Last night, Rob was a smart wuss.
Smart move, but he's a wuss all the same.

It stinks to see those who quit come out ahead of those who try, but thats the fault of the producers and the rules they make, not of the contestants who play within them. And I suspect that even they (the producers) were surprised by how the rules were fairly manipulated yesterday.

I'm no Rob fan, but I find no fault with what he did as a shrewd tactic. And kudos to those who didn't quit and completed the task. (Memo to mental file : pinch your nose while eating anything gross and you wont taste it)

Unfortunately it appears now that TAR is becoming more about tactics and deception a la Survivor than what it was before. Now in its 7th season, is this its natural evolution in TV land ?

C'mon Racers, smarten up and stop being so gullible.

I hope Rob's actions last night either eliminate eating challenges or increase the penalty time.

I think it was a good tactical move on his part to take the penalty and not kill himself eating. He knew he couldn't do it and he found a way around it. Smart playing on his part and I prefer him taking a penalty than watching him vomit all over the place.

Maybe for the next time, increase the penalty to 12 hours after the last team arrives for quitting a challenge.

By the way, has Ron/Rod/? (of ? and Deana) performed ANY of the challenges? All I can remember is complaining about Deana.

Adding to radiofanatic's list, I try to learn the following:

- Where is the toilet?
- Excuse me, please.
- I'm sorry.
- I don't understand. Please speak more slowly.
- Please write it down.
- Leave me alone. Go away.
- Police.
- I'm allergic to [].
- I need a doctor/hospital.

Following through with radiofanatic's list, and sticking strictly to necesstities within the Amazing Race:

"Can you show me where?"
or, as more effectively demonstrated by Rob/Amber,
"Can I follow you?"

Rob screwed himself on survivor...he didn't win as I recall because he'd made so many enemies but he ended up with Amber who did win so I guess he came out a winner of sorts.

I wasn't too thrilled when I found out that R&A were in this race but,I like them more as the race goes on. R&A are more prepared mentally for this GAME than any of the others.

When you're playing a GAME isn't it all about working everthing you can to your advantage including the rules.

If you go into this without realizing that the penalty for not eating the meat is 4 hours then you deserve to lose to those who've studied the RULES of the GAME.

The idea here is to win the GAME and the million dollars. Honestly, who cares if anyone likes you or thinks you're not being nice.

So far I'd have to pick Rob and Amber as the most likely to win and more power to them.

Rob's mantra: Wimpiness is the mother of invention

Oh, Peterboy, do not underestimate the shrewdness of Rob and Amber. Rob did not screw himself on Survivor. I believe that shortly after he and Amber got together they developed their Bad Cop/Good Cop strategy. He was the hit man and the player, and his backstabbing and lying got them both to the final two. At that point, it didn't matter who won the million, because they were already a solid couple. In fact, several people who voted for Amber stated that they thought she had played the game the best because she had let Rob be the bad guy, virtually insuring that she would win in a contest between the two of them.

Just because someone is smart, shrewd, and good at playing the game doesn't mean they are likable or good people. I have seen nothing of Rob and Amber to change my original impressions.

I'm thrilled that Rob figured a way around eating all the meat. He's playing the game to the hilt.

Rob did screw himself on Surivior, but he did it mostly on the the first series he was on, with Amber on the All-star version - he manipulated it very well that either she or he would win and both would benefit.

I have taken a dislike to the boyfriends, they're so obsessive and petty about their desire to beat R&A - it seems to be more about that than winning. I thought it was great that there was no prize for coming in first this time.

The mother/son team. UGH. Is he going to whine at her and complain about her insensitivey for the rest of the series??

Can't wait for next week. We watch far too many reality shows, but TAR is the only one I get emotionally involved.

"I have seen nothing of Rob and Amber to change my original impressions."

Well of course if you dodn't like them, you just don't like them.

"Just because someone is smart, shrewd, and good at playing the game doesn't mean they are likable or good people. "

Likewise, it doesn't mean that they are necessarily unlikeable or bad people. It is a game after all.

Getting back to the places, Chile looked amazing and everything seemed to be efficient, seeing places in South America really makes it tempting, I wonder if others have been 'moved' to make travel plans based on what they have seen in this and other AR series ?

Marilyn: I guess we should give up, as we obviously are not going to change any minds about the ethics of playing shrewdly but fair! In spite of that, I will continue to watch The Rob & Amber Show (the amazing race seems to be totally preoccupied with the couple this leg) and continue to check on this thread now and then, even though it's like having a bad tooth, i.e. you know it will hurt if you touch it, but you do it anyway.

However, I continue to share you thoughts and opinions about the "gentleman" in question!

I think Rob and Amber have pumped life into this already wonderful show. He hasn't broken any rules and I love the way they interact with one another. This is a match made in heaven.

He took a big gamble taking the 4 hour penalty. Had the others, who also took the penalty, used their heads they would have gone ahead and eaten the meat and, without a doubt, Amber and Rob would have lost because the meat competition was so close to the finishing point.

Had this series of Amazing Race happen to be the same as the last one - i.e. lousy characters, running out of interesting competitive projects other than eating a bowl of very spicy soup (had Rob been there and studied the rules, he would have probably paid one of the restaurant waiters to quickly finish-off the bowl for him), same boring robotic "let's get to the airport first and find the fastest way to book a flight from Beijing-to-Hawaii" characters, no beauty-and-street-smarts Amber and Rob - this show will quickly fade into oblivion.

I don't care who wins, but it'll be nice to see R&A near the end.

With the Rob-inspired TAR7, even the self-proclained Rob-and-Amber-haters continue to tune in.

Being from a post-communist country I actually *like* people who don't blindly comply with the rules. It just comes from my background I guess...we had to stay in line with many stupid and obviously flawed ideas, that I have an admiration for people who are inventive, resourceful and cunning.

By the way don't you think that having cameras present hugely influences how the locals act with the contestants?

I'm one of the "hated Rob in Survivor" crowd, although I dislike him less in TAR. In TAR, he is managing to be "inventive, resourceful and cunning" while staying completely within the rules.

Nobody has mentioned Rob and Amber taking the girls' taxi. I thought that was pretty mean, however for those posters who are focused on ethics, the unethical person here was the taxi driver, not Rob.

I'm starting to wonder if the producers are stacking the deck in favour of Rob & Amber. Since when do they hold a flight??

And they're stoking controversy - notice they didn't tell the time he competed the barrel race in..while they did for all the other teams.

(sorry if it's too early to post this!)

although a rob/amber fan, it did seem odd that they made that plane...hadn't seent that before.

I thought it was VERY fishy that they held the plane. And I did wonder about the times on the barrel race. That stock broker just got on my last nerve. Telling the old folks to follow them was just wrong. And his ranting about being too good to be back there with the riff raff....

The good news: the little whiner..or "weener" is gone. The bad news..Rob and Amber made up all that time..hmmmmm. Also, why didn't the guys win anything for being first last week and then the "dynamic duo" end up with a trip to London this week?!!! I don't get that at all. I hope the guy..gad..can't keep the names straight..the one that was complaining about being in the back of the back with all the "loosers" and the "old people" gets eliminated next week. What at putz. What was it Rob said? He was born with a horse shoe? Then he said it was up his "arse"? I'd like to see something else there personally. This week Rob and Amber just didn't set well with me at all.

Patrick diosapointed me. When I saw their interviews before the race aired, I thought he might really grow during the show. But he didn't learn anything at all. Glad to see him loose!

But overall, there are more people to cheer against than cheer for in this race.

Last night's race was the least interesting in this season. Just straight up race and luck was way too much of the event. And no place on the route looked that interesting to me.

Keith

I too am very suspicious that the producers are doing what it takes to keep Rob and Amber in the race -- perhaps until the very last episode, and THEN see where the chips fall. And yes, why wasn't there a prize for last week?

I admit, I'm mildly rooting for the Geezers again. But history suggests that they will be gone next week or the week after at the latest, unless the producers somehow want to preserve (so to speak) their presence a bit longer.

Sorry the whiner twit is still a whiner twit but not sorry he's gone. REALLY want to see the Too-Good-for-the-Others beak to be humiliated -- which I guess is fully in the spirit of watching this show. I'm ashamed of myself ;-) !