The Amazing Race -- All-Purpose Thread

Hi Wenders: Can you please explain the scores a little bit? You'd think that, as long as I've been joining this pool, I'd know about it, but I don't. So, how, after only the first week, is the first-place team of Jocelyn and Victor already almost twice as many points ahead of second-place Corey and Rob?

I'm just wondering, because it makes it seem like the race is already practically decided, at least in SJ terms?

 

I'll take them, @Wenders!

 

I found this explanation on one of the early pages of this thread...

 

I honestly thought that wasn't a good enough prize for an entire plate of bugs. Fast Forward or nothing, TAR!!

Here's how the results go (carried over from the days when IJAG ran it):
You get +1 point for every team you are ahead of
The team that wins the leg gets that point total +10 points for the win

So the last place team gets 1 point, second to last gets 2 points, etc.
This week with 13 teams, Jocelyn and Victor got 13 points + 10 points for the victory, equaling 23 points.

Sometimes, one extremely dominant team can run away with the pool if they have a bunch of first-place wins. (We weren't doing this in the time of Colin and Christie's first time on the Race, but they would have been the clear victors about halfway through the season.) But typically, you have the top 4-5 teams each win a handful of legs, making it quite competitive. Also, when you get to the final few legs, those first-place finishes are vital, because the 2nd-lower teams are only getting a few points.

I feel like we've had at least a few Pool winners that were not the overall Race winners, because they had so many first-place finishes but came up short at some point.

 

Watched last night. I've only ever seen maybe a half-dozen.
I quit a couple of years ago when the two NFL guys were beaten because they couldn't determine what music they heard in which city. On their first attempt, they got 4 of 5 right, but weren't told which one was wrong, so the had to needlessly start over and never recovered. One of the guys got so pissed he quit the show and I couldn't blame him. A very unfair test, blah blah blah.
Always seems to be one totally frustrating test, like the busty blonde with the bulb arrangements. Very aggravating. Picking the giant fruit out of the canals was fun, especially the old man and the hot redhead who were determined to make it in one trip and sunk their boat.

 

The boat sinking was the season’s first “rewind that I have to see it again” moment. Hilarious.
Although that father-daughter duo is creepy!

 

That shopping challenge was tailor-made for Victor and Jocelyn. Also, I want Thai food now.

So far an interesting bunch. Rob and Corey work well together - they had the right thought with the pomelo challenge. I was also incredibly impressed with how Greg & John made up their taxi mistake and didn't fall behind.

I had to wait until the show was uploaded on Paramount+ (and I had enough time to watch it) because the last 15 minutes went to Tornado Warning coverage in DFW.

Pool:
bumpy mcgee: Jocelyn & Victor | 45
TigerVols: Rob & Corey | 23
MTM: Greg & John | 21
Write Thinking: Morgan & Lena | 19
Wenders: Ashlie & Todd |17
WolvEagle: Steve & Anna Leigh | 15
UNC Grad: Joel & Garrett | 11
tea and ease: Liam & Yeremi | 11
nietsroob17: Joe & Ian | 11
Mrs. Vols: Malaina & Andrea | 7
Huggy: Robbin & Chelsea | 5
*Elizabeth & Iliana | 3
*Alexandra & Sheridan | 1
*team has been eliminated

I'm hoping the pool isn't late next week, but I have my biggest event of the year next Saturday, so I may be just pulling my hair out this week. Plus, it's gonna be about a 65-hour work week culminating in a 16-hour Saturday next week. Say a prayer and send me coffee and whiskey.

 

There were a couple of funny moments this week. I had to laugh when Greg tried to fist-bump with the flower-bouquet instructor, and she was just oblivious! Left his fist hanging in the air, just looking at it, wondering what he was doing.

Listening to Jocelyn lament how she was embarrassing her family with her efforts with the flowers made me chuckle, as did listening to Ashlie and Todd trying pronounce things in the Thai market (broccoli -- can it be that easy?!). And I called it when I saw how many pomelos were in that boat, and it sunk.

 

First rule of being a dad and having a daughter: Don't name her Anna Leigh. Poor girl.

 

Rejoice in the fun of airport navigation! I'm glad they're bringing this back, because it really can make the Race really interesting. I have no clue how those two teams managed to get seats on an earlier flight.

Both sides of the Detour looked like they would be really frustrating, especially if you didn't take to it. You're trying to rush because you know the Pit Stop is soon, but those were tasks that required you to take your time and be methodical. (That being said: Paper all the way. Especially if I can get spring rolls after.)

Pool:
bumpy mcgee: Jocelyn & Victor | 47
WolvEagle: Steve & Anna Leigh | 36
TigerVols: Rob & Corey | 32
MTM: Greg & John | 25
Write Thinking: Morgan & Lena | 25
Wenders: Ashlie & Todd |25
UNC Grad: Joel & Garrett | 21
nietsroob17: Joe & Ian | 16
tea and ease: Liam & Yeremi | 12
Huggy: Robbin & Chelsea | 12
Mrs. Vols: Malaina & Andrea | 10
*Elizabeth & Iliana | 3
*Alexandra & Sheridan | 1
*team has been eliminated

 

No kidding about the airport efforts. That travel agent worked magic for at least one of those teams!

Nobody looked too thrilled to be continuing to race once they'd reached the pit stop, and I imagine that's a really hard part of the race -- when you think you're done for a day, or a task, or whatever, and are already exhausted and ready to stop, but then find out that, no, you've got to keep on going...

The fruit baskets challenge seemed really chaotic -- more than it needed to be. And I was surprised how much Jocelyn and Victor struggled with the rice-paper task. This week was a big change for them.

 

The TBC leg also falling in a country with high humidity where everyone was talking about how hot they are...it has to be exhausting to Race for a full day in a country near the equator and have to push through.

The fruit baskets challenge seemed unfairly biased towards those at the front of the pack. The people who could just pull up to a boat and start unloading because there weren't 10 other teams trying to unload at the same boat simultaneously. Also, Greg & John got hosed with their boat driver.