Spoiler alert. Read no further if you haven't seen this week's episode of The Amazing Race.
I really thought this was going to be a non-elimination leg, so I was very surprised when Mirna and Charla were eliminated. And while Mirna continued to display no redemptive character traits ("Who's feeling hungry? Oh, Charla is." Way to step up, chippie. Did Mirna even do a single Road Block on the entire race?), it's Colin and Christie's downfall I'm now eagerly awaiting. Mirna was unlikeable, but these two are just plain nasty and vindictive.
Meanwhile, on Big Brother 5, Adria's living proof of the old saw about absolute power corrupting absolutely. She's managed to alienate most of the house and scarcely seems to realize it. Her nomination speech was the most condescending thing I've heard in five seasons of the show. She should be hyper-sensitive to the reality that as twins, she and Natalie are a scary threat to everyone else. She should be walking on eggshells to avoid becoming the next target, not going on a power trip and making unilateral decisions. I wash my hands of the whole affair and officially hop off the Adria train.
Meanwhile, I'm not sure which would be worse-- being on peanut butter and jelly for a week or having to watch Without a Paddle.
Posted by Peter at August 18, 2004 2:40 AMI agree with all of these comments! Except I'm not sure if it's power corrupting Adria or just that she's going insane from the pressure. The Bible showed her who to nominate for eviction? Buh?
Posted by: Doug Orleans on August 18, 2004 9:14 AMMirna did do one roadblock, the dig site last week. But you're right, she really should have stepped up to the plate -- or the bowl -- on this one. Charla was the gutsiest player there and will definitely be missed. I'm rooting hard for Chip and Kim now.
Posted by: Eddie on August 18, 2004 11:08 AMMirna also did the roadblock involving chasing cattle around a pen. I agree with her being completely unlikeable, but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun to watch the cousins battle C & C. Seeing Charla run was also a hoot and a half!
Posted by: Tim H. on August 18, 2004 11:48 AMWell, I'll the go the other way and say how pleased I was for their elimination.
Aside: the producers cannily didn't let Phil say "the last team to arrive here will be eliminated" this week, not just for emotional reasons, but, I think, for practical ones - since the Zip line to the finish is a wait-your-turn sort of thing, and since there was nothing really after it in which ground could be gained or lost, you knew way ahead of time who'd be last. Kind of bad game design on their part, actually, but at least they tried to "fix" it.
Anyway.. I hated Mirna and Charla. Mirna for obvious reasons... like she was a first class jerk almost the enitre time. And not only that, but she'd whine and complain and do something obnoxious... and then the camera would catch her smiling a beat afterwards. I could MAYBE make allowances for her behaviour if I thought she was at least clueless about it, but I think she knew what she was doing most of the time. I just wanted someone to slap her.
And as for Charla... well, I got really tired of her CONSTANTLY saying how people underestimate her and how she's just as good as everyone else and, in general, kind of laying out that guilt trip, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME totally using her "disadvantage" to get people to help her.
If you're gonna use that "please help me, I'm a small person" ploy - and I think that's a completely legit strategy - then stop preaching every week about how you're no different from else and can do anything and how you *don't need help.*
It started out as a nice, positive affirmation, but eventually, is just became cloying and hypocritical to me.
Now, having said that, I think her speach at the end was truly heartfelt, and it was cool to see Phil choke up a bit.
Posted by: Dave on August 18, 2004 12:07 PMI agree about the producers trying to make you think it was a non-elimination leg. There was no other way they could make the end suspenseful.
I think that Mirna and Charla were using the false perceptions that other people have about Charla's size to their advantage, which is different from actually needing the help while saying that you don't. If people weren't so ignorant about her physical capacities, she wouldn't have been able to take advantage of that.
I hate Colin & Christie and can't wait to see them eliminiated.
Posted by: Jodi Longobardo-Bauer on August 19, 2004 8:49 PM