffer. They also got the cabbie who had no clue where he was going, which wasn't their fault, and dropped them off near the Pit Stop task instead of the lion task.

I feel bad for the cab driver that he is getting blamed around the fandom as I didn't perceive it to be his fault at all. He understood that the lion walk and main lodge were different places, but the ladies didn't and confused him by insisting their destination was the lodge. So he took them where they were claiming they wanted to go. I'm sure the clue as well as signs clarified the real destination where the walk commenced.

Two reading fails, on the *same damn clue*. Amazing indeed.

Edited October 27, 2015 by innocuouspuff

[RCharter]

I feel bad for the cab driver that he is getting blamed around the fandom as I didn't perceive it to be his fault at all. He understood that the lion walk and main lodge were different places, but the ladies didn't and confused him by insisting their destination was the lodge. So he took them where they were claiming they wanted to go. I'm sure the clue as well as signs clarified the real destination where the walk commenced.

Two reading fails, on the *same damn clue*. Amazing indeed.

What?  Is this really a thing people are saying?  I didn't see that as his fault at all.   Besides, it looked like they ran from the fruit baskets to the lions so I don't know that it was really that far apart to where the cab driver would have even made that big a difference.  And truly, had they correctly done the lion walk the first time, even when they got there they would have been fine.  I can't understand blaming the cab driver for them not finding the clue in the lion walk.

[innocuouspuff]

What? Is this really a thing people are saying? I didn't see that as his fault at all. Besides, it looked like they ran from the fruit baskets to the lions so I don't know that it was really that far apart to where the cab driver would have even made that big a difference. And truly, had they correctly done the lion walk the first time, even when they got there they would have been fine. I can't understand blaming the cab driver for them not finding the clue in the lion walk.

Yeah, there have been a couple comments here and there that the cab driver messed them up by getting lost on the way to the lion walk but I thought he clearly wasn't lost so much as talked out of going in that direction by our confused athletes. You could see the "um, ok, if you're sure" expression on his face. And then they just kept being confused about everything else as well, lol.

Edited October 28, 2015 by innocuouspuff

[RCharter]

Yeah, there have been a couple comments here and there that the cab driver messed them up by getting lost on the way to the lion walk but I thought he clearly wasn't lost so much as talked out of going in that direction by our confused athletes. You could see the "um, ok, if you're sure" expression on his face. And then they just kept being confused about everything else as well, lol.

I could maybe understand that argument if they hadn't screwed up a second time in not getting the clue.  But the cab ride didn't put them out of the running, they would have come in before Chac and Paps if they had done the lion walk right.  And I'm also giving that side eye seeing as how everyone else was able to get their cab to the right site.  Given the fact that they didn't read the clue correctly for the lion walk, I'm more inclined to believe that they were behind the cab driver going to the wrong location.

[possibilities]

The frequency with which racers fail to read the clues is incredibly annoying to me, yet in real life, every day, I see that hardly anyone reads and carefully follows instructions for anything. I routinely give written instructions to people who ignore them, even when they have been told to read them carefully because the information is very specific and it's important to follow exactly. When they inevitably fail to do so, and get called on their mistakes, they always say they didn't read it, or didn't see it, or whatever, as though that was a legitimate reason to fuck things up, and not an admission of gross negligence and unfitness for the job. These are all people who allegedly do know how to read and are of above average intelligence, and I never know if it's deliberate defiance of authority, genuine reading disability, lack of attention, sheer slovenliness, or what. But, given that in the course of life it seems to me that most people do not pay attention to or follow instructions, I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that it's true that so many make this exact error on the race as well.

 

People don't generally suddenly develop skills and habits they didn't have before being cast. Even when they do (like people who try to learn to swim or drive stick shift), they tend to do it not so well. People who were already physically fit will be physically fit on the race. Those who get cast and then work out in preparation will be marginally more fit than they were before, but not really anywhere near to the fitness of people who are genuine athletes when selected. So likewise, people who don't follow instructions in life are probably going to fuck up clue reading on the race, even if at some level they realize that "read the clue" is one of the ways people get eliminated.

 

Yet it annoys me so much... on the race as in the rest of life. I still find it to be one of the more unforgivable ways people can go wrong.

[Whimsy]

Remember when, like 8 days ago this was posted:

 

I've deleted some posts.  This is not the place to have a back-and-forth discussion between two people.  Take it to PM if you feel you must, use the "ignore" feature if you don't want to see comments from that person but DO NOT ENGAGE on the threads!

 

Additionally, you guys are talking about racism in different countries, which is pure speculation.  Nothing on the show indicated there was any such thing going on.  STAY ON TOPIC and move on.

 

As a warning- us TAR mods will be deleting any posts about this topic for the rest of the season UNLESS it is 100% clearly stated in the context of the show (which I know will absolutely not happen).

 

Thanks and happy posting.

 

Yeah, it's happening again.  We are doling out warning points and time outs.  I don't want to have to keep posting this warning. Do not talk about perceived racism.  Do not engage someone who talks about perceived racism, not even to tell them they're wrong or they're not supposed to talk about it.  We will catch these posts and they will be deleted and the appropriate punishment will be dealt.

 

Thanks and happy posting.

[Bryce Lynch]

I feel bad for the cab driver that he is getting blamed around the fandom as I didn't perceive it to be his fault at all. He understood that the lion walk and main lodge were different places, but the ladies didn't and confused him by insisting their destination was the lodge. So he took them where they were claiming they wanted to go. I'm sure the clue as well as signs clarified the real destination where the walk commenced.

Two reading fails, on the *same damn clue*. Amazing indeed.

I agree. I really liked Jazmine and Danielle and thought they would do well, but failing to read the same clue correctly twice earned them the exit.  I wouldn't mind seeing them back on a future season.  

[kingshearte]

Those paparazzi, man... They have so got to go. I find them both utterly obnoxious, but his particular brand of annoying is intolerable. I seem to recall a few weeks ago, she was getting flack for snapping at him about a decision, but I was almost certain that it had gone something like:

Him: Let's do Task A.

Her: OK.

They get to the cab.

Him: Well, did you want to do Task B instead?

At which point, her reaction was perhaps on the passive aggressive side, but based on what we saw of his "decision-making" abilities this week, I'm guessing he does this all the damn time, and there comes a point when you really just don't care and can't be bothered to even attempt to voice an opinion, because he's just going to second (and third, and fourth, and fifth, etc.) guess your plan, too. Ugh.

 

Not that I'm nominating her for sainthood or inviting her to my next dinner party, either. Almost every time they're on screen, I just look over at Mr. kingshearte and say "Aren't you glad we're not them?"

 

Still on Team Reporters. In fact, I think they're the only team I even remotely like. The others all range from relatively mild distaste to unadulterated loathing.

[aradia22]

They're not "villains" but I've decided that I hate Team Paparazzi. I'm still neutral on almost everyone else. It's a shame another all-female team is out but it was their own fault. They lost the advantage they had (two teams driving to the wrong location) and made multiple bad decisions from not reading the clue.

[Bouquet]

I could not believe that jerk. He deserved every penny of shame that comes his way. Also - recall that Justin said he had $75 left to give the oprhans. The Paps must have been misering it up all along.

 

It's smart to spend your race money carefully. Even though teams usually get money at the start of each leg, they're allowed to save, which can come in handy when you stuff up and need extra taxi journeys. So to some extent the charity shaming in this leg was unfair, used by the show for entertainment purposes to rile up viewers against those teams with insufficient EQ, generosity, or knowledge of race history to avoid the trap.

[lexington11]

Phil: "How much would you like to donate?"

 

Paparazzi: "Well here's twenty bucks."

 

When have teams not donated all their money? 

 

Cheap bastards.

Season 19...one of the clues instructed the teams to donate all their money to the local orphanage, and three teams didn't read the clue correctly and only donated some, only to have to go back to the orphanage and donate the rest. I distinctly remember that leg, because one of my favorite teams got eliminated because of the failure to read the clue correctly.

[Camera One]

I was so annoyed the Paparazzi didn't end up last and going home.  I'm surprised he managed to walk with the Fruit Basket given his nonstop whining and moaning.

 

I had wanted the Track Stars out a few weeks ago but this week, I wish they had stayed.  

 

Despite the animals, this episode was a bit boring.  I don't find any of the teams endearing or too rootable.  I don't hate a lot of them but I also couldn't care less about most of them.