Post by Dale on Dec 31, 2006 1:03:47 GMT -8
Hey, all! I thought I'd offer a reader's perspective on the race and everyone's finishing positions! This is for episode six!
As I watched (okay, read) this episode of The Amazing Final Fantasy Race, I found myself quite surprised that the teams traveled to a real-life place rather than a fictional one. (Actually, they were in the world of the game Parasite Eve.) The teams found themselves racing through the icy roads of New York City, with only their smarts to guide them on this non-elimination leg.
For the Detour, teams had to choose between Doing Time, which involved searching through paper-filled desks in an empty office of a police station to find a key to unlock a locker containing a clue, or Doing Broadway, which involved acting in a scene of a Broadway play. Neither was physically demanding, so it didn’t matter which Detour teams chose, for the most part. But teams who were methodical and willing to try their hand at a luck-based task were probably better suited for Doing Time, while teams who weren’t all that methodical and greatly impatient were probably better suited for Doing Broadway.
The Roadblock was definitely an interesting one, as a member of each team was tasked with searching the Museum of Natural History for the T-Rex exhibit, which they had no idea was moving. One team made a mistake by sending in a member less suited for physical tasks, but it didn’t end up hurting them in the end. (And, as an aside, what a funny clue they used to determine who’d do the Roadblock: “Who’s ready to get boned?” Hee!) Then, after the Roadblock, free maps of the city were offered to the teams. Teams that took one benefited more than teams that didn’t.
The second of three Fast Forwards came into play on this leg. Teams hoping to get it simply had to find a horse and carriage in Central Park and ride it one time around the park. I thought it was sort of stupid, but considering the team that went for it, I got a lot of laughs from it.
The clincher of this episode was the newly-altered non-elimination penalty. Just like on the real show, teams who come in last lose all their money and all their possessions, except for the clothes on their backs. But on this version, they lose all their money, all their possessions, and all their clothes!
We still have six teams left, as no one was eliminated, but one of them may now be in serious trouble with no money, possessions, or clothing. With that said, which teams were thinking smart in episode six?
Fujin and Raijin: First place, this time without a Fast Forward. The friends got off to a bad start, getting lost right at the beginning of the leg. However, they more than redeemed themselves when they met a local who led them to a pilot who put them on his first flight to Omnitopia, and then up to the space station, from which they were the first team to be teleported to Podunk. They also made the first flight to New York, thanks to Fujin’s forceful negotiation skills. After that, they fell to second for most of the leg. They were the only team to complete the Doing Time Detour, and Fujin found a way to do it methodically — shaking every desk drawer after pulling it out to try and hear something other than paper in it. They completed the Roadblock fairly fast, catching up with the leading Yuna and Rikku. They were smart to take a free map on their way out of the Roadblock, but not very smart to trick their competitors into thinking they’d be stepping on the mat with them at the same time, instead taking first place by themselves. It was sneaky, and now, they have unnecessarily made enemies who could Yield them on a future leg.
Yuna and Rikku: The cousins were on the second flight to Omnitopia with four other teams, and on the second flight to the space station. At Rufus’s urging, they managed to charm their way onto the first flight to New York, which got them caught up with Fujin and Raijin and even helped them pass them as they left the airport. They led for most of the leg, making no mistakes most of the time (although their driving and parking left something to be desired). They breezed through the Doing Broadway Detour (and gave male readers a good girl-on-girl image, which did not excite me, as I’m a guy-on-guy fan). Their only mistakes came at the Roadblock, where they slowed down a bit, allowing Fujin and Raijin and Shinra and Rufus to catch up with them, and just inches from the Pit Stop, where they let Fujin and Raijin trick them out of a first-place finish. Still, second place is nothing to laugh at. The girls may be turning out to be a stronger team than I gave them credit for.
Shinra and Rufus: This team formed an alliance with Yuna and Rikku, gaining a favor from them when they bought tickets for them as well as for themselves. They managed to get on the first flight to New York, thanks to Yuna and Rikku’s sexual turn-on, and stayed in third for most of the leg. They did well at the Doing Broadway Detour, but may have made a mistake in choosing Shinra to do the Roadblock before finding out it was physically demanding. But despite that, and despite Shinra’s taking time to stop and look at a Triceratops exhibit, they completed the Roadblock fast enough to catch up to their leading competitors. But Shinra’s idea to share in the victory ended up backfiring when Fujin and Raijin immediately tricked them.
Auron and Jecht: Accepting an alliance offer from another strong team was a bad idea on this team’s part. Even worse, they didn’t think to get in line to snag tickets on the second flight to the space station, instead having to settle for the third one. They were one of the teams to get on the second flight to New York. The one smart choice they did make was to break their alliance in New York by taking the Fast Forward — they were in the last group of teams, so one of the teams in that group would most likely come in last. No time for alliances in that kind of situation. They smartly took the carriage ride and they secured their place in the race. They also brought all readers a lot of laughs riding in the carriage romantically set for couples, I’m sure.
Steiner and Beatrix: This team made a mistake offering to form an alliance with another strong team. Another mistake of theirs was not getting in line fast enough to get tickets on the second flight to the space station. However, they did get a favor from Auron and Jecht by purchasing them, and themselves, the only tickets on the third flight. They had to settle for taking the second flight to New York, where they fell terribly far behind due to Steiner’s inexperience in driving a stick-shift car. (But in all fairness, what do you expect? The guy lives in the medieval times!) It was only due to their quick work at the Doing Broadway Detour, Steiner’s incredible luck at finding the clue at the Roadblock immediately, allowing him to quickly complete it, and their smart move of taking a map from the location of the Roadblock that helped them pass the leading Amarant and Lani and get to the mat in fifth place, saving their cash, possessions, and clothing in the process.
Amarant and Lani: This team was a mixed bag on this leg. They ended up taking the fourth and last flight to the space station, but caught up with Auron and Jecht and Steiner and Beatrix by getting on the second flight to New York with them. Then, they took the lead of the trailing teams, speedily finishing the Doing Broadway Detour (in a very awkward manner, I might add) and finishing the Roadblock just as Steiner and Beatrix arrived there. However, they lost this leg on navigation. Because they didn’t take a moment to get a map they could use to guide themselves to the Pit Stop, and Steiner and Beatrix did, they got lost long enough to be passed and hit the mat last, losing all of their cash, possessions, and clothing — and being stuck with wearing pink, race-appointed dresses — as a result.
As I watched (okay, read) this episode of The Amazing Final Fantasy Race, I found myself quite surprised that the teams traveled to a real-life place rather than a fictional one. (Actually, they were in the world of the game Parasite Eve.) The teams found themselves racing through the icy roads of New York City, with only their smarts to guide them on this non-elimination leg.
For the Detour, teams had to choose between Doing Time, which involved searching through paper-filled desks in an empty office of a police station to find a key to unlock a locker containing a clue, or Doing Broadway, which involved acting in a scene of a Broadway play. Neither was physically demanding, so it didn’t matter which Detour teams chose, for the most part. But teams who were methodical and willing to try their hand at a luck-based task were probably better suited for Doing Time, while teams who weren’t all that methodical and greatly impatient were probably better suited for Doing Broadway.
The Roadblock was definitely an interesting one, as a member of each team was tasked with searching the Museum of Natural History for the T-Rex exhibit, which they had no idea was moving. One team made a mistake by sending in a member less suited for physical tasks, but it didn’t end up hurting them in the end. (And, as an aside, what a funny clue they used to determine who’d do the Roadblock: “Who’s ready to get boned?” Hee!) Then, after the Roadblock, free maps of the city were offered to the teams. Teams that took one benefited more than teams that didn’t.
The second of three Fast Forwards came into play on this leg. Teams hoping to get it simply had to find a horse and carriage in Central Park and ride it one time around the park. I thought it was sort of stupid, but considering the team that went for it, I got a lot of laughs from it.
The clincher of this episode was the newly-altered non-elimination penalty. Just like on the real show, teams who come in last lose all their money and all their possessions, except for the clothes on their backs. But on this version, they lose all their money, all their possessions, and all their clothes!
We still have six teams left, as no one was eliminated, but one of them may now be in serious trouble with no money, possessions, or clothing. With that said, which teams were thinking smart in episode six?
Fujin and Raijin: First place, this time without a Fast Forward. The friends got off to a bad start, getting lost right at the beginning of the leg. However, they more than redeemed themselves when they met a local who led them to a pilot who put them on his first flight to Omnitopia, and then up to the space station, from which they were the first team to be teleported to Podunk. They also made the first flight to New York, thanks to Fujin’s forceful negotiation skills. After that, they fell to second for most of the leg. They were the only team to complete the Doing Time Detour, and Fujin found a way to do it methodically — shaking every desk drawer after pulling it out to try and hear something other than paper in it. They completed the Roadblock fairly fast, catching up with the leading Yuna and Rikku. They were smart to take a free map on their way out of the Roadblock, but not very smart to trick their competitors into thinking they’d be stepping on the mat with them at the same time, instead taking first place by themselves. It was sneaky, and now, they have unnecessarily made enemies who could Yield them on a future leg.
Yuna and Rikku: The cousins were on the second flight to Omnitopia with four other teams, and on the second flight to the space station. At Rufus’s urging, they managed to charm their way onto the first flight to New York, which got them caught up with Fujin and Raijin and even helped them pass them as they left the airport. They led for most of the leg, making no mistakes most of the time (although their driving and parking left something to be desired). They breezed through the Doing Broadway Detour (and gave male readers a good girl-on-girl image, which did not excite me, as I’m a guy-on-guy fan). Their only mistakes came at the Roadblock, where they slowed down a bit, allowing Fujin and Raijin and Shinra and Rufus to catch up with them, and just inches from the Pit Stop, where they let Fujin and Raijin trick them out of a first-place finish. Still, second place is nothing to laugh at. The girls may be turning out to be a stronger team than I gave them credit for.
Shinra and Rufus: This team formed an alliance with Yuna and Rikku, gaining a favor from them when they bought tickets for them as well as for themselves. They managed to get on the first flight to New York, thanks to Yuna and Rikku’s sexual turn-on, and stayed in third for most of the leg. They did well at the Doing Broadway Detour, but may have made a mistake in choosing Shinra to do the Roadblock before finding out it was physically demanding. But despite that, and despite Shinra’s taking time to stop and look at a Triceratops exhibit, they completed the Roadblock fast enough to catch up to their leading competitors. But Shinra’s idea to share in the victory ended up backfiring when Fujin and Raijin immediately tricked them.
Auron and Jecht: Accepting an alliance offer from another strong team was a bad idea on this team’s part. Even worse, they didn’t think to get in line to snag tickets on the second flight to the space station, instead having to settle for the third one. They were one of the teams to get on the second flight to New York. The one smart choice they did make was to break their alliance in New York by taking the Fast Forward — they were in the last group of teams, so one of the teams in that group would most likely come in last. No time for alliances in that kind of situation. They smartly took the carriage ride and they secured their place in the race. They also brought all readers a lot of laughs riding in the carriage romantically set for couples, I’m sure.
Steiner and Beatrix: This team made a mistake offering to form an alliance with another strong team. Another mistake of theirs was not getting in line fast enough to get tickets on the second flight to the space station. However, they did get a favor from Auron and Jecht by purchasing them, and themselves, the only tickets on the third flight. They had to settle for taking the second flight to New York, where they fell terribly far behind due to Steiner’s inexperience in driving a stick-shift car. (But in all fairness, what do you expect? The guy lives in the medieval times!) It was only due to their quick work at the Doing Broadway Detour, Steiner’s incredible luck at finding the clue at the Roadblock immediately, allowing him to quickly complete it, and their smart move of taking a map from the location of the Roadblock that helped them pass the leading Amarant and Lani and get to the mat in fifth place, saving their cash, possessions, and clothing in the process.
Amarant and Lani: This team was a mixed bag on this leg. They ended up taking the fourth and last flight to the space station, but caught up with Auron and Jecht and Steiner and Beatrix by getting on the second flight to New York with them. Then, they took the lead of the trailing teams, speedily finishing the Doing Broadway Detour (in a very awkward manner, I might add) and finishing the Roadblock just as Steiner and Beatrix arrived there. However, they lost this leg on navigation. Because they didn’t take a moment to get a map they could use to guide themselves to the Pit Stop, and Steiner and Beatrix did, they got lost long enough to be passed and hit the mat last, losing all of their cash, possessions, and clothing — and being stuck with wearing pink, race-appointed dresses — as a result.
