The Amazing Race - season 15

In the GT's defense, this race is like a game to them. It is a game. What do professional athletes do? They talk trash. Plus, they didn't see everything that went on. They didn't see Canaan try to force Mika down. They were only there for 2 minutes before they were allowed to go down the slide.

You're afraid of heights? You're afraid of water? You can't run very well?

Have you watched the Amazing Race AT ALL?!?!?!?!

C'mon, Mika.
Edited by ThomasC - 10/26/09 at 8:58am

Who added the "blah blah blah" to my previous post?

I don't recall posting anything with a spoiler in it.

Wasn't me! 

John:  I think that's what's known as "posting under the influence." 

One difference is that the Globetrotters had no idea how long she had been there -- in post-race interviews, it is said to be 45 minutes -- and what Canaan had said or done up to that point. (To be accurate, that's probably the case, since we didn't see the whole thing either.) As far as they are concerned, they figure they're in last place, she's just sitting there, so a little "psych-out" during a RACE -- I can give them a pass.

I added the extra blah's because your post with the names of the eliminated team showed up in the Last post preview text on the main TV area thread page.  I'm not crazy about the new "last post text" link on the new platform, especially when the first sentence is a spoiler if you didn't mean to click on the thread itself.  I happened to have this TAR episode's outcome spoiled for me by the post, so I added enough blah's to move the spoiler info off the TV area thread page for others who might not have seen this episode yet.

Ah okay, Pat, no biggie, I was starting to doubt my sanity lol.

About time you joined the rest of us in doubting it...     

I kind of took it the same way.  I had no problems with them talking trash.  But I guess that's me.  It's a race/game.  More then that, she wasn't moving or budging, and they saw 2 minutes.  All they knew was that she didn't like it.  That's it.  They weren't there for the meltdown.  That having been said, I think even if they had said nothing there was no way she was going down the slide.

Have there been any other couples where one of them refused to do the task which resulted in their elimination from TAR?

Marshall/Lance in TAR5 were the first (and so far only) team to quit the race because one of them was the last one remaining at the Roadblock and after a while they decided not to even bother with it--but it was a mutual decision on their part.

If you watch the Elimination Station segments on CBS.com, interesting task they did there.  They decided to put the men vs. women in a boat race, with the type of boats that are completely round baskets.

I had to crack up at all the comments about "how do we do this" and "they should have this on the Race".

Um, they did.  TAR3. Who could forget Flo's meltdown with Zach doing that task.  It's like the folks on TAR15 never watched the show at all.

This is a race for a million dollars, what the GT did was just fine, it's part of the game, it's part of the competition.

I may be personalizing this too much because of the place of anxiety in my own life...but I have a hard time thinking that if I see a young woman in distress it's okay to beat her down in the spirit of competition.

I fully pin the blame for this situation on the producers and casting crew who should have known they were casting a young woman scared of heights and scared of water into a competition that had height challenges, water challenges and (insert evil laugh here) a height/water challenge.  It alnost seems to me they were hoping to create a dramatic situation by admitting someone with such issues into their little game.

It's just one of those standard ethics questions--which doesn't necessarily have a right or wrong answer.    "If you're in a race and the person in front of you gets hurt, do you stop and help?  Or, do you pass them by?  Or, do you hurt them some more to make your own chances even better? "  Some will say you should help your fellow man.  Others will say if it falls within a competition, there's a different set of rules. 

I don't think any of the blame falls on the producers.  If you are scared of heights or water, bugs, gross food, other cultures, etc, DEFINATELY do not go on a competition show like TAR or Survivor.  It's common sense.

No disagreement there, Steve.  Responsibility begins with her.  She knew what she was getting into. 

Two things;

Are the tasks/challenges getting much easier?  I mean, the things they are having them do seem much less challenging than the early season.  I think each season's contestants have it easier than the previous.

Also I used the fact that most of the people that tried the gold challenge couldn't do simple math as a lesson for my 10 yo daughter.  Since the schools are not teaching math, well they think they are but it's in such a way that by the time they get to 8th grade algebra, the kids don't have the math basics to handle it, we send my daughter to Kumon for math tutoring.  Needless to say, she does not like going.

As we watched them try to complete the task, I asked her how she would've done it.  She said that she would do long division to figure it out.  I said good, then Kumon is working and you wouldn't have looked like a goofball and embarrassed yourself on TV.  lol

Also, Aaron & Hayden quitting a Roadblock in Season 6, and Nancy & Emily in Season 1, quitting a Detour.

Tonight's was one of the best episodes ever:

Laughs at Globetrotter dancing, the brothers "coming out" (and the look on the Nederlander's face when they said they "weren't that kind of gay guys."  Great editing.), Cheyne not getting the car started, dressing in the Dutch costumes, the long johns, swimming across the stream to play the game with the wooden shoe golf clubs...the fact that the carillon bells started ringing during the roadblock...

Jeering at Miss USA's attitude (throughout the entire thing!)....

Crying along with the poker players for not being strong enough to ring the bell or play the farmer's game.  They were certainly not my favorite players...but it was hard not to sympathize with them.

Comebacks galore:  the GlobeTrotters, Miss USA & "Brian!"...

Amsterdam looks like a GREAT place to visit.

Fun, great episode.

Earlier, I liked Megan, but now, not to much, just too much meltdowns and whininess.

Loved how the math stereotype about beauty queens is still holding strong.

Loved last night's episode. "Should I tell Matt he's adopted now?"

Meghan and Cheyne are the most bland and generic team to ever get so much airtime. I guess it's because they're so often in first place and teams at the front of the pack (or way, way behind) inevitably get the most airtime but still...they're so boring.

I don't find Meghan all that boring, Anthony.    And my wife is constantly saying that if they could tame Cheyne's hair, they might be the best-looking couple ever to be on the "Race." 

That could also certainly account for their amount of air time. 

Brain and Ericka are beginning to grate my nerves, particularly Ericka.

While I was sad to see Team Poker Face go they didn't really try that hard, they swung that hammer like they were playing Whack A Mole for cryin out loud.

Poker girls needed to spend more time chopping wood with their dads. 

The one girl (Tiffany) came agonizingly close a couple of times. 

That was a roadblock (with the amusement park bell and the farmer's golf) where it was really true to have an advantage being a "strong team."  Those poor girls just didn't stand a chance. 

I couldn't believe Cheyne let Meghan do that roadblock. He did not man up.

That was our thoughts - he certainly should have done it instead of her.

Agreed, letting her do that one was just wrong.

And I was seriously hoping that someone would walk over to Dan and render him unconscious.

Porcupine head was worried he would muss his hair.

And Dan was reminding me and sounding like Will Ferrel when he was yelling. lol

I was hoping that "Brian!" would have let Ericka do that challenge.  It sounds like they were considering it...but he, as Patrick put it, "manned up." 

"Oh, I'll do it."

Thread's been kinda quiet.

Anyone got a CAN-dle-uh-bra?