Slap Yes, the best part of the Race is when they're all on the same plane together. The team with the Speed Bump lurking ahead, who really could have used the time bonus potentially available from a selection of flights, certainly must feel that way.

No Hand Movement The kindness/intellects of strangers. I can't entirely fault the contestants for the group blank on Roman numerals: it isn't necessarily something you retain. (I would have had a shot at it, but I think I would have needed a minute to bring back the subtraction technique.) But every player's first resort upon being confronted with a question is now 'find Internet access' followed by 'find local'. At some point, a clue has to read 'on your own' or the whole race will come down to connection bars and data plan available.

In this episode, it also backfired. 'Figure out where you're going'? Oh, the cabbies will know. But that was a clue designed to encourage questioning locals and asking to borrow phones. Working it out on your own wasn't going to happen.

There's a balance point here. The producers need to find it. Quickly.

Slap It says something about the local they picked to play the gladiator that by the end, I was hoping one of the Racers would stab him.

Clap I initially viewed the chariot branch of the Detour as a giant wimpout. Remote-controlled toys. A few rocks to steer around. Gee, don't hit the waving paper in the center. And then the other teams showed up, the collisions began, little plastic drivers were dragged along behind without mercy, and it became very clear that we were watching Toy Story: Death Race 2014.

No Hand Movement Was the Speed Bump actually a deterrent for once, or were the other teams just taking that much time at the Detour branches? (And once again: keep asking locals until you get it right.)

Clap But getting the clue on the spot after repeating it, as opposed to a required return to the sign? Fair enough.

Slap I usually don't get on the camera work as a negative, but it's hard to mess up Rome -- and what we got was a bunch of buildings. Buildings which didn't get a lot of camera love to begin with. It was like hanging around the Universal set version of the city.

Clap Costumes for everyone! (Now make them continue the course in them.)

Slap We need a rule which creates a thirty-minute time penalty every time you share an answer. Yesterday.