S29.E09: I Thought We Were Playing It Nice / S29.E10: Riding a Bike Is Like Riding a Bike

[NYGirl]

That was such a grueling episode.  It was in the mid 90's and very humid here in NYC last night and I  was hot along with them.  Poor Floyd.  I wanted to cry for him because I felt so bad.  He was definitely one of my favorite person in a season of annoying whiners.

God,..why do you punish us with Brooke.  I never forgot Flo and if it's quiet enough I can hear her in my head.  Brooke just gives me PTSD about it.

Scott was not too much better last night either.  

I'm rooting for Tara and Joey but I still hold a grudge because they u-turned Olive and her partner.  I also like the Logan/London team.  My luck Brooke and Scott win this whole thing.  

[NeverLate]

4 minutes ago, NYGirl said:

That was such a grueling episode.  It was in the mid 90's and very humid here in NYC last night and I  was hot along with them.  Poor Floyd.  I wanted to cry for him because I felt so bad.  He was definitely one of my favorite person in a season of annoying whiners.

God,..why do you punish us with Brooke.  I never forgot Flo and if it's quiet enough I can hear her in my head.  Brooke just gives me PTSD about it.

Scott was not too much better last night either.  

I'm rooting for Tara and Joey but I still hold a grudge because they u-turned Olive and her partner.  I also like the Logan/London team.  My luck Brooke and Scott win this whole thing.  

That's what I keep thinking.:( 

[Katy M]

There is no way I could bungee jump. Even if you were going to hand just hand me the check for a million dollars then and there, I couldn't do it. No way.

[NeverLate]

Just now, Katy M said:

There is no way I could bungee jump. Even if you were going to hand just hand me the check for a million dollars then and there, I couldn't do it. No way.

I felt his fear. When he stood there, I literally thought how I'd feel. ( shudder)

[Lady Calypso]

I keep noticing that Scott carries Brooke's pack as well as his own all the way to the mat. Seriously, he doesn't even have to do that, especially when they're not going for a foot race with another team. That is why I can excuse Scott's snippy behaviour. If I had to deal with Brooke's constant complaining and berating, I'd be snippy too. He's been dealing with a whole lot. She seems like a chore to be around. Listen; I didn't like Scott in the first couple of episodes and I'm sure he's not all that great in person. He certainly has his own flaws and can be annoying. But dealing with Brooke the way that he does really gets him some points here. I can't imagine how she is when the cameras are off. She might be ok during non-stressful situations, or she is just as mean to Scott. She seems to have her up periods and down periods. 

[mishap]

I wondered if Tara and Joey would have to dismantle their mannequins, and entire window, when they went back for the 3rd mannequin.  Like, if part of the task was transporting all 3 of them to the designated window at once.  I don't know how far is was, but that might have been easier.  I would have left Tara at the window to dress and arrange, while Joey went back for the 3rd mannequin.  That might have been the quickest and easiest way to do that task.  Hard to tell though, because the only team that did carry all the mannequins, was Brooke and Scott.    So it's possible Brooke's constant whining and crying made it seem worse than it actually was. 

I have no doubt it was very hard, but she makes everything worse. 

That's why I was hoping Floyd could unload what he had on his bike, to retrieve the traps he lost. 

I bet, if and when they do another 'all star' race, Becca and Floyd will be asked back.  I would not mind seeing them again.  I know Becca was beyond disappointed when she realized they were out of the race, but I think she was more concerned about Floyd, at that point.  At first, when the medic was taking care of Floyd, I think she was hoping he would recover and they could continue.  But once she realized how serious and dangerous his condition was, she knew the race was over for them. 

It is too bad Brooke did not do that road block. Floyd could have had an entire night of rest and recovery in air conditioning, and still beaten her.  There is no way she ever would have finished that task and (I hope) anyone would have helped her. 

[Miles]

1 minute ago, mishap said:

I would have left Tara at the window to dress and arrange, while Joey went back for the 3rd mannequin. 

Teams aren't allowed to split up.

[AZChristian]

As annoying as it was to listen to Brooke complain about carrying the mannequins, just imagine what it would have been like listening to her if they had gotten a ladder and tried to complete THAT task.  And poor Scott would have had to climb up ANOTHER high place, because she "caaaaaaaan't" do much of anything.

[ShadowSixx]

17 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I keep noticing that Scott carries Brooke's pack as well as his own all the way to the mat. Seriously, he doesn't even have to do that, especially when they're not going for a foot race with another team. That is why I can excuse Scott's snippy behaviour. If you had to deal with Brooke's constant complaining and berating, you'd be snippy too. He's been dealing with a whole lot. She seems like a chore to be around. Listen; I didn't like Scott in the first couple of episodes and I'm sure he's not all that great in person. He certainly has his own flaws and can be annoying. But dealing with Brooke the way that he does really gets him some points here. I can't imagine how she is when the cameras are off. She might be ok during non-stressful situations, or she is just as mean to Scott. She seems to have her up periods and down periods. 

 

That's why I can excuse Scott's behavior because he has to deal with Screechy McShrieky all day. At most Scott can possibly get a 12 hour break from her when they're at the pit stop or less than that if they have to room together. Just imagine dealing with a whiny ass everyday all day. I bet it's like having Jim Carrey from Dumb & Dumber screaming the most annoying sound in the world in your ear all day. I'm sure if Scott was paired with Seth, Olive, Logan, London, Becca, Floyd, Tara, etc. Scott would possibly be annoying. Then again if he was paired with someone else except Michael & Shamir he would probably be more relaxed. Scott has to find some way to entertain himself so that has to be snarky at Brooke and pander to the camera.

Just imagine you're paired with someone whose bag you have to carry, who always shrieks and whines at you and says she can't at any physical task or something as small as eating fish and riding a bike and is only encouraging when she's doing next to nothing and at the pit stop. I'm still trying to figure out why she decided to be on the race and why the hell is she an attorney? Wait I bet the paralegals do all the work, they probably open the bathroom stalls for her because it's too taxing for her.

[Katy M]

6 minutes ago, ShadowSixx said:

Just imagine you're paired with someone whose bag you have to carry, who always shrieks and whines at you and says she can't at any physical task or something as small as eating fish and riding a bike and is only encouraging when she's doing next to nothing and at the pit stop. I'm still trying to figure out why she decided to be on the race and why the hell is she an attorney? Wait I bet the paralegals do all the work, they probably open the bathroom stalls for her because it's too taxing for her.

I'm willing to assume that people aren't what they seem like on reality shows.  Especially this one.  The stress.  The lack of sleep.  The jetlag. 

[AZChristian]

8 minutes ago, Katy M said:

I'm willing to assume that people aren't what they seem like on reality shows.  Especially this one.  The stress.  The lack of sleep.  The jetlag. 

I have to respectfully disagree.  I think the stress, the lack of sleep, the jetlag, etc., emphasize what you're really like and how you handle things in real life.  

Everyone on the show has to deal with those issues, but we see people like Floyd - who would NOT quit until his body shut down, Scott - who is terrified of heights but did the window washing and bungee jump because they HAD to be done, and Tara - who knew it was her fault that they didn't get the third mannequin and accepted responsibility and apologized for it.  And then we see Michael whose stubbornness was a stronger factor than his high I.Q., and that's what kicked them to the curb.  

These folks are who they are . . . the show just magnifies their personalities and attitudes, good or bad.

ETA:  Why did Floyd have to ride back with that bicycle still loaded with shrimp traps to pick up the rest of the load, but Joey and Tara didn't have to carry back the two mannequins to get the third?

Edited May 19, 2017 by AZChristian
Added my question about Joey and Tara.

[Rinaldo]

42 minutes ago, mishap said:

I wondered if Tara and Joey would have to dismantle their mannequins, and entire window, when they went back for the 3rd mannequin.  Like, if part of the task was transporting all 3 of them to the designated window at once.  I don't know how far [it] was, but that might have been easier. 

Only two teams had to do this task, so it's hard to tell, but unless Scott & Brooke were badly led astray and took a longer route than they needed to, the distance between the mannequin supply and the store window was substantial. (S&B walked some distance, got directions, and then found that they had 3 or 4 blocks to go.) So having to go back over the distance twice was its own punishment, in a way -- lots more time lost, for something that should have been accomplished in one trip.

And as noted, teams can't separate by more than a specified short distance (40 feet?) when racing. Except, obviously, when one of them has to do a Roadblock and go off on their own.

[sinycalone]

Quote

 Why did Floyd have to ride back with that bicycle still loaded with shrimp traps to pick up the rest of the load, but Joey and Tara didn't have to carry back the two mannequins to get the third?

I suspect that they were actually allowing the teams to make multiple trips for the mannequins if they chose.  However, it is likely that the instructions for the bike challenge made it clear you had to take every item at one time....but Floyd may have misread it.

[AZChristian]

3 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Only two teams had to do this task, so it's hard to tell, but unless Scott & Brooke were badly led astray and took a longer route than they needed to, the distance between the mannequin supply and the store window was substantial. (S&B walked some distance, got directions, and then found that they had 3 or 4 blocks to go.) So having to go back over the distance twice was its own punishment, in a way -- lots more time lost, for something that should have been accomplished in one trip.

But doesn't that exactly describe what Floyd had to do?

Maybe it's like the recent season of Survivor - there is fine print which specifies what one can or can't do with an advantage.  Maybe the fine print on the mannequin task did offer them the option of multiple trips, but the bike ride had to be completely accomplished all at once - all or nothing.  But it was cruel and hazardous to the health of the bikers to force them to retrace that route fully loaded instead of allowing them to drop their load and go back for the rest.  The extra time would have been enough of a penalty without adding on the level of physical exhaustion that was incurred.  

Edited May 19, 2017 by AZChristian

[Nidratime]

The fact that Floyd's traps kept dropping off of his bike while everyone else's stayed in place leads me to think he wasn't securing them properly. I know the idea was to keep a steady pace, but after so many kept dropping off *and* he knew it, he should've stopped to pick them up and secured them as tightly as possible.

I'm only sorry Brooke didn't do this task, as I'm positive she would've never made it out of there and we wouldn't have to put up with her anymore. She's the only person I don't want to see win. She's just an annoying gnat of a person.

[Artsda]

I had to fast forward all of Brooke in the first hour, she was unwatchable.

Tara does realize this is a race right? It's not up to other teams to tell you information on tasks. 

That heat and probably air quality seemed brutal on the teams. Sad to see Floyd go, but happy he didn't give up and accomplished his task. 

[Boilergal]

Obviously Floyd thought he could drop off what he had and could go back with the empty bike for the dropsies.  

It appeared, from editing, that he dropped the one trap when he stopped to help London.  If that is true, I hope she feels at least a little bad that her begging and pleading him for help (who could just go past that?!)  impacted him physically and contributed to their elimination. 

I thought in the first episode Scott and Brook were talking about how they had to split the rest of the tasks, so I was confused when Brook didn't do the trap task in the second episode.  I certainly didn't want to listen to her shriek the entire task, but I do want her eliminated.  She is horrible.

[Nidratime]

Quote

It appeared, from editing, that he dropped the one trap when he stopped to help London.

The very fact that her bike fell over at least once and *still* none of her traps fell off makes me believe that Floyd didn't tie or lay them on correctly.

[CrashTextDummie]

Mad respect to all the teams who finished that second leg from hell. And mad respect for the one team that didn't because they tried until they literally couldn't anymore. Has there ever been a more physically demanding leg of the race? Even the traveling between tasks must have been exhausting in that heat. Those steps to cap off the leg were hilariously devilish.

Curious that there wasn't a detour on the second leg. Perhaps there was an alternative to the rowing task that nobody took?

[survivinmt]

If I was Brook, I wouldn't have told anyone that I was on the Amazing Race. In fact, I might have gone underground for the last 4 months so I didn't have to see anyone in real life that knows me. What a thoroughly embarrassing display.

Tara and Joey, you u-turned two teams, succeeding in eliminating one. How can you possibly harp on anyone else for doing the exact same thing? Perfectly ridiculous.

Love that when Matt was rowing with his feet - he was still having trouble and trying to figure it out - but he was admiring the scenery and the other boats, etc. That, is a good racer!

[holly4755]

11 hours ago, enlightenedbum said:

I missed that this was a double episode so I have no idea what happened in the first half.  Second half was pretty brutal.  Though at least we were saved from Flo 2.0 breaking down on exactly the same task that totally destroyed original Flo.  Brooke is very cheerful when she doesn't have to do anything, isn't she?  I think Becca is not really a nice person but at least she withheld her internal monologue about how she thinks Floyd sucks when Floyd was actually around.  And I've thought London was kinda like Kris (of & Jon) all season, but not so much with that task.  Kris was surprisingly physical for her size.

wow a little harsh no? During the bicycle thing she was thinking how she should have done the bike task instead of  Floyd because she rode bikes more.  Seemed like she was trying to take the blame instead of blame it on Floyd. They had different tasks, and Becca was certainly more physically fit than Floyd, as she said he was going to take all the dancing challenges, they were even on the tasks, so she could have done this bicycle one and i think that was on her mind, she kept saying she should have done this one.   I think in addition to heat and humidity, there was elevation involved.  Also Becca was dealing with being out of the race and with Floyd being ill, Even though you can't blame someone for being ill, more than once we have seen partners attack them.  as Matt pointed out speed helped keep your balance, so going slow certainly hurt Floyd,  For those that think she was mean for saying are you sure are you sure in greece while driving, you have to remember that Floyd gave directions that missed the bridge and also has just passed the lit up stadium they were looking for at least one time.  I don't think Becca is not nice, because she is not always joy and light, she is a good racer and has real feelings. 

[Fake Jan Brady]

After the heartbreak of that ending I can only take solace in the fact that Logan, Redmond and Matt were standing around shirtless at the beginning of the second episode.

I went back and read Floyd's bio on the official site and the country he most wanted to visit was Italy [check] but the saddest bit was his answer to what he most hoped to accomplish: "...I just hope to push myself harder than I ever have before and enjoy the ride!" He certainly did the former, but not the latter [yes, I realise he means the race, not the bicycle, but I appreciated the double meaning]. Plus Team Fun won two legs and trips to Argentina and the Galapagos Islands. So I'm comforting myself with that.

I guess I want Team Invisible to win now; I can't understand why London and Logan get so little screen time when they're both likeable and easy on the eye.

[absolutelyido]

28 minutes ago, survivinmt said:

If I was Brook, I wouldn't have told anyone that I was on the Amazing Race. In fact, I might have gone underground for the last 4 months so I didn't have to see anyone in real life that knows me. What a thoroughly embarrassing display.

Somehow, I don't think the people in Brooke's life would be surprised at her behavior. Probably they'd feel a lot of sympathy for Scott because they know what it is like to be in his place.

18 minutes ago, holly4755 said:

wow a little harsh no? During the bicycle thing she was thinking how she should have done the bike task instead of  Floyd because she rode bikes more.  Seemed like she was trying to take the blame instead of blame it on Floyd. They had different tasks, and Becca was certainly more physically fit than Floyd, as she said he was going to take all the dancing challenges, they were even on the tasks, so she could have done this bicycle one and i think that was on her mind, she kept saying she should have done this one.   I think in addition to heat and humidity, there was elevation involved.  Also Becca was dealing with being out of the race and with Floyd being ill, Even though you can't blame someone for being ill, more than once we have seen partners attack them.  as Matt pointed out speed helped keep your balance, so going slow certainly hurt Floyd,  For those that think she was mean for saying are you sure are you sure in greece while driving, you have to remember that Floyd gave directions that missed the bridge and also has just passed the lit up stadium they were looking for at least one time.  I don't think Becca is not nice, because she is not always joy and light, she is a good racer and has real feelings. 

I agree. Becca said she biked every day so she thought she would have done better at the task. Matt said that once you got the bike going at a steady pace, and kept it that way, it was much easier. Floyd was never really able to do that. I do believe Becca would have had a better chance of it.

[MelissaG]

24 minutes ago, holly4755 said:

wow a little harsh no? During the bicycle thing she was thinking how she should have done the bike task instead of  Floyd because she rode bikes more.  Seemed like she was trying to take the blame instead of blame it on Floyd. They had different tasks, and Becca was certainly more physically fit than Floyd, as she said he was going to take all the dancing challenges, they were even on the tasks, so she could have done this bicycle one and i think that was on her mind, she kept saying she should have done this one.   I think in addition to heat and humidity, there was elevation involved.  Also Becca was dealing with being out of the race and with Floyd being ill, Even though you can't blame someone for being ill, more than once we have seen partners attack them.  as Matt pointed out speed helped keep your balance, so going slow certainly hurt Floyd,  For those that think she was mean for saying are you sure are you sure in greece while driving, you have to remember that Floyd gave directions that missed the bridge and also has just passed the lit up stadium they were looking for at least one time.  I don't think Becca is not nice, because she is not always joy and light, she is a good racer and has real feelings. 

Totally agree.  How frustrating must it be to arrive in first and then have your partner falter and have no control over it.  I think she cared about him but of course, was disappointed this meant the end of the race for them.  She held it together well under the circumstances and seemed to go back to happy quickly after accepting the loss.

Also, I find London far more disingenuous than Becca.  

[Rinaldo]

Do we have any evidence that Floyd was aware that anything had fallen off, until the checker told him so? He seemed to expect to have a complete count. It was only after he was told that he was missing some, that he hoped to be able to drop off what he had, and go back. Or that's what it seemed like to me. Did I miss something?

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

So having to go back over the distance twice was its own punishment, in a way -- lots more time lost, for something that should have been accomplished in one trip.

But doesn't that exactly describe what Floyd had to do?

Different tasks, different rules. (We don't ever see the full list of instructions for a task that the racers do.) Personal speculation: I don't think the race planners expected weather conditions that day to be as brutal as they turned out to be. (They want things to be suspenseful, but not dangerous to health.) If the reply is that they should have foreseen it, or changed requirements on the day, I don't disagree.

[Eolivet]

4 hours ago, Miles said:

 

Am I the only one here who is actually mad at the race designers for getting Floyd to that point? What dumb rule was it that you had to take all of that stuff back when you lost something, in that heat?! They must have seen it coming that somebody could very well get a bad case of heat exhaustion from this.

 

Yeah, I was going to say -- I couldn't believe that Floyd couldn't go back with the empty bike and come back with the stuff he'd dropped. That he had to ride the full bike back all the way seemed excessive and yes, I do fault the race planning team for that as well. We just saw someone basically go into septic shock on Survivor due to heat exhaustion in southeast Asia last year. You want to be that show, TAR?

Edited May 19, 2017 by Eolivet

[meep.meep]

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I keep noticing that Scott carries Brooke's pack as well as his own all the way to the mat. Seriously, he doesn't even have to do that, especially when they're not going for a foot race with another team. That is why I can excuse Scott's snippy behaviour. If I had to deal with Brooke's constant complaining and berating, I'd be snippy too. He's been dealing with a whole lot. She seems like a chore to be around. Listen; I didn't like Scott in the first couple of episodes and I'm sure he's not all that great in person. He certainly has his own flaws and can be annoying. But dealing with Brooke the way that he does really gets him some points here. I can't imagine how she is when the cameras are off. She might be ok during non-stressful situations, or she is just as mean to Scott. She seems to have her up periods and down periods. 

They truly are the reincarnation of Flo and Zack.  Which doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Why did Scott *have* to do the bungy jump?  Hasn't he done enough of those?  Couldn't she do just one?

I finally figured out which one was Logan and which one was London.  So that's a small victory.

The boat rowing was just pointlessly difficult.  Followed by the steep stone steps of doom.

[iMonrey]

I'm so sick of the moral outrage over using the U-Turn or not helping another team, Tara and Joey. God forbid I have to defend Scott and Brooke but they are unarguably the weakest team left and knew it was down to them and Tara/Joey. Were they really supposed to help Tara and Joey at that point? It's not as if they lied or misled them or gave them wrong directions - they simply did not give them information. The way Tara and Joey got so bent out of shape over it was ridiculous - they are dead to me.

Sadly, with that and the elimination there is simply no one left to root for. I guess Matt is OK but I can't forget what a dick Redmond was in the first couple of legs and seeing Team Jock win this thing would be so anticlimactic. I guess Scott deserves a million dollars just for putting up with Brooke but she sure as hell doesn't deserve to win anything. So, go team LoLo? They've just been sort of there all along. I've never been given a reason to root for them other than them being the least objectionable by process of elimination. I guess they've never done anything to make me dislike them but I've never been bowled over by them either.

[chaifan]

1.  I am really sad to see Floyd and Becca go.  I really wanted them in the final 3.  That was a brutal leg, which leads me to comment #2...

2.  That was a brutal leg.  That should have been the final leg.  Yeah, I know, can't happen because they need to get back to the US, but the level of difficulty, etc., is what final legs should be like.  If any leg has the possibility of killing you, it should be the final leg.

3.  I am among those that give Scott's snarky and sometimes not-so-nice behavior a pass because he is dealing with Brooke.  I don't think his aside comments and side looks are so much mugging to the camera as seeking the "you see what I'm dealing with" validation.   I mean, what else can he do, and I think it's what most of us would also be doing in that situation.  I also think sometimes he's actually doing these not towards the camera, but to the cameramen, as they too are probably thinking "oh my god just shut up already!". 

4.  They showed the ladder incident in the 2nd episode's "previously on" intro, and no, Brooke, you didn't fail because Logan was holding London's ladder and Scott wasn't holding yours.  Logan was NOT holding London's ladder, so you lost that all on your own.  The fact that she would not let that one go (and that it was just dead wrong) is really why I don't like her. 

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Plus Team Fun won two legs and trips to Argentina and the Galapagos Islands. So I'm comforting myself with that

I am so hoping that TAR has an all-star season or Fan Favorite season with them.  I know there are often crossovers with other CBS reality shows, but I can't see them on Big Brother or Survivor... 

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Amazing Race Goes With The Flo

A classic task from the show's early days makes a reappearance, and this time it's apparently out for blood.

[backformore]

2 hours ago, Artsda said:

Tara does realize this is a race right? It's not up to other teams to tell you information on tasks. 

I think the frustration of Tara, and some of the other teams, is that Brooke EXPECTS help, and gets it, but when the tables are turned, "It's a RACE!" 

[alannaofdoom]

So help me God, I laugh at every one of Redmond's terrible dad jokes, every single time. I can't help it. I think it's because he's just so low-key proud of himself for making them.  

[LittleIggy]

5 hours ago, Miles said:

Am I the only one here who is actually mad at the race designers for getting Floyd to that point? What dumb rule was it that you had to take all of that stuff back when you lost something, in that heat?! They must have seen it coming that somebody could very well get a bad case of heat exhaustion from this. It's not like this hasn't happened before, but until now there wasn't anything anybody could have done, here they could have.

 

No, I'm mad, too. He could have died. I'm sure they have to take physicals to be on the show, but physicals don't catch everything. That's why you have otherwise healthy young athletes dropping dead from time to time.

[GaT]

I'm still pissed that Team Fun got eliminated, though I have to admit that Floyd was really the major reason for the elimination. His assumption that he could dump whatever traps he had & then go back for the ones he missed was the reason he wasn't careful about how many he had. Even on his 2nd trip back, he wasn't worried about the traps he dropped. I wonder why he thought he could do it that way when no other team did?

[sinycalone]

26 minutes ago, backformore said:

I think the frustration of Tara, and some of the other teams, is that Brooke EXPECTS help, and gets it, but when the tables are turned, "It's a RACE!" 

THIS.   She expected help (and got it) at the ladle-making, wanted everyone to help at the face-painting task, etc. She wanted everyone to join the uTurning stunt against Vanck/Ashton.

[vousviou]

11 minutes ago, sinycalone said:

THIS.   She expected help (and got it) at the ladle-making, wanted everyone to help at the face-painting task, etc. She wanted everyone to join the uTurning stunt against Vanck/Ashton.

I suspect what we're seeing is just the tip of the iceberg.  I wouldn't be surprised if her promise not to U-Turn Liz and Michael was just one of a million times she's been pulling stunts on people.  Although at this point you have to assume the worst of her.

[vousviou]

3 hours ago, Artsda said:

That heat and probably air quality seemed brutal on the teams. Sad to see Floyd go, but happy he didn't give up and accomplished his task. 

Tara mentioned at the start how she and Joey were sick (especially Joey).  He almost passed out at the mat on the first leg, and you could see him shaking in one of the cab rides.  I'm amazed he was able to finish the bike delivery in that state.

I hope that everyone was getting water supplied to them throughout -- you could imagine someone dying from a miscalculation if racers were expected to pack and carry water they needed from the beginning.

[Lady Calypso]

19 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

No, I'm mad, too. He could have died. I'm sure they have to take physicals to be on the show, but physicals don't catch everything. That's why you have otherwise healthy young athletes dropping dead from time to time.

I think everyone was suffering from some level of heat exhaustion, for sure. I don't really want to defend Brooke, but I can't blame her for not moving as fast at the end of the leg and complaining. It's the only time where I dismissed her complaining because it was so clear the heat and the physical tasks were getting to them. Every single person who saw the last challenge of getting to the pit stop was complaining, but I can't blame them. They just had a very gruelling and physically demanding leg in the heat. London said that it was very hot, so doing so many physical tasks suck in the heat. The show choosing the pit stop to be on the top of Hang Mua Peak is a pretty shitty way to end the leg.

Floyd definitely had the worst of the heat exhaustion. I don't see the situation as him being in danger of death, but I do think it got a little too far where I went "oh, he could be hospitalized if he continues with the leg."  I do think that the medic checked on him around the right time. As soon as he collapsed off his bike, I think that's when they called the medic in to check on him. And luckily, they all made the right call, even though they were getting eliminated anyway. It was far too late for Floyd and Becca to catch up. I do give props for the medic for doing a good job in caring for Floyd. Elevating his legs, hydrating him, and getting him to stand up every few minutes to see if he was alright just shows that they have a good team of people to make sure everything goes smoothly. 

[vousviou]

30 minutes ago, GaT said:

I'm still pissed that Team Fun got eliminated, though I have to admit that Floyd was really the major reason for the elimination. His assumption that he could dump whatever traps he had & then go back for the ones he missed was the reason he wasn't careful about how many he had. Even on his 2nd trip back, he wasn't worried about the traps he dropped. I wonder why he thought he could do it that way when no other team did?

I got the impression that by that point he was already suffering from heat exhaustion.  One of the dangers of it is that it messes with your ability to think clearly, which is one of the reasons why people die -- they don't recognize how thirsty they are and how much they need to ease up.

[iMonrey]

Quote

  I don't think his aside comments and side looks are so much mugging to the camera as seeking the "you see what I'm dealing with" validation. 

I never get it when people start complaining about Racers "mugging" for the camera. They're stuck in a taxi with a camera man. I guess they're supposed to pretend he's not there. But if you were Scott, wouldn't you be desperate to talk to anyone else?

Quote

 no, Brooke, you didn't fail because Logan was holding London's ladder and Scott wasn't holding yours.  Logan was NOT holding London's ladder, so you lost that all on your own.  

Brooke and Scott were equally to blame for LadderGate. Both failed to spot the  ladder, so it's on both of them. 

I'm not clear on whether Scott had a valid point about Brooke yelling out the street name. It was hard to tell whether or not she did in fact inadvertently direct Matt and Redmond to the right location or whether they would have found it on their own anyway. But I'm clear that she was trying to scapegoat that whole ladder thing on Scott and would not let it go. They both kind of suck but she's worse.

Edited May 19, 2017 by iMonrey

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Brooke and Scott were equally to blame for LadderGate. Both failed to spot the  ladder, so it's on both of them. 

I think a lot of the teams are suffering from earlier in the race, when all of the teams were buddy buddy, targeting other teams to get out, and helping their friends whenever possible. Now that it's nearing the end of the race, teams are realizing that asking for other teams' help is not a good idea but they got spoiled by the fact that they were handed help, or teams got to work together more often. Now, Matt helped Floyd and Floyd helped London in the second hour, so they're still helping each other out, but now it's more of a choice to say no and people are taking advantage of running the race to win. Except now people are getting upset and angry about it because two or three legs ago, teams wouldn't have dared to say no.

Sorry teams, but no more deals can be made if you want to win.

[Browncoat]

Obviously, it's too late now, but I wonder if Floyd could have unloaded his bike just out of view of the judge (like where they made the turn off the main road), gone back to get what he needed, then re-loaded again just before turning into the judging area.

[Trixie Belden]

Welp, I don't really care who wins now as long as it's not Brooke.  I like LoLo and Tara/Joey ok, Matt's ok, Redmond-well I wouldn't want him to date my daughter but as far as the show goes he's ok.  I don't really care about any of them.

 Floyd and Becca were fantastic.  They never fought, they treated every leg as if it was a huge adventure that they were on, they seemed like they truly liked each other and made sure that no matter what the task, they had fun doing it. I didn't see Becca's reaction as being critical of Floyd, I thought she was genuinely worried about him (she said she'd never seen anyone get sick like that) and kicking herself for not doing that one herself.  I really really hope they come back another season.

I thought Rachel (of Brenchel fame) was the whiniest, cryingest contestant so far on TAR.  But I've never seen anyone on tv that's as rage inducing as Brooke, unless it was a character written that way.  She doesn't talk, she screeches.  She whines constantly.  Her mouth goes non stop.  Everything is the worst catastrophe ever-her cabs are the slowest, she can't find anyone that speaks English, the heat is hotter for her, Scott is still breathing.  I can't even imagine she dates, or keeps a job for long or that people even answer the phone when she calls.  She is a thoroughly thoroughly unpleasant person.

[Wandering Snark]

29 minutes ago, Trixie Belden said:

I really really hope they come back another season.

I really hope there is another season for them to come back on... *sighs*

[Ducky]

wow.. brutal...

Tara/Joey-  not too bad- first leg quite a few missteps then complaining about not getting help.  Uh huh- you didn't exactly inspire confidence in a lot of teams after U-Turning twice even though both likely had a good reason behind it (well aside from "because they're (Mike/Liz) our friends so we gotta give them a fighting chance"). Joey looked pretty peaked end of first leg and nearly took Scott down with him but nailed that roadblock in the second leg.

Scott/Brooke- Oh my lord.. Brooke... ZIP IT! I didn't see the whole incident with the ladders (or missed it really) but to keep harping on it....?  *sings* Let it go LET IT GO <ahem sorry>.  While I can give a tiny nod due to the heat she still did way too much whining.  Scott with his "oh my lord you're not giving birth!" and "Giving birth again.. this time twins"- well that just cracked me up.  His turn at the bungee jump- poor guy but he managed it better than many I've seen in the bast (Like the woman @ the water slide the Globies passed some seasons back).  I don't get why Brooke didn't do it... poor guy three height challenges.  I hope there aren't any more.

London/Logan-  Well.. they're... just.. there.  It looked like they were when they showed them doing the ladder carrying up to the roof.  Steady and invisible (reminds me of Joey/Kelsey though I liked them a whole lot better).

Matt/Redmond-  Matt seems more talkative lately. They did pretty well though yes I noticed that Matt did all of the challenges- bungee, bike/shrimp traps, rowing.  I can kind of see why Redmond didn't (I'm not sure if he's an above the knee or below the knee amputee so can't say).  At least they haven't been too douchey lately?

Becca/Floyd-  Great 1st leg- worst to first and awesome.  2nd leg.. ow... damn.. first to worst :(.  I don't know what exactly happened with the bike for Floyd- I don't think he really realized how many traps he lost the first time or the 2nd time but at least by the third time after he helped (or tried to help) London he figured out to just ride to where he lost the one trap, pick it up and go back instead of going ALLLL the way back to the beginning.  That's what did him in- I don't know long the ride was but two and a half round trips.. eesh.  What a way to go out...:(  I hope they're invited  back.

   As for Becca- someone noted above she was mad.  I didn't see it that way.  It sounded like she was more upset than mad.. and worried.  If you're referring to her fun meter and her turning it waaaay down, I can see her doing that because she was more upset, worried and sad than angry.  Her face near the end when she said something about how she never expected that to happen to Floyd- near tears, that meant more to me than her 'fun meter'.  Both of them were very graceful at the end and didn't blame each other for anything.  Never did. I can tell they will be friends for a long time (I hope). Out of all the teams I felt like they gelled the most and the best after being thrown together.

 

Ugh.. I don't know who to root for now that my team is out... None of them?  Certainly NOT Brooke... please go away...somewhere...  Sigh.  Poop.

[Rinaldo]

43 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

Obviously, it's too late now, but I wonder if Floyd could have unloaded his bike just out of view of the judge (like where they made the turn off the main road), gone back to get what he needed, then re-loaded again just before turning into the judging area.

The problem with that is... there are these cameras around, recording their every move.... Hard to get away with infractions of the directions when that's the case.

I don't get why Brooke didn't do it...

Surprisingly, despite Brooke's incessant declarations "I can't do it," she has at this point done one more Roadblock than Scott. So, if they're trying to keep things even, he needed to do this one.

Edited May 19, 2017 by Rinaldo

[Ducky]

7 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Surprisingly, despite Brooke's incessant declarations "I can't do it," she has at this point done one more Roadblock than Scott. So, if they're trying to keep things even, he needed to do this one.

True.  And another comment somewhere else reminded me.. that usually when they read a clue for a roadblock it's only a question, they then have to declare who's doing it then open and find out what it is.  So there's that. Though I thought there were some that it may seem obvious what the roadblock is when they arrive and see what's there (like a giant towering pallet lol).

[LilaFowler]

Brooke reminds me of a scrawny, yapping chihuahua. Poor Scott, having to handle that leash.

[Browncoat]

31 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

The problem with that is... there are these cameras around, recording their every move.... Hard to get away with infractions of the directions when that's the case.

I wonder what the penalty would have been had he tried it.  He still would have completed the challenge (unlike the four-hour penalty for Meat Block), and really wouldn't have saved any time because he still would have had to go back to the start and get the dropped traps.  It may have even taken longer, in the end, to unload and reload the bike.  Hmmm...