5.5 "Are You Good at Puzzles?"

[miri]

Well, we know the Twins aren't. Or, at least we know they see no need for them. How clueless was that? And when they started pulling on the big blocks the first time? One twin had her foot on the logs for leverage. Um, honey? Those things need to roll if you have any hope of moving the blocks. Might not want to impede their movement.

Colin and Christie were good this week - although I sense some foreshadowing with Colin's comment at the beginning about how good of a team they are and Christie's later about how they aren't trusting each other and that's hurting them. It's rarely good when team doesn't see eye to eye on how they are communicating.

What's the point of not eliminating a team, but taking all their money and giving them no money on the next leg? I don't get it. Just stick a fork in them! (Only not the moms! I love the moms. They were positive through the whole leg even though they were trailing and hurt.)

Oh, and the people in the chat made me make that banner on the home page. I didn't wanna. They made me.

[devajd]

Oh looky! Miri's playing the blame game.

I'll admit - it was my suggestion to bring back elimination banners. But isn't it pretty?!

[miri]

Oh looky! Miri's playing the blame game.

It's my favorite game! We all need to have hobbies, right?

[MacMadame]

So was it obvious to everyone else that this was going to be a non-elimination leg?

And how cool is Egypt? I have always wanted to go to Egypt and visit the pyramids and those guys got to go down in one just like the heroine in an Elizabeth Peter's novel. I am SO jealous! Hee.

I think taking all their money on NEL is okay but not giving them any for the next leg? Not okay with that.

So do Kami and Karli have the Luck of the Twinkies? How many times can they come in next to last before being eliminated anyway? They have to be setting some sort of records.

[pinkgodzilla]

I had it pegged for a non-elim, but I also picked a fast forward as TPTB way of messing with their minds.

Oh, and I definitely heard Amelia's voice in my ear rapturing about pyramids.

I can see them either not giving them new money or striping them of their existing money, but not both. I hate the begging aspect. It just looks so bad for healthy, well-fed Americans to be begging their way somewhere. (I don't just mean well-fed meaning the Moms, but any of the teams.)

[DariaG]

I am not worried about the Moms. They're in a big city with lots of wealthy tourists. They'll have their money in 15 minutes.

I hope.

I was nervous, however. This was their Murphy's Law leg -- everything that could go wrong did.

It can only get better.

[ctcurler]

Does anyone else think that TPTB have now taken all the usefulness of the Fast Forward away? A team in the back of the pack has no chance to get to use it. Why wouldn't the first team to find it, take it and keep others from using it. Don't like the change at all.

[DariaG]

Oh, I agree completely, ctcurler. Why bother, if it's not going to be an equalizer anymore? I know there's been speculation elsewhere that the FF was cut due to planning and/or cost concerns, but I'm not sure that's the case.

What I wanted with the Yield was for that to be an extra task, thus combining the best features of the FF with the worst thing ever to be introduced into the Race (aside from Alison, and Wil, and . . . okay, I'll stop). If you're going to make a team wait, make it interesting for us to watch.

They've completely screwed up the FF by putting in only two. Someone -- possibly me -- suggested that they have six FF and six Yields, so each leg there was something "extra."

Anyway, two doesn't work.

[rabrab]

I'm still going to wait and see how the second one works out before I say that cutting the FF's down to two doesn't work at all, although I agree that this one didn't work out well. I think that the huge lead Colin and Christie had was an anomoly, that they just got real, real lucky with the tickets that put them into Cairo at 2:30 in the morning, rather than 2:30 in the afternoon. Charla and Mirna's flight only put them 50 minutes ahead of the other teams.

[emjaytee]

I agree that the FF didn't work this time. It sort of seems superfluous considering the bigass lead they already had. And what a crappy leg to take it on. I mean, I'd be really upset when I found out that I coulda led a camel through the desert in front of the pyramids or crawled down into a tomb. That's totally cool stuff.

[M. Darcy]

Yeah, but it was a plus for the viewer - we didn't have to see Colin attempt the tasks!

And, shut up Marshall and Lance. Why did they even apply to be on the show - except to plug their restaurant? If they think the Russian commuters look unhappy, they should take the DC Metro one morning. That is how you tell the tourists from the commuters - the tourists are the ones that look happy.

[Tribefan]

I really wasn't sure about non-elimination, BUT I did have a moment just as the twins and the moms were racing for the mat when I realized that if someone were eliminated last night.....that we'd have 4 non-elimination legs for the last 6 teams. At least they spread it out a little more.

I am not thrilled with only 2 Fast Forwards in the whole Race. And am absolutely not thrilled about the money-stripping. I can understand one or the other -- saved money or new money -- but not both. I do not like the idea of begging at all -- I didn't like it when Blake & Paige did it, I hated it when Heather & Eve did it (for no damn good reason) and I will hate this.

[ctcurler]

They also could have left the FF for after the non-elim leg to at least give the team with no money a chance. Unless something strange happens, cant see how Linda and Karen are going to survive. Would they be able to borrow money from the other teams? Not saying they would get it but would that be within the rules?

[Kanuck]

OTOH, the FFs have often required extra transportation (usually taxis) beyond the race course, which might mean that they would need more cash to cover the trip to the FF.

I'm still not a fan of the money-stealing. I agree with others that if either the savings or the new cash was taken, it wouldn't be quite as bad, but the combo seems like a CBS ploy to make for "exciting TV."

[mjmarble]

See I'm a fan of consequences. I just think back to Alex&Chris vs. Tara&Wil when they came up to the mat together and knew it was a non-elimination leg. So it didn't mean anything when Boston cut TaraWil off. Now, it makes a difference. You should never relax or stop fighting from finishing last.

My only question is how this will affect things going into the final leg. I mean, does it basically knock the 3rd place team out?