Amazing Race

[Karen]

I am always glad when an eliminated team handles it graciously, which they did. And I was particularly happy about the teams that actually showed some appreciation for the amazing surroundings they were in in Botswana!

[cassiesmom]

Oh my goodness, I wanted to leap through the TV, into the snow, and pet, hug and play with all those Swiss rescue dogs!

I sort of had a feeling how tonight's elimination was going to go. The one team member was really struggling.

[Karen]

I, of course, adored seeing the Saint Bernards! And had too laugh when the one didn't want to get on the train; she employed the patented Saint Bernard technique of
1. Put on the brakes then

2. Turn to jello.

A smaller dog you can pick up, but Saints seem to know that if they just go limp, you can push on one part of the dog, and the rest stays put!

[cassiesmom]

I'm embarrassed that some of the racers did not know who said, "Ich bin ein Berliner" !! Yikes!

I really don't want to see any of the remaining teams eliminated. I expected that this week's outcome would be a lot like last week -- didn't happen.

[Karen]

I think it really depends on the age of the contestants and how good their school history classes were! I was not surprised it was a non-elimination leg, we seemed due for another!

[cassiesmom]

Oh my goodness, I thought of Carole tonight because the teams were in Scotland What a beautiful castle! One of the challenges involved preparing haggis -- none for me, thank you.

When I was little, at the church where I grew up, there was a lady who would make Scottish shortbread from scratch for very special occasions. For example Christmas, the associate pastor's ordination luncheon, the church's 60th anniversary. It was always a very special treat, buttery and rich.

Were the last two teams that close behind the first three, that the U-Turn was necessary? I thought they could have just kept going and not used the U-Turn, since they were already ahead and the last two teams knew that. My dad and I thought the brothers were going to get penalized for carrying the whisky barrels instead of rolling them - but maybe they were only carried a short distance.

I'd like to visit Scotland and see that gorgeous castle! Wow! (But I'd also like to go to Germany and see the Brandenburg Gate and the Kurfurstendamm... to Switzerland and see the Alps... and of course Bora Bora!)

I was kind of hoping tonight would be a non-elimination. Didn't happen that way, though especially since there was one just last week.

[cassiesmom]

The teams went from Northern Ireland to London Heathrow Airport via Liverpool ... but we didn't get to see them in Liverpool at all -- boo!

I felt bad for the roller derby moms when they kept missing the first course over and over again.