Amazing Race 1/4 questions and (possible) spoilers....

[Phentex]

I still cannot stand Jon. I was so hoping he would be the one to eat the spicy soup. Why does he make V do all the challenges? Why doesn't she just quit to piss him off? :P

Why did Lori and Bolo take the fast forward if they were in first place?

Did anyone see who pulled the metal gate down or was this simply an accident?

[Orangepeel]

1. some answers, more questions....

1. Cause he's a jerk. She's harder to figure out -- she's not meek and submissive, the way I imagine someone abused and afraid would be (although I don't know what I'm talking about on that subject). :shrug:

2. Why not? There are only two fast forwards in the whole race, so if they pass it up the odds are good they won't get the opportunity to do another. Besides, they were exhausted.

3. I TIVOed it and watched that scene a couple of times, but I couldn't see anybody pull it down. I think it is just that nobody held it up.

My question is, why did they have to do two roadblocks and two detours on this leg of the race (roadblocks: in Berlin, the bungee thing and it Budapest the soup; detours: in Budapest, the cannon moving and the ... oh, wait. I can't remember. did they do another detour last night?)

When they stretched it out "to be continued" last week, it feels like they lost a pit stop.

[Phentex]

5. Yeah, you're right...

L & B were exhausted and needed to get to the pit stop faster.

Yes, it also seemed odd to me that there were so many tasks involved this time, but it was really two shows all bunched up.

Why oh WHY didn't Victoria just puke on Jon?! }(

[skippysmom]

2. I missed the beginning, but

weren't Lori and Bolo in last place, waiting for the train to Budapest, and the FF put them into first place? Or did I miss something?

On edit: I read the recap on CBS.com, and apparently this was the first of only 2 FFs in the whole race. So they may as well take it, right?

Too bad Gus and Hera are gone. Now I'm rooting for Kris and Jon big time.

[Phentex]

6. Kris and Jon are still looking good....

so far no big spats between them.

Hayden cannot stand to be near the back of the pack!

[Enraged_Ape]

3. Jonathan is the biggest wimp on Earth

I honestly think he can't handle anything. I think he'll be in sorry shape when Victoria has completed her six road blocks and he's left with the unpleasant tasks.

As far as Lori and Bolo were concerned, I think they were just exhausted. Remember that they were essentially robbed of a pit stop as they tried to make up lost time.

I didn't see anyone pull down the gate. I think everyone was in such an all-fired hurry to run to the number box that they didn't speculate on the effect that gravity might have on heavy iron.

And too bad about Gus and Hera. Looks like I'm strictly a Kris and Jon guy from now on.

[Phentex]

7. I really hope he gets something GOOD....

as payback. Something dirty or gross!

Maybe he'll have to eat pig guts or something. HA!

[Patiod]

4. I hated this epidsode

Why did they set it up so everyone was bunched up at the starting gate at the stupid Railroad Museum, and then it worked out so that the biggest guys got to the post with the numbers on it and TACKLED IT? I thought this was supposed to be about skill and smarts, not just who can tackle the damned post the hardest. Of course Mr. Pro Wrestler is going to have the advantage on a tackling task. Grrr.

Q:"who slammed down the gate!!!?? I'm going to split them in half!" A: Gravity slammed down the gate, moran

It broke my heart when Gus & Hera chose the raft, and then chose to run the stairs - as a viewer, you could see that both decisions were wrong, but how would you know, as a contestant.

Was yelling at Jonathan during much of the episodet - this show does NOTHING for my blood pressure.

[Phentex]

9. OK, I did not understand the fight

over the numbers. Yes, you need to be quick, but they usually just grab. I haven't seen anyone tackle the box they way they did this time! I like it better when they have things spread out so you have to run to get a good spot.

I liked Gus and Hera but they weren't really good for this show (physically). Neither could run very well. I winced when they chose the boat. But I didn't figure Gus would want to swim.

I think they were farther behind than they lead us to believe last night.

[lazarus]

13. the reason

The reason they do these "hours of operations" bunch ups is very simple. If they didn't, a good team would start to get further and further ahead of the rest of the teams. Last season, Colin and Christie were so far ahead of the pack at one point, they could have gotten an insurmountable lead halfway through the season.

At that point, ratings plummet, and the show dies. So they use hours of operation to bunch everybody up and keep some suspense.

[Orangepeel]

14. yeah, but they have to keep a balance

they did it way too much in this episode, IMO. They had to wait several hours before the cafe opened and then a full 12 hours before the railway station opened. Was that instead of a pit stop? Why didn't they just have one in between the two roadblocks/detours?

[Qanisqineq]

8. I was so sad to see Gus and Hera go

I was so sure that the models were going to go home but it was just wishful thinking. Lori and Bolo are starting to grow on me but I am now rooting totally for Kris and Jon.

[Phentex]

10. Kendra will cry cry cry

when/if it's their turn. She was less whiny last night but how many times can a person say "baby" in one day?

"Oh, baby, look at that puke under the table!" Yes, that was very helpful. :P

[Patiod]

11. It's hard to tell with the editing, but

it looked like that "look at that puke under the table" was what made him puke.

I've hated her since her comments about the Africans.

[skippysmom]

12. I hate Kendra too

for precisely the same reason. They are my second least favorite, behind the wife abuser.

[Piperay]

15. I was so sorry to see Gus & Hera go

I am now rooting for Chris & Jon, they seem like the next nicest couple. I hate Jon (spousal abuser) the most and Kendra second for her very 'ugly American' statements

[Chovexani]

16. I called the FF!

But man, talk about an episode of highs and lows. I squealed with delight when Lori and Bolo came in first after the disastrous showing the other week. I don't blame them for taking the FF despite the fact that they were in first place. Lori in particular was really showing signs of killer fatigue (did they sleep at all between the Net cafe and the Rail Museum?) and I think they wanted to keep themselves in a decent position with a minimum of effort so that they could regroup for the next leg. I think it was a smart move on their part.

Contrary to Jonathan's usual assy comments at the restaurant, I think Freddy was the drama queen in this episode. The way he carried on was just stupid and unnecessary and made me hate him almost as much as I hate his racist girlfriend (though I have to admit Freddy looked damn good in that speedo). Hera looked like she saw stars after getting hit by the fence and instead of throwing a temper tantrum she just took it in stride and once again proved that she's half of the classiest team in this race not named Kris and Jon. Besides, memo to Freddy from someone who knows: if you're trying to be a bad ass it helps if you take your dorky glasses off first.

Speaking of Hera, I literally cried when she and Gus were Philiminated, even though I knew it was coming. Despite performing really well in some of the challenges Gus just couldn't get it through his head that it was a R-A-C-E, and their navigational skills weren't the greatest. I really love those two though, and it's clear that being on the show really brought them closer together. I wish I had a dad like Gus, despite his goofiness. I really hope they come to Television Without Pity's TARCon, 'cause I'd love to buy him a nice German beer.

Maybe I'm just a bad kitty but I found the soup roadblock utterly hilarious. I LOVED the traditional Hungarian musicians too and how they looked all insulted when Assathan told them to shut up. Speaking of which, he was assy as usual but I was actually more pissed off at Hayden. It's bad enough her little chicken-legged ass thinks she's sexy for some reason and feels the need to assault us with her dangly funbags every week (Hayden, honey, you're in a R-A-C-E. It's called a sports bra, look into it.). But Aaron was clearly in distress during that roadblock and all she could do was roll her eyes at him and shit. Then she continues the bitchitude in the cab saying how she should have done it because she's so great with spicy food. I laughed out loud when Aaron basically told her to STFU. That guy deserves so much better than her it's not even funny.

What else can be said about Assathan & Victoria? I'm glad she stood up for herself a bit more this week, and as usual the Amazing Editors did a fabulous job contrasting their fucked up relationship with the other couples. The irony of Jonathan calling Victoria a drama queen was just too much. Projection, much?

All and all, I thought it was a great episode. A lot of people seem to be complaining about the forced bunching this season but I think last night is a prime example of why it's a good thing. Lori and Bolo would have been more than 24 hrs behind. They were completely fucked and thanks to the bunching (and some good luck, like drawing #1 for the rail thingie), not only were they back in the race but they ended up winning the leg. The bunching is like throwing a wildcard into the mix, it keeps the game interesting. What's the point of watching a race with absolutely no suspense or surprise? Besides, as we saw in Germany (Sweden?), the bunching itself can be a test of skill and decision-making. I'm thinking specifically of the one location (I forget what it was) that opened at a certain hour in the morning, but one team got erroneous info from a local and passed it around, and several teams ended up screwing themselves because they didn't go to the site and check the operating hours for themselves. IIRC a couple of teams that were behind made up time and actually jumped out in front because they went to the place and waited for it to open.

[Qanisqineq]

17. Re: the bunching this season

I agree, it is a GOOD THING.

Anyone remember a reality show NBC did a few years back? It was called "Lost" or "Stranded" or something along that line. Teams were dumped off in Mongolia and had no idea where they were (not even the continent) but had to find their way to the US. One team got so far ahead the rest of the show sucked. It was obvious who was going to win early on because there was no way for anyone to catch up. (I may have some of the details incorrect, but that was the gist of the show)