S29.E03: Bucket List Type Stuff

[truthaboutluv]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I loved that when one of the guys said something meant to be intimidating, Vanck just said, "Uh, okay."

That was seriously one of my favorite parts of the episode. It was Redmond, as he kept walking up onto Vanck, clearly meant to intimidate him. Redmond seems to be the major asshole of the team. Not giving Matt a pass because he too has his smug douchy qualities but Redmond was the one who seemed almost enraged that Vanck and Ashton had the audacity to U-Turn them. I was actually very uncomfortable with the way he kept coming onto Vanck like he might actually hit him. And then his continued bitching and attitude when they got to the pit stop just after Vanck and Ashton was even more grating.

The thing is, I didn't even care that much about the broken coin flip promise and even the cutting in line. Douchey for sure but whatever. But my thing is, if you're going to choose to race like that, then don't be surprised when you get U-Turned and then act all offended and pissed off like someone did something against them when all they did was play the game. The same way they view cutting in line as just playing the game. 

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Normally I would have a momentary twinge of sympathy for someone with a splinter but by the time that happened, I was like yeah, you need to shut it, Shamir.

Dude just looked so obnoxious at the start of the next leg when he was in the back of the taxi with his fancy sunglasses on, still whinging about the previous day. Shamir is so obviously some gym muscles guy who's pretty much useless at most everything else. The type who comes on Survivor all smug and crack after like a day. 

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Becca's fun face dropped at the first sign of trouble. I get being upset that Floyd lost his passport, but damn, woman. Calm the fuck down.

And that's why I never bought into the shtick. I'm sure she's a decent person but that whole fun meter persona always seemed exaggerated in my opinion.

[Netfoot]

1 minute ago, truthaboutluv said:

that whole fun meter persona always seemed exaggerated in my opinion.

Absolutely.  Artificial as hell, and only skin deep.  As we got to see.

[netlyon2]

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

Redmond and Matt are total jerks.  Cutting in line?  Not cool.  Bullying Vanck?  Not cool. 

And before both of those things there was the opening observation that their team didn't have any drama because they were the male team (#teamdicks). That elicited a very heartfelt "Fuck you" from this viewer. Especially when it came between shots of Shamir (aka WOWS), the biggest drama factory on the show.

(I didn't even care enough to cackle when he got that splinter. I just rolled my eyes and said, "Of course!")

I wonder if Seth's strategy of starting with the opposite task of what Matt and Redmond were doing--which sounded like a good idea at the time--actually backfired on them. M/R ended up doing the less familiar and more potentially stressful task first and in relative isolation, which allowed them to focus on learning the technique without distractions.  Then, they were rejuvenated by finding a team still at the desk task, which was probably far more familiar and therefore easier to do quickly. OTOH, S/O were able to smoke the familiar task first, but they had to learn the weaving technique with the pressure of knowing just how close the other teams were to moving on past the Detour. This, combined with some perfectionist tendencies (I imagine) ended up slowing them down. If they had done the weaving first, there's a chance that M/R would have gotten too fired up and struggled with getting the technique. I don't think Seth could have foreseen this, though, so hindsight = 20/20 and all that . . .

[Lady Calypso]

41 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

The thing is, I didn't even care that much about the broken coin flip promise and even the cutting in line. Douchey for sure but whatever. But my thing is, if you're going to choose to race like that, then don't be surprised when you get U-Turned and then act all offended and pissed off like someone did something against them when all they did was play the game. The same way they view cutting in line as just playing the game. 

Yeah. I'm glad Ashton told Phil that she was surprised that they didn't understand why they were U-Turned. Like, girl, I'm with you on that. Ashton may have gotten personal when she decided to U-Turn them, but then Redmond/Matt also got just as personal when they started bullying Ashton and Vanck for the rest of the race whenever they crossed paths. They couldn't fathom that people might be pissed when you do something like break a promise (it might be a stupid promise, but it's still a promise) and then cut in line. But, oh yeah, it's just a game until something's done to them. Then it's just as personal. I've seen bully tactics like Redmond's and Vanck has the right idea in just dismissing them and ignoring them. Bullies want attention. Bullies on TV especially want attention. Ashton's best move going forward is to not acknowledge that team in any way. They feed off of the hatred and attention. 

[Kelda Feegle]

22 hours ago, enlightenedbum said:

 a festival of dickishness. 

this is my favourite expression ever - and should have been the episode title :-)

[RockShrimp]

I hope they do a team switch and Becca & Shamir and Sara & Floyd swap. then Becca and Shamir can go home. Free Sara & Floyd!

[chaifan]

Does anyone know what the goods in marketplace would have cost a local?  The racers were paying $10-$40 for a few pieces of produce.  And I seem to recall one of the taxi drivers quoting over $200 for the ride.  Were they all being massively taken advantage of by the locals and grossly overcharged? 

As for Becca, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt right now and not join the hordes that are calling her "team fun" persona a fake.  Even the most positive person will have a bad moment now and again.  It's unrealistic to believe anyone would naturally be 100% "team fun" all the time. 

[backformore]

27 minutes ago, chaifan said:

As for Becca, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt right now and not join the hordes that are calling her "team fun" persona a fake.  Even the most positive person will have a bad moment now and again.  It's unrealistic to believe anyone would naturally be 100% "team fun" all the time. 

Sure, but there has to be something in between "team fun" and being aggressive.  Being frustrated, disappointed, sad, any of those reactions are less extreme and completely warranted.  Blaming your partner and threatening violence ? That goes too far.  She seems like a person who is perpetually experiencing emotions to the extreme.  She would be exhausting to be around all the time.

[RealReality]

41 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Does anyone know what the goods in marketplace would have cost a local?  The racers were paying $10-$40 for a few pieces of produce.  And I seem to recall one of the taxi drivers quoting over $200 for the ride.  Were they all being massively taken advantage of by the locals and grossly overcharged? 

As for Becca, I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt right now and not join the hordes that are calling her "team fun" persona a fake.  Even the most positive person will have a bad moment now and again.  It's unrealistic to believe anyone would naturally be 100% "team fun" all the time. 

So, i think prices were quoted in Zanzibar currency, but Sara and a few others paid in US dollars mistakenly.  The 300 was probably in Zanzibar dollars

[biakbiak]

Just now, RealReality said:

So, i think prices were quoted in Zanzibar currency, but Sara and a few others paid in US dollars mistakenly.  The 300 was probably in Zanzibar dollars

I believe that is correct when Shamir hands the taxi driver the money it's large and pink and clearly not US currency.

[etagloh]

The exchange rate at the time was US$1 ~= 2200 shillings. The big pink notes are 10,000 shillings. I don't think it was a case of quoting in the local currency and paying the same number in dollars.

I think the cab fare was probably ballpark reasonable given that it was a long drive out of town, a decent wait and a long drive back: more like "tour bus excursion" pricing than a typical cab ride, and the kind of situation where it would make sense to agree a fixed price on the ride out, especially if the additional information made clear that you'd be holding your cab for most of the leg.

The situation at the market was different: the teams were getting "tourist prices" from the vendors, and the ones who got people to do the shopping for them paid extra for the privilege.

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, RealReality said:

The 300 was probably in Zanzibar dollars

Zanzibar doesn't use dollars.  They use the Tanzania Shilling.  So if the vendor said 300 dollars, then I think they must mean US dollars.  It seemed to me that the entire market was milking the foreigners for ludicrously high amounts of money. 

[aradia22]

I don't sense any animosity but for some reason I'm getting the feeling that London likes Logan more than she likes him. He seems to... tolerate her. 

I think his name was Butterfly... either way, he was great. At least someone was enjoying himself.

It bothered me that the teams complained about the judge hitting the desks. If they can't withstand a few knocks, how do you expect them to last in a school... especially since some of them continued to bang them up trying to get through the door? Did you think they were going to let you build shitty desks for those kids? Boo. It made me happy to see that half the class was full of little girls and it was cute that all of the kids clapped. I wonder if those phrases will be relevant at any other point in the race. They just seemed to parrot them. There have been big pronunciation challenges in other seasons. This didn't seem like one of those. I thought it might have made sense if that detour led into the market task (like there were similar sounding words so they would have an easier time pronouncing them for locals) but then one side of the detour would have an advantage. 

I sense a shittyness about Matt and Redmond. I've got my eyes on those two.

There seemed to be some shadiness in the market. I'm not sure how that task was supposed to go. I didn't love that most of them seemed to get one interpreter who found things for them. That didn't really seem to be in the spirit of the task. Then again, while it didn't seem dangerous... it also didn't seem like the kind of place where you just drop tourists.

I mean, it was dramatic but it was a disappointing ending. When it seemed like they were in danger of going, I realized I liked Seth and Olive. And then Becca and Floyd had the passport thing. I feel like they may have edited out a lot of her getting mad at him. And Shamir and Sara and Matt and Redmond stayed. 

[CaioF]

Just embrassing myself for the chance that once Shamir finally comes last it will be a NEL =_=. Cause for the last two legs, they only survived by external factors, so they time must be expiring. However, its probably about time for us to have a NEL...

[amazingracefan]

This is going for a record, the third elimination in 3 I didn't like. This was about as bad as the first one as the taxi drivers decided who got u-turned. A competent team got eliminated because of the weaving (it seemed easily the most hard of the detours, so most didn't do it).  They were also at least one of the first to finish one side of the detour (this is reminiscent of a recent Amazing Race Asia if I remember right).  And for a tantalizing moment it looked like 'team fun' (who had turned to team angry) might get eliminated.  The buying task was all in the same place, it had some money drama at least but not enough to really change anything

Edited April 15, 2017 by amazingracefan

[RealReality]

2 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I don't sense any animosity but for some reason I'm getting the feeling that London likes Logan more than she likes him. He seems to... tolerate her. 

So much this.  She seems to fling herself at him and constantly try to get closer and he doesn't seem that into it.  He is a good looking guy, but not that good looking.

[holly4755]

editing is always a concern. I think Team fun may be a misnomer, I think they jsut wanted to enjoy the race. I noted that they both said something to the children before they left and always seem to thank the drivers, so if once in a while Becca gets mad at Floyd,, who certainly does not seem to still be mad about it, at least they are not ugly Americaning it all over the place like many racers do. 

As to the original boys team issue of not keeping their word,  I don't take that terribly serious, they certainly could have good naturedly explained that to anyone who asked. But instead they mocked the others after they left  for saying they would have kept the agreement, and that is what set me on the a less positive path toward the boys.  Not to say they are always douches, but it caught my ear. 

I went to a  (one, only one) Tarcon over a decade ago, I met so many of the racers and they were serious about changing perceptions left by the editors, One guy who seemed to be a villain was defended by everyone as one of the nicest person, he said he lost his temper, the scenes were edited so you didn't get to see what made him angry and he looked like a fool just screaming for no real reason and never apologizing, this happened like 3 times.  So they can't put words in your mouth, but they can take out the rest of the scene, they can't show the adrenaline that makes you react that way, I think if I were ever on this show, the one time I would have been in a screaming fit would have been at the girl who could not swim wearing floaties on her arms and refusing to go down a water slide (where you know the water at the bottom will not be that deep) That would have been the one moment that I would have gotten ballistic. But adrenaline, who knows.  i.e. no excuse for Becca, but still it happens and looks stupid, but may not consist of all who she is.  

[Wandering Snark]

9 hours ago, Netfoot said:

9 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

that whole fun meter persona always seemed exaggerated in my opinion.

Absolutely.  Artificial as hell, and only skin deep.  As we got to see.

Yeah, he knows now that he's actually a member of 'Don't Mess With My Fun' not 'Team Fun'. Big difference. Butterfly? (the climbing dude) Now he really was on Team Fun! That guy rocked.

As for Matt and Redmond, they are just a toxic combo personality-wise. Snowboarders are not known, in general, to be paragons of virtue and class. As an old joke goes... "The difference between a vacuum and a snowboarder? Where the dirtbag is attatched." The cutting in line and then the "oops, sorry brah... SEE YA! *big smile back at you still in line*" tip off was unreal. I actually may dislike the smiling shit-sturrer of the group more than the bullying/always posturing veteran. I also wish they weren't just killing it out there... so we're stuck with them. If only they didn't, like, talk.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Wandering Snark

[Bryce Lynch]

13 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I kind of need clarification.  I thought that on team Redmond and Matt that Redmond was the snow boarder and smaller guy while Matt was the taller veteran.  Therefore, I thought it was the snow boarder who was the more vocal and aggressive one.  However, I have read numerous posts that imply Redmond was the veteran.  Any clarification would be appreciated.

And, will Shamir and Sara be the team that I dislike (due to Shamir) that outlasts teams that I like and would like to see go farther?  First the women's team last week and now Seth and Olive.  Sigh.  

Liked Becca and Floyd, now I just like Floyd and think that Becca should be given some type of penalty for her undue physical threat (I don't like the name calling either, but think there's a stronger case for the physical threat).  I would bet almost anything (not really) that she threatened Floyd in the dark stairwell because she thought nobody would know as it was dark and they were separated from the camera crew.  Not so much Becca.  Hopefully there will be an opportunity for team members to switch teams and Floyd can join up with Sara...

I don't think Becca really "threatened" Floyd.  I don't think he ever thought she was actually going to hit him. 

[aradia22]

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So crocheting doesn't mean you're automatically good at weaving baskets out of leaves? Who woulda thunk? At least she was smart enough to realize it early enough to switch without falling way behind. Knowing when to give up on a task is an important thing on TAR!

I did think that was a bit weird. Especially compared to how Matt and Redmond seemed to get it quickly. Sure, it's not exactly the same but it's not as different as building a diorama and painting a landscape. As far as crafting goes, you're doing similar things. You identify a pattern and then you repeat it over and over until you get the larger, finished piece. It also seemed like a bad strategy for her to obsess over it and get flustered while her partner... watched her. Maybe he assumed she'd get it because of the crochet thing but he didn't seem to be trying to get involved at all but any advice beyond the general "you can do it" stuff. 

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Really screwed over Seth and Olive. Speaking of them, I'm not entirely convinced they cared for each other. I wonder if they got a positive edit, being 'team America' and all, and that they weren't around long enough. I never got the impression from watching them that they cared for each others company. 

I didn't think they disliked each other. But they seemed like competent strangers. I think Seth mentioned something in the premiere about adapting to whatever partner he was assigned. I think that's what they were both doing. 

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And I knew Brooke's elbow would be just fine....she made her partner do the scary height task because her elbow was supposedly so bad, yet less then 24 hours later there was no visible problem with it.

Eh. Clearly she didn't break a bone but I can imagine that having some time to heal helped. I think they probably put in some fake dirty glass (see Shamir breaking the window easily) but racers talked about scraping it down instead of just wiping it clean so who knows how difficult it would have been for her having just fallen and hitting her elbow?

[amazingracefan]

I always said Team Fun looked force, yet some seemed to buy into it immediately.

And I agree, Seth and Olive were getting along doing a job.  This isn't a dating edition, they don't have to love each other.

[aradia22]

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Does anyone know what the goods in marketplace would have cost a local?  The racers were paying $10-$40 for a few pieces of produce.  And I seem to recall one of the taxi drivers quoting over $200 for the ride.  Were they all being massively taken advantage of by the locals and grossly overcharged? 

I think the shopping list included red bananas, tomatoes, a pomelo, and maybe 2 or 3 other things. I don't know the going rate for a recently slaughtered halal chicken but in the US, $30 feels like as much as you'd spend for that at a normal market (and not Whole Foods). I think it was a weird combination of being taken advantage of and taken care of. It seemed like the women had a tougher time of things. It also seemed like not a lot of them tried to haggle. They let interpreters do things for them and I'm sure there was some push and pull there. I think there was overcharging but maybe also interpreters telling vendors, "you cannot charge $20 for a squash. They're not that stupid." I'd be curious how much of this was pre-planned by production who would go in and scope out the safety and have some idea of what they'd need to spend. Maybe the interpreters were also supposed to step in if someone wasn't really following the agreed-upon prices. 

As long as we don't end up with the most annoying teams I'm ready to start cutting down on the number of racers so we can focus more on what's actually going on. I'm like this with Top Chef, Project Runway, etc. I'm never that into it until I know everyone's names and people get enough screentime for me to actually know what's going on.

[Pepper Mostly]

On 4/14/2017 at 2:48 AM, RealReality said:

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.

I love any task with local kids.  They were utterly adorable.  I love how excited they get!

16 hours ago, backformore said:

Yeah, she might have been jokingly threatening to punch him, but that's not something you do with someone you don't have a history with, someone who knows there's no real threat there. *   If he had done it to her, he would be painted as a misogynistic asshole -  so it's not OK for her to do it either. 

* I will jokingly move toward my son like I'm going to slap him, but he's an adult, a foot taller than me, and it's a teasing response when he makes fun of me.  I would never do it to someone I didn't have that kind of rapport with.

Yes ,  my son and I have always joked around in ways that raise eyebrows  among  casual observers (on purpose sometimes, we're fun like that). Becca was way out of line. I come down on the side of her being what used to be called "high strung". She's turned up to 11 at all times, she's a super manic pixie FUN girl.  But any little unexpected bump or ruffle deflates her pretty balloon with the quickness.  I  suspected this from the beginning, she's just so on. Floyd I think is a genuinely good humored positive guy, and his calm in the face of thier setback was impressive. He also was the one who knew the driver's name, and took a moment to take his card (while Becca jumped and jittered and moaned "let's GO!" probably). I give Becca one more episode to calm the fuck down and appreciate what her partner brings to the table. 

11 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

That was seriously one of my favorite parts of the episode. It was Redmond, as he kept walking up onto Vanck, clearly meant to intimidate him. Redmond seems to be the major asshole of the team. Not giving Matt a pass because he too has his smug douchy qualities but Redmond was the one who seemed almost enraged that Vanck and Ashton had the audacity to U-Turn them. I was actually very uncomfortable with the way he kept coming onto Vanck like he might actually hit him. And then his continued bitching and attitude when they got to the pit Ye,sstop just after Vanck and Ashton was even more grating.

The thing is, I didn't even care that much about the broken coin flip promise and even the cutting in line. Douchey for sure but whatever. But my thing is, if you're going to choose to race like that, then don't be surprised when you get U-Turned and then act all offended and pissed off like someone did something against them when all they did was play the game. The same way they view cutting in line as just playing the game. 

 

So, Redmond is Scut Farkas and Matt is Grover Dill? A pox on them both.  I've never been able to figure out why people have to be jerks on the race, but if you are going to be a jerk, own it. Going after Vanck was so low and dirty. Don't go all Innocent Angel and says "I don't know what your problem is. Everyone likes us!" Be a mustache twirling evil-o. He wants to be a dick, but he wants to be popular. That's his weakness. Surely someone can find a way to use it against him. I realize its not Survivor but still. I can dream. 

[amazingracefan]

The school part was ok but they were just shown repeating a word said to them, in the past in this kind of task they had to remember words.

[TaraS1]

Man, I couldn't believe how quickly Becca flipped that switch on the fun meter over to "KEEPTHATFUCKINGFANNYPACKZIPPEDFLOYD!!!" But I'm someone who loses my shit when I shake up the ketchup and yet the gross, watery part on top still comes out, so I shouldn't judge too hard. I just know I do not manage stressful situations well enough to ever be on this show.

And I was so disappointed to see Matt and Redmond's true colors, especially Redmond who I really liked. It reminded me of an episode of Golden Girls where Blanche dates a guy in a wheelchair and when he turns out to be a cheater, she says it never occurred to her that he could be a jerk in a wheelchair. I guess it never occurred to me that Redmond could be a jerk with one leg. 

[Haleth]

Unpopular opinion, but Matt and Redmond didn't bother me at all.  The whole flip a coin thing was stupid and for Ashton to continue to hold a grudge makes her look like a silly girl.  Trash talk goes with competition.  Get over it and RACE!

I must have blinked and missed Becca threatening Floyd.  Hope they learned a lesson about how important it is to hang on to your documents.

I was surprised to see Liz and um, the beard guy come in first again after being so inept in the first leg.  

Does anyone else think London (or is she Logan?) looks just like Patricia Wettig?  (Is anyone here besides me old enough to remember Patricia Wettig?)

[weightyghost]

3 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I don't think Becca really "threatened" Floyd.  I don't think he ever thought she was actually going to hit him. 

He flinched pretty hard when she stopped her fist a few inches from his face so while yes, that may have been a reaction to the movement, he was clearly thrown off. I wouldn't enjoy the person I met a few days ago threatening violence, even if I didn't think they'd actually hit me - I don't think I would know them enough to make that assessment. 

I'm not sure why Matt is being pulled into Redmond's dickish behaviour - he never told him to stop and yes he cut in line which is not cool behaviour, but I don't think he said anything about being U-Turned. He seems relatively easy going and when he's taking part in the line cutting and no coin flipping, I see for him it's just the race and not expecting people to get that offended. But I'm sure time will prove me wrong

[chaifan]

I rewatched the end with Becca and Floyd, and you can tell by the mat chat that he absolutely doesn't take her seriously with the "punch in the nose" comment.  He is laughing and smiling, not nervous "oh, she's crazy" smiling, but genuine.  The "punch" was clearly a punch in the air, not at him.  She was a stair below him and he's on a landing.  Becca may have lost her cool, but she certainly wasn't threatening him.  She was frustrated, and justifiably so.  And they really lucked out - it looks like the cab driver was coming to find them at the hotel with the passport.  Floyd was still on the phone trying to call him when he appeared just outside the hotel. 

[justawatcher]

London= Ellen Degeneres

Redmond- isn't he Navy Special Forces or something?  He has no time for your silly games. Those guys are trained to intimidate and exploit weakness. why would he be different (flip a coin, "no, after you...") on the race?

[backformore]

37 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I rewatched the end with Becca and Floyd, and you can tell by the mat chat that he absolutely doesn't take her seriously with the "punch in the nose" comment.  He is laughing and smiling, not nervous "oh, she's crazy" smiling, but genuine.  The "punch" was clearly a punch in the air, not at him.  She was a stair below him and he's on a landing.  Becca may have lost her cool, but she certainly wasn't threatening him.  She was frustrated, and justifiably so.  And they really lucked out - it looks like the cab driver was coming to find them at the hotel with the passport.  Floyd was still on the phone trying to call him when he appeared just outside the hotel. 

I agree that he wasn't in danger of actually being hit.   But it was a threat. For me, it was over the top for two people who have known each other only a few days.  If you switch the genders, and a man raised his fist and "pretended" to punch a female partner in the face, there would be no question that it was out of line.

[Rinaldo]

4 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I don't think Becca really "threatened" Floyd.  I don't think he ever thought she was actually going to hit him. 

I agree. I'm uncomfortable with diluting language to the point of a joking manner of speech (understood as such by both parties) being magnified into a "threat of violence" -- one calling for a penalty, even. Yes, she had a bad moment, but the situation was extreme: without passports, they're out of the race, no question. So I'm inclined to shrug at seeing a person's civilized surface slip for a moment, in this particular case.

48 minutes ago, chaifan said:

She was frustrated, and justifiably so.  And they really lucked out 

[tvfanatic13]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Unpopular opinion, but Matt and Redmond didn't bother me at all.  The whole flip a coin thing was stupid and for Ashton to continue to hold a grudge makes her look like a silly girl.  Trash talk goes with competition.  Get over it and RACE!

I must have blinked and missed Becca threatening Floyd.  Hope they learned a lesson about how important it is to hang on to your documents.

I was surprised to see Liz and um, the beard guy come in first again after being so inept in the first leg.  

Does anyone else think London (or is she Logan?) looks just like Patricia Wettig?  (Is anyone here besides me old enough to remember Patricia Wettig?)

I am and I do!

[RealReality]

4 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

Man, I couldn't believe how quickly Becca flipped that switch on the fun meter over to "KEEPTHATFUCKINGFANNYPACKZIPPEDFLOYD!!!" But I'm someone who loses my shit when I shake up the ketchup and yet the gross, watery part on top still comes out, so I shouldn't judge too hard. I just know I do not manage stressful situations well enough to ever be on this show.

And I was so disappointed to see Matt and Redmond's true colors, especially Redmond who I really liked. It reminded me of an episode of Golden Girls where Blanche dates a guy in a wheelchair and when he turns out to be a cheater, she says it never occurred to her that he could be a jerk in a wheelchair. I guess it never occurred to me that Redmond could be a jerk with one leg. 

+10000000000 to this comment for the golden girls reference.

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Unpopular opinion, but Matt and Redmond didn't bother me at all.  The whole flip a coin thing was stupid and for Ashton to continue to hold a grudge makes her look like a silly girl.  Trash talk goes with competition.  Get over it and RACE!

 

It could just be me, but I don't believe "It's a race!" justifies any and all behavior.  I want to see a fair race.  The coin clip was dumb, but if you make a promise you should keep it.  And cutting in line?  If everyone did that than only big meatheads like Redmond would get ahead because then everyone has to push and shove to get ahead.

I also like to see jerks get their comeuppance. Ashton and Vanck got to the uturn fair and square.  While it may not have been smart, they decided to take their revenge.  And if it made Ashton feel better and not dwell on it than to me, it may have been worth it.  

As for the trash talk, those two expected no blowback for going back on a promise, but they are uturned and they turn to picking on the smallest guy in the competition?  Yuck.

It's Like when m&r do something it's "just a game" and "no one should be upset cause it's a race!" But when a&v u turn them....which is a part of the game they lose their shut and take it personal.  Where is the "It's just a race!" mentality then?

Edited April 15, 2017 by RealReality

[DEL901]

15 hours ago, chaifan said:

Does anyone know what the goods in marketplace would have cost a local?  The racers were paying $10-$40 for a few pieces of produce.  And I seem to recall one of the taxi drivers quoting over $200 for the ride.  Were they all being massively taken advantage of by the locals and grossly overcharged? 

Whenever things don't have a sign showing the price, you are expected to haggle.  This is true all over the world.  If someone just handed over whatever was asked, then it's on them. 

[aradia22]

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Whenever things don't have a sign showing the price, you are expected to haggle.  This is true all over the world.  If someone just handed over whatever was asked, then it's on them.

I mean... sometimes. I've definitely been places (Turkey and Mexico come to mind) where there were things priced expensively by American standards but poor quality (like probably made in China) and they did NOT appreciate the Americans trying to haggle. The price was the price and they did not budge. So I walked away.

I do think they might have haggled at this market but it would have been tough for some of them given the chaos and the way they relied on interpreters. The butcher was the one of the few who seemed to be going around on his own and doing his shopping. On that note, I also wonder how things possibly worsened as more teams showed up.

[holly4755]

does anyone know how much time they get to rest? it used to be 12 or 36 hours (depending on the lagging behind people)

 I kind of miss the more involved tasks they used to have spread across multiple countries and taking more than one day to complete.  I realize that is probably not possible anymore because of the increased danger to Americans traveling abroad and the budget constraints they probably have.  The whole race is probably completed in a shorter number of days as well. With the spread of time, the airport challenges used to play a bigger picture. 

[Jobiska]

8 hours ago, Haleth said:

Does anyone else think London (or is she Logan?) looks just like Patricia Wettig?  (Is anyone here besides me old enough to remember Patricia Wettig?)

I said this on her team's thread last week!  So you're not alone.

Thing about the U-Turn.  I went and rewatched the first 6 arrivals at the U-Turn stand.  In the cabs on the way there, Ashton and Vanck are at least implying they're going to use it on Matt and Redmond; Michael and Liz are saying something along the lines of "of course we're going to use it, it's a game;" Tara and Joey are coolly, calmly determining who to knock out and picking Seth and Olive; Matt and Redmond are saying they're not worried about anyone using it on them except for Vanck and Ashton (this is, of course, after they needlessly cut the ferry line in front of all other racers plus locals).  But just their saying that, just the force of their believing it, doesn't make it so!  They were sixth at the U-Turn.  Tara and Joey arrived first and carried out their plan; then Vanck and Ashton arrived and did what they planned; then Michael and Liz, who were planning to use it, arrived, but had no slot to do so.  They could have easily picked Matt and Redmond as a strong team to U-Turn if V&A had chosen not to!  

The fourth and fifth team (Fun and S&S) arrived pretty much in a clump with M&R, so they might not have used it on them in front of them, just to avoid repercussions.  But I guess my point is that Vanck and Ashton were in a way damned if they did, damned if they didn't, because even if someone else (e.g. Michael and Liz) had U-Turned M&R, they would be blamed by M&R, so why not, y'know?    

Impressed with Vanck's quick off-camera assembly of a bunch of Ferns who did really well by him in the market.  

 

[feverfew]

Wow. First impressions aren't always correct: Matt & Redmond were completely out of line. I actually felt slightly ill watching Redmond tower* over Vanck and Ashton - his "I'm coming to get youuuuu" felt threatening for real. What gross behavior from both of them! Matt's not off the hook just because he was cheering from the sidelines.

*All things being equal the optics weren't great: A big man bullying a woman and a slighter man. The only weakness shown here was yours, dude.

I'm firmly on team Liz&Michael. And I hope #TheDouchebros get their comeuppance - preferably by losing to Vanck&Ashton. Becca's on parole, too.

[Netfoot]

12 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

Butterfly? (the climbing dude) Now he really was on Team Fun! That guy rocked.

Once upon a time a bunch of friends came in from England, and we were all down at the beach when a Butterfly-clone guy came along.  "For two bucks, I'll climb that tree and pick you a coconut," he said, pointing at a tree.  My friends looked at me but I just shrugged, so they agreed.  Halfway up the tree, Local-Butterfly said "For two more dollars, I'll let you take my picture as I pick the coconut!!"  They agreed, he grinned, they snapped.  A coconut came down, and Local-Butterfly was quickly on the ground again, saying "For another two dollars, I'll open the coconut so you can drink the coconut water!"  I had my knife on me and know how to open a coconut, but I stayed out of it, so they paid him the six bucks, he opened the coconut, and departed, while they passed the nut around.  "So, whaddya think, then?" said one of my friends.  "Well''," I replied, "You do realize you just paid that guy six bucks to steal you a coconut, right?"

9 hours ago, TaraS1 said:

But I'm someone who loses my shit when I shake up the ketchup and yet the gross, watery part on top still comes out

OMG, seriously?  Isn't that the text-book description of some awful neurological ailment?  Yes.  Aqueotomatitis.   Seek treatment quickly!

Edited April 15, 2017 by Netfoot

[Etta Place]

In spite of listening to it at least twice, I couldn't catch what Vanck said when he was explaining how he knew what getting the chicken halal meant. Can anyone fill me in?

[Jobiska]

As I recall, just that he's familiar with the term from living in New York City.  Which, since I drive past "Q & Q Live Poultry Market" in Philly frequently and their signage lays it all right out there as to what they do, I can believe it would be easy to pick up the info even if you didn't need it prepped that way yourself.

[vousviou]

4 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I mean... sometimes. I've definitely been places (Turkey and Mexico come to mind) where there were things priced expensively by American standards but poor quality (like probably made in China) and they did NOT appreciate the Americans trying to haggle. The price was the price and they did not budge. So I walked away.

I do think they might have haggled at this market but it would have been tough for some of them given the chaos and the way they relied on interpreters. The butcher was the one of the few who seemed to be going around on his own and doing his shopping. On that note, I also wonder how things possibly worsened as more teams showed up.

I lean toward the explanation that the vendors gave high prices on the expectation that there would be haggling, but I admit I don't have anything to back it up.  The closest I can come is the guy who gave money back when (I forget) said she was charged too much, and he knew the price he had charged was really high.

It's also possible, though, that he figured it would be smart not to appear like a jerk when he had a TV camera pointed at him and the amount of money for a few bananas or whatever was pretty small.

It occurred to me that this challenge must have been especially difficult because they were visiting so many vendors and that means there are ton of potential releases that had to be signed.

[Keener]

22 hours ago, chaifan said:

Does anyone know what the goods in marketplace would have cost a local?  The racers were paying $10-$40 for a few pieces of produce.  And I seem to recall one of the taxi drivers quoting over $200 for the ride.  Were they all being massively taken advantage of by the locals and grossly overcharged? 

Just yesterday Facebook "suggested" an article from Chatelaine about a woman and her family who moved from Canada to Dar es Salaam for some Eat, Pray, Love-finding yourself reason. In the article she writes about how the experience was hellish for a variety of reasons, but one of which was that they were haemorrhaging money and the other was because of a medical emergency.  For the medical emergency the author says that they were charged $7 to see a doctor. In the article she also says that buying groceries was a challenge. It sounded to me as though the language was the barrier, not the financial burden. Her family at one point managed to hire a housekeeper on one part-time income.  So I suspect the racers were generous with their money and the Tanzanians weren't born yesterday and seized a golden opportunity. 

What if the racers were being quoted in Tanzanian money but had planned on paying in USD$?  I just did a currency conversion and 350 Tanzanian Shillings is $0.15USD.  If these fools were meant to pay less than a dollar for a cab ride but paid $350USD instead... omg... No words for that level of stupidity. 

Quote

In spite of listening to it at least twice, I couldn't catch what Vanck said when he was explaining how he knew what getting the chicken halal meant. Can anyone fill me in?

He said that he lives in NY and they have halal meat in NY which is why he knew what it meant/what it was referencing. 

Edited April 16, 2017 by Keener

[vousviou]

8 hours ago, RealReality said:

I also like to see jerks get their comeuppance. Ashton and Vanck got to the uturn fair and square.  While it may not have been smart, they decided to take their revenge.  And if it made Ashton feel better and not dwell on it than to me, it may have been worth it.  

As for the trash talk, those two expected no blowback for going back on a promise, but they are uturned and they turn to picking on the smallest guy in the competition?  Yuck.

It's Like when m&r do something it's "just a game" and "no one should be upset cause it's a race!" But when a&v u turn them....which is a part of the game they lose their shut and take it personal.  Where is the "It's just a race!" mentality then?

 

The U Turn didn't pay off, but it was a smart move.  This round showed a strong team getting knocked out by a U Turn, so in theory it could have been the boys instead.  And since the boys are likely to be jerks for as long as they're in the race, you may as well go after them. 

The problem with trash talking in a competition like this is that the boys are putting a bigger target on themselves.  I think people already realize they're serious competition, and now they're making it even more likely to be messed up by another team.  It's a long way to go and all it takes is for someone to give them bad directions at the right time and they're out.  If they're going to do it, they'd be much better off waiting for a more strategic time late in the race.   Things like cutting the line for a ferry that everyone will be riding just makes no sense -- you antagonize other racers but get no advantage.

[mojoween]

I was surprised at Redmond bagging on Seth but I guess I shouldn't just assume that military men and cops are natural kindreds.

I was also very irritated when the one female racer started to do the RB and ran into two other racers and immediately said "you want to do it together?"  Um, no, I don't.  Get away.

Especially since it turned into a giant clusterfuck with one person paying for everything at this stall and then someone else at the next and it wasn't coming out even and they were all whinging about it.

[Chyna]

On 4/14/2017 at 11:01 AM, backformore said:

On 4/14/2017 at 0:59 AM, Lantern7 said:

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

Really?  because in "regular"  seasons, that's not the case.   I assume, though, that the prize might just be a voucher of some sort, that they can use as they wish.  My comment referred to when the winning couple got the trip, it sounded like they were winning a couples trip, much like couples in previous seasons win trips. 

They get vouchers from Travelocity. Past non-couple Racers have just split up the vouchers, and I remember one couple with kids (maybe Chip and Kim?) saying that they used the vouchers for a less-fancy vacation so they could also bring their kids.

[etagloh]

9 hours ago, RealReality said:

I don't believe "It's a race!" justifies any and all behavior.  I want to see a fair race.  The coin clip was dumb, but if you make a promise you should keep it.  And cutting in line?  If everyone did that than only big meatheads like Redmond would get ahead because then everyone has to push and shove to get ahead.

I'm meh about deals between teams -- do them in the moment for a specific immediate reason where it's mutually beneficial, be done with them when the reason has passed -- but I'm less meh about being an arse to locals. Again, what sets TAR apart from most reality shows is that most of it takes place around people just living their lives in different parts of the world, and any short-term advantage from Ugly American-ing a situation sets a bad precedent.

On rest periods: it's always been more flexible when either flights are spoonfed or TPTB want teams to use a specific set of flights to avoid long time gaps, though it's never been shorter than 12 hours. In recent seasons, we've seen more situations were teams are technically "racing" but bunched or waiting together for flights and ferries and trains, and that's 90% the same as Pit Stop downtime. My best guess is that there was between 48-72hrs between finishing the leg in São Paulo and getting off the ferry in Zanzibar for the meat of the leg.

[holly4755]

Thanks Etagloh. 

I have to say that besides cutting in front of other racers, the boys team also cut in front of regular people going about their lives, now sometimes that is not a big deal, as apparent.y here, but other times it feeds the ugly American viewpoint. One of the positives in the race is how many people want to help, like the girl in Hong Kong who hung out with a team through all things  instead of going to school.   She translated everything for them and gave them directions for the city, 

[Vyk]

38 minutes ago, holly4755 said:

One of the positives in the race is how many people want to help, like the girl in Hong Kong who hung out with a team through all things  instead of going to school.   She translated everything for them and gave them directions for the city, 

That would be the young woman named Fern (for whom the term "Fern" is named), who helped Oswald & Danny back in TAR2.  It was a very iconic moment in TAR history.

[millennium]

On 4/13/2017 at 11:11 PM, 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 think I have Amazing Race PTSD.  I saw the sign that said "Weave" and read it as "Weavers."