One of the things the Race does is give you a good idea of whowould be useful on a desert island. And while Victor may be at the top of hisgame as a lawyer, he clearly isn’t blessed with some very practical skills.I’m always amazed at how many very capable people have no idea how to dopractical things.
For two guys who seem to know how to do just about everything, Mark andMichael really fell apart in this episode. Just when it looked likethey were going to break out and start leading the pack, they were hit witha four-hour penalty because they continued to break the rules. Who knowswhere those guys would be in this game if they played within theregulations. Two penalties last week and two penalties this week? That’sinsane. I believe they are the most penalized team in the history of theRace.
We all joked about Mark and Michael having doneeverything. No matter what anybody working on the production said they haddone, those two guys had done it or knew how to do it. There isno doubt they have a lot of life experience, but after a while it got quitehysterical.
On another point, one of the golden rules of traveling on the Race(or traveling, period) is that you never lose sight of theessentials — namely, your passport and a way to buy yourself out oftrouble. No matter where I go in the world, I never lose contactwith or sight of either. After seeing what happened to Toni and Dallasin season 13, you would have thought we would never see a repeat oftheir costly mistake.
I don’t think we really touched on it in the show, but thatboat ride after they finished assembling the propeller was about 45 minuteslong — and that’s in a boat. Jump in a taxi and add traffic, and that turnsinto a two-hour cab ride. It’s almost impossible to overcome that type ofplay.
I love the Detour in this episode. Margie wasamazing. And as she said, being a nurse really helped her infinding the right piece for the perfect smile. I actually felt quite sickwhen I was on location. I definitely would have gone withthe karaoke. I don’t know how a dentist goes digging around inpeople’s mouths. This was definitely Margie’s leg. Obviously Lukewas right there with her, but she was driving the team this week. Fromthe propellers to the dentures, she had her A game on. By the way, all ofus on the show thought the dentures were going to take quite a while tocomplete, but Margie flew through that challenge. She was reaching intothe locals’ mouths without hesitation. I would say she probably finishedthat in about 5 minutes. They were on a mission this week.
I was really impressed with the way she bounced back afterher collapse on the mat last week. A lot of you commented last week that itseemed like we dragged out that scene. Nothing could befarther from the truth. The safety of everyone is our No. 1 priority.If you really think otherwise, then you clearly don’t know theoutstanding safety record we’ve had for the past 14 seasons. Enoughsaid.
One of the more odd occurrences from tonight’sepisode wasthe flooding of the streets. It was a little disconcerting, to behonest, for all of us in production. When we first started seeing therising water,we started to panic a little, but then we were informed by some of thelocalsthat this was a daily occurrence. The river rose above the banks andspilled over into the city. Pretty freaky. Favorite scene fromtonight’s episode was the party taxis … so fun. Classic Race moment –taking the racers completely out of their element and throwing them into an"out of this world" scenario. Without a doubt, Tammy and Victorwelcomed the karaoke with open arms. All of the teams seemed to havefun. I don’t think Mark and Michael knew that their backup singers weretransvestites. They made it all the way through the ride without knowing,and then I think one of the locals told them … reminds me of that scene in The Crying Game.
I’ve been teeing it up for weeks now, and we’re finallyhere: Next week is the most memorable mat meltdown of all time. Margieand Luke vs. Kisha and Jen. These two teams battle throughout the entireleg and end up with mere seconds separating them at the check in. I’ve neverseen two teams go at it like this before and have it carry all the way to themat.
Thank you to all of those who understand just how muchenergy this ride is taking out of me right now. I am veryfocused on raising money and awareness for MS. And riding 100 miles a dayin rain, sleet or snow is definitely taking a toll. Makes me wish Icould multiply myself like Michael Keaton didin Multiplicty. I’m 1,500 miles into my ride,doing open casting calls along the way, and the response hasbeen overwhelming. We’ll keep you updated on future castingcalls on www.philridesacrossamerica.com.
A huge thank you to Margie and Luke, who turned up in thepouring rain in
More on The Amazing Race:
Read our recap of last night’s episode
Thanks so much for posting your blog, despite riding a bike 100 miles each day. I really appreciate your insight. (And, I am thinking each season, TAR changes/improves the rules and penalties?)
BTW, is there an inside joke within the production or editing team of the show to never show the correct airplane in any of the take off, landing, or taxi scenes? It drives my husband absolutely nuts. Typically, it’s the correct airplane at first as it pulls away but then the plane shown taking off and later landing aren’t correct. I know it’s a nit, and I can’t even tell the difference, but for guys like my husband, it’s sloppy editing. Thoughts?
a) did the brothers know these rules? are these new? I recall that last place finishers (non elim) used to be able to beg for money. b) after the rest period why did the brothers start off in 3rd place when they had a 1 hour time penalty. we see the first team leave, then the second 3 hours later. shouldn’t the brothers have left before the 2nd team/
Oh, I forgot to say, I love to see you on The Bonnie Hunt Show. I DVR the show, just to see if you make an appearance!
Thanks for blogging, Phil! Is the penalty a new one, or were they penalized for bartering with items they brought on the race with them? (Would it have been okay for them to barter with things they bought using money from the race?)
Rules are rules, but I question the morality behind Kisha & Jen not paying for a taxi ride and not receiving a penalty, versus Mark and Michael who actually paid for their ride in cash and personal goods. Maybe I missed something in the editing, but last night’s outcome doesn’t seem fair to me. Ultimately J & K’s taxi driver did agree to give them a ride for free — but it just seems wrong to take advantage of a poor cabbie that way. M & M can keep their heads high — at the end of it all, they did the right thing.
Nota Bene, Phil, Michael Keaton can multiply himself in real life too. “Multiplicity” was more of a documentary than anything else. If Michael can, you can.
Phil, was looking for your blog all day, thanks for posting. Your look at Mark and Michael for incurring the 4 hour penalty was priceless!! Didn’t the frat boys trade their sneakers last season to make up for not having enough money for their cab ride?
I’m no fan of the stuntmen, but the four hour penalty does seem harsh. What about Dandrew peddling their sneakers to a Russian cabbie last year? Only if you’re cabbie is a sucker are you penalizd? (Sorry for the questions–thanks for the blogging while you’re riding! Keep your spirits up!)
Sorry, to have missed you (and M & L) when you were in Denver! FYI, I spent a week in Hanoi (a previous AR location, no?) and the streets flooded up to my knees every day — dirty, smelly, rat infested, leech water we had to wade through to get anywhere. The locals went on about their daily business as usual– mostly bike riders carrying large loads, undeterred. Thank goodness for vaccinations!
I would think some form of barter should be allowable.what would happen if a team with no money found themselves stranded with no ability to even get to the pit stop or worse threatened and/or involved with law enforcement for not being able to pay with cash only and yes the free cab rides create the implication of a double standard.If nothing else I think teams should carry money unless the show intends to give them enough for all possible circumstances.Otherwise some short changed cab driver in a country where they aren’t very nice is gonna do something bad to a team.
Which is worse? Shortchanging the cabby at the end of the ride the way so many contestants have done or trying to compensate them with personal goods to make up the difference? On another point, teams have always asked locals if they would lead them to to the next destination, so why get penalized for following a cab? If you’re going to change the rules, let the contestants and viewers in on it.
I’ve read your blog every week this season, Phil, and I love it! It’s great to get some behind-the-scenes information! I had a sick feeling when K & J and M & M left their stuff behind; I knew it would bite them later on. I was a little disappointed to see Jaime and Cara finish so well; I like Cara, but Jaime needs a muzzle sometimes. I miss Mel and Mike! I wanted them to go farther, because they were so fun to watch!
No explanation for that three-hour difference between the first team starting the leg and the second/third teams? Didn’t the brothers have a 60-minute delay last week? How does that odd up into 3 hours? This is fishy, Phil!
what an episode it was….
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I’m wondering if different cultures have different rules regarding certain elements of the race. It seems to me that many Asian countries have strict laws about what you can and cannot bring into the country. By bartering to pay for their taxi maybe they were insulting the nation that they are visitors in. I assume the racers have to abide by national laws whenever they travel. Some countries may allow for bartering as a payment, and others may not. Phil seemed pretty upset with them and I would assume that maybe they broke a cultural custom.