71 replies to this topic

[Paron Xanthis]

Hi. We're friends.

At the outset, they at least look like the strongest of the three women's teams, but we'll see in practice.

Edited by Paron Xanthis, Jan 25, 2012 @ 10:30 AM.

[jessied112]

Hmm, they seem like a good, strong team. I really hope this is the case and they're not the first to go out. I want to see them prove themselves. I like them so far.

[Lamb18]

I get a Nat and Kat vibe from them. They wear the same blue color that Nat and Kat wore in their season.

[Imonrey]

I don't know about this one. They have them in promos in combat gear breaking down a door or something, but they look more like they do clerical work than espionage.

[BDArizona]

So, drug warriors, huh? Not a fan, especially after reading the self-important descriptions of their jobs. Hope they're gone soon.

[danheaton]

I also get a Nat and Kat feeling from them and am actually picking them to win at the start. They just had that quiet confidence that you see in teams that do well. Of course, my predictions are usually totally wrong, so they likely will go out early.

[Chyna]

Wow--they were virtually absent from this episode. But that may be a good thing, since the teams that took up the most time were the ones making enormously foolish mistakes.

[TDI Ashley]

Yeah, I'm definitely getting the Nat & Kat vibes people mentioned. Quiet, coolly competent, and not making that many errors. And like the doctors, they had a pretty good finish on the first leg.

Of the three all-female teams, I can definitely see them getting the farthest.

[ribboninthesky1]

I feel like I should like them, but the lie about them being teachers seems kind of silly to me. On the one hand, I understand the strategy behind it. On the other hand, it's too early for me to assess how competent they really are. Nat and Kat didn't take themselves too seriously, and this team....kinda does, from what I can tell.

[TDI Ashley]

They're quietly competent, from what I can see, and they finished well in spite of some terrible luck with their kettle. If they can shave off the bad breaks, they could be contenders.

I quite enjoyed their reaction to finishing sixth this week.

[possibilities]

I don't think the kettle was luck. I think positioning the cooker impacted how quickly it heated up.

I don't like them. They seem to be into gimmicks. The teacher lie coupled with the already vague "federal agents" tag strikes me as a sign they're more into head games than actual racing. I dunno. Nat and Kat were not talking about other teams so much. I wanted to like them, and I like strong women teams in general. But they have to show me something appealing about their personalities. The whole scheming thing irritates me.

[TDI Ashley]

possibilities
I don't like them. They seem to be into gimmicks. The teacher lie coupled with the already vague "federal agents" tag strikes me as a sign they're more into head games than actual racing.

I haven't seen the slightest hint that they're playing "head games." They lied about their professions to keep any team from questioning what strengths they could bring from their actual jobs. That was all. And they mentioned being worried about a U-Turn if the truth was ever found out. Those aren't "head games," and those aren't "gimmicks." Not at all.

[TWoP Roxy]

Simmer down please.

[jbreckenridge]

I wonder if their lie is to avoid any DEA / Border Patrol interagency rivalry from impacting the race. (Just assuming they're DEA, since they never actually state which federal agency they work for, but it fits the brief description. I suppose they could be FDA and call themselves "drug warriors," but that would be an odd use of the term.)

Or maybe the federal agency they work for is also the Border Patrol, and the producers told them not to disclose the agency they belong to, in order to make the cast appear more diverse.

[fivestone]

It's probably not something I would do, but I understand their position. Last season on the Biggest Loser, one contestant voted the way she did because she really wanted a teacher to win the final prize, because she felt like teaching America's youth is really honourable work, long hours for not enough pay, that sort of thing.

So yeah, if it were me, and I had a choice of teams to U-Turn (besides the easy choice Brendan and Rachel), if it came up to deciding between a pair of kindergarten teachers and Team 'Fitness' or the Border Patrol, it wouldn't even be a question. Besides, I might (possibly wrongly) figure that my chances in the game might be better against a pair of teachers than some athletic guys. So I just see Nary and Jamie as trying to grab at every possible advantage they have.

[ribboninthesky1]

So yeah, if it were me, and I had a choice of teams to U-Turn (besides the easy choice Brendan and Rachel), if it came up to deciding between a pair of kindergarten teachers and Team 'Fitness' or the Border Patrol, it wouldn't even be a question. Besides, I might (possibly wrongly) figure that my chances in the game might be better against a pair of teachers than some athletic guys.

Time will tell how competitive they are, but if they pose enough of a threat, I doubt teams will really care about their profession if U-turning keeps them in the game.

Still, I do wonder if they will keep up the ruse of being teachers. If they eventually reveal the truth, it might stir up some animosity. Then again, maybe not, since Rachel (and Brendon) are already stirring up hostility from other teams.

Edited by ribboninthesky1, Feb 27, 2012 @ 8:45 PM.

[fredfunk]

And they mentioned being worried about a U-Turn if the truth was ever found out.

If the U-turn is used on them, oh well, that's the way the race runs and I'm glad that's the way it works

[soapygirl]

I think lying about your profession to avoid a U turn is kind of silly since half the time getting U-turned is pretty circumstantial based on who the team thinks is behind them. Sometimes people do U-turn out of spite.

I recall the poker girls lied about their job and then got ratted out by some random dude. And Armani and Marcus lied about him playing football but I don't think anyone figured them out.

[TDI Ashley]

fredfunk
If the U-turn is used on them, oh well, that's the way the race runs and I'm glad that's the way it works

They should still be well within their rights to not want it to happen.

[BettyPoz]

I feel like I should like them, but the lie about them being teachers seems kind of silly to me. On the one hand, I understand the strategy behind it. On the other hand, it's too early for me to assess how competent they really are.

I totally agree with them telling the other racers they are teachers. I think other racers would be looking to target them if they knew they were Federal Agents by just the association with the profession not even calculating their strength during the race. I laughed out loud at the big red X graphic.

[Chyna]

I think the lying about their professions is kind of silly--what puts a "target on your back" is the team's performance and their relationships with other teams, not your profession. If they perform well and seem like a threat, other teams will u-turn them even if they believe them to be teachers. If they don't do well (as seems to be the case so far), no one is going to u-turn them because they're not going to be a threat to win. Lying to the other teams only risks a breakdown in trust, making other teams more inclined to find you threatening.

[Yyy]

I don't see an issue with them lying about their professions, personally. It didn't work for Maria/Tiffany because they just had the rotten luck of someone recognizing them and then ratting them out to the other teams. I think Nary/Jamie can keep it under wraps for the entirety of their race.

And I also do believe that your background and profession can put a target on your team's back...preconceived notions could very well get you U-Turned.

[ribboninthesky1]

I've watched TAR since the first season, and I don't ever recall a team being targeted due to their professions, regardless of gender. Are there some examples of this? What I recall is teams being targeted because they were perceived as a threat, disliked, or combo of both.

Otherwise, it seems to be an "out of left field" assumption by this team, especially if they've watched the race in the past. I don't have a huge problem with it, as I can see it as a strategy. I just don't understand the point of it if they turn out to be among the dominating teams. It'll be interesting to see if it comes out, since they would have to be the ones to let the cat out of the bag.

[Yyy]

As far as I know, a team hasn't been specifically targeted due to their backgrounds/professions before, but that doesn't mean it can't happen. I can understand Nary/Jamie's unwillingness to become the first case -- the other racers are complete strangers; you never know how they'll react to such information. Better safe than sorry, and N/J really have nothing to lose from their little white lie.

[NYC2007]

I guess first they need to prove they're competent racers before they get targeted. So far, that hasn't happened.

I like them, so I hope they get it together soon. They were better this week, but not great.

Edited by NYC2007, Feb 29, 2012 @ 12:13 PM.

[NotPatrick]

I've watched TAR since the first season, and I don't ever recall a team being targeted due to their professions, regardless of gender. Are there some examples of this? What I recall is teams being targeted because they were perceived as a threat, disliked, or combo of both.

I do think profession and the class issues around it have influenced how the teams bond and on the other hand target one another. It's mostly outliers on the Screwiness Scale like Brendon hating Border Patrol Agents for being Border Patrol Agents, or the Chos deciding that they were going to help all the poor people win over the awful privelged pretty mactors/beauty queens, or the Twin Hunt forming because they were too pretty and rich already, but it does happen. It tends to take the form of "real people" vs "wannabes" I think (there was a fair bit of this in TAR 4 as well I think, from interviews given after the show), but it is there.

I do think it's funny that they've chosen the worst possible season to play this trick, as they watch two teams bond substantially over being army/law enforcement and use it to form a strong, mutually beneficial alliance that propels them to the front of the pack. Not saying they'd be accepted into it or that it'd help them over much, but they would have been eliminated this leg if a bus window didn't randomly explode, so they should probably regret not having the chance to give themselves a leg up.

[TDI Ashley]

When Art & J.J. complained about them helping other teams, I really wanted them to beat them on this leg. But just the same, I'm glad they got on the first flight, because switching Detours and Nary faltering at the Roadblock might've killed them if they'd been on the second flight.

Definitely seem to be the strongest of the three women's teams who started out on the race.

[momlyd]

I don't see much advantage at all in lying about your profession. The disadvantages far outweigh them, in my opinion. First, people will think you are nuts for bothering in the first place and that may color their willingness to be around you. Then, people will wonder what ELSE you are hiding/doing that is shady and make them hold you at arms length messing up any hope for alliances in the future when that could really be helpful. Then, if in the course of the race, you have done anything to incur someone's wrath, the need to "get you" will be intensified for the simple reason of your initial dishonesty. People are funny that way.

Being federal agents gives you a certain skill set that might assist you in some tasks on the Race, but not all. Just be upfront, take your chances, and live or die by your ability to do what the designers have put before you.

[Yyy]

I don't see much advantage at all in lying about your profession. The disadvantages far outweigh them, in my opinion. First, people will think you are nuts for bothering in the first place and that may color their willingness to be around you. Then, people will wonder what ELSE you are hiding/doing that is shady and make them hold you at arms length messing up any hope for alliances in the future when that could really be helpful. Then, if in the course of the race, you have done anything to incur someone's wrath, the need to "get you" will be intensified for the simple reason of your initial dishonesty. People are funny that way.

But that's all assuming any of the other teams ever find out about N/J's lie.

[ribboninthesky1]

I thought these two were funny in this leg - at both Detours, when a team completed the task, they were both shown standing and looking, with this blank look on their faces, while the team(s) raced away. I was thinking, "Dude, FOCUS on getting done so YOU can get out of there!" I get looking around to see where you are in relation to teams, but to stop what you're doing and stare wistfully as a team departs ahead of you was hilarious.

I'm still not impressed with this team, and I'm kind of hoping they will somehow have to tell the truth about their profession. Just so other teams can give them a "WTF? We don't give a shit" look, and then proceed on the race as usual.

Edited by ribboninthesky1, Mar 5, 2012 @ 9:14 PM.