The New Season starts tonight!!!!

I generally agree with you on the above, good analysis.

I was also wondering about the yellow ladies...I think at the end they mentioned that they were showing the English name on route info and being told no but when they flipped it over to the Chinese text that's when they got someone to take them.

Here I was pretty close to telling my wife how racist Hong Kong taxi drivers are.

The purple team was a complete waste. When everyone got to the fork I told my wife that a team near the back should just wait and see which one gets 7 first because everyone at the other obstacle was guaranteed to go thru with the purple team being in it.

I am curious how they manage the time releases after a fork. The dancing finished much quicker than the singing so is it fair to wait 24hrs again and send all the singing out after dancing?

The back together again couple will absolutely implode. He was pouting about getting 2nd. Give me a break, I'm ready to watch him cry when being told he's the last to arrive.

So the fork was just a "controlled detour" and a way to justify eliminating 2 teams from an already large starting group?

Good episode!!!!

I felt bad for the musically inclined gay guy getting stuck w/ the Chicago Cop playing the drums. I'm glad they made it to the next leg.

The old Mormon guy is a hoot. I think that they may have a chance. They have a great attitude, seem physically capable and smart. They might be my dark horse to win it.

Sisters fighting.... Ho Hum?!?!?!

The purple divorce, re-married couple and the orange couple seemed to have gotten they're act together. They look strong.

I'm glad the yellow ladies didn't have any trouble w/ the taxis this time.

PS. I might have taken the two (2) hour penalty if I was on the race and had to mess w/ my Brother In Law's junk like that (Yuk!!!)(Sumo Challenge)... haha

Finally got around to watching the first episode last night. Promising start. Really want to visit Hong Kong now.

So woke.

Dumb use of the Express Pass, even without hindsight.

Yeah, horrible decision. Keep that puppy to use when you're stuck on a task that you're in danger of falling to last place on. Why use it on a task you've already given yourself an advantage?

Really enjoyed Japan and Bali. Good season so far.

Agreed that that was a dumb use of the Express Pass.... and they pi$$ed everybody off in the process. Then, putting the most weight on the sisters, that was dumb also.... they were going to lose anyway. Also, giving the lightest weight to the stronger teams.... They're a stupid couple. And as I called it, it looks like the stupid purple team will implode in the next episode.

I like the old Mormon couple; he's cool and she's a beast. I like the lumberjacks also. They're not going to win it, but I like their attitude and the compete.

No team is running away with it this season, so that is good.

Laurie is a biotch.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Jonathan is such a bich. What a pathetic display.

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Awful. Starts the episode telling his wife not to cry and proceeds to throw an hour long temper tantrum about being tired and his head hurting while being a total dick to his wife. At the end saying it's not going how he thought because he thought he could win every leg and knows he's better than everyone else.

Old Mormons were annoying and overplayed their hand but Jonathan is the absolute worst.

Karma is a b!@ch. The old pink Mormon couple giving the Maroon couple hell for the 25lb rice challenge on the last stop and then telling everybody that they are not their friends anymore.... That wasn't very Mormonly.... and it caught up to them...."I'm sorry, you're the last to arrive". Goodbye.... I thought she was a challenge beast, but she became angry and obnoxious.

The Maroon couple is doomed. I think I said at the beginning of the season that they would implode.... And he's a d!@k.

I was happy for the orange team and the blue mother/daughter team. They put their heads down and got it done.

The brother / sister team are coming on and I love me some Pops.

I thought that is was genius that the challenge immediately after the Driver's Seat challenge was a Double U-Turn. People were still pissed. All of the teams that got assigned the 25lb bag of rice voted for the Maroon team. However, the group did Double U-Turn the two strongest teams and got one of them out of the race... good for the peloton.

I'm enjoying the season so far.

I've never been a fan of the U Turn and having a public vote double U Turn is just too "Survivory" for me. Let the teams race without getting handicapped by others.

The Kraken said:

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I've never been a fan of the U Turn and having a public vote double U Turn is just too "Survivory" for me. Let the teams race without getting handicapped by others.

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I normally like drama, but I agree. This felt against the spirit of the Amazing Race. Plus whoever got the driver's seat advantage was definitely going to get double u-turned on the next leg.

I said the same thing! Also, the gamesmanship of the U-turn is lost when everyone is starting on equal footing. In the heat of the race it has strategy and doesn't necessarily mean a "death sentence", when one (or 2) teams get U-turned from the outset and is too harsh a penalty...

Should've been a non elimination leg - that way the 2 top teams that got sent back down had another leg/episode to climb back up and not essentially get voted out.

Big Al 1992 said:

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Should've been a non elimination leg - that way the 2 top teams that got sent back down had another leg/episode to climb back up and not essentially get voted out.

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I was surprised it wasn't

No more non Elimination legs?

Agree it's getting Survivorish- just let them race.

Interesting how they edit scenes to make it seem closer at the end. It had looked like the Mormon couple was right behind cry baby Johnathon sleeping on his surf board when in fact the Mormons were way behind because they had a hard time mounting the coral.

Fun show so far. I'm waiting for the Brother and Sister to spark one up…

He is the worst and I hate to root against the team because his wife is not only fine but also seems like a great woman.

I was really wondering last night if the editing was just trying to make it seem like the gays were still in it but alas, the cameraman is actually better at finding needles in a haystack than the brothers.

Fairview said:

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DannyDuberstein said:

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Jonathan is such a bich. What a pathetic display.

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Dude continues to be a total *****. If his wife would've got the car stuck he would've laid into her. Instead he just whines how he is so unlucky.

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He biched at her all thoughout the haystack challenge, then when he got the car stuck, it wasn't his fault (it was bad luck). She seems like she knows how to handle him.... just ignore him.

He is quickly becoming the most unlikable guy on the show... ever!!!

The needle in the haystack challenge was brutal..... poor guys.... 6 hours, how defeating is that?

Alyssa and Josiah are the most likeable, hoping they go all the way.

Not fully reading a clue would be one of my downfalls if I were on the show. It was funny that daughter said reading clues was a strength and she ended up totally messing it up. But it's not like it caused them to lose. That would have been interesting if they finished 3rd. I like it when Phil says something like "You are the 3rd team to arrive, HOWEVER..,,,,"

safety guy said:

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Not fully reading a clue would be one of my downfalls if I were on the show. It was funny that daughter said reading clues was a strength and she ended up totally messing it up. But it's not like it caused them to lose. That would have been interesting if they finished 3rd. I like it when Phil says something like "You are the 3rd team to arrive, HOWEVER..,,,,"

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They were eliminated anyway so why rub dirt in the wound by mentioning using the taxi?

And, I wonder what the penalty would have been otherwise?

Would have been 30 minutes for each ride

Fun leg. The dancing looked fun.

The Kraken said:

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Alyssa and Josiah are the most likeable, hoping they go all the way.

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At this point they are who I'm pulling for. Distant second is the brother and sister.

What would have happened if none of those teams could figure out the cipher?
I guess the producers would have to give them a clue.
Also, throwing the gold cross into clear water was a stupid challenge.... they should have thrown it into murky water.