S27.E11: It's Not Easy Beating Green

[azathoth]

I wish Team TMZ were still in it so Kelly could have yelled "Don't cryyyyyyyyy!" when Justin started blubbering. God, I can't believe the cheerleaders lost. I know they aren't the greatest team, but if a couple of bumbling idiots like Dandrew could make the final three, anyone can.

[Lakebum]

Well, $%!#. ^*%%@)&  $%!#.

 

#*(%!^# show is rigged.

 

I hope that entitled pompous sack of $%!# finishes third because HE makes an imbecilic mistake... and then he punches Phils, so we know we won't ever be subject to him in any sort of Redemption season.

 

It took 10 years, but Jonathan is back to being Jonathan; now the goofy green crybaby is He Who Must Not Be Named... and only because He Who Must Not Survive is probably asking a bit too much.

 

 

[mojoween]

It doesn't really seem to me like the taxi issue had anything to do with Justin and Diana possibly going out.

When they were looking for the ferry terminal, they asked the local for the ferry. He said there were two, Hong Kong and Kowloon. Justin said they need Hong Kong. The guy says well I'm going to give you Kowloon because it's closer and Justin says ok and THEN tells Diana it's fine.

So the penalty? ALL on him. If he had said no, we really need Hong Kong, he would have gotten directions to Hong Kong, there would have been no penalty, and I wouldn't have had the few minutes of pleasure thinking that his horrid ass was going out.

In other news, still hate Chris and Logan. Logan is just so ODD. Her behavior with Krista in the elevator was coming from someone so entirely clueless. She's trying to be buddies with Krista, knowing that Krista doesn't like her because of the U-Turn lie, and then Krista starts dancing in the elevator so Logan does it too, but Logan just looks like a robot trying to imitate a human. There was nothing natural about it at all. Logan does not come across as a free dancing type of woman.

I can only root for Kelsey and Joey by default. He does seem like he'd probably be a fun guy to hang out with, at least that's how I see him.

[absolutelyido]

Anyway I'm glad that Green Team will get to circumnavigate the globe.  They deserve it.  Their one mistake, after reading the clues so well all race, was not reading the clue regards the ferryboat.  The taxi thing was on the cabbie.

 

I disagree about the cabbie, I think the taxi problem was completely on Justin & Diana. It seems to me that when a task involves making or finding an object, and then delivering the object somewhere to get your clue, the delivery is never by cab. It is typically walking, or perhaps biking, or conveying yourself in some other way. I honestly don't recall a task in which the racers were expected to take a taxi in the middle of a task; they take taxis to get from one task to another or to the pit stop. I could be wrong because I am not a know-it-all superfan like Justin, but I think they should have seriously questioned whether it was the right thing to take a cab to deliver the object because that is not how it is usually done.

 

Also, I think they read the clue about the ferry correctly and knew they were supposed to go to Hong Kong Island. The guy on the street said that he was going to send them to the other ferry location because it was closer and Justin said OK. So I think Justin knew they weren't exactly following the clue but he was so flustered at that point he didn't care, he just wanted to get to the ferry asap.

Edited December 5, 2015 by absolutelyido

[Lantern7]

I forgot to ask . . . does anybody else think that the cameraman who zoomed in on the nearby street sign is going to get something nice in his Christmas stocking this year?

[Lemons]

Justin may be annoying, but he's in similar company.

 

I found the cheerleaders to have such a weird attitude at times throughout the race (particularly during their alliance with​ Tanner & Josh when they acted like it was a team of 4 instead of a team of 2). And the Paparazzi were negative nannies during every leg.

 

The only ones who aren't crazy are the Reporters, but they're not as fun to watch.

 

Agree.  I don't get the cheerleader love.  They lost this last leg because she didn't know how to swim.  Her arms were flailing, her fingers were spread apart, she didn't know how to swim down.  She obviously never took swimming lessons, or didn't get very far with her lessons.  I assume the other one didn't know how to swim or she would have done it.  I found them loud, tacky and braggy and they cried a lot. 

 

I don't know how the reporters even got on the game they were so white bread boring.  Nothing against them, just boring. 

 

Justin cried just like a lot of racers cry every season.  No different except I don't think I've noticed a runner who wants this as badly as him.  He is obsessed. 

 

Runners have been rude to cabdrivers a lot more than Justin was on this leg.  I think people are stretching for negative things to say about Justin. 

[blackwing]

Justin cried just like a lot of racers cry every season.  No different except I don't think I've noticed a runner who wants this as badly as him.  He is obsessed. 

 

Runners have been rude to cabdrivers a lot more than Justin was on this leg.  I think people are stretching for negative things to say about Justin. 

 

Sorry, but I disagree.  I don't think I need to "stretch" to find negative things to say about him.  I think he creates many opportunities himself.  And it wasn't just last night, the entire race he has been the very epitome of the loud aggressive ugly American.  From the way he hollered out "gauuuuuuuchoooo mi amigooooo" to the way he screams at his partner to the way he treated the cabbie last night... he is just awful.

 

I also don't agree that he cried like everyone else.  Have people cried?  Yes.  Have they cried to the extent he has?  I don't think so.  This man was crying in episode 1 and it wasn't just a few tears, it was full out man bawling at the thought that his dream was over so soon.  And I would say it was made weirder by the fact that his partner just sat there completely silent and just looked at him crying, without even trying to comfort him or tell him that things were going to be OK.

 

The way he treated the cab driver was terrible.  Even if the guy didn't speak English, it was obvious from the tone and intonation that Justin wasn't very respectful.  I'm glad that Diana told him that he was being an ass, and that it was capture on TV for everyone to see.

[Lemons]

Diana sniped that out loud when the performers cheered after she got her golden fish.

 

That wasn't Diana, that was the cheerleader said said something like "oh sure now the encouragement after you're leaving" when Justin offered a good luck.  Not sure what the heck she meant by it.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Lemons

[Lemons]

.  I'm glad that Diana told him that he was being an ass, and that it was capture on TV for everyone to see.

 

He was.  But we see people being asses under pressure on this show a lot.  A lot.  The worst can come out in people when they are under stress and we see it all the time on this show.  And in real life.  I just don't see Justin as standing out that much from so many others before him.  And it seems people are stretching to find examples of just how horrible! he is.  Eh, he's not that bad.

[Latverian Diplomat]

I've found Justin exhausting but his enthusiasm for the race has made me root for his team. My money is on the reporters to win the big prize but I'm hoping that the team that has run such a dominant race pulls through. I'm going to show myself out :)

I defended Justin when he was getting ragged on/conspired against by other teams. And I still think he was the victim there, because the number one reason the other teams seem to dislike them is that Green Team wins. I admit that other complaints about Green or Justin specifically might be edited out, but Justin is at his worst in footage the home audience sees, but the other racers do not (berating Diana, whining to Diana, abusing cab drivers etc.) So I'm still not sure the other racers have much room to complain about Justin. 

 

Normally, I'd say Phil's "Didn't see that coming!" comment was out of character.  But:

 

First, he didn't say that to Justin & Diane.  He was speaking to the Paps and the News Anchors who were standing there with their mouths open while Dustin sat to one side disintegrating in a puddle of his own tears.  Frankly, when the penalty was awarded (no surprise) I guffawed and hooted with laughter for about a minute.  How the others were able to refrain from laughing in Justin's face so hard as to make his hat fly off, I don't know!

 

Second, think how repulsive a character Justin has become to us, who only have to deal with him for a few minutes on a Friday.   Now think what it must be like for Phil, to have to put up with him, day after day for three+ weeks!  I think Phil can be forgiven for leaking a little distain for such a reprehensible personality.  In fact, it's probably fair to say Phil exhibited rare restraint!

I don't think Justin is a hassle for production. Green do the tasks and we haven't seen them bitch about rules or penalties. And I don't know how much time Phil spends with the racers outside of mat greeting (my impression is, not much). I do think production has seen Justin at his ugliest in the dailies, and I think this is why we get the implication (for example in Phil's "be nice to her" comment to Justin a few weeks ago) that they think Justin is a huge dick.

 

tl;dr I don't know if the other teams have legitimate reasons to dislike (and conspire against) Justin, or they just resent Green's success. I do think the home audience and production have seen him at his worst and legitimately dislike him for that.

 

Lastly, I don't think it's possible, but if there's some way for Logan and Diana to win the whole thing and leave Justin and Chris whining and crying at the finish mat, that would be a more satisfying conclusion than anything we're more likely to get. 

Edited December 5, 2015 by Latverian Diplomat

[MakeMeLaugh]

Paraphrasing, but I think my favorite part was when Logan asked Chris if they should do the cell phone or the tailoring task and he told her to decide. She said tailoring, and he said, I would have picked the other one. I'm not good at that. Classic--so if we screw it up, it's not my fault. I think he would have said the same thing if she had said cell phone.

I probably would not like Green at all if Papparazzi weren't so thoroughly unpleasant to each other, to the other racers, and to the locals (who they treat as if they are invisible imo)--Green's unpleasantness is related to the competition, but imo Paps are just unpleasant all the time--it's their shtick almost. So I'm going with Green ftw.

I felt like there were possibly some producer shenanigans going on through the show. In the classic story arc the front runner has to stumble before going on to win, or there's no contest/story. How did Green find that phone so fast in that sea of places with used phones? How did they then get a cab that lost them? The wrong ferry, yeah, that's on Green, but--no one seems to get penalized for finding an earlier flight or an alternate mode of transit, so not surprising that they didn't think about it. I wonder if they would have been penalized the extra 25 minutes if the cheerleaders had been closer (and yet another bad taxi driver? Hong Kong cabbies are not looking too good)--there seemed to be just the right amount of time to have Green stay in the race. So Green can go into the finale stripped of the front runner status and win as an underdog?

The cheerleader swimming was just painful--had to be contact lens related. The acrobats had to be so tired of them by the end of it. Hope they find the millionaires they think they can marry. Better hurry up--Beauty fades, dumb is forever © Judge Judy.

I have no feeling at all about the reporters. Maybe they'll win but there isn't much of a story arc for that. Maybe the little engine that could, the tortoise and the hare, etc.?

Edited December 5, 2015 by MakeMeLaugh

[Marvin]

Justin shows just how ugly he is when the second he's not in first, he turns on his girlfriend and becomes a dick to cab drivers. 

 

Very true - he acts like such a spoilt brat and believes he is entitled to first place each time. The sign of a good racer is one who can take loosing well !

 

 

SHUT UP JUSTIN!! Could NOT stand him this episode. What a whiny baby. Hated him going on and on about how the challenge was tailor made for him and doubting Diana.

 

 

He always does that - he believe he is best for every task and only praises Diana if she gets it right first time. I think there have been very few individual tasks in this series and as such Diana seems to do most of them ?

 

I think that if the two ever married a divorce would follow shortly after !

[sinycalone]

No need to ask ten people about a street address after you found the phone:  just someone right there at phone stall.  They will know if it's close by.  If it isn't, then seek out a cab driver.  Not a big operation.

[Tara Ariano]

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

 

A Splashy Affair, And A Flood Of Tears, On The Amazing Race
In Hong Kong, Justin gets emotional, to say the least, when the Green Team hits their first major snag in about nine legs. Oh yeah, and there are three other teams there too.

[Sayla Vee]

 

I hope that entitled pompous sack of $%!# finishes third because HE makes an imbecilic mistake... and then he punches Phils, so we know we won't ever be subject to him in any sort of Redemption season.

 

It took 10 years, but Jonathan is back to being Jonathan; now the goofy green crybaby is He Who Must Not Be Named... and only because He Who Must Not Survive is probably asking a bit too much.

 

My thoughts exactly.  I'm even weeding HWMNS's favorite shade of green out of my closet and totally giving up green beans.  I no longer like Kermit and I'm rethinking recycling because that's so "green".  Not sure I can face the finale because I do expect him to win, and I know that I cannot face that.  If he is ever invited back on the show, I will not be watching until I know that he's Philiminated.

 

It's absolutely amazing to me that TAR has found a character who has made me forget and/or forgive the behavior of people like, for instance, Colin and Jonathan.  

[irisheyes]

He was.  But we see people being asses under pressure on this show a lot.  A lot.  The worst can come out in people when they are under stress and we see it all the time on this show.  And in real life.  I just don't see Justin as standing out that much from so many others before him.  And it seems people are stretching to find examples of just how horrible! he is.  Eh, he's not that bad.

 

I don't mind people stressing out during a task, especially when it's not going well, and I don't even mind that much when two team members are sniping at each other.  By this point in the race, you've been with your partner 24/7 for two weeks straight (at least), and you're probably sick of each other.  But, I draw the line at being rude to cab drivers.  You can get frustrated with a cabbie because he's taken you to the wrong spot, but Justin basically called the guy an idiot to his face, and then tried to excuse himself by saying "He doesn't understand English."  Dude, guy drives a cab in Hong Kong.  I bet he understands more English than you realize.  

 

Also, the total meltdown about how this was the worst thing ever and how he can't go back without winning.  I hope (though I doubt it), that he watched that last night after the events of this week and realized that losing the Amazing Race isn't the worst thing that could ever happen.  Yes, it would be hugely disappointing, but life WOULD go on.

[Lantern7]

Sign That Justin Might Not Be An End-All/Be-All Fan: I don't remember him reacting to Phil telling him that he and Diana were "the third team to arrive" before the penalty was assessed. Usually, if Phil moves beyond numbers, you fucked up somewhere in the leg.

[RCharter]

He was.  But we see people being asses under pressure on this show a lot.  A lot.  The worst can come out in people when they are under stress and we see it all the time on this show.  And in real life.  I just don't see Justin as standing out that much from so many others before him.  And it seems people are stretching to find examples of just how horrible! he is.  Eh, he's not that bad.

To me, who you are under pressure, is more an indication of who you are.  Its easy to be happy and condescending and smug when everything is going your way.  But the minute a problem comes up Justin dissolves into yelling at Diana, blaming someone, or turning on buckets of tears.  And I mean, the minute something doesn't go his way he is yelling at Diana.  As someone above said, when he is winning, he is obnoxious.  When he is losing, he is obnoxious.  He is just an obnoxious douche.  And the more I think about it, the more I think even in his "kind" moments, he is just playing for the camera.  Of course he was going to donate all of his money to charity.  But that was because he realized he is on TV and he wants to look like a good guy.  He is mugging for the camera, because he is certain America loves him.  And I'm going to laugh when he finds out how much people dislike him.

 

You look at how so many other teams have reacted under pressure.  There may be a few little skirmishes, but they are never like Justin.  So many of the teams are supportive.  Tiffany had to know that they were in deep shit at the water place, and that had to have sucked for her.  She didn't yell, she encouraged. You aren't given a free pass to be as Justin sized asshat just because you're under pressure.  He can kick rocks with his socks off.

I have no feeling at all about the reporters. Maybe they'll win but there isn't much of a story arc for that. Maybe the little engine that could, the tortoise and the hare, etc.?

Here is the story...they aren't Justin!  I'm about it, and at this point I don't care who wins as long as it isn't Justin.

[mojoween]

One of the worst things I saw Justin do is when someone gave him a clue, or something, I don't remember that part and Justin yelled back as they were running away "we're in last place, nothing good about it!"

Seriously. What the fuck does that guy care? There was absolutely no call for him to yell that.

[Dobian]

Ugh that episode was excruciating to watch, I felt like it was two hours long.  I wanted to jump in that tank and find the damn fish for Krista myself.  Logan and Chris in first, ugh.  Watching Justin sob about maybe going home, ugh again.  And of course  the cheerleaders just had to get a bad cabbie on top of it all.  Why can't a team ever seem to overtake the team waiting out their penalty?  I was rooting for the cheerleaders, and they were on a roll right up to that roadblock.  Now we've got a final with two annoying teams and the reporters.  I guess I'll root for them now.

[RCharter]

One of the worst things I saw Justin do is when someone gave him a clue, or something, I don't remember that part and Justin yelled back as they were running away "we're in last place, nothing good about it!"

Seriously. What the fuck does that guy care? There was absolutely no call for him to yell that.

Of course that guy cares!  Its the Justin show, everyone cares about whats going on with Justin!

[NYCFree]

Ever since episode two, I've been thinking about a specific quote:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

Martin Luther King, Jr."

How someone reacts during tough times tells you a hell of a lot more about them than how they act when all is going well. If someone can act decently when things are falling apart, then you have someone you can trust.

Run Diana--this guy will blame you when things go wrong, and be arrogant and smug during good times. Do you really want to have an infant crying at two am, and still have to comfort the big baby next to you who is tired and disturbed by the actual infant?

[Lemons]

.  You can get frustrated with a cabbie because he's taken you to the wrong spot, but Justin basically called the guy an idiot to his face, and then tried to excuse himself by saying "He doesn't understand English."  Dude, guy drives a cab in Hong Kong.  I bet he understands more English than you realize.  

 

 

 

The cab driver was an idiot.  And I hate when the racers are rude to locals but so many of them are.  Racers have always screamed at cab drivers to HURRY UP, I'M IN A RACE!!  I don't see Justin standing out as one of the worst.  Top half maybe, but not enough to really stand out.

[Wandering Snark]

That... was... excruciating... all those shots of her flailing about in the water with the "Golden Fish" about a foot from her feet had she turned around and looked the other way... and then The Penalty. And all for naught. Ugh. So close.

 

We got wierd glimpses that Logan might be a normal person is she didn't have Chris constantly pushing her buttons, like in the so-called real word she might not be terrible. Chris though I feel is a lost cause and together the two are just toxic. They need some time along to realize the people they were before they got into this death spiral of emotions and bickering.

[yamashinaryu]

That could have been the best elimination. EVER.

Justin is a psycho. Scary.

[Lemons]

One of the worst things I saw Justin do is when someone gave him a clue, or something, I don't remember that part and Justin yelled back as they were running away "we're in last place, nothing good about it!"

Seriously. What the fuck does that guy care? There was absolutely no call for him to yell that.

 

I don't get how that is so horrible?  People announce stuff all the time that the other person doesn't give a shit about.  I wouldn't describe that as horrible.  I think this is another example of stretching to find something bad to say.

[RCharter]

That... was... excruciating... all those shots of her flailing about in the water with the "Golden Fish" about a foot from her feet had she turned around and looked the other way... and then The Penalty. And all for naught. Ugh. So close.

 

We got wierd glimpses that Logan might be a normal person is she didn't have Chris constantly pushing her buttons, like in the so-called real word she might not be terrible. Chris though I feel is a lost cause and together the two are just toxic. They need some time along to realize the people they were before they got into this death spiral of emotions and bickering.

If everyone is on the up and up in that relationship I feel like they will look at that video and it will either be the death knell of their relationship or they will both completely change.  I can't imagine watching that and thinking "oh, thats just so us"  

 

Because they both fight.  Justin and Diana will watch the video and Justin will be busy deflecting blame for his actions, blaming Diana for his actions, justifying his actions and trying to find any other way to not that responsibility or to forgive his shitty behavior.  I'm not sure if he will blame editing, but it wouldn't shock me.  So, to Justin, he will have done nothing wrong and nothing is his fault.  And Diana will likely back him on this.  And he will be insufferable for the rest of his life.  Because they don't fight.  Justin says and does whatever he wants, and Diana takes it.

[mojoween]

I don't find it stretching, because I personally felt it was unnecessary to tell a gentleman who was being very pleasant that telling him to have a good day or whatever he said, I can't remember exactly, that it wasn't good because of HIS personal problem.

How I feel about other racers doing it in the past doesn't really matter in this context, because that doesn't change how I feel about what JUSTIN did, in this episode.

[RCharter]

I don't get how that is so horrible?  People announce stuff all the time that the other person doesn't give a shit about.  I wouldn't describe that as horrible.  I think this is another example of stretching to find something bad to say.

I think if you look at each individual case of Justin being a jackass in a vacuum they don't look so bad.  But overall, Justin is the absolute worst.

 

If Justin was a great guy, who wasn't a smug douchebag all the time and out of frustration he snapped on a cabbie, or just made some offhand comment it wouldn't be all that bad.  But its like a patchwork and putting it all together creates the asshole quilt that is justin.

[Wandering Snark]

 

its like a patchwork and putting it all together creates the asshole quilt that is justin.

 

That, RCharter is a BIG quilt...

[Lemons]

How I feel about other racers doing it in the past doesn't really matter in this context, because that doesn't change how I feel about what JUSTIN did, in this episode.

 

I didn't mean you specifically, a lot of comments are how he is the worst ever and I just don't see it.  I remember a lot of condescending couples, a lot of couples fighting under pressure.  That was more normal than not.  A lot of couples braying about how they have never lost at anything, they are stronger and more intelligent than most, etc.  A lot of entitlement going on.  Nothing new.

[jhlipton]

I didn't mean you specifically, a lot of comments are how he is the worst ever and I just don't see it.  

 

It's called YMMV and it happens all the time.

 

Even if I hadn't hated Justin before, him going from Sob City to Smirkville i(and, what a disgusting smirk it is) n two seconds as soon as HE (oh, and maybe Diane) made the finals would have cinched it.  Not a damn word of humility, or thoughtfulness about the Cheerleaders.  He's a flat-out ass.

[Knuckles]

Justin is the classic manchild. He is incapable of handling disappointment. He breaks down into soggy tears or reacts with rage, blaming everyone around him for his difficulties. He has never shown any resilience, or even a spirit of teamwork with his partner. Either Diana is performing adequately to support his victory, or she is obstructing his chances. There is nothing in between. This is Justin's world, and Diana is valued by him only as she supports his goals. And for Diana, this meager portion is enough. Says a lot about her that this is what she will accept.

I was amused when she told him she was putting him in a time out...and he reacted with outrage. Inadvertently perhaps, the truth is there...she has to coddle and manage him as if he were a monstrous child.

[merylinkid]

 

the asshole quilt that is justin.

I am so using this whenever I have to describe someone being an ass.

[RCharter]

I am so using this whenever I have to describe someone being an ass.

knowing that my words will live on in snark makes me want to cry like Justin  :)

[jhlipton]

knowing that my words will live on in snark makes me want to cry like Justin  :)

 

Or smirk like him!

[ItsJessMe]

I found this episode difficult because I couldn't stand watching that water show.  I sort of got that it was kind of cool, but the flashing lights, the horrible make up, I just found it a combination of distracting, unpleasant and boring that had me fast forwarding TAR for literally the first time in my life.  I kind of like Justin (although I hate how he treats Diana) so I didn't particularly care one way or the other about the result, I just could not stand to watch that show.  I hated how the women at the end all looked like they'd been beaten because of the make up.  That's abuse, not entertainment.

[Starchild]

Sign That Justin Might Not Be An End-All/Be-All Fan: I don't remember him reacting to Phil telling him that he and Diana were "the third team to arrive" before the penalty was assessed. Usually, if Phil moves beyond numbers, you fucked up somewhere in the leg.

I'm pretty sure I noticed him give a side-eye at Phil. I was specifically watching for a reaction.

[Netfoot]

Well, it was plain to see that he shat in his pants when Phil said "However..."

[etagloh]

I've said it before, but I think this leg made it very clear: Justin is a reflection for better and definitely for worse of how many superfans (like us here) would run the Race. TPTB know this, and we know this. We like to think that we'd be exemplars of grace under pressure. We like to think that we'd take our knowledge of TAR and handle every pitfall and setback with cool reason, but chances are we'd go ballistic at the first sniff of a hint that our cab driver was bullshitting us about the address he said he knew, or make stupid decisions under pressure that would incur penalties. We might not do so in ways that are quite the same as Justin -- and yes, there's something very childish about how he copes with setbacks against successes -- but we probably wouldn't be as chill as Nat/Kat or TK/Rachel on the way to victory.

(Those who point out that in-task destinations are generally walkable or reachable with provided transport: yes, you're right. But would you have trusted yourself to believe that the clue was in walking distance, especially when the phone message gave a street address as well as a business name?)

Edited December 6, 2015 by etagloh

[backformore]

It's called YMMV and it happens all the time.

 

Even if I hadn't hated Justin before, him going from Sob City to Smirkville i(and, what a disgusting smirk it is) n two seconds as soon as HE (oh, and maybe Diane) made the finals would have cinched it.  Not a damn word of humility, or thoughtfulness about the Cheerleaders.  He's a flat-out ass.

Yes, it's like playing a board game with a little kid who isn't used to playing with others.   when he's ahead, it's  ha-ha, I'm so great, nobody can beat me.  When he's losing, it's Boo-hoo, this is terrible, I can't stand it, it's so unfair.    

 

A true "superfan"   of TAR would know  two things -  Acknowledge your partner, always, as being the reason you do well.   And acknowledge and praise the other teams.  Teams who say it's a tough competition because the other teams are so good, get a lot more respect than teams who have the "I am the greatest"  attitude.  Justin has blinders on.  He's been wanting to go down in TAR history as the guy who got the most first place legs and then won -  basically he wants to be the greatest racer who ever raced.    He's losing sight of the fact that fans don't care about that as much as he thinks.  Fans of the show care more about LIKING a team and rooting for them to win.  TAR seems in a lot of ways to be a test of character.  and he's losing at that, no matter what place he ends up in.

Edited December 6, 2015 by backformore

[sinycalone]

 

(Those who point out that in-task destinations are generally walkable or reachable with provided transport: yes, you're right. But would you have trusted yourself to believe that the clue was in walking distance, especially when the phone message gave a street address as well as a business name?)

 

I think that both were given because I'm guessing there many businesses with similar names in Hong Kong, so the inclusion of the address was necessary.  I know YMMV...but I'd be far more likely to believe it was close by than requiring a taxi ride since it was the second part of the task.

Edited December 6, 2015 by sinycalone

[waving feather]

The cab driver was an idiot. And I hate when the racers are rude to locals but so many of them are. Racers have always screamed at cab drivers to HURRY UP, I'M IN A RACE!! I don't see Justin standing out as one of the worst. Top half maybe, but not enough to really stand out.

You're right. I wouldn't have held Justin's rude behaviour towards the cab driver against him if it just ended there. Many of us snap at people when we're frustrated even when we shouldn't.

But what made Justin the "worst" in my eyes is how he reacted to Diana trying to remind him to keep his cool. It's fine to lose our tempers once in a while but being an adult is also being self-aware enough to recognize our own bad behavior. Not only was he unable to recognize it, he went off on Diana for being kind enough to point out to him in a gentle manner.

[eurekagirl mOo]

I don't have to "stretch" to dislike Justin. I've hated him since the first episode when he cried. Really?  You haven't even done anything yet! Be a man! Cripes you're girlfriend didn't break down in tears every 3 seconds..you did...pussy.

[kingshearte]

I think Krista couldn't dive because she has too much buoyancy.

I think you may have meant this as kind of a joke, but as someone who has a very hard time staying underwater because I just float (and I assure you, it's not for the reasons often joked about when women are floaty), that thought definitely occurred to me. I really felt for her in that task, because diving down, looking around, and swimming over to a thing before I float back up despite my best efforts to stay down is something I am super not good at. Pretty much my only hope is to know exactly where something is and dive (like, from out of the water, not just shove myself down from already being in the water) to that exact spot. It certainly was frustrating to watch her just barely miss them, but I wonder if that's even true. Perspective is a funny thing, especially in water, so just because they looked to us like they were right next to her doesn't mean they were actually that close.

 

I am all for getting along with the rest of the world, however, if his passport is voided then we are stuck with him all the time.  Can we exile him to Antarctica somehow?

Wouldn't inflicting him on penguins qualify as animal abuse?

 

It's only a fantasy I know will never happen, but if Green wins, I would love to see Diana, take her half million bucks, dump Justin on the mat, laugh and walk away.   Waaaaah!

I am having the same fantasy. I desperately want her to dump him on the mat regardless of where they place (my hope of hopes is that it's a distant third), but if they actually win, I want that even more. I'm not holding my breath, though.

 

I haven't been able to stand him for ages, but the hate has been a low simmer for the last few legs, because they've been doing well, so it's just his enthusiasm and smugness that is merely annoying (and I can see why some aren't even annoyed by it and find it endearing) that's been on display, and the memory of some of his more egregious moments had faded a little. This episode brought it alllllllll back. His behaviour in that cab? I'm sorry, but no. It was rude to the cabbie, who (a) may very well understand more English than you think, and (b) is probably perfectly capable of understanding tone so that even if he can't understand the words, he damn well gets the gist. And it was rude to Diana, who I imagine must be at least a little embarrassed by that outburst. I know that lots of people think it's perfectly normal to fight regularly with one's significant other, but I'm not one of them, and nobody gets a pass from me just because they're in a stressful situation. Certainly not when the merest hint of adversity is enough to switch from "Honey, you're the best and I love you" to "You are not helping, you are making the wrong choices, and you need to just shut up," which is pretty much how the things he says to her come across every time they're not cruising along in first. Basically, I find him annoying when he's at his best and utterly intolerable when he's not. Can't wait for him to be off my screen one way or another.

 

And as for Logan and Chris, what I've observed about them is that no matter which one of them says or decides something, and no matter what that person says or decides, the other has to disagree or find fault with it. I can't think of any exceptions to this, and that's what makes them so exasperating to watch. I don't know how they function like that. I really don't.

 

Still on Team Reporter. They're quietly competent in general, they treat each other well, they seem to treat the people around them reasonably well. They may not have the biggest personalities, but they're OK by me.

[Black Knight]

As for the newscasters, and Miss "I'm-a-Christian-and-he's-a-Catholic" -- that's the kind of ignorant entitled fundie talk that raises the hackles on the back of my neck.

If she were a Catholics-aren't-Christians fundie, I very much doubt either of them would be with the other, because she would think he's going to hell and he would be offended by her dismissal of his faith, misrepresentation of his religion, and aforementioned going-to-hell condemnation. Catholics usually identify themselves as Catholics, while a lot of other Christians identify themselves simply as Christians - sometimes because they're non-denominational, sometimes because they come from a denomination that just doesn't tend to self-identify as that denomination. (I used to go to a Lutheran school and church, for instance, where nobody ever self-identified as Lutheran, just Christian.) That's all I got from her comment, that for each of them she was using the way each self-identifies.

 

As soon as teams were making their way to the pit stop with half the episode left, while Krista and Diana were doing the water task, for the first time in all my years watching TAR I simply skipped straight to the end to see who would be eliminated. When I saw it was the cheerleaders, I deleted the episode. I just had a feeling it wasn't going to be Justin and I wasn't going to sit there and stress myself out for another 20 minutes of manipulative edited suspense if indeed Justin wasn't eliminated at the end of it. Diana really, seriously should rethink marrying him, because he is awful when things aren't going well for him and that's a huge red flag in a life partner.

 

Go reporters!

[xcrayon2215x]

That was a crazy finish, hopefully Joey/Kelsey can win the whole thing. Justin was kind of a dick this episode, but they will probably find a way to win this thing.

[Rancide]

I'm so unbelievably upset that Team Texas didn't blow past the cheerleaders in that food delivery challenge so that they, and not the cheerleaders, could have been the ones diving for fish this week.*  I couldn't stand their entitled bro asses, but I'd take ANYTHING at this point to get rid of Justin the Mentally Unstable. 

 

*Yes, I realize Texas was not technically eliminated that week, but the speed bump from hell they received for last place essentially sealed their fate in the week that followed and would almost certainly have done in the cheerleaders if they'd gotten it instead.

[Lemons]

I think you may have meant this as kind of a joke, but as someone who has a very hard time staying underwater because I just float (and I assure you, it's not for the reasons often joked about when women are floaty), that thought definitely occurred to me. I really felt for her in that task, because diving down, looking around, and swimming over to a thing before I float back up despite my best efforts to stay down is something I am super not good at.

 

 

 

 

Did you take swimming lessons?  Because it's a skill that needs to be taught, most people couldn't do that correctly without learning.  She also wasn't going to get very far with the splayed hands.  That's something that's taught early on not to do.  It's not unusual for a team to go home because they are poor swimmers.  Teams should always be prepared for swimming, it's always somewhere in the race.

[Rancide]

It's a sign of how terrible this season is that I'm rooting for a team whose names I don't know and who I don't think I realized were even on the show until halfway through the last episode when one of them started talking about how she usually has to do her own make-up for TV.

 

Go, Team Anonymous!  If you've been acting like heinous human beings for the last several weeks, at least you've been quiet about it, which means you get my vote over the other two.