August 10, 2004

The Amazing Race: The Home Game

For the first time (as far as I can remember), we were told the actual arrival time of the first team to the Sphinx pit stop (Colin/Christie, 11:27 AM). From this, I've put together my scenario for everybody's departure times. If you don't watch The Amazing Race, there's really nothing more for you to see here.

  1. Colin & Christie 11:27 PM
  2. Charla & Myrna 6:15 AM
  3. The Boy With The Blond Afro & The Girl Who Looks Like Christie But Isn't 7:00 AM
  4. Chip & His Wife Whose Name I Still Don't Know Halfway Thru The Season 7:02 AM
  5. The Annoying Brothers 7:10 AM
  6. The Blond Twins 7:20 AM
  7. The Bowling Moms 7:22 AM
    My rationale:
  • In a rare thing for CBS, we are told exactly when C&C arrive.
  • C&M got to the camel detour right when it closed (5:30 PM) and had to walk a mile at what looked like a slow walking pace (20 minutes). 15 minutes to set up before, 10 to walk to the Sphinx after.
  • The next batch of teams got to Cairo an hour later, and to the block detour at roughly the same time, and I'm guessing the block detour was about 15 minutes quicker than the camels.
  • Chip & His Wife finished the block detour first but stopped to give the twins directions (WHY, CHIP, WHY?). Chip was surprised that TBWTBA&TGWLLCBI got past them, so I don't think they were more than a minute or two behind.
  • The Brothers looked pretty close to the others in the same group, but weren't done with the blocks by the time the twins arrived.
  • One of the Bowling Moms said, on the final run to the Sphinx, "Oh, look, they're not there yet!" If that referred to the twins, they couldn't have been far behind them.

Update: I did OK in some spots; others, not so much.

  • Charla and Myrna: I said 6:15, actual time 6:41. Looks like the camel walked slower than I thought...
  • Brandon and Nichole: I said 7:00, actual time 6:45. ...or the block drag was faster, because B&N made up just about the whole hour they were behind.
  • Chip & Kim: I said 7:02, actual time 6:46. Called this one right on (relative to the team ahead of them).
  • Brothers: I said 7:10, actual time 7:21. Close in actual time, not so close in relative interval. I guess Marshall's knee (was it Marshall? (shrug) Doesn't matter now) really slowed them down.
  • Kami & Karli: I said 7:20, actual time 8:33. Either they took a really long time to do the stone drag, or the brothers finished quicker and only clever editing made the girls look close.
  • Bowling Moms: I said 7:22, actual time 10:09. Speaking of clever editing, it's now clear that when they showed the girls from behind, then one of the moms saying "they're not there yet," she weren't referring to the girls.

Posted by Chris at August 10, 2004 08:12 AM

Category: Reality TV
Comments

It killed me when Chip helped the twins. Who cares that they hated you, Chip? They were just ticked that you broke the short-term alliance for your own advantage before they were planning to do so themselves. You were simply playing the game, and they hated you because you outplayed them.

This entire race can be summed up as this:
(1) Cut to Charla working like a pack mule because Mirna has a hangnail or gets weak-kneed at, say, the sight of chicken fat. Then, after workhorse Charla completes the task, cut to Mirna impatiently screaming about the one thing her cousin is physically incapable of doing as well: "Run, Charla, RRUUNNN!!"
(2) A bunch of other people competing without much excitement.

Posted by: Steve at August 13, 2004 10:04 AM

Yeah, either that's really brutal editing or Mirna's really a bitch, because every time she says "Hurry up, Charla!" they cut to Charla running as fast as she can...

And Chip's problem is that he's too nice a guy, and that he's unable to not help people. They've alluded to this already; I suspect when they're eliminated, that will play into it.

OTOH, the girls did help the brothers find the clue box at the temple...

Posted by: Chris of Dangerous Logic at August 13, 2004 02:01 PM