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

[kris4n6]

I just finished watching a few minutes ago, so overall right now I'm more upset that Henry and Evan lost than I am that Jessica and Cody won.  I didn't mind Jessica and Cody much, though I never fully rooted for them.  They were fine, although the last episodes when they wanted Henry and Evan to go home I started rooting against them a little.  I really really liked Henry and Evan though, from the first episode on, and I am SO BUMMED that he didn't ask for a check when he had it right.  I wish they hadn't even showed that, it's making their loss hard to swallow.  UGH.  I did like Kristi and Jen fine, and if they had won I probably would feel the same way.  All three teams ran a great race, but that decision not to get a check, dammit Henry!

Hopefully this won't be the last season of TAR!

[Uwbadgmad]

1 hour ago, sashayshante said:

This. I hope he's forced to hand over a large percentage of his money to his ex for the way he's completely blown-off his daughter to play house with Jessica. I just read an interview with J & C that they gave after the finale and it was all talk of babies they were going to have and not one mention of his daughter. That should tell you where his daughter falls on his list of priorities.

Seeing how mean spirited and spiteful Jessica was towards Brittany on social media only made me wonder how Jessica was going to act when Cody spent any substantive amount of time with his daughter.  While I thought Brittany was a bit...much with all her engagement talk, I cringed seeing all the nastiness directed at her after Jessica started complaining about her on Twitter. Jessica's fans started body-shaming Brittany and calling her desperate. It got really nasty. Jessica seems very threatened by other women, We saw how she got on BB when Cody kept talking about Alex, another female contestant. Jessica got really mean then, too, making racist comments about Alex, an Asian woman. I don't think Jess is above being bitchy to a child.

Jess and Cody have been with his daughter a lot and both families seem to be really happy for them.

i really enjoyed this season of“Amazing Race” and thought a lot of the challenges were really interesting! There was so much less fighting between couples that made it so much more enjoyable to watch.

[FlyingEgret]

The last two legs were amazing and I am so impressed that no one hesitated on jumping into the abyss (at least that they showed...)

[Never Again]

19 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

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.

I didn't have a chance to read all responses yet so it may have been answered...but looking at their Instas from as recently as a day or two ago, Henry and Evan are very much still together 

[ByaNose]

I do wonder if the tasks had been switched what the results have been? Like, what if Jessica had to do the bridge repel and jumping into the abyss? What if Henry had done it? What if Cody and Evan had to put the planes together? So many questions which we'll never have the answers to. I think Jen & Christy are sort of interchangeable in my book so I'm not sure if the results would have been any better/worse.

[ProfCrash]

7 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I do wonder if the tasks had been switched what the results have been? Like, what if Jessica had to do the bridge repel and jumping into the abyss? What if Henry had done it? What if Cody and Evan had to put the planes together? So many questions which we'll never have the answers to. I think Jen & Christy are sort of interchangeable in my book so I'm not sure if the results would have been any better/worse.

 I am not a fan of heights, it is more that I fear falling and dying, and I did not have a problem doing a zip line course in Costa Rica. We choose a place that was reputable, had a few redundant safety systems and I figured that their business would be in trouble if I died so I wasn't too worried. My hands were sweaty and I had a bit of an adrenaline rush but it was fun. As much as heights make me nervous, I would be able to jump into the abyss without too much fuss, they don't want me to die while filming their show. I can only think of one real heights based freak out, on the water slide at Atlantis, over the course of the show. Most people might talk about being nervous but they complete the task with minimal fuss. So I am not surprised that no one freaked out.

Jessica did the first repel out to get the flag and be pulled back task and the ladder climb on the high rising crane. I think she would have been fine with the climb and the jump into the abyss. She has good upper body strength. She would not have been as fast as Cody but she would not have been that far behind. Cody nailed the Icelandic spelling task pretty quickly. I suspect he would have been fine with the plane. Honestly, I think he would have completed it more quickly because he moves into cyborg mode and tends only to get miffed when there are breaks in the task (see the singing task). I think he is more detail orientated and would have nailed the task.

I think the Skiers would have been in more trouble had they switched. The one who completed it was the more level headed of the two and far less likely to throw a fit when frustrated. Her partner lost it when trying to break TV sets with a bat and broke down at the signing. The first few failed plane attempts would have crushed her.

I don't think swapping Henry and Evan on the tasks would have changed much either. Henry might have finished the repel faster but I am not sure he would have finished that much more quickly. Evan might have taken a different approach to the final task but I am not sure it would have been all that different. Henry is pretty smart and methodical.

[sashayshante]

1 hour ago, Uwbadgmad said:

Jess and Cody have been with his daughter a lot and both families seem to be really happy for them.

 

 

I don't consider twice in 8 months a lot but YMMV I guess. I don't know if you have kids, but children require a little bit more attention than a few hours for a couple of days a few times a year.

[ProfCrash]

1 minute ago, sashayshante said:

I don't consider twice in 8 months a lot but YMMV I guess. I don't know if you have kids, but children require a little bit more attention than a few hours for a couple of days a few times a year.

I work with many folks who are divorced and whose kids live far enough away that they only see them a few times a year. Are they awful people? Do they not love their kids?

Hell, I work with people who are living far away from their family because they make more money here and they feel that it is better to be able to provide a certain quality of life from a distance then not have a job or have a job that pays half what they make if they stayed with their family. Are they awful people? They only see their kids a few times a year when they are able to go home or the kids come to visit.

Perhaps we should allow Cody and his daughters Mother figure out how often he should see/talk to his daughter and what is acceptable and not try and dissect it on the board.

[Nidratime]

Quote

Yup, the latter for me.  I stopped watching BB a few years ago and had no idea who C&J were, but I liked them immediately because they were good, polite racers, they didn't bicker, and they really seemed to care about each other.  Plus, I revolt against anti-"stuntcaster" folks.  This season, almost all the teams were "stuntcast."  How is being two well-known pro basketball players any different than being two people who were on Big Brother? 

Well, being pro basketball players takes practice, hard work, and talent over many years.  Plus, it's an actual profession.

[sashayshante]

5 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

Perhaps we should allow Cody and his daughters Mother figure out how often he should see/talk to his daughter and what is acceptable and not try and dissect it on the board.

 

It's a discussion board where people leave opinions. If they don't want their personal lives scrutinized, then maybe they shouldn't broadcast their personal lives on TV and the internet.

[blackwing]

Although I would have hated to have seen them win, I have to wonder if Evan is even aware of the fact that she likely lost them the race.  Henry had made a suggestion to look at the pieces they had collected.  They are both smart people.  They would have been able to notice that there was duplicates of everything.  Then they perhaps could have discussed together what symbols related to each leg and what symbols were just flat out wrong.  When they got to Henry assembling the plane it would have been a lot quicker.  

Instead, we got Evan in her strict schoolteacher mode talking to her 6 year old student, "this is not the time for this".  She treated him poorly all throughout the race.  She constantly pooh-poohed his suggestions and criticised his actions.  It always had to be all about her and what she wanted.  

I'm assuming of course that there was no prohibition about talking about the pieces before the actual building.  I would think there wasn't, because at least two teams had small discussions about them. 

It must hurt even more that Henry actually had the solution and changed it.  I think the editors really disliked Evan.  I wonder if she is going to be nagging him about that for years.

[HawaiiTVGuy]

Listening to the exit interviews on "Rob has a podcast" makes me realize that my impressions of the Team Yale hate were accurate, they just didn't interact like everyone else thought they should.  I guess the other racers didn't view the process of finding locations actually a part of the "race".  Also, Jessica got all the THs of anti-Evan, but the vitriol from Cody about Evan was kind of crazy, I guess he doesn't like assertive women who have opinions and are willing to butt heads with their man.  And room all the reports about the social media war going on reinforces my negative feelings towards Team BB.

And as much as it may have helped for them to stop and look at the symbols before getting back to the plane, the problem was they were so far behind at that point, you can't blame Evan or anyone else in that position to feel the most important thing would be to get all the pieces first.  Raise your hand if you ever felt solving a puzzle was faster without all the pieces first?

[Nidratime]

Quote

Reality tv casting has never been about jobs or accomplishments, it's about entertainment value.  They're going to cast people who others are likely to want to watch, period.  It could be just because they're gorgeous, funny, explosive, controversial, gay, annoying, have some unique history, have goats, have missing limbs, whatever.  

I'm well aware why people are cast. In an earlier post, I mentioned that this is a cross-promotional, tie-in for CBS just as it was when they cast people from Survivor. What I was voicing my opinion about was why I didn't like it and, in fact, I didn't think their casting even fit their so-called theme, which was people of some, notable accomplishment. Cody and Jessica accomplished getting on television, twice. So, I guess that makes them "accomplished" but beyond that....

Edited February 23, 2018 by Nidratime

[Special K]

In a post-show interview, (EW, I think) Cody said their "accomplishment" was their relationship, how well they know each other.  <<eye roll>>

ETA:  By that logic, OceanSpray's accomplishment must be enduring the horror of not being engaged/married.

Edited February 23, 2018 by Special K

[Nidratime]

Quote

Ah, sorry.  Was the season's theme about accomplishments?  I didn't see the BB team any less accomplished than the firemen twins, ring models, lifeguards or goat yoga.  

That's what I understood and the Big Brother team's accomplishment was being on Big Brother.

[Shades of Scarlet]

2 hours ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Ah, sorry.  Was the season's theme about accomplishments?  I didn't see the BB team any less accomplished than the firemen twins, ring models, lifeguards or goat yoga.  

I thought it was "most competitive racers ever."  

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

I just read an interview with J & C that they gave after the finale and it was all talk of babies they were going to have and not one mention of his daughter.

In the actual episode (on the mat, after winning) Cody said something about using the money to build a family of their own. That rubbed me the wrong way like whoa. 

[watch2much]

I wanted Henry to win.  Like many of you, I cringe thinking Evan will never let him forget his not asking for a check.  However, I liked that any of the three teams could have won...no one team had sailed ahead.

I was unfortunate that during the challenge that team Indy couldn't figure out that they yelled at the people trying to help them--saying they were a bunch of drunks.  I heard someone tell them that two teams must have seen something there because they opened the cases right in front of them.  

Can't believe Kristi couldn't wail the heck out of that stuff----what a chance for stress relief!

Edited February 23, 2018 by watch2much

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, watch2much said:

was unfortunate that during the challenge that team Indy couldn't figure out that they yelled at the people trying to help them--saying they were a bunch of drunks.  I heard someone tell them that two teams must have seen something there because they opened the cases right in front of them.  

They weren't particularly nice to the people but they told them first that they knew the sign was important but the people just kept repeating it was important but wouldn't know how. Their problem was they thought it was the Arc de Triumph even though they didnt go there so thought it was a French leg and not the Washington Park Arch from the first leg.

[Chick2Chic]

7 hours ago, Rbonnie said:

Henry and Evan are very much still together 

I figured that would be the case. I think all the worrying over Henry is unnecessary. He seems just fine, which is exactly what I expected. 

 

1 hour ago, hendersonrocks said:

In the actual episode (on the mat, after winning) Cody said something about using the money to build a family of their own. That rubbed me the wrong way like whoa. 

Ew, that's gross. I missed that line. And IMO if Cody owes child support then he should definitely be using some of his split of the prize money to help out his daughter first. 

I enjoyed the season overall, and there was no pair/racer that I actively detested like has happened in prior seasons - Hey Flo! - though I remain feeling very meh on who won. I didn't watch BB so I have no other opinion on Cody & Jessica, just what I saw on the race. I didn't care for Jessica's mean girl snottiness or Kristi's bad attitude at times or Connor's uselessness but I didn't actively dislike like them. It was a solid final three that had some suspense, which is sometimes the best you can hope for with this show.  

[sashayshante]

4 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

Cody said, "Now we have a foundation as far as money goes to set up a family for ourselves."  Does that suggest he doesn't pay child support, or otherwise doesn't consider his existing child part of his family now?  There's never been anything on either show to suggest either of those things, to me.  She moved to TX, not him to LA where she lived, which to me suggests they're both pretty committed to his kid.  He's always said she's his number one priority.  

1

Actually, it does suggest that he doesn't consider his daughter a part of their family.  They have a family for themselves if they want one - with the daughter he already has. Maybe he should focus on taking care of the kid he already has before he entertains the thought of having more children.

Quote

 

She moved to TX, not him to LA where she lived,

 

 

He moved to LA as soon as he got out of the BB house and he's been there since. They still live in LA. He admitted on one of the Insta stories that he has bad credit and probably won't be able to buy a house. If they do buy one, they'll probably have to sink a few hundred thousand and buy the house outright so they don't have a mortgage. 

[TVbitch]

Oh Henry!

I guess Evan was right. She snipped at him quite a bit for not communicating and speaking up, and even though it annoyed me cuz he seems so sweet, in the end it was him not speaking up that cost that them the race. He should have been yelling out for a check after each plane piece swap like the others were doing. They could have had it. 

I think Cody could have probably won without Jessica.  

[sashayshante]

1 hour ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

They revealed recently they’re moving to TX.  

But they haven't yet and likely won't for awhile since they're getting married in LA.  Your original point was that she moved to TX therefore that means he's super committed to his daughter.  She didn't. He moved to LA, so...........

[Whimsy]

There’s been some talk about Cody and his daughter. There’s been quite a bit of speculation based on things outside of the episode. Remember, this is th episode thread for the finale. It’s not an overall season thread. It’s not Cody’s family life thread. Its not the Free Henry thread. Please let’s get back on topic. 

[lilabennet]

I actually think that Henry's personal conception of his intelligence and his learning style hurt him in the final task.  He's probably the type that likes to focus on a task, solve a problem logically, and have the answer right on the first try for everything.  He's not the type to change something, check, change something, check, which turned out to be a better strategy.  His own ego cost him the win.

[millennium]

An insulting end to an insulting season.   I switched off the instant Jessica completed the plane.    I will never understand why fate seems to favor people like her.   The final task came down to pure chance, but of course the woman who had singlehandedly redefined useless won.

This show has a way of rewarding people you can't stand.   I don't know why I watch, and said as much when I ended the episode.

8 hours ago, Nidratime said:

I'm well aware why people are cast. In an earlier post, I mentioned that this is a cross-promotional, tie-in for CBS just as it was when they cast people from Survivor. What I was voicing my opinion about was why I didn't like it and, in fact, I didn't think their casting even fit their so-called theme, which was people of some, notable accomplishment. Cody and Jessica accomplished getting on television, twice. So, I guess that makes them "accomplished" but beyond that....

 

I fail to see the logic in the cross-promotional strategy.   If unappealing Cody and Jessica are representative of what one can expect on Big Brother (I have never watched a single episode), why on earth would anyone waste their time checking out that show?   It actually seems counterproductive.

Edited February 24, 2018 by millennium

[Lantern7]

54 minutes ago, millennium said:

This show has a way of rewarding people you can't stand.   I don't know why I watch, and said as much when I ended the episode.

I fail to see the logic in the cross-promotional strategy.   If unappealing Cody and Jessica are representative of what one can expect on Big Brother (I have never watched a single episode), why on earth would anyone waste their time checking out that show?   It actually seems counterproductive.

 

I would bet we have more appealing winning teams than assholes. At least Cody & Jessica liked each other. Eric & Danielle weren't even a couple, and they didn't belong in TAR11, let along winning it.

As for the latter? I think it's more about bringing Big Brother fans to TAR, as opposed to vice versa. And yeah, it is annoying as hell, isn't it?

Edited February 24, 2018 by Lantern7

[Dobian]

OMG Henry, you're going to be kicking yourself for the rest of your life.

Being an S.F. native and my office just walking distance from ATT, it was fun watching this leg.  Cell phones kind of ruined the Willie Mays challenge though.  They should put a rule in on challenges like that where you can't get the answer from the internet.  I had to laugh when the one guy who helped was wearing a DODGERS cap!  The leg was actually very simple and straightforward if you know S.F., there was zero chance of a team losing because they got lost.

Kind of interesting that the final two legs of this race were done entirely at night.

I don't really like a lot of these final legs because they are very linear with no detours, though at least in this one the teams hit the final challenge pretty even and all three had a shot to win.

Not thrilled with Big Brother winning.  I am being a little biased because I'm really tired of CBS putting people from other reality shows on this one.  Do they really think it's going to improve ratings?  I will say that Cody was pretty impressive throughout the race with how he handled the tasks.

Really not thrilled with the whole cramming of two episodes together each week so they could quickly get to the next season of Survivor, and starting at 9 pm on top of it so they could lead in with stupid Celebrity Big Brother.  I'm trying to watch the Olympics, I don't need two hour episodes of TAR every week.  Ended up recording it watching each hour separately.

[Falafel]

I couldn't watch live -- just watched the finale now. I hate that Big Brother won. I just don't get the sense that Cody and Jessica are nice people, and I don't see them as particularly appealing heroes for a large cash reward.

I thought Jen was going to be able to win the final task, but it seems like the real trick was understanding what each symbol meant. It seems simple enough to just make sure each leg is represented once -- unless you don't know what the symbols are referring to. I really wanted her to get it and I was bummed Kristi & Jen didn't win.

On that note, I think the final task should've been a partner task. The race basically came down to one racer's puzzle skills (or guessing skills) and it would've been nice if the final task required them to work together.

Oh well, the team I was rooting for didn't win. The thing about the Amazing Race is that usually that's the case. That's why it's "reality" TV and not a scripted Hollywood movie, I guess.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Falafel

[Ducky]

On 2/22/2018 at 2:06 PM, Special K said:

For those of you unhappy about who won, remember who won last season?  (Brooke)  There, don't you feel better now?

No. I'm equally not thrilled that either team won.  Out of the 4 people, Scott is the only one (IMHO) who deserves the win.

[mertensia]

11 hours ago, millennium said:

 

I fail to see the logic in the cross-promotional strategy.   If unappealing Cody and Jessica are representative of what one can expect on Big Brother (I have never watched a single episode), why on earth would anyone waste their time checking out that show?   It actually seems counterproductive.

Because Cody and Jessica also have a fan base from Big Brother.  Not every viewer detested them, even those that watched or read about the live access, and they probably had people who saw them for the first time here and have decided to check out Big Brother because of them.

[Mumbles]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:26 AM, Rbonnie said:

 Henry and Evan are very much still together 

 I wonder how long that’s going to last now that his family and friends have seen what a monster she is and how she treats him. 

Quote

 I have to wonder if Evan is even aware of the fact that she likely lost them the race.  

My guess is no. Self-awareness does not seem to be a core efficiency of hers, to employ some of their management-speak.

Quote

Really not thrilled with the whole cramming of two episodes together each week so they could quickly get to the next season of Survivor, and starting at 9 pm on top of it so they could lead in with stupid Celebrity Big Brother.  I'm trying to watch the Olympics, I don't need two hour episodes of TAR every week.  Ended up recording it watching each hour separately.

Yeah it was awful, especially given that the Olympics were on as you point out. And since kids like the show, they shouldn’t run episodes to 11pm.

Edited February 24, 2018 by Mumbles

[Jeanne222]

I am soooo happy Jess and Cody won.  I wonder if those two will get their own reality show.  They are an interesting couple.

[millennium]

4 hours ago, mertensia said:

Because Cody and Jessica also have a fan base from Big Brother.  Not every viewer detested them, even those that watched or read about the live access, and they probably had people who saw them for the first time here and have decided to check out Big Brother because of them.

Hard to imagine, given Jessica's unlikeability.   I don't have much to say about Cody.  I have read here that he has some unfortunate opinions about things but happily those were not on display in TAR.

[snarts]

What one person finds "unlikeable" another person loves.  Jessica seemed to make quite a few friends during the season so I have a hard time seeing her as some kind of shrew.  

1 hour ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I was impressed with Evan's reaction to breaking her front tooth.  It was pretty much a non-reaction.  A lot of young women probably would've freaked out a little.  I would not want a jagged, ugly tooth right in front especially on tv, or to see a European dentist in mid-race.  

Me too.  Actually quite surprised by it.  Then again, Evan has a matter of fact-ness about her.  She's almost emotionless at times.  

I really wish this season hadn't been condensed with all the double episodes.  It really was one of the more engaging casts and the travel porn was amazing as per usual.  Sad that the season is over and fingers crossed for the show to be renewed. 

Edited February 24, 2018 by snarts

[Netfoot]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I am soooo happy Jess and Cody won.  I wonder if those two will get their own reality show.  They are an interesting couple.

You forgot to add the <SARCASM> tags!

[Halting Hex]

I was a bit surprised/disappointed that nobody knew Willie Mays's home run total right off the bat, pardon the pun.  When I was younger, we knew all the top HR guys.

But of course the steroid era changed all of that.  Nowadays all I can be certain of would be Bonds (762, and IMO tainted), Hank Aaron (755), and Babe Ruth (714, as memorialized by Dragnet, among other things).  Would I be able to pull 660 out of the memory bank, on the fly? (Sorry, can't help myself.)  I honestly don't know.

And the best way to solve the puzzle was probably to lay them all on the deck and work through all the combinations, but those slots are probably sooo tempting…as if the issue was getting the pieces in the slot, rather than selecting the proper ones.  But we all have that little voice chirping in our ear (or, in Henry's case, yelling ;) ) "DO something!" and there's the tendency to mistake activity for achievement, as John Wooden once said.

[jette]

Am I wrong, but was Lou Seal (the Giants mascot) responsible for all the 6 and 0 marked baseballs that were in McCovey Cove? I might've been paddling towards the balls he was launching into the water!

[Browncoat]

I thought he was responsible for all the balls.

[jhlipton]

35 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

I thought he was responsible for all the balls.

That's what I thought too.

[green]

There were a bunch of balls already floating in the bay when the Racers arrived.  Then what was shown on camera was him throwing only 6 and 0 balls into the bay.  So yeah he seems to only have thrown the "right" balls into the bay and the wrong ones had been floating there all the time. 

Now there may have been some 6 and 0 balls among the pre-Racer arrival balls too.  I don;t know about that.  But he was definitely shown only throwing in ones marked 6 and 0 while the Racers were there.

Edited February 25, 2018 by green

[HawaiiTVGuy]

All I can say is if there is any team worthy of being on all-stars or redemption or whatever they call the returning teams version, it is Henry and Evan, if the Amazing Edit is to be believed, they would be the first team to have actually really first solved the final puzzle but then brain-farted and lost the race

[Fukui San]

If you had a Sharpie I wonder if it'd be permissible to write on the pieces.  Probably not, but if so you could write like the number of leg for each symbol and everything on one side so it's visible at a glance.

I remember back in TAR 6 someone made a Hay Bale clue finding simulator for the Roadblock from Hell that eliminated Lena and Kristy. I want someone to make a simulator for this airplane puzzle.

[Miles]

Well that was the worst possible outcome. I mean, I guess Yale would have been a close second when it comes to worst. I really would have liked to see Indie Car or Team Extreme win. And I was so sure Team Extreme would win, because of the edit they got. Good fakeout, amazing editors. I guess at least Cody showed some emotions at the finish line. Up to that point I thought that he might actually be a cyborg.

I giggled at Jessica's "we are going to be together for a long long time". I give them half a year. Maybe 1-2 years if they really really want to show that they can make it and just brave being completely miserable for a while.

Weirdly I didn't really have favorite teams or people this season. They all ranged from meh to good for me, but nobody was great. Last season, even though the teams were perfect strangers, I had quite a few I really really liked. Maybe it was because this season went by so fast with the double episodes? Or were the teams just kinda bland? Do you guys feel the same?

Seeing the all the teams asking people to google stuff for them, makes me wonder why we don't see that more often. Everybody around the world has smartphones nowadays. Often especially in places you wouldn't think at first, like rural africa, because that is the only access to the internet a lot of people there have. So why don't racers constantly ask for people to search stuff on their phones? Is it ignorance, do they not know that even these poor people have cheap android phones? Or are we just not shown these interactions? But then why show it in the episode in the US? Are the amazing editors trying to spin us a fiction of a simpler world outside the US without smartphones? I'm really curious.

The head room in the tourist picture in Hong Kong made my stomach turn. I mean, I know, it's about the skyline, but there has to be a better angle where you get most of it on there and the composition of the photo isn't total crap at the same time. Maybe actually have the people stand apart, framing the skyline. If they are partners they can hold hands and gaze longly at each other. Be a bit creative for gods sake.

I would have chosen the crab task in a second. Who could have guessed from the inital description, that the chinese restaurant would be on easymode, where you were told which dishes were wrong and you just had to switch out the wrong ones. We have seen this challange done way stricter in previous seasons.

Overall I liked both legs. There were plenty of opportunities to overtake teams and those opportunities were used and I always really like night legs in cities. I didn't quite like that the comination lock on the suit cases had only 3 numbers, so you could brute force it, but you have to hand it to Big Brother that they thought of trying it. Indie Car must have been there for quite a while afterwards with no clue what to do, for Phil to come out there.

 

On 22.2.2018 at 6:16 AM, Lantern7 said:

Well . . . better luck next season. Let us hope there's a next season.

This one had really good numbers, way better than the last ones. So there will be a next season. Let's just hope that they don't take the wrong lessons from this one. The good numbers had all to do with the better timeslot and nothing else.

 

On 22.2.2018 at 5:19 PM, mojoween said:

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.

He'd probably get to the final 3 though, since somebody would take him as a goat...

 

On 22.2.2018 at 5:21 PM, BarneySays said:

It has been that each team member had to complete an equal number of road blocks entering the final leg.

That hasn't been the case in a looooooooooong time. The 6/4 split is actually not that bad, considering for a time there, they didn't enforce/have that rule at all anymore, or an even worse split.

 

On 22.2.2018 at 10:06 PM, Special K said:

For those of you unhappy about who won, remember who won last season?  (Brooke)  There, don't you feel better now?

I mean yeah, she was horrible, but I loved Scott, so it kinda evened out. Plus Scott had no choice in the matter of who he would be racing with. So I try to just purge Brooke from my mind and pretend that Scoot raced alone, which in a way, he did, since Brooke was basically a Flo.

Edited February 25, 2018 by Miles

[Dobian]

On 2/23/2018 at 9:12 PM, Falafel said:

I couldn't watch live -- just watched the finale now. I hate that Big Brother won. I just don't get the sense that Cody and Jessica are nice people, and I don't see them as particularly appealing heroes for a large cash reward.

They just strike me as a couple of reality show grifters.  When I see someone bouncing from reality show to reality show the red flags start coming up, and I still don't understand why networks think people are so enamored with certain reality show participants that it will actually boost ratings.

[pfk505]

Fuckin' BOOOOOOOOO

It was pointed out above that these two were the first BB winners. I could have sworn Brenchel won one of their seasons. Were they on two seasons? It's all a blur at this point.

I was pulling for Henry and Evan. He's a bit too accommodating at times but I don't think he's a full on doormat. She's got a forceful personality and he doesn't - sometimes that just works. She clearly loves him as she won't stop kissing him half the time. I like them as a couple as she reminds me of my wife, who I would likely strangle if we were ever on the Race together.

Team BB was fine for the most part but there's something about Jessica that irritates me and I don't really know what it is. Both of them scream mactor, even though I know Cody isn't one per se. I don't care about their personal life and their BB history is really the only thing that sets them apart from being just another "dating couple" on the Race. They deserved their win in the end, and although at times I thought Jessica didn't pull her weight I have to give her credit for both the scorpion task and for persevering with the airplane in the final leg (which honestly could have gone to any one of the teams).

I enjoyed the season apart from the head to heads. Much better than the blind date / random partner bullshit of late.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Ugh, I have never watched a single episode of Big Brother, but I have loathed Cody and Jessica for this entire season. Jessica is a whiny baby who doesn't like touching slimy hermaphrodite camels, looking for frogs in mud, or just about anything that isn't Cody's face. Cody, on the other hand is the kind of dick who says things like "It smells like America" when he's in a city that smells like human feces and BO (I live here so it is no exaggeration when I say that San Francisco is covered in poop and smells like an armpit crossed with a portapottie). Yeah, we get it. You love 'Murrica and all other countries are inferior to it and suuuuuuck. I don't understand why people like that don't understand that it's possible to love your country and still not have a condescending attitude about other countries (see also: his ignorant remark about France not having a constitution). Their sad faces at finding Evan and Henry on the mat just made me laugh. If you want to win TAR, you have to beat everyone, including your faux BFFs so it doesn't really matter who is in the final three with you.

Conor was SO fucking annoying in this episode. His snippy asshole attitude with the photographer in Hong Kong ("Yeah, whatever"), his incessant complaining about both tasks (the crabs and the restaurant) which he said were both "the worst," and his dismissive attitude toward the people on the street who were TRYING TO HELP HIM by pointing out the sign with the clue made me glad that he didn't make the final three. I was so sick of his whining and stank attitude about everything.

I liked the skiers until Kristi started having an attitude a few legs ago. I still like Jen though. She has been positive, supportive, and upbeat throughout the race. I can't blame her for being frustrated at the very end.

Evan getting snippy with Henry was annoying BUT I do get what she was complaining about. She was asking him for specific things (like calling out "right, left" as they paddled and asking him questions) and he was just not responding at all. I get that people process things differently but all he had to do was say, "I'm not sure. I'm trying to figure it out right now so give me a minute," rather than staying completely silent. And in her defense, at least she was telling him exactly why she was upset, unlike other racers who just start screeching nonsense at their partners when they get mad (to me, that is one of the most frustrating things to see on this show - if you're going to fight, at least have something concrete to complain about).

I can't imagine how upset Henry must have been when he found out that he had all the correct pieces before Jessica and then switched one out. What I never get (throughout each season, but especially during the final challenge) is why the racers don't ask for checks more often. You don't get penalized for it so you might as well have the judge check more often!

I have to give Henry and Evan credit for beginning the penultimate leg in last place, doing a speed bump, and then coming in first place. They also caught up pretty well at the end of the final leg. After the bridge task, Evan said that she was 10 & 14 minutes behind the other two teams, and it looked like Jen and Jessica weren't too far into assembling their pieces by the time Henry started. Henry gets bonus points for suggesting that they use one of the large flat pieces to pile all the other pieces on.

On a positive note, the view from Victoria Peak is beautiful! When the clue said to find the photo kiosk guy, I was wondering what the task would be. Just getting an awesome souvenir photo! I was jealous because when I visited Victoria Peak several years ago, there was no photo area. Then I had to laugh that the photo area was a guy who has to jump up on the wall to take a picture.

On 2/23/2018 at 8:33 PM, Dobian said:

I had to laugh when the one guy who helped was wearing a DODGERS cap!  The leg was actually very simple and straightforward if you know S.F., there was zero chance of a team losing because they got lost.

 

14 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

I was a bit surprised/disappointed that nobody knew Willie Mays's home run total right off the bat, pardon the pun.  When I was younger, we knew all the top HR guys.

Mr. EB loves baseball so when the skiers stopped someone to ask him to look up that info for them, Mr. EB just kind of scoffed because he already knew that off the top of his head. I was laughing at the fact that said guy was wearing a Dodgers cap!

Everywhere they went in SF was pretty close together and there must have been no traffic since it was after rush hour when they arrived. Did they get to Alameda by boat? I can't remember if they showed that or not.

Edited February 25, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[mertensia]

13 minutes ago, Winston9-DT3 said:

I thInk they borrow cab drivers’ phones or peoples’ on public transport or in airports a lot but we’re not shown it because it’s not terribly relevant or interesting.  Here it was.  They had to shout up from boats and only two teams had to do it.   I enjoyed knowing that part happened.  That pre-planning could’ve won it for the skiers.   

And they've mentioned in various seasons looking at guidebooks in airports, asking seatmates, etc.

[Dobian]

Not only were they running around at night, it looked like they were doing that leg late at night.  Even when there is no game, King street by AT&T Park is jumping in the early evening with all the bars and restaurants.  It looked dead when they were out there.  Same thing when they were at the Bay Bridge (which is walking distance from AT&T).  The Embarcadero is hopping at night.

[missyb]

Good interview with Jess and Cody:

 

https://parade.com/648294/mikebloom/the-amazing-race-30-cody-nickson-and-jessica-graf-go-from-evicted-to-victorious/