S28.E10: Monkey Dance

[weightyghost]

I don't remember when someone has purporsely u-turned a team in front to prevent the uturned team from doing it, but my historical knowledge of this show deletes itself as soon as the seasons end. However, I do remember teams (most likely in the blind u-turns) accidentally u-turning someone in front with the belief they were behind. If they changed the rules and made teams in-active once they pass through the area, I think that would be just as unfair. The whole suspense of it is the fact that sometimes they have no idea who is behind them so it's a bit of a risk. 

The one thing I think we can all agree on though is that it's removed all together... I did prefer it when the show didn't have it at all. 

[J.D.]

Just now watched the show.  This was an exciting leg. I wish the season wasn't almost over.  :(  I'm happy with all the teams except for the dancers.  I'd be just fine if they got eliminated because Dana drives me crazy.  My favorites are in this order: Tyler and Korey, Burnie and Ashley then Sherri and Cole....but I would be fine with any of them winning.    

(This is my first post so I'm testing how this works).

[hendersonrocks]

RAAAAAAACE!

Well done, teams. 

Quote

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

From what was shown, it didn't seem like they had discussed this *specific* plan. Very possible the two teams had talked in general about U-turn strategy, however - though it is also fairly clear they didn't include Matt & Dana or Cole & Sheri in those conversations, since they had no idea what the hell was going on with Burnie & Ashley's (very smart & strategic) move. That parenthetical is probably WHY they didn't get it. I don't really associate very smart & strategic with either one of those teams.

Also: Burnie is climbing up on my purely superficial list of nicest racers ever. To tell the boat guys "thanks for taking good care of her" after Ashley's jump? Good grief. It feels genuine, though, and I like he and Ashley more and more each week. I hope they get the only win that matters.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, mertensia said:

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

I think that pre-jump exercise and yoga session was a load of balls.  You want to run up to the top of the rock, keep running straight up the three little steps, and go!  It's standing there thinking about it and peering over the edge that makes your balls shrivel up!

[vousviou]

7 hours ago, slasherboy said:

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

I really liked the way Kurt decided to go whole hog with the face cream and slather himself for good luck.  He said he knew at that point they needed all the luck they could get, and he looked like he knew they were all but eliminated and just wanted to have fun at that point. 

They seemed gracious on the mat when they were told they were out of the running, I just wished the stupid middle school romance bit hadn't come up. 

[spanana]

1 hour ago, weightyghost said:

The one thing I think we can all agree on though is that it's removed all together... I did prefer it when the show didn't have it at all. 

I don't care if they remove it but I don't mind it.  I guess I just don't take the whole competition that seriously.  Then again I'm not racing.  I don't see it as any more notable than a team being able to win an express pass to bypass tasks where they are struggling, which quite possibly might keep them safe from elimination and get another team eliminated.  

[vousviou]

21 minutes ago, hendersonrocks said:

RAAAAAAACE!

Well done, teams. 

From what was shown, it didn't seem like they had discussed this *specific* plan. Very possible the two teams had talked in general about U-turn strategy, however - though it is also fairly clear they didn't include Matt & Dana or Cole & Sheri in those conversations, since they had no idea what the hell was going on with Burnie & Ashley's (very smart & strategic) move. That parenthetical is probably WHY they didn't get it. I don't really associate very smart & strategic with either one of those teams.

Also: Burnie is climbing up on my purely superficial list of nicest racers ever. To tell the boat guys "thanks for taking good care of her" after Ashley's jump? Good grief. It feels genuine, though, and I like he and Ashley more and more each week. I hope they get the only win that matters.

I think it's pretty clear nobody had planned this in advance.  After Tyler and Korey had U-Turned the frisbee bros, they suddenly had second thoughts when it dawned on them that if Burnie and Ashley didn't U-Turn Tyler and Korey, then Kurt and Brodie could easily make it through the round.  I think the reason that Burnie and Ashley figured it out so quickly is that they are so heavily involved in gaming, which of course is their Youtube focus.

[needschocolate]

It was a good leg, but it seemed like half of the episode was watching people carry coconuts and chickens accross a bridge.  I feel like we saw every trip they made.  And nothing interesting happened on the bridge trips.  I guess they had absolutely nothing else to work with - no big freak outs on the cliff jumping, no overturned seaweed boats, no hilarious chicken chasing frenzy, no bad taxi drivers - just a little bit of trouble with clue recognizing in the very beginning and lots of trips over a bridge.  

I am not a fan of U-turns or W-turns, no matter how they are played.   I get annoyed when teams "gang up" on other teams - although I am a big Survivor fan and enjoy the alliance-making and strategizing there, I don't want that sort of strategizing on TAR.  The strategizing on TAR should be in picking who does the road block, choosing a detour, navigating...I don't want alliance making. However, I also get annoyed when teams get sort of righteous and don't use the u-turn because they aren't that "type of people".  I understand that it is part of the game and don't fault teams for using it, but I think I would rather have the U/W turns gone.  

 

12 hours 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.

That bugged me too, but I am guessing that she must have carried only coconuts for a trip or two. If she only carrying one chicken and one coconut each trip, and they needed to move 4 chickens, then she made 4 trips.  This would mean that Matt carried the other 46 coconuts in 4 trips - that's 11-12 coconuts per trip, which seems impossible.  

 

10 hours ago, Rick Kitchen said:

What was the purpose of the face cream?

I doubt this was the intended purpose, but, in my case, I made me realize that I like Kurt.  

 

7 hours ago, scrb said:

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

 Not necessarily.  It was B/A best option and they seem like a smart enough team to figure that out.  They knew that they could likely beat S/C and D/M in the final leg.  Their real competition was T/C and B/K.  Tyler and Corey had already been to the U-Turn.  So B/A had three options ---

--- Don't U-turn anyone and run the risk that B/K u-turn someone else, which would very likely keep B/K in the race (and B/K were so fast at physical roadblocks, that there was a really good chance they would get tot he u-turn before someone else).  

--- U-turn one of the other two teams that were behind them, which would very likely keep B/K in the race.

--- U-turn B/K, which wouldn't gaurantee B/K ebing last, because they were so fast, but it was the option that made B/K going home the most likely.  

 

1 hour ago, Suzysite said:

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. 

Many people have mentioned finding Tyler's laugh annoying.  I didn't notice anything at first, so I paid more attention to it. I still don't notice anything annoying about his laugh. People are allowed to have different opinions about what annoys them, but all the "complaining" about Tyler's laugh has made me wonder if it has something to do with the sound quality of the tv it is being viewed on, or with the acoustics of the room.  Or maybe I hang out with people with laughs that many others would be annoyed by, but I am just used to it.  Or maybe my hearing is going bad.

[mojoween]

It amuses me, with the way Cole said that there were no monkeys in Alabama and Sheri chimed in with "except in zoos," that Cole apparently thinks there is somewhere else in the US that monkeys are native to.

I can't help it, Cole is growing on me after being absolutely annoyed with him in the beginning.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I guess we found out how to get Dana to be nice - give her a chicken. I can't get over how she was cooing sweetly at the chickens one second and then the next second she was yelling, "SHUT UP!" at Matt. Damn, girl.

I was not a Brodie fan so I'm not sad to see him go. I give Kurt and Brodie for powering through the second task.

I don't think that Burnie and Ashley using the double u-turn that way was unsporting for a couple of reasons. First, it's allowed so they were still playing by the rules of the game. Secondly, there is strategy involved in TAR (choosing tasks that will be easier/faster to finish, deciding which team member will do roadblocks, taking a chance on fast forwards) and the point of all these strategic decisions is usually to get to the mat ahead of the competition. Sometimes part of that strategy is doing what you can to slow down a strong team. This close to the finale, slowing down a stronger team can be what helps you get to the mat before them. Despite all of this, I don't like the u/w turns so I'd be fine with eliminating them completely.

Most of the comments about spending the night on the boat seemed pretty positive. I wonder if they enjoyed having some time to hang out with the other teams or if they just enjoyed sleeping outside.

I think that pre-jump exercise and yoga session was a load of balls. 

I think Tyler was the one who described it as stretching but it looked like the guy was actually telling them how to position their bodies during the jump. I saw him tell someone to tuck their chin down towards the chest. I've never jumped off a cliff, but I assumed that you would want to keep everything tight while falling (to stay upright) and then keep your toes/knees/thighs together when entering the water.

Edited April 30, 2016 by ElectricBoogaloo

[blackwing]

20 minutes ago, needschocolate said:

Many people have mentioned finding Tyler's laugh annoying.  I didn't notice anything at first, so I paid more attention to it. I still don't notice anything annoying about his laugh. People are allowed to have different opinions about what annoys them, but all the "complaining" about Tyler's laugh has made me wonder if it has something to do with the sound quality of the tv it is being viewed on, or with the acoustics of the room.  Or maybe I hang out with people with laughs that many others would be annoyed by, but I am just used to it.  Or maybe my hearing is going bad.

I find his laugh very irritating, and I don't think it has anything to do with acoustics, as I've seen it on various TVs in my house, in other people's houses, and online on the CBS site.  I also can't stand when he does that "OMG open mouth" look or when he mugs for the camera.  He is just annoying.  

 

I find Cole equally annoying.  Too bad there's not a way to partner up Tyler and Cole and leave them behind somewhere.

I am puzzled at the drive to get out Kurt and Brodie.  Last episode, didn't several of the teams gleefully remark that Brodie would have to do all the roadblocks from here on out?  They were implying that he was too dumb or incompetent to get through it.   If so, why wouldn't Tyler target Burnie and Ashley, who are always right near the top?

 

I think Burnie and Ashley are nice enough, but they are very forgettable.  I don't think there's one interesting or memorable thing they have done.  In any other season, they'd be called "boring" like the Olympians or Joey/Meghan.

[sinycalone]

I think Tyler/Korey and Burnie/Ashley discussed the double uturn possibilities --- maybe just in general terms, but I suspect it was more detailed.  The doubts T/K were having probably were a result of not having any guarantee that B/A would do as they'd discussed.  It suddenly hit them that B/A might have second thoughts.

 

The final task really offered no real chance for a change of positions....no matter how you slice it.

[Dobian]

I wish they'd just get rid of the double u-turn and keep it to single.  Unless you're just randomly u-turning anyone behind you and don't care if they u-turn someone else, okay, but it you're targeting a specific team, then you have to coordinate with other teams to do what they did last night, so the double u-turn effectively becomes a single u-turn.  Just leave the Machiavellian backstabbing to Survivor and stick with racing.

[indeed]

I like Tyler and Korey...and their bad jokes.  Sure they (particularly Tyler) mug, but that's to be expected from "social media sensations" (or whatever they're supposed to be).  I find Cole's mugging far more annoying...but he wasn't bad this episode.  (And I would think the 40 ft. cliff diving would be a walk in the park after that snow mountain excursion.  Now that was high up!)

I'm guessing T/K are more friendly with B/A (and/or discussed the potential scenario ahead of time) because I thought it might have been smarter to U-turn the always just second team, too, that were right behind them then.  Sure, B/K were still strong and a serious threat, but B/A are more so at this point IMO.  Or at least there should have been more deliberation, but it wasn't even under consideration.

I'm glad we're not getting any obnoxious secret pacts and scheming for the "final #" like in other seasons...at least if any it's on the editing room floor so far.  

I agree about B/A.  They seem like a nice couple, but for most of the season, they didn't even register with me.

Dana seemed to be taking her sweet time during the haul task that I was hoping she was self-sabotaging after winding up last due to the stupid clue moment.  But nope, they're still in it.  Poor Matt.

The show should add the option to switch partners at one point during the back half of the race.   Dana could team up with a chicken and Matt could ask an eliminated member (like Kurt) to come back in for another chance.  Shake things up!  

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, needschocolate said:

I am not a fan of U-turns or W-turns, no matter how they are played.   I get annoyed when teams "gang up" on other teams - although I am a big Survivor fan and enjoy the alliance-making and strategizing there, I don't want that sort of strategizing on TAR.  The strategizing on TAR should be in picking who does the road block, choosing a detour, navigating...I don't want alliance making.

The thing that makes TAR different from all the other rubbishy reality shows, is that it isn't a personality contest.  A team wins or loses on their own ability - or lack thereof.  Their own luck.  Their own fears, and inabilities, their own strengths and weaknesses.  You don't get eliminated because the other teams don't like you, or fear your race-winning abilities.  Or at least, you shouldn't.  And that's how it used to be, once upon a time.

But it seems like TPTB have desperately been trying for years, to introduce inter-team rivalries, opportunities for back-stabbing, strategizing between weaker teams to eliminate stronger teams, Hidden Immunity Express Passes, phasing the eat/sleep/mingle that gave teams a chance to become friends, and numerous attempts, past and present, to cause inter-team conflict and draaaama!

Well, I don't particularly like this, and I wish it would go away, so we could get back to a show wherein dickish behaviour didn't get rewarded with the elimination of the competition.  But until such time as that happens, then any use of the game features, like U- or W-Turns, is OK with me.  I wish they weren't a part of the game, but if they are, I can't fault anyone for unsporting behaviour just because they played the game according to the rules.

[whiporee]

1 hour ago, vousviou said:

I think it's pretty clear nobody had planned this in advance. 

Ashley said they did -- if Cole doesn't jump, all this scheming would be wasted. T&K and B&A had conspired to get rid of B&K when given the chance. Not blaming them other than to say it was chickenshit. That's why i hope neither of them wins, because I like to see that kind of game arrogance miserably fail. Given the current interpretation of the rules, I guess Brodie would have been justified giving a little shove on the bridge -- oops -- and making someone drop their coconuts (which is a very fun phrase to write). It is a race, after all. I'm sure that would have been perceived as gamesmanship and other nefarious at all. 

Also, no one wanting to be around when the boy showed up was also an example of their chickenshit behavior. if it's just a game and you've just played it well, be proud of it.  That said, I think it was a lot later when B&K showed up, but it said a lot that they were not wanting to be around when they checked in. 

I think the seaweed would have been much faster than the coconuts and chickens, but those things are hard to tell. I do think that B&A had the right idea early, though -- if you're in last place, try to pick the detour everyone is avoiding. 

[Guiaoshi]

The really bad use of the U-Turn as we saw in some past season, is when teams decide to go against a team just because they don´t like them,for personal reasons only, even they not being the strongest competition .It happen quite alot in past seasons.

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, spanana said:

I don't care if they remove it [the double-U-Turn] but I don't mind it.  I guess I just don't take the whole competition that seriously.  Then again I'm not racing.  I don't see it as any more notable than a team being able to win an express pass to bypass tasks where they are struggling, which quite possibly might keep them safe from elimination and get another team eliminated.  

Good point, I would be happy to do without that as well. For me, they got the Race right early on (not quite all in the very first one, as they understandably had a couple of practical kinks to work out), no U-Turns or Yields or other extranea -- just racing. (Though I'm not absolutist about it: I do think the current solution to how to handle the aftermath of a non-elimination point is the best of the many they've tried.) Still, as the U-turn mechanism is part of the race, it's there to be used, and this handling of the Double was smart. I certainly don't want any "forbidding" of good strategy, if it's within game rules (It really won't come up that often as it requires a special combination of circumstances.)

2 hours ago, needschocolate said:

Many people have mentioned finding Tyler's laugh annoying.  I didn't notice anything at first, so I paid more attention to it. I still don't notice anything annoying about his laugh. 

Me neither. It feels genuine, and even infectious, to me. Early in the race, I thought I would find him annoying, but it's proven to be quite the opposite.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Rinaldo

[RedheadZombie]

4 hours ago, Suzysite said:

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. 

His laugh is pure Evil Ed from Fright Night.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsRo7QdDSKw

[Muffyn]

10 hours ago, Netfoot said:

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

So did he dance at all this episode?  Just trying to see if there were dual monkey dancers.
 

2 hours ago, vousviou said:

I really liked the way Kurt decided to go whole hog with the face cream and slather himself for good luck.  He said he knew at that point they needed all the luck they could get, and he looked like he knew they were all but eliminated and just wanted to have fun at that point. 

They seemed gracious on the mat when they were told they were out of the running, I just wished the stupid middle school romance bit hadn't come up. 

I enjoyed Kurt slathered in face cream too.  It was quite the look.   So many people were sunburned, that cream might have felt good, until you realize your skin can't breath in it and it's making you hotter.    

Brodie was loud and could be over-bearing.  The ridiculous #Blodie thing (that Tyler certainly like going on about, like a 13 year old who just learned about sex) did not help endear him to me.  By the end I found him less annoying and more "that boy ain't too bright." But I think he is generally a nice guy, just a little socially clueless. 

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I think Tyler was the one who described it as stretching but it looked like the guy was actually telling them how to position their bodies during the jump. I saw him tell someone to tuck their chin down towards the chest. I've never jumped off a cliff, but I assumed that you would want to keep everything tight while falling (to stay upright) and then keep your toes/knees/thighs together when entering the water.

Brodie used the best position.  Try to stay as vertical as possible, toes pointed, hands across the chest.  This lets you enter the water as smoothly as possible.  Matt was pretty funny when talking about it feeling like his butt hit asphalt.  He pulled his legs up at the last second.  You don't want that much surface area hitting the water from that height. 

 I expect Matt may be looking for a chicken mask hoping to fool Dana.  She was so much nicer to the chickens than she is to him.  Maybe if he covers himself in feathers and runs away from her? 

[ByaNose]

Both Tyler's laugh & continuing mugging for the camera is sooooooo annoying! Evertythig isn't that hysterical. I so don't want him to win but somehow I think they will. I'm not as heavily invested in this season because there hasn't been much drama and everyone seemed to be working together. The UTurn switched it up a bit but even then it was done for 1 team and not 2.  

[LotusFlower]

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

I am puzzled at the drive to get out Kurt and Brodie.  Last episode, didn't several of the teams gleefully remark that Brodie would have to do all the roadblocks from here on out?  They were implying that he was too dumb or incompetent to get through it.   If so, why wouldn't Tyler target Burnie and Ashley, who are always right near the top?

That's a really good question.  They kept going back-and-forth with Brodie and Kurt for coming in first for most of the race, so I can see their reasoning, but your logic makes more sense.  It'll be interesting to see if this backfires on them.  

[needschocolate]

3 hours ago, whiporee said:

Ashley said they did -- if Cole doesn't jump, all this scheming would be wasted. T&K and B&A had conspired to get rid of B&K when given the chance. Not blaming them other than to say it was chickenshit. That's why i hope neither of them wins, because I like to see that kind of game arrogance miserably fail. Given the current interpretation of the rules, I guess Brodie would have been justified giving a little shove on the bridge -- oops -- and making someone drop their coconuts (which is a very fun phrase to write). It is a race, after all. I'm sure that would have been perceived as gamesmanship and other nefarious at all. 

Also, no one wanting to be around when the boy showed up was also an example of their chickenshit behavior. if it's just a game and you've just played it well, be proud of it.  That said, I think it was a lot later when B&K showed up, but it said a lot that they were not wanting to be around when they checked in. 

Re: the first paragraph - I don't remember Ashley using the word "scheming" just that she was concerned that Cole would waste so much time at the jump that B/K would pass them and the u-turn would be wasted.  Opinions differ, but I see nothing chickenshit about following the rules of the game to help eliminate someone who has a good chance of winning.  I would probably have a different viewpoint if they used it to get rid of a team that had little chance of winning, but were instead getting them back for something (although I think I would call it petty or vindictive, rather than chickenshit).  And I see a big difference between using a u-turn that the show provides and shoving someone on the the bridge so that they lose.  

Re: the second paragraph - I agree - I thought that running away was a completely chickenshit move.  If I were the one who u-turned them, I wouldn't want to be there when they arrived - because I am not a fan of confrontation, but more because I wouldn't want to appear to be rubbing it in their faces (they may interpret it as "I got here before your, neener neener") and wouldn't want to interfere with their "I am glad I was able to do this with my best friend, etc...so proud of us/him" moment. Being eliminated can be an emotional time and they may not want to face the one who u-turned them right then. So, I would have walked away after a typical amount of time.  However, I would not have run away, even if they were so close behind me that I was still on the mat as they were running up.

Edited April 30, 2016 by needschocolate

[blackwing]

3 hours ago, Dobian said:

I wish they'd just get rid of the double u-turn and keep it to single.  Unless you're just randomly u-turning anyone behind you and don't care if they u-turn someone else, okay, but it you're targeting a specific team, then you have to coordinate with other teams to do what they did last night, so the double u-turn effectively becomes a single u-turn.  Just leave the Machiavellian backstabbing to Survivor and stick with racing.

I agree, and recently teams have been doing that... using both slots to target one team and prevent them from having any chance.   This especially sucked because of the leg design.  All of the tasks seemed fairly close to each other, there was zero opportunity for teams to change standing at the Roadblock, and it was not a non-elim.

We have seen teams in the past overcome a U-Turn, so I find fault with this one, because it was essentially "first place team handpicks who they want eliminated".

It could be argued that Brodie and Kurt had a large hand in their elimination, because they blew their express pass on the floating puzzle and thus were in last because of the kite last episode, but still.  They were still only 15 minutes behind the leader, finished the first detour in third place, and still had absolutely zero chance to catch up.  Their fate was decided by others, not because of their own racing, and I think that stinks.  I agree with the sentiment that TAR has always mostly been about your own skills, not about the alliances and social interplay that we see on other shows.

[gibasi]

I would have been incapacitated from seasickness after sleeping on the boat!  

I do not think it was chicken shit to use the U turn and doubt that Brodie and Kurt do either.  Brodie and Kurt play ultimate frisbee.  They understand what competition is and how you use every advantage you can.  It was a sign of respect because they were the best team out there.

[spanana]

2 hours ago, whiporee said:

Ashley said they did -- if Cole doesn't jump, all this scheming would be wasted. T&K and B&A had conspired to get rid of B&K when given the chance. Not blaming them other than to say it was chickenshit. That's why i hope neither of them wins, because I like to see that kind of game arrogance miserably fail. Given the current interpretation of the rules, I guess Brodie would have been justified giving a little shove on the bridge -- oops -- and making someone drop their coconuts (which is a very fun phrase to write). It is a race, after all. I'm sure that would have been perceived as gamesmanship and other nefarious at all. 

Also, no one wanting to be around when the boy showed up was also an example of their chickenshit behavior. if it's just a game and you've just played it well, be proud of it.  That said, I think it was a lot later when B&K showed up, but it said a lot that they were not wanting to be around when they checked in. 

I think the seaweed would have been much faster than the coconuts and chickens, but those things are hard to tell. I do think that B&A had the right idea early, though -- if you're in last place, try to pick the detour everyone is avoiding. 

Using a u-turn, or a double u-turn, effectively is by no means the same thing as pushing a person from another team to derail them during a task.  How are those two things even comparable?  One is part of the game by design and perfectly allowed.  The other is just bad sportmanship.  The only way using a u-turn IMO would be bad sportmanship is if it wasn't a legal and legit part of the game.  

I also don't see how it is any indication of arrogance on the part of the teams that use it.  If anything I would think they would be more arrogant by not using it, since using the u-turn indicates that they aren't confident in their own abilities to beat the team they are trying to derail.  Also as much as the teams expressed last time that Brodie wasn't great at mental tasks and they recognized he had to do the rest of the road blocks from here on out, they also know that Brodie can power through physical tasks.  So it's also just luck of the draw as to what tasks they are given and/or knowing that even if Brodie/Kurt get hung up on a mental task, they can overcome a deficit if there is also a physical task to follow.

I also don't think Ashley saying what she said means there was necessarily a lot of scheming going on.  I have no idea if the top 2 teams discussed their plans ahead of time, even in general terms.  But once they both went there they also knew that it would all be for naught if Cole didn't jump in a timely manner.  I don't see what that has to do with anything.  They knew Cole was scared of heights.  They were nervous he wouldn't go through with it or would just waste a bunch of time preparing to jump.

Edited April 30, 2016 by spanana

[Guiaoshi]

4 hours ago, blackwing said:

I am puzzled at the drive to get out Kurt and Brodie.  Last episode, didn't several of the teams gleefully remark that Brodie would have to do all the roadblocks from here on out?  They were implying that he was too dumb or incompetent to get through it.   If so, why wouldn't Tyler target Burnie and Ashley, who are always right near the top?

Burnie and Ashley were just behind them so for sure they would use the U-turn in someone else and save themselves. And they still saw Brodie and Kurt as a strong team with all their wins and the way they can surprass other teams in physical challenges.

Quote

2 hours ago, whiporee said:

Ashley said they did -- if Cole doesn't jump, all this scheming would be wasted. T&K and B&A had conspired to get rid of B&K when given the chance

Even as a viewer only I would wish to take Cole by his neck had him gave up, screwing the STRATEGY that was developed on the leg. It was a fair concern *and she actually mentioned it joking about*, specially, cause as we saw, it took time for Cole and his mom to realize how the u-turn was used, so it was a schem pre-determinated by all the teams agains B&K.

Edited April 30, 2016 by Guiaoshi

[windfall]

Again these racers prove their not the brightest bunch that's been on the show. They seriously wondered if the cylinders in the clue boxes were clues? I'm not even shocked anymore.

[truthaboutluv]

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Using a u-turn, or a double u-turn, effectively is by no means the same thing as pushing a person from another team to derail them during a task.  How are those two things even comparable?  One is part of the game by design and perfectly allowed.  The other is just bad sportmanship.  The only way using a u-turn IMO would be bad sportmanship is if it wasn't a legal and legit part of the game.  

 

 

This so much. Sometimes I always think maybe I'm just not as invested in these shows because I just can't seem to muster all this outrage over what I see as simply part of the show.  This is similar to how angry some posters seem when people quit on Survivor and I'm left shrugging and thinking, "who cares?" The U-Turn is part of the game and specifically designed to slow down another team - hell Phil says as much when mentioning it. This episode it was used by one team and the other team, concerned that U-Turned team would U-Turn another person and survive, ensured they had no chance of surviving. Um, okay. Whether one agrees with the U-Turn or not is one thing but to suggest players using it was some kind of egregious act on their part seems a bit over the top to me.

And frankly, as I said, Kurt and Brodie screwed themselves when they blew their Express Pass on such an easy task only to then fall way behind the next leg because Brodie sucked at the kite task and they had no pass anymore. Because if we remember correctly, they got to the task second, right on the heels of Burnie and Ashley. If they'd had the Express Pass they could have used it then and probably be first again and then this leg is very different. Also, YMMV but I thought Tyler and company were joking about not wanting to be there when Brodie and Kurt showed up. Sure, I don't think they were looking forward to it but I don't think they were afraid to face them or anything like that because they didn't do anything wrong. 

Edited April 30, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[xcrayon2215x]

Not surprised at the elimination, due to the easy Roadblock. Hoping Burnie/Ashley take it all. I like Matt a lot more than Dana, so not sure what to think of that team.

[Rick Kitchen]

7 hours ago, mojoween said:

It amuses me, with the way Cole said that there were no monkeys in Alabama and Sheri chimed in with "except in zoos," that Cole apparently thinks there is somewhere else in the US that monkeys are native to.

I can't help it, Cole is growing on me after being absolutely annoyed with him in the beginning.

There are feral monkeys in Florida and a small tribe in South Carolina.

Tyler and Burnie have both been on YouTubers React, but I'm not sure if they have been on it at the same time, but I'm sure they've run into each other at conventions and such.

[Supay]

20 hours ago, PhD-Purgatory15 said:

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.

Indeed:

21 hours ago, Supay said:

Hanoman* approves!

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

* The local adaptation of the simian Hindu deity.

As for the other god accompanying the sacred primate:

[Marvin]

18 hours ago, blackwing said:

 

  I loathe Tyler and Cole.

 

Ditto !  I would like Bernie and Ashley to win - and Sherrie and Cole to come in second.

 

If i were racing i would have chosen the seaweed task as it sounded quicker. I would have also U-Turned a second team as it would have been the fair thing to do as it would give each U-Turned team a fighting chance to survive. 

As it was it was pretty much a given that Brodie would go out !

[iMonrey]

That dancing monkey needs to stop mugging for the camera!

Honestly I was so relieved to see Kurt and Brody eliminated because I've spent the whole season assuming they were the inevitable winners. Not that they would be the worst team in the world to win, but the whole thing seemed so predictable. And their drive to finish first every leg is what ended up doing them in because they put such a huge target on themselves.

They were hitting us over the head with the double U-Turn this leg and trying so hard to make a thing out of Cole's fear of heights as though that might actually allow Kurt and Brody pull ahead, but really this whole leg offered very little opportunity for team shuffling, especially after the Detour. The Roadblock was just another one of those "first come, first serve" type of things. Granted if it had been Mika up there . . . 

I'm fine with any of the remaining teams winning except Matt and Dana. She's just such a pill. Matt is fine but you don't want someone winning who basically spent the whole race bitching and moaning.

[possibilities]

If I was jumping into the water, I would want to pinch my nose shut with my fingers, to avoid having water rushing into my head. Crossing your arms over your chest seems to prevent that. Why is it so important to cross your arms over your chest? Does anyone know?

If the teams had not all chosen the same detour, the UTurn strategy might have been a bit more difficult to figure out, and the teams may have had more chances to shuffle their order of finishing. Also, if there is another UTurn on the next leg, which sometimes happens, the teams who used theirs up this time can't use it next time... so the drama is not necessarily over. Though the chances of the 2 UTurning teams not being the first to the clue box are slim, so that may be moot.

I don't much like the UTurn, but I don't think it's any less fair than the Express Pass (or the former "giveaway" Express Pass one team gave another), or the long lost Yield, Intersection, non-elimination and to be continued legs, or even the FF. At all times, being first is an advantage and being lower in the ranks makes you vulnerable. These game features only accentuate the reward/risk, and add motivation to teams which might otherwise either give up or slack off, because of the idea that the only placement that ever matters is "first on the final leg" or "last on an elimination leg". We've heard racers many times say things like: "don't give up, maybe it's a non-elim" or "hurry up, there's a UTurn coming"-- I think the showrunners think it adds excitement, and it's probably cheaper than the way they used to make things exciting, which was to make the tasks themselves more extreme and to induce even worse killer fatigue and more extreme states of breakdown in racers. I liked the old way better, but a lot of games have "unfair" or random elements, like "go directly to jail" in Monopoly. TAR also has taxi luck and forced bunching through hours of operation and spoonfed flights. It's not a pure race anymore at all.

[zizzy]

I doubt there was a prearranged plan between Burnie/Ashley and Tyler/Korey. Based on some of the comments I've read from the cast, I'm pretty sure that Burnie and Ashley were a lot closer to Brodie and Kurt than Tyler and Korey. Heck, Brodie and Kurt seemed pretty certain that Burnie and Ashley wouldn't U-turn them. I just think Burnie and Ashley considered burning it their best option--which it probably was--which I think Tyler and Korey figured as well. 

[etagloh]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

really this whole leg offered very little opportunity for team shuffling, especially after the Detour. The Roadblock was just another one of those "first come, first serve" type of things.

The RB was pretty processional, and I suspect the route-marker dive for clues was meant to offset that to some degree, but the main reason there wasn't more shuffling in the leg was because... every team took the same side of the Detour. Can't really blame TPTB for that, even though we can't know whether the seaweed side would have been faster.

In previous seasons, we've had interminable time spent on plotting U-Turn strategies, threatening teams with U-Turns, etc. ad nauseam. This season, when we get the W-turn, there's a race to the board and it's done. No tiresome "who gets our extra Express Pass" stuff in previous legs, either. Aside from the silly Blair-Brodie twoo wuv stuff, this season has had the least inter-team draaaama -- either generated by the racers themselves or provoked by TPTB -- in years. I hope it stays that way.

(The unusual part of the Pit Stop was that the first four teams were together, not that they'd left by the time the frisbee bros arrived. Don't know why that's taken to mean anything.)

[Spunkygal]

23 hours ago, HowdyTV said:

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!

I thought they should have kept the sarongs on to carry coconuts. But if not, both team members should use their shirts to carry. Even if they didn't take off the shirts but made a lap with the shirts, you could still carry more. 

[windfall]

32 minutes ago, Spunkygal said:

I thought they should have kept the sarongs on to carry coconuts. But if not, both team members should use their shirts to carry. Even if they didn't take off the shirts but made a lap with the shirts, you could still carry more. 

I recall reading elsewhere that using their shirts was against the rules.

[Quilt Fairy]

The very first thing  Burnie said when they read that a U-turn was ahead was that they accepted that U-turns were part of the game and needed to be used strategically. If they were already thinking that way, there's no reason to believe they were "colluding" with Tyler and Korey when they U-turned them to negate the 2nd U-turn. Brodie and Kurt had won a number of legs and were a legitimate threat and therefore a legitimate target. I think it was a smart move, one that I certainly wouldn't have thought of. People are saying that it's been done before, but I certainly don't remember it.  I think U-turns and double U-turns are more interesting early in the race when there are more teams to choose from and more possibility that you don't know if a particular team is in front or behind you.

When Phil was talking to the 4 remaining teams I thought there was a good possibility that it was a NEL, because in general, teams aren't eliminated when all the other teams are around. When I saw that the other teams had left when Kurt and Brodie got to the mat, I was more hopeful that it would be an actual elimination.

[snarktini]

Having never heard of him before this, I like Tyler! I perceive his constant laughing as genuine -- a reaction of joy rather than hilarity. He seems absolutely delighted by the whole experience. 

Then again, some people find me annoying, too. :)

[Muffyn]

4 hours ago, possibilities said:

If I was jumping into the water, I would want to pinch my nose shut with my fingers, to avoid having water rushing into my head. Crossing your arms over your chest seems to prevent that. Why is it so important to cross your arms over your chest? Does anyone know?

 

The idea is to keep your body as streamlined as possible.  You want to avoid having flat surfaces hitting the water.  So if you can cross your arms over your chest and still reach your nose, not a bad plan.  If you try to pinch your nose the way people tend to, with their elbow out more, the elbow hits the water hard, which could propel your arm up faster than you can counter.  Possible outcomes - your hand comes off your nose, your shoulder is pulled up sharp and fast or your elbow hurts from the impact.  There is also hitting yourself in the face.  Okay, maybe I've seen someone do that.  At the same time, depending on your body type, size of your chest, length of your arms, etc. it can be possible for some people to safely cover their noses.  Also, you are supposed to tuck your chin in to avoid having the chin act as a surface hitting the water.  This keeps your head from snapping back.  It also helps some with the speed of water up your nose. 

[sportsgirl]

Last week featured my least favorite way to lose a team: task geared to the strong-male type, taken by a female who can't keep up. I love the Race, but when the tasks seem too tipped toward the bigger/stronger/male-r contestants, I tend to not enjoy the show as much. (I love the dancing challenges and the tasks that require brainpower and actual navigation as equalizers for all the running and lifting; I cheered during the couples season when we got, what, 3 dances?) And while I generally enjoy this season, I haven't loved the two Alpha Male teams' domination week in and week out. 

So this week felt like the flipside: U-turn used to equalize an Alpha Male team. The way it was executed was perfect game play: you aim for the strongest team behind you (by T/K) and you ensure that team can't then U-turn a weaker one (by B/A). It was not personal (I've hated in the past when teams have used it to take out teams they don't like, no matter how boorish those victims were) and it was not clique-y, it was smart game play. 

Ashley's mat stink eye when Phil talked about second place again was awesome. 

Dana wasn't only just a sweetheart to the chickens, she was actually nice to and supportive of Matt (for perhaps the first time all Race) when holding a chicken. Perhaps she can carry fowl the rest of the race? 

[backformore]

12 hours ago, Netfoot said:

The thing that makes TAR different from all the other rubbishy reality shows, is that it isn't a personality contest.  A team wins or loses on their own ability - or lack thereof.  Their own luck.  Their own fears, and inabilities, their own strengths and weaknesses.  You don't get eliminated because the other teams don't like you, or fear your race-winning abilities.  Or at least, you shouldn't.  And that's how it used to be, once upon a time.

But it seems like TPTB have desperately been trying for years, to introduce inter-team rivalries, opportunities for back-stabbing, strategizing between weaker teams to eliminate stronger teams, Hidden Immunity Express Passes, phasing the eat/sleep/mingle that gave teams a chance to become friends, and numerous attempts, past and present, to cause inter-team conflict and draaaama!

Well, I don't particularly like this, and I wish it would go away, so we could get back to a show wherein dickish behaviour didn't get rewarded with the elimination of the competition.  But until such time as that happens, then any use of the game features, like U- or W-Turns, is OK with me.  I wish they weren't a part of the game, but if they are, I can't fault anyone for unsporting behaviour just because they played the game according to the rules.

I agree.  I always liked TAR because it seemed more pure competition - no voting, no sabotage, just RACE.   And along the way,  We get to experience the culture of a bunch of different places.  AND - I liked observing the partners, to see how they handled stress, how they worked together and dealt with their differences.  The last few seasons have been less enjoyable for a number of reasons.  The tasks don't give enough of the "local flavor",  and sometimes the tasks are just too easy, or boring and generic.   

[Lamb18]

I wonder if any of the chickens are related to Mark on Survivor?

[snarktini]

Also: How did the Dancers get ahead of Cole and Sherry? They couldn't find the clue. She took one chicken/coconut at at time. Cole didn't even freeze on the cliff. HOW?! I do tend to watch with one eye and a finger on the fast forward button so I assume I missed a snag of some sort...

[J-Man]

33 minutes ago, snarktini said:

Also: How did the Dancers get ahead of Cole and Sherry?

Probably bad luck with taxis.

[Haleth]

Quote

If I was jumping into the water, I would want to pinch my nose shut with my fingers, to avoid having water rushing into my head. Crossing your arms over your chest seems to prevent that. Why is it so important to cross your arms over your chest? Does anyone know?

So you don't dislocate your shoulder or break an arm.  Ouch.

I'm rooting for Burnie and Ashley at this point, but a year from now I'll be hard pressed to tell you who won.  I can't remember who won last season.  TAR used to be my favorite show but it's all starting to run together into a big ball of sameness.

[raven]

I don't like the double-U turn because it's purpose is to hinder another team.  I'd rather teams rise or fall on their own merits.  If it's going to be there, I'd rather it not be able to be used the way it was here, to block the first u-turned team from using it.  At least with two teams u-turned, it levels the playing field  a bit more for me.   Jumping off a cliff didn't really give things a chance to shake up the order.

Quote

 I can't remember who won last season.  TAR used to be my favorite show but it's all starting to run together into a big ball of sameness.

This is how I feel.  This season has been mostly enjoyable and I'm not really rooting for anyone.  Meh, maybe Sheri and Cole as underdogs, though I doubt we'll see it.   Except for some shrieking and Dana's off/on unpleasantness, the teams have been having fun and worked well together.  I was doubtful about it being all YouTubers but things have settled down since the beginning, for me anyway. 

Beautiful scenery this ep but last week's was much better; if not for the U-turn, this one would have been a little boring. 

[RCharter]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

So you don't dislocate your shoulder or break an arm.  Ouch.

I'm rooting for Burnie and Ashley at this point, but a year from now I'll be hard pressed to tell you who won.  I can't remember who won last season.  TAR used to be my favorite show but it's all starting to run together into a big ball of sameness.

Not Justin....thats all I remember.