World of Big Brother Blog

TAR 15 ended last night, and we have our winners, Meghan & Cheyne, and they have won seven out of twelve legs this season, making it a tie for the most legs won, as they are tied with Nick & Starr of season thirteen.

In this race, teams had to make their way to the Graceland wedding chapel where an Elvis Impersonator will hand them their next clue. Then, the teams were at their roadblock: The Mandalay bay, where one member had to rappel down. At the Mirage, the teams had to harness in a bungee cord and be lifted up high enough to grab a bouquet of flowers and hand them to a hippy actress. Then, teams had to figure out their next destination was the Monte Carlo, where they had to count $1,000,000 of poker chips to recieve their next clue. Then, finally, teams had to make their way to the MGM Grand, where teams had to find Mr. Las Vagas, or Wayne Newton, to tell them their finish line spot. The finish line was in Wayne Newton’s house, or Casa De Shanandoah. Here is the recap of how the teams performed in reverse placing order:

Brian Ericka (3rd place) – Brian/Ericka started off with the best of the three taxi drivers, and Ericka completed the roadblock first, before Meghan/Cheyne or Sam/Dan. They fell behind at the Bouquet task, when Ericka couldn’t get the bouquet easily, as they got very frusterated, especially Ericka. They failed to figure out the chip counting twice, which pretty much put them in third place. I really had fun rooting for them, and enjoyed them he most throughout the race.

Sam/Dan (2nd place) – They started off with the slowest of the taxis, and were the last at the roadblock. They were going to follow Meghan/Cheyneat the wrong hotel, but easily found out they needed to go to Monte Carlo. They got the chip count wrong the first time, in which this got them second place. They really only bickered on the chip count, but not as bad, since there was no detour.

Meghan/Cheyne (1st place) – Meghan/Cheyne started on the roadblock, with Cheyne competing, andthey finish just behind Brain/Ericka. Then, after they finish the bouquet challenge, they ended up driving to the wrong hotel, in which they let Sam/Dan in first place. Then, they finished the chip counting first and arrived to the finish line first, becoming the first team to arrive, winning The Amazing Race’s 15th season. I fairly agree they were good racers, and were probably one of the best racers on the race to win, ever, simply because of their good first place finishes.

Now, we have season sixteen to look after for, in which one team we’ll always remember from that season is Jeff/Jordan from Big Brother US 11. Also, we have discovered another beauty queen, Miss Teen 2007, Caitlyn Upton, who the first underaged contestant to break the must-be-over-21 rules. TAR always has a lot of beauty queens, as it seems that is the present obsession for TAR. Check in later to see my rankings of Seasons & Winners of TAR.

TAR came on last night, and had just one episode to go. The four remaining teams all stayed in Prague, Czech Republic. In the roadblock, teams must have one person search through ringing telephones to hear the letters F R A N Z and arrange them to spell Franz, in order to recieve their next clue. Then, teams had to the Kryocentrum and spend two minutes in a Kryotherapy chamber in order to recieve their next clue. At Charles Bridge they were given their detour: build a golem (Legend) or serve beer to soccer fans (Lager). Strelecky Ostrov was the pit stop.

Meghan/Cheyne- They ran the entire race in first place, simply because there was no bunching up at all on this leg, they never left the city of Prague. They were fighting on the Golem detour, for a bit, but that’s because they have seemed to always fight or freak out on detours. They clearly got first place, again, winning 52 inch televisions. I think they have so much potential to win, but I still want Brian/Ericka to win. I’ll let them take second. However, if they do get first place, they’ll be tied with Nick/Starr (TAR13) for an amount of first place finishes.

Sam/Dan- During the race, they started with the detour, in which the one who was working on the detour, was working with either Flight Time or Big Easy on it and once Sam/Dan got the answer right, they decided not to tell the other person, despite the fact they were helping each other. This was again, another sneaky move from Sam/Dan, that they really didn’t need to start in the first place. They went through the detour screaming at each other, as usual, even worse than Meghan/Cheyne. They finished, however, and got second place.

Brian/Ericka- They started the race with a speed bump, in which they had to go to a night club and drink extremely strong liqour in order to move on. They completed it just fine. They got irritated with drunks off the streets stealing beer from them, while doing the detour, as Ericka was giving them some all-American attitude. They ended up getting third place, and the third spot in the final three. I want them to win, since they can easily come from behind, as they are good at that, and while they haven’t had first yet, I still see them as potential winners.

Flight Time/Big Easy- They struggled with the roadblock and the one competing, ended up taking a four hour penalty for not completing this roadblock. I seriously thought that was a dumb thing to do. It’s a five letter word, and you’re at the final four. Not a very good move, I’d say. They ended up choosing the detour, making it through that, and Phil tells them they’re in last place, and have been eliminated. I think they could have made it, especially if they chose the legend detour, but oh well. At least Brian/Ericka are in.

Now, I have some exciting news about the sixteenth season of TAR. It’s highly rumored that it will feature Jeff & Jordan from Big Brother 11, as a dating couple. I think this could be great, and I truly see potential in that team. Here is the information on Jeff/Jordan on TAR, and some brief descriptions of the other eleven teams: realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/the_amazing_race_16/2009_Nov_29_lax.

In this leg of The Amazing Race, teams traveled to Prague, Czech Republic where they had to find a vintage praga in order to receive their next clue, which was a detour. In the detour, teams had to either go fast and furious (kayak through water to capture a flag) or slow and steady (zip line through a rope to get their next clue). Then, teams had to figure out what the flag was saying in which they had to go to Estates Theater where in this roadblock, the teams had one person search for a tiny musical instrument and had it to an opera singer. Castle Prague was the pit stop.

1st – Meghan/Cheyne -They pretty much ran this race in first place, finishing the detour first, they worked with the Globetrotters until Cheyne wanted to snatch a taxi, in which that got the Globetrotters, and even Meghan upset. At the roadblock, Cheyne found the instrument before Sam/Dan & Flight time/Big Easy, and before Brian/Ericka arrived, so they got to Check into the pit stop. They were team number one again, but proved that Brian/Ericka is this season’s nice team.

2nd – Sam/Dan -During the detour, they failed three time to row the canoe down the man-made river, so they ended up switching detours. After the completed the detour, they stole a taxi belonging to Brian/Ericka. I personally think that’s a bit wrong, to bribe a taxi driver, especially from a foreign country. I mean, you can’t do those things here in the U.S. They got to the roadblock, where one of them found the instrument before the Globetrotters did, andfought against them as the Globetrotters finished, in a race to the pit stop. They took second place.

3rd – Flight Time/Big Easy -They started the race with a strong follow with Sam/Dan & Meghan/Cheyne, where they finished the detour second, completing it, and then getting ditched my Meghan/Cheyne. I personally think I understand their point, if you promise someone you’d help them, you should do that or not make the deal at all. They found their way out of the roadblock, and came to be team number three.

4th – Brian/Ericka -They made a mistake by taking a train instead of a taxi, putting them a bit behind. They did okay on the detour, but got their taxi stolen from Sam/Dan. Then, after the roadblock, they came into the pit stop, where Phil tells them they can continue racing, they haven’t been eliminated. I was glad they were spared from elimination, I couldn’t lose two favorites in a row, by losing them and Laura from Survivor. They are mainly the only team I want to see win, and I feel they have a chance, they’re not way too far as underdogs.

Right now, I want Sam/Dan to get eliminated. I believe their competitive spirit of intimidating teams is not very necessary in a race like this. Teams should worry about themselves, not the other teams. The Globetrotters seem OK, but they really seem to take things personal, and act like they are always innocent. Meghan/Cheyne are doing well, and I think they’re doing too well, but I really still want Brian/Ericka to beat them out.

TAR is winding down, faster than Survivor, because that still has ten left to deal with where here in TAR, we’re down to four teams. The teams were headed to Estonia, where they had to take a ferry which didn’t leave until well over 12 hours everyone left the pit stop, bunching everyone up. In Estonia, they had to make their way to a “secret” Merchant Brotherhood house where in this roadblock, one person had to use a candle, search for a marked room, with a number and receive a clue. The clue had nothing visible written on it, so they had to use the candle in order to read the clue. Then in Pikk Hermann Tower Garden, teams received their detour: sling (slingshot veggies at a moose sign to release their clue) or serve (play volleyball in a buddy bog and score five points). A wooden tower on the bog land was the pit stop.

Meghan/Cheyne - Meghan/Cheyne were pretty much in first in this leg, they were the first to the Merchant place, and Cheyne finished the roadblock first. They got extremely fortunate to breeze through the detour, choosing the volleyball, since Meghan is a volleyball player. Before any of the teams arrived to the detour set, Meghan/Cheyne arrived to the pit stop, taking first place for the fourth time. It seems things are almost going their way when it comes to getting first place. They got their second first place through the Fast Forward, which ultimately helped them get a back-to-back first place, since the Dubai legs weren’t bunching up, and they easily take first this time over a sport she plays. Whenever they are more stressed out, and freaking out more, they don’t seem to carry first place, though.

Sam/Dan - Sam/Dan first started racing very closely by Meghan/Cheyne, but at the roadblock, Sam didn’t seem to get the invisible clue first. After finishing, and looking for another taxi, they ended up sharing a bus type taxi to the detour where they couldn’t find the marked pathway. They ended up beating Brian/Ericka out on the volleyball court and during the detour, faced off with the Globetrotters. They simple took second place, just seconds behind then, the Globetrotters, they beat out.

Flight Time/Big Easy - During their time, they were simply just only ahead of Gary/Matt, as one of them ended up using a crayon to scribble their clue, not knowing they needed to hold it up to the candle. During the detour, they followed Sam/Dan & Brian/Ericka in a mater to find the marked pathway to the detour set. They squared off with Sam/Dan in a fight to the pit stop, as one of the Globetrotters supposedly tripped Sam or Dan. I honestly didn’t see the globetrotter literally trip them, because I’m pretty sure that physical violence on this race would lead to disqualification or a major penalty. The Globetrotters easily take third place.

Brian/Ericka - They started off, ok, as Ericka was the second person to finish the roadblock. What put them behind was not being able to find the marked pathway, as the same for Sam/Dan & Flight Time/Big Easy. They couldn’t outrun the Globetrotters or Sam/Dan to the muddy volleyball court, so they opted to do the sling detour. They finally finished the detour and moved into the pit stop at fourth place. If only they had another volleyball net, they could’ve maybe placed a bit higher, but oh well, they’re still there.

Gary/Matt - They started off the race with a speed bump, which was to spend time in a sauna on a bus. Now how epically creatively sweet is that!?!? Matt struggled to find a candelabra, putting them furthered behind. Then, Gary & Matt struggled to find the clue box at the Tower Garden, putting them even further back. They chose to do the sling detour, and at the pit stop, they were told by Phil they are in last place and have been eliminated. They had a teary goodbye, and really talked about their appreciation of the race, and just being together.

During this race, we can now clearly see there’s a rivalry between Flight Time/Big Easy & Sam/Dan. I would like to say that I’m neutral on this feud, as it appears that both of these teams have intimidated each other-and others. For instance, the Globetrotters have been seen psyching Mika out and aggressively behaving around Sam/Dan and Sam/Dan are saying stuff such as “Did Your fans help you get here!?” and stealing Brian/Ericka’s taxi, we’re supposed to see next episode. I think their rivalry is pointless. I mean, can’t they just be glad they have something to fight for, and can’t they just enjoy the race. I would give my clothes on my back, strip down naked then rub myself with maple syrup and roll in maple leaves (with paparazzi, of course) just to travel & see inches of the world, and not just on a TV screen or Google images, I know I would. What I’m saying, at this point of the race, is the experience of traveling the world with someone who love is clearly worth more than $1,000,000.

Love: Brian/Ericka, Meghan/Cheyne
Like:
Neutral:
Meh: Sam/Dan, Flight Time/Big Easy
Dislike:

In this episode, the teams had to make their way to Tivoli Grund Lond where they had to have one teammate ride the tallest ride to spot an arrow pointing them to their next clue. In their next clue, they had to play a theme park style ring game where they had to discover a Travelocity gnome. Then, teams had to pick one of two detours: Nobel Dynamite (blow up ground to uncover their next clue) or Viking Alphabet (Decode a message of the Viking alphabet). In the final task, teams had the roadblock where one teammate had to search for a red-yellow ribbon in order to check in to the pit stop, which was the same farm, Bogs Gard farm.

1st – Flight Time/Big Easy - They were the team who were pretty much lucky to et first, simple because while they started the race in the first flight, they couldn’t make the first train, putting them fifteen minutes behind. They easily caught up at the roadblock, easily passing Meghan/Cheyne. They lucked out, as one of them was the first to find the ribbon in the hay stack, claiming first place right on one of their birthday’s. They seem to have gotten lucky, as all of the teams were pretty much bunched up on the roadblock. I believe tat being on the first flight, putting Ericka/Brain & Gary/Mat behind got them first place. They ar, however, always getting along, making the race into some fun, and perhaps comical, and are a good team. They move up in my opinion.

2nd – Meghan/Cheyne - They were starting the race off well, getting on the first flight and the first train with only Sam/Dan on their heels. At the detour, they failed to listen together, which put them in the middle of the pack, as Meghan’s idea to do one bag of soil at a time was not really a good idea. At the roadblock, in which Meghan, who was the only woman pulling those strong, heavy hay stacks struggled to get a grip on the task, and easily freaked out a lot. However she was the second person to find the ribbon and Meghan/Cheyne became team number two. Cheyne comments on how Meghan pulled the weight in this episode, which easily shows to me that he’s easily willing to share the contributions the race is about. Other’s were practically carried to each pit stop.

3rd – Brian/Ericka - They were stuck with choosing a flight that was approx 90 minutes behind, with Gary/Matt on their tail. However, they took an easy fourth when Gary/Matt didn’t catch the train. They did well and maintained to stay out of last place at the route info and the detour. They caught up to Sam/Dan & Meghan/Cheyne at the roadblock, where Brain found the ribbon third, and Brian/Ericka became team number three. So, we know Brian does well on roadblocks, and I’m glad he did this one; otherwise we’d see Ericka freak out for sure. They ran a batter leg, and managed to stay out of last the entire time. I still like them, and I really see them in the final three.

4th – Sam/Dan - Sam/Dan pretty much ran this leg with most of the time leading everyone. They got on the first flight, got on the first train, and finished the route info and detour first before anyone else did. However, Sam struggled and ran out of luck trying to compete in the roadblock. Sam/Dan were constantly yelling at each other non-stop during the whole roadblock, which got them on each other’s nerves. Sam/Dan managed to beat out Gary/Matt and they checked into the pit stop as team number four. Sam/Dan are starting to really make me feel uncomfortable every time I watch them. I also don’t get their rivalry with the Globetrotters, I mean, saying stuff like “Did your fans help you get here?” is kind of pointless to say, if you ask me.

5th – Gary/Matt - They were placed on the last flight with Brian/Ericka, and missed the train, putting them down fifteen minutes and putting them into last pretty much the entire leg. They didn’t seem to be too well on navigating themselves from place to place, which would’ve put them further behind. They did okay on the detour, but were still behind Brain/Ericka the entire time. Gary was the last to find the red and yellow ribbon and Gary/Mat checked in to the pit stop a last place. However, they were spared from elimination and were to compete in the next leg with a speed bump. I really feel that luck wasn’t on their side, and I still feel they have an equal shot to race well against the others.

LLNMD List:
Love: Brian/Ericka, Gary/Matt, Meghan/Cheyne
Like: Flight Time/Big Easy,
Neutral: Sam/Dan
Meh:
Dislike:

In this episode of TAR, the teams had to first make their way to the Martinitoren where in this roadblock, one team member had to count the bells of the tower and correctly say their answer to the piano player, who’ll hand them their next clue. Then, teams had to make their way to De Marne where in this detour, teams must ride bikes and either do Farmer’s dance and learn a dance routine or Farmer’s Golf. Then, they had to ride their bikes to the pit stop, De Marne Harbour.

Sam/Dan – They pretty much were running a solid leg of the race. With the help of another team in the roadblock, while also helping Tiffany later, it was them and Meghan/Cheyne who moved into the front of the pack. They excelled through the golf detour, which put them ahead of the pack and they came into first place, Male/Female Dutch clothes and all.

Meghan/Cheyne – They are once again running a solid race. The only thing was Meghan didn’t know how to play golf, which, put them behind Sam/Dan, as Cheyne claims he couldn’t do the dance detour either. They are simply good racers, but not doing much else to be more remembered. Meghan seems to freak out on detours, where Ericka freaks out on Roadblock (explained later) so Cheyne seems to be holding her up, or, at least that’s what it looks like.

Flight Time/Big Easy – They were the fifth to finish the roadblock, but I must say, did better than the suitcase roadblock. They caught up and passed the other two teams ahead (Maria/Tiffany, Gary/Matt) as they danced their way to the team number three position. They ran a better leg, and everything really says they are the team to beat, simply because they’re the athletes.

Gary/Matt – These guys ran a decent leg, but not as fast as the top three teams, and I believe they could’ve had top three, maybe top two, if they chose the golf detour first, and never considered the dance detour. I see some race potential for them. They might get to the final here, but since this has been a pretty predictable race, I really don’t know for sure.

Brian/Ericka – They really screwed up, and got very lucky that Maria/Tiffany screwed up more, which, I’m thankful. Ericka struggled to count the bells on the tower and freaked out, nearly psyching herself out. Then, once they arrived at the pit stop, they received a 30-minute penalty for not riding the bikes during the detour. They were spared, since maria/Tiffany didn’t show up yet. I’m really sorry they had a bad leg, and am glad they’re still in the race, and want them to continue on to become the winners.

Tiffany/Maria – Just like in the poker world, if you can’t win, you fold, and that’s what they did. They were given the answer by Dan/Sam, so they had no choice but to continue onto the detour. The detour, however, got them screwed badly. They couldn’t hit the high striker (from the dance detour) after trying over 100 times. They finally fell apart on the gold detour, and gave up the task. Phil came to the detour set to inform them they have been eliminated.

Up next week, we have the hardest and most infamous luck-and-keen-eye task where they’ll have to find a clue among hundreds of haystacks. We see that Sam/Dan & Meghan/Cheyne were most frustrated with this, so I will be assuming they will be having the most difficult time with the next roadblock. I remember in TAR6, the season with Freddy/Kendra (<3), one teams spent several hours on that detour. I wonder if that will happen, or if these teams throw us off and ironically finish early.

As for who I want to see in the final three, well, I’ll say Brian/Ericka, just because they are my favourites, so I obviously want them to win. I would also like to see Gary/Matt get there, because they are really a good example of what the Amazing Race is all about, strengthening relationships, and plus they are really easy to like. Third, I’m going to have to say Meghan/Cheyne, simple because they deserve to be there, since they’ve done so well so far. However, these five teams are all about even to getting to the final three, and I suppose anything could happen.

LLNMD List:
Love: Brian/Ericka, Gary/Matt
Like: Meghan/Cheyne, Sam/Dan
Neutral: Flight Time/Big Easy
Meh:
Dislike:

All of these are just so good at running solid legs, and all of the remaining teams have ran the race with at least half way solidly, It’s almost too hard to predict who will win, and who will be next. It’s strictly going to depend on what’s in store for the next upcoming legs.

Tasks: While still in Dubai, In the roadblock the teams had one member row a tiny inflatable boat to a yacht where they’ll be given a watch with a combo to open a briefcase they were to choose at the start of the leg on the pit stop. Then, the teams competed in their next detour: put together hookahs or equal out some gold. Then, the racers had to go to Atlantis Aquaventure Park, where they had to have both team members slide down a tunnel beneath a shark lagoon.

Meghan/Cheyne – They, once again, got first place, which shouldn’t be a hard thing to do since you took a fast forward and didn’t get bunched up because you didn’t leave Dubai. They really seemed to have some freak out moments, and talk about how stressful it was at the detour. I guess it’d be even more stressful if you weren’t in the lead, and in last. They still continue to race very good, and raced a solid race, just without the freak outs.

Maria/Tiffany – Basically, they chose the gold detour, but not because it was the right detour for them, it was all because they happened to be doing the detour with Sam/Dan, their “allies”. They were racing in the near middle of the pack, that is until a calculator saved them in the detour. They got to the water park before Sam/Dan, and that got them to team number two. At least they can get to the front of the pack now, let’s just see them do that without Sam/Dan helping them a little bit.

Sam/Dan – They were pretty much the same case as Maria/Tiffany, they were in the middle of the pack, and jumped right up since they had a calculator with them for the detour. I never would’ve honestly guessed that someone would actually have a calculator with them on The Amazing Race. They had no problem with the race either; it just was never bunched up at all.

Brian/Ericka – They had the right idea, choosing the right detour, the gold detour, but they didn’t have a calculator with them, and since the gold changed every minute, Brian couldn’t figure out the math within one minute, and he and Ericka ended up switching detours. After some frustration with the hookahs, they ended up figuring out what they weren’t doing right, and moved along to the water park. They came to the pit stop in team number four.

Gary/Matt – They too ran a solid race, with few mistakes, and since they were up against teams with a head start or advantage, they easily got fifth place. I’m actually glad they can get along, despite not being a huge part of teach other’s lives, and Matt being so different. I still wish them the best of luck in the race, as long as they continue to race well.

Flight Time/Big Easy – They were the team that just kept falling behind and two “strategies” saved them: But first, they couldn’t figure out the combo, despite it was clearly straight up given to them on a watch. I guess they can’t tell time, and I’m not sure if they really “did well for the hood”. What saved them was the option to change detours and quickly solve the math, and then got an extremely lucky break when Mika couldn’t go down the water slide. They got to be a very lucky team number six.

Mika/Canaan – They were once again, second-to-last the entire leg of the race. They had the Globetrotters, who were really far behind them. What really screwed them-or Canaan- over was Mika’s fear to slide down the water slide, as she was either afraid of heights or afraid of water, but clearly not afraid of losing the race. Canaan got really frustrated with her, and he may perhaps have not done what Jesus would’ve done, he decided to attempt to push her down the slide. The Globetrotters arrive, and convince Mika not to slide down the tube. Mika/Canaan were last, and eliminated.

This race is actually pretty good, all of those six teams have a potential to win. I’m not too sure about Maria/Tiffany, they really seemed hopeless, or just plain luckless until this leg, in which if there was some bunch up, they could’ve actually received first. Dubai was amazing, it made me want to go there.

LLNMD List:

Love: Brian/Ericka,
Like: Canaan/Mika, Gary/Matt,
Neutral: Meghan/Cheyne, Maria/Tiffany, Sam/Dan,
Meh: Flight Time/Big Easy
Dislike:

1-5 Power Rankings:
5:
4: Meghan/Cheyne, Brian/Ericka
3: Flight Time/Big Easy, Sam/Dan, Gary/Matt
2: Maria/Tiffany
1:

Teams had to scale the tallest building in the world in Dubai, UAE. In this leg, teams had to go very hot, and have one person do the roadblock by searching for water in a desert and in the detour things got cold as they went to an indoor ski resort to literally either find a tiny snowman in a large snow pile or build a snowman. Madinat Jumeriah was the pit stop.

1st: Meghan/Cheyne – Meghan/Cheyne took the fast forward which was to have someone drive an extremely fast car one leg under 45 seconds to win it. Cheyne drove the car in about 40 seconds, and him and Meghan won the Fast Forward, taking first place. I’m not exactly sure what to say about their performance, considering they were the only team vying for the FF, and had it pretty easy. I think they could’ve done without it, but considering this race has only one Fast forward, why not go for it.

2nd: Brian/Ericka – Brian/Ericka remained at the top of the pack, and I believe Brian finished the roadblock first, gaining second, and easily found their tiny snowman in the snow bank. They seemed to have had a lot of fun this leg, they’re enjoying the race, and are getting along easily. They are still my favourites and I still believe we’ll see them in the final three. Maybe after the show, they’ll get to host some interracial dating show.

3rd: Flight Time/Big Easy – They are still very good competitors, but seriously, how can they not be? They’re the most athletic team of all of them, and I am just sure they’ll need to get to the first U-Turn first, otherwise they’ll actually have to fight to stay in the race. Like I fast forward, I only expect to see one U-Turn, considering it’s what, leg five.

4th: Gary/Matt – They were running the race in the sort-of middle of the pack. Their golden element was to be the ones who built a snowman, rather than spending a whole lot of time on the find a snowman detour. They are still good racers, better than Mika/Canaan or Maria/Tiffany and could get to the final three at this rate.

5th: Sam/Dan – I don’t remember them much, and as of now, we’ve lost their connection to Maria/Tiffany we had in the first two legs. They are mainly concentrating on trying not to fight, and one of them, Is it Dan? Is seen whining and the other one is telling him to shut up a lot.

6th: Maria/Tiffany – I don’t think they are very good, as they’ve never received higher than fourth place, same for Mika/Canaan. They’re fighting to see if they can get to leg eight, if there’s another NEL, which I don’t expect one until final five.

7th: Mika/Canaan – Ugh, the disappointing team where a guy, who could race well if he raced with someone else, has an extremely ditzy partner. They’ll be very lucky to ever see final five, or like Maria/Tiffany, top five. I’d really like them, but whatever, they‘ve got no final three potential whatsoever.

8th: Lance/Keri – They were eliminated because they sucked at driving themselves from one place to another. They could’ve improved on communication skills, but I really don’t know. They’re off to elimination station.

Leg Four tasks: Teams had to make their way to the Foreign Correspondent’s Club where they must ask for their next assignment. Then, teams where given a picture of Jackie Kennedy and had to find the Kennedy suite. In the detour, teams had to either cover or wrap, by selling motorcycle helmets or finding a matching colored scarf. In the roadblock, teams had to act like monkeys and perform stunts humans do as monkeys. The pit stop was Wat Phnom.

1ST – Sam/Dan – They managed to stay in the front of the pack throughout most the race, and I believe they were only behind Zev/Justin. They were the second team to arrive to the pit stop, behind Zev/Justin, and were very close to Herb/Nate, but Zev/Justin revealed they lost a passport, and had to leave the pit stop to find it.

2ND – Flight/Time/Big Easy – Again, they ran another solid race, and easily caught up to Sam/Dan. I really feel they are decent racers indeed, and will make this race really competitive.

3RD – Brian/Ericka – This team really knows how to climb to a top position, and I really think they have potential to race, despite their first episode performance. I’m waiting for them to get first place, and make an easy run to the finish line.

4TH – Gary/Matt – They are still good racers, and I’m glad they are not a bickering team, and really get along despite being completely different. Lance/Keri can really learn from them.

5TH – Meghan/Cheyne – They kind of remind me of TAR6 Kris/Jon, but way more likable, but on a more competitive race. I see they are getting along and that’s a plus, and they are good racers, so far.

6TH – Lance/Keri – They are always almost in the bottom of the pack, along with Mika/Canaan. This is our conflicting arguing team of the season that hardly anyone likes. I am actually meh on them because they aren’t good at good grip on the race and they are always fighting.

7TH – Mika/Canaan – You can only fall in the back of the pack so many times before you’re hopeless. I really wish this team was a lot better. They are almost like the older teams or perhaps, Dani/Danielle or Marisa/Brooke.

8TH – Maria/Tiffany – This was the second time arriving last to the pit stop and got spared, after getting spared on a NEL and then on a team penalized. I don’t expect much from them, which is a disappointment.

9TH – Zev/Justin – They arrived in first, and pretty much had first the entire leg, however, Zev lost his passport. They couldn’t find it at all (it was reported that the passport was left on the monkey roadblock) and were eliminated from the race.

This was a disappointing leg simply because all it was we saw was scarf matching, helmet selling, hat searching, suite searching, and a monkey task a kid could do. This was way under what I’d expect from so much competitive teams casted. I’m starting to think this race will be very predictable, and I’d be shocked if this race didn’t end up with the Globetrotters, Team Zebra, Dan/Sam, and Meghan/Cheyne as the final four teams, I which I’d know to expect a u-turn to change that, but whatever.

LLNMD list:
LOVE: Brian/Ericka
Like: Flight Time/Big Easy, Meghan/Cheyne, Gary/Matt, Mika/Canaan, Zev/Justin,
Neutral: Maria/Tiffany, Sam/Dan,
Meh: Lance/Keri
Dislike:

1-5 Power Rankings:
5: Flight Time/Big Easy
4: Sam/Dan
3: Meghan/Cheyne, Brian/Ericka
2: Gary/Matt
1: Mika/Canaan, Maria/Tiffany, Lance/Keri

I have come up with a different writing style for this episode of TAR15, and I want to know how it looks. Since this was one of those episodes that had a lot of stuff going on, such as half the teams on such and such, the other half on the other such and such, I am giving an individual summary of how the team performed on this leg. I’ll start with all the tasks, and put the team summaries and review of them in placement order.

THE TASKS OF LEG 03: The teams traveled back to Ho Chi Mihn City, where they to snatch a bullet from a dragon in a puppet theatre, where they received a stamp to a post office. In the detour, they had to either carry a cute, wooden animal across a park to get five balloons, or actually use their brains to search for letters on motorbikes and then scramble that word (SUCLAP) which is Vietnamese for independence. Then, in the roadblock, teams had to simply take some sort of electronic devise apart.

1ST – Herb/Nate – Flight/Time/Big Easy easily got the lead from the puppet theatre all the way to first place. They did well on the Child’s play detour and easily took down the roadblock. The are probably going to be the team to beat, and I truly wonder why Marcy said in Elimination station they’ll be the next team out, unless they get U-Turned, which we hope doesn’t happen.

2ND – Meghan/Cheyne – They are also running a solid race so far, they got a good taxi which put them in the front of the pack and did exceptionally well on the detour and roadblock. They could have a potential good run on this race, despite the abundance of completive nature we have this season.

3RD – Gary/Mat – They are doing well, surprisingly, and I really didn’t think that would happen for them. I guess, they have surprised me, just like I thought Mel/Mike would go early in TAR14, they could have that happen to them.

4TH – Brian/Ericka – This is our comeback team, they started the leg in last, and came to the pit stop in fourth place. Hey nicknamed themselves Team Zebra, and seemed to be a lot calmer this leg than last leg a lot. I’m still thinking I’ll be rooting for them, simply because I still love their positive message their trying to spread, and really feel they’ll have a chance in this race.

5TH – Sam/Dan – These two guys were really arguing a lot this episode, but not the most, though. I really don’t think we’ll get must positively vibes from this duo. They’ll probably get annoying, just like Lance/Keri. They are, however, decent racers so far, and could have a bit of potential to go far in the race.

6TH – Maria/Tiffany – They are also not bad racers, and could really do well on this show. They seem to have had the last two legs work out for them, and I’m ready to se if they can get to the front of the pack. We really didn’t get to see them react much with Sam/Dan, like they were last week, and it seems now that them being poker players isn’t being mentioned as a huge deal anymore.

7TH – Mika/Canaan – They are slowly getting better, but really need to step it up more than all of the other teams. I still like them as a team, but not really as much as I like Brian/Ericka. They are really looking like underdogs, but than again, some other teams were kind of in a similar situation for sure.

8TH – Zev/Justin – I’m not exactly sure how they got so far in the back of the pack, but I thought they’d be doing better than what they are now. Oh ell, and I don’t really remember much about them either. That’s too bad, because I really liked them the first leg.

9TH – Lance/Keri – I don’t see this team doing us much of a favor, as a mater of fact, I think they are this year’s fighting team. They really didn’t seem to have much luck this time, and I believe they would’ve been eliminated if Marcy/Ron chose the faster detour.

10th – Marcy/Ron were probably eliminated because they chose the opposing detour, in which all the other nine teams did child’s play, where they did Word Play. They were also the least edited team, which kind of had me feeling they weren’t going to last long after all.

Here is my LLNMD List & 1-5 Power Rankings
LLNMD List:
Love: Brian/Ericka
Like: Fight Time/Big Easy, Meghan/Cheyne, Gary/Matt, Mika/Canaan, Zev/Justin
Neutral: Maria/Tiffany, Marcy/Ron
Meh: Sam/Dan, Lance/Keri
Dislike:

1-5 Power Rankings:
5.
4. Flight Time/Big Easy, Meghan/Cheyne
3. Brian/Ericka, Gary/Matt
2. Zev/Justin, Maria/Tiffany, Sam/Dan
1. Mika/Canaan, Lance/Keri

The teams left Tokyo, Japan to see Ho Chi Mihn, Vietnam to take a bus to Cai Be, where they had to arrive to the dock to receive their next clue. All of the teams found themselves on the same flight, so it was now even to get to the bus station. The first five or six so teams arrive on the first bus leaving where they were given a lead of the teams who fell behind. The teams on the second bus decide to pay the bus company and driver to convince them to move the bus, instead of waiting an hour. So, the teams arrive to Cai Be, where they receive their next task: Fill a tree bottom with mud all the way to the line.

All of the teams arrive to the little farm equally fair, and this is where Maria/Tiffany were five their speed bump task: serve Vietnamese food to the dock guard where they’ll receive their next clue. It was, I believe Meghan/Cheyne who completed the route info first and received their next clue: Go back to the dock and make your way to Cai Be field. This is where I believe Lance/Keri and Brian/Ericka were the next two teams to finish the task, where I believe Tiffany/Maria and Mika/Canaan were the last two teams. Finally, teams arrive to the roadblock which is moving ducks to a pen with the use of flags.

During the roadblock, Meghan and Keri struggled to get it in their first attempt. It was Matt, Sam, and Globetrotter who completed the roadblock first, and got to move on. Canaan/Mika and Garrett/Jessica were frustrated with their teammate, as Jessica and Mika both struggled to do the roadblock fast. Ericka also struggled with this roadblock, and she too got frustrated, along with Brian. It was Gary/Mat who arrived to the pit stop and Phil tells them they are team number one, wining a kayak for each of them as a prize. Sam/Dan and Flight Time/Big Easy came in second and third place by a hair.

Back at the roadblock, Keri, Zev or Justin, I forgot, and Meghan finally finished the task, and moved along to the pit stop. This left us with a very frustrated Ericka, Jessica, and Mika to compete with Tiffany and Marcy in this roadblock. Next, Lance/Keri were team number four, Zev/Justin were team number five, and Meghan/Cheyne were team number six. Maria/Tiffany finished the roadblock, and went to seventh place. Finally, it was Mika/Canaan, and Marcy/Ron who finished the task, and at the pit stop, Mika/Canaan were team number eight and Marcy/Ron were team number nine.

It was now between Ericka and Jessica to finished the task, and within minutes, Ericka finished first, following that was Jessica. So it was a mad dash to the finish line where Brian/Ericka finished first earning tenth place. Jessica/Garrett were the last team to arrive, and were eliminated from the race. They were extremely disappointed with that fact, as they were totally into doing this together. I personally didn’t mind that leg, however, it wasn’t like it was anything new, they have probably dealt with mud and trees and have herded birds before.

I think Mika/Canaan are my early favorites, but they don’t seem to have had much luck so far. Brian/Ericka are my next favorites, but they haven’t been good at any of the roadblocks so far. It just might be Zev/Justin who could pull this one through and make it a good race. I can truly tell it’s a competitive race, since the placing changed drastically from leg one to leg two. There are still no teams I really don’t like, and that’s a good thing, as that like, rarely happens.

LLNMD scale:
Love: Zev/Justin, Mika/Canaan, Brian/Ericka
Like: , Gary/Matt, Sam/Dan, Flight Time/Big Easy, Meghan/Cheyne, Marcy/Ron
Neutral: Lance/Keri, Maria/Tiffany, Garrett/Jessica
Meh:
Dislike:

TAR Premiered in an iconic Los Angeles film area where we meet the twelve teams who will embark on a journey around the world for $1,000,000. This is where Phil Keoghan dropped a bombshell on them: One team was to be eliminated at the starting line. After Phil said “Go!” the teams’ first clue was to search for a license plate with a Japanese symbol, regarding their first destination: A television studio. The professional female poker players found the license plate, where at the near very end of the task, it was left with Lance/Keri & Eric/Lisa left. Lance/Keri found the correct plate, and became the eleventh team to receive a ticket to the first destination, Tokyo, Japan. Eric/Lisa were left without the correct license plate, and were the first team eliminated, and the first team ever eliminated at the starting line.

The race continued to LAX airport where the first six teams to get the correct license plate were on the first flight to Japan, and the next five were to be on a flight 30 minutes behind. Before arriving to Tokyo, Maria/Tiffany executed their plan to lie, saying they work to counsel homeless children in Los Angeles, bluffing the teams, hiding their true poker face. Once in Tokyo, the team behind ended up catching up to various teams. Once they saw the TV studio, they were confronted by a Japanese Game show where called Wasabi Roulette where in this roadblock, teams had one person play roulette where if they were lucky to have the Wasabi bomb in front of them, they had two minutes to eat it.

The ultimate participators in this roadblock were Gary, Dan, Flight Time?, Lance, Zev, Cheyne, Maria, Canaan, Ron, Brian, and Garrett. The first four teams who completed the roadblock and moved on were Meghan/Cheyne, Marcy/Ron, Zev/Justin, and Lance/Keri, I believe. In the next task, teams had to recruit a color coded group of tourists to the first pit stop, They had to keep all 20 with the group in order to check in completely. So, those four teams ended up taking the lead of the pack. Next, it was Maria who had to eat the Wasabi bomb, and after failing the first time, she managed to pull through the second time, moving along. Finally, I don’t exactly remember the correct order they completed the roadblock accurately enough to guess, so before the roadblock was completed it was Meghan/Cheyne who arrived to the pit stop first, wining a trip to Aspen, Colorado as a prize.

Zev/Justin arrived as team number two, Lance/Keri were team number three, and Marcy/Ron were team number four. It was Brian/Ericka who were the last team at the roadblock, and at the very last possible second, Brian completed eating the Wasabi bomb, and moved on currently in last place where they were lucky enough to find an English speaking local to guide them to the pit stop. The Harlem Globetrotters, nicknamed Flight Time & Big Easy arrived in a respective fifth place. Brian/Ericka, who left the roadblock in last place, climbed all the way to the very middle of the pack, earning title of team number six Gary/Matt arrived only to find themselves in a decent seventh place.

Maria/Tiffany, who have built a bond with the gay brothers Dan/Sam, wind up flirting with them. They end up attempting work on the route info together, only to not get very far. Garrett/Jessica arrive to the pit stop to discover they are team number eight, and as soon as Maria/Tiffany discover they have lost two tourists, they end up searching for them all around Tokyo. Dan/Sam arrive at the pit stop next, only to receive ninth place. Mika/Canaan, who figured out that one tourist was left behind, checked into the pit stop, only to find out they needed their twentieth tourist. On the way down the stairs of the shrine, the very short older woman is spotted, and Canaan carries her to the end, only to hear Mika/Canaan are team number ten.

Maria/Tiffany arrive to the pit stop last, and without two of their tourists. They were informed they were the last team to arrive, but were spared from elimination, only given a two hour penalty for not completing the task and would receive a speed bump at the next leg. I personally wish TAR did without the elimination of the starting line, simple because they game them a lame task. Maybe if they game them a really hardcore epic physically demanding task that required more skill, it would’ve been a better twist. I really didn’t care about the first leg ending in a non-elimination leg, only because, it’s the very first time that’s happened. I really hope the teams who make it far are Mika/Canaan or Brian/Ericka, especially them. I love their own personal message about how an interracial marriage couple can be just as happy. Therre are,at this present time, no teams worth disliking.

The very first LLNMD scale for the first half of the episode:
Love: Mika/Canaan, Brian/Ericka
Like: Zev/Justin, Marcy/Ron, Meghan/Cheyne,
Neutral: Sam/Dan, Flight Time/Big Easy, Lance/Keri, Garrett/Jessica.
Meh: Gary/Matt, Maria/Tiffany, Eric/Lisa
Dislike:

TAR15 will begin on September 27th, and this time, they have twelve teams. Now let’s just hope they don’t kick off a team before the first pit stop, because we all know that’ wasn’t a good twist. Anyway, I am here to announce these twelve teams, and their capability of doing well on the race. I am well, not perfect with making decisions, so I really don’t know what to expect. This cast looks promising, as they all look like they have potential to make it far in the race.

Meghan/Cheyne are Dating from San Diego, California. They have known each other since they were elementary school students, which in TAR, can help you out a lot, with getting along and stuff. They look like they’ll be the nice couple who get along, that’s what I expect from them. They kind of remind me of Amanda/Kris, so let’s just hope they’re not screwed by some U-Turn.

Maria/Tiffany are professional poker players from California. They look ditzy, but since they’re poker players, I really don’t think they are. I think they’ll use wits and possibly looks to get all the way to the end. I don’t know how they’ll be in physical challenges, though. They’ll probably try to bluff people in the race too, so we’ll see if they do that, and see if things get interesting.

Marcy/Ronald are the dating older team from San Francisco, California. They met online, on a dating website, just like what Bob/Joyce (TARUS5) did. I feel that they look better than the other older teams we’ve gotten (Steve/Linda, Anita/Arthur) since they are still actively athletic. However, I don’t know where they’ll fall, and I hope they don’t get lucky, as that happens occasionally in TAR.

Lance/Keri are an engaged couple from Massachusetts. They seem to be a very okay couple, and I don’t know what to expect from them. I love how they are using the race to test their relationship, since that is what TAR is all about. They seem like they’ll either float along and get out midway, or perhaps longer, or they’ll get out early, or get lucky. I really don’t know.

Herbert/Nathaniel are teammates of the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team from Arkansas/Louisiana. This team looks like they’ll be a physical threat, and let’s hope they’re not too intimidating to the other teams, otherwise they’ll U-turned. I really feel we’ll see a lot of good feelings from this team, and most of the TAR fans will be pulling for them to win.

Gary/Matt are father/son from Montana. They are very different from each other, as I’ll point out Gary has grey hair, and Matt has pink hair. I don’t expect much from this team, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the first team eliminated. However, I did think the same thing about Mel/Mike, but this time, I think there’s more competitiveness so I am still doubting their odds.

Garret/Jessica are Dating on and off from California. This team may look like they’ll cause conflict, but I think they’ll want to work things out in the race so they can stay together. I really think this team should go far, and I want to them to. I don’t know why though, I just have high expectations of them. They just look like they’ll be decent to watch.

Brian/Ericka are a Married couple from Nashville, Tennessee. They are set out to prove that love knows no color, which I completely agree, and hope they get to prove their message. Ericka was also Miss America 2004, which is nice to know. I really am thinking these guys will be one of my favorite teams, just because they look like they’ll be a nice couple, and I think (along with the Globetrotters) CBS is trying to make them get instant fame.

Eric/Lisa are married yoga teachers from Encino, California. This married couple are vegans, and have been married eighteen years. I personally don’t know what to expect from them. I think they’ll be very unlucky, and could expect them to be gone early. However, I really like them, so I truly want them to do good, so maybe I’ll be wrong.

Dan/Sam are brothers from Liberty, Missouri. They didn’t really seem to develop a bond until they told each other they were gay. I truly don’t know what to expect from them as racers. I truly probably won’t care where they’ll stand on the race. I don’t think they’ll win, but I really don’t know. I just think they’ll be there, bit not a team that will be remembered.

Zev/Justin are friends from California. Zev has Asperser’s syndrome, which I know nothing abou6, so It’ll be nice to learn about it. Anyways, They look like they’ll be a nice team, and as long as this Asperser’s syndrome doesn’t cover up their total edit (Like Margie/Luke, him deaf) and it’s constantly mentioned to us all the time.

Mika/Canaan are Newly Dating aspiring country singers from Nashville, Tennessee. I really like them, despite the fact I don’t like country music, and hope they don’t start singing to Phil at every pit stop. I see them being a nice team, and expect to see them going very far.

So, out of these teams, like Survivor, half are from the California area. Sigh. I really think this looks like a good race, there’s so many teams to like, it’s hard to pick a team to like. I think if I should pick a pre-show favorite, it’d be Ericka/Brian, Canaan/Mika, or Jessica/Garrett. I really can’t decide between those three teams quite yet, so we’ll see on September 27th, on TAR’s two hour