brainee

Tired of waiting for a thread so I'll make my own

Getting eliminated because of a bad cabbie really sucks, but that's been a part of this game from the beginning Matt and Redmond really seemed to be a dominant team. But on legs where everyone starts off on the same plane, past performance has no impact on the current leg of the race. Yeah, they miscalculated taking the subway instead of a cab but their reasoning seemed sound. But it sounds like they lost at least 40 minutes from their cabbie going in the wrong direction and that was what really killed them. Making it worse for them was that the three challenges (cup stacking, kim chee, and video games) didn't seem like there was a lot of spread in how the teams were finishing. Sure, the video game competition may have been hard and took some time. But once the Korean players started getting the handicaps it was just a matter of time before even the most incompetent video game player (*coughTara*) could win. The editing didn't show it, but I wouldn't think this kind of challenge would have a long wait in between attempts.

I didn't like Matt and Redmond so much at the beginning of the season. But I think interactions with Ashton were just bringing out the worst in them. Ever since then they've seemed like really cool guys. And it seems like they're on good terms with all the other teams (outside of Ashton's).

I really hated hearing Joey shout personal attacks at Tara's video game opponent Hopefully we can just chalk that up to being tired and frustrated (and feeling the pressure now that the finish to the season is in sight).

If nothing else, next week's finale seems a real toss-up.

TheGuy

My picks for final finish would be

LoLo (really nice)
MomandDad (also nice but London has a great smile)
Scott & Brook (Don't like either of them)

mwbmis

Matt and Redmond were fine, but I usually root against the athletic guy teams, and they had some dickish moments at the beginning of the race.

I don't really like Tara and Joey. They have really rubbed me the wrong way for several legs now.

Scott and Brooke...I think that speaks for itself.

London and Logan have pretty much been a non-entity for much of the season, but I've watched some of London's vlog (with her sister, who presumably she applied with), and she seems pretty cool. She and Logan decided at the beginning to not show frustration with each other...which is easier said than done, but she's talked about they avoided it.

brainee

And I'm pretty sure the second part I bolded in your quote explains the first. That's the thing with these reality tv contests. For many players, there are two goals. One is to actually win. But the other is to behave in a way that gets them lots of camera time, helping them become "reality tv stars". Sometimes that second goal seems to be more of a priority than the first. It's pretty refreshing that London and Logan aren't having any part of that (even if it makes them seem "boring" to viewers). They're probably who I'm rooting for to win at this point. Tara and Joey would be ok as winners. Brooke and Scott strike me as phoney ... the epitome of the "fake" reality tv characters just trying to get attention.

mwbmis

Yeah, London talked about how producers tried to get her to go talk to London at a road block (the trolley car dinner challenge) where they were both frustrated at the time. She said it was clear they wanted some kind of conflict for the camera, but she said they weren't going to play that game.

buckeyes8604

I enjoyed this episode a lot.

Sad to see Matt and Redmond go, thought they had a good chance to win the season, but it seems a strong team always goes out right before the finale. They had a small margin for error and the subway choice/bad taxi driver was all it took.

I think either Scott & Brooke or London & Logan will win and I'd be happy with either.

creekdipper

Great post.

It works the same with Survivor. Want air time? Act up for the camera.

The producers want heroes and villains. It's always much easier to be a villain, and if you're a "good villain," you'll probably be invited to play again.

mwb's post about the producers trying to encourage or provoke confrontation seems entirely plausible. And it's a pretty sad commentary on the audience.

We have always liked the "nice" people who get along with the locals, the other contestants, and each other. With AR, the fun is watching the reactions to the new environments & challenges. We've not just rooted for the gracious & funny contestants who seem to be having a blast, we quickly lose interest when the contestants aren't likable. Who wants to see an hour each week of nasty people bickering with each other?

Brooke's whining is so over the top that it can't be real.

mwbmis

I think the strangers has worked out better than we ever could have hoped, but the one thing that is missing with strangers is that it's hard to get to know someone that quick so some of the humor isn't there this year. Some of my favorite race moments are the funny, good natured ragging on your partner. Things you can only do if you have been friends for a while and know where the limits lie.

Scott has done it some this year, but it has been more mean spirited b/c he doesn't really know Brooke. She isn't in on it; the joke is behind her back.

TheGuy

Speaking of Brooks back, I learned on a podcast that she had back surgery a few months before the race. I thought she sorta looked bulky around the waist and thought she might have been wearing the fanny pack under her shirt, but it is a brace. That is also why she didn't want Scott to pick her up on the mat when they came in first.

TimeandTide

Just spent the weekend binging the first 11 episodes and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. Totally satisfied with the final three (even Scott and Brooke...one of the highlights for me was seeing him conquer -- entertainingly so -- his fear of heights), although I was bummed that both Team Fun and the boys -- two of my favorite teams -- were knocked out

Random observations:

Felt bad for the woman paired with the NY finance guy -- a weakling AND a dick.

Found it funny that during the picks in the first episode, no one wanted to pair with the model. (Have ANY models had any success on this or Survivor?)

Loving that Joey, literally the last pick, advanced all the way to end. They make a great team.

Has any season featured so many damn steps to climb?

Do we usually get so little background info. on the racers? I've seen every season except two, and I remember there being at least kernels of background on each of the contestants each season. Or am I remembering wrong?

hdnmickey

Really sad to Matt and Redmond go. Partially because the were the most fun team to watch on this race. But mostly because I can't stand it when teams are taken out by a taxi driver. They made a crappy decision to use the train, but unless it was and editing thing, it was the bad taxi that really did them in. Matt would have beat Tara easily if they arrived at the game challenge even close to the same time.

Oh well. Rooting for anybody other than Brooke. We find nothing to like about that woman and they should have been gone long ago.

This has been a fun season despite it being a forced theme. Would hate to see the last episode be Brooke jumping around because she won the big money.

MLBFan24

Logan and London! The only first place that matters is the last leg.

Go get it!

DRG

Agreed. It started with Joey complaining nonstop about how unfair it was that Scott & Brooke used the U-turn on Liz and Mike, after they used the other U-turn in that same leg on Team Fun!

In this last leg I hated how Joey was cutting down the kid playing the games, calling him all sorts of names. The kid was just doing what the show hired him to do!

Noonan

As a gamer, I wasn't a fan of that either. Plus, just general whining about a challenge not being good for your team is weak sauce. Deal with it and move on. The kid was playing blindfolded with one hand eventually.

I'm guessing any team who's lost because of a bad cab driver has a hard time showing them any sympathy.