TAR - All Stars Episode 7
If you haven't yet seen (and you intend to see) episode 7 of The Amazing Race Series 11 – All Stars Edition (TARAS), do not read any further!
The last TARAS episode we saw here in Australia ended with Teri & Ian being the last team to reach the Pit Stop and the fifth team to be eliminated from the All Stars edition of the show. The Pit Stop was located inside the grounds to the ‘Old Fort’ (Ngome Konwe) in Zanzibar Town, Tanzania.
The Detour was ‘Perfect Pitch’ or ‘Perfect Angle’. In ‘Perfect Pitch’, teams had to make their way three-quarters of a mile to the Prymas Palace and choose a grand piano. Then, they needed to use the provided tools to tune one of the keys. Once the concert pianist played a piece of Chopin's music and determined that their piano was in tune, he would hand them their next clue. In ‘Perfect Angle’, teams made their way approximately half a mile to the Escada Boutique to pick up a mannequin and carry it another 400 yards to the Panoramik Laboratory. Once there, teams had to use an x-ray machine to locate a clue embedded somewhere inside their mannequin which needed to be positioned at a very specific angle for the image to capture the name of their next destination and commemorate Marie Curie.
The unaired ‘Roadblock’ required teams to row a boat out onto the reflecting pool in front of the palace. The objective is unknown.
For the record, this was the order in which the teams reached Phil on the mat last episode, and the order in which they started this leg of the Race:
1. Charla & Mirna
2. Oswald & Danny
3. Uchenna & Joyce
4. Dustin & Kandice
5. Eric & Danielle
6. Joe & Bill
Note: If you're already ahead of this point in the series, please refrain from giving any spoilers in your comments. Thank you.
As always, I’ll provide my thoughts on each team in this episode, listing them in the order in which they arrived at the Pit Stop (hence the 'Spoiler Alert!').
1. Dustin & Kandice
Last week: 4
This week: Up three places
These two did really well this week. As I said to Bevis after the show as we lay next to each other in bed, “Who would’ve thunk that the bobsy twins would’ve been the lucky ones to catch the earliest flight.” *
This business of flights brings me to the first order of business….which is of flights. The first trip the teams had to make was from Mozambique to Warsaw, and because the producers of the show knew that such flights were difficult to get, each team was given ‘default tickets’, but had the option of trying to get earlier flights. Naturally all the teams were desperate to find an earlier flight and a good part of this episode was spent watching the teams sitting around in travel agencies trying to book tickets. Not very interesting to watch and totally a pot luck situation as to who could get a decent flight. D & K were the luckiest team and managed to get the earliest flights to Warsaw.
Lucky booking wasn’t the only skill that helped them, as one had been studying pianology (the art of playing the piano – also a word I just made up) which was very useful in the task where they had to tune a piano key. At the previous clue they learnt that they had to look for Chopin (actually a guy dressed as him, who had to sit out in the open air playing the piano for 3 days straight waiting for teams to arrive). One of theses girls (I’m guessing the non paino playing one), when she learned they had to look for Chopin said, “For real?” To which the other replied, “He’s dead.” It would have been funnier if she had noted that a dead composer is also a……decomposer. But you can’t have everything.
In spite of this faux pas, I still think these two played the smartest game, but not by much.
* Bevis and I are both happily married and so this is a joke!
2. Oswald & Danny
Last week: 2
This week: No change
In the war to book earlier tickets these guys tried to take advantage of Charla & Mirna’s charming personalities in talking with the travel agents. Suprisingly this did not work exceedingly well. I belief that after waiting 6-8 hours they finally got tickets out of Africa that were marginally better than the default ones.
The only other thing I recall about this team is that during the piano tuning task they broke two strings before finally being allowed to move on.
3. Uchenna & Joyce
Last week: 3
This week: No change
These two were the first to get in contact with a travel agent in Africa. Unfortunately they called the travel agency that O & D, C & M, and D & K had just arrived at. These three teams rather cruelly badgered the agent into pretty much hanging up on them! After they did managed to get a flight plan organized later, they missed one of their connecting flights, which the editing made to look like a complete disaster, but I don’t think they did too bad to finish third. They struggled a bit to find the piano tuning task as well.
If I was Phil, I would have slapped Uchenna for the amount of times he said, “For real?” upon being told they had come 3rd.
4. Charla & Mirna
Last week: 1
This week: Down three places
Personally I wouldn’t be taunting a taxi driver in Warsaw about whether he likes Polish Sausage or not, but that’s just me. What they didn’t know is that if you taunt one Polish person, they all know about it. This meant that no Pole would give them directions when they most needed it.
These two began to do the piano tuning task like everyone else so far, but being completely tone deaf had to abandon it after a while and do the other task while involved getting xrays of a mannequin for the clue hidden inside.
5. Eric & Danielle
Last week: 5
This week: No change
They say that the race is a tough test on any relationship and these guys are nearly at breaking point. Danielle doesn’t really do anything but look pretty, and Eric should have known that before they began, but instead he doesn’t miss an opportunity to put her down and insult her intelligence. I’ve heard him on numerous occasions refer to her as ‘knuckhead’. If she was my bitch, I’d treat her right. Anyway enough silliness. These two douche bags couldn’t get any decent flights due to being way behind from the previous leg of the race and so had to use the crappy default tickets, which put them 6 weeks and 3 timezones behind everyone else (ok I’m exaggerating).
For the first time I’ve seen on TAR (although it may have happened before), the two last teams were so far behind that the first teams were beginning the next leg of the race while they finish this one!!
6. Joe & Bill
Last week: 6
This week: No change
A non elimination round saved serial bores Uchenna & Joyce and now the other non elimination saves my most hated team!!! Where were they to save my beloved Rob & Amber! I will avenge thee! ;)
Anyhoo, these two got stuck in the same situation as Eric & Danielle, but chose the mannequin task which took them a bit longer. They are so far behind and now with the 30 minute penalty for coming last this week, they are sure to be gone next week….I hope.
Last week's tips:
To be amended...
First Team:
Last Team:
Biggest Argument:
Smartest Team:
Next week's tips:
First Team: Oswald & Danny.
Last Team: Charla & Mirna.
Biggest Argument: Eric & Danielle.
Smartest Team: Oswald & Danny.
If you haven’t already done so, check out the review of this same episode that BEVIS posted on his blog.
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posted by Javatari at 9:53 PM
4 Comments:
Ha Ha, I am enjoying getting double reviews. Yours are a little naughtier though.
I can't wait to read what you have to write about Charla falling over all the time. I've never laughed so much at a preview.
One critisism is that it's taking you and Bevis nearly a week to finally get out of bed and write the next review
Colls, thanks for the encouragement! I'm mainly concerned with just writing what I feel about the teams and what amuses me, whereas Bevis is a better writer and makes proper use of English, so perhaps that's why I seem 'naughtier'. ;)
As for the lateness, I can only speak for myself and am somewhat ashamed of how late many of these reviews have been. In my own defence, I work shift work (12 hour shifts) so might be on for the next couple of days after an episode airs, then on my days off I have to wait until two babies are sleeping and my wife gives me leave to use my computer. Only under those conditions and if I don't have more pressing matters do I get a chance to type up any notes I might have, or even watch the show if I've had to record it. Such is life.
Now you know what it feels like, Javatari, to be running late with a review! Think of all the times you've commented about a TGYH or TAR review of mine in the past that was running late!
Also, the comment about us lying in bed together made me laugh. Colls Bolls' response to it, too.
I'm not going to say anything!
Bevis, you picked me up on something I forgot to say. I was seriously going to make the comment that I'll never have a go at you about a TGYH episode again!
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