S27.E08: Krakow, I'm Gonna Get You

[Lemons]

It was only stupid if you put winning at all costs ahead of integrity and honor. Even if they had been eliminated, it would have been the smartest move anybody in the race made, because it is the type of decision that shapes and demonstrates who you are as a person.

I can't remember most of the winners of TAR, but I will always remember what Tanner and Josh did.

As for calling themselves girls and boys, it is very common for people of all ages to refer to themselves that way.

 

I don't consider letting the "girls" go first an example of integrity and honor.  It's typically called good manners, not honorable.  But rules are different when you're playing a game.  Even when you play with girls! 

 

What I remember about Tanner and Josh is that their contempt for Justin was so great that they tried to turn every other team against them and do whatever they could to make Justin lose.  How's that for integrity and honor?  All Justin had the nerve to do is love the game and be a big old goof about it.  Justin is loud and obnoxious and Tanner and Josh couldn't stand it.  So much so that they risked losing just to stick it to him. 

[SandyToes]

I'm really enjoying the race, because for the most part, I really enjoy the teams.  Each grates on my nerves at different times, but (for me) there isn't any team that I am wishing away. Chris and Logan probably bug me the most, but even then, they seem to pull it together after the blowup.  It will be interesting to see what happens the next leg. We thought KF was a problem in the Netherlands!

 

I'm not normally a fan of bunching, but I do hope there is some opportunity for more shuffling. I like Justin and Diana, but also like the suspense of wondering what the finishing order will be in each leg.  I also kind of miss the airport/traveling drama.  There's a lot of strategy that goes into transportation choices.

[Bryce Lynch]

I don't consider letting the "girls" go first an example of integrity and honor. It's typically called good manners, not honorable. But rules are different when you're playing a game. Even when you play with girls!

What I remember about Tanner and Josh is that their contempt for Justin was so great that they tried to turn every other team against them and do whatever they could to make Justin lose. How's that for integrity and honor? All Justin had the nerve to do is love the game and be a big old goof about it. Justin is loud and obnoxious and Tanner and Josh couldn't stand it. So much so that they risked losing just to stick it to him.

It has nothing to do with them being "girls". Another racer helped them catch up and they thought it would be wrong to take advantage of her kindness by running past her to the judge. It would have been the same if a male racer had done it.

They showed outstanding sportsmanship and honor.

Good manners would be holding the door open for a lady or letting her off the elevator first.

[Ducky]

What I remember about Tanner and Josh is that their contempt for Justin was so great that they tried to turn every other team against them and do whatever they could to make Justin lose.

Most of the teams now want them out of the way without any prodding from anyone else. Edited November 15, 2015 by cooksdelight
Removing preview talk

[LotusFlower]

I think a lot of it depends on friends and family and where you live. Here in Tucson, for example, I know of only one kosher restaurant. If you don't eat there and don't know people who eat the food yeah, it's going to be a mystery. It's like I wouldn't expect your average rural Wisconsin farm family to know what arepas, carne seca or guanabana is.

I would say it's not about kosher restaurants, but knowing Jewish people. I live in a big city with a pretty large Jewish population, and yet I couldn't name a single kosher restaurant in the area (or one that serves traditionally Jewish food - there's a difference). But I know a lot of Jews....

[Netfoot]

Just how many hats did that Knobhead bring?

[irisheyes]

Count me in as being on #TeamTexas at the Roadblock. From the way the boys were talking at the end, it sounded like they weren't going to push past the girls to get the clue, but it would have been an all out race to the mat. Unfortunately for them, there really wasn't a race to the mat. So, they would have tried to beat the girls if they had had the opportunity.

Edited November 15, 2015 by cooksdelight
Removing preview talk

[Alapaki]

I don't think flirting for zloties was a bad strategy, but for attractive girls Tiffany and Krista were shockingly bad at it, especially the short one.

 

 

I think there were 3 problems with their approach:

1.  They were pathetic-begging, when they should have been trying to entertain/amuse the crowd. That's what the other Teams did and they made money.  That

approach can work, but having a shitty attitude and yelling at people doesn't.

 

2.  At one point it looked like they were hitting up a group of tourists (there was a large group with some sort of passes or name-tags hanging around their necks.  those people were never going to "donate" money.

 

3.  Finally, if a moderately attractive (but certainly not stunning) woman tried to get me to pay for a peck-on-the-cheek, I'd quote my Polish grandfather (not really) and say "kurwa , pokaż mi swore cycki", which roughly translates as "Fuck you.  Show me your tits!"

 

Finally, I thought that scene of Justin and Diana on the boat from last leg was a little creepy.  A Producer obviously asked Justin if Diana had let him down.  Now, the correct answer is "no, she could never let me down".  Instead he said "no, the only way she could let me down is if she quit".  Which cam across, to me, as having a sort of creepy threatening vibe.

[Vodka]

Oh please, Diana would be apologizing to him for whatever he told her she did to cause them to not be in first place.  If a man treated me like that, I don't think they would be able to air my reaction to him afterwards.  It would be one long "BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP"

It was disgusting when they showed that scene of her apologizing for letting him down in the last leg and taking responsibilty for their fights/breakdown.

Big of him to be like "aww, that's ok, the only way you'll disappoint me is if you quit."

I didn't dislike this team nefore but ugh.

Texas: In a competition you do your best and give it your all if you're competent and want to win. You do not have to be evil. But slowing down, even though you know you can perform a task better just because "aww the poor girls, they should go first," really? Run with that tray if you are capable dammit. No one is asking you to trip your opponent.

[ShadowSixx]

I smelled NEL a mile away, something told me it was just that especially at the end with the cheerleaders all boo hooing it up and crying because they want to go to the end with Team Texas.

 

Watching Diana cry and apologize to Justin. UGH to the double UGH!!! WTF is wrong with her. Can you just imagine that marriage, her apologizing for everything while Justin thinks he's always right. 

 

Is that really a beach for Krakow? It look more like a pool than an actual beach. 

 

Team Paparazzi are still annoying as all hell. They like to freak out first then do the task, when is their elimination coming? It can't happen fast enough.

 

I'm wondering what is up with the taxi's there, they don't come when you wave them down, you have to actually go up to them or make a phone call. It looked like waving doesn't work at all there. 

 

This season has been a little underwhelming mostly because one team has dominated the whole race, which makes the rest of the racers look a little incompetent at winning one. Still the scenery is the best part of what's going on this season.

Edited November 15, 2015 by ShadowSixx

[MortysCleaningLady]

First rule of the race is it is a race!  Don't let two cheerleaders ahead of you.  When you suspect you are the last team to arrive somewhere, be hesitant of an alliance, especially if you are a stronger team.  Shaking my head at the Texans. 

 

I find Justin annoying, however, he and Diana are running the race to the best of their ability.  They are thinking strategically.  There have been other teams before them that I haven't liked and have won; this pack it might just be inevitable.

[etagloh]

Emmy leg candidate, even as a NEL, because it was really not one I saw as a NEL, and it had Emmy-leg gravitas by design.

Good-ish leg design, though I still hate hate bloody hate "beg for tips" challenges, and always have done. They are capricious in a horrible way, especially when multiple teams are competing together: you might stumble across a bunch of American tourists who know it's TAR and give their money (100 zloty is $US 25, and we saw dollar bills in the hats) or you might get nada. Yes, the cheerleaders came across as sad beggars rather than confident buskers, but frankly I don't think that's a skill TPTB should be demanding on the race.

You have to respect the way that Justin thought his way through the Road Block, taking advantage of the lead to rehearse the task before running it. Only pity there was that it was prime Fern territory, but the Fern is a dying breed in TAR these days.

Edited November 15, 2015 by cooksdelight
removing preview talk

[Kel Varnsen]

 Funny that the cute perky girls had the hardest time getting tips on the music challenge.

 

I was surprised by that too. A few years ago on the Amazing Race Canada there was a similar challenge where you had to go to a building that had a bunhc of performing equipment, you had to pick something and then go out on the street and do some busking for money. Most of the teams grabbed musical instruments or something and took a long time to make the money. One team was cute young girls and the one who had to do the roadblock just grabbed a hula hoop, took off her jacket (I think she had a well fitting t-shirt if not a tank top under) and just hula hooped. She had the money they needed in no time. 

 

I thought so too after "I've been preparing for this for 13 years!!".  Too much boasting for my taste.  A true fan would just enjoy the experience, race his/her ass off and keep the self congratulating to a minimum.  But that's just my take...

I imagine that before the race began Justin was probably the type of guy who probably talked about that fake amazing race he did, all the damn time to anyone he ever had a chance to talk to, even if they already heard about it. When the race is over, he will probably be so much worse telling everyone about the time he was on the Amazing race. If he wins I can see him taking annoying to a whole other level. Although it makes me laugh to think that he is probably at home right now and contractually has to keep his mouth shut and not tell anyone the results of the race. 

[ShadowSixx]

I don't like the begging for change tasks either especially the female reporter nearly stalking a local when he clearly said no. You don't go and bother and follow that person, cause you never know how someone is going to react. He could have knocked her down on the ground. 

[yamashinaryu]

I was hoping for Phil to say to Team Texas and Cheerleaders, this is a double elimination. Both teams are eliminated from the race.

[meep.meep]

I was most impressed by Chris who rocked the restaurant task all by himself.

[irisheyes]

I was most impressed by Chris who rocked the restaurant task all by himself.

Especially since Logan told him he was going to fail completely at it.

[sinycalone]

 

Count me in as being on #TeamTexas at the Roadblock.  From the way the boys were talking at the end, it sounded like they weren't going to push past the girls to get the clue, but it would have been an all out race to the mat.  Unfortunately for them, there really wasn't a race to the mat.  So, they would have tried to beat the girls if they had had the opportunity.

That was my take on it, too.  Because the one Cheerleader helped the Texan, Team Texas felt allowing the Cheerleaders to have the tray checked first was the fair thing to do.  It had nothing to do with gender, IMO.  It is very rare on TAR for the pit stop to be 10 feet from the final challenge.

[Rick Kitchen]

Especially since Logan told him he was going to fail completely at it.

 

Repeatedly.

[Black Knight]

It's too late in the race for that.  By this time, stress and killer fatigue have set in to the point that requiring the teams to self-navigate would be extremely dangerous, not only to themselves, but to other innocent motorists as well.  That's why TPTB will stop all self-navigation tasks this far into the race.

That would be new. The only rule relating to how far into the season the show is has always been that they only wouldn't let teams drive in the final city. Even the final leg was okay - remember the BQs' All-Star season when Kandice was in the backseat yelling at Dustin as she drove during the final leg?

 

My guess is that the show is saving money on cars and insurance, especially if they don't have Ford anymore.

 

I knew this was a NEL leg as soon as they showed that the Pit Stop was Phil in a room with a bunch of locals. There was no way the show would risk racers trying to beat each other to the mat in that situation. Too easy for a local to get hurt.

[Grandma Saracen]

My people, my food!  Although not all of it looked very appealing on camera, I must say.

I liked them taking a moment to reflect at Schindler's factory. I also appreciated some of the racers identifying with their Jewish roots.

 

Chris & Logan aren't even pretending to be in a relationship anymore, and I like it better this way.

 

Reporters did the reporting schtick - meh - but their driver's face, going along with the gimmick, was pretty funny. Also, their piano was the only one that wasn't fakakte, and I still like them, so that made me happy. 

[Richness]

My opinion on Team Texas continues to fluctuate wildly. Started off sort of liking them, then hating them for the Justin conspiracy, then hating them even more for pushing it even further, and then sort of liking them for their sight-seeing detour. Now they go and pull the routine with the cheerleaders. It wasn't the smart thing to do on a competitive race for a million dollars, but was certainly a nice thing to do. With that said...

 

It wasn't being "gentlemanly" and deferring to the ladies as much as it was refusing to take advantage of the team that helped you when you were behind. I think they would have given the same courtesy to any team that helped them. It showed a great deal of character.

I didn't like the pit stop being at the roadblock. If it had been somewhere else, it would have been fine for the Texans to try to beat the cheerleaders there, after allowing them to get the clue first.

 

 

I disagree about them allowing other teams to get the clue first. If Justin had been there, they would probably tackle him to the ground, tie him up, and gag him with one of his hats (and I would have cheered them on). But then again, if it had been Justin, they would NEVER have entered into an alliance to work together to begin with. Heck, there was only the frailest of cease-fires that prevented them from U-Turning each other previously. I still think if the Texans had got there before Justin, they would have U-Turned Justin.

 

I think the decision to let the cheerleaders get the clue first was very much a southern chivalry thing based on them being two attractive girls. You can almost see little hearts exploding from the googly eyes all four of them are making at each other (and their bodies). I think the only other team they would ever consider going first would be the Mom and son Team. And that would only be because they thought they could easily pass them in the remainder of the leg. In that regard, I totally agree with your dislike for the pit-stop being so close to the roadblock. At least put it down the road a bit at another restaurant or pub.

-

 

Speaking of the green devil, Justin continues to annoy. He seems to be a very competent racer, at least when things are going well. Unfortunately, he has an annoying personality that prevents me for rooting for him. I also didn't enjoy the show opening with Dianna crying. None of the little character studies they've done this season at the beginning of the show have really appealed to me. It makes me wonder that it's a good thing that we no longer see the ESM segments.

 

The Bickersons, AKA the Pap's, can go home next; I'm so over their spats. Team Alabama continues to plod along. I've never been fond of the cheerleaders, but I admit I was surprised they had so much trouble with the panhandling. Others' analysis has probably explained why.

 

Just when I thought it was safe to root for the reporters, they do another Taxi Cab Confessional in their on-air persona. It annoyed me just as much now as it did in the first episode. Therefore, I probably owe the editors a nice thank-you gift for not including it in every single episode.

[rlangmit]

I knew this was a NEL leg as soon as they showed that the Pit Stop was Phil in a room with a bunch of locals. There was no way the show would risk racers trying to beat each other to the mat in that situation. Too easy for a local to get hurt.

 

Except the racers didn't know until they got to the mat.

[cooksdelight]

Please do not talk about next week's episode. Some members don't want to know what's coming up, and we have other threads to discuss what is considered spoiler information.

[RococoChanel]

My people, my food!  Although not all of it looked very appealing on camera, I must say.

 

Reporters did the reporting schtick - meh - but their driver's face, going along with the gimmick, was pretty funny. Also, their piano was the only one that wasn't fakakte, and I still like them, so that made me happy. 

 

Jewish confirmed! Fakakte. :D I love that word.

 

And I thought the food looked DELICIOUS. Some of my family is Jewish and ugh it made me have a yen for kugel and latkes.

[aemom]

I am so sick of Justin and his boasting but what is up with those crazy high knee socks he wears with his shorts?

Between the hat and the socks, he dresses like a senior citizen. Which for some reason, annoys me even more.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Did Joey actually kick Norman Bates (the weird guy partnered with his mother) while they were under water?  

[dgpolo]

My take on this,

Paps, Cheerleaders and Texas were all at the food at the same time, Texas behind the other two.

Cheerleader had already 'guessed' and got a negative on her tray.

Cheerleader gets help from Fern/phone but still gets it wrong.

Texas shows up and for some absolutely stupid reason, Cheerleader proposes they work together. Why! her only advantage would be to finish before Texas as there is no way they could beat them in a foot race (they didn't know the pit stop was so close, thought the partners waiting must have know that teams were disappearing into the building and not coming out, unless it was a different building I can't even remember anymore) He couldn't help her carry her tray, he had to carry her own. He hadn't got to the point of figuring out that he could ask a Fern/phone for help. He probably would've done at least one tray by 'guessing' if Cheergirl didn't give away the fact she had looked at pics.

While -she- was helping -him- with the food, Chris gets his right and disappears.

Now they know they are the last two teams and one will be out (discounting the NEL) this is when Texas feels guilty because, I think, he knows she was stupid and shouldn't have helped him at all.

And yes I do think if another team had been stupid enough to help Texas at that point they would have just said, Sorry! RACE! but their ingrained instinct to help the 'damsel in distress' kicked in to at least let the girls present their tray first, since they would have if they hadn't stopped to help.

But the pit stop was right there so the girls hit it first and the guys were saved.

I do actually believe that if they had been eliminated they would have still thought they did the right thing. (even though they wouldn't have done it for anyone else)

[kingshearte]

I am convinced that the producers determine how many teams get to fly on each plane and tell the racers to pretend flights are booked up. Over the years nearly every first flight only has enough room for a few teams. Seems way too convenient to me.

They are usually booking day-of flights, and flights are usually stuffed pretty full these days. Also, bear in mind that each team actually consists of four people, when you include their camera and sound people. I don't think it's particularly far-fetched to think that there wouldn't be more than 8 or 12 empty seats available on a flight that leaves within a few hours.

 

Her whining really got on my nerves. I also hated how she only thought she could get money from guys and her ability to flirt. Doesn't she know how to talk to other women? None of the others needed to kiss people in order to get tips.

I found that especially odd because apparently she can't even figure out how to talk to guys. If you're going to rely on flirting, you better at least be good at flirting. I'm not sure I've ever seen a team of attractive women be so bad at it.

 

Speaking of the salt mine task, I thought Chris was very smart to dump out the salt and shovel into the cart instead of trying to lift the heavy wheelbarrow. I doubt he and Logan could have done it any other way and I am sure the cheerleaders would have needed to use that method as well.

That may be, but I'm not sure what the advantage was of dumping it on the ground, rather than shovelling straight from the wheelbarrow to the cart. Texas used two wheelbarrows, so there's no reason Logan couldn't have started filling a second while Chris emptied the first.

[Eolivet]

I was most struck by the disparity in distances between the Detours and the next task. Logan and Chris finished second, but didn't get to the Oskar Schindler factory until fifth -- all the piano teams (who finished after them, judging by the chyrons) beat them. I suppose it's another element of luck, but I don't remember it being as blatant in previous years. Same with last week, when the cheerleaders finished ahead of Justin and Diana, but finished in second because the double dutch Detour was clearly further away from the train station than the navigation Detour. I wish they'd make it so Detours were relatively equidistant from the next task. Losing three places because you happened to pick the unlucky Detour doesn't really strike me as fair.

 

Still...#FreeDiana

[cooksdelight]

To clear up the question of flights and seats, production pre-books a certain number of seats on however many flights they are going to use that day. For the contestants and crew. They have a set number for contestants, so if those seats get taken, the next group has to take the next flight, and so on.

They are pre-booked well in advance. When you see them getting their tickets, they are merely printing their boarding passes for their "pre-assigned" seat. Just as all the tasks are. Now, back to the episode...

[Ottis]

Good-ish leg design, though I still hate hate bloody hate "beg for tips" challenges, and always have done.

 

 

I find this far less annoying than "taxi luck." At least in a begging challenge, how the racers execute it matters (whether it is fun and amusing, or desperate and pushy as the cheerleaders did, for instance). Taxi luck is completely random, happens all the time and racers can do nothing about it.

 

I'm not sure I've ever seen a team of attractive women be so bad at it.

 

 

This was a big topic of discussion at our house! Usually attractive people learn that skill, because they can. We theorized over why these girls didn't seem to have it. Fatigue? Entitlement? Embarrassment over begging (maybe they had upper class lives)? 

Edited November 15, 2015 by Ottis

[Mrs. P.]

I'm confused about the actions of Denise and James Earl at the Roadblock. I remember seeing Denise get up at one point to "help" her son. Aren't Roadblocks supposed to be performed by only one part of the team? That's what got them the penalty earlier in the race. I was waiting for Phil to hit them with another penalty at this Pit Stop, and was really surprised when it didn't happen. What am I missing here?

[Omega Mu]

I found that especially odd because apparently she can't even figure out how to talk to guys. If you're going to rely on flirting, you better at least be good at flirting. I'm not sure I've ever seen a team of attractive women be so bad at it.

 

Not to sound like a prissy old lady, but perhaps it had something to do with the way they were dressed?  They were scantily clad and very aggressive, people might have been avoiding their advances because they got the wrong impression about why they were asking for money.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Omega Mu

[cooksdelight]

HA!! Yes, and if you add in the camera people, mic people... I'd be afraid of what kind of show I might wind up on.

[etagloh]

I wish they'd make it so Detours were relatively equidistant from the next task. Losing three places because you happened to pick the unlucky Detour doesn't really strike me as fair.

I'm fine with it: the distance to a Detour task and from there to the next destination is all part of the 'pros and cons' and it's clearly something that TPTB consider when balancing (or unbalancing) the Detour tasks. Perhaps it's misleading for the chyrons to indicate placings as soon as the task is ended, as opposed to when teams arrive at the next marker, but that's not relevant to how the leg is run by the racers, and because of that I don't see much value in having equidistant Detours.

[Mumbles]

 

First rule of the race is it is a race!  Don't let two cheerleaders ahead of you.  When you suspect you are the last team to arrive somewhere, be hesitant of an alliance, especially if you are a stronger team.  Shaking my head at the Texans.

 Amen. A lot of people are focusing on their character for letting the cheerleaders go first to the pit stop. That's fine. But my problem with the Texans is teaming up with them at the challenge, knowing it was the last one and that the losing team stood to be eliminated.  That was the stupid, non-race behavior.

[kingshearte]

I'm confused about the actions of Denise and James Earl at the Roadblock. I remember seeing Denise get up at one point to "help" her son. Aren't Roadblocks supposed to be performed by only one part of the team? That's what got them the penalty earlier in the race. I was waiting for Phil to hit them with another penalty at this Pit Stop, and was really surprised when it didn't happen. What am I missing here?

Are you sure it was Denise? Kelsey was also wearing a bright pink tank top this ep, so if you weren't looking closely, it might have looked like it was Denise.

[Eolivet]

I'm fine with it: the distance to a Detour task and from there to the next destination is all part of the 'pros and cons' and it's clearly something that TPTB consider when balancing (or unbalancing) the Detour tasks.

 

I suppose I feel like that violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the law. "Each with its own pros and cons" seems like it should refer to the skill required to accomplish the tasks, not "This one requires brute strength, but it's 20 miles from the next destination" and "This one requires precision, but it's 2 blocks from the next destination." I mean, if Logan and Chris arrived fifth because they had bad taxi luck, that's a variable the show can't control. Distance from the next task is something the show definitely can control. If that's the case, they might as well start randomly force teams to stop racing for 10 minutes halfway through the leg, just because: bad luck!

 

I guess it's academic, since it's a Detour (and they're seldom followed by a pitstop), but in a show with so many uncontrollable variables, I'd think they'd want to make the rest of the playing field as level as possible.

Edited November 15, 2015 by Eolivet

[sinycalone]

 Amen. A lot of people are focusing on their character for letting the cheerleaders go first to the pit stop. That's fine. But my problem with the Texans is teaming up with them at the challenge, knowing it was the last one and that the losing team stood to be eliminated.  That was the stupid, non-race behavior.

It might have been foolish for the cheerleader to team up with the Texan....she was ahead of him, and he didn't seem to realize at that point he could ask bystanders with phones for help.  She had the advantage.  Collaborating with him at that point was more to his benefit than hers.

[ratherbereading]

I thought the piano task was the detour. So both team members had to do the task and could switch off. The reporters did it as well.

 

The roadblock was the restaurant task.

 

And in deference to the cheerleader (I still can't be bothered to tell them apart) and complaining about how her arms hurt? That was a very big metal tray, with a bunch of food on it. The way she was carrying it would put quite a strain on your arms.

[Mrs. P.]

Are you sure it was Denise? Kelsey was also wearing a bright pink tank top this ep, so if you weren't looking closely, it might have looked like it was Denise.

I guess I was mistaken. I'm sure TPTB would have been all over Denise if she had broken the rules again!

[RockShrimp]

not knowing what some stuff is, I get... and I understand mispronouncing some of the words, but some of them are easy... like I can understand not knowing how to pronounce something like Charoset if you aren't familiar with the "ch" noise, but for something like hamentaschen that is pronounced phonetically... None of them messed up Ha-men vs. Hay-men, just the taschen part... I love klezmer music. it's just... so weirdly catchy (like gefilte fish). I wish they had to do more with understanding the purpose/stories behind the food not just identifying them, cause the stories are fun. 

 

Now I really want a Purim roadblock. "put on this costume and get so wasted you can't find the bad guy". 

 

I was actually kind of distracted by the schindler factory. I guess you can't go to Poland without doing something Holocaust related and that's less exploitative than going to an actual concentration camp, but it's just so jarring to cut back and forth between the frantic challenges and something that heavy. I would have been a freaking wreck after that though... I still haven't been to the Holocaust museum in DC other than the kids section because it's too much.

 

 

Also, any time someone says Krakow it reminds me of this Calvin and hobbes: http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/04/28

 

I would say it's not about kosher restaurants, but knowing Jewish people. I live in a big city with a pretty large Jewish population, and yet I couldn't name a single kosher restaurant in the area (or one that serves traditionally Jewish food - there's a difference). But I know a lot of Jews....

Edited November 15, 2015 by RockShrimp

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I thought the piano task was the detour. So both team members had to do the task and could switch off. The reporters did it as well.

Yup, they showed both people having to learn the piano part before they moved the pianos and then they showed several of the teams switching between asking for money and playing the piano. It seemed like they were required to switch roles at least once during the task.

[SomeTameGazelle]

not knowing what some stuff is, I get... and I understand mispronouncing some of the words, but some of them are easy... like I can understand not knowing how to pronounce something like Charoset if you aren't familiar with the "ch" noise, but for something like hamentaschen that is pronounced phonetically...

I didn't see how any of the items were spelled on the list, so I just assumed that Hamantaschen were called something slightly different in Polish since all the racers seemed to be saying something similar but not what I was used to. Could it have been spelled Hamantaszen?

[RCharter]

This week, the cheerleader at the Klezmer Hois proved that being athletes (cheerleaders) doesn't mean they have any arm strength.  I am sure the trays were heavy, but her whining about it, especially the first time through, was so annoying.  Good thing they didn't attempt the salt mine task, they'd probably still be there!

 

Justin, win, don't win, I don't really care.  You cannot get off my screen fast enough!  And Diana?  Dump him, pronto!

I just had a vision in my head of her crying about painful arms in an attempt to get some male crew/cameraman to help her with the tray.  The two of them seem to think that being attractive can get them anything that they want from a man.  It was just like the other one resorting to tears in the hopes that she could get her way doing that.  

[Maysie]

 

I hate Phil asking other teams to talk about how wonderful and dominant Justin and Diana are. It's gross.

 

And it's tiresome, which is what the season has become. Honestly, I'm watching to see if Justin and Diana are going to take the whole thing or if they're getting a bit of an ironic edit (which is my hope).

 

It really bothered me that they had an almost 90 minute lead on everyone else. There was no suspense on this leg because there was nothing that put that leg in jeopardy - no delayed openings, no bunching, etc. With one team on the flight just walking its way through the tasks there's no surprise they came out on top on this leg. I don't suspect shenanigans but I would have loved to see a second team on the earlier flight. It's hard for me to consider Justin and Diana excellent racers because I don't see where they're doing anything particularly outstanding. I think most of the other teams are just that underwhelming and many of the race requirements haven't been particularly challenging, either. So in my opinion, Justin and Diana are good racers in the pack of mediocre opponents. Now if they hadn't had a 90 minute jump on everyone and burned through the tasks, or if they came from 90 minutes behind to win the leg I'd have been impressed. But really, I'm not feeling it. It will be interesting to see how big their lead turns out to be next week.

 

When the cheerleaders were failing miserably at the roadblock my husband was disgusted. As he put it, they're performers for God's sake. Do some cheers! Put on a show! That would have been much more likely to bring in money than "here! I'm hot! Kiss me for money!" Ugh. I'm guessing their type of cheerleading is basically waving their pom poms and making the duck face when the camera pans on them. I don't dislike them but they lost a lot of points at their pathetic attempt to busk.

 

I don't like or dislike Team Texas and am not really swayed either way by them giving over second to last to the girls. I don't think they're particularly good racers either, but I do think they were in a damned if they do/damned if they don't situation with the mat being so close to the final task. There was no way to really have any kind of a footrace to the mat the way that was set up. I hope they don't do that again.

[tanyak]

I am so sick of Justin and his boasting but what is up with those crazy high knee socks he wears with his shorts?

Between the hat and the socks, he dresses like a senior citizen. Which for some reason, annoys me even more.

Oh, socks to the knee is very much the style nowadays. Every morning I pass hordes of teenage boys at the bustop wearing crazy basketball socks and shorts. But it's not just kids, NBA players are rocking it, too.

But I don't really care how on trend Justin is, he still annoys the hell out of me. Lol

[buttersister]

Looked to me like Phil was enjoying dancing to the Klezmer music (was it the wet shirt or hair that gave it away?). Gefilte fish is a carrier for horseradish.

 

I was going to wave buh-bye to the Texans, but like them, I felt an NEL coming. It's a rare season that I root for someone (as opposed to against everyone else), but I'll go with Justin and Diana over the Texan toasts every pit stop. While the Texans haven't snapped at each other, I think it's cause they've focused all that energy on the green team.

[mookster]

Yes, boys may wear knee socks, but Justin is a grown man, allegedly. It's all in keeping with his look-at-me persona. And the thing that bugged about Diana's teary "apology" was that A) he said something along the lines of "you just made a bad decision" instead of "no big deal" and B) her "poor decision" earned them more $$$ than his cab decision would have. Too bad she didn't tell him to just accept that he'd made a bad decision on the first leg's FF.

As a waitress at a kosher hotel in the Catskills in my teens, I would've kIlled that task! And everyone knows carrying the tray on your shoulder with one hand with the other hand stabilizing the front is way easier than lugging it in front of you. The cheerleaders were pretty much underwhelming across the board.

I still like to look at the Texas boys, but what the hell with the cab hailing? How long did it take them to notice cabs wouldn't stop for them on the HIGHWAY?

Still like the reporters but could lose the Paps and mom and son anytime. Love the scenery.

The Schindler factory was incredibly moving, but I couldn't help thinking if the race were tighter whether any team looked at their watch and wondered how long they "had" to stay there - and whether production would have showed it. Yes, I'm a bitch.