The Amazing Race: When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go
October 4, 2014 6:40 AM - Season 25, Episode 2 - Subscribe

10 teams race from the US Virgin Islands to England. There are large furry hats, pancakes, synchronization, long poles, a not particularly evocative impersonator, entirely amused students, and people professing their superfandom.
posted by julen (9 comments total)
 
The choice to go for an express pass is a nice gameplay twist they should keep. The first place prize should be better on legs with this option though because right now an express pass is a lot more valuable than a trip to Sweden (sorry, Sweden). The choice to go for it seems obvious.

It also looked too easy to get the express pass, but the surfers made everything look easy this episode. They finished the pancake flipping first try with 20 seconds left and then the other teams struggled. They made the lap in the boat look like a time-filler segment where other teams were falling in and getting stuck. There looks like a sharp divide this year between the 4 or 5 teams that have a chance at winning and the rest.

With the amount of crying I was hoping this week would be a first-ever double elimination. But that probably says more about me than the racers.
posted by Gary at 11:26 AM on October 4, 2014


They have been putting a a lot of bonus videos on YouTube this year.
posted by Gary at 11:26 AM on October 4, 2014


I suspect Bethany and Adam have some experience with paddleboarding, which, while not the same manner of locomotion (it's paddle, not a pole), certainly prepares you for standing and propelling in non-calm waters.

I felt bad for the last two pairs, but I also wanted them to suck it up and think about how to change what they were doing instead of mentally giving up. Of course I'd have been distracted by the Magdalen Bridge and all the times it's popped up in books.

We all agreed here at Chez julen that the Pancake Challenge was the way to go. The choreography would have tripped us up, while you could get into a pattern of flipping pancakes and running. Also, it looked like fun.
posted by julen at 12:12 PM on October 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


A guide to punting, in case you were as confused as I was about Oxford end vs. Cambridge end. (Mr. Potsmokinghippieoverlord, who briefly attended Oxford before being -- ahem -- invited to leave, tried explaining it to me but I was still unclear.)
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 3:07 PM on October 4, 2014


I watched this episode a full twenty-four hours ago and I still feel blinded by the dentists' teeth.
posted by onlyconnect at 8:16 PM on October 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


It doesn't help that the male dentist's skin tone has long since passed John Boehner territory and is perilously close to Tan Mom.
posted by Madamina at 11:48 PM on October 4, 2014 [1 favorite]


Speakng of the male dentist, I hate that "Second place is First Loser!" crud. There's gonna come a time when they struggle near the back, and his ego is going to be throwing spanners in the works because he has to be the best. And I won't be sympathic.
posted by julen at 9:54 AM on October 5, 2014 [1 favorite]


I was really impressed by the surfers in this episode by the way. The way the woman handled that rock/mountain climb sort of blew me away. I think they chose the right detour -- I don't know how she could have handled a rifle, but even so I bet she would have figured out a way. Great racers!
posted by onlyconnect at 9:04 PM on October 5, 2014


Onlyconnect, agreed. I was really impressed with Bethany on the rock climb. Plus they work well together and are very supportive of each other. That's what I like to see in racers!
posted by SisterHavana at 10:31 PM on October 5, 2014


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