So ahs anyone else been wondering what the deal was with Zach/Flo and the bowl boats. Didn't they completely and utter cheat by getting someone else to ROW for them? I know that the other teams got people to help balance the bikes, but F/Z just sat there.

Seems to me there was another potential cheat somewhere in the final ep too...

• RE: Cheating?,dajaki, 11:17 AM, 12-19-02
  • RE: Cheating?,Cole, 11:20 AM, 12-19-02
    • RE: Cheating?,casual labor, 01:10 PM, 12-19-02
• RE: Cheating? Yes,wildchickenhunter, 01:51 PM, 12-19-02
  • RE: Cheating? Yes,managerr, 01:58 PM, 12-19-02
    • RE: Cheating? Yes,wildchickenhunter, 03:53 PM, 12-19-02
      • RE: Cheating? Yes,managerr, 04:21 PM, 12-19-02
• RE: Cheating?,L82LIFE, 02:49 PM, 12-19-02
  • RE: Cheating?,Schnookie Palookie, 04:38 PM, 12-19-02
• RE: Cheating?,Strider, 02:56 PM, 12-19-02
• RE: Cheating?,cmaybur, 05:18 PM, 12-19-02
• RE: Cheating?,moonbaby, 07:31 PM, 12-19-02
• Yes Indeed Cheating...with CBS Approval,jgeorge711, 07:48 PM, 12-19-02
  • RE: Yes Indeed Cheating...with CBS Approval,JeffHo, 02:25 AM, 12-20-02
    • RE: Yes Indeed Cheating...with CBS Approval,DEVILRAYS, 08:54 PM, 01-14-03
• RE: Cheating?,martini man, 09:06 PM, 01-05-03
• RE: Cheating?,magellanscross, 08:52 PM, 02-17-03
  • Impact on Future Clues,trigirl, 09:44 AM, 02-24-03

I'll need to go back and hear the clue again. If it said "row" or "row yourself," then it seems that getting someone else to row for you was cheating and they should have been penalized. If the clue said "take a boat to the island," then having someone who had a clue what they were doing should have been permissible. However, I think we can all agree that Mr. Screech was penalized enough by the incessant whining of Ms. Screech.

I thought Phil said something like "teams have to figure out to get to this island using these boats". I don't think they did anything wrong. If we're going to be picky then Teri should have been penalized for not riding her bike, when it said "teams must ride these bikes". She walked the entire way and kids helped her hold it up. If there had been any penalties to be doled out I'm sure they would have received them at the start of the final leg from Vietnam to Hawaii.

I thought it was cheating too. Did you notice all those people waiting in the background when Zak and his "excess baggage" went back to the water. Word got out that money was to be had from these feeble people who couldn't do what they were supposed to do on their own.

Actually it was cheating, but the producers figured that they would have to tell Flo on camera and that would just produce another major whine session....Therefore penalizing the audience.

and Teri/Ian/Gerard getting help from the locals from pushing the bicycle down the hill wasn't cheating? The clue did not say they had to row themselves down to the shore. Just that they had to "figure out" how to get there. Imho, it's the spirit of TAR since all of these teams (and Flo/Zach) relied on and used the local culture to help them complete the task.

If anything, the way that each team completed the detour might have revolutionized the game. Now A.)Other teams will do this more often. or B.)CBS will make the instructions more clear.

Who said anything about T/I?
Remeber when analysing the situation you have to remember the FWF (Flo Whine Factor). Without it no conclusion can be drawn!

Did you even read the thread? The question asked if Flo/Zach were cheating. Naturally, you have to make the logical assumption if F/Z were cheating, so were the other teams who got help during the detour as well. Duh!

I kind of wondered about that too, CG. I guess it didn't matter, since they did get the money. Personally, I was quite enjoying watching Flo try to row that boat. And her with the bike? LMAO!!

L82life

DH & I were cracking up and when they decided to try the bikes, I said "oh wait until she sees the bikes". LMAO at her expression upon seeing them with all those baskets. Priceless moment hehehehe!

Happy Holidays

I don't think there was a problem, for three reasons:

1. The clue didn't specify that they had to accomplish the task themselves.

2. Everybody received help, so if there was cheating, everyone did it equally.

3. Even if Zach and Flo had taken two hours to finish the detour, all the teams still would have ended up even at an airport somewhere. Thus, the cheating had no consequences.

Strider

Zach confirmed at the finale party last night that he and Flo did receive a time penalty. They ended up staying at the pit stop for almost another hour beyond the standard 12 hour rest period.

Chris

In the next TAR (assuming there is one)asking directions should be the only help allowed.

Hell yes, it was cheating. In all the 3 seasons, when/where was anyone allowed to have some other local actually accomplish the entire task for them? Never.

The bikes were the same thing. Gerard and Ian actually rode the bike. Terri and Ken got help. Those teams should have been told that help was not acceptable. They would have then gone to the basket boats, and I am sure each of those teams would have made it to the island without help. Now, that leaves Zach/Flo with Flo whining complaining. A sure elimation from the race. But mother CBS wanted to make sure there were 3 teams in the finals. So, they look the other way and give a 1 hr penalty that is meaningless. Then Zach/Flo win. What a crock.

CBS sucks as much as Flo in allowing this to happen reminding us once again...forget reality...the network will pull the final strings to make a reality series "make believe".

LAST EDITED ON 12-20-02 AT 02:25 AM (EST)

CBS isn't about to give Zach and Zach's partner a penalty that's more than an hour because then people would be complaining that their penalty was too long. Remember, the base penalty for breaking the rules is 30 minutes (to memory) plus about how long an advantage the cheating gained. Giving a penalty that was longer than that would have been trying to fix the game for Ken and G or Teri and Taskmaster to win.

If I understand the rules correctly, and I pretty much don't, then penalties are 30+ minutes for any infraction except outright skipping something, usually a Detour or Roadblock. So if Flo and Zach gained 8 minutes of time by having someone else row for them, then the penalty is 30 minutes plus the 8 minutes they picked up. (Heather and Eve were penalized in this fashion.) However, in AR1, Nancy and Emily had a choice between taking a private car or a public bus at a Detour, and like the crap-for-brains they made themselves appear to be, they took a taxi to the next route marker. The penalty for this was a 24-hour time penalty, thus eliminating them from the race. I don't know if CBS has since altered this rule...most likely not.

The final 2 eps air in Australia tonight and tomorrow. Will wait with anticipation....... even though I already know the outcome.

What a gyp. First Helen doens't make the final 2 on Survivor, and then Whiney Girl & Sideshow Zack get $1mill bucks! THE HUMANITY!!!! but at least it wasn't Ian... feeling better now (ahhhh...).

this is way too late a reply... the clue said that teams should "find a way" to cross the river using the basket boats, which therefore means that its the team's call on how to accomplish that and one way is to ask locals to row for them. however, on terri's part, there is only one way to ride a bike... pedal it. therefore i think terri and ian should have been penalized for that. hehehehe

I wonder if we'll see more specific wording on future clues. The producers are not going to want a show with lazy people have stuff done for them. If they don't watch the wording of clues, Flo could have just set a nasty precedent.