10/9 TAR 19 Episode 3 *West Coast Spoilers*

[Tilden]

I really don't think it would be all that difficult to come up with a rule that prohibited simply giving another team an answer without precluding the possibility of teams working together. How about something like the following?:"Teams may work together to complete roadblock tasks, but they may not simply pass on the correct answer to other teams once they have completed the task. If they do so, they will be assessed a fifteen minute penalty for each team they illegally assist."

Really, if they think it's too much trouble to differentiate between teams working together and teams passing on the answers to others, then I'd prefer they make it illegal to work together on tasks as well. I want to see all the teams work through the task. I don't want it to come down to one or two teams completing it correctly and then deciding who to help and who to screw, as happened last season with the Cowboys.

It also bugs me that it appears to be against the rules for a team to help another team with a physical task but not with a mental task. Either they shouldn't be able to help with either or they should be able to help with both. About the only time I can remember anyone helping another team with a physical task was when the coal miner guy helped an all female team with a heavily loaded cart in that coal mine. Mostly, help is only given with mental tasks, which gives teams that don't do as well with such tasks but attach themselves to teams that do a distinct advantage that they don't seem to be returning when it comes to the physical tasks at which they might excel.

[Duckyface]

I always liked that the race gave an opportunity to all teams, no matter their age or physical status. Of course it's better to be physically fit because you can keep running longer, and there's a lot running, and don't tire as easily at the end of the day.

BUT...the mental and fine motor skill tasks are supposed to help even things out a little. If a team is smart or better at the small motor tasks, though not physically the strongest, they are supposed to have that small advantage in the those tasks to keep them in the race.

When you start taking the advantages the less physical tasks give to the less physical in the race by allowing a team to just straight out give the answer to another team, you are destroying the ability of the less physical teams to compete, and destroying a big part of what has made this race more interesting.

[SugarMama]

One thing I've always liked about Amazing Race over Survivor and Big Brother was the "lack of alliance" strategies. Sure some teams might decide to work together, but giving answers just wasn't done. The past couple of seasons, however, making alliances seems to have taken on a new bent, and while outright giving answers to your buddies isn't technically breaking the rules, it's hurt the show - in my opinion. I don't like it one bit, and when the cowboys were ganged up on that season and were eliminated, I quit watching that season.

The rules need to be changed. Period.

It's just wrong, wrong, wrong. Duckyface and Tilden, your posts above hit the nail on the head

[Bearcata]

While I don't mind the snowboarders and the father and son team working together, I also didn't like them giving the answer to the footballer and wife. The funny thing was this season seems to be full of people that don't read their clues and don't listen to helpful advice. The father and son both didn't pay any attention when told to read their clues at the grass feeding challenge and it was funny to see Marcus and Amani given a freebie and not able to retain any of the information. I know the producers have said that regardless of how long the show has been on the air the contestants keep making the same mistakes over and over again, not reading the clues and following the herd. I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot of the same this season considering how it has been so far.

[Longhornfan]

Okay, I don't have the episode recorded, and I got a little distracted at the end, but wasn't Marcus, the footballer, the last one to receive his clue at the temple? They caught a break because they didn't like their cab driver and paid him before beginning the last task. In the end that allowed Marcus and his wife to avoid that scramble at the end (going back to pay the cab drivers) and allowed them to go straight to the mat. I remember Marcus saying that even in football a certain amount of luck is needed. That was a very foretelling statement by him. Luck and a little help from the snowboarders saved him.

[Babbred]

Hate hate hate hate the giving of answers to other teams. Working together while you are both physically doing the task together is one thing, but just giving the answer should not be allowed!! Made me like the snowboarders a little less, and the show even less as well for not listening to the fans asking for a rule about this after last year.

I didn't think of the carvings as statues but as, well, carvings, so it seemed a little silly to me that they counted them. You would think they'd learn to thoroughly read the clue.

That and the fact that none of the carvings had hands, and the clue specifically mentioned hand positions. That should have been a huge red flag to the contestants.

[Bearcata]

Okay, I don't have the episode recorded, and I got a little distracted at the end, but wasn't Marcus, the footballer, the last one to receive his clue at the temple? They caught a break because they didn't like their cab driver and paid him before beginning the last task. In the end that allowed Marcus and his wife to avoid that scramble at the end (going back to pay the cab drivers) and allowed them to go straight to the mat. I remember Marcus saying that even in football a certain amount of luck is needed. That was a very foretelling statement by him. Luck and a little help from the snowboarders saved him.

It looked pretty evident that the help they received was actually no help as neither Marcus or Amani remembered any of it.

[SugarMama]

It's true that in this particular situation, the clue didn't help much...but they were given every answer with the corresponding hand signals. Had Marcus been paying attention and his wife less tired, they'd have had it made.

[NCLurker]

You know, I'm not always crazy about which teams get the help, but really, it's entertainment and I don't get too wigged out by teams choosing to help other teams. Now, I resent the heck out of the teams choosing to give help to those I'd rather see eliminated, but that's my issue rather than an issue with the game. I suppose I think I might make similar choices were I in the race...helping those with whom I prefer to compete and hang out. I understand where folks are coming from, it just isn't an issue for me.

[norealityhere]

It's not an issue for me, either.