S28.E05: We're Only Doing Freaky Stuff Today

[Quilt Fairy]

As I was watching I realized that I didn't have a clue who most of the racers were, I can't remember the eliminated team at all & I don't know why.

Seriously. I ff'ed through the first few minutes and suddenly I saw an all-girl team leaving in last place. I thought, "Wait, didn't they get eliminated last week? Did I miss Phil telling them he was only joking about being eliminated and it was really an NEL?" So I rewound to the beginning and all I saw was that once again Phil didn't do the opening Pit Stop exposition. I really miss that. I can sort of understand wanting to change things up to keep the show fresh, but there are some things that make TAR TAR, you know?

 

I wonder if Burnie and Ashley got some sort of time credit because the edit of Phil telling them what place they were in was odd. It didn't show them running to the mat but both teams were clearly on the mat when he checked B/A in.

There was a lot of sloppy editing throughout the episode so that teams suddenly arrived somewhere out of order and you had no idea what happened. In fact, this kind of sloppy editing seems to be a hallmark of this season. I wonder if all of TAR's previously wonderful editors all left and were replaced by people whose only experience was on, O, I don't know, YouTube?

 

The lack of diversity among the teams is just killing this season for me. Even with 2 parent/child teams still among the mix, they all blend together. There are the 2 M/M teams who are always at the front and then - everybody else. I hope that this isn't TAR's last season because this would be a hell of a way to end.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Quilt Fairy

[cooksdelight]

Does anyone know how much time is built into each stop? I was wondering what would happen if there was a blizzard that hit unexpectedly, or some other bad weather-related thing to cause none of these tasks to be able to happen. I noticed snow up on the side of that building, that had been blown onto it. Weather is tricky, they took a risk and it paid off.

[Browncoat]

Was there only one path to the dynamite area and back?  Did the second team have to wait for the first to return before going out?  No way that path was wide enough for two people to pass each other.  And definitely not pass each other and stay tethered to the line.

[Netfoot]

Matt is going to want to think long and hard before committing to that joykill till death do them part.

 

The question is, will it be murder or suicide?

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Just for clarification purposes, Erin and Joslyn aren't models. At least that isn't their day jobs. They're online entertainment reporters for YouTube's Clevver channel. In the same ballpark as the TMZ girls (minus the snark, I think) who got eliminated first in S27.

Pretty sure it's already been reported that S29 is a go...and we're getting some randomly matched up teams again. Not necessarily the "blind date" teams of two seasons ago though. I think TAR learned their lesson on that the hard way...

Edited March 12, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Hera]

The biggest drawback to this leg (at least from a RACING perspective) was the fact that this leg didn't really allow for an opportunity to significantly change the ranks. It might have been different if more teams did the campsite setup detour, but the other one was way more fun, so it isn't surprising that most teams did that one. So unless a team member fell on the paraglide take off, teams pretty much finished in the same order they started.

This is my complaint about this season in general—there haven't been any real shake-ups to the order of teams. Scott and Blair have managed to jump up to fourth place, but we'll see if they can make it stick. It also seems like a lot of detours have had one task be universally faster than the other: the mariachi band vs. the fireworks, collecting bus fares vs. playing tejo, and this time it was delivering lunch and dynamite vs. setting up a survival tent.

 

I agree with everyone who said they miss the racers having to navigate for themselves, though I do appreciate that icy mountain roads might require that the racers be driven, for safety reasons. In addition to that (and for similar reasons), a lot of the mountain stuff had to be in a fairly compact area. It's fine for one leg, but in general, I prefer seeing the racers have to move between a lot different locales, especially if they have to figure out how to get there themselves. There are more opportunities for the order to change when teams have a chance of getting lost (or finding short-cuts).

 

Edited for clairty.

Edited March 12, 2016 by Hera

[sinycalone]

Since only one team tried the tent challenge, we have no idea if it could be been done faster.  Tough to make a judgment as to comparative completion times

 

The paragliding obviously did offer an opportunity to move up ...wind and ability to stay upright while running, etc.

[tenativelyyours]

Maybe because they were in France?

 

Sorry I was referring not to where they were.  But where they were in regards to the Swiss constantly trying to exert their Alpine protocols on both Haute-Savoie and Aosta to the south.  Not quite an "inside jok" but I thought it had been in the news enough with the last border avalanche that killed a group of students.

[snarktini]

Did the tasks look dangerous to anyone else? I kept reminding myself no one could actually be in danger because TAR can't let that happen. And if I was afraid of going over the edge that's what I'd be saying over and over in my head -- the show would not let me die. I'm safe. There are safety lines. 

 

But as the episode went on, it sure did feel like there was legit risk in some of these tasks. Maybe it was because some of the racers expressed so much fear. Or maybe that's just good TV, building suspense even if there really isn't any.

[fishcakes]

Does anyone know how much time is built into each stop? I was wondering what would happen if there was a blizzard that hit unexpectedly, or some other bad weather-related thing to cause none of these tasks to be able to happen.

 

It used to be 12 hours. In the early seasons, I think they even referred to it as the 12-Hour Eat, Sleep, and Mingle period. And I do recall one time that they had to delay the start time, though I can't remember why, and the 12 hours turned into 36, so they could still leave at the time of day they were originally meant to. I don't know if any of this is still true; they got rid of ESM a long time ago and now usually keep the teams separated from each other at pit stops, although not, it seems, this season or during the blind date season. Shorter answer: I don't know. Heh. Helpful, that's me.

[ilovepuzzles]

If the race uses detailed tasks in which the order could be easily switched, then it seems to some not to be very photogenic.  If the race uses tasks that have great scenery, then it seems to some not to be as competitive. I imagine it's hard to put together episodes that have both aspects every time.  I personally loved the scenery of this episode. 

 

To me, the detour was a choice between something that could be finished quicker but took some guts or one that didn't take such fortitude but might take longer.

 

For the roadblock, the order could be switched because the teammates waiting at the bottom soon realized they couldn't count on who was flying in.

 

I also liked the fact that we didn't know whether Erin or Ashley was flying in when we knew they were the last.  Instead, we only saw the successful take-off afterwards.

Edited March 12, 2016 by ilovepuzzles

[Spunkygal]

Did the tasks look dangerous to anyone else? I kept reminding myself no one could actually be in danger because TAR can't let that happen. And if I was afraid of going over the edge that's what I'd be saying over and over in my head -- the show would not let me die. I'm safe. There are safety lines. 

 

But as the episode went on, it sure did feel like there was legit risk in some of these tasks. Maybe it was because some of the racers expressed so much fear. Or maybe that's just good TV, building suspense even if there really isn't any.

I thought the same thing. A few months after we took a floatplane trip over the Misty Fjords in Alaska, that same company lost a floatplane on the same excursion. We were kind of thinking "that could have been us." And of course we've heard of ziplines failing in various places. Not suggesting we should live our lives in fear or not experience adventures, but TAR can only do so much because, you know, shit happens.

[tenativelyyours]

Did the tasks look dangerous to anyone else? I kept reminding myself no one could actually be in danger because TAR can't let that happen. And if I was afraid of going over the edge that's what I'd be saying over and over in my head -- the show would not let me die. I'm safe. There are safety lines. 

 

But as the episode went on, it sure did feel like there was legit risk in some of these tasks. Maybe it was because some of the racers expressed so much fear. Or maybe that's just good TV, building suspense even if there really isn't any.

 

 

I'm not sure if it was the exact same trail I was on with a lot less snow, but I would say the trek across and up the peak had risks.  I think the show is probably still one of the safest venues to perform the things we have seen over the seasons.  But the general things, like zips, traverses, climbs, gliding, parachuting etc. do run a higher chance and I think this might have been one near the top imo. 

 

However I also had to laugh at the idea that some of them did seem to think they had real dynamite stuffed down their coats. 

[In Pog Form]

It was hilarious that many of the paragliders' launches failed seemingly because the contestant was more concerned with aiming their selfie stick than running down the hill or paying attention.

Live by the selfie stick, die by the selfie stick.

[RemoteControlFreak]

Had this episode on in the background while I was doing other things around the house. It was 60 minutes of nothing more than:  "Wow! Oh My God! Oh Man! Wow! Oh My God! Awesome! Ohmygod Ohmygod Ohmygooooooood"

 

Re-watched it to see the video and, yes, nice scenery, but vacant otherwise.  Maybe it's the homogeneous camera ham contestants this season.  Maybe TAR has lost the mojo.

[vousviou]

It was hilarious that many of the paragliders' launches failed seemingly because the contestant was more concerned with aiming their selfie stick than running down the hill or paying attention.

Live by the selfie stick, die by the selfie stick.

To be fair to the teams, I'm not sure that's what was really going on.

 

Running on a downslope in deep snow is hard, and to me it looked like at least a couple of the failures were due to people stumbling after hitting a deeper than expected patch of snow, and there's really no way to know how deep the snow is in a situation like that. 

To me it looked like at least another one failed when the wind died out as they were starting, and the racers referenced how they had to wait because the wind wasn't blowing consistently.

[mtlchick]

Well it LOOKED pretty.  The tasks LOOKED interesting.

 

Except for Phrozen Phil (I'm making that a thing), if you were ask me what happened in this episode, I would just stare and blink at you.  

[In Pog Form]

Was anyone else disappointed that the yeti was in a dark brown-black gorilla suit instead of a whitish one?

 

Have you got a problem with black yetis, Donald Trump?

 

They're online entertainment reporters for YouTube's Clevver channel. In the same ballpark as the TMZ girls

So, models, then?

[In Pog Form]

To be fair to the teams, I'm not sure that's what was really going on.

With the possible exception of the one who caught a tailwind, the paragliders who wiped out seemed to be unusually stiff, holding the selfie stick rigidly out in front of them. Those who took off successfully seemed to be more fluid in their movements, and less concerned about controlling the camera.

I may be self-editing or misremembering, but it definitely seemed that way to me. That first dude-bro to wipe out seemed particularly focused on his selfie stick instead of the task at hand.

[ForeverAlone]

Did the tasks look dangerous to anyone else? I kept reminding myself no one could actually be in danger because TAR can't let that happen. And if I was afraid of going over the edge that's what I'd be saying over and over in my head -- the show would not let me die. I'm safe. There are safety lines. 

 

But as the episode went on, it sure did feel like there was legit risk in some of these tasks. Maybe it was because some of the racers expressed so much fear. Or maybe that's just good TV, building suspense even if there really isn't any.

I don't think there was any more inherent risk than some of the other risky things TAR has done, like bungee jumping or sky diving. There is always a certain amount of risk, but when they were doing the dynamite detour, they were hooked into a safety line, so even if one of them slipped, they wouldn't go far. The same with the rope out to the clue. This didn't really seem out of the norm for the fun stuff TAR has done in the past. But yeah, if you are terrified of heights, it would be very scary. But the show always emphasizes the fear factor by highlighting the racers who have the most fear for the particular task. 

[ForeverAlone]

Since only one team tried the tent challenge, we have no idea if it could be been done faster.  Tough to make a judgment as to comparative completion times

 

The paragliding obviously did offer an opportunity to move up ...wind and ability to stay upright while running, etc.

In general, from previous seasons, any time there has been some sort of replication setup, it usually takes longer than whatever the other task is. I have seen many variations of this over the years, and it is the rare team that can go faster on this type of detour than something that is a bit more physical/scary. They might be able to beat one of the last place teams doing the physical detour, but they really don't shoot up in the ranks. 

 

And for the most part, there wasn't a RADICAL shift in the rankings once they got to the paraglide. Yeah, one team might move up one rank, because another team ahead of them failed the takeoff, so that team moved one rank down. But for the most part, the final rankings of this leg are very similar to the final rankings of the previous leg. 

[J-Man]

How was "I dated a Yeti once" not the episode title? 

[NewDigs]

Positively breathtaking scenery. And one of the reasons I watch TAR is for the scenery.

I too felt no small amount of trepidation of behalf of the racers. And I don't have a scared-of-heights thing. That vista made me want to go there but can't imagine having the opportunities to revel in the scenery like what was offered for these challenges. Wow! I might have to watch again.

Finally, an episode that reminded me why I enjoyed TAR in the first place.

Glad it was an elimination leg if for no other reason than I now stand a better chance or recognizing the remaining players. Glad I'm not the only one struggling with identities.

Edited March 13, 2016 by NewDigs

[vousviou]

With the possible exception of the one who caught a tailwind, the paragliders who wiped out seemed to be unusually stiff, holding the selfie stick rigidly out in front of them. Those who took off successfully seemed to be more fluid in their movements, and less concerned about controlling the camera.

I may be self-editing or misremembering, but it definitely seemed that way to me. That first dude-bro to wipe out seemed particularly focused on his selfie stick instead of the task at hand.

 

You could be right that part of the problem was overfocusing on the stick.  In their defense, I don't think it's necessarily a function of selfies, since I am guessing that holding it was a requirement of completing the task and they'd have a problem if they dropped it while taking off, something like tasks in the past where people have had to carry trays of drinks or food without spilling anything.  It's often natural for a lot of people to overconcentrate on what they're carrying and lose track on the footing below, and running in deep snow on a slope is a hard thing to do.

[RCharter]

How was "I dated a Yeti once" not the episode title? 

almost dated a Yeti doesn't count :)

[Richness]

 Have you got a problem with black yetis, Donald Trump?

 

Not sure if this is joking or not, but just in case you're serious: Yetis are usually in the snowy Himalayas, where a lighter colored fur (whites and grays) would serve to camouflage them better. And lighter fur colors are what's most commonly reported and used to depict them.. The American yeti equivalent, sasquatch or bigfoot, is usually reported to have darker fur colors (blacks and browns), to better blend in with forests. I would have been just as disappointed if they were to stage a bigfoot sighting in a final California leg, and used white fur.

[ForeverAlone]

Ah yes, but a white Yeti would likely have blended in to the snow too much, and the producers clearly didn't to take the risk that a team member would miss it. Got to make it easy. :)

[In Pog Form]

Not sure if this is joking or not,

Yes, I was joking about racial bias against yetis.

Yetis are usually in the snowy Himalayas, where a lighter colored fur (whites and grays) would serve to camouflage them better.

Yetis are only found in the human imagination, as they are fictional creatures. Being pink and purple would be just as realistic.

Although assuming they are an actual creature, real dark-colored animals (bears and such) live in snowy regions. As for camouflage, being dark would disguise them better in caves and against rocks and trees.

[Netfoot]

Yetis are only found in the human imagination, as they are fictional creatures.

 

That's an abominable falsehood!  

[biakbiak]

I am pretty sure it was the giant flag tha most people spotted first, not the yeti. It's not like they had other mythical creatures waving flags and they had to pick out the yeti,so I don't think the color of the coustume mattered.

[Lukeysboat]

How was "I dated a Yeti once" not the episode title?

Have all of the titles thus far been from Tyler and Korey?

[Wandering Snark]

Egads, I've been to the mountains many times for skiing vacations etc. but this whole eppy had me wringing my hands with tension at what these people were doing and the paragliding scared the crap out of me much much more than bungee or parachuting. Yikes. Can't say I enjoyed the scenery, more like was overwhelmed by it. Odd, since as I said I've done scary mountain things and don't ahve a height fear but damn this eppy made me anxious!!

 

Brodie needs to take it down from an 11 to a more human level, bro is just too damned loud. I too thought he was going to be at least cautioned about screaming at the top of his lungs while on the mountain. Same goes for the "Daddy"'s shriekingly echoing from the heights.

 

I said to myself when they hit the mat "And which team is this again?" as I had no idea. They all kind of jumble together for me still.

[hendersonrocks]

I really dislike when things like paragliding or sky diving are used as "Roadblocks" because they are done in tandem with an expert and there is no real skill or work involved besides arriving, getting in line, and doing it in whatever order you arrived in. I understand they are going for something that is visually arresting for the sake of the viewing audience, but in terms of actual racing it's not much of a task but more of a pointless time-filler.

 

I agree with this in general, but I personally think this specific example was different. Racers had to actually work to get off the ground, and we saw an awful lot of them struggle, literally land on their faces, and go back a spot in line.

 

 To me, this particular paragliding task clearly introduced opportunities to jump ahead or fall back of one another. We saw it happen with how many teams - more than half? That, to me, is no fluke.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Is Matt the dancer guy who said he used to snowboard all the time but he hasn't for ten years because he lives in LA? I used to live in San Diego and then LA and everyone used to drive up to Big Bear go skiing/snowboarding at least once a year. It's not that far of a drive, dude!

[biakbiak]

Is Matt the dancer guy who said he used to snowboard all the time but he hasn't for ten years because he lives in LA? I used to live in San Diego and then LA and everyone used to drive up to Big Bear go skiing/snowboarding at least once a year. It's not that far of a drive, dude!

I said the exact same thing to my boyfriend! It was so confusing because it can be a day trip, a long day but still if it's such a passion I find it unfathomable. I live in SF and have done day trips to Tahoe which is a longer drive.

Edited March 13, 2016 by biakbiak

[RCharter]

Is Matt the dancer guy who said he used to snowboard all the time but he hasn't for ten years because he lives in LA? I used to live in San Diego and then LA and everyone used to drive up to Big Bear go skiing/snowboarding at least once a year. It's not that far of a drive, dude!

I suspect the ol' ball and chain may not have wanted him off doing "fun stuff" while there was "work to be done."  Big Bear/Mammoth/Baldy....even Tahoe wouldn't be that far.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Is Matt the dancer guy who said he used to snowboard all the time but he hasn't for ten years because he lives in LA? I used to live in San Diego and then LA and everyone used to drive up to Big Bear go skiing/snowboarding at least once a year. It's not that far of a drive, dude!

I said the exact same thing to my boyfriend! It was so confusing because it can be a day trip, a long day but still if it's such a passion I find it unfathomable. I live in SF and have done day trips to Tahoe which is a longer drive.

Ha, glad it wasn't just me who thought that seemed weird. I live in Berkeley and one of my former coworkers used to drive up to Tahoe to go snowboarding what seemed like every other weekend all winter.

 

When I lived in both San Diego and LA, sometimes we would drive up to Big Bear just to go play in the snow for a few hours (literally play in the snow, like build a snowman, sled down hills, etc - not snowboard or ski) and then drive home the same day. But most people I knew spent at least a weekend or two up there at some point during the winter so they could get in two full days (heh, three if they played hooky on Friday) or snowboarding or skiing.

 

I suspect the ol' ball and chain may not have wanted him off doing "fun stuff" while there was "work to be done."  Big Bear/Mammoth/Baldy....even Tahoe wouldn't be that far.

Heh, good point. Now I just picture her yelling, "STOP HAVING FUN!" when they're at a carnival or doing anything unrelated to work or her.

[blackwing]

Maybe she or he is afraid of getting injured. His body is his livelihood, so if he hurts his hand or breaks a leg, he'd be on the DL for a bit.

Are the dance videos their source of income? How does it work? Do they get paid by advertisers or by the source host? Or do they have a primary job like teaching in a studio?

[CrashTextDummie]

There was a POV go-pro shot of Dana during the dynamite challenge that made me think yep, even without a fear of heights that looks legitimately scary. Definitely one of the better gut-check challenges, more compelling than the Eiger North Face challenge a couple of seasons past, for example.

 

Not a particularly tense or exciting episode in terms of race drama, but very pretty to look at.

[Christina]

Ashley answered the question about getting a new clue on the Reddit feed. Someone asked why she wasn't penalized for taking two clues, and she said it was because the wind ripped the clue off the string; she didn't drop it. Since it was Mother Nature's fault, not hers, she was allowed to get a new clue.

 

From Twitter, it looks like Dana and Matt travel and teach dance classes. I haven't watched their YouTube, so I don't know if they teach through it, too, but most YouTube accounts are set up with ads anymore. I don't mind it if I want to support a user, as they are usually not too obnoxious. Dana has avoided live tweeting the last few weeks. With social media being part of her income, I was a bit surprised, but it really is for the best to just step away when you are getting bashed. Last week, she was taking hell for sitting on the chessboard, and someone who defended her with a comment about the "men should have moved" was berated so badly about the world not revolving around Dana that that user deleted her account. Dana has claimed that she's being edited poorly. I think she just didn't realize how she comes across. 

[auntlada]

It's hard to tell whether the Detour was totally lopsided because we only saw one team build the tent, but it felt more like an escape option for a team petrified of heights

 

There used to be a name (on TWoP, possibly from Miss Alli, for those who remember her recaps) for that choice, but I can't remember what it was -- for the slower but less scary vs. faster but scary detour choices. Tortoise/hare may have been part of it, and chicken/something. I wish I could remember.

 

The dynamite challenge made me think of "Lost" when Arzt (I think that was his name) carried the dynamite back from the Black Rock ship and blew up. (I hope that's not a spoiler for anyone, since that show ended long ago.) I assume this dynamite was much more stable since it hadn't been sitting inside a ship for a long time.

[Rick Kitchen]

I suspect the ol' ball and chain may not have wanted him off doing "fun stuff" while there was "work to be done."  Big Bear/Mammoth/Baldy....even Tahoe wouldn't be that far.

 

Actually, the ski resorts in southern Utah are closer to LA than Lake Tahoe is.

[seacliffsal]

Wait...what? Yetis and Big Foot aren't real? What kind of world am I living in???

[auntlada]

It was in the wrong country, but still in the Alps, but the Yeti (guy in a gorilla suit?) also reminded me of the best car-chase scene ever in the first "Pink Panther" movie.

[Netfoot]

Dana has claimed that she's being edited poorly.

 

We've never heard that before...

[zscore]

 

There used to be a name (on TWoP, possibly from Miss Alli, for those who remember her recaps) for that choice, but I can't remember what it was -- for the slower but less scary vs. faster but scary detour choices.

Chicken/reckless?

[auntlada]

That sounds right.

[Lamb18]

Did the tasks look dangerous to anyone else? I kept reminding myself no one could actually be in danger because TAR can't let that happen. And if I was afraid of going over the edge that's what I'd be saying over and over in my head -- the show would not let me die. I'm safe. There are safety lines. 

 

But as the episode went on, it sure did feel like there was legit risk in some of these tasks. Maybe it was because some of the racers expressed so much fear. Or maybe that's just good TV, building suspense even if there really isn't any.

Well, Survivor is a little careless on the danger factor for its contestants, so TAR may be a little lax, too. The scariest part to me was the hike on the ridge with the dynamite. It didn't seem like they were attached to anything stable, just to each other.

 

To be fair to the teams, I'm not sure that's what was really going on.

 

Running on a downslope in deep snow is hard, and to me it looked like at least a couple of the failures were due to people stumbling after hitting a deeper than expected patch of snow, and there's really no way to know how deep the snow is in a situation like that. 

To me it looked like at least another one failed when the wind died out as they were starting, and the racers referenced how they had to wait because the wind wasn't blowing consistently.

Walking in deep snow is hard, too, and wearing tall winter boots can add a good three pounds to each foot. Plus the snow makes your walking/running surface uneven. You can't see where the ground actually is so you don't know how far you're going to sink down with each step you take. Plus the snow adds resistance to your foot as you are pulling it up out of the snow. I doubt there was ice under the snow but that can add complications, too (which I know from experience).

[proserpina65]

While I agree with previous commentors who mentioned that the tasks on this leg didn't allow for a lot of change in team placement, I did enjoy it because the tasks were interesting and the scenery was breathtaking.  Although it did absolutely confirm that I will never, ever be on AR because my fear of heights is at near-crippling levels and couldn't have done the dynamite task at all.  Or the zipline-ish thing.  Maybe the paragliding, but probably not.  So props to Sherri and Cole for getting through them.

[proserpina65]

That's an abominable falsehood!  

That wasn't a yeti!  That was a Sasquatch!