The Amazing Race -- All-Purpose Thread

Interesting they had to camp out on the beach in Scotland and that they showed it. Pretty rare to see the pit stop accommodations.

 

I, too, couldn't believe it was a non-elimination leg.

But I can absolutely believe the racers would have to look up the capitols of all those countries. Most people are horrible at geography and related location-oriented things like capitols, flags and historical facts.

 

Not to mention maps. Just being able to find your present location on a map and how to get from point A to point B is a struggle for some of teams.

 

And, pretty rare for them to catch up with Phil - or at least for TAR to show it.

 

If you follow Phil on Twitter, he frequently does Q&As while watching episodes. He said him and his camera crew is frequently not far in front of the contestants. They film his spots and then the rest of the time, he and the producers are in contact with the people with the contestants to make sure they're doing everything right and to get updates on their progress.

 

I was wondering if anyone knew for sure what kind of dogs those were sitting at the pi stop with Phil and the native greeter.

At first, I thought they were Weimereiners, but then I thought they looked much too big, and they didn't have the typical docked tail, either.

Now, I'm thinking they were Great Danes?

Regardless, as one contestant noted, they were beautiful.

And I was happy for the cyclists, winning that race leg. I was jealous of them each winning one of those new sustainable Ford cars, though. I really liked the look of them, and I've been thinking more and more lately about getting a hybrid/more eco-friendly vehicle next time I'm looking to buy.

 

They've got to be Great Danes. (After all, they were in Denmark...) But they were definitely too wide and not the right coloring to be purebred Weimereiners. (Honestly, screw the car. If Phil wanted to give me one of the dogs for the prize for coming in first, I would have jumped for joy. I love big dogs.)

 

Some observations from this week's episode:

First, let me say I really do enjoy this race/show/experience. As the title implies, it's amazing -- to see, to think about, and to experience vicariously.

Also, now, I have to say that I guess I really didn't know how leather was made. Ugh. You have to admire that Bethany completed that challenge, though. As soon as I saw it, I knew it wasn't going to be easy for her.

Piling and balancing those bolts of leather on the bike, and then having to balance on and ride the bike, herself, on busy, crowded, cobbled streets, no less, was going to be incredibly difficult for a one-armed person. That was borne out by the fact that she needed, and got, some help from some native bystanders with securing the leather rolls, and then was shown pretty much walking the bike along more so than riding it.

It got me wondering: Do the contestants get any idea or information beforehand about what's going to be involved in the challenges beyond what appears to be indicated by the sometimes descriptive/sometimes mysterious event names referenced in the clues?

I was surprised the contestants had so much trouble with the street-music challenge. I know everything is usually harder than it looks, but spinning that tassel didn't seem like it should have been that difficult. They needed to not swing/turn their necks so much, and use the head more than the neck. I loved those robes the street dancers wore, though. Just exquisitely beautiful.

Between the dirty, smelly leather-making square, all the dangerous, toppling merchandise carts in the chaotic outdoor market square (it's hard to believe the merchants put up and take down those things and pack/unpack all that stuff every day), plus all the crazy bike-riding on, again, busy, crowded, cobbled streets, had to have been eye-opening for all these American contestants.

They should have come away from Morocco having a deeper appreciation for the comparative ease and relative comforts of life in the U.S., that's for sure.

And, what is with Jim's eyes? Geez, they really are like pinballs. Creepy-looking...

Oh, and I was just thinking, in the beginning of the episode, that Keith and Whitney might have a good chance to win the whole race when...they got eliminated.

 

I think Jim has missed the entire point about being on the Amazing Race. When he was making fun of the scientists for taking in the culture in the tannery and just getting through it, I wanted to see her turn around and slap him. The entire point of this show is to put you in a situation that you have probably never been in and do things that are natural in other cultures but not our own.

I also love how Misti and Jim constantly go on about how they are so attentive to detail, but the last two weeks they have dropped due to lack of attention to detail.

Bethany must really be a wonderful person in their downtime, the way all the contestants talk about her. And I can't argue that she must be superwoman. I would struggle with these tasks. And WT, I'm pretty sure that they don't get clues about the Road Blocks other than the little one line when they open it. They read the one line, decide who does it and then they open it up and read what the task is. But on the tea detour, it would have been impossible for Bethany to do anything but the holding. Which she, of course, did awesome at.

Also, it was annoying how much everyone stood around bickering in this episode. I have an idea: shut up, go with the tasks, get your clue and shut up. Like the whole bickering match at the tannery where Keith and Whitney faced off with Shelley and Nici...yeah for the time that you wasted whining about "who got there first" you could BOTH have had your clue and been on your way.

Sorry for the lateness of the pool update, I had to work literally all day yesterday and didn't get a chance to watch until this afternoon. And we have a new leader in the pool this week!

MTM - #TheCyclists Kym and Alli 54
TigerVols - #The Dentists Misti and Jim 53
Jay Ferrar - #SoulSurfers Adam and Bethany 44
Huggy - #CollegeSweethearts Tim and TeJay 28
WriteThinking - #TheWrestlers Brooke and Robbie 27
*Iron_chet - #TeamNashville Keith and Whitney 24
Amy - #SweetScientists Maya and Amy 21
bumpy mcgee - #MomDaughter Shelley and Nici 20
*WolvEagle - #TheFirefighters Michael and Scott 8
*Wenders - #TheDatingCouple Dennis and Isabelle 6
*#MiamiRealtors Lisa and Michelle 1

 

I totally agree about Jim. He's after the million bucks, and that's it.

I would love to participate in TAR, and stay in all the way to the end, even if there was no prize money to be had.

The prize is that travel, to places not usually frequented by tourists, and doing things you'd probably never do even if you were a regular seasoned traveler. The appreciation of your own country and culture, along with the rest of the world, should, and no doubt would, deepen immeasurably.

I mean, these are things that 95 percent of the rest of the population will never see or experience in a lifetime, and the impact on you should be noticeable, life-affirming and life-changing, and your perspective should be enhanced in so many ways. The saddest part for these contestants that I feel every week is when they are eliminated and have to go home. And I don't feel that way for them because they didn't win.

 

Well, Shelley and Nici let their stubborness get into the way again, this time in a different way, and it cost them. Ask for directions as soon as you're unsure. That's a pretty basic unwritten rule in TAR.

And, Bethany amazes me. She used her feet on the puzzle - incredible.

 

Yup. She's amazing.

I want to go to Morocco.

Pool update:
TigerVols - #TheDentists Misti and Jim 70
MTM - #TheCyclists Kym and Alli 59
Jay Ferrar - #SoulSurfers Adam and Bethany 50
Huggy - #CollegeSweethearts Tim and Te Jay 32
WriteThinking - #TheWrestlers Brooke and Robbie 30
*Iron_chet - #TeamNashville Keith and Whitney 24
Amy - #SweetScientists Maya and Amy 23
*bumpy mcgee - #MomDaughter Shelley and Nici 21
*WolvEagle - #TheFirefighters Michael and Scott 8
*Wenders - #TheDatingCouple Dennis and Isabelle 6
*#MiamiRealtors Lisa and Michelle 1