The Amazing Race UpdateI had to deal with some work-related issues today, so I was jumping back and forth from the TV to the computer during the show, but I caught most of it.
During the first part, one player has to swim out to a marker buoy to get the next clue. I missed the early parts of this, but saw that Rollie was indeed a boy; I've kind of assumed that, but it would hardly be surprising to hear that he was just a fairly masculine young woman.
Detour, with the choices being to load a bunch of sugar cane onto a cart or to paint a wheel in a decorative Costa Rican style. The Linzes and the Paolos choose the cart job, but this time the garbage man and his sons can't load the stuff fast enough and despite entering the job earlier, they leave behind the Linz family.
Those choosing the painting job seem to have a somewhat easier time of it, but still the Linzes are in the lead. The Weavers, who entered the painting job last pull ahead of the Bransons.
The next clue directs them to Phoenix, Arizona, the place I've called home for 21 years. Yay! Find a flight from Costa Rica to Phoenix. Two teams settle for a flight to Atlanta then Phoenix, while the rest (apparently) get on a flight to JFK, then Phoenix. But the Desperate Housewives (CBS must love advertising another network's show) apparently get hosed when there is no record of their reservation from JFK to PHX. You know how this one works out, though. They take a cab (!) to Newark Airport, where they get an earlier flight than the other teams.
They have to go to the Bondurant School of Racing, near Firebird Lake. Locating this would not be a challenge for yours truly. First, though, we have a little bit of drama with the Paolos struggling to locate the reserved cars. Again, not difficult for me, since I know where the parking is for Terminal 2.
One person has to drive around the racetrack 50 laps, in apparently 101-degree heat, to which I can only say, where's my sweater?
Some rather forced drama with the kids of Mrs Weaver lamenting the thought of her riding around on a go-kart track because their father died at a stock car race. It does seem another rather oddball choice intended to give the God Squad conniptions. You can't help feeling sorry for them. They've been designated the team that everybody wants to beat, apparently even the producers.
Another bit of forced drama where we're supposed to believe that one of the Linzes, who arrived fourth, may be catching up to Mrs Weaver and suddenly there's a semi-crash! But nothing comes of it, and I strongly suspect that it was just something made up by the producers to carry us through the break.
The teams finish this challenge in the order that they started (despite attempts to encourage us to believe that the Linz driver will pass Mrs Weaver. The next (Pit) stop is Fort McDowell Adventures. I know where the Fort McDowell Indian Reservation is--up Country Club Road from where they are. But the Bransons fumble around a bit, as apparently do the Godlewskis, and eventually they arrive at the Pit Stop.
The real humor of the evening is provided by the Paolos, who, deciding they have finished last, start putting on lots of clothing. Then suddenly the Bransons arrive and it's a race to the mat!
But of course the Paolos win, leaving the Bransons in last. Interestingly, the Paolos urge the Bransons to go back to the car and put on every item of clothing they can fit, before stepping onto the mat. It's more dramatic for the families, but we know that they're giving us a double-shot of TAR tonight and so there's no chance the Bransons are eliminated. Sure enough, Phil just takes their possessions.
Second Leg--Trip across Arizona!The second half of this episode really delivered. Teams had to travel to Williams Field Airport, which of course is a speck compared to what it used to be (a well-known WWII AFB). There are pull-tabs for position, and this time essentially 1-3 are the same as are 4 and 5. The Weavers get there first. The task is to fly a loop in a stunt airplane. Rollie succeeds in his first attempt, as does a representative from the Linzes and the Godlewskis. Looks like an easy task, but then one of the Paolo boys--the short one I think--misses his first attempt.
Next task--get to the Grand Canyon. Alright, you know how this one goes--202 to the 101 to the 17 to Flagstaff before you have to figure anything out--surely it will not be that tricky to get from there to the specific lookout at the canyon?
But the Paolos somehow get caught in a traffic jam entering the parkgrounds. Already in last place and with an obvious elimination staring them in the face, they get the next clue. Head to Page, Arizona (in the northeast corner of the state) and Glen Canyon Dam.
The Yield this time is Bearing or Bailing. In Bearing, teams have to take three consecutive readings off a compass to determine the location of three colored clues. In Bailing they have to bail out a rowboat that is partially submerged and then bring it up onto shore.
The Weavers pick Bearing and that apparently does not work well as the Linzes pass them by. At some point the Godlewski family gets ahead of the Weavers too, as we head for Page, Arizona and the apparent end of tonight's segment.
The Linzes get to Lake Powell first, but miss the obvious clue--look for signs to a trail. Just a little too perfect. Following the trail they discover that they're on a motor boat race through the narrows to the mat. The Linzes grind their prop on the rocks before realizing they had to put out a bit before starting up the engine. The Godlewskis (of course) somehow avoid beating their prop too badly and managed to pass the Linzes for the lead and the win (yet again!)
The Weavers arrive and it's becoming obvious that their unpopularity is getting to the kids as there is much emotion expressed. But they should realize that their mom is probably right, that these people are not really their friends and that they should not let short-term interest in being liked override their long-term interest in having a million dollars to deal with life's problems.
I look hard at the game, and I can't help but think that there's a not-so-subtle under-current of anti-religion going on. Although early in the game several of the teams managed to get in a little prayer for the right exit, in the most recent episodes it seems to be only the Weavers. So we get a "religious and everybody hates them" sub-text. Interestingly this contrasts with what appears to go on with CBS's Survivor, where it often appears that religious players band together to vote off those "undeserving"--i.e., atheists, hedonists, etc.
Usual drama at the end as the Bransons apparently take the USS Minnow while the Paolos skim over the water in a hydrofoil. But of course it's just pretend and the Paolos arrive on the carpet in last place. Sorry to see them go, especially since I only adopted them last week after the Gaghan tragedy.
My team is now: The Weavers. Yes, I realize it's hopeless, that they are the most likely to be Phil-Liminated next week. But somebody's gotta root for them.
The Viking Pundit has his
terrific run-down up as usual.
My take on the rest of the field:
Linzes. I don't think they can possibly win, simply because we haven't gotten to know them much apart from the fact that the girl has to deal with her idiot brothers sometimes. If they were going to win we'd have seen some signs before this.
Godlewskis. You gotta respect their record, but they're still ciphers.
Bransons. Nice-looking gals but Dad's a bit of a nebbish.
Weavers. I think everybody really hates the mom more than the kids.
