Recap: The Amazing Race 30, Episode 4 – “I feel so dumb right now.”


Episode 30.04 – “Gotta Put Your Sole Into it” (Hour 1)

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Teams will fly to Nice, France and then drive themselves to Saint-Tropez in non-sponsored Fiats.

Kristi & Jen are first to arrive at La Base Nautique where they find a Road Block: Who’s ready to break wind?

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For this Road Block, teams will learn how to sail on an Optimus sailing dinghy without any lessons and obtain two halves of one clue on buoys in the water.

Kristi and Alex are first to set out in the water. Cody and Evan are next. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but Kristi manages to grab both halves and reunites with Jen on shore.

They open the next clue revealing the Detour: Bread or Tread. In Bread, teams must make 50 baguettes. In Tread, teams must make sandals.

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Meanwhile, Trevor and Joey begin the Road Block just as Alex realizes he’s returned to shore with only half a clue. Cody, meanwhile, struggles with even going in the right direction.

Cedric & Shawn finally find their way and arrive at their Speed Bump. They must stack 15 Optimus boats in numerical order.

Evan is really struggling and then she gets whacked in the face with the sail, chipping her tooth. She tosses it in the water and keeps going.

Kristi & Jen choose Tread and get started with the sandals. Alex & Conor and Cody & Jessica get started with the baguettes.

Back at the Road Block, Evan finally gets the hang of it as Cedric and Lucas start. Cedric is struggling and Shawn doesn’t think he can do it at all. Brittany tries to encourage, but Shawn is very pessimistic. Daniel is last in the water.

Kristi & Jen finish the Detour and get the clue pointing them to the Pit Stop at Place Des Lices. BUT! They will first have to compete in a Head-to-Head before stepping on the Mat.

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For this Head-to-Head, teams will play pétanque.

Kristi & Jen face off against Alex & Conor and it is Alex & Conor who step on the Mat to claim 1st and win $5000 each. Cody & Jessica defeat Kristi & Jen to take 2nd. Kristi & Jen beat Trevor & Chris to finish 3rd. Joey & Tim beat Trevor & Chris to take 4th. Trevor & Chris beat Lucas & Brittany for 5th place. Henry & Evan defeat Lucas & Brittany to take 6th.

Cedric & Shawn finish their sandals before Eric & Daniel, but the twins find the square first. Eric & Daniel then manage to beat Lucas & Brittany to finish 7th.

For the last Head-to-Head, it is Lucas & Brittany who win and they step on the Mat as 8th.

That means Cedric & Shawn are last and eliminated.

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Episode Thoughts

So I’ll be recapping these as two separate episodes, even if they consider it one whole episode apparently.

This Leg was okay on paper, but the episode was kind of awkward. And I think it’s the editing. The editing has been all over the place this season so far. Last week’s Tangier episode was fine, though I think it might have to do with them having plenty of material to fill out the hour.

But like the first two episodes, this one felt a little hollow, Leg design-wise.

The entire first half of the episode was on the Road Block and while it was funny at first, it got very tedious. It really needed some quicker, fast-paced editing. There were also some moments where I think they would show teams at the 2nd buoy about to grab a clue, cut away to something else and then come back a couple minutes later to see teams just arriving at a buoy grabbing a clue. It was weird.

Granted, the Detour was pretty simple and straightforward without any kind of drama to really warrant more screentime. Same with the Head-to-Head. So really, this episode’s problem was with the Leg design and lack of tasks. But that’s contemporary TAR. Very simple and basic Legs. But that puts the work on the teams to provide good TV. They didn’t on this one.

Anyway, pétanque is a fine Head-to-Head task. But again, placing it at the end of the Leg is just crazy. And putting at least another Route Marker or task after it and before the Pit Stop could’ve solved the lack of material problem. Doing so would give more possibility for more drama and competition even as teams would have a chance to catch up.

Oh well.

My Subjective Team Rankings

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So after last week was great to see more of the teams, this week went back to the first two Legs where all the teams felt very generic and character-less. The only teams to make any kind of impact were Lucas & Brittany and Cedric & Shawn.

Lucas & Brittany for the one well-edited scene in this episode; them at the gas station and the doors closing on Brittany as she was crying. And then Brittany also trying to stay positive for the very pessimistic Shawn. That was the most pessimistic I’ve seen a team in a long time, or ever even. It was sad to see, especially since you expect Cedric & Shawn to be more competitive being athletes.

Episode Quotes

Evan: “I feel so dumb right now.”

Brittany: “As a lifeguard, I feel very compelled to go and help him right now.”

2 thoughts on “Recap: The Amazing Race 30, Episode 4 – “I feel so dumb right now.”

  1. So, there’s a few things about this episode that I liked. One, majorly happy about the boules game at the end. Having played the game (and the game of Bowls at a high level), it made me happy. Not sure I like that it’s win at this game, or you are out, as it doesn’t feel like a race at that point!

    I think the confusion above regarding the buoys challenge, was that there was a definate first buoy to go to, but you could collect the clues in any order. So the videos made it look like they had reached the final clue, then when they came back it was them collecting the second clue. I think that confused me too when I watched it.

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