The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 2: Driving Crazy

Bloody Beggars!: The Schroeders are in traffic when apparently the mom spots a panhandler. She contemplates out loud giving him change, but Mark seems against it. Char says she should have done it anyway for good karma and Stassi agrees. The son, obviously taking after Mark, quips that they should at least have given him a comb. Dad likes that. You know, I really like the anti-PC sense of humor this man embodies.

Backseat Siblings: The three Linz siblings crammed in the backseat diss Tommy’s driving abilities as he attempts to save the team some time, or so he keeps protesting during this clip. In major traffic, Tommy decides to hang a left mid-street, cut through a parking lot, and go the other direction. Hanging the left took a bit of doing and apparently almost took out a car. Once he’s safely back on the road, the siblings gang up on Tommy’s prowess. Fortunately, their arguing is so good-natured, it makes me almost want siblings (but I’d never give up my only grandchild status. It totally rocked as a kid). Sis ain’t over it so easy, however, and slams Tommy with a, “Yeah, well, when you die in a car accident, I’ll laugh at you then,” as a parting shot. I can feel the love!

Someone Smack the Kid, Mom was Right! It appears that Marion Paolo’s whining is sometimes justified. We see Marion reading the map of Washington, D.C. and rereading the clue. Using intuition and reasoning skills I did not know she possessed, she concludes that the clue does not refer to the Washington Monument reflecting pool, because it would probably be written as the Reflecting Pool, and this just says “the reflecting pool by the Capitol,” as if it’s not such a big deal. Thus, Marion advocates going to the Capitol first.

Would you be surprised to find out that her husband and son disagree with her? They say THE pool is the only one of its sort and tell her to shut up, etc. per the norm. The son says that the areas are close enough together that they will go to THE pool first, and if it’s not it, for some bizarre reason, then they’ll humor her and go to the Capitol. She wants to go to the Capitol first. Her husband disagrees, and then, in an odd turn, the son points on the map to where he’s noted a reflecting pool at the Capitol. Acting like he hasn’t just been disagreeing with his mother, he points this out to dad, and they seem to decide to go to the Capitol first, with NO INDICATION that they are actually following Marion’s advice from earlier. God, no wonder this woman is so bitchy. I would be, too. Of course, I wouldn’t put up with it, but that’s just lil’, sweet, intolerant me.

Oh, Yes, We’re the Great Contenders: Mom Weaver talks about how this race has given her confidence and shown her that she can make good choices. She says they are a smart team to be reckoned with, but acknowledges that anyone can come in first because it only takes one mistake to get hopelessly lost. The one annoying driving daughter blathers on about how they are proving something to everyone, because they are not the strongest team (well, sweetie, you are all older than the little kids on the Gaghan team, and stronger to boot). This family drives me batty. Seriously. When the mom said last week she realized she would have to lead and sounded shocked about it, I started muttering epithets at the television. What sort of parent doesn’t realize they’re supposed to help lead their kids? The kind that gets run over by buggies, I guess.

Oh, No, We’re THOSE Kind of People!: Mom Gaghan talks about how the driving went well until after their snafu at the wrong reflecting pool. She says that as they were driving towards the pit stop, she just didn’t want to be in the car anymore, she was so frustrated. It hadn’t even dawned on her they were heading towards the pit stop, she says, or else she would’ve been a basket case. Dad Gaghan interjects that it taught them never to give up because it’s not over until it’s over. Mom mentions how silly she felt realizing they were at the wrong place. She talks about how she watches the show and always boggles at the television when people are making a clue too hard, and how suddenly she was one of those people! Like she says, they just have to read better and pay attention.