(S15E11) Next week is the big season finale of The Amazing Race. But this week the last four teams have to battle it out for the prized final three slots racing for the finish line. So, you would think this is the time to put on the big boy (or girl) pants, step up to the plate, give it your all, and a thousand other corny trite sayings. Alas, one team tonight has a huge fail. Of all the legs to fall apart and go kerflooey, this one so near the finale is cruel indeed. Too bad, so sad.
I realized a few things tonight about Megan and Cheyne. Although he's a bit cocky and she's a bit shrieky at times, I think what bugs me the most about them is the monopolizing the leads. Perhaps it reminds me of the popular kids back in high school who always seemed to get everything. They are a good team, but their winning so many legs tends to make me pick them apart more. I begrudgingly admit that if they win it all, they'll deserve it. They've run the race the best so far.
However, I guess I'm a share the wealth kind of person. I don't like to see one person, one team, one group win all the time. It takes the suspense out of things. Tonight was no exception to the rule for most of the season. Megan and Cheyne started ahead of the others and took another first place win. I'm not saying they didn't deserve it. They didn't bicker like their closest competitors, Sam and Dan. That's a plus in my book.
I so couldn't believe the massive fail on the part of the Globetrotters. One of the things I enjoy so much about this show is that it often has an intelligence about it that you don't see on other reality shows. For example, the Globetrotters fail tonight was something which a person with the knowledge of Franz Kafka's works and the fact that he was from Prague should have been a cinch.
None of the teams seemed to understand the absurdity of Kafka-esque in the roadblock. But then again, a mix of the letters in "Franz" to spell a word doesn't seem that tough. One vowel, four consonants, not so hard. To take a four-hour penalty is to blow the entire race. I enjoyed watching Big Easy and Flight Time, but they threw the towel in on this one.
Both Megan and Cheyne and Sam and Dan chose to do the legend part of the detour. That inspired me to check out more on golems and what they're all about. Hmm. Big Brother never gets me researching! I think I should probably pass on researching absinthe from Ericka and Brian's speed bump, as with the lager they chose for the detour. I did enough researching of things alcoholic decades ago.
Right now, as far as who I'd like for the win, I'd have to say Brian alone. Ericka gets all kind of snappy (although I liked some of her attitude with drunk hecklers tonight). The brothers fight too much and annoy me. Megan and Cheyne win too much and tend to annoy me. So, on that basis, Brian should come in alone over the finish line next week. He's calm, reasonable, honest... why, he's like a Boy Scout! Who do you want for the win?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
11-30-2009 @ 12:34AM
Chelsea said...
I'd root for Brian alone as well. However, since he's a package deal with Erica, I'm rooting for Megan and Cheyne. Yes they've won a great deal, but they have deserved it and Megan has done extremely well in a race that seems to be favouring physical tasks which might put women at a disadvantage.
The Globetrotters tonight though... man oh man. There are only so many combinations of those letters (especially when you know the word starts with F) and to incur a four hour penalty!? They really did throw in the towel.
I hope Megan and Cheyne win it all.
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11-30-2009 @ 11:23AM
Dave said...
Only 24. Seriously. Only 24. Major Globetrotter fail on any type of puzzle challenge.
11-30-2009 @ 11:38AM
Robert said...
How did you get 24? Wouldn't there be 256 combinations? 4x4x4x4?
11-30-2009 @ 11:46AM
Dave said...
Because once you use a letter you can't use it again. So 4x3x2x1 = 24. Just confirmed it with http://www.mathsisfun.com/combinatorics/combinations-permutations-calculator.html
11-30-2009 @ 2:19AM
CherrySlurpees said...
Who do I want to win? Pinky and the Brain or the Globetrotters. Out of the teams left? At this point I'll take anyone BUT the brothers. If they win, I'm going to be in such a fight with TAR. I'm sure teams I didn't like have won in the past, but other than that couple that argued ALL THE TIME...Victoria and ?...I don't think I've disliked any team as much as I've disliked the brothers.
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11-30-2009 @ 3:38AM
Will said...
I may be showing my ignorance, but if my high school math memory serves, there should be only 120 possible combinations of the f-r-a-n-z. Take out some that can't possibly be right & it seems to me you could go thru all the combos in less than 4 hours (unless all the extra stuff on the form took a long time; it didn't look that way.) At any rate, this seemed to be the challenge least likely to cause a team to take a penalty; I'd sure like to know the specifics of why they did that.
Sam and Dan both have A LOT of growing up to do. Normal adults just don't act that way, at least not when they are suppose to be working toward the same goal. Either of the other 2 teams for the win, please!
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11-30-2009 @ 4:33AM
John said...
Did anyone see Ericka and Herbert kissing (min. 29) outside the phone stage. It was only for a second but just as her husband ran out after comleting the stage the camera caught her up on the first step with an arm around Herbert kissing him!!!!!!! As Brian came out Herbert quickly tapped her arm to get her attention and she spunn away!!!!!! check your tivo!!
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11-30-2009 @ 11:29AM
RobynS8971 said...
WHO is Herbert? I watch every episode, and I don't knwo who Herbert is!
11-30-2009 @ 11:49AM
Dave said...
Mini-Globetrotter aka 'Flight Time'
11-30-2009 @ 12:12PM
johnnyMac said...
either that or she was whispering sweet nothings to him. can't think of any other reason to be that close to him.
11-30-2009 @ 6:14AM
Lisa said...
Am sad about my GTs but man they choked. I have to say that there have been a lot fewer hurry up and wait sequences this season that tend to even things up...I thought for sure when Megan and Cheyne headed out at 10:40ish that the museum or whatever would be closed until morning. I actually think this is partly why they've won so many, when you have a head start and there's no bunch up, they have been good enough to hold their lead.
I know others will disagree but the ugly brother ought to have helped Big Easy more - he broke his word. yes, I know it's a race, but man that sucked. And, they broke their statue - I was so hoping that the rabbis would reject it.
For the win, anyone but the brothers. I don't love M&C but they are pretty amazing and probably deserve it.
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11-30-2009 @ 11:25AM
Dave said...
Yeah, even when teams are staying in the same city, there has not been enough 'bunching up' for me. Teams in the lead are staying in the lead. Disappointing.
11-30-2009 @ 8:15AM
Patrick said...
Speaking of kissing... When M&C were celebrating the win, at one point Cheyyyy-anne turns to kiss Megan and she totally denies him! Hilarious!! I guess there were one too many girly grunts while carrying the Golem
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11-30-2009 @ 8:16AM
GL said...
The brothers are like children. It's not just the bickering, it's that they actually whine like children. Terribly hard to listen to.
Ericka's attitude with the drunk hecklers was not impressive at all.
I'll miss the GTs.
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11-30-2009 @ 3:33PM
Hannah said...
I don't think the Globetrotters shud have given up like that. To take the 4 hr penalty was basically saying we quit the race. Im going to miss them. Brian and Ericka dont deserve to win at all. They have gotten lucky so many times. The only reason they are in the final 3 is out of sheer luck. the brothers are a bunch of annoying, immature, lying backstabbers and i definetly dont want them to win at all. Megan is awesome but I dont like Cheynne that much so im rooting for Megan and Cheynne. they deserve to win this.
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11-30-2009 @ 10:49AM
jaggok said...
I think Cheyne and the whiny Megan will win. But I like all the teams and if any of them win I will be fine with it.
The Globetrotters seemed to be a smart bunch of guys but two times were quite stupid. One was when they had to do the combination from the watch and one of them couldn't figure it out and now this. Maybe it was the same Globetrotter.
I thought it was funny that the brother didn't give the clue to the Globetrotter. That should make Brian and Ericka forgive them for stealing their cab.
Wasn't it funny when the bartender had to sit outside the bar and wait for Brian and Ericka to show up?
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11-30-2009 @ 11:23AM
Dave said...
So frustrated at the Globetrotters for taking the penalty. They knew the first letter and had to rearrage the next four? That means there's only 24 possible combinations. Only TWENTY FOUR. Would have taken them 4 hours to fill out a darn form 24 times? UGH.
At this point I'm apathetic and just want Megan and Cheyne to beat everyone by 24 hours and win. I hate the bickering brothers and I do not like Erica more than Megyne.
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11-30-2009 @ 11:30AM
Ryan said...
I hated what Sam/Dan did, because it's damn low even by their standards. BUT they did a smart thing indeed because guess what, they took out the team they wanted to take out from seemingly day one. They were greatly helped by Big Easy's major choke. In that situation, taking the 4hr penalty is nothing but foolish. Don't care if they're the nicest guys ever, because that was just a stupid decision.
I've said this since Mika/Canaan left, but I'm fine with whoever wins this competition even the brothers. But I'm actively rooting for Brian/Ericka. I've started to get less annoyed by Ericka's shrillness maybe because Brian is SO good at staying calm and deflecting it or maybe it's because the brothers have reached such new heights of shrillness that Ericka's by comparison doesn't seem too bad. Plus they are THE underdog team that should've been out like three times already.
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11-30-2009 @ 11:33AM
RobynS8971 said...
It was the same GT who messed up the time/combination challenge and the F-R-A-N-Z puzzle. It was painful to watch last night, I really like the GTs, and hoped they would beat either The Bros or Ericka/Brian, I think Ericka belongs with the GTs in the brains dept. Remember her counting bells, it's COUNTING!
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11-30-2009 @ 11:58AM
Mike said...
The person in all this I feel badly for is Flight Time... Man, did he choose a moron as a teammate or what? Can't read a watch, spends 3 hours doing 120 possible letter combinations, narrowed down to 24 FOR HIM, and he just gives up...
Also, was it just me, or did every other team seem to write down their letters? When Megan was going through and assigning animals to the letters, she said she wasn't allowed to write them down... in EVERY subsequent sequence with other teams hearing letters, they pause, reach for their clue and pen, and the camera cut. What's up with that? I think they were all cheating.
And regarding Sam and Dan... it's not that they act like spoiled children... it's that they act like brothers and flamers. Bad combo.
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