S29.E04: Another One Bites the Dust / S29.E05: Have Faith In Me, Broski

[backformore]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

Yeah, Michael really doesn't do well when he's losing. I rewatched their last bit and I feel bad for Liz. She may have screwed up with the map vs compass debate but she was right in that they should have just parked and ran up the steps, instead of wasting time trying to find this back entrance. Seeing as they had a lot of tasks the past couple of legs that were suited to their strengths, this detour definitely wasn't and it almost cost them dearly. 

The thing is - Liz was right - she wasn't saying that the map always pointed toward north.  She was looking at landmarks, matching them to the map, and trying to get oriented.   I do the same thing with that kind of map - hold it so that the landmarks line up with the directions on the map, so you have a picture of where to go.    Michael went out of his way to try to tell her she's stupid, instead of trying to understand what she was communicating. 

Michael has that irritating sarcasm that men who think they're superior to women indulge in.  "Yes, you're right, you're always right,"  with an eyeroll and a sarcastic tone.  He thinks he is intellectually superior to her, and is doing her a big favor by pretending to listen to her.

[mishap]

26 minutes ago, Rachel RSL said:

I really don't know how CBS could have advertised it more. Perhaps it depends on how often you watch CBS but I saw a shit ton of commercials over the past week advertising a 2 hour episode starting at 9:00.

Yeah, I don't watch a lot of network tv, but I saw a lot of commercials for the special 2 hour Survivor.  I didn't see one for this -- but no worries.  I saw most of it, and as I said , you can always catch it on their website. 

[Lady Calypso]

8 minutes ago, backformore said:

The thing is - Liz was right - she wasn't saying that the map always pointed toward north.  She was looking at landmarks, matching them to the map, and trying to get oriented.   I do the same thing with that kind of map - hold it so that the landmarks line up with the directions on the map, so you have a picture of where to go.    Michael went out of his way to try to tell her she's stupid, instead of trying to understand what she was communicating. 

I was confused by the debate, to be honest, so I thought Michael was totally right. I might have to rewatch that again. 

[chaifan]

2 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Yeah, Michael really doesn't do well when he's losing. I rewatched their last bit and I feel bad for Liz. She may have screwed up with the map vs compass debate but she was right in that they should have just parked and ran up the steps, instead of wasting time trying to find this back entrance. Seeing as they had a lot of tasks the past couple of legs that were suited to their strengths, this detour definitely wasn't and it almost cost them dearly. 

Didn't Liz turn out to be right on the map debate?  I thought she was trying to say something like the map has a north reference, so if you know you're standing in a certain spot that's on the map and looking at another reference on the map (I think she made mention of a statue), then you're facing north.  But, in Michael's defense, he was probably right - both in that people could drive to the top of the hill and that there had to be an elevator that connected the parking lot to that building.  He floundered in that he was making wild guesses as to direction/location for both.   I like this team - I hope they pull it together and get back to getting along.

 

ETA: sorry, got interrupted mid post and didn't realize backformore said pretty much the same thing about Liz.

Edited April 21, 2017 by chaifan

[Dobian]

I forgot to say, that was cool finding out about Freddie Mercury growing up in Zanzibar.  I never knew that.  You learn something new every day.  Avoiding reading this thread because I still have to watch the second hour.

[Rinaldo]

42 minutes ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I have a hard time liking Team Fun after Becca's tantrum last week.

Not I. Anybody's entitled to a moment of hyperbole (perceived as such) when a traveling companion nearly ended everything. They both seem to have gotten over it instantly.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Man, there are so many passive-aggressive people on this race. I can handle one bickering couple a season but there are so damn many this season. Ugh! 

Nobody came out of this looking good, except for maybe London and Logan, although I still don't have a feel for either of them. There's really nobody left to root for except maybe them. Liz and Michael were doing so well up 'til now but when things don't go their way Michael turns into a passive-aggressive asshole. Ditto for Joey. And whoever upthread called Becca a "fair weathered fun person" nailed it. She's all smiles and rainbows when things are going their way but I haven't forgotten the way she turned on Floyd last week when they lost their passports. 

No, Ashton - you are not "stuck with Vanck" he is stuck with you, you bitch. And good Lord, what the hell is Brooke even doing on this show?

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Is CBS the channel that airs The Bachelor? I don't watch that show but remember someone saying that she auditioned for that show and was put on Big Brother or something (another show I don't watch), and wonder if that is how Brooke ended up here.

Brooke almost certainly did not audition for this show, she was probably selected from Reality Show Central Casting because they thought her volatile, high-strung personality would make "Good TV." There's an entire industry of "talent agencies" that recruit people for reality shows; most people are just looking for a chance to be on TV and their audition tapes go into a big pool any show can pull from.

Quote

Granted, him repeating he had the Fast Forward would annoy me too

I actually thought it was kind of funny that Scott kept saying he had the Express Pass. That's the first time I actually liked him, and then felt sorry for him for being stuck with such a loser.

Quote

The 2nd leg was really poorly designed though. There's no way a Fast Forward, done cleanly with no mistakes, should take longer than the entire leg.

That was wonky. I've never seen someone lose first place after doing the FF unless they really screwed up. But I think something may have gone wrong because I don't understand why they took one helicopter ride, and then landed, and then got on another helicopter. I wonder if they were originally supposed to jump from the first chopper and for some reason they had to land and switch and that's what put them so far back.

[RealReality]

I think there was a parking garage for those who want to park and climb the stairs.  And at the top of the back road entrance for those who want to drive up.  I don't think there is an elevator to connect the garage and the location. 

[PhD-Purgatory15]

And.....this season just tripled or quadrupled my frustration level in two hours. Part of what is most frustrating is that I think this particular world route and set of challenges (so far) could have absolutely knocked it out of the park with a better cast (I'm still giving a bit of side eye at Becca so the only team that hasn't done something egregiously bad is the ghost team LoLo). The challenges have been interesting and visually stimulating. The detours haven't been so out of whack that it's just a stampede to one and nobody does the other one. A second SELF-DRIVING!! leg already which is kind of amazing. Nobody has been waylaid too badly by awful taxi luck that was completely out of their control iirc.

But there's just something really off-putting about watching still complete strangers melt down on each other. I mean with the exception of the four or five Blind Date edition couples, every other team that has run TAR who melted down at some point during the race did so in a juxtaposition to our assumption that they had good times in their relationships prior to TAR (even the Ex's and divorcees who have run this race). With Ashton and Vanck and Brook and Scott, and Shamir and Sara, and Liz and Michael we have none of that. And it makes the scenes like we saw with A&V and L&M on the mat with Phil just all kinds of icky to me.

$5000 bucks each would've certainly been nice, but Becca and Floyd worked it out where they got an amazing skydiving experience they'll never forget and by not using the express pass in the plain view of other teams to skip a task and win this leg doesn't draw any added attention to themselves.

Shamir and Sara had completely checked out on each other. I would have bet money that they were going to get saved by NEL (or a Phil telling everyone they're still racing continuation leg) at the end of the first hour, but I think they were just relieved to be out and done.

Redmond is still a dick.

[Hera]

14 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

Man, there are so many passive-aggressive people on this race. I can handle one bickering couple a season but there are so damn many this season. Ugh!

I think that's the inevitable result of making strangers race together. If you know someone well, then you have an idea of what their strengths and weaknesses are, and when you disagree with what they're saying (about directions, or what detour would be better to do, etc.), you have an idea of whose judgment is likely to be better given the circumstances.. But when you're with a stranger, you don't have this information and so people deal with this by insisting on having their way all the time, or by always deferring to their partner, which results in the increased passive-aggression on display.

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

Ugh, if only Brooke and Sara had been switched.  We would have been rid of whiny, complaining Brooke and Shamir in one leg and Sara and Scott would still be racing.

Yes! Although I was a little bit on Shamir's side this last episode about wanting to switch roadblocks. Out of curiosity, I googled "stone town royal doors" and there really isn't anything in the first couple of results that would make that task easier. It think it really came down to luck in finding someone who could tell you where to go. Even after they got to the Locks detour, Sara kept insisting they should go back. That's really annoying and unhelpful behavior. This doesn't give Shamir a pass for how annoying and unhelpful he's been on multiple legs, but I think in this instance, he was probably correct that they should have switched detours sooner.

8 hours ago, Catronia said:

And, yeah, Brooke is ridiculous, though I was rooting for her at the very start.   But I think Venck is also pretty awful, and I'm no beauty queen looking for a BF.  He's stubborn and rude and doesn't listen, and thinks he's smarter than everyone else.  He'd drive me crazy, too.

I really love Michael and Liz, and hope they pull it together, though Michael seems to share a lot of Venck's difficult qualities, but has a lot more useful skills.  Also love Joey and Tara!

His behavior when Liz was trying to read the map reminded me of Vanck in episode 1, telling Ashton how to shoot the bow and arrow, despite failing miserably at it himself. He was pretty terrible from the start of that roadblock to the mat, but I'm hoping that after some rest and food, he'll apologize for his behavior. I'm hoping it was a case of stress and insecurity rather than this just being him.

23 minutes ago, backformore said:

The thing is - Liz was right - she wasn't saying that the map always pointed toward north.  She was looking at landmarks, matching them to the map, and trying to get oriented.   I do the same thing with that kind of map - hold it so that the landmarks line up with the directions on the map, so you have a picture of where to go.    Michael went out of his way to try to tell her she's stupid, instead of trying to understand what she was communicating. 

Michael has that irritating sarcasm that men who think they're superior to women indulge in.  "Yes, you're right, you're always right,"  with an eyeroll and a sarcastic tone.  He thinks he is intellectually superior to her, and is doing her a big favor by pretending to listen to her.

Michael also admitted in his talking head that navigation wasn't really his strong suit, and yet, he still felt the need to say something about where north was and try to undermine Liz's reading of the map. There probably is some sexism there, but I also think Michael didn't like having someone 13 years younger than he is being visibly more competent at something than he is. It seems like he'll let her be good at physical stuff—he was cheering her on at the roadblock, and to be fair, I think Liz probably was the better choice for it, especially since it means they have now both done two—but I don't think he liked being shown up at navigation or driving. I also think he was being assy from the outset of the detour because he wanted to the kayaking one and then annoyed again because he really, really did not want to go up that hill on foot.

2 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

46 minutes ago, Writing Wrongs said:

I have a hard time liking Team Fun after Becca's tantrum last week.

Not I. Anybody's entitled to a moment of hyperbole (perceived as such) when a traveling companion nearly ended everything. They both seem to have gotten over it instantly.

Agreed. If Becca had still been berating Floyd during this episode, or bossing him around, I'd be willing to reconsider my position, but they seemed just as happy with each other as ever and it doesn't seem like we'll hear about the passport incident from either of them again.

[ferretrick]

What's with a previously segment recapping what we just saw five minutes ago? Quit it CBS. Leave that crap to shitty NBC reality shows like Biggest Loser.

[Rinaldo]

6 minutes ago, Hera said:

Michael also admitted in his talking head that navigation wasn't really his strong suit, and yet, he still felt the need to say something about where north was and try to undermine Liz's reading of the map. There probably is some sexism there, but I also think Michael didn't like having someone 13 years younger than he is being visibly more competent at something than he is.

I see that differently. It was hard to parse out at times, but it seemed like Liz understood how to use the map in relation to where they were and needed to go, but was using all the wrong terminology about it (seeming to say that north on the map magically aligned with real-life north, when she really meant that the map drawings lined up with actual buildings). And Michael was pointing out the ridiculousness of what she was saying, rather than (more helpfully) saving the lecture on terminology for another day (or never) and just figuring out the substance of her navigation. I'm not unsympathetic to how he felt -- it can be infuriating to hear someone constantly use the wrong words for everything -- and I spent a good decade of my younger life being an asshole about such things, before I figured out that it's usually better to take a deep breath, set all that silently aside, and focus on the person's intent. And that's what Michael needed to do, but it can be a hard lesson to learn.

[Bryce Lynch]

1 hour ago, backformore said:

The thing is - Liz was right - she wasn't saying that the map always pointed toward north.  She was looking at landmarks, matching them to the map, and trying to get oriented.   I do the same thing with that kind of map - hold it so that the landmarks line up with the directions on the map, so you have a picture of where to go.    Michael went out of his way to try to tell her she's stupid, instead of trying to understand what she was communicating. 

Michael has that irritating sarcasm that men who think they're superior to women indulge in.  "Yes, you're right, you're always right,"  with an eyeroll and a sarcastic tone.  He thinks he is intellectually superior to her, and is doing her a big favor by pretending to listen to her.

Exactly.   When Michael was barking, "Do you have any idea how a compass works?", I wanted her respond, "Yes, but you have no idea how a MAP works!"  

To his credit, he apologized after he realized she knew what she was doing.  But, then he lost all that credit by berating her again, as he insisted they drive and take the magic elevator to the pit stop.  

[holly4755]

we really only get an edited version of everyone and thousands of hours of film cut down.

the comparison of Brooke to Flo made me wonder if she were ill like Flo, That would explain a lot but she was excitable from the start of the race so maybe not.  Zach was very gentle towards Flo trying to save her from efforts. Of course the race rules are different now in that each team member has to do half of the single efforts. That is why some do what ever is their turn and others try to do their strengths in the beginning.  The end is more interesting where people are forced to even out the work. 

The ladle making seemed to be hard for many reasons, the heat they were working in, the noise (migraine causing) probably the smell of hard working people. and they are probably still not eating during the day because of Ramadan.  Anyway I was impressed that Becca and Michael and Joey were the only people not complaining. 

As for Ashton bullying Vanck, he picked her, with his strength lever he should have gone for the strongest woman, the tall one. 

[Bryce Lynch]

6 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

I see that differently. It was hard to parse out at times, but it seemed like Liz understood how to use the map in relation to where they were and needed to go, but was using all the wrong terminology about it (seeming to say that north on the map magically aligned with real-life north, when she really meant that the map drawings lined up with actual buildings). And Michael was pointing out the ridiculousness of what she was saying, rather than (more helpfully) saving the lecture on terminology for another day (or never) and just figuring out the substance of her navigation. I'm not unsympathetic to how he felt -- it can be infuriating to hear someone constantly use the wrong words for everything -- and I spent a good decade of my younger life being an asshole about such things, before I figured out that it's usually better to take a deep breath, set all that silently aside, and focus on the person's intent. And that's what Michael needed to do, but it can be a hard lesson to learn.

I have to watch it again, but I am not sure she thought the N on the map would always magically point North.  I think she used landmarks on the map to figure out where they were on the map which told her which way North was.

I do think, as a general rule, women tend to be better at using landmarks and men at using distances and street names, so maybe that is why he didn't get it.  At any rate, he was a total ass about it.  

[dgpolo]

16 minutes ago, ferretrick said:

What's with a previously segment recapping what we just saw five minutes ago? Quit it CBS. Leave that crap to shitty NBC reality shows like Biggest Loser.

To me this says that this wasn't a 2 hour episode it was two episodes meant to air a week apart as usual but CBS decided to 'burn' one off to make the season end earlier.

[seacliffsal]

I really thought that Redmond and Matt should not have make a promise to flip a coin for who would go first with Ashton's team, let alone break it.  However, it wasn't a deal breaker for me in terms of liking the team or not.  But, during these two episode I could see why they probably made that deal and it was just to get Ashton off of their backs.  She is so annoying-and admitted that the U-turn was personal rather than strategic.  I think she really is an entitled person and expects to make all of the decisions, including those with other teams that would actually hurt the other team, but that they should honor it to help her win.

Also, fed up with Brooke.  She was actively criticizing Scott, so she really is as rude to her partner as Ashton is to hers.  Brooke tried to make it sound like all Scott did was criticize and demean her.  

[iMonrey]

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 If Becca had still been berating Floyd during this episode, or bossing him around, I'd be willing to reconsider my position, but they seemed just as happy with each other as ever and it doesn't seem like we'll hear about the passport incident from either of them again.

Until it happens again. Like I said, they're great when things are going well for them. But it's when things aren't going well we see their true colors, and Becca's weren't pretty. That's the real test, not when everything's going their way.

Quote

I really thought that Redmond and Matt should not have make a promise to flip a coin for who would go first with Ashton's team, let alone break it.  However, it wasn't a deal breaker for me in terms of liking the team or not.  But, during these two episode I could see why they probably made that deal and it was just to get Ashton off of their backs.  She is so annoying-and admitted that the U-turn was personal rather than strategic.  I think she really is an entitled person and expects to make all of the decisions, including those with other teams that would actually hurt the other team, but that they should honor it to help her win.

Well Ashton is a pill, no doubt about it. And I was willing to shrug off the whole coin-flip thing too, but then the way Redmond acted at the U-Turn, and the way they cut in line at the ticket counter, sort of reinforced the impression that he's a dick. It wasn't just one thing.

Also, I wasn't necessarily offended by "we don't have drama because we're two dudes," but it sort of indicated not only a dismissive attitude towards women but also a lack of familiarity with this show and past teams, a.k.a. ignorance.

Edited April 21, 2017 by iMonrey

[meep.meep]

Free Scott!   She has been whining since the get go - she was the one who "hurt" her elbow so couldn't do the skyscraper challenge.

Hasn't it been true in recent seasons, that every time there was a Fast Forward, it was a NEL?  I don't see how Becca and Floyd could have done their FF any quicker.  It was just poorly designed.

And Matt just scurried right up the tower!

[illdoc]

Maybe I missed it, but how did Team Fun get an express pass? Wasn't there only 1, found in the "Panama suitcase", and wasn't it found by Team Swole, who were eliminated? How did Team Fun get it?

[Bryce Lynch]

5 minutes ago, illdoc said:

Maybe I missed it, but how did Team Fun get an express pass? Wasn't there only 1, found in the "Panama suitcase", and wasn't it found by Team Swole, who were eliminated? How did Team Fun get it?

I think it was in the suitcase that Team Fun had from the beginning.  I don't remember the Swole Sisters ever having one.

[Rachel RSL]

30 minutes ago, holly4755 said:

As for Ashton bullying Vanck, he picked her, with his strength lever he should have gone for the strongest woman, the tall one. 

Yeah, I put a little blame on him because he obviously wanted to pair with the pretty, blonde woman. Still, his social awkwardness is nothing compared to the shitty way she treats him.

10 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Until it happens again. Like I said, they're great when things are going well for them. But it's when things aren't going well we see their true colors, and Becca's weren't pretty. That's the real test, not when everything's going their way.

I have to respectfully disagree that Becca getting annoyed at Floyd means she was showing her true colours and is a fair-weathered fun person.  Of course she's not going to be all sunshine and rainbows when things aren't going their way, who would be? If she were super happy all the time, even when bad things happen like her partner losing his passport, that's what would seem fake to me. She seems very genuine in that she's having a great time but, she's also human, so of course she's going to get annoyed sometimes.  

 

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

But I think something may have gone wrong because I don't understand why they took one helicopter ride, and then landed, and then got on another helicopter. I wonder if they were originally supposed to jump from the first chopper and for some reason they had to land and switch and that's what put them so far back.

I wondered about that too but then I figured that maybe they had to get off the first helicopter in order to do whatever safety training they do before they jump. It really is so odd for a FF to take longer than the Detour & RB unless something goes wrong. 

[elizacat]

16 hours ago, NYGirl said:

Brooke=Flo!!!  I was having flashbacks... OMG

Finally Shamir is gone.  If only Brooke would follow!

Ha ha I said exactly the same thing - in fact I intend to just call her Flo from now on.

[amazingracefan]

The first leg has some good tasks and locations almost like the show at it's best.  Sadly the teams helped each other out and that meant the last place was never in doubt, it deprived us of all the drama we could have had.  Firstly just handing 'team fun' the key (maybe there should have been separate keys for each clue, that would have solved the problem) and then several teams helping the woman with the metalwork.  Not that I was sad at losing the last place team but a bit of tension and drama is always better.

The second leg had a nice finish, and I can understand the guy wanting to take the car up (we seemed to be told it was possible) as I don't think he would have had the stamina to avoid being last walking anyway.  The fast forward wasn't that hard really.  The crates were ok for the visual spectacle.  The fishing one looked a bit cheap, like the bow and arrows in the earlier leg.  The navigation was definitely the best task in that leg.

[watch2much]

16 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Brooke just called Ashton so annoying - pot, meet kettle. 

the two of them are on my last nerve.  Vanck reasonably wanted to try to find out more information on exactly where the doors were and Ashton wanted to just leave and run around.  What an idiot.  Ashton's a rude little bitch--denigrating him while he's right there as if he's nothing to be concerned about and she does everything correctly.  

And Brooke.  I knew when she fell and was holding her elbow it was going to be nothing--and she made her partner with a crippling fear of heights do the task. then she pisses and moans about "how hard" her task was.  I would never want her as my lawyer....does she fold when a case gets too tough?

[iMonrey]

Quote

I have to respectfully disagree that Becca getting annoyed at Floyd means she was showing her true colours

Anyone would be "annoyed" if their partner screwed up and that's perfectly understandable. But the way she snapped at him, insulted him and threatened him with bodily harm - facetiously or not - was more than just "annoyance." The true mark of someone's character is how they hold up under pressure when things have gone wrong, not when everything is going their way. Granted that was the only opportunity we've had to see how Becca behaves in the face of adversity but that one moment did not bode well. We shall see if there are others. I also think the way she's constantly "on" and the affectation of her "fun meter" broach is a bit much. She might not be altogether stable.

[dgpolo]

7 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

Firstly just handing 'team fun' the key (maybe there should have been separate keys for each clue, that would have solved the problem)

Not quite sure what you mean by this? They handed 'team fun' an extra key they found, they found two. However many teams were left was how many total key there were. If there were 8 teams left then there were 8 possible keys to find (in case every team tried it and found them).

[Bryce Lynch]

2 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

Not I. Anybody's entitled to a moment of hyperbole (perceived as such) when a traveling companion nearly ended everything. They both seem to have gotten over it instantly.

I totally agree. Becca had one brief outburst, when she thought they were going to be eliminated because Floyd lost his passport.  Even her outburst wasn't half as bad as things at least a half dozen other racers have done this season.  

Edited April 21, 2017 by Bryce Lynch

[amazingracefan]

2 minutes ago, dgpolo said:

Not quite sure what you mean by this? They handed 'team fun' an extra key they found, they found two. However many teams were left was how many total key there were. If there were 8 teams left then there were 8 possible keys to find (in case every team tried it and found them).

Ah ok I got confused on that (I didn't catch they had two keys, when they after all only needed one), I still wish they hadn't just handed the key out to make it easy for them.

[sinycalone]

Quote

I wondered about that too but then I figured that maybe they had to get off the first helicopter in order to do whatever safety training they do before they jump. It really is so odd for a FF to take longer than the Detour & RB unless something goes wrong. 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd say that's exactly why there were two helicopter rides involved.  Also, as someone mentioned upthread, there have been other instances of teams who used the FF not coming in first.    

[Bryce Lynch]

4 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Anyone would be "annoyed" if their partner screwed up and that's perfectly understandable. But the way she snapped at him, insulted him and threatened him with bodily harm - facetiously or not - was more than just "annoyance." The true mark of someone's character is how they hold up under pressure when things have gone wrong, not when everything is going their way. Granted that was the only opportunity we've had to see how Becca behaves in the face of adversity but that one moment did not bode well. We shall see if there are others. I also think the way she's constantly "on" and the affectation of her "fun meter" broach is a bit much. She might not be altogether stable.

The way she snapped at him was fairly normal and not all that out of line, given the circumstance.  All she said was something like "Zip up your bleeping fanny pack."  Good advice for any racer.

She never threatened anybody with bodily harm. The "fake punch" seemed more playful than threatening and the "broken nose" comment at the end was obviously a joke, that everyone laughed at.  It actually fit in with the "Team Fun" personality she has be displaying.

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, amazingracefan said:

Ah ok I got confused on that (I didn't catch they had two keys, when they after all only needed one), I still wish they hadn't just handed the key out to make it easy for them.

I kind of get why they did it, since the other two teams (Team Fun and Team LoLo) saw Brooke/Scott get two sets of keys. However, I would have just left the extra set of keys and had the two teams there fight it out. Handing it to a specific team could potentially be bad if the other team notices and takes it personally. Luckily, LoLo didn't seem to care. 

[Rinaldo]

2 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

there have been other instances of teams who used the FF not coming in first.

There have, but in those cases there was some factor to explain why: either the team was already 24 hours behind and there was no way to make it up (Andrew and his dad in TAR3), or it was a task over which a team took significantly longer than it might have. In this case, the timing was in the hands of "management" (helicopter pilots, trainers, etc.) and Team Fun did everything as fast as they conceivably could have. And they still came third. They didn't moan about it so I won't either, but it does seem odd.

[amazingracefan]

10 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I kind of get why they did it, since the other two teams (Team Fun and Team LoLo) saw Brooke/Scott get two sets of keys. However, I would have just left the extra set of keys and had the two teams there fight it out. Handing it to a specific team could potentially be bad if the other team notices and takes it personally. Luckily, LoLo didn't seem to care. 

Tactically it may have helped, but I'm more concerned with the drama for the audience.  I like old school TAR were we didn't, from what I remember, have teams helping each other and you got real intense competition.

 

On the FF, there was an early season where a team won the FF and finished last.  So this leg wasn't the worst designed FF leg by a long shot.  Fast forwards were teams compete against each other are more exciting for me anyway, but most have never been like that.

Edited April 21, 2017 by amazingracefan

[AlleC17]

17 hours ago, weightyghost said:

Ashton, I don't know why she believes she was entitled to some beefy, smart, cool, funny, potential boyfriend but she needs to get over herself. Vanck is strange, yes, and second guesses himself sometimes. But he's not incompetent, he's up for anything, and he wants to make sure he gets stuff right. She's my least fav person right now (now that Shamir is gone) - Red is an ass, but he at least showed a bit of compassion towards Brooke, got over the U-turn seemingly, and isn't horrific to his partner. The fact she has the guts to say "I'm stuck with him" in front of Vanck like, get over yourself woman. 

 

She was annoying prior to that comment because she was so dismissive of him, but that sealed the deal.  I'll be glad to see her depart.  Too bad he and Sara can't team up and dump their partners by the wayside.  Although Sara's stubborn insistence on the Royal Doors wasted a few hours?  Seemed like she should have switched detours earlier, as they sure weren't getting that one.

[illdoc]

Wasn't there a FF where they had to have their heads shaved and they did not finish first (in fact, finished very close to the end)? Not the one with the "models" who didn't go through with it and not the ones from Kentucky (who got waylaid by a speed bump), the one inbetween. 

[Rachel RSL]

17 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

The way she snapped at him was fairly normal and not all that out of line, given the circumstance.  All she said was something like "Zip up your bleeping fanny pack."  Good advice for any racer.

She never threatened anybody with bodily harm. The "fake punch" seemed more playful than threatening and the "broken nose" comment at the end was obviously a joke, that everyone laughed at.  It actually fit in with the "Team Fun" personality she has be displaying.

Not to mention, this all happened after Floyd had lost his passport, got it back, then dropped his ID without noticing. Editing made it look like that all happened when he lost his passport the first time so the extra anger/annoyance from Becca was justified there, in my opinion.  If I almost got eliminated because my partner lost his passport and then, moments later, he drops his ID, my reaction probably would have made Becca's reaction look like sunshine and rainbows.

Quote

On the FF, there was an early season where a team won the FF and finished last.  So this leg wasn't the worst designed FF leg by a long shot.  

If you're referring to Team Guido in season one, that was an example of nothing being wrong with the leg design, it was 100% the fault of the racers. If I remember correctly, they took their sweet ass time travelling to the Pit Stop, acting like they were on vacation instead of trying to find better transportation to get there.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Rachel RSL

[humbleopinion]

Perhaps Becca and Floyd would have rushed more if it had EVEN crossed their minds that the other teams were getting through the challenge quickly.

Nope, they were smugly thinking they were sitting on an surmountable lead only to have their jaws dropped to the floor by revelation they were 3rd by the nice dancing family and Phil.

If I were Scott, I would have flung myself off Mt. Pallets thinking about continuing on TAR with Crybaby Brooke.

[Tryangle]

Poor Sara. She deserved a better partner.

Zanzibar was fascinating.

Nobody's eating that pasta. Stuff must have been swimming in that pot for hours. At least the fellas working there got good entertainment from the racers struggling to construct the ladles.

Norway is beautiful, and yes that had to be a mega long flight from Tanzania via Amsterdam.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

Skydiving is it's own beast too. You don't just get to suit up and go. There's a legally mandated safety instruction period that Becca and Floyd had to go through. Waivers and forms probably needed to be signed to. I could easily see them being at the fast forward location on the ground for 45 minutes to an hour before they were airborne on the jump flight...

Edited April 21, 2017 by PhD-Purgatory15

[greyhorse]

Oh my, where to begin?  I guess for starters, it seems like we learned a surefire way to get to be a contestant on TAR.  Be annoying as Hell, shriek loudly, and be a passive aggressive jerk towards your partner.  That would pretty much sum up Shamir, Brooke, Ashton, Liz, and even the bearded one.

So glad to see that Shamir is gone.  But will miss Sara who I thought was really pretty.  I don't understand why some teams seemed to be able to find a local who off the top of his/her head could list where the three royal doors were and what streets to go down, directions, etc.  Yet Shamir and Sara seemed to be running around lost despite asking a gazillion people where the door was.  Didn't they even know the last one was at the Palace?  And yet no local knows where this palace is?  Befuddling. 

Brooke is now the most annoying contestant left on this show.  Is this the woman that is an attorney?  Boy oh boy, she will have a hard time garnering respect in her real life after this debacle.  I get that it was hard to cut the metal.  The metal looked to be pretty thick, at least thick enough not to fall apart in a pot of pasta, so somebody without grip strength would have an issue.  But the Fun girl was able to do it, so not sure why Brooke couldn't.  All the shrieking is really getting to me and I feel bad for her partner.  At this point he seems to have no interest in calming her down but has accepted the fate he has been dealt.

Ashton and Vanck.  I do agree with previous comments that Ashton is pissed at Vanck all the time because he's not some GQ model with the body of a Greek god.  Would she rather have Shamir?  Or Brooke?  Or the bearded guy?  Vanck has his issues too, but he seems pretty competent and is the smart geeky nerdy one.  That's what he brings to this race.  Not every challenge is going to be won by sheer physical strength.  Ashton is also somebody who is going to find it hard now in real life given that her bitchiness is revealed to the world, although I'm sure it's not hard to get that vibe from her.  LOVED when she was ragging on Vanck in a talking head interview, then the camera pans left to Vanck who gives a pissed off smirk without saying anything.

Liz and the bearded guy.  Let's put two passive aggressive people together and see what happens!  I think bearded one is worse than Liz.  He was yelling at her that she didn't know how to read a map, but in the end, it seems like she was right.  And what exactly happened at the end?  They thought they could take an elevator straight up through a hill to the top?  Bearded one remarked that there were 50 cars at the top, so does that mean there was a way to drive up there rather than walking the stairs?  Seems like that TPTB wouldn't have it that way.

How did Team Fun get beat despite using the Fast Forward?  It was obviously going to happen given that the editors included girl Fun saying something like "there's no way we don't finish in first".

[amazingracefan]

FFs I think should be near enough to the pit stop, when they are far from there that's when they can seem pointless. 

4 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I don't understand why some teams seemed to be able to find a local who off the top of his/her head could list where the three royal doors were and what streets to go down, directions, etc.  Yet Shamir and Sara seemed to be running around lost despite asking a gazillion people where the door was.  Didn't they even know the last one was at the Palace?  And yet no local knows where this palace is?  Befuddling. 

May have been the language barrier, you just have to strike lucky there sometimes.

[AZChristian]

4 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

Liz and the bearded guy.  Let's put two passive aggressive people together and see what happens!  I think bearded one is worse than Liz.  He was yelling at her that she didn't know how to read a map, but in the end, it seems like she was right.  And what exactly happened at the end?  They thought they could take an elevator straight up through a hill to the top?  Bearded one remarked that there were 50 cars at the top, so does that mean there was a way to drive up there rather than walking the stairs?  Seems like that TPTB wouldn't have it that way.

 

(Sorry . . . can't get out of the Quote Box.)  Mr. AZC (who watches more closely than I do) says that Team Fun drove up and parked near the top.

[watch2much]

15 hours ago, ShadowSixx said:

 

I agree TAR doesn't need gimmicks or themes. I completely tuned out of the dating and social media seasons because I just don't care for them. The season isn't bad per se it's just the racers are what's making it bad especially Redmond, Brooke, & Ashton and Michael is on the cusp of making it worse. Maybe we should write CBS or if anyone has twitter start a #NoMoreThemes for TAR. I want to see exisiting relationships not dating or strangers. I don't think any of these themes proved popular for the show. TAR should go back to basics.

I also agree.  What I always found interesting was observing how the relationships between the team members fared while under so much stress.  I actually used it a tool to show my child how some people always respected their partner no matter what--and he should aspire to be in relationships like that as opposed to those that blew up at each other and made personal attacks at each other.  

I was sorry when the variety of the couples declined.  I miss older racers, parents and children, etc.  I was fun to watch.  This time it's not a pleasant viewing, though I will watch it all.

[pivot]

5 minutes ago, watch2much said:

I also agree.  What I always found interesting was observing how the relationships between the team members fared while under so much stress.  I actually used it a tool to show my child how some people always respected their partner no matter what--and he should aspire to be in relationships like that as opposed to those that blew up at each other and made personal attacks at each other.  

I was sorry when the variety of the couples declined.  I miss older racers, parents and children, etc.  I was fun to watch.  This time it's not a pleasant viewing, though I will watch it all.

I miss the non-dating teams as well. I'd love an entire season of parent/child or siblings. I find those relationships more interesting to watch and seem less ugly than a lot of the dating teams.

[amazingracefan]

I don't mind some arguments among teams, I think there's been worse. 

Much of it really comes down to the editing as well, for example the woman that kept breaking down must have been shown every time she had an outburst.  And at the mat with the bearded guy and his partner, we seemed to be shown the full unedited argument there too.  The editors just need to give us a bit to suggest the overall picture rather than laying it on too thick like they can be prone to do sometimes. 

[AZChristian]

Just now, pivot said:

I miss the non-dating teams as well. I'd love an entire season of parent/child or siblings. I find those relationships more interesting to watch and seem less ugly than a lot of the dating teams.

Oh, please.  Never again do I want to hear week after week of "Twinnnnneeeeeeeeeee"!!!

[Fukui San]

During the first leg I got an idea for the race that would replace the Express Pass, which I think is kind of uninteresting. Instead of teams winning the Express Pass, they would receive something that will help them on a future leg. So in this case, a team might win a key to one of the locks in the lock challenge. They wouldn't know what the key is for, but if they realize it's for that lock challenge they can use it then.  In the next leg it might be two tiny versions of those big rockets they had to carry around that they could use to make that task shorter.

Until they use the object it'll a little mystery that they carry around with them.  Different teams could win different objects in the same race.  Some teams might choose a detour that would have them miss their chance to use their object. You could even have some variety, with some objects not giving advantages but out of race prizes. ($10,000!  A trip to wherever!) 

[Netfoot]

Part #1

This was a great episode!  I was very pleased to see actually challenging challenges for a change.  And it was interesting to see something of exotic Zanzibar.  (Freddie Mercury!!!  Who knew?)  The royal doors (each equipped with anti-barging spikes!) were great.  Just don't know why so many teams thought that the way to find a secret compartment was to simply open the box and look inside.

I was expecting and then actually hoping for an NEL, when I saw how poorly Shamir & Sara were doing.  Why?  Because Shamir is a punk that I'd love to see eliminated, but not this way.  Now he'll be blaming Sara for the rest of his life.  And also, Brooke got on my last nerve with the whining and snivelling, and I really wanted her to go!  Since she has been saved, I'm hoping her next challenge is Haybales!

Becca & Floyd did well, as I knew they would, as soon as I saw them riding in a Townace Van of Awesomeness.  They'd have come first, if the van had been maroon...

Part #2

Brooke is being a pain in the ass again...  Now she can't eat fish.  What a drama-queen!  Scott is being a little assy, but he's been dealing with Brooke all day, so I give him a full pass.  But Brooke did do him a favour.  Right?

Wow, that pallet stack was incredible.  I'm not really afraid of heights, but I am afraid of falling, so...  I think I could have climbed up there OK, but who knows?  Maybe I'd get halfway up, soil my shorts, and clamp on like a barnacle.  I am particularly amused by the sounds of creaking wood which I'm sure the TPTB editors added on after.  Happy they showed the burn.

Vanck & Ashton Will self-destruct soon.  Unless she simply murders him first.  Which I couldn't really blame her for doing.  Not that she is entirely blameless.

Why won't Tara accept that Joey had found the clue?  Even after she finds an identical clue for herself?  That's OverThink.  And now they want to give a helping hand to Matt & Asshole.  Great.  Help them avoid elimination, you fools!

Cool that Becca & Floyd both got to jump at the FF, because otherwise, they would probably still be fighting about who got to go.  But the FF really wasn't all that F, was it?

Wow!  You don't bump my van and get a walk!  You'd be lucky I didn't sic Budweiser on you!  (He loves the van more than I do.)

Brooke is oficially my #1 Marked For Elimination.  And Mr. "140 IQ" Michael is a close second, because he got his ass saved by the UberLeg instead of getting eliminated!

I just bet TPTB is thrilled with the draaaaama at the Liz & Michael check-in!  (Baaarf!)
 

[Silver Raven]

1 hour ago, Lady Calypso said:

I kind of get why they did it, since the other two teams (Team Fun and Team LoLo) saw Brooke/Scott get two sets of keys. However, I would have just left the extra set of keys and had the two teams there fight it out. Handing it to a specific team could potentially be bad if the other team notices and takes it personally. Luckily, LoLo didn't seem to care. 

Don't forget that they had already tried that first key and couldn't get it to work, so they assumed it wasn't worth anything, anyway.  They were handing over, to them, what they thought was a worthless key.