The Amazing Race 3/4/2012 - Paraguay

[TonyTheTiger]

A fairly routine episode, I thought, with few noteworthy points.

The use of the Express Pass seemed to me to be ill-advised. If it were me, I would have done my best to get through the challenges myself and only used it if there was a REAL risk of being eliminated - or being sure I was going to win a leg. With hindsight, I'm sure they would have preferred to use in on the bottle leg!

The bottles appeared to be sugar glass. It looked like some were breaking just by being handled. I'm sure there would have been a LOT of cuts to the hands and knees if real glass was used.

There seemed to be a very large spread of time between first and last.

Why was the one girl fixated with the fact that she could see her [bleep] rather than putting the effort into completing the task???

Not sure I understand the mentality of not stacking the watermelons in an orderly pattern. To me, it was obvious that building a messy tower was going to lead to them falling.

[Steveknj]

I thought those were two of the most challenging tasks (the watermelon and the bottles) that they've ever had to do on TAR. I was surprised that more teams didn't want to do the harp stringing straight away. That would have been my choice. Sure it was probably tedious but I think once you get the hang of it, easier to do. The watermelons falling was something I could see right away. Outside of one little scene I thought Brachel were actually tolerable this week. We'll see how long this lasts.

[laria]

The bottles appeared to be sugar glass. It looked like some were breaking just by being handled. I'm sure there would have been a LOT of cuts to the hands and knees if real glass was used.
I wondered about that... I have never heard of sugar glass, but I did wonder how they were keeping people from getting cuts and stuff all the time, and why some of the bottles were shattering as soon as they were touched or spilling water from the bottoms all over their heads when all they did was reach up and handle it and the main part of the bottle was obviously unbroken.

[markz]

I couldn't believe how quickly the border agents flew through the tasks since everyone else struggled with them.

I noticed how many of the bottles were breaking on the bottoms as someone would catch them tipping on their heads. They were definitely not glass in my opinion.

I couldn't believe Rachel's breakdown with coming in 2nd. Even if the other team didn't have a penalty, she would have been 3rd.

Phil said that is the first time is AR history that a team did not finish a task and was not eliminated. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Boston Rob and Amber take a penalty to skip eating massive amounts of meat? And then didn't he talk another team into doing it also, which assured that he and Amber would not be eliminated that leg since at least the other team finished after them.

[KyleLC]

I think sugar glass is what they use in movies for bar fight scenes, etc.

[markz]

I wondered about that... I have never heard of sugar glass

Sugar Glass is what prop bottles are made out of. Those are the bottles you see in TV, movies, and plays, that people always use in fights or bust over each other's heads.

ETO: Oops, you beat me!

[goblue97]

Phil said that is the first time is AR history that a team did not finish a task and was not eliminated. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Boston Rob and Amber take a penalty to skip eating massive amounts of meat? And then didn't he talk another team into doing it also, which assured that he and Amber would not be eliminated that leg since at least the other team finished after them.

I thought the same thing.

[heySkippy]

Phil said that is the first time is AR history that a team did not finish a task and was not eliminated. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Boston Rob and Amber take a penalty to skip eating massive amounts of meat? And then didn't he talk another team into doing it also, which assured that he and Amber would not be eliminated that leg since at least the other team finished after them.

Correct.

I was surprised only 1 team had to take the 2 hour penalty.

[Squeak]

Phil said that is the first time is AR history that a team did not finish a task and was not eliminated. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Boston Rob and Amber take a penalty to skip eating massive amounts of meat? And then didn't he talk another team into doing it also, which assured that he and Amber would not be eliminated that leg since at least the other team finished after them.

I think he meant that they were the first team that didn't finish *ANY* challenge that day, and still were not eliminated.

There was 2 challenges, and they didn't finish either one of them, but still made it through ok. That has not happened before.

[markz]

I think he meant that they were the first team that didn't finish *ANY* challenge that day, and still were not eliminated.

There was 2 challenges, and they didn't finish either one of them, but still made it through ok. That has not happened before.

Oh, were they the express pass team?

[Squeak]

Oh, were they the express pass team?

Yes. They left the watermelons after it fell down, and were debating and decided not to use it.

They got to the harp task, and realized there was 5 teams there already and then used the express pass.

[Bierboy]

...I couldn't believe Rachel's breakdown with coming in 2nd.....

Well, from the looks of the previews...
...we're in for a classic Rachel breakdown next week...

Count me as one who also thought the Express Pass was wasted on this leg...

[Necromancer2006]

I can't believe how difficult the harp challenge was to the musician. Sure, a guitar is a lot different from a harp, but the concept is quite similar. It would appear by the lighting that they were there for hours. I'm very interested in seeing the time difference between the 1st team and the last.

It's too bad the brothers got eliminated, I'd have much rather seen that bitchy girl go home. It's one thing to try and get into the heads of the competition (and there's plenty of room there in Rachel's head) but it was unbridled meanness. Hopefully they aren't around longer than Rachel. As much as I dislike Rachel for being the way she is, last night made me dislike her even more than Rachel.

[KyleLC]

It's too bad the brothers got eliminated, I'd have much rather seen that bitchy girl go home. It's one thing to try and get into the heads of the competition (and there's plenty of room there in Rachel's head) but it was unbridled meanness. Hopefully they aren't around longer than Rachel. As much as I dislike Rachel for being the way she is, last night made me dislike her even more than Rachel.+1. I liked her until that happened.

Did anyone happen to see the previews for this episode last week? I was thinking they showed Rachel confronting her, but last night they didn't show that at all.

[andyw715]

I wonder what the TSA is thinking when 2 board patrol, 2 federal agents, and a US Army officer all have the same itinerary, flying around the world.

[Bierboy]

I wonder what the TSA is thinking when 2 board patrol, 2 federal agents, and a US Army officer all have the same itinerary, flying around the world.

:eek:

[Maui]

I would think there will be a bunch up next episode. I would say the Border Patrol guys have at least a 2 1/2 hour lead on the next team and what looks to be possibly a 4 to 6 (or more) hour lead on the last place team.

[laria]

I thought the same thing.

I was also thinking that. :) Maybe they weren't counting it because they chose to not finish it rather than just not being able to complete it.

Also, wasn't there one a season or two ago where people were searching for something on a boat in the wee hours of the morning and decided to give up, and it turned out to be a non-elimination leg?

[laria]

I think he meant that they were the first team that didn't finish *ANY* challenge that day, and still were not eliminated.

There was 2 challenges, and they didn't finish either one of them, but still made it through ok. That has not happened before.

Oops, I should have kept reading. :o

[robojerk]

The use of the Express Pass seemed to me to be ill-advised. If it were me, I would have done my best to get through the challenges myself and only used it if there was a REAL risk of being eliminated - or being sure I was going to win a leg. With hindsight, I'm sure they would have preferred to use in on the bottle leg!I think the guy is kind of a hot head, he was getting really grumpy and I think he was just over it. I too think that if I had the express pass it should only ever be used to save the team from being eliminated, or used on the 8th leg (it expires after this leg) to allow the team to conserve energy and be more rested for the final legs.

[martinp13]

So, will there be another Express Pass hidden along the next leg of the race?

Oh wait, wrong show. :)

[Squeak]

I was wondering how hard it was going to get to get teams on the "stand-by" flight, because you are not really just trying to get 2 tickets per team, but 4 (because of the film crew).

I wonder if they collapse the production down to one crew per flight.

[wendiness1]

I was wondering how hard it was going to get to get teams on the "stand-by" flight, because you are not really just trying to get 2 tickets per team, but 4 (because of the film crew).

I wonder if they collapse the production down to one crew per flight.

I believe the crew changes from county to country. If so, they probably do only have a single crew on the flight.

[laria]

I notice we do not see very many "on the plane" shots anymore, so I was also wondering if maybe they don't travel with their camera crews anymore now that the show has hit the big time.

[Bierboy]

I notice we do not see very many "on the plane" shots anymore, so I was also wondering if maybe they don't travel with their camera crews anymore now that the show has hit the big time.

Define "big time"....;)

[laria]

Define "big time"....;)
Well, the show is a lot more popular now than it was in the beginning. :)

[VegasVic]

I think they probably send one camera guy on the plane just in case something happens noteworthy.

I hate when they don't show the departure times at the beginning. I like to know how far behind each team was at the previous pitstop. I realize there is almost always a bunch up on each leg anyway but I still like to know.

Questionable use of the EP but I can understand rather be safe than sorry when you don't know exactly where you stand at that particular time.

[Bierboy]

Well, the show is a lot more popular now than it was in the beginning. :)

Ah...we only started watching four or five years ago...

[DevdogAZ]

Why was the one girl fixated with the fact that she could see her [bleep] rather than putting the effort into completing the task???
Yes, what was that about? I couldn't tell what word was being bleeped out and couldn't see anything on Rachel that was exposed. What was going on there?
Not sure I understand the mentality of not stacking the watermelons in an orderly pattern. To me, it was obvious that building a messy tower was going to lead to them falling.
I don't think anyone was building a messy tower. It's just that the watermelons were not of uniform size, so by the 3rd or 4th level, it started to look messy. I think the teams that were able to complete the task just took more care to place like-sized watermelons together, or turn them to fit, etc.
I was surprised only 1 team had to take the 2 hour penalty.
As was I. When we first saw that challenge and the penalty, I figured several teams would have to take the penalty, and that it would almost be a smart strategy to just break the bottles on purpose to start the penalty clock running ASAP. Guess I was wrong.
Well, the show is a lot more popular now than it was in the beginning. :)
Not sure about that. Ratings were probably highest in the S2-S5 range, and have been steadily declining since then. However, if you're talking about the number of people around the world who are aware of the race, you might be right that it's more well known now.
I hate when they don't show the departure times at the beginning. I like to know how far behind each team was at the previous pitstop. I realize there is almost always a bunch up on each leg anyway but I still like to know.
They've basically abandoned the whole 12-hour pit stop charade. It's now been a couple of seasons since Phil's voiceover told us what time the teams checked in from the previous leg. Now they just pick an arbitrary departure time, and we're not told if the departure intervals match the check-in intervals, and we have to assume the departure times are calculated to get all the teams to the airport in time for their flight without any making a significantly earlier flight and without any being left behind.

[laria]

Yes, what was that about? I couldn't tell what word was being bleeped out and couldn't see anything on Rachel that was exposed. What was going on there?
I think that maybe her leggings were tight enough that when she was bending over they may have been a bit see through and her lady bits might have been visible. But I'm not sure.

[Bierboy]

Yes, what was that about? I couldn't tell what word was being bleeped out and couldn't see anything on Rachel that was exposed. What was going on there?....

There were several shots where her boobs were nearly hanging out...

[Magnolia88]

I think that maybe her leggings were tight enough that when she was bending over they may have been a bit see through and her lady bits might have been visible. But I'm not sure.

Yes, the comments were about her "lady business." (tm Tina Fey)

In the cab the bf said "hoo ha" so it was that or some similar euphemism.

Whatever, I am so done with both those chicks. I was very sad to see the hot twins go instead of one of those other teams with either the bitch or the whiner/crier.

[VegasVic]

They've basically abandoned the whole 12-hour pit stop charade.

Yeah and that's fine with me. And if they need to alter the departure times because of available flight times I can understand that. I would just like to know how far apart they all were at the end of the previous leg, whether they tell us then or tell us at the beginning of the next one.

[Ment]

I think that maybe her leggings were tight enough that when she was bending over they may have been a bit see through and her lady bits might have been visible. But I'm not sure.

Brendan seemed to say a single syllable 'ass?' during the cab ride but then why would they bleep that out?

As to what the bottles were made of, in that heat and water in the bottles would sugar glass even hold up?

My favorite team atm is the 'teachers', they seem to work well together get along with everyone.

[justalady21]

I thought that using the Express Pass allowed a team to go immediately to the pit stop without performing any other challenges. If that were correct, Rachel and Dave would not have been required to do the bottle challenge and would not have incurred a penalty.

Obviously I am incorrect in my assumption about the Express Pass. Didn't it used to be that teams used it to go directly to the Pit Stop? When did it change?

:confused:

[laria]

I thought that using the Express Pass allowed a team to go immediately to the pit stop without performing any other challenges. If that were correct, Rachel and Dave would not have been required to do the bottle challenge and would not have incurred a penalty.

Obviously I am incorrect in my assumption about the Express Pass. Didn't it used to be that teams used it to go directly to the Pit Stop? When did it change?

:confused:

You're thinking of the Fast Forward.

[KyleLC]

I would just like to know how far apart they all were at the end of the previous leg, whether they tell us then or tell us at the beginning of the next one.They show the time when they open the first clue at the beginning of the leg, so you can tell from that how far apart they were at the end of the previous leg.

[DevdogAZ]

Yeah and that's fine with me. And if they need to alter the departure times because of available flight times I can understand that. I would just like to know how far apart they all were at the end of the previous leg, whether they tell us then or tell us at the beginning of the next one.
I've always wished they would provide us this information as well. In fact, I wish they would provide us with a clock down in the corner of the screen at periodic intervals throughout the leg, especially when they're showing split screens of multiple teams at the same time. I'd like to know that all of these shots were happening at roughly the same time. At a minimum, they should provide us with the check-in times so we have a better understanding of how far apart everyone was and how long the leg lasted. I realize that might eliminate some of the fake drama of the final teams racing for the pit stop, but at this point, I always assume that drama is fake anyway.
They show the time when they open the first clue at the beginning of the leg, so you can tell from that how far apart they were at the end of the previous leg.
They used to always show everyone's departure time, and based on the narration, you could usually determine that this time was 12 (or some multiple of 12) hours after each team checked in. But now the narration has been changed, and not every departure time is shown, so we no longer know how far apart the teams were or whether those departure times even correspond to check in times.

[DLL66]

With 2 Season's of being on Big Brother, Brandon has yet to figure out that Rachel is an embarressment. Can't wait for to see them eliminated and see Rachel in her final break down.

[Jayjoans]

I was amazed at the woman that said they were going to stay and finish the watermelons no matter how long it took because he had a 13 yr. old daughter and wanted to set a good example of never quitting for her.

This after she is a complete b-word to Rachel for seemingly no reason (I realize there are edits) when the task started.

Nice hypocrisy. You've taught her to never quit being a b...

[Bierboy]

... Can't wait for to see them eliminated and see Rachel in her final break down.

You may not have long to wait, given the previews for next week...

[trainman]

I wonder what the TSA is thinking when 2 board patrol, 2 federal agents, and a US Army officer all have the same itinerary, flying around the world.

It's not the TSA's business unless they started their itinerary by trying to take 4 ounces of shampoo through an airport security checkpoint in the U.S.

It might be the business of another agency of the Department of Homeland Security, but I can't imagine why it would be particularly relevant to them.

[Idearat]

Finally got curious enough to look to see why the ladies are only referred to as "Federal Agents" I was curious if that meant they worked for NCIS, USPS or USDA, but their profiles seem to suggest DEA.
It just seemed odd that such a non-specific term is used. I wonder if the specific agency is the main driver for their decision to masquerade as school teachers.

[brantpoint]

Yes. They left the watermelons after it fell down, and were debating and decided not to use it.

They got to the harp task, and realized there was 5 teams there already and then used the express pass.

Then why did they have to do the bottle task? Doesn't the pass send them right to the pit stop?

[GoHalos]

Then why did they have to do the bottle task? Doesn't the pass send them right to the pit stop?
It was mentioned above, but you're thinking of the "Fast Forward", which, once completed, allows the team to skip all remaining tasks and go straight to the Pit Stop. The "Express Pass" allows the team to skip any one task.

[mattack]

I hate when they don't show the departure times at the beginning. I like to know how far behind each team was at the previous pitstop. I realize there is almost always a bunch up on each leg anyway but I still like to know.

They don't show it when there is absolutely a bunchup and EVERYONE is stuck together. So it's basically moot.

Then again I always wish they would show the time between the 2nd to last and last place team (after the usually-edited-to-make-it-look-close finish).

[mattack]

...and which team are the one faking being teachers? Does at least one of the other teams know they're not really teachers? There was at least one reference to something like women feds or women cop team or something... and then references to "the teachers", by different groups.. which seemed to me to be referring to the same group.

[VegasVic]

They show the time when they open the first clue at the beginning of the leg, so you can tell from that how far apart they were at the end of the previous leg.

Usually yes. This episode no. Only the first two teams.

They don't show it when there is absolutely a bunchup and EVERYONE is stuck together. So it's basically moot.



There's a bunch up on every leg I know that. All I'm saying, and some not understanding, is I would just like to know how far apart each team was at the END of each leg, regardless of the fact they will get bunched up on the next leg :)

[laria]

...and which team are the one faking being teachers? Does at least one of the other teams know they're not really teachers? There was at least one reference to something like women feds or women cop team or something... and then references to "the teachers", by different groups.. which seemed to me to be referring to the same group.

The federal agents team with the blonde and dark haired women.

As far as I know, no one knows they are not teachers... I think they even said last night that they hadn't told anyone.

[Roadblock]

Well, the show is a lot more popular now than it was in the beginning. :)

I don't think that's the case. Last week's show had series-low ratings, with 7.7m viewers vs. 11.8m for the series opener. That was against the Oscars, but this season's opener only had 10.3m viewers.

[wendiness1]

I wonder what would happen if the two last teams agreed to jump on the mat together. I know that would a stupid move since once could outrun the other. I'm just wondering.

[laria]

I don't think that's the case. Last week's show had series-low ratings, with 7.7m viewers vs. 11.8m for the series opener. That was against the Oscars, but this season's opener only had 10.3m viewers.

Ok, maybe what I was trying to say is more prominent? I'm not sure... I just am wondering if now that it is well established and wins a lot of Emmys and lots of people around the world know about it and stuff if CBS gives them more support for stuff like camera crew already in location rather than have them always having to buy tickets for their camera crews.

[jradosh]

The woman y'all keep refering to as the 'bitchy' one didn't seem that bad to me.

(of course maybe I was distracted by her watermellons? :o )

[ducker]

Phil said that is the first time is AR history that a team did not finish a task and was not eliminated. Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Boston Rob and Amber take a penalty to skip eating massive amounts of meat? And then didn't he talk another team into doing it also, which assured that he and Amber would not be eliminated that leg since at least the other team finished after them.


You're totally correct (and right on the challenge) They got more then 1 team to say "forget that!"

I believe they were finished with their time penalty while some teams were still eating too.

I thought Phil's comment was something like - "Used the express pass and did not complete a task" and was not eliminated.

[stellie93]

In the Boston Rob thing, they stayed at the challenge sight while waiting out their penalty, which gave them the opportunity to talk others out of trying it. This time they went on to the pit stop. They might have convinced others to just break their bottles quickly --that it was impossible--if they'd stayed there.

[heySkippy]

Did anyone else have Frank Zappa's "Fine Girl" in their head after the bottle balance challenge? :)

Just me, huh? Oh well...


Oh yeah
She was a fine girl
With a lovely smile
With a bucket on her head
Fulla water from de well
She could run a mile

Oh yeah
She wouldn't spill a drop
It'd stay on top
Her head was kinda flat
But her hair covered that

She was a fine girl

[Bierboy]

Did anyone else have Frank Zappa's "Fine Girl" in their head after the bottle balance challenge? :)

Just me, huh? Oh well...

Anybody who has Frank Zappa in their head is in serious trouble....:D

BTW, I saw Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band (who was "discovered" by Zappa) in concert at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale on Feb. 9, 1971...