Yea, first!

I always love your recaps, B-Side. They always have me laughing until my sides aches.

Even though I thought they were a really crazy team, I am sad to see them go. No more "KAN-KO-WEE-GO" or "DANG GUMMIT." :( Ha, and the best part was when Michelle made Lake pull over to have a breather. That was honestly the funniest thing ever.

Thanks for the great recap, B-side. I also thought it was going to be a non- elimination round. Especially when it looked like the hippies were going to go. How lost were Lake & Michelle that the hippies got there first when they were 2 hours behind? I'm not sorry to see L&M go as they were starting to wear on my nerves a little.
You didn't mention Joseph threatening Monica when she was crying. Way to be supportive, dude. My girlfriend's crying, I think I'll yell at her. That's sure to make it better. Do you ever wonder how many of these couples stay together after the race? I sure do.

from "finish Line"
*Lake and Michelle thought they didn't fight at all while on the race until watching it on tv
*Lake still says he was positive the whole time
*They still don't like Frankenberry because of the whole airport thing.
*their kids don't really watch the show
*at the yeild, everyone's picture was still in the box

another note - "the da vinci code" does not take place in Rome, or even Italy. Another one of Dan Brown's books takes place in Rome (A&D).

While watching "the finish line" (cbs.com) at work today, I actally called in to the show and got through. It wasn't until reading this recap that I wish I had asked about the odd mic packs last episode or what the hell kan-ko-wee-go means. (I asked about Frankenberry & the airport).

Anyone else had enough of contestants getting to a challenge and freaking out? Seriously next bungie jump type deal where we have a whiner just push them off.
They added the Flo rule of not one person doing all the challenges after that sorry sack whined her way through a whole season. Or was it the Mirna rule since they were both equally worthless but one atleast was eliminated. The deadweight partner rule thats it.

CBS should go bold for a season and just do all product placements inside the episodes and go commercial free for the whole season.

All I could think of while watching the wrestlers was that poor Jeric must have regretted taking that fast foward after hearing of it. Damn you TVGasm for messing with my head. Damn-ko-wee-go.
I was positive this would be non-elimination this week. Next week should be one for sure, but at this rate I'm not going to bet on it.
And damn-ko-wee-go the producers. They made me question my own memory. BJ and Tyler were sitting there waiting out their penalty, the editing was getting all suspenseful, but weren't Lake and Michelle on the bus too? But they're making it look like Michake could elimate the Hippies! Could I have had it all wrong? Is Yes, Dear the pinnacle of quality television? But no, in the end I wasn't mistaken, and it didn't matter anyway.
After all that though, Lake's cleanly shaven face distracted me all episode. It was just such a big, random change mid-race.

I was very nervous that my hippies were gonna get eliminated, so I was glad to see lake and Michelle go.

My question is- if there are only 5 teams left and they have 2 non-elimination rounds, doesn't that mean that the next one HAS to be one? Also- do they offer fast forwards after they get down to the final four? I thought that they did not, so the next one should be soon too. The previews for next week didn't make things look too promising for the hippies either. I want them to get back in it!

If nothing else, Lake & Michelle provided a great new passive-agressive in-joke for my wife and I to shout back and forth.

"GOOD JOB BABY!"
"SHUT UP BABY!"

I have been B-Side myself waiting for this recap. This episode was classic!! I just new B-Side would have his way with this one, and of course he didn't disappoint. Lake is such a loser! He's about one threatening hand raise away from being Jonathan. And Michelle (or Victoria wannabe) is a loser too for letting him act the fool with her all the time. So, he can call her a bitch, and she says nothing. But, if he says damnit around her she's upset because he's cussing at her - FREAKS! Any couple that has to say "this relationship may look bad to other people but it works for us" need to run their asses to therapy. Well, maybe Lake shouldn't run - he might get too stressed and have to stop and let Michelle hold his chest before his heart explodes. What a wuss! The only one good thing about Lake is that he does always give Michelle her props (did I just say props?) when she does something good. Not that it makes up for all the other abuse she has to endure. In the words of N'Sync...Bye Bye Bi-polar Lake!!!!

B-Side,
It's a damn shame what they did to Jack Tripper's restaurant!!
For the record, Jeric took a cab to Trevi fountain. They did not bother with mass transit. I dislike them more with every episode, and I really do believe that they are going to run away with this race. Unless, of course, there is a detour at a male whorehouse in Bangcock. They're never leaving that!!
There are 12 legs of this race, with 11 teams (three of them go to the end) makes 8 elimination rounds. That leaves 4 non-elimination eps. We have had one so far. So there are 3 non-elimination episodes to go. Next week has to be a non-elimination.
I think that bodes well for the hippies. I do wish that they steal this from Jeric. They are they only other team strong enough to beat them.
The Frankenberry accident...I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!! I think in 10 years, Barry will NOT be driving (at least we all hope!!).
Was it Phil that jumped after he introduced the bungee jump segment? I find it hard to believe that he would pass up the opportunity, especially since he is all strapped up.
As you may recall, it was Brandine that questioned whether they should be taking the bus to Corinth. And it was Cletus who told her to shut up, that he was right. Gonna miss that dynamic duo!!

Loved when Barry crashed into the tree. I couldn't stop laughing. Are those vehicles brand new? Such a shame to get destroyed like that. The hippie frog hat was mildly amusing, esp. when he had to take if off to beat the wrestler...that was time for him to get serious...

Oh, B-side. You said "Jeric hung tight" What visions. What nightmares.

I thought there were only 2 non-elimination rounds and there haven't been any this season yet.

B-side,

After Lake and Michelle were eliminated...

kan-ko-wee-sob

HILARIOUS!!!!!!!

There has definitely already been one non-elimination round. It was the episode where Dave and Lori had been sharing cabs with MoJo and then ended up being last. After that, they decided to quit sharing and do their own thing.

Hilarious recap as always, B-Side! Never thought I'd say this, but I'm going to miss Lake and Michelle. Kan-ko-wee-gone. :(

And the one where Dave and Lori came in last was a double leg, not a non-elimination.

The only thing better than Barry slamming into the tree and taking out the back window was Fran's

"OH MY GAWWWWWD"

when it happened.

Priceless!

What I would like to know is why Lake and Michelle didn't get a time penalty in the first episode when they called the airline to make a reservation and the directions clearly stated not to call for reservations.

We're in for a lot of non-elimination all in a row. While I can appreciate the producers wanting to trick us by letting us think this leg would be non-elimination, saving all the non-eliminations for the end just means that nothing the teams do for the next 2 legs will matter much. It's like bunching--some is good, but too much all at once is really, really bad.

I think they should put more fast forwards in the Race. Right now, there's little strategy involved in when to use it. But if there's one every leg, like in the early seasons, or at least 4 or 5 per season, then the frontrunning teams won't automatically use them, which would actually give a back-of-the-pack team a chance to change things up (which was the original purpose behind the FF.)

Except for Kan-Ko-Wee-Go, which I can never get enough of, I'm happy to see that Rhett and Scarlett were sent packing, they were getting on my nerves. Plus I was so worried the Hippies would be eliminated. Of course, if Lachelle had stayed, I think the verbal abuse would have only escalated since we had just gotten our first "shut up bitch!" of the season. It irks me when these women then show up on camera with the "it works for us" excuse.

It's down to 5 teams already? Damn. How was this NOT a non-elimination leg?! Crazy! I generally enjoyed Lake & Michelle, I just didn't want them to win the money though. I'm glad Ray & Yolanda were able to move up.

Barry reversing the car into the tree = Freaking classic moment. LoL. And next week looks good, desert? Unbearable heat? CAMELS? Yeah!!!

-Clair #17;
They didn't get a time penalty because when they arrived at the airport, they were forced to request new tickets. So instead of taking the first plane out, they ended up behind most teams and had to take the last provided flight out. :)

Did they actually say that there would be 2 non-eliminations this season? If not, isn't is possible that they are just trying to switch things up and will only have 1? Just wondering...

Thank you Flymotha - you took the words right out of my mouth (or off my keyboard). You just don't speak to other people like that - especially your spouse/significant other - and especially on national television. I am very happy to see Pond and Puddle go.

GO HIPPIES!

-Ash #21;
At the start of the race, Phil specifically told the racers how many elimination & how many non-elimination legs there would be. I'm pretty certain he said 8/4. I'd have to be home to make sure of the numbers. Damn work! :)

jeric's continuing string of dumb luck is starting to piss me off. at least the prize was kind of lame. that damn 'da vinci code' has been in the top 5 of the NY times hardcover fiction bestseller list for over 3 years, which leaves me wondering: is there anyone on the planet who doesn't know how this one turns out?

i too was sorry to see the kan-ko-wee-go trainwreck grind to a halt, but i'm afraid if they survived another week they might get into jonathan and victoria territory. i wonder how their kids and michelle's parents felt about watching lake call her a bitch on national TV.

happy to see raylonda climb out of the bottom of the pack, but i must confess to shock and alarm at the hippies' collapse. they are annoying, but bj and tyler are far less hateworthy than the lauderdale pretty-boys.

i know the nonelimination rounds are supposed to be pre-determined, but i can't help but suspect that, had bj and tyler finished last instead of lake and michelle, they probably would have been spared. no way the producers would pass up a chance to let those k-razy hippies panhandle in foreign lands.

best moment of the night: joseph telling teary-eyed monica 'cheer up before i get pissed!'

Thanks stacyrocks. However, they still violated the rules. Hmph!

Stacyrocks,

According to the TAR: 9 Leaderboard on the cbs website, there are 12 episodes. Episode three was the fakeout at the Kremlin episode (or non-elimination #1). That leaves 5 episodes to go. There are 2 more philiminations to go (not counting the 2nd/3rd place finishers at the end).

I predict that it will be similar in fashion to TAR: 6 when every other episode was a non-elimination.

Does anyone know if the ratings have improved with the new day and time?

B-Side,

Imagining Lori and Bolo at the wrestling challenge was great! Too bad they didn't have the teams wrestle Lori and/or Bolo instead!!

I believe that there is also another FF and Yield remaining. I am so happy that the producers have changed things up this year with FF and yield. They are actually being placed on elimination legs. It was happy to see more than one team fight it out for the FF as well, but that god damned Jeric has had all the luck so far.

I'll amend my last post: I guess that the the Philiminaton Phakeout in episode three counted as a non-elimination. But unless they take your money and your bags and force you to shamelessly beg on the street for spare change, it's just not the same.

Did anyone else notice that B.J. actually said "Philiminator" when they made it to the map this episode?

Everytime I visit this site, (which is like 20 times a day), 3 little windows pop up saying to click "OK" to run an ActiveX control... it has happened to me on multiple computers over the last few days, anyone know what it is? Am I the only one suffering?

You know, I can't stand the hippies. I was very giddy when they realized they had gone the wrong way and perhaps thought to themselves that they should pay attention to where they are going instead of what little song and dance they are going to pull for the camera at the next portion of the race.

That being said, when they realized that they were so far behind and could possibly be eliminated, they didn't freak out. Faced with possible elimination, they forgot about mugging for the camera and became much more tolerable.

I wish somebody would just break Jeric's arm or something so we could enjoy the rest of the race.

J Unit, (not to be confused with J-Unit)

I never realized until you pointed out how the Hippies lost the act when they realized their mistake. I've been waiting for the exhaustion to weigh in on their act.

Ash (#28) - I get the same thing on my computer at work and at home. The only difference is that I can go ahead and view the video clips at work, but I am unable to watch the Quicktime clips at home.

3G_Phil #26;

So it is 4 non-elimination legs = the 'Phil PHakeout' in Russia, the run to the finish line and then 2 more to go through before the finale. Thanks a lot!

Count me in as one who was sad to see Lake/Michelle go. I thought they were funny and intense, and at least they engendered a reaction in me. I'll admit I was a little disturbed by Lake's treatment of her in this episode though.

IMO, this season has just been OK. I just can't get into loving or hating any of the teams (aside from Lake/Michelle). Jeric is just your typical interchangeable young guy team who is doing well seen multiple times in seasons' past. The Hippies are OK, but part of it seems an act, and teams that are tyring too hard to be funny inevitably fail (the clowns, Itchy and Scratchy, etc.). I like Ray and Yolanda, but that's more for the absence of annoying traits than anything they've actually done. They're nowhere near my top 10 list of favorits teams. The old couple is annoying to me, but not entirely evil enough to hate, and not competent enough to root for.

I just wasn't impressed by the team selection this year. Would any of these teams make your top 5 most liked or most hated lists?

Ash...the same thing's happening to me even though I haven't changed any settings on my comp...its annoying! Anyone know why or how to stop it?

I actually CLAPPED at the Philimination! The rest of this Race will be so much nicer to watch without Abusive Yosemite Sam and his co-dependent missus.

Phil, Phil, you should have known better than to give the hippies more ideas by saying "At least it wasn't both of you" about the kiss.

I agree, next bungie-jumping, just kick the whiner off the edge so as not to hold up the rest of the racers. But Barry should have maybe said he was sorry to the wife -- first she does the thing she's most scared of and then he smashes the car so it spews broken glass at her... not Fran's day.

Jeric: still gay.

I use Firefox so this ActiveX crap doesn't ever bother me.

I was shocked that Lake actually called Michelle 'bitch'. Their poor kids are going to be so screwed up when they get older, imagine how he talks to her at home.

Im glad the hippies didnt get eliminated, I want them to take out Jeremy and Eric! I cant stand them, I hate how they keep winning!

I haven't been the hippie's biggest fan this season, but I almost had a panic attack when they realized they lost two hours. They say that you don't appreciate what you have until it's gone, and in this case it's true. Without even realizing it, I've come to love those darn hippies.

I had to hit rewind when Lake called Michelle a bitch. I couldn't believe what I'd just heard! Their parents must be so proud. I was sad to see them go based on the entertainment factor alone, but I was more relieved that my hippie boys hadn't been eliminated.

BTW, Jeric and Frankenberry have got to go.

As soon as I saw the get-up of the wrestlers, I knew that Jeric would be sad to have missed this one!!!!

The only reason I'm sad to see Lake and Michelle go is because they're so frickin annoying that they add a bit of entertainment to the game (really, if the Weavers had been eliminated early on last season, who would we have hated?!)......at least we have so many other teams to make fun of!

Reality (#31): To view the Quicktime clips at home, you need to update to Quicktime 7.x. I, also, get the active x message since installing the latest windows updates for xp.

That's a big 10-4 to the active-x thing. Pops up 3 times. I click on the little red X in the top right corner 3 times.

I never allow active-x to run. That's where spyware lives.

I think the time penalty was too short. If I remember correctly, the next train was about 35 minutes after the one they got off of. If they had done that leg "properly" they would have had to wait for that train and continue. 35 minutes would have passed at least. Instead it only cost them 15 minutes. Not much penalty in my view.

Oh, and Jeric...still flaming and in denial...

As much as I HATE Lake & Michelle I actually felt bad for them at the elimination and actually thought that Lake was being (gasp) nice to his wife.
Totally rooting for Raylonda- I think its funny that they seem to get along with pretty much everyone expect Mojo.

b-side, I still don't understand why you're not credited with the writing for these episodes -- your recaps are too good, man. i really believe the first reality show to hire you will become the next hit. let us know when that happens; i'll be watching bro

I wish we HAD seen Phil bungee. Remember one of the few good moments of last season was Phil explaining the go-cart challenge while racing in one. I would also like to have seen Phil in a PhilDiaper wrestling with the Greeks.

Not sad to see Lake go home. Calling Michelle a bitch was so NOT cool.

Guys, Phil so totally bungeed! How could you all have missed that?? Check out the AR site at cbs.com - check out Phil's pictures. There's a really good one of him with a towel wrapped around his head! :) But there's also one of him bungee jumping.

Couldn't believe it either when Lake called Michelle a bitch. What an idiot!