Phil:  "So, Cindy, do you think your parents will be at all surprised by you winning?"
Cindy:  "They would be surprised if I didn't win.  I grew up in a household where there was no such thing as second place, we had to be the best at everything or we were huge disappointments.  I got a B+ on a history paper one time…

There was a distinct air of sexism permeating the entire typewriter challenge.  When the guy agreed to the challenge and then it was revealed, it was like, "What?!  Men typing?  Craaaazzzy!!!"  And then when it was Sandy, Jeremy is like, "Yeah, damn right, woman's work!"  (I'm paraphrasing there).  Can you imagine if…

To call Dean Fearing "medium terrifying" is a vast understatement, unless you meant it as a joke about how he demanded the steaks be cooked medium rare.  I take it as "the medium of television terrifying," because I could barely even look at the guy when he was onscreen.  What an odd-looking, ugly, shiver-inducing…

Agreed.  She's just got that look about her.  And she tends to whine and want to give up on every task way too soon.  And I guarantee her and Jeremy broke up the second the Amazing Race was over, regardless of whether or not they won.  But I wouldn't kick her off the couch.

She's not strikingly hot or anything, but she's certainly not unattractive.  I don't have to turn away from the television when she's onscreen.  If she's ugly, then I think our standards are way too high.

What I like about the Dudez Charlie Chaplin mix-up is that it sounded like they had literally never heard of Chaplin before.  When they went to tell the Tin Tin guy (who looked WAY too old to be doing that shit, I had no idea Tin Tin was in his late 20s/early 30s) their answer, they robotically parroted back the…

Andy was doing pretty much all of the talking, while Tommy just sat there with a solemn look on his face, looking downward.  Perhaps if he had instead looked upward, he would have gained the knowledge and inspiration that only comes from knowing God's love and accepting that His choices are always correct.  Except if…

I work at a movie theater, and whenever any customer passes by the poster, they will say, "Oooohh, look, a Rin Tin Tin movie is coming out!"  So I think the majority of the American public has no idea that Tin Tin is based on a famous French comic series (and, really, why would they?), and there's gonna be a bunch of…

Sweet Clam, always speaking the truth in regards to the Tolerability Index, God bless you.

Most definitely a 30-minute penalty.  Phil would give them an especially stern look while delivering the news, and Cindy would stomp her feet and then drag her lifeless body over to the tree where they would have to sit.  She would also somehow blame the Dudez.  I liked how during this episode Ernie momentarily lost…

I had forgotten about the free gas for life!  Seriously, I would race around the world to win just that prize, that's incredible.

She rolled her eyes, but she also started to smile, which made me like this team even more.  If anyone should be sick of these metaphors by now, it's Amani, but even she can't help but be charmed by her husband's incessant enthusiasm, which really does win you over in the end.

I kept thinking, "Really, the audio for the ENTIRE exchange was so messed up that they had to overdub everything?!"  And badly at that.  Show some heart, Phil.  I like to think Phil inadvertently said something really awful to Jeremy and Sandy, or the couple made some terribly offensive comment, and that's why it had…

This wasn't the greatest episode ever, but it had a few moments that I think elevated it.  Some stray observations:

Thank you!  What the fuck do you want, Amelie?  Each season is set in a different location so that they can highlight the cuisines and culture specific to that region.  Each challenge revolves around it.  Do you want the series to be filmed in some sterilized, nondescript studio in the middle of nowhere?  Would that…

Sweet Clam, I love you.

Women in Brussels be horny!

The look of a film shown on 35mm literally looks different from a film shown from a digital print.  But as Gherkins pointed out, it's almost undefinable when you're point-blank asked what to look for.  I worked as a film projectionist for 10 years, so I can spot digital projection from a mile away.  I guess what I…

Great sex=Waking up the next morning and seeing that either you or your partner or both has suffered a bruise or two or a dreaded carpet burn.  It happens.  The sooner the tweens of the world learn the truth, the better.  Bella is clearly into it.  Don't be such a prude. 

Nice call.  I'm fairly certain this is Payne's first scope film, and he uses the extra space for maximum effect, emotional and otherwise, not just pretty scenery shots.  I also gotta give credit to Payne's editor, who knows exactly how to stay on a certain shot for just a few beats longer than normal to really…