Day 34 (October 1) – TAR take-aways and (surprise!) Crossfit

So I was able to watch the first episode of The Amazing Race last night.

As I have said to R, my “wish upon a star” goal right now is: (1) to get on TAR and (2) not to finish last. I figure that #2 could actually get us right on to the winning position (laugh!) – but rather than being one of those annoying “WE are SO going to WIN!” people, deciding “never to be last” is a very very good mantra.

So what was the take-away from this particular episode?

READ THE CLUES!

That’s one of those “yeah, duh” things, but right in the first episode we had three teams really blow it because they didn’t read the clues. Starting from the end, a team I think I am going to like (husband/wife ER doctors) wound up taking a cab to the final check-in, though the clue very specifically said to walk. They missed out on first place (and an Express Pass plus an Express Pass to give to another team) because they had to sit it out for 30 minutes.

In my head, I actually thought that if I’d come in “second” and seen them sitting there – and had been told by Phil that they were cooling their jets because they’d actually made it in first, but had mis-read a clue, I would have walked over and given them the other Express Pass right there. It’s supposed to be a “strategic” thing, to give it to someone and make a big political play of it, but frankly, I would have done it right then and there. Not only would it make great theatre (which is of course good), but it would have REALLY surprised them, and they actually seem determined but not too young and not full of themselves – so in some respects, a team that I probably would have liked to have helped out anyway. Obviously R would have to sign on to this decision – but I think it would have been the “right” thing to do, and would have been so dramatically great, that hopefully she would agree. Anyway – that’s what I would have done.

The “oldest couple” are a theatrical duo who play women in a play called something “Bingo.” The one guy is definitely quite heavy-set, which is interesting since all the waiver, etc. that you have to sign specifically states you have to be in like “Top 1%” shape. They came in comfortably in the middle, which was heartening.

So that was one of the “mis-reading” issues. The other one not one but two teams did. The first task (besides getting out of the U.S. and to the country) was paragliding in Chile, with the 2nd team member having to get a taxi and meet them down on the beach (note to self: Start listening to Spanish tapes in the car!) The clue said “Who Wants To Follow The Leader” – and I believe just about everyone who said “I’ll do it” thought that it would be them doing the paragliding. In fact, as the “follower” (per the title of the clue) they were actually “following” their team mate, who was the paraglider.

The next task was basically rowing a huge old boat and getting fish. The clue said that “the person who had done the paragliding” had to do that task. So that meant that….the person who had done the paragliding….had to do….the task.

Two groups got it wrong. Unfortunately, one of the two teams was already slow – they’d had to catch the 2nd plane to Chile, then there was some mix-up with the taxi getting the team mate to pick up her partner at the beach – so they wound up being eliminated way after dark. It was sad, because they’d obviously tried really hard, and just gotten a couple of “wrong turns” that knocked them out of contention. Interestingly, it was a daughter and a father (Indian – he kept telling her that Father Knows Best and that his one wish was that she’d let him arrange her marriage) – and I actually have to wonder whether they stayed within the speed limit, didn’t act crazy, etc. – because of their team “dynamic” with one another. They did wind up too late to the airport to get on the first plane (I think 5 of the 11 teams wound up in that predicament), and then for whatever reason, her taxi took way longer than any other one to get to the beach.

AND ANOTHER THING – DO WHAT YOUR INSTRUCTOR TELLS YOU TO DO.

That was a funny one – the instructors told ALL of the people who were doing the paragliding to run off the edge of the cliff and basically “keep running” until they were well into the air. The one of the “live in the woods, bearded best friends” who did the paragliding got to the edge and just sort of “sat down” imagining that the paraglider would fill with air or … whatever. So he wound up getting himself and the strapped-on instructor dragged down the cliffside, the paraglider collapsing, etc. – DO WHAT YOU’RE TOLD.

OH, AND, DON’T DISMISS YOUR TAXI UNTIL YOU COMPLETELY KNOW YOU WON’T NEED HIM ANY MORE.

There is a team that are calling themselves the “Afghanimals” – young buck Afghani background guys – and they dismissed their taxi, as did the gals that they are calling their “wives” (pretty gross actually – I don’t like it) – who are ice “cleaners” (“Ice girls”) for some hockey team. There is another pair of gals, but they are baseball wives. All 3 of these pairs dismissed their taxis, then the guys called for TWO taxis – for them and “their wives” (but specifically NOT for the baseball wives). BOTH pairs of the women started walking down from the paragliding place, whereas the guys just “waited for the taxis” and were trying to get “their wives” to “wait for the taxis” with them. What happened? Of course! The taxis came up, and both groups of women snagged them – so the guys got all bent out of shape because “the baseball wives” stole “their” taxi. Oh Puh-leeze. Karma’s a b*tch, and if you call for a taxi for only TWO teams, who do you think karma is going to bite in the *ss? (I think actually the guy that they’d asked to call for “two taxis” called for three, because there WAS another taxi coming up the mountain to the paraglider port so the guys DID get a taxi, but it was pretty funny how them trying to “game” the baseball wives bit them IMMEDIATELY in the *ss.)

So who are the teams? Let me see if I can remember. The Indian father/daughter are now gone (he was around 60, I actually think he was an ER doctor as well as the couple who are BOTH ER doctors – she was probably late 20s/30). There are the baseball wives (late 20s) (2), the Afghanimals who are I think cousins (late 20s) (3), the hockey ice girls  from L.A. (is the hockey team the Kings?) (early 20s) (4), two guys who are oil riggers from like Oklahoma, and one of them’s wife is very sick so that’s why he wants the $ (late 20s) (5), the theatre guys (I’d say the heavier one is 60, the skinnier one is 50 – think like Lou Costello and Don Knotts) (6), the ER doctors (early 40s) (7), a couple who used to date but “hate each other” but “can’t get enough of one another” (he thinks she’s a nag, she thinks he’s stupid – she’s beyond annoying) (30s) (8), a either dating or affianced couple from the Boston area (30s) (9), the bearded backwoods guys from Chico (early 30s) (10), a football player duo (the one guy was a football player, he went to a grocery store and told the bagger to “get his big self” into football and they wound up both on the same team – Houston I think – that was a pretty funny story!) (early 30s) (11) oh, oops that would be the father/daughter (I forgot to number them).

In an hour is Crossfit, but the WOD isn’t up on the site. Hmmmm. I’m sore from yesterday, but still REALLY excited I was able to do those “candlesticks.”

On a separate note, I was able, after doing some other errands, to accompany H to the East Bay and order the 4 tons (!!) of stone that we need for the patio area. So that’s done and done ;-)

 

4 thoughts on “Day 34 (October 1) – TAR take-aways and (surprise!) Crossfit

  1. You’re going to give the express pass to one of the fittest, calmest and most intellectual teams in the bunch. Because you feel sorry for them for blowing their first clue. Uh huh. Giving it early seems like good strategy, but I would give it to the least likely to use it best — although it might be too early to tell who that will be. The boys from Chico who can’t hear directions? The Oklahoma boys who are endearingly wearing Crips colored bandanas in Los Angeles? I think the ER docs just got flustered. My problem is in the first leg of the race, no one knows anything about each other unless you overhear conversations (the Afghanimals’ discussion about their “wives” would be a huge OHNO for me). Maybe wait for at least the second leg. And give it for dastardly reasons, not bleeding heart reasons. And I’d like to say, they probably started at a back lot in the Santa Clarita Valley (20 miles north of LA and not on a main highway) and had to navigate to LAX. Even locals might have a problem with that. Heck, I was a little concerned about all the high tech in the car and getting the first set of directions! All the misreading of clues… way too much adrenaline going on. Have to be very careful. Best line of the episode: They don’t call me Rowan for nothing.

  2. TOTALLY AGREE re “Rowan”!!!! :-) I did laugh out loud at the Oklahoma boys, in Crips colors, trying to get directions from the gal – that was the 2nd best line of the episode, “We’re not even out of the U.S. yet and we can’t speak the language…” I’d definitely have given it away for the bleeding heart reasons – also, because it’s good theatre AND giving it away so fast to one of the most “together” of the teams seems like it might cement the potential of an alliance with them – I like them. So far. But that makes sense re giving it away to the ones “least likely to use it best” – remember last season when the couple GOT ELIMINATED while STILL HOLDING ONTO an Express Pass – ?!?!?! I was dumbfounded. I was thinking the same re navigating to LAX – my question was whether they were “allowed” to use the nav in the car. (I’m pretty good with “car nav” stuff – we’ve been trying out new cars because it’s time to replace the BMW, so I’m learning ALL the new “Tricks”!) Also, they must have gotten instructions were to LEAVE the car – which can be totally confusing at LAX. (My supposition – since there was a shot of one of the teams showing up on the parking lot “van” – that they had to leave it in short term parking.)

  3. OHGOD. The Crips boys were in an East LA neighborhood trying to get directions. They were on their way to Dodger Stadium on the 110 going north. Yowser. They should’ve taken the 110 South. That whole area of the 5 and transitions is killer. Just remember, if we’re ever sent to the Mojave Desert the NPS says DO NOT rely on your Nav system. Too many dirt roads marked that are mismarked. I like maps. OHYES, the couple that kept the pass. Priceless. Clueless. So…good about trying out late model cars!

  4. I completely agree with you re maps buuuut I suck at reading them. I think it’s developing who is going to be the naviganista and who is going to be the drive-a-nista ;-) BTW did you see the questions that all the participants had to answer – ? I will post them if I remember, next update. I’d be totally curious of your answers. ;-)

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