S27.E06: My Tongue Doesn't Even Twist That Way

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I almost forget the Chac attack is still in the race most of the time. Although I did like his quip about needing to be more precise with humans as compared to the various shellfish they had to deal with during the detour.

I was cracking up that for a moment he made himself sound like a crazy serial killer.

Aside from the teams absolutely murdering the French language, my ears were bleeding from the horrible English grammar we heard from the racers tonight. One of the Texans said "him and I" and the cheerleaders said "We should have went" and then "We should have ran." Ugh.

The paps should be grateful that Alabama was unable to find a restaurant and then unable to rap. I guess I should give the mom credit for not giving up but it seems ludicrous that they stuck with the rap task for hours because they didn't ask one of the million people on the streets of Paris for directions to the restaurant.

Justin needs to listen to Phil the therapist. Be nicer to your girlfriend! Stop telling her to get over things. I hope she realizes thar they're only engaged and that she can tell him to screw himself if he's going to continue being such an insufferable know it all jerk.

[SnideAsides]

In other news, is the Arc the first place that's been a pit stop more than once? Because it was the first time the race went to Paris, in what, episode 2?

Third. The two Kolkata Pit Stops (TAR5 and TAR18) were both on the grounds of the Victoria Memorial (though the latter wasn't identified as such) and the same temple was used for the Tokyo legs of TAR15 and TAR23. There's also quite a few that pull double duty between, like, TAR Asia and TAR Australia, but that's more because they have the same lazy producers.

[millennium]

Wow!  There I am, drooling over the Stearmans, and a Junkers 52 just... strolls past in the background!  (Idiot!  Snoopy/The Red baron flew the Dreidecker Dr.1, not a biplane!)  Holy shit, a Bücker Jungmeister, hiding behind Diana's armpit!  Also spotted:  A Goony Bird, a Harvard, an unmistakable Stinson Reliant with those lovely wings, and a red bipe with an un-cowled radial that I can't make out.  Meanwhile the stunning Stearmans, in their Navy colours, continue to do what Stearmans do best.

 

Diana, run now.  But kick him in the bollocks on the way out the door.

 

 

Ow!  Weetabix and milk just shot out my nose!

 

I knew it was Duncan's berth as soon as I spotted Notre Dame in the background (of course, none of the racers seemed to notice Notre Dame) and the bridge nearby.  

 

I checked a fan site and found this:

 

The address of the barge, where it was usually parked for filming with Notre Dame de Paris in the background was at the Quai de la Tournelles as mentioned specifically in the episode Unholy Alliance, part two.

 

And then found this to corroborate it on the Wikipedia entry for this season:

 

Leg 6 (Zimbabwe → France)

In Paris, teams visited the Pont Alexandre III to search for their next clue above the bridge.

Airdate: October 30, 2015[15]

    Roadblock: "Who wants to get their heart pumping?" Victoria Falls National Park (Victoria Falls Bridge)

    Flight: Livingstone, Zambia (Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport) to Paris, France France (Charles de Gaulle Airport)

    Railway: Roissy-en-France (Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV) to La Ferté-Alais (Gare de La Ferté-Alais (French))

    Cerny (Aérodrome Musée Volant Salis (French)) Roadblock: "Who's feeling revolutionary?"

    Railway: La Ferté-Alais (Gare de La Ferté-Alais) to Paris

    Paris (Sacré-Cœur Basilica – Square Louise-Michel (French))

   Detour: Drops Mic or Bust a Crab Paris (Quai de la Tournelle or La Coupole (French))

    Paris (Pont Alexandre III)

    Paris (Arc de Triomphe)

[QuePasa]

The bad pronunciation of French words reminded me of when I had a French Monopoly game as a kid and I thought Atlantique was pronounced "atlanti-cue". But I was twelve. By the time I was an adult I knew something about French pronunciation without ever having taken a French class. It is called paying attention to the world.

I cannot believe most teams didn't even make an attempt at a French pronunciation, even a stereotypical one. I also would have thought most people would have recognized the motto once they saw it. Everyone should have heard it at some point in their education or in a movie or something. Apparently not. It really highlights how ignorant Americans can be of other cultures and it is embarrassing.

I was also bothered when James Earl's mom (whose name I don't recall right now) stated while learning the rap lyrics that the words were "funky". No, they were French.

I too was wondering if a team could go right to the judge and skip the plane if they knew the motto.

Edited October 31, 2015 by QuePasa

[cooksdelight]

I too was wondering if a team could go right to the judge and skip the plane if they knew the motto

I seriously doubt it. Flying in an open plane, doing a loop.... scary stuff for some people. As long as they were instructed to fly and find the words, they have to follow the clue details.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The bad pronunciation of French words reminded me of when I had a French Monopoly game as a kid and I thought Atlantique was pronounced "atlanti-cue". But I was twelve. By the time I was an adult I knew something about French pronunciation without ever having taken a French class. It is called paying attention to the world.

I cannot believe most teams didn't even make an attempt at a French pronunciation, even a stereotypical one. I also would have thought most people would have recognized the motto once they saw it. Everyone should have heard it at some point in their education or in a movie or something. Apparently not. It really highlights how ignorant Americans can be of other cultures and it is embarrassing.

It's sad when Joey Tribbiani saying, "Le pee pee" sounds better than these people saying "frater-nite."

[helent]

Seeing Justin and Diana arguing in this ep I wondered, has TAR ever split up a couple?

[Delwyn]

Seeing Justin and Diana arguing in this ep I wondered, has TAR ever split up a couple?

In the very first season, after "Lenny!" barfed his way to the Agra pit stop in their last place cab, Karyn then dumped him on the mat after they were Philiminated. Lenny's goal for running the race had been to buy her the ring "she deserved". I guess the ring she deserved was "no ring".

[helent]

Yikes! Sounds like he was better off afterwards. I'm guessing lots of those 'Dating for four months / going on the race to see if they're the one' teams don't last.

[jzygayle]

 

I never knew they used biplanes during the French Revolution.

 

 

No, no.  According to Justin, it was during World War II--with Snoopy and the Red Baron.  :)

[xcrayon2215x]

I liked Josh/Tanner a lot more this episode.

The scenery was great, Justin was kind of a dick but his decisions were the right ones.

[Bryce Lynch]

Diane was being obnoxious with the passive aggressive "I don't want to do this but if it's what you want to do then fine, we'll do it, but I'll complain the whole time that it's the wrong decision" thing. That makes me crazy.

I never took French but knew the motto and could give a reasonable pronunciation.

I thought just the opposite, that Justin was the passive aggressive one. She was very clear and direct about what she wanted to do. Justin kept asking her over and over about whether it was really what she wanted until she gave up and agreed to do things his way.

Justin may big the biggest douchebag ever on TAR.

[mertensia]

Justin's smirk at the camera the cab after getting his way makes me want to hit him over the head with a clue by four. Preferably several times.

My impression of Justin is that he will always opt for the showier task.

Never ever would I choose the rapping task.

[Rinaldo]

I think pronunciation should have counted [after the plane]. 

How could that have worked? There was no language coach there. And going back up in the plane wouldn't have given them any new inspiration into French pronunciation.

Funny, I was thinking that when the rap artist told them to 'do it again, with more vibes', that was the first task judge that ever failed a team that completed the technical aspect but not the subjective performance portion. 

Wearing my music-professor hat, I thought that "get into the spirit of it more" was a clever, helpful method of asking for more accurate rhythm when rapping.  I heard it as meaning "pay attention to the beat, and fit in with it." (Some of the racers took off on their own tempo.)

[Primetimer]

Amazing Racers spend a long, stressful day in Paris missing tough details and butchering the French language.

Read the story

[Netfoot]

I became irrationally angry when the cheerleader jumped on that man and wrapped herself around him.

 

And what about Luke2 and the French Flying Officer Clue-Giver?  Her in her neat uniform and he in an oily flying suit, drenched in sweat?  Ugh!

[Twopper]

 

Heck, I'm fluent in French, and I think I'd rather arrange shellfish on a tray than try rapping in French.  It doesn't help that I can't stand rap music.

Are you me?  Fortunately, I was having dinner while the show aired so I watched it on the dvr and was able to use the FF button.  Reading the words on the screen while listening to the teams had me screaming at them and terrifying my husband and cat.  As much as I detest rap, I am fairly confident I could have done that.  I tend to have a terrible time at those restaurants were you have to open your own shellfish so I think I would have been less confident about that.  

I think I would have preferred having them sing the French national anthem over the rapping.

[RCharter]

I can understand the frustration  of the race causing the bottom team to argue, but the top team?  Green Team was ahead of the pack by a healthy margin and they managed to snipe at one another.  They are going to be an absolute disaster if they end up in the middle or the bottom. 

 

I wonder how often Justin is just able to "get over things" in the course of their relationship, or if he only expects that of others.  But then again, people who demand others "get over things" right away are normally the only ones in a relationship making asshole moves.

 

I still can't stand Team Paps -- I wish they would just get eliminated already

 

I don't much care for the cheerleaders, but they did great at the rapping task and I was happy to see them rise to second.

 

I thought there was quite a bit of movement in this leg.  Alabama went from being team number one to being in last place.  The cheerleaders went from back of the pack to number two.  Chac Attack is in third place, and the Texans moved into fourth from second place.

 

I'm surprised that Alabama is being held back for so long at the rapping task.  It seems to me that with most subjective tasks like that the "judge" may hold the racers back for a while, but not for 11+ tries.  I would expect them to loosen up on her at some point.

[Corgi-ears]

Nice to see Russell Brand gainfully employed, albeit in Paris.

[NutMeg]

Est-ce qu'elles te saignent?  (Are they bleeding?)

No dear, "est-ce qu'elles te saignent ?" means "are they bleeding YOU?" (the "te" in the sentence translates as "you" here). Which is very different and evoques scenarios I don't even want to imagine... :-) 

 

On the point on French pronounciation, the newscasters sounded the best to me in the rap challenge. And everyone was terrible in the "spot the words down there from an old plane challenge" :-) Doesn't anyone learn French any more? 

 

Green Team was ahead of the pack by a healthy margin and they managed to snipe at one another.  They are going to be an absolute disaster if they end up in the middle or the bottom.

Please, please, show, make it happen!

 

I think I like the TBC better than non elimination legs. So I hope it's the new thing.

Edited October 31, 2015 by NutMeg

[needschocolate]

I am confused by TBC legs - are they starting the second half of a leg or a whole new leg?  Last week, there was discussion as to whether Denise and James Earl had to use the express pass when they did.  The rules were to use it by the end of the next leg, but was that leg really the next leg or was the one after the pit stop the "next leg" (the leg they raced this episode.  The consensus seemed to be that it was the next leg because, when Phil told them to keep racing, he said "the next leg starts now."

 

Now we have another TBC, and once again, Phil tells them that the next leg starts now, implying that this is a new leg, but then why didn't the Green Team get a prize?  And if it is just the second half of the the leg, then Denise and James Earl won't be eliminated, so why bother with the cliffhanger at the end of the episode? 

 

Diana wasn't much of a personality, but now that she's showing flashes of Logan, I think I liked her better before.  I'll give some leeway, though, since all the personality I'm seeing is in reaction to Justin's, and I guaran-fucking-tee I'd have clocked him by now.  And Chris and Logan were surprisingly tolerable this episode, which was a nice surprise.

 

I hadn't realized, until this episode, that they had a long distance relationship and most of their dating experience had be communicating electronically.  His full personality probably doesn't reveal itself unless you are in seeing him "live."  

 

This may explain why Justin is less "on" than he was the first episode or two.  I can see Diana starting off thinking, "Oh, he is so excited to be racing, I am so happy for him" and quickly moving on to "Man, he sure is tiring to be around.  Doesn't he ever turn it off?" leading to "Justin, you need to stop being so 'exuberant' you are acting obnoxious and it is wearing me out."

 

I looked away for a moment, and missed what caused the argument between Justin and Diana.

 

From my seat on the couch, I would say the answer to your question is "everything."  Everything caused them to argue. 

 

Elsewhere; at one point, on the way to the mat, Justin said he hoped this was the beginning of some separation that would carry through for them on the race.

 

I thought he was a SuperFan. Does he not know there's a bunch at least every two episodes?

 

Well, Diana had to tell him to "Read the clue!"  

 

I became irrationally angry when the cheerleader jumped on that man and wrapped herself around him. I'm female but if someone did that to me, I would have shoved them off really hard. I hate being touched , "accidentally" or intentionally, and that she didn't seem to know or care it was inappropriate actually made me mad. It happens all the time that someone hugs one of the locals, but this was over-the-top and so was my reaction, I guess.

 

Oh, but she is a pretty, young girl, with a great figure - what guy wouldn't want her to jump into his arms and straddle him? I was being sarcastic, but I have a feeling that was her attitude - that any guy would enjoy it. The cheerleaders seem a bit full of themselves to me.  

 

 

The paps should be grateful that Alabama was unable to find a restaurant and then unable to rap. I guess I should give the mom credit for not giving up but it seems ludicrous that they stuck with the rap task for hours because they didn't ask one of the million people on the streets of Paris for directions to the restaurant.

 

Mom never gives up, except on her only child (for a few months, anyway).  She also "gave up" during the song many times - she would get a few lines into it and then stop.  I guess she knew that she had said the wrong word, but it seemed like she decided her tempo or her pronunciation was off and stopped.  I kept thinking that she should just keep going because she had done it so many times, that maybe the judge would have some sympathy and let her pass.  I have a feeling that, in all the judging tasks, the judges are told "be a stickler for the first 3 or 6 or 9 tries then it is okay if someone a bit out of step or something is a little off-center."

 

There is a fine line between never giving up and being stubborn.  

[mojoween]

I still don't like Logan but I will give her major props for her pronunciation after the planes. She even said the "frat" part almost like a real French person.

I don't speak French, I've never heard the motto in my life, but I would still know that the "-ite" part is not said like lite. That just seems like something you would have come across in your lifetime.

I would have been so pissed if I missed out on the planes because I did the stupid bungee jump.

Diana was given a pass on pronouncing "miens" in some odd way that was not correct but Denise's helper made her say it right five times in a row. I don't really care about either of those teams but I hate such subjective judging.

Male Chac whose name escapes me right now seems to be loosening up. I like him a lot more now than I did at the beginning.

[Kitla]

Never ceases to amaze me how dumb some of the racers are. No one knew the motto of the French Revolution? Most of them could not pronounce egalite? (Eagle-ite?)

Fun episode. The bi-planes looked awesome! The rapping was brutal but what a gorgeous setting.

Seriously.  I was embarrassed for them.  And embarrassed as an American.

[Gregg247]

 

Seeing Justin and Diana arguing in this ep I wondered, has TAR ever split up a couple?

 

Many seasons ago, they had a woman who finished second in Big Brother Season 4 (I can't remember her name now) and her boyfriend on the Race.  Se treated him so horribly (she was mean on BB, too), that he dumped her as soon as they returned home.  So, he didn't exactly dump her on the show, but you could tell it was coming.

[HaymakerHattie]

Of all the couples that have competed on this show, it seems like the rate of who's still together is about 50% (including several that would surprise you on either side!). I think most of those are down to outside factors, but I do think the show accelerated the breakup in more than a few instances.

[Netfoot]

There is a fine line between never giving up and being stubborn.  

 

Ok, it is usually good to not give up!  But this is a Detour, and there is another option.  After hours and hours of Crapping by the seine (fifteen attempts and counting) you need to be able to assess whether the task is achievable at all, and if not, Bald Snark!  Like, after botched attempt number three!

[Kitla]

Mais oui, bien sûr. C'est tellement irritant.

 

Hey, I am not a francophone myself. Just living North of the border where French is spoken. While I know that French is not an easy language to pronounce, it looked like they did not even try. From the reading of liberté, égalité, fraternité to the rapping and the reading of l'Arc de Triomphe, I actually cringed listening to them.

Heh.  I figured you were from Up North when you said "Mon tabarnack" because I think Napoleon was still alive the last time anybody in France used that as a "swear word.".

[teebax]

Hearing Americans mispronounce French words doesn't make me think they're stupid; it makes me think they have not studied French. I opted for German when it came time to choose a foreign language and was stationed there for a while during my Army days. I'm looking forward to the racers heading the Germany soon, if they are. However, if they mispronounce a German word, I wouldn't be embarrassed or insulting to them; it's not their native language.

Foreigners butcher words when they come here and try to speak English, too.

How dare the racers not know the motto of the French Revolution. Someone bring me my fainting couch! It's The Amazing Race, not Jeopardy. If a Jeopardy contestant didn't know the motto, I'd be surprised. These are racers, and I don't think we need to hold them to that standard or assume they're representative of all Americans. I was more horrified by the attempts at rapping, truth be told.

But, hey, let's not miss an opportunity to bash those ignorant Americans.

[RCharter]

Nice to see Russell Brand gainfully employed, albeit in Paris.

 

This is the funniest thing I've read all week.  Thank you.

 

Please, please, show, make it happen!

 

I think I like the TBC better than non elimination legs. So I hope it's the new thing.

Well - we got a tantalizing peek when Justin broke down in tears when they made an error in the first leg.  It would have been the sweetest thing in the world if Diana had told him to "just get over it" when he cried like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Bieber concert

[legaleagle53]

No dear, "est-ce qu'elles te saignent ?" means "are they bleeding YOU?" (the "te" in the sentence translates as "you" here). Which is very different and evoques scenarios I don't even want to imagine... :-) 

 

The pronoun is being used here as an indirect object, not a direct one -- "Are your ears bleeding to you (or, as we might say in English, 'on you')?"  It's a very common idiomatic construction in all five major Romance languages.

 

And I'm off to watch the episode now.  May my French teachers and the Académie Française forgive these racers, for they know not what they do!

Edited October 31, 2015 by legaleagle53

[Quilt Fairy]

I have to say that I'm barely interested in this season. There is no team I am excited about

You and me both. With the exception of Justin and Diana and Alabama, I don't recognize any of the teams, and I should be able to do that now that the chaff has been eliminated from the wheat.

 

The thing about Americans not knowing the motto of the French Revolution (pronunciation difficulties aside) is that if they remembered what they were taught about the American Revolution they should have known that 1) we wouldn't have won without French help, and 2) it inspired the French Revolution.  It's not just a case of "We're Americans, why should we know French history?" And jeez, do they not have to read Dickens' The Tale of Two Cities in high school anymore?

 

Either Bust a Crab was a lot easier than I thought it would be or the judges were extremely lenient. I don't think any team had to have more than 2 tries. Some of the previous detour tasks in restaurants have been brutal.

 

Can someone explain to me how jumping off a bridge in Africa last night was significantly different from jumping off a bridge in Africa 2 episodes ago? And as someone commented, it was totally for the Fitbit product placement, all the teams were on the same plane to France (which apparently was so boring and/or pre-determined they didn't even show them getting tickets). I never thought I would say this but I miss the f*cking Travelocity gnome!

[Andromeda]

Never ceases to amaze me how dumb some of the racers are. No one knew the motto of the French Revolution? Most of them could not pronounce egalite? (Eagle-ite?)

Fun episode. The bi-planes looked awesome! The rapping was brutal but what a gorgeous setting.

 

That drove me up the wall! Not one of them knew the motto! I've known it since taking French in high school. And the year (1789) of the French Revolution (1789) ever since watching (1789) "Start the Revolution Without Me," a hilarious comedy I highly recommend. (1789). I suppose you can't just run over to the clue giver and skip the plane ride if you know it, but it would have been nice to see at least one team remark that they had this, regardless. I wonder if one of the eliminated teams knows French -- usually at least one team knows one of the more commonly taught native languages, like Spanish, German or French.

 

Then we have Denise making stupid comments about the "weird little noises" of the French language, and this episode had some seriously boneheaded moments (frater-NITE, ouch.) I guess accent marks don't show up well from the air. At least the paparazzi woman knew the right pronunciation even if she missed the last word. 

 

Other than the massacring of the French language, it was a great episode to watch, because PARIS! The rappers got to hang out in an amazing place -- but I would NOT have wanted to rap in French. But I did see they had the lyrics on a printed page, and realized it may not be as difficult as it seemed at first. The cheerleaders certainly rocked it out (ITA about the leg-wrapping -- no one should do that to anyone they don't KNOW won't mind!).

The bad pronunciation of French words reminded me of when I had a French Monopoly game as a kid and I thought Atlantique was pronounced "atlanti-cue". But I was twelve. By the time I was an adult I knew something about French pronunciation without ever having taken a French class. It is called paying attention to the world.

Exactly. I never took German, but I know how Deutsche is pronounced (from watching "The Producers".) Edited October 31, 2015 by Andromeda

[fishcakes]

How I'll remember this episode:

 

Cheerleader: Frat-ner-nite!

Judge's face: Mon dieu.

Joey Tribbiani: Je te floop flee.

Denise: These French words are funky.

Steve Martin: It's like those French have a different word for everything!

[NutMeg]

The pronoun is being used here as an indirect object, not a direct one -- "Are your ears bleeding to you (or, as we might say in English, 'on you')?"  It's a very common idiomatic construction in all five major Romance languages.

 

And I'm off to watch the episode now.  May my French teachers and the Académie Française forgive these racers, for they know not what they do!

Sorry to nitpick, but in the French version quoted, the pronoun WAS a direct object ("Are they bleeding you" would have been the exact translation) - though not in English - which illustrates how Google Translate and such are NOT your friends :-)

[GaT]

Justin may big the biggest douchebag ever on TAR.

I think you may have forgotten about Jonathan Baker from season 6, nobody is going to ever out douchebag him.

[legaleagle53]

I think you may have forgotten about Jonathan Baker from season 6, nobody is going to ever out douchebag him.

 

True.  At least Justin hasn't gotten physical with Diana yet.  But I'd definitely nominate him for the Douchebag Hall of Infamy.

[merylinkid]

 

After hours and hours of Crapping by the seine (fifteen attempts and counting) you need to be able to assess whether the task is achievable at all,

 

What is the penalty of bailing on both sides of a detour?   Just saying "we won't do it?"   If it is 4 hours like a road block, Denise probably spent more time trying and failing than if she just gave up.   I also agree she should just keep going all the way through and see if the judges have mercy.   If you stop, they have to fail you.

[Nobody]

I was just going to say that I would take Justin over Jonathan any day. That man was vile.

 

Is it me or is this one of the worst casts in AR history? There just aren't a lot of teams to get behind this time around.  At this point I'm really only rooting for the reporters and the cheerleaders.  Texas is ok too but....meh. HATE the paparazzi. This leg was odd, too.  It seems the tasks (especially road blocks) have been too simple this year.  I feel like Amazing Race Canada gets it right more often with the difficulty of tasks.  But on TAR it's: Jump off here.  Sit in this plane and look here.  There hasn't been one of those truly brutal hours long torture sessions in a while. Unless I'm just forgetting about something.

 

In regards to the French business, I speak French and have an undergraduate history degree and I didn't know (or didn't remember) the motto.  It's probably something that most people hear at least once in their lives but it's not exactly vital information that needs to be stored forever.  Also, to be fair to racers on the mispronunciation of those words, there didn't seem to be an "accent aigu" on the letter e at the end of the words.  I can only say this as a French speaker, but I think if people would have seen "Égalité" instead of "Egalite"  it might have prompted them to think "Oh yeah, that thingy makes the letters sounds differently."  And as for the rap, I noticed that some of them seemed to be applying what I think are Spanish pronunciation rules to the words.  Specifically the RRs, pronouncing them like a Y. Also, the girl teaching Alabama didn't seem to be as helpful as some of the others.  The Reporters really lucked out though, that guy was really breaking it down for them in a way they could relate to.

[Bryce Smith]

Gregg247, on 31 Oct 2015 - 11:52 AM, said:

Many seasons ago, they had a woman who finished second in Big Brother Season 4 (I can't remember her name now) and her boyfriend on the Race.

Her name was Alison Irwin.  She came in second that season, but was out second in TAR5 through a combination of her boyfriend, Donny, coming up with the lame suggestion to do a Detour involving handling and walking ornery, horny dogs through a city (which did lead to the comical quote "Mine keep having sex!" from Alison when their dogs kept going at it during the task!), having to switch to the other Detour, and then taking a non-express bus to the Roadblock behind two other teams, both of whom did take the express bus.

 

Nobody, on 31 Oct 2015 - 3:16 PM, said:

Is it me or is this one of the worst casts in AR history? There just aren't a lot of teams to get behind this time around.  At this point I'm really only rooting for the reporters and the cheerleaders.

It's just you.  I'm behind a fair few teams.  I'm rooting for the two you just said -- Kelsey & Joey (the reporters) and Tiffany & Krista (the cheerleaders).  But I'm also rooting for Cindy & Rick (Chac Attack) and, in spite of her annoyance factor, Denise & James Earl (the Alabama mother and son).  On the other hand, I've moved from mildly liking Justin & Diana (Team Green) to fairly neutral now that it's been shown that Diana's probably not much of a prize herself, have moved Logan & Chris (the paparazzi) down in my estimation (due to all of the fighting), and cannot stand Tanner & Josh (the Texans), and don't see why anyone would.

[GaT]

Is it me or is this one of the worst casts in AR history? There just aren't a lot of teams to get behind this time around.  At this point I'm really only rooting for the reporters and the cheerleaders.  Texas is ok too but....meh. HATE the paparazzi. This leg was odd, too.  It seems the tasks (especially road blocks) have been too simple this year.  I feel like Amazing Race Canada gets it right more often with the difficulty of tasks.  But on TAR it's: Jump off here.  Sit in this plane and look here.  There hasn't been one of those truly brutal hours long torture sessions in a while. Unless I'm just forgetting about something..

I don't like any of the teams at this point, so I really do feel that this is the worst cast ever. As to the tasks, I agree, the tasks are boring, where's the "needle in a haystack" task, or just for the lulz, the "roll the cheese wheel down the hill" task?

[TheRabbi]

I found this to be an ok episode.  While the Roadblocks the last few legs have been awesome experiences, that's 3 straight roadblocks that have basically been wait-in-line and then either fly in a microlight, and pendulum bungee jump followed by another bungee jump.  There needs to be a better balance of tasks that are highlighting the landmarks and things that are a little tougher to do.  We've already had 3 tasks this season of "fly around enjoying the beautiful scenery and spot something obvious along the way." (plane RB, Victoria Falls RB, and Rio helicopter flight)

 

That said, I hate to nag because the vistas are such an integral part of the show, but it doesn't feel like the teams have been really challenged.  The rap was actually one of the first times I felt that teams actually had to DO something.  I'm still moderately enjoying this season, as I do find the cast decent enough and the route has been great.  Probably rooting for the Green Team (I know I'm in the minority there).

[woodscommaelle]

I don't know what it is, but I find this season almost unwatchable. I still don't know half the teams, and of the teams I do know, not one interests me. At all. I can't really pinpoint what's not happening for me. Haven't kept up with the boards so can someone let me know if the feeling is mutual with other viewers?

Edited October 31, 2015 by woodscommaelle

[RCharter]

I don't know what it is, but I find this season almost unwatchable. I still don't know half the teams, and of the teams I do know, not one interests me. At all. I can't really pinpoint what's not happening for me. Haven't kept up with the boards so can someone let me know if the feeling is mutual with other viewers?

I don't feel that way, but I think others do.  I like some of the teams but I don't have a burning love for any of them.  However I think that almost makes the show easier to watch now that I'm not personally invested.

[LittleIggy]

Start the Revolution Without Me! That movie was so funny. Gene Wilder and Donald Sutherland as the Corsican Brothers!

[preeya]

I don't know what it is, but I find this season almost unwatchable. I still don't know half the teams, and of the teams I do know, not one interests me. At all. I can't really pinpoint what's not happening for me. Haven't kept up with the boards so can someone let me know if the feeling is mutual with other viewers?

Same here. I have no interest in any of these teams. I'll keep watching just to see Team Green get their "comeuppance."

[Bryce Lynch]

I was just going to say that I would take Justin over Jonathan any day. That man was vile.

Is it me or is this one of the worst casts in AR history? There just aren't a lot of teams to get behind this time around. At this point I'm really only rooting for the reporters and the cheerleaders. Texas is ok too but....meh. HATE the paparazzi. This leg was odd, too. It seems the tasks (especially road blocks) have been too simple this year. I feel like Amazing Race Canada gets it right more often with the difficulty of tasks. But on TAR it's: Jump off here. Sit in this plane and look here. There hasn't been one of those truly brutal hours long torture sessions in a while. Unless I'm just forgetting about something.

In regards to the French business, I speak French and have an undergraduate history degree and I didn't know (or didn't remember) the motto. It's probably something that most people hear at least once in their lives but it's not exactly vital information that needs to be stored forever. Also, to be fair to racers on the mispronunciation of those words, there didn't seem to be an "accent aigu" on the letter e at the end of the words. I can only say this as a French speaker, but I think if people would have seen "Égalité" instead of "Egalite" it might have prompted them to think "Oh yeah, that thingy makes the letters sounds differently." And as for the rap, I noticed that some of them seemed to be applying what I think are Spanish pronunciation rules to the words. Specifically the RRs, pronouncing them like a Y. Also, the girl teaching Alabama didn't seem to be as helpful as some of the others. The Reporters really lucked out though, that guy was really breaking it down for them in a way they could relate to.

I agree that this is not a very likable cast. I only like the cheerleaders became I am a Jets fan. The Texans are OK. The reporters, and Chac Atttack are meh. I don't particularly like Alabama and don't get me started on the paparazzi and Team Justintolerable.

I did like the little people, the homeless dancers and the track stars, but they are all gone now.

I am on Team AnyoneButJustinorThePaparazzi.

[Bryce Lynch]

Seriously. I was embarrassed for them. And embarrassed as an American.

I don't see why Americans should be embarrassed about not speaking French. I don't expect French tourists in America to know how to speak English.

Besides that, if not for us ignorant, ugly 'muricans, they'd be speaking German in Paris.

[meep.meep]

 

Speaking of shrugging off, I was unreasonably pissed off one of the Texans smilingly saying that "he's not a detail person." (Partly, I guess, because I often hear my students disclaim competence in essential skills in the same way.) That's not an immutable life characteristic, it's a temporary situation -- a choice, in fact -- and it can be changed. But no, "Oh the doctors got ahead because they have to be precise." Ugh.

I don't think the race is the time to start making serious changes in your personality. It may be helpful to recognize your own limitations. It is also great when people can admire qualities in others that they do not possess themselves.

Seeing the biplanes, I was worried that they were going to repeat some of the WWI tasks .... Trench warfare with field telephones.

As to couples being broken up on the race, there was a war hero (recently freed from being a captive of the Taliban) and his girlfriend. As killer fatigue set in, she flipped out, at one point she accused him of taking the easy road by getting captured. They weren't talking by the end.

[QuePasa]

^^ And if it wasn't for the French, we would haven remained a British colony for who knows how long and our founding fathers would have been hanged.

[Rancide]

Woah, what happened?  I fell asleep and woke up in my high school French class.  Which I flunked.

 

I thought this episode was kind of boring.  Two height challenges and two challenges that involved making fun of Americans' inability to pronounce other languages?  Meh.