Topic: TAR25: Misti Raman & Jim Raman "The Dentists"

[georgiapeach]

Misti Raman & Jim Raman

                                       
#TheDentists
 
 
Name Misti Raman
Age: 36
Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
Connection to your teammate: Married
Current occupation: Cosmetic Dentist
Describe what you do: I practice family and cosmetic dentistry. I provide dental services for adults and children, helping them maintain a healthy, beautiful smile.
3 words to describe you: Compassionate, loyal and ambitious.
Favorite hobbies: Traveling, exercising and reading.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Outside of my children, being crowned Miss Galaxy 2013.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Dolly Parton - glitter, glitz and success with a bubbly personality.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Ben Affleck – successfully balances family and career.
What scares you most about traveling? Fear of offending other cultures.
What excites you most about traveling? Exploring new places, learning new cultures and meeting new people.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: The biggest challenge will be maintaining our focus while we are away from our children for a month.
Pet peeve about your teammate: No filter between his brain and his mouth.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? I would love to visit Italy to experience the amazing food, wine and culture.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? An amazing, competitive adventure with my husband.

Name: Jim Raman
Age: 37
Hometown: Columbia, S.C.
Connection to your teammate: Husband
Current occupation: Orthodontist
Describe what you do: I am blessed to be able to transform people’s smiles with braces or Invisalign and thereby raise their self-image and self-esteem. Helping a child who hates their teeth have a smile they are proud of is amazing.
3 words to describe you: Ambitious, dedicated and unfiltered.
Favorite hobbies: Weight lifting, cooking and jet-skiing.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Personally, my children are my biggest source of pride and pleasure. Professionally, having achieved my level of education and buying a practice and growing it by over 100% in the first two years.
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? Jenny McCarthy
What scares you most about traveling? Traveling to places where Misti may not be safe (she tends to stand out in a crowd).
What excites you most about traveling? Seeing places I may have never otherwise seen and experiencing the history and culture of other societies.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: Our biggest challenge will be not bickering with each other over insignificant things like we often do at home. If we can maintain good teamwork we will be very tough to beat.
Pet peeve about your teammate: When Misti is stressed out she often snaps at me even when I am not the cause of her stress.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? There are so many on my list. Italy – beauty and history, Australia – Great Barrier Reef, South Africa – safari in Kruger National Park (or any African safari) and Egypt – pyramids.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I think it will be an amazing experience that we can share with our children when they are grown which will teach them to follow their dreams.

[georgiapeach]

VIDEO!
 
 
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/vB5qXHLIjBk" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/vB5qXHLIjBk</a>

[georgiapeach]

saved

[ZBC Company]

better lake and michell little fight will terrible third one yall

[Kamineko]

Looks like their appearance and occupation don't match very well. After seeing their official picture I see Jim's more a pro-wrestler type and Misti looks like fitness mom.

Just hope that they won't bicker too much that may lead to their downfall.

[Bookworm]

She wears too much makeup IMO.

[Marionete]

They seem mediocre.
I don't like them too much, I don't dislike them though.
I think they will be one of those 'surprise' early boots, because they look all fit and stuff.

[RachelLeVega]

Misti & Jim...

I don't understand why, but I find this team much more likable than Lisa & Michelle. Perhaps Misti reminds me of myself, but I wouldn't count on that assumption. Maybe I'll begin finding out when the race starts. Anyways, I wish them great luck on the race without losing their cool.

[NMC]

Although they're both only in their 30's, I'm getting the Older Married Couple Team vibe from them, and I don't know why because they're clearly not that type of team.
I really want to like them, but I just think Jim will be too hotheaded and a bit TOO competitive to be likable. 

[Pi]

The title says "Misti Raman & Jim Ramen". do they really have that similar of last name or is it just a typo?

[Bookworm]

The title says "Misti Raman & Jim Ramen". do they really have that similar of last name or is it just a typo?

its a typo lol

[georgiapeach]

 
 
 

[AR FAN]

Dadgumit, they look intimidating!

[RaceUntilWeDie]

Are they supposed to be Married Dentists or Married Bodybuildiers? They look like it.

[maxen]

It's really hard for me to look at their faces. 

[Ticasmom]

Both of those smiles are pure zirconium.  Both foreheads are pure botox.  Dentists are now doing botox.

[Bookworm]

They (especially Jim) scare me

[georgiapeach]

Jim will be doing a weekly commentary of their experiences on his FB FanPage located here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jim-and-Misti-Raman-Official-Fanpage/1535475576685132

By permission, we can share it here weekly! Enjoy!

Ep 1:
 

Every week I will post commentary for our friends and patients giving our
perspective on the episode and the things that the audience didn't get to see. 
I will do my best to keep my observations to things I observed first hand and
not post anything that I only heard from other teams.  I will address things
that have circulated on social media but I largely try... to avoid reading any of it.  If you have a question
after an episode feel free to message me through Facebook and I will try to
address it in my weekly commentary.

 During our opening introduction I
make the comment that "we don't compare ourselves to the average person" which
has been construed by many as an elitist, arrogant attitude.  What followed in
that interview (but was not shown) was that we judge ourselves based on our God
given potential.  The reason we are so driven and don't just sit back and enjoy
our success and rest on our laurels is because we know that on our best day we
may achieve 40-50% of our God given potential.  We strive to be our best for the
personal satisfaction that comes along with that and for the impact that we have
on the lives of those closest to us.  The notion that we are elitist is
laughable given where we came from and that neither of us enjoyed an overly
privileged childhood.  I grew up in a very middle class, blue collar household
where our needs were always met but not always our wants.  I lived in an area
where most of my friends had more than I did and in a house where the bills
always exceeded the income.  Misti's parents were divorced when she was very
young and her mother often struggled to make ends meet.  There were times when
she would save her change during the week just to be able to buy Misti a candy
bar at the end of the week and clothes often came from a second hand store.  We
both remain fairly grounded and realize that what makes you a good person is how
you treat others and not your income or the letters after your name.  Obviously,
we were edited to seem arrogant (which is fine, this is TV) and yes we are very
confident because of what we know we can achieve.

 By the time the race
started in Times Square we had been in NYC for four days and had spent many
hours in meetings with the other teams but had not spoken a word to any of them.
 We had sized up the competition based on appearance but knew absolutely nothing
about each other.  At this point I felt like the firefighters were our biggest
competition (they reminded me of Art and JJ).  Start time was 3 am and we were
never told what time or what day we would start so we had not slept during the
day at all.

 Times Square was super intense.  Months of waiting and we
were finally underway.  From Times Square we headed to the Unisphere from the 
1964 World Fair in Flushing Meadows.  Within about 2 minutes of arriving there
were cabs everywhere.  The way most of the cabs came in we were in front of the
building and could not gain access to the Unisphere so we had to go on foot. 
Less than an hour into the race and it was complete chaos, teams everywhere
fighting for the advantage of being on the first flight.  When we arrived at the
airport I saw Keith and Whitney get out of the cab in front of us and run into
the airport as we were paying our cab.  Fortunately they did not see the marked
counter and we were able to sprint in and secure a seat on the first
flight.

 Our flight left at 7:50 am so we had a few hours to sleep in the
airport but who could sleep?  Upon arrival in St. Thomas it was a foot race off
the airplane to the cabs.  All five teams got to the cab stand within seconds of
each other but our cab somehow got out first and we had about a two minute lead
on the other teams when we arrived at Vendors Plaza.  We passed through Vendors
Plaza and were probably within 20 feet of the sign up board for the sea planes
but did not see it.  By the time we ran across the street where the planes were
and back the other teams had arrived and we ended up on the second
plane.

 On the sea plane I made a comment about throwing up "like
Bopper".  Obviously, it was Mark who always got motion sickness, a fact that we
discussed a few minutes later but as it was relatively irrelevant it was not
included in the show.  The sea plane flight and the journey to Carval Rock were
relatively uneventful other than what was shown on TV.

 We arrived on the
beach for the roadblock in fourth place.  By my estimation Tim and TeeJay
arrived 40 minutes ahead of us, Adam and Bethany 30 minutes and Alli and Kym 10
minutes.  When we read the clue and saw the compass and shovel sitting there I
quickly decided that I would perform the roadblock.  I had just finished
measuring my first coordinate when Adam came to me asking how to use the
compass.  Keep in mind the audience is told how the compass works but the cast
is not.  At that point I was already suspicious that I may be on the wrong track
because I estimated my treasure would be somewhere near the water which I felt
was improbable.  When I noticed is was about 3 pm, the sun was over the island
and my compass had west pointing over the ocean I decided to check the compass
on my watch.  Some have said that I cheated by using the compass on my watch but
it was absolutely within the scope of the rules.  Others have said we only won
because of the compass on my watch but it really only helped to confirm my
suspicion.  Additionally, I shared that information with Adam and Tim and still
finished far ahead of them.  I actually used the compass provided to locate the
treasure not because I had to but because it was far more accurate than my
watch.  What I feel was the biggest deciding factor in me finding the treasure
so quickly was the manner in which I used the compass.  Yes I was a boy scout
and yes I have used a compass many times.  The key is when traveling a distance
it is best to pick a distant landmark along the path you wish to travel and stay
aligned with the landmark, this is far more accurate than constantly
re-orienting based on the compass.  At the end of my first coordinate (north 13
yards) I checked the accuracy of my position by facing back to my starting point
and checking to make sure it was due south, which it was.  I repeated the
procedure for the second coordinate and found the treasure immediately on my
first attempt after realizing the compass was backwards.  I estimate our total
time on the roadblock was around 10 minutes.  The second place team, who arrived
on the island approximately 40 minutes before us, arrived at the pitstop almost
2 hours behind us.  Sorry for the lengthy explanation, I just got sick of people
saying we only won because of my watch.  As a side note, I believe Robbie and
Amy were both very quick in finding their treasure.

 After leaving the
island we took a boat ride to Magens Bay which I feel was about 20 minutes long
and then got in a cab for what also felt like 20 minutes.  The entire time I was
looking over my shoulder expecting the other teams to be just minutes behind us
given that I had helped two other teams by telling them how to use the compass. 
I guess the challenge was more difficult for most than I had thought.  Stepping
on the mat for the first time, in first place, and winning "The Save" was
exhilarating beyond words.  36 hours without sleep and I had never been more
energized.

 As far as the three teams taking a penalty, I personally
would have never done that and think it was a very weak decision.  As one team
put it, "I felt the penalty was the easiest way".  In my life I have found that
the easy road doesn't usually end at the most desirable destination.  As far as
the realtors being eliminated, it sucks that someone has to go home after just
one leg and for that I feel sorry for them.  On the other hand I think what they
did in Vendors Plaza was dirty and sometimes karma is a bitch.  You hate to see
anyone leave so early but that's just part of The Amazing Race.

 Random
Thoughts

 Yes, our teeth are white, but both of my brothers feel like CBS
whitened our teeth even more for emphasis in some scenes.  I personally do not
know but this is just a thought.

 I've also heard that I should lay off
the spray tan.  Sorry to disappoint but there was zero spray tan/self tanner
involved in my skin being the color it was.  Keep in mind this was filmed in
June.

 Sorry to all for the excessive length.  I will try to keep future
installments more concise.

[AR FAN]

Peach, Thank You for the post from Jim, I love this stuff!!!!!

[georgiapeach]

Thank Jim!! I love it too.

[Bookworm]

lol I actually like Jim more after reading his comments. It makes him seem more human and less hulk.

[gamerfan09]

The Facebook "fans" are so mean to them

"I can't stand the dentists. They are so fake. Fake white smile, fake tan, fake smiles, etc. I'm sure they inject themselves with botox too."

"The husband looks like a tanned roids freak until he smiles. Then he looks demonic."

"He looks so gross!! I thought the same thing about his steroids! His upper teeth are so bleached and whitened but his bottom teeth are not and it looks so nasty!! Ugghh"

Like I don't even like them but that is just so rude and mean, especially considering they have done nothing wrong but just race hard for the first two legs 

[Ticasmom]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.  If you are going to do something to yourself, then you should be aware of taking the good and the bad.   Their teeth are too white for nature.  That shade did not even exist until the late nineties or so.  In those days, denture teeth were carved from Corell white.   Look at Phil's teeth.  Yes they are a bit crooked but the coloring is very natural.  Yes you can bleach your teeth to a lighter shade but what they have is excess.  Think of Joan Rivers and her plastic surgery and how much beyond natural she looked.  Now consider this-these guys are the "Joan Rivers" of cosmetic dentistry.

Couple things further-Phil has made mention of the teeth  at least twice so the teeth must be very "eye-catching" and secondly if any one is thinking about doing the same type of dental work, be ready to invest at least 12k or so for this kind of work.

[Jobby]

I am still holding my reservations for this team. I don't hate or dislike them for knowing they are good and capable. There is nothing wrong with being confident but in a world where people always feel insecure about themselves or inferior to others, this team naturally will come off wrongly to many.

But they're not a bad team aren't they? Three teams particularly asked them for help on the first leg and Jim gladly give? That doesn't sound to me like a rude or unfriendly person.

I still think it's edit wise that made viewers get turn off by them. I think they're a really good team combination to have this season. They really helped to pick up the pace of the race and reminded me of the good old Colin and Christie and Rob and Amber competitive days!

[georgiapeach]

The Dentists' Episode 2 Commentary

 It is incredible how much of what happened during an episode gets cut and never makes it on TV. However, when you consider that the production crew starts with 100+ hours of footage and cuts it down to 42 minutes, literally cutting out over 99% of what has been captured, it is incredible that they can tell the story so well.

 At the start of leg #2 we arrived first at the airport and waited to see who would be next to arrive. What the audience does not see is that once you arrive at the pit stop you have zero contact with any of the other teams so you have no idea who got eliminated or how things ended. We did not find out about the three teams taking the penalty until the third leg because we left St. Thomas before any of those teams arrived at the airport.

 Upon arrival in London we had to take a cab to "the oldest Victorian bridge". We were not told it was Tower Bridge but since all teams went to the right place that fact became irrelevant. While running up Tower Bridge I pulled my right hamstring just steps before we received our Detour decision point clue (sprinting after sitting on airplanes for about 12 hours when you are old and way past your prime is not the best idea in the world). My initial inclination was to choose the "Pancake Race" but not knowing how bad the pull was nor any specifics about how physical the pancake race would be we opted for "About Face". This was obviously a mistake as "Pancake Race" proved to be the faster Detour. It is really easy to choose which one looks easier from home when you see what each actually entails but it is not nearly as easy with the description the participants are given.

 When we arrived to "About Face" we were the first team to arrive and were also the first team to complete the task. What you did not see is just how tragic it was. Misti made a few mistakes but one of the producers told me he didn't think I would ever get it right. Thank god for 99% of footage having to be eliminated.

 Next we raced to Paddington Station where we were lucky to get on the same train as Alli and Kym. We were waiting on the first direct train to Oxford when we saw the cyclists go racing by. We quickly asked another station worker what they were doing and he told us that by getting on that train and transferring we could get there quicker. We made that train by just seconds.

 When we arrived at the punting challenge we were neck and neck with Alli and Kym. They asked a local which end was the Oxford end and which end was the Cambridge end and were given erroneous information which they shared with us. Some have speculated that if we had not gone the wrong way we probably would have won the leg because Adam and Bethany went for the Express Pass. I believe the time it took us for the second lap was greater than the time spread between us and the soul surfers at the pit stop so that is probably true (albeit irrelevant). When we approached the cyclists after beginning our second lap Kym said something to the effect of "why are you guys doing it again...you're not going to tell me are you?". My response was basically that they were on the wrong end and would have to do it again also. At that point she began crying. As a side note I believe many of the other teams also had to repeat the punting although this was not shown.

 After completing the punting challenge we raced to the quad where we got the clue for the next pit stop. This was actually a good distance from the punting challenge and we got lost along the way due to us taking directions from a less than reliable source (when the guy saw the camera and pulled his jacket over his face saying "this isn't going to be on the tele is it?" we should have asked someone else). Many teams did not even open the umbrella to get the clue for the Express Pass which did not matter because Adam and Bethany had already gotten it. The entire discussion about Adam and Bethany being smart enough to get the save was brought about by us being questioned as to why we didn't go after the Express Pass and the implication that Adam and Bethany had not gotten it. Keep in mind we have no idea what the other teams are doing like the viewers at home do. Adam is very intelligent and I knew he would go for the Express Pass which is why we went straight for the pit stop not knowing how far of a detour it would be and hoping we could beat them to the pit stop.

 Ultimately we were about 15 minutes behind Adam and Bethany as the Express Pass was only a few minutes out of the way on the trip to Blenheim Palace. Second place. FIRST LOSER, but still alive to fight another day. Sorry to see Dennis and Isabella go home, I know it was a tough pill for them to swallow. Super sweet couple, we wish them the best.

 Favorite Line: Judge at changing of the guard telling Robbie and Brooke they have failed to follow his "worldly, Yoda-like advice"

 Coming up this Friday: Sheep herding and "Satan" the evil pony (http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=b_SrV72nB1g). Anytime you get animals involved things have a tendency to get out of control. One team gets super creative, which should be very entertaining.

[supah]

I don't understand the negative comments towards Misti & Jim. They have made their confidence clear, BUT they have not crossed the line to arrogance. They have excelled in all the challenges, even helping a few teams along the way. They have not done anything harmful to any other teams and both of them work well together without bickering. Misti seems lovely and Jim comes off as a decent, interesting guy. I am yet to see why the viewers don't like them...

[georgiapeach]

I don't understand the negative comments towards Misti & Jim. They have made their confidence clear, BUT they have not crossed the line to arrogance. They have excelled in all the challenges, even helping a few teams along the way. They have not done anything harmful to any other teams and both of them work well together without bickering. Misti seems lovely and Jim comes off as a decent, interesting guy. I am yet to see why the some unperceptive viewers don't like them...

Fixed. and AGREE!

[Jobby]

I think some teams just rub the general public in the wrong way.

I also have no idea why some "unperceptive viewers" loved the cowboys so much, but we'll leave that to another thread discussion.

Misti and Jim are a strong team like I've said before, but when asked to help, Jim agreed to offer his help without rejecting any single one of them. They're confident, and that's simply how they roll and they do it well even.

Some teams are smug confident about themselves and in the process try to be sneaky about it and wish bad for the other teams or even suck in the end. A very good example would John and Murray in TAR Aussie 3.

[sapphirepit]

I think my main issue isn't their confidence or anything personal about them.

I adore the cast this season and I think this is setting up to be one of the best seasons in recent history. The locations haven't been great yet, but the leg design has been awesome and I'm loving all the challenges and route info. I just hope it doesn't have a dominating team. I want to see them all scrambling and swapping out first places and spreading the love, I don't want to get the feeling "oh great, here come jim and misti for another win" and get bored by it. Plus, it'd be nice to see them struggle with the confidence and actually learn from mistakes and have to use their save and experience some sort of growth along the race. If they just mow down the competition, they are never in the face of adversity, and won't grow from it.

[NMC]

EVERYTHING Sapphirepit said.    ^^^

[Jobby]

Plus, it'd be nice to see them struggle with the confidence and actually learn from mistakes and have to use their save and experience some sort of growth along the race. If they just mow down the competition, they are never in the face of adversity, and won't grow from it.

#PRAYFORMISTIANDJIMTOSTRUGGLEONLEG3 #DREAMCOMETRUE #WAITINGFORIT #ITSCOMING

[David]

I like them tbh. I hated hated HATED FOR SURE Dave & Rachel. These two are entertaining and likeable. Not just an alpha team.

[Ryan]

It'd be nice to see them use their save early on so they're vulnerable in the final 6.

[georgiapeach]

The Dentists' Episode 3 Commentary

 After a 30 hour pitstop we departed Oxford and headed for the Shetland Islands. Many people have asked us if we really have to carry everything in our back pack and how we wash clothes. Yes we do carry EVERYTHING and they do not wash our clothes for us. Pitstops are typically anywhere from 12-36 hours. After arriving on the mat every team must do a post-leg interview that typically from 40 minutes to an hour. Clips from this interview are used throughout the episode. For example, in episode 3 anytime you see Misti and me talking with water and mountains behind us that is from the post-leg interview. After the interview we have to wait for transportation to the hotel. We typically leave the hotel for the pit start an hour before start time. What this basically equates to is a 12 hour pitstop leaves us only about 8 hours in the hotel to sleep and get ready for the next leg. There is no time to do laundry during the 12 hour pitstops so the longer pitstops like this one allow us to do laundry and catch up on sleep. We can pay the hotel to do the laundry when available but we must use our leg money which is way too precious to spend on laundry. Clothes are washed in the bathtub, wrung out, wrapped in a dry towel, rolled up and wrung again and then hung to dry. Same routine for shoes, hairdryer often required.

 After departing Oxford we took a train to Aberdeen. Upon arrival in Aberdeen we picked up a Ford Focus in the rooftop parking lot of the mall adjacent to the train station. We then drove to the ferry terminal and took an agonizingly long 12+ hour ferry trip to Lerwick. After a short drive to Victoria pier to locate the puffin and a quick trip to Scalloway Castle we were on to the detour. Misti and I were wary about choosing a detour that involved an animal from watching previous seasons of The Amazing Race but felt like due to the physical nature of the challenge that this would be the faster detour for us. We had no idea Satan was waiting for us. Cutting the slabs of peat was pretty straight forward. After cutting 50 slabs we had to deliver 20 dried slabs of peat to the house up the mountain. We were only allowed to load 10 slabs at a time, requiring two trips. The terrain was very uneven with many large holes that you could not see because of the grass. Our camera man for that leg actually sprained his ankle on that hill and had to leave after this leg of the race. Satan was great on the first leg but after we tied him up to reload he had apparently decided that he was ready to rest. He was not happy to make the second trip. My biggest fear during the battle with Satan was that Misti would get kicked so I kept telling her to get away but she has to stay within 20 feet of me. Challenging. The second portion of this leg was much more physically difficult than cutting the peat due to the grade of the slope and the unevenness of the terrain.

 Next we were off to Berry Farm for sheep herding. I definitely did not expect the sheep to have the energy that they did nor the springs in their feet that they had. It was really pretty comical. The hardest part was definitely getting the sheep through the six gates together. We pretty quickly formed a strategy that I would contain to the left and Misti would contain on the right which worked really well.
 After that we just had to get them in the pen. Once we had a few in Misti became paranoid that I would let them out. I had to reassure her twenty times that I would keep them in but had to give the others enough room to get into the pen. After completing this challenge in between 15 and 18 minutes we received the Viking charm with instructions to go to where it was found. This would ultimately become Michael and Scott's undoing. At this point I was very confident that the other teams could not get through the sheep herding a whole lot quicker than we did and that if we did not get lost we would be able to secure another victory. The drive was about 40 minutes and after a few wrong turns we found that mat and our second victory.

 In January we were selected to be one of 30 teams to fly to LA from tens of thousands of applicants. From this 30 ultimately they would select 11. During our time in LA we were told over and over how much the casting director loved our confidence. Naturally, we amped it up even more and were selected to be one of the 11 teams. Before our post-leg interview we were "encouraged" to bring back the confidence that we showed in LA because we were "too humble" after winning the first leg. We came into the race with two goals 1) to win and 2) to win more legs than anyone ever had (Dave and Rachel-8) and become the most dominant team ever in Amazing Race history. I thought #1 was very possible and #2 was a long shot but I believe in setting huge goals that may not be attainable. When you set big goals you are forced to really get outside of your comfort zone and the end result is almost always positive, even when you fall short. The producers obviously thought it was an interesting goal too and kept asking us about it. Please don't misconstrue what I am saying. The producers never asked us to be anything other than what we are, they just encouraged a more entertaining, enhanced version of ourselves. This is after all TV first and reality second. From the producers to the camera men and sound crew they are all truly race purists. They all do their best to keep the playing field level for all teams and there is never anything that is staged.

 Sad to see Michael and Scott go. They were definitely not the powerhouse team that I feared they would be in NYC, but they are just good, solid, fun loving, hard working guys who didn't deserve to go out like they did.


 Favorite Line: Misti "I met a Shetland pony once. He was sassy. Not a nice pony."

 OMG, did I really say that "We knew were the team to beat coming into the race, the difference is now everybody else knows it too." Whoops, I just meant to think that not say it out loud.

 Episode 4 Spoiler: CBS PRESS:

 WHEN TASKED WITH A PAINSTAKING DETOUR, THE DENTISTS FACE THE REALIZATION THAT THEY MAY NEED TO USE “THE SAVE,” ON “THE AMAZING RACE,” FRIDAY, OCT. 17
 We decided we would give the haters something to cheer about. Tune in to watch the drama unfold. Warning: potential tragedy ahead.

#TAR25 #AmazingRaceFridays #TheDentists

[Jobby]

Plus, it'd be nice to see them struggle with the confidence and actually learn from mistakes and have to use their save and experience some sort of growth along the race. If they just mow down the competition, they are never in the face of adversity, and won't grow from it.

#PRAYFORMISTIANDJIMTOSTRUGGLEONLEG3 #DREAMCOMETRUE #WAITINGFORIT #ITSCOMING

Omg oracle jobby.

[David]

Leg 4 indeed. Kthx

[Jobby]

Warning: potential tragedy ahead.

Was wondering if Jim was even allowed to reveal small teasers like this as part of his secrecy policy...

[RaceUntilWeDie]

I knew they were going to struggle, but I wasn't expecting them to drop ALL the way to last

So glad they had some sort of wake-up call and the Race isn't going to be easy to dominate.

[georgiapeach]

Jim and Misti Raman "Official Fanpage"


The Dentists' Episode 4 Commentary

Where do I begin? I have been dreading the airing of this episode since it
happened 4 months ago. Thank God CBS only had 42 minutes of air time and had to
edit out so much.

Instead of our typical pitstop in a hotel, we spent the
night camping on the beach at St. Ninian's Island. Although one team was very
vocally unhappy about the accommodations it was a truly once in a lifetime
experience. When would you ever camp on the beach in Scotland with sheep roaming
all around you? I would have never imagined such a beautiful place existed in
Scotland. Additionally, we were allowed to talk to the other teams at this
pitstop which is typically prohibited.

We were the only team to be able
to secure airline tickets before leaving the Shetland Islands. When we arrived
in Aberdeen the cyclists were able to secure tickets on the earliest flight
which gave them a two hour lead. We had spent about an hour trying to secure
tickets on that flight the day before to no avail. They showed as being
available online but we are not allowed to provide an email address when booking
tickets so online booking was not an option. According to the airline and the
travel agent who ultimately booked our flight it was sold out. Kym and Alli were
fortunate enough to get tickets on that flight. It was heartbreaking to see them
race off to a two hour lead. After a small period of time feeling like we were
racing for second I got my head back in the game. I realized that we had beaten
many teams by more than two hours in legs 1 and 3 and although improbable, a win
was not out of the question. If only I knew what was about to
unfold.

When we arrived in Copenhagen we had about an hour lead on most
of the other teams. Our first error occurred in the airport when I purchased a
travel guide with a map of Copenhagen. We had about $30 extra left from the
previous leg so I felt like it was a safe purchase given the price on the book
was $19.99US. What I did not realize was that the price in Danish Krone was
about $50US. After we got our car we went to a hotel to get directions to Malmo,
Sweden. While there we left part of our instructions there which we later had to
go back to retrieve. After getting lost on the way and having to stop and get
directions again we finally made it to the Oresund Bridge where we discovered
that because of purchasing the travel guide we would not have enough money to
return.

Upon arriving in the square, after having to answer a question
because we did not take a direct route and used too much gas, we had to find
someone to buy our travel guide so we would have enough money to pay the toll on
the way back. For the first time this season we were not allowed to beg for
money so we had to sell something we obtained after the start of the race. We
were able to find a girl who bought it and gave us the money we needed to make
it back to Copenhagen. After crossing the bridge we returned to the hotel where
we had left our instructions before moving on to the detour.

At "Parking
Space" we were able to get things assembled fairly quickly but just could not
see the 7 petal flower staring at us. We spent 90 minutes making the most minute
adjustments and had the judge check at least 30 times. There were so many things
that you could not see in the picture like the exact arrangement of the flowers
and we became obsessed with the minutiae. Obviously we failed to see the big
picture. What made this most frustrating is that this was a challenge we felt
like we would be really, really good at. We are both extremely detail oriented
and have watched in disbelief as other teams have had similar difficulties in
seasons past on this type of challenge.

"Wedding Cake Race" was not much
better. We dropped a flag along the way and had to return to the bakery to get
another flag. We knew before we went in to the restaurant that we were missing a
flag but figured it was worth a try. The maitre d actually approved our cake but
the producers check caught our missing flag. The frustration
continues.

After having difficulty finding Ida Davidsen we were shocked
to see that we were not the last team to arrive. We had decided early on that
Misti would do the early detours to give us flexibility later on in the event
that a physical detour would come up. What was not entirely clear from watching
the show was that Misti actually had all of the ingredients right the very first
time. She just didn't realize that she had to give the numbers. She attempted
6-8 times before taking out her clue to re-read and discover that she had to
give the numbers. Before going on the race we had made a rule that if you do
something twice and can't figure out what you are doing wrong you stop, re-read
the clue and take a minute to step back and re-evaluate. In MMA they say
everyone has a fight plan until they get punched in the face. On The Amazing
Race you have a plan until you buy a book you can't afford and your whole day
unwinds. It was the worst snowball effect ever. There is something about the
pressure and the cameras that you just can't explain and when things start going
sideways it is so hard to reign it in. It is so frustrating to look back and
know that you should have stayed calm but that is so much easier said than
done.

Ultimately we were the last to arrive on the mat. When we received
"The Save" we were given written instructions (as were all the other teams) that
stated that upon being told that we were going to be eliminated that we would
hand over "The Save". When I asked one of the producers about how things would
play out in the event of a non-elimination leg I was told that we would have to
use "The Save" before we were told whether or not it was non-elim which was not
how the written instructions read. Obviously, he was mistaken. I handed Phil
"The Save" as I stepped on the mat and was so so happy to get it back.


The most frustrating part of the day was failing at tasks that we felt
we were strong at. We knew going in that there could be many tasks that did not
match our skill set and that we would struggle with them. It's hard to take a
task that you should be good at and just completely blow it. What was most
humbling was not that we were last, we knew that the Race was an unpredictable
beast, it was the manner in which it occurred.

Side note: Robbie was the
best "waitress" ever, hilarious.

Be sure to check out the video of Jack
Black from The Soup on our fan page. Hilarious.

Tune in Friday October 24
(Happy Birthday Misti) to see if we can overcome our Speed Bump and keep "The
Save" safe for another leg.

‪#‎TAR25‬ ‪#‎AmazingRaceFridays‬ ‪#‎TheDentists‬ ‪#‎TheSave

[georgiapeach]

[RaceUntilWeDie]

According to Jim's episode 4 recap, the teams cannot beg for money anymore? He phrased it kind of weird, but that's the message I'm getting.

[Jimmer]

Quote from Jim's recap

For the first time this season we were not allowed to beg for
money so we had to sell something we obtained after the start of the race. We
were able to find a girl who bought it and gave us the money we needed to make
it back to Copenhagen

[Jobby]

That probably explains why Misti and Jim were so far behind and lost so much time even though they were on the 4pm flight...

[stekay]

Misti frazzled confusion <33

[Jobby]

Jim telling the rest he still has his SAVE so that they don't get U-TURN = Smart.

Gotta give credit when it's due.

Amazing edit going into Shelley and Nici's use of U-TURN too.

[georgiapeach]

The editors clearly do not like Jim

Editors love drama. They like him, he is great 'copy'!

[Jobby]

I don't hate them but can I just request Jim to stop popping his eyes when speaking? It's scary.

[naejae91]

I think they start to become Nicole & Travis 2.0 (Start as strong team but end up with weak performance) minus the Travis negative behaviour towards Nicole.

[georgiapeach]

The Dentists' Episode 5 Commentary

After the tragedy of Leg 4 our only goal was to get past our speed bump and leg 5 without using The Save. We knew going into the race that any team is just one bad decision away from elimination but after our performance in Leg 4 it was hard to shake off the self-doubt. By the time Leg 5 started we had a chance to sleep it off and we knew if we carried the burden of Leg 4 with us it would be our undoing. The episode begins with us saying "Team domination is back" but the reality is we were still working through the self-doubt. Positive self-affirmations are just something I have always done when in a difficult situation that requires that I step up. Most of the things I say are more to motivate and focus me and Misti but of course this is not how it typically comes across.

The other teams were very unhappy that we still had The Save and we have received plenty of complaints online that Phil should not have given us The Save back. However, the rules are fairly clear. The "Save Pass Rules" read that "The Team in possession of the Save Pass (the "Save Pass Holder") can save itself from elimination by handing the Save Pass to Phil while standing on the mat." Since leg 4 was a non-elimination leg there was no need to save ourselves from elimination.

After arriving in Morocco, the episode was edited to look like we all arrived at the market at the same time but that is not the case. When we arrived at the brown garage door there was a sign that said we needed to come back at a later time. This effectively gave all teams an equal start. The producers probably knew this leg would have a tight time spread and wanted to keep it interesting. This also maximized the impact of our speed bump because we were in the first group of teams to find the marker.

The speed bump took us approximately 30 minutes and left us with a giant deficit to make up. The first task was to drag a food cart to the market area and help the vendor assemble it. This was the most ridiculous thing we had done because we had no directions and could not even communicate with the vendors who spoke zero English. We basically just watched them set up and helped when we could. Somehow we cut our deficit to about 15 minutes during this task but I have no idea how.

What followed was a ridiculously long run to the roadblock. When we got there we decided Misti would do the roadblock. Who knew she was a natural born goat skinner? She blew through the challenge completely closing the gap that the speed bump had created. She absolutely killed that challenge. Although Misti has been edited at times to look somewhat helpless, anyone who knows her knows how untrue that depiction is. In this challenge she proved how strong she is.

Next was another marathon to the Detour decision point and we were on to Tea Time. The most amazing part of this entire episode was that as we watched ourselves fail 9 times, neither Misti nor I had any recollection of the fact that she was using two hands. At this point the physical exhaustion was overwhelming. One team estimated that we had run between 6 and 8 miles that day based on a map they had acquired. While I think that is probably an overestimate we did run a lot, in the heat, with long pants on (per security staff instructions due to Morocco being a Muslim nation) carrying 50+lbs of packs. We were so spent apparently our memories were even failing us.

After another ridiculous run, we were fortunate enough to not be U-turned. Obviously, having the Save was a huge factor in other teams choosing not to U-turn us. I personally would not U-turn someone who could not go home and I think that definitely played into other teams decisions not to U-turn us. At this point we made a pact with the wrestlers to run the final segment together and that we would let them finish ahead of us. I actually had to stop at the mat and wait for Robbie to step on before us. Amy and Maya were just a few minutes behind us. Total time between the 7 remaining teams was approximately 42 minutes. I read somewhere that Keith and Whitney were over 2 hours behind the rest of the teams but cannot confirm. We liked Keith and Whitney but felt they were a top 5 team so we were obviously somewhat happy to see them go. Even happier to still have The Save.

Mission accomplished, speed bump overcome and The Save still in play.

Next episode...level ground and no speed bump.

‪#‎TAR25‬ ‪#‎AmazingRaceFridays‬ ‪#‎TheDentists‬ ‪#‎TheSave

[gamerfan09]

I'm probably in the minority, but go Misti/Jim <3

[georgiapeach]

The Dentists' Episode 6 Commentary

After a super intense, physically grueling leg 5 and a short 12 hour pitstop (which only allows for about 6 hours of sleep) we somehow started leg 6 feeling great. I guess having our episode 4 failure behind us and being back on level ground with only 26 minutes between us and the first place team was enough to make us forget how exhausted we were.

To start the episode there was only 27 minutes separating all teams but the field quickly got spread out as Tim & Te Jay, Amy & Maya and Shelley and Nici had difficulty realizing that the stable was about 10km away and taking a taxi was definitely the only efficient way to get there.

After we made our way to the stable and back to the market we found out it was a self-drive leg. Arghh. Copenhagen all over again? Thankfully we were able to navigate pretty well although we did get off track a little bit. We made it to the pottery stand pretty uneventfully and received our Detour decision. After a few "Satan the Pony" flashbacks we decided that the detour without animals was our best course of action.

When we arrived at Camp (which was at the same location as Cream unlike some other Detours) we knew we were in second place with the Surfers arriving right after us. It definitely felt great to be back near the head of the pack after what seemed like an eternity of just trying not to be last. We blew through the tent assembly pretty quickly with just a little hiccup of using the side material for the floor. What you could not appreciate is that from the campsite we chose, the rugs for the floor were directly behind the example tent so we could not see them. We overcame that pretty quickly and were able to leave the detour in first place. Another thing they did not show was that Kym & Alli's tent was actually defective. They were struggling with the tent and asked me to come over and point them in the right direction. When I got there it was very apparent that the center seam for the canopy was off center and there was no way to assemble it to look like the sample. When I told them that they switched back to Cream. Kym & Alli were actually given a 30 minute credit at the end of the leg because of this production issue. I've had lots of people say we need to stop helping other teams but that is not how we wanted to win. Although we went into the race willing to do things to slow down the other teams we really wanted to just beat the other teams by being efficient at the tasks.

After leaving in first place we got lost a little on the way to the zip line challenge. What was very fortunate is that while we were off course we stumbled upon the pitstop so when we left the Roadblock we knew exactly where we were going. Misti zipped through the Roadblock  including the puzzle that some of the other teams struggled with. We completed the Roadblock before any of the other teams even arrived. As we were driving out we saw the Surfers coming in. We stopped to tell them what was ahead, that they were in second place and I believe I told them where the pitstop was. Adam and I had made a pact at the beginning of the third leg while at the train station in Oxford that whenever possible we would help each other get into the final 3. Adam had also helped me at the end of Leg 4 by giving me some info. Although it was not helpful it definitely helped to strengthen our alliance.

We raced to the pitstop, our third first place finish and a wonderful trip to Brazil. I believe all three of our victories were1 hour plus leads. When we are good we are really good and when we are bad we completely implode. When we get ahead and the pressure of the race fades we are able to perform our best, make the best decisions and pull away from the other teams. When we get caught up in the pack we sometimes hold it together and sometimes fall apart.

Shelley and Nici fall apart and get eliminated. Although they were always sweet to us, the tension between them and the other teams and often just the mother daughter tension between them was often palpable. Apparently that tension did not end once they were eliminated. Although I hate to see anyone leave, especially a team of TAR super-fans who have wanted this since Season 1, the air was definitely a little lighter without them. What makes a great team is intelligence, physical ability, fortitude and possibly most important is communication and teamwork. I could never do the race with a parent because of the communication component which obviously proved to be an issue for them, although it was not the cause of their elimination.

Sidenote: Yes, Robbie and Brooke are hilarious all the time. Probably even funnier when the cameras are not rolling. Adam and Bethany are just as nice off camera as on camera and yes Bethany is beyond driven.

Next Episode: Historic 300th Leg in Sicily. Go-kart racing, painting frescos and opera. Sounds like fun. ‪#‎Happy300‬

‪#‎TAR25‬ ‪#‎AmazingRaceFridays‬ ‪#‎TheDentists‬ ‪#‎TheSave‬ ‪#‎Amazing‬ Race

[georgiapeach]

 The Dentists' Episode 7 Commentary

 Even though we finished our time in Morocco with a win, Sicily was a very welcome change.  We started this leg with a 1 hour 45 minute lead on Adam and Bethany.  However, after Kym and Alli were given credit for the tent mishap they were only 2 minutes behind Adam and Bethany.  The cyclists were able to secure seats with us on the earliest flight with but Adam a...nd Bethany got stuck with a later flight and a 40 minute deficit along with all the other teams.

 We knew the cyclists were not our biggest fans before we saw this episode but we had no idea that any of those comments were made until the episode aired.  We really hadn't spent any time with them up until this leg but they were definitely not our favorite either, more than anything because they were so evasive any time we asked them about their past (racing history etc.).  I can't really say what we did that was "nasty" (according to Alli) especially considering I tried to help them on the tent challenge in the last leg.  That footage was definitely both surprising and disappointing.

 When we arrived at theatre our lead was cut to 10 minutes by virtue of the way the tambourines were set up.  However, Bertram had arranged a party to celebrate the historic 300th leg complete with wine, cheese and pizza.  That night we slept with all the other teams in a hostel before being bused back to the theatre the next morning.

 Morning came and the race was on again.  We continued to work with the cyclists until we got into cabs and then it was every team for themselves.   During the go kart race, even though I took an early lead, Kym blazed by me on the first straight-away.  It became very apparent very quickly that my weight would be an issue (I literally weigh more than twice what Kym does).  From that point I became very focused on keeping Kym behind me so that if I didn't make it in the allotted time that she wouldn't either and we would have to do it again together.  Unfortunately, the go karts didn't have mirrors so it was difficult to keep looking over my shoulder and keep Kym from passing.  She did get by me but in the final turn I was able to overtake her with a Days of Thunder-style pass on the outside.  Dentists beat the cyclists again.

 What I did not know at the time was that one of the security guards who weighs about what I do actually ran that course several times the day before to establish the 4:07 time that we had to run the course in.  Of course the producers have thought of everything, this is their 25th time doing this.

 At the detour decision point we picked painters but posers was definitely way faster.  We actually had a little trouble finding the place where we had to paint but we found it just as the cyclists did and again started on level ground with them.  It was so hot with the spotlights and being so close to the ceiling but we just had to push through the discomfort.  We finished painting first, after being slowed down by the pesky missing nipples, and were headed to the pitstop in the lead.  Dentists beat the cyclists again.

 The cyclists were just a few minutes behind us and with a 20 minute cab ride ahead victory was up for grabs.  Fortunately we were able to hold off the cyclists for our 4th victory and a trip to Ocho Rios.  By my count Team No Fun has beat the cyclists for 5 of the 7 legs which have aired so far.  I guess that is what makes us nasty.

 5 night trip to Ocho Rios: $6,000.  Beating the cyclists after seeing all they had to say about us: priceless.

 The Sweet Scientists and the Wrestlers were just 10-15 minutes behind us and were convinced that they were racing for the win.  This shows how much faster posers was because the Sweet Scientists came to painters, arrived about 20 minutes after we had arrived, had to drive to posers and still finished just minutes behind us.  When they arrived they were not very happy to find out they were 3rd.  Tim and TeJay were last but were fortunate that this leg was non-elim.

 Next Episode:  Malta.  Adam and Bethany must use the Express Pass, is any team strong enough to overcome such a huge advantage?   Speedbump for T&T, can they overcome it and avoid elimination?  Rumor on Hulu is that we use The Save in leg 8.  Tune in to find out.   Definitely more drama ahead.

[ovalorange]

Peach you'll have to thank Jim & Misti for sharing these with us, so cool to get a racer's insight into the legs!

[georgiapeach]

I love the insights too!

And somehow I  think a nice right here will do!! 

[Kiwi Jay]

Loving this season, loving this team, even if they are hilariously over intensified now and then - Jim Seem a lovely couple and strong team all the same

[APABLD]

I know they're getting a lot of hate on Facebook, but I really like this team! They race well, keep calm under pressure and work well with each other. Although the editing suggests that Adam and Bethany will win (I love them as well), I'd be happy if the dentists won.

Love their commentary as well!

[couchracer]

I had no idea i would love the commentary so much. Thank you, it is very enjoyable to read.

[stekay]

It's great to see that these guys truly enjoyed their experience and are taking the time to give fans this insight. I've grown to like them a lot!

[gamerfan09]

These two have developed from a team I desperately wanted to lose to a team I want to win as many legs as they can to the finale. They've grown on me, go Misti/Jim! 

[nosyrabbit]

The Dentists' Episode 8 Commentary

After winning Leg 7 we left 5 minutes ahead of the cyclists but were actually 33 minutes ahead of Amy and Maya (more than I had remembered when I wrote my last commentary). We ended up being split up onto two different buses and waiting about 8 hours in a parking lot before the ferry left. Ultimately we all got on the same ferry. The producers always try to keep you on edge even when there is an equalizer ahead.

We were able to complete the drink carrying challenge pretty uneventfully after my first drop walking out the door of the bridge bar. I don't think you can appreciate how far away the knights were from the bar but it was quite a distance. What made the challenge most difficult is that the glasses were empty. As a result they were very unstable. I think it would have been much easier if the glasses were full but much more entertaining to watch Amy and Maya drop the glasses 97 times.

After arriving at the boathouse we were able to secure the last 7:30 time slot. We slept on the Mediterranean that night and awoke to a beautiful Maltese sunrise. Before I even had a chance to get my bearings the crew (who are the most amazing part of the process) started wishing me a happy Father's Day. By far the most difficult part of the Amazing Race was being away from our kids for 4 weeks and missing things like Father's Day.

Misti started the rappelling challenge strong but her rope got jammed up at the end and Alli was able to close the gap. Alli is a super strong swimmer and was able to pass Misti on the swim in the Blue Grotto. At this point we were just a few minutes behind the cyclists.

We got in a cab and raced to the Church of Saint Scholastica which proved to be very difficult. Our cabbie took us to several different churches before he got us to the right place. Unfortunately, nothing was clearly marked and we were unable to locate the detour decision point. While looking for it we stumbled upon "Flag". At most detours there would not be a clue and you would very obviously have to find the detour decision point. In this case, because it was a blind detour, there was a clue at the detour. We obviously made a ridiculous mistake by not realizing immediately we were not where we needed to be. Just like at the punting challenge in Leg #2, whenever there is another team ahead of us and the pressure of the race gets to us we don't make the best decisions. We knew we needed to stay calm and make good decisions but somehow the pressure of the race always got the best of us. It is an incredible phenomenon. You forget about the cameras pretty quickly but the pressure of the race is always there. As the legs pass by the pressure only gets worse.

We were able to find the detour decision point and we knew we did not want to go back to "Flag". We moved on to "Shine" and were able to complete it in record time. When we got there the demonstration was absolutely worthless. We had to figure out on our own how to most efficiently get through the challenge. We got pretty close and asked to be judged, which was not shown. While judging, a producer came over and ran his finger down the grooves in the armor feeling for surface imperfections. It became obvious to me that smoothness and not appearance was the judging criteria they were looking for. We were declined in our first attempt but within a few minutes were able to complete the challenge. On our way out I told the other teams how they would be judged and gave them a quick summary of the technique we used.

We grabbed a taxi, hopped on the water taxi and slid into a second place finish. I assume we would have won the leg if the surfers didn't have the Express Pass but that is completely speculation. Adam and Bethany may have been able to succeed at "Flag" but I think that challenge was nearly impossible and I don't think they could have polished the armor as quickly as we did.

Tim and TeJay may have been able to survive if they had switched earlier but when you are racing you don't have the benefit of knowing where the other teams are or what they are doing. What I think is unfair is that TeJay was not able to keep trying for the red flag. The instructions only stated that one team member must get the red and another must get the yellow. From my perspective both team members should have been able to keep trying for the red and if TeJay got the red than Tim would just have to get the yellow, which he did multiple times. However, interpretation of the rules is 100% at the discretion of the producers and they knew what their intentions were regardless of how the instructions were written.

NEXT EPISODE: Leg 9 in Singapore and no there is no net under me when I fall off the tight rope 600 feet high. Who will be eliminated? You definitely don't want to miss this one.

[nosyrabbit]

The Dentists' Episode 9 Commentary

So happy, the cyclists are finally gone despite our many "missteps".

We start this leg by making a mistake I swore I would never make....again. Going into the race we swore we would think for ourselves and run our own race. However, in leg 2 we followed the cyclists lead on the punting challenge and ultimately had to do it twice because of not thinking for ourselves. This time we followed the surfers lead, assuming they had done their research and gotten the best flight, and ended up 40 minutes behind the rest of the pack. What the viewers haven't seen is how some of the travel agents have been borderline belligerent because of multiple teams asking the same questions and not trusting that they have gotten us the best flight. We have typically wanted to do our own searches on their computers and verify for ourselves before booking. This leg we just did the complete opposite and trusted Adam and Bethany had gotten the best flight. 100% our stupidity. Adam is actually very intelligent despite his portrayal as the ultra laid back surfer dude.

We arrived in Singapore, with the surfers, 40 minutes behind all of the other teams. When we got in our cab he took us to the wrong dock 15 minutes from where we were supposed to be. I don't think I have ever come so close to strangling someone in my whole life. Even though I knew The Save would burn on this leg regardless of the outcome I did not want to be last again. I also wanted someone to be eliminated. Fortunately for us Adam and Bethany ran into some issues with the authorities at the dock due to the cameras and we were able to catch up. There are constantly issues in any government facilities with filming and the cameras they use have a clock that runs even when it is not recording so the authorities always get uptight. We almost got arrested in a similar incident in Morocco.

After running a mile in extreme heat and humidity, drinking some coconut milk and then running another mile, it was on to the roadblock. Bethany knew what a wave house was and knew how difficult it could potentially be for the other non-professional surfer teams so they made the best decision they could by choosing the Fast Forward. I feel like the producers are typically extremely fair and would never alter any outcome but a surfing Fast Forward in a season with professional surfers is beyond ridiculous. It's also questionable whether or not Bethany could have completed the roadblock if she had chosen it so what better way to steer them away than a surfing challenge. Misti and I were waiting for a dentistry challenge in leg 11 and Robbie and Brooke were looking for a wrestling ring.

The clue for the tight rope roadblock said "Who wants to be a funambulista?". I knew there would be heights involved but had no idea what a funambulista was so I chose to do it. On the tight rope I was supporting a lot of my body weight on the upper rope because the lower rope was sagging so badly. I feel it just wasn't meant to support 230+ pounds. The upper rope actually gave way due to an equipment failure even though it was made to look like I just fell off by the way my comments were edited. It happened so fast that somehow I didn't even get scared. I guess it was just pure adrenaline overload. However, when they pulled me in and told me I hadn't done anything wrong and that the equipment had just failed my mind started racing. "OK, so these Australian knuckleheads couldn't put this thing together right in the first place, now they are adding extra buckles and they now have someone holding onto the rope (that's comforting) and I am supposed to go out there again. What if the safety fails this time? Splat!!!" I let my mind go there for about 30 seconds and knew if I kept thinking like that I would never make it. Somehow I cleared my head and forced myself back into race mode. We should have been given a time credit, but were not, for the amount of time from when I started the first time until the time I started the second time. However, we didn't bring it to the producers attention, they apparently didn't notice on their own and ultimately it was inconsequential in the scheme of things. We may have finished ahead of the wrestlers but if you are not first and not last it really doesn't matter.

We chose the crab detour because I knew that there would be no making up time on other teams in a challenge where you were basically a spectator and had to just sit through the cupping. The crab was boiling hot but we pushed through uneventfully and probably made up some time on the other teams. On a side note, the cupping may be the funniest thing I have ever seen on the Amazing Race

We chose not to U-turn anyone because we didn't know who had attempted the Fast Forward from the first group. We passed the Sweet Scientists at the entrance to the Marina Bay Sands hotel so we knew it wasn't them but we had not seen the wrestlers or the cyclists. In the event that the Fast Forward was so difficult that no one could complete it we wanted to leave the door open for Adam and Bethany to U-turn whoever the other team was and have a fighting chance. If we U-turned the cyclists and it was actually the wrestlers who had attempted the Fast Forward, the surfers would almost certainly be eliminated. Even though Adam and Bethany were who I felt were our biggest competition, we had made a pact in Oxford to help each other get to the final 3 (other than at our own expense) and I was committed to honoring that. If I had known the cyclists had attempted the Fast Forward we certainly would have U-turned them. I have been asked several times this week and have no idea why Robbie and Brooke did not U-turn the cyclists.

The merlions were uneventful for us although I am perplexed by the wrestlers deceiving the Sweet Scientists. I know they felt the Sweet Scientists had held out on them in Raffles Plaza but they could have potentially opened the door for the cyclists who were in my opinion a far stronger team than the Sweet Scientists. I guess that level of thinking never went on in their decision making process. Although it was made to look like the cyclists were close I believe they were 30 minutes or so behind. Not sure, I have been inaccurate with times before, but this is my best recollection.

Ultimately, the cyclists were eliminated and I have never been so happy to see a team go home. Not because of all the ugly, nasty comments they made about us, we didn't even know about most until they aired, but because they gave me race-mares every night. I felt like the cyclists were the third strongest team and for some reason I kept seeing them beating us. I was comforted when we conspired to double U-turn them and so relieved when they were eliminated.

And then there were four. Next leg...the Philippines. Will we continue to make dumb, costly decisions? Who will be eliminated? Tune in tonight at 8pm to find out.


#TAR25 #AmazingRaceFridays #TheDentists #TheSave #AmazingRace #TeamNoFun

[David]

I really appreciate the blog things. Maybe Jim made it as a "winners insider point of view"? Just like: "How the winners saw their race from the very beginning"? IDK. They have some alpha-team vibe, but in a likeable way, except for when Jim gets arrogant OTT, but that is his way of behaving, so... I wouldn't like to see them getting the million.

[RaceUntilWeDie]

Yeah, these recaps worry me. I HOPE it does not mean they win. I don't think Jim would like to recap a leg in which he got eliminated or lost the million dollars.

*I know there are teams who have done recaps and didn't win (Kym & Alli, Joey & Meghan...)

I wouldn't like to see them win, either.

[Bookworm]

I feel like the producers are typically extremely fair and would never alter any outcome but a surfing Fast Forward in a season with professional surfers is beyond ridiculous.

PREACH

[nosyrabbit]

The Dentists' Episode 10 Commentary
Although this leg ends in victory it definitely did not start the way we wanted it to. We decided to head to the airport and started with the slowest cabbie ever. Bad cab rides are just part of the race but unless there is entertainment value the audience never sees them. At the airport we located the only travel agent who assured us there were no seats on the Singapore Airlines flight. When someone looks me in the eye and tells me something I typically have a tendency to believe them. We actually booked our tickets before the wrestlers but the travel agent was apparently mistaken about the flight being sold out. What the audience did not see is that Robbie and Brooke were trying to book a flight on an airline that was prohibited for safety reasons and a producer and a security staff member pulled them out of line and stopped them. When I confronted them about it and said "I can't wait until we are about to make a fatal mistake and you stop us", the blank stare on their faces told me that they hadn't considered the implications. They were just trying to keep them safe but what they should have done is allowed them to book the flight, then tell them they couldn't take it and hit them with the appropriate time penalty. Ultimately it did not matter because the wrestlers were last anyway but the penalty would have delayed their start in leg 11.
When we arrived in Manila there was an equalizer anyway but those hours of being alone and not knowing where the other teams were was pure agony. We slept in the worst hotel you could imagine and all four teams started on level ground. We all made it uneventfully to the detour decision point and got our clue at the same time.
Amy and Maya started with a major mistake by not reading their clue. I used to watch and wonder how teams could make mistakes like that but until you are on The Amazing Race you just can't understand the pressure of the competition. Was it a stupid mistake? Absolutely. How many stupid mistakes have we made thus far? Too many to count. Oh, here comes another one....
I was able to get the sidecar attached to the motorcycle really quickly but obviously the shock alluded me. What made it really difficult was the way it was tucked behind the plastic cover. I didn't see it so I started looking at the most minute details. I literally was changing nuts because the colors did not match the display. Obviously the shock was staring right at me the whole time. I really felt like attention to detail would be our strong suit going in to the race but for the second time we got lost in the minutia and failed to see the big picture.
After the sidecar we had a long and convoluted course to get to the ox challenge. We were just minutes behind Adam and Bethany and actually caught up to them at one point of our trip. Our tricycle driver didn't know where he was going and we had to stop for directions multiple times. It's agonizing to have to keep stopping because every time you talk to someone you have to stop and wait for a release to be signed. Nothing is worse than standing on the side of the road getting a release signed and watching another team pass you by.
Fortunately we were able to get there without losing too much time but we allowed the Sweet Scientists to close the gap and they got there just minutes behind us. We were very lucky to find the clue in the mud as quickly as we did. The ox actually tried getting out of the rice paddy and when he did the plow got twisted. We had to disconnect the plow and reattach it. I decided to head back to the far corner to start a systematic pattern to cover the whole area as efficiently as possible. The path I chose cut right across the spot where the clue was and Misti actually stepped on it after the plow pulled it up.
The scientists found their clue literally seconds after we did. I knew it would be a foot race to the mat but what I did not realize is that Amy and Maya had not paid their tricycle driver. We had an easy run to the mat and to our fifth victory. Although this leg was a victory it was definitely not the way I wanted the leg to play out. Start with a travel mistake, screw up a detour, get lost along the way and pull out a victory due to luck. So frustrating to be 10 legs in and still be making stupid mistakes that could easily take us out. I feel like we earned our first four victories but this one was definitely a gift.
Can we pull it together or will we continue to unravel? Tune in tonight to find out.

‪#‎TAR25‬ ‪#‎AmazingRaceFridays‬ ‪#‎TheDentists‬ ‪#‎TheSave‬ ‪#‎AmazingRace‬

[Bookworm]

I love how Jim is so self-aware and recognizes mistakes and the reasons for such. He also recognized that their win was a gift, which I respect.

[Alenaveda]

FROM CBS.COM:
http://www.cbs.com/shows/amazing_race/elimination_interviews/1003620/

Elimination Interview Misti and Jim

Posted on Dec 23, 2014 10:05am

Read what Dentists Jim and Misti said about coming in second on this season of The Amazing Race.

Justin P: What was the time gap between Amy and Maya and Misti and Jim?
It's hard to have a good perspective of time when in an intense situation like the final leg but I would estimate it was over 30 minutes and probably close to that between us and the surfers as well.  It was not as close as it appeared on TV.

Stephanie L: What part of the race was your favorite?
Our favorite places were Sicily, Malta and Singapore.  Our favorite tasks were the go-kart race and the zip line.  Our favorite thing about the experience was competing on such a high level and then getting to watch it all unfold with our family and friends.

Sean D: For the dentists: what was the hardest task that you had to complete?
Probably the parking space challenge in Copenhagen which we were unable to complete.  Going into the race we really felt like that was the type of challenge we would excel at so it made our failure that much more frustrating.

Brooks B: Misti and Jim, what is the secret to perfectly white teeth?
Professional tooth whitening will get your teeth their whitest but if you are still not happy veneers can make your teeth look as perfect as you want them.

Mark C: Dentists: Did you actually get to take The Save home as a souvenir of the race?
We did not get to take home "The Save" but we have asked for it and are hoping the producers will send it to us now that the season is over.

Sarah-Ann K:  Do you regret anything you specifically said or did?
We obviously regret our many racing errors (Copenhagen, the shock on the motorcycle, travel mistakes etc.) and while we made a few off color remarks there was nothing which we feel was truly offensive.  On social media some have said we were insulting to the other teams but I really don't know what show they were watching.  We never said anything derogatory about any of the other teams.  The closest we came was saying Robbie and Brooke were much stronger physically than they were mentally, which is simply an accurate assessment, and calling Amy and Maya "low hanging fruit".  The fact is they were statistically weakest of the final four and the only time they ever beat us going into the final leg was when we imploded in Copenhagen.  We were not worried about them and feel like if the final four ran 100 legs together, Amy and Maya would win the fewest.  That being said they won the only one that matters and that's why they are the winners.  As far as what was said about kicking Amy in the shin that was obviously a joke at a time when we were trying to lighten the mood and make the wrestlers feel better about there being four teams.  I feel bad for anyone offended by that comment because they obviously don't have the ability to differentiate between a serious statement and an off color joke.
One other thing that was misconstrued by many was our goal to win the most legs of any other team in Amazing Race history and be the most dominant team ever.  That was a goal, something to shoot for, a talking point.  That does not mean we think we are the most dominant team ever but when you set lofty goals and give everything you have to achieving them the result is typically pretty good even when you fall short.

[Genius]

I feel like the producers are typically extremely fair and would never alter any outcome but a surfing Fast Forward in a season with professional surfers is beyond ridiculous.

PREACH

I feel that Jim and Misti could have been the unintended beneficiaries of this "unfair" task. If Kym and Alli had won/survived that leg, Jim and Misti might not have even finished 2nd.

[Cyzoran]

I have read on Facebook (through a fan page of someone who knows Misti’s sister) that Jim has passed away today. Sad news if true.

[claude_24hrs]

RIP Jim. So sad for heartbreaking loss

He was one of the greatest racers in The Amazing Race. He and Misti were fought hard and raved enough to run the legs here in my home country, The Philippines. They shared with their experiences in the life of the rural Philippine countryside.

The Race missed you.

[georgiapeach]

This may be true,but has not yet been confirmed. Please hold off for now.

[georgiapeach]

I know that all of you will join me in mourning the loss of TAR 25 Jim Raman.

Jim was a passionate Amazing Race Fan and Contestant. He loved TAR and the competition immensely and remained a huge fan of subsequent seasons.

Our heartfelt sympathies to his wife Misti, and children Lexi and Jimmy, his friends and family, and all of his patients and co-workers at Irmo Smile.

Info on services to follow.

[Cyzoran]

Very sad. Great racer. Seemed like great people.

[Genius]

Really sad to hear this.

[Xoruz]

That is devastating news. 

My heart goes out to Misti, their kids, and Jim's family.

[TARHarv]

RIP Jim I hope Misti & the kids are able to hold strong.

[stunami]

oh that's terrible   

[BourkieBoy]

RIP Jim!  

Thoughts go out to Misti, his kids and his other friends and family!

[slayton]

R.I.P. Jim.

[Gra1162]

Omg RIP jim  

[georgiapeach]

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/lexington-sc/james-raman-8204811

[Plaidmoon]

I'm shocked to hear about Jim. He seemed so fit and healthy. How sad that he died at 42! My heart goes out to his family and friends.

[nrh2110]

Heartbreaking. RIP <\3

[TARUSAFan]

Really sad to hear this. It was shocking. One of the best Racers on TAR. Condolences to Misti & the kids.

R.I.P. Jim

[NMC]

I've been gone from here for a while but when I heard this I felt I had no choice but to come and pay my respects.

This is truly heart breaking news. My thoughts are prayers are with his family, friends and of course Misti.

RIP Jim, you truly were AMAZING.

[RachelLeVega]

Rest in peace, Jim.
Misti Raman, their children, loved ones, friends, and their dental colleagues are in my prayers. Really tragic hearing this.

[Hubickichibi]

[georgiapeach]

https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/lexington-sc/james-raman-8204811

The Family has added a large collection of photo memories here. Very touched that some are from RFF. Such beautiful memories.

Memorial donations may be made to the Autism Academy of South Carolina, P.O. Box 7514, Columbia, SC 29202.