Amazing Race 20, Episode 8

Welcome to Bullshit Gender Stereotype Hour! Of course, I'm probably being too emotional about it, because I am a girl. Maybe dancing and listening to my frickin' husband would restore my equilibrium. As long as I don't hit a ball better than some man and destroy all his self-esteem!

One more instance of India being Kriptonite to racers. There is always one racer who gets cut off in the knees by India. Every single time.

Man, there was a LOT of whining about curve balls and men not being able to dance and getting screwed over this leg.....I guess real men have to have every little thing go exactly their way in order to get the job done.

Dear Border Patrol, You made me root for Rachel at that cricket task. Don't make me do that; I need a shower every time I think of it. P.S, I'm thrilled she beat you at a "real" sport, not a "girly" activity that you can dismiss.

I dont' know a lot about cricket, but I do know some, thanks to an uncle and male cousin in Ireland who spent the better part of an afternoon trying to enlighten me as to it's most basic points. (Conclusion? Cricket, like most sports, should only be enjoyed by those who give a rat's ass.) From what I could see, those bowlers were going so easy on them....a bowler who was trying would have had J.J. in tears within a couple of minutes. The point of throwing the ball is to hit those three little wickets behind the batter; the way J.J. and Art were trying to hit it like a baseball meant that they weren't holding the bat anywhere near where the ball usually goes.

How much did I love that it was a Non-Elimination tonight? I'm sure Mark and Bopper are eleventy-two hours behind everyone else, and unless there is an "Hours of Operation" bunching coming up soon, they haven't got a snowball's chance in Cochin of staying in this thing, but I love that this was not their last shot at it.
One of the things I love about these two is that, through all that incredibly difficult, frustrating, exhausting task, neither one of them took it out on the judges, other racers or each other. Commendable. And, of course, I love them because of their succinct assessment of Art and J.J.: "They're babies."

. I saw on the net that Mark got some food and water and a rest before trying that last time. Which was good, because heat stroke is not something you want to fool around with. I'm sure he was already dehydrated from the puking on the bus. I'm not sure which would be worse: being out of the race, or winding up in an Indian hospital

I'm pretty sure that had Mark not succeeded that last time, that mob of angry purple dancers would have beaten the director to death. How long were they out in that sun, too?

I'm glad there was not too much time taken up with Art and J.J. duking it out with Rachel and Dave about the U-Turn. And I'm glad Rachel and Dave dont' really seem to care about it either. Apparently, they are supposed to be quaking in their boots about not being spoken to by Art and J.J. for the rest of the race, which is actually a huge bonus, if you ask me.

I really, really hope that there is one more U-Turn on this race, and that Rachel and Dave use it against Art and J.J.  I wouldn't care who wins this freaking race, it would be worth it just to see J.J's head burst into flames.

One of my favorite parts of the whole night was when Mark slipped into "Pirate Speak" on that bus, and announced he needed some "fresh arrgh!" I nearly herniated myself laughing at that.

Blond Rachel really nailed the dancing task, and the driving task too. It's too bad her husband sees her as a barely acceptable liability that he has to tolerate before demonstrating his own awesomeness. It's like he just can't help being an asshole. Would it kill him to give her one compliment? She is rocking this whole race.

Vanessa failed Driver's Ed? Really? I'm shocked! She seems so level headed and capable. Of course, I forgot, she's a girl. Girls can't drive.

Thing 1 and I would have taken the driving task in a heartbeat; those things looked like golf carts, and we LOVE driving golf carts. It's the whole reason we golf! And neither of us could hit a ball with a bat if our loved one's lives depended on it; we'd be there still, a bit puddle of frustrated, weepy yuck. I'm sorry they didn't make them do the task out on the streets, like they have before. The horns alone were worth the ride.

Next week: Rachel says something in a whiny voice. Thankfully, only dogs can hear her.

Until next week!