Amazing Race 11 - All Stars (begins 2/18/07)

[figment52]

And I am convinced that Cha-Cha-Cha is the best team ever on the show, hands down. Was anybody else humming Benny Hill's music when they were chasing Phil? No? And their dry humor is great; I liked when Ozzie promised their rat a good home in a lab where he'd get to wear makeup.

I loved the rat lab-makeup comment - and chasing Phil at the mat was wonderful; and then Phil's comment about them doing the manicures, priceless. I would love to see ALL THE FOOTAGE from them at the mat. Even at the glacier when they said if you ever get caught in a avalanche don't call them for help. Their sense of humor gets them through.
That is why O&D are so much fun to watch!! I wish them only the best

 

[TiggerPiglet]

I actually thought the nail thing would be harder too, but after reading what you guys said, I guess with the cameras any street task would be easy.

 

[epcotfan]

Was anybody else humming Benny Hill's music when they were chasing Phil? No?

Oh my gosh, I was

Now if the CHA's had just patted him repeatedly on the head it would have been perfect!

 

[FayeW]

Romber got the order right immediately--they just didn't think to check the spelling (it was on the map for them to match it to). U&J got the order backwards on their first try but then fixed it pretty quickly.

Actually, the order didn't matter. He forgot Seville, but I think he changed the order a few times before he realized he had forgotten one.

 

[Kirby]

Painting nails would have seemed the way to go if I had been involved. And didn't Phil say something about men usually painting the nails in that culture? He said something that led me to believe that it actually might be harder for a woman to get someone to let them paint their nails than a man. Does anyone remember?

 

[TiggerPiglet]

Painting nails would have seemed the way to go if I had been involved. And didn't Phil say something about men usually painting the nails in that culture? He said something that led me to believe that it actually might be harder for a woman to get someone to let them paint their nails than a man. Does anyone remember?

Phil did say men usually painted the nails, but none of the teams knew that. Any team with a man on it, automatically assumed no one would go to them.

 

[Jimbo]

Romber got the order right immediately--they just didn't think to check the spelling (it was on the map for them to match it to). U&J got the order backwards on their first try but then fixed it pretty quickly.

However, the navigation task really required that you be able to read a compass. Romber and the BQs changed tasks before the last plane arrived, yet, the Guidos had time to arrive, get the clue, and finish the task before Romber & the BQs figured it out.

Both tasks seemed pretty easy to me. The sign task required you to pay attention to detail and the navigation task required you to know how compasses work. But, picking the correct task for your team should have made for an easy detour.

Not to beat a dead horse here, but it's just not true that both tasks were pretty easy. The first group to the mat were all teams that did the navigation task. The next group were all the teams that at least tried to do the sign task. This week the first group of finishers were all the teams that chose to paint nails. Then everybody that did the coal task followed.

So that's two weeks in a row where whether you were safe or in danger of being eliminated pretty much was decided by which task you chose. That can't be a coincidence.

That's different from how this show usually arranges it. Most of the time, the less physically challenging task (painting nails) takes longer than the physical one (humping coal). So if you take the easy way out physically, you run the risk of falling behind. OTOH, if you can really handle the physical task (coal), you can make up time.

But the last two weeks just seemed out of balance, choice-wise. I'm sure it's tough for the show to arrange local-oriented tasks in Patagonia and Mozambique that work out perfectly, so I'm willing to cut them some slack.

 

[hematite153]

Not to beat a dead horse here, but it's just not true that both tasks were pretty easy. The first group to the mat were all teams that did the navigation task.

Time to the mat, yes. But, weren't U&J the second team on the first charter plane? (I.e. they got finished with the sign before Terri and Ian finished the navigation.)

Most of the time, the less physically challenging task (painting nails) takes longer than the physical one (humping coal). So if you take the easy way out physically, you run the risk of falling behind. OTOH, if you can really handle the physical task (coal), you can make up time.

But the last two weeks just seemed out of balance, choice-wise.

I suspect this imbalance was intentional. These are supposed to be all-star teams. They should make decisions after reading the info instead of assuming that the physically demanding task would be easier.

 

[Jimbo]

Time to the mat, yes. But, weren't U&J the second team on the first charter plane? (I.e. they got finished with the sign before Terri and Ian finished the navigation.)

No, U&J were on the second plane. The first charter plane had all of the teams that did the navigation task. The second plane had U&J (who completed the sign task) and everybody else (the teams that started on the signs and gave up).

I went to Television Without Pity to verify this. They're the most reliable source there is, and their recap said:

When Uchenna and Joyce get to the charters, they find that they missed the first one. They are on the second -- and last -- plane. They meet up with Teri and Ian, and Uchenna quickly realizes that everyone -- every single person -- who did Navigate rather than Sign is there. I do think this was about as lopsided a Detour as they've ever done, as it definitely had a right choice and a wrong choice, no matter who you were. The navigating appeared to be absurdly easy, and just choosing Sign, even if you completed it relatively decently, seemed to doom you to winding up on the second charter.

 

[Duckfan]

I am at least glad to see that there have been fewer challenges that are merely strength based and some more on mental and navigation skills. Last cycle you really had to be fit to do well ie swimming, climbing etc. It is interesting that the easier tasks have been faster because that has never been the case before, maybe that is part of going against the all-star mindset as well.

 

[hematite153]

No, U&J were on the second plane.

OK, you remembered this better than I did.

However, I still think it looked like Romber and the BQs didn't do very well with the navigation task either. Yes, the teams that choose the navigation task found it easy. However, the teams that didn't know how to use a compass took a long time with it because they had to ask directions and use a map instead of just walking in a straight line.

 

[disneyjunkie]

 

[Sandy22]

Another great episode! It was interesting to see what happens when flights don't go as smoothly as usual. I think there was over 24 hours difference between the first and last teams!

Charla and Mirna's reaction to the catamaran prize was priceless!

 

[4greatboys]

They were kicking in the accents again tonight. This time it sounded a little Italian to me

 

[disneyjunkie]

Another good show.

I just when there is such a huge gap between the teams.

 

[m&m's mom]

Gawd, those fake accents are just ridulous! What in the world do they think they are accomplishing w/ them?

 

[Liz]

They were kicking in the accents again tonight. This time it sounded a little Italian to me

I just about spit my Go-gurt at the screen when I read this! C&M are so funny! They drive me nuts!

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

I am so glad that Joyce and Uchenna made it

I so wish Myrna and Schmyrna would just go away. Their fake accents and poor pitful me attitude gets old.

Danny and Oswald were wonderful. I love how they stopped for fruit since they knew they were dehydrated.

I wonder why next week is two hours.

 

[Beth76]

I find it funny that a couple of weeks ago they bought tix for all teams on a certain flight out of a country because "getting flights out can be difficult". Yet every single team managed to get on one flight that was much earlier. But this week, we have some teams that flew out a whole day after the first group. Good show tonight anyway. Sorry to see Teri and Ian go. They were good this time.

Did anyone happen to catch how long that boat ride was to Zanzibar? Teri/Ian and the Guidos left at 8pm and they were finishing the detour when the sun was coming up. Niether the roadblock or the detour should have taken that long. That was a small boat (with no shelter, not that I saw anyway) for such a long ferry ride.

 

[declansdad]

Does the 12 hours for the pit stop start as soon as you check in? If so, it would seem that the front running teams would be getting ready to leave when the guidos and terri and ian were arriving.