Episode 8 - My Thoughts

Woo hoo, the two-parter episode of this season! My favorite part about last night's episode is that it's DONE and we won't have to suffer through a cliff-hanger at the end of a leg for any more episodes this seaons.

Lynn and Alex

• Um, Lynn? Ruples are not the currency of India. But maybe you're a fan of this band.
• Did anyone else get the feeling that Lynn and Alex's entire world view was totally shaken when they realized Rob and Amber decided not to Yield them? Boys, you are not the center of the universe. I am.
• Lynn, I'm assuming that you wanted to throw, like, Mardi Gras beads or something at the crowds of people. But watch yerself, young man.

Meredith and Gretchen

• Meredith, you're right. It would not be good to break a hip.
• I totally loved Gretchen spinning around and around in the middle of the boxes (Joss, I think I found your leading lady).
• Was anyone else confused by the clapping and cheering and wish for autographs from the crowd? It's gotta be one of three things. Meredith and Gretchen are actually Bollywood stars masquerading as frail older Americans. People thought Meredith was actually Larry David. Or, most probable, Cocoon and *Batteries Not Included just came out on DVD in the thriving town of Lucknow.

Rob and Amber

• Aw, Rob wants to build Amber a palace. I bet it'd be Blarney.
• Okay, did anyone else notice that when Rob said "Watch out for the cows" they did indeed show a bovine, but then the camera panned to Kelly? Oh, that was awesome.
• I don't know how Rob does it, but he looks right at Ron and Kelly on the Yield mat and says "don't yield us", and they don't. That's the Amazing Race equivalent of "These aren't the droids you're looking for".
• For all of Rob's smarmy behavior, at least he owns up to it. When he looked right at the woman in the Botswana airport, trying to convince her not to help the other teams, and saying "Just point to me. I'll smile right at 'em" makes his actions a little bit more awesome. That, and his shit-eating grin.
• Do you get the feeling that Rob doesn't want to use the Yield because he doesn't want to win that way? You know, the sneaky way that's actually sanctioned game play? Instead he'd rather win by stealing cabs, bribing, etc...
• The best expression of the night: the one on Rob and Amber's faces when Evil Phil (and Evil Phil's eyebrow pop of impending racing) told them that it was just another clue and they needed to keep going. Excellent.

Ron and Kelly

• Really, Ron? Driving through India is just like evacuating Baghdad after the bombing? I'm sure that this city which prides itself on being the most important cultural center of India after Dehli appreciated that.
• I have a new nickname for Ron and Kelly: Team Dixie Chick. If anyone can find the Dixie Chick lyric that I'm thinking of that made me nickname them this, I'll give them double bonus points this week.
• Hey, you two. It doesn't do any good to argue with your cab driver for stopping to get gas at the gas station. Because if he didn't? You wouldn't get anywhere at all.
• Ron: "Mow 'em down like grass". Wow, way to be sensitive to innocent civillians. But I guess, after all...you know where I'm going with this. Oh, and meet Christie!
• I do have one nice thing to say to Ron: I liked your light blue head scarf. Maybe you picked it for these dudes?

Uchenna and Joyce

• I am So Sorry. I wrote absolutley nothing down about you two this week. Please don't get eliminated next week so I can start writing about you again.

A Few Other Quick Thoughts

• You know, I have no idea why these people were all excited about going to India. It's like they've never seen this show before. Reaching the India leg is beginning to be like the family visit in Survivor. If you make it that far, you know you're nearing the end, but it's so hard and so trying that you just don't know if you're going to make it.
• Okay, the producers are SO MEAN for putting the double leg in India. Let's think: the teams went from wide open spacious Africa to a 5,000 mile plane ride + Jet lag to land in very crowded and urban-centric India to have to take another plane ride and then ride around in the streets and do two tasks (although neither very physically challenging) and before resting will have to go out and do yet another leg of the same size. That's rough. But at least it'll provide some awesome Killer Fatigue breakdowns next week!
• That office building looked horrible. And I thought my cube with half walls as opposed to full was bad because I can nearly see over the cube wall and into the guy's next to me who has a signed photo G.W. Bush on his desk. I don't have it bad.

That's it for today!