The Dentists Episode 11 Commentary We started this leg just 2 minutes ahead of the Sweet Scientists. Going into this leg we knew the Sweet Scientists had only beaten us on one leg which was the fourth leg in Copenhagen when we completely imploded and came in last. We also knew that we had made some travel mistakes and gotten some bad cabs, just as recently as the last leg we got lost on the way to the rice paddy. Our strategy was to stay with the Sweet Scientists as much as possible. We felt like we had about a 90% chance of being able to beat them in the challenges. Our goal for this leg was just to avoid elimination. When I saw the Sweet Scientists get on the jeepney I quickly decided to hop on with them. What the viewer doesnt see is that on every leg when we are given our clues we often get supplemental instructions. These instructions give us information such as additional rules, travel requirements to keep us safe (ie. prohibited airlines) and sometimes directions. In leg 6 in Morocco we were given very specific driving directions in those supplemental instructions which were very accurate because our risk of getting lost was so high. We had never been given anything which was not accurate up until this point. However, on this leg the producers intentionally misdirected us by saying we should travel to a certain station and then change jeepneys. The station in question was miles out of the way. We were just following the directions by getting on the jeepney that we did. When we were talking to someone on the jeepney about our transfer and our next jeepney they told us we were heading in the wrong direction. We debated whether or not we should transfer because if you dont follow those additional directions there are time penalties. For instance if it says travel by foot or travel by jeepney and you take a cab there is a penalty. However, it said you should not you must. The entire conversation we had about making up time on the other teams, making a smart move by doing what we did, being in the lead etc. was had after we discovered that mistake and switched jeepneys NOT before as it was shown on TV. As Ive said earlier this is TV first and reality second, this is not a documentary. It was much more entertaining the way it was edited even if it did make us look even dumber than we were. When we finally did get to the detour decision point we again decided to stay with Amy and Maya. The funny thing about This or That is Misti and I had just had a conversation where we went through all the Detours that we had completed and talked about whether we had chosen the quicker one. Our conclusion was that we were right about 50% of the time, no better than random chance. We actually decided on the basketball challenge (not knowing it was basketball; it would have been ugly) but got lost along the way and changed midway. Misti was obviously at a big disadvantage having to haul me around and having the cut on her foot. That cut didnt look so bad on TV but it was very deep. I was really impressed when I found out it happened when we first hopped into the rice paddy (not the fall that was shown) and Misti hadnt even mentioned it to me until we were running to the mat. She powered through and we were able to complete the detour in less that the allotted time. Next was the coconuts and walis tingtings. Obviously I missed the posted directions the first time. They were very obvious on TV but they could have just as well been posted somewhere in the market. On my first lap I left some of my items at a booth with the intent of coming back. This ultimately slowed me down when I had to go back for them later for fear of getting a penalty if I left them. After I made my first delivery I was not given a receipt (which was the vendors responsibility). I had to go back and get one later and somehow had a hard time finding the booth and lost several minutes. On my second run I saw the posted directions. While on my way I saw the hand truck and was able to borrow it which definitely sped me up. It would have been even better if I didnt have to go to the other side of the market to retrieve the items I had left earlier. When Amy saw me with the hand truck her face lit up. I didnt realize at the time I would be helping Amy more than I helped myself by thinking of that. After watching the episode I wonder if Amy would have made it without passing out if she had not seen me and gotten the idea. Thankfully she was able to push through without any serious medical issues. You cant appreciate on TV how hot it was and how badly dehydrated everyone was getting. We raced to the mat and earned a space in the final 4. Its incredible how you lose your powers of observation sometimes. As we pulled up to the pitstop we saw Adam and Bethany standing at the curb which the audience saw. It didnt even register to us that they should not have been there if they had already checked in. What we did not know is we were still racing. Tune in tonight to see the finale unfold and discover who the winner of the 25th season of the Amazing Race is. Now I need to address some of the haters out there. After writing my episode 9 commentary I received a number of messages about what a sore loser I am and how I should have to do a challenge with one arm. Obviously there is some breakdown in reading comprehension for some people but it happened with enough frequency that I feel the need to clarify things. Misti and I were probably closer to Adam and Bethany than any other team. I didnt go on the Amazing Race to make friends but when you spend that much time with fun, dynamic people you cant help but become friends. We have nothing but respect for Bethany. She is an amazing woman with more drive and determination than probably anyone we have ever met. Most people when faced with the circumstances she was faced with would have a great big pity party and spend their lives making excuses and blaming everything bad in their life on the shark. What she encountered was a tragedy that no one should ever have to deal with, much less a 13 year old. She responded with a level of emotional maturity that most people never achieve at any age. Bethany never makes excuses. What these haters dont realize is that in their attacks on me they are espousing the excuse making, victim mentality that Bethany abhors. In their defense of her they are embracing everything that she has had to remove from her life in order to get where she is today. What the haters also fail to realize, presumably because they didnt read what I wrote with an intention to understand but rather with an intention to judge, is that I never pointed a finger at the soul surfers. They didnt do anything that they shouldnt have, they just ran the course that was laid out for them. I feel that the producers should not have allowed a surfing challenge with professional surfers as contestants just as they should not have had a hockey challenge when there were professional hockey players or a snowboarding challenge when there were professional snowboarders. There is no difference. This has nothing to do with Adam and Bethany. If we had been eliminated in leg 11 Adam and Bethany would have been the team we were rooting for. As far as being a sore loser, how can I be a sore loser when the Fast Forward did not affect me? The cyclists were the real losers in the surfing challenge and Im glad they got eliminated in leg 9. Therefore Im glad the producers did what they did. However, I also have the ability to objectively evaluate a situation and judge how I feel about it regardless of the effect on me. Sorry for the rant, I normally ignore all the stupid things said on social media, but I value our relationship with Adam and Bethany just couldnt let this pass. #TAR25 #AmazingRaceFridays #TheDentists #TheSave #AmazingRace
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 14:54:13 +0000
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