11/25 TAR 21 Show Discussion **West Coast Spoilers**

[Stump]

I see the Chippies and Texas as equally responsible in this. They knew the entire plan and either team would have done their part whether they got to the U-turn first or second.
I don't really see U-turning and the plan in general as wrong, just not their best move. If they knew A/R were so far behind, then they should have U-turned a closer, stronger team. However, if they didn't know A/R were that far behind, it makes sense to me as strong game play.

Why would they u-turn a closer team? They knew they weren't getting the first place prize. So all that really mattered was not being last. By helping the Texans they improved their odds of that because if something went wrong later they could get help from the Texans (such as they did with the flag earlier).

A/R were a strong team who made a string of bad decisions that didn't work out for them. Getting rid of them now and keeping the farmers was excellent strategy and doing anything else would have been silly.

With that said though I would have U-Turned the twins. They knew they were ahead of them and then the Texans would have U-Turned A/R leaving them no real blame.

[pikachu]

You u-turn a closer team to put more distance between yourself and last place. Trey and Lexi are behind the Chips at the moment but close enough to them to overtake them. This close to the end, it might have been better to put Trey and Lexi further back to give themselves a chance to stay ahead of them. It wouldn't have gotten Trey and Lexi out of the game last week but it would have made more ground for them to make up this week.

[MHcarrollton]

I have no problem with the Chippendales uturning. The problem I had was the Chippendales being the other ones uturned when they were obviously past it. That was just blatant choosing of who you wanted to go home based solely on spite and meanness. I feel badly for Abby and Ryan because they showed class by staying with the farmers, and to go out like that was ridiculous.

[Longhornfan]

I am definitely pulling for Jaymes and James to win the million. I just love those two guys. If they don't win, I hope that something good comes out of this. Wouldn't be nice if some benefactor who has been watching the Amazing Race reached out to Jayme's father and offered him some financial help? Either way, wouldn't that be a feel good ending to the story?

I agree with those of you who did not feel bad about Abbie and Ryan getting eliminated. Absolutely, without a doubt, A&R would have used the U-turn on someone, whether they were "friends" or not. And, no, Jaymes and James did not cost them the 2 million dollars. Ryan certainly felt it was good and fair game play when they outran the girl with two prosthetic legs to the mat and knocked them out of a first-place finish. There were many things that ended up costing them the money, and it was not just one thing that did them in.

[pikachu]

I don't think it was done out of spite and meanness. The other teams knew that Abbie & Ryan stood to get 2 million dollars if they won the Amazing Race. That's a lot of incentive pushing them forward! It makes sense to me that they wanted them out. I don't know why they would have anything against them for personal reasons, unless I missed something.

[Rembrant]

Finally Bland & Jerk are out of the race, it's about time! I was tired of their whiny, defeatist attitude and their hypocresy in regards to the U-Turn, whining about how their friends betrayed them when they were just about to do the same to their other friends. I also hated how Ryan was all "they cost me the money, the money would have changed our lives". Yeah, well, nine other teams besides Bland & Jerk are not getting that big prize money either, so they should get over it or shut up.

I'm glad Brent had a head on his shoulders and managed to convince Josh to move along and finish fourth and not get eliminated. Josh looks like he's given up as much as Bland & Jerk have, and to make it worse, there are four teams and one NEL left, which is surely to be the next one, so we'd have to put up with more defeatist Josh. Also peeved at Jaymes and how much he worried about losing friends. If he loses them, then there weren't good friends to begin with, and it's true, he needs to worry about his family first, because other teams are not going to win the money for him.

Seeing as how I don't dislike the TwiNNies like most everyone here does (I remember Natalie tweeted that they only took the money because it was the competition and that she'd have given it back had it not been in a situation of being in a race for a million dollars), I'm happy they came in first and that their U-Turn plan worked. It was actually quite brilliant, even, I'm surprised nobody had ever used the U-Turn in such a way before.

In regards to all those comments about said strategy, well, I have to disagree with most. I don't see why there should be a penalty in regards to U-Turning a team you already know is in front of you. It's a team's prerogative on whether or not they use the U-Turn and how they use it. I'm honestly baffled by people saying that thw TwiNNies "bullied" the Chips into using the U-Turn. Nobody bullied nobody into anything, and nobody was peer pressured into anything, the TwiNNies just laid out the idea. James seemed to be all for it, it was Jaymes who had a problem because he's so adamant about losing "friends" he just made and has barely hung out with, but eventually realized that taking out a strong team before they can catch up is giving himself a better chance to take the big money to his parents, and being friendly with others to the point where it cripples his racing ability is not going to get him that money.

And I also disagree with those who say the Chips had a bad strategy U-Turning Bland & Jerk and should have U-Turned Trey & Lexi. See, considering how close Trey & Lexi were to the Chips, U-Turning Trey & Lexi would've been a waste of a U-Turn, seeing as how Trey & Lexi would not have been eliminated by it. By using the U-Turn on a team so far back, it ensured they could be eliminated. I mean, much as I dislike them, Bland & Jerk really were a very strong team who only got hit by bad luck (because the race does have a lot to do with luck sometimes) and made some bad choices, and you never know when an equalizer is coming, be it airport or arriving at night and having to wait for the location with the clue or task to open in the morning. The U-Turn strategy made sure that a very strong team got eliminated before they had a chance to get equalized with the rest and possibly beat them.

[freefragrance]

I'm also rooting for the Chipps, but I honestly think the Twinnies will win. They are FAST, know how to get others out of the way (master-minds behind U-turning A&R), and are willing to do anything, so I think they are gonna win, though I personally think they're arrogant and not a fan.

[captain]

Maybe we will all be sitting back laughing when the farmers win the whole thing

[just logic]

I, like most on here, am now hoping for the Chippies but, they have to stop helping the other teams. They could have been out in front if a) they hadn't convinced the Twinnies to save the express pass for later when they would need it more and b) not told the Texas team it was the Netherlands and not France. I get it that they're being nice and helpful but...just don't say anything!!! If it comes down to a foot race they may win but if the Twinnies stay out in front by any relatively large measure of time they may be impossible to catch. While I find them (the Twins) a bit annoying they've played a strong game and other than the money thing haven't been mean to anybody that I've seen. Abby and Ryan were out-and-out rude to them (to their faces and behind their backs) so, for that reason, I'm glad the Twins found a way to get them out of the game and it was superbly great strategy (just surprised nobody has thought of it before now).

[captain]

I doubt TPTB would have let teams go to the wrong country. Just would not have let them buy tickets until they figured it out.