Ack. I was too busy to write a review ASAP, so I might have forgotten stuff, despite having an outline. I'll still try, but I guess I'll shorten what I have to say for each point. Also, this is unedited, so please excuse any spelling/grammar errors.
Corinth Canal Switchback Roadblock: Switchbacks bring us back to Classic TAR.
Detour: I like how the bamboo detour is limited to 3 teams only. It forces some teams to do the other side of the detour. I wonder if the mannequin detour is also limited in slots or not. Bamboo detour is like a puzzle with the ladder transporting part, but it's technically a delivery task too. Mannequin detour is attention to detail task, but also physical with the way it's being transported. I would say detour is somewhat or almost balanced, but I can't tell for sure. They are both of Leg 9 difficulty though.
Bike Switchback Roadblock: I like how we have back to back episodes of roadblock switchbacks. Difficulty shown with Floyd's performance. One of the most successful switchbacks in my opinion.
Speedbump: Challenging enough; F5-worthy speedbump. Also effective speedbump since 2 teams passed Tara & Joey during the speedbump.
ARI: Challenging enough. Something I'd want to try actually. I'm guessing it's a 2nd roadblock, but Redmond couldn't do it if ever it ended up as his roadblock. Still a good task with decent difficulty though.
Pit Stop in Nihn Bihn: A lot of pit stops were high atop a significantly elevated place. This one did not disappoint, from summit view to climbing the mountain.
Matt & Red: They did well on Vietnam 1, but they 'started' later thn Becca & Floyd, who also did just as well. At least they won Vietnam 2. Cool to know that Matt actually has experience with moving furniture. Also:
Phil: "Tell me about this leg."
Redmond: "It's made out of carbon fiber."
Am I the only one thinking that Phil asked this question to expect this kind of answer from Redmond?
With the wording, it seems like it was on purpose.
Brooke & Scott: 3 out of 5 roadblocks for Scott so far are heights!
That was so ironic.
At the detour, I think Brooke's whining was slowing them down, but they were lucky Tara didn't read the clue properly. Also, I really like Brooke exaggerating: "I'm gonna get murdered, hello!?" when the streets were crazy. It sucks how they lost a footrace to the ladder, then the next and last one was found by LoLo 1st. Moving to the next leg, I really like Scott's patience for Brooke.
While biking, Brooke was lowkey whining, but I guess this one was more natural due to exhaustion.
As Scott said, "Oh my god! You're not giving birth."
Scott did the roadblock well, and it's a good thing he did it or else they'd most likely be done. I don't mind not seeing Brooke whining at the bike roadblock. Scott got the task done for the team.
Pit stop scene (and en route to pit stop) was also funny, with Scott saying "Giving birth again." and with Phil saying to Brooke, "It's like you're Scott, and you're..." "No no no," as Scott interrupts.
At least Brooke becoming Scott for a leg makes their leg better.
Joey & Tara: Tara's misread of the detour clue cost them Vietnam 1, but they also 'started' later, and this leg wasn't really their leg. What I like about Tara & Joey is that they are trying to beat the team they are neck-and-neck with instead of whining. According to Becca, they are strong tricksters, which we can see in some past episodes. Their Vietnam 2 is smooth though. The speedbump just bumped them down by 1 place.
London & Logan: I still like how they are progressing slowly but smoothly. At the same time, they get some sort of bad luck so often, like a car issue in Greece or simply being at the latter half of the pack by default. Logan having a hard time rowing shows an example of tall people problems.
I like how they're doing well despite being at the bottom half almost all the time.
Becca & Floyd: #TeamFun
I like how they 'started' early and did well in Vietnam 1. They went from worst to 1st and then 1st to worst in one country.
Floyd taking long at the roadblock and Becca saying she should've done it could mean that this is one of the few cases of wrong roadblock choice being the cause of elimination. Reminds me of Zach & Rachel's case from last season. What I really like about this team is that they never gave up and stayed positive all the way. Their rap exit was awesome, and I believe they are a good candidate for all-stars.
I hope they'll be back for another race around the world.
Other comments:
~The heat in Vietnam was a big factor in the detour and roadblock in Vietnam. Leg 9 to 10 difficulty extra I'd say.
~We get to see a lowkey arc of Tara & Joey vs Brooke & Scott, and even lowerkey with Tara & Joey and Becca & Floyd.
~Vietnam 2 was really a leg day! There's biking, feet-rowing, mountain (stairs) climbing. That heat was an extra factor in making the leg harder.
~I really like the rural and mountain view of Nihn Bihn
Both episodes put together make this thing an amazing double episode as a whole, but I think Episode 10 was the better of the 2.
