The Amazing Race 30: Legs 1 to 5
Feb. 4th, 2018 06:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spiderbraidsTime to race around the world... for the 30th time (gulp!)
Leg 1:
1. Since 30's a nice round number, we get a well-attended race start in NYC, just like 25, this time at Washington Square Park's fountain :-) Among this season's crop include: former NBA A-listers Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion, legendary hotdog eater Joey Chestnut and friend, a pair of former woman skiers, violinists, Indycar racers, firefighter twin brothers (named Eric and Daniel, sounds too close to a former winning team :-\), the 3rd Big-Brother couple to compete, debaters from Yale, and two girls who do goat yoga ("We goat this!")
2. After diving to get the first clue in the fountain, first stop is Iceland. Last time we visited it in a season opener, we got this this famously memetic moment :-) First stop in Iceland involves going out on a zipline to grab a flag and some route info, prompting a quip about Joey(/Tim, #TeamChomp, yup, still trying to hashtag) being really heavy (Cedric's not exactly light either LOL)... and it's saying something that the biggest drama highlight of this segment revolves around #TeamGoatYoga getting into a fight about getting directions from the stewardess while driving around lost...
3. Next stop is the first Roadblock, titled "Do I have to spell it out for you?" Contestants get driven around in all-terrain buggies to look for letters to spell out a word, each with a number corresponding to their order, which it seems everyone figures quickly enough, but it's the fact that there's an accent in the word that trips up Henry (/Evan, #TeamYale), as well as Cedric... and we're just 3 seasons removed from "Eagle-light" LOL. This allows Jessica/Cody (#TeamBigBrother) to finish first and quip about beating the Wizards of Yale (Alex/Conor, #TeamIndyCar's words) :-) To add insult to injury, Ced kinda accidentally helps #TeamGoatYoga April/Sarah overtake them (!) He ends up then "cheating" off #TeamGoatYoga's finished panel, but that won't be Ced's only issue with this task...
4. The word in question is the name of a square back in Reykjavik, and note the accent :-) Teams encounter a bunch of strongmen, one of whom asks two questions revolving around Icelandic drinks... which teams then have to drink: Cod liver oil, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenniv%C3%ADnBrennivín (apparently something like a pretty strong vodka) #TeamBigBrother and Kristi/Jen (skiers / #TeamExtreme) leave this task 1-2, and the pitstop is near City Hall, by a lake...
5. Pit stop features Miss Iceland, and because #TeamBigBrother are apparently heading to the wrong body of water, #TeamExtreme win themselves a trip to Santorini, while BB only just manage to hang on to 2nd... We learn that half of #TeamIndyCar has to bunk at the other's house... The real drama comes when #TeamSlamDunk (already in 8th) are assessed a penalty, not for cheating off #TeamGoatYoga, but because Shawn yelled a random comment about P's and O's at Ced (!)
6. #TeamSlamDunk stews for the next 30 minutes, as it comes down to #TeamGoatYoga and Dessie/Kayla (#RingGirls, models also working in boxing)... and #TeamSlamDunk's penalty runs out as they see both teams running towards the pitstop (thus narrowly avoiding losing a potential headliner early a la Ethan/Jenna) It literally comes down to a photo finish, and #TeamGoatYoga get the "win" over the #RingGirls (we even get a wide angle of the production setup to confirm the result)
7. Incidentally, seems like the season's being aired with a "film look" applied to it. Not a fan of the "film look" :-\
Ep 2:
1. This episode and the next present the pre-plane segment as a pre-titles prologue. Hmmm... So I tuned in to hear Big Brother seemingly refer to Amsterdam as being in Belgium. In fact, they're referring to the fact that they'll have to fly to AMS first before heading to Antwerp by train...
2. After a clue pickup at a chocolate shop, there's a "skyclimb" Roadblock, in which contestants climb a rope ladder to grab their first clue (!) In this segment, we learn that apparently, Lucas/Brittany (lifeguards, #TeamOceanRescue) have a safeword (not that kind of safeword ;-)): Pineapple (sorry, couldn't resist) Some teams' clues fall off the ladder, but a climb to the top is sufficient to satisfy (as far as we can see)
3. Detour! Appraising diamonds, or setting up a printing plate a la Gutenberg (no, not Steve ;-)) For the latter, three of the teams have their own "shortcuts" for getting the right result: #TeamOceanRescue has a mirror (Brittany quips to the camera about always having a mirror around even though she doesn't wear make up ;-)) #TeamExtreme hold the text they're supposed to set up to the light... and #TheFirefighters try mock-printing their set up text on their arms to not much success... #TeamSlamDunk are first to finish the print task, quipping that they didn't have any emojis back them LOL. Their next clue is what they just printed, and it's a bunch of words inDutchFlemish...
4. Meanwhile, the diamond appraisal task is pretty complex. Colour, size, imperfections, tons of equations... doesn't help that #TeamIndycar is sweating all over the diamonds and mistaking their grime for imperfections LOL You wouldn't think anyone would willingly switch to diamonds, but #TheFirefighters do just that, and in a nice bit of work, we hear #TeamGoatYoga cheering during a shot of the #TheFirefighters working to indicate they have finally passed (after who knows how long)
5. The clue points everyone to the Brabo Monument for a "Frites race"... and a TAR US first: Head-to-head, in which one contestant each from two teams will race each other (they can switch between races), and the winner of each race gets to check-in. First race: #TeamBigBrother and #TeamSlamDunk, in which everyone gets to wear a big fries costume, and then push around a dolly with a pile of 8 bags of frozen frites around a course (LOL!!!) #TeamBigBrother redeem themselves for the last leg and earn $2500 each, while the main focal point is #TeamYale having to go again and again... and again, dropping from 3rd all the way to 8th (!) before finally beating #TeamGoatYoga (Henry over April) Meanwhile, the greeter does not seem impressed at Joey Chestnut bragging about his French-fry eating skills...
6. With Sarah deciding that it was a good sign April didn't drop any bags agqainst Henry, we have #TheFirefighters vs. April from #TeamGoatYoga to avoid elimination... and after a bit of a collision mid-course, #TheFirefighters eke it out, so #TeamGoatYoga's photo-finish reprieve lasts all of one episode, go figure...
Ep 3:
1. Next stop is Tangier in Morocco, to arrange fish in a basket at the local fish market. Chris/Trevor (#TeamWellStrung, violinists) are not sure whether they speak French or Spanish in Morocco (turns out there's a history of both, heh) We find out that Cody learned Arabic from a military stint in Iraq... and turns out that so did Evan, from studying high school in Marrakesh :-) Otherwise, everyone seems to be using both French and Spanish trying to get by in Morocco (though #TeamExtreme end up with a cabbie who doesn't understand either language, or English, or even their "fishing" gestures :-\) Cedric retches at the scent of the fish at the fish market... To offset the fishiness though, at least there are a lot of cute cats :-)
2. Next stop is a local souk. #TeamChomp happen upon the souk first, but lacking English speakers to confirm, end up walking elsewhere, dropping several spots in the process (won't be the only time this happens this leg) Everyone has to greet a specific person with an Arabic greeting to get a gnome from the usual sponsors... Roadblock is "Who's ready to Rock the Casbah?" But it's not so much The Clash as Jason Bourne, as it involves sending the gnome by zipline to another rooftop and having to track down where it went, through the winding streets of Tangier... twice (!) Then having to go to a "tele boutique" to get the final clue... Pretty chaotic, but incredibly, Cedric is actually ahead of everyone else at one point (!!)
3. However, Cedric eventually drops spots looking for the tele boutique, and even later manages to miss the souk entrance while returining to his partner... Biggest drama involves Brittany accidentally leaving her gnome behind at the boutique and having to go back for it, and being sure that Jessica took it from her (in Jessica's confessional, she's basically talking about taking any advantage she can get)
4. Detour between Shake it up and Drop it off. Former involves belly dancing... but not by the contestants themselves LOL but rather looking for words in a belly dancing setup, while Drop it off involves delivering stuff in a market (by dragging it in crates along the ground) and gather receipts, each also stamped with the same words as the other side of the Detour... Turns out these form the name of a local palace, where #TeamYale takes the win, and after welcoming in three more teams, Phil finally reveals that they has won a trip (from the usual sponsors, of course) to Switzerland... During Drop It Off, #TheFirefighters quip "Orange you glad this is all we have left?" and that won't be their only punny quip...
5. #TeamChomp manage to miss the turn off for the pitstop a la the golfers from a few seasons back, but nevertheless manage to retain their same position, and they have a confessional about missing their intended location twice by not being detailed... while in response to the suggestion that #TheFirefighters never expected to be in Tangier, they quip "We never would have gnome" LOL!
6. #TeamSlamDunk are last, and considering Cedric's health issues we've learned about towards the end (he's had three heart attacks in the past several years!) it's a small miracle that they even manage to finish at all... but Phil says that "We've put time back on the clock", since it's a NEL with Speed Bump (but #TeamSlamDunk still manage to squeeze in a reference about "going to overtime", HEH!)
Eps 4-5:
1. Two hours of TAR this week. We're getting plenty of it this season, which unlike previous seasons comes across as just getting it out of the way quickly... but due to personal scheduling issues, I only managed to catch the tail end of leg 4: They're in Provence, France, and there's a pre-pitstop Head-to-head with Petanque (essentially lawn bowls with steel balls, much more popular where I live ;-)) replete with the usual Phil commentary... It's #TeamOceanRescue vs. #TeamSlamDunk for the last spot in the next leg, and #TeamOceanRescue takes the last spot, eliminating the first of the "headliners" :-\
2. Next leg starts "immediately", and everyone gets to go to Chateau des Baux, seen way back in the very first season (can't say I remember that part :-\ but I do recognize Kevin and Drew from the clip they show :-)) #TeamIndyCar explains that they're heading to Aix-en-Provence, and they're not sure if the first word is pronounced like "A" or "Aches", so they're like "'Aches' for those of you at home" (HEH!)
3. After a bunch up, time for a roadblock about "going medieval": One contestant gets to assemble a trebuchet (kinda sorta like a catapult), while the other gets put in a stockade... later prompting #TheFirefighters to throw out a pun about being in the stock market (followed by the obvious "Hammer time" joke LOL.) Based on the contestants' reactions, having to stand in a stockade for who knows how long can be pretty tedious and painful, especially when there are lots of details to look out for, like ropes and wheelnuts... Trevor comments that Chris would not be a good choice to put together Ikea furniture, while #TeamExtreme notes that they're the only team in which a girl is doing this task (and that's only because they're F/F)
4. After a clue pickup at a local cafe, Detour between Full of Bulls (go to a local bullfighting arena, because French bullfighting is a different thing from the usual Spanish kind, and look for ribbons in bags tied to various bull replicas, so plenty of running) or Colorful (slidey puzzle inspired by Van Gogh painting). Seems like everyone is heading for the bulls, and later, #TeamWellStrung notes that it'll be risky for those who "get" the puzzle quickly, especially the slidey kind... Nice rom-com-esque moment on the way to the arena with #TeamBigBrother, in which Jessica is complaining about how Cody doesn't listen to hear... and Cody is like "Uh, what did you say?" LOL
5. Bull task features tons of running around, but is otherwise pretty straightforward, just get one each of red, white and blue (as in the French flag, heh) Pitstop is at the Hotel Benvengudo, and #TeamOceanRescue take the win and a trip to Bali... and there's more to come, as #TeamExtreme take 2nd...
6. Back in the first ep, and again earlier in this ep, Lucas explained in a confessional that he wants to propose to Brittany some time on this race... and there's no better time than winning a leg and a trip to Bali :-) This positively emotional scene drags on long enough (and teams are finishing close enough) that #TeamYale arrive in 5th, and still get to learn about the engagement first hand (!)
7. It comes down to #TeamWellStrung doing the bulls, vs #TeamChomp handling the Van Gogh slidey puzzle (making a joke about the Van Gogh cosplayer not missing his ear) and being protracted by not realizing that there's a pull lever at the top of the painting, thus proving #TeamWellStrung's point... #TeamChomp is out (thus losing two "headliner" teams in the same week), but the show can't resist following up their emotional exit with a few food jokes, with Phil calling their elimination as a tough pill to swallow, and Joey responding that "we aren't weiners today" LOL.
Coming up: Another infamous task gets a revisit, and more surprises :-)
Leg 1:
1. Since 30's a nice round number, we get a well-attended race start in NYC, just like 25, this time at Washington Square Park's fountain :-) Among this season's crop include: former NBA A-listers Cedric Ceballos and Shawn Marion, legendary hotdog eater Joey Chestnut and friend, a pair of former woman skiers, violinists, Indycar racers, firefighter twin brothers (named Eric and Daniel, sounds too close to a former winning team :-\), the 3rd Big-Brother couple to compete, debaters from Yale, and two girls who do goat yoga ("We goat this!")
2. After diving to get the first clue in the fountain, first stop is Iceland. Last time we visited it in a season opener, we got this this famously memetic moment :-) First stop in Iceland involves going out on a zipline to grab a flag and some route info, prompting a quip about Joey(/Tim, #TeamChomp, yup, still trying to hashtag) being really heavy (Cedric's not exactly light either LOL)... and it's saying something that the biggest drama highlight of this segment revolves around #TeamGoatYoga getting into a fight about getting directions from the stewardess while driving around lost...
3. Next stop is the first Roadblock, titled "Do I have to spell it out for you?" Contestants get driven around in all-terrain buggies to look for letters to spell out a word, each with a number corresponding to their order, which it seems everyone figures quickly enough, but it's the fact that there's an accent in the word that trips up Henry (/Evan, #TeamYale), as well as Cedric... and we're just 3 seasons removed from "Eagle-light" LOL. This allows Jessica/Cody (#TeamBigBrother) to finish first and quip about beating the Wizards of Yale (Alex/Conor, #TeamIndyCar's words) :-) To add insult to injury, Ced kinda accidentally helps #TeamGoatYoga April/Sarah overtake them (!) He ends up then "cheating" off #TeamGoatYoga's finished panel, but that won't be Ced's only issue with this task...
4. The word in question is the name of a square back in Reykjavik, and note the accent :-) Teams encounter a bunch of strongmen, one of whom asks two questions revolving around Icelandic drinks... which teams then have to drink: Cod liver oil, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenniv%C3%ADnBrennivín (apparently something like a pretty strong vodka) #TeamBigBrother and Kristi/Jen (skiers / #TeamExtreme) leave this task 1-2, and the pitstop is near City Hall, by a lake...
5. Pit stop features Miss Iceland, and because #TeamBigBrother are apparently heading to the wrong body of water, #TeamExtreme win themselves a trip to Santorini, while BB only just manage to hang on to 2nd... We learn that half of #TeamIndyCar has to bunk at the other's house... The real drama comes when #TeamSlamDunk (already in 8th) are assessed a penalty, not for cheating off #TeamGoatYoga, but because Shawn yelled a random comment about P's and O's at Ced (!)
6. #TeamSlamDunk stews for the next 30 minutes, as it comes down to #TeamGoatYoga and Dessie/Kayla (#RingGirls, models also working in boxing)... and #TeamSlamDunk's penalty runs out as they see both teams running towards the pitstop (thus narrowly avoiding losing a potential headliner early a la Ethan/Jenna) It literally comes down to a photo finish, and #TeamGoatYoga get the "win" over the #RingGirls (we even get a wide angle of the production setup to confirm the result)
7. Incidentally, seems like the season's being aired with a "film look" applied to it. Not a fan of the "film look" :-\
Ep 2:
1. This episode and the next present the pre-plane segment as a pre-titles prologue. Hmmm... So I tuned in to hear Big Brother seemingly refer to Amsterdam as being in Belgium. In fact, they're referring to the fact that they'll have to fly to AMS first before heading to Antwerp by train...
2. After a clue pickup at a chocolate shop, there's a "skyclimb" Roadblock, in which contestants climb a rope ladder to grab their first clue (!) In this segment, we learn that apparently, Lucas/Brittany (lifeguards, #TeamOceanRescue) have a safeword (not that kind of safeword ;-)): Pineapple (sorry, couldn't resist) Some teams' clues fall off the ladder, but a climb to the top is sufficient to satisfy (as far as we can see)
3. Detour! Appraising diamonds, or setting up a printing plate a la Gutenberg (no, not Steve ;-)) For the latter, three of the teams have their own "shortcuts" for getting the right result: #TeamOceanRescue has a mirror (Brittany quips to the camera about always having a mirror around even though she doesn't wear make up ;-)) #TeamExtreme hold the text they're supposed to set up to the light... and #TheFirefighters try mock-printing their set up text on their arms to not much success... #TeamSlamDunk are first to finish the print task, quipping that they didn't have any emojis back them LOL. Their next clue is what they just printed, and it's a bunch of words in
4. Meanwhile, the diamond appraisal task is pretty complex. Colour, size, imperfections, tons of equations... doesn't help that #TeamIndycar is sweating all over the diamonds and mistaking their grime for imperfections LOL You wouldn't think anyone would willingly switch to diamonds, but #TheFirefighters do just that, and in a nice bit of work, we hear #TeamGoatYoga cheering during a shot of the #TheFirefighters working to indicate they have finally passed (after who knows how long)
5. The clue points everyone to the Brabo Monument for a "Frites race"... and a TAR US first: Head-to-head, in which one contestant each from two teams will race each other (they can switch between races), and the winner of each race gets to check-in. First race: #TeamBigBrother and #TeamSlamDunk, in which everyone gets to wear a big fries costume, and then push around a dolly with a pile of 8 bags of frozen frites around a course (LOL!!!) #TeamBigBrother redeem themselves for the last leg and earn $2500 each, while the main focal point is #TeamYale having to go again and again... and again, dropping from 3rd all the way to 8th (!) before finally beating #TeamGoatYoga (Henry over April) Meanwhile, the greeter does not seem impressed at Joey Chestnut bragging about his French-fry eating skills...
6. With Sarah deciding that it was a good sign April didn't drop any bags agqainst Henry, we have #TheFirefighters vs. April from #TeamGoatYoga to avoid elimination... and after a bit of a collision mid-course, #TheFirefighters eke it out, so #TeamGoatYoga's photo-finish reprieve lasts all of one episode, go figure...
Ep 3:
1. Next stop is Tangier in Morocco, to arrange fish in a basket at the local fish market. Chris/Trevor (#TeamWellStrung, violinists) are not sure whether they speak French or Spanish in Morocco (turns out there's a history of both, heh) We find out that Cody learned Arabic from a military stint in Iraq... and turns out that so did Evan, from studying high school in Marrakesh :-) Otherwise, everyone seems to be using both French and Spanish trying to get by in Morocco (though #TeamExtreme end up with a cabbie who doesn't understand either language, or English, or even their "fishing" gestures :-\) Cedric retches at the scent of the fish at the fish market... To offset the fishiness though, at least there are a lot of cute cats :-)
2. Next stop is a local souk. #TeamChomp happen upon the souk first, but lacking English speakers to confirm, end up walking elsewhere, dropping several spots in the process (won't be the only time this happens this leg) Everyone has to greet a specific person with an Arabic greeting to get a gnome from the usual sponsors... Roadblock is "Who's ready to Rock the Casbah?" But it's not so much The Clash as Jason Bourne, as it involves sending the gnome by zipline to another rooftop and having to track down where it went, through the winding streets of Tangier... twice (!) Then having to go to a "tele boutique" to get the final clue... Pretty chaotic, but incredibly, Cedric is actually ahead of everyone else at one point (!!)
3. However, Cedric eventually drops spots looking for the tele boutique, and even later manages to miss the souk entrance while returining to his partner... Biggest drama involves Brittany accidentally leaving her gnome behind at the boutique and having to go back for it, and being sure that Jessica took it from her (in Jessica's confessional, she's basically talking about taking any advantage she can get)
4. Detour between Shake it up and Drop it off. Former involves belly dancing... but not by the contestants themselves LOL but rather looking for words in a belly dancing setup, while Drop it off involves delivering stuff in a market (by dragging it in crates along the ground) and gather receipts, each also stamped with the same words as the other side of the Detour... Turns out these form the name of a local palace, where #TeamYale takes the win, and after welcoming in three more teams, Phil finally reveals that they has won a trip (from the usual sponsors, of course) to Switzerland... During Drop It Off, #TheFirefighters quip "Orange you glad this is all we have left?" and that won't be their only punny quip...
5. #TeamChomp manage to miss the turn off for the pitstop a la the golfers from a few seasons back, but nevertheless manage to retain their same position, and they have a confessional about missing their intended location twice by not being detailed... while in response to the suggestion that #TheFirefighters never expected to be in Tangier, they quip "We never would have gnome" LOL!
6. #TeamSlamDunk are last, and considering Cedric's health issues we've learned about towards the end (he's had three heart attacks in the past several years!) it's a small miracle that they even manage to finish at all... but Phil says that "We've put time back on the clock", since it's a NEL with Speed Bump (but #TeamSlamDunk still manage to squeeze in a reference about "going to overtime", HEH!)
Eps 4-5:
1. Two hours of TAR this week. We're getting plenty of it this season, which unlike previous seasons comes across as just getting it out of the way quickly... but due to personal scheduling issues, I only managed to catch the tail end of leg 4: They're in Provence, France, and there's a pre-pitstop Head-to-head with Petanque (essentially lawn bowls with steel balls, much more popular where I live ;-)) replete with the usual Phil commentary... It's #TeamOceanRescue vs. #TeamSlamDunk for the last spot in the next leg, and #TeamOceanRescue takes the last spot, eliminating the first of the "headliners" :-\
2. Next leg starts "immediately", and everyone gets to go to Chateau des Baux, seen way back in the very first season (can't say I remember that part :-\ but I do recognize Kevin and Drew from the clip they show :-)) #TeamIndyCar explains that they're heading to Aix-en-Provence, and they're not sure if the first word is pronounced like "A" or "Aches", so they're like "'Aches' for those of you at home" (HEH!)
3. After a bunch up, time for a roadblock about "going medieval": One contestant gets to assemble a trebuchet (kinda sorta like a catapult), while the other gets put in a stockade... later prompting #TheFirefighters to throw out a pun about being in the stock market (followed by the obvious "Hammer time" joke LOL.) Based on the contestants' reactions, having to stand in a stockade for who knows how long can be pretty tedious and painful, especially when there are lots of details to look out for, like ropes and wheelnuts... Trevor comments that Chris would not be a good choice to put together Ikea furniture, while #TeamExtreme notes that they're the only team in which a girl is doing this task (and that's only because they're F/F)
4. After a clue pickup at a local cafe, Detour between Full of Bulls (go to a local bullfighting arena, because French bullfighting is a different thing from the usual Spanish kind, and look for ribbons in bags tied to various bull replicas, so plenty of running) or Colorful (slidey puzzle inspired by Van Gogh painting). Seems like everyone is heading for the bulls, and later, #TeamWellStrung notes that it'll be risky for those who "get" the puzzle quickly, especially the slidey kind... Nice rom-com-esque moment on the way to the arena with #TeamBigBrother, in which Jessica is complaining about how Cody doesn't listen to hear... and Cody is like "Uh, what did you say?" LOL
5. Bull task features tons of running around, but is otherwise pretty straightforward, just get one each of red, white and blue (as in the French flag, heh) Pitstop is at the Hotel Benvengudo, and #TeamOceanRescue take the win and a trip to Bali... and there's more to come, as #TeamExtreme take 2nd...
6. Back in the first ep, and again earlier in this ep, Lucas explained in a confessional that he wants to propose to Brittany some time on this race... and there's no better time than winning a leg and a trip to Bali :-) This positively emotional scene drags on long enough (and teams are finishing close enough) that #TeamYale arrive in 5th, and still get to learn about the engagement first hand (!)
7. It comes down to #TeamWellStrung doing the bulls, vs #TeamChomp handling the Van Gogh slidey puzzle (making a joke about the Van Gogh cosplayer not missing his ear) and being protracted by not realizing that there's a pull lever at the top of the painting, thus proving #TeamWellStrung's point... #TeamChomp is out (thus losing two "headliner" teams in the same week), but the show can't resist following up their emotional exit with a few food jokes, with Phil calling their elimination as a tough pill to swallow, and Joey responding that "we aren't weiners today" LOL.
Coming up: Another infamous task gets a revisit, and more surprises :-)
