Originally Posted By Rsey103 The Amazing Race: Back in the Saddle Premiere Sunday Feb 23, 2014 8 PM ET CBS Flight Time and Big Easy---and 10 other teams return to do it all again.
Originally Posted By llanatoye WooHoo! Love it! And I'm not sad that the 'twinsies' went home last night. They brought a certain intensity to the race but the constant bickering was soooo annoying.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Yeah, they're annoying as all get out. And the final task (flipping on the wires in the air) didn't seem difficult for anyone; basically everyone got there in turn and no one took any longer than anyone else to complete the task (seemingly, anyway - and they always show it if anyone has difficulty). So when the twins got off the tower bubbles last, it was pretty obvious they'd come in last, and I was sooooo fine with that.
Originally Posted By llanatoye At least they admitted they were their own worst enemy. It seems the only real difficulty with that final task was the elevation (combined with the super wedgie it seemed to give everyone). All in all, a good start to the season.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros It's an interesting mix of teams that they brought back; I either really like all of them, or strongly dislike them. I'm glad that the twins went home first, since they're really annoying (I'm sure it's partly due to them having the same voice, so an argument is twice as obnoxious) I really liked Mark and Bopper on their previous season, so I was sad to see that one of them couldn't make it. I don't remember seeing Mallory before, but she seems fun, and like she'll put up a good fight on his behalf. The preview of next week showed an issue with a backpack, but hopefully they won't get eliminated next
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <It's an interesting mix of teams that they brought back; I either really like all of them, or strongly dislike them.> I think that's exactly why they were chosen. People to either root for or root against; every season needs both. < I don't remember seeing Mallory before> She was teamed with her dad before; I think twice before, actually. She's very bubbly (a former Miss Kentucky, no less), and like the cowboys, they brought her team back not long after it appeared the first time. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://starcasm.net/archives/64209">http://starcasm.net/archives/64209</a> (Scroll down to see her with her dad Gary - maybe you'll recognize them as a team.)
Originally Posted By LacyBelle I could have written your post, Ferret. Ditto! When Phil was introducing the teams, I found myself talking back to the TV. 'Why are you torturing me with THEM again?!' Brenchel? (Hasn't CBS inflicted them on us enough a this point?) The Afganimals? The YouTube kids? The twins? (Thank goodness for their early exit!) But then, I was pleased at the return of the Cowboys, Globetrotters, and Mark & Bopper. So disappointed in Bopper not being able to race. Hope he's feeling better. It's tough for Mark in not being able to race with someone he knows well. Seems to put him at a disadvantage, but only time will tell.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Haha, Lacy, I'm glad to see that we have the exact same taste in teams we don't like! I'm still not entirely sure I recognize Mallory, but I missed several seasons, so she could have come from one (or two) of those. She seems pretty spunky and like she'll do a good job, so it will be fun to watch My brother and I submitted an application for the Race a few months ago, and the instructions really stressed how much they focus on relationships. It will be interesting to see what they do with a team that's complete strangers to each other (though returning players). Have they ever had a team like that before?
Originally Posted By LacyBelle Our agreement on teams should make our discussions very amicable, Ferret. :-D Good luck to you and your brother in getting cast. Thanks for the information on the application and the point it made about relationships. I can't recall another season where there has been a team where the contestants did not have a pre-existing relationship. I vaguely recall Mallory (she raced with her Dad). Very sad to see her and Mark eliminated last night. Mark was so very gracious in his exit comments about not laying blame for their last place finish. It appeared that Mallory was completely at fault for leaving Mark's backpack behind...no matter her arguments to the contrary. Mark also made a great point about their economic differences. It was clear Mallory is in a different financial situation than Mark. For someone that has little (as Mark does), the contents in that bag mean a lot. I was shocked the bag was still where they left it, but imagine TAR production must have remained nearby to keep an eye on it until the racers returned to retrieve it.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I was also pretty surprised to see the bag was still there, but give how close together everybody finished, perhaps they had only been gone for a couple minutes; it's tough to tell with the editing It was really interesting to see how they reacted to each other. There were definitely some differences, and I wonder if their lack of familiarity was partily to blame for their loss. They were definitely a favorite of mine, so I'm sad to see them go I also thought that the cowboys buring the second Express Pass so early was a great move. It didn't put them in any danger, and it gets it out of the way before anything can become too dramatic. Great game play! And thanks for the wishes on our application! We're pretty sure that we won't get selected (we don't have any particularly great distinguishing features, like being former professional atheletes or anything, but would make great television). The submittal email basically said "Don't call us, we'll call you", so we're not holding our breath at this point
Originally Posted By LacyBelle Not sad to see the YouTube kids go, though they didn't seem quite as annoying this go around. Perhaps it's because they didn't last long, so less screen time. It was refreshing to hear that the Afghanimals may have learned from their previous experience and have vowed not to lie this time. I was happy to see they helped the Cowboys in reassuring they were in the right place to deliver their goods. Let's see if that lasts. I looks like Luke is headed for a meltdown in next week's episode. He just doesn't seem to handle it well when a task is challenging or tedious.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I agree that I wasn't too sad to see the YouTube kids go, but they didn't seem nearly as bad this season (and especially this episode). I almost felt bad for them at the end I'm also glad to see that the Afghanimals are somewhat reformed. I still think they're pretty obnoxious, but at least they aren't also being terrible people in the process I also really like the episodes with the Roaming Gnome tie-in. It's always such a silly challenge that they have to do with it, and it's entertaining to see how they handle him. It's one of the best marketing tie-ins out there!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Did anybody else notice that multiple teams read the instructions that said they had $98 for this leg of the race? How did they afford those flights? Or was that what the pre-arranged spaces on each flight were for (rather than finding whatever they could get)? I like how Margie said that, having seen her only on TV, she thought Rachel was a big cry baby. I definitely agree with that assessment, but was impressed with her this week. I also wasn't especially surprised that it was a non-elimination leg, since there's usually one within the first couple episodes and we hadn't had one yet
Originally Posted By LacyBelle Yes, I recall teams used to (seasons ago) tell us at the start of every leg how much money they were given...and teams even counted it out to confirm they had the correct amount. Of course, that was back when teams sometimes ran out of money and had to rely on the kindness of others to get to the end of the leg. I believe the cash is for taxis and such. Flights are either paid for by production-issued credit cards, or just billed to production somehow. I noticed a few of the 'dreaded' teams have been more mild this season. That or it's the effect of editing. Rachel has been a little more even keel and the Afghanimals (while still annoying in the ugly-American entrances they make into venues) are a little less annoying than their last go-round. The season is still early, though. They have plenty of time to annoy me. Both of those challenges at the road block looked tough. Perhaps the DJing a little less so. That cocktail one looked almost impossible. Glad most the teams persevered and made it through. Looks like Brenchel (already at a disadvantage in having a speed bump to get through next week) are going to take a chance with a tight connection next week. Apparently they weren't paying attention this week with the flight delay on the 2nd flight to Kuala Lumpur. It wasn't their flight, so it probably passed right by them.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 <I like how Margie said that, having seen her only on TV, she thought Rachel was a big cry baby. I definitely agree with that assessment, but was impressed with her this week.> Yeah, this was the first time EVER Rachel didn't annoy the crap out of me; she was actually nice to other people! Who knew? Maybe she really has matured since she got married. It happens. I like to believe that people can get nicer. I just have this vibe that the show would love it if the cowboys won. They're very likable, and a strong team in general; and they brought them back almost instantly after they lost the first time, so I'm sure they're popular with viewers. They didn't win the second time either, so they're one of a handful that they brought back a THIRD time.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 "Both of those challenges at the road block looked tough. Perhaps the DJing a little less so. That cocktail one looked almost impossible. Glad most the teams persevered and made it through." The bartending one looked really tough. The DJ one would have been much easier if you had any musical background. I was watching that thinking "okay... that's 4 16th note scratches, an 8th rest, an 8th scratch, a 16th rest, then 3 16th note scratches, an 8th rest, and an 8th note scratch. Easy peasy."
Originally Posted By FerretAfros ^^I agree. I was surprised that the country girls said they were struggling with it, since they obviously have some music experience. I have a strong background with 'traditional' music, so it seemed really easy to me, but if you were just trying to go by feel I could see how it would be tough (which I ironically thought would have been a disadvantage for me, based on how they described it) >>Yes, I recall teams used to (seasons ago) tell us at the start of every leg how much money they were given...and teams even counted it out to confirm they had the correct amount. Of course, that was back when teams sometimes ran out of money and had to rely on the kindness of others to get to the end of the leg.<< Yah, it's interesting how the show has evolved so that they basically don't need to worry about finances any more. I remember in some of the early seasons, they had to figure out how to take public transportation a lot to save money, which of course added time and difficulty to any challenge. The focus now seems to be more on the challenges themselves, which I'm sure makes production a lot easier to predict. Still, it makes me laugh that it's always a very exact amount of money: why $98 instead of $100?
Originally Posted By llanatoye As annoying as Luke's tantrums are, I found it frustrating (as it must have been for them too) that they had no choice but to do the bar tending challenge. Because of Luke's hearing or lack of, they didn't have the option to do anything else. I also though that it was hilarious that Rachel kept falling in the trampoline challenge because she was wearing panty hose. Don't get me wrong, the falling part wasn't funny, it looked like it hurt, but she was wearing panty hose! The heat and humidity had to pretty bad and she chose to wear, and I'll say it again, panty hose! After she took them off she was able to grab the flag. Rachel redeemed herself this season, at least for now, when she wouldn't let Margie and Luke quit the drink challenge and gave them the best pep talk and encouragement to keep going, good for her.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros The panty hose made me laugh too, especially since it seemed to take multiple jumps for her to figure out what was causing the problem. It seemed once she took them off, she was fine (but this was the same girl who didn't want to get her shorts wet in the rappelling challenge, so he fashion choices are always questionable) I also felt really bad for that other girl who got the nasty blisters from all the jumping. They looked really bad, and I'm sure they'll affect her performance in the next few legs, since having healthy feet is so important to a race like this I also agree that it was frustrating that Luke only had one option for the challenge. I suppose there are other challenges were some people may not want to do it for any number of reasons (like Rachel not wanting to shave her head in her first season), but I don't remember seeing any where one team could physically only do one of the options
