S30.E11: It’s Just a Million Dollars, No Pressure (1) S30.E12: It’s Just a Million Dollars, No Pressure (2)

[Corgi-ears]

We interrupt this discussion about the top three to suggest that Indycar Conor is stealthily one of the most useless racers ever.

Edited February 22, 2018 by Corgi-ears

[amazingracefan]

15 minutes ago, Charlesman said:

After sleeping on it, I've come to agree that the sign task was completely impossible and the show really screwed it up and should have fixed it before it happened.

 

The Bull and the Fez were at least in TAR-colors. The arch was not. That put every sign in that area in play. Plus, the Bull and the Fez at least looked like they could have been hastily slapped into place for the task. "Spot the things we added to this street scene". They stood out for not really fitting in with anything... they weren't advertising anything, pointing to anything, didn't have any information on them, so, superfluous. The arch had the happy hour times listed on it... it could have really been a sign for that bar. So it's just as in play as the bread sign, the compass, and every other sign on that street. 

 

Plus, at this stage of the game, asking a team to notice and remember the difference between the World Famous Landmark Arc d' Triumphe, from France, where they spent one full leg and parts of two others, over the nowhere near-as-famous arch in Washington Square Park, where they spent all of ten minutes, is a tough ask. 

 

Further proof is only one team actually "got it", and mostly by luck. Two more didn't and solved it by brute force. 

 

Really, show, that task was poorly designed.

It certainly didn't look that easy or logical, maybe the idea was that teams should use brute force at some point.

I also don't like the modern era Philiminations (when teams don't get to reach the mat).  In the classic era teams had to be way back, now it's a case of two teams checked in and the budget is small so we have to move quickly and not let a team finish.

[ByaNose]

The last memory I have of the final task was that it took 1 1/2 to 2 hours to complete, right? It could have been longer. Anyway, after a while I can imagine myself just giving up. You try every combination and then you are told your plane can't fly. Ugh! I just wish Jessica & Cody hadn't won. I wasn't even a fan Henry & Evan but i wanted them to beat Team BB. He was soooooo close. At least, that's what the edit showed us. I'm not sure in real time when Henry pulled wing tail (or whatever part it was) before Jessica had won.

[Fukui San]

The one thing I wondered about the final task. Was every leg represented by exactly one type of symbol, sometimes duplicated? Or were some legs represented by either this or that symbol? The latter would be much harder, so I wonder if it was that. 

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I only know Cody & Jessica from TAR, but I do think Cody would be a good fit for Survivor.  He would be strong in challenges and in the survival aspect in camp.  I'm not sure about his strategic and social games, though, and he would have a target on his back.  

I'm not sure he'd do something without Jessica, certainly not any time soon anyway.

1 hour ago, vousviou said:

I think Conor was heavy on the self deprecation, but I don't think they were actually dim -- he managed to figure out the trick of the Chinese restaurant quickly after the initial bit of confusion, and I seem to recall other times they were good at methodically solving problems.

I got the sense that there was a lot of disorientation in San Francisco, and I suspect the long flight and the time change was throwing people for a loop -- people jumping in the kayaks without fully understanding the clues and realizing they needed to know the number of homers is another example.

I wish the rules in this instance had specifically ruled out spectator help so that teams that jumped into their kayaks had to go back to the start and find the inscription with the answer that was shown earlier. It would have really put a premium on reading the clue.

There's too much 'let's google this' or 'get someone to google this' now.  I like the idea of having to go back, I'd say the same for those tasks where people have to carry things and something drops, but they make it easier than it used to be now.

 

As for the winners I'm happy enough and I'm very rarely happy with winners in this show (who are normally very bland people but good racers).

Edited February 22, 2018 by amazingracefan

[sinycalone]

Two agreements with other posters:

That challenge in Hong Kong looking for signs, etc....yes,  poorly designed.

Conor did some of the tasks with good humor/self deprecation...and showed he could come through when it counted on most legs.  He did let Lucas do all the winching, but that was really the only time he completely opted-out.

[LadyNebula]

Well, that sucked.  REALLY wanted Yale to pull it out.  I love me some underdogs, and I hate when other teams get all clique-y.  And if they couldn't win, I wanted anyone BUT Big Brother to win.  They were shady as hell.

Ah, well.  Cheers for Lou Seal, anyway!  I loved Joel Zimei on Behind the Mask.

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

 

Was every leg represented by exactly one type of symbol, sometimes duplicated? Or were some legs represented by either this or that symbol? The latter would be much harder, so I wonder if it was that.

 

I think it was the latter, because at one point they showed there were two different Bahrain symbols - the scales (from the log task) and the bird (from the pit stop).

[mojoween]

Cody would be TERRIBLE on Survivor.  As soon as he met someone he didn’t like he would completely isolate himself.  Then he’d piss and moan about Hidden Immunity Idols.  Please don’t give them ideas, Survivor is my number one favorite show hands down and I don’t need him ruining that too.

The Beekman Boys were entirely inoffensive to me.  I actively loathe Jessica and Cody.

Now they are going to think with their win that they somehow got “redemption” for BB even though after three weeks of safety for Paul in the BB house they were equally complicit in their own misery.

Edited February 23, 2018 by mojoween

[BarneySays]

11 hours ago, Jinxie said:

According to the most current rule I've heard, no team member can do more than 6.  So there was a rule, and they followed it.

I don't think that is the correct rule.  It has been that each team member had to complete an equal number of road blocks entering the final leg.  Someone may think it was "no more than 6" because there are usually 11 roadblocks on the race.  They instituted the "must split the road blocks" rule to avoid precisely what we witnessed this season- couples teams where the man does most the work and the woman gets carried along (to the win in the case of the insufferable flo and now the execrable jessica).  The only other time the even split rule was not enforced was when the sanctimonious father-son team were allowed to go 8-5 to try to ensure, like in the present season, that a preferred team would make it to the final. 

[CaioF]

Didnt watched the episode because of the spoiler I got but watching your comments on what seems that Henry had the final task done but doubt himself, well, if that was the case/he wasnt confident enough or even worried to check with his partner, I dont think is totally his fault since we saw the dinamic between them.

[amazingracefan]

Lantern7:  "Seriously, how does CBS not renew? This is dramatic shit, as opposed to Probst giving mouth present to alpha dudes."

I think Survivor can be quite dramatic, the show The Amazing Race is more clearly superior to is Big Brother (and even more so the celeb version that got prime time over TAR).  That's more the threat to The Amazing Race and people need to point out how this show is better.

Browncoat: "Mandarin is different from Cantonese"

It's different in how it's said but it can be written the same.  Not sure where Henry's roots are (if Taiwan it would be more likely traditional script as might be used in Hong Kong).  He didn't seem to have a great deal of trouble working out the sounds of Cantonese in that task anyway, even if he didn't know the exact meaning it will still use slightly similar sounds to Mandarin I guess.

[BarneySays]

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

It might have been faster to not even look for the signs and just go through the 1,000 combinations.  At 2 seconds per guess it would have taken 33 minutes.  

Actually, there were only 504 possibilities.  Zero would be excluded, so the options were 9 x 8 x 7.  So, it would have taken just less than 17 minutes.  However, if they each tried different combinations at the same time, it would have been 8 1/2 minutes.  Personally, I think that approach should have been disallowed for this very reason. 

[TresGatos]

"their talents are what got them into yale; yale didn't bestow those qualities on them."

Just like George W. Bush! Congratulations to Cody and Jessica! I hope to see them on Bridezillas soon!

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, vousviou said:

people jumping in the kayaks without fully understanding the clues and realizing they needed to know the number of homers is another example.

The clue seemed to be ambiguously worded (maybe on purpose, maybe not) -- it may well have given the impression that only the relevant digits for the number of homers were available to retrieve, and it was then merely a matter of figuring out which of the 6 possible orders of 3 digits was right. No research would be needed for that. But of course Yale belatedly discovered that such was not the case.

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

I don't think there were any bogus stickers. I think all the stickers were related to something task specific and it was a matter of finding the right combo. I am not sure why someone didn't lay them down and choose one and start there but I have never participated in a month long race filled with challenges that left me physically and emotionally exhausted so I have no idea how I would process anything at that point in time.

I would like to think that I would lay things out and walk around the plane with each part to make sure that I am not duplicating something. I think the best approach might have been to see if there were any parts with just one sticker and remove the duplicates right away and see what you are left with. Clearly there was no easy way to approach the task since all three teams struggled with it.

I'd love to read a full description of the task sometime. My impression was that the various plane parts each contained 2 stickers, but in varied and conflicting pairings. You need to end up with all 12 stickers on the 6 parts you choose... but the problem is that each part selected rules out certain other parts (so as not to duplicate), and it keeps going in a chain of exclusions, and your first choice might not have been correct anyway, so how far do you go back down the chain to try again after you're declared wrong? It's a hard type of puzzle, because you have to start with a random assumption ("IF this one is right...") and then keep track of how to start again if you were wrong. I'm not surprised everyone, even Henry, labored over this.

1 hour ago, Eolivet said:

I was going to say, if this was a Survivor winner's edit, it would've been brutal. But last year's winners didn't have such a great edit either. 

I don't believe in the whole concept of winners' edits or losers' edits -- the assumptions about them are contradicted so often by the eventual result.

[BarneySays]

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

I'm wondering if there was a strict logical approach to the final task.

Yes, there is.  One would start with one piece (eg, the propeller) and then eliminate any pieces that contained the image(s) on the propeller from contention and then select another piece and do the same.  Once you had no viable pieces (before  completion) you would know you made the wrong choice.  Then go back to the last spot where you had to make a random choice and try that one.  Then go back further one step, etc.  You can do this by simply moving them around on the ground and then assembling when you have the right combination.  There were only 64 possible random combinations.  This number would be cut down by the exclusions of duplicates.  I was surprised it took them so much time, he says from the comfort of his couch.  I imagine adrenaline, jet lag, and anxiety probably played a significant role in their thought processes. 

ETA:

55 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

Seriously, how does CBS not renew? This is dramatic shit, as opposed to Probst giving mouth present to alpha dudes.

I would imagine TAR is far more expensive to produce than survivor.  Hell, it appears on that show they have simply put up a set in a tropical setting and film there each season.  The logistics of TAR must be as challenging as that last puzzle. Trying to avoid huge gaps between teams, without eliminating the excitement of the race by  constant bunching must be quite a challenge- along with possible last minute airline schedule changes.  Survivor probably costs $20 plus Jeff's rider to put on. 

Edited February 22, 2018 by BarneySays

[Netfoot]

Dear CBS,

Now that you have achieved the Holy Grail you have been seeking these last many years... the win of a BB Team...

Can we please have an end to the damned stunt-cast BB teams?

Thanks, 

-- Netfoot

Edited February 22, 2018 by Netfoot

[ProfCrash]

1 minute ago, Rinaldo said:

I'd love to read a full description of the task sometime. My impression was that the various plane parts each contained 2 stickers, but in varied and conflicting pairings. You need to end up with all 12 stickers on the 6 parts you choose... but the problem is that each part selected rules out certain other parts (so as not to duplicate), and it keeps going in a chain of exclusions, and your first choice might not have been correct anyway, so how far do you go back down the chain to try again after you're declared wrong? It's a hard type of puzzle, because you have to start with a random assumption ("IF this one is right...") and then keep track of how to start again if you were wrong. I'm not surprised everyone, even Henry, labored over this.

There was at least one part that only had baseball bats on it, so some of them had one sticker. There had to be ones with only one sticker because there is an odd number of legs and 6 pieces that needed to go into the plane. Something had to have only one symbol on it.

[Vixenstud]

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!  Dammit Henry man, you could have won the game!  OMG when I saw how he had all the parts correct then he second guessed himself, leaving him now incorrect with four parts, I screamed.

I so wanted TeamYale to win just for a hearty ‘nyah-nyah’ to the remaining teams who for some reason were always dicks to them.  Yes, Evan was bitchy sometimes to Henry but together they were nice and I don’t see why Teams Indy, BB and Extreme would give them the cold shoulder.

SO happy that TeamExtreme were knocked on their asses finally…..they’ve been too cocky throughout the season and I was hoping they’d lose.

Glad TeamIndy lost too, couldn’t stand the shorter dude.

The thought that Cody and Jess had won did fly through my head when I saw the engagement ring he gave her when he proposed.  From what I remember, Cody didn’t have much money when he got on BB and he applied so that he could take care of his daughter….well, guess you can now!  Congrats!!

[survivinmt]

Dangit I love this show. CBS better not cancel it!

[seacliffsal]

Regarding the final task, Henry said several times that they should study the stickers while they were collecting the plan parts and Evan shot that down.  People process information differently and just because she didn't think it was worthwhile does not mean she should have shot down that idea so quickly.  It may have been the way that Henry needed to process those puzzle clues/pieces and might have made the difference for him.  I get that-it's like "okay, we have Finland and Morocco, oh, this one has Finland and Hong Kong..." it starts the processing while completing the task.  Although Evan is super smart she may not realize that not everyone (including "Hen") really have other systems for inputting information into memory.  While they were kayaking, Henry could have been processing several factors in his head while she kept yelling at him to answer her.  I understand that as well-sometimes I just need a moment to think without interacting with others.  I'm not saying that Henry processes information in the same manner that I do, I do know how we all process information differently.

Also, I think Henry did the right thing in helping Indy on the sign challenge because had Indy made it to the finale, I believe Indy would have been weaker competition than Team Extreme.  I get the feeling that Evan believes she is smarter than Henry, but Henry is also super smart and gave them the advantage in Hong Kong with his ability to speak and understand Mandarin.

I agree with others that the sign challenge was poorly designed.  Throughout the years of the Amazing Race, they have tended to use the race colors as indicators.  To use a green/white sign just doesn't seem right to me.

I would have been happy with any of the final three teams winning, but I have to admit that having Cody and Jessica win probably means that Paul (from BB) is livid, and that just makes my day...

Edited February 22, 2018 by seacliffsal

[amazingracefan]

26 minutes ago, BarneySays said:

I would imagine TAR is far more expensive to produce than survivor.  Hell, it appears on that show they have simply put up a set in a tropical setting and film there each season.  The logistics of TAR must be as challenging as that last puzzle. Trying to avoid huge gaps, without eliminating the excitement of the race with constant bunching must be quite a challenge- along with possible airline schedules.  Survivor probably costs $20 plus Jeff's rider to put on. 

Well Big Brother was my comparison and I guess that is even cheaper.  But The Amazing Race can use sponsorship from travel companies, airlines, tourism in general.

[Charlesman]

1 hour ago, Corgi-ears said:

We interrupt this discussion about the top three to suggest that Indycar Conor is stealthily one of the most useless racers ever.

 

Oh yeah, he was pretty much along for the ride. Couchsurfer to the end.

[chaifan]

29 minutes ago, BarneySays said:

Yes, there is.  One would start with one piece (eg, the propeller) and then eliminate any pieces that contained the image(s) on the propeller from contention and then select another piece and do the same.  Once you had no viable pieces (before  completion) you would know you made the wrong choice.  Then go back to the last spot where you had to make a random choice and try that one.  Then go back further one step, etc.  You can do this by simply moving them around on the ground and then assembling when you have the right combination.  There were only 64 possible random combinations.  This number would be cut down by the exclusions of duplicates.  I was surprised it took them so much time, he says from the comfort of his couch.  I imagine adrenaline, jet lag, and anxiety probably played a significant role in their thought processes. 

ETA:

I would imagine TAR is far more expensive to produce than survivor.  Hell, it appears on that show they have simply put up a set in a tropical setting and film there each season.  The logistics of TAR must be as challenging as that last puzzle. Trying to avoid huge gaps, without eliminating the excitement of the race with constant bunching must be quite a challenge- along with possible airline schedules.  Survivor probably costs $20 plus Jeff's rider to put on. 

But each team had 2 propellers.  So if you start with the wrong one, then every combination after that is wrong.  I wonder if there was one piece with no duplicates?  If so, then that would be your starting piece.  But if there were two of each piece, that would make it much harder.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

1 hour ago, Charlesman said:

After sleeping on it, I've come to agree that the sign task was completely impossible and the show really screwed it up and should have fixed it before it happened.

 

The Bull and the Fez were at least in TAR-colors. The arch was not. That put every sign in that area in play. Plus, the Bull and the Fez at least looked like they could have been hastily slapped into place for the task. "Spot the things we added to this street scene". They stood out for not really fitting in with anything... they weren't advertising anything, pointing to anything, didn't have any information on them, so, superfluous. The arch had the happy hour times listed on it... it could have really been a sign for that bar. So it's just as in play as the bread sign, the compass, and every other sign on that street. 

 

Plus, at this stage of the game, asking a team to notice and remember the difference between the World Famous Landmark Arc d' Triumphe, from France, where they spent one full leg and parts of two others, over the nowhere near-as-famous arch in Washington Square Park, where they spent all of ten minutes, is a tough ask. 

 

Further proof is only one team actually "got it", and mostly by luck. Two more didn't and solved it by brute force. 

 

Really, show, that task was poorly designed.

I agree it was tough, making the last sign red and yellow makes the most sense.  And they were never in Paris when they were in France and actually were standing under the arch to start the leg so I don't mind that curveball.

[missyb]

I loved Cody's reaction when they hit the mat, not understanding, this was it, no more legs , you won. 
And, I liked that they did not dominate but were among extremely competitive teams.  
I liked that they seemed to get a long well with some teams and were not universally hated. 
I liked that Jessica persevered with running, wearing scorpions, Cody's stubbornness, doing her own tasks, never fighting. 
I liked that is was not an easy race and they did not come in first every leg. They had to keep fighting because they were not the best. 
Good Race. Happy with them winning. Would have been satisfied with any of the F3 winning.
 

[Suzysite]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Maybe, Cody will do a trifecta and go on Survivor. I hope not but I could see him doing it.

I heard - and I can't verify this - that Cody originally auditioned for Survivor, and not Big Brother.   But since they both use the same casting people, they thought he'd be better on BB, or maybe just such a fish-out-of-water that it would be entertaining.    I choose to believe it, just because.

 

Yep, just found proof.  Cody and Jess put their casting videos on YT.  Hers says BB, and his says Survivor. 

Here

Edited February 22, 2018 by Suzysite

[BarneySays]

17 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

Well Big Brother was my comparison and I guess that is even cheaper.  But The Amazing Race can use sponsorship from travel companies, airlines, tourism in general.

Ah, my bad.  Yes, that show is even cheaper to produce- as cheap and tawdry as the contestants they attract.  It's the one show on TV that seems real low life reality whores.  Even the bachelor type shows seem better.  I admit I don't watch any of them, but have seen random bits and pieces over the years.  As for sponsorships, I assume BB has them.  I know survivor does- movies, frito lay and other food companies, and occasionally a fast food chain like TGIF.  They all try to squeeze some extra revenue out of the programming, I believe.  

But each team had 2 propellers.  So if you start with the wrong one, then every combination after that is wrong.  I wonder if there was one piece with no duplicates?  If so, then that would be your starting piece.  But if there were two of each piece, that would make it much harder.

Yes, of course, you may pick the wrong piece to start with and then you're screwed for that attempt.  I did not mean to imply there was a way to get the correct result without trial and error, but that there is a logical way to approach the trial and error.  If one piece had no duplicates that one piece would be correct.  But you'd still have to go through the trial and error for the remaining five pieces.  Unless I'm missing something. 

There was at least one part that only had baseball bats on it, so some of them had one sticker. There had to be ones with only one sticker because there is an odd number of legs and 6 pieces that needed to go into the plane.

There were 12 legs this season.  If one piece only had one sticker, that means that at least one other piece would have three.  That adds an interesting twist.

Edited February 22, 2018 by BarneySays

[Suzysite]

47 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Dear CBS,

Now that you have achieved the Holy Grail you have been seeking these last many years... the win of a BB Team...

Can we please have an end to the damned stunt-cast BB teams?

Thanks, 

-- Netfoot

I have to disagree here.  I love the crossover/stunt casting.  Makes me tune in to see them in another environment.

[survivinmt]

I did NOT want Henry and Evan to win. Mostly her, but he's pretty much of a doormat. I even felt that Jessica was more deserving of the win because they all had to put up with Evan's obnoxious nag/cheering while trying to concentrate. I would have preferred to see the skiers win but wasn't too upset about Cody and Jessica.

I like the idea of the split task at the cookie factory. I don't think they need to do this every leg but once in awhile would be great. I would rather see that than more of either the head-to-head or the partner swapping.

I really want to see someone I know go on this show so that I really have a team to root for. Alas - it will never be me because I am a couch potato first and foremost and get hangry and travel frustrated. Also can't run, have no balance, really am not a fan of heights, scorpions, eating anything gross, or climbing. :)

[gunderda]

31 minutes ago, Suzysite said:

I have to disagree here.  I love the crossover/stunt casting.  Makes me tune in to see them in another environment.

Me too - i never would have watched this season if it they weren't on it. I wanted to see how their relationship would fare and also how Cody would do in a different environment. 

[Seelouis]

1 hour ago, CaioF said:

Didnt watched the episode because of the spoiler I got but watching your comments on what seems that Henry had the final task done but doubt himself, well, if that was the case/he wasnt confident enough or even worried to check with his partner, I dont think is totally his fault since we saw the dinamic between them.

He wasn't allowed to check with her.  It was like a roadblock.  The other team member couldn't help in any way.  Henry had the task done correctly, as we were shown by the amazing editors' screen graphic.  But, he didn't ask for a check from the judge for some reason.  He switched a piece and then asked for the check. 

[HurricaneVal]

I...have an interesting theory.  I think Henry threw the final comp.  I think he knew if he and Evan won, they'd be stuck together for a long time.  I think he was done with her, and looking for a way out.  Being in a relationship with her has got to be exhausting.  I saw little humor or lightheadedness between them.  I think Henry realized that now that they're done with school, and debate club is over, he's free to make his own choices--but only if he's free to make his own choices.  If they lose, they still get some money for second place, and Evan is the bad guy in the breakup because she can't stand to lose.  Win-win for the Hen-man!

I don't believe it was a long-reasoned or entirely conscious decision on his part, I think it came straight from his id.  He seemed really "off" and inwardly focused during the last leg.  A lot of that could be pegged on exhaustion, but my theory is that he w as doing some hard thinking and evaluation of his future.

 

Like I said, only a theory.

[snarts]

Quote

Their poochy-lip faces when they saw Yale had made it to the final three was just so typically obnoxious, I had to turn them off.

To me, they seemed sad to realize either Team Extreme or Team Indy was going to be eliminated. I was struck by their (especially Jess) concern for Jen & Kristi, they appeared to be worried about them, in the middle of the race. Based on the social media, it appears those three teams are good friends and have hung out together since the race ended.  While they definitely didn't love Team Yale, I thought their pouts had more to do with the other teams and wanting to race the final leg with them than about Team Yale.

[ByaNose]

7 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

He wasn't allowed to check with her.  It was like a roadblock.  The other team member couldn't help in any way.  Henry had the task done correctly, as we were shown by the amazing editors' screen graphic.  But, he didn't ask for a check from the judge for some reason.  He switched a piece and then asked for the check. 

Yeah, you wonder with the edit if he had asked before and after that shot?! Of course, the editors showed it was right for a brief second and then he quickly changed the tail. I wonder in real time all of that was. We'll probably never know but it appears edit wise he had it right before Jessica did. It might have been 1 second or 1 minute but enough to make a run for finish line.

[norahs99]

I only have one thing to say about the winners --- BOOOOOOOOO!

[Jinxie]

2 hours ago, BarneySays said:

I don't think that is the correct rule.  It has been that each team member had to complete an equal number of road blocks entering the final leg.  Someone may think it was "no more than 6" because there are usually 11 roadblocks on the race.  They instituted the "must split the road blocks" rule to avoid precisely what we witnessed this season- couples teams where the man does most the work and the woman gets carried along (to the win in the case of the insufferable flo and now the execrable jessica).  The only other time the even split rule was not enforced was when the sanctimonious father-son team were allowed to go 8-5 to try to ensure, like in the present season, that a preferred team would make it to the final. 

There are no official rules published online. However, most of the fan sites have something like this that is on www.tarflies.com:  "In the first five seasons, there were no restrictions on how many or how few Roadblocks each member of a team may do. However, in TAR6, the producers added a new rule stating that each member may do a maximum of six Roadblocks. This means that if they last the whole race, each team member will have done approximately half of the Roadblocks."

Also, it is on many forums that there was an unaired roadblock in Bahrain.  That would make the count Cody 6, Jessica 5.  About as even as you could get.

I'm not sure why there is so much fixation on the roadblocks Jessica did.  There are a number of tasks/legs that Cody could not have made it through alone.  She seems to be a very complementary partner for him.

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, gunderda said:

Me too - i never would have watched this season if it they weren't on it. I wanted to see how their relationship would fare and also how Cody would do in a different environment. 

The first time I became aware of the show was when Rachel and Brendon were first on.  Since then I've felt this is a better show than BB, but I had to become aware of it first.  This season might bring more people to it, but they should put it on at a good time and keep to it, instead of changing it around or having breaks for some event.

[BarneySays]

16 minutes ago, Jinxie said:

here are no official rules published online. However, most of the fan sites have something like this that is on www.tarflies.com:  "In the first five seasons, there were no restrictions on how many or how few Roadblocks each member of a team may do. However, in TAR6, the producers added a new rule stating that each member may do a maximum of six Roadblocks. This means that if they last the whole race, each team member will have done approximately half of the Roadblocks."

Also, it is on many forums that there was an unaired roadblock in Bahrain. 

Again, I don't think that is correct.  We have had a number of seasons where the person completing the roadblock was dictated in the clue to ensure an evening out of roadblocks between team members.  That controverts the notion that the rule is a fixed 6 roadblocks.  If you are referring to the Newlywed game task, that couldn't be a roadblock by definition because both members actively participated (based upon the reports).  A roadblock is a task which one only team member may complete...  It's also interesting that production chose to include a "who knows their team member better" task (a first, I believe) on the season when they're stunt casting dating team appears. 

Edited February 22, 2018 by BarneySays

[ichbin]

1 hour ago, missyb said:

I loved Cody's reaction when they hit the mat, not understanding, this was it, no more legs , you won. 

Me too.  He looked so bewildered/disoriented.  It didn't appear to register at first even when Phil told them they won.  I figured part of that had to do with the fact were so close to the mat when the task was completed.  I can't remember if there has ever been another time there hasn't been some kind of travel involved to another location after a task.  Plus, I remember reading they finished in the middle of the night, something like 2 or 3 a.m., in addition to a full slate of activities after a long flight from Asia.  Throw in nerves and anxiety.  I think I'd be acting like a blithering idiot at that point.  

 

11 minutes ago, Jinxie said:

I'm not sure why there is so much fixation on the roadblocks Jessica did.  There are a number of tasks/legs that Cody could not have made it through alone.  She seems to be a very complementary partner for him.

I also thought they were one of the more well functioning teams.  

[Ziggy]

15 hours ago, ByaNose said:

It’s only been 4 minutes and I’m still not over it. The only team I didn’t want to win.....won!!!

I actually stared at my tv in shock.  Jessica absolutely did not deserve to win.  She's been nothing but a whiny baby the last couple of legs.  The fact that she got that challenge was pure luck.  She didn't have a clue as to what she was doing.  I cannot believe it!  They were the one team that did not deserve to win!

[ichbin]

16 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

1 hour ago, gunderda said:

Me too - i never would have watched this season if it they weren't on it. I wanted to see how their relationship would fare and also how Cody would do in a different environment. 

The first time I became aware of the show was when Rachel and Brendon were first on.  Since then I've felt this is a better show than BB, but I had to become aware of it first.  This season might bring more people to it, but they should put it on at a good time and keep to it, instead of changing it around or having breaks for some event.

This is the reason I am ultimately okay with the stunt casting.  If it brings more eyes to the show which will keep it on the air it is worth it.  I would hate to see it canceled due to declining ratings.  

[illdoc]

You know, from what I'm reading of the comments, those who like that C&J won are people who watched BB and apparently liked them on it better than some guy (Paul?) and feel that this win is some sort of vindication for them due to (allegedly) bad treatment by this Paul. Those who hate that C&J won are people who didn't watch them on BB and only base their opinions on their performance (or in the case of the whiny brat/b***h Jessica lack thereof) in the Amazing Race.  Are there people here who watched BB and are upset that C&J won? Are there people who didn't watch BB and are glad that C&J won?

[Rinaldo]

2 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

Also, I think Henry did the right thing in helping Indy on the sign challenge because had Indy made it to the finale, I believe Indy would have been weaker competition than Team Extreme. 

I agree with that. I also think that Henry may have figured "We're safely ahead of them, why not build a little goodwill and give them a hint?" It's always a balancing act how collegial to be to other teams vs. awareness that we're in competition and if I want to win, they must lose. But this little bit of guidance seemed harmless enough.

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

I...have an interesting theory.  I think Henry threw the final comp.  ... Like I said, only a theory.

It's a theory, all right. It's the sort of idea that generally seems to get suggested in this sort of situation. But I don't find it believable at all. I can't find it credible that he (or anyone) would cheat himself out of $500,000 out of spite. And to be true, it would need Henry to suddenly have total mastery of the combinatorial intricacy of all the pieces and symbols, to an extent that he clearly didn't. Unless one believes that he instantly grasped the right solution and then pretended to be stumped for an hour or two. I just can't buy it.

[amazingracefan]

5 minutes ago, illdoc said:

You know, from what I'm reading of the comments, those who like that C&J won are people who watched BB and apparently liked them on it better than some guy (Paul?) and feel that this win is some sort of vindication for them due to (allegedly) bad treatment by this Paul. Those who hate that C&J won are people who didn't watch them on BB and only base their opinions on their performance (or in the case of the whiny brat/b***h Jessica lack thereof) in the Amazing Race.  Are there people here who watched BB and are upset that C&J won? Are there people who didn't watch BB and are glad that C&J won?

But some people who didn't watch any of BB (I watched some but not all because it can get too annoying) will also just hate them as they are cross cast or stunt cast as people say.  I thought the top 2 teams were at least involved in some of the storyline and so weren't boring.

[Ziggy]

8 hours ago, Xcptnl said:

I am sorry but I would put up with Evan better than pouty Jessica about Yale making the top 3.  In fact I was not happy with how all of the other teams behaved. No one is there to make friends.

It seemed like they all hated Yale because Yale didn't want to share information.  What part of "this is a race!" were those teams not understanding.  I'm with Evan on that one.  She's not an idiot!  Why should she help you?

[AlleC17]

10 hours ago, Diana Berry said:

I thought they may have won when pictures of Jessica's engagement ring were shown this week.  It is stunning.  Congrats to them.  I figure Paul is weeping. 

I kind of hope Paul's head exploded, actually, but weeping is good too.  ;-p  That was the only way I can be okay with Cody/Jess winning though.  While they didn't squabble with each other like so many other couples and were very competent (especially Cody), there is just something about them that I don't care for.  This is probably colored by some of the crap they did on BB (from the live feeds, not the show so much).  Plus they were so invested in icing out Henry and Evan.  It probably is more fun if the final 3 were 'friends', but why should it matter?  I don't think Cody really cared too much, but Jess brought in some drama that I would much rather have been without.  They weren't horrible by any mean,s but they were not my favorites either, so meh.  lol

[escatefromny]

14 hours ago, BarneySays said:

I don't think she actually did this.  She "crowed' about their intelligence and resourcefulness, but I would guarantee she doesn't attribute those to yale.  It's the other way around- their talents are what got them into yale; yale didn't bestow those qualities on them.

You’re right, Evan’s crowing was more about her/their intelligence, etc. and I’d guess you are spot on regarding her thinking.  Still believe they’ll be just fine without the $1M.  Because it can’t be said enough, #FreeHenry.

[gunderda]

51 minutes ago, ichbin said:

This is the reason I am ultimately okay with the stunt casting.  If it brings more eyes to the show which will keep it on the air it is worth it.  I would hate to see it canceled due to declining ratings.  

And honestly I don't see how it's much different than most of the entire cast.  Lately they're always bringing on people who are known.  Basketball players... olympics athletes.... professional food eaters.... race car drivers....  all of them probably have had fans...there are not a whole lot of teams that are just regular people anymore.

[chitowngirl]

Since he is brought up repeatedly, I’m guessing Paul was on Big Brother with Cody and Jessica. What did he do? Skin puppies and make a coat with them?.