I'm not very mathematical. :p

I just wrote it down. So.. if it had to start with F, I wrote all of the possibilities to come after that, starting with the letter A:

If N was the next letter after A, for example, there are only 2 letters that could follow that, and therefore, only two words that could start F-A-N (hopefully that makes sense!). So...

FANZR
FANRZ

Same with FAZ:

FAZNR
FAZRN

And so on. So there would be 6 possibilities starting with FA

FANZR
FANRZ
FAZNR
FAZRN
FARZN
FARNZ

Since there are 6 possibilites with each of the 4 different letters to immediately follow F...

6 x 4 = 24. I guess. :p

Mathematically, it shouldn't have taken long. I also think it has to do with context, which the players may rely on when solving their tasks. Maybe the Globetrotters never heard the name Franz (Kafka) before, or didnt connect the telephones to the Kafka-esque thing, or make any relation to the task and being in Prague.

I think its similar to how they got tripped up a few eps ago over the watch-combination number task.

I just wonder if, during that 4-hour penalty, the answer clicked to either of them.

That's what I wondered, also. I was hoping they'd show them giving some feedback about the challenge.

I said, "What kind of a defender would that guy make with a broken arm!" and I also wanted the Rabbi to turn them away.

And I'm thinking there was some major editing done, because it went from pitch black outside during the beer delivery task to actually being light out. I'm betting they had to do something like drink some of the beer, but maybe the network had to edit it out.

I just don't get why some of the teams had such a hard time with "Franz." When I looked at that collection of letters, I immediately saw Franz. They all need to play word games more often.

It would be 4! (factorial) which is 4X3X2X1= 24, if you knew the first one was F. If not, there are 5! possibities = 24X5= 120.

so even if there were 120 options, you could easily write them down before 4 hours!! Why oh Why did Big Easy have to be the one to do it! I think the other guy maybe could have gotten it, but maybe they're both dolts ;)!!

I kept thinking, "don't they know anyone named Frank?" It would be easy to just put the z on the end then!!!

Remember when the deaf guy had to "sound out" that name? He got it, and it seemed alot harder than Franz!!

AGDee, thanks for the correct way to do it, I'll have to tell my hubby he's a dummy!! (like I would have been able to figure it out!! LOL)

Also, unless I misheard, when the brother asked him what letters he had, didn't he even say F-R-A-N-Z? I was working on a paper and thought that was what I heard.

i thought that too!

Finally watched it last night, and my feeling exactly.

Interesting thought. It did seem odd to me that professional athletes would just give up in a competition.

No, they said it just took a long time. It was getting on to midnight when Ericka and Brian left the pit stop. While they were doing some of the beer delivering, you could see the edges of the sky just starting to get light. Assuming this was filmed sometime in the summer, sunrise is sometime between 5:00 and 6:00 in Prague.

I loved the Globetrotters attitude (until the last task) and they were good at some of the tasks, but they were not consistently good racers. Taking the 4 hour penalty?! Seriously?! Might as well say "we quit." Oh wait, that's what they did.

I was really disappointed in them. I wanted Ericka and Brian to leave -- still would like them out -- but after giving up, I have to say that the Globetrotters deserved to be the ones to go.

I'm the odd man out, I know, but I'll be fine with it if Sam and Dan win. As far as I'm concerned, karma doesn't have anything to catch up with them about. Yeah, they bicker too much (Dan, you do act like a baby -- shut up!), but they are good, strong racers and they've made some very smart choices.

I completely disagree that they have been mean (except to each other when they get stressed out). They haven't burned other teams for the sake of burning them, which would be mean. (I thought the Globetrotters came much closer to being mean the way they trash-talked to Mika at the water slide.) They've made good, strategic decisions to work with other teams sometimes and to look out for themselves all the time.

Dan did exactly the right thing with Big Easy at the Kafka task. Sure they said they'd work together, but Dan figured it out without BE, and he gave him the first letter. That was more than enough. You're racing for the final three -- that's not the time to give it away to the strong competition.

At this point, I'd say Meghan and Cheyne have the best chance of winning and should win. They've consistently been the best racers -- although I find teams where they constantly call each "babe" and "baby" about as annoying as teams that constantly bicker. But I'll be happy as long as it's not Brian and Ericka, who have not been consistently good (but who have consistently annoyed me).


BTW, News report: Filming has started on the next season, and Big Brother 11's Jeff and Jordan were spotted at LAX as a team.

I've read that another familiar face in the next race is Lauren Caitlin Upton, Miss Teen South Carolina 2007 (and a KD).

Hope she can find where they're going on a map.

The more I think about it, the more I question the Globetrotters "We just couldn't do it" elimination.

When Brian came in the room, Big Easy said he had been working on it for two and a half hours (already a long time). And even after the brothers gave him the first letter, he gave up.

He was writing things down at random, and never seemed to think about it logically. And then a team that was so determined to win just.. gave up.

But then again, they couldn't figure out that watch challenge, or the gold one a few episodes back. They were strong physical competitors, but they didn't seem so great with the logic/reasoning parts of the race.

This, in a nutshell.

OMG please send them to The Iraq or South Africa.

In TAR #2, they went to South Africa. I remember because there were 2 African American twin brothers named Shola & Doyin and on one of the legs, they went to Robben Island (where Mandela was imprisoned for 20+ years) and they found it emotional to be on the continent of their ancestors.

Why?

My head just exploded reading that.

I enjoyed the finale and believe that the deserving team won tonight. That's all I'll say til tomorrow :)

SO HAPPY!:)

Finally got around to watching the show this morning (too busy with the BCS show and arranging my trip to the Fiesta Bowl last night ;)). I loved, loved, loved the challenges in this episode. There were physical challenges, mental challenges, and challenges that required some strategy. I really enjoyed the multiple lead changes, which kept us guessing as to who was going to win this thing.

I also have such a love/hate relationship with Erika... I swear she is the Girl With the Curl in the Middle of her Forehead! When she is good (sweet) she is very, very good, but when she is bad she is horrid! I found some of her comments with regards to wanting her family to accept Brian for the person that he is so touching, but then she had to go and throw those hissy fits! I swear that she is two different people!

Wouldn't it have been great if there were some sort of team switch up (a la Survivor) and Brian and Sam could have raced together! Those two DESERVE the million dollars for what they endured from their teammates.

Finally, does anyone else feel empty once the show is over? Everything builds up to this one climax, then BOOM, it is over so fast. Maybe I just crave a follow up show with more interviews from all the contestants like what Survivor does.

The right team won, although I was ready to strangle them when they were asking what country Monaco is in.Actually, I figured she had a strategy -- her family would watch and say "well, if he still loves her after she behaves like that . . . ."

One thing that I really enjoyed this whole season was the number of clues that didn't straight out tell them where to go (like the Monte Carlo clue last night) or what to do when they got there. I love the clues where they have to figure out what's next. I hope there'll be more of that next season.

Yes. :(

Word. They probably have no idea who Grace Kelly was either.

Le Sigh.

Wait, are you serious? They didn't know that Monaco was a country?

I watched it at 6 this morning as I was getting ready for work, I had to see who won!!!

Thank heavens the Barbie twins won! They had me worried with the Monte Carlo thing. The only person who got it right off the bat was Brian! (poor Brian - the totally undervalued partner!!!)

NO JOKE! That is a perfect characterization, when she's nice, butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, when she's pissed - Katy, Bar the Door!!!

How about when she was KICKING at his face because she was so hysterical during the bungie thing. Brian has the patience of Job! The fact that he's dealing with crap from HER family?!? They should be directing their judgements upon their darling Miss America daughter, who just showed her ugly true self to millions of American television watchers.

Agree! Sam, who for the most part was sweet, and certainly enjoyed the experience, and Brian, who for the most part kept his cool, and made intelligent decisions would have made a great (and watchable) pair.

I'm sad the show is over, I'm dreading the end of Survivor and DWTS as well even though we have a few more weeks.

But - looking forward to 24 and Chuck and all the other great shows that pick up in the spring!

Correct. They thought that Monaco was "part" of a country and were either asking "What country is Monaco a part of?" or "What country does Monaco belong to?" (I don't remember the exact words).

Between that and the people who didn't recognize the photo of Jackie Kennedy a few legs back (I think it was in Thailand), I wanted to smack them.

And they decided it was part of Spain. :rolleyes:

The video clip is even better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

Bless Mario Lopez for keeping his composure.