But think about what happened to Blondie's parents. I kind of thought they were killed not by other racers necessarily, but by the sponsors or the sponsors' lackeys.

I wasn't sure if they were actually killed or whether they wrecked in sight of the finish line.

I assumed the other car in that scene was a competitor, not a race official or sponsor. Huh.

It looked to me like Corinna's parents were in sight of the finish line when another racer came up on them and in the race for 1st place edged them over the cliff and killed them.

I assumed it was another competitor that ran them off the road. What makes us think it might have been sponsors?

I think it had to do with the level of aggression that didn't seemed aimed at passing them, but killing them.

What makes us think it might have been sponsors?

Well, if we're suggesting sponsors can cheat, taking out that car would've been a smart (and required) move. So I'd say it's a possibility.

Pay up, Mortimer. I've won the bet.

Hearts Polgara.

Kat, I see your point, but I also think that relationships between the competitors are already showing some signs of tension, so it didn't ping me in that scene that they wouldn't be getting more hardcore by that point in the race.

Anyway, the key thing is that we don't know at this point what constraints the sponsors may or may not be under.

It seems most likely to me that a certain amount of interference is part of the whole game. Outright killing other competitors would just shut the game down too easily. Total hands-off doesn't really seem to be in the spirit of the thing - sponsors are going out and picking their racers and then bringing them into the race by virtually any means, it appears. I don't see them staying out of it after that.

Outright killing other competitors would just shut the game down too easily

This may be true. But then why give Wendy a loaded gun in an envelope with the dictate to kill another competitor?

Granted, that's not how it played out. But it doesn't seem that killing, or manipulating players into killing each other, is out of the realm of believability.

Seriously, though, if at the end of the series, we are treated to a pull back with two kids playing with matchbox cars and that's what is going on, I'm going to feel St. Elsewhere-Snow Globed.

Seriously, though, if at the end of the series, we are treated to a pull back with two kids playing with matchbox cars and that's what is going on, I'm going to feel St. Elsewhere-Snow Globed.

That might explain the glorious mountains of Florida though.

I wouldn't be surprised if the different sponsors had different motives as well as the contestants.