The Amazing Race 22 (1 Viewer)

[Walter C]

So, I am assuming that probably everyone reading this wanted that
team out of the race this week. If that's correct, I am also assuming
that everyone felt this was one of the most nail-biting pitstops this season.

For me, it was a team that I desperately wanted out, arriving next to
last at the pitstop. However, hopes were suddenly raised once we find
out that they are being penalized for not transporting the cheese correctly.
Of course, now the hope is that everything works out as it should....Joey
and Meghan arrive last but because of Chuck and Wynona's penalty, they
still remain in the race. Thankfully this is an elimination round and the couple
I am assuming most of us wanted out is finally outed.

Yep, at this point, I was glad to see Chuck & Wynona gone. Even more so than Max & Katie, because C&W just seemed miserable the entire time, and always one step too slow and always seem to find ways to get lost.

Definitely a nail-biter, as I was like "what were you thinking" when Joey & Meghan chose to walk to the pit stop instead of taking a taxi, which is a surprising, as I would think they are smarter than Chuck & Wynona, who found a cab rather easily.

I like to think that penalty was being an idiot. Especially when they tried to carry the cheese on the sled, upside-down. The snow made a huge difference this time, as it was less fun to watch this time than it was in season 14, when teams had rolls of cheese rolling down the hill as they had to actually carry them.

On a brighter note, the Alps are incredibly gorgeous, and makes me wish to take a return trip to that region. The snow covered European town just adds to the charm.Bates & Anthony win another leg, and look like they are the team to beat, and wow, a prize being a trip to Bora Bora. In their case, a return trip to there. They have consistently performed well in almost every leg.The other 3 teams, have seem to have gotten it together after a slow start to the race, though it helped that the stronger teams have been eliminated earlier.

For now...

Like - Bates & Anthony, Mona & Beth

Neutral - Jennifer & Caroline, Meghan

Don't Like - Max & Katie, Joey

 

[Josh Dial]

Don't Like - Max & Katie, Joey

Haha! I agree completely. Every time he speaks with that affected, strange voice I just have to sigh and roll my eyes.

 

[Paul D G]

I was torn at the end myself. But once Joey started squealing during the cheese I just wanted that torture to be over with.

Am I missing something or wouldn't it have been easier to lay on top of the two cheese wheels and grip the edges of the sled and ride it down? I can't believe not a single team tried that.

 

[Jason_V]

Haha! I agree completely. Every time he speaks with that affected, strange voice I just have to sigh and roll my eyes.

Lord have mercy...I've been thinking the same thing since the first episode. I even told my BF that after the premiere and how hypocritical I felt for thinking it. I guess I'm not as open minded as I actually think I am.

I'm happy Chuck and Wynona are gone, too. I couldn't take a whole lot more of the "motivating" from Chuck. I know this is a stressful situation and I'm no peach under duress, but come on. You're looking like a complete idiot right now.

 

[Walter C]

Time to leave the Swiss Alps, and moving on to Germany. And the 2 cities they visit, looked charming enough, even more so with the snow on the ground. I want to visit that trippy Labyrinth in Berlin, which looks fun and scary at the same time. Probably what a drug trip feels like.

I would have been stumped myself on the JFK quote myself, though the questions in the car just seemed too easy. Certainly helps that it's all multiple choice there.

I was worried for the hockey guys, when one of their letters fell and broke, and the decision to change Detour, which can be time-consuming in itself. Never mind the fact that the museum seemed way out of the way, and that it seemed to take longer to put the train tracks together, enough to make sure the train set doesn't tip over. Admittingly, it does look deceivingly easier, probably because it is less physically demanding and looks more fun, while the other is more so but more straight forward and much closer.

But they survived, though it would have not mattered either way, since it turned out to be a non-elimination leg. But good thing, since it means the derby moms are still in the race.

Let's hope that's the only "win" that the anti-social team has in this race. And glad to see the country singers finally deciding to race their own race, rather than wait around for the hockey guys. But I still don't see them or the YouTubers winning this race. But stranger things have happened.

Next week - Onto to Scotland!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Walter,

You and I have always been agreeable on this race, and this week
is no exception.

Let me start by saying this was my favorite leg of the race thus far.
Loved the trippy Labyrinth and the building of the train course. Also,
with the hillbilly couple gone, it just seems that the race has gotten
rid of its distractions, become more serious, and thus...more interesting.
This is the first time all season I didn't find myself doing bits of fast-forwards
through segments I wasn't interested in.

Yes, a shame to see the anti-socials come in first. Not sure if I like them
less than the YouTube couple, particularly Joey and his feministic
mannerisms that are just way over-the-top.

And to pick a winner at this point? You can't. One bad cab ride could
put a leading team out of the race. I think the favorites are probably the
Hockey guys. That's who I want to win.

 

[Stan]

Haha! I agree completely. Every time he speaks with that affected, strange voice I just have to sigh and roll my eyes.

People like him are so vocal, so effeminate and "out there" with their affectations and limp wristed mannerisms, it's awful. I'd bet 90% of gay men don't act like him, but that's what the public sees.

Don't want to get political, but it's sad that people like him are the poster boys of gay rights.

 

[Jason_V]

So I guess this is where I jump in, right? To be honest, I'm glad Joey has finally come to the forefront of the conversation here because almost everyone has been beating around the bush. And I'll be honest again: Joey has grated on me since the first episode precisely for the reasons everyone here has mentioned. I told my partner this during the episode one. And I felt terrible for it. Why? Because, as an out, partnered, happy gay man, my mind should be a lot more open than it apparently was.

All of Joey's attributes everyone likes to roll their eyes, sigh and consider sad over are a part of who he is. He can no sooner change that than Max can change his skin color. If anything, TAR should be applauded for continuing to show a diverse spectrum of the American public instead of just the ones that fit into nice, tidy little boxes which society at large is going to be comfortable with. How do you start to change people's perceptions of anything? Not by hiding, but by showing well adjusted, upstanding, moral people to break down those barriers. And really, in the end, isn't it more important that Joey is supportive of his teammate and their running of the race together than his voice or mannerisms?

That's all I'll really say about this unless there is actually a TAR reason to revisit the topic. Sorry for the derailment.

 

[Josh Dial]

For the record, I was referring that affected, pseudo-southern accent he (briefly) adopts when exclaiming something. It sounds vaguely like a celebrity impression, but I can't quite place it. He does it when he yells something excitedly, and it's annoying. It's not his normal speaking voice (it's certainly not how he speaks on the show regularly) nor does it appear to be part of his regular mannerisms (of which I have no problem with).

TAR has always been pretty diverse and friendly to everyone in society. This isn't one of those issues (to me), rather, he's just doing an annoying voice. I find Meghan to be almost as annoying for the same reason (though she's toned it down the last few episodes). I've watched their youtube videos: they like to do voices (British, Aussie, "Asian," et cetera). This is another of those voices, and it's annoying. That's all.

 

[Walter C]

Walter,

You and I have always been agreeable on this race, and this week
is no exception.

Let me start by saying this was my favorite leg of the race thus far.
Loved the trippy Labyrinth and the building of the train course. Also,
with the hillbilly couple gone, it just seems that the race has gotten
rid of its distractions, become more serious, and thus...more interesting.
This is the first time all season I didn't find myself doing bits of fast-forwards
through segments I wasn't interested in.

You definitely hit the nail on the head, on why this episode was a lot better than the previous 2, and that's due to no longer being subjected to watching the misery of Chuck & Wynona. Though, the noise factor is still there with Joey.Speaking of Joey, admittingly, I did not find him annoying until a few legs into the race, but there were some on another message board that instantly did not like him from the start. Even more so than Max or Chuck.

 

[Walter C]

With the race going to Scotland, it is coming down to the home stretch, with a Speed Bump and a double U-Turn coming up. And we get to see teams do tasks that involve things associated with Scotland. But you already knew that if you seen the episode. At the Roadblock, it is funny how Caroline (I think) and Meghan think the bagpipes should be easy for them, since they are very familiar with music, but would end up struggling a lot with so many tries. But to be fair to Caroline, both Max and Bates both got it on their first try (or it seems), thus giving the false impression that it was easy.The haggis does not look like something I like to eat, but I would still choose that one over the barrels, which looked heavy as well.

While the YouTubers have sad faces on their picture, I certainly did not when they got eliminated. The race should be even more enjoyable to watch, but they did have a good run, making it a lot farther than I thought. They had a lot of luck, with bad luck, misfortune, and stupidity befalling all the other teams before them.

Max & Katie - winning their 2nd straight leg, and such a great prize. Looks like they found their groove in this race, turning it around after a slow start when they finished near the bottom and nearly getting eliminated a few times. But I still can't root for them. Max's arrogance is enough reason to root against them. I say that now, and watch them end up winning the race.

Bates & Anthony - they aced through all their challenges, only to have a hard time finding the pit stop, thus a 2nd place finish. But they should easily make it to the final 3, and I see them winning this race. And would be the most deserving of all the teams, having performed at a high level throughout this race. And time to drop the gloves haha!

Caroline & Jennifer - the other team that has been really lucky in this race, getting this far for the same reasons as the YouTubers have. But still a remarkable run making it this far, especially after how they barely escaped elimination in the 1st leg. I would be shocked if they end winning it all, as they don't quite match up to the top 2 teams.

Mona & Beth - a Speed Bump that was out-of-the way and time-consuming, then get u-Turned to make haggis and roll the barrels, not to mention, getting stuck behind a bus, yet they were able to beat the YouTubers to the mat. It came down to barrels. But they have a lot of ground to make up, as it seemed lilke they were way behind the other 3 teams. I'm also rooting for this team as well.

Looking forward to the finale!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Just finished watching last night's episode and see I'm behind Walter
in offering my comments. It's a good place to be, because as usual, I am
in agreement with his assessments.

I think that everyone is happy with this week's elimination. I am surprised
the YouTubers got this far in the race while seemingly more stronger teams
went home. So, good for them and good for us.

Lots of credit to the roller-derby moms, Mona and Beth. They had a lot to
accomplish this week and they managed to pull it off.

Caroline and Jennifer? No thoughts on them. Surprised still in the race.

As Walter noted, It's hard to root for the team that has won their second straight
leg when you have someone as arrogant as Max to deal with. This was the team
that nobody liked from day one. Out of the remaining 4 teams, I want this one to
go home next.

That leaves Bates and Anthony. They are highly liked, and they have done a
remarkable job accomplishing every task they receive. I think most everyone
is rooting for them, though all it takes is a bad cab driver and a team like this
can be out of it next week.

 

[Stan]

The haggis does not look like something I like to eat, but I would still choose that one over the barrels, which looked heavy as well.

I meant to re-watch that portion of the episode but a little to quick on the delete button.

Were the barrels empty or maybe just partially filled. There is no way the hockey guys could have carried them the way they did if they were full.

Just a rough guess, but if full they had to have been a minimum of 300 lbs.

To bad they weren't able to knock Max and Katie down a notch. The arrogance factor plays a big part, they just aren't that likeable, although they could easily win.

Guess we'll find out on Sunday.

By the way, the haggis looked disgusting. Might be Scotland's national dish, but I'll never be trying it. We eat hot dogs in America, which probably use many of the same ingredients, but I think haggis would put me over the edge.

 

[Walter C]

Were the barrels empty or maybe just partially filled. There is no way the hockey guys could have carried them the way they did if they were full.

Just a rough guess, but if full they had to have been a minimum of 300 lbs.
......

By the way, the haggis looked disgusting. Might be Scotland's national dish, but I'll never be trying it. We eat hot dogs in America, which probably use many of the same ingredients, but I think haggis would put me over the edge.

I would guess the barrels have to be at least half-filled, because it was definitely a struggle to roll them up the hill. Only the hockey guys were able to lift one of them, and carry it over their heads. Even was too much after a while. Both of the YouTubers rolled up one barrel at a time, while derby moms rolled one barrel each. Never tried to move of those things, so I don't know for sure. But I'm sure I would have struggled as much as the YouTubers have.

If I did not know what exactly haggis is, maybe I would try it. But knowing what it actually is, not so much.

 

[Stan]

I would guess the barrels have to be at least half-filled, because it was definitely a struggle to roll them up the hill. Only the hockey guys were able to lift one of them, and carry it over their heads. Even was too much after a while. Both of the YouTubers rolled up one barrel at a time, while derby moms rolled one barrel each. Never tried to move of those things, so I don't know for sure. But I'm sure I would have struggled as much as the YouTubers have.

If I did not know what exactly haggis is, maybe I would try it. But knowing what it actually is, not so much.

Don't know a lot about haggis, but enough that I'd only eat it if I were absolutely starving.

Liver, lungs, I think the heart, maybe even brains, pancreas, who knows. Ground up with oatmeal, spices, etc. then stuffed into the stomach or intestines, not sure, then boiled for hours, but enough info that it sounds awful.

 

[Paul D G]

I would guess the barrels have to be at least half-filled, because it was definitely a struggle to roll them up the hill.

I would think the barrels were empty. Filled with liquid they would have been too heavy to move in the way required, and even half full, with the liquid sloshing about, the barrel would have been difficult to control.

As for the finale - Very satisfied here. Having been to Liverpool recently, I would have loved to had seen some time spent there. But I've been to Edinburgh as well so I enjoyed that leg.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

So, usually when I can't watch a show like this live, I have to do whatever is necessary to avoid reading the news or email notificationsto forum subscriptions.Usually I am unlucky and somehow the ending gets spoiled. This year I was lucky and managed to watch the final episode earlythe next morning. Do not read any further as huge spoiler ahead....This year's Amazing Race ended as it should have. I believe everyonehere was rooting for Bates and Anthony. I don't think there was much ofa concern during the final challenge that both these men wouldn't crossthe finish line first. There was no nail-biting race to the end this time.As also expected, Max continued to lessen his popularity by asking arather snide question to the Roller Derby moms and then laughing inthe process. I think many would have been pissed if he and Katie hadmanaged to finish first.And, yes, I thought that President Obama was going to make an appearance.Decent season this year. Not the best I have seen given the fact thatit was filled with teams that I couldn't really connect to outside of theHockey Players or the Father/Son team that dropped out of the race. Itseemed like a season of "who cares" and I'm just happy that the onereally likeable team managed to win it all.As always, a pleasure discussing each week's race with all of you. Really good group here and I look forward to being back with everyonein a few short months.

 

[Walter C]

My thoughts pretty much mirrors yours, Ron. Some more than others. Starting with ...

There was no nail-biting race to the end this time.

That was the first thought I had, as oppose to the final 2 legs of last season. Starting with the Northern Ireland, when Jennifer struggled to get through the bog, and had to do it 3 times, that pretty much sealed their fate. Not to mention, the thought of quitting between tries and being given wrong directions to the giant ring. As hard as they tried to manufacture suspense, it did not work. It was just too much for the country singers to overcome. But they did have a nice run, getting a farther than I thought. Though they are pretty faces that seemed to be "just there", so I was not really upset at their elimination.

And to the finale, where I liked how the first clue of that leg, did not tell them right away what their final destination was. Instead, they had to go all the way to a pub in London, to find it out there. Also, it would put all the teams on an even-playing field.
But that would not end up mattering much, as teams went to Washington DC for the final leg. Nice to see the captial of the US finally get a full leg treatment, which it did not during that forgettable Family Edition season. And the visit to Nationals Park, just makes me think of how 4 of the last 5 seasons ended in NL East cities, making me think and hope that Philly may be due in the near future. But I digress...

The only suspense in this leg, was at the suitcase challenge, allowing the hockey brothers to overcome Max & Katie. This one was on pure luck, and less on skill, as part of it was memorization. And a switchback from Family Edition. Other than that, it basically looked like first-in, first-out. Which is too bad, because the last 2 tasks, at the baseball stadium, and the pool of globes, actually looked interesting, and had the potential for a nail-biting finale.

But it did seem like the cabs did not play much of a factor in this one, other than the derby moms being dropped off at the wrong location. Also, what is with them and their horrible luck with directions. First getting off at 1600 instead of 1100, then at the wrong part of the stadium. As nice as it would have been to see them win, they never stood much of a chance. I don't know if they would be asked back for another Unfinished Business season.

I think many would have been pissed if he and Katie hadmanaged to finish first.And, yes, I thought that President Obama was going to make an appearance.

You and me both, being happy (and relieved) that Max & Katie did not win the race. To be fair, had they won, they would not been the most unlikeable team to win it all. Heck, not even the most annoying of this season, as I found Chuck & Wynona, as well as Joey, more annoying. Still, I am relieved that they came a distant second, as they arrived at the task with the globes, long after the hockey brothers already left. This was one lopsided finish, where it was not even close between 2nd and 3rd either.

And you're not alone, as I thought Obama would appear as well. But then thought, there seems to be very little security to see the President, and assumed it was some cardboard cutout haha.

And lastly, congrats to Bates & Anthony for winning the race. They were the only good team to remain in the race, as they consistently performed at a high level in majority of the race, and enjoyed their times during the race. This time, one of them finally is the champion, as they get to raise that million dollar check.

Had the other 2 teams won, I could not help but ask a bunch of "what-ifs". Fortunately, we won't have to go there.

Sidenote, when I visited Mount Vernon years ago, I thought this place would make a nice finish line on the race, with the home of GW and the Potomac River in the background. Little did I know, that it would actually happen.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Walter, always a pleasure!

 

[Stan]

Nice win for the hockey guys. As Walter mentioned, I think it was pure luck with the briefcase challenge, but that's sometimes how this game turns out. Had Max bumped into the right spy sooner, he and Katie probably would have won.

I knew the whole Obama thing was phony from the start. Was obviously staged and the security if he had really been there would have been immense, not just three guys at the front door.

What was the deal with the country chicks and the bog? Seriously, you're that close to a million dollars, jump in some cold, mucky water for a few minutes, get it over with and go on. They didn't even look that deep, she probably could have walked it in less than four minutes.

Overall not one of their best seasons, but still enjoyable and has been my favorite "reality" show for many years.