The “bros” are definitely hyper-competitive and probably would be unlikely to want to work with another team. However, they stay in their own lane and do not seem to be working against other teams.
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Good episode with beautiful scenery and interesting challenges. However, it was so very linear that the two teams that got to leave first had very little chance of falling behind. Seemed to hurt the third place team, but help the last team in terms of timing. Dad and daughter got lucky again!
Interesting to see the guys struggle in the kayak.
Watched TAR and turned to the Olympics during commercials.
I’m rooting for a final three of the bros, Kim and Penn and the flight attendants. I think they would be 3 VERY competitive teams against each other.
I appreciate both ways - the teams working together and the bros doing their own thing. I appreciate in doing their own thing they are not vindictive against the other teams. I gotta think with the pandemic being such a factor in this entire race that they probably leads to these teams being bonded in a way unlike any other. In other season these people meet and have what maybe 3 weeks together? These guys have such a longer time element - assuming they might have touched base with each other or AR during the 19 months off……and then coming back together until such weird circumstances.
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Dusty & Ryan teamed up with Anthony & Spencer in the first couple of episodes. They also worked with Kim & Penn in an episode. Listening to Kim & Penn’s podcast, while it is nice to win a leg, the goal is to not come in last. With that mindset, if teams are in the front, they are safer working together so that neither messes up and falls behind. An example is when Kim & Penn missed the turn off but the girls found it. Kim & Penn quickly knew that they went too far and turned around. If they were by themselves, they might have driven much further before turning around.
There is only a 15 min lead between the first and second group. That’s not very much time. In last week’s episode, you could see that the second group of teams passed the first group who were stuck in the cheese challenge. In this episode, if the first two teams messed up the fish challenge and had to do it again, their 15 min lead would have vanished.
Kim & Penn have also spoken about how it sometimes helps not to be first to a challenge. One time the were lined up to start and saw the first group run to cars. They ripped open the clue, didn’t really read it, and ran to the cars to read the details inside the car. In this episode, Dusty & Ryan could see what the knot challenge entailed so could pick the calmer/more detailed person to compete in the challenge.
In the podcast, they also said that the teams camped together the night before this episode and really got to know each other. Previously, they spoke about the chartered flights helping connect teams as well. They mentioned a group chat while things were shut down, but they really didn’t expect to return to the race.
One final tidbit, they said that with COVID protocols, asking for directions takes upward of 15 minutes so that is why you see so many teams hesitating about stopping and asking for directions.
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Can you explain why Covid protocols makes asking for help take 15 minutes? Thanks.
Agree about getting there a little later. On the net challenge I thought other teams benefitted from seeing Penn put the net on their legs to stretch it out.
I really enjoyed this last episode, save for the (belch!) cheese.
The scenery was breathtaking and made me want to be there immediately.
I’m super impressed with Kim & Penn and the flight attendants (whose names I must start to remember this coming week because I’m rooting for them as well!) - I really couldn’t get over another save this week, but yep, they’ve got timeslots to fill.
They didn’t go into a lot of details but my guess is that they must have either done a rapid test and/or had to gather contact tracing info from the person that the contestants were talking to. They said 15 minutes which is what made me think of a rapid test.
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Even before COVID I read somewhere that asking a local for help involved the signing of releases, etc.
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With COVID, asking a local for help also likely necessitates waiting for a camera crew to arrive and set up, since there is no crew in the cars with the racers, only a GoPro.
I noticed black vans on the road behind the convertibles so I’m guessing that was the crew. Racers have always said that if they ask for directions the camera person has to get that person to sign a release. Often the direction giver is shown. I noticed several blurred faces of direction givers in this episode so maybe they didn’t do that or the person didn’t give permission.
I loved the way Ryan shoved that whole piece of bread with maggots into his mouth. And then his comparison to prison food but with a much better view. His attitude is amazing. The second group doing the fish memorization - they kept jumping from side to side and even on the second try talking about each other’s two fish to memorize. I really thought they’d have to go for a 3rd round.
On the podcast Kim also talks about having her period unexpectedly early so not being able to do the roadblock because she had more important things to take care of. Lots and lots of behind the scenes things we don’t see or even think about I guess. I will be surprised if the final 3 aren’t Dusty and Ryan, Kim and Penn, Raquel and Cayla who sound like the really could use the $.
Poor Kim! I’ve often wondered about bathroom breaks, even snacks and water…I’m someone that always has a stash of (at minimum) raw almonds on me. When I went to China for 3 weeks I took 2 boxes of protein bars (I wasn’t sure I’d find something I could substitute, as I’m allergic to aspartame, and other artificial sweeteners) - I was really glad I did, good quality snacks (at that time, 2004) were very hard to come by.
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LOL on Kim. Back in the day, that would have been a real hassle to have it be that time of the month for the race!!
I did not know the fish/boat strategy for the twins and Arjun and Natalie. They seemed ALL over the place!
Kim and Penn seem to sure know each other’s strengths like a well oiled machine. I’m continually impressed by both of them - her to conquer that bungee jump, him to focus to remember all the things AND to do that knot challenge! That to me looked hard!
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Yeah, I thought I would not be able to do the knot challenge AT ALL. I didn’t understand how the white hook thing worked.
The white thing reminded me of a shuttle you use for tatting.
Without going into too much detail, apparently the women’s cycles were syncing and Kim did not expect to start that day. She asked Penn to do the challenge because she needed to use the restroom.
Apparently Penn has close to a photographic memory.
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Wowser beautiful Greece - they are getting to see some beautiful countries! The food was a much better experience tasting wise than Corsica!
I just wasn’t sure what the end would bring! Spoilers below for this episode….
Cannot believe a 3rd win in a row for Kim and Penn - I don’t want them to get a mark on their back. And sort of love that the dad and daughter DID NOT finish last for once!
We are down to 4 teams and 3 of them I think are VERY competitive and any of them could pull a win. 3 very strong teams.
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Not much additional insight from Kim and Penn other than the fact that the person who did the first roadblock could not do the second one.
Not sure how the boys got lost and didn’t come in 2nd. It must have been close.
And I think the twins were not close at all to the dad/daughter who came in 4th.
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I don’t normally feel this way, but I would’ve ROCKED this week’s challenges. Marrying into an Eastern Orthodox, grape leaf-rolling family would’ve paid off.
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I was thinking that my Greek friends wouldn’t have had to listen to the priest give the lecture. They know all those saints and what they did and who died and how. Heck, I know a few of them just from going to weddings, funerals, and the Greek Festival most years.