Thinking Smart in Episode 5
The Amazing Race: All-Stars – Thinking Smart in Episode 5 by Jeffrey Clinard -- 03/23/2007 On this week’s Amazing Race: All-Stars, teams dug for clues twice, pampered or portered, and nobody was sent home. But who was thinking smart? Jeffrey’s here to tell us. I found the fifth leg of the The Amazing Race: All-Stars to be somewhat strategically disappointing. In some ways, it’s because all teams used travel agents to get a better flight, but they didn’t have in choice in that matter. From there on out position was determined by which route teams took into Maputo, and their choice of Detour. It wasn’t obvious which route was faster to the next clue marker (left or straight into Maputo), though teams with maps may have had an edge. The Detour had one option that was much faster - the three teams which picked Pamper and painted nails ended up in the first three positions, while teams which filled bags of charcoal and delivered it ended up at the bottom, and got dirty in the process. There was a cultural lesson in this, though teams probably were not aware that men usually paint nails in Mozambique (and that men apparently had their nails painted as well). The Roadblock was a nice bit of local color, even if the task was mostly based on how quickly their rat worked. That is pretty much beyond the control of the team, though the order in which teams left the Roadblock had little to do with the finishing order. Uchenna & Joyce have been marked for elimination, which is probably a sign that there is a Fast Forward in the next episode. Overall, I like this penalty better than the lost money and lost stuff; it forces them to race faster and smarter. Charla & Mirna: I don’t like the team, but they did a good job of racing in the episode, mostly because they got local guides to direct them to the plaza and the marketplace. Both those actions allowed them to pass every other team despite leaving the Roadblock in last place and take first place for their first time ever. If they made a mistake, it was that they didn’t keep careful track of the money they earned painting nails, which might have cost them a bit of time. Still, they were thinking smart the entire leg. Dustin & Kandice: The beauty queens ran a fairly good leg, stumbling at first when they missed the supply kit for digging in the glacier. That’s the reason why following the clue is the most important thinking smart tip there is. Fortunately, that incident took place early in the leg. While they got lost looking for the plaza, they eventually made the smart choice to run their own race. By picking the Pamper option, they saved a lot of time and ended up in second place. Teri & Ian: The married parents had a huge piece of luck handed to them when their driver brought them to the marketplace instead of the charcoal pit, and despite Ian’s reservations, they actually saved a lot of time. Indeed, they were smart to realize that it was probably faster to paint nails given they were actually at the task site. They were also aggressive at selling, trying to get the whole amount from a single sale, ending up only having to paint the nails of two girls. Overall, that one bit of luck pushed them towards the front of the pack. Oswald & Danny: The friends had some problems in the leg, though none of them proved fatal. They were the last team to find the clue in the glacier, but that was pretty much irrelevant due to the air travel. They made quick work of the Porter Detour, and tailgated on Joe & Bill’s guide to make their delivery. Finally, they didn’t get lost on the way to the Pit Stop, allowing them to finish first among the teams that took the Porter option. Joe & Bill: Team Guido did a few smart things during the Detour which helped them stay competitive. First, they hired a guide car to take them to the charcoal, and then used local boys to hold the bags open while they scooped the charcoal inside it. That was a clever way to follow the directions, yet save time. They also got a local to guide them to the delivery point. However, while they had a good idea in hiring a cab to follow to the Pit Stop, it backfired as they were taken to the wrong location initially. That was just bad luck, not a failure to think smart. Eric & Danielle: The dating couple had some trouble navigating, putting them at the back of the pack coming into the Detour. They picked the slow option, and struggled through the leg. As it stood, they were the last to the Porter Detour. They were smart enough to get locals to direct them to the delivery position, which allowed them to pass Uchenna & Joyce. It saved them from a bottom finish and being marked for elimination. Uchenna & Joyce: The married couple had their problems in this leg, from finding the plaza to making a bad Detour decision. However, they compounded their mistakes by not getting a local to guide them to the charcoal delivery location. They ended up being lucky not to be eliminated, though they are marked.
The Amazing Race: All-Stars – Thinking Smart in Episode 5 by Jeffrey Clinard -- 03/23/2007 On this week’s Amazing Race: All-Stars, teams dug for clues twice, pampered or portered, and nobody was sent home. But who was thinking smart? Jeffrey’s here to tell us. I found the fifth leg of the The Amazing Race: All-Stars to be somewhat strategically disappointing. In some ways, it’s because all teams used travel agents to get a better flight, but they didn’t have in choice in that matter. From there on out position was determined by which route teams took into Maputo, and their choice of Detour. It wasn’t obvious which route was faster to the next clue marker (left or straight into Maputo), though teams with maps may have had an edge. The Detour had one option that was much faster - the three teams which picked Pamper and painted nails ended up in the first three positions, while teams which filled bags of charcoal and delivered it ended up at the bottom, and got dirty in the process. There was a cultural lesson in this, though teams probably were not aware that men usually paint nails in Mozambique (and that men apparently had their nails painted as well). The Roadblock was a nice bit of local color, even if the task was mostly based on how quickly their rat worked. That is pretty much beyond the control of the team, though the order in which teams left the Roadblock had little to do with the finishing order. Uchenna & Joyce have been marked for elimination, which is probably a sign that there is a Fast Forward in the next episode. Overall, I like this penalty better than the lost money and lost stuff; it forces them to race faster and smarter. Charla & Mirna: I don’t like the team, but they did a good job of racing in the episode, mostly because they got local guides to direct them to the plaza and the marketplace. Both those actions allowed them to pass every other team despite leaving the Roadblock in last place and take first place for their first time ever. If they made a mistake, it was that they didn’t keep careful track of the money they earned painting nails, which might have cost them a bit of time. Still, they were thinking smart the entire leg. Dustin & Kandice: The beauty queens ran a fairly good leg, stumbling at first when they missed the supply kit for digging in the glacier. That’s the reason why following the clue is the most important thinking smart tip there is. Fortunately, that incident took place early in the leg. While they got lost looking for the plaza, they eventually made the smart choice to run their own race. By picking the Pamper option, they saved a lot of time and ended up in second place. Teri & Ian: The married parents had a huge piece of luck handed to them when their driver brought them to the marketplace instead of the charcoal pit, and despite Ian’s reservations, they actually saved a lot of time. Indeed, they were smart to realize that it was probably faster to paint nails given they were actually at the task site. They were also aggressive at selling, trying to get the whole amount from a single sale, ending up only having to paint the nails of two girls. Overall, that one bit of luck pushed them towards the front of the pack. Oswald & Danny: The friends had some problems in the leg, though none of them proved fatal. They were the last team to find the clue in the glacier, but that was pretty much irrelevant due to the air travel. They made quick work of the Porter Detour, and tailgated on Joe & Bill’s guide to make their delivery. Finally, they didn’t get lost on the way to the Pit Stop, allowing them to finish first among the teams that took the Porter option. Joe & Bill: Team Guido did a few smart things during the Detour which helped them stay competitive. First, they hired a guide car to take them to the charcoal, and then used local boys to hold the bags open while they scooped the charcoal inside it. That was a clever way to follow the directions, yet save time. They also got a local to guide them to the delivery point. However, while they had a good idea in hiring a cab to follow to the Pit Stop, it backfired as they were taken to the wrong location initially. That was just bad luck, not a failure to think smart. Eric & Danielle: The dating couple had some trouble navigating, putting them at the back of the pack coming into the Detour. They picked the slow option, and struggled through the leg. As it stood, they were the last to the Porter Detour. They were smart enough to get locals to direct them to the delivery position, which allowed them to pass Uchenna & Joyce. It saved them from a bottom finish and being marked for elimination. Uchenna & Joyce: The married couple had their problems in this leg, from finding the plaza to making a bad Detour decision. However, they compounded their mistakes by not getting a local to guide them to the charcoal delivery location. They ended up being lucky not to be eliminated, though they are marked.