Amazing Race starting January 3rd

[Susan1]

One head to head was enough, IMO.

Back to the argument about the head to head things not being fair. Really. What's the point of "racing", trying to be first, if it doesn't matter. They can all just take their time to do the tasks if the elimination will just be a competition. What's "amazing" about that?

 

[smurfy]

Are you talking about Jessica "maybe I can flirt my way through every task" and Cody? I loathe them both.

I guess we should agree to disagree

 

[Lilia A]

I nearly died at "The meaning of wife"

Partner switch next week. Meh. It better be a NEL. Still sucks though.

 

[BaileyCatts]

I really don't like the U-Turn, because it always seems like the Team I don't like uses it against the Team I do like, and the Team I do like gets booted. Now, of course, if it went the other way around then that would be fine. . I was so hoping the Violin Guys were going to beat out Big Brother. I really don't like them, and I don't even watch Big Brother so I have no clue who they are other than this show. If they are going to have the U-Turn, then both challenges should be right next to each other. I bet most of the time the ones doing the U-Turn lose simply because of traffic and driving to the site of the second task, and not thru their actual ability to do the challenge. But Violin Guys rocked that lecture challenge! It must be nice to be smart, which I am most definitely not.

I woulda walked outta the lecture challenge also. I was dying at Engaged Couple dude cause that's the same expressions I woulda made. No way could I have retained all that info, nor is it knowledge that already exists in my head, other than the earth is round.

the phone challenge again! My head woulda exploded with all that ringing! It annoyed me just watching it on TV, I can't imagine how loud it was in that room.

I already do not like the Partner switch! And agree it better be a NEL!

 

[Prancer]

But Violin Guys rocked that lecture challenge! It must be nice to be smart, which I am most definitely not.

Musicians are usually quite smart and they have excellent memories for things they hear.

I liked the violin guys . I like the race car drivers. The firefighters are okay and props to them for sticking with the lecture and making it work. I like Team Extreme a lot; they're good racers and fun, too. The others are neither liked nor disliked except for Evan. I don't know what it is, but I cannot stand her. I would rather watch Big Brother girl, who at least is making no bones about how cutthroat she is. Total props to Evan for chugging on with the chipped tooth, but.

The cast is still pretty flat, though.

 

[PeterG]

Glad we all liked The Violin Guys. Hopefully that means a lot of the viewing audience does as well and we'll see them in a future season. As for the swapping partners, I bet it will be for a marble-shooting contest or something else really quick and simple and then everybody goes back to their original partner.

 

[Tinami Amori]

The last leg of the race was in San Francisco. Not sure what and how, but when the show was taped, the local by-standers video-filmed the last 3 teams during certain challenges. Would any one like to see the tapes and/or learn the names of the last teams? or i can post a "white out spoiler", or not post, it's your choice guys.

 

[Prancer]

You can tell me . I don't mind being spoiled.

 

[BaileyCatts]

Don't post it unless you use a clearly labeled spoiler tag so one has to click the spoiler to see it please!

 

[Tinami Amori]

Don't post it unless you use a clearly labeled spoiler tag so one has to click the spoiler to see it please!

I don't know how to use "black out/white out" feature. I will PM to Prancer, and let her "post it properly". Done! now it's up to Prancer.

 

[tony]

Final three:

Spoiler

Big Brother, the Yale grads, and the skiiers

I know that the eliminated teams run the race to the conclusion so things like this don't leak, but do they actually do the last leg? I guess they'd have to do it a little early so that they could be on the mat at the end. Or maybe they don't do it at all but that would ruin the point of keeping (or trying to keep) everything secret.

PS- since people in this thread have already said they don't want to be spoiled, please don't reply to this message with spoilerish thoughts.

 

[Lilia A]

Testing

Spoiler

Does this work?

I'll avoid spoilers at all cost. One time I came across spoilers before the last 2-3 episodes and for some reason I didn't feel like watching anymore (I think I just didn't like what the spoilers said ).

ETA: Oh so the spoiler tag code is the same. Awesome. I was wondering if that had changed.

 

[Lilia A]

@Tony Wheeler (I don't want to quote your post in case your spoiler tag contains real spoilers and the source code betrays me ), I heard that the last 2 or 3 eliminated teams are sent to the final destination the same way as competing teams (same route, meaning if competing teams stop in Hong Kong for a few hours, then so do the eliminated teams). And then they act as decoys shortly before the top 3 gets to the final destination. They go to the actual task locations and also to some fake locations to throw people off. That way, locals will be less likely to follow the final 3 teams. But I also heard that locals know how to figure out who's actually competing and who's not because eliminated teams take it a little too easy during the "leg." They don't actually compete but pretend to read clues and whatnot.

 

[tony]

@Tony Wheeler (I don't want to quote your post in case your spoiler tag contains real spoilers and the source code betrays me ), I heard that the last 2 or 3 eliminated teams are sent to the final destination the same way as competing teams (same route, meaning if competing teams stop in Hong Kong for a few hours, then so do the eliminated teams). And then they act as decoys shortly before the top 3 gets to the final destination. They go to the actual task locations and also to some fake locations to throw people off. That way, locals will be less likely to follow the final 3 teams. But I also heard that locals know how to figure out who's actually competing and who's not because eliminated teams take it a little too easy during the "leg." They don't actually compete but pretend to read clues and whatnot.

Yeah, I think it would be easy to tell the difference between an eliminated team strolling down the street, not screaming at each other, waiting patiently for cabs, and a team that really is trying to win a million dollars.

 

[Aceon6]

Yeah, I think it would be easy to tell the difference between an eliminated team strolling down the street, not screaming at each other, waiting patiently for cabs, and a team that really is trying to win a million dollars.

Not to mention that the eliminated teams are clean, well rested and well fed.

 

[Lilia A]

I do wonder whether that was the reason why sometimes they let 4 teams race the first half of the final leg do a 4th team elimination sometime during the leg. I noticed that the final task takes place in a rather isolated area while the first task is usually in a more accessible area. Nowadays we know that if there are 4 teams in the final destination, whoever is last is out. But back then no one even imagined that they would ever do something like that. So, I wonder whether they saw that as a solution to the unmotivated decoys.

Or they could have the eliminated teams pretend like they actually care. You know, like Romber when they got eliminated in the all star season. They not only knew that Charla and Mirna had checked in at the pit stop, but also it was revealed that Rob never actually found the letter and was given one from another team's bag by the producers once they got the call. They acted like they were in a rush running to the pit stop for editing effects. Then again, it's Romber.

 

[Tinami Amori]

@Tony Wheeler (I don't want to quote your post in case your spoiler tag contains real spoilers and the source code betrays me ), I heard that the last 2 or 3 eliminated teams are sent to the final destination the same way as competing teams (same route, meaning if competing teams stop in Hong Kong for a few hours, then so do the eliminated teams)..

Wow! the games people play.....

 

[Jenny]

Spoiler re BB team:

Spoiler

Further to Tony's spoiler, I read on a BB board a few weeks ago that they come in 2nd.

 

[Prancer]

@Tony Wheeler (I don't want to quote your post in case your spoiler tag contains real spoilers and the source code betrays me ), I heard that the last 2 or 3 eliminated teams are sent to the final destination the same way as competing teams (same route, meaning if competing teams stop in Hong Kong for a few hours, then so do the eliminated teams). And then they act as decoys shortly before the top 3 gets to the final destination. They go to the actual task locations and also to some fake locations to throw people off. That way, locals will be less likely to follow the final 3 teams. But I also heard that locals know how to figure out who's actually competing and who's not because eliminated teams take it a little too easy during the "leg." They don't actually compete but pretend to read clues and whatnot.

TAR used to run decoy teams like that, but I don't think they do that any more.

 

[Prancer]

Geez, no comments on the last episode and She Brother's response to having her request to work together rejected by Evan? I mean, really, why on earth did she and Team Extreme girl think Evan was going to help them? And ha! that Evan wasn't even the one to solve her team's map.

And the singing/dancing challenge was hilarious!

 

[Parsley Sage]

Geez, no comments on the last episode and She Brother's response to having her request to work together rejected by Evan? I mean, really, why on earth did she and Team Extreme girl think Evan was going to help them? And ha! that Evan wasn't even the one to solve her team's map.

And the singing/dancing challenge was hilarious!

Team Indy Car surprised me in that challenge - they got it on their 3rd try I think.

I felt bad for the band having to perform the song so many times.

ETA - I'm trying to decide which race car driver(s) got the better reality show. Alex and Connor on TAR or Arie Jr on the Bachelor.

 

[Deleted member 1204]

And the singing/dancing challenge was hilarious!

I'll give you hilarious, but it went on too long.

And I can't get that damn song out of my head!

 

[tony]

I've been rewatching older seasons of TAR and they were so much more exciting than the last few seasons have been. Many of the challenges seem.. low-budget? and corny, the newer and re-introduced twists are lame (partner swap, head-to-head match-ups), and they are relying too much on people already having names on social media or in actual stardom. I think some things (but not all) started to fall apart after the last all-stars season, which even then gave many teams a third chance to go for a million dollars. But then they started the experiments with half of the teams already having a connection and the other half being strangers, then the entire strangers season (awful), and now this one with a bunch of cheesy twists. Some of these things are just as bad as the family season.

Also, the season when the ice cream scientists won still makes me wonder. They allowed them to continue racing on the last leg (first time-- and only time? that four teams finished the race) and the final challenge was so geared towards their strengths versus the other remaining teams. I always thought that was

 

[Prancer]

I've been rewatching older seasons of TAR and they were so much more exciting than the last few seasons have been. Many of the challenges seem.. low-budget?

I read somewhere that the show's budget had been rather severely cut a few seasons ago, which is one reason they now go to pretty much the same places all the time and the challenges aren't what they used to be. And because of airport security requirements, there's no more airport drama because people can't switch tickets.

So yeah. But they also don't seem to cast very interesting people.

CBS doesn't really care whether the show lives or dies; it is not a particularly good ratings-getter and wasn't even in its heyday, so they aren't going to invest much in it. The only reason they brought it back was that they needed filler. I don't expect it to continue much longer.

 

[tony]

I read somewhere that the show's budget had been rather severely cut a few seasons ago, which is one reason they now go to pretty much the same places all the time and the challenges aren't what they used to be. And because of airport security requirements, there's no more airport drama because people can't switch tickets.

So yeah. But they also don't seem to cast very interesting people.

CBS doesn't really care whether the show lives or dies; it is not a particularly good ratings-getter and wasn't even in its heyday, so they aren't going to invest much in it. The only reason they brought it back was that they needed filler. I don't expect it to continue much longer.

I remember reading that in the first season, the show either aired an episode or two or was just about to debut when September 11 happened. I'm pretty sure there was at least one episode prior, and when it came back the ratings suffered so much that they weren't even sure if a second season was going to happen. So, thirty seasons matched with the amount of Emmys the show has won, I guess it's been a great (no pun) run.

 

[BaileyCatts]

They need to quit stunt casting and do open casting calls. No more models or You Tube stars or Big Brother reality celebrities. The funnest Teams have been just ordinary people who tried out for a reality show. Or at least if they were 'reality stars' I sure didn't know who they were outside of this show. There's plenty of normal, every day people out in the world who have personality, would make great TV, and would love to do this show.

Only 2 more, two-hour episodes left and I still don't really know their names. I won't even watch the episodes til after the Olympics is over. I'll just stay outta this thread until I do since this is probably the only place where I'll accidentally stumble across spoilers.

Hate the Partner Switch. Hate the Head to Head. Get rid of those gimmicks, cast interesting (non-reality celebrity) people, and go back to fundamentals of the game like in the early seasons. Those seasons were great, and it was because of the people.

 

[annie720]

Geez, no comments on the last episode and She Brother's response to having her request to work together rejected by Evan? I mean, really, why on earth did she and Team Extreme girl think Evan was going to help them? And ha! that Evan wasn't even the one to solve her team's map

Finally saw the last episode! I mean, really? Why on earth would anyone help a team that they are going to be racing to the mat with right after the challenge? Was Jessica dumb enough to think they were in the lead?

 

[PeterG]

I don't know how to use "black out/white out" feature. I will PM to Prancer, and let her "post it properly". Done! now it's up to Prancer.

My signature tells you how to post spoilers.

 

[Tinami Amori]

My signature tells you how to post spoilers.

thank you!

 

[Rogue]

It was fun last night switching back and forth between skating and the race. Zapping through commercials and Zamboni time got me through both without having to stay up too late.

Can't believe a team forgot the most important rule - keep your passport safe and on your person at all times.
Lot's of animals last night - camels, frogs, elephants, scorpions. Enjoyed watching Jess freak out over frogs and scorpions. But at least she was honest with herself and said she was of zero benefit in that leg.
Still laughing that Yale got beat on a math challenge.