S28.E06: Let The Good Times Roll

[Richness]

For a change, it was the locals molesting the racers instead of the other way around. I don't blame the lavash lady for getting herself some of that frisbee bros sandwich action. However, could she stuff some of that bread in Brody's mouth to muffle him?

 

Glad Tyler and Korey weren't eliminated though I'm not rooting for them to win. I too thought it rather odd that someone would be cleaning the carpets while filming TAR. Of course, I guess it just isn't as obvious when stressed while racing.

 

Cole continues to be mostly useless Momma's Boy. However, I really don't like hearing contestants cry, though I understand Sheri's frustration. I found it sad that Blair seemed to comfort her more than Cole. I suppose their might be some fear that it would be construed as helping her during the Roadblock, but it still came across as odd.

 

Since E&J didn't get saved by a NEL right before the March Madness hiatus, I had a pretty good feeling that whoever finished last tonight was going to get that reprieve. Nothing was said about a speedbump next week, so I wonder if Sherrie and Cole will catch a break due to the "here's your clue and keep racing" nature of how tonight's leg ended.

 

This was a To Be Continued Leg (AKA Super Leg); therefore, there is no Speed Bump penalty assigned. A Non-Elimination Leg is different, though in both cases no one is eliminated. A TBC leg does not have the mandatory rest period that a NEL has. What was unusual though is how it was edited/presented. Past episodes with TBC legs usually end when the first team gets to the pit stop, and they're handed their clue to keep racing. This time, however, they didn't show that until the last team checked in.

 

I pretty much knew it would be an NEL.

 

Other than being a TBC and not a NEL, I agree that it wasn't likely someone went home, especially after that horribly linear, two at a time Roadblock just before the mat. I dislike any task that hinders racers because they have to wait on someone else to finish first. At least the Detour tasks were interesting.

 

Wasn't there a rule that the teams had to stay together?  and get and read the clues as a team?

 

Team members must remain within 20 feet of each other (and their production team) unless the clues instruct otherwise, but I don't think both have to be within arms reach to get a clue. Nor does it make much sense to not read the clue with your partner.

[Netfoot]

What was unusual though is how it was edited/presented. Past episodes with TBC legs usually end when the first team gets to the pit stop, and they're handed their clue to keep racing. This time, however, they didn't show that until the last team checked in.

 

I noticed that as well.  I thought it was a clever mechanism for maintaining the suspense to the very end of the episode.

Edited April 5, 2016 by Netfoot

[biakbiak]

do we know for sure that Cole even drives? I seem to recall that having a valid driver's licence is required to be on the show, but you could get one basically for that purpose without really ever driving in your normal life

Cole is 19 and from a not huge city in Alabama, I would be beyond shocked if he didn't drive.

[chaifan]

I actually don't fault the players for not initially approaching the vacuum guy for a clue.  Every season some team(s) gets bashed by the commenters for stupidly accosting locals, non-prop shop owners, etc., looking crazily for clues from people who obviously (to us, as viewers) aren't a part of the race.  The racers know the dancers are props, so it would make sense to approach them as possible clue holders/hiders.  But this guy was playing his part very well, seeming to be just a regular theater worker.  I tend to think they looked over him more from a "hey, don't bother the guy just trying to do his job" perspective, rather than "oh, he's just a lowly janitor, no way he'd have a clue" mindset some people have attributed to the racers.  These teams seem, as a whole, to be pretty respectful of the people involved with tasks, locals, and the greeters, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

[danm]

One of the things I really liked about this episode was the few glimpses of Blair's apparently now nearly-empty pack.  Yes, she did have her cold-weather gear on, but still.  It is quite a change from earlier episodes and her horrible pre-season self-promoting video about how clever and minimalist her packing job is/was.  LOL.  I have heard that at the end of the season she revisits the packing strategy and shows what was left in her pack by the end of the race.  Maybe she learned something during the course of the filming, I hope so.

 

Brodie or Kurt, whichever one it is that does the screeching can stop it any time now, he's really got on my nerve.  Glad the show is back from break, glad it visited a very scenic and interesting Armenia, and am glad to be looking forward to next week.  Maybe the show can find its way to booting one of these teams off. Any of them please, it doesn't matter which one.

[North of Eden]

Casting is everything. Its was a big  misfire with too many 20 somethings. Darn it I just want REAL people back in the race and not gimmicks.

Hard to be enthused which I should be having it come back after weeks off the air...but the cast is killing it for me. 

Well here's what I've got.

*Alpha Male teams dominating led to somewhat of a moratorium on them after the first couple seasons...and you can see why with these two hooting and hollering idiots shouting Bro and Dude all the way to the finish line ever week makes the show stale.

*The only joy I  got was twice when loathsome Tyler and his stupid oversized glasses and cap fell behind looking in the auditorum and searching for a cab.I am happy it was not and elimination because I would have been angry that Tyler pulled ahead just long enough for another team to fall behind him and be put out.

*Not a Cole fan but I do appreciate he is courtly in carrying his mother's bag. That's a good son. It makes me miss my mother even more.

*I am not sure how you have Mt. Ararat in an episode and don't toss in a throw away line about Noah's Ark...however the Temple location was gorgous so all was forgiven. I can't imagine what whoever built it would think about it being used as a back drop for a reality show some day.

*Without Googling it I will assume Armenia used to be a Soviet Satellite republic....there was ...something desolate and oppresive about it....probably still recovering from years behind the Iron Curtain.

 

[Rick Kitchen]

 

*The only joy I  got was twice when loathsome Tyler and his stupid oversized glasses and cap fell behind looking in the auditorum and searching for a cab.I am happy it was not and elimination because I would have been angry that Tyler pulled ahead just long enough for another team to fall behind him and be put out.

 

Why do you find Tyler loathsome?

[jumper sage]

This whole season blows.  Their big "social media" people was a big miss.  

[etagloh]

if you don't drive (which is becoming more common — I don't, for example), then changing oil is not exactly something you're likely to be super familiar with, so it may have seemed to make more sense for her to do it.

 

Speaking as a non-American, I think the assumption that M*ll*nn**l American males should have innate oil-changing skills is a bit weird, given that quick-lube places abound across the United States. If you're earning more than, say, $20/hr for your social media career, then you don't need to change your own oil. There's no reason to assume that Cole should have mechanic skills, as opposed to being able to drive stick, which we won't know because TAR has now abandoned self-drive alas and alack.

 

This was a To Be Continued Leg (AKA Super Leg); therefore, there is no Speed Bump penalty assigned. A Non-Elimination Leg is different, though in both cases no one is eliminated. A TBC leg does not have the mandatory rest period that a NEL has. What was unusual though is how it was edited/presented. Past episodes with TBC legs usually end when the first team gets to the pit stop, and they're handed their clue to keep racing. This time, however, they didn't show that until the last team checked in.

 

This format of TBC is relatively common over recent seasons, though the leg prize in this instance was simply the Express Pass and not cash or a Travelocity holiday. The TBC reveal is entirely an editing thing, and there has been at least one previous season (and possibly more) where it was only revealed on the last team and not the ones coming in earlier.

[ForeverAlone]

If some of the other male/female teams had a female do this challenge, nobody would likely comment on Cole not doing this challenge. But since Sheri is the only woman who did this challenge, combined with Cole's scared little boy routine on the previous leg (even though Sheri is also terrified of heights), it makes many (including myself) look askance at Cole. Like I mentioned before, this particular challenge was an interesting study of gender roles and expectations. I doubt anybody expected Cole to have some inherent knowledge of this task, just because he is a dude, but I bet most of the men who did this challenge were not familiar with it either. But for whatever reason, the men in the co-ed teams all elected to do this challenge, while Cole did not.

[possibilities]

I didn't think Cole was a brat because of gender roles. I thought he was a brat because this is the second roadblock in a row that there was something neither he nor his mother wanted to do, and both times he passed it off to her. And then when she was falling apart and came to him for emotional support, he didn't give it to her, to the extent that Blair actually stepped in to support her instead. That's cold-- when another team consoles your teammate because you are being standoffish and basically cold while said teammate is melting down.

 

I realize there may be reasons that he comes across one way when inside he's another. But for me it wasn't about gender. It was about being sullen and unkind to your mama and lazy in the face of a challenge.

 

For the record, when I was growing up, my mother changed the oil (and did other maintenance) on her car. As far as I know, my father took his car to a shop to have it done (I never saw anyone working on his car so he must have taken it somewhere because he drove the same vehicle for 20 years which tells me SOMEONE must have changed the oil).

Edited April 5, 2016 by possibilities

[North of Eden]

Why do you find Tyler loathsome?

In a season predicated on Camera Whores....he's got it dialed up to BLAST. The constant performing and mugging for the camera is simply tiresome.

[proserpina65]

And so, mommy should have to do it instead of big boy Cole?  If it was between me and either of my parents, I would do it first.

If her fear of heights was less severe than his, yes.  She's not decrepit and ancient, and she seemed to managed the task okay in the end.  I don't criticize someone else's fear of heights, because I realize that it can be quite crippling (mine isn't necessarily, but who knows when faced with last week's task), and saying "I'll push through it" and actually being able to do that are two different things.

 

Yes, if it was between my 72 year old mother and myself, I would do it.  If it was between me and a hypothetical twentysomething child, and there was a possibility of later, more physical tasks which I might not be able to do, I'd have done the mountain task and the oil change task if there was any way that I could push through them.

Edited April 5, 2016 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

The teams have to split the tasks.  The rules specifically state that one teammate cannot do all the roadblocks.  Since they have no idea what kind of tasks might be coming up, it's possible they were considering the possibility of more physical tasks which Sheri might not be able to do.  I don't think there's any reason for them to think that a man had to do an oil-changing task, especially since they may never have done it before.

 

I'm not saying Cole wasn't at least a little inadequate when Sheri needed some comfort and bucking up, but I don't think there was anything about the task itself which screamed "Cole should do this because a woman can't change the oil in a car".

Edited April 5, 2016 by proserpina65

[RCharter]

If her fear of heights was less severe than his, yes.  She's not decrepit and ancient, and she seemed to managed the task okay in the end.  I don't criticize someone else's fear of heights, because I realize that it can be quite crippling (mine isn't necessarily, but who knows when faced with last week's task), and saying "I'll push through it" and actually being able to do that are two different things.

 

Yes, if it was between my 72 year old mother and myself, I would do it.  If it was between me and a hypothetical twentysomething child, and there was a possibility of later, more physical tasks which I might not be able to do, I'd have done the mountain task and the oil change task if there was any way that I could push through them.

They were both scared, only big boy Cole couldn't conquer his fear, but relied on mommy to conquer hers.  Sorry, no respect there.  You don't send your mother to do a scary task just because she isn't falling apart at the seams.  If it was between me and either of my parents I would happily just resolve to do any task that was not fun/difficult.  It would suck a little for me, since I would have to do the majority of the tasks, but I have enough respect and appreciation for my parents that I would prefer they have a better time and I deal with difficulty.  I expect big boy Cole does not share my point of view and will sit around crying while mommy handles all the less than savory tasks.

 

I'm now thinking of the tasks that little lord Fauntleroy has done....lets see....he did the one where he looked for purses....he did the one with the world flags, because of all his time spent playing soccer via videogames....what else has he done?  Did he do the one where he was looking for the rubies in the mud pit?  Or the one where he had to slide down with the eggs?

 

The credit I will give Cole is that he isn't actively "Justin'ing" Sherri.....because if he was doing that I don't think I could even watch the show. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by RCharter

[kingshearte]

This maybe would go better in the episode thread that actually featured the height thing, but since we're discussing it here: fear is weird. It's entirely subjective, and you cannot truly understand anyone else's fear in relation to your own or anyone else's. My benefit-of-the-doubt-giving self suspects that Cole and Sheri are more familiar with each other's relative levels of fear than any of the rest of us are. Yes, her fear was clearly up there on the scale, but if she knows that his is even higher, based on past experience, then of course she would do it for her kid. And even if he badly wanted to save her from having to do it, he's presumably also aware of the degree of his own terror, and if he knows that it's honest-to-god debilitating, then it simply wouldn't make sense for him to be all "I'll save you, mommy!" if such an action would be more likely to lead to him falling apart completely.

 

On the other hand, he did pull it together enough to do the other thing that leg, so I don't know what to make of him. And I really don't even know why I keep playing Cole's Advocate here, because I don't particularly like the kid, but what can I say? It's what I do.

[valen]

I am currently watching the first season on Netflix. I am amazed how much the cast has changed. I really, REALLY want real people next season. Blair's dad and Sheri are the closest we got this season. I want to see working moms, older couples, and not-athletic male teams again. It's so much more interesting.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

One thing about this season that is a little disorienting, is the lack of a true villain team (like a Justin, or Jim, or Brenchel, or the Guidos, or fill in the blank with one of your favorites). There are individual team members that you might root against like Dana, Cole or Blair (just because of her vocal fry)....but that's about it. As alpha-bros go Brodie and Kurt are relatively harmless. Even Dana/Matt, the one team that has shown a little volatility don't even come close to matching Logan and Chris from last season.

 

With seven teams left.....Scott/Blair and Cole/Sherri feel like the longshots and I feel they have already reached or have come very close to reaching their race "ceiling". Before the season started, if you told me they were two of the first three teams out I would've nodded in agreement. If either of these teams is still in this when it gets down to the final five, I'll be surprised and impressed.

 

Then you've got a middle cluster of Matt/Dana, Burnie/Ashley, and Zach/Rachel. I think there is an extremely high probability that one of the these three teams will make the final leg. Matt and Dana are probably the most athletic threat to Brodie and Kurt. But they seem to be foreshadowing an epic meltdown in one of these next few legs that will be their downfall. Burnie/Ashley are a younger representation of the "older competent" team. Reading some of the insider stuff they are giving through RoosterTeeth's website and twitter I know they've made a few minor travel mistakes......but really only the poor decision about pitching the tent in France came close to derailing them. Other than that they've been very solid on the tasks. Zach and Rachel are just kind of there. They don't seem particularly adept at the travel aspects of each leg, they've failed to read clues properly.....but they do seem very supportive of each other and have done reasonably well at most of the detours/roadblocks.

 

Then you've got Tyler and Korey and Brodie and Kurt. The frontrunners at this point. If you had to bet money (even with T/K's struggles this leg) you probably say these two will be in the finale. Brodie and Kurt would have to make an epic travel fail somewhere before the end....because even if they choose poorly on a detour/roadbloack in the next three legs, they have a get out of jail free card now. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[proserpina65]

It would suck a little for me, since I would have to do the majority of the tasks,

 

Except that you wouldn't necessarily be able to do the majority of the tasks, because some of them are roadblocks, and those have to be more evenly split between team members.  I think we'll have to agree to disagree about Cole.  I don't necessarily respect him.  Really, I don't care that much one way or the other about him.  I just don't think he's a baby for not doing every task himself.

Edited April 5, 2016 by proserpina65

[North of Eden]

I am currently watching the first season on Netflix. I am amazed how much the cast has changed. I really, REALLY want real people next season. Blair's dad and Sheri are the closest we got this season. I want to see working moms, older couples, and not-athletic male teams again. It's so much more interesting.

it's on Netflix?!?

[Netfoot]

If you're earning more than, say, $20/hr for your social media career, then you don't need to change your own oil.

 

As far as I'm concerned, gender has nothing to do with it.  I just consider it strange that someone (male of female) can reach adulthood without learning certain basic skills, at least to the point where they are not entirely daunting.  This morning, I filled my radiator with coolant, topped up my oil and brake fluid, and would have checked the battery, but since it is exactly one year old on Friday and I was passing the battery place anyway, I stopped and let them check it for me, and top off the electrolyte.  I also know how to tell time with a clock face as well as a digital display, I can dial a phone  -- both touch-tone and rotary, I can handle a cutlass (machete to you, probably), I've competed with medium success with pistol and rifle, I can drive a car, stick or automatic.  I can sail a small boat, tie a bowline, light a fire, catch a fish... and so on and so forth.  My level of income has nothing to do with it.  There are just certain life skills that I don't know how you can fail to pick up.

 

Except of course, the youth of today never do anything except play with their cellphones, so I guess they can never learn what they never experience.

[Jersey Guy 87]

What seem like essential life skills to some are things I'd never do in a million years to others.  Someone like Cole has probably never seen a rotary phone in real life.  Lots of people don't change their own oil, they bring it somewhere and have someone do it for them.  And lots of people will never have an opportunity to learn how to sail a small boat let alone become proficient at it.

 

Pretending that young people only play with their cell phones is silly - young people obviously do much more than that.  All of the young people on this season have managed to achieve some success through social media.

 

I have no problem with Cole not changing the oil on the car, if Sheri hadn't proven to be completely incompetent in removing an oil filter this never would have been an issue at all.  Instead we'd all say how smart it was to have Sheri do an easier, less physical task that didn't have an opportunity to change the order of the racers.

 

That said, I haven't liked Cole since the first episode, he grates on my nerves in a big way.

[snarktini]

Oh, I don't know. I don't think it's just "kids these days". I'm in my 40s and can't do most of the things on your list other than tell time and use a phone -- most of my friends, male and female, are the same. My dad was an engineer and an Eagle Scout and extremely handy, he fixed cars and houses and showed us as much stuff as we'd let him, but most of it didn't stick. Certainly not changing oil. That's what mechanics are for! In a pinch I could figure out how to change a tire or drive a stick, but I haven't done either since I was a teenager so it'd be a stretch. I wouldn't be afraid of getting in an engine, but I wouldn't know much.

 

RE: Scott, I know a few people who went to law school and never intended to become lawyers; they didn't even take the bar. They simply thought a law education would be great training for work and life. Some people really love school and pursue multiple degrees, just for the fun of it. Maybe he switched careers at some point, or maybe he's just one of the crazies that can't get enough education.

[RCharter]

This maybe would go better in the episode thread that actually featured the height thing, but since we're discussing it here: fear is weird. It's entirely subjective, and you cannot truly understand anyone else's fear in relation to your own or anyone else's. My benefit-of-the-doubt-giving self suspects that Cole and Sheri are more familiar with each other's relative levels of fear than any of the rest of us are. Yes, her fear was clearly up there on the scale, but if she knows that his is even higher, based on past experience, then of course she would do it for her kid. And even if he badly wanted to save her from having to do it, he's presumably also aware of the degree of his own terror, and if he knows that it's honest-to-god debilitating, then it simply wouldn't make sense for him to be all "I'll save you, mommy!" if such an action would be more likely to lead to him falling apart completely.

 

On the other hand, he did pull it together enough to do the other thing that leg, so I don't know what to make of him. And I really don't even know why I keep playing Cole's Advocate here, because I don't particularly like the kid, but what can I say? It's what I do.

LOL, I do the same thing in that I generally take up for the underdog.  But in this case I'm annoyed enough by a grown, healthy, young man sending his mommy in to do all the difficult tasks, while he gets to take those that are generally fun or a little easier.  As for the relative fear, it sounds more like an excuse for Cole that we have no proof of.  All we know is that both of them were super afraid of heights.....Sherri, to the point of absolute tears and near hysterics.....yet she was made to do the task to protect big boy Cole.

[RCharter]

What seem like essential life skills to some are things I'd never do in a million years to others.  Someone like Cole has probably never seen a rotary phone in real life.  Lots of people don't change their own oil, they bring it somewhere and have someone do it for them.  And lots of people will never have an opportunity to learn how to sail a small boat let alone become proficient at it.

 

Pretending that young people only play with their cell phones is silly - young people obviously do much more than that.  All of the young people on this season have managed to achieve some success through social media.

 

I have no problem with Cole not changing the oil on the car, if Sheri hadn't proven to be completely incompetent in removing an oil filter this never would have been an issue at all.  Instead we'd all say how smart it was to have Sheri do an easier, less physical task that didn't have an opportunity to change the order of the racers.

 

That said, I haven't liked Cole since the first episode, he grates on my nerves in a big way.

Strangely, while the oil filter highlighted it, the minute Sherri put on that jumpsuit I felt some sort of way.  I won't even let my mother lift her luggage when I pick her up from the airport.....and really I handle my dads bags too.  I love them and I don't want them to have to experience any discomfort, even if its something as simple as lifting luggage.

 

Cole seems to end up with the majority of easier/fun tasks, while his mother ends up with the difficult, dirty, or scary tasks.  She may think she is doing him a favor, but ultimately, I don't think she is.  I'm not sure what young women are looking for in a man these days, but Cole can't possibly be it.  Unless you're a girl that wants to mother a grown man who is pretty useless and convinced that he is awesome.

[Netfoot]

And lots of people will never have an opportunity to learn how to sail a small boat let alone become proficient at it.

 

we can't all expect to be exposed to the same experiences.  Lots of people don't have the opportunity to learn how to sail a boat.  I don't know how to  snow-ski.  But some stuff you'd expect most people to know how to do. Wire a plug. Change a tap washer. Replace a blown bulb.  Cook a meal.  And if you ever plan to drive a car or even in a car, you should know how to put on the spare wheel, top up the radiator, add oil to the engine, gas to the tank, air to the tires.  Not necessarily do an oil change, replace the filter, or do a top-end overhaul!  But basic keep-you-rolling stuff?  Vital!

[auntlada]

I know how to cook a meal, and if by "replace a blown bulb," you mean change a lightbulb, I can do that. I don't know how to wire a plug, and I'm not sure what you mean by "change a tap washer." I can do gas and air, although I'd rather someone else do the air. I've been shown how to change a tire, but can't get the tire off because they always tighten the lug nuts (I think) too much. (If they had a challenge to do something on the lawnmower, now, I could do that.) And I'm not a young whippersnapper. I'd put doing laundry above most of that stuff (except gas and food).

[Netfoot]

^^^ Laundry?  What's that?

[etagloh]

Not necessarily do an oil change, replace the filter, or do a top-end overhaul!  But basic keep-you-rolling stuff?  Vital!

 

Well, quite, but this leg did in fact present teams with an oil change and filter-replacement task, which for some reason people felt Cole should know how to do.

 

I'd argue that there's a significant generational difference here, especially in the US. It isn't simply that people of Cole's generation don't drive as much or spend all their time tippity-tappiting on the internets, it's that people of Sheri's generation (and older, because Sheri's only in her 40s) grew up with cars that had more purely-mechanical and driver-serviceable bits than they do now, so the idea of changing your own oil or replacing a spark plug wasn't far-fetched. Open the bonnet/hood on a car made in the last ten years and there's a lot less to see, and that's a good thing.

[greyhorse]

When he did law school/med school it would have been a lot less expensive.  I see multiple stories of people that worked their way through med school/law school back in the day and left with little to no debt.  Its also possible that he got a scholarship.  If he went in knowing he wanted to do a JD/MD it should be a five year program from what I understand. 

 

Chiming in late here, and I haven't really commented much this season so I don't know if Scott Fowler's education has been discussed in detail, but there were likely no combined JD/MD programs when he went to school.  In fact, if you look at his Linked in profile here ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-fowler-4976b138 ), it's quite impressive.  He went to University of Georgia for law school for four years, then went immediately to Medical College of Georgia for medical school for four years, then did an Emergency Medicine residency, seems to have overlapped being a practicing lawyer for a year while in ER residency, and then subsequently completing a four year OBGYN residency.  Wow.  He is currently the president of a large 150 physician medical group.  Quite impressive.

 

Does anyone else have a problem with other teams helping each other out on the roadblock?  The reason why only 2 taxis could be serviced at the same time are clear, as that's all that could fit.  Just seems unfair that everybody decided to help each other out while Sherri was left struggling on her own, until Scott took pity on her at the very end.  I suppose it happens in other roadblocks and detours, but this one seemed different to me as there were only two teams that could complete the task at the same time.

[possibilities]

This happened before, at the flags-- people decided to help each other, while allowing the last team to fend for itself. The difference is that this time the last team was actually there (nearly) first. I'm not sure why they felt that it was smarter to help each other beat Sheri than to help Sheri so they could get on the ramp themselves, though.

[biakbiak]

Sheri is 45 years old. She got her drivers license in 1986 at the earliest. She most likely would resent the hell out of people doing things for her because of her age and also grew up at a time where AAA and places to get your oil changed were the norm.

[Richness]

But some stuff you'd expect most people to know how to do. Wire a plug. Change a tap washer. Replace a blown bulb.  Cook a meal.  And if you ever plan to drive a car or even in a car, you should know how to put on the spare wheel, top up the radiator, add oil to the engine, gas to the tank, air to the tires.  Not necessarily do an oil change, replace the filter, or do a top-end overhaul!  But basic keep-you-rolling stuff?  Vital!

 

I disagree with the first two items on your list, as those sound like something better left to professionals. There might be a few less houses burned to ground if they did. And it's definitely not something I would expect of a younger person. The car maintenance issues would definitely be useful if they actually own a car. I don't know where they live, but if you live in a city with public transit, knowing how to maintain a car isn't that big a deal.

 

Well, quite, but this leg did in fact present teams with an oil change and filter-replacement task, which for some reason people felt Cole should know how to do.

 

We're not expecting Cole to know how do these things, only that he be the one that attempted to do that task. I will admit to having some gender bias in that regards. Unfortunately, Cole isn't looking very capable of doing much of anything, especially after nearly breaking into tears in a previous episode over doing the mountain tasks. Of course, only they know the strengths and weaknesses between them. While I manged to change the tire on my car once (and awarded myself numerous butch points for doing it), my mother would probably be more capable at the physical aspects of car maintenance than me. However, she couldn't figure out how to change the clock to save her life, but I excel working with technology and gadgetry.

 

Does anyone else have a problem with other teams helping each other out on the roadblock?  The reason why only 2 taxis could be serviced at the same time are clear, as that's all that could fit.  Just seems unfair that everybody decided to help each other out while Sherri was left struggling on her own, until Scott took pity on her at the very end.  I suppose it happens in other roadblocks and detours, but this one seemed different to me as there were only two teams that could complete the task at the same time.

 

Normally, yes, but it didn't bother me in this episode as much as it has earlier in the race. It also doesn't bother me as much when it comes to helping to complete a task, especially if a team or person is struggling like in this episode, verses outright giving the answers like during the bench length measuring task in a previous episode. In this instance, Scott told Sheri what she needed to do, but didn't do it for her. It's a minor difference when it comes to helping, but it matters to me. I also don't recall a lot of other helping going on. Sure, Tyler watched Scott and the others on how they were doing it, and maybe even answered a few questions for him that helped him get through the task quicker when his time came, but that really didn't feel like helping him do the task.

 

This happened before, at the flags-- people decided to help each other, while allowing the last team to fend for itself. The difference is that this time the last team was actually there (nearly) first. I'm not sure why they felt that it was smarter to help each other beat Sheri than to help Sheri so they could get on the ramp themselves, though.

 

 I was wondering why Tyler decided to help Scott and not Sheri, but I think it had to do with Scott looking like the more capable of the two. Plus, Tyler was doing as much preparation as he could by watching the others so his time on the task would be as fast as possible. It wouldn't make much sense to watch or help someone who is struggling more.

[valen]

it's on Netflix?!?

Yep! We watched it last night. The tasks are so much more interesting and difficult than "Change the oil." They drove all the time. No flights were spoon fed. Fast forwards available on every leg. Many times, they didn't even know their destination. They only had a clue. Or, they would have to complete a puzzle in order to get a clue. It's WAY more interesting. 

 

I also really enjoy the Eat, Sleep, Mingle. I know some of the stuff I listed above was taken out due to monetary issues, but I'm not sure at all why they started secluding teams during the rest period.

Edited April 6, 2016 by valen

[hjmugillecuty]

Scott did try to help Sheri earlier. While he was waiting for his turn, he got down under Sheri's car to look at it, got her the tool, and told her how to use it. He just didn't know she was turning the wrong direction until after he completed his car.

 

Tyler seemed to be helping everyone. We saw him with Zach and Scott helping fill up the oil pitchers. I guess he was trying to keep things moving.

[RCharter]

Chiming in late here, and I haven't really commented much this season so I don't know if Scott Fowler's education has been discussed in detail, but there were likely no combined JD/MD programs when he went to school.  In fact, if you look at his Linked in profile here ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/scott-fowler-4976b138 ), it's quite impressive.  He went to University of Georgia for law school for four years, then went immediately to Medical College of Georgia for medical school for four years, then did an Emergency Medicine residency, seems to have overlapped being a practicing lawyer for a year while in ER residency, and then subsequently completing a four year OBGYN residency.  Wow.  He is currently the president of a large 150 physician medical group.  Quite impressive.

I'm always impressed with an MD/JD.  It opens so many doors, and it gives him a perfect skill set for his position.  They are two difficult degrees to get, and maybe its why I've given him a big pass when he has done things that seem silly, because I think a lot of it can be explained by a mind that simply thinks differently due to the sort of thinking you have to engage in to do well in law school.  Not that people who don't have the same educational pedigree aren't intelligent, but I think you have to be pretty smart to get through both.

 

I'm not going to go as far as to say that I agree that Blair is as smart as he thinks she is....but I do think that its exactly what I would expect a father to say about his daughter.

 

We're not expecting Cole to know how do these things, only that he be the one that attempted to do that task. 

Exactly....thank you for putting it so succinctly.

 

Yep! We watched it last night. The tasks are so much more interesting and difficult than "Change the oil." They drove all the time. No flights were spoon fed. 

This is good to know, I've tried to watch older seasons on YT and it always ends with getting some of the episodes and missing others....so glad I can hit up NF now

[North of Eden]

Yep! We watched it last night. The tasks are so much more interesting and difficult than "Change the oil." They drove all the time. No flights were spoon fed. Fast forwards available on every leg. Many times, they didn't even know their destination. They only had a clue. Or, they would have to complete a puzzle in order to get a clue. It's WAY more interesting. 

 

I also really enjoy the Eat, Sleep, Mingle. I know some of the stuff I listed above was taken out due to monetary issues, but I'm not sure at all why they started secluding teams during the rest period.

Netflix Streaming? I would love to revisit the first season. My original Screen Name on TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY or MIGHTY BIG TV I think it was called then ...was EMILYFAN after Emily of the Mother and daughter duo ( that is until I got banned for some minor offense...I later rejoined under a new name.. I LOVE how way  more relaxed on these boards.are..posters are pretty respectful and there is no need for moderation that would make the Gestappo blush like back at TWOP in its heyday). Anyway yeah...Season One was great...the craziness at the Eifell Tower I remember the most. LENNNNNYYYYYYY!

Edited April 7, 2016 by North of Eden

[greyhorse]

I agree that changing oil isn't something that you would expect everyone to know how to do.  In theory, it's a simple task - drain oil, replace filter, and fill oil.  But this is 2016.  If anything, I'd expect the older racers (such as Scott) to know how to do it and not so much for the younger millennials.  I'm in my 40's, and I can remember growing up watching my father jack up the car in the garage and sliding under the car to drain and change the oil.  But how many of us do that?  When you can bring you car to Jiffy Lube and have it done for $29.99?  I can't think of a single one of my friends that changes their own oil.  

 

Regardless of whether or not any of the racers have ever changed their own oil, it was a pretty straightforward task.  Sherri obviously (and nobody would expect her to, given gender bias) isn't around tools much, otherwise she would understand how to tighten and loosen something.  Heck, if she's ever opened a jar of pickles or peanut butter, you would think she would understand the concept.  It's not as if the teams were asked to change out an entire block engine.  I felt like the editing was a little confusing during the whole sequence, especially towards the end when it seemed like the other racers were just finishing really quick, but it doesn't seem like anybody else had trouble.  Agree that people saw Sherri - as an older woman - was struggling with what traditionally is a man's task, so that's why they all thought to just try to pass her up.  Unfortunate, but that's the rules of the game.  I'd like to see specific tasks have rules such as "no helping from other teams" especially when there are restrictions as to how many teams can attempt the task at one time.  But I don't believe that has ever been applied to anything before.  If your own teammate can't even shout instructions or help, then why should another racer be able to do so?

[valen]

Netflix Streaming? I would love to revisit the first season. My original Screen Name on TELEVISION WITHOUT PITY or MIGHTY BIG TV I think it was called then ...was EMILYFAN after Emily of the Mother and daughter duo ( that is until I got banned for some minor offense...I later rejoined under a new name.. I LOVE how way  more relaxed on these boards.are..posters are pretty respectful and there is no need for moderation that would make the Gestappo blush like back at TWOP in its heyday). Anyway yeah...Season One was great...the craziness at the Eifell Tower I remember the most. LENNNNNYYYYYYY!

ETA: I apologize! I checked to make sure last night, and we are actually watching it through Amazon Prime!

 

We watch it through Netflix with our Amazon fire stick. 

I am really surprised by how much they helped one another during roadblocks, like on that task where they had to carry the torches. The team member not competing was yelling out tons of instructions. On the most recent episode, Cole looked like he couldn't even talk to his mother while she was changing the oil. Last season, wasn't Team Alabama penalized for the mom suggesting the rack of ribs was facing the wrong direction? Earlier this season, the brothers were eliminated during the bag task when the one completing the task couldn't find the check-in station. The other one sat right there and said nothing, because according to the rules, he couldn't help. It's interesting to me to see the ways in which the show has changed. As I watched this most recent episode, I thought about how much better it would be if it were like the early ones.

Edited April 8, 2016 by valen

[whiskeyandfeet]

I wept just a little when what's her nose said (paraphrased) "My dad went to both medical school and law school, and I'm glad he's not disappointed that I decided to do social media instead of going to college."

[Netfoot]

I can remember growing up watching my father jack up the car in the garage and sliding under the car to drain and change the oil.  But how many of us do that?  When you can bring you car to Jiffy Lube and have it done for $29.99?

 

I do.  And my transmission fluid.  Spark plugs and distributor.  And (long ago) replace and adjust points.  Change radiator hoses, fan belt (which needs changing now!), air filter. Bleeding brakes, replacing shoes and pads. Replacing bulbs all over the car.  I've done top-end overhauls, swapped a gearbox, built my own dashboard, etc.  Not fond of doing bodywork, but I've done a few minor repairs.  Even considered building myself something like a Locost, but don't know if I can afford it.

 

Why pay $29.99 to have someone loosed ONE BOLT, and tighten it back up again?  

 

But that isn't the point.  It's not whether you do it on a regular basis or not.  It's that you can do it when you have to, without freaking out.  What if you're out on a dirt road miles from anywhere, and the vehicle suddenly decides it needs oil or water?  Or blows a tire?  

 

Anyway, I think we're venturing into OT territory.

[jumper sage]

I feel like the people who hate this season of TAR probably aren't watching Idol or Survivor.  Those casts are snoresville.

I have been watching TAR since season 1 and this is just another not-very-well-thought-out cast just like the family edition.  You think you are getting excitement but you are really getting teams with sameness.  I have learned why people go into social media performers and it's not good.  I am seeing a lot of people on the spectrum and a lot of people who frankly live life in their rooms.  Not very adventurous for an adventure show.  What the heck is up with Blair?  She seems dimmer each episode.

 

Valen - season one is so unique and what a great ending.

I wept just a little when what's her nose said (paraphrased) "My dad went to both medical school and law school, and I'm glad he's not disappointed that I decided to do social media instead of going to college."

He knew she could not handle anything in public.  Just saying.

[RCharter]

He knew she could not handle anything in public.  Just saying.

IMO, her father loves her very much, and so I think he says that out of love, but....I don't agree with him, and I don't think he would pass a polygraph with that story.

 

But, I do think a father should try to uplift his daughter as much as he can, so I think it was a nice thing for him to say.

Edited April 8, 2016 by RCharter

[Lamb18]

I wept just a little when what's her nose said (paraphrased) "My dad went to both medical school and law school, and I'm glad he's not disappointed that I decided to do social media instead of going to college."

She can go to college any time she wants - doesn't have to be right out of high school. Also if she makes enough money from social media, she can pay for college herself instead of daddy paying or taking out student loans.

[RCharter]

She can go to college any time she wants - doesn't have to be right out of high school. Also if she makes enough money from social media, she can pay for college herself instead of daddy paying or taking out student loans.

I'm not fond of the idea that everyone has to go to college.  Maybe she just isn't college material, or doesn't need to go.  I have my questions about Cole being college material.

[Wandering Snark]

Just "got around to" watching this episode since I noticed two on my DVR and thought "oh I should watch I guess". All of that speaks volumes about this season and the shows ongoing death-spiral. The Race never used to be at "aroundtoit" status. It used to be cherished set aside time. So yeah, that sucks.

 

Anyhow I just wanted to add my late notice of annoyance at Cole's dealing with his mom when she screw royaled their team. He kept smiling at her and saying "You did so good. No biggie." Which was total bullshit. She KNOWS she screwed it, everyone at the task knows she screwed it... but here he's all fake-glowingly supportive saying "No, what? You did AWESOME!!!" which I'd think would have just pissed me off. I'd rather have had a "Wow, tough one. That was hard to watch but I'm glad you stuck with it and persevered. No use in dwelling on it." Or something of that variety instead of the grinning 'What are you kidding? You killed it!!" Which is so obviously fake and insincere.

 

I agree that it is so sad that other teams are referring to "Daddy" now.

[Supay]

Gevorg Dabaghyan, the greeter playing the native instrument known as the "duduk", is quite the accomplished musician:

 

 

 

 

 

[windfall]

Has there ever been a less observant group of racers? I thought that they would all descend upon that man and his vacuum like a pack of vultures after the first team asked him for the clue. But nope, there is absolutely no limit to their obliviousness. Although, I suppose I should've expected as much after seeing their reaction from figuring out the map of the flags was indeed a map.

[ladders]

So, Cole cried when they left their house, and cried a few times on different challenges. He has his Momma change the oil (his ergasiophobia?) and is basically chilling in his shorts with his sideways hat while she hyperventilates and sobs spasmodically. Definitely his reaction was unhelpful and not empathetic, but this is clearly a crying family and to them a good fit of tears is part of a normal day. Some parent-child relationships - the mother seems to have no self-esteem, and does everything for their baby, regardless of whether it is actually good for them or not.

[aradia22]

It was so frustrating to watch them look everywhere around the theater and ignoring the man with the vacuum cleaner. Not to read too much into it but I think it says a little something about how people in service or perceived menial jobs can be somewhat invisible to some people.

The woman at the lavash bakery (Martina?) is one of my new favorite TAR teachers/judges.