The Amazing Race: Get in that Lederhosen, Baby
April 3, 2015 10:24 PM - Season 26, Episode 5 - Subscribe

8 teams race from Bangkok to Munich on a race around the world.

This episode featured: an excellent mustache, a complete failure to drive stick, stacking crates, falling crates, festive greenery, lederhosen and dirndls, fanny packs (including passports!) left in a rejected car, a blue fur hat, carrying mass quantities of steins, Phil snarking in person ("not if they row like that!"), Oktoberfest, a fear of heights, navigating dancers, singing, a 2 hour penalty when one team can't do a challenge, huge caribeeners, an infomercial masquerading as a behind the scenes featurette, a white reindeer on a leash, alpine hats, unexpected penalties for not completing a task correctly, and disapproving goats. Phil visits a local train station.

Also bickering. There was bickering.

And a surprisingly (for this show) sour farewell.

Never has a shot of a pail of water looked so menacing.
posted by julen (6 comments total)
 
And someone dressed as a polar bear!

That infomercial was the worst! All I learned was how much I hate Ford!
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 1:16 AM on April 4, 2015


Oh, man. If I were the guy who didn't want to give up and take a cab, I'd be PISSED. The truck stop couple didn't know how to drive stick either, and they sucked it up and did it. AND they got lost and never gave up or blamed each other. (PS, if you're going on The Amazing Race, learn to drive stick. Just sayin'...). But to just give up? No. That poor guy sort of got screwed in the whole total stranger blind date partner thing.
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:52 AM on April 4, 2015 [2 favorites]


Yeah, entering TAR without knowing how to drive a manual - or at least having a partner who does - is dumb. Or indicates a lack of serious preparation.

And yep, one of the sourest farewells I've seen. I've previously expressed my unhappiness with the blind date format, so ...

I would love to see or read an actual behind the scenes story about the making of TAR someday.
posted by pmurray63 at 9:56 AM on April 4, 2015 [2 favorites]


Even the woman who basically dumped her terrible boyfriend/coach at the end of the race had a more upbeat ending (she was WELL justified in it, too). The show is famous for spending hours to get a happier response at the finish line from the second/third folks.

If you are going on the race with a blind date, you have to make sure you can drive a stick, swim, etc because you have no idea what baggage/fears/gaps the other one has.

Doesn't look like they're going to India this year. Africa is still a possibility - especially if they go Africa -> South America -> North America.
posted by julen at 8:07 PM on April 4, 2015 [2 favorites]


I doubt we'll see them try this format again. Even the one blind date couple that were getting along are starting to turn on one another. Although I suppose this means more Survivor and Big Brother has-beens, or, worse, more washed-up celebrities.

I would also LOVE to see a legit behind-the-scenes about the production of this show. Of all the reality shows, including Survivor, this has got to be the most complex to manage, from location scouting to camera crews to post-production.
posted by briank at 4:51 AM on April 6, 2015 [1 favorite]


The show is in its 26th season. Have some of these teams not seen any of the first 25 seasons? Because "one person on the team needs to be able to drive stick" is basically the first rule of being a competitive team in TAR. (OK, scratch that. "Read the #*$#@ clue" is the first rule. But "be able to drive stick" is the second.) And an obvious corollary to that is that if you're meeting your teammate for the first time at the start of the race, you need to be able to drive stick.

On an unrelated note, Jackie has a lovely singing voice.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:07 PM on April 14, 2015


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