S30.E06: The Claws Are Out!

[Etta Place]

I was surprised the beer judge actually told them what they needed to fix too. But maybe they just didn't want to waste all that beer.

[GaT]

I would have just cried if I had to do the lecture challenge.

Please Phil, don't let "expect the unexpected" mean more head to head challenges.

[blackwing]

It looked like they couldn't take notes during the lecture.  I know one of them said they couldn't write anything down with the phones so I assume the same is true with the lecture?  Wonder how long the actual speaking was.   Because the twins sat through the lecture 9 times (or at least parts of it 9 times) and still finished the task before the beer people.

Oh how I wish Brittany had been U turned.  They'd still be in the lecture hall!

[Swingdancefan]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

You know you're from Yale when you say "risk calculus".

It's a debate term, too.

[Quilt Fairy]

Wasn't the original telephone roadblock that you heard letters on the phone and you had to unscramble them to say "Franz Kafka"?

[mojoween]

I hope they were just playing it up for the cameras because they were directed to, because the way Lucas and Brittany were acting in the lecture hall was super disrespectful, IMO.  If you don’t know it, fine, but don’t act like those guys are a waste of your time.

They have bugged me since day one, I don’t see that changing any time soon.

[mwell345]

10 hours ago, PoultryDancer said:

When will the designers realize that the race in its original form is the best version? Disheartening. 

Amen!!! I remember when  TAR was simple and pure - you raced, did the challenges and last team to the mat was eliminated.  Based solely on skill (and a little luck, of course).  Now it's UTurns, the ridiculous Head To Head Challenges and yeah, I also don't think the challenges in general are as hard as they used to be.  

And Phil - we get that the Ocean team is engaged.  Trust me, they're not the first.  Tired of hearing about it.  

(This is the first TAR season that Phil has been getting on my nerves.  Big Time.)

Edited February 1, 2018 by mwell345

[ProfCrash]

Last night was an OK episode. Some teams shone and a few others fell from grace.

I was really impressed with the Firefighters. First of all, you have to be smart as hell and dedicated to be a fire fighter The amount of class work that they have to pass, and passing is far better then 50% right, it is something like 80% to 90% right, is insane. There is a lot to remember and you have to know it off the top of your head so that you can do your job. I was impressed with how they handled the task. They listened, went and took the test and then stayed only long enough to get the next answer that they needed. That way they didn't lose the info they knew. I think it took them five times to complete the task. Good for them for figuring out a strategy that worked for them and plowing through. And they were respectful in their body language and actions. Although I laughed my ass off when they said Pluto for the second planet. Not only is the answer hilarious (To be fair I could not name the planets in order but I know that Pluto was the smallest of the planets and furthest from the sun before it was retitled a dwarf planet) but the look on the examiners face was awesome.

I was impressed with Well Strung. They handled the U Turn with grace. It is an element of the game and it made sense for Cody and Jessica to use it. You could see that they were disappointed but they did not rant and rave and talk about how evil Jessica and Cody were. They killed the lecture task, it looks like it took them two times to get through the quiz and handled the beer task well. I suspect that they were further behind then we think and that there was some creative editing to make it look closer then it was. It is not like they got to the Roadblock and the other teams were there or they saw Cody and Jessica hunting for a cab.

I was glad to see Team Extreme knock everything out with no fuss. I like them and their approach.

I was fine with Cody and Jessica. They work well together and seem to deal with the stress well. When will teams learn to keep their cabs? I had no problem with the usage of the U Turn. It was good game play and probably kept them in the game.

I remain ambivalent about Team Indy. They are fine but nothing exciting.

I am disappointed in Henry and Evan. Talking about hen pecked. I understand that you want to make decisions as a team but how to pour beer is more then a bit micro managing. And it kept happening. With everything that they did, Evan micro managed. Every little thing. A part of me understands, they had discussed using mass transit over taxis and Henry wanted to divert from that so Evan. I have no problem with risk calculus, I use that term but I did not graduate from Yale. It probably is a sign of their education but I totally missed that they used the term because, well, it is not unusual for my husband and I to use that term.

I really don't like Team Beach Rescue. Their bickering is annoying. There have been seasons were it would low key compared to other teams but in a season where most of the teams seem to be operating with little drama, the bickering is super annoying. Part of it is because it feels like Brittney is passive aggressive. Their behavior at the lecture was wrong. Either choose to listen and give it a go or leave, don't fidget, bash your head against the desk, and act like you have less self restraint in a class room then my five year old. And then the Kafka task. Indy and Rescue would have been stuck at that task without Jessica. Seriously, they were clueless. Jessica seemed to get through it pretty quickly and provided a good amount of the info to the other two. So shut up Brittney. I pity any kids the two of them have because their parents clearly don't give a crap about school and I suspect that their attitude will be passed on to their kids.

On the plus side, it took this far into the season for me to find a team I dislike!

[snarts]

Wait, so the Lifeguards & Nascar Drivers were mad that Jessica told them the answer, but not quickly enough?  Absolutely ridiculous.  As others have said "it's a raaaaace!"

[ByaNose]

5 minutes ago, snarts said:

Wait, so the Lifeguards & Nascar Drivers were mad that Jessica told them the answer, but not quickly enough?  Absolutely ridiculous.  As others have said "it's a raaaaace!"

I guess some people are "upset" is because Jessica is the one who asked if Brittney wanted to work together. When you work together...you work together. LOL!!! That said, I don't think Jessica was too upset since it looks like she doesn't like her anyway.

[Whimsy]

Reminder, there is no preview talk.  Which means any sentences that have "next week" in it with something that in not innocuous, it gets removed.

[Kelda Feegle]

I will miss Well Strung, gracious to the end.

Team Yale - the nose ring may in fact be a septum piercing which means it can be flipped up inside the nose and be almost invisible which would explain why it wasn't seen in the first few episodes. I don't care enough to pause and search to confirm.

I was in Prague about 2 months ago and brought home a ton of beer products, including beer shampoo which is fabulous!

How long has that couple been together? I think it might be like 9 years? And they are engaged now? *eyeroll* 9 years together is this seasons "I had cancer".

[Haleth]

5 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

Wasn't the original telephone roadblock that you heard letters on the phone and you had to unscramble them to say "Franz Kafka"?

Yes,  (Was it both first and last names?)  And the Globetrotter who did the task never did unscramble the letters.  They took a penalty instead.

33 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

I suspect that they were further behind then we think and that there was some creative editing to make it look closer then it was. It is not like they got to the Roadblock and the other teams were there or they saw Cody and Jessica hunting for a cab.

I agree.  I always look for clues like how long the respective shadows are, but it was apparently a cloudy afternoon so I couldn't tell how far behind the violinists actually were.  I do think they were much later though.

Evan is really coming across as a control freak.  Free Henry!

Edited February 1, 2018 by Haleth

[Lady Calypso]

8 hours ago, blackwing said:

Brittany can leave any time.  I was really hoping she would get eliminated.  Can't stand anything about her.  That said, I do think Jessica behaved poorly at the roadblock.  They agreed to work together and find the words together.   Jessica heard the word "life" but told her it was something else, because she wanted to ensure that she was the first of the three to leave.  That's poor.  She did give them the correct word but only after she was leaving.  Not a way to win friends.

Well, Jessica isn't aiming for friendship; she's aiming to race; it's the complaint I had about last season and how I wished there had been more backstabbing and less helping people out. Seriously, it was a smart move to take any little advantage you have and run with it. And Jessica still gave them the right answer legit two seconds later. I mean, I would have been fine if Jessica had just taken off and not told them anything. But since she did, I think it negates the lie in the first place. I would have possibly done the same thing. Plus, it's hard to not agree to work with two other teams when they're right there. You want to take all the advantages you can get, especially in a task like this which is time consuming and which could allow the last team to catch up.

Plus, the only one who had a problem with her lying was Brittany. Alex didn't seem to care at all (mostly because it seems like Alex/Conor and Cody/Jessica get along, judging by how many times we see the two teams interact, specifically Jessica with the boys). Brittany's just tiffed about the gnome thing, nothing more. 

Edited February 1, 2018 by Lady Calypso
adjusting my first sentence to make it sound less aggressive

[PoultryDancer]

I don't really dislike any of the teams. The lifeguards are clearly the team many viewers can't stand, but I don't mind them. I would probably be pissed about the gnome thing too and might be a bit petty about it later. I think I like their line of communication better than the Yale team, where Evan's tone kind of annoys me. She never raises her voice but still has that really commanding attitude. I hate the stuff like 'Ugh maybe you should check next time', since I take that as 'you better run everything you do by me or we are done'. 

Edited February 1, 2018 by PoultryDancer

[gibasi]

It's too bad the violinists didn't get more air time because when they were on, they were really funny.  When the one said, "Earnest words of encouragement" I made them my favorites.  And they did really well with the U turn.  I will miss them.

[backformore]

3 hours ago, mojoween said:

I hope they were just playing it up for the cameras because they were directed to, because the way Lucas and Brittany were acting in the lecture hall was super disrespectful, IMO.  If you don’t know it, fine, but don’t act like those guys are a waste of your time.

They have bugged me since day one, I don’t see that changing any time soon.

I agree. They bragged about both being C students, and skipping school to go to the beach.  And their attitude in the lecture was "school! Nerd stuff! Boring!"  I hate when people wear their ignorance like a badge of honor.

I hope they don't plan to have kids.  They would be the type of parents who roll their eyes at the teacher conference, and say, so what if my kid can't read - who reads any more? I really hope they get eliminated by making an embarrassing mistake that shows their lack of knowledge.

[backformore]

I think the editors made a huge mistake in focusing so much on other teams that we never got to know the violinists. Every moment they were on, they seemed delightful. Funny, smart, appreciative of the adventure, enjoying the culture.  I was hoping for a task at some point where there musical talents would be an advantage.

[Amy Beth]

I’m fairly well-read, but not a huge Kafka fan. 

 

My first thought was whether that quote was enough well-known, and if the Yalies might get it with just a key word or two.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Amy Beth

[Jobiska]

12 hours ago, vousviou said:

I'm pretty sure they covered them all. Off the top of my head I can remember seven -- What was the year Copernicus's theory was published, what is the law regarding the disappearance of a distant object, how far did Cop say the Sun was, what did he say was the second farthest planet, how far away can you see a lighthouse, something something, and is the Earth round or flat?

The name of the "round" lecturer.

[sugarbaker design]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Yes,  (Was it both first and last names?) 

Last name only.  Big Easy was given the letters AAFKK and told to unscramble them into a name.  He couldn't do it.

[Special K]

Brittany and Lucas were hella disrespectful in that lecture hall.  Made me dislike them even more.

Contrast that with the attentiveness of the firefighters.  I am loving the firefighters more and more.  They have such a calm, MacGyver approach to everything -- they figure out a way to get it done and just do it.  In that, they are pretty smart.  Due to this, I'm starting to find them handsome, too.  :)

Love the skiiers, natch.  They are amazing and lovely.  I would love for them to win.

I'll miss the violinists.  There is a disheartening dearth of funny people on this season, and I'll miss their sly sense of humor.  Also, wow they rocked those two tasks in no time flat. 

I have disliked Cody and Jessica pretty much the whole time, on their own merits (I didn't watch BB), so I hope their underhandedness, as justified as it might be, will come back to bite them. 

Kafka.  Loved that task.

ETA:  Shout out to one of the violinists' parting lines:  "I hate him and I'm gonna keep hating him for a long time."  :)

Edited February 1, 2018 by Special K

[joanne3482]

1 hour ago, gibasi said:

It's too bad the violinists didn't get more air time because when they were on, they were really funny.  When the one said, "Earnest words of encouragement" I made them my favorites.  And they did really well with the U turn.  I will miss them.

That was them? I didn't realize that. I liked that. 

I was really worried something was going on with Team Extreme's cab. Like they would get to the finish line and not have enough money to pay the guy since he waited so long for each task or at the detour they were getting on the boat so they'd have to run back and pay him or someone else was going to steal him from them.  There was just so much emphasis on the cab  (which is cool for him), but usually means cab shenanigans.  

[sugarbaker design]

16 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

There was just so much emphasis on the cab  (which is cool for him), but usually means cab shenanigans.  

I agree there was so much emphasis on their cab, but I think only because so many other teams let their cabs go.  Isn't it Amazing Race 101 to always keep your cab?

[amazingracefan]

I hate teams working together in the Kafka task, it defeats the point of it and made the end even more predictable.  The quicker they have rules against teams working together the better, we can then get back to the tough long legs of the classic period.

Otherwise, the whole flat earth nonsense in the lecture hall was very weird.  Hardly anyone in the middle ages thought the earth was flat, from the Greeks or before they realised it was round.  Copernicus was about the earth not being at the centre of the solar system, which most at the time didn't believe. 

Also the lighthouse question about how far you can see the light would depend on how elevated you are or how elevated the position of the lighthouse?  If they are intimating about how far the horizon is at sea level then I think it's 5 miles or so.  I'm not sure the question was worded well anyway.

[Fukui San]

I wonder if Cody and Jessica hadn't U-Turned anyone and they didn't know that the violinists weren't behind them, whether Jessica would have gone full screwjob on the other teams and left without a correction? It's a devious but valid strategy. I admire that move by Jessica. They should move her to Survivor next.

I just realized that the mashup of Henry and Evan's names would be "Heaven", even though they were at odds a bit this episode.

[survivinmt]

I am pretty sure that Big Easy was given all the letters AFNRZ and then told that A was in the middle and still couldn't get it. It was kind of embarrassing since there were only about 16 combinations possible.

I too am confused in that I thought Team Extreme lady said she couldn't write anything down but everyone else seemed to be doing it. ?? I also hate it when they help each other. Wish there were rules against that. If they are going to help each other though, I think Jessica was right doing what she did to ensure she was first. That she came up with that on the spot was quite clever and Brittany (mostly) and Alex should be grateful not bitter that she did give them the correct answer. Sheesh.

The skiers are growing on me and the Yalies are continuing to annoy. Evan made it sound like she'd been to the first place (name?) in Prague before which to me just sounds condescending somehow.

[amazingracefan]

11 hours ago, North of Eden said:

Jess an Cody are every bit the strategic players they were on BIG BROTHER  though still, I wonder why they keep being near the back of the pack.

They had a couple of bad taxis it looked like to the lecture hall and then the park.  The later plane they caught may have simply been due to starting the leg later, which just meant those already at the back were kept at the back (not great leg design).

[amazingracefan]

13 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I loved the telephone task. It was actually nice and challenging, but definitely not impossible.

It would have been harder if teams didn't work together, you only get the drama when a team is at it alone.

[survivinmt]

At the phone task, you don't even have to ask for someone to help: just watch them while answering your own phones. If they pause on one, its because they hear something. Note which phone and go to it. Not as easy as just talking to each other, but pretty easy to tell when someone is hearing something.

[seacliffsal]

I just don't like Brittany.  She pushes responsibility for her performance onto others.  She kept yelling at her partner to reread the clue and he kept telling her he didn't have it as she did.  She continued to argue for a while before FINALLY checking her race fanny pack and...finding the clue.  She also stated that she didn't like Prague as much as she did the first time she visited (putting a level of blame on Prague), and then tried to outplay Jessica at the Roadblock when she told Jessica to give her words to Brittany first and then Brittany would give her any words that Jessica didn't have.  I would definitely not trust Brittany at that point.  Jessica very much cooperated AND gave the final answer to Brittany and Alex, but, of course, that wasn't good enough from Brittany.

And, I agree with others that Brittany and her partner's attitude at the lecture hall was completely disrespectful.  Along with bragging about being C students and cutting school to go to the beach?  Keeping it Klassy...

Am over the Yale debaters.  Still like Henry, but Evan does seem to come across with a very high level of self-esteem, which is great, but it doesn't mean that she should be dictator of the world.

Am liking the firefighters more and more.  I don't see them winning (NOT a spoiler, just an opinion) as they seem to often lag behind the others.  But, I do like their attitudes and willingness to do whatever they need to do to finish a task.

[vousviou]

2 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

Last night was an OK episode. Some teams shone and a few others fell from grace.

I was really impressed with the Firefighters. First of all, you have to be smart as hell and dedicated to be a fire fighter The amount of class work that they have to pass, and passing is far better then 50% right, it is something like 80% to 90% right, is insane. There is a lot to remember and you have to know it off the top of your head so that you can do your job.

I remain ambivalent about Team Indy. They are fine but nothing exciting.

 

That is a good point about the twins. Most firefighters have to be certified as paramedics, which requires a lot of studying, and they have to be able to diagnose and treat anything from broken bones to epileptic seizures to drug ODs. They also have to be able to identify and handle all kinds of chemical incidents - it's not an easy job.

Alex seems a lot more locked down and focused than Conor, which might have something to do with his winning the Indy 500. That quality makes him less interesting on TV, of course.

[sugarbaker design]

27 minutes ago, survivinmt said:

I am pretty sure that Big Easy was given all the letters AFNRZ and then told that A was in the middle and still couldn't get it. It was kind of embarrassing since there were only about 16 combinations possible.

It was AFNRZ!  I stand corrected.  It was very embarrassing!

[amazingracefan]

12 minutes ago, survivinmt said:

At the phone task, you don't even have to ask for someone to help: just watch them while answering your own phones. If they pause on one, its because they hear something. Note which phone and go to it. Not as easy as just talking to each other, but pretty easy to tell when someone is hearing something.

Though it's only one word they hear so the pause wouldn't have lasted long.

[ProfCrash]

34 minutes ago, sugarbaker design said:

It was AFNRZ!  I stand corrected.  It was very embarrassing!

To make matters worse, Kafka was in the title of the task. It was embarrassing that no one figured out the number of letters, the last name Kafka and just went straight to Franz. Or when they got the F on the phone, just got to Franz. And the Globetrotters were so out of it that they took a penalty rather then write out each possible permutation, figure out the ones that made the most sense and guessed those back to back to back.

[amazingracefan]

When you're working alone in task though, when a roadblock for instance is truly one individual against the rest (as it's meant to be), there's many more pressures and uncertainties that people have.  That's often created some of the most memorable moments on the show, the haystacks, the slide etc.  I can't think of any great moments from teams working together making it easier for themselves.

[mookster]

Noooo, I'm so sad the violinists are gone. They were delightful every time they were onscreen. Should have know by their lack of screentime they were goners. Now I have to root for the skiers first, firefighters second. 

Can't stand the lifeguards, between their bickering, their 9-YEAR relationship, their reveling in their ignorance (they didn't even try) and Brittany's love of feuding, I just plain don't like em. Same goes for the Indy drivers. They're not really memorable, although now I'll remember them for their sniping at each other.

Don't really like the BB team just on principle, though they haven't given me any real reason to hate them.... Although I did think they gave up pretty easily after going to the wrong lecture hall. "That's not English!"

The debaters are an odd couple. As someone mentioned before, they don't really seem like a couple. He caves too quickly to her micromanaging. And her edict to only take mass transportation seems...inflexible. How dare you deviate from what we decided weeks ago?! And I may be old too, but the nose ring is distracting. Even in real-life situations, I wonder how do they blow their nose? Does it hurt? 

[shura]

2 hours ago, amazingracefan said:

Otherwise, the whole flat earth nonsense in the lecture hall was very weird.  Hardly anyone in the middle ages thought the earth was flat, from the Greeks or before they realised it was round.

AND Magellan's expedition had just circumnavigated the world in Copernicus' time. Refute that, Professor Flat Earth!

Funny how Team BB barged in on a legitimate lecture. I wish they'd stayed and tried to pass the exam.

The shorter, older guy in the beer tub had the weirdest face. I've always pictured satyrs looking like that.

[ProfCrash]

2 hours ago, amazingracefan said:

Otherwise, the whole flat earth nonsense in the lecture hall was very weird.  Hardly anyone in the middle ages thought the earth was flat, from the Greeks or before they realised it was round.  Copernicus was about the earth not being at the centre of the solar system, which most at the time didn't believe. 

There was an entire conference of flat earthers, complete with flat earth maps for sale, recently. At least one numbnut is trying to prove the earth is flat by launching himself off in a rocket but has been halted due to lack of the appropriate permits. The sad truth is that there are some people who believe in a flat earth. I kind of wanted Cody to end up at that task just so that we could see his reaction to the debate. I am hopeful that it is a small percentage of people but who knows.

[proserpina65]

No, not the violinists!!!!!  I loved how they did both tasks and made up so much of the time.  And how the one handled the Kafka task - I was very impressed the he knew enough about Kafka to be able to figure out the quote without having to answer all those phones to get all the words.

15 hours ago, weightyghost said:

You want to mooch off another contestant during a roadblock, don't get pissy when they make sure they leave before you do

I kind of agree with this, except Jessica straight-out lied about the words she found.  She could've just said that she'd give them the answer after she'd completed the task.  I would've respected that.

[proserpina65]

15 hours ago, chaifan said:

I was very much hoping, and sort of expecting, the "test" to be something like "what color was Professor X wearing"?  Meaning the test was whether you could sit through the lecture with enough confidence that you'd pass the test.

One of the questions was "what is the name of the second professor?".

15 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

But Jessica then told them the correct word before she left the room. The only disadvantage the other two suffered was having to rewrite one word on their forms, and get them approved -- a matter of maybe 30 seconds. 

Did Jessica get some of the words from Brittany and/or Alex?  If so, then it is a bit shitty of Jessica to lie about one of her words.  She could've just said she'd share hers after she knew they were correct rather than lie.

[ProfCrash]

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I was very much hoping, and sort of expecting, the "test" to be something like "what color was Professor X wearing"?  Meaning the test was whether you could sit through the lecture with enough confidence that you'd pass the test.

Is it bad that I was wondering how you were working the X-Men into the lecture quiz? Because I totally started to think of questions about Mutants and teaching Mutants.

And the quote is not attributed to the correct poster but I cannot control the boards system and I am being lazy and not going back to the first post.

[green]

13 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

I agree there was so much emphasis on their cab, but I think only because so many other teams let their cabs go.  Isn't it Amazing Race 101 to always keep your cab?

It is to an extent.  But the limited money factor prevents everyone from doing that I'd guess.  The fact that the Yale team took public transportation to either save money to use for cab fares later or because they were running low was interesting to me.  Of course we never know these days because they rarely declare how much money they get for each and every leg let alone have teams discuss if they are running low or not.  So much of the strategy from classic TAR is gone or edited out these days so we have no idea if the skiers had been penny pinching so they had a nice reserve to use or if the other teams were just plain dumb.

13 hours ago, survivinmt said:

I too am confused in that I thought Team Extreme lady said she couldn't write anything down but everyone else seemed to be doing it.

They couldn't write anything down inside the telephone room.  They had to right it all down inside the room where the "inspector" was.  Or do you mean some others were writing in the telephone room?  If so I missed that.

12 hours ago, amazingracefan said:

When you're working alone in task though, when a roadblock for instance is truly one individual against the rest (as it's meant to be), there's many more pressures and uncertainties that people have.  That's often created some of the most memorable moments on the show, the haystacks, the slide etc.  I can't think of any great moments from teams working together making it easier for themselves.

Actually I am the opposite.  I love when teams work together.  It shows which teams are semi-allies and when working together makes sense or not etc etc.  It provides more strategic decisions too as to when helping others helps you as well. 

And if say you think helping a weaker team to stay in helps you it can also have an unexpected effect like the almost family-like bonding that occurred in Season 1 between The Frats and Momily.  Which lead to that classic roadblock in Tunisia where Drew and Emily teamed up at the Roman coliseum there at El Gem.  It was such a sweet moment with Kevin and Emily on top shouting encouragements to them.  Then Kevin works the train connections for them all and another team in Italy. I remember those moments clearly and have now for 17 years.  So yeah they were memorable to me.

But then I don't give a damn about the "race" part and never have.  That isn't why I watch this show.  Just the "amazing" part which seems less and less each season with all the reality show cheap artificial crap thrown in.  To me it is still "an adventure of a lifetime" shared by those on that magical quest.  Unfortunately people must fall by the wayside but I love when the teams are trying to help one another for as long as they possibly can without getting eliminated themselves.  Those are the teams I always root for.

I watch lots of baseball and football for heavy, competitive stuff.  And races of all kinds are a dime a dozen.  But the "amazing' bit is a whole other thing.  And allows for a whole other level to what a "race" can be.

I watch this show because "it is a race like no other in history" (second quote here from Phil's voiceover of the titles that first season).  Which means you can race and still stop and smell the roses.  Or shop in Hong Kong and casually stroll to a travel agency and end up with a free complimentary ride to the airport in a Benz was it because you are sweet guys and calm and polite and end up finishing first over the hard core maniacs fighting each other at the airport counter on that legendary leg. 

That is why this "race" is so magically.  It isn't just another cut throat win at all costs competition because you can still win or place high by cooperating at times as well as taking time to be polite to the locals and stopping to admire a view.  It is this unique nature of the "race" that has made it so special to me over the years.

Edited February 2, 2018 by green

[Netfoot]

Jessica says "How many words do you have?  I've got five, but I'm missing three."  Brittany replies "Which ones do you have?  I'll tell you if I have the one that you're missing."  Other than this, we never heard them actually agree to cooperate, so ...  I suppose it's all how you take it, but to me?  Brittany's words don't sound like an unqualified offer of an equal partnership.  I would have been immediately suspicious.  So, I can't fault Jessica for withholding the entire solution until she herself had succeeded.  At which point, she immediately gave them the correct answer, so I doubt they were delayed by as much as a whole minute.  I don't think it's fair to say "Big Brother Screwed Us,"  unless you mean "they didn't tell us what we needed to get the clue and leave them behind."

Frankly, if it had been me, they would have really discovered what it is to be screwed, because I've always felt that were I running the race, I would make every effort to back-stab every other team at every possible opportunity.  I've said it before, if you asked me the time, I would lie.  The only way I would ever tell the truth is if I thought it would somehow confuse and delay you more if I told the truth than if I lied.

[iMonrey]

 . . . aaaaaaaaand I'm done with the season. I just don't give a hang about any of the remaining teams and couldn't care less who wins at this point. I knew the violinists were goners since they've been getting the also-rans edit all season long, but I didn't realize how little I cared about the other teams until they were eliminated. I know the U-Turn is part of the race and strategic to use but the fact that it was Cody and Jessica who used it just pours salt into the wound. I don't mind her so much but he's an asshole. I really don't think I can stand to watch them make it any further. 

I don't really hate anyone else but at this point, I just don't care anymore. Even if the show is renewed, I might be done with it. I think it's run its course, so to speak. The two-hour blocks really made me realize it's almost a chore to sit though now.

[HurricaneVal]

1 hour ago, shura said:

The shorter, older guy in the beer tub had the weirdest face. I've always pictured satyrs looking like that.

Me too!  He had such a great, mischievous face.

 

So far as phone-gate is concerned, I think Jessica brought more to the table in that ad hoc alliance than Brittany did, and then later the other guy who joined them.  Was that a firefighter, or one of the violinists, or team Indy?  Anyways, Brittany and the other racer were basically just waiting on Jessica to solve it for them, she seemed to be the only one actually working on moving the words around to make sense.  The other two had 7/8 of the correct words, and certainly didn't seem to be actively attempting to resolve them into a coherent sentence.  They just looked to Jessica to unscramble it for them, and then give them the answer.  I'm way OK with Jessica withholding one of the words.   Sure, I would have liked it better if she hadn't passed on false information, and instead was up front about withholding one of the words, but:  raaaaaaaace.  She still gave them the correct answer, even though she didn't have to, before she left.  Giving herself and Cody only a slight advantage.  All the other two had to do was write down what Jessica said, and get it stamped, then they'd be right out the door only a few moments behind.  Brittany should have been grateful, not resentful.  But I think Brittany is full of sour grapes no matter what the situation is. 

 

Going into last night's episode, I really liked some teams and was only "meh" on others.  This is unusual for me, usually there is at least one team I really hate who ends up going far into the race.  However, after this Prague episode, I think I can say that the lifeguards have moved on my scale from "meh" to "hate them, get eliminated already!"  Not only is Brittany filled with sour grapes, the constant reminder of nine years together plus "engaged now!" camera hogging is getting on my last nerve, but the final straw was how incredibly rude both of them appeared to be in the lecture hall.   I was still "meh" to "kind of like" the male lifeguard, which brought the team average up to a solid "meh" but their disrespectful behavior in the lecture hall and disparaging comments just moved them down on my scale.  I can't wait for their ox to get broken--you just know that's got to be coming up!

Edited February 1, 2018 by HurricaneVal
add missing word

[CaioF]

Very good leg, would be perfect without the U-Turn, specially at the beginning.. It should be in the middle of the leg, neither in the end or at the beginning. The only thing that made me last sad is that The violinists were pretty much running at the back the entire race.. Yes, its seems they run a very smooth leg this time (but we neves know if it was producers making it look it was possible for them to recover from the U-Turn).

Team BB, yes, you shouldn give you full clue before you leave the challenge such as you shouldnt laugh  at the others assuming they are going the wrong way before you get the right place first... And dont count on ´´oh, we came last this time, thats good because other teams will forget what we did and wont U-turn us anymore``.

Well, TeamExtreme continue to rock this, and cheering for them more than any team in the last few seasons. Only thing that worries me is the lame twists.. I really hope it doesnt screw a well deserving team (for me, now, Extreme and Yale should earn spots at the finale.. Firefighters did great this leg but I need to see more.. The other three are kind lame in some points).

Edited February 1, 2018 by CaioF

[Gummo]

Maybe someone can help me out here --

Does anyone know how long Lucas & Brittany have been together??

 

[ducks & runs]

[One Imaginary Girl]

Ha!  I was just about to post something about that.  It could be a drinking game: take a drink every time one of them (usually Brittany) says they've been going out for nine years.  

[Lady Calypso]

17 minutes ago, Gummo said:

Maybe someone can help me out here --

Does anyone know how long Lucas & Brittany have been together??

 

[ducks & runs]

It's been nine months, right?