Penalties? Don’t Have A Cow, Man!

Amazing Race

By B-Side | Wednesday, March 16, 2005 | 2:29 am | 37 Comments

uchenna_boot Things were very tricky on tonight’s Amazing Race. For the first time this season, teams were faced with the age-old task of eating enormous quantities of food at a Roadblock, and like previous culinary challenges, the results were unpredictable. However, things were a little different this time around, thanks to the crafty team of, you guessed it, Rob and Amber who managed to use the show’s penalties to their advantage. Say what you will about these guys, but it was fairly ingenious. Who knew a barbecue could get so scheming?The episode began in Santiago, Chile (or “Santi-eggo” as our beloved Phil said in his crazy New Zealand dialect. Seriously, what’s the deal with other countries? Can’t they all speak American? Like Toby Keith?). Anyway, Rob and Amber received the first clue which told them to pick up a car in a garage and drive through the Andes and over the Argentinean border to the next clue. Ah, Argentina. My favorite South American country to be immortalized in an Andrew Lloyd Weber tune (before you fight me on this, let me just ask: have you even heard “I Wanna Guyana” or “Olivia from Bolivia”? I didn’t think so).

Anyway, speaking of Toby Keith (I was speaking about him about four sentences ago), Rob displayed his patriotic colors by proudly announcing that he and Amber were living the American Dream. Um, so the American Dream means finding fame and fortune by being stranded on a desert Island two or three times and then running around the globe with a camera crew jogging behind? Strange, I always thought it meant working hard to find success. I guess there are all sorts of meanings. If there weren’t, I know about ten liberal arts colleges whose entire Humanities departments would be obsolete (yeah, I’m looking at you Vassar). Wow, I am on a tangent spree tonight. I haven’t even gotten past the first ten seconds of this show. To paraphrase Homer Simpson, I should quit my Vassar bashing.

Next to leave the Pit Stop was Ron who feared that he wasn’t sure if he was ready to marry Kelly. After all, she hadn’t been to Baghdad yet. Hey, did I ever tell you I was a POW? Later, after Ray and Deana had departed without incident, Uchenna and Joyce bounded out of the Pit Stop and reminded us that they had struggled against fertility problems. Man, I feel sorry for these two. They have such a great heartstrings story, but they’ve just got nothin’ on the POW. Someone should give them a consolation gift. Maybe a George Foreman Grill?

Up next were spry gay couple, Lynn and Alex, with the latter wearing a dainty scarf worthy of an English professor at Vassar. Blast! What is with me tonight? Seriously, that scarf was very Vassar-chic. Team WeHo was followed by Debbie and Bianca and then our favorite — and only, for that matter — old couple. As the two headed for the car park, Gretchen cooed that her husband understands her so well. “I love him to death, and I make it up to him in a lot of other ways.” I instruct the jury to please strike that statement from MY BRAIN. Meanwhile, Meredith expressed his excitement with a full-blown hair erection. I guess that Cialas shampoo really does wonders — although, if hair stands on end for more than four hours, he should really call a doctor.

Is that a dorsal fin on your head, or are you just happy to see me?

Leaving next were Susan and Patrick, a.k.a. Webbie Vanderquack and son. By the way, Patrick — if you’re reading this, please know that I’m not dissing your mom. A Ducktales reference is probably one of the highest compliments I could give a person. Anyway, Susan expressed a desire to find a nice boyfriend for her son. Okay, that really had nothing to do with anything. We’ll just move on.

Greg and Brian (a.k.a Zach and Braff) left last, but they benefited from a convenient time crunch at the car park. You see, the garage didn’t open until like 5 AM. Tricky tricky. Meanwhile, with time to kill, Bianca and Debbie took their cab to a hotel to get directions to the next clue box. Then the heavily promoted cab controversy occurred. Rob and Amber stole Debbie and Bianca’s taxi. Oh. My. God. This is an OUTRAGE. Well, except it wasn’t. Both teams still had to wait for the garage to open, and besides, it’s not like the gals couldn’t snag a cab at the hotel. Adding insult to injury, I’m not sure Debanca (my new impromptu nickname for them) even realized Ramber had stolen the cab. Two cheers for deceptive advertising!

Finally, the garage opened and everyone ran to their cars. Well, everyone except the brothers who strolled along happily, even after just telling us that they wanted to move out of last place. After having left the garage, Rob found a police car or meter maid to lead them to the highway. “The best way to get through Santiago is with a police escort,” Rob boasted. Well, either that or having CBS pay a cop to guide them around. Ding ding ding! Conspiracy alert!

With all the cars on the road, we then watched endless footage of teams pulling off onto the Los Antilles Portillo exit. Seriously, why do we have to watch this exit ramp so many times? Oh wait, because Debbie and Bianca completely missed it. Oh well. See ya in a few hours! Luckily, they weren’t the only team to get lost in Chile. Susan and Patrick spent nearly an hour and a half driving through the streets of Santiago, apparently too proud to get directions. Their struggle culminated with a frustrating encounter with a “No Left Turn” sign. What would they do??? COMMERCIAL. (For those of you wondering, when we returned, they went another block and then made the left turn which was now legal. A triumph of man over signage).

Meanwhile, up in the mountains, Gretchen chided her husband. “Easy Meredith, I’m getting sick!” she yelled. Sadly, she did not add “Ooooooh!” to the end of this statement. Nor did she vomit. At the top of the mountains, Rob and Amber reached the Detour first. Their choice: Paddle or Peddle. I was personally hoping for “Piddle or Puddle.” Anyway, as Phil ambled dangerously close to a river, he alerted us that teams could either take an inflatable raft with a team of professionals down a seven mile river, or they could bike a seven mile trail across some old train tracks. Rob and Amber opted for the raft, as did second place team Lynn and Alex who arrived about five minutes later. Even though the Survivor All Stars got a head start, the two proved to be weak paddlers, and the spirited boyfriends, fueled by vengeance and the need to utterly destroy Rob and Amber, passed their foes, arriving at the next clue first. They were instructed to take a seventy mile trek to “Camping Suizo” for the next clue. In the car, the two congratulated themselves. “Gay boys took on a boy from Boston and a girl from the island, and they lost,” Lynn said. Eh. They’ve had better quips. Go back to Snappy Gay Wit school! Boo!

Amber, however, didn’t seem to mind falling out of first place. She was more preoccupied with the fat and calories she had burned off during the Detour. So that’s why Amber went on Survivor twice. She just wanted to lose weight. I guess it’s legit. Starve yourself on an island for 39 days, follow up with some intense rowing in Argentina. I like to call it the Reality Star Diet and Exercise Program.

You know, I forgot to mention that there was a Yield at the Detour. No one actually used it, which meant lots of “We choose not to use the Yield” lines. Thankfully Kelly decided to change things up a bit by saying “We choose to defer our yield.” Oooh, well done! I know one thing she hasn’t deferred: her vocab lessons.

Hey, remember those peppy girls who speak Spanish? You know, the ones that are always kind of kissing each other in a semi-lesbian but not really way? Yeah, them. I think their names are Debbie and Bianca. Well, while everyone was climbing through the Andes Mountains, these young lasses were driving along the Chilean coast, admiring the beach. If I were a Jeff Foxworthy of Chilean geography, I would say this: “If the Andes Mountains look like a big ocean with waves, than you might be at the right part of Chile! If the Argentinean border is across the Pacific, then you might be in the right part of Chile!” Turns out the gals had gone a full two and a half hours out of their way. Ooopsie daisy. Wrong turn is an understatement. Thankfully, the girls didn’t devolve into two bickering messes. They kept their spirits high, with Debbie saying “Pray for flat tires.”

Did somebody say flat tires? It’s funny because our Urban Outfitters representatives of Brian and Greg were biking down the Detour when suddenly one of them got a flat. Debbie wins the foreshadowing award. Either she was psychic, or she had the telekinetic powers of Carrie. As team after team floated by on the river below, the two brothers had to carry their bikes the duration of their seven mile course. Now that’s unfortunate. If only there were a Garden State soundtrack they could listen to while they walked.

Gretchen and Meredith chose the arduous rafting Detour, and afterwards, they labored to their car out of breath. “Do you need some mouth to mouth resuscitation?” Gretchen asked her husband. Shivers. That’s the second time she’s grossed me out this episode. Word to the wise. If you ever come across an unmarked VHS tape in their house, DO NOT WATCH IT. I guarantee it will be worse than The Ring.

Meanwhile, Alex and Lynn arrived at the next clue which was the [*hand bugle*] Roadblock! “Who’s not a vegetarian?” the clue asked ominously. Ah yes, our first eating challenge of the season. I’ve always enjoyed these because a) I like food; b) these sort of challenges always cause chaos with the teams; and c) it’s a chance for me to act all cool and say “I could totally do that. These people are lame.” I’ve seen some daunting food challenges: live octopi, giant ostrich egg, spicy hungarian soup, and of course my favorite, the pound of caviar (oh how I wanted to do that one). Still, this Roadblock was pretty intimidating. Teams had to put down four pounds — FOUR POUNDS — of meat. That meant cow ribs, pork sausage, blood sausage, cow intestine, cow utter, a full kidney, and part of a saliva gland. The good news was that the meats looked quite savory — anyone who’s been to Argentinean BBQ knows what I’m talking about. (Am I right? Am I right? High five). The bad news: four pounds is a lot of food. Alex got to work on his tasty vittles and was soon joined by Rob, who Survivor fans may remember is quite terrible at food competitions. We’ll check in on them later.

Debbie and Bianca, back from their cross country tour of Chile, finally arrived at the Detour which revealed a dark secret. A few months ago, Debbie almost died in a white river accident. Dunh dunh DUNH! You know who else almost died a few months ago? Ron. IN AN IRAQI PRISON. Anyway, Debbie proved herself to be a trooper by consenting to the rafting Detour. Bianca tried to cheer her up by saying it’ll be fun. Yeah Debbie. I’m sure you won’t almost die again! And so the stage was set for Final Destination 3. Debbie died ten minutes later.

Okay, okay. She survived the Detour, but I still feared that she and Bianca were too far behind. I hate when plucky teams makes five hour mistakes.

alex_boots Back at the Roadblock, Uchenna joined the other diners at the meat buffet. Okay, this dude is going to pound this meat. Just look at him. He’s a mini-tank, and cow is his fuel. Sure enough, Uchenna attached his plate with savory gusto, and not even Alex booting at his feet could deter him. Lynn meanwhile watched the vomit with disgust. I half expected him to snort, “He never spits with me!” Rimshot!

Up until this moment, this episode was fun, but with Debbie, Bianca, Susan and Patrick lagging so far behind, there wasn’t any sense of peril for most of these teams. And then the oddest thing happened. Rob decided that he couldn’t eat anymore of his food. He and Amber quit the challenge and incurred a four hour penalty that goes into effect once the next team arrives at the Roadblock. Gutsy move. Would this be the end of Ramber?

Normally, I’d say yes. But then I must remember that while The Amazing Race is certainly the classiest of the reality shows, it still contains anti-logic reality stars. Enter Ray and Deana. In an unwise move, the two elected Deana to take on the Roadblock. We knew they’d be doomed once she looked at her plate and scoffed “What is all this stuff?” Um, it’s meat. You did read the clue, didn’t you? Almost immediately she began complaining that she would never be able to finish it. Smelling fresh prey, Rob convinced the team to quit and suffer the penalty. Say what you will about the guy, but he does have a powerful influence over the weak-minded. Ray and Deana quit, which meant their four hour penalty would kick in as soon as the next team arrived. Oh, and by the way, that next team would be Susan and Patrick, who were seemingly hours away. Rob and Amber, meanwhile, were now assured that someone would definitely be behind them, even with the four hour penalty going against them. Sadly, Meredith quit too, making it two teams behind Rob and Amber. This sort of scheming made me simultaneously sick and impressed. I’ve gotta say, even though it was technically smart scheming, I kind of don’t want any of these guys to win the big prize at the end, just because they took the easy way out. Well, I might make a mild exception for Meredith and Gretchen. I have to admit though, I loved the little ticking Penalty Clock that appeared on the screen for these guys. I guess it’s the closest we’ll be getting to hockey this year.

Anyway, as the non-quitters chowed down on their meat, Ron noted that this was the worst eating experience of his life. “And mind you I lost twenty five pounds in about eighteen days in an Iraqi prison,” he added. No seriously, he added that, not me. Yeah, I know. I’m surprised too. He never talks about his POW experiences. Meanwhile, when Amber heard of Ron’s rapid weight loss, she immediately tugged on Rob’s sleeve and whined “I wanna go to an Iraqi prison too. Can we? Can we?”

Unsurprisingly, Uchenna finished his feast of meat first. That makes three seasons in a row when black guys dominated the food challenge: Chip, Gus, and Uchenna. Of course, we can’t forget Bowling Mom Linda, last season’s Rebecca, and eventually Debbie as the distaff representatives. So you heard it here first: if you’re a black man or a hyper woman, those food challenges will be cake. Well, maybe not actual cake, but you know what I’m trying to say.

Even though Uchenna and Joyce finished the Roadblock first, they soon became lost en route to the Pitstop, thus paving the way for Alex and Lynn to nab first place. The two explained that their expert rowing skills had powered them to the top of the heap. This was followed by a brief physical demonstration which Phil observed with a bobbing yet confused head. I feared he might say something like “It never really occurred to me before, but you guys are gay, aren’t you?”

Elsewhere in South America, Patrick and Susan motored towards the Roadblock. They immediately stole the foreshadowing award from Debbie and Bianca as they chewed on snacks in the car. “We’ll find some cheap meal in Mendoza,” Patrick said, referring to the location of the Roadblock. Oooh, excellent naiveté. Susan then went for the double header as she noted that her snack tastes like steak. Oh, you have no idea BITCH. Sue and Pat eventually arrived, officially setting Gretchen, Meredith, Ray, and Deana’s penalty clock at four hours. Rob and Amber’s clock, meanwhile, was at a cushy two hours and thirty nine minutes. Normally, I’d say they would have been screwed had no one quit as well, but you can never underestimate the power of a good food challenge. Even if Rob had been the only one to have quit, he still would have been out of there faster than Patrick who simply stared at the food, occasionally picking at it for hours.. He wanted to quit, but his mom refused to let him. “VOMIT!” she scolded in a rare instance of maternal bulimia endorsement. Oddly enough, Patrick — and everyone else for that matter — resisted booting like the plague. People, if you don’t have room, you’ve got to make it. Still, Patrick veered incredibly close to quitting, rationalizing that Debbie and Bianca would never be able to finish the meal.

We then cut to Debbie who at the promise of meat erupted into carnivorous bliss. Uh Patrick, you might want to take that back. Just as we expected, Debbie scarfed down the food, but while Bianca’s coaching was impressive, it was also encouraging Patrick who suddenly discovered that he COULD eat the meat. Rob and Amber meanwhile got off the clock and arrived at the Pit Stop where Phil couldn’t stop laughing at their scheming ways. Why that tickled him almost as much as the time someone put itching powder in his turtleneck. Now that was a hoot!

In the end, the penalties turned out to be a successful gamble for all teams as Ray, Deana, Meredith, and Gretchen all managed to check in before the last two teams were done eating (yes, that means Patrick took longer than four hours). The race once again became very close, but sadly, the dynamic alliance of Bianca, Debbie, Susan and Patrick was inevitably torn asunder as the gal pals from Virginia arrived last. Phil served up a fresh dish of PA as he noted that after they had won the first leg, he thought for sure they’d be in the top three. OH WELL. Thanks Phil. I’m sure that made them feel A-OK.

What did you think about the penalties? Was this a clever use of the rules or just a cheap way to get forward?

Comments (37)
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37 Comments

1

John

Posted March 16, 2005 at 4:40 am

It bugged me a little that Ramber took the easy way out but then, kudos to them for coming up with it. I just wish the other Racers wouldn’t have been stupid enough to let them do it. But that seems to be Rob’s continuing strategy: let the others do the work for you, then drop ‘em when you need to get ahead.

It’s a fine strategy but it’s dependant on others falling for it in order to make it work. Fortunately for Ramber, Ray and Deanna are dumb as rocks.

And for the record, my wife is British and well-versed in the consumption of organ meats. She would have rocked that challenge, which is why I love her.
2

soriner

Posted March 16, 2005 at 5:22 am

Another great episode and recap.

Why Ramber are good for The Amazing Race and a good team:

1. They’re playing the game in a creative way. Even the most elitist of you haters have to give some kudos to some of the things they have done (the meat challenge, the paying off of the bus driver, etc.).
2. They themselves are not haters, even against teams that are their supposed enemies. Rob gave props to Debbie at the end of this episode.
3. They’re hard competitors, but they seem to have enough perspective to realize that winning the race isn’t everything (like other great teams in the past).
4. Unlike some other villain teams that I didn’t like (J & Vicotria, Colin and Christie), there is a refreshing lack of internal team strife within Ramber. They get along well, and it’s all in good fun.
5. Lastly, and most importantly, they are good TV.
3

Betsy

Posted March 16, 2005 at 5:34 am

It totally irked me that Rob wussed out on the challenge and that there where others stupid enough to follow along. All of the teams that took the penalty after him deserve to lose the game. I watch Survivor for backstabing and manipulation. Amazing Race is my feel good show. Ramber is totally ruining it for me. They suck. Wusses.

Oh, the girls did realize that Ramber stole their taxi. When they walked out of the hotel they made a comment about it. I think they were too mature to pick a fight with Ramber when it would have been pointless because that only fuels Ramber’s ego. I am waiting for when the money really starts getting tight and Ramber has none left because they’ve been bribing people all along the way. That will make me giddy.

Totally loved Phils South American Cowboy shirt. Adding the necklace. Nice down to earth touch My Man Phil.
4

Plumes

Posted March 16, 2005 at 5:56 am

This show is great. Love Ramber. Bribing, cheating, stealing, strategizing. They have it all. That is the way the game is played. All is fair in love and racing. They are bumpdrafting their way around the world. And 4 hours is nothing as they will all have to wait at some airport soon.

Great review as always
5

soriner

Posted March 16, 2005 at 6:14 am

B-side is right. From what they showed, it appeared the girls did not realize that Ramber had stolen their cab. All they realized was that there cab had left without them.

Ramber made an educated decision after consideration of the rules. If a challenge is taking certain teams > 4hours, then taking a 4 hour penalty isn’t such a bad idea (especially if you think you are incapable of completing the challenge).

If you don’t like it, don’t hate on the players. Hate on the producers for changing the rules as they did (it used to be a 24 hour penalty back in the Emily and her mom days).
6

doctor dan

Posted March 16, 2005 at 6:31 am

i love wednesday mornings because of you, b-side. thanks for the superb recap.

“victuals.” LOL. who knew you would channel my great-grandma this morning!
7

aham23

Posted March 16, 2005 at 6:32 am

Rob did poorly at the Survivor eating challenges and was smart to determined that taking the penalty could work. He was even more brilliant to get two other teams to do it. Romber is great for this show that in its 7th go around needed a boost.

Who cares if the females knew about the taxi. The fact is they couldn’t read a map and it cost them TAR. Later.
8

Catie

Posted March 16, 2005 at 6:43 am

I’ve decided that I dislike Rob because he sorta looks like my 5th grade boyfriend- and that is as good of a reason as any to dislike someone.

Good call on the Gretchen & Meredith comments…there were a few times that I nearly threw up. I can’t take anymore of her vaguely sexual comments!

Would anyone like to venture a guess about the mark on Patrick’s head? It was partially hidden by his bandana, but I caught a few glimpses of it. If he got hurt, I wonder why they didn’t show it? I loved when he told his mom that he might lose the challenge just to spite her. That’s so mature and totally something I would’ve said to my mother when I was 16.

I hate to admit it, but I stopped disliking Uchenna & Joyce a little bit last night. When she asked him if he wanted a mint after eating 4lbs of meat, I couldn’t help myself. I am SO sick of hearing about them not being able to get pregnant & about their job situations though. Who DIDN’T get laid off from Enron & Worldcom?

I’m so glad you caught the comment from Ron about not knowing if he wants to marry Kelly. I’m sure she’ll be THRILLED to hear about that. I also loved when she tried to get the teams waiting out their pentalties to clap for Ron finishing his meat- and no one did. I cannot even imagine how much military & POW talk they don’t air. The other teams must be dying.

I can’t express enough shock that Phil not only displayed an emotion, but LAUGHTER! That was the biggest surprise of the night! I think Phil secretly becomes a giddy little girl when he sees Rob & Amber. I want them to stay in the Race now just so that I can see more reactions like that. Oh Phil…
9

Rick

Posted March 16, 2005 at 8:14 am

Did the gay guys win a prize for coming in first like everyone ELSE does???

And speaking of masters of eating challenges, let’s not forget CHARLA, the little person who glommed 2 pounds of caviar AND an ostrich egg omelet!!!!
10

Brian

Posted March 16, 2005 at 8:16 am

Did anyone else notice that camera shot where the racers approach that “Al Norte” sign was recycled for all of the teams? I noticed the same black car in front of each team, and when I rewound the trusty TiVo, sure enough, it was the same footage 7 times. Minor thing, but still bad editing. AR, you should lose Emmy points for that…
11

Penny

Posted March 16, 2005 at 8:22 am

I don’t usually comment on this site, but I just have to say that the word “booting” cracked me up twice this morning. Thanks.
12

Sammy

Posted March 16, 2005 at 8:26 am

Did anyone else notice when Ray called the mountains the Andrea mountains?
I also enjoyed the random not sure if he wants to marry Kelly bit…it kinda makes me wonder what the prompt question was for that interview… was it something like Uh Ron it’s supposed to be hot out today,how does that make you feel? ….and Bitty the better part to Phil’s laughing was that he admitted to not knowing why….that Phil is full of surprises! (Did anyone see him on the Tony Danza show plugging his book…with his dad in tow no less….Tony touched his leg and made for a great Phil akward reaction face)
13

Catie

Posted March 16, 2005 at 8:33 am

SAM! How could you not tell me about the Tony Danza appearance… All these years we’ve been friends and then you keep something like that from me? You know how much I love a good awkward Phil face!
14

Maura

Posted March 16, 2005 at 11:23 am

Great recap as ever, B-side. You captured all my favorite moments…though I don’t mean “capture” in an Iraqi POW kind of way, of course.

I was thinking about the fact that it seems Lynn and Alex didn’t win something for coming in first. I wonder if it’s related to there being a Yield on this leg of the race? Something to look for the next time there’s a Yield.

No matter what happens or what conspiracy theories are floating about, no one can convince me that Rob and Amber aren’t good for this game. See soriner’s comment above for many of my reasons.
15

jash

Posted March 16, 2005 at 12:17 pm

cake? thats a great idea for next season. make them eat four pounds of CAKE! thats a lotta cake!

i love team weho now, they are such characters.

but seriously, it hurts my eyes to look at rob, he is my lord voldermort. you see him and you can just tell not a lot of synapses are occuring up there in his brain.
16

jmportia

Posted March 16, 2005 at 12:18 pm

Great recap!

Amber is all about losing weight. On the drive from Santa Monica to LAX, she said something along the lines of she came on the race to lose weight. It was the same time Rob actually wanted to stop at McDonald’s. From the rafting, I am guessing if Romber stay in this a while, Rob will reach the 6 road blocks first because Amber is awful at physical challenges.

Romber opting for the four hour delay to not come in last reminds me of kids that play tag and only stay in the safe zone because they know they can’t lose. It was very smart on Rob’s part, but it is a cheap way of staying in the game. If you watch the show, there are tons of ways that cbs could be helping Romber. And yes, they want to keep them because every week in the previews for the next episode, there is always something about Romber. (Last week ‘will this be the end of sweethears Rob and Amber’) I really hope cbs has not done this, but some things stand out.

The brother’s didn’t not have any problems with this road block because eating four pounds of well done meat is a huge step down from fear factor.
17

jaded

Posted March 16, 2005 at 12:42 pm

Hey, if he doesn’t win the race, at least Uchenna has that acting gig over on Six Feet Under to help pay the bills.
18

Catie

Posted March 16, 2005 at 12:51 pm

Six Feet Under got cancelled…
19

smithie

Posted March 16, 2005 at 1:13 pm

I hated this show the first time I watched, I think it was three seasons ago. I tuned in halfway into the season and I didn’t get it. I thought it wasn’t fair that you could always catch up, but now I know that’s part of the beauty.
I love this show, I love Rob and Ambuh, I love four pounds of meat (and parts of saliva glands)and I luuuuuuuuuuuvvvvvvv Phil.

(I have my fingers crossed that the family season won’t suck. I don’t think I’ll watch)
20

jaded

Posted March 16, 2005 at 1:18 pm

Whoops! Catie, I guess that’s why Keith/Uchenna is here on The Race, now that his show Six Feet Under got cancelled! (I’m in Canada, we’re still on Season Two. Don’t EVEN get me started…)
21

Hinha

Posted March 16, 2005 at 2:19 pm

I don’t think CBS are helping Ramber (though I’d prefer the moniker Romba) by giving then a police escort — and I think that that comment was tongue-in-cheek. It’s simply in Rob’s mature to boldly ask and cajole anyone and everyone for their help. For example, bribing the bus driver to only open the front door in the previous episode. I’m sure his thinking is that all they can say is no. And his blue-collar-man-of-the-people schtick helps him get his way.

I went into this series loathing the fact that Ramber was there, but the sheer brilliance of that forfeit manouver last night has changed my mind.

Oh, and by the way, Catie, Six Feet Under has not been cancelled. The cast and crew are currently filming series five, which will premiere this summer. However, they have announced that it will be the final series. That’s a little different to being cancelled. Thankfully!
22

SusieQ

Posted March 16, 2005 at 2:25 pm

As for “Romber,” of course the previews emphasize them. It doesn’t mean CBS or the producers are throwing the race to keep them in. But as long as they are keeping themselves in it through superior racing (last week) or strategy (this week) CBS will highlight them because they are who we are all talking about.

In fact, they are who the other racers are obsessing about. Lynn and Alex couldn’t go 5 miles without fixating on Rob and Amber. Susan and Patrick’s entire strategy revolves around Rob and Amber. So the network is going to hype them, and Rob and Amber themselves are going to continue playing their way and letting other teams get distracted and foolish out of illogical hatred of Rob and Amber.
23

SusieQ

Posted March 16, 2005 at 2:34 pm

And to answer the question posed at the end of the recap, as long as the Race rules allow for quitting and taking a penalty and the teams are told exactly how that will work, I have no problem with teams doing it if they think it will help them. It’s the easy way out, and I would have preferred for those teams to just find a way to eat faster and get through it in less than the 4 hours (or longer) they spent on penalty (or waiting for another team to show up to start the penalty clock.) But like I said, if the rules allow it, a team that can effectively use a penalty like Rob and Amber did isn’t doing anything wrong or stupid.
24

jmportia

Posted March 16, 2005 at 2:55 pm

I was thinking over the crafty editing of cbs. I wish that there was a real time/elapsed time clock that came up every now and again. It could be from the time the teams got the first clue of that leg of the race. You can sort of get a sense of it by the sun, but still. I though it was very interesting to see the time for the four hours the teams had to wait. If they had not done that, no one would have known it took those people so long to eat the meat. By letting the viewers know the time, it would put the creative editors out of a job though.

The eating the meat road block reminded me of a place I went to in Texas, The Big Texan. They have the 72 oz steak. That is 4 and a half pounds (and does not have bones like the road block). If you can eat it, along with a bake potato, salad, shrimp cocktail and a roll, in one hour, it is free. And you are not allowed to puke. I think someone from cbs had a road trip through Amarillo, Texas.
25

Catie

Posted March 16, 2005 at 3:06 pm

Hinha, omg I got bad tv info! I still watched Six Feet Under last season, so I was sorta sad when I heard it got cancelled. But I was wrong. Lets hope the last season doesn’t really blow.

Unrelated, but how big was the steak from The Great Outdoors?
26

lisa

Posted March 16, 2005 at 3:10 pm

I usually dont comment on these boards though I enjoy reading what others think- however I got to say if it wasnt for Rob and Amber this season would be boring–Rob idea’s are classic and make my family laugh – I hope they go all the way…
27

lisa

Posted March 16, 2005 at 3:10 pm

I usually dont comment on these boards though I enjoy reading what others think- however I got to say if it wasnt for Rob and Amber this season would be boring–Rob idea’s are classic and make my family laugh – I hope they go all the way…
28

VargasGrl

Posted March 16, 2005 at 5:54 pm

What’s your beef with Vassar?
29

Justin

Posted March 16, 2005 at 6:40 pm

I have to agree, Ramber are just what AR7 needed– not entirely hateable ‘villians’. They’re the first time in many, many seasons to really bring their own style to the race. (I don’t just mean little touches, I mean a serious strategy they’re sticking to).

I HATED Rob with a passion on Survivor. I thought he was a complete moron. I hated him more when he hooked up with Amber (what is a sweet, gorgeous girl doing with HIM!?!) but he’s been gold for the show.

I’m enjoying AR7 more than most of the past seasons, and that’s saying a lot since it’s in the top 3 reality shows I watch…
30

Lisa

Posted March 16, 2005 at 7:13 pm

Is anyone else seeing the resemblance that Lynn has to Ross the intern on Jay Leno? I can’t help but smile every time he is on the screen. He is so fun to watch. I am lovin’ the “alex_boots” picture by the way.

And as far as the penalties are concerned, I want to know why nobody used them last season. I know Hayden used the penalty when she couldn’t find the key lock but it was never even mentioned until then. I didn’t know a 4 hour penalty was even an option. Victoria definitely should have used the penalty during the soup challenge.

I think using the penalty was a great idea for Rob & Amber which means that whomever came up with the great idea of having a challenge where people need to eat 4 pounds of meat is an idiot. No normal person can eat all that in a timely fashion without barfing most of it up first. When you can get farther in the game by quitting, you know the rules are screwed up.
31

VOO

Posted March 17, 2005 at 5:36 am

hey Lisa: I totally got you on Lynn/ Ross. It’s Uncanny.
Did you know all the offshore betting sites stopped taking bets on TAR because the winners have been leaked? Damn!! Ruins a good race!
32

jash

Posted March 17, 2005 at 8:33 am

vassar sucks. thats my beef (all four pounds of it) with vassar.

i have had three loser boyfriends who went to vassar. you’d think i’d learn after one or two. but no.

boot & rally. i’m proud of lynn and alex for that.
33

MediaGirl

Posted March 18, 2005 at 6:46 am

Justin- I agree with you… I hated Rob and Amber on Survivor, but on TAR, I can’t wait to see what he’s up to next. And Amber just goes along for the ride. It cracks me up. I guess what I think is cool about Ramber’s strategy is that they’re pulling out all the stops- using penalties, stealing taxis, bribing…much funner to see them get ahead that way than to see someone win because another team gets a slow taxi.

I have a question….to all my fellow fans….what suggestions would you have to make TAR even more fun/challenging/exciting?
34

SusieQ

Posted March 18, 2005 at 7:27 am

“I have a question….to all my fellow fans….what suggestions would you have to make TAR even more fun/challenging/exciting?”

I think they should lose the yield. The whole point of AR is that it’s about who is fatest and the best at manuevering through the challenges and travels, but the yield adds a very survivor-like element where teams get punished if someone is mad at them personally or has an alliance.

I also think they need to cut down on the clumping (having only 2 flights so that all teams are together, sending them to places that won’t open for hours so that all the teams catch up, etc.) To make sure a team doesn’t get behind and stay that way with no hope, they could reinstate the fast forward as a regular part of each leg. Some clumping is ok and unavoidable, but over the past couple of seasons there have been a good many legs where nothing mattered but the very end because all leads built over time were lost to clumping. It’s no fun if the first half of every leg becomes meaningless.
35

MediaGirl

Posted March 18, 2005 at 11:14 am

SusieQ- I agree. I hate it when teams work so hard to get ahead and then everyone catches up to them because of the hours of operation, etc. What if the teams had to figure out their own way to get from point A to point B? I’d love to see the Official Rules the contestants have to play by (the penalties, etc.)
36

Genevieve

Posted March 18, 2005 at 1:16 pm

I too don’t want Ramber to win, but they are playing the game really well.
But if I have to hear Amber complain about her weight one more time!!! She is anorexic for goodness sake!

I want Meredith & Gretchen to win!
37

CL

Posted March 30, 2005 at 12:03 am

I disagree with people’s negative comment’s about Rob’s “penalty gambit”. I would agree that he “wussed out” and “took the easy way” and all that, if he decided to skip the challenge entirely. But that’s not what he did. First he tried [what I assumed was his best (since he's such a competitor)] to finish the task. It was only when he realized that he wouldn’t be able to finish without puking or doing serious harm to his digestive system that he decided to take the penalty. This was just him being realistic. And it was better for him to make a decision like this sooner rather than later, if he was going to make it. It was a tough call [by no means "easy"] and he made it without hesitation.

His convincing the others the quit was just an after thought and yet another stroke of genius. But this may not have even been necessary. Given the difficulty of the challenge and the fact that several teams had not even started it yet, Rob & Amber may have been able to take the penalty alone and still not be eliminated.

Obviously Rob didn’t want to leave things to chance; so (just like his decision to take the penalty), he did what he had to, to stay in the game, which segues into my final comment:

One or more people talk about how Survivor is about lying and scheming and all that; that Amazing Race is a “feel good” show, etc. Therefore, they say, Rob and Amber’s tactics are ruining Amazing Race. As far as I can tell, there are very few rules in these reality shows. I mean: That’s the point: It’s all unscripted. Therefore, within reason, I think all IS fair in love and races; so I have no problem admitting I am a Rob & Amber fan! I actually cheer out loud, when they gain some advantage or win a leg of the race.

Only one thing bothers me about these two: I think that their celebrity gives them an unfair advantage. It might be more appropriate for them to appear on a celebrity edition of Amazing Race.

This was my first time reading one of your recaps, B-Side; and I laughed my ass off! I’m a huge Amazing Race fan. With Rob & Amber, this Amazing Race has best one yet! I love how they keep rising above the haters. It’s great!

Penalties? Don’t Have A Cow, Man!

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