S31.E05: I'm a Bird, I'm a Plane, I'm on The Amazing Race! / S31.E06: Who Wants a Rolex

[biakbiak]

37 minutes ago, OldWiseOne said:

They might have, but the ones that were shown on the way back down weren't counting them they were talking to each other about having screwed up.

I can run downstairs a lot faster than I can go up them so why slow myself down both ways concentrating on counting when I am going to have to go back up.

[biakbiak]

2 hours ago, TheRabbi said:

Can I please get one Colin semi-meltdown before the season is over? I don't recognize this guy! 

He got shot in the head with a nail and his reaction was so lowkey it didn’t even warrant them showing the footage so I doubt this will happen.

[Squirrely]

11 hours ago, momlyd said:

I had forgotten about the candle uh bruh!! Who said that? 

Matt, who raced with his dad, Gary. He had pink hair and I think they were from Montana or Minnesota. I can't remember what season now, but that RB has always stuck with me! 

[lexington11]

On 5/22/2019 at 10:04 PM, mojoween said:

Wait.  Didn’t Britney make Rachel’s life a living hell on BB?  Did Rachel not watch the season to see the heinous things Britney said about Brendan?

Rachel's a very forgiving person, because she and Ragan are good friends now, and those two had one of the most intense BB fights I've seen. Plus she's on good terms with Amanda after Amanda made Elissa's life more of a living hell than Britney did to Rachel

[lexington11]

On 5/22/2019 at 10:52 PM, Rinaldo said:

I enjoyed these episodes. The dinosaurs, the double switcheroo with Jumping, the silent beat (several racers shone there, but especially Colin), the Rolex hilarity. Good fun.

Bret also entertained me on the silent beat roadblock. I was cracking up about how he just went to the most attractive guys to drag them to the DJ and didn't pay any attention to the rhythm, because that would have also been me doing that task

[Miles]

10 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

I don't think I've ever seen so many soccer jerseys in one place as I saw in the market in Uganda.  (Well, outside of an actual match.)  I spotted Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal, but there were others. 

Those are probably last years jerseys that get shipped to africa and old there for cheap.

7 hours ago, Marvin said:

Also in regards to Becca and Floyd's sexuality - i am sure they said they are now dating each other at the start of the race !!

That was a joke. Floyd said "We now actually know each other... in fact we are dating." and then immediatly burst out laughing and said "no, no that was a joke!"

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

He got shot in the head with a nail and his reaction was so lowkey it didn’t even warrant them showing the footage so I doubt this will happen.

I mean, a nail fell on him and caused a minor scrape. That's far from getting shot in the head.

Edited May 24, 2019 by Miles

[biakbiak]

37 minutes ago, lexington11 said:

Bret also entertained me on the silent beat roadblock. I was cracking up about how he just went to the most attractive guys to drag them to the DJ and didn't pay any attention to the rhythm, because that would have also been me doing that task

That’s what his partner said he was doing but I don’t think he was he waited be for he approached anyone and then the first person he did grab was a woman I think he just wasn’t good at it.

27 minutes ago, Miles said:

mean, a nail fell on him and caused a minor scrape. That's far from getting shot in the head.

It came at a velocity from a distance.

[millennium]

Glad to see Rachel and Elissa survived, although I was sorry to see Janelle and Britney go.   It sucked that both women teams were sidelined by lousy cab drivers (what kind of cab driver doesn't know where the Dubai Frame -- a big glowing square in the middle of the city -- is located?)    I don't get the all the negativity directed at the two female teams.   Sure, Rachel's a little OTT, but so what if she cries in the cab?   The Afghanimals go from place to place beating their chests and bellowing and being perfectly obnoxious in public, in foreign countries where they are guests, but nobody calls them on that.   Why is a woman crying considered unacceptable but loutish, boorish behavior by men is expected and encouraged?

[Miles]

6 minutes ago, millennium said:

Sure, Rachel's a little OTT, but so what if she cries in the cab?

And at 6'8" I'm a little tall.

6 minutes ago, millennium said:

e Afghanimals go from place to place beating their chests and bellowing and being perfectly obnoxious in public, in foreign countries where they are guests, but nobody calls them on that.  

Where have you been? They get called out on this board all the time. Most people hate them.

7 minutes ago, millennium said:

Why is a woman crying considered unacceptable but loutish, boorish behavior by men is expected and encouraged? 

Not everything is sexist. We can hate both. (Also we don't hate women crying, we hate Rachel being a drama queen. Even Elissa was so over it.)

[millennium]

22 minutes ago, Miles said:

(Also we don't hate women crying, we hate Rachel being a drama queen. Even Elissa was so over it.)

I'm not sure it should be interpreted as being a drama queen.  Maybe that's simply how she releases anxiety.  Anyway, she does it mostly when it's only her and Elissa (and the camera), not usually in a crowd or in the presence of the other racers.  

Edited May 24, 2019 by millennium

[displayname]

I don't think Afghanimals have been let off easily for their brash behaviour. I don't mind them. I also don't mind Rachel's "drama". People react differently to situations, and I mostly find her funny.

10 hours ago, Runningwild said:

I’d rather they didn’t go into any religious places unless they’re going to also go into churches, cathedrals, or synagogues.  

Which they have indeed done before. I don't get why it's an "if and only if" situation, either. Lots of tourists go to religious sites in the countries they are touring, even if they don't practice that religion. Why exactly do you have a problem with them going to mosques, for instance, if they don't also try to visit churches?

Edited May 24, 2019 by displayname

[green]

22 hours ago, spanana said:

I think I was rooting for them finish first too, but editing wise I was pretty sure Tyler/Korey would be victorious. ...

Yep you got it.  We all knew they were going to win that leg as soon as they said they wanted to win that leg to represent gays.  If they didn't win that leg we wouldn't have seen these set-up clips.

21 hours ago, mikewho said:

We've seen the cameramen in every season. I think it's just that most shots are so quick, you're paying attention to the racers, so miss the cameraman.

It was way back in season 3 (the one Flo and Zach won) when I first noticed it though.

Didn't notice that one and miss almost all but I did see cameramen twice in Brazil in Season 2.  Once at the Cristo Redentor statue in the background probably filming another team and later two of them when getting out of vehicles at Iguazu Falls.  They do a remarkable job of hiding them on the whole though.  People tend to forget there is a two man crew with each team except at some more stationary RBs and Detours where "area" camera work is set up in advance instead.  Props to all the tech crews on TAR.  That are he best.

20 hours ago, Runningwild said:

Name ONE Christian nation where homosexuality is a crime punishable by death. I’d rather they didn’t go into any religious places unless they’re going to also go into churches, cathedrals, or synagogues. 

Just posting this so the answer below can be repeated because it deserves to be repeated a thousand times over (thanks, Chaifan): 

20 hours ago, chaifan said:

Runningwild, Uganda IS a Christian nation.  It is the fundamentalist Christians, spurred on by some fundamentalist US religious groups/persons, that have fueled the anti-gay hate and prompted the current gay=death legislation. 

According to Wikipedia, Uganda is 84% Christian, 14% Muslim. 

ETA:  I also wanted to comment on the "dressing up as Muslim" comments from above.  The long robe for men isn't necessarily indicative of religion.  It has cultural & traditional ties, which in many countries are not tied with religion.  It is associated with Islam due to it's presence in many predominantly Muslim countries, like Morocco, but even there is more functional (protecting clothes from dust & sand) than religious. 

There are bigots in every religion on earth and among atheists and agnostics as well.  But the majority of people in all these groups don't go around hating everyone different then them.

18 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

During Rachel's cry fest in the cab about being eliminated (which, no), ...

That was totally a dead giveaway it was a non elim leg.  I wish the editors would cut this tell out since they do it every damn time.  Every time a team trailing is hopeful they can catch up or even mentions it could be a non-elim; they are eliminated.

Every time a team (or member thereof) boo-hoos and weeps about how the race is everything to them and they are now doomed; it is a non-elim.

17 hours ago, Marvin said:

What i meant by politics is that it seemed more like the shows producers had an anti-ugandan agenda that they were trying to promote which is bad for the Amazing Race since they need to be open and accepting of all the countries they visit and their respective cultures. This is the only episode that has been so judgemental towards a country they have visited. It seemed completely out of nature for the show. More so since they decided to visit a mosque in what is predominantly a Christian country ?

What is wrong with visiting a mosque?  So we can't see a "minority" religious site in a country all of a sudden?  And the point is Tyler & Whats-His-Name won the leg there in a country that had been featured on the news constantly about trying to turn back the clock to dangerous levels of intolerance.  It was a sweet teaching point and wasn't anti-Ugandan since the point was made clear that the people were friendly and welcoming. 

And there is a big BIG difference between respect for a culture and bigotry.

Also someone above said they shouldn't visit mosques unless they visit churches and cathedrals.  Hello, they have.  Countless times on countless seasons.  Also see reference to the Cristo Redentor statue above.   They even had Christian religious greeters too.  The Ethiopian "elder" (don't remember what his title was) on TAR6 and the Russian Orthodox priest on TAR5.

11 hours ago, millennium said:

... I don't get the all the negativity directed at the two female teams. ...

Has absolutely nothing to do about gender.  With a few exceptions, I don't like most BB contestants.  Too much familiarity 24/7 over a couple of months on that show ends up showing all their warts and making me dislike at least 75% of their casts.

The Afghanibles I like because it is all tongue and cheek silliness they are having fun with; not because they are male.  If Rachel could just have fun and laugh at herself like the Afghanibles I would like her better but she is a pure A1 drama queen as far as I'm concerned and takes herself seriously.  The Afghanibles have never ever taken themselves seriously a day in their TAR lives.  That is a super BIG difference for me.  That and Pablo the Cat of course.

Edited May 24, 2019 by green

[SVNBob]

On 5/22/2019 at 9:04 PM, mojoween said:

Colin declaring that the big frame “is a frame!” made me laugh and remember when they were in Egypt and he found the scarab and magnanimously showed everyone as if no one else knew what a scarab was.

That was a risky move for Chris and Bret to switch during the head to head.  Also, I fricking hate the head to head.

To be fair to TAR5 Colin, a lot of those teams didn't know what a scarab was.

The switch at the HtH wasn't necessarily risky.  Since Chris went first, Bret was able to watch both Chris and Victor.  Which means he saw not only what Chris was doing wrong, but what Victor did right.   So he was able to do better.  Chris also basically implied at the Mat that he didn't really get the puzzle, so it was in their better interests to switch.

And I dislike the HtH too.

On 5/22/2019 at 9:11 PM, Lady Calypso said:

I love that the beat for the headphones task was to the TAR theme.

The TAR Theme techno-remix!  I was slightly disappointed that that didn't play over the closing credits like other musical moments usually do.

On 5/22/2019 at 10:03 PM, Lantern7 said:

"Bromance" (is that an official nickname?) aren't objectionable.

Given that Chris has the hashtag on his hat, I believe so.

On 5/23/2019 at 1:13 AM, Halting Hex said:

  I mean, it's possible that the producers would be so lame as to have an elimination leg where the order of finish was determined by the one-team-at-a-time zip line and thus there was no vestige of a "race" to the Mat at all,

Technically there was a race to a mat, just not the Mat.  There was a special mat at the top of the stairs leading to the zip-line.  That was the point that determined the order of the zip-lining, so that was actual finishing line for the leg.

22 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

And after all that they won a trip to Singapore, where same-sex sexual activity is illegal (even if consensual and committed in private) and same-sex relationships are not recognised under the law. 

That explains their reaction to winning that trip.  "Oh boy, another non-LGBTQ+ country..."

20 hours ago, biakbiak said:

In all the many ways that Colin has changed the dancing and him hugging Corey when he was crying at the airport are my two favorites. It really annoys me because everyone I know who is currently watching saw their original season to enjoy the transformation with me.

That hug at the airport made me think that Colin actually "threw" the HtH.  Meaning that since they were the teams competing for first, Colin didn't try as "intensely" as he could have.  He knew how important taking first in Uganda was to Tyler and Korey.  And his post-leg TH lamenting how they could have had a first didn't dissuade me of that though.  Something about the tone of his voice.  And of course, he'd never admit to throwing the HtH, even if he did.

If had been for a different position, or for first versus any other team though, I think Colin could and would have beat them on the first try.

11 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Missed most of these because of weather coverage, but the head-to-head made the finish mat awkward. So, after each head-to-head match, Phil had to walk out onto that pier or whatever and "greet" the winner, then walk back to the area where the next head-to-head match was. That's just a lot of weird staging.

Well, they did have to reset the drums between each round, so Phil would be walking back to the arena while that was happening.

1 hour ago, millennium said:

 It sucked that both women teams were sidelined by lousy cab drivers.

Janelle and Britt were not sidelined by a bad cab driver.  The look on her face during that traffic snarl was also one of "what the fuck?".  She was just as incredulous as her passengers.  That was a situation outside her control. 

The cabbie in Dubai on the other hand....

[biakbiak]

26 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

hat hug at the airport made me think that Colin actually "threw" the HtH.  Meaning that since they were the teams competing for first, Colin didn't try as "intensely" as he could have.  He knew how important taking first in Uganda was to Tyler and Korey.  And his post-leg TH lamenting how they could have had a first didn't dissuade me of that though.  Something about the tone of his voice.  And of course, he'd never admit to throwing the HtH, even if he did.

I had the exact same thought but forgot to mention it! Not that Tyler and Korey didn’t run a good leg and deserve a win it was just something about his attitude.

[Halting Hex]

2 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Janelle and Britt were not sidelined by a bad cab driver.  The look on her face during that traffic snarl was also one of "what the fuck?".  She was just as incredulous as her passengers.  That was a situation outside her control. 

The cabbie may have been incredulous, but she was still responsible for avoiding that situation.  (The other seven cabbies managed it just fine.)  It's rather her job, after all.

Maybe if she hadn't be driving against the flow of traffic…?

[Haleth]

11 hours ago, TVbitch said:

The Tavelocity ad with Phil never gets old.  

Especially since we fans know the tasks he's referring to -- the melons, the haystacks, the sand castles.

6 hours ago, millennium said:

 It sucked that both women teams were sidelined by lousy cab drivers (what kind of cab driver doesn't know where the Dubai Frame -- a big glowing square in the middle of the city -- is located?)

That reminds me of something I was wondering about.  When the racers left the airport in Dubai it was like a stampeding herd of buffalo, pushing and shoving other travelers.  It was terrible.  But anyway, I wonder if they were directed to marked cabs.  Both all female teams had a female driver.  Was this on purpose?  Are there female cab drivers in Dubai?  Or maybe production hired two female relatives of male cab drivers just for this purpose?  And maybe these ladies didn't know how to get around the city as well as their male counterparts?  Just curious.  (Edited to add that it occurs to me that the female teams had (probably) male crew with them, so driving women wouldn't have been a cultural issue.)

Edited May 24, 2019 by Haleth

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, displayname said:

Lots of tourists go to religious sites in the countries they are touring, even if they don't practice that religion.

I very much doubt TPTB would require them to enter a religious site (or any site, for that matter) that was not open to the public.  If necessary, special permission would be sought to use any locale not generally accessible.

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, millennium said:

Glad to see Rachel and Elissa survived, although I was sorry to see Janelle and Britney go.   It sucked that both women teams were sidelined by lousy cab drivers (what kind of cab driver doesn't know where the Dubai Frame -- a big glowing square in the middle of the city -- is located?)    I don't get the all the negativity directed at the two female teams.   Sure, Rachel's a little OTT, but so what if she cries in the cab?   The Afghanimals go from place to place beating their chests and bellowing and being perfectly obnoxious in public, in foreign countries where they are guests, but nobody calls them on that.   Why is a woman crying considered unacceptable but loutish, boorish behavior by men is expected and encouraged?

Well, some people simply don't like whining, which Rachel does a lot. I don't see any complaints about Janelle/Britney, though. They've been mostly fine, besides having a dumb moment in this second leg. As for Rachel, I actually do like her (more than Corrine/Eliza and Art/JJ). She can just be irritating. Also, we have a lot of experience with Rachel as a player. Two times on TAR before this one, and I've also seen her two other times of Big Brother. She can be exhausting to watch, but I think she's fine as a person. But if even her own sister is telling her to STFU in the cab, then there's probably a legitimate reason why there's negativity about her in that particular instance. Plus, Rachel does this stuff....a lot. When she's winning, she's happy; when she's losing, she gets pouty, whiny, and extremely negative. 

That being said, I loved that she was listening to Elissa telling her how to do the Head to Head (I guess that kind of thing IS allowed since Phil never said a word about teammates helping each other out). And Rachel was gracious toward Janelle/Britney when she knew they lost. That's why Corrine/Eliza's bitching about Rachel last episode wasn't entirely accurate. Sure, Rachel can come across as fake, and part of it may be fake, but I don't think she intentionally means to be that way. She seemed genuine toward Janelle/Britney. 

[Fretful]

oops

Edited May 24, 2019 by Fretful

[lexington11]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

The Afghanimals go from place to place beating their chests and bellowing and being perfectly obnoxious in public, in foreign countries where they are guests, but nobody calls them on that.  

Maybe other forums/sites give those two a pass, but I've seen tons of people here calling the Afghanimals out for also being over the top

[chaifan]

5 hours ago, Haleth said:

Especially since we fans know the tasks he's referring to -- the melons, the haystacks, the sand castles.

That reminds me of something I was wondering about.  When the racers left the airport in Dubai it was like a stampeding herd of buffalo, pushing and shoving other travelers.  It was terrible.  But anyway, I wonder if they were directed to marked cabs.  Both all female teams had a female driver.  Was this on purpose?  Are there female cab drivers in Dubai?  Or maybe production hired two female relatives of male cab drivers just for this purpose?  And maybe these ladies didn't know how to get around the city as well as their male counterparts?  Just curious.  (Edited to add that it occurs to me that the female teams had (probably) male crew with them, so driving women wouldn't have been a cultural issue.)

Yes, there are female taxi drivers in Dubai.  There are specific taxis - pink - designated for women who do not want to be driven by men.  The female teams were likely shown to these cabs at the taxi line.  If you noticed, both drivers were wearing pink head coverings - it's part of the uniform.  They were real legit taxi drivers.  It is very likely the women taxi drivers have not been driving as long as most men, so it's very possible they don't know the city as well as many male taxi drivers. 

[green]

20 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Yes, there are female taxi drivers in Dubai.  There are specific taxis - pink - designated for women who do not want to be driven by men.  The female teams were likely shown to these cabs at the taxi line.  If you noticed, both drivers were wearing pink head coverings - it's part of the uniform.  They were real legit taxi drivers.  It is very likely the women taxi drivers have not been driving as long as most men, so it's very possible they don't know the city as well as many male taxi drivers. 

Given what has happen to more and more women in this country having scary moments with male taxi drivers and now especially with Uber drivers that might be a nice option here too.

[fishcakes]

The traffic laws in Uganda seem to be: if there is an open space in the road, you may drive in it in any direction.

Phil's freestyle (that should have scare quotes around it) cracked me up. As soon as Floyd said Phil had to do it with them, Phil said, "I'LL START!" so I'm sure he had that thing written weeks ago for exactly this moment when Team Fun came in first.

I love Zen Colin. I mean, I really liked short-tempered "I'M PACKING IT" Colin too, but there's something so endearing to me about seeing him meditating in the cab and calmly putting the wood back on the bicycle and telling Christie he loved her. Although I don't dislike any of the teams, I'll be a little disappointed if Colin and Christie don't win the race.

Rachel and Britney's matching sad duck faces at the mat was everything.

[proserpina65]

On ‎05‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 12:39 PM, Runningwild said:

I also find it interesting that TAR seems to go to a lot of mosques where they have to dress up like Muslims

They've gone to mosques a few times, and on those occasions, the contestants were required to dress respectfully in local attire.  They've also gone to churches, cathedrals, synagogues and temples, some of which required specific kinds of clothing as well.  Which, quite frankly, is a good thing.

[survivinmt]

Wasn't Rachel bragging at the beginning of the Dubai leg that she was "brains" of the operation? So delusional. The ONLY other people to mess up the counting was the Bromance - who didn't know to count the first time and Tyler/Korey - who thought they knew the answer (kind of dumb of them not to still count tho, as they had to go up them anyway.) But what did it take the sisters at least 3 or 4 tries? And not getting the answers to test right? Seriously two tries on that should have been plenty, unless they changed the questions, which they didn't.

I think Dubai looks beautiful at night - like something out of a futuristic movie.

[Netfoot]

32 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Although I don't dislike any of the teams, I'll be a little disappointed if Colin and Christie don't win the race

I personally dislike each and every one of the fame-whoring teams... which is all of them except Colin and Christie.  So I'm with you:  C&C FTW!

[Haleth]

12 minutes ago, survivinmt said:

Wasn't Rachel bragging at the beginning of the Dubai leg that she was "brains" of the operation? So delusional. 

Right. And she was the one who flunked the VR test. Elissa answered correctly even though Rachel insisted she (herself) got everything right. 

[spanana]

4 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I personally dislike each and every one of the fame-whoring teams... which is all of them except Colin and Christie.  So I'm with you:  C&C FTW!

I guess I'm trying to figure out what is your definition of fame-whoring teams? Having appeared on a reality show besides Amazing Race?  Because obviously like whoever you want to like, but I wouldn't classify some of these people famewhores.  Like the Survivor guys who are fairly low key.  Are Vic/Nic famewhores? I guess people could make an argument for it, but not really in my book.  I don't see how Team Fun, having only ever appeared on this show are famewhores either.

[mikewho]

25 minutes ago, fishcakes said:

Phil's freestyle (that should have scare quotes around it) cracked me up. As soon as Floyd said Phil had to do it with them, Phil said, "I'LL START!" so I'm sure he had that thing written weeks ago for exactly this moment when Team Fun came in first.

That's exactly what I thought. And that somebody wrote it FOR him.

I've very briefly met Phil at a few TarCons, and he is somewhat different from how he appears on the show. But that kind of 'cool', he ain't.

[Netfoot]

5 minutes ago, spanana said:

I don't see how Team Fun, having only ever appeared on this show are famewhores either.

They are one of the worst.

[mikewho]

10 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I personally dislike each and every one of the fame-whoring teams... which is all of them except Colin and Christie.

I've always hated the broad-term 'FAMEWHORES' with a passion. Of course, I know what it means, and some may be, but I've always found it to be too broad a stroke to be painted over just about anybody who's on a reality show. Perhaps Chris and Brett for example were just offered the opportunity and said, 'Hey! Another opportunity to do something new and different! And a rare opportunity at that. Go for it.' What makes Colin and Christie so special? They're there too.

[Netfoot]

Just now, mikewho said:

What makes Colin and Christie so special?

Some racers are there for the race.

Some racers are there for the cameras.

[mikewho]

4 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

They are one of the worst.

Geez. Imagine how boring this show would be if everyone behaved like a perfect next door neighbor.

[mikewho]

4 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Some racers are there for the race.

Some racers are there for the cameras.

OK, but Exactly my point. Not everyone is there for the cameras, therefore don't deserve to be called a famewhore.

[Netfoot]

Just now, mikewho said:

Not everyone is there for the cameras

Pretty much everyone.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, survivinmt said:

I think Dubai looks beautiful at night - like something out of a futuristic movie.

I so agree. I've seen views of Dubai at night before, on those online "identify the city by a photograph" sorts of quizzes, and I always think "it looks like a SF setting, and I love it." While TAR has been to Dubai before, this is (I think) the first time we've seen this aspect of it highlighted. The whole leg there seems clearly designed to be run at night; and for that I can forgive the spoonfeeding of flights this time, because the leg wouldn't have worked remotely as well (or at all, really) during the day.

I long since gave up on trying to figure out what those who use the term "famewhore" (which I don't) mean when they say it. 

[spanana]

43 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Some racers are there for the race.

Some racers are there for the cameras.

I think the problem with that for me, is that every single one of these people chose to do a competitive reality show on television, so they are all there to be on tv to some degree.  They might also value the race and the experience, but none of these people would choose to be on tv if they weren't comfortable with that facet of the competition.

So for me I'm not comfortable picking and choosing which people are famewhores when all of them are doing and have done reality television.  I know what the word means, and think it's overused, but either they are all painted with that brushstroke since they have all done reality tv more than 1x, or they aren't.   If I really wanted to go that route, I could argue Colin/Christie are too since they did the race once and then came back for more airtime.

[displayname]

16 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

I so agree. I've seen views of Dubai at night before, on those online "identify the city by a photograph" sorts of quizzes, and I always think "it looks like a SF setting, and I love it." While TAR has been to Dubai before, this is (I think) the first time we've seen this aspect of it highlighted. The whole leg there seems clearly designed to be run at night; and for that I can forgive the spoonfeeding of flights this time, because the leg wouldn't have worked remotely as well (or at all, really) during the day.

On this note, I am kind of confused with the posts complaining about leg design "giving away" that it was NEL, because of the zipline? The zipline didn't change the order of arrival. Therefore, even if you put the pitstop mat before the zipline, the order of checking in would have been the same. They just chose to show Dubai off to the racers, IMO.

[mikewho]

7 minutes ago, displayname said:

They just chose to show Dubai off to the racers, IMO.

I would have LOVED to do that zipline!

But it's weird. Going up that elevator in the Frame Building would've made me very nervous.

Edited May 24, 2019 by mikewho

[bunnyface]

While I am very happy for Colin & Christie and all their personal growth, I have to admit a small, dark, horrible part of myself would still like a little OG Colin breakdown for my amusement.  Yes, I need personal growth of my own.

I was also shocked by the multiple sightings of the elusive spotted cameraman.  People are saying we see them all the time, but I've not noticed it.  I've noticed it a few specific times, but otherwise they hide from me.  So that was a surprise.

I miss the flight wrangling and the reveal of "$36 (or $2 or $182) for this leg of the race."  I had to explain about the flights and money to someone last night.  Made me realize how much I miss that part.

[iMonrey]

I never get tired of hearing Phil pronounce the word "spa" as "spar."

[NutMeg]

Someone above asked why people didn't count the stairs going down.

My theory is that the markings were not visible going down.

[biakbiak]

20 minutes ago, NutMeg said:

Someone above asked why people didn't count the stairs going down.

My theory is that the markings were not visible going down.

The only “markings” where a yellow and red stripe on the ground before the first step and after the last.

[Growsonwalls]

I've seen Rachel on several reality tv shows (including live feeds both seasons for Big Brother and also her seasons on TAR). She is simply one of those people who is basically a nice person but extremely tightly wound and competitive, so much so that the people closest to her (her husband Brendon, her sister Elissa) get exasperated with her. 

I've seen Rachel types in real life. Like lawyers who when off the job are lovely people, but when arguing something legal dial it up from 0 to 60 in a hot second and become screaming, table-pounding jerks. 

I put her on a very different level than, say, Corinne, who is just a nasty piece of work all the time.

ETA: I think it says something about Rachel that nearly everyone who knows her outside of when she's competing on reality tv really likes her, including Britney who was once her nemesis.

Edited May 25, 2019 by Growsonwalls

[Jessa]

I really hate the head to head challenges! And Phil could use some colour commentary lessons from Probst. I know people complain about Probst, but Phil was just awkward. 

[Quilt Fairy]

6 hours ago, Rinaldo said:

The whole leg there seems clearly designed to be run at night; and for that I can forgive the spoonfeeding of flights this time, because the leg wouldn't have worked remotely as well (or at all, really) during the day.

I hate episodes run entirely at night, and the Dubai leg was particularly bad.  I watch TAR for the vicarious travel aspect as much as the race.  You get no feel for the country when everything is in the dark.  And this episode had nothing related to local culture (I certainly don't consider millionaires having tea and tail-gating in the desert in their Top Gear level supercars to be an example of local culture).  Every task could have been done anywhere, and the damn dinosaur costumes were Japanese game show level of awful.  (I'm really surprised at how many people enjoyed that.)

[North of Eden]

Did not appreciate politics being injected in the race by Tyler and Corey and being encouraged by Phil and the producers. It was unfair to throw shade on Uganda when there are plenty of other countries the race visits that have practices some may feel are questionable including UEA that aren't called out but since it made for a good sob story for Team Camera Mug well we had to hear about it.

So sad to see Janelle go...I feel like this will likely be the last time we ever see her on a CBS reality show again. Both events...the wrong way cabbie and the Rolex error seemed unrecoverable but then there was the head to head...but it was a no-win for me because I didn't want either team to go.

Zen Colin continues to be no fun. He's like a bad recast on a daytime soap opera.

Funniest moment of the night was at the 23-minute mark. I had to rewind it a couple of times. A Ugandan dude in a purple jacket and tuke was totally checking out blonde, American beauty Nicole' backside!

Edited May 25, 2019 by North of Eden

[biakbiak]

3 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I certainly don't consider millionaires having tea and tail-gating in the desert in their Top Gear level supercars to be an example of local culture).  Eve

Given the lives of the average Emirati it is a very good representative of the “local” culture. Most of the people who work in Dubai are not Emirati. I mean there are the worker/expats who live and some who are even born there but they aren’t citizens. 

Edited May 25, 2019 by biakbiak

[LittleIggy]

I would have wanted to taste the Rolex I made! 😋

[green]

3 hours ago, Jessa said:

I really hate the head to head challenges! And Phil could use some colour commentary lessons from Probst. I know people complain about Probst, but Phil was just awkward. 

I too hate those Survivor style "challenges" right before the end.  I'm surprised we haven't had one yet involving untying lots of ropes to bags of puzzle pieces then assembling the puzzle while standing on a balance beam bare footed yet.

And I agree Phil is really REALLY awkward calling them.  But the LAST person on earth to take lessons from is Probst.

Best way to make Phil less awkward calling head-to-heads?  Abolish the damn, stupid, artificial, boring things forever!

Edited May 25, 2019 by green