S24.E07: The Gladiators Are Here

[Lisin]

The racers square off with Roman gladiators in a medieval detour; three teams make a deal in hope of avoiding elimination.

Original Air Date 2014-04-13

[yeswedo]

Scheduling alert: due to the Master's, TAR may be delayed on the East Coast. Please plan accordingly!

[merylinkid]

Brendan and Rachel need to get off my screen just for being morons.   Rachel "we're going to the Eternal City, Ethiopia Africa."   First of all, Ethiopia is country second of all, who does not know Rome is the Eternal City who has BEEN to the city before?   Then Brendan with his "alphanumeric" conversion.   Hey Mr. PhD, alphanumeric is numbers and letters.  What you mean was converting between Roman and Arabic numerals.

I thought the Globetrotters would be toast.  If they couldn't come up with Franz Kafka, they were not going to get roman numerals (disclaimer, I can't do them above V).  They had help.  Luckily  Jessica and John got loster.  And really they thought they would beat professional athletes who run up and down a court in a foot race.  Loved Phil directing the camera to catch the footrace.

But gah with the Country Girls being the first thought was "let's work with someone" rather than using their own brains.  

Lost a lot of love for the Cowboys with their "Drive like a Sri Lankan" remark.   That was so wrong.

[Way Wes Jr]

merylinkid, did you see the tuk-tuk drivers?  (Jet or Cord) wasn't being racist, he was comparing to previous experience on this current race.

Every season it seems that there is one episode where being able to read the clue ourselves would answer so many questions.  I don't think that some teams suffered poor taxi-luck, rather I think many (most) teams mis-interpreted the clue; the taxi drivers were doing their best with "those crazy tourists confusing piazza and via..."

While I agree that Caroline and Jennifer disappoint with their instinct to get someone to help them, rather than do the damn task themselves, they also deserve credit for coming in second after having to do (imo) the toughest speed bump in the history of the speed bump.

[Wandering Snark]

They were telling people 'John Keats Plaza' which doesn't exist. The problem came in that there was a Via John Keats and half of the taxis were convinced they needed to go there... some cabbies were more stubborn, some picked up that they meant the Spanish Steps. Bad cab luck strikes again.

What about challenges with numbers makes the Globetrotter's brains turn off?? It was painfully obvious Flight Time had not understood the clue. Only the other teams coming an telling him about the year got him going, then they were just handed the answer but surprise there is nobody behind us like we thought. Kind of a bad "good idea" there, good idea if someone was behind them bad idea since there was no other team. Also, consider if Jon hadn't of used his shield too early so many times they'd have probably been safe.

At least Brendan & Rachel really counted the steps and did the math, far too many got the answer of the number of steps from other people for my liking. A. Read the Clue B. Do your own frickin' stair counting and math!!

There are still dogs all around the world with their heads cocked at the TV after Rachel's whinnying at the Mat.

I just didn't like the way this one went, it was kinda aggravating actually.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Wandering Snark

[Snaporaz]

As a fan of riddles, smart phones have ruined this show for me.  I know the internet has pretty much been used since the first season, but it wasn't quite so easy to find it.

To be fair, while Brendan and Rachel were in Italy during their first Race, they were in Turin, not Rome.  And other racers also had to ask what the Eternal City was.  Brendan and Rachel are the only team left I can root for, not because I love them, but because I loathe everyone else.  Except the Globetrotters, and I'm only "meh" about them.

Does Connor have to say "let's roll" in every single leg?  That phrase has now been used more than "Achilles tendon".

[msburg]

Dave and Conner should've gotten a clue this leg. The country girls ask for help, then leave them in the dust when they ran for faux Cary and Audrey.  Same MO as their last race -- pleading for help then giving nothing in return.

 

I was yelling at Flight Time at the Roadblock -- read the dang clue!  Seriously, did he read it at all?

 

Feeling a little nostalgic for Rome -- I travelled there about 25 years ago.  I loved how the city's history kept all travel above ground -- one really gets to know the city after a few days.  Happy to see the Colosseum, the Parthenon, the typewriter building and the Spanish Steps again....  Might be time to tap into Travelocity and consult a certain gnome about a trip soon....

 

ETA: Yes, thanks auntlada and leagaleagle.  Yeesh. Gregory and Audrey, Pantheon -- looks like I need do a quick review before I book any trips!

Edited April 14, 2014 by msburg

[auntlada]

I was disappointed no one got the Roman Holiday clue in the clue. I wondered if they had mentioned that to the cabdrivers if the drivers would have figured out they wanted the Spanish Steps, not Via John Keats, which is pretty far out of the way.

And no one seemed to know who the happy couple was supposed to be.

 

The country girls ask for help, then leave them in the dust when they ran for faux Cary and Audrey.

Gregory and Audrey.

For me, it's not so much that Rachel thought the Eternal City was Ethiopia, which is not a city, but that when Brendan asked her about it, she just said, "I don't know." It seemed like another case of her taking off and knowing she didn't know where she was going, but running anyway.

I also couldn't figure out why Brendan and Rachel kept talking about how badly they'd been doing without even mentioning the leg they won earlier.

I've never seen Piazza Venezia not torn up before. We were there just after Christmas in 2007 and again in 2008, and both times the grassy area was torn up because they were putting in a new subway line. It's nice to see they got it finished there (or gave up because they kept running into ruins of something).

Edited April 14, 2014 by auntlada

[Muffyn]

Dear Flight time, read the clue.  Then red the clue again.  Then make sure you understand the clue.  Okay?  When he kept sayiing "I don't know anything about Roman numerals", you think he would have asked someone.  Many of the other teams didn't know much about Roman numerals but they asked people and got help.  While I often snark on Jet and Cord, the polite way Jet asked for help really stood out as a non-ugly American moment.  

[legaleagle53]

Feeling a little nostalgic for Rome -- I travelled there about 25 years ago.  I loved how the city's history kept all travel above ground -- one really gets to know the city after a few days.  Happy to see the Colosseum, the Parthenon, the typewriter building and the Spanish Steps again....  Might be time to tap into Travelocity and consult a certain gnome about a trip soon....

I feel you, although I think you mean the Pantheon, not the Parthenon (the latter is in Athens, not Rome).  I've been there twice, in November 2006 and January 2007, and this leg brought back some very fond memories, especially of my first trip (I even had my picture taken with the gladiators just across from the Colosseum).  I think I'm going to do a LOT of rewatching of this episode!

[Lantern7]

Ending left a bad taste in my mouth. Teams need to figure out answers on their own, not mooch off others. And I would think the Globetrotters would be worldly enough to know Roman numerals. Sucked that Jessica & John got eliminated, mostly because Jessica looked like she had a great time out there. John's probably husband material . . . but as a Racer? Average at best. Thankfully, Phil didn't go "oy vey" again . . . once again, that's never not funny. Even when you don't hear it, watching Phil throw out his arms kills me.

I don't need to see Brendan & Rachel win another leg. Man, they suck. I'm still pulling for Dave & Conner, even if they did give the Country Girls second place. They've raced well for most of the show . . . why shouldn't they win? I'm amazed Dave went for a hard-running Roadblock, especially with his son ranking on him about his Achilles.

Chariot race was a bit of a joke. I know that having Racers engaged in actual chariots would've been a nightmare, but R/C cars? BTW, if they had the Gnomes behind the "horses," they would've been breaking every five minutes. Travelocity would have a conniption. Now, the gladiators? Hard. Core. And it's nice to see that they are some folks that the Afghanimals won't hug afterward.

Next week: donkeys!

[mertensia]

I was happy this episode - I was in Rome in 2012 and saw the Pantheon, the Ponte Sant'Angelo bridge and the Coliseum. Also I think I spotted the Piazza Navona at some point.

Okay none of them have heard of or seen Roman Holiday? I mean I haven't seen it but I certainly connect the Spanish Steps to it. Also Keats.

Those remote-controlled chariots were adorable .

[Joystickenvy]

I've never heard of or seen Roman Holliday, so I can't fault them for not making the connection. The team that actually annoyed me the most this leg was Dave & Conner or really just Dave. He was so so freaking whiny at the chariot race and then again at the steps.

It IS a race and people are not obligated to help you. Find your own damn clue box. Plus, while I'm pretty sure wrecking Dave's chariot was not intentional, simply because I don't think they had enough control to pull it off, it would have been good strategy if it was.

Loved the gladiator dude kicking the Afghanimals in the rear. Really annoyed Flight time got bailed out on first not reading the clue and second not bothering to count the steps.....or maybe he didn't realize they were talking about the steps he was climbing since he keep saying he didn't understand Roman Numerals, but kept writing down Arabic numbers?

Don't have an issue with the country girls wanting to work with the Achilles heels, but I don't get why the heels keep doing all the work for no return.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Joystickenvy

[waldrons]

While I agree that smart phones/Internet access make things easier to figure out, at least they do have to figure things out and clues this episode weren't being spoon-fed.  There's a chance (as we saw) that someone will think they figured something out only to be wrong.  Unfortunately, it was the cab drivers and not the racers, but still it allows room for error.  I think I would have tried to translate the whole clue for the drivers, because it didn't say "John Keats Plaza", it said something like "the plaza of John Keats' unhappy Roman holiday".  I suspect the cab drivers would have figured that out if they had heard the entire phrase.

And I really wanted to see Brenchel fly to Ethiopia looking for the Eternal City!!!

The giant, angry gladiators with the metal swords would have scared the snot out of me!  

OT: Glad to have found this site after losing TWoP....

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I don't think that mooching the answers off of other teams is any worse than stopping strangers and having them convert Roman numerals for them. In either case, the racers themselves didn't do the actual work so to me it amounts to the same thing - asking someone else to do the work for you. The only part of the challenge that any of the racers actually did was count the steps. They had to ask people when the obelisk was erected since none of them could actually read Roman numerals and then they had to ask people how to write the total number (date plus steps) in Roman numerals.

 

I like when the racers aren't spoonfed the answers/locations but when it results in everyone just asking strangers for the answers, it's really boring to watch.

[MortysCleaningLady]

Kudos to Merylinkid for the comparison between Roman and Arabic numbers.  That drove me nuts!

 

Loved that Jessica mastered the gladiator event before her husband. Then, she made him go first until he could get it right, because she clearly had it.

[Bella]

John is lucky to have Jessica, because she's sharper than him in a way that he needs.

Rachel momentarily ceased to annoy me last night, but it passed. If she were smarter, I'd think she was saying some of these things as a goof, but....

None of the challenges in this episode were particularly compelling. Combined with the weak cast, it's a rather dull season. I tried to imagine these tasks being done by more likable racers in an earlier season when I was less jaded, and it didn't really help. I can't imagine that the show has run out of interesting things to do worldwide. It must be due to financial considerations and/or poor production decisions. 

[Tara Ariano]

Sarah's got your Watch/Skip Index!

[Haleth]

Just goes to show the state of education in the US.  Most of these people didn't know 1) Roman numerals, 2) the Eternal city, or 3) Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.  Frustrating.  (That model/actor really looked like Peck!)

Loved both detour challenges.  The little remote control chariots dragging the charioteers were hilarious and I loved how the gladiators all put on a performance.  Bugs me that nearly all the racers needed help with the roadblock.  At least the Afghanimals helped both the Trotters and John & Jess, so they were on an equal footing.  

[Etta Place]

Brendon's "alphanumeric" thing made me absolutely crazy. If you'd had to convert to hexadecimal, you'd be right.

I no longer like Flight Time. I'm surprised, but this totally changed my mind about him. 1. He doesn't even attempt to count the steps himself, in spite of going up and down them multiple times. 2. He keeps talking about how he doesn't know anything about Roman numerals, but then he doesn't actually do anything with Roman numerals and is still confused why he's wrong, 3. He doesn't read the damn clue.

As other people mentioned, I kept thinking that if the racers had just mentioned Roman Holiday to the cabbies, they would have ended up in the right place.

We'll see if the Afghanimals' attempt of a deal at gunpoint ("we'll give you the answer, you don't U-turn us in the future") will work with the one team who lives to race another leg.

[fishcakes]

I like Jessica, but John is fairly useless as a racer. Also, I find his resemblance to a young Anthony Michael Hall distracting, so I'm not sorry to see them go, especially since it means the Globetrotters stay. I love Flight Time and Big Easy, even though it hurts to watch them have to figure anything out on paper.

The highlight for me was Jamal trying to get directions by saying the name of an Italian street and the passerby telling him he didn't speak English. Dejectedly, "that was Italian."

Brendan is seeming dumber to me the past few weeks. Not just the alphanumeric thing, but also he kept saying "sinusoidal" as if I was supposed to be impressed. I took trigonometry in the 10th grade, doctor. Keep it in your pants.
 

[Netfoot]

New TAR rule:  Rachael must demonstrate the Roman Faceplant at least once in each leg.

The Afgassaholes are really annoying me with their camera-mugging fame-whoring.  But they REALLY nead to stop grabbinbg people.  Hat's off to Mr. Gladiator who kicked one in the ass and called the other a turkey.  Only, next time please direct that kick to the area of the groin!  Or use the sword and make that ululating really high-pitched...

"...drive like Sri Lankans!"  Hehehe... 

Alphanumeric.  He's such a genius he's sinusoidal!

Dave/Connor are really the most self-entitled dicks.  Nothing wrong with asking, but what was with the injured tone and disbelieving expression when R/B chose not to hand you the answer?

Time for the Globetrotters to go.  They didn't even try to count steps, nor convert from or to roman numerals.  John/Jessica were not on my list of favourites, but I'm sorry to see them go and the Globetrotters remain, after that shabby, shameful performance.  And who can we thank?  Oh yeah - the Assholimals again.

[SirDigbyPollo]

Question: Would TAR production have allowed Brenchell to fly to Ethiopia?  That would've been awesome.  They could've been Philiminated via Skype.

Loved the disgusted look on the head Roman guy's face when the ever-mugging Leo & Jamal showed up and immediately started in with their antics. Sono idioti.

Poor Jessica.  In the footrace at the end, she's dogging the GlobeTrotters while continually yelling "C'mon John!" at the laggard John, who somehow can't keep up even though Jessica is running on blistered feet.  I can only guess that John thought there was another team behind them still, so there was no need to run all out.  Which would explain the "whuh?" look on his face when Phil told them they were last.

[ProfCrash]

I would have been screwed with the Roman Numerals. I understand the concept but I suck with converting them. I will blame by dyslexia but that probably really isn't the issue.

John is a piece of work. I loved the "This is going to be east becayse I did X, Y, and Z as a child and in college" to the "Sword only on the first, shield on the second" to getting booted twice because he used his shield when he was suppose to use sword only. Gotta love it. If he hadn't screwed up those two times and gone back to school they probably would have been in the running because they would have gotten to the steps earlier even with getting lost.

I don't like the sharing of the answer but I do like the Afghanimals figuring out that they are going to need some help to prevent from being U Turned and trying to stop being a target by helping. Good awareness that a U Turn had to be coming and actually being proactive about it.

The chariot racing was fun to watch. I have no idea how anyone actually managed to finish it.

[Snaporaz]

 

Just goes to show the state of education in the US.  Most of these people didn't know 1) Roman numerals, 2) the Eternal city, or 3) Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.  Frustrating.  (That model/actor really looked like Peck!)

The Gregory Peck double was all kinds of hot!

 

Dave/Connor are really the most self-entitled dicks.  Nothing wrong with asking, but what was with the injured tone and disbelieving expression when R/B chose not to hand you the answer?

Exactly.  Connor was the same way in their original season.  It's not like they were struggling and Rachel refused to help them. They didn't even try to find the clue box.  They just ran straight to Rachel and asked her where it was. There's always been something about them that bugged, and I think that's it.

 

The highlight for me was Jamal trying to get directions by saying the name of an Italian street and the passerby telling him he didn't speak English. Dejectedly, "that was Italian."

That was the best line of the night!

Edited April 14, 2014 by Snaporaz

[MMLEsq]

I can't remember what the clue actually said, but it must have been very vague about the chariot challenge because more than one team seemed quite surprised when they showed up and found out it was miniature remote-controlled chariots. 

None of the teams left really bother me, so I'm enjoying the season.  I was glad, though, that Rachel didn't feel the need when they came in first to talk about how she gets to have a baby if they win.

I can understand not remembering Roman numerals -- aside:  I took three years of Latin in high school and (geek alert!) was Latin Club president one year, so Roman numerals are ingrained in my brain; I would have loved that challenge -- but to not even read the clue!!  There's absolute no excuse for that, especially for teams that are on their second (or third!) season of TAR. 

I thought it was interesting that Dave and Connor waited and let the Country Girls (I can never remember their names) jump on the mat before them.  It's a nice gesture if you know that there are still teams racing, but I don't think they knew that.  For all they knew (at least from what we saw), they were the last two teams since the Country Girls were the last to leave the chariot task (and they had no way of knowing that the Afghans hadn't finished the gladiator task quickly).  Were they really willing to give up their chance at $1 million?

Edited April 14, 2014 by MMLEsq

[Snaporaz]

They would have known how many teams were behind them from the number of clues left at the beginning of the Roadblock.  All of the clue envelopes were in a basket and easy to see.  They also must have known they weren't first, since it was an easy sprint from the steps to the mat.

Edited April 14, 2014 by Snaporaz

[Netfoot]

Honestly, I think Rachael said Ethiopia not because she thought that's where they had to go, but to indicate that she didn't know where it was they had to go.

[QuantumMechanic]

Hey John -- is it really a good idea to say "...the woman I am likely to spend my whole life with" when talking about your fiancee?  I know nothing in life is guaranteed, but I don't know that it's good form to acknowledge that up front. :)

[legaleagle53]

I can understand not remembering Roman numerals -- aside:  I took three years of Latin in high school and (geek alert!) was Latin Club president one year, so Roman numerals are ingrained in my brain; I would have loved that challenge

So would I. I've kept up with my Latin and my Italian ever since I first started studying them way back in MCMLXXVI.  ;)

Now I REALLY want to pay a third visit to Rome!

[MMLEsq]

They would have known how many teams were behind them from the number of clues left at the beginning of the Roadblock.  All of the clue envelopes were in a basket and easy to see.  They also must have known they weren't first, since it was an easy sprint from the steps to the mat.

But I'm not sure they can really be sure, just from that alone.  I'm pretty sure I've heard that the producers sometimes put extra clues in the box, just so that it's not always obvious how many teams have already been there.  That's why the last three teams thought there was a team behind them.  They would have known for sure there wasn't if the last team to arrive took the last clue.

[Tryangle]

Question: Would TAR production have allowed Brenchell to fly to Ethiopia?  That would've been awesome.  They could've been Philiminated via Skype.

I'm reminded of the old Carmen Sandiego game where if you head to a completely different country they pretty much say "nope, nothing at all is here"...

[Lamb18]

I would have thought more people would have gotten the Roman numerals, but maybe it was too sinusoidal or something.  I was born in MCMLIII.  I liked the detour tasks - little horses and gladiators! I wonder if teams could not move the rocks from the racetrack.

I'm enjoying Leo and Jamal this season. Maybe they are show-offy but they are good-natured and cheerful (at least that's what we see).  I'd rather be around them than people who whine and complain all the time.

[karriemom]

Hey John -- is it really a good idea to say "...the woman I am likely to spend my whole life with" when talking about your fiancee?  I know nothing in life is guaranteed, but I don't know that it's good form to acknowledge that up front. :)

I actually turned to my husband when he said that and asked if I had heard him correctly.  Either Jessica didn't hear him or is a much better person than I am.  I would have been like, "WTF did you just say?"

[Joystickenvy]

Honestly, I think Rachael said Ethiopia not because she thought that's where they had to go, but to indicate that she didn't know where it was they had to go.

I don't think she really thought that was where they were going either and either way I'm pretty sure she never had any intention of trying to decipher the clue or flying to Ethiopia. I'm pretty sure her plan was just to show up and say "I'll have what they're having."

I am kind of curious if the show would have let a team fly to completely the wrong city though.

[Hanahope]

I'm somewhat surprised so many didn't know Roman numerals.  I guess they don't watch the Super Bowl, or see ads for it.

Not terribly surprised most didn't know Roman Holiday.  I'm in my 40s and I only vaguely know about it because of my mom mentioning it when I went to Rome.

The 'be a gladiator' task looked a lot of fun, more fun that the chariot race.

[Snaporaz]

 

But I'm not sure they can really be sure, just from that alone.  I'm pretty sure I've heard that the producers sometimes put extra clues in the box, just so that it's not always obvious how many teams have already been there.

They may add one or two extra clue envelopes, but Connor and Dave were the second team to arrive there, so all of the envelopes except one were there.  They had to know they weren't in last place.

[Netfoot]

I've kept up with my Latin and my Italian ever since I first started studying them way back in MCMLXXVI.

Is it strange that I was able to read that year effortlessly?  Probably because I started latin back in MCMLXVI myself!  But to tell the truth, I really polished my skill reading copyright year off BBC productions.

[jhlipton]

As I recall, the Detour clue just said something about driving chariots, and didn't mention that they ere cute little fun-sized chariots with semi-detachable charioteers.  (Seeing them dragged around the course was painful but funny.)

The gladiator they actually fought with was fun!  "Wrong!  Go!!!"  (That task reminded me of the training scene in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum...)

[19K Vet]

I was suprised that the tail end of the erection date everyone (but flight time) was using was IIII, I was taught that once you got to 4, you went IV.  Same reason 9 is IX and not VIIII.  I thought everyone knew about Roman numerals from the SuperBowl if nothing else. 

After spending the beginning of the season being reasonable, the camera mugging has really come through in Leo and Jamal.  

At least the eliminated couple didn't go out holding another express pass.

I wonder why Dave and Connor let the country girls jump in front of them at the mat.  Was it explained anywhere? 

[bmoore4026]

I don't know why they come up with riddle problems on this show when the contestants barely know how to figure them out.

I enjoyed the gladiator stuff, though.

[Wandering Snark]

Listening to Rachel squeal with delight made me feel sinusoidal as well...

Oh and someone mentioned that the IIII for four was sometimes used back in the early years, the IV being a more recent convention.

[SirDigbyPollo]

I wonder why Dave and Connor let the country girls jump in front of them at the mat.  Was it explained anywhere?

They knew that they weren't racing for first, because they'd already seen Brenchell go on ahead to the Pit Stop, and they knew they weren't trying to avoid last, so since they were being pals with the country gals, Dave told Connor to hold up and let them hit the mat first.  I think he was just being "gentlemanly" about it.  Although, with a U-turn coming up, it doesn't hurt to play nice when it doesn't cost you anything, and hope that it's remembered at the U-turn board.

[helgas altar]

The gladiator was a BAMF and easily my favorite task master since the geography professor with his "incorrect"s and mugging for the camera. Jessica seemed to be really enjoying herself at that task, as were Leo and Jamal. Fun to see!

[Charlesman]

That seemed to be the most clue-riddles we've seen in a long time. Not everything was "go to this specific address", it was "Go to the Eternal City", "Find the building that looks like a typewriter", "find where Keats had an unhappy Roman Holiday"... a nice change of pace.

And while I'm surprised the contestants flubbed the Roman numerals so badly, I was thrown by the challenge as well, just a bit... I couldn't remember what the horizontal line above the numerals was supposed to mean. When I saw it the first time, I only noticed the bottom row of numerals and then tried to work out what the bar over them meant. Only later did I see there were two lines of numerals... and the bar over them was used incorrectly! It didn't need to be there at all, as the obelisk obviously wasn't erected in 1,725,000!

[msburg]

I like Jessica, but John is fairly useless as a racer. Also, I find his resemblance to a young Anthony Michael Hall distracting, so I'm not sorry to see them go, especially since it means the Globetrotters stay. I love Flight Time and Big Easy, even though it hurts to watch them have to figure anything out on paper.

 

Totally agree with all of this, but I was thinking Anthony Michael Hall in that godawful football movie, when he was trying to break type....

[Kromm]

You know, as much as it didn't work and they caught up, I think this Speed Bump had been INTENDED to kill whoever did it.  I mean how many Speed Bumps have we seen that required cab rides through a city center to accomplish.  Not many.  If people hadn't really wasted MASSIVE time at that Detour there's no way that wouldn't ensure last place, normally at least.

Edited April 15, 2014 by Kromm

[SnideAsides]

None of the challenges in this episode were particularly compelling. Combined with the weak cast, it's a rather dull season. I tried to imagine these tasks being done by more likable racers in an earlier season when I was less jaded, and it didn't really help. I can't imagine that the show has run out of interesting things to do worldwide. It must be due to financial considerations and/or poor production decisions.

I'd say poor production decisions - from what I've heard, the budget is actually higher now than it was for the first couple of seasons (even though it's been cut significantly from where it was).

Since about that first time they tried to refresh its appearance (TAR14? Margie and Luke's first season), they've been trying too hard to sell the show as a sprint when it's really a marathon. I think a lot of the problem is that the show doesn't slow down enough now. To use an analogy, modern TAR compared to classic TAR is like listening to a remix of Bohemian Rhapsody only to find out it's just seven minutes of "Galileo, Galileo" set to music that sounds vaguely familiar and yet is completely wrong. Sure, there are other problems - the slew of easy warm-up legs we've been getting near the start of each season that drastically delays the onset of Killer Fatigue, the Detour-free/Road-Block-free/double-Road-Block legs feeling incomplete, the local music they've been using in the end credits invariably being too upbeat to follow an elimination, Phil's taste in recent favourite teams - but that's the biggest one.

Just goes to show the state of education in the US.  Most of these people didn't know 1) Roman numerals, 2) the Eternal city, or 3) Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn.  Frustrating.  (That model/actor really looked like Peck!)

I would have known the Roman numerals, and I would have figured out the clue was a reference to the movie, but I would have guessed Athens as the Eternal City (still closer than Ethiopia) and wouldn't have known to go to the Spanish Steps.

Edited April 15, 2014 by SnideAsides

[ghoulina]

I thought Rachel was making a joke about Ethiopia. 

[BusyOctober]

Does Rachel think it's her job to invent America's latest catch phrases?  Every damn episode she looks into the camera and says the most idiotic one-liner.  It ain't happening. 

I know she said she was not sure where the Eternal City was and just randomly said "Ethiopia", but oh how I would love to see a team hop a plane to a completely incorrect destination.