S27.E09: It's Always The Quiet Ones

[Netfoot]

I thought the dhobi wallah cheerleader was going into the drink, bike, basket and all!

 

I'm not sure I could handle visiting India

 

I'd love to go. 

 

Trouble is, I'd want to sample all the food I see cooking at the side of the street.  And you know what would happen then, right?

[millennium]

Maybe the show can find a way to give Justin a hidden immunity idol, too.

 

Cheap shot U-turning Texas.  No class at all.

 

I am always struck by the exotic colors of Indian dress.   That people in a country so impoverished express themselves so vividly and beautifully.  The saris spread out on the beach were amazing.

Edited November 21, 2015 by millennium

[Knuckles]

Things change. I thought the Texans were smug and overbearing the first two races, but surprisingly I have been rooting for them. They are gracious, supportive of each other and generally just cool guys. I will miss them.

The green team continues to bore and annoy...I turn off the sound when they are on, I hate his cackling voice. I am glad that Diana is his partner...I think she deserves this guy.

The cheerleaders are ok, they are working hard, and disappointed to lose the Texans...I would be too. The reporters are dumb as a box of rocks, and I have no enthusiasm for them. The paps kill me...have they ever said a kind word to one another? 

Diana and James Earl for the win..and yeah, give them a hidden immunity idol. And man, I miss the dancers...they would have added so much to this season...the green team have sucked all the oxygen out of the race.

[Shadow Wave]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kelsey & Joey finished the washing task in good shape and were leading, but their driver got lost and that, and only that, allowed the Greens to get ahead. Both teams performed well from that point.

 

I'm curious if K&J would have been able to keep the lead. Presumably they would have U-turned the Greens instead of Texas, and we would have a totally different race at this point.

[biakbiak]

If they had been able to Uturn Green, I think James Earl and Diane would have been out.

[GaT]

I don't believe that the end was as close as the show made it look like, I'm sure Diane & James Earl got there way before Team Texas.

[pfk505]

I'd love to go. 

 

Trouble is, I'd want to sample all the food I see cooking at the side of the street.  And you know what would happen then, right?

 

Probably nothing, so long as you stick to veg and don't eat anything that might be made with tap water.  Some of the best food around is street samosas.  I even had a fresh lassi out of a clay pot.  Only thing that made me sick in India was train travel.

 

I went there having never traveled outside of North America.  It was fantastic.  Can't wait to go back.  Helps to have someone with you who speaks Hindi though.

 

India legs on this show are my favourite, makes me so heartsick.

 

Edit: boooooooring.  go cheerleaders.

Edited November 21, 2015 by pfk505

[dgpolo]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kelsey & Joey finished the washing task in good shape and were leading, but their driver got lost and that, and only that, allowed the Greens to get ahead. Both teams performed well from that point.

 

I'm curious if K&J would have been able to keep the lead. Presumably they would have U-turned the Greens instead of Texas, and we would have a totally different race at this point.

I wouldn't presume that, they knew Green was ahead of them, if they didn't see them on the way or at the U-turn they would have assumed they had already been there.

 

If they had been able to Uturn Green, I think James Earl and Diane would have been out.

 

I agree, Diana and Justin would have finished the Candy task quickly.

I don't believe that the end was as close as the show made it look like, I'm sure Diane & James Earl got there way before Team Texas.

Agree with this too, the Amazing Editors can make teams that are 10 minutes apart look like a photo finish.

[green]

I am kind of puzzled about the greeter. His regular job is to shave people in some garden with a view of Taj Mahal? And he is alone there doing this? That's not odd at all...

 

He was only in the garden because that was where the pit stop was.  They had him shaving a person to show that he normally was a street barber which is very common to see throughout India.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As much as I dislike Team Texas, that "speed bump" was terribly unfair. A far cry from "sit on an ice block for a few minutes"

One of the things I hate is how inconsistent the show is about how long the speed bumps are. How is it at all comparable or fair for the Texans to do the laundry task individually when in a previous season, another team's speed bump was to get ice cream cones on their way to the next task?

And did I hear Joey trying to do math incorrectly? I think he was the one who said 5x20=120 (or was it Kelsey?).

[henripootel]

On the contrary, that is -exactly- how the U-turn should be used. They had the speed bump and were coming back from that! they would be hard to beat at the end. Pile it on until they are out! It's the only way to be safe.

True, but this is why I fault the producers for creating them rather than the players for using them.  It isn't that they're unsporting, it's just that they generally punish the shit out of teams who're already in dire straights.  Might as well just let one of the lead teams summarily boot out one of the latter teams on the spot and be done with it.

[Lemons]

Cheap shot U-turning Texas.  No class at all.

 

 

What the heck does "class" have to do with playing the game?  The U-Turn is supposed to be used as another strategy to try and win the game! 

[blackwing]

Getting U-Turned after already getting Speed Bumped is difficult to overcome, but not impossible.  Mona & Beth showed that that can be done in TAR22.  And had Ally & Ashley been much worse at the race than they already were in TAR23, Nicky & Kim might've shown the same thing.

 

Tanner & Josh were not treated any bit unfairly.  They themselves could've easily come back from a U-Turn after their Speed Bump if Denise & James Earl had taken even longer to confirm that they were in the wrong place to find the Pit Stop.

I agree that it's not impossible to overcome a Speed Bump / U Turn.  But in this case, the Speed Bump seemed like the hardest Speed Bump we have ever seen on TAR.  Past Speed Bumps included sitting in a sauna bus for 10 minutes and selling water on the street.  No Speed Bump has ever required the Roadblock to be reperformed by the other team member.  Speed Bumps in the past usually represented a small time penalty.  I don't recall any speed bumps that seemed as time consuming or physically strenuous as this one.

 

With respect to possibly beating Denise and James Earl... I think that's all editing.  I think it is likely that Denise and James Earl were far ahead, and the editors just wanted to create some drama and tension.

[Muffyn]

Some fundamentalist Christians don't think Catholics are Christian. 

True but they are wrong.  After all, there is a guy hanging on the cross in catholic church.  I think his name starts with Jesus and ends with Christ, or so I've heard. But I do think the racer meant she was non-denominational Christian.   

 

And did I hear Joey trying to do math incorrectly? I think he was the one who said 5x20=120 (or was it Kelsey?).

His partner said 5X24=120.  He said that was wrong.  She broke it down to 5X20=100 and 5X4=20 so the total is 120.  

[millennium]

What the heck does "class" have to do with playing the game?  The U-Turn is supposed to be used as another strategy to try and win the game! 

 

I'm one of those stupid people who can't suspend my sense of honor and sportsmanship while watching these ridiculous shows.   I don't believe in kicking people when they're down.   Texas was no threat at all.   They would have washed out on their own within a week or two.    U-turning the paparazzi would have been the more strategic move. 

I agree that it's not impossible to overcome a Speed Bump / U Turn.  But in this case, the Speed Bump seemed like the hardest Speed Bump we have ever seen on TAR.  Past Speed Bumps included sitting in a sauna bus for 10 minutes and selling water on the street.  No Speed Bump has ever required the Roadblock to be reperformed by the other team member.  Speed Bumps in the past usually represented a small time penalty.  I don't recall any speed bumps that seemed as time consuming or physically strenuous as this one.

 

With respect to possibly beating Denise and James Earl... I think that's all editing.  I think it is likely that Denise and James Earl were far ahead, and the editors just wanted to create some drama and tension.

 

The Speed Bump this time seemed intended to ensure the elimination of whichever team had the misfortune of catching it.

[Lemons]

I'm one of those stupid people who can't suspend my sense of honor and sportsmanship while watching these ridiculous shows.   I don't believe in kicking people when they're down.   Texas was no threat at all.   They would have washed out on their own within a week or two.    U-turning the paparazzi would have been the more strategic move. 

 

 

 

How would you have suspended your sportsmanship by using a strategy that is allowed to win the game?  Sense of honor?  Nobody cheated. 

 

And while some audience members might have thought the paparazzi was the bigger threat, they thought the Texas men were a bigger threat and eliminated that threat under the rules of the game.  You learn these kind of things as a child playing board games.  Play by the rules and try to win and don't be a poor sport. 

[Richness]

The Justin show continues to roll right along. While I begrudgingly admit he and Diana are good, competent racers (at least when nothing goes horribly wrong), he remains an annoying jerk. Why does the superfan have to be so annoying? Furthermore, his laugh makes me irrationally angry. I really hope them winning most of the legs means they don't win the whole shebang, but it's looking inevitable at this point.

 

Sorry to see the Texans go. Unfortunately, I realize that's based on their actions the last few episodes. I just have to remember they started the whole anti-Justin movement from the very beginning, which annoyed me greatly at the time. It's ironic that my opinion of the two teams has switched entirely. It's also unfortunate that they had one of the most difficult and time-consuming Speed Bump's ever. The only one I remember coming anywhere near as a bad was the carpet hanging a couple seasons ago. I suppose I wouldn't mind it being so difficult had Speed Bumps been this difficult since the beginning, but the laundry task was magnitudes harder than sitting on a ice block or in a sauna bus. However, they took their elimination very well, and I hope to see them on the next Unfinished Business.

 

My hopes of rooting for the reporters were dashed with this episode. I'm a "mama's boy" myself, but I do my own laundry. While U-Turning the Texans was smart game play, I really don't like seeing the U-Turn used, especially by teams I'm trying to root far. It's smart, especially if it eliminates a stronger teams, but it turns a team's alignment to the evil dark side.

 

Still can't stand the cheerleaders. The waterworks at the beginning made for another less than appealing nouveau Eat Sleep Mingle segment. Even though there wasn't much in this episode, their shrieking and attempts to use their sexuality annoy me. Also, stop molesting the locals with hugs after you've worked up a sweat doing a really laborious task. While I think they made the right decision to lie about U-Turning the green team, it didn't improve my opinion of them.

 

Still despise the bickersons, AKA paparazzi.

 

Mom and son continue to circle the drain, though I will admit it wasn't their fault that the cab took them to the wrong entrance/place for the garden. It's amazing that the Express Pass allowed them to come in first long ago. They may be the unkillable cockroach team that makes it to the final leg with Justin and Diana.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

His partner said 5X24=120.  He said that was wrong.  She broke it down to 5X20=100 and 5X4=20 so the total is 120.  

Thanks! I remembered hearing them argue about it while they were stacking up the oil cans but I couldn't remember exactly who said what. Thank goodness at least one of them can do math!

[possibilities]

Regarding Kelsey's comment... I think it's a matter of "all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares". To me, all Catholics are Christians, but not all Christians are Catholics. There are many different denominations of Christianity - Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopalian, etc. She could be one of the other ones besides Catholic. But my feeling is that Kelsey is probably some kind of non-denominational Christian. She's Christian and believes in God but doesn't necessarily belong to a church.

I agree with this, and also I think what may have happened is that she said she was a Catholic, and then she wanted to say her partner was also... well, not Catholic, but still Christian.... and it just came out awkwardly.

 

 

 

I actually think the show should just do Double Roadblocks as a Speed Bump from this point on, if they wanna save money on tasks.

I like this idea.

 

As far as fairness of speed bumps is concerned, I think the length of the penalty on a non-elim has been highly variable over the history of the Race. Sometimes it means losing your money and having to beg. Sometimes it meant losing all your gear. Sometimes it meant a time penalty (I think it was 30 minutes) wherein you would only survive if you were substantially ahead (I don't remember the details, but it was applied in the season with the coal minors and the "backpack" I think). Speed Bumps are not the first or only mechanism that have been used to penalize the last place finishers, and I think having both partners complete the Roadblock is an elegant solution. Anyone who comes in last is already getting an "unfair" advantage over teams who also did so and were eliminated. I don't think a second chance team should be complaining about being able to continue for another leg, and it's okay if they have to do something really hard in order to stay in after that.

 

I thought the Texans were really clever at the candy task. They figured out a way to cut the pumpkins much more efficiently. I also liked their exit speech. They handled themselves with just the right amount of humility in that moment. I didn't really like them particularly, over the course of the season, but I thought they got a very nice edit on their final leg.

 

The paparazzi seem to be doing much better now that he's started being more decisive. But they are still exactly as unpleasant to each other as before. It doesn't even seem like the like each other a little bit, it's like they hate each other profoundly. I wonder how they managed to get cast as a team. Can they possibly function like this in other contexts? Or is the stress of the race just making them seem extra-hateful towards each other? It really doesn't seem like people having a meltdown on a foundation of deeper connection, it seems like people who just hate each other all the way through.

 

James Earl's mother seems to be functioning better now than she was earlier on in the race. It's like she has reverse-KF-- a new and interesting phenomenon. I'm curious what happened.

 

I don't mind the reporters. I think it's insane that he lets his mother do his laundry, but at least it's not because he thinks it's beneath him or unmanly or something. Most of the time, I think their "reporter narration of the leg" is done self-mockingly. They're not one of my all time favorites or anything, but they don't offend me.

 

Really, no one left this season excites me. I miss the dancers and the cousins who got eliminated early on. Everyone else is kind of a middle of the road blur to me, more or less.

 

I do find the cheerleader who whines a lot to be annoying. The other one seems a bit more on the ball. I have no idea whatsoever which is which, though. They look and sound and even move like identical twins as far as I can tell. I just notice that one of them seems to keep her head and sometimes think a little more clearly under pressure, and the other is complaining all the time and has an over-developed sense of self-pity and outrage that turns me off.

 

Was it just an illusion of his shirt, or has Phil seriously busted out? Usually it's his pants that are distractingly fit, but I really thought he looked like he was wearing a bra this week. I'm sure he wasn't, but still-- what the hell was going on and why didn't the camera people catch it? He couldn't possibly have grown breasts since the previous day/episode, so it had to be the shirt and not his body.

Edited November 21, 2015 by possibilities

[RCharter]

This season is a bust for me. I'm beyond tired of Justin, even if he is a great racer. I'm not sure I even want to watch the rest of the race.

I do too, I was only lukewarm on Reporters and Alabama.  I sort of hate everyone else.  I would only watch to see Justin lose, and unless they really do something, I think a Justin win is a foregone conclusion  

 

It sucks both because its boring, and because he sucks.

[RCharter]

Things change. I thought the Texans were smug and overbearing the first two races, but surprisingly I have been rooting for them. They are gracious, supportive of each other and generally just cool guys. I will miss them.

The green team continues to bore and annoy...I turn off the sound when they are on, I hate his cackling voice. I am glad that Diana is his partner...I think she deserves this guy.

The cheerleaders are ok, they are working hard, and disappointed to lose the Texans...I would be too. The reporters are dumb as a box of rocks, and I have no enthusiasm for them. The paps kill me...have they ever said a kind word to one another? 

Diana and James Earl for the win..and yeah, give them a hidden immunity idol. And man, I miss the dancers...they would have added so much to this season...the green team have sucked all the oxygen out of the race.

So many of the other teams would have added some life to this season.......I think the dancers, TMZ, cousins, chacattack (I was liking them towards the end), track girls.  I would have traded any of those teams for Green Team or Paparazzi.  It's not even remotely fun or interesting to watch Team Pap spar with each other, its just uncomfortable because, as you said, they never seem to like each other.  At this point I wonder how they ever even became friends.

[millennium]

How would you have suspended your sportsmanship by using a strategy that is allowed to win the game?  Sense of honor?  Nobody cheated. 

 

And while some audience members might have thought the paparazzi was the bigger threat, they thought the Texas men were a bigger threat and eliminated that threat under the rules of the game.  You learn these kind of things as a child playing board games.  Play by the rules and try to win and don't be a poor sport. 

 

I already explained my point of view.   But thanks for the late-night condescension.

[mertensia]

I wonder what that candy tastes like.

Denise must have gotten the hang of the laundry right away since she seemed to rock the task.

Please show: no more U-Turns.

[RCharter]

I feel like they could have done the U-Turn differently.....either let the boys each do a load of laundry at the same time, which probably would have stank because it would have made them both tired, instead of having just one teammate zapped for the next challenge.  Or, given the Texans a larger load of laundry (instead of  a standard size bundle, give them 1 and 1/2 bundles  for one participant to do).  Or they could have simply given the second person to do the task (as the speed bump) a smaller load of laundry so they wouldn't be so far behind.  Or they could have given them an additional task with the laundry (maybe folding some of it as well, or having to cart back the finished laundry somewhere).

[RCharter]

What does #RadonRedux mean?

 

Why did Phil think that Team Texas would win if Justin and Diana had been U turned instead?  Why couldn't they have won if anybody else had been U turned?

 

I disliked Logan from day one, and nothing has made me change my mind.

 

 

And then the papparzzi turned around and lied to the cheerleaders by telling them they never told Team Green that they, in particular, had U turned them.

The only people that came out looking bad were Paps.  Logan is a dummy.  The cheerleaders are slick liars though, I'll give it to them

Phil's blouse looked straight off the Ann Taylor Clearance Rack.

[shura]

I thought the Texans were really clever at the candy task. They figured out a way to cut the pumpkins much more efficiently.

 

Efficiently yes, but they produced something that looked nothing like the candy everybody else was making. Theirs was way too long and had lots of seeds, which the regular candy didn't seem to have. There was no quality control from the task masters there.

 

He was only in the garden because that was where the pit stop was.  They had him shaving a person to show that he normally was a street barber which is very common to see throughout India.

 

It was just so bizarre to see a sole barber shaving a customer in that particular location. The garden seemed so desolate too. The whole scene was very postmodern.

[Haleth]

I am kind of puzzled about the greeter. His regular job is to shave people in some garden with a view of Taj Mahal? And he is alone there doing this? That's not odd at all...

I know!  That seemed so random.  Normally you'd expect food vendors in the park, but a barber?

 

Male reporter lost even more points (after Hagoo) when he announced that his mother enjoys doing his laundry. The same way I stopped accepting money from my folks after a certain point, one needs to stop having Mommy do one's laundry.

Right.  Run, Kelsey!  (Between that and her claim that he isn't a Christian, maybe they aren't really suited to be together.)

Cheap shot U-turning Texas.  No class at all.

 

I am always struck by the exotic colors of Indian dress.   That people in a country so impoverished express themselves so vividly and beautifully.  The saris spread out on the beach were amazing.

Not a cheap shot if the idea is to eliminate a (perceived) strong team.  You never know what the next day will bring, perhaps a physical roadblock that a male/male team would rock?

The overhead shots of the fabrics drying in the sun were stunning.

 

Yeah, that was a poorly planned, time consuming speed bump right after the teams were bunched on their flight to ND.  The boys were in trouble from the start.  I agree that the editing made it look closer than it was.  

Edited November 21, 2015 by Haleth

[AZChristian]

And wasn't he shaving the same guy the whole time?  That seemed more than a little odd.

[Netfoot]

I'm not in favour of Speed Bumps in the first place.  The race has pre-designated elimination points at the end of some of the legs.  The remaining legs do not include an elimination point.  I can see no reason to be punished with a Speed Bump for not being eliminated when no elimination was scheduled in the first place!

 

However, illogical as it is, the race rules have the Speed Bump in play.  Therefore:

 

I like the Double-racer Roadblock Speed-Bump.  They should formalize this as the standard for the future.  There is no extra cost involved in setup, and everyone will know what to expect.  I've seen Speed Bumps that involved running through a fireworks display, which lasted only seconds.  While others get difficult, lengthy tasks to perform.  This way, while the difficulty level may vary from Roadblock to Roadblock, at least it is a consistent task.

[zoey1996]

Denise & James Earl: Denise did an okay job at the Roadblock, and they were wise to go with the Candy Detour.  They got terribly unlucky with the driver who took them to the wrong place en route to the Pit Stop, though they get no huge pass from me for not double-checking when they were unsure.  Lucked out with Tanner & Josh's Double Roadblock Speed Bump and subsequent U-Turn.  Otherwise, they'd have gone.  Fifth place was deserved based on the end-of-leg mess.

They asked several people if this was Moonlight Garden, and were assured it was.  Thank goodness someone finally did tell them it wasn't.

 

When it was said (because I didn't notice a sign) that Tanner and Josh would both have to do the laundry task, I thought whoever said it was kidding just to freak them out.  If they hadn't also been U-turned, and everything else had gone the way it did, Denise and James Earl would probably have been out.  I liked Team Texas, and despise Justin, so I'm a little sad that TT are out.  I hope J&D are set back a notch or two,and don't match or beat the previous record.  I do give them credit for running a good race, except when Justin is talking. 

[Bryce Lynch]

Im mad at Kelsie and Joey its so cruel to U turn a team that had a speed bump they could have chosen anyone but them. I hope the cheerleaders or the mom/son team win now.

I wanted Tanner and Josh to stay in the race, but U turning them was a smart move. They were a strong team and more importantly you always want to guarantee you won't be eliminated. You never know what might go wrong in your own race, so it is best to use the U-turn in a way that will put another team as far back as possible.

[Primetimer]

The U-Turn reappears, causing plenty of inter-team conflict in the shadow of the Taj Mahal.

Read the story

[escape]

When it becomes obvious the race is getting predictable (and boring), I would like to see the producers throw in a twist - just to shake things up and make it a real race.

 

Unfortunately, for the guys, their fatal flaw was using the Express Pass so early in the game.

[Bad Example]

I don't think Kelsey was wrong with the Catholic/Christian thing.  Nearly every Catholic I know self-identifies like that:  What's your religion?  "Catholic".   Doesn't mean they're not Christian- that's just not generally the word they first use.  And there are plenty of churches that are just plain "Christian Church", and maybe that's what Kelsey's into. 

 

Weeks ago I would have cheered to see the Texas boys gone.  But the guy did the right thing with the cheerleaders last week, so that raised my opinion.  Many weeks ago, I wondered why they hated Justin so much.  Now I get it.  Shut up, Justin.  

[Bryce Lynch]

I had the reverse happen twenty years ago when I lived in Spain. I would be asked if I was Christian and I answered "yes, but not Catholic." Quite a number of people asked me to explain how such a thing was possible.

Male reporter lost even more points (after Hagoo) when he announced that his mother enjoys doing his laundry. The same way I stopped accepting money from my folks after a certain point, one needs to stop having Mommy do one's laundry.

I disliked many actions and comments from the Texas team but they went out absolutely graciously. I was impressed.

Many Christians do not consider Catholics Christians. It is also arguably the official belief of the Roman Catholic Church that non-Catholics are not Christians (see the anathemas of the Council of Trent) though it is not talked about that much these days.

That said, I don't think Kelsey meant it that way. I took it to mean he is a Catholic Christian and I am a different type of Christian.

It would be more common to say "He is a Catholic and I am a Baptist, Methodist, etc." I am guessing she is either from a non-denominational church or belongs to a denomination that doesn't really have a name for its members (e.g., Assemblies of God, Evangelical Free, Calvary Chapel).

Agree that the Texans were very, gracious in defeat. They showed a lot of class for the second straight week. They are definitely better men than me, admitting Justin deserves to win. :)

[Clemgo3165]

And Justin stirred that pot and took great pleasure in doing so. He knows how to play the game AND how to game-play.

Was surprised by the speed bump last night, I've never seen one like that before. Usually they're very simple, short tasks.

I don't think Denise and James Earl were even close to losing, the sun was far higher in the sky when they came in than Tanner and Josh.

[needschocolate]

I know that it is possible for a team to overcome a u-turn and a speed bump, but it is highly unlikely. Therefore, I still wish they would stop having u-turns in episodes where they know a team will have to do a  speed bump.  A team starts out last, has to do any extra task and, often (usually?) gets u-turned because they are at the back of the pack, and almost always gets eliminated.  That makes for a predictable leg and the predictable legs are boring (and with Justin and Diana around, the winner was fairly predictable too).  They could have at least had some bunching.  

 

When was the last time they had a single u-turn?  There wasn't even any hope of a weaker team being u-turned along with Texas.  

 

Speaking of u-turns -- The thing I dislike most about u-turns is that every time they have one, the forum turns into a debate about whether the u-turn is an immoral/cruel/nasty thing to do or if it is a strategic part of the race.  

 

Still speaking of u-turns - I thought it was odd that Phil told Texas that their only hope was if Justin and Diana had been u-turned.  First off, Phil, kudos for acknowledging that this was a predictable leg, but I think your logic was wrong.  J&D finished first.  Had they been u-turned they wouldn't have been first, but there is a good chance they wouldn't be last either.  Texas's best hope for not being eliminated was if someone had u-turned Mom & Son. 

 

Which leads me to wonder if the cheerleaders would have u-turned Mom & Son if they hadn't wasted their u-turn on Justin and Diana last time.  

 

Onto other, non-u-turn, things --- When newsboy said that his mom does his laundry because she likes to do his laundry, I thought "Uh, she doesn't like to do your laundry, she just thinks you do a crappy job of it on your own and doesn't want you walking around looking bad."

[Eolivet]

Did anyone answer what #RadonRedux is? A TAR Canada thing? I feel like this is an inside joke I'm not getting.

 

I don't think the Texans were done in by their Paris sight-seeing (there was a real bunch on the flight -- they were first coming into the train station), but by making the Speed Bump a double Roadblock. I agree with others, that it's a great idea, but they were never recovering from that. I disagree with Phil that it wouldn't have happened "unless someone U-Turned Justin and Diana" as much as "the U-Turn was used on another trailing team."

 

But it's good to know that Diana is once again useful and a true part of the "team" since she completed a task to Chef Ramsay's-- I mean Justin's exacting standards. #FreeDiana

[dgpolo]

Weren't the Texans at the Candy at the same time as another team? I thought I saw someone looking over to see what they were doing, and how they were doing it? If so they had already made up the speed bump and proven that they were too strong a team to leave in the race if you had a chance to get them out.

[Jobiska]

Justin telling Phil to let him use his thumb (to count his sixth win) was just like the Intense Jim the Dentist. Ugh

 

I'm pretty sure he did that on purpose, and earlier as they were running through the garden he yelled "We're coming, Phil!" in a very Ian-like intonation, so I think he was quoting old intense guys who have raced previously.  Superfan quirk, I suppose.  

 

Did anyone answer what #RadonRedux is? A TAR Canada thing? I feel like this is an inside joke I'm not getting.

 

 

I had to puzzle it out myself:  I think there's a poster who dislikes Brendon and Rachel, so instead of giving them the honor of their self-proclaimed portmanteau name Brenchel, has turned it around to Ra-don, which is convenient because radon is poisonous and so, to many TAR fans, are Brendon and Rachel.  Brendon and Rachel, particularly Rachel, liked to wear a particularly virulent shade of green, which Justin is also fond of (in fact, they are the hashtag green team).  So to this poster they are the second coming of Brendon and Rachel.  I myself don't see it--I mean I get that they're both green and both polarizing due to one over the top member, but I find their approaches very different.  And I also still don't mind Justin and Diana that much.   But to each their own!

 

Efficiently yes, but [Texas] produced something that looked nothing like the candy everybody else was making. Theirs was way too long and had lots of seeds, which the regular candy didn't seem to have. There was no quality control from the task masters there.

 

 

 

I was wondering about this too, but there's a very quick glimpse of their product close to the end, like when they have washed it and it's being weighed, and the candy is now the right height.  I think they cut big slices and big "cores" from the slices, and then quickly cut those down to size when we weren't looking.  It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot.

I also was pretty amazed they seemed to do the 120-can math with no problem and no Sharpie, since they had such trouble with the Fitbit subtraction!

I found the conveying of the Speed Bump info very confusing.  Was there a sign, and I missed it?  The first I heard of it was that as they waited for their partners to complete it, Tiffany seemed to be telling Josh that he had to do it for his Speed Bump, almost as if he didn't know that himself.  There was some muttering of names as they ripped the clues, but it was very unclear.

 

Edited November 21, 2015 by Jobiska

[leighdear]

The cheerleaders are slick liars though, I'll give it to them.

Seriously, I was impressed.  Turning it back on the paps so they were actually apologizing.  The girls are good. 

 

Who was the redheaded guy in the plaid shirt that got Justin & Diana directions when their Tuk-Tuk was lost?  Was that one of the camera crew?  Are they allowed to do that?  He definitely didn't look like a helpful local.  

 

Sadly for me, this is about as gut wrenching as the Dave & Connor season.  But I think I hated Dave a tiny bit less than I hate Justin. But not by much.  

Edited November 21, 2015 by leighdear

[Ilovemylabs]

I'm going to miss the Texans.  I was cheering them on.  Justin and Diana are fabulous players, but I just can't stand HIM.  She's ok.  Thought the speed bump was unfair.  In the past they have not taken quite as long.  Not sure who to root for now, but it won't be the green team.  If they don't win, so what?  They have many many trips that they've already won.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Ilovemylabs

[green]

I'm one of those stupid people who can't suspend my sense of honor and sportsmanship while watching these ridiculous shows.   I don't believe in kicking people when they're down.   Texas was no threat at all.   They would have washed out on their own within a week or two.    U-turning the paparazzi would have been the more strategic move. 

 

The Speed Bump this time seemed intended to ensure the elimination of whichever team had the misfortune of catching it.

 

I have to respectfully disagree.  Texas had hit a slow patch when they went off sight seeing which put them on a later flight which put them behind in the Netherlands which caused them to finish last cause they were stupid and let the Cheerleaders go first.  But until that patch they were the main rivals to Green Team with the Reporters maybe third.  The Reporters couldn't U-Turn the Green Team so they U-Turned the only other serious threat remaining in the game.  Cause all Texas needed was a good, old fashioned bunch (without the speed bump they had this leg) to put them in serious contention again.

 

OTOH I don't see the Paps in that tier of "threats" at all.  This was one of the few legs they didn't screw up and anything can happen on the Race.  But they haven't really showed much racing skill so far.

 

I agree the speed bump seemed more intended to help eliminate the last place team from the last leg.  But in seasons past people have endlessly complained that the speed bump was a joke and basically finishing last had no real penality to it.  Now the Race has switched it up to say that a last place finish should have very serious consequences so do NOT finish last in any leg ever.  So I like that change given they use speed bumps and u-turns.

 

I am old school and don't like the speed bump or u-turns and think the old FF in every leg but the last one was the way to help shake up the Race in a more positive, Racer controled way.  But unfortuanatley TAR's days of glory are long gone when it was still The AMAZING Race.  So given that I'm fine with a last place finish having more consequences.

 

Yeah I almost forgot the male Reporter has mommy do his wash for him.  Because she wants to?  Really?  I doubt that though as someone said in another episode thread (the recapper maybe?), he looks like someone out of a 1950's TV show.  So why not have an old fashioned 1950's mom from that show too that spoils her male children into their old age.

 

Maybe the female reporter was someone raised Christian but was a non-practicing secularist type not interested in religion at the moment one way or the other.  But the way she said her partner was a "Catholic" could make her sound like she was one of those crackpot fundamentalists that only think their group is Christian and that the Pope is the Anti-Christ or something.  They do NOT get to make up the definition of who is or is not a Christian.  The dictionary does.  So I'm sure she isn't one of those but she could have worded the thing better probably.  But I assumed the editors used that sound bite because it did sound silly and figured people would get a good laugh out of her poor phrasing.  I know it got a laugh out of me.

 

Go, Team Green.  Such a joy to see good racing skills.  And I like Justin's awkward "geek enthusiam".  I'm fine with him though the editing keeps telling me they can't win in the end unfortunately.  No reality show ever builds up someone(s) as being impossible to stop unless they are stopped.  Thats Editing 101.

[possibilities]

I thought they used the clip of her saying the Catholic/Christian thing because it contrasts with previous seasons where they had Christian racers acting all upset about being asked to participate in a non-Christian activity, and she was showing that she wasn't threatened by it.

 

I think the clue itself is what said that the speed bump would be that the other teammate had to complete the roadblock. There wasn't a "Speed Bump" sign like they usually have, just the clue. That's why the cheerleader knew, and was able to tell Tanner (or Josh; I still can't tell which is which) what he'd have to do, since she'd read the clue herself in the course of doing the task, and he hadn't while waiting on the side.

[Muffyn]

And wasn't he shaving the same guy the whole time?  That seemed more than a little odd.

Maybe the guy has some bizarre disorder in which his hair grows at an incredibly rapid pace?  Without constant shaving he would look like a wookie.  I am thinking random barber at the mat may come into play at the final task.  

 

As far as the U-turn goes, I prefer when it happens earlier in the leg.  If they reverse the order of the tasks and offer the U-turn, then there is more possibility of the team catching up.  We’ve seen that happen in prior seasons when someone really rocks the task and another team fails miserably at the next task or gets lost.  The U-turn right before the mat makes it less suspenseful because the team being U-turned has little opportunity to catch up.  The other teams are already checking in.

 

My issue this season is that none of the teams are really catching my attention.  Justin annoys me so I try to block him out.  I did like his partners reaction when he mooing at the cow.  He would be exhausting to be around.  The paps bicker constantly which is not amusing.  I agree with the posters who have said they would be more interesting if they got along some of the time.  They just constantly complain.  So that gives us three racers who would be more enjoyable if someone gagged them.  The cheerleaders and the we’re so sexy schtick has worn thin.  I guess the most telling sign for me that I am not invested into any of these teams is that I cannot remember their names and I don’t feel they are worth looking up.

Edited November 21, 2015 by Muffyn

[PhD-Purgatory15]

My love of TAR India legs almost cancelled out my hatred of Justin. Almost.

 

After the whiff on the FF during leg one, Justin and Diana have almost run a perfect race in the sense that they've had almost zero bad taxi/tuk-tuk luck. Which is absurd. The tuk tuk driver stopping to find directions for that roundabout is about as bad as they've had it. They've also picked the right detour almost every single time.....maybe this particular season has avoided the extremely vague descriptions that periodically popped up in almost every previous season. They've almost never been reshuffled back to the back of the pack (middle maybe) after inter-leg travel. It's just effing exasperating. I keep telling myself "Candy scientists girls" or Beekman Boys because that's basically what's going to have to happen in the finale leg to keep him from winning.

 

No issues w/ Kelsey and Joey u-turning Texas. In their mind, they are the clear 2nd best team now that Texas is gone. If you were almost certain that J&D were ahead of you (which having bad Tuk-tuk luck on the way to the carts detour pretty much guaranteed)....why not knock out the only other reasonably strong team in the race? Smart play, particularly when everybody was at the roadblock together and could mentally figure out how much of a lead they were going to have on the Texas boys after that brutal speedbump. I'm w/ a poster upthread who thought that having them both do it at the same time would've been a bit more fair....especially when you think back to other exciting speedbumps like untying a giant knot, TK and Rachel running through people w/ fireworks, and the block of ice challenge already mentioned.

 

Denise has to be closing in on one of the best ever finishes by a female over a certain age. I wouldn't be opposed w/ them making the finale. L&C are the quintessential hate each other/hate the race pairing like Marie and Tim, and Tara and Will from waaay back. The cheerleaders feel like they about maximized their potential in the race but given L&C's history w/ meltdowns....it wouldn't shock me if they snuck into the finale either.

 

I'm still trying to figure out what the strategy from J&D at the train depot was. Logan and Chris bringing up the Texas team's looming speed bump makes perfect sense. They would've been the most vulnerable team. So what was Justin doing (other than being Justin I guess)? I could see how Logan might've seen that as a veiled threat that they could've been on the end of a u-turn....hence her bringing up the Cheerleaders laughable decision way back in Africa. But knowing Justin, if he was going to uturn somebody it certainly wasn't going to be the cheerleaders who pose very little of a threat. All in all just a strange bit of game play that ultimately didn't end up leading to anything...

Edited November 21, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[green]

I'm pretty sure he did that on purpose, and earlier as they were running through the garden he yelled "We're coming, Phil!" in a very Ian-like intonation, so I think he was quoting old intense guys who have raced previously.  Superfan quirk, I suppose.  

 

I had to puzzle it out myself:  I think there's a poster who dislikes Brendon and Rachel, so instead of giving them the honor of their self-proclaimed portmanteau name Brenchel, has turned it around to Ra-don, which is convenient because radon is poisonous and so, to many TAR fans, are Brendon and Rachel.  Brendon and Rachel, particularly Rachel, liked to wear a particularly virulent shade of green, which Justin is also fond of (in fact, they are the hashtag green team).  So to this poster they are the second coming of Brendon and Rachel.  I myself don't see it--I mean I get that they're both green and both polarizing due to one over the top member, but I find their approaches very different.  And I also still don't mind Justin and Diana that much.   But to each their own!

 

Thanks for figuring out that weird reference.  I had no idea either.   Thought it might be from The Amazing Race Mars or something so just ignored the posts containing it after awhile.  Given your research I guess I was smart to ignore them too.  Thanks for taking one for the team.

 

And thanks for mentioning the Ian reference.  I missed that somehow.  I also miss Ian's paper underwear.  Good times.

 

Who was the redheaded guy in the plaid shirt that got Justin & Diana directions when their Tuk-Tuk was lost?  Was that one of the camera crew?  Are they allowed to do that?  He definitely didn't look like a helpful local.  

 

Since they were near one of the most mega tourist-visited places on earth I assume it was a tourist.

 

And no the crew cannot help in any way shape or form.  And they don't.  I think the one exception I heard of is they can actively help in explaining and getting locals to sign the waivers needed to show their images on American TV.  I know in the past the sound guy carried the waiver forms with him.  Don't know if this is current info though.  But if it is then all crews doing it with/for all teams doesn't end up being a help to just one team and all teams would know this rule going into the race.

 

The only other exception I heard of is if they and the team fear they may be in clear and present danger.  Then the sound guy (who carries a cell phone with him, he's a real pack mule that guy) can call in the trailing private British firm security team production always hires that stays out of site. 

 

This happened (though wasn't shown on camera) in TAR3 (Ian's TAR!) when the fireman and cop team ended up being taken by either a clueless or possibly shifty cabbie to a sketchy area in Morocco where the local official tried to take the team's passports away.   I heard later the Morroccan government when they heard about this incident tracked down the cabbie and took away his license so maybe he was "shifty" and it was a shake-down he and his buddies had planned. 

 

BTW Phil knows when to go stand on the mat in part because of the sound guy whipping out that cellphone calling in production to give them a heads-up ETA when they are getting near the pit stop.  I wonder if Denise/James Earl's sound guy had called in an ETA when they got in the tuk-tuk thinking they were heading in only to end up having to run all over the place with that team when they ended up on the other side of the river instead.  Cause he couldn't exactly re-call in without giving that team a heads-up that they went in the wrong direction cause that would be helping the team.  So Phil may have been standing around on the mat awhile in that case, hah.

Edited November 21, 2015 by green

[merylinkid]

I totally would have u-turned the Texans.   They were a strong team, who maybe were circling the drain.   But how many teams were "one leg away from sure elimination" and made it into the finals?   Or even won?    Remember Dandrew?   Infamouse Team Pink from the first All Stars?   I'm sure there are others.

 

Never miss an opportunity to take out a team that you aren't sure you can beat in a foot race to the mat.    You're racing for a Million Dollars, not Ms. Congeniality.   No reason to be rude/nasty/obnoxious about it.   But no reason to be self-righteous about not using a rule of the race to your advantage.

 

As for Denies being the oldest female to make it to the finals, please remember our favorite Mother/Son team made it to the finals where Luke got help from the Beauty Queens in the surfboard challenge.

[Muffyn]

Shout out to Denise for running 11 miles in one day in the heat of India.  She is becoming stronger as the season progresses.  Does she have Empowering Fatigue? 

[Madding crowd]

I'm still enjoying the scenery, but I feel bored when I can figure out exactly what is going to happen in each episode. I knew the Texans would be gone after seeing the very difficult speed bump, which in my opinion was much more time consuming than any other I have seen. In theory, I have no objection to the reporters using the U-Turn, but it bothers me when the team has zero chance of catching up. The editors made it seem like they had a small chance, but it was obvious that Denise and James Earl were very much ahead of Tanner and Josh.

 

I still don't like Justin and his stupid smirks to the camera. He has a way too high opinion of himself. Yes, he deserves to win every leg but then why are we watching? It's like he is just recreating his own private TAR and we are drawn along.

 

I also thought it was odd that the same man was getting a shave for what had to be hours. Maybe it means something but otherwise it's a head scratcher. And my hubby asked if Phil always had big boobs and I said I hope it's just the unflattering shirt. 

Edited November 21, 2015 by Madding crowd