Episode Report Card Miss Alli: C- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Go
By Miss Alli | Season 8 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.10.2005
After the commercial, SIL David takes the wheel for attempt number…fourteen. He keeps it moving as fast as he can, and they all hurl themselves around in the truck. As I said, I think I see what they're thinking, but I'm not sure whether it does any good. Finally, they manage to complete the Detour and get going. On the way, SIL Kevin comments that it did feel like they might never finish. Yes, SIL Kevin, I believe it felt that way to all of us.
The Gaghans get the first spot on the second bus. The Paolos finish the shrimp. The Weavers are just starting on the shrimp.
The Paolos get to the Visitor Center next, taking the second spot on the 5:00 bus. The Aiellos get to the bus before the Weavers, meaning that giving up earlier on the mud bog might well not have been any better for them once they had driven all the way out there. The Weavers, meanwhile, finish their second crate and go to the bus. They are last, so Bald Snarking the Detour didn't really so much pay off, unless they would have been entirely left behind. As the second bus leaves, Papa Gaghan happily exclaims, "We're all in last place, yaaaaay!" Cheering ensues. Hey, you have to do what you can to keep a positive attitude. I think especially with little kids, it's got to be true that what will make them lose it is if you lose it. Phil voices over that the teams are unaware that their trip will take eight hours, and that they're going to Huntsville, Alabama. This is "the rocket capital of the world." Not, unfortunately, the excitement capital of the world, as we will soon learn.
On the first bus, the first team to the clue box in Huntsville is the Bransens, who read the clue instructing them to drive to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, where Phil explains that nothing will occur for the remainder of the episode. Oh, wait. They actually keep that a secret for now. We do get a lot of majestic shots of rockets, and Phil says that when they get there, they'll find the Edward O. Buckbee Hangar. (Who is Edward O. Buckbee? I'm so glad you asked. At the hangar, they'll find another clue. The Bransens go, followed by the Linzes, Schroeders, and pinks. In case the "go here, dummy" clue wasn't simple-minded enough for you, there's a giant, well-lit rocket rising up from the darkness that the teams can just kind of drive toward. You wouldn't want things to get confusing. They really should leave bread crumbs, or maybe just let the teams feel their way along a great big rope. Chair lift? Monorail? Catapult?
At the hangar, the Bransens pull the clue, and Phil explains that usually, Roadblocks are for one, but in this edition, some Roadblocks -- like this one -- are for two people, doubling the excitement and turning this particular one into a math lesson called "What Happens When You Multiply By Zero." In it, two people get strapped into a centrifuge and winged around until simulated gravity presses really hard on them. This is a ballast-style Roadblock, which, as we know, is the stupidest kind. We do see Phil in the simulator, which does nothing for his appearance, but kind of helps his pants. Once they sit in the centrifuge for the required time, doing absolutely nothing, they'll get their clue. Nothing makes for great TV like people strapped down and motionless in an enclosed space in a situation not actually representing any risk or sense of risk. They should really have more of these with a lot of sitting. Next Roadblock: Find Seats In This Movie Theater. ("Who has a taste for popcorn?")