Thinking Smart in Episode 9
The Amazing Race: All-Stars - Thinking Smart in Episode 9 by Jeffrey Clinard -- 04/20/2007 Flight times dominated the most recent episode of The Amazing Race. How did thinking smart play into which flight was obtained? And what about actions that were taken outside of the airport? Who was thinking smart and who was not? All teams have learned by now to fight for the best available flight option, as there are fewer chances to get ahead or behind with any other part of the race. Part of the fight for the best tickets is figuring out the fastest way to get booked. Sometimes it is by phone, sometimes it is by internet, sometimes it’s by travel agents, and other times it means going to the offices at the airport. The ability to get tickets was the key factor in this episode, as Danny & Oswald booked the fastest flight and came in first, while Eric & Danielle were on the last flight and ended up dead last. Other than flight times, there was very little teams could do to change their position in the race, except excel at the tasks, but that wouldn’t have made up for much lost time. The one thing they can do is to make a big mistake. Charla & Mirna had their taxi cab driver take them exactly where they asked, but they made a mistake in translation and wasted time in the process. The other factor that could have hurt was improper money management. Danny & Oswald are broke, largely because Danny bought a lot of old newspapers in the previous leg. If they find themselves needing to do so, spending time panhandling isn’t the best use of race time. The Detour was a fun one, with wi-fi Kung Fu fighters. It’s hard to tell if the other option was faster, but I somehow doubt it. It was certainly less interesting. Pulling the junk to retrieve the gnome was handled correctly by every team, with a slow and steady pull. Attempting to rush it would have been asking for trouble. Only four teams are left, with Eric & Danielle marked for elimination. In a leg that was dominated by the best flight tickets, which teams were thinking smart? Donny & Oswald: The friends made a good decision to prowl around the offices, and it paid off with the best flight tickets, plus the ability to give their standby number to Mirna & Charla. I’m pretty certain it can’t be because they like their company, but it was the time to help a team they figured they can beat to the finish line. It was a something of a shady move to cheat their taxicab driver, but it was one way to recover from their money problems. They also wisely picked the Fast Forward, and have a great lead on the other teams. Dustin & Kandice: I think they’ve learned to go to offices at airports after the last episode, as it could have allowed them the best flight. They did end up fighting with Mirna at the ticket counter, most of which was a waste as both teams ended up with seating. They consistently made good choices at the Detour and communicated well with the locals to get from point to point. They are still a solid team that may be the first all-female one to win this race. Charla & Mirna: This team had their problems, but the faster flight allowed them to buy all the time they needed to make up for them. They waffled about which Detour to take, which cost them some time, then made a huge error when they told the taxi driver to take them to Hong Kong Island Green Star line. He did exactly that... The problem was they really wanted to go to the Green Star ferry in order to take it to Hong Kong Island. Overall, that move probably cost them at least 40 minutes. Teams can’t afford to do that at this stage of the race. Eric & Danielle: The dating couple had pretty must lost this leg as soon as it began, as there was no way to make up the time lost by getting on the slower flight. They raced fairly well when they landed, though Eric apparently hasn’t learned how to ask locals for better directions. This cost them time they didn’t have, but as it was a non-elimination round they were able to get away with it.
The Amazing Race: All-Stars - Thinking Smart in Episode 9 by Jeffrey Clinard -- 04/20/2007 Flight times dominated the most recent episode of The Amazing Race. How did thinking smart play into which flight was obtained? And what about actions that were taken outside of the airport? Who was thinking smart and who was not? All teams have learned by now to fight for the best available flight option, as there are fewer chances to get ahead or behind with any other part of the race. Part of the fight for the best tickets is figuring out the fastest way to get booked. Sometimes it is by phone, sometimes it is by internet, sometimes it’s by travel agents, and other times it means going to the offices at the airport. The ability to get tickets was the key factor in this episode, as Danny & Oswald booked the fastest flight and came in first, while Eric & Danielle were on the last flight and ended up dead last. Other than flight times, there was very little teams could do to change their position in the race, except excel at the tasks, but that wouldn’t have made up for much lost time. The one thing they can do is to make a big mistake. Charla & Mirna had their taxi cab driver take them exactly where they asked, but they made a mistake in translation and wasted time in the process. The other factor that could have hurt was improper money management. Danny & Oswald are broke, largely because Danny bought a lot of old newspapers in the previous leg. If they find themselves needing to do so, spending time panhandling isn’t the best use of race time. The Detour was a fun one, with wi-fi Kung Fu fighters. It’s hard to tell if the other option was faster, but I somehow doubt it. It was certainly less interesting. Pulling the junk to retrieve the gnome was handled correctly by every team, with a slow and steady pull. Attempting to rush it would have been asking for trouble. Only four teams are left, with Eric & Danielle marked for elimination. In a leg that was dominated by the best flight tickets, which teams were thinking smart? Donny & Oswald: The friends made a good decision to prowl around the offices, and it paid off with the best flight tickets, plus the ability to give their standby number to Mirna & Charla. I’m pretty certain it can’t be because they like their company, but it was the time to help a team they figured they can beat to the finish line. It was a something of a shady move to cheat their taxicab driver, but it was one way to recover from their money problems. They also wisely picked the Fast Forward, and have a great lead on the other teams. Dustin & Kandice: I think they’ve learned to go to offices at airports after the last episode, as it could have allowed them the best flight. They did end up fighting with Mirna at the ticket counter, most of which was a waste as both teams ended up with seating. They consistently made good choices at the Detour and communicated well with the locals to get from point to point. They are still a solid team that may be the first all-female one to win this race. Charla & Mirna: This team had their problems, but the faster flight allowed them to buy all the time they needed to make up for them. They waffled about which Detour to take, which cost them some time, then made a huge error when they told the taxi driver to take them to Hong Kong Island Green Star line. He did exactly that... The problem was they really wanted to go to the Green Star ferry in order to take it to Hong Kong Island. Overall, that move probably cost them at least 40 minutes. Teams can’t afford to do that at this stage of the race. Eric & Danielle: The dating couple had pretty must lost this leg as soon as it began, as there was no way to make up the time lost by getting on the slower flight. They raced fairly well when they landed, though Eric apparently hasn’t learned how to ask locals for better directions. This cost them time they didn’t have, but as it was a non-elimination round they were able to get away with it.