(S15E05) Once again in the NYC viewing area, The Amazing Race suffered a huge delay in airing due to football. Tonight, it started an hour and fifteen minutes late. And, after all of that, the Jets lost! It's a miracle this show keeps receiving Emmy awards when the CBS Sunday night schedule is so fickle due to every sport under the sun or inside a stadium. Speaking of sports ... who are the Brinkley Tigers on Flight Time's t-shirt? They can't be Christie Brinkley's ex-husbands, can they?
For some reason, tonight's episode seemed deemed to find the good in everyone, even Lance and Keri. With them, it might have been delirium. But still, they showed another side to their personalities. Oh, mind you, that didn't make me like them any more than I did before. It was surprising to see that Lance can actually laugh at himself -- as he should and should do often since he's such a buffoon. I always wanted to call someone a buffoon. Didn't it work in nicely here?
On the Do Good Wagon:
- Brian of Brian and Ericka. Quite the karma kick going on with him as he paused to give other teams directions and more.
- The Poker Girls lent Sam (or Dan) their ladle when Sam (or Dan) bent his during the desert roadblock.
- Sam and Dan waited to make sure the Poker Girls got a replacement car okay because of the lent ladle.
- The Globetrotters paused to tell Mika and Canaan to bring coats into the indoor ski resort.
With all the good karma about, it didn't seem quite like the cut-throat race it can be at times. Sure, the teams were still all in it for themselves. But many teams were so nice about it that it seemed like a sunshine and lollipop world. You know that's not going to last long!
The teams were off to Dubai this week, quite a change from Cambodia and Vietnam. Dubai seems like such a rich city in comparison to most of the places the race takes the teams. Gleaming new construction, fountains, and even an indoor ski resort!
The first task in Dubai seemed to be much ado about a really tall building. Other than building up the fear factor of a possible bungee jump or something, there was nothing to it. Take the elevator up to the 124th floor and get the clue from the clue box. Then take the elevator down. That whole task seemed to be just to show us where the tallest building in the world is and what it looks like. Okay, now I know.
In contrast to the boring detour, Cheyne's fast forward task was something else! Oh, I want to do that! He drove a racing car a lap around a track at around 140 miles per hour, completing it in less than 45 seconds. I was thinking that it's a good thing the Globetrotters didn't try that. I don't think either of them could fit in the car.
Speaking of contrasts, the change from the desert roadblock to the winter wonderland inside ski resort had to do something to the racers. I mean, we're talking 130-degree heat, then winter cold. Yikes! Lance kind of reminded me of old cartoons about people staggering in the deserts mumbling, "Water, water." Then, in the snow, I would have gone for the "find a snowman" task before the "build a snowman" task as did all the teams. Thankfully, most switched tasks as Lance and Keri wandered about lost in the Persian Gulf.
I'm supremely satisfied with the results at the pit stop. The team who irked me the most this season is gone -- Lance and Keri. Now if Brian and Ericka can just get over the fact that they're an interracial couple, I'll be fine with things. What if Sam and Dan mentioned they're gay in every confessional bit? Or Flight Time and Big Easy reminded us they're tall? Or Gary kept talking about Matt's pink hair? Give us some new tidbits, Brian and Ericka. The "karma" bit was a nice start.
[Watch episodes and clips of The Amazing Race over at SlashControl.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-19-2009 @ 3:06AM
Owloo said...
had to vote for Mika & Canaan 2 people 2 weird names and they found each other mainly though Mika who was in tears at street level of the world's tallest building and than whined about not being able to toboggan down the ski hill at Dubai Ski and in the stay tuned for scenes from our next episode there's Mika again whining this time is about not wanting to go down a water slide and Canaan actually tries to just push her down it LOL I guess that would be better than throwing her off the world's tallest building LOL
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10-19-2009 @ 4:03AM
StillBash said...
Dubai is actually (or was actually) pretty poor because of all the leased laborers from India who only get a permit to stay in the country as long as they have work. If you've seen "Syrania" you get the overall picture. All those riches and 95% of the people living there are either from a foreign country or dirt poor living in cardboard boxes. Only the scheichs are rich. Dubai lost 25% of its populace due to the world economy nearly collapsing, all workers who were sent home.
Honestly I like "show us the world's tallest building" detour. I mean it's the worlds tallest building and it's not even finished and you can hardly get any good footage of it while it's being built. Loved to see that, really kinda made my day. I know - it's nerdy.
And I love all the good karma to be honest although I loved Romber on the show even more. I think if you are really into a team and root for or against them, then fierce competition is nice but when you are still trying to find out who you like or don't like anybody at all it's just annoying because - you know - it's not like I'm sitting here propagating Christian values it's just that I love seeing people helping each other way more than everyone just going for the almighty dollar.
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10-19-2009 @ 10:05AM
Joyce N. said...
Mika should really consider finding a new boyfriend. In that preview he was ready to physically throw her down the chute while screaming about losing the million dollars. She is obviously terrified of heights, a fear that should have been considered seriously before they signed up on TAR. Nevertheless, Canaan should be ashamed of treating her fears so callously. If money means so much more to him than her well-being, then she should run and not look back.
Won't be missing Lance and Keri much.
Erika's comments about the temperatures make me wonder how she survives at all. She doesn't like heat because she's "chocolate" and "chocolate melts". She's no "snow bunny" so she can't take the cold. Can't wait to hear her future excuses for getting out of comps.
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10-19-2009 @ 10:19AM
jaggok said...
I can't believe you didn't mention the obvious. With all the issues happening in the Persian Gulf for the past 20 years, Sam and Dan didn't know where the Persian Gulf was and then thought it was a country. If the other teams didn't tell them, they would still be stuck in Cambodia.
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10-19-2009 @ 11:11AM
gwen said...
I'm glad somebody else mentioned this! I was SHOCKED that people thought the Persian Gulf was its own country.
10-20-2009 @ 8:34AM
Echy said...
I was thinking the same thing. Where have these two clowns been their entire lives. This country has been in two wars over there and these idiots think it is a country. They get my vote for the next ones out.
10-19-2009 @ 11:08AM
Mike said...
Yeah, some people are painfully stupid.
At this point, Pinky and the Brain for the win... or the Globetrotters... either way.
Mika and Canaan are easily my least favorite at this point. Sure, there's some latent dislike of the poker chicks from the start of the season, but they pale compared to these two little lovebird Christians who've been together forever... I guess forever doesn't include doing anything... she can't sled?
Why is she on the Amazing Race again?
And it's not just her attitude about challenges that might spook her, she's increasingly being short with him. He said something in the car about direction and she bit his head off. He wasn't saying anything bad, but that didn't stop her. What a bitch... I'd want to throw her dumb ass down the slide, too.
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10-19-2009 @ 1:57PM
Scott said...
What's dumb about her? Oh! It's so weird 'cause "it says I'm going 120 but only feels like were going 60mph."