The Amazing Race -- All-Purpose Thread

Looks like their Twitter bios still say Engaged.

 

There are ways to plot around it, by having tasks where each team has a unique answer, for instance.

But beyond that, it’s truly bad strategy to do it the way they did this season. It worked for Will and James but was completely the wrong move for the other teams. If Amazing Race really is going to get a step more strategic — though I think it already has been somewhat strategic — you’ll have to expect teams to be better than they were this leg. The endgame of Survivor is all about cutting your biggest threats to win, unless you are that biggest threat. TAR should develop similarly.

 

I highly recommend the Cinnamon & Sugar podcast. It gave me a very different view of the show and some of the teams. I think I laughed the most during the episode with Michelle and Victoria. DeAngelo loved racing. He hated the in betweens when he wasn't allowed to sightsee.

They get into how the structure this year, with each leg standing on its own so the goal was really just to not be last, changed the game and made alliance building a great game strategy. I think is was Alana and Leo who said the fight scene challenge, where they had to count spears and stuff, specifically said answers could not be shared. They speculated some change like that applicable to all challenges may be needed in future seasons.

It also becomes clear they all spent a lot of time together because of the hours they had to spend at airports, train stations etc. That gave them all the opportunity to get to know each other and form real friendships, which also changed the dynamics of the game and is probably why they remain friends two years after taping.

There was also a lot of discussion of how shitty the last leg was, without the kind of tough last challenge we've seen before, and that the music challenge was more like one of those other last challenges in previous season. Someone said they had been told by a production person that the catch the clue challenge was originally much more difficult but had to be changed at the last minute because weather conditions made the original plan too dangerous.

 

TAR will be back January 5!

 

Information on the next race.

TAR 33 cast and changes: What was different when Amazing Race resumed – reality blurred

 

The teams must have been thanking God at the idea of no taxis.

I'm really excited for this season. The changes sound interesting, the more-frequent self-driving should be fun as that seems to rarely turn out to be easy in foreign countries, and I'm happy with some of the locales to which they're traveling (especially Glasgow; I've been there, and loved it). I'm always up for seeing Switzerland and Lisbon/Portugal is someplace I haven't been where I'd like very much to go.

I wish the link had provided a little more information on the two teams that could not re-engage, and the reasons for that, just out of curiosity and for information's sake. It's not surprising that maybe some people couldn't re-start the race after so long, but it would've been nice to know why. Were they couples who have since split up? They couldn't get the necessary time off again? They'd had a taste of the race and just decided, based on their previous legs, that they had little chance to win, and therefore, essentially, quit? Or what? It'd just be nice to at least have tidbits regarding the reasons.

 

I'll run the pool again. Let me know by Monday, January 3 if you're in and I'll draw the teams

 

I’m in. Thanks for doing this again

 

Back in from Canuckistan!

 

I'll take one.

 

Yes, please and thank you.

 

Count me in, please, and thanks for doing this again.