S29.E03: Bucket List Type Stuff

[Geenee]

Quote

The race continues in 

Spoiler

Tanzania

 

https://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/shows/the-amazing-race/photos?episode=11547

[Browncoat]

Dammit!  I really hoped Shamir would be out.  Poor baby got a splinter.

I had no idea how attached I am to Team Fun until we almost lost them.  Thank goodness Abdul had the passport and is an honest man (unlike that cabbie in Russia a few seaons back who drove off with a team's everything).

[DasFlavorPup]

Well, if the contestants aren't getting any smarter about proper use of the U-Turn (always try to use it on a team in last to maximize your cushion and DON'T use it out of spite), at the least the producers are getting smarter and putting them early enough in the leg that it's not an automatic death sentence for one of the teams getting it.  

Really good episode - a front-running team went home, unfortunately one of the ones I liked, although I'm shocked Becca and Floyd recovered from losing their passports. I know that's happened a few times in the past, but I haven't seen recent seasons and I've never seen a team recover from that.

Edited April 14, 2017 by DasFlavorPup

[Maverick]

 Why is Scott dressed like he's part of Janet Jackson's backup dance crew circa 2002?   It's really annoying.

 Hate to tell Redmond, but not everybody like him.  Trash talking, intimidating douche bags are quite everyone's thing.   Shame to see Seth and Olive go.  They were far more mature and reasonable about their situation than #TeamCryBaby.

 Is it just me or has Joeys accent toned down?

[Maggie Mae]

Redmond is an annoying, obnoxious bully. He can go anytime. 

[weightyghost]

Doesnt the U-Turn normally happen after the completion of the first detour? We usually get the drama of "well I can't swim so lets avoid that challenge' only to get u-turned to be forced to swim. 

Two sad losses in a row now.

Redmond, not a good look buddy. I don't like the U-Turn either but it's not weak of a team to use it. It's weak of them to use it as a grudge over something petty, but not weak to use it against a strong team.

[momlyd]

This was actually a fun episode for me! I liked the tasks, the "drama" was not unbearable, and YAY a passport got found! 

 

I am surprised Seth and Olive fell so far behind - how did that happen?

[enlightenedbum]

1) Putting a Blind U-Turn before the Detour is just asking for a strong team to be eliminated by taxi cab/customs luck.  Which it did, so well done show.  God forbid merit determine the outcome or anything.

2) Lot of people being assholes here.  Ashton's dumb vendetta is dumb.  But Redmond was the big loser in the exchange.  Bully identifies nerd and hits on his insecurities and then talks over him.  Awesome.  Fuck you, Redmond.  Becca revealed that her "I'm the most positive" is a front.  Fuck you, Becca.  And Shamir was just a festival of dickishness.  Sara once again should have kicked him in the balls.

3) Credit where it's due: good racing from Mark and Redmond.  Still think Sara's pretty impressive and wish she didn't have a partner that sucked.  Liz and Michael continue to recover from a rocky start.  More physical legs where fitness becomes an issue might press them, but they have a decent set of knowledge/skills for the show. Also her voice/accent reminds me of some other TAR or Survivor competitor but I can't place who.

4) The editors hate Shamir so much.  I love that the self-proclaimed alpha male has his sister build his furniture for him.  That's my stealth favorite moment of the episode.

Edited April 14, 2017 by enlightenedbum

[urusai]

I was waiting for Redmond to give Vanck a wedgie and shove him in a locker after the way he talked to him on the way to the boat.  What a dick.

[InDueTime]

Crap. Now, Seth and Olive are gone.  I'm running out of teams to cheer for this season.

I was relieved that Team Fun found the passport relatively quickly.

Crap. This stupid Vanck & Aston/Redmond & Matt feud is going to continue all season, isn't it?

Other than that, a good episode.

[Lady Calypso]

I'm sad that Seth and Olive went home. I admire Tara/Joey's decision and it really was the right one. I really was getting to like this team, so it sucks that they got screwed. 

So, Shamir's still an ass that nobody really seems to like all that much. He just won't stop complaining and berating his partner. I never heard one compliment from him about her. 

Yeah, so Vanck/Ashton may have U-Turned Matt and Redmond out of revenge, but they really showed their true colours and it wasn't pretty. I detest any team who thinks that intimidation tactics are a good thing. Both boys, but a little bit more Redmond, were just colossal jerks. I turned up my nose when they went to attack Ashton like that. Too bad for me that they did actually do well and got fourth place. I have a feeling I'm stuck with #TheDouchebags for a while. 

I was very surprised at Becca/Floyd losing a passport, but good thing they found it. And we got to see Becca go from Team Fun to Team Pissed. Not everyone can stay optimistic in these high tense situations, clearly.

Also, what was with one of the teams being surprised at a team being U-Turned? That's the name of the game. I'm not sure where the surprise was with Matt/Redmond being U-Turned, whichever team it was who gave dirty looks toward Ashton/Vanck for doing it. However, did love that Matt/Redmond got blamed for U-Turning Seth/Olive while Tara/Joey were never suspected. 

1 minute ago, momlyd said:

I am surprised Seth and Olive fell so far behind - how did that happen?

It seems like the Weave detour took a lot longer than the other task. Matt/Redmond were still on their task when Seth/Olive showed up so I think the weaving task was a lot harder to master if you can't get the pattern right away.

So, basically, the teams I like are....dwindling down, to put it mildly. Scott/Brooke were mostly in the background this episode. I like Liz/Michael and am pleased that they got over that initial first bad leg. I like Logan/London a lot and think they are having the least amount of drama, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. And....I like Sara. Just Sara. I'm not totally on board with Becca/Floyd, unlike the rest of you, so I was rooting for them to go over Seth/Olive. Oh, and I like Tara/Joey. Yep, that's it. All other teams and half of teams suck. 

[sinycalone]

I agree....the editors just love to show Shamir as a wimp!  And he is one.

I thought Joey/Tara were smart to use the blind Uturn -- they've been in the back of the pack as they said.  Time to keep out front.  However, the grudge use of the UTurn is always dumb.  Not that Redmond wasn't a jerk in this episode....but that was not a strategic use of the weapon.

Becca certainly showed her rougher side -- but then she thought there was a good chance they would not get the passport back, and would be eliminated.

Michael and Liz were perfectly suited to the tasks and wasted no time.  I like them so far.  Team Lo/Lo is still a little too laid back -- but are fun to watch.  Same for Joey and Tara.

Edited April 14, 2017 by sinycalone

[Lantern7]

"Shamir & Sarah, you are the seventh team to arrive. However . . . after seeing footage of the last two legs, we can't guarantee your safety from locals. Or from each other. You're both better off out of the Race. Shamir, we have a shot of a guy rolling his eyes when you were complaining about the splinter. If you continue, you won't throw out the first pitch at Yankee Stadium. The fans will throw pitches at you."

Actually, a splinter can be a bitch. I got one in my foot a while back. I still use a band-aid and Neosporin. Getting one in the hand? Less problematic. Suck it up, dude. It might be funny if S&S won, and Shamir winds up a complaining head in a jar. And I wouldn't be surprised if the teacher just gave them the clue.

Damn, you do not fuck with Becca. Lose your passport, and she might stab you with the Fun Meter. I hope she and Floyd get it together.

is it me, or are the guys a pair of tools? I mean, I would probably hang with them over Aston, but some of the luster has wore off. Vanck looked like he was trying to find his happy place at the Pit Stop.

Not happy with the U-Turn placement. I think the right to screw over another team has to be earned, as opposed to getting a better flight and/or cab. Seth & Olive didn't get hosed like a few teams in the past, but it was unfortunate.

At least this wasn't anywhere near as ugly as Survivor last night. That can be a selling point, right?

ETA: OMG, Butterfly!!! Couldn't he use a safety rope for our comfort? Not that Elise & Bertram are the sort to show a guy hitting the ground from thirty feet up, but I would've breathed a little easier.

[PaperTree]

Nice the way the teams are mostly coming together.  

Matt and Red can leave any time.  Sorry, you asked for that U turn.  You made that stupid deal, and you broke it and you laugh about it.  I think Ashton is a bit over the top too, but I wasn't there.

Then they cut in line and brag what jerks they are. Then they're jerks about being U turned. Then they go all a**hole on Vanck& Ashton.  Their baskets looked ratty.  I can't believe how fast they put that desk together.

Liz & Michael. A carpenter and a chef!  Logan the weaver & London.  Not!  Seth & Olive crush it desk making fail on the weaving

Wow!  Palm tree dude.

Shamir still whining, of course. He can leave any time too.  Brooke's injury seems much improved.

Crazy road block.  I hate crowded places like that.  Halal chicken was tricky.  Cost Tara & Joey the win.

Sara pleading for a refund was hilarious.  

Then Matt & Red are jerks at the mat too.  "Everybody likes us".  Right.

I hope TPTB are setting up a big takedown of them.

Oh no!! Lost passports!  Whew!!!  I like them.

Sad to see Seth & Olive leave.  They went out with class.  U Turning them was good strategy for taking down a strong team.

[ByaNose]

I gotta know how they lost the passport?! Usually, AR shows black and white Zapruder film of a passport getting lost or misplaced. Maybe, I dosed off. It seemed like Phil had to ask them about it first. Of course, that might have been the edit. 

[etagloh]

Well. There were a few very interesting moments in what was technically a pretty good leg in a great location for visuals, but also a few hmms. A U-turn before the Detour is novel, and seemed designed to create exactly the angst and strong-team-targetting it created. Always thought it would suck, glad they demonstrated why it sucked. A Road Block that forces teams to pay attention to the money they've spent and are spending is another novelty. Task interactions involving money changing hands with locals (giving or receiving) are always tricky business -- I got the sense there was a small producer intervention with Seth & Olive to resolve things with the Brazilian money before they got messy -- and though I like the idea of getting teams to haggle for a good price and use their leg money wisely, it's generally better in theory than in practice.

And then there was the weird passport drama at the end.

Matt & Redmond can go away right now, and skip the line to the exit. Redmond's the bully, Matt is the hanger-on.They might think it's Just Playing At Reality Show, but can you not? 

Still, something seems off about this season. I don't know if it's the moments where the editing gets messy, or the whiff of Survivor Rules around all of these people cast as individuals, but there's an anxiety about watching all this that I don't associate with TAR (apart from HWSNBN and Victoria in Berlin ten years ago.)

Edited April 14, 2017 by etagloh

[enlightenedbum]

Also: U-Turn = more time = higher taxi fee if you hold it while you do the detour.  Making the money particularly relevant on the road block is further bad leg design.  Dammit, show.

[weightyghost]

7 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I gotta know how they lost the passport?! Usually, AR shows black and white Zapruder film of a passport getting lost or misplaced. Maybe, I dosed off. It seemed like Phil had to ask them about it first. Of course, that might have been the edit. 

It seemed like his fannypack was unzipped in the cab, his passport fell out, and didn't realize until after they checked in with Phil. Then they were brought back to the mat to Phil to tell them to find it. I don't think Phil was asking them about it, it seemed he was just expositioning it. The cameramen probably never saw it fall out or in the rush to get to the mat, they just got out and ran. 

[Bryce Lynch]

20 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Dammit!  I really hoped Shamir would be out.  Poor baby got a splinter.

I had no idea how attached I am to Team Fun until we almost lost them.  Thank goodness Abdul had the passport and is an honest man (unlike that cabbie in Russia a few seaons back who drove off with a team's everything).

Shamir is a total moron.  He tried to carry the desk from the middle and have Sara help carry from the end.  I wish he had been eliminated.

I was scared for Becca and Floyd.  Glad they found the passport.

I should probably hate Redmond and Matt, but I still like them.  It was impressive how the came in 4th after being U-turned.

[sinycalone]

I actually think most of the teams are/were good matches...even if I don't care for some of the racers (Redmond/Matt).  Shamir and Sara are probably the worst combination, of course.

Plus, I thought it was GOOD leg design to have them forced to spend their money carefully at the market.  

Edited April 14, 2017 by sinycalone

[ByaNose]

Redmond & Matt really kicked it into high gear. They were very impressive. That have to be Top 3 on Finale Night. It's still early but they seem kind of unstoppable at this point.

Edited April 14, 2017 by ByaNose

[enlightenedbum]

6 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

I actually think most of the teams are/were good matches...even if I don't care for some of the racers (Redmond/Matt).  Shamir and Sara are probably the worst combination, of course.

Plus, I thought it was GOOD leg design to have them forced to spend their money carefully at the market.  

No that's good.  It's putting it after a detour where two teams are expected to have to spend more time and have a higher taxi fare, putting them at a disadvantage beyond already having had to do two detours.  If Sara and Shamir are eliminated because Shamir is a whining moron and they wasted too much time and therefore didn't have the money for the roadblock?  Great.  But giving Olive and Seth a further penalty and money troubles because they were U-turned is bad design.

Also the U-turn is dumb and I hate it.

[PaperTree]

11 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

Shamir is a total moron.  He tried to carry the desk from the middle and have Sara help carry from the end.  I wish he had been eliminated.

Like the man had never carried a large item in his life.  I was hoping it would drop and shatter into rubble.

[sinycalone]

2 minutes ago, enlightenedbum said:

No that's good.  It's putting it after a detour where two teams are expected to have to spend more time and have a higher taxi fare, putting them at a disadvantage beyond already having had to do two detours.  If Sara and Shamir are eliminated because Shamir is a whining moron and they wasted too much time and therefore didn't have the money for the roadblock?  Great.  But giving Olive and Seth a further penalty and money troubles because they were U-turned is bad design.

Also the U-turn is dumb and I hate it.

Why would they have a higher taxi fare?  Not being argumentative.... they were able to run/walk between the two options.  No taxi needed.  And the taxi fare from the build/weave area was the same no matter which one you completed last.

[ShadowSixx]

TeamBoys is on my shit list, especially Redmond. What an ass, I knew that it would come down to personality with this team. I wanted to root for them but not anymore.

I feel bad for Scott as I thouht that he was gonna be the ass of the team but Brooke takes the damn cake. She couldn't even take the compliment from Scott about her being great or something. If I was Scott I would no longer compliment her anymore, she has to constantly be babied.

How in the hell were Shamir & Sara holding that desk when dropping it off? They just looked so silly. It has to suck for the team that they were given $300+ for the race and the cab ride to the roadblock was $300. Was she able to get it down to $250?

Sucked that Seth & Olive were eliminated, I liked them. 

I liked the activities they had to do for the leg and I would need help to on the roadblock too.

[Lamb18]

Redmond is a jerk. Shamir is a jerk. Redmond looked offended that a cute girl was standing up to him - how dare she? How dare a nerd and a girl U-Turn someone so magnificent? They should be in awe and feel honored that he even notices him.  Shamir is just a nasty jerk. And a Wuss with an owie.

It was cool seeing Zanzibar. I read a book that took place there in the late 19th century.

[LotusFlower]

Really good episode.  Sad to see Seth and Olive eliminated.

Hope folks noticed when Phil said next week's episode is two hours long.  My tv guide/DVR has it listed as two separate episodes, so FYI to anyone who records the show.

[Knuckles]

Redmond is a bully and a major jerk. You can shut up now. I was impressed with Vaneck in the market...he moved thru that pretty quickly. But Liz and Michael were impressive, as furniture builders and as a chef in the marketplace. I especially enjoy them because I figured they were goners from the first episode.

I regret Seth and Olive being gone...good team and I liked them. Sara has to be internally stressed to have to run the race and babysit Shamir.

[LittleIggy]

Palm tree dude was all kinds of awesome! The school kids were sweet. I enjoyed Zanzibar. 

[etagloh]

12 hours ago, sinycalone said:

Why would they have a higher taxi fare?  Not being argumentative.... they were able to run/walk between the two options.  No taxi needed.  And the taxi fare from the build/weave area was the same no matter which one you completed last.

I'm trying to pin down the locations, and I think the Detour clue and locations were a longish ride from the ferry terminal -- about 35km north in Mkokotoni, then either Jongowe or Makoba after the dhow -- so there's a chance that either the additional instructions told teams to hold their cabs there while they waited, or some teams decided to do that rather than risk being stranded for the ride back to town. That would explain a US$300 cab fare: they weren't simply picking up a new cab at the Detour, but going back to the beach, taking a dhow back to shore, and cabbing back. The editing definitely made it look like a short ride out to get the clue, but I don't think it was. That would also explain why Team Fun recognised their driver, and perhaps accounts for why he found them with the passports: he'd been with them all day, they'd paid him at the Road Block market, but he was still around when they finished.

If it was stipulated in the additional instructions, that's laying on additional punishment for the U-turned (and slow) teams. Even if it was left as a choice, then it's borderline: running the leg in a normal way shouldn't leave teams pissing off locals over money, especially not as part of a task.

Edited April 14, 2017 by etagloh

[le bordel chaud]

The gangly, ugly girl is dead in my book. The way she spoke to her partner truly defied the "Team Fun" facade she's been putting on. I see you, you fake ugly bitch.

[biakbiak]

Almost as awful as Redmond trying to intimidate Vanck werr his "jokes" about Seth being a cop and doing the weave challenge.

[backformore]

It seems so weird to me that a team of two strangers, who are not a couple, and may have significant others back home, win a "trip for two" as a prize. 

[Lantern7]

1 minute ago, backformore said:

It seems so weird to me that a team of two strangers, who are not a couple, and may have significant others back home, win a "trip for two" as a prize. 

I'm certain it's a trip for two for each Racer.

[vb68]

I enjoyed the episode.   Tanzania was beautiful and looked like an awesome place.  Plus I'm a complete sucker for happy, smiling school children. Very happy they got some much needed desks.  Also have to admit going to a market like that just seems like it would be fun to me minus the bartering back back and forth about money.

And there's Redmond. Yes, he's a bully. I can tell he's use to using his size to intimidate and get his way. Plus getting into it with Ashton at the matt had an awkward, junior high-ish vibe about it.  

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

It seems like the Weave detour took a lot longer than the other task. Matt/Redmond were still on their task when Seth/Olive showed up so I think the weaving task was a lot harder to master if you can't get the pattern right away.

  I was stunned Matt/Redmond were that much better at weaving.   The way Matt raced through the roadblock, I think he's the brain and Redmond is the hanger on.

I think London and Logan are my favorite, but I reserve the right to change my mind.

Edited April 14, 2017 by vb68

[GaT]

Well, this episode certainly has not decreased my Shamir dislike at all.

Edited April 14, 2017 by GaT

[Vyk]

3 hours ago, momlyd said:

I am surprised Seth and Olive fell so far behind - how did that happen?

 

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

It seems like the Weave detour took a lot longer than the other task. Matt/Redmond were still on their task when Seth/Olive showed up so I think the weaving task was a lot harder to master if you can't get the pattern right away.

Also, in addition to that, they were at the Detour for so long, they used up almost all of their money and blew the rest at the Roadblock, forcing them to have to run to the Pit Stop, which likely gave Becca & Floyd more than enough time to recover from their passport snafu.

3 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Not happy with the U-Turn placement. I think the right to screw over another team has to be earned, as opposed to getting a better flight and/or cab. Seth & Olive didn't get hosed like a few teams in the past, but it was unfortunate.

I'm thinking the show wants to guarantee that two teams get U-Turned.  When it's after the Detour, the teams have no way of knowing where each other are and might U-Turn a team in front of them or not use it at all.  They wanted to ensure that both teams U-Turned are actually vulnerable to it from jump.

3 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Then Matt & Red are jerks at the mat too.  "Everybody likes us".  Right.

From what I've seen, only Becca & Floyd seem to.  Obivously, Vanck & Ashton (especially Ashton) don't.  London & Logan definitely don't sound like they do.  Despite how impressed they were at their comeback, Brooke & Scott don't seem to, either.  No idea about Liz & Michael, Tara & Joey, or Shamir & Sara, though.

Doesn't matter, though.  Matt & Redmond (especially Redmond) are indeed huge assholes whom I hope get taken down, and taken down hard.

Edited April 14, 2017 by Vyk

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Yay Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar! Visited both in 2009 for a summer study course on NGOs....always fun to watch a TAR episode and feel flashbacks. The Dhows in the Indian ocean that you see going to and from Zanzibar are just stunning. Stonetown (which we didn't see much of) is also gorgeous and architecturally kind of fascinating.

Jeez, two episodes ago I really though Matt and Redman were going to be one of my top three teams for this season. Not anymore. Redman is a roided out, walking negative military stereotype of a bully who can't get off my TV screen fast enough. And Matt's the little shrimp of a kid you knew in high school who specialized in telling one kid that another kid was talking smack about him and vice versa so they'd fight each other and he'd laugh from the sidelines...Redman was borderline threatening/menacing to Vanck when they were running on the beach and I'd have loved Phil to slap a 2 hour or 4 hour penalty on them when he had that stupid shit-eating grin on his face while they were standing there on the Pit Stop mat jawing at A&V.

Was it smart with the Double Blind U-turn occuring so early for Ashton and Vanck to use it on them? No, not really....but at a certain point (after they welsh on a handshake deal and when they casually cut the line at the Ferry ticket place) I get why she wanted to pull the trigger on it. Seth and Olive getting u-turned also made a lot of sense too from a game play perspective..

I think I'm riding with the Butcher and the Auctioneer and Team Lolo in the shadows from here on out. Shamir and Sara and Brooke and Harvard guy still feel like they have apocalyptic meltdowns yet to come (maybe next week lol). Team Fun hit a lost passport sized speed bump that peeled back a few layers on Becca so we'll see how they get along after that. And the Oldsters (at least for this season age wise) are still around, I guess.

Agree with Vyk, the early Double Blind U-turn is much more likely to get action (especially in this iteration when it was literally a mad dash from the Ferry and everybody pretty much knew where everybody was), but the flip side is there's way more of the leg left so it's potency is significantly lessened. Not so much for Seth and Olive though.

Edited April 14, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[RealReality]

Wow, Redmond is an asshole.  Even if Matt and Redmond didn't already have it coming their way via karma, they are a stronger team and it would make a lot of sense to U-Turn them.  So picking on weakling Vanck was just an asshole move.  I hope they get booted soon.

Sad for Seth and Olive, they were a really good team, and a good example of how the U-turn is used to eliminate a strong team.

Shamir is just the worst, I hope the next detour involves putting his balls in a vise.  Does he have any other setting but asshole.

Speaking of settings....boy did the fun meter go down quick when that guy forgot his passport!  I like team fun, but I had a feeling that the glass could break at any second

[kris4n6]

UGH

I really liked Seth and Olive, I'm bummed they're gone.  I don't understand how they took so long to do the weaving.

I hated the U turn being before any tasks after a bunch.

How did Shamir and Sara convince a driver to give them a free ride? 

I like Becca and Floyd, but I think I would rather that they were eliminated instead. Well, I really wanted Shamir to go most of all. 

[RealReality]

Oh...and most importantly, the detour task of building the desks was just wonderfully touching.

Those children were so beautiful.  Especially the little girls, so adorable.  You couldn't send me to Tanzania, because I would definitely be arrested for kidnapping.

[RealReality]

3 hours ago, weightyghost said:

It seemed like his fannypack was unzipped in the cab, his passport fell out, and didn't realize until after they checked in with Phil. Then they were brought back to the mat to Phil to tell them to find it. I don't think Phil was asking them about it, it seemed he was just expositioning it. The cameramen probably never saw it fall out or in the rush to get to the mat, they just got out and ran. 

Well thats just bad fannypack design.  I've worn a few fannypacks in my day and it wasn't like everything tumbled out one it was open, especially not something as big as a passport.  His fannypack looked like the ones I've seen, they don't open all the way so stuff doesn't tumble out.  I know he said that he lost it in the cab from opening his fannypack, but maybe he was just taking stuff out and rearranging it and forgot to put the passport back in.

3 hours ago, PaperTree said:

Like the man had never carried a large item in his life.  I was hoping it would drop and shatter into rubble.

He would have immediately, loudly and obnoxiously blamed Sara for it.  And then the producers.  And then Phil. And then his sister.  It would have been EVERYONES fault before it was his.

[Vyk]

Okay.  Whew.  Gotten to detox a bit.  So team analyses:

Liz & Michael: Still holding it strongly.  Michael's carpenter skills really helped them at the Build It Detour, and when they missed one piece, Liz didn't panic, instead just buckling down to find it.  Michael also delivered very easily at the Roadblock, got out of it fast, and landed their team their second win in a row.  Nice work after such a weak start!  They may have moved into the new team to beat!

Tara & Joey: Really happy to see the oldsters doing so well, and making such a jump, to boot!  They kept their cool at the Build It Detour, and while Joey made an initial stumble at the Roadblock, he fixed it fast, even though it cost them what would've been a well-earned win.  Still, second is a nice finish for them, as well, so kudos!  They really do communicate very well.  Must be their age and maturity.

Vanck & Ashton: They continue racing a pretty strong race.  They were a tad slow with the Build It Detour, but still seemed to get it done at a good clip.  Vanck was also very impressive at the Roadblock, getting the help of the guys in the market to give him a hand.  Third place was well-deserved.  But Ashton needs to not let this feud brewing with Matt & Redmond overtake her focus if she wants to win this race with Vanck.  Good luck, you two!

Matt & Redmond: Wow.  What a pair of ASSHOLES.  I'll get the good out of the way first.  Ahem.  So despite being U-Turned, they still managed to get the hang of the Weave It Detour, pretty much blew right through the Build It Detour, and Matt killed the Roadblock.  All of this helped them make up time and finish fourth.  But now for the bad.  Uh . . . no, boys.  It doesn't make a team weak or pathetic to target you with a U-Turn.  It makes them smart to try and eliminate a potential team of alpha-male threats.  You just lucked out the tasks were all physical on this leg.  And being a pair of bullies toward the team that U-Turned you?  You've hit a whole new low in jerkitude.  Yeah, it's mostly Redmond, but Matt is clearly loving being a part of it, too.  Very clearly.  Between this entire leg (including cutting the line just because they could) and breaking the (however inane) deal on the last leg jus because they could, I really don't like these two.  Hope they get the biggest comeuppance ever.

Brooke & Scott: Still working to get along, even if Brooke is very irritating to listen to sometimes.  Still, while she does whine, she whines and races rather than holds up herself and Scott.  They seemed to have trouble with the Build It Detour, and then, Brooke had money problems with the Roadblock.  They seemed to stay smack in the middle of the pack, though, and finished in the very middle, but only due to Becca & Floyd's mistake.  Nice job.

London & Logan: Staying the course and thriving for it.  I appreciated them at least trying to attempt the Weave It Detour, but as London said, she clearly got nervous and panicked over not getting the technique as well as she'd thought, which caused them to switch.  They made up a good amount of time at Build It, though, and got back into the running.  London also did well with the Roadblock, even though she seemed to struggle with money the same way that Brooke and Sara did.  Nonetheless, they make it to sixth thanks to Becca & Floyd's snafu.

Shamir & Sara: Shamir . . . I just can't with him.  I wanna root for a team with one of my peeps on it so badly, but he makes it impossible to root for him.  He pretty much was the main reason for them losing time at the Build It Detour, and Sara made things worse with her money problems at the Roadblock.  They were quite lucky to get a free cab ride.  Probably the big thing that kept them in the race, as I don't see them outrunning Seth & Olive if they had to race them on foot to the Pit Stop, nor do I see them beating out Becca & Floyd when they had their own troubles.

Becca & Floyd: Lucked out majorly.  They did fairly well with the Build It Detour, and despite a slow start, it seemed that Floyd was able to at least get out of the Roadblock before Brooke, London, and Sara.  But then, he goes and loses their passports, and Becca gets set off, and not in a good way.  I think it's easy to see why she likes Matt & Redmond.  She must be almost as much of a bitch as they are jerks.  They'd better get it together and go back to being Team Fun next week.

Seth & Olive: Ugh.  Just . . . ugh.  It's almost always hard to see such a strong team who got off to such a strong start get the chop so soon.  But some of it was on them.  Obviously, they were U-Turned by Tara & Joey, and that certainly wasn't their fault.  What was their fault was struggling for as long as they did at the Weave It Detour after a hugely strong performance at the Build It Detour.  I can't believe they bled that much time trying to get the technique.  Then, Olive has an unexplained struggle at the Roadblock, and they lose all of their money and have to hoof it to the Pit Stop, which is probably the final nail in their coffin.  Again, it sucks that they had to get the boot so soon, but this was partly earned on their part, and partly something to put on another team for U-Turning them, as smart as it was.

I did like the episode otherwise, but losing Seth & Olive, keeping Matt & Redmond and Shamir, and seeing a not-so-nice part of Becca all cast something of a pall on things.

[biakbiak]

20 minutes ago, kris4n6 said:

How did Shamir and Sara convince a driver to give them a free ride? 

It was the same driver from earlier and they agreed to a higher price so he had probably already made a decent amount off of them.

[egnever]

#FreeSara

I think Sara's an underrated competitor. Keeps her cool, does most of the tasks well. Isn't afraid to stand her ground. But this team is hopeless. She's saddled with a whiny, incompetent albatross and she'll need to carry harder than Zach (of Zach and Flo) to win.

Redmond, you don't get to spend the whole leg whining and bullying and then claim that you think everyone likes you.

[mertensia]

I liked that Floyd went to hug the cab driver thanks, saw that the cab driver was taking a step back and stopped.

"Oh, we'll just butt into line. Wow. They're upset. Who'd a thunk it?" Anyone but you two, you self-centered twits.

[RealReality]

31 minutes ago, mertensia said:

I liked that Floyd went to hug the cab driver thanks, saw that the cab driver was taking a step back and stopped.

"Oh, we'll just butt into line. Wow. They're upset. Who'd a thunk it?" Anyone but you two, you self-centered twits.

No tea, no shade, but someone cutting the line would have set.me.off

There is nothing that says "me and my time are much more important than you, so suck it" quite like cutting the line.  I'm glad I'm not on TAR, because I would have said something and it would have gotten downright ugly.

[helent]

6 hours ago, enlightenedbum said:

2) Lot of people being assholes here.  Ashton's dumb vendetta is dumb.  But Redmond was the big loser in the exchange.  Bully identifies nerd and hits on his insecurities and then talks over him.  Awesome.  Fuck you, Redmond.  Becca revealed that her "I'm the most positive" is a front.  Fuck you, Becca.  

...

3) Still think Sara's pretty impressive and wish she didn't have a partner that sucked. 

Despite claiming at the pitstop that it was Ashton he didn't like, it's skinny, nerdy and bad with words Vanck that Redmond intimidates and trash-talks. What a hero.

And Becca... I'm done with you. Switch the genders and then see how funny it is to joke about breaking someone's nose. Not cool.

I'm surprised how much I like Sara. From memory, she is a 'luxury realtor', which just makes my eyes roll, and led me to presume she'd be a bit precious, but she has not been. When Shamir was struggling I thought how tough it would be if she was eliminated because of him.

[RealReality]

9 minutes ago, helent said:

Despite claiming at the pitstop that it was Ashton he didn't like, it's skinny, nerdy and bad with words Vanck that Redmond intimidates and trash-talks. What a hero.

I'm surprised how much I like Sara. From memory, she is a 'luxury realtor', which just makes my eyes roll, and led me to presume she'd be a bit precious, but she has not been. When Shamir was struggling I thought how tough it would be if she was eliminated because of him.

I remember thinking "I bet a million bucks if it had been Seth and Olive, big bad Redmond wouldn't have shit to say, but because its skinny, nerdy Vanck he can talk a bunch of shit."  Like you said, what a true hero.

I totally agree about Sara.  Everything.  If Shamir had been going in on me like that, I probably would have walked away.  Because, no.

[Lukeysboat]

Can someone let me know what Becca said in the stairwell and what happened? Somehow I caught a glimpse but missed it. 

I feel like my impressions from the first episode were off in many ways. I really thought Matt and Redmond were going to be a fun team to watch. Boy was I wrong about them! I also wasn't sure if I'd like Liz and Michael, and it turns out they are a favorite so far. Of course, things can turn in a dime on TAR.