text:
There is something about a special lady friend being forced to go home after a two week visit that makes me pump out two episode blogs in the span of a week. I guess it's as important as ever that I find a way to have fun and entertain all of you!
"Andy Denhart's Farewell Party of Rage"
This is known as the episode that pissed off Andy Denhart so much that he quit watching TAR until season 29. And I've got a feeling his return earlier this year was a one-off.
And you thought I was upset after TAR 14.
Previously on TAR: Eleven teams began a race around the world. At the airport, teams recognized former Survivor winners Ethan & Jenna.
SANDY: They both won a million dollars.
Once in Taipei, siblings Justin & Jennifer clashed. At the Roadblock, Cindy pulled away from the pack earning her and Ernie a first place finish and a "valuable" prize. After spending the day lost in Taipei, Bill & Cathi came in last but were spared elimination and then got another surprise.
Eleven teams remain; which two teams will be eliminated tonight?
Intro time.
Phil introduces us to Taiwan—a place that has a rich history dating back thousands of years.
And has funny little temples like this.
And has a statue of a man with a dragon penis.
In the heart of its capital, Taipei, there is a place called Martyrs' Shine. This impressive memorial was built to honour the more than 300, 000 soldiers who have died for their country.
And of course is the second pit start in a race around the world.
Ernie & Cindy, who arrived first at an unspecified time, will depart first at 9:28pm.
I am going to take a wild guess and assume the pit start was later on in the same day to meet the twenty day schedule rather than it being a 30 hour pit stop.
For some reason, their first clue contains a map of the country. Endgame memory challenge, perhaps?
It is TAR US' first visit to Indonesia after TAR Asia visited the nation first multiple times and the recent TAR Australia 1 also had a leg in Bali.
This will essentially become the India replacement as TAR US will come here for this season, TAR 21, 22, and 23 for a total of nine legs.
This first leg will require teams to fly to Jakarta then take a train to Yogyakarta (pronounced Joe Jer Carter).
Named of course after winner Joe Jer from TAR Asia 1 and Toronto Blue Jays Hall of Famer Joe Carter.
Several years later it will be known as the city where JK & Mike call Treasuri a "fat bitch" before being narrowly defeated by Yvonne & Chloe because they ran down the wrong alley in a very close foot race finish.
The flight shall span more than 2, 100 miles and Phil's voiceover sounds really weird.
Cindy reads aloud the Double Elimination Leg announcement.
CINDY: Oh no! The last two teams to check in will be eliminated. . .We're pretty nervous about the double elimination. Not because I think we'll get eliminated but because there will be so many twists to this game and you can only imagine what's next.
Actually Cindy, there is only one twist left in this season and it happens in this leg. So yeah, this will be the only leg with a twist all season. Way to be needlessly nervous, Cind!
Jeremy & Sandy depart in second at 9:36pm.
JEREMY: You're headed to. . .
JEREMY & SANDY: Indonesia.
JEREMY: This leg will be a Double Elimination Leg.
SA NDY: Let's roll. Airport.
(They get into a taxi.
SANDY: Big surprise there is a Demo–Double Elimination. Very scary. We have to beat two teams instead of just one.
Justin & Jennifer commence in third at 9:39pm. They borrow a smartphone from a taxi driver as Justin makes airplane noises to indicate he wants to go the airport.
The smartphone era is officially here.
Justin says that sibling rivalry is a real thing. When Jennifer gets angry, he says he'll get angry back.
"O rly?"
Justin tries to take over smartphone duties.
JUSTIN: You want me to do it?
JENNIFER: Nope.
"Bitch won't let me play Bubble Bobble on her phone."
Ethan & Jenna, the hidden Survivor winners, depart in fourth at 10:07pm.
ETHAN: I was actually okay with fourth place. If we came in first there might have been a bigger target on our back if everyone is like "oh, they're the Survivor guys and they came in first". This is kind of cool they make mistakes and are just like everyone else.
"And our goal on this leg is to finish in tenth to ensure the target is off of our backs completely. . .oh, tenth gets you eliminated this leg? Fuck."
Ethan taking it all in.
Amani & Marcus start in fifth at 10:15pm.
MARCUS: Indo-nesia. In-do-nesia.
For some reason, Marcus repeatedly breaks this word into two. I think I know the joke he is trying to make (because it's the same joke I love to make) but producers aren't letting him do it on-air.
"Indo-nesia. I'd trade in ten Express Passes for some of that Indo-nesia."
Laurence & Zac start in sixth at 10:22pm.
LAURENCE: You're headed to. . .Yokayakavaka!
You're not even trying to read the clue, Laurence.
Zac talks about the twist for the camera.
ZAC: . . .Yeah.
And Zac's confessional is stopped there.
Andy & Tommy start in seventh at 10:23pm.
ANDY: Indo!
TOMMY: Dude, Indo!
They'll have a great time with Marcus.
TOMMY: Go catch some waves, dude.
Well, I officially cringed.
Ernie & Cindy book a China Air for 8:45am. No flights until morning.
CINDY: So a night at the airport.
ERNIE: Yepppppp.
"And Andy & Tommy are gonna dude us big time."
Ron & Bill are eighth to depart at 10:48pm.
"Bill, your top button isn't done up properly! Your grey hairs are poking out!"
BILL: We're not on a mission to change the way people think about gay couples. We have a thirteen year relationship built on trust and honesty. We're truly in love with each other and truly best friends.
A personal confessional from a team that was low key in the premiere? Well, they're going home!
Kaylani & Lisa depart in ninth place at 11:09pm. That's usually when they wake up in Vegas I presume, so this is ideal conditions for them.
Illegal eye poke! Lisa is the Jon Jones of this team!
Aren't you glad you found your passport, Kaylani?
The taxi driver laughs at Kaylani's pain.
Liz & Marie depart in 10th at 11:31pm.
LIZ: I don't know what's going to happen.
MARIE: Yeah, I'm just being negative. We'll figure it out.
LIZ: You can't be negative. We just started our day.
What do you mean you don't know what's gonna happen? Two teams are being eliminated. I think that was fairly clear.
Ethan & Jenna are at the airport as Jeremy & Sandy warn Justin & Jennifer about Ethan & Jenna approaching the counter.
JEREMY: Here they come.
JENNIFER: Are they coming now?
JEREMY: Yeah.
It's behind you!
ETHAN: Hi guys!
JENNA: Hey guys!
"What do we do? Hold up garlic or something?"
SANDY: Ethan & Jenna are gonna be tough. They both look strong. They already won Survivor which is crazy. So they have a pretty good chance
"We're so enthused to see you!"
"We're more into Big Brother."
Justin thinks Ethan & Jenna are top contenders because of their experience.
ERNIE: Jenna has that Medusa eye thing where you can't really trust her.
Ernie has turned to stone!
"Jenna honey, what did you do to Ernie? . . .Honey?"
Sandy talks to Cindy.
SANDY: Do you think that someone went home last night, or no?
Although finishing in ninth and being safe sounds better than being required to finish eighth this round.
Everyone wonders if Bill & Cathi were eliminated because of the Double Elimination twist.
CATHI: Excellent job with the ripping.
If only that was the Speed Bump.
3:57am?! Wow, they finished nearly five hours behind Liz & Marie, and over six hours behind Ernie & Cindy. It is incredible they lost the first leg of the race by that much. Teams have finished the first leg in last place by that amount of time only in the event that they had to take a penalty.
Like Dana & Adrian's four hour penalty at the Roadblock would probably still put them within six hours of Jeff & Jordan after serving their penalty.
Cathi was surprised by the second opening round NEL in TAR US history.
BILL: We have to work hugely hard.
I thought you guys are teachers?
CATHI: The kids won't be so excited to see us because they think we are toast but we are not toast yet.
"We're still in the bag with the rest of the loaf."
Bill & Cathi are spotted in the airport by Justin.
JENNIFER: Yay. I'm gonna cry.
Jennifer didn't want them toast. Hell, there was no way she could spread butter on them and devour them either.
Bill & Cathi receive a round of applause for being saved by an experimental twist from production!
Bill pretends to hobble around like an old man.
Jenna already wants to guarantee Bill & Cathi's elimination this round.
Morning is here and everyone is on the same flight to Jakarta.
Everyone is on the same red line to Jakarta and take the same overnight train to Joe Jer Carter.
That statue looks like a performer in a Broadway musical.
The plane lands in Jakarta.
SANDY: Good job, babe.
Everyone is running in the airport.
MARCUS: I feel like OJ!
Liz & Marie and Jeremy & Sandy wait for the train.
LIZ (OR MARIE?): At least it's right here.
JEREMY: Yeah. At least.
Red and yellow train? It must be theirs!
Everyone is in line.
BILL: It's like a school of fish.
I think Bill could 'school' any of us on how to correctly refer to groups of various animals. . .and how the hell did they outrun Justin & Jennifer?
Everyone gets tickets for the same train that arrives at 5:30am.
SANDY: I think we're all going together.
AMANI: Yeah.
Justin asks Jennifer if she wants to bug a local to arrange for transportation once they get into Joe Jer Carter.
JENNIFER: Sure!
Was that sarcasm, Jenn?
JENNIFER: Justin and I fought a lot when we were kids. Like, a lot. There were fist fights.
JENNIFER: Do you want to make this phone call or do you want to make this train?
JUSTIN: I want us to be a better team than we are right now. . .you're hostile.
(JENNIFER is muttering throughout all of this.)
JUSTIN: Like, I just asked you a question like with this attitude. . .I am your brother I am not like some other team. We're on the same team.
JENNIFER: You need to calm down with all of the yelling. You are driving me absolutely insane right now.
Most argumentative siblings ever.
Jennifer refers to Justin as being by the book while she is a hothead.
JUSTIN: Give me something. Give me what you want me to give you.
JENNIFER: This is it.
Jennifer gives Justin the temporary shunning experience.
JENNIFER: We need to stop cause this is what you're gonna get right about now.
Other teams listen awkwardly.
JUSTIN: You treat me like shit every day. What do you want to do? This is your moment to get it out.
JENNIFER: I want to get on this train. That's what I want to do.
Did we mention this is an overnight train?
I should note this was tough to transcribe because Justin & Jennifer talked over each other during the entire fight. None of these statements were uninterrupted.
Commercial break. We resume. More fighting.
JUSTIN: Every time I say something, I get–
JENNIFER: No, every time -I- say something you give me the noope neh neht.
Jennifer proceeds to do all three motions.
The noope.
The neh.
The neht.
JUSTIN: This is an incredible opportunity. Not only is this an amazing trip, but this is for a million dollars. If we can't get beyond this then all of that comes to an end.
Jennifer appears to be over this 'incredible opportunity'.
Everyone gets on the train. Cathi even makes the chugging motion with her mouth when it approaches.
MARCUS: Chattanooga Choo-Choo ain't got nothin' on this bad boy!
Only time I have heard that referenced is in 'Humble Mumble' by OutKast.
"All aboard the Stankonesia Express!"
There is an unaired route marker where teams had to go to a hotel in Joe Jer Carter and grab a key. The key would refer to one of two departure times from the hotel in the morning that is twenty minutes apart.
However, what we are led to believe on screen instead is that the next clue requires teams to take a cab to Goa Jomblang where they will receive their next clue.
And yes, this is the EXACT location that featured the infamous "Treasuri, you fat bitch!" scene with JK from TAR Asia 5.
No clue boxes yet. Just and red and yellow flowers to be found.
Why doesn't the English translation use the letter 'J' like the Indonesians do for the local translation into English? Jesus. Or should I say, Yesus?
Everyone is hailing taxis.
MARCUS: You know EXACTLY where that is?
Marcus is intense.
Bill & Cathi's taxi is in first place somehow.
"See this, children?"
"We're in first."
Amani & Marcus decide to 'push' their taxi. . .from the inside.
I don't know how pretending to row a boat with your ass inside of a taxi helps, but okay.
It works, though. Amani & Marcus pass teams.
MARCUS: That's how you drive. That's how you drive!
"Are they ass rowing?"
Whatever gets you those extra ten yards.
It is now 7:30am.
Bill discusses the Speed Bump.
BILL: We're anxious to find out where it is and what it is.
They aren't that anxious, are they?
Well, Cathi is.
Everyone comments on the crazy roads. Liz & Marie are very nervous about the lack of speed limits.
The Twins hang on for dear life.
Just imagine every vehicle on this road going sixty miles per hour.
Jennifer will never criticize her brother's driving ever again.
ERNIE: He drives like a bat out of hell.
"What? No. I am severely depressed and am on a suicide mission!"
BILL: Oh Lord! The blood pressure is up! You're so intense right now.
RON: I'm just watching–
BILL: Yeah. That's okay.
I think they have both sweat through another shirt.
Bill & Cathi are still in first and compliment their cab driver.
He did it all while holding his smartphone. I assume there are no fines for it in Joe Jer Carter!
Bill & Cathi are first to grab a clue.
Our weekly reminder of how old Bill & Cathi are on The Amazing Race.
Phil tells us that Indonesia has hundreds of intricate cave systems.
Who forgot the flashlight?
How do trees grow down here?
PHIL: Here is where teams will go spelunking.
I thought they call it Flonkerton?
I think Phil just spelunked himself.
Descending 160 feet into this dark cave, they must search for a Javanese mask and an indigenous dagger called a kris.
Spelunk it up!
Future rock n' roll lead vocalist.
In TAR 14 and 18, the kris was not visible to the naked eye.
Once they've collected the artifacts, they must scale this towering bamboo ladder and deliver them to a patani to receive their next clue.
Classic case of Mask Ass.
Charla & Mirna could pretend to be ninjas on this thing.
Show yourself at once, Patani!
He is. . .terrifying.
Bill sees their Speed Bump board.
BILL (calling out): Cathi. . .come here! This is us, honey! We'll see what it says.
It's like they got their first bill for hi-speed Internet in the mail.
That's going on Instagram.
"I stole Jeff Probst's shirt!"
So what's our Speed Bump?
PHIL: This Speed Bump requires them to untie this knotted rope. Once they've worked out enough kinks to reach this carabiner, they can continue with the race and make up for the time they've lost.
The knot was much bigger when it was a regular task in TAR 13's New Zealand leg.
I can't believe this is the best fucking idea they came up with.
It's like a quarter of a Survivor challenge.
And the rope is two feet away from the clue.
It's Saturday night and I am watching a sixty year old couple get kinky on The Amazing Race.
BILL: Christmas Vacation right here! This is Christmas Tree Lights gone crazy!
The other cabs drive on the really rocky road.
Marcus adds in some fun commentary. I like how any problems with basic infrastructure makes every American think of Detroit.
Oh, and Bill & Cathi are nearly done their Speed Bump before any of the teams have arrived.
Ernie is shocked to see Bill & Cathi ahead of them.
Cindy volunteers to spelunk.
Liz & Marie are third to the clue box and read the hint.
They knew it was going to be spelunking?
Marcus is hurting inside of the small taxi.
MARCUS: Oh lordy. I know how you feel, Big Easy.
Marcus gives another big athlete a shoutout.
Meanwhile, Bill mercy kills the lamest Speed Bump in TAR history.
The Speed Bump is only a few feet away from the equipment for spelunking. I would assume Bill & Cathi lost no more than six or seven minutes at this task.
Amani & Marcus are fourth to the clue.
AMANI: Who is ready to. . .splahknock?
Marcus decides to do it even though he has no idea what it is.
"Hopefully it has something to do with Splatoon. I love that shit. There's a lot you can do with a Roller. And you thought I was competitive in the NFL!"
Cindy loves rappelling and any type of outdoor activities.
CINDY: We're like in a Jurassic Park jungle!
All that's missing is the guy who looks like Colonel Sanders.
Cindy comments that one of the twins is coming down (probably because she doesn't know which one).
MARIE: I'm going to pee my pants!
I hear you go in the suit just like the astronauts.
Yes, Marie is indeed doing it.
And production feels our pain by giving us confirmation.
Marcus tells us he is a deer hunter.
MARCUS: I'm a deer hunter so I'm always up in trees. This is no fear for MP.
Member of Parliament? That's what we call a MP in Canada.
Oh my god, he is referring to himself in the abbreviated third person! MP is Marcus Pollard! He is such an athlete!
Do you see Cindy being like "CC gonna take y'all out in this Confucius Roadblock! Seven years of Chinese school has got me all prepped for this!"
Of course not. People would think she's an asshole.
But Marcus? Marcus gets away with it. And he'll get away with it every time.
LC watches her favourite MC try to kill this Roadblock.
Marcus hits an expected obstacle.
MARCUS: Get away from me tree. You bothering me.
"Why don't you make like a tree and leave?
Jeremy & Sandy are fifth to the clue.
SANDY: Who is ready to spelunk? You are.
Andy & Tommy are sixth to the clue. Tommy is gonna spelunk.
Justin & Jennifer are seventh. Justin will do it.
Ethan spots the clue. Jenna makes Ethan spelunk.
Kaylani & Lisa are ninth. Kaylani will do it.
Laurence & Zac try to decipher spelunking. Zac assumes it has to do with the cave. Laurence tells Zac to do it.
Ron & Bill reach the Roadblock in last. Ron tells Bill to do it.
Cindy, Marie, and Bill are in the cave. It is dark and really muddy.
MARIE: I can literally only see what's in front of me.
That's what happens when you are literally spelunking.
The gong is hit which triggers Cindy and Marie to scream and Bill to do the most stereotypical old man yell I have heard in my life.
How long has this guy been down there, you think?
Cindy narrates for us what Phil has already said about this Roadblock. They collect the mask and kris.
They hope it's not a bat sitting on a stick.
Jeremy is in the middle of his descent.
JEREMY: Ohohohohoho my god! Holy smokes! Wow!
And that's it for Jeremy for the rest of this episode.
Ethan says he feels like a monkey flying from tree to tree.
Just a Survivor monkey thrown back into the jungle.
Editors make Cindy continue her role of pointlessly narrating the task.
A bunch of teams enter the cave.
JEREMY: This is spectacular. Its own cave.
Sorry, this is it for Jeremy's speaking lines for the remainder of this task.
ETHAN: It's like Indiana Jones and The Temple of Jakarta.
Ethan now just needs a boulder to roll and wipe out one of the teams ahead of him.
Cliff from Veronica Mars is enjoying his current last place position.
Cindy, Marie, and Bill all start climbing the wall at the same time.
All we need is for them to have a thirty second headstart before production sends up Sabre, Turbo, Laser, and Pyro to chase after them and take 'em down.
The rungs become so far apart that Cindy's short legs need extra help from her upper body to keep climbing.
Marie jokes about having longer limbs than Cindy and was able to destroy her on the wall.
Meanwhile Marie and Cindy are both being whooped by somebody who is three times their age.
JEREMY: Oh my gosh. Oh yeah.
Jeremy grabs a mask on a stick in the cave.
Hopefully it is too dark for him to notice that it is someone's decapitated head.
Tommy, Justin, and Ethan all marvel how awesome the task is.
Bill is first to complete the Roadblock. Everyone applauds Bill when they see him.
CATHI: Sixty-three and still running!
Although I don't think Bill wants to run too much more for the rest of the day.
Bill bows before the patani.
He opens the clue. It's an Insta-Detour. Shake Your Money Maker or Be a Ticket Taker.
In Shake Your Money Maker, teams must go to a congested intersection and earn tips. One must learn a traditional dance while the other accompanies them on a gamelan. Once they earn 30, 000 Rupiah (US $3.40) they will receive their next clue.
In Be a Ticket Taker, teams make their way to a popular mall and work as a motorbike parking attendant. Once they've parked enough motorbikes to earn 15, 000 Rupiah (US $1.70), they must hand over their ticket book to complete the task.
Both Detours require teams to travel to this orphanage which is home to scores of children orphaned by the devastating 2010 eruption of Mount Merapi. There they must donate their Detour earnings to receive their next clue. But that's not all! In addition, teams must notice this sign which instructs teams to hand over ALL of their money in their possession.
Not the type of dance Kaylani & Lisa are expecting after a lifetime in Vegas.
Gamelan is Javanese for "nipple drum".
I didn't know they had Hell's Angels in Joe Jer Carter.
I was not expecting a mall to be sponsoured by a cigarette company.
I was not expecting to see a poster for the movie Cars in this leg of the race.
Since this isn't TAR 27, no U-Turn is in sight.
"Save us, Tara Basro!"
There have been so many visits to orphanages in TAR that we are not far off from a Rank the Orphanages ranking.
TAR Australia 1, TAR Asia 3, TAR Asia 5, TAR 7, TAR 19, and TAR 27 are quick ones that come off the top of my head.
Brian & Greg tell kids to not do drugs, Uchenna & Joyce have their emotional scene about adopting, and that one kid gets kicked in the head with a soccer ball.
Because they had a U-Turn. . .at an orphanage.
3) TAR Asia 5
Every team had a super emotional scene there.
4) TAR Australia 1
Alana & Mel delaying to help an orphanage because they wanted to tinkle. Also, those kids tried to follow the teams EVERYWHERE.
5) TAR Asia 3
Sam & Vince were really confused about shoes.
This stupid stupid stupid sign that is about to come into play.
There you go. I just ranked the orphanages on The Amazing Race.
Why do all of the devastating eruptions happen in Indonesia?
Their Detour earnings alone will grant them this amulet. . .they just won't get to know about the looming penalty.
If they miss this sign, the amulet should come with a middle finger that Phil will reveal at the pit stop.
Sadly teams will not get to see the red underline.
Bill & Cathi decide to ticket take. Liz & Marie opt to entertain which happens to be neither option.
Bill & Cathi want to drive away in their cab.
What's the hold up?
Oh. That's a problem.
BILL: Hey hey hey! Cha cha cha!
BILL: Bah-bah-bah!
You have my Bubba?
Liz & Marie jump into first place.
"We literally jumped into first place!"
Marcus finishes the Roadblock in fourth.
MARCUS: Lord have Mercy! Ohhhhhh Lordy!
"MP's dogs are barking after spelunking!"
Jeremy climbs the ladder alone.
JEREMY: Holy smokes!
Justin, Tommy, and Ethan are all climbing separately.
Zac has a mask. He says everyone is ahead of him but that is not true as Kaylani enters behind him. He tells her where the mask is.
This would probably be one of the worst places in the world for Kaylani to lose her passport.
KAYLANI: It's anybody's game right now.
Well, not until the orphanage mindfuck task but whatever.
Kaylani lifts up the mask while sticking her chest out as much as humanly possible.
Some people lift with their back, some people lift with their knees, but Kaylani lifts with her chest.
Jenna Morasca was on Survivor: Amazon, but it really should have been Kaylani. Hear Kaylani roar!
Bill is in dead last and says Ron is a great motivator for him.
The last three teams at the Roadblock are increasingly nervous.
Liz & Marie are approaching downtown Joe Jer Carter.
"Are we literally there yet?"
"Yes, literally here."
That pole is NOT part of the local dance.
Liz & Marie freak out as they cross the street and put on their costumes. Liz is going to dance while Marie drums.
LIZ: Shake your money maker!
"Shake ya moneymaker like somebody about to pay ya"
Which is true because Liz needs to be paid 30, 000 Rupiah for shaking her money maker.
"It take ya mama just nine months to make both of ya. . .so may as well shake what'cha mama gave ya."
That's true. Liz & Marie's mother was very efficient. She cut down eighteen months into nine months by pumping out Liz and Marie simultaneously.
Hopefully there is a motorcycle gang in there who will be willing to throw their extra dough at Liz.
Marie plays the nipple dreams like a natural.
Liz briefly shakes her hips.
When people said they wanted to watch two young blonde-haired blue-eyed twins dance, this is not what they had in mind.
LIZ: I saw you laughing.
Maybe it was that. . .good?
"The light is green! Get out of the way, Liz!"
They only made 6,000 Rupiah at the first light.
Bill & Cathi are terrified of the streets on the way to the mall.
The real Speed Bump for Cathi is going over a Speed Bump at sixty miles per hour.
Bill & Cathi are at the mall.
CATHI: We're ready!
"And if you pay me extra, I'll bake you a pie!"
Cathi sounds so much like Kitty Foreman.
Although Kitty prefers being a nurse over a motorbike parking attendant.
Ernie & Cindy also are at the mall to park bikes.
It's like Indonesia's version of Wal-Mart greeters.
Bill does his best impression of a NFL referee. Marcus' field goal attempt is good!
BILL: Park your bike here! No. . .not down there.
Somebody chose to park their bike in the abyss rather than have Bill do it. That must be tough for Bill's ego to swallow.
Jeremy finishes the Roadblock.
SANDY: Shake Your Money Maker or Be a Ticket Taker. I'd rather dance cause I can't ride.
Justin is done in sixth. They are going to park bikes.
Tommy is done in seventh. They decide to ticket take.
SANDY: We cannot make a mistake at all. If we make a mistake right now it's fatal.
Ethan is done in eighth. They are going to dance.
ETHAN: There's only one team behind us.
Ethan can't do math.
Zac is done in ninth and wants to park motorcycles.
Kaylani is finished in tenth. In the shocker of all shockers, they opt to dance.
Bill completes the task in last. He has an exchange with the patani.
RON: Babe, we've got to make up some time. We're in last.
But he really wants to shake his hand, Ron! Gotta keep it classy around the world.
Ron & Bill are gonna dance.
Of course not. Editors have portrayed you guys as vital characters to this season.
I think Will Smith has some super secret dance moves up his sleeve.
Super smooth moves.
Commercial break. We resume.
Ron assures Bill that they are not going to go home on the second leg.
Marie tells Liz to swing her hips more.
So intricate. So mesmorizing.
LIZ: It's just this one move.
It's like half of an Egyptian.
That one move is killing her.
Jeremy & Sandy are about to arrive at Shake Your Money Maker.
Sandy is like a cat who woke up from a cold shower.
Ernie says he and Cindy are doing the task faster because they are at the start of the street where the motorcycles turn while Bill & Cathi are hanging more towards the middle of the mall.
Bill pretends to be Usain Bolt.
No helmet for the little guy? That's just reckless!
Andy & Tommy are sixth to the Detour.
It's a Ma and Pa Sandwich for Andy!
Justin & Jennifer are seventh to the bikes.
I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to find one here, Andy.
Andy & Tommy are getting really involved with the bikes.
Ernie & Cindy finish the Detour. Cindy asks for a high five.
Ernie decides to punch Cindy's palm as much as possible.
Ernie's face decides to go all Popeye on her.
Jeremy & Sandy prepare to perform.
JEREMY: You ready? Let's go.
Liz notes Jeremy & Sandy and Amani & Marcus dancing.
LIZ: They're gonna work their corner now.
You guys are on The Amazing Race—not Six American Prostitutes Having Territorial Issues.
Sandy refuses to put on her mask.
MARCUS: I'm breaking out the latest Michael Jackson! Let's ride baby! We need to find the biggest spenders!We need to hit the jackpot! I've got the kind of jingle now we need the pho!
Going to the cars rather than the motorbikes is probably smart.
SANDY: It's for children.
Bill & Cathi are done in second. Liz & Marie are done in third.
Either that guy is sick or he is protecting himself from the smog.
It's a hot day to be wearing an outfit like that for Marcus. I am surprised there was one in his size.
Liz & Marie talk about their next destination.
MARIE: I have never been to an orphanage ever. In my entire life.
Really? Most people go to one every Tuesday during their lunch break.
Liz & Marie talk about recently losing their dad.
I could not nap like that.
Ethan & Jenna pick their outfit. Jenna complains about hers.
ETHAN: So how do I look, hon?
JENNA: Ridiculous.
Ridiculous by Indonesian-New York Jew nipple drummer standards?
Ethan goes in for a kiss.
This is such an odd kiss.
JENNA (rejecting ETHAN's kiss): Get busy! Get busy!
I like how even the mask looks shocked by being rejected.
ETHAN: Bring home the bacon! Bring home the bacon!
Better than bringing home the ham.
. . .Is Jenna doing the sprinkler?
"Is that Jenna from Survivor?"
Cindy asks Ernie if he has "orphanage money".
"Orphanage money". . .like real money. . .but for orphans.
Ernie & Cindy enter the orphanage.
The most depressing swing ever.
Ernie & Cindy hand in the money while we see the red underlined note appear on-screen.
CINDY: You're so cute.
Ernie & Cindy receive the amulet.
I would be really embarrassed if I had to come back later on in the day and say "sorry, I accidentally short-changed you." Nobody wants to be seen short-changing an orphanage in a third world country on national TV.
"It's okay, Cindy. I guess Roberta -won't- be getting a new tricycle this year, but I'm sure she'll be happy with the deflated soccer ball that she has been playing with for the past five months!"
Ernie & Cindy check out the amulet. It should guide them on foot to Kraton Palace—the residence of the Sultan of Joe Jer Carter.
PHIL: This expensive home is the pit stop for this leg of the race.
I like how it's not even a landmark. Phil just refers to it as "an expensive house".
PHIL: The last -two- teams to check in here will be eliminated.
The sultan should be with him at the pit stop.
Does the Sultan not have any friends to hang out on his property?
We get another extreme close-up of the sign accompanied by a sinister drum effect just in case the audience didn't realize that Ernie & Cindy forgot to give up ALL of the money in their possession.
They are told the picture on the amulet is of Kraton Palace and are given directions.
Bill & Cathi's taxi drops them off.
CATHI: We have enjoyed you today.
Having a sixty year old woman tell me "she enjoyed me" would make me a bit more worried than that taxi driver.
Bill & Cathi enter the orphanage.
CATHI: We have had a wonderful day in your city today.
"Maybe one day I can take you on a school field trip to go spelunking."
Bill & Cathi give up their money when we see another close-up of their sign. We see ANOTHER close-up when Liz & Marie drop off the money.
Oh my god. We get it. None of them followed the instructions! We're 0-for-3!
Andy & Tommy and Justin & Jennifer keep going on the Detour. Andy & Tommy finish the Detour in fourth and Justin & Jennifer finish in fifth.
Laurence & Zac run into an outgoing Andy & Tommy. They enjoyed the task.
"That was a fun task. Those motorcycles were rad."
"Where the hell are these orphans?"
What a dichotomy between the two teams.
Zac & Laurence start flailing their hats in the air as some sort of strategy.
SANDY: Thank you.
Marcus and Sandy start counting the money.
SANDY: Twenty-nine. . .Thirty thousand Rupiah.
I don't know why Sandy feels it is necessary to stare directly into the camera when she finishes counting.
Ron & Bill are last to the Detour.
BILL: Let's give 'em somethin' to talk about.
Oh boy.
BILL: Look at your little purple pants!
RON: I'm gonna pop a blood vessel.
That fabric will really have to stretch.
I hear the clothes absorb sweat much better.
Ron nipple drums in the most depressing style I have ever seen.
BILL: How do I dance? Just whatever?
This is painful.
"Bill shaking his money maker will make you harder than a cinder block maaaan!"
"All aboard the party bus!"
No party bus for Bill.
Ernie & Cindy find the pit stop.
The sultan greets them at the mat.
Phil will be greeting a lot of teams at the pit stop today.
"We won another leg?"
PHIL: Ernie & Cindy, you are the first team to arrive. . .however, there is a problem. . .
Meanwhile, Andy & Tommy are giving high fives to everyone at the orphanage. They wrap it up and start to walk away.
"Hold up, bro."
Tommy reads the sign to confirm they must give up ALL of their money to the orphanage.
We go back to Ernie & Cindy at the pit stop where Phil tells them to go back and hand over their money before returning to the mat.
And with that, Ernie & Cindy are no longer the top dogs.
CINDY (running and crying): I can't do this!
CINDY: Growing up in a competitive Asian environment, there is nothing short of success. Like, 'how can you be so stupid to miss one thing'?
Isn't the word 'competitive' a bit redundant in that sentence?
TOMMY: Wow, dude. Good freakin' eye. Who is gonna blow that one, huh?
A lot of people, Tommy. A lot of people.
"Make sure the money is all there, man. Don't make me count again."
ANDY: Walk or taxi?
TOMMY: We don't have any money.
ANDY: Oh yeah. Let's do this, Tommy.
"Unnecessary pylon jump!"
Ernie & Cindy keep runnin'. I love how much Cindy is overreacting to this penalty.
Commercial break. We resume. Cindy is still crying.
Ethan & Jenna complete the Detour in eighth.
ETHAN: Do you have everything? Do you have your fanny pack?\
JENNA: Yep.
Well, that shot was definitely added in post-production.
Laurence & Zac finish the Detour in ninth. Kaylani & Lisa are done in tenth.
I don't know why but Kaylani is dressed up like a St. Patrick's Day Pirate.
Ethan & Jenna get in the cab. Ethan asks if she has the clue. She doesn't and turns it around on Ethan.
He searches his really large pockets.
ETHAN: Do you have the clue?
JENNA: In your pocket.
ETHAN: I don't know where it is. I don't have it.
JENNA: Ethan. You wrote the orphanage's name down in your pocket.
ETHAN: I don't have that!
JENNA: Why not?
It's rare to see either of them frazzled.
ETHAN: I gave you the clue.
JENNA: It's over with the clothes. I forgot it.
ETHAN: Why would you forget the clue?!
JENNA: Cause it was an accident, Ethan!
"Hey, are those Survivor winners Ethan and Jenna forgetting their clue?"
SANDY: Is this it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Down there. . .oh, here here here.
Justin & Jennifer, Amani & Marcus, and Jeremy & Sandy are all at the orphanage.
This is the sign for the orphanage if you were curious.
They all receive the amulet close together.
JEREMY: Thank you.
SANDY: Thank you.
JEREMY: Thank you. Thank you so much.
SANDY: Thank you.
Jeremy was so close to noticing that sign.
Liz & Marie are "second" to the pit stop.
"Are we literally team number two?"
Liz & Marie are informed of their penalty.
Laurence & Zac are at the orphanage.
They notice the sign even before reaching the table.
Kaylani & Lisa come in immediately afterwards. Guess who is the final team to notice the sign?
That's right. A team that can't keep track of their passport is somehow one of only three teams observant enough to notice a discreet sign.
Bill & Cathi are team number "three" and are immediately turned around.
Third place did seem a little too good to be true, didn't it guys?
Ethan & Jenna are back at the Detour location. Ethan is freaking out as he mimes the clothes.
Ethan is all in a panic.
Ethan finds the Detour on the ground. He re-enters a taxi that has been pushing them back all day.
"Please move faster you slow piece of shit."
Ethan confirms with Jenna the location of where she keeps her clues on her person.
This was the true start of their relationship woes.
Andy & Tommy are "fourth" to the pit stop.
PHIL: Andy & Tommy, you are the fourth team to arrive. [voiceover kicks in] However, because other teams ahead of you had to go back to the orphanage, you are now officially team number one.
They have won a trip for two to Ireland. Five nights in a suite. Golf on a championship course, play archery, and enjoy the spaaaaaa.
They are so upset about not getting that Express Pass.
Ernie & Cindy keep running.
CINDY: I'm such a nerd! Gosh!
There is nothing nerdy about needing a Salbutamol inhaler to do The Amazing Race, Cind.
Ernie & Cindy are already back at the orphanage and hand in their remaining money in about two seconds.
"It was nice seeing you too."
Bill counts his money at the Detour.
BILL: That's the most amount of money I've made with my moneymaker.
Since the time he received advice on how to play poker from Chris Moneymaker.
Ron does celebratory nipple drumming when they reach their goal.
Jeremy & Sandy are "fifth" to the pit stop.
PHIL: Did you hand over all your money at the orphanage?
SANDY: We did not. Just 30, 000 Rupiah.
PHIL: You will need to go back and hand over all your money before I can check you in.
SANDY: OK. This is the sprint of our life.
Justin coaches Jennifer into running faster.
JUSTIN: We have a team right behind us. We have to move. Jennifer, we have to move. It's a million dollars.
JENNIFER: I can't! Do you want me to pass out?! Leave me alone! If I say I can't run, I can't run!
Justin is better off using reverse psychology.
Justin & Jennifer are "sixth" to the pit stop. Phil rejects them.
I couldn't resist.
Amani & Marcus are "seventh" to the mat. They are also rejected.
Go back like a quarterback.
Liz & Marie return to the orphanage.
Ethan & Jenna prepare to pull up to the orphanage.
ETHAN: This challenge is really cool because we get to raise money, and this money is going to an orphanage . .and that's what I'm all about.
That's right, folks. Ethan loves giving money away. In fact, he would give the orphan the shirt off of his back.
"Yeah, that's what I am all about. Giving money away."
Liz & Marie see Ethan & Jenna coming.
Ethan & Jenna could easily leapfrog from tenth to fourth with this maneuver.
They start giving up their money until. . .
JENNA: See this twenty dollar bill, kids? Yeah. It's staying with me.
ORPHANS: Ohhhhhhh.
Laurence & Zac are "eighth" to the pit stop.
LAURENCE: Yes!
ZAC: I'll take it!
Couldn't be happier!
Phil reveals the penalties for nearly everyone else as he bumps them up six spots in the standings.
It elicits the same reaction.
Bill & Cathi and Jeremy & Sandy run into each other.
SANDY: We've got to beat Mom and Dad.
Jeremy & Sandy are back at the orphanage. Bill & Cathi are seconds behind them.
SANDY: Everything?
JEREMY: That's it.
SANDY: All of our money.
JEREMY: Thank you so much.
SANDY: They're right behind us, sweetie.
JEREMY: Good job you guys.
CATHI: Yeah. You too.
Ethan & Jenna are "ninth" to the pit stop.
They know something is not right.
PHIL: You did not hand over all your money at the orphanage, is that correct?
ETHAN: We did not hand over all of our money total.
PHIL: You need to do that before I can check you in.
Jenna is not too pleased with production at the moment.
ETHAN: Unbelievable. How is that possible?
JENNA: That sucks. We just have to beat two other teams.
I just watched Ethan Zohn screw up a charity challenge.
Kaylani & Lisa are "tenth" to the pit stop.
They know what's coming.
PHIL: And you know this is a Double Elimination Leg?
Kaylani can't even make eye contact with Phil.
It's like Kaylani ate a whole bunch of sour candies at once.
PHIL: But because you guys did what you were meant to do. . .
Which was. . .?
"You're still team number ten. Psych!"
PHIL: You are now officially team number three.
KAYLANI: I hate you for doing that.
"I'm co-executive producer now. Nobody can hate me for anything."
"I still hate you."
Ernie & Cindy return to the orphanage. They are huffing and puffing.
They'll take it.
SANDY: Sweet. Stuck in the same boat. You did awesome.
PHIL: Great recovery today.
CATHI: Oh, wonderful recovery. And by next leg we'll learn to read.
So close to first place after doing a Speed Bump, guys.
Jennifer is stoked.
JUSTIN: I definitely think the race is harder than we thought it would be. I didn't come out here to pick on my little sister or beat up my sister. It's to win a million dollars.
Jennifer doesn't buy it.
JENNIFER: I feel terrible. I can't run through this.
Well, they're not winning this season.
Ron & Bill are last to the orphanage.
BILL: We have special gift for you.
It's money in a cup!
Ron & Bill see teams running back to the orphanage but don't think anything of it.
Amani & Marcus repay the orphanage. So do Ethan & Jenna as they see Ron & Bill heading for the pit stop.
ETHAN: We can outrun Amani.
Can you?
Ron & Bill are last to the pit stop.
PHIL: Do you have any money on you at all right now?
BILL: Just our money for the leg.
"Just tell us we're ninth already."
PHIL: You were meant to hand over all your money.
"Oh. . .so we're fucked."
Amani & Marcus are trying to run back. Marcus pokes her to get her to move faster.
Although I think it just pushes Amani one step closer to collapsing.
It's a showdown for not second-to-last.
Amani & Marcus -barely- avoid elimination today. No football analogies, surprisingly.
Ethan & Jenna run to the mat.
Even Keith & Whitney will have a more successful Survivor crossover than them.
Phil breaks the news to them.
My hero is eliminated in a one-time twist.
Seeing my superhero hang his head in shame is sad to see.
Ethan offers a kiss to his fallen comrade.
PHIL: I'm really sorry to tell you that.
"Mainly because I wanted to see Liz & Marie go home. If I have to hear them ask if they are 'literally still in the race,' I might chop my own ears off."
Ethan says you have to try. Their short run is still a blessing given everything they have gone through in the past eighteen months.
Ethan is so positive about everything.
"So. . .can we still do Survivor: South Pacific?"
Ethan & Jenna exit.
Ron & Bill give back all of their cash then walk to the pit stop.
BILL: We have way more than what you could ever win on a TV show.
Bill, you have no money in your pocket at all right now. Orphans currently have more money in your possession than you do. You have exact opposite of having more than you could ever win on a TV show—you have zero dollars and zero Rupiah.
BILL: People would pay millions to have what we have.
People would pay millions to have sweaty clothes and no cash to spare???
Ron & Bill check in to the pit stop. For real, this time.
BILL: We can take it, Phil. We're strong.
I guess they know it can't be a NEL.
PHIL: Ron & Bill. . .
BILL: Yes, Phil?
BILL: I know you don't want to say it.
PHIL: You are the last team to arrive.
BILL: And I know you definitely don't want to say this. . .
"Actually, you're wrong about that. It's my favourite part."
PHIL: And I am sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the race.
And they're eliminated.
BILL: It's been incredible. Absolutely incredible.
Ron found it exhilarating, fun, and amazing. Bill defines it as a chapter in their relationship.
Ron reflects on the race like the sunlight reflects off of his glasses.
I haven't seen Will Smith so sad since he read YouTube comments about the Karate Kid remake.
Ron & Bill walk away together.
Awwww. At least they had fun!
Next Time on TAR: Ernie & Cindy break down while Bill & Cathi slip up. An ancient temple runs teams around in circles.
1) Taipei, Taiwan -> Joe Jer Carter, Indonesia
First off, thank god production chose to not do the Contradicting Sign Twist ever again.
Racers are instructed to follow what's in their clue as the primary source of instruction. During the Detour, they were told to give up the Rupiah they earned to the orphanage. It said nothing about giving up your American Dollars. Teams said that even if they noticed the sign (primarily the words of Jenna Morasca) that they still would have followed what it said in their clue rather than some random sign. I believe that since Phil could have penalized them at the pit stop for not following their clue correctly or unintentionally trick teams into giving up precious money for the following round of play.
It is even worse that this twist occurs simultaneously with the Double Elimination. If the sign wasn't there, Ethan & Jenna finish this leg in ninth and are saved over Kaylani & Lisa. That's a potentially big change to have a ripple effect throughout the rest of the season.
This round also had what many consider to be the dumbest Speed Bump of all-time. Untying that rope took somewhere between 5-8 minutes based on the order of events on-screen. I am sure the audience was happy to see Bill & Cathi take the lead after doing the Speed Bump, but we all wished they did a bit more to earn it. Sadly nearly every Speed Bump in the future will go on to be a joke collection of tasks. I have been long advocating for a new type of NEL penalty because clearly the Speed Bump is not working.
The Roadblock was a cool location and was a decent task. A spelunking obstacle course was fun.
The Detour wasn't particularly memorable. Because of the nineteen teams checking into the pit stop, it was one of the most condensed tasks in TAR history. I think we saw about twenty seconds of dancing and about thirty seconds of motorbikes being parked. It didn't appear to be memorable or difficult.
The only reason this leg isn't at the bottom is because Indonesia was a brand new location for TAR US. Other franchises beat them there but it was nice for TAR US to get it off of their check list.
Jeremy & Sandy's only storyline of wanting the Survivor winners effectively comes to an end this round. Watch their airtime dwindle even more.
Justin & Jennifer was more annoying than it was fascinating to watch. I think the pettiness of the fighting outweighed the comedy of it which is a shame. I wish they recorded some of their physical altercations when they were younger, though. Did anyone get a broken nose?
Despite Bill & Cathi dropping to seventh because they had to run several kilometres, it was still a great comeback for a team that finished the first leg over six hours behind almost all other teams. Yes, two massive equalizers helped but at least they are no longer perceived as a team of fodder.
Kaylani & Lisa's airtime essentially dropped down to nil this episode. For a team that made a huge blunder in the first leg and were extremely lucky to be saved this round, production didn't want to focus on them when they aren't doing anything jaw-dropping.
And I think Ron & Bill finished where most people expected them to this season. They were too mellow for the race.
2) Los Angeles, California -> Taipei, Taiwan
I hate Starting Line tasks. I hate pointless Speed Bump-esque penalties that aren't entertaining and/or serve no purpose to the race other than 'look at this repackaged twist that we are pretending is brand new!'
I am becoming increasingly more open to NELs in the season premiere, and surprisingly I am okay with the setup for the Double Elimination twist. Eliminations in TAR have always been arbitrary, and choosing to eliminate the bottom two teams in exchange for saving a team this round is perfectly fine with me. . .even with who eventually goes home because of it. -_-
I like that producers didn't use a single clue box this round. We had a tough billboard challenge that left old people scrambling for five hours.
The other tasks weren't particularly interesting to watch.
The umbrella task came down to pure luck for most teams at the starting line and led to a pointless penalty that was even more pointless because of the NEL. It just cost us precious Taipei time.
The Hazard required only one person to participate while their partner did nothing.
The dragon boat task wasn't really a task. It was all to be done in a fixed amount of time for the most part. They had twenty people helping them.
The Confucius Roadblock was alright. I wish the phrase was just a little bit longer, but was enough to stump Liz for a really long time.
I am seeing evidence of why this season doesn't make a big impression on people. You either didn't like the twists or were indifferent to it, and no major storylines really developed.
Cindy is controlling.
Marcus loves football.
Kaylani & Lisa had the worst start ever in TAR history, but somehow finished the leg in ninth. How far can they go? And that whole incident with Reality Fan Forum was a memorable moment.
Bill & Cathi are nice. Hopefully they don't screw up this second chance.
Ethan & Jenna were on Survivor.
Premieres need to either grip you in with story or be hilarious to make people settle in for the ride–this was neither.
Overall, the good cancels out the bad and leaves us with a very mediocre season premiere for TAR.
1) Ethan Zohn & Jenna Morasca
This is more of a ranking to reflect Ethan's presence rather than Jenna's. It is always how I have felt about this seven year dating couple on Survivor. Their Survivor personalities were repeated here in TAR 19. Jenna was always pissed off and making big mistakes like forgetting the Detour clue while Ethan was positive, interesting, and fun to watch.
Editors appeared to have very little interest in showing Jenna. They wanted Ethan to do all of the talking which was probably wise in their limited run.
Out of all of the teams to go home on the first elimination leg, Ethan & Jenna rank high up there in terms of attention attracted by the other teams. There was a surprising number of scenes where teams were talking about how much they wanted Ethan & Jenna eliminated from the race. Thankfully Ethan & Jenna weren't completely segregated as they were shown having fun with teams like Laurence & Zac and Andy & Tommy.
It is a shame that the Contradictory Sign and the Double Elimination twist had to combine their bad taxi driver to put them in a guaranteed spot to be eliminated. I am sure Ethan was mildly embarrassed to be eliminated because of a task that required them to give money to charity.
This was supposed to be Ethan & Jenna's epic return to competitive reality TV, and they are barely a footnote in this season. In fact, Ethan nor Jenna have not made another appearance on Survivor or TAR since then. They really should have taken that initial offer of competing against each other on Survivor: South Pacific.
I am sad. My ten year old self wanted to watch Ethan try and win again.
2) Ron Zeitz & Will Smith
I don't have much to say about Ron & Bill. They liked sweating through blue shirts, Bill didn't know how to dance, and had fun with Phil when they were eliminated.
Ron received very little airtime in contrast to Bill. None of the other teams ever talked about them, and they were never shown interacting with the other teams.
They just wanted a fun adventure as a couple. Unfortunately, their lack of hustle kept them on the bottom after their initial arrival at LAX. In fact, LAX is a great way to describe how they ran the race.
They were somehow eliminated before other teams who almost always struggled this season.
Team Averages
Below is a list of all teams from seasons I have blogged to date, ranked by racing average.
e.g. Don & Mary Jean finished 9th, 8th, 8th, 8th, and 8th. Add up the numbers and divide it by the number of legs they have played.
Therefore their average is 8.2.
Because of how long this list has become, I only show the relevant section where the eliminated team from this episode has fallen amongst the ranks of what TAR history has to offer.
Bullshit Round One/Starting Line Eliminations That Do Not Count
Eric & Lisa N/A
Bilal & Sa'eed N/A
— F minus–
12th Debra & Steve 12.0 TAR 4
12th Gina & Sylvia 12.0 TAR 3
11th Ron & Tony 11.0 TAR 17
11th Adrian & Dana 11.0 TAR 16
11th Preston & Jennifer 11.0 TAR 14
11th Anita & Arthur 11.0 TAR 13
11th Ari & Staella 11.0 TAR 12
11th John Vito & Jill All Stars 11.0 TAR 11
11th Vipul & Arti 11.0 TAR 10
11th John & Scott 11.0 TAR 9
11th Ryan & Chuck 11.0 TAR 7
11th Team Seinfeld/Avi & Joe 11.0 TAR 6
11th Dennis & Erika 11.0 TAR 5
11th Deidre & Hilary 11.0 TAR 2
11th Matt & Ana 11.0 TAR 1
10th Edwin & Monica 10.0 Only team to finish last for the first two rounds of the race TAR Asia 3
10th Yani & Nadine 10.0 Would have survived round two, but were marked for elimination and thus officially finished in last both rounds TAR Asia 4
10th Jody & Shannon 10.0 TAR Adventure 16
10th Lisa & Joni 10.0 TAR 9
10th Kevin & Drew All Stars 10.0 TAR 11
10th Neena & Amit 10.0 TAR Asia 3
10th A Black Family 10.0 TAR 8
10th Andie & Jenna 9.5 TAR 17
10th Steve & Linda 9.5 TAR 14
10th Anthony & Stephanie 9.5 (Why them?????) TAR 13
10th Megan & Heidi 9.5 (Wow. They sucked.) TAR 7
11th Ron & Bill 9.5 TAR 19
11th Garrett & Jessica 9.5 TAR 15
10th Kate & Pat 9.0 TAR 12
9th David & Mary TAR 11: All Stars 9.0 TAR 11
9th Peggy & Claire 9.0 May or may not be gutsy. TAR 2
10th Meredith & Maria 9.0 TAR 6
10th Dennis & Andrew 9.0 FF TAR 3
10th Anne-Marie & Tracy 8.67 TAR Australia 1
8th Mo & Mos 8.60 Saved by NEL once TAR Australia 1
10th Mel & Mike 8.33 Mel died. TAR 18
9th Marianna & Julia 8.33 TAR 12
10th Russell & Cindy 8.33 TAR 4
8th Don & Mary Jean 8.2 Saved by NEL once TAR 6
10th Kellie & Jamie 8.0 TAR 10
10th Kim & Leslie 8.0 TAR 1
8th Danielle & Dani 7.8 Yielded TAR 9
9th Jaime & Cara 7.8 U-Turned and Used U-Turn TAR 18
8th Marisa & Brooke 7.75 Sucked. TAR 13
7th Mika & Canaan 7.67 Why the heck did they sign up? TAR 15
9th Marcy & Ron 7.67 Bald. TAR 15
9th Isaac & William 7.5 TAR Asia 3
9th Jim & Marsha 7.33 TAR 5
9th Richard & Joey 7.25 U-Turned once TAR Australia 1
9th Alan & Wendy 7.25 Saved by NEL once TAR Asia 4
8th Manas & Sahil 7.0 TAR Asia 4
8th Singaporean Sophie & French Born Aurelia 7.0 (French Born Aurelia sadly does not know the English words for 'team averages'. :/) TAR Asia 2
8th Aiello Family 7.0 TAR 8
–D minus–
8th Tom & Terry 7.0 TAR 10
8th Dave & Margaretta 7.0 R.I.P. Margaretta TAR 1
9th Lena & Kristy 7.0 Producers refused to hay bail them. TAR 6
10th Hope & Norm 7.0 TAR 2
10th Ethan & Jenna 7.0 TAR 19. Double Eliminated.
11th Ryot & Liberty 7.0 TAR Australia 1
7th Christie & Jodi 6.67 Saved by NEL TAR 14
9th Brad & Victoria 6.67 TAR 14
7th Niroo & Kapil 6.75 TAR Asia 3
7th Alana & Mel 6.67 TAR Australia 1
6th Maria & Tiffany 6.57 Saved by NEL once and Justin's blunder again TAR 15
9th Rogers Family 6.5 R.I.P. Renee. TAR 8
8th Susan & Patrick 6.5 TAR 7
11th Amanda & Kris 6.5 TAR 18 Automatic U-Turned.


text:
- 145Shares
Lunges are one of the best exercises you can do for your legs. Like squats, they work all the leg muscles but they have the added advantage that they also work the core and improve balance. This lunges workout uses 3 variations – forward, back and pulse lunges to increase variety and work the leg muscles in slightly different ways.
What you can expect from the workout
This workout will increase your leg strength and firm up the tops of your legs. It trains the muscles used in walking and running and improves flexibility. It also challenges the core stabilising muscles, so will improve abdominal tone.
What you will need
You don't need anything other than clothes that allow you to move freely. Trainers aren't necessary, but make sure your feet can grip – wearing socks on a hard floor won't give you enough grip.
Get a free printable download of the lunges workout
Sign up for The Fit Look newsletter and get access to all subscriber only content, including a PDF printable of this workout.
After you sign up, you'll get 2 e-mails:
The first will ask you for a one-click confirmation of your subscription.
After you've confirmed, you'll get a second e-mail with a link to all the subscriber only content and a password to access it.
Already a subscriber? Here's the link to the downloads page.
Lunges workout – the exercises
Warm up first
In the lunge, muscles are stretched more than they usually are in every day life. Lunges also challenge balance, strength and coordination more than every day movements. So you need to give your muscles a chance to warm up. Start off by doing some toe taps behind.
Toe taps
- Stand with feet hip distance apart
- Take your right leg out behind your body and tap your toes to the floor
- Bring your leg back to starting position and then repeat on the left
- Do 20 of these on each side
Exercises for the main workout
Reverse lunge
- Stand with your feet about hip distance apart
- Make sure you keep your abdominal muscles engaged (see here for more about this), your shoulders relaxed down and your back straight throughout
- Take one out behind you and touch your toes to the floor. Make sure you keep your feet hip width apart.
- Now bend at both knees, so that you lower your body towards the floor. At the end of the movement, your thighs should be parallel with the floor, your front knee should be bent to 90 degrees and in line with your ankle, your back knee should be just above the floor.
- To return, push off the floor with your back foot and straighten your body as you bring your foot back to its starting position.
Forward lunge
The forward lunge is a bit harder to do with good control and exercise technique than the reverse lunge.
- The instructions for the forward lunge are very similar, except that to start the movement you take your leg out in front of you and put the whole foot on the floor. As you bend at the knees and lower your body, your back heel lifts up.
- To return, push off the floor with the front foot.
For both versions, stay focused on these technique points:
- Keep your ab muscles engaged – this will help you to keep the movement controlled
- Your back should be vertical (don't lean forwards or backwards)
- Always keep your feet at hip width with your toes pointing forwards – don't let your back foot turn out
- Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle and not coming forward over your toes
- Get into the lunge position (it doesn't matter whether you step forwards or backwards, the end position is the same).
- From here, do small pulse movements (1-2 inches) up and down.
How to do the lunges workout
Before doing this workout, please read the general safety guidelines here. There are 3 sets in this workout. The number of reps for each set are shown below and on the printable download.
The first 2 exercises in the routine are alternate leg lunges. Then there is a set of pulses on each leg before moving on to sets of lunges on the same leg. Work through all the exercises doing the number of repetitions shown for set 1, then start again and do the number shown for set 2. Then start again one last time and do the reps shown for set 3.
Try to do this workout at least twice a week, ideally 3 times on non-consecutive days.
Pin this for later
Other leg workouts on this site
- 145Shares

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Back from Tokyo; guess what? Didn't take my camera! But I was working anyway so it wasn't really the best opportunity for taking photos...
Here are some shots I took in Okayama just before I went away. An izakaya is a type of Japanese restaurant; I've got many shots of them scattered through my archives.
I apologise in advance if I'm tardy with commenting on your blogs or returning comments during the week... I will get to you though!
@Dipanjan Mukherjee: Thanks Dipanjan!
27 Aug 2008 11:55am
@Sun.~: Thanks Sun.~!
27 Aug 2008 2:27pm
@Observing: Cheers Mike!
27 Aug 2008 4:02pm
@Alun Lambert: Thanks Alun!
27 Aug 2008 4:11pm
@danthro: Thanks danthro. That's a good question; an izakaya is a place for drinking, with food to accompany the drink. Have a look here...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya.
27 Aug 2008 7:24pm
@Arps: Thanks Arps. The numbers are the prices.
27 Aug 2008 8:09pm
@dj.tigersprout: Cheers dj.tigersprout!
28 Aug 2008 1:25am
@akarui: Sounds good! Thanks akarui.
31 Aug 2008 5:18pm
@Twelvebit: It is the same guy. Yeah, he was a young guy Twelvebit - but not that young!


text:
Every passion comes with a degree of obsession.
It's a mythical presumption we take for granted when we talk about Tesla, Einstein, Jobs, and Curie. It's an aura that follows their portfolios like a facet of their personality inseparable from the work they've done. The association between a near obsessive pursuit of perfection and footsteps that change the world is so commonplace in the stories we tell about the people and the events through history. We tell ourselves, the crazy ones, the ones who think they can change the world, are the ones who do. We tell ourselves, the world is so saturated with mediocrity, it takes an extraordinary idea and pursuit of excellence to break through the mundane. We tell ourselves, to do something great, and to make it count, it takes something superhuman. It's the legend of the divine genius. Just being good at it won't do.
At least, that's the legend.
But for nearly everyone else in the world, being pushed through life by the superhuman drive to perfection and a passion for ideological excellence is just a fairy tale. Most of us aren't gifted with a Jobsian ability to lead, nor are we born with a natural knack for programming or a Mozart-esque musical faculty. Most of us walk through the labyrinth of circadian cycles because that's the status quo. And that's fine.
But even for us mere mortals, there are the few moments when an idea hooks us. Once in a while, we'll have an idea so tempting that the thought of it seemingly consumes us every spare moment of every day. I'd bet that you've had quite a few of those – an idea or an experience that consumes your every moment with the thought of it. It's not a rational behavior, but it's an emotional one, to be consumed by an idea or an activity. These unremarkable obsessions are what gives runners the final rush to finish a race with nothing else left on their minds, programmers the ability to code for half a dozen hours to finish a project without a visible end to their problems, or musicians the perseverance to perform with every ounce of their passion through an exhaustingly long performance. For the least creative and the least gifted of us, there are times when we're taken with an idea.
These bursts of obsession we find once in a while, whether from deadlines, anxiety, or from some mysterious primal part of us within, aren't normal motivation.
Normal, everyday motivation is what we summon to wake up in the morning for work we don't quite love. It's what we call on to finish a resume or a college application. It's what keeps us practicing our drills or our etudes every day. It's what keeps us going. It's ordinary, and it's helpful, but it doesn't do much beyond that.
Ordinary motivation will help you get to work on time, but it won't put you on the front page of TIME. It'll help you go to college, but it won't make you a Fortune 500 CEO. It'll get you a good life. But it won't make it an exceptional one.
If you're okay with the comfort of the average, alright. You do you. But I find it quite boring.
We can't live straight-up without the normal kind of motivation. We can't pick-and-choose the experiences we get in our lives to our ideal images of them like your perfectly filtered and ideally angled Instagram pictures. Motivation is good. They're good at getting things done and getting you to bed and waking up right every day. But when you want to really push things forward, when you want to shape the world around you to your ideas, you need something more.
Before we were asked to bend our expectations of reality to reality, before we were forced to see that there was nothing beyond or outside of the boring every-day-ness of the world, we had this idea of a "dream". "What's your dream?" we asked each other. Some wanted to be astronauts, others wanted to cure cancer, and others, to change the world. They were grand, unrealistic, and fantastic, in every sense of the word. But grab a typical 17-year old from the street corner and ask the same question, and the question usually leads to a talk of college choices and potential career options. Nobody wants to change the world, nobody wants to be a firefighter, nobody wants to live on Mars. What a shame.
What a shame. Why do we give up those unrealistic dreams so easily? Why don't we follow them up with unprecedented enthusiasm and great ideas? Say what you will, I think those dreams are still worth pursuing. Call them unrealistic; call them a waste of time. If I dream higher, I'll still end up better than your dreams. Literally.
But to work towards those dreams, we can't just be motivated. For those insane goals, we need the same kind of drive that pushes athletes and artists along. We need that obsessive passion.
And don't tell me only the top 1% of the best in the world can have that drive, because it doesn't work that way, and we've already been over this. How does the saying go? The only thing keeping you from being better is your belief that you can't be. Something like that.
There's motivation, and then there's passion. The drive that doesn't just motivate you, but takes you and consumes your self with the idea of your dreams. Our expectations of who we're going to be in a few years, or tomorrow, is limited far more than anything else by our decision of whether or not we trust our lives in the hands of the ideas and things that we're passionate and enthusiastic about.
Let your ideas take you, as if you mind is intoxicated with the idea of a better future than you think possible. I, for one, do.
If you enjoyed this piece, you might also enjoy my next post, Taking a break.
Have a comment or response? You can email me.


text:
AnimeOutline was started to help people who like anime and manga and who would like to learn to draw in that style. Here you will find quality original anime & manga drawing tutorials as well as some general art related tips.
All of the tutorials on AnimeOutline have been specifically created for this site and feature original made from scratch artwork.


text:
I can't believe I've been under the weather for 3 weeks now. Yuck.
But it's been SO nice having raw comfort food like my raw banana and oat porridge to keep me going.
And it's so quick and easy…
- 1 banana
- 1 date
- 1 tbsp cashews (optional, makes it creamier)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp flax meal (optional)
- 2 tbsp rolled oats
- maple syrup, sultanas, sliced banana (to serve, optional)
Blend the banana, date, cashews and water until warm, but not hot (around 2 minutes in a Vitamix). Add oats and flax and blend until smooth. Put the extra oats into the bottom of your pre-warmed breakfast bowl, pour blended porridge over and stir. Leave to sit for 5 minutes or so to soak in (while you clean up).
Serving it warm is the key to making this nourishing on cold, snotty days, and pre-warming your bowls (finally, a use for my oven!) makes it even nicer. (Just make sure nothing gets TOO hot.)
Mmmmmm, warm and raw.
Maybe winter isn't so bad after all.
Want more great articles like this?
Sign up for email updates and get them delivered straight to your inbox.Yes please!
Have a copy day :)
~ Nikki, Eating Vibrantly


text:
Yellow onions, or yellow globe onions, are available for purchase year-round in most grocery stores and food markets. But these all-purpose yellow onions easily grow in the home garden, and store well for use during the winter months. Growing from sets is a fast way to raise a delicious crop of yellow onions. Onion sets are dormant onion bulbs that eliminate the need to spend weeks germinating onions seeds.
Break up and loosen the garden soil to a depth of 12 inches with a rotary tiller. Remove any weeds, debris or rocks from the garden soil. Make sure your garden location receives at least six hours of sun per day and the last frost has passed before you plant.
Incorporate 3 inches of aged manure into the garden soil, using a shovel. Use a rake to level the soil.
Turn the shovel upside down and use the handle to make 1 1/2- to 2-inch-deep holes – spaced 4 inches apart – in the soil. Place one yellow onion set into each hole with the pointed end facing up.
Rake soil over the yellow onion sets to cover, and pack the soil down gently with your hands. Water the yellow onion sets with a watering can until the soil is moist. Continue to water the yellow onions one to two times per week, maintaining a moist soil.
Place a 2-inch layer of weed-free hay in the yellow onion garden bed to discourage weed growth. Weed-free hay does not contain any seeds that might grow into the soil after application.
Weed the yellow onion garden bed regularly by hand to remove all competition for food and water.
Feed the yellow onions a liquid, slow-release fertilizer about one month after the sets have sprouted above the soil. Refer to the fertilizer instructions on the quantity ratio.
Stop giving the yellow onions water when the tops of the plants have turned brown and fallen over. Leave the yellow onions in the garden ground for up to one week without water.
Push both hands into the soil on both sides of the yellow onion plant to raise the onions. Using your hands will prevent damage to the onions that can occur when using spades or other sharp instruments.
Place the yellow onions on a screen to dry in a warm, protected location away from animals and harsh weather elements.
Things You Will Need
- Rotary tiller
- Aged manure
- Shovel
- Garden rake
- Yellow onion sets
- Watering can
- Weed-free hay
- Liquid slow-release fertilizer
- Screen
More Articles
- Plant Onion Bulbs
- Plant and Care for Texas Supersweet Onions
- Plant Onion Sets
- Grow Onions in East Texas
- Plant Onions in Pots
- Grow Onions From Bulbs
- Plant Onion Sets in Florida
- What Do Yellow Tulips Mean?
- Grow Yellow Squash in Containers
- Planting Yellow Crooked Neck Squash Plants in South Texas
- Plant Onion Sets in Pennsylvania
- Fertilize Onion Plants


text:
The longer I teach online journalism, the more I understand about how students learn best. They crave ownership of the learning process, and that ownership can help promote mastery of essential skills and content knowledge. Owning their learning is also significantly more meaningful than having me—or any other teacher for that matter—tell students exactly what's expected of them.
I prefer that students experiment with the learning, setting and holding themselves to their own high standards, while always striving to improve.
This fall I gleefully watched my journalism students launch a television news broadcast to accompany The Gator, the online student newspaper I advise at Brimmer and May. I marveled at how access to exciting communication technology, when coupled with an eagerness to share quality work, generated powerful student-driven learning.
Admittedly, as a veteran of print journalism, I knew very little about video production. I had experimented with it earlier, but I fumbled by not initially trusting my students to do the work themselves.
Sure, the final product looked good enough. But it reflected more of my efforts than that of my students, highlighting my shortcoming as an adviser. From the third broadcast onward, as much as possible, I removed myself from the equation. From the sidelines, I observed my students relying on each other to work through roadblocks to produce better and better segments, as they recognized and learned from missteps.
My overinvolvement had deprived students of the learning process. Only when I relived control did the team jump at the chance to put all the moving pieces together, and Gator Nation News really took off.
Experimenting with Tools
In October, Brimmer opened a new media lab as part of a larger construction project. With an entire wall painted in chroma key matte green; a suite of new MacBook Pro's loaded with Final Cut Pro X, 4K Sony video cameras; and two Parrot teleprompters, the editors of The Gator hit the ground running. By and large, they put all the pieces together themselves, with minimal direction from me.
My students used Vimeo to host completed broadcasts, which were then embedded in The Gator. Unlike YouTube, Vimeo requires a paid subscription, but the platform rejects advertisements, and I also appreciate how its niche market caters to the education sector. Moreover, the actual video player is sleeker than those of its competitors, and it's easy to adjust privacy and control settings.
Next year, in addition to airing pre-recorded broadcasts, the Gator Nations News team wants to explore going live. To begin this process, the newsroom recently purchased a subscription to Livestream, which reporters also used to offer live coverage of end-of-year events, including commencement. In the fall, students also hope also to conduct live interviews around campus before moving production to the media lab.
Cultivating Real-World Work Environments
As in any work environment, disagreements occurred—especially early on. Students would argue, sometimes heatedly, about what deserved coverage, or whether colleagues had completed their jobs in timely and effective fashion. Occasionally, students did not think before making well-meaning but potentially hurtful comments about the sub-par quality of a shot, uneven sound levels, or poor execution of some other sort.
I trusted the student editor in chief with telling me when to butt out. During a particularly tense recording session, she respectfully asked me to leave the media lab. My intervention was only slowing down production, and from her I learned that no matter what I teach, there is a lot to be said for letting students work out struggles on their own.
With this in mind, I did my best to let the students sort out their own problems, wary of depriving them of the important development that comes from overcoming hardship without adult intervention. I'm proud to report that no matter how big the dispute, students found a way to move on, learn from their mistakes, and call on me only when necessary.
It's only the start of summer, but I can't wait to see what my budding journalists will drive themselves to accomplish next.


text:
Titleist NXT Tour Practice LOGO NEW Golf Balls – 600 Count
NEW Range Golf Balls
Here are 600 (50 Dozen) BRAND NEW Titleist NXT Tour Practice LOGO Golf Balls!
They are being offered as a single lot of 600 Balls. Note these balls have logos printed on them.
This is ONE Lot…once they are gone, they are G-O-N-E. Again, these golf balls are brand new…new golf balls are rare on our web site but occasionally we find them and when we do, you WIN!
These are a GREAT value for some cool Titleist NXT range balls for your driving range.
Our prices are the lowest you will find AND our quality is the highest and service is king! Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied…but you will be.
Priced at $0.40 per ball …DELIVERED!
That's right…shipping is included!
The GolfballMonster.com prices are hard to beat…and our prices INCLUDED SHIPPING


text:
We've put together a bundle of the newest member of the James family, and the best seller from our Eye Mask range to take your skincare regime to the next level. This bundle includes:
- 1 x The Wand
- 1 x Box of 24k Gold & Collagen Crystal Eye Masks (5 mask sets)
Facial Massage
The Wand vibrates at 6000 times a minute to massage your skin and help boost collagen production.
Lymphatic Drainage
Helping with any build-up of fluid, The Wand's vibrations assist in contouring the face and to help improve circulation and dullness.
24K Gold
Made with 24k Gold which is known for its hygienic antimicrobial properties plus anti-inflammatory benefits to help with puffiness.
Skincare Enhancer
The Wand helps your serums and moisturisers penetrate deeper into your skin, therefore helping to make your skincare routine more effective.
- Apply 'The Holy Grail 24k Gold Serum'.
- Turn your device on by twisting the base until it vibrates.
- Hold The Wand at the base.
- Gently place the T-Bar end on your face and without much pressure, glide outwards from the centre of your face, always moving upwards.
- Also use on your neck with the same upwards and out motion.
- Work section by section.
- Use the points on the end of the T-Bar to treat smaller areas around your nose.
- Use The Wand for up to 3 minutes daily for best results. Note, vibration intensity will vary based on usage time.
- Finish your skincare routine with your 'Gelous Gel Moisturiser', and a final spritz of the 'Glow Up 24k Rose Gold Facial Mist'.
- After use, clean The Wand with a soft cloth.
- Do not use directly on the eyelid.
- Keep out of reach of children.
- Battery included.
- 'The Holy Grail 24k Gold Serum', 'Gelous Moisturiser' and 'Glow Up Facial Mist' products not included, but available for purchase through this site.


text:
Sinking into the hot water, Marcus let his cares dissolve, if only for a short time. Closing his eyes, he felt at peace. As he was about to fall asleep, a tremendous rumbling awoke him. With a start, his muscles tensed and he sprang from the tub. A second and third tremor, then a fourth. The whole tower shook and dust fell from the rafters. Marcus slipped into a long, white tunic which clung to his damp body. Throwing open the shutters that closed over the windows, he almost immediately fell back from the sight; huge dragons! Seven of them. They skulked about the fortress and battered the walls. From afar, giants tossed boulders at the tower. This was the magnitude of an attack that Marcus had been expecting. He studied the dragons and found that they were slow moving and decomposing; they were zombies, raised by Astur himself.
Marcus slammed the shutters closed and spun on his heels. He grabbed for a chain shirt made of precious mithral rings and slung it over his torso, wriggling into it. He desparately searched for his pants when Klimt stormed into the room. His hand was missing; he had lost it long ago in a battle with a ranger and used a locked gauntlet in its place. Klimt reached for Marcus' breast plate on the floor.
"Damn!" He shouted with exaspiration. "My wife was just tending my wounds, they suddenly the whole world starts shaking! Why'd they have to wait until we came inside?" Marcus walked over to Klimt and the orc helped him don his armor. "Does he really want that damned sword so badly?" King Astur sought the sword Lolor; when it was brought to the orcs near Moonrock, Astur's army soon arrived, trampling all in its wake. The Elves of Moonrock put up a valliant fight, and when the army turned towards the orcish fortress, it was assumed that the army was weakening. In truth, they were originally trying to lure the orcs to Moonrock, perhaps to join the cause against the elves. King Mugluth refused to join Astur's army, and soon became the target of Astur's wrath. "I need a hand!" demanded Klimt, shaking his gauntlet in Marcus' face.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Mugluth shouted encouragement to his troops. He drew Lolor, and charged at a nearly skeletal black dragon. The king's horse shied away from the horrifying beast as it turned its empty eyes on the orc king. A hissing steam of acid shot out at Mugluth from the dragon's maw. The king rolled away, narrowly avoiding the torrent of acid. He swung the sword at the dragon, but it returned the slash with a barrage of bites, ripping claws, and a smashing tail. The dragon then simply leaned its weight on Mugluth; the king's breath rushed from his lungs as he heard the sound of his ribs cracking and his armor caving in. He stabbed the dragon again and again with the sword, but the creature simply pressed on. Mugluth felt the surge of an inky blackness tried to take him over. He nearly fell into unconciousness as the dragon rose again.
Karn rode by, shrieking at the dragon. His horsemen surrounded the creature and began punturing it with their spears while they rode about it in a circle. Mugluth struggled to his feet and found that his crown had been shattered by one of the dragon's feet. His breath came in short gasps, although a spark of life remained in him yet. Anger filled him, and he slashed at the dragon wildly. Distracted by the horsemen, the dragon felt Lolor cut through rotten flesh and yellow bone with a powerful slash. The dragon collapsed, thrown off balance by the loss of limb. The hobgoblins swarmed over the dragon like ant, stabbing ferociously. Mugluth collapsed as the dragon's head hit the ground. The life ebbed from him, just as it did from the dragon.
Ahorse, Marcus saw the scene from across the battlefield. He pulled at the reigns and galloped towards the scene. Klimt followed closely. When they arrived, Karn was trying to pry Lolor from Mugluth's grasp.
"Don't touch it!" ordered Marcus. Karn grunted at him defiantly. Klimt stepped forward, banging his axe on his shield threateningly. Karn looked about, and saw the war raging about himself. There would be other prizes, but none so grand as Lolor.
"I am king in Mugluth's place. The sword is mine." said Klimt as he tossed his shield aside.
"Take it then." rasped Karn, kicking at Mugluth's hand. Klimt looked at the sword and felt anger well up within himself. He quelled it with the simple thought that the world needed creatures like Karn just as much as it needed him right now. Like it or not, the hobgoblins were an essential part of the war effort. Karn mounted his horse again, with a sneer as Klimt took up Lolor in his left hand. Never taking his eyes off Karn, he slid the sword under his belt.
"Take it away from here." Marcus said, "And hide it well. Astur wants it, and he'll starve us and beat us until he has it."
"I will take Flavish with me." responded Klimt.
"Good. And others; ones that you trust."
Klimt rode off the field, towards the South. Marcus didn't watch as his friend disappeared into the haze of battle. He had enemies to kill and a war to win. If Astur did truly seek the sword, then maybe this gamble would pay off. It was possible that he could flank the army of the dead, but even then, how could he prevail over an army that never sleeps? Marcus let the thoughts pass and lost himself in the battle. The day was far from over…


text:
Personal details
- Name
- Dr Megan Gibson
- Position(s)
- Senior Lecturer
Faculty of Education,
School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education
- Discipline *
- Other Education, Specialist Studies in Education
- Phone
- +61 7 3138 8092
- Fax
- +61 7 3138 3989
- email@example.com
- Location
- View location details (QUT staff and student access only)
- Identifiers and profiles
- Qualifications
Doctor of Philosophy (Queensland University of Technology), M Ed (Queensland University of Technology), B Ed (EC) (The University of Melbourne), Dip T (EC) (Brisbane College of Adv. Ed.)
- Professional memberships
and associations
- Reggio Emilia Australian Information Exchange (REAIE)
- Social Justice in Early Childhood (SJIEC)
- Early Childhood Australia (ECA)
- Queensland Early Childhood Environmental Education Network (QECEEN)
- American Educational Research Association (AERA)
- Keywords
child care, early childhood education, preservice teacher education, professional identities
BackgroundMegan Gibson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education. Megan's key areas of higher education teaching and research interests are informed by her expansive work in the field, and focus on preparing and sustaining the early childhood workforce.
Megan brings her experiences from teaching in a range of early childhood contexts, as well as her research focus, to her teaching. She has worked across a number of undergraduate units, including as current unit co-ordinator in:
- EAB515 Leadership and management in early childhood
- EAB512 Child Health, Safety, Wellbeing and Movement Education
Past unit co-ordination has included:
- EAB006 Leadership and management in early childhood services
- EAB017 The early childhood professional
- EAB130 Negotiating the curriculum
- EAB002 Early childhood foundations 2: Families and childhood
- EDB013 Early childhood field studies 3: Diversity and inclusivity
- EAB021 Early childhood health, safety, nutrition and wellness.
As an early childhood educator, with some 20 years of teaching experience, Megan has worked across a range of diverse early childhood contexts, including:
- lower primary
- kindergarten/preschool
- long day care.
In her most recent role, as the Director of Campus Kindergarten, University of Queensland, Megan led this unique community through significant organisational evolution. Notable elements of this change were in the areas of education for sustainability, the arts, pedagogical documentation and organisational structure. Megan's doctoral research focused on the production and maintenance of early childhood teachers' professional identities. This study provides understandings about teachers' professional identities and career choices, particularly around long day care.
- Gibson M, Cumming T, Zollo L, (2017) Re-thinking discourse of teacher professionalism in early childhood education: an Australian perspective, Contemporary issues and challenge in early childhood education in the Asia-Pacific region [New Frontiers of Educational Research] p203-219
- Ryan S, Gibson M, (2016) Preservice early childhood teacher education, Handbook of early childhood teacher education p195-208
- Gibson M, (2016) Contexts, policy and frameworks of early childhood education and care, Understanding early childhood education and care in Australia: practices and perspectives p121-140
- McArdle F, Gibson M, Zollo L, (2015) Being an early childhood educator: Bringing theory and practice together
- Gibson M, (2015) 'Heroic victims': Discursive constructions of preservice early childhood teacher professional identities, Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education p142-155
- Wong S, Harrison L, Press F, Sumsion J, Gibson M, Woods A, (2015) The construction of a taxonomy of early childhood educators' work, Tokai Journal of Experimental and Clinical Medicine p79-88
- Press F, Wong S, Gibson M, (2015) Understanding who cares: creating the evidence to address the long-standing policy problem of staff shortages in early childhood education and care, Journal of Family Studies p87-100
- Hard L, Press F, Gibson M, (2013) 'Doing' social justice in early childhood: The potential of leadership, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood p324-334
- Gibson M, (2013) 'I want to educate school-age children': producing early childhood teacher professional identities, Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood p127-137
- Brownlee J, Petriwskyj A, Thorpe K, Stacey P, Gibson M, (2011) Changing personal epistemologies in early childhood pre-service teachers using an integrated teaching program, Higher Education Research and Development p477-490
For more publications by this staff member, visit QUT ePrints, the University's research repository.
Research projects
Grants and projects (Category 1: Australian Competitive Grants only)
- Title
- Exemplary Early Childhood Educators at Work: A Multi-Level Investigation
- Primary fund type
- CAT 1 - Australian Competitive Grant
- Project ID
- Start year
- 2016
- Keywords
Current supervisions
- Producing Leadership in Early Childhood: Contemporary Narrative From the Field
PhD, Principal Supervisor
Other supervisors: Emeritus Professor Ann Farrell


text:
I want my clients to be able to relax and enjoy the real estate
experience. If you find your dream home here just let me know. I can
make your dream home a reality.
Contact Me
About Diane
Area Homes for Sale
National Homes for Sale
School Information
Community Information
Everyone's situation is different. But everyone should have a financial plan for the long-term benefit of themselves and their families. As an important part of your financial plan, life insurance can provide peace of mind for the uncertainties ahead.
Client Reviews


text:
Bed & BreakfastsHotels, Motels + Bed & Breakfasts
Built in 1860, fully renovated in 2007, offering 5 spacious guest rooms with private baths, Wifi and a full 3 course breakfast catering to any diet restrictions: vegan, gluten free, etc. A house ful
Click any news headline to read more.
Member News is Powered by Integrated Enterprise Solutions, Inc.


text:
A not-too-well focused photo of one of my Gone With the Wind ornaments, the collection of which is hanging over my arched dining room entryway. I'm supposed to be this highly educated Literature major, but darn it, it's among my favorite books.
I also love the movie, though the movie is not nearly as good as the book in my opinion, save for the lavishness of the whole thing. My husband had never seen the movie, so one day while we were still young marrieds, and I could still get him to agree to most anything, I rented it and we watched it. His opinion of the movie, and Miss Scarlett in particular? "She's a pain in the ass."
And there you have the main difference between me and my beloved.
I so very rarely get to sit down and enjoy a movie anymore. My husband and I have reached that point in our relationship where neither one of us goes to a movie that we don't particularly want to see, just to please our spouse. Last weekend I wanted to go see Burlesque and my husband, no fan of Cher and like all men no fan of a musical, would have rather gouged his eyes out. He wanted to see some sci-fi alien movie, to which I am not unopposed to in principle just so long as it's a good one. I mean, a really good one. He couldn't even remember the name of it, so, no. We compromised by going out to dinner instead.
I thought I had him when The Blind Side came out. A movie about football (check), based on a true story (check), with a good-looking chick in the lead role (check). The main draw for me was that Tim McGraw was in it, and I'd go see a hog wrasslin' contest if Tim McGraw was in it. The Blind Side seemed like a win-win in my book. Only I couldn't ever get my husband in the mood to go to a movie, and, fearing that it would end up on video before I got the chance to see Tim McGraw in 20-foot glory, I snuck off in the middle of the day during the workweek and went to see it by myself.
Now, I have no problems going to the movies by myself. I can get my popcorn exactly as I like it, and not have to feel guilty that it costs a fortune. I can sit wherever I want in the theater. And I can linger over the closing credits if I so choose. Plus, I know that whatever movie I see, if it's a stinker I don't have to bear the blame of picking a bad movie, and if it's a great movie, it's a nice treat I've given myself.
I may need to play hooky again here soon.
— Mox


text:
At a Glance Social Responsibility
Millions of families around the world know and trust Bel brands for their delicious taste and quality, and for the care which they know goes into every portion we make.
Care is closely aligned with responsibility.
Click on the headings below to find out more about how we embrace our responsibilities, and the four pillars which we focus on to set standards of excellence: sustainable farming, our environmental footprint, our approach to nutrition and to people's wellbeing.
We are committed to making our dairy farms as sustainable as can be, setting standards of excellence for tomorrow. We are supported & guided in this by the World Wildlife Fund.
Our goals range from minimising our environmental footprint on the farms to working with partner-farmers to ensure high standards of animal welfare.
Some examples of what this means in practice:
Our Free-Grazing promise: All our Leerdammer® cheese slices use milk from herds which graze freely in the fields (for a minimum of 6 hours each day, for 120 days a year; when it's very hot or very cold, or wet, they shelter in stables nearby). You can read more about the Leerdammer® Free-Grazing promise here.
Our 'Best Practice in Agriculture' charter: In France, where many of our cheeses are made, our partner-farmers all adhere to the French 'Best Practice in Agriculture' charter, which sets standards in areas such as animal health & well-being, feed, avoidance of stress and injury and environmental protection. Our partner-farmers in other locations follow similar guidelines.
Supporting our Partner farmers: We guarantee many of our partner-farmers fixed prices for milk, and incentivise best practice in sustainable farming. An example of this is our agreement with the French milk producers' group, ABPO, which has recently been extended. Read more about it here.
For more information about how we exemplify sustainable farming practices, and our partnership with the WWF please click here.
We're working to enhance our products all the time to help our consumers live and eat more healthily, wherever they are in the world.
Our targets in this field range from developing products which are affordable in emerging countries to simplifying our ingredients list, always ensuring that our products are delicious, nutritious and loved by our consumers.
Our UK ranges benefit from this, for example because we:
Use high quality ingredients
Offer all our core brands in portions or slices, to help consumers know how much they're eating
Develop new products, for example Mini Babybel Mini Rolls which meet Public Health England's recommendation for snacks to be less than 100 calories. In fact, almost all of our snack ranges are well below Public Health England's recommended 100 calorie cap.
'Wellbeing' encompasses everything from looking after our staff and participating positively in the communities in which we operate, to doing the right thing for our consumers, our suppliers and our partners.
In fact, Our Code of Good Business Practice runs through everything we do and we've long been a signatory to the UN Global Compact. You can read our Code of Good Business Practice here.
Specifically, here in the UK, we are very proud of:
Times 1 Star Accreditation, 2018: this means that our staff have rated us 'very good' on a whole host of topics including leadership, personal growth opportunities, getting a fair deal, their wellbeing.
- Our Staff Wellbeing Teams: The Health & Wellbeing Group organises monthly activities – recently we've enjoyed talks on Stress Management and Healthy Eating as well as free massages and Group Walks. Our Community Team organises events such as our Christmas party for staff and their children.
Our Support for Comic Relief …we've raised a magnificent £1m for Comic Relief's good causes in the UK & abroad since 1999 . Along the way, we've sung, danced, baked, jumped, told jokes (we even hold our own Guinness World record for those) …in short, had a lot of fun….and helped tackle some of the world's most challenging issues.
Partnership with Rays of Sunshine: Our Charity of the Year, Rays of Sunshine 'grants their wishes' to children with serious or life-limiting illnesses, UK-wide; whether that wish is to drive a racing car or to meet their favourite TV star. Find out more about their uplifting work here:
We recognise that everything we do has an impact. We are dedicated to reducing the environmental footprint of our products and set ourselves challenging targets, throughout the full product life-cycle. For example, in the longer term, we aim to make our operations carbon neutral, to reduce the amount of water which we use in our production sites – even to operate using almost no water at all.
In fact, we've already cut water production in our cheese plants by almost 1/3rdsince 2008.
One of our key areas is around packaging, and we are proud to announce that from May 2019 our Leerdammer slices primary packaging in the UK will:
Be 100% recyclable
Contain 24% recycled material
Be 10% lighter