Making every post count on 'Amazing Race'
A simple rule of thumb for The Amazing Race: If a clue specifically tells you that a count of fences doesn't include gates or posts, that means you don't count the gates and the posts. Oh and sometimes karma takes a couple days to get around to biting you on the rump.
[This isn't a non-spoiler recap.]
Maybe I don't believe that game-based karma impacts the results on The Amazing Race, but I don't necessarily disagree with the idea that general cosmic karma plays a role in everything we do.
So maybe Jennifer and Shana weren't eliminated on Sunday (Dec. 2) night's Amazing Race because they used a U-Turn on a team that was an hour behind them anyway. I'll grant that the girls could seriously have thought that TK and Rachel were Jason and Lorena, so they don't deserve karmic payback for that. But maybe they deserved karmic payback for their catty jokes about the smell of the trains in Africa or for Shana's various vapid and superficial comments throughout. In fact, this was one of those situations where I kind of wish that one partner didn't have to go (Sorry, Jennifer), but where the other partner badly deserved a kick in the pants from The Fates.
From the beginning to the end, Jennifer and Shana did just about everything wrong this episode, an hour that began with Jennifer still feeling guilt about the U-Turn (Shana? No guilt). They proceeded to alienate the other teams for no reason at the Burkina Faso ticket counter, then they couldn't find their cars at the airport in Lithuania, then Shana didn't know how to use a map and refused to listen to Jennifer's suggestion that perhaps asking for directions might help, then they nearly got hit by a bus, then they had a disagreement over who listened best for the Road Block and finally they couldn't come to a consensus on how to count the spokes of the fence. You knew they were done when Shana wailed, "You just go ahead and count it and if we're wrong, it's all on you." It didn't help that Jennifer ignored the clue and kept counting the posts and gates, but they were generally a picture of overall dysfunction, so I was relieved Phil Keoghan didn't say this was a non-elimination leg.
By the standard of dysfunctional karma, Nate and Jen are probably next to go, as everybody's favorite stature-mismatched duo had another week of passive-aggressive and active-aggressive bickering. It was sad, too, because they started off pretty low key, but if ever a pair were incapable of handling adversity, it's these two. After getting lost driving through the streets of Vilnius (courtesy of Jen's poor map-reading), their yelling culminated with Nate yelling, "I just can't believe what kind of person you turn into. It's the ugliest thing I've ever seen in my life." I'm at least glad he didn't add, "So much uglier than the other women in this competition!" As bad as that was, the counting part got worse, with the combination of Jen's declaration that she was great at counting -- Are people better or worse at counting? -- and Nate's inability to count in his head (she also failed to read the clue). They escaped by doing the stilt-walking part of the detour.
Of course, the dysfunctional karma thing goes out the window if you look at what happened to Nicolas and Donald who went from first to last over the course of a single Road Block because Nick couldn't find somebody who spoke English and knew the location of a hair salon. That was pathetic, but it wasn't a factor of the relatives fighting or of Nicolas' reticence to share travel information.
Other thoughts on this week's episode:
I've gotta run. What'd y'all think of this week's episode?
Is there anyone to root for in any of these remaining teams? I guess Vyxsin and Kynt would be the best choice. All the others I just want to scream at.
I think I'm rooting for TK and Rachel. I really like them so far. And I also was so relieved that the blondes are gone. I couldn't stand listening to Shana much longer.
I rooting for Nicolas and Donald because Nick makes me feel so darn smart and I need a weekly esteem booster.
These are my thoughts about this weeks Race.
Blondes: If there ever was a time I wish Sandra Bullock was driving that bus in Lithuania, it was this week. But at least they were eliminated so I don't have to hear Shana's constant whining. Whenever her voice comes on, my cats ears twinge kinda like when I run the vacuum cleaner. Usually at this point in the race, they do have a non-elimination leg..how relieved was I when Phil have them the good...er, bad news.
The Grands: Yes, that boy is dumb as a brick. If Grand-pappy was really sitting there for hours waiting, I would have gone nuts if I were him. Just find a woman (or a man) with a nice coif and ask!
Ronald/Christina: Her patience level must be through the roof. Bless her little heart for putting up with her ambivalent father. His comment that he would have never even THOUGHT to hire a taxi to show them the way to the next marker baffled me. Has he never
We now resume this post:
His comment that he would have never even THOUGHT to hire a taxi to show them the way to the next marker baffled me. Has he never WATCHED this show? Its Season 12!?!?!
Goths: They are now my favorite to win. It seems like they are the most appreciative of the locals and as the old adage goes.."You will catch more flies with honey..." Its never more true with the Amazing Race. To those folks who thought that the Goths would stick out like a sore thumb, I am not shocked that they don't. People that truly embrace the Goth culture are very open-minded and welcoming to other folks. And, they tell ya how it is.
Other thoughts: Happy about the return of tense airport scenes although nothing much happened. Has hoping one or more of the teams would get hung up by all the connections. Also, I have a sneaking su****ion that slippery snake behind the counter went slow and screwed the Grands on purpose. She looked a little shifty to me. Also, while they were on the stilts, what did they do with the gnomes? Are they not afraid someone will boost them? :)
@ DJinATL
-- Actually, I'd be unsuprised to learn that Ronald never watched the show. With his "real truth flavor" attitude, I can't imagine that reality show viewing is on his TiVo. With the whole improving relationship aspect, it's most likely that Christina is the fan of the show and approached him to participate. As the typical emotionally repressed Asian parent (I have a couple), he would be in denial about a relationship with his kid being bad.
That being said, I do enjoy their weird exchanges. Reminds me of home.
I'm also rooting for Nicolas and Donald because Donald is so s***y, and Nicolas seems to be fairly good-natured and even-tempered (or at least compared to Nate and Jen). When the villagers were trying to distract him when he was counting, Nicolas played along and laughed, interacting with them and taking it in the spirit it was meant, not yelling at them.