(S14E12) "You need to tell your people that I'm not their personal concierge and I don't have time to look for the place they want to go." -- Taxi dispatcher to Jaime and Cara's cab driver
Now, that was such a fine moment in tonight's season finale of The Amazing Race! Who would have thought that an unknown female voice would deliver the best line of the season? If I had to wager beforehand, I think I would have said Mel White had some of the best lines this season. Kudos to the dispatcher ... she rules!
The final three teams
It's down to Margie/Luke, Tammy/Victor, and Jaime/Cara. My own observation is that Jaime and Cara are not only the weakest team of the three physically and mentally, but they're the ones I like the least. Actually, I believe it's mainly Jaime who irks me so. However, she taints the team for me.
Although I think Luke is very immature and his mother a bit too protective of him, they're a strong team. Both have shown determination throughout the season. If Luke didn't let himself get so frustrated, he'd be better. On the other hand, Margie is absolutely amazing. She's no spring chicken and she's running circles around women half her age ... and a lot of the guys, too.
In the beginning, the Tammy/Victor relationship bugged the heck out of me. But it's like Victor underwent a personality transplant around leg three of the race. Sure, his sing-song voice is still there, but this isn't the same Victor who almost got the team Philiminated early on, is it? We might have to do some investigation here! With his change of attitude, I changed my opinion of the team. Need I say I'm a very pleased person tonight?
How not to carry a pig
I don't understand why all the teams didn't realize that carrying the hog on a log (well, pole) on the shoulders was the way to go. I can only think that by the time they saw Luke and Margie trooping along that way, they might have been too exhausted to get the pig that far off the ground. One thing's for sure -- that had to be some bruised up and nasty meat served by the other teams as they kept dropping them. "May I have a pork chop? No, not from that pig, the other one over there, please."
Surfboard fencing
No, not like fencing with swords, although that could be challenging! For me, this would have to be one of the hardest tasks ever. Luke should have done well, but let himself get frustrated once again. At least he didn't whine that he wanted to quit. It didn't surprise me at all that of the pants-less boys (Luke and Victor) both got going, it was Victor who sailed through the task. It's that personality change thing, I tell you!
But really amazing ...
... was that Jaime and Luke helped each other after Victor left. Had Luke let Jaime help him first, he and his mother could have left them in the pile of surfboards. At that point, it didn't really matter. Unless something drastic happened, Tammy and Victor were going to win anyway.
All in all
I'm very satisfied with this season of The Amazing Race. Without the obvious alpha-male teams, the show was more on a level playing ground. For the most part, I didn't have any team this season which totally creeped me out (thinking back to Jonathan Baker and his wife). Even though Jaime had an Ugly American persona, she's not anywhere near as bad as some in the past.
My favorite team on the show was the one I was ready to hate -- Mike and Mel White. I was so totally wrong about Mel in my preconceived notions about him that I'm never going to jump to conclusions without seeing a team in action. Well, until next season, that is!
I'm hunky-dory with a Tammy and Victor win; I saw some really fantastic places and people. Kudos to the folks at CBS for another fine season!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
5-11-2009 @ 3:37AM
Val said...
The team that deserved to win won. So I'm happy! Great episode!! Great season!
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5-12-2009 @ 3:30AM
Stigmata said...
I think Survivor is a MUCHHHHHHHHHHHHHH better game!
This show is so mundane and boring. You don't get deep enough into the characters mindsets, and there is hardly any backstabbing or alliances, which makes Survivor so amazing.
9-02-2009 @ 2:20PM
Jim said...
Another great race in the bag and the best pat was that Jamie, Cara AND Tammy were running around in bikinis for most of this leg...awesome...I am sooo tankful that the alpha male teams were eliminated
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5-11-2009 @ 4:20AM
Alex H said...
Congrats Tammy and Victor!
Interesting from Luke... Nothing special eh ;-)
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race/video/video.php?cid=1008404252&pid=TZwoiesvLRdyFHUGqQCXrn0KjbAwGk0T&play=true&cc=52
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5-11-2009 @ 6:37AM
djbuhhda said...
i still think this season is bullshit because of how long they stayed in a country because of how long they stayed in china knowing that one team knew the language and would have a major advantage, but oh well.
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5-11-2009 @ 10:12AM
Ryan said...
Except they came out with the routes and challenges well ahead of choosing the teams and who could even predict that Tammy/Victor would be in the final 5 to benefit with the second to last country?
Luck plays as big a part in this game as skills. So congrats to Tammy and Victor!
5-11-2009 @ 7:00AM
Lisa said...
Although not entirely disappointed I'm with djbuhhda in that I think they were in one country that favored one team for too long. V&T were a tad underhanded with the other teams from time-to-time due to their language surpremacy. Despite his immaturity, I was pulling for Luke and Margie... not for Luke but for Margie. She is and was amazing and an all around pretty darn nice human being.
That last surfboard was tough for Luke as he and Margie didn't have to eat the fried delicacies, did they? The show should have stuck with clues that related to all the teams' experiences, IMO.
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5-11-2009 @ 7:23AM
Christopher said...
His mom did.
5-11-2009 @ 1:01PM
JPN said...
It's all planned out ahead of time I'm sure. You can't decide not to cast a team because of a country a show might go to, that's a crazy slippery slope. I'm sure the casting folks and the route planners are very separate. If a team fast-forwards through a leg, they're still responsible for knowing what happened at the end of the race - the final roadblock is almost ALWAYS something like this, remembering what happened along the way.
That being said, this final roadblock was WAY easier than past ones. Remember that weird one 1 or 2 seasons where they had to put all those items on the platform in a certain way to open the clue box? And those totems? This was pretty easy, just a matter of avoiding the fakes. (Though that foot icon from the reflexology would have been easy to miss - and don't forget, that's one Luke couldn't get and he was the one getting the foot massage :))
Luke freaked out and got distracted, which was a shame because they would've won if he hadn't. He had studied and prepared but he got so distracted he couldn't focus and Victor stayed cool and collected and blew right past him.
Tammy and Victor must have been far, far ahead of the other two for Luke and the redhead to collaborate on the final task - if it was close I wouldn't tell the other team an answer!
5-11-2009 @ 7:38AM
D said...
My only minor complaint was that there was no drama at the end.T&V won with a wide margin.Otherwise I was pleased and look forward to the next season.
I bet if the ending had been closer that Jamie would not have helped Luke.Both of the teams knew they weren't going to win so it didn't matter but if either had a chance the gloves would have come off.Jamie especially isn't nice enough to go but so far.
Jamie also didn't exactly warm our international friends to americans.I'm sure the show is seen in other countires and they are all seeing her be a bitch nonstop and thinking she's a typical american.I mean she's a beautiful girl with great boobs but acts like an ass 24/7.
I hope Margie now sees how Luke can get so frustrated that he just shuts down.She needs to help him mature and focus.
All in all though another great run.Foolproof format...can't really go wrong.
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5-11-2009 @ 1:01PM
JPN said...
I agree, it's way better when it's a straight footrace to the end - the best finale that I can remember was season 2, when the frat brothers ran right past team #2 to win!
5-11-2009 @ 8:03AM
nicole_thibault said...
Isn't the whole purpose of a TAXI DRIVER to actually be a personal conceirge? I mean, that's what taxis do, yes?
You give them the address and they're supposed to take you there.
I'm sure the woman on the radio was responding to the cheerleaders' snarkiness, but her comments were laughable. Being a personal conceirge is HER COMPANY'S JOB.
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5-11-2009 @ 9:07AM
fhh said...
cheerleaders lost. nuff said!!
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5-11-2009 @ 10:03AM
Laura said...
Oh thank you for saying so, Nicole! While Jaime is very rude, I hope that dispatcher was at least reprimanded for that self indulgent "comeback". Cabs are supposed to take you where you want to go, that's their job.
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5-11-2009 @ 11:01AM
MGH said...
The whole "ugly American" label slapped on Jamie has killed me all season. Amazingly stressful race, MILLION dollars on the line, countries most of these people have never been in, and languages they've never considered they may need to know. Yeah, some handle things better under pressure I guess, but holding understandable frustration against her is almost bordering on ridiculous. What would you rather have Jamie do? Keep trying to push the drivers to get moving to where they need to go at any cost (again, A MILLION DOLLARS on the line here), or slump back in a taxi seat and cry like some dejected puppy?
Behind Mel and Mike, Jamie and Cara were my favorite team all season just because of those qualities. How determined Jamie always was and this ferocious never say die attitude that probably got them to the final 3 in the first place.
There are a lot of people I'd like to see put in her shoes under all those circumstances and handle it like a peach. I'd bet is they'd fold in a heartbeat.
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5-11-2009 @ 11:50AM
Kelly said...
Nicole and Laura, taxi drivers are NOT personal concierges. Yes, they take you to an address you give them, but Jamie did not give them an address. Instead, she gave them a clue she was supposed to figure out. She wanted the driver not only to take her to this place but to figure out what and where the place was. That's something more in line with what a personal concierge would do. Plus, Jamie was either screaming or just being extremely rude about the whole thing. If I were that driver, I would have let them out to find other transportation. What nasty, ugly Americans!
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5-11-2009 @ 12:08PM
MJL said...
Second straight season the snobby, entitled, obnoxious brother/sister team won. Very unhappy with the result.
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5-11-2009 @ 12:29PM
Jag said...
The first few Amazing Races had great finishes. Now its just another leg and there's not this major excitement of the race to the finish.
I too am glad Tammy and Victor won. Luke was too annoying. So glad they finished last.
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5-11-2009 @ 12:30PM
Jag said...
I'm disappointed that not one team can beat an alpha male team, so we get two fat dumpy guys or two midget brothers. So let's discriminate against in-shape guys so we can let others just stroll in. In all their action to make it happen, CBS still couldn't get two women to win. Maybe next season they should have all blind teams except for one team of two women.
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5-11-2009 @ 7:50PM
deebopalula said...
OMG - That just made me laugh so hard.... for multiple reasons!