TAR US, 12x10
Jan. 20th, 2008 02:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spiderbraidsFour words, folks: "Most satisfying elimination ever."
When we left off, TK and Rachel were 3 hours behind everyone else by way of terrible flight choices, while Ron and Christina (AKA, Team Real Truth Flavor), despite getting a cabbie they thought was going to die on the job, got first place. Nate and Jen were frustrated at their total lack of first place finishes and promised that "the best team will finish last" (record scratch), while Don and Nick (AKA "his b!tch") took their time with cell phone soccer while everyone else was smelling the roses. Let's see where things go from here.
1. Okay, so everyone got clues to head to some building's observatory. Conveniently, the observatory doesn't open until 10am (and yes, those are actual operating times, as opposed to a race-mandated bunch), and since TK and Rachel were leaving at 10:18am... yeah.
2. Next clue was to fly to Taipei on the island of Taiwan (no political backlash to be had here, no sirree!) and head to the train station. While on the way to the airport, Jen started to mention that today was her birthday, while Nate was edited to look like a complete idiot when he said that he didn't know anything about Taiwan, but he likes Thai food, and he has a couple of Thai friends. Don't expect me to join that list soon, Nate. Plus, they kept calling the capital Ta-pai. Seriously?
3. Airport. Christina told her ticket agent to tell others that one particular flight was full, and editing would have you believe that said tix agent followed that order, denying Nate and Jen seats on the flight. TK and Rachel, despite walking right past the clue box before spotting it, also got a flight that put them straight back into contention on the race.
4. Rare footage of the racers in immigration showed TK and Rachel catching up with all the other teams, other than Ron and Christina, who had a linguistic advantage for the 2nd leg in a row and jumped into a lead at the train station. Next clue: head to some acrobatic jeep company in Jiji.
5. Jiji jeep company (say that three times fast!) and it's a Roadblock, the "ballast" kind where all you do is sit in a ride. You have a jeep riding on a 25 ft. teeter-totter, and then you have a 17-second dip into water in another jeep. Phil said that the racers would get their next clue "if they're still alive when it's over." I kid you not. I said, "Anyone can hold their breath for 17 seconds." My fresh-back-from-Holland sister said, "Not when you're excited." Nevertheless, even cussin' Grandpa Nick didn't have much trouble with this one.
6. While the others got a clue to head back to Taipei by train and find some teahouse, TK and Rachel got their Speed Bump, which consisted entirely of putting on some protective clothes, and running through a fireworks display before getting doused with water. TK made the obvious war zone comparisons.
7. Train station. Ron and Christina got the 7:36 train, and although Nate and Jen arrived at the station at 7:31, they were sold tix for 8:00. This allowed Don and his b!tch to catch up. More importantly, it allowed the hippies, who mastered how to use the train vending machines, to catch up. Jen wasn't too glad to see them, of course, while continuing to b!tch about her crappy birthday.
8. Taipei teahouse. Next task is to drink tea. I mean, seriously. The next clue was painted on the bottom of the cup... in Chinese. I was wondering whether TK and Rachel were getting dinged for taking the teacup outside before finishing it. Once again, Real Truth Flavor's linguistic advantage helped, although they still had to ask at least one passerby to confirm that they were going to look for a clown at a night market.
9. Night market clown guy. Next clue is the Detour: make 20 small balloons vs. walk 200m on sharp stones. I was expecting to see at least one team write bad things for Jen on their balloons, but as it turned out, everyone went for the stones. TK and Rachel had a little tip on walking on the stones: walk real fast. With that tip, they passed Nick and Don into 2nd place.
10. Meanwhile, Jen continued to b!tch about her crappy birthday, as she and Nate took the subway to the Detour, and then b!tched with Nate at a street corner while waiting for the bus. They had quite some time to kill, especially since everyone else took cabs to the stones.
11. When everyone was done with the stones, they got a clue heading to Chiang Kai Shek memorial park. On their way to the park, Ron said, "We are one." Christina was quick to point out that he obviously meant "We are number one," but then again, given how lately they've been working together nicely, that statement works as well. And indeed, they were (number) one, and got a vacation to Curacao. That'll totally beat golf carts any day.
12. And after the hippies and the Fulkses checked in (with no penalty for the hippies drinking their tea outside the teahouse BTW), came the elimination everyone was waiting for, when Nate and Jen, as "promised" last week, finish last and were finally mercifully eliminated. It may have been two weeks overdue by way of misusedYieldU-Turn, but it was even sweeter because of Jen's birthday. We were even given a post-elimination scene of Nate and Jen reconsidering their relationship in the park. Lesson to be learnt for future reality TV team contestants: never use reality TV to test your relationship, for you will be edited to look as unpleasant as possible.
13. Next week will be the finale in Alaska, with the oldest contestants to ever make it this far (Ron's in his 50s, and Don is pushing 69). TAR's geriatric teams have usually been eliminated early, so this is interesting. Also, with Kynt and Vixen's elimination, Real Truth Flavor passed Nancy and Emily (S1, eliminated in 5th via penatly here in Thailand) as the best performing parent/child team ever, and now they're assured at least 3rd place. Granted, some fans are now saying that TK and Rachel would be the blandest win ever, and they're totally expecting it... guess you can't please everyone. :-\ I will say this though. This current episode totally had better be TAR's Emmy submission for this season. :-)
When we left off, TK and Rachel were 3 hours behind everyone else by way of terrible flight choices, while Ron and Christina (AKA, Team Real Truth Flavor), despite getting a cabbie they thought was going to die on the job, got first place. Nate and Jen were frustrated at their total lack of first place finishes and promised that "the best team will finish last" (record scratch), while Don and Nick (AKA "his b!tch") took their time with cell phone soccer while everyone else was smelling the roses. Let's see where things go from here.
1. Okay, so everyone got clues to head to some building's observatory. Conveniently, the observatory doesn't open until 10am (and yes, those are actual operating times, as opposed to a race-mandated bunch), and since TK and Rachel were leaving at 10:18am... yeah.
2. Next clue was to fly to Taipei on the island of Taiwan (no political backlash to be had here, no sirree!) and head to the train station. While on the way to the airport, Jen started to mention that today was her birthday, while Nate was edited to look like a complete idiot when he said that he didn't know anything about Taiwan, but he likes Thai food, and he has a couple of Thai friends. Don't expect me to join that list soon, Nate. Plus, they kept calling the capital Ta-pai. Seriously?
3. Airport. Christina told her ticket agent to tell others that one particular flight was full, and editing would have you believe that said tix agent followed that order, denying Nate and Jen seats on the flight. TK and Rachel, despite walking right past the clue box before spotting it, also got a flight that put them straight back into contention on the race.
4. Rare footage of the racers in immigration showed TK and Rachel catching up with all the other teams, other than Ron and Christina, who had a linguistic advantage for the 2nd leg in a row and jumped into a lead at the train station. Next clue: head to some acrobatic jeep company in Jiji.
5. Jiji jeep company (say that three times fast!) and it's a Roadblock, the "ballast" kind where all you do is sit in a ride. You have a jeep riding on a 25 ft. teeter-totter, and then you have a 17-second dip into water in another jeep. Phil said that the racers would get their next clue "if they're still alive when it's over." I kid you not. I said, "Anyone can hold their breath for 17 seconds." My fresh-back-from-Holland sister said, "Not when you're excited." Nevertheless, even cussin' Grandpa Nick didn't have much trouble with this one.
6. While the others got a clue to head back to Taipei by train and find some teahouse, TK and Rachel got their Speed Bump, which consisted entirely of putting on some protective clothes, and running through a fireworks display before getting doused with water. TK made the obvious war zone comparisons.
7. Train station. Ron and Christina got the 7:36 train, and although Nate and Jen arrived at the station at 7:31, they were sold tix for 8:00. This allowed Don and his b!tch to catch up. More importantly, it allowed the hippies, who mastered how to use the train vending machines, to catch up. Jen wasn't too glad to see them, of course, while continuing to b!tch about her crappy birthday.
8. Taipei teahouse. Next task is to drink tea. I mean, seriously. The next clue was painted on the bottom of the cup... in Chinese. I was wondering whether TK and Rachel were getting dinged for taking the teacup outside before finishing it. Once again, Real Truth Flavor's linguistic advantage helped, although they still had to ask at least one passerby to confirm that they were going to look for a clown at a night market.
9. Night market clown guy. Next clue is the Detour: make 20 small balloons vs. walk 200m on sharp stones. I was expecting to see at least one team write bad things for Jen on their balloons, but as it turned out, everyone went for the stones. TK and Rachel had a little tip on walking on the stones: walk real fast. With that tip, they passed Nick and Don into 2nd place.
10. Meanwhile, Jen continued to b!tch about her crappy birthday, as she and Nate took the subway to the Detour, and then b!tched with Nate at a street corner while waiting for the bus. They had quite some time to kill, especially since everyone else took cabs to the stones.
11. When everyone was done with the stones, they got a clue heading to Chiang Kai Shek memorial park. On their way to the park, Ron said, "We are one." Christina was quick to point out that he obviously meant "We are number one," but then again, given how lately they've been working together nicely, that statement works as well. And indeed, they were (number) one, and got a vacation to Curacao. That'll totally beat golf carts any day.
12. And after the hippies and the Fulkses checked in (with no penalty for the hippies drinking their tea outside the teahouse BTW), came the elimination everyone was waiting for, when Nate and Jen, as "promised" last week, finish last and were finally mercifully eliminated. It may have been two weeks overdue by way of misused
13. Next week will be the finale in Alaska, with the oldest contestants to ever make it this far (Ron's in his 50s, and Don is pushing 69). TAR's geriatric teams have usually been eliminated early, so this is interesting. Also, with Kynt and Vixen's elimination, Real Truth Flavor passed Nancy and Emily (S1, eliminated in 5th via penatly here in Thailand) as the best performing parent/child team ever, and now they're assured at least 3rd place. Granted, some fans are now saying that TK and Rachel would be the blandest win ever, and they're totally expecting it... guess you can't please everyone. :-\ I will say this though. This current episode totally had better be TAR's Emmy submission for this season. :-)
