S28.E10: Monkey Dance

[Supay]

 

The race continues in Bali.

 

As confirmed by the official schedule:

 

http://cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/the-amazing-race/photos?episode=10135

[Supay]

Hanoman* approves!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0II88--V2Yk

* The local adaptation of the simian Hindu deity.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Supay

[Browncoat]

I love watching them chase and carry chickens.  I've worked with poultry for years, so I'd be all over that -- I know I could carry four at a time -- two in each hand.  The suspension bridge would be my problem.  I don't like bouncy bridges!

And if I made it back and forth across the bridge, the cliff jump?  Not happening.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Browncoat

[HowdyTV]

I was surprised the guys, at least, didn't take their shirts off and load the coconuts into them to carry more, unless that's not allowed. 

The cliff jump would do me in. I might make it off, but I'd die of a heart attack before I reached the water!

[Haleth]

I'm actually bummed that Brodie and Kurt were eliminated. It was smart of Burnie and Ashley to burn the other UTurn to get rid of a strong team, but it's borderline unsporting. Borderline. I know, perfectly legitimate and a good strategy.  Still would have preferred to lose Cole. 

[NYGirl]

Ahhhh peace and quiet once again returns to The Amazing Race world with the elimination of the big mouth Brodie.

It seemed to be an enjoyable leg and just as I figured the seaweed task looked to take much less time than the coconuts and chickens.  That being said I almost rooted for Matt and Dana to lose because I actually hate her and she was carrying one coconut and one coconut every trip across the bridge.

I wish Burnie and Ashley could have come in first..just once.  They were very smart to U-turn Tyler and Korey.

[ForeverAlone]

Did Sheri and Cole sacrifice a goat to get this lucky in this game? I mean, they came in last twice, but were saved, because they were non-elimination legs. And now they were saved from elimination, because of the U Turn. I will give Cole credit for getting the job done quickly at the Roadblock, but still. The fact that they are still in the race is astonishing to me (though certainly not unprecedented). 

I can't say I was surprised at the outcome of this leg. So far, that spoiler boot list has been accurate to a fault. 

The tasks were interesting this leg, though it was a bit hard to know if one detour task was faster than the other. The seaweed one didn't SEEM like it took that long. Not if Kurt and Brodie were able to finish both and seemingly not be THAT far behind. So it possible if they had chosen that detour task, they might have finished higher (at least higher than Burnie and Ashley) and could have U Turned another team to save themselves. The Roadblock looked fun as hell, and it clearly wasn't a Roadblock Brodie would have lost the leg for the team.

I was surprised to realize that all the teams started out within 15 minutes of each other. Assuming that matched the spread on their finishing times, last leg was certainly a close one. 

Edited April 30, 2016 by ForeverAlone

[Browncoat]

Major props to Cole for jumping off the cliff.

[truthaboutluv]

It's a pity this season was filming as the last one was airing because if these teams had seen that season, I'm sure Burnie and Ashley would not feel too bad about all their second place finishes because they'd know that it certainly did not hurt Kelsey and Joey in the end, last season. I have to say the editing is almost hinting at them possibly pulling a Kelsey and Joey and getting first when it counts the most. While I absolutely understood Tyler and Korey's reasoning for U-Turning Brodie and Kurt, I actually think Burnie and Ashley are the biggest threat in the final legs. As Ashley said this episode, while yes coming in second multiple times sucks but it also shows that they are consistent. And that might be enough in the end. As much as Brodie and Kurt bugged me at points during the race, I kind of felt a little sad to see them eliminated. Also, I totally think their elimination could be traced all the way back to using their express pass on that very easy puzzle because Brodie couldn't calm down enough for a second and just figure it out. Had they not done that, they could have used the express pass last leg for the kite challenge that put them in near last place, thus avoiding being far behind this leg that allowed Tyler and Korey to get ahead and U-Turn them. 

[Lantern7]

I know that Brodie & Kurt are buttheads (or at least Brodie), and I know you should hate the game . . . but the Frisbee Bros. going out like they did? Crap. I think there should be a rule about U-Turning a team that has done that to another pair. I mean, the biggest headache is now Dana, the game is freed up, and Brodie would probably have stunk up the remaining Roadblocks, but "unsporting" is a proper term.

I'm willing to bet money that Burnie & Ashley win in two weeks. Yes, Tyler & Korey are good, but Rooster Teeth displays the same consistency as Kelsey & Joey. And I think it would be good to just win the final leg because they would save a lot on taxes on the trips. I bet Justin probably bangs his head against the wall while filing last week. Who are we kidding? Diana probably did it for the both of them.

And yes, Cole gets props for taking the plunge. The kid may be a headache, but he's not a big one. Of course, I'll be shocked if he and Sheri wind up winning.

[vousviou]

Chasing the chickens reminded me of the scene from Rocky (and Creed), but these chickens were clearly a lot slower.

I felt bad for Kurt and Brodie after the U-Turn because the following roadblock was so simple.  They had very little chance once Burnie and Ashley figured out the trick to making sure no one else was U Turned.

On the other hand, if the Bros had done better in the previous leg, they wouldn't have been in that position, and the top two teams did what they had to do, and made things a lot easier for themselves.  Still, I don't like such linear legs.

I just hope it doesn't come down to the taxi gods deciding who goes into the finals. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Wow, T/K and B/A played that to perfection and amazingly didn't have it screwed up by a non-elim leg or an unexpected travel disaster. That's what you absolutely have to do, to give yourself the best possible chance to win this thing in the finale.

Not sure that Sheri and Cole were necessarily spared by the double u turn, I feel like given the opportunity Brodie and Kurt would have probably u-turned the dancers because they were the last team to start the coconuts and chickens detour.

I wish the RB would have been a little more involved than just being told to "jump of a cliff"....but they had to find the initial clue for the detours underwater so maybe they didn't want to some variation of that for a 2nd time in the same episode.

Was the monkey a representation of Hanuman the Monkey God from the Ramayana story? I wish we would've gotten a little more context as to what was happening at those stairs.

A couple of teams said on twitter that using their shirts as a cradle for the coconuts (or chickens) was specifically against the rules. I wondered in real time why no one attempted that.

[HowdyTV]

Thanks, PhD-Purgatory15 (been there, done that), I wondered if that wasn't the case about the shirts.

[vousviou]

3 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I'm willing to bet money that Burnie & Ashley win in two weeks. Yes, Tyler & Korey are good, but Rooster Teeth displays the same consistency as Kelsey & Joey. And I think it would be good to just win the final leg because they would save a lot on taxes on the trips. I bet Justin probably bangs his head against the wall while filing last week. Who are we kidding? Diana probably did it for the both of them.

I'm pulling for Burnie and Ashley, but I'm not counting on Tyler and Korey doing anything as boneheaded as Justin at the end when he told the cabbie to drive away and leave them stranded miles from another cab.  I just hope both of those teams are in the final, because I suspect otherwise it will be a pretty dull last show.

[Lantern7]

Checked my blog . . . turns out that Brodie & Kurt have the best leg average for a fourth or fifth-place team that lasted a minimum of ten legs. Their 2.60 barely surpasses Andy & Tommy's 2.63 in TAR19.

I laughed at Tyler being attracted to his "coach." Yes, I'm 12, apparently.

[spanana]

While I do feel bad for Brodie and Kurt to some degree, I do not agree with the whole "unsporting" viewpoint.  I didn't mind Brodie and Kurt's reaction to being u-turned because I've seen a lot worse and they seemed to understand it was a game, at least once they got past the initial shock.  So they were mostly fine.  But because I feel it needs to be said every season.  It's a game.  A game of strategy where the u-turn and double u-turn are part of the game.  I was applauding Burnie and Ashley for being strategic about it.  This is not a sporting event.  Brodie/Kurt were in a position to be u-turned because of their poor performance on the last leg.

I also agree with the idea that I don't think Cole/Sheri were really spared here necessarily because I think it's likely that Brodie/Kurt would have u-turned Dana/Matt if they had the opportunity to u-turn someone.  Really if Cole/Sheri are being spared it's just because the other teams don't see them as a threat at all so I think they would have been last on everyone's u-turn list unless there were no other available options.  I'm sure most teams would want them in the finals because they probably think they would be easy to beat.

Edited April 30, 2016 by spanana

[Boilergal]

When Phil said the roadblock was 'jump off a cliff'- I moaned and rolled my eyes, of course that's the kind of task Brodie would get.    I was looking forward to another one of his 3 year old melt downs. 

Wondered if untying the ropes in the seaweed task was allowed- or if they would have been penalized if they weren't already last.  Loved how the locals were looking at them. 

Burnie - are the ugly safety guys off today?

[sinycalone]

I'm not sure if Brodie and Kurt would have avoided the u-turn by doing the seaweed task first....but it was a slight possibility.

I know the U-Turn is a fact of race life...but it always seems too Survivorish to me.

[Haleth]

I used the word "unsporting" but I'm not knocking the use of the U Turn against them. It was a smart move, I don't blame B&A at all for doing it. I just hate seeing a competent team eliminated this way while an inferior team moves on. Truth?  Brodie reminds me of Andrew Luck whom I adore. 

[ByaNose]

Okay, where are the pictures of tan Australian safety guy? That guy was basically perfect looking.

[QuantumMechanic]

I'm not going to complain about what Burnie and Ashley did -- the rules allow it and it made perfect sense to do it, but I will complain about the rules allowing it to happen.

What is the point of having a Double U-Turn in the game if teams can so trivially turn it into a single U-Turn??  Makes no sense.

The show should either have all U-Turns be single U-Turns or change the rules so that if a team (knowingly or unknowingly) U-Turns a team that has already passed the U-Turn, the U-Turn slot in question is still "alive".

[PhD-Purgatory15]

I'm not sure I see how this scenario is "trivial". Brodie and Kurt's poor performance in the previous leg put them in a vulnerable position towards the back of the pack, so if strategy matters in this game why wouldn't you game the system to where Brodie/Kurt can't u-turn someone behind them after they are u-turned? The idea that once the first team in a Double U-Turn is u-turned, they still have the ability to u-turn someone has always seemed arbitrarily unfair too. Like it should be T/K u-turning B/K but then it shouldn't be B/K able to u-turn M/D.....but if B/A or S/C choose to make that decision, then ok have at it.

Now I'll also say that if a normal season design includes a 1 double u-turn and 1 single u-turn then I'd rather see the double u-turn occur before the single one in the season. That way the the two teams (such as T/K and B/A) know they are making a strategic decision to try and eliminate the strongest threat....but they also know that they are sacrificing their u-turn's early and taking away their ability to use the single one later in the season (potentially placing themselves in a vulnerable position at that point).

Edited April 30, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[shura]

1 hour ago, NYGirl said:

That being said I almost rooted for Matt and Dana to lose because I actually hate her and she was carrying one coconut and one coconut every trip across the bridge.

I know. Dana was just useless there. And what's with answering absolutely everything Matt says with "Shut up!"? She is just unpleasant. Maybe Matt can dump her at one of the pit stops. We've had a couple proposals on TAR, how about a reverse?

It was really cool to see a seaweed farm. I had no idea it was grown like that.

[blackwing]

I agree that the fact that the double U Turn has been rendered ineffective.  We have seen in several seasons now where the second team to use it purposely U Turns the team in first just to eliminate the team that had been U Turned by the first team.

I do think it was a strategic use of the double, I just think it effectively eliminates whoever the first team chooses.  Brodie and Kurt were a strong team and I can't fault others for wanting them out, I just think it's a tough way to go out. Also, we have seen legs where there are U-turns and then a non-elim.  

At this point, I want either Dana/Matt or Burnie/Ashley to win.  I loathe Tyler and Cole.

I think the way they went out, Brodie has pretty much guaranteed an appearance on Unfinished Business.  Whether he shows up with Kurt or Blaire is uncertain, but I do think we will see him again.

[LotusFlower]

I have a feeling Brodie and Kurt reached the mat a lot later than it looked.  I'm sure the seaweed task was pretty time consuming, even though it looked like they did it pretty quickly.

I like how both Burnie and Ashley and Korey and Tyler all thought of the U-turn strategy.  So many people were complaining about this season at the beginning (re: the cast), but the smart teams are growing on me, and I'm liking this season.

Edited April 30, 2016 by LotusFlower

[whiporee]

I've really liked Burnie and Ashley this whole race, but that was a chickenshit move. 

I don't like Tyler and Cole, but I've got no problem with them making the UTurn, It is part of the game. But B&A are chickenshit cowards, and I think it's a dick move to conspire to eliminate other teams. Not help them, sure. But to actively work with another team -- which you know was discussed -- to get rid of a team because they are a threat? Chickenshit. This game is usually the epitome of a meritocracy and rarely falls into the scheming psuedo-political-we're-so-fucking-smart stuff that other reality shows seem to enjoy, but tonight's move (and the other times it's been used) just reek of wanting win not because of skill, but because you see yourself as some sort of brilliant Frank Underwood. 

I liked the Gator boys so I'm bummed they went out, but mostly now I just want the two leaders to not win. Which is too bad, because until tonight, I really did like B&A. Oh Well. Roll Tide, I guess. 

[Rick Kitchen]

Man, Cole looks so sunburnt.

Oh, good, Dana is in bitch mode again. #FreeMatt I wonder what Dana's Facebook fans think of her after watching her behavior here.

Tyler and Korey and Burnie and Ashley were on the same page, U-Turn wise.

Cole was doing the coconut carry like a boss.

What was the purpose of the face cream?

[Primetimer]

Racers spend a second leg in Indonesia enjoying the crystal-clear water, debating the U-Turn, and getting up close and personal with the local poultry.

View the full article

[biakbiak]

Has Brody always had that brace on his knee? 

Dana was nicer to the chickens than she has been to Matt on the entire race!

I thought it was cute that Bernie thanked the staff who got Ashley back to the boat for keeping her safe. 

Edited April 30, 2016 by biakbiak

[etagloh]

It's funny how everybody feared this would be the most stuntcast season yet, when it's turned out to be remarkably old-school and a lot of fun to watch. There's no real talk of alliances, just ad hoc collaboration when it's in teams' mutual interest; everybody seems to get along; there's really not that much draaaaaaaama; there's no preordained Team of Evil. And the teams leading the way mostly know their TAR shit, which is how you got that expertly executed W-turn to send the bros packing. (I still hate the U-turn, but it's part of the race, and T/K and B/A showed a lot of Race savvy.)

There were basically two W-turn scenarios, and they're both in Tyler and Korey's hands: if T/K choose not to U-turn, then B/A probably choose not to U-turn either, and it's then a battle at the rear end of the pack. But as soon as T/K decide that there's no better time to knock out the bros, B/A have to be smart enough to recognise that and burn the second U-Turn. And they were.

My guess is that everybody avoided the seaweed task because it sounded a bit too close to the salt RB from the last leg, but given the number of trips required to deliver the chickens and coconuts, I wonder if a team willing to try it would have gained an advantage over the chicken-haulers. That's all moot. TPTB must have been glad (for once) that everybody took the one side of the Detour, since it made the U-Turn strategy much clearer for teams than having to guess where the opposition might be.

I'm still not as convinced that Burnie and Ashley are getting the same kind of edit as the reporters whose first leg win was the final bathmat. No idea how they lost that leg, other than the taxi dropped them off at the wrong place. But I don't see them having a meltdown, whereas I think Tyler and Korey have one really bad task left in them.

[Muffyn]

I really enjoyed this leg.  Yes, it was an interesting use of the W turn.  The tasks were beautiful. 

Dana and Matt not being able to identify a clue (literally could not catch a clue) was classic.  I also liked how friendly Dana was with the chickens.  The should keep her in an animal pen at all times.  She is much more pleasant that way.

Cole personed up and held up his side of the tasks and then some.  It was interesting to see every team take the chickens and coconuts.  Don't they know the risk of working with animals on TAR?  I was surprised no one lost a chicken.  Given the choice, I would have chosen seaweed just to be cooled off in the ocean. 

[biakbiak]

Oops!

Edited April 30, 2016 by biakbiak

[Netfoot]

I'm not entirely sure I like the U-Turn at all, but so long as it exists in the game, and so long as no rules were bent/broken in it's execution, then I am fine with it being used.  It's no more unsportsmanlike than bowling bouncers in cricket.  

Dana.  Ugh.  And only one chicken?  You carry chickens by holding them upside down and tucking their legs between your fingers.  You can easily carry four in one hand, unless you have micro-fingers.

Saw a huge Hanuman murti in Carapichaima while on vacation in Trinidad last year.  Tonight's little monkey made me remember.  

Brodie:  "WOOOO-ooo-ugh!

[jumper sage]

1 hour ago, Rick Kitchen said:

What was the purpose of the face cream?

I'ts one of the products made by the seaweed.

[J-Man]

2 hours ago, whiporee said:

I don't like Tyler and Cole, but I've got no problem with them making the UTurn,

Tyler and Cole are on different teams. Did you mean Tyler and KOREY?

[GaT]

I really thought it was going to be a NEL, so I was surprised Brodie & Kurt were actually eliminated.

[Guiaoshi]

OMG, so happy with the great use of the U-Turn from both teams, thats how you cancel a strong team with a double U-turn (all teams choosing the same detour also helped on them to know what decision to make). I was worried that some teams would try to play nice with the fans, so that was a good surprise, specially from Tyler and Korey since they were first. That was a great move cause unless something crazy happens, it makes the race for the win just between Tyler-Korey and Burnie-Ashley.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Guiaoshi, that's a really important point. Had the teams split off 3 and 2 w/ the detour options (especially if one of T/K and B/A had chosen the seaweed) it would've been a much more dicey choice to try and double whammy Brodie and Kurt. Having the complete knowledge of where everyone else was behind you made it much safer and pretty much a no brainer (although I'm pretty sure S/C would not have thought that strategically. Matt and Diana could have, not totally sure on them though).

They still might have tried it, but it would have been on faith though.....not on absolute certainty that Brodie and Kurt were vulnerable to the double u-turn. 

Edited April 30, 2016 by PhD-Purgatory15

[Muffyn]

On a completely shallow note, Brodie was looking more and more like a werewolf.  It is probably best he is gone before someone traps or shoots him.

[Netfoot]

2 minutes ago, Muffyn said:

Brodie was looking more and more like a werewolf.

I think he looks like a chimp.  Only, not as smart.

[Sentient Meat]

I think the main problem wasn't so much the double U-turn abuse... (which is a loophole I agree they need to close next season) but that the task immediately after was so simple.  Granted it took a little courage to make the jump, but there was no suspense because unless someone had a panic attack because of their fear of heights the results were a foregone conclusion.  So yeah... fix the rule and make sure the task after the U-turn is complicated enough that someone could conceivably overcome a double task disadvantage.

[slasherboy]

2 hours ago, Rick Kitchen said:

What was the purpose of the face cream?

It's made from the seaweed they were working with.

[biakbiak]

Quote

 (although I'm pretty sure S/C would not have thought that strategically

 

That's being generous because neither S/C or Dana could figure out what happened with the uturn with pictures in front of them, I can't imagine them doing anything other than u turning someone they hadnt seen in awhile.

Edited April 30, 2016 by biakbiak

[Guiaoshi]

24 minutes ago, Muffyn said:

On a completely shallow note, Brodie was looking more and more like a werewolf.  It is probably best he is gone before someone traps or shoots him.

 

20 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I think he looks like a chimp.  Only, not as smart.

Lmaooo.. Well, like we expected, he was the downfall of his team.. From making them burn that express pass in a simple task to struggle in last week roadblock to the point they went to the back of the pack. So, like some people mentioned above, it takes a combination of factors to make a team gets kicked off with a double U-turn.. Part the tream own fault for not get there early enough, plus it takes more than one team to think it right, use the right strategy (we saw in the past teams messing up with their choice. From what we saw from Cole and his mom, they wouldnt even know how to place the photos and would be scare to use it and end up u-turning themselves >.<).

And about the leg having a ´´simple`` task after the U-turn, did you guys forgot other seasons where the double U-Turn were pretty much the last thing before go to the pit-stop? Still a better way to have it at the end, give teams the chance to earn the use of the double U-turn on how they run the leg/kept their position. If it was earlie in the leg, T&K and B&A would still be ahead and make the same decisions (only would be even easier for them keeping their lead from the start of the leg).

Edited April 30, 2016 by Guiaoshi

[oldgearhead]

The chickens reminded me of the first summer after I started attending university.   One morning my bud called to tell me about a new posting on the job board.   We were always looking for a few more bucks.   The job was for "Chicken Puller".   We had no idea what this entailed but we went anyway.  Turns out that a chicken ranch was rotating stock and facilities.   They wanted us to grab hand fulls of chickens (three per hand, six birds per trip) from a cage and transport them to a cage in a newly setup area.  By the end of the day, we were covered in chicken **you know what**.   I stunk for a few days after and all the clothes that I wore were tossed, including the shoes.   Nasty business,  but we made $100.00 each for one day of chicken pulling.  40 years later we just look at each other at laugh about that "job".

BTW, just tuck one leg of each chicken between each of your fingers (6 legs between 8 fingers) and let the birds hang upside-down.   They become quite docile for the most part and just go along for the ride, but they do squirt upwards.

Edited April 30, 2016 by oldgearhead

[scrb]

They must have colluded, talked about burning the second U-turn.

Having to go on boats also made it tougher to catch up.  The frisbee guys passed one team but couldn't pass one more.

[tigesrule]

Fans of the cliff jump guy - Google a show called Bondi Rescue. He's a lifeguard at Bondi beach in Sydney!

[mertensia]

I think Cole had the right idea: just jump without really stopping to think. 

I do wish they'd put a stop to letting you U-Turn a team that's already U-Turned a team to use up the U-Turn.

[seacliffsal]

I think Cole's good performances this week show what happens when parents aren't able to 'protect' their children.  Sheri was about to have a meltdown because her 'baby' was going to have to jump off of a cliff...yet he did it without too much hesitation because he 'had' to.  I think Cole has quite a bit of potential (i.e. last week's salt task which he quickly dealt with) and that, if anything, Sheri's babying of him is not allowing his to realize some of his potential.  I kind of liked Cole this episode as he just took care of business (he also did well with the cocoanuts).

I think Brodie and Kurt had good attitudes about their elimination-I would have preferred Matt and Dana to be eliminated as I think her attitude and the way she treats Matt is horrible.  I so much more enjoy the seasons/episodes when the partners are nice and supportive to each other, the other teams, and the locals.  Having said that, I do think the way the Double U was used was pretty brilliant.  Also, the other teams are probably just fine with Dana's attitude as they think it will cause them to make errors and take longer at the tasks.  

I have really enjoyed this season much more than I originally thought I would.  

[Suzysite]

Quote

 I loathe Tyler and Cole. (Korey)

So do I.  Especially the little blond one.  Every time he laughs I mute the sound.  I'd prefer any team over them for the win. 

Edited April 30, 2016 by Suzysite