Originally Posted By llanatoye ooooh, I forgot about the girl with the blisters, she was being a trooper about it and I suppose she wasn't able to switch out with her partner. I was also a little surprised or maybe apprehensive that the trampoline didn't just give in and collapse when the Harlem Globetrotters were trying for the flag. I don't remember if it was Flight Time or Big Easy but I kept thinking that there could be a collapse. Those two are one of my favorite teams, loved it when he gave a headband to the little kid.
Originally Posted By LacyBelle Sorry to see Margie and Luke go this week. You can never count on standby, though. Brenchel took a big risk on that tight connection and it worked out for them. Had Margie and Luke also taken that chance, would they have made it to the plane on time t make the connection (Margie is a little slower at running as she stated early in this race)? Would Brenchel have tried to hold the plane for them? We'll never know... I have a co-worker from Sri Lanka and I kept thinking of her while watching last night's episode. Turns out she watched also (she's not a normal TAR watcher, but watched 60 Minutes, saw the tease, so stay tuned. Advertising works!). My friend was familiar with the places they visited and tasks they did, so it was nice to get her perspective. She even had a personal story to share about that same train route they took. I don't remember hearing specifically in the previews, but it looked like they were staying in Sri Lanka next week. Traffic there looks intense and appears to make an impact on the racers.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I agree that it was sad to see Margie and Luke go, since they're among my favorites. It's always sad to have an episode like this where one team is so far behind that the entire thing is just their swan song. I'm not sure if they would have made the connecting flight in Singapore, but it seemed like there may have been more options if they had gotten stuck there That's neat that she knew the location! It seems like they tend to do a good job finding locations that may not be as well-known, so I bet it would be fun to have that connection. It definitely looks like they'll still be in Sri Lanka next week, so we'll see what happens!
Originally Posted By FerretAfros What a crazy episode! It seemed like it was non-stop from the beginning, and like any team could have realistically won. We'll have to check the times that they start their next leg, but it seemed like everybody was within about an hour of each other The tuktuk challenge was a lot of fun to watch, but it made me really glad that I wasn't there doing it. It was just way too much chaos for my liking! Was I the only one confused about the "cowboys and Indians" comment that the Afghanimals made (twice)? I thought they were of Afghan descent, not Indian... Is it bad that I could tell that this was a non-elimination leg before they said it? Usually, the entire episode is focused on the team(s) at the front and the one in the very back, but this one seemed to give everybody a lot of screen time, making me think that nobody was getting sent home. Yah, I probably watch too much TV...
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Funny - I thought the tuktuk thing at the gas station was one of the least interesting challenges in a while. Chaotic, but not especially interesting. And I wasn't sure what the point of the guy with the flute was. They didn't have to DO anything with him other than listen for a couple of minutes and then get their next clue. Plus, as you said, it just felt like a non-elimination leg right from the start, so that all added up to make it a not-especially-compelling episode for me (but still fun.) The good news is next week pretty much has to be elimination, so it should be more interesting. My favorite bit: when DH said "why would anyone choose to play with elephant dung when they could play with the elephants instead?" They were pretty amazing the way they knew how to load those logs and seemed more than fine with doing it, even for people they didn't know. I wonder if they had people familiar to the elephants trailing along just out of camera range?
Originally Posted By velo It looked like all the ellies had handlers with them. The teams followed carrying their own log(s). I,too, didn't get that the Afghan guys were suddenly "Indians"....kind of a dumb remark because, well, they're not. They seem to like to play the ethnic card a lot.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I agree that the flute guy seemed kind of pointless. I wonder if they added him in so that it would send them somewhere out of the way, making traffic worse on the way to the end And it looked like each of the elephants had a guide who walked alongside it to help it along. It was still really impressive to see how much they were able to on their own, like the one who lifted the log part way up, and then used its trunk to push it the rest of the way. Something like that would never go over well in the US, but it was really neat to see!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 When I was at Oxford, one of the professors there (quite elderly at the time, and this was 30 years ago, so she was sort of "old school British empire") told us about growing up in what was then Ceylon. Her family was pretty well to do, and she had a pet elephant! It was fun to hear her talk about it - they really are amazing animals; very intelligent and capable of quite a lot. And absolutely make a distinction between different humans.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I thought the donkey challenges were a lot of fun, though the bridge/walkway thing to get to the old city was odd; I wonder how people used to get in Dave and Connor's use of the U-turn was very interesting. I liked that they were very upfront about it, and helped the other team out, but they ended up finishing behind them as a result. It looks like there's some sort of alliance coming up, so it will be interesting to see if it ammounts to anything. Typically, it seems like the shared information only goes so far, and that the wins and loses come down to how well you can actually execute things on your own
Originally Posted By LacyBelle There does seem to be a three-way alliance coming up in the next episode, but with so few teams left that can't last long. They will have to start turning on each other on the next leg. Perhaps it's just a one leg alliance with the goal of getting Brenchel out. My cowboy team is still looking strong (and staying out of the drama). We should be coming to the end with the number of teams left. Only a few weeks to go?
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Well, there are 5 teams left, which means 2 more elimination legs, and then the final. It's possible they could have a non-elimination leg, but they've already had two. Don't they usually have 2 per season?
Originally Posted By LacyBelle I had to look it up. Looks like the finale is scheduled for May 18, so that's four more Sundays. Either there is another non-elimination leg coming up (and you're right...I don't remember them having more than two a season typically) or CBS is airing something else one of those Sundays that will preempt TAR. Third option, there could be one of those legs where the racers get to the mat and Phil tells them they are still racing. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how it shakes out.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I really liked the comment from the cowboys about how they were used to being the "lone rangers" in the race, which was followed by the William Tell Overture for a really fun car race. I would guess it was semi-scripted, but it worked so well! I'm glad that this was a non-elimination leg, since it seemed like the challenge gave a huge advantage to male competitors; I don't think any of the other girls could have done any better. It will be fun to see how things pan out
Originally Posted By LacyBelle We have our final three teams and will see how it plays out in the finale on Sunday. I think ending the race in Vegas may put things slightly in Brenchel's favor since she's lived there. Outside of last episodes melt down where Rachel didn't read/understand the clue regarding the boot sizing, they haven't been as annoying as years past. Still not my favorite team (or cringe-free), but they may have learned a little. The songbirds did spend some time riding coattails again this season, but have run a few good legs recently. If they have a clean run (and others make errors), they could be the team to watch. I'm getting a little tired of papa Dave playing the age card. Early in the season, we were treated to a recap each episode of his achilles issue from their last time (and that was getting a little tiresome). Lately, it's all about his age, that he shouldn't be picked on (ala u-turn), and the disadvantage he has in his 'advanced' 60 years. It's a little too much advance excuse-making/whining for my tastes. Anyway, looking forward to the finale.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 I agree with all that. None of the remaining teams are my favorites; Rachel is less annoying than before but still annoying; Dave plays the age card too much; the singers played the "aren't we cute and helpless?" card a couple of times over the weeks, which I didn't like. I'd rather some of the other teams were still around, but that's the way the game goes. Not sure who I'm rooting for - probably the singers, if only because I know how remarkably difficult is it to make it in Nashville, and they almost certainly could use the money.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros That's a pretty good assessment of everything. When they finished in Atlanta a couple seasons ago, one of the couples was from there and it didn't seem to do them any good (though the Beakman boys did well in NYC), so I don't know if Vegas will be an advantage. I'm excited to see what they do, since there are so many potentially ridiculous things that could fit the Vegas theme I'm probably rooting for Dave and Connor, but I agree that the age thing is getting old (so to speak). I'm sure a lot of it is coming from the producers who want to make sure people know it's a big deal, but it's also just kind of silly at this point. He's proven he's a solid competitor, and there's not much else to it
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I'm glad that Dave and Connor won. It seemed like throughout the season, they were the strongest team in the final 3. It was also crazy how much difference a cab driver can make, but I suppose that's the luck of the draw and could happen in any city on any leg. I liked how the country singers' driver wouldn't switch teams, and then seemed even more motivated to do well for his team after that!
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Yeah, I liked that cabbie too. I was rooting for the singers (all of the final 3 teams bothered me a little bit) but at least it wasn't Branchel. I did think the lightbulb thing, being a purely physical task, was perhaps a little biased against women, as it was a bit of a far reach apparently (Dave and Connor aren't that tall, but taller than the girls) and not easy to screw in. If you're doing 120 lightbulbs each, that can wear you down, and D&C did in fact get to the Mirage after the girls, yet finished the lightbulbs quicker. There was no skill to it, just physical strength, so I thought that was a tad unfair. Also, I was very surprised there was no memory challenge or something that brought up previous legs as there usually is on a final leg. Have they ever NOT done that before? And seriously Branchel? You have to win a million dollars or you can't have a baby?
Originally Posted By FerretAfros I forgot to mention earlier that I was surprised they didn't make a bigger deal about Dave and Connor being the first parent/child pair to win. It seems like there's at least one parent/child duo each season, so it's surprising it's taken this long for one of them to win >>Also, I was very surprised there was no memory challenge or something that brought up previous legs as there usually is on a final leg. Have they ever NOT done that before?<< I was also surprised by that. I think it's a great way to cap off the season, and requires teams to have some brains, which isn't typically a requirement in the challenges. Although they were fun to watch, none of the challenges in this episode seemed especially difficult and everything was pretty straightforward (other than potentially locating the sign on the Strip, which none of them had problems with) >>And seriously Branchel? You have to win a million dollars or you can't have a baby?<< That's how they framed it the whole time, which seems like a good indication they're not ready for a baby yet. At the end they said they'd just have to wait until he finishes grad school, which seems like the smart thing to do
Originally Posted By Dabob2 < none of the challenges in this episode seemed especially difficult and everything was pretty straightforward> Yeah, that was disappointing too. < At the end they said they'd just have to wait until he finishes grad school, which seems like the smart thing to do> If it's smart for them to wait until then without the money, I think it's just as smart for them to wait if they had the money. Money can't buy maturity, which is what those two lacked (especially her).
