S31.E07: Living Fearlessly

[jackjill89]

33 minutes ago, ohcomeon said:

I don't think they've enhanced the drama and I don't find their quotes or looks funny. Maybe I'm the odd one, but I don't find annoying people entertaining. I've been an avid TAR fan since it's first season but if they ever bring Rachel back on, I'll stop watching. She's not even a fun villain that makes you want to root against her. I just want her off my TV screen. 

You're not the only one. I just want to see people race. I'm not here for the drama, unless it's caused by a delayed plane or lost taxi. I'm sick of the people who are playing it up for the drama, trying to be villains, messing with other teams. Just shut up and race. 

[Netfoot]

Colin:  "I have a suggestion.  I think we should all hold hands, and literally just feel the love of the universe.  And, like, you'll feel it come in to this group!"
Me:  "It's official:  Colin has been punking us for the last seven episodes!"

Also, Colin falling down and turning it into a "tactical" exit from the helicopter was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

Reilly Sisters:  "We're going to actually tell Nic & Vic and maube Nic & Vic will U-Turn Team Fun and we don't have to do anything."  In other words, let's manipulate Nic & Vic into doing our dirty-work for us.  Then there were a buncha teams there / only Team Fun was there...  So when Nic & Vic say they will fact-check, the Reillys get in a hissy fit?  Will this team please fall off a mountain?

And Phil:  Shaddup!  The only reason Rachael is now the record-holder for race-legs is because YOU WON'T FUCKING STOP INVITING HER HORRIBLE ASS BACK!

Edited May 30, 2019 by Netfoot

[green]

48 minutes ago, jackjill89 said:

You're not the only one. I just want to see people race. I'm not here for the drama, unless it's caused by a delayed plane or lost taxi. I'm sick of the people who are playing it up for the drama, trying to be villains, messing with other teams. Just shut up and race. 

Ditto a thousand times over.  I want an AMAZING race.  Not just another stupid reality show.  Not that I don't guilty pleasure Survivor all the time and even an occasionally BB season.  But TAR is -- or should be -- a whole different type of show.  A show you can be proud to recommend to your friends who hate reality shows.

[millennium]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

Actually, yes, I'm fine with that.  It's not sexual harassment in that case.

I would contend that it is sexual objectification at the very least.   Not okay, IMO.   I also think a case could be made that it is sexual harassment, since Sebastian could very well see the comments that were made about him after the fact. 

As for the "nice ass" comment, it's only joking if you presume to know the intent of the person saying it, and we can't know that.   Likewise, we can't know the reaction of the person to whom the remark was directed.   Since these things are unknowable to us, the audience, we can only judge by the societal standards of acceptable behavior, and  shouted comments like "nice ass" are not acceptable today, nor have they ever been.

I would also add that in a professional environment, even so-called harmless jokes between friends can and have been construed as sexual harassment and also lead to charges of sexual discrimination.

On a personal note, I find it all in really poor taste and believe it sets a shameful example for younger viewers of the show.   As I said earlier, this has always been a family show, much like Survivor.    Raunchy stuff like this doesn't usually have a place on the Amazing Race, and shouldn't.

Edited May 30, 2019 by millennium

[spanana]

On rewatch, I know it's heavily edited so I'd like to hear both sides of what the heck happened, but I actually think Nic/Vic were pretty calm about it.  At least prior to the the argument at the mat.  I give a major eye roll to the fact that Rachel was trying to "help" them.  She was, sort of, but she also fully kicked herself in the butt by too explicitly telling them they should u-turn Team Fun.  If they wanted Nic/Vic to do that, they should have just left it at that and let them draw their own conclusions.  Instead she made it clear she was trying to manipulate them to do her dirty work and so their main takeaway from the conversation was that.  Also Rachel and Elissa were tripping all over themselves talking a mile a minute when they were backtracking and changing their stories that they just looked suspicious as heck.

And again I reiterate, how was telling Nic/Vic going to help them in any way since the only thing that controls the order they show up to at the u-turn is their own racing ability (and sometimes dumb luck)?  The only thing that could possibly come of it is to have them u-turn Team Fun if they had the opportunity and that doesn't necessarily benefit them.  

Plus it's just gross that Rachel's first instinct is to lash out and resort to gross insults.

Anyway, the scenery was great and hoping we can leave behind the drama going forward.  Though I doubt it since a u-turn must be coming.

[millennium]

1 hour ago, NUguy514 said:

 I said all those things about Sebastian to my TV before Tyler and Korey did, and yeah, I do think it's fine to make those remarks since Sebastian couldn't hear me either.  And if Elissa's male friend yelled, "Nice tits!" at her in the manner that Tyler yelled, "Nice ass!" to Colin, I'd have no issue with it.

But Elissa/Colin might, and that's the problem.   When you say something like that to a person, friend or not, you have no guarantee of how the remark will be received.   Friendship may lead you to believe you can get away with it, but it's not an iron-clad pass.   Ultimately, there has never been a place for that kind of behavior in our society, and it's truer than ever today.  

As I said above,  Sebastian could very well have heard those remarks.  All he had to do was watch the episode.

[Andromeda]

18 hours ago, sphoebus31 said:

I think Rachel was trying to target Team Fun via Nicole and Victor, under the guise of being helpful to Nicole and Victor.  If she had no ulterior motive, then why not just tell them the whole truth--that Colin/Christie and the Afghanimals were also part of the conversation?  Her ham-handed attempt at being clever backfired, when Nicole and Victor could tell her story didn't add up. 

I believe she was trying to manipulate Nicole and Victor into being the ones to U-turn Team Fun, so she didn't have to. Pretty stinky. Can't wait until the duck-lipped pair is gone.

[mikewho]

9 hours ago, SVNBob said:

On top of that, this did occur while Colin was stripping out of his wetsuit from the Detour while running to his car, and I think his ass was actually partially exposed (and blurred for TV.) 

Yes, it was. And I saw nothing wrong with it. It was said jokingly, or realistically, to a friend. I agree. So what? Colin didn't seem to care.

Quote

Nope.  I prefer my drama coming organically from the race situations itself, not manufactured drama between reality tv attention seekers.

That goes way back to TAR 3. Although she eventually hooked up with one of the twins, in the beginning, FLO wanted them out. She even formed an alliance with some of the others. I remember her stupidly saying 'Whoever gets a twin out today, gets a prize'.

Quote

I lost interest after meeting the teams in the first ep, and check in now and then. Doesn't appear I'm missing anything except the scenery. This all sound so ridiculous.

It's better than you might think. I find the scheming to be quite quick. And it DOES add more dimension to the raaace (I hate that term). And it doesn't happen in every episode. Otherwise it would just be a travelogue. 

Quote

The comments about the climbing instructor were over the top.  Maybe one comment about how he is good looking would have been ok.  But they commented about him repeatedly.  And then the comment about Colin's ass.

I barely noticed Sebastian. And I sure didn't think the amount of comments about him were anything over the top.

Quote

And if a male friend of say, Elissa, had yelled "Nice tits!" at her during the race -- let alone on television, on a family show -- it would be acceptable?

  No. But Elissa's tits weren't hanging out. It's difficult to explain, but there is a difference between a woman's breasts being shown (but blurred) with that comment and a guy's butt. Didn't seem to bother Colin, whereas if it had been Elissa's boobs, I'd agree.

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

15 hours ago, MVFrostsMyPie said:

Funicular 🙂

Or incline, as they call them in Pittsburgh.

Here in the (falsely) dreaded NJ, we call them Funiculars.

2 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

18 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Phil rappelling like a boss. You think Probst would try that? Yeah, right.

Much as I'm not a Probst fan, there was at least one Survivor episode (and possibly more) where he rode on the outside of a helicopter, standing on the rail.

He's done that a few times.

2 hours ago, NUguy514 said:

3 hours ago, millennium said:

If I follow this logic, then it is okay to make sexual remarks about strangers as long as they don't hear you?    And if a male friend of say, Elissa, had yelled "Nice tits!" at her during the race -- let alone on television, on a family show -- it would be acceptable?   

What sexual remarks did they make about Sebastian?  Did they talk about the potential size of his dick, about wanting to blow or fuck him, or about other such graphic things?  No, they said he was a 6'4" tall drink of water and was bearded and gorgeous.

Yep. Completely innocent. That's called a 'compliment'.

Of all the tasks in this episode, I felt the worst for Bret being terrified to rappel down that mountain. That dude was SCARED all the way down. 

Edited May 30, 2019 by mikewho

[amazingracefan]

10 minutes ago, spanana said:

On rewatch, I know it's heavily edited so I'd like to hear both sides of what the heck happened, but I actually think Nic/Vic were pretty calm about it.  At least prior to the the argument at the mat.  I give a major eye roll to the fact that Rachel was trying to "help" them.  She was, sort of, but she also fully kicked herself in the butt by too explicitly telling them they should u-turn Team Fun.  If they wanted Nic/Vic to do that, they should have just left it at that and let them draw their own conclusions.  Instead she made it clear she was trying to manipulate them to do her dirty work and so their main takeaway from the conversation was that.  Also Rachel and Elissa were tripping all over themselves talking a mile a minute when they were backtracking and changing their stories that they just looked suspicious as heck.

And again I reiterate, how was telling Nic/Vic going to help them in any way since the only thing that controls the order they show up to at the u-turn is their own racing ability (and sometimes dumb luck)?  The only thing that could possibly come of it is to have them u-turn Team Fun if they had the opportunity and that doesn't necessarily benefit them.  

Plus it's just gross that Rachel's first instinct is to lash out and resort to gross insults.

Anyway, the scenery was great and hoping we can leave behind the drama going forward.  Though I doubt it since a u-turn must be coming.

I don't know why people ignore those who were planning the u-turn ahead (Team 'Fun' and Afghanimals).  The reason why  I guess is that they are supposed to be fun teams and aren't supposed to be the 'villains'.

"sort of" helping? more than that I think.  You always get people asking others to do things that are meant to benefit both sides involved, I've no idea why people are shocked at that, maybe they wouldn't be if it involved another team.  And really Team 'Fun' are one of the more obvious u-turn targets anyway. it makes little sense to target the Reillys with their performance so far.

I like drama on the race.  Scenery  is on plenty of travel programs.

The Puerto Rican Sensation (as he called himself on BB)  doesn't listen much to his partner, but as he's on a team that isn't meant to be villainous and are meant to have been duped somehow I don't think most notice it.

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, millennium said:

would also add that in a professional environment, even so-called harmless jokes between friends can and have been construed as sexual harassment and also lead to charges of sexual discrimination.

AR is not a professional environment, so this doesn't apply.  And Korey's comment came across as joking to me; since he and Colin have become friends, I have no problem with it.  Friends do joke like that all the time.

The comments about Sebastian were innocuous.  He was very tall and he was gorgeous.  Nothing Tyler or Korey said counts as sexual objectification as far as I'm concerned.

And I don't view AR as a show where quite mild, barely sexual comments are somehow out of place.  Sorry, I won't think of the children.  If they can't deal with the word 'ass', that's their problem.

56 minutes ago, millennium said:

As I said above,  Sebastian could very well have heard those remarks.  All he had to do was watch the episode.

And he would've learned that someone thought he was tall and gorgeous.  So what?

Edited May 30, 2019 by proserpina65
They're is not their

[proserpina65]

4 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

don't know why people ignore those who were planning the u-turn ahead (Team 'Fun' and Afghanimals).  The reason why  I guess is that they are supposed to be fun teams and aren't supposed to be the 'villains'.

People talk about who they might U-turn all the time on AR.  They weren't being sneaky about it.  They were just discussing which teams were the strongest.  Rachael and Elissa were trying to manipulate another team into doing their u-turning for them.  It's part of the game, but their whole scene about it was annoying as hell.

I like the drama that arises from the race itself, not from manipulative contestants.  To me that's not drama.  Watching teams try to outperform each other in tasks or trying not to get lost, that is the drama I want to see.  And it is dramatic in its own right.

[mikewho]

14 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Sorry, I won't think of the children.  If they can't deal with the word 'ass', that's they're problem.

Thank YOU! I'm so sick of the whole 'but think of the CHILDREN!' mindset.

[spanana]

18 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

I don't know why people ignore those who were planning the u-turn ahead (Team 'Fun' and Afghanimals).  The reason why  I guess is that they are supposed to be fun teams and aren't supposed to be the 'villains'.

"sort of" helping? more than that I think.  You always get people asking others to do things that are meant to benefit both sides involved, I've no idea why people are shocked at that, maybe they wouldn't be if it involved another team.  And really Team 'Fun' are one of the more obvious u-turn targets anyway. it makes little sense to target the Reillys with their performance so far.

I like drama on the race.  Scenery  is on plenty of travel programs.

The Puerto Rican Sensation (as he called himself on BB)  doesn't listen much to his partner, but as he's on a team that isn't meant to be villainous and are meant to have been duped somehow I don't think most notice it.

I don't think anyone (or at least me) is ignoring that Team Fun or the Afghanimals were plotting to use the u-turn.  I don't care about that because the u-turn is part of the game and I don't think there is anything wrong with the Reilly sisters using the u-turn where it benefits their game.  For instance, Team Fun and the Afghanimals were talking about u-turning Colin/Christie, which clearly was not a personal thing but because they are the top of the pack of racers.  Colin/Christie out of the race gives everyone a better shot at winning.  And it came off more as a casual conversation about who are the strongest racers than anything else.

The Reilly sisters u-turning Team Fun several legs ago, IMO, was a stupid use of the u-turn since the Reillys weren't in any danger of going home at that point and Team Fun was not even on top of the pack at that point so they made race enemies for no reason.  But as part of the game, it's fair of course.

And here, the issue is if Rachel was really going to go that route she played it very wrong.  She either should have told the full truth or owned up to why she really wanted them to target Team Fun, instead of backtracking and looking shady.  The way she went about it was not well done.

I also stand by "sort of" helping because again, I repeat, what does warning Nic/Vic actually do for them in the race.  Besides put it in their head they can't trust Team Fun.  If Nic/Vic get to the u-turn before Team Fun, it just means Team Fun can't u-turn them anyway so they would effectively be out of danger from being u-turned by them (especially since Rachel conveniently left out the other team involved) and if the positions are reversed and Team Fun get there first, what can Nic/Vic do to stop the potential u-turn?  What does knowing ahead of time do for them?

Not to mention, what benefit does Nic/Vic u-turning Team Fun have for Nic/Vic, of course unless they successfully get Team Fun out of the race.  IMO they are a good race team but others are better, they are on friendly terms with that team and outside of the just one less team in the race, it is of much greater benefit to Rachel's team who has already had beef with said team.

Go ahead and plot to use the u-turn in an effective way for your alliance or whatever you want to call it?  Don't stir up drama, and then look shady when you backtrack and keep changing your story every five seconds.  Rachel flat out said to the camera she was trying to manipulate Nic/Vic to do her dirty work.  She just did it badly.

Also there have been comments in this thread about Vic needing to listen to Nic more so maybe less insinuations that the viewers are stupid because they aren't 100% on board with a certain vision of events.  I agree Nic/Vic aren't being edited as villains and the other two are, but people can also be aware that there are some communication issues between Nic/Vic AND think Rachel's moves were dumb.  He does need to listen to her more.

The only thing I do agree with is of course Team Fun were going to deny ever mentioning wanting to u-turn them whether they did or didn't because what else can Team Fun say in that spot.  So verifying in that sense doesn't make sense.  However it would easily show Team Fun how Rachel manipulated what actually happened since Leo/Jamal were kept out of the story entirely.

Edited May 30, 2019 by spanana

[mikewho]

8 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I like the drama that arises from the race itself, not from manipulative contestants.

And what of Flo in TAR 3, who wanted the twins out in the beginning just because?

I'm rooting for Colin and Christie and Victor and Nicole.

Edited May 30, 2019 by mikewho

[proserpina65]

1 minute ago, mikewho said:

And what of Flo in TAR 3, who wanted the twins out in the beginning just because?

The less said about Flo, the better.

I'm fine with interaction between teams, but not to that extent.

I've never particularly wanted to visit Switzerland, but damn, AR always makes it look so wonderful.

Edited May 30, 2019 by proserpina65

[Rachel RSL]

I was so annoyed that it was a NEL.  Victor can be likable and funny at times but Nicole has always annoyed the crap out of me on both her BB seasons.  She's always whiny and Rachel was spot-on, she totally plays the victim. (As for her having the personality - or not - to be an ER nurse, from what I remember, she worked at a medical centre in a small town that had a population of about 3000, so it's not like she was in a high-pressure big city ER.  And she quit after she won BB.)

I didn't think Tyler and Korey's comments were out of line, nor did I think Christie was out of line. Those were very innocent lighthearted comments. Who doesn't joke around like that with their friends? (When you're out at dinner and you have a hot waiter/waitress, for example.)  It's not like the comments they made were gross and risque.  Calling Sebastian a "tall drink of water" isn't the same as telling a woman "Nice tits!" or saying that she had a nice rack.  (Yes, that comment would be over the line. Just like if they had commented on Sebastian's penis size).  And the "Nice ass!" comment from Korey was 100% said in jest.  I'd have to watch it again to be sure but it looked to me like Colin's shorts were falling down or he was mooning them on purpose. 

Sorry not sorry, I still like the Reilly sisters. My favourites are still Colin & Christie (FLOVE!!) but I would have been rolling my eyes right along with Rachel during the Kumbaya session.

[iMonrey]

Quote

I don't know why people ignore those who were planning the u-turn ahead (Team 'Fun' and Afghanimals).  The reason why  I guess is that they are supposed to be fun teams and aren't supposed to be the 'villains'.

Good point. Rachel and Elissa are the perceived villains this season and yet "Team Fun" and the "Afghanimals" are given a pass for trying to form an alliance with them. I mean, at best it makes them look stupid.

Quote

I would contend that it is sexual objectification at the very least.   Not okay, IMO.   I also think a case could be made that it is sexual harassment, since Sebastian could very well see the comments that were made about him after the fact. 

Wow. I'd hate to imagine what you must think of The Bachelor.

[mikewho]

33 minutes ago, mikewho said:

  35 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Sorry, I won't think of the children.  If they can't deal with the word 'ass', that's they're problem.

The Amazing Race has never been a 'G' rated family program. I'd always put it as a 'PG-13' at best. Meaning, if you care so much, 'Parental guidance suggested'. So guide. If I could count the amount of Bleeps on this show...

[mikewho]

5 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Quote

I would contend that it is sexual objectification at the very least.   Not okay, IMO.   I also think a case could be made that it is sexual harassment, since Sebastian could very well see the comments that were made about him after the fact. 

Wow. I'd hate to imagine what you must think of The Bachelor.

I never saw The Bachelor, but as far as Sebastian is concerned, you don't think people can just have a sense of humor?

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

AR is not a professional environment, so this doesn't apply.  And Korey's comment came across as joking to me; since he and Colin have become friends, I have no problem with it.  Friends do joke like that all the time.

Friends also say something when the other is  exposing their bare butt on national television and might not be aware.  Like telling someone their fly is open. 

If we are going to think about any one's children in this, let's think about Colin and Christie's children who would be mortified to see Dad's bare ass on TV.

[amazingracefan]

1 hour ago, spanana said:

Not to mention, what benefit does Nic/Vic u-turning Team Fun have for Nic/Vic, of course unless they successfully get Team Fun out of the race.  IMO they are a good race team but others are better, they are on friendly terms with that team and outside of the just one less team in the race, it is of much greater benefit to Rachel's team who has already had beef with said team.

I'm sure both Nicole and Victor can think for themselves and do what they want, there hasn't been any threat to them to keep in line (like Art and JJ did with teams in their first season).  I really don't see what the issue is (and some others outside this forum think the same).  Whether people 'look' like they are shady or not, or whether there is some confessional that it was a game move.  

Obviously the point of a u-turn is to eliminate a team.  I don't even think that Nicole and Victor were a sensible target anyway, Team 'Fun' are obviously more of a threat.  If they are on such good terms with Team Fun why were they targeting them during that meeting with the Afghanimals.

Of course Nicole and Victor were shown telling other teams about the info leaked by the Reillys even before the argument between them started up.   A very questionable move as they had got along up till then.

Edited May 30, 2019 by amazingracefan

[Cyranetta]

I'd far rather watch more time spent on the tasks than on the Potential U-Turn cross-talk arguments. For me the contrast between the slimy ugliness of the behavior (especially on the map in front of the greeter) and the beauty of the scenery turns my stomach.

[amazingracefan]

2 hours ago, green said:

Ditto a thousand times over.  I want an AMAZING race.  Not just another stupid reality show.  Not that I don't guilty pleasure Survivor all the time and even an occasionally BB season.  But TAR is -- or should be -- a whole different type of show.  A show you can be proud to recommend to your friends who hate reality shows.

I don't care about people who have a prejudice about reality shows, or about reality show audiences.  Anyway let's not pretend it's exactly fair talk here, there's been various remarks about physical appearance, which I don't think are necessary.  I don't guilty pleasure anything either, I don't care if something is meant to be cool or not, I'll like what I like.

[Browncoat]

If I moon someone, accidentally or on purpose, and that someone says, "Nice ass!", I'd laugh (or maybe say thanks!) and pull up my pants. 

[spanana]

16 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

I'm sure both Nicole and Victor can think for themselves and do what they want, there hasn't been any threat to them to keep in line (like Art and JJ did with teams in their first season).  I really don't see what the issue is (and some others outside this forum think the same).  Whether people 'look' like they are shady or not, or whether there is some confessional that it was a game move.  

Obviously the point of a u-turn is to eliminate a team.  I don't even think that Nicole and Victor were a sensible target anyway, Team 'Fun' are obviously more of a threat.  If they are on such good terms with Team Fun why were they targeting them during that meeting with the Afghanimals.

I'm bowing out because we are arguing different things.  I don't think Nicole/Victor were threatened by big bad Rachel and of course they can think for themselves.  The show made that pretty dang clear since they questioned the sisters and didn't take them at their word and at they knew enough to know that Rachel wanted them to do their dirty work for them.  

Rachel/Elisa are not big bullies.  It was just stupid unnecessary game play, which is not the same thing.  Their game play this past episode was very much a Big Brother move, and something conducive to succeeding in that show and not conducive to succeeding in Amazing Race.

And maybe because Team Fun wasn't having a conversation about what teams they did or didn't like but rather who they considered to be the strongest teams?  Of course they weren't going to name drop any teams that were right in front of them at that moment, so who did that leave?  Colin/Christie, Tyler/Korey, Vic/Nic and the Survivor guys?  Nothing about that conversation intimated that the teams didn't like Colin/Christie either, just rather that they saw them as the strongest team because they're not stupid.

Up until last night, Nic/Vic had the second highest average of finishes across the season.  I'm guessing that changed after last night, but just because they haven't had some of the highs of the first place teams, the teams have noticed that they have been continually coming in 2nd and 3rd a lot.  They had, up until this point, been more consistent than most of the other teams, like Leo/Jamal.  Of course teams were going to start picking up on the fact that they were doing well.  

I also don't think it's relevant what people outside this forum think.  All of these people come in with their own fanbases, so I expect fans of Rachel to stick with her and same for Nicole.  That also goes for those who hate hem as they both have rabid anti-fans too.  BB fans are vicious.  I can only speak to my own opinion from watching the show myself (and I have watched all the BB idiots on their own seasons, which is neither here nor there).  What people elsewhere think is irrelevant.

Edited May 30, 2019 by spanana

[AlleC17]

1 hour ago, mikewho said:

And what of Flo in TAR 3, who wanted the twins out in the beginning just because?

I'm rooting for Colin and Christie and Victor and Nicole.

A lot of people (me included) hated Flo for lots of reasons.    She was worse than Rachel ever dreamed of being, however, Rachel cannot get off my screen soon enough now.  Love that someone has called them Team Duckface, hehe.  Hope Rachel does not break the record.  Go Colin and Christie!

[Netfoot]

5 hours ago, millennium said:

 And if a male friend of say, Elissa, had yelled "Nice tits!" at her during the race -- let alone on television, on a family show -- it would be acceptable?

If she had started the ball rolling by flashing them at her male friend, then the comment would be perfectly in order.

I don't actually think Colin flashed anyone much.  They blurred things, but it didn't look like his waistband came down by more than an inch or so.  Even so, a faux-flash should be expected to draw a response. You can't do that and then get triggered and play the victim card afterwards.  Not that as far as I am aware, anyone on the race did.

Now, whether TAR should have aired the scene and/or the comments is an entirely a separate matter for discussion.  Preferably elsewhere, in a forum I don't audit.

[Browncoat]

6 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

If I moon someone, accidentally or on purpose, and that someone says, "Nice ass!", I'd laugh (or maybe say thanks!) and pull up my pants. 

Quoting myself to add that if I mooned someone on purpose, I'd be more offended if they DIDN'T say "Nice ass!" than if they did!  🙂

[AlleC17]

24 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Friends also say something when the other is  exposing their bare butt on national television and might not be aware.  Like telling someone their fly is open. 

If we are going to think about any one's children in this, let's think about Colin and Christie's children who would be mortified to see Dad's bare ass on TV.

Or they may find it hilarious.

[Snickerdoodle]

19 hours ago, aemom said:

There are 5 Girl Guide/Scout chalets over the world and one of them is in Switzerland.  I was lucky enough to visit as a Girl Guide with a group when I was 15 and I still remember so many details to this day.  It was an awesome experience and I would love to go back one day.

Didn't quite get the drama at the end but so far I like Vic & Nic (I have never seen BB at all) and I'm so over the Reilly sisters - they can leave anytime now.  Jumping off that cliff would have been terrifying - I might have asked the guy to push me off if I had to do it.

I think that this is it for the non-elims?

While I was watching I was actually thinking about Our Chalet. I haven’t been yet but I’ve seen pictures and what I saw on the race reminded me of the pictures I’d seen.  I was kind of expecting some random Scouts/Guides to pop up in the background.That said,  next year I’m chaperoning a Girl Scout trip and we’re going to visit two of the World Centers -  Pax Lodge and Our Chalet.  We’re not staying at the Chalet which is kind of a bummer because some of the things on the race seemed like things you might do at the Chalet. 

[Rachel RSL]

18 minutes ago, AlleC17 said:

Or they may find it hilarious.

I guess it depends on the kind of friends you have?  I know that if I mooned someone (accidentally or not), absolutely none of my good friends would come up to me and say "Pssst, your butt is showing."  I can guarantee you that my friends would all be laughing and yelling "Nice ass!" or words to that effect.

[seacliffsal]

Oh, this episode made me want to go back to Switzerland!

However, I don't know if I could ever have done that jump into the ravine...

I'm enjoying the friendship between Brett and Chris.  There was no shame in Brett giving Chris his backpack, they just made the accommodation and continued on.  They also pretty much stay out of all of the drama while totally representing my personal perspective (by rolling their eyes, etc.).

I am soooooo ready for Rachel and Elissa to be eliminated.  And, like others, I wish the show wouldn't make a deal out of how many legs Rachel has participated in during her numerous seasons.  There are many racers I would like to see brought back several times, she isn't one of them.  Sigh.  Still, no matter how much racers annoy me the main thing is that the Amazing Race is still on CBS and I still overall enjoy it.

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, AlleC17 said:

A lot of people (me included) hated Flo for lots of reasons.    She was worse than Rachel ever dreamed of being, however, Rachel cannot get off my screen soon enough now.  Love that someone has called them Team Duckface, hehe.  Hope Rachel does not break the record.  Go Colin and Christie!

I must have misheard.  Didn't Rachel and Phil both say that with this leg, she ties the record for most legs?  She said something about how this leg puts her into a tie with the Cowboys and someone else for most legs played, and she is the only woman tied for the lead.  I would imagine production fed it to her and told her to talk about it. 

And since she didn't get eliminated this time, wouldn't she break the record on the next leg (even if she does get eliminated)?

[millennium]

4 hours ago, jackjill89 said:

You're not the only one. I just want to see people race. I'm not here for the drama, unless it's caused by a delayed plane or lost taxi. I'm sick of the people who are playing it up for the drama, trying to be villains, messing with other teams. Just shut up and race. 

Despite my affection for the Reilly sisters (in this show only, I don't watch Big Brother), I agree.   The alliance/villains element was introduced a few years back (probably from the first time they recruited Survivor/Big Brother alums as racers).  I have always disliked it.  It is not a vital element of racing, so it really adds nothing to the show but pettiness and ugly displays which I do not particularly enjoy.   I prefer my villains to evolve organically over the course of the race (looking at you, Weaver family), not because the producers or other racers decide this or that person should be a villain. 

[Halting Hex]

8 minutes ago, blackwing said:

And since she didn't get eliminated this time, wouldn't [Rachel] break the record on the next leg (even if she does get eliminated)?

"If she completes the Leg", Phil said.  So unless she's med-evac'd or decides to run off and hit the beach halfway through the Leg, she's got it.  Mat #32 coming up next week, whether she's first or last.

[FoundTime]

Grindelwald! As beautiful as ever 😊 I visited Switzerland many years ago now and the scenery really is that stunningly gorgeous. Every direction you turn could be a postcard.

Which is why I was extra special annoyed at all the drama on the train and on the mat. On the train, I just wanted to scream at Rachel/Elissa and Victor/Nicole, "Look out the window! You may never see this again!" (especially since the camera angle showed the landscape speeding by outside the window). Kinda like the Scottish Highlands, it never gets old, no matter how much of it you see.

I had to laugh at Colin's "Breathe in the universe" circle on the train. I started doing daily guided meditations several months ago so I get what he was going for, but I also realize it is sure not for everyone 😀 Might have been better if he'd just invited anyone who wanted to participate. If you have to be forced into it, it's probably not for you.

Loved Becca's "I love this life!" on the bungee jump and "I love this Race!" in the canyon. I know at least one team who could take a lesson from that attitude. And other than that one team, I am actually pretty happy at this point with who's still racing.

I do wish they'd lose the U-Turn (and bring back the FF). If everyone understood that it was a strategic part of gameplay (kinda like lying is on Survivor, lol) and didn't make it so personal, it might be bearable. (It can be fun and suspenseful to watch a team or two scramble to do both Detours.) But as they're allowing it to play out, it just invites nasty elements into the Race that I don't prefer.

[spanana]

21 minutes ago, millennium said:

Despite my affection for the Reilly sisters (in this show only, I don't watch Big Brother), I agree.   The alliance/villains element was introduced a few years back (probably from the first time they recruited Survivor/Big Brother alums as racers).  I have always disliked it.  It is not a vital element of racing, so it really adds nothing to the show but pettiness and ugly displays which I do not particularly enjoy.   I prefer my villains to evolve organically over the course of the race (looking at you, Weaver family), not because the producers or other racers decide this or that person should be a villain. 

I think there is a big difference though between producers deciding someone is a villain, or recruiting people to be villains, and other racers just deciding they don't like a team or teams.  Those are two very different things unless the racers in question are being influenced by producers to dislike a team.

However part of it that is because the Survivor and BB teams are already coming to the show with reputations from their previous shows and are being invited on to be some version of their characters on their original show.  I even think that was evident last night with Rachel talking about Nicole should mind her brand.  After Corrine and Eliza were eliminated, Eliza talked on Nic/Vic's podcast about how she knew as soon as she was recruited to be paired with Corrine, they were being put on the show to play into their villain shtick.  Does anyone think Corrine/Eliza were invited on it hopes they would be nicey nice?  Of course not.  Same with Rachel.  She is invited back not to be a traditional villain (I think Corrine/Eliza fit that better), but in part because she brings over the top theatrics and drama?  And over the top theatrics breeds drama.  Even Rachel knows what her brand is and plays into that persona.

But to me if the teams decide they don't like the Reilly sisters, or Nic/Vic, or anyone...that of course doesn't mean they are right because there obviously mob mentality is a thing,  but that is different than the production casting the show in such a way.  If the other teams don't like Rachel a whole lot, that is likely more bred out of what they saw from Rachel on the race as opposed to production telling them to hate Rachel. Doesn't mean Rachel is a horrible person, but as said, Rachel knows why she is cast on these shows and plays into it.  

[theschnauzers]

13 hours ago, Fake Jan Brady said:

31 seasons, at least 10 teams a season, two people to a team - so of the approximately 600 people [!] who have run the race producers think Rachel is the one we want to see the most?

The exact totals including season 31 are 31 Races, 344 teams, 631 Racers (that counts each team separately each time they’ve appeared, hence 344 teams, but does not count each Racer’s multiple appearances separately (I.e., only once total, or that last number would be 688.)

[tiredofwork]

I agree the beauty and aura of Switzerland is magnificent, however, the episode while highlighting all the aforementioned at least for me added to a boring, filler episode.  I found the "drop" challenge cool to watch ONCE.. but over and over was boring.  The  the next thing you know, it was rest stop/mat time.

I have never ever watched BB so know nothing about any of the teams, I recall Rachel from the previous AR appearances, she does grate. However, I like her sister.. while she is a plastic surgery imitation of Kim K. she seems at least from what I have seen on this show even keeled, nice  willing to be challenged and not anything like her sister.  I believe take Rachel away, Elissa would be cool.

On the issue of the sexual comments from Tyler and Korey, I do think they benefit from the double standard and I believe there is a double standard in that regard.  I decided years ago that as a Black male in life especially in the workplace where I work with mostly white folks, I have long stopped the thought of casually stating a woman's dress looks nice, hair looks nice, etc.. as I am NOT going to called out on harassment or being a  lecherous person.  I just think that is how the world is and I am not gonna fall victim.  So my point is that I don't think any male on the show would get a pass if they commented in a cab interview or whatever but not in the presence of a woman what great "attributes" she has.

[millennium]

11 minutes ago, spanana said:

I think there is a big difference though between producers deciding someone is a villain, or recruiting people to be villains, and other racers just deciding they don't like a team or teams.  Those are two very different things unless the racers in question are being influenced by producers to dislike a team.

However part of it that is because the Survivor and BB teams are already coming to the show with reputations from their previous shows and are being invited on to be some version of their characters on their original show.  I even think that was evident last night with Rachel talking about Nicole should mind her brand.  After Corrine and Eliza were eliminated, Eliza talked on Nic/Vic's podcast about how she knew as soon as she was recruited to be paired with Corrine, they were being put on the show to play into their villain shtick.  Does anyone think Corrine/Eliza were invited on it hopes they would be nicey nice?  Of course not.  Same with Rachel.  She is invited back not to be a traditional villain (I think Corrine/Eliza fit that better), but in part because she brings over the top theatrics and drama?  And over the top theatrics breeds drama.  Even Rachel knows what her brand is and plays into that persona.

But to me if the teams decide they don't like the Reilly sisters, or Nic/Vic, or anyone...that of course doesn't mean they are right because there obviously mob mentality is a thing,  but that is different than the production casting the show in such a way.  If the other teams don't like Rachel a whole lot, that is likely more bred out of what they saw from Rachel on the race as opposed to production telling them to hate Rachel. Doesn't mean Rachel is a horrible person, but as said, Rachel knows why she is cast on these shows and plays into it.  

Everything you wrote makes sense.   Thanks for taking the time to post it.

[amazingracefan]

Obviously people are cast for roles and the editing will be kinder to some than others, but that doesn't mean all the audience has to buy into it.  I don't need 'villains' to enjoy a show, I prefer it to be more realistic in admitting this is a game.  The Afghanimals tried to deceive people 100% yet that is just laughed at as they are not the storyline 'villains'.  I don't want reality show pantomimes so I never watch them like that.  They all just want to win.

[ByaNose]

Back to the Race. I’m having fun watching Bret & Chris. They’re really coming along & nobody seems to concerned about them. I hope they make the Final 3. The rag on each other but it’s no mean spirited. They encourage each other & now their strengths & weaknesses. Fingers crossed. 

[spanana]

So of course Nic/Vic released their podcast, and they have an interview with Korey too, but of course they spoke to Rachelgate.  Going into this I know their side is well, one-sided, but they did speak to why they went to Team Fun to verify.  When they got off the train (or whatever it was), they all knew they had to do a 1.5 mile run, but I think racers were expecting there to be a u-turn at the end of said run so they would basically be doing a foot race to get there.  

They claim that outside of that BB alliance that Rachel or whoever approached them about, they really didn't hang out with the Reillys at all on the race.  They also didn't know them in real life pre-race, outside of like instagram likes and comments. Whereas they did spend most of their time hanging out with Team Fun (and Chris/Bret).  Nicole also said she was super close to Brittany, but that is besides the point.  But since they were close to Team Fun and not Rachel/Elissa, they didn't necessarily believe them.

However they claim they went to Team Fun to verify the information mostly because if they were going to have to run a 1.5 mile race to the u-turn getting off the train, they knew there was no way they were going to beat Team Fun in a foot race so they thought if they asked Team Fun about it, of course they would deny, but maybe it would change their mind if that was their original plan.  

Nicole also said at one point during the leg, I think before the jump, she/Elissa apologized to each other and hugged and said they would put everything behind them (that was part of the hug we saw I think), but of course that went down the drain at the end.

Vic claims that Chris/Bret did jump in to the fight at the mat to defend Nic/Vic, but who knows if that is true.  Also Nic said that she started to have an inkling that it was a NEL when producers were letting all the drama unfold at the mat.

On the plus side, they said despite everything Switzerland was the prettiest and their fave spot on the race.  

[Hera]

23 hours ago, Browncoat said:

Kumbaya Colin on the train was just a little extra.  Gather in a circle and hold hands?  Really?  He and Christie are still fierce competitors, but I had to roll my eyes at that train business.

Yeah, I don't love Rachel, but I sympathized with her "This is dumb and I don't want to do it" attitude. It's counterproductive on the race (no need to alienate people unnecessarily) and looks really bad on TV (especially since the editing wasn't at all in her favor), but I was totally with her.

17 hours ago, displayname said:

I find it amazing just how fast Colin and Christie are. It's like nothing's changed in 15 years in terms of their physical capacity.

It was interesting to me that during the U-Turn discussion every team agreed that Colin and Christie were "on another level" and it wasn't even up for debate whether or not they should be in the discussion for U-Turning. I doubt Colin and Christie would be surprised or hurt by that. In fact, Colin would probably feed off of it—and since we're dealing with Zen Colin now, he'd probably couch in terms of taking someone else's negative energy and using it in a positive way.

14 hours ago, green said:

Loved LawyerCop and Rachel/Sister both being lost and trying to follow each other.  I could actually understand the conundrum they were in at that point thinking they were the last two teams and what the hell are we suppose to do we don't want to lose the other car but we are totally clueless. 

Yep. It looks like no one thought to buy a road map at the airport. And to be fair, this race hasn't been heavy on the self-navigation, so it's perhaps not surprising that they didn't.

14 hours ago, mertensia said:

I would love to ride in the funicular, but memorizing names and numbers? Nope. That said, I was pleased they weren't allowed to write anything down.

At least the numbers were on the map already. I actually thought that task was going to be far harder than it was and that they would have to correctly write the names and numbers themselves. Even forcing them to pick the numbers along with the names (instead of only picking the names to put on the map) would have upped the level of difficulty considerably. As it was, I think as long as you sort of remembered the names and their order and sort of remembered the corresponding heights, you were probably okay. Really, the challenge in that detour seemed to be not giving up before you found the engineer.

[Haleth]

2 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

"If she completes the Leg", Phil said.  So unless she's med-evac'd or decides to run off and hit the beach halfway through the Leg, she's got it.  Mat #32 coming up next week, whether she's first or last.

This has me thinking... if you are eliminated at the mat have you completed the leg?  Or does "complete the leg" mean you have managed to stay in the game to race again the next day?  I don't know. 

[spanana]

At least according to Korey, the issue with finding the church at the end was that a lot of the people they stopped for directions had just never heard of it.  Korey said he had the best luck that day that the first person he asked before they left the detour knew exactly where the church was and gave them perfect directions.  I think the church was only about a 5 mile drive from where they were.

Whereas Victor said he did get directions from a few people before they left the detour (nobody had any cell service where they were), and the people all knew where the church was but they wound up turning the wrong direction because the directions he got were from people that were parked across the street in a different parking lot.  So when they said go right, he went left (or vice versa).  

Also for clarification purposes, at the point they showed Nicole asking to stop for directions, they had already gotten directions 3 times.  She just wanted to verify and the 4th guy looked like he had actual cell service.

Korey also said he was surprised to see Colin/Christie kind of overtake, was it Team Fun, during the whole water thing?  Just because when they went he felt like the guide set the pace and so it wasn't much up to how fast the racers moved.  Though he admitted their guide could have been just going at the pace he felt they could handle.

[chaifan]

Did anyone else notice the guy at the canyon jump?  With at least 2, possibly 3 teams, he said "jump on three", then proceeded to count down from three.

I loved the scenery, but except for the initial run to the clue box and the choice between power up and water down, there was little chance of mixing up the order.  So I wasn't surprised that it was a NEL.

It seemed like the racers had almost an entire train car to themselves.  There were a few shots where there was no one in the background for at least 5 rows.  But in another shot there were other passengers.  I'm guessing a block of tickets were reserved for the racers, since we didn't see any ticket window scenes.

Question for anyone familiar with Switzerland - are automatics the norm there?  Or was this just one more spoonfeed for the racers?  If so, how disappointing to miss out on "I can't drive stick" drama.

[ML89]

10 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Did anyone else notice the guy at the canyon jump?  With at least 2, possibly 3 teams, he said "jump on three", then proceeded to count down from three.

Yes! That drove me crazy! Esp since I would be like Nicole and need to be pushed. The thing about “drop when we say” - I kept waiting for someone not to and there be a disaster.  

The Reilly sisters, right, wrong, whatever, are on my last nerve. Especially those false lashes. Petty, I know.  

[millennium]

11 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Did anyone else notice the guy at the canyon jump?  With at least 2, possibly 3 teams, he said "jump on three", then proceeded to count down from three.

In a couple instances he appeared to push the jumpers.   I couldn't tell if he was taking choice out of the equation or padding the jump with a shove to add some distance between their heads and the platform.

[dgpolo]

14 minutes ago, chaifan said:

Did anyone else notice the guy at the canyon jump?  With at least 2, possibly 3 teams, he said "jump on three", then proceeded to count down from three.

Yes! I kept thinking, how can you can expect them to jump on 3 when you're counting down to 1. Then it was like someone clued him in or he went into a longer explanation for someone and realized it himself.