The Amazing Race 17

[Spiderman]

Got to see this one

yeah, I'm not sure why, after all of this time and seasons, teams don't always check to see if there's a better flight?!? C'mon...

The Asian team came in last (fourth) of the group that took the early flight. Ithink they made the right choice 'cause I don't think the father could have done the sleds, but the other teams had a much easier time with the sleds than the later flight; I don't think they had to do it more than three times.

I think this Detour was the same as the others; you choose between speed and "risky" vs slow and "sure" (or physical vs mental).

I think the team with the Express Pass made the right choice; they had no way of knowing the other teams would switch to the Tent challenge and like Survivor's immunity idol, it would suck to be eliminated without using it.

Still have the last two weeks to go...

 

[EricBess]

Agreed. I think that it turned out that they didn't "need" it, but they had no way of knowing whether they did or not and you simply cannot take that kind of a risk.

See this week's episode yet? I can't believe how unorganized people are. To be fair, I can't say that I would be thinking it through any more if I were in the middle of it, but only 2 teams ended up completing the piano challenge and about half of them tried it out before switching. The one team that finally came back to the piano challenge did it right the next time, focusing on one piece at a time instead of trying to memorize all 3 at the same time. As for the other team that passed it, it would be interesting to know exactly what happened. They gave the impression that the guy was basically ignoring what the girl was saying and when he finally agreed to try her way, they got it first try. I suspect that this was just the last try and that there had been more "taking turns" than they showed, but they sure edited it to make it look controversial for him.

Not sure if I feel the team should have been eliminated this week or not. On the one hand, you can't flip back and forth between challenges like that and expect to stay in the race. On the other, both of these challenges had needle-in-haystack elements, so I felt bad for them and was sort of glad that they get a chance to try to redeem themselves.

I don't know that there are really any teams that I am "cheering for" right now. Maybe the asian father/son, just because the dad is clearly not as physical, so its good to see them doing well. But there have been a couple of times now where the more physical challenge is faster. I think so far, it has almost been working to their advantage because they go straight for the slow-and-steady challenge and end up beating the teams that try the physical challenge first and end up having to switch. But I don't know how long that can last.

Not really any teams that I don't like this time, either, though. There are a few couples that allow their frustrations to get the better of them, but none to the point where I wouldn't be okay with them doing well. Maybe it's just that this season of Survivor has a couple of people that I really don't like more than usual, so I haven't really needed to feel that way here

 

[Spiderman]

We're watching these first, so Survivor will come later

Saw the 10/24 episode, where they stayed in Norway. I guess the veggie doctor really wanted the fast forward and glad she finished, that would have sucked to have broke her not eating meat for 22 years and then not even finishing

Jill and Thomas moved up pretty fast.

I don't think the volleyball team was ever in it. I don't think they started THAT far behind the 7th place starting team, but it looked like they got lost going to the first marker (I think the gondala ride) and never really caught up.

Vicki on the tattoo team blew away her challenges (the bridge drop AND the bike ride). But what's up with not understanding what "Fast Forward Taken" means?

 

[EricBess]

I don't think she realized what the fast forward was. When the first found out about the fast forward, their comment was that probably everyone was going to do it, so they better do it also. There were several teams arriving well before them to the clue box, so had they realized that only one team gets to complete the fast forward, they may not have wasted their time going there.

 

[Spiderman]

That may have been it, but her comments were more emphasizing the "taken" part, meaning she/they didn't know if it was taken or moved or whatever. I think they knew what a fast forward was in general, they just didn't understand the note.

Although it was odd that some teams were deciding to go for it when they were the later teams, but perhaps they were thinking they weren't that far behind and the first teams might give up or get lost going to it or whatever.

We finally caught up to last week's episode.

I think people were "panicking" about the piano episode and that indeed was causing them to be disorganized. But they probably thought that it would be "easy" - just identify the three pieces and when they actually heard all the music playing, that threw them for a loop. What's surprising to me is that none of the teams offered to collaborate or work together, like share which ones they thought was the first, second, or third piece.

I was definitely surprised to see that this was a non-elim leg, so close after the last one. I guess this means there won't be any more for a while?

We don't have any clear favorites either nor clear dislikes. Chad was showing his rough edges but he also recognized that in himself and looks to work on it. The dude from the tattoo team indeed remembered his temper from the earlier episode and didn't blow up at Vicki. So everyone seems to be working together and getting along - the only "blip" was Steph throwing the shovel into the manure so Mallory would have to step into it to get it.

The Asian team could have gotten first if the son had listened to the father and checked out the park. Not sure why he was SO adamant that it HAD to be at the cathedral when they clearly checked all around it, but.... <shrug>

 

[Spiderman]

Got to see last night's except for the very end when Phil was telling the Asian team that they made some mistakes. Will see the rest on the web when it comes out

I guess the two front teams in terms of attitude is the TV hosts and Nat and Kat, the doctors. Everyone else has minor problems - tattoo guy and Chad slightly reverted to their impatient ways, and the other three teams (Jill and Thomas, Mall and Dad, and the Asian team) are "okay" but not great. The first two just always have an upbeat attitude.

Not sure what happened to the Speed Bump - wasn't the tattoo team supposed to do one because they came in last in the last leg?

 

[EricBess]

Yeah, I agree with what you said. Chad and the tatoo guy both made comments last night. The tatoo guy seems okay, but then he said something almost out of the blue that really tore down his partner. I don't even remember what it was, but I remember thinking "that was uncalled for". Chad sometimes seems to be trying to be patient, but other times, he seems to intentionally let her do the work so he can criticize if they have a problem instead of taking accountability himself for working together.

Who was the team that switched back and forth on the challenge this week? I think they even won last week, but honestly, I'm not sure they have ever stood out enough that I even remember seeing them.

I thought you were complaining about the attitude of those two and I was wondering why. Then I finished reading and realized that you were complimenting their attitudes. Yeah, in past seasons, they would have a team like the TV hosts who are real jerks, but this season, both all female teams seem to be doing well, both in terms of competativeness and likability. Could this be the season where there is finally an all-female winner?

I also questioned the Speed Bump. If they did one, I certainly don't remember seeing it. But I also don't recall from either this week or last anyone mentioning that there would be one. It doesn't seem like there was any consequence of them being last last week except for just being so far behind the other teams.

But last night's episode was also one of the worst edited episodes I have ever seen. I don't remember seeing the tatoo team going to the circus, they were just there. I had a really hard time following who was at what point in the challenges. I could have sworn that more than 3 teams took a cab when they weren't supposed to and I have no idea how the TV hosts managed to go back, walk the route, and still get back to the "bowling" challenge with enough time to finish it before another team even showed up.

Too bad for the asian team. I'm not sure what happened, but the father was really having a hard time with that challenge. Once he got it down, though, he seemed to get the other two formations immediately. The son commented on the second formation, but not the third, so there may have been other attempts there that they just didn't show.

 

[Spiderman]

Yeah about Chad. I remember he was especially rubbing it in that he found the Church of Bleeding Tears up in the tower when Steph couldn't.

It was Jill and Thomas who switched challenges and yes, I think they had ended first either last leg or two legs back.

I don't remember a Speed Bump being mentioned either so maybe we were just taking it for granted. Still, it doesn't seem right for a team NOT to do something extra for ending last on a non-elim

It seems the show just showed the first three teams at the starting line and getting in the taxis and then just jumped the other four to the circus; maybe there just wasn't enough time or that part wasn't that important

I think just the two teams, Asians and TV Hosts, took the cab when they weren't supposed to but the TV Hosts corrected themselves. She seemed to nail the bowling challenge though so it seems she went pretty fast - they ended second, I believe, right?

 

[train]

I agree with the bad editing (been watching all these, just not posting...) We recalled seeing the asian father leaving pieces sticks on the concrete, but they announced he got it, and they ran off...

As for breaking the rules - I don't know if they should have just said, they are waiting an hour, and you guys only 30 minutes, so officially you're moving on... you never know if the cabby would have been there, etc. Had he not been - the Asian team could have won.

Not that he would have left without getting paid - but if he has their bags, then it seems he could do as he pleased.

Also - there's some form of additional comm. going on, as Phil knew they hadn't paid, but people have left their stuff with cabs before - so not sure if this is the only time if was affecting an outcome due to rules breaking and everyone else paid or not.

as for the plate spinning and other tasks - Nat and Kat seemed to flow right through all of them... My wife and I, and youngest daughter hope they win out.

 

[Spiderman]

Forgot to check the web for the ending to last weeks... so of course, the recap from last night reminded me...

But anyway, looks like the tattoo boyfriend is backsliding... keeps insulting his partner, who seems to just take it...

Amazing how Chad and Steph overslept for 2 hours, yet still found a flight to land them 10 minutes after everyone and then it looked like they still caught up at the airport? What was everyone doing for those 10 minutes? Just standing around and not going to the next clue? So it's double amazing that they ended up first (Jill and Thomas's penalty helping, of course).

Speaking of which, that sounds like a new rule, that you can't pay a taxi to lead you to the next clue, because I'm sure that's been done on past seasons.

And Nat and Kat had a disasterous turnaround and went from first to last.

And not sure what Mal and her father were looking at, that they trusted to keep going until they were too far out of it. What map was it? Although it sounded at the end that they passed Nat and Kat while trying to find the Pit Stop.

No one tried the cooking Detour... poor wedding party was hungry

 

[EricBess]

I was only sort of watching this episode. I keep telling myself I will watch more attently sometime this week online, but I probably won't.

Yeah, that penalty at he end surprised me a bit too. That's been common practice in the past, so the fact that they have put it in as a standard rule that you can't pay a taxi driver to lead you is very interesting. I wonder why they did that. I've always thought of that as an interesting strategy - do you hold your money for what they expect you to need it for, or do you risk needing it later.

It does seem like they've had issues with taxi drivers getting stiffed a few times, though, so they may be trying to avoid that sort of situation.

Mal and her father thought they saw another team as they pulled up, but they didn't really show anything. I half suspect that they saw Nat and Kat still standing around after they had already checked in, but there is no real way to know for sure. They still had to deliver the water when they passed Nat and Kat already going to the pit stop. There were indications that they might have taken a wrong turn, but since they didn't make a deal about it, I'm guessing they didn't, but they thought they might have and it was all just edited to seem like it might have been kind of close.

 

[Spiderman]

Well, I do agree with the rule - I thought it was kind of lame for teams to "get around" the directions by having a taxi driver lead them - you might as well just have the taxi driver take you! Having a pedestrian do it for free and on their own is okay though; they're not getting paid (officially) for it.

Saw last night's - Jill and Thomas really scored a coup getting such an early flight. I want to see their starting time next week to see how much advantage they got - if they finished before the last three teams even started

Nick and Vicki did pretty well also, but his harping on her is starting to wear thin. I feel sorry for her because she's the likable one and it's not her fault.

It's funny how teams react to the U-turn when they see their names on it, when they would have done the same had they been able to reach it first. Chad might have thought he was "trash-talking" at the roadblock, but it just came off as petty and jerky.

 

[EricBess]

I kind of see both sides with Chad. He certainly seemed like a real jerk at the road block, but if his intent really was what he said - to get inside her head and slow her down, then it was valid. But ultimately, I thought he whined an awful lot for someone who had specifically said that he was going to U-turn the very people that U-turned him.

In the end, I was glad things went down the way they did. Chad and Stephanie made so many mistakes and got lost so many times that I would have hated to see the home shoppers end up going home just because they got U-turned.

Was it just me, or did this seem like a very short leg? It felt like there was the detour, then the road block, and then the pit stop with almost nothing in between to give teams a chance to catch up. Perhaps it's just that none of the challenges seemed particularly difficult or even really time consuming this time.

Yeah, the flight situation was a bit lame, though I do have to say that the two teams that got on the earlier flights did seem to have to work for it. I was a bit disapointed that Nat and Kat's gamble didn't pay off - getting to Dubai early. It seems to me that when you are booked by an agent, they never seem to take into consideration switching airlines, so flying to a mid-point where you can get a direct flight (though they still didn't) seems like it would be a good (if a bit risky) strategy.

 

[Spiderman]

Oh yeah, this leg did seem short.

It may be that they can't look at other airlines, I don't know. There's always been agents telling players that one flight is the earliest or only one and then one other team somehow gets a different flight that *is* earlier. I don't know if they're using different agents or certain agents are more diligent or what, but there's definitely inconsistency.

 

[Spiderman]

Well, the starting times were interesting. From 8:25 AM (meaning they finished 8:25 PM, so the leg must have taken longer than we thought), to something like 1 PM and then a couple hours stagger for the next two. But it was all for naught since everyone got on the same flight.

I guess the only real thing that stood out was Nick's callousness towards Vicki. Although he acknowledged it at the end, he can't seem to control it during the race. And him giving up? I actually hoping this was an elim leg, so they wouldn't have another chance (although Vicki is a fighter). But I don't think he deserves to win.

 

[EricBess]

I figured it was non-elimination. They usually make a point of "you are in the top 3" and it seems like they always seem to have a non-elimination leg with 4 people left.

I'm surprised they haven't had a "this isn't the end of the leg" episode this season, though.

Definitely agree about Nick and hoping that they were eliminated for both of their sakes. I always wonder about people who are very upset at their partner "going so slow" and then they have them do the road block. If you really feel like they aren't performing to your standards, do you really want them doing the road block? To his credit, he didn't really get on her case during the road block (though he did plenty of other times). I think he had already sort of given up by then, though.

I was also not impress at how much he laughed when the home shopping girl got sick, but then got upset when the natives started laughing when Vicki got sick. At least he supported his teammate a bit at that point, but very insensitive in general.

It will be interesting to see if he actually decides to try next time or if he just phones it in from here on out. With a 6-hour penalty and already way behind, I don't think it's going to be much of an episode, but I guess we'll see. Plus, Phil made a point of telling them they had a speed bump this time. I still wonder if they didn't have a speed bump last time or if they just didn't bother showing it.

 

[Spiderman]

I think they're all going to be caught up on the plane ride again

Yeah, I don't know about that last non-elim leg and the supposed Speed Bump. Maybe it says online somewhere...

 

[Spiderman]

Well, having the time penalty pretty much did in Nick and Vicki. They couldn't make the flight everyone else was on so that just put them too far behind. If they had stuck through the challenge, they probably would have made it.

Not much else on the episode that I can think of.

 

[EricBess]

Honestly, I think it was for the best. Being able to actually head into the last set of challenges knowing they were going to be eliminated gave them a chance to just do it for the fun of it, which probably made them evaluate themselves more than if they had been still "competing". We didn't see much of them at all this episode, but from what we did see, it looked like they were actually enjoying themselves again and not constantly bickering (particularly him).

I'm not really sure what happened with the doctors. They must have gotten lost or something because it seemed like they were always showing up just as the other two teams were leaving, but they didn't really show any reason for them to have gotten behind in the first place.

 

[Spiderman]

Yeah, the doctors got lost going to the bridge, the first marker after the plane ride. They never really caught up after that.