The Amazing Race 15 -- "This is Not My Finest Hour" -- 11/01/09

[JuryDuty]

Originally Posted by Jadzia

Because she did not do the challenge. It would have been one thing if she had went and counted the bells to verify the answer before getting the clue, but I was annoyed by the fact that she just went up and got the clue without even bothering to do the task. Especially after seeing the other team struggle so hard to get the right answer, it just seemed unfair that another team was allowed to turn in the answer without doing ANY of the work. Seemed like a much more unfair an advantage than not using a bike.

You have an interesting point, though they've done this before--let teams share info if they want. It was actually very smart to share this info with them and give them a leg up because they're EASILY beatable. Helping them out could, for instance, result in the Globetrotters being eliminated. So while it's a risky move, it is strategic, too. In this case, of course, it ended up not mattering though.

What I wondered was why Phil didn't just tell the interracial couple to take the bikes back and try again. That's usually what they do instead of making them sit it out.

[mwbmis]

Originally Posted by chowderhead

the detours were brutal.

Spoiler:

It's no wonder there has never been an all women team winner.

Well, next week's roadblock looks just as tough.

For all intents and purposes that challenge was designed to eliminate Maria & Tiffany. After more than 70 attempts there was no way they would ever get that bell to ring and there was no way they would ever get the ball in the hole in eight shots. They were eliminated before the leg even started.

I wonder if they could have taken a penalty and done the dance and fish eat portion of the detour (the bell ring should not have been part of that, given that it was a useless addition that proved no problem for any team with a guy!!!) They probably couldn't have gotten the clue even if they skipped that part.

[MadMark]

Originally Posted by dolphinboy

I'm terrible with remembering specific facts from reality tv, but, while I very much remember that hay roll challenge from a previous season, I was wondering...are they doing it in the very same place or is it just the same challenge in another location? I thought I heard Phil say something like, "they return to the place of one of the toughest challenges," but I wasn't sure if I heard him right. Same exact place?

The hay bales were in Season 6. Lena and Kristy ( ) was the team that spent several hours without finding the clue and were eliminated on site after everyone else had checked in at the pit stop. That leg and next week's episode are in the same country*, so I assume it will be the same place.

*

Spoiler:

Sweden

[chowderhead]

Originally Posted by mwbmis

For all intents and purposes that challenge was designed to eliminate Maria & Tiffany. After more than 70 attempts there was no way they would ever get that bell to ring and there was no way they would ever get the ball in the hole in eight shots. They were eliminated before the leg even started.

I wonder if they could have taken a penalty and done the dance and fish eat portion of the detour (the bell ring should not have been part of that, given that it was a useless addition that proved no problem for any team with a guy!!!) They probably couldn't have gotten the clue even if they skipped that part.

Spoiler:

the only time that has happened was in Season 1 with Nancy and Emily. They incurred a 24 hour penalty for skipping the detour. I think they just found the pitstop without getting the clue because I do not remember how they were able to get the clue to the pit stop without doing the detour.

[mwbmis]

Originally Posted by chowderhead

Spoiler:

the only time that has happened was in Season 1 with Nancy and Emily. They incurred a 24 hour penalty for skipping the detour. I think they just found the pitstop without getting the clue because I do not remember how they were able to get the clue to the pit stop without doing the detour.

Nancy and Emily provided the perfect lesson that you never quit b/c you just don't know what's going on with the other teams. I suppose Maria and Tiffany shouldn't have quit either, and I do hold that against them a little (Plus, I had this leg pegged as a non-elimination leg), but I also don't see them EVER having the physical strength to complete either one of those detour options. Maria sucks and Tiffany couldn't hit the bell. Maria sucks and the teams with guys on them had trouble getting the ball into the hole in eight shots.

[BadlyDrawnBoy]

I too was sure this would be a non-elim, and that it was going to save brian and ericka. that's a suck way to go out for not being able to do the strongest man bell challenge, which was really not much related at all to the dancing. lame-o.

[Howie2000]

Even though I was not a fan I feel bad for the Poker chicks. Other than the athletic black chick who teamed with her sister from last season I don't think any female in the shows history could have gotten through that detour with a female partner. It's almost like this leg was created to get rid of a female team.

I don't think it was NEL because usually when one team is hours behind Phil meets them at their task like that. Although even if it was NEL and they decided to just go to the pitstop and take a penality the penalty is 24 Hours. So they would have been maybe 26-27,28,29 or more hours behind with possibly an extra detour to do if it was NEL.

[devilshalo]

Good lord.. what a ridiculous fucking whiny women episode. At least the poker girls tried but either challenge was just too physical for them to perform.

[movieking]

When I was watching it, the first thing that came up in my mind was systemic discrimination. Very few all female teams would be able to ring that bell (the golf challenge looks like it could have had the same issue), so to have a challenge that is totally strength based isn't fair IMO. I'm not a fan of the poker chicks, but it was a crappy way to go out.

And we don't know if this was a non-elimination or not. Given that they quit while out on the course, they didn't make it to the check-in, so it is possible that had they showed up it could have been non-elimination. If they had known where the check-in was, they could have walked there, taken a time penalty for not completing a task, and then checked in. With the way flights are, they could have been tied for first again at some point next week.

[cdollaz]

If I were Megan/Cheyne, I would be pissed that the gay brother gave the answer to the poker skank after I had helped them do the challenge. And his excuse: "I got nervous." WTF is that. Nervous about what? That she was going to murder you if you didn't help her?

[bralph]

If the Asian girl was even half of a partner, they would have been able to complete the golf challenge. She was absolutely pathetic the entire race. She let her partner do everything, and was just along for the ride. The golf wasn't THAT physical a challenge, she was just completely weak. Just like last week, I didn't feel bad for the girl who was too scared to go down a waterslide, I don't feel bad for someone that physically weak. On the Amazing Race, you're going to have heights, water, physical and eating challenges. If you are too scared or too weak to complete them, you don't deserve to move on.

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by Jadzia

Because she did not do the challenge. It would have been one thing if she had went and counted the bells to verify the answer before getting the clue, but I was annoyed by the fact that she just went up and got the clue without even bothering to do the task. Especially after seeing the other team struggle so hard to get the right answer, it just seemed unfair that another team was allowed to turn in the answer without doing ANY of the work. Seemed like a much more unfair an advantage than not using a bike.

So if someone blindly guesses and gets it right, that shouldn't count since they didn't "do" the challenge?

[Patman]

It would have been hilarious if Erika just started writing numbers down and asking the bell-chimer if that was the right number. It would have taken her about 2 minutes tops with that strategy.

[Red Dog]

Originally Posted by Patman

It would have been hilarious if Erika just started writing numbers down and asking the bell-chimer if that was the right number. It would have taken her about 2 minutes tops with that strategy.

I don't know why teams don't do that more often unless there is some restriction.

[Wolf359]

I don't understand the complaints about the golf being too physical. You had to hit a plastic ball with a stick. Really doesn't look too hard.

I also thought it was past time for a non elimination leg. Very surprised at the ending.

[clckworang]

I think the poker girls would have had a much better shot at completing the golf challenge if it weren't so windy. The plants behind them were really swaying; it must have been extremely windy. Add to that the fact that the "golf ball" looked to be big and pretty light, you've got serious trouble.

I was another one thinking this was probably a non-elimination leg. I even mentioned that earlier in the episode when I was watching with a friend. I guess it's a moot point since the girls gave up.

[JuryDuty]

Originally Posted by clckworang

I was another one thinking this was probably a non-elimination leg. I even mentioned that earlier in the episode when I was watching with a friend. I guess it's a moot point since the girls gave up.

I don't understand the choice of giving up and expecting elimination. Why not go to the guy with the clue, say you're willing to take the 4-hour penalty for not completing the round and run to the finish line. If it's non-elimination you have a chance. But by totally giving up, even if it were a non-elimination round, you're booted.

[Groucho]

Originally Posted by JuryDuty

I don't understand the choice of giving up and expecting elimination. Why not go to the guy with the clue, say you're willing to take the 4-hour penalty for not completing the round and run to the finish line. If it's non-elimination you have a chance. But by totally giving up, even if it were a non-elimination round, you're booted.

Agreed. It seems those girls don't know when to fold 'em.

[chowderhead]

Originally Posted by JuryDuty

I don't understand the choice of giving up and expecting elimination. Why not go to the guy with the clue, say you're willing to take the 4-hour penalty for not completing the round and run to the finish line. If it's non-elimination you have a chance. But by totally giving up, even if it were a non-elimination round, you're booted.

That would be a roadblock penalty. The only other time that has happened for a detour was season 1 and they got a

Spoiler:

24 hour penalty

[Jim]

As others have mentioned, I too figure that this was supposed to be a non-elimination leg; otherwise, Phil would have come out to the golf challenge and eliminated the girls without asking them if they wanted to quit. By the time the one poker player finally figured out the strength thing, she was too tired to do it. Prior to that neither one gave it much effort. My wife kept yelling "Put some muscle into it!" I'd have to guess that the producers never figured that so many of the teams would struggle with so many tasks as they did last night.

[DRG]

I think they probably should have had a rule for the hammer that if you tried it 50 times unsuccessfully you get to pass it. At that point you would know the team wasn't just 'trying to take the easy way out'.

Even if this leg had been planned as a non-elimination leg, I wonder if that is negated when the team decides to quit the race?

[Chew]

Originally Posted by chowderhead

That would be a roadblock penalty. The only other time that has happened for a detour was season 1 and they got a

Spoiler:

24 hour penalty

I think they learned from their production mistake on Season 1 and all the issues that caused. I don't think a detour penalty now would be any worse than a Roadblock.

[cdollaz]

Originally Posted by DRG

I think they probably should have had a rule for the hammer that if you tried it 50 times unsuccessfully you get to pass it. At that point you would know the team wasn't just 'trying to take the easy way out'.

They shouldn't necessarily get a pass, but they should have just moved on to the dancing and taken their likely 30-minute penalty upon check in.

[Merkin Muffley]

I can't believe none of the poker chicks ever tried to use physics and swing the mallet around in a big circle. Seemed pretty obvious to me.

[BadlyDrawnBoy]

Didn't matter Merkin - the asian one couldn't even hit the pin that you had to hit