S31.E08: You're The Apple In My Eye

[Quilt Fairy]

I hate any time they try to turn Phil into Jeff Probst.  

I preferred the early seasons of the U-Turn, when it came after a team had completed one side of the Detour.  Teams only knew about the other teams they had seen doing the same half of the Detour they had done, and didn't know anything about where the teams doing the other side were.  Of course, this led to teams U-Turning teams that were ahead of them, so the whole exercise became moot, which may be why they moved it. 

Edited June 7, 2019 by Quilt Fairy
Because Detours and Roadblocks are 2 different things.

[Netfoot]

On 6/5/2019 at 9:06 PM, Lamb18 said:

Finally Rachel and Elissa are gone.

Well, I did have to slaughter a white bullock and burn it's entrails on a stone altar... but it was worth it!

[ML89]

I see voting for the Reilly sisters like voting for the Twinnies in their season - just so I don’t have to have their drama and noise around. Although I wish when Rachel started that “million dollar mistake” stuff, Chris or Brett had asked if they should grab a life vest...

I gave up on the social media season so I don’t know anything about Tyler & Korey otherwise, but I like them so far. 

[Twopper]

I am really liking this season and this episode.

I enjoyed the brief scene with the cat, and I like Christie communing with her cow.

I am probably in the minority, because my fav team is Team Fun, but I don't think they are strong enough to win. 

I think it will either be Korey/Tyler or Colin/Christie which will be okay because I like them, too.    Bret and Chris are growing on me, but I would be very surprised if they win.  I had expected Leo/Jamal to do better than they are.   Now that the Reillys are gone, the only person who I find annoying is Nicole ( that is her name, isn't it/). 

I did not care for the voting, because I watch this show to see racing and scenery and the occasional cat.    In fact, I had trouble watching the William Tell shooting event as I was distracted by the view.   And that lake is gorgeous.   

[Giuseppe]

It's been a while since I've watched season 3, but wasn't this roadblock basically the same as that season's Switzerland leg? I swear I remember the teams having to shoot an apple off the head of a dummy, and Jon Vito had trouble with it because he couldn't wink one of his eyes to properly see through the sight of the crossbow. I kept expecting Phil to describe it as a switchback task with a couple flashbacks from that episode.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Giuseppe

[theschnauzers]

5 minutes ago, Giuseppe said:

It's been a while since I've watched season 3, but wasn't this roadblock basically the same as that season's Switzerland leg? I swear I remember the teams having to shoot an apple off the head of a dummy, and Jon Vito had trouble with it because he couldn't wink one of his eyes to properly see through the sight of the crossbow. I kept expecting Phil to describe it as a switchback task with a couple flashbacks from that episode.

It is close but not the exact same task. In season 3, racers shot arrows that were set up by the instructors working with that racer. This time, they were shooting nails with a crossbow. That distinction is probably why it wasn’t considered a flashback task to season 3.

[allthatglitters]

As far as a group decision on which teams should get the u-turn, they couldn't have made better choices if they'd huddled about it.  Colin and Christie are the obvious biggest physical threat couple. So if they can hobble them they should take advantage. If you have a second pick, it makes sense to make it an insurance pick Rachel and Elissa. Whoever is the weakest. A good balance in choice. Its all about surviving the next leg to the others.

Edited June 7, 2019 by allthatglitters

[LittleIggy]

Bye, Felicias!

[Hera]

On 6/6/2019 at 12:22 AM, green said:

But I agree entirely that Tyler & Korey are being ignored by the other teams.  They should have been the number one target at the vote given their performance.  They are both strong teams but I guess Colin being one of the top legendary TAR figures of all time causes the teams to focus on him and Christie and allows T & K to slip through the cracks.

I was surprised that Nicole and Victor weren't targeted as well. Up until the last two legs, they've run a very solid race, in the middle or near the front of the pack. I'd be much more worried about competing against them than against Rachel and Elissa. A U-Turn and a speed bump this leg might have been enough to take them out. If I were in the race, I'd be looking to keep Rachel/Elissa and Chris/Bret in for as long as I could. I'd probably throw the Afghanimals in there, too. I haven't seen their previous seasons, and I will give them that they started the race strong, but as @Regalbegal pointed out, their performance on the race hasn't lived up to what their perception of their performance seems to be.

On 6/5/2019 at 10:31 PM, theschnauzers said:

If you know Colin and Christie, then you know to a very high probability they will get through tasks very quickly. If they are getting themselves somewhere and not by taxis, then they’re also pretty quick. In other words finishing third in spite of a UTurn is essentially normal for them. So I wasn’t at all surprised.

I totally agree with this, and with everyone else who thinks that U-Turning Colin and Christie probably wasn't the best move…unless, of course, the goal was to get the weaker team out, but then Colin and Christie would have gotten the second most votes rather than the first.

11 hours ago, chaifan said:

There is strategy in U turning a weaker team.  Stronger teams have often powered through both U turns and ended up not being eliminated.  So if your only objective is to not be the last team, U turning a weaker team is the way to go.  Chris & Brett ran a good leg, but have consistently been in the back of the pack, so it would be smart of them to target a weaker team over a stronger one.

Exactly. And I think it makes a huge difference that this U-Turn happened at an equalizer rather than in the middle of the leg. Normally when you have the opportunity to U-Turn a strong team, it's because they're already behind you, which makes it less likely that they'll catch up to you. But since everyone started the detours at the same time, no one had a time advantage on anyone (except Nicole and Victor, because of their speed bump), so it's unsurprising that Colin and Christie survived. Although it's worth noting that they made up the time because Colin rocked the roadblock. They arrived there after everyone except for Rachel and Elissa and the Afghanimals—and I don't know how much credit Colin and Christie should get for beating Leo and Jamal to the roadblock, since they had no control over the Afghanimals getting lost.

[jumper sage]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Well, I did have to slaughter a white bullock and burn it's entrails on a stone altar... but it was worth it!

Let us know if you need us to reimburse you for anything. 😀

I had to work and came in half way through.  I could swear I saw that the Reilly sisters left their clue and just continued on by watching others.  Even if they did happen to not be last, wouldn't they be penalized for not having their clue?

[Rachel RSL]

Heh. We’ve been trying to figure that out for 4 pages now. I’m going to ask a friend who might have some insight about it tomorrow and I’ll report back. (Maybe in a more appropriate thread, if this is considered off topic?)

[SVNBob]

12 hours ago, chaifan said:

Chris & Brett ran a good leg, but have consistently been in the back of the pack,

Had been.  They've been consistently improving since their Speed Bump.  Yes, they slipped in the previous leg, but overall they're doing much better than the first 3 legs would have indicated.

59 minutes ago, Hera said:

I was surprised that Nicole and Victor weren't targeted as well.

That was what the U-Turn conference in the previous leg was all about.  The teams there "agreed" that there were two valid targets for the U-Turn. Nic and Vic were on the list due to their consistency and performance prior to that discussion.  But the primary target was Colin and Christie.  Becca said they were on a whole other level than everyone else, and she's right.  Nic and Vic had been incredibly consistent (mostly in the top 3), but Colin and Christie not only hadn't (and still haven't) been outside of the top 4 all Race, they'd also won a leg (whereas Nic and Vic hadn't).  And note that the teams involved in that conversation did all target the bigger threat.

In regards to the U-Turn Vote itself; you can't blame TPTB for inventing it.  It was originally invented in the Israeli version of TAR, HaMerotz LaMillion.  Starting in their second season, they had a U-Turn (or Yield) Vote in the first 9 of 13 legs.  The vote was at the start of each leg, and there was no abstaining (it was even called the Must Vote U-Turn/Yield).  Typically only the one team with the most votes got affected, but in the case of ties, all tied teams were affected.  This concept was also used in TARChina, TARAustralia, and TARPhilippines before it got here to the mothership.  (And I think they only decided to try it here due to the crossover theme...at least, I hope that was the only reason.)

Be glad we didn't get the second version of the U-Turn Vote that the Israelis had in their 3rd season.  It was a cross between the Vote and the Double U-Turn.  Same voting rules applied, and the team with the most votes got U-Turned.  But that team also got to force one other team into the U-Turn.

[Lakebum]

Ding dong, the witch is dead! Wait, not witch, but WITCH!! WITCH!!! Damn auto-correct... 😉 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, allthatglitters said:

As far as a group decision on which teams should get the u-turn, they couldn't have made better choices if they'd huddled about it.  Colin and Christie are the obvious biggest physical threat couple. So if they can hobble them they should take advantage. If you have a second pick, it makes sense to make it an insurance pick Rachel and Elissa. Whoever is the weakest. A good balance in choice. Its all about surviving the next leg to the others.

Very good point.

This u-turn really has a completely different strategy involved because everyone was basically tied when the vote took place. It made sense for the stronger teams to target Colin and Christie. But for the weaker teams voting for a really strong team could easily have backfired if both u-turned teams survived. Rachel and Elissa were the logical safe choice because they were the most likely to implode in the face of a setback. 

[lh25]

We were kind of hoping the Reilly sisters would get a penalty for not having their clue, even if they came in last.  They would have to sit by the mat for the length of time before being allowed to leave.  Yes, I know it's mean of us, but I am so over the "If we do it, it's just the race.  If it's done to us, it's awful and horrible" tact.  

[preeya]

23 minutes ago, lh25 said:

Yes, I know it's mean of us, but I am so over the "If we do it, it's just the race.  If it's done to us, it's awful and horrible" tact.  

IMHO, anything said about "Rachelelle de Bitch" is not mean. She should get back everything she dishes out in spades.  She is a vile excuse for a human being.

Edited June 7, 2019 by preeya

[spanana]

8 hours ago, SVNBob said:

That was what the U-Turn conference in the previous leg was all about.  The teams there "agreed" that there were two valid targets for the U-Turn. Nic and Vic were on the list due to their consistency and performance prior to that discussion.  But the primary target was Colin and Christie.  Becca said they were on a whole other level than everyone else, and she's right.  Nic and Vic had been incredibly consistent (mostly in the top 3), but Colin and Christie not only hadn't (and still haven't) been outside of the top 4 all Race, they'd also won a leg (whereas Nic and Vic hadn't).  And note that the teams involved in that conversation did all target the bigger threat.

I also think this goes back to where social game is important to a degree.  I don't need to see the manipulative scheming type of social game, but just having relationships with other teams does help.

Now Colin/Christie getting u-turned had nothing to do with their social game.  It's just they are so dominant that it was hard to ignore.  I get the impression everyone really likes them.

And while Tyler/Korey voted for Nic/Vic, I do think to some degree they were saved by having a better social game than Rachel/Elissa.  Because Survivor guys vote seems to be because he was friends with Nic/Vic and not the Reillys.  So socializing saved them.

Also as said, I believe all the people that were part of the vote for Nic/Vic for u-turn conversation did vote for Colin/Christie when pressed, which is basically what they expressed then.  Colin/Christie were the strongest and Nic/Vic are also strong, but the former are a bigger threat.  Had they needed to go around the group for a second vote, then I think Nic/Vic might have been in trouble.  Team Fun and Leo/Jamal might very well have voted for them.  So again, in many ways they were saved by Chris/Bret.

As I've said before, the only WTF was the fact that nobody is acknowledging what a huge threat Tyler/Korey are.  Some of that is their social game.  Some of that might be that based on appearance and neither being big huge burly guys, people sort of overlook how much of a threat they are?  I know Korey in one of his interviews does say they play into that a little as it keeps them just looking like the fun friends with everyone guys and not big bad super dominant Race team.

[momlyd]

Christie's zen slipped a bit there. 

[momlyd]

On 6/5/2019 at 10:48 PM, Halting Hex said:

C&C Winning Factory

LOL! I like it but I also have "gonna make you sweat" running through my head now. Thanks.

[momlyd]

23 hours ago, lexington11 said:

That's exactly my issue with Rachel. When she's the one making the moves, it's all a game and no one should get mad, but when the tables are turned, it stops being game and becomes a personal attack on her.

This is true for Becca as well. It also bleeds into Nicole's whining to Victor. It's not attractive in any racer, so I think we should spread that around a bit.

[momlyd]

14 hours ago, Twopper said:

as I was distracted by the view

I noticed the Amazing Videographers kept scanning up from what was in front of them to the lakes and the mountains in the background, so you were probably helped in that!

Also, when the Afghanimals (I think?) arrived and raced into the William Tell shooting range, the main focus was on Floyd's worried face and as they raced by in the background, their ride along cameraman raced right behind them. I know it's been unusual to even see a shadow of the support team in races past - except for the overturned Land Rover in the dessert one year with one of the sound guys lying on the ground injured. 

[Miles]

23 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I agree. In fact I can’t remember the last time a U-turn took out a really strong team usually they just lose a few spots.

Yeah I don't get the obsession with U-Turning a strong team. it hasn't worked since production moved the U-Turn in front of the detour. I think there are two reasons for it.

1. Before you could only U-Turn a strong team when it was uncharacteristically struggeling with one of the sides of the detour anyway, since that was the only time they would be behind you to be U-Turned anyway. So they had to struggle through that and then still do the other half of the detour.

2. I think there is a psychological component. If you know beforehand that you are going to have to do two parts, instead of finding out in the middle, you are going to invest more energy into getting things done. I know everybody likes to imagine that they would always give it their all, but that's just not how the human unconcious works. Our bodies always hold back in order to have reserves for cases of emergency. Knowing that you'll have to do twice as much work is such an emergency.

So thinking about it like this, it also makes sense why production refuses to put the U-Turn back after the detour. Having it before let's them keep all the drama of the U-Turn, but it lowers the risk of them losing strong teams that are good TV.

[lexington11]

23 hours ago, biakbiak said:

I agree. In fact I can’t remember the last time a U-turn took out a really strong team usually they just lose a few spots.

That happened earlier this season, where both U-Turned teams (Team Fun and Tyler & Korey) survived, while it was weaker team Rupert & Laura that got eliminated. So I can definitely see the strategy in using the U-Turn to take out a weaker team, because as just seen with Colin & Christie, it could be counter productive to use it on a team that you know will knock out both sides in no time. 

[green]

47 minutes ago, momlyd said:

Also, when the Afghanimals (I think?) arrived and raced into the William Tell shooting range, the main focus was on Floyd's worried face and as they raced by in the background, their ride along cameraman raced right behind them. I know it's been unusual to even see a shadow of the support team in races past - except for the overturned Land Rover in the dessert one year with one of the sound guys lying on the ground injured. 

I saw the cameraman too.  That was a VERY big shot of a cameraman spotting.  Stuck out like a sore thumb.  Maybe the editors don't care to hide the camera crew anymore.

Also a factoid.  That Land Rover was in TAR7 in Africa -- the first time Boston Rob was on TAR -- and was driven by Brian and his brother.

You may have seen Brian on TV over the years since he managed to move into the business to do many commercials as in not becoming/milking a "reality star" gig but becoming a legit jobbing actor instead.  You may especially remember him in his recurring role over the years as the dumb as a rock but lovable former boyfriend of Penny on The Big Bang Theory.

Edited June 7, 2019 by green

[Bryce Lynch]

18 hours ago, mojoween said:

Chris is a lawyer from Oklahoma and Bret is a police Sargent from Boston.  

It kind of sounds like a pitch for a bad TV pilot.

"Chris is a former football star and now a lawyer from Oklahoma.  Brett is a gay cop from Boston.  Together, they chase bad guys, good food and big laughs!"  

[Quilt Fairy]

37 minutes ago, Miles said:

Yeah I don't get the obsession with U-Turning a strong team. it hasn't worked since production moved the U-Turn in front of the detour. I think there are two reasons for it.

1. Before you could only U-Turn a strong team when it was uncharacteristically struggeling with one of the sides of the detour anyway, since that was the only time they would be behind you to be U-Turned anyway. So they had to struggle through that and then still do the other half of the detour.

2. I think there is a psychological component. If you know beforehand that you are going to have to do two parts, instead of finding out in the middle, you are going to invest more energy into getting things done. I know everybody likes to imagine that they would always give it their all, but that's just not how the human unconcious works. Our bodies always hold back in order to have reserves for cases of emergency. Knowing that you'll have to do twice as much work is such an emergency.

So thinking about it like this, it also makes sense why production refuses to put the U-Turn back after the detour. Having it before let's them keep all the drama of the U-Turn, but it lowers the risk of them losing strong teams that are good TV.

The other thing about having the U-turn unannounced in the middle of the Detour was that teams picked the side of the Detour they thought would be quickest and in some cases specifically wanted to avoid the other side of the Detour, only to find out they'd been u-turned and have to do the other side anyway after they'd expended the energy to do the first side. 

[Miles]

7 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

The other thing about having the U-turn unannounced in the middle of the Detour was that teams picked the side of the Detour they thought would be quickest and in some cases specifically wanted to avoid the other side of the Detour, only to find out they'd been u-turned and have to do the other side anyway after they'd expended the energy to do the first side. 

Yeah that might be another psychological component. You feel deflated because now you have to do the half you didn't want to do and decided against. Whereas if you can plan for it, it might actually motivate you to get both done quick.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Miles

[Guest]

On 6/6/2019 at 10:08 AM, biakbiak said:

I agree. In fact I can’t remember the last time a U-turn took out a really strong team usually they just lose a few spots.

I think the last time was the frisbee players in TAR28. They were very strong through most of the race before they slipped up in their second to last leg and then were eliminated after being u-turned by Tyler and Corey. Of course that u-turn happened on the 10th leg when there were only 5 teams left.

If the second u-turn happens late enough in the race targeting a strong team can be a decent strategy. 

It’s targeting a strong team at the first u-turn that I’ve never understood. 

Edited June 8, 2019 by Guest

[Quilt Fairy]

6 minutes ago, Dani said:

If the second u-turn happens late enough in the race targeting a strong team can be a decent strategy. 

It’s targeting a strong team at the first u-turn that I’ve never understood. 

So now that we've had two, does that mean there will be no more this season?

[mikewho]

2 hours ago, momlyd said:

Christie's zen slipped a bit there.

Why? I'm just curious. Was it just because she said, 'Absolutely not.' when Rachel asked to look at her clue? That's not being 'not zen', it's just being in a race for a million dollars. And these folks aren't out there to be singing Kumbaya.

39 minutes ago, green said:

I saw the cameraman too.  That was a VERY big shot of a cameraman spotting.  Stuck out like a sore thumb.  Maybe the editors don't care to hide the camera crew anymore.

I saw at least 2 during the apple-shoot. As I've said, I've noticed cameramen since season 3 on every season. Season 4 had a lot of them.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

So now that we've had two, does that mean there will be no more this season?

There have been a few seasons with three so it’s possible there might be another one. I think episode 10 is the latest the u-turn as shown up in the race. 

 With the last non-elimination coming so early I wouldn’t be surprised if there is another twist coming up. 

[proserpina65]

20 hours ago, Rachel RSL said:

I'm trying to think of a time where a team lost their clue (and it was not possible to retrieve it) and when they showed up at the mat, Phil told them they had a 30 min penalty. 

Does it really matter?  Just having to go back for a lost clue costs a team time, and a lot of time if they've traveled a good distance in the meantime.  Even if it's not an official penalty on the mat, it pretty much functions as one, because they are not allowed to check in without all the clues from that leg.  I'm thinking it's to keep teams from just tagging along with someone else and doing a task without having the actual instructions.

20 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Was that the time when they were on a beach and one of the cowboys threw the bottle down at Phil's feet? Or was that another time. I remember that being one of the rare, uglier moments for the Cowboys. However, in that instance, it wasn't that they stumbled upon the task (something to do with swimming out to boats). They had the clue, they just left it behind, I think.

You're right, the clue was in a bottle which they were supposed to bring to the map.  They left it in the boat, and had to go back to get it.  Which is sort of like losing your clue, I guess.  It was Carol and Brandy who stumbled upon the location of the pit stop without actually assembling the puzzle map that was inside the bottle.

[proserpina65]

13 hours ago, jumper sage said:

Let us know if you need us to reimburse you for anything. 😀

I had to work and came in half way through.  I could swear I saw that the Reilly sisters left their clue and just continued on by watching others.  Even if they did happen to not be last, wouldn't they be penalized for not having their clue?

At the very least they would've had to go back and get it, costing them time.  Depending on how close arrivals were at the mat, it probably would've still meant they were eliminated.

[QuantumMechanic]

21 hours ago, millennium said:

I do, not just because I enjoy the Reilly sisters, but because their choice helped to turn TAR into just one more show where decisions are made on the basis of personality rather than strategy.  Vic and Nicole were the logical targets yet they walked away unscathed.

(And on a personal note, big strong Boston cops, targeting a couple of non-threatening women because they didn't give them enough attention.  Maybe the sisters should have cried -- Chris and Brett might have let them off with just a warning.)

If you want to make sure you advance, U-turning the weakest team makes a lot of sense since it will make it much more likely they'll finish last.

[QuantumMechanic]

18 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I hate any time they try to turn Phil into Jeff Probst.  

I preferred the early seasons of the U-Turn, when it came after a team had completed one side of the Detour.  Teams only knew about the other teams they had seen doing the same half of the Detour they had done, and didn't know anything about where the teams doing the other side were.  Of course, this led to teams U-Turning teams that were ahead of them, so the whole exercise became moot, which may be why they moved it. 

Well, instead of getting rid of it they could have had production simply remove the photos of the teams who had already cleared the Detour so that only teams available to be U-turned at that point would be the choices.

It would be far better than putting the U-turn before the Detour.  You should have to have completed the task to be able to U-turn anyone.

And if they're going to keep Double U-Turns (I wish they wouldn't) they should change the rules so that Double U-Turns can't be turned into single ones by "U-Turning" a team you know is ahead of you.

[mikewho]

13 hours ago, SVNBob said:

In regards to the U-Turn Vote itself; you can't blame TPTB for inventing it.  It was originally invented in the Israeli version of TAR, HaMerotz LaMillion.  Starting in their second season, they had a U-Turn (or Yield) Vote in the first 9 of 13 legs.  The vote was at the start of each leg, and there was no abstaining (it was even called the Must Vote U-Turn/Yield).  Typically only the one team with the most votes got affected, but in the case of ties, all tied teams were affected.  This concept was also used in TARChina, TARAustralia, and TARPhilippines before it got here to the mothership.  (And I think they only decided to try it here due to the crossover theme...at least, I hope that was the only reason.)

That makes sense, then. That they'd try it here. Whether we like it or not, TAR isn't the ONLY version around the world. So I don't blame them for trying something from a different country. TAR US is not the pristine version many would like it to be.

[spanana]

22 hours ago, millennium said:

I do, not just because I enjoy the Reilly sisters, but because their choice helped to turn TAR into just one more show where decisions are made on the basis of personality rather than strategy.  Vic and Nicole were the logical targets yet they walked away unscathed.

(And on a personal note, big strong Boston cops, targeting a couple of non-threatening women because they didn't give them enough attention.  Maybe the sisters should have cried -- Chris and Brett might have let them off with just a warning.)

Because the Reilly sisters only acted on strategy throughout the race? Is this not the same team who stupidly u-turned Team Fun when they had no reason to whatsoever just because Team Fun supposedly abandoned them when the Reillys asked them to work together?  And Team Fun didn't really even abandon them, they just also linked up with a third team (I think Vic/Nic?) and Rachel got in a snit?  That sounds like strategy in action.

So yeah, I'm not going to remotely pretend that Rachel/Elissa only made strategic decisions.  They acted on personal stuff as much as anyone else (not in the final u-turn vote, but other times).  If they can get personal, then so can other teams.

Also I think "targeting" is a bit extreme.  They didn't make fun of them.  They didn't walk around taunting them.  They didn't physically intimidate them.  It was a race where they were asked to nominate a team and they did, even if for not totally strategic reasons.   You make it sound like they personally went after the Reilly sisters in life as opposed to making a legal game move.

Chris also isn't a cop.  He's a lawyer.  So let's at least make fun of the right professions if we're going to go that route.  Only Brett is a cop.

Besides, personal or not it's not wholly unstrategic for one back of the pack team to nominate another back of the pack team to give them a chance of staying in the race longer. 

[millennium]

1 hour ago, QuantumMechanic said:

If you want to make sure you advance, U-turning the weakest team makes a lot of sense since it will make it much more likely they'll finish last.

At the moment of the U-turn vote, Victor and Nicole were the weakest team because they were already hobbled by a speed bump.

26 minutes ago, spanana said:

Chris also isn't a cop.  He's a lawyer.  So let's at least make fun of the right professions if we're going to go that route.  Only Brett is a cop.

My bad.  But Brett, the cop, is the one who named them.   Chris merely agreed.

[spanana]

4 minutes ago, millennium said:

At the moment of the U-turn vote, Victor and Nicole were the weakest team because they were already hobbled by a speed bump.

My bad.  But Brett, the cop, is the one who named them.   Chris merely agreed.

On that note, Chris did an interview (unshockingly on Nic/Vic's podcast) and he agreed with the vote in the moment.  He said it was part personal in the sense that yes, they had barely spoken two words with Rachel/Elissa the entire race and were friends with the others.  That conversation at the u-turn was the most either team has spoken to each other.   He didn't want to nom his friends.

But he also said it was partly strategic in the moment because he didn't think there was any chance of the strongest teams being taken out by this u-turn and that he thought going after Colin/Christie was kind of dumb since everyone knew they would still find a way to smoke most of the others.  And they also were worried there was going to be another long run up the side of a mountain coming and they knew they were slow and there was no way they were going to beat most of the others in any sort of foot race, so the thought was what gave them the best chance of surviving the leg and that was to u-turn a back of the pack team, and the personal part was they didn't want to u-turn their friends.

Though Chris doesn't sound like he has anything against them.  He also said in retrospect he wishes he had talked to Elissa more because he didn't even know she was the voice of reason in that team until watching the edited show back.

[mikewho]

14 minutes ago, spanana said:

On that note, Chris did an interview (unshockingly on Nic/Vic's podcast) and he agreed with the vote in the moment.  He said it was part personal in the sense that yes, they had barely spoken two words with Rachel/Elissa the entire race and were friends with the others.  That conversation at the u-turn was the most either team has spoken to each other.   He didn't want to nom his friends.

But he also said it was partly strategic in the moment because he didn't think there was any chance of the strongest teams being taken out by this u-turn and that he thought going after Colin/Christie was kind of dumb since everyone knew they would still find a way to smoke most of the others.  And they also were worried there was going to be another long run up the side of a mountain coming and they knew they were slow and there was no way they were going to beat most of the others in any sort of foot race, so the thought was what gave them the best chance of surviving the leg and that was to u-turn a back of the pack team, and the personal part was they didn't want to u-turn their friends.

Though Chris doesn't sound like he has anything against them.  He also said in retrospect he wishes he had talked to Elissa more because he didn't even know she was the voice of reason in that team until watching the edited show back.

You find out so much more behind-the-scenes, you (me) might rightfully wonder about what's shown on the broadcast version.

[ByaNose]

19 hours ago, Twopper said:

I am really liking this season and this episode.

I enjoyed the brief scene with the cat, and I like Christie communing with her cow.

I am probably in the minority, because my fav team is Team Fun, but I don't think they are strong enough to win. 

I think it will either be Korey/Tyler or Colin/Christie which will be okay because I like them, too.    Bret and Chris are growing on me, but I would be very surprised if they win.  I had expected Leo/Jamal to do better than they are.   Now that the Reillys are gone, the only person who I find annoying is Nicole ( that is her name, isn't it/). 

I did not care for the voting, because I watch this show to see racing and scenery and the occasional cat.    In fact, I had trouble watching the William Tell shooting event as I was distracted by the view.   And that lake is gorgeous.   

Leo & Jamal have really regressed as the season has gone on. This constant getting lost is such a rookie mistake for a seasoned team. They've never been my favorites but I too am surprised that they aren’t better than they were/are.

[amazingracefan]

2 hours ago, spanana said:

Because the Reilly sisters only acted on strategy throughout the race? Is this not the same team who stupidly u-turned Team Fun when they had no reason to whatsoever just because Team Fun supposedly abandoned them when the Reillys asked them to work together?  And Team Fun didn't really even abandon them, they just also linked up with a third team (I think Vic/Nic?) and Rachel got in a snit?  That sounds like strategy in action.

I doubt it was just on personal reasons Team 'Fun' were u-turned, they are seen as a racing threat.  You have to look beyond what the edit pushes.  The edit at the start of the ep made it pretty clear the Reillys were likely to be eliminated, yet more confessional interviews getting them to take about the record.

The leg was made interesting by the self driving and getting lost.  The rest of it really didn't work, including the vote which just reminded me of when I first saw a vote like that on reality TV ( Big Brother 6, UK).  The order people vote always has a big influence on what the outcome is.  Both u-turned teams did pretty well, but the William Tell challenge having to only hit one target and the target not that far away wasn't as hard as it could have been.  The pit stop at least had two route options, though teams didn't really have to navigate to it much.

Apparently the leg only lasted about 3 hours lol.  Just shows how low budget it became in the last decade.

Edited June 7, 2019 by amazingracefan

[HawaiiTVGuy]

15 hours ago, SVNBob said:

That was what the U-Turn conference in the previous leg was all about.  The teams there "agreed" that there were two valid targets for the U-Turn. Nic and Vic were on the list due to their consistency and performance prior to that discussion.  But the primary target was Colin and Christie.  Becca said they were on a whole other level than everyone else, and she's right.  Nic and Vic had been incredibly consistent (mostly in the top 3), but Colin and Christie not only hadn't (and still haven't) been outside of the top 4 all Race, they'd also won a leg (whereas Nic and Vic hadn't).  And note that the teams involved in that conversation did all target the bigger threat.

In a way I have a feeling that Nic and Vic can thank the Speed Bump for saving them from being U-Turned.  They were now not seen as big a threat, and if they were U-Turned, why bother U-Turning anyone else with their Speed Bump, especially C&C.  Once Rachel and Elissa threw C&C in first, it was kind of a sign for other teams to at least commit to C&C getting hobbled, and who knows, twice as likely as having a "my ox is broken" moment haha.  The biggest surprise was that Nic and Vic didn't pile on C&C.  THAT would have been the smart move, it helps ensure that C&C was going to be one of the teams to get U-Turned, making them one team less likely.

Can anyone tell me what the voting order was?  I only remember Rachel and Elissa going to C&C, Nic and Vic doing the Afghanimals, and Bromance doing R&E.  

[biakbiak]

15 minutes ago, amazingracefan said:

doubt it was just on personal reasons Team 'Fun' were u-turned, they are seen as a racing threat.  You have to look beyond what the edit pushes.  The edit at the start of the ep made it pretty clear the Reillys were likely to be eliminated, yet more confessional interviews getting them to take about the record.

The Reilly sisters were in first place when they Uturned Team Fun it didn’t really make that much sense for them to UTurn anyone at that point. 

[Miles]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

At the very least they would've had to go back and get it, costing them time.  Depending on how close arrivals were at the mat, it probably would've still meant they were eliminated.

Just fyi, on Rob has a Podcast the Riley sisters said they did go back for the clue, to read what it said. So they did have it at the mat. I guess the editors didn't include it to make things more interesting.

[Miles]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

At the moment of the U-turn vote, Victor and Nicole were the weakest team because they were already hobbled by a speed bump.

Speed bumps barely cost any time and everybody knows it. They are more symbolic than anything. Victor and Nicole weren't the weakest team there by a mile. The Rileys were.

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, ByaNose said:

Leo & Jamal have really regressed as the season has gone on. This constant getting lost is such a rookie mistake for a seasoned team. They've never been my favorites but I too am surprised that they aren’t better than they were/are.

Isn't this the first time this season they had to drive themselves? Maybe self-navigation is their weak point.

I think the point of having all the clues is the same as going through all the checkpoints in a road rally.  We see it all on camera so it's not really an issue, but it's a check that no one has taken any illegal shortcuts. 

[HawaiiTVGuy]

2 hours ago, spanana said:

Also I think "targeting" is a bit extreme.  They didn't make fun of them.  They didn't walk around taunting them.  They didn't physically intimidate them.  It was a race where they were asked to nominate a team and they did, even if for not totally strategic reasons.   You make it sound like they personally went after the Reilly sisters in life as opposed to making a legal game move.

 Chris also isn't a cop.  He's a lawyer.  So let's at least make fun of the right professions if we're going to go that route.  Only Brett is a cop.

Besides, personal or not it's not wholly unstrategic for one back of the pack team to nominate another back of the pack team to give them a chance of staying in the race longer. 

Totally agree with you.  What does gender or physique have anything to do with what Team Bromance did during the vote?  At any time did Bromance act physically towards them?  It was a stinking vote...and how did they "target" them?  If they had chosen a different team, was that "targeting" that other team?  Was there any evidence that Bromance did anything to try to intimidate the Reilly sisters at all?  Seems like someone is trying grasp for straws to get sympathy for the sisters.

In terms of how much strategy went into their decision, in the talking heads, they admitted, there was a personal reason to choose the sisters as well.  Why would they want to sacrifice one of their friends to the alter of C&C?  And who said that there was not some strategy involved, you already have some friendships with other teams, and now you openly tell everyone that you value their friendship to save them, well, who isn't going to feel grateful in the future and let you know where a clue box is located?

And the sisters were never saying that Bromance should have nominated a weaker team than them, they were trying to advocate nominating a stronger team.  In fact they were trying to claim they were a non-threat that Bromance should want to race against at the end.

[eel21788]

23 hours ago, chaifan said:

I remember reading and/or hearing, quite a while ago, that teams had to turn in anything they gathered along the race at the pit stop.  IIRC it was a post-race interview and someone had asked if they could keep anything as souvenirs, and the answer was no, everything had to be turned in.  Turning in clues was to help prevent spoilers.  That makes perfect sense to me.  The best way to enforce it is to make it a game rule with a penalty attached.

I always thought if I was in the Race I would buy a guide book for the next destination at the airport and read it cover to cover on the plane. I wonder if that would really be allowed.

[biakbiak]

7 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

I always thought if I was in the Race I would buy a guide book for the next destination at the airport and read it cover to cover on the plane. I wonder if that would really be allowed.

It’s allowed it’s what most everyone does so they just don’t show it as much as they used to though this season it’s what screwed Tyler and Korey on one task because they guidebook had the number of the total stairs in the Mosque not just the minaret do they had to redo it when they didn’t count and got it wrong.

Edited June 7, 2019 by biakbiak