EPISODE 8I’m feeling sooo sad you have no idea. I was heartbroken by the Paolo’s elimination, feeling I’d literally lost some of my own family as they hugged and said their puffy goodbyes.
I just knew it could happen ‘cos their Fattis and Moanies has been catching up with them slowly for the past two weeks and through the course of the episode I felt emptier and emptier.
This despite the unbelievably wowser tasks they had to do for once. That plane ride Roadblock they started with had to have been a life changing trip like no other. Can you imagine the tummy lurching, let-me-rather-die-but-I’m-thrilled-I’m-not-dead thoughts involved?
I was impressed at how calm all the families stayed watching that smoke madly escaping out of the planes and was also in awe of the dudes flying them. Zapping yourself round the sky like that solo takes balls but taking a total stranger and then doing it for TV takes some serious confidence in your abilities to know you've defeated mortality.
Afterwards everyone was filled with a groovy renewed adrenalin for things as they hit the road to experience the splendour of the Grand Canyon. The Godlewski’s managed to maintain themselves at the front battling it out with the Linz’s for the lead position, the Weavers went on their own nasty mission in third position (333, 666??) and the Bransens and Paolo’s were neck and neck until the Paolo’s squabbled and didn’t take the right turn-off.
It was actually Marion’s words that she’s been muttering since the start that proved to be their eventual doom because since Episode 1 she’s been telling them to listen to her and during their trip she kept warning them about stuff but no-one was listening to anyone.
Still, that’s who they all are and when they hit that traffic pile up and then had to turn back while everyone else was already at the Grand Canyon they turned brave and faced things with a calm and fierce determined belief that anything could happen to save them.
While they travelled everyone else turned up at the Canyon where they only had a few seconds to glimpse it before getting their clue for the Detour. It sent them to a fancy dam where they had to choose between trying to find three points at different ends of it or emptying the water from sunken rowing boats.
Being the outcasts they are, only the Weavers chose the lunatic task of trying to work out a compas. I shudder to say it - but they managed quite well with it. I don’t have one clue where North, East , South is just normally - even when I look at a map - so actually figuring out with a compas and trusting that it’s right seems very impossible.
That Grandiose Canyon really deserves it’s name doesn’t it? Both the canyons itself and that dam were so eye bulgingly huge and powerful seeming – like they could take your soul and make it disappear somehere in it’s rocky crevices forever.
When they were all plunging the water out of the boats the company of everyone was such a relief and I kept wondering if they felt this too while imagining what it must feel like if you were there completely alone. Have there been travellers from the past who’ve gotten lost and needed to walk it alone?
The trippiest is that all those huge deep potholes were once level with the ground around them which freaks my brain out of it's skull because of what it suggests about the aages of time. Also, it emphasised just what small and insignificant echo’s peeps are when it comes to the wonders of the world. I actually thought it was one of the official wonders of the world and I don't get why isn't - it should be.
As should that excellently fab gimme-gimme houseboat that they pitstopped at! I was
dying for Phil to take us on a tour or for us to see it up close with it’s bits and pieces and inside. I have such a thing for houseboats and the way it was nestled in a corner cove in the middle of the empty spaces made it the ultimate inviting oasis.
Luckily the Weavers won't be having a very good time on it – hee. From the looks of things everyone’s going to be chilling out and sleeping in verry close proximity and with all the loathing and bad-mouthing going on they won't be inlcuded. The way they played Phil for sympathy was as slapworthy as everything else they do and of course Phil didn't throw them overboard as he should have.
I didn’t appreciate the things he suggested about them having a chance of winning and I'm hoping he just said that to get them off his increasingly skinny back.
The Linz’s not winning when they were so set to was both surprising and disappointing for them – espesh considering they’ve raced so consistently well and just can’t get it together to win. I reckon those boats were rigged so that some of them were randomly faster than others. Unfortunately they didn’t help the Paolo’s beat the Bransens, which is what I thought might happen in a few moments of wishful thinking.
The Bransens were a fraction of a smidgen better this week - that Wally's starting to behave a bit and the girls managed to get it together to get cash easily without being desperate.
As for the Godboobies winning yet again - my respect for their all-girl success keeps increasing and I enjoy seeing them do well. I’ve never seen a group of chicks tackling something hectic together without ripping out their vocal chords in the process which makes them your average gal pals.
I didn’t feel overly much about the Linz’s versus them though ‘cos of being too focused on the Paolo’s and Tony shaking Phil’s hand immediately and how they all realized how much they really enjoy each other .
Realistically they just couldn't have made it to come first in future legs with the way things are hotting up and I reckon they knew it. While they were sad to leave, they defs seemed to haved gotten what they needed to out of their race i.e those groovy segways, off road vehicles and scooters.
Goodbyee – eee – ee (Canyon echos) sweet Bronxy Paolo’s.