Author Topic: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?  (Read 77886 times)

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Offline Dånooky

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #25 on: April 13, 2010, 11:45:26 PM »
So far the only arguments against this season are:
1. "My favorite team(s) got eliminated, therefore only lame teams remain :(" and
2. "x team used the U-Turn in a way I wouldn't have used it, therefore x team must be dumb"
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Offline Caelestor

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #26 on: April 14, 2010, 12:10:19 AM »
So far the only arguments against this season are:
1. "My favorite team(s) got eliminated, therefore only lame teams remain :(" and
2. "x team used the U-Turn in a way I wouldn't have used it, therefore x team must be dumb"

I can think of other arguments besides that regarding bunching, but then again the bunching debate can never really have a right answer. (Should we allow the first team to keep their well-deserved or solely due to luck time advantage and kill the suspense next episode?)


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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #27 on: April 14, 2010, 01:04:47 AM »
i like bunching, to some extent.

what i didn't like was the non-existence of the bunching in the French legs.

WAY too linear.  especially the first leg.  the detectives, the models, and Carol/Brandy all had poor to mediocre legs, but since it was SO linear, that didn't really translate into much movement in placings.  Only for Carol/Brandy since they happened to be close in timing to two teams that had stellar performances that leg.  What do the two good performances of the legs get? 3rd and 4th respectively.  Had it not been a linear leg, Joe and Heidi may not have been eliminated.

the same (to a lesser extent) with the second leg.  the only reason there were changes in placement, was because nearly every team that wasn't Carol/Brandy got lost at least once on that leg.

Poor Jeff/Jordan were at a total unfair disadvantage on these legs.  There was absolutely no way they could have feasibly made up that time.  I would argue that it would've been extremely difficult (if not impossible) for ANY team to overcome such a large deficit on two extremely linear legs.

Offline Hooky

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #28 on: April 14, 2010, 01:09:11 AM »
I would argue that it would've been extremely difficult (if not impossible) for ANY team to overcome such a large deficit on two extremely linear legs.

I agree, with the possible exception of a select few (Colin & Christie and Eric & Jeremy are in this category). :snicker:

I didn't particularly like Jeff & Jordan, but I must admit that these two legs weren't structured in a very fair way. People here on RFF often say "We should have some more linear legs, rather than all the bunchings." But having too many linear legs (or even more than one or two a season) can be a very irritating thing to watch. They just don't have much potential for twists of fate.

I was actually really surprised to see two linear legs in a row this season. In a not so good way.
« Last Edit: April 14, 2010, 01:12:59 AM by Hooky »
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Offline jerseydude

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #29 on: April 14, 2010, 02:17:26 AM »
OMFG..!! You're so fraking right..this season's casting (and the locations/tasks) is the dumbest (boring) ever...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is NOTHING in comparison with season's 3-7-10-14 cast...i think the recluting crew should be changed because (obviously) they're not doing a good job.
Here are the reasons i HATE this season:

1. The teams have no passion for the race.
2. There's no so much drama/friction between the racers
3. The tasks are designed for a kids version (put a scarf on a llama?, put a condor costume and jump on a lake??)
4. The perfomances of the racers are no memorables, there's no even one team who should be put on the all-stars season (i hope the producers decide to do it)
5. The decisions they teams made are the dumbest ever, specially on the u-turns...and the speed bumps are so silly than even my little sister could do that.

If they wanna have a really exciting/memorable perfomance they should be copying those teams perfomances: Uchenna and Joyce,Rob and Amber, Dustin & Kandice, Nate & Jane, Nick & Starr, Tammy and Victor and Megan and Cheyne.

I have to really disagree with you.
1.  You can't really prove that they have no passion. Each person has a different way of expressing their passion. I myself feel that Jordan (of Dan and Jordan) has a lot of passion for the race.
2. Yes there wasn't drama but it is really that bad? Some seasons didn't have Drama until the end TAR 15 Brothers/Globtrotters.
3. Well why don't you sign up? Did you feel how cold it was when they jumped in the water. Do you know how fast you run compared to the lamas?? Unless you have done it, don't complain on easy task because some people may think that bungee jumping was easy, sky diving was easy, the FF in TAR 1 with the counting was easy.
4. So basically you would rather have someone who dominates the whole race and wins every single leg right? Because a team is determined as memorable not because they win every single leg but because of their personality. I would rather prefer Dan and Jordan than Nick and Starr on All Star because they bring an entertainment value to the show. Yes they may not be the strongest team, but to some people, some teams may be memorable. Also, If Jet and Cord win this season, did you know that their average would be higher than Nick and Starr?
5. This has been discuss ed before on other threads. They just came off a 10 hour train ride, their tired, and exhausted. Obviously they would target the people that they think have been trashing them. It is all human nature. And as stated in this thread I believe, Speed Bump have always been easy. They're not to seal a fate of a NELed team but to waste time (mainly on transport) and have them catch up on time. If the Speed Bump was as hard as the Hay task in TAR 15 switchback, which team would survive a speed bump?

And just on your list of teams, I like one or two of those teams and Nate and Jen never won a leg. And sorry for my ranting but I just want to get my ideas clear.
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Offline everbloom

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #30 on: April 14, 2010, 02:45:35 AM »
Honestly, I don't have much complaints for this season. But I think it's because this is 10 times better than TAR 15. I love the destinations (seriously, watching this season just added Patagonia and Seychelles on my must-visit places) and some of the tasks. I think the race picked up the pace post-WWI leg.

Basically the only things I hate were the France legs (I love France, but no equalizers makes the whole darn leg seem so frickin' boring) and teams that complain and whine so much they could give Flo a run for her money.

For me, Penang was the best leg hands down (though I do miss Steve and Allie). It marked the return of the cab races, fast pace, many teams getting majorly screwed by taxis, and the anything-can-happen which is one of the main reasons I so frickin' love this show. Plus, tasks and locations were decent.
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Offline Sailing

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #31 on: April 14, 2010, 02:52:36 AM »

I just had to start a thread after what happened on the show last night!!!


I was never a Big fan of Carol and Brandy so seeing them eliminated last night didn't bother me. I wish they had left last week and Allie and Steve were still in it. I was really starting to enjoy them.

I adore the Season 16 cast but after so many careless mistakes and two very personal decisions about U-Turn...

I think this season would have been boring without a couple of teams making mistakes and learning from them. I still adore them regardless of them not being the smartest tools in the shed. I would hate to watch a season full of book smart people. What fun would that be and were would the enterainment value be seen?
Even if the U-Turns were personal both teams that used them advanced to the next leg and avoided being eliminated by a stronger team.
I look at it as a testamnet to how Jet and Cord have managed to stay under the Radar and avoid conflict.

Seriously...?! 

It makes me sick to my stomach that Caite is the last girl standing.

I don't look at it like that.

It disappoints me that Jordan (Of Jeff and Jordan) doesn't pour with her heart into the Race.

I will agree with you about this. She looked more excited to be eliminated then she did when they came in first on leg 1. Jeff is very competive and a humble guy so I think he would have done better with someone who had the same drive about winning as he did. I am sure he will be the first to admit that.

Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Of cource they deserved to be U-Turned. That is something all teams are aware of before they sign up for this show. I think at times they did have strong racing skills, but no more then they other teams and luck came into to play.

Jet & Cord's Speed Bump task is such a crapload.

I think they are an excellent team that works well together. Maybe if it was another team it would not have seemed so easy.

I wish the cow didn't kick Grandma's head then Jody & Shannon could have prevented Michael & Louie from going further in the Race.

I would blame Jeff and Jordan somewhat for Jody and Shannon being eliminated before Mike and Louie. Remember they were lost and J and J were nice and gave them direction to the place to milk the cow?

Non-Bunching in European legs sucked.
Then Jeff and Jordan would have been able to get back in the race. so I agree.

And, I think it's the first time that we have the entire Final Four teams with poor racing performances?
I didn't know that coming in first 3 weeks in a row was because a team had poor racing skills.

I'm sorry but this season is just a big letdown soon as Steve & Allie and Carol & Brandy got eliminated.  :'(
I think Carol and Brandy leaving was a high point this season. Steve and  Allie were great to watch, but I have always liked Mike/Louie and Jet/Cord so I love that they are in the F4.

I hope next season will cast the clones of Colin & Christie, Nick & Starr, Tammy & Victor, Margie & Luke, Jaime & Cara, Meghan & Cheyne, Eric & Jeremy, Drew & Derek, Nate & Jen, BJ & Tyler and Dustin & Kadice. Now, that will be one of hell bloody race with all strongest teams battle it out!  :lol3:

All-Stars 2 perhaps? LOL

Offline serendipity

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #32 on: April 14, 2010, 04:11:17 AM »
I just had to start a thread after what happened on the show last night!!!

I adore the Season 16 cast but after so many careless mistakes and two very personal decisions about U-Turn...

Seriously...?!  

It makes me sick to my stomach that Caite is the last girl standing.

It disappoints me that Jordan (Of Jeff and Jordan) doesn't pour with her heart into the Race.

Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Jet & Cord's Speed Bump task is such a crapload.

I wish the cow didn't kick Grandma's head then Jody & Shannon could have prevented Michael & Louie from going further in the Race.

Non-Bunching in European legs sucked.

And, I think it's the first time that we have the entire Final Four teams with poor racing performances?

I'm sorry but this season is just a big letdown soon as Steve & Allie and Carol & Brandy got eliminated.  :'(

I hope next season will cast the clones of Colin & Christie, Nick & Starr, Tammy & Victor, Margie & Luke, Jaime & Cara, Meghan & Cheyne, Eric & Jeremy, Drew & Derek, Nate & Jen, BJ & Tyler and Dustin & Kadice. Now, that will be one of hell bloody race with all strongest teams battle it out!  :lol3:

Luke I agree everything with you.

It just makes me frustrated to see Carol/Brandy go because of the U-turn rather than their own mistake. The personal use of U-turn is stupid, especially in both occasions the teams using U-turn can actually choose anyone they want and there are stronger racers than the ones they chose.

It also makes me sick to see Caite as the only girl remaining. Even this is the case I would never consider her as enjoyable to watch as Kelly in TAR4 (also the only girl in final 4).

This season I think the strongest teams are the cowboys and Steve and Allie. Carol and Brandy, Dan and Jordan, Joe and Heidi are ok but not exceptional, while the remaining are all bad racers. But I think they should be the final 5 if no such stupid use of U-turn.

Offline chill_sd

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #33 on: April 14, 2010, 09:21:27 AM »
Here's what I don't understand.  Several people, including Luke, have made statements like this:
Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Well, if they had "strong racing skills" it was probably a good idea to U-Turn them.  When Mike & Louie U-Turned Joe & Heidi, they were right behind them, despite Joe's bum knee.  When Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, they were also right behind them.  On both of these legs, Jet & Cord were struggling.

The editors have certainly highlighted the personal nature of the U-Turns, but there were strategic reasons for both of them also.  And both teams that used the U-Turns ended up in the Final 4, so I would say they were successful.

Offline Dånooky

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #34 on: April 14, 2010, 09:30:25 AM »
Here's what I don't understand.  Several people, including Luke, have made statements like this:
Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Well, if they had "strong racing skills" it was probably a good idea to U-Turn them.  When Mike & Louie U-Turned Joe & Heidi, they were right behind them, despite Joe's bum knee.  When Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, they were also right behind them.  On both of these legs, Jet & Cord were struggling.

The editors have certainly highlighted the personal nature of the U-Turns, but there were strategic reasons for both of them also.  And both teams that used the U-Turns ended up in the Final 4, so I would say they were successful.
yup, the first argument is paradoxical. I would assume that people are just pissed that a good team was eliminated.
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Offline everbloom

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #35 on: April 14, 2010, 10:42:43 AM »
Here's what I don't understand.  Several people, including Luke, have made statements like this:
Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Well, if they had "strong racing skills" it was probably a good idea to U-Turn them.  When Mike & Louie U-Turned Joe & Heidi, they were right behind them, despite Joe's bum knee.  When Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, they were also right behind them.  On both of these legs, Jet & Cord were struggling.

The editors have certainly highlighted the personal nature of the U-Turns, but there were strategic reasons for both of them also.  And both teams that used the U-Turns ended up in the Final 4, so I would say they were successful.

Actually, the cowboys weren't struggling on the Joe/Heidi U-Turn leg. If I remember correctly they finished that leg with the 2nd best time.

Jeff was right. U-Turns were mostly personal. I'm not really satisfied with the F4 this season though. The two teams that did use the U-Turn feel like extra baggage to me. I'd much rather see Steve/Allie in there. I find Caite annoying, and what with the cops thinking that they have the best moral values.
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Offline Jobby

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #36 on: April 14, 2010, 10:45:12 AM »
Nah actually, people who don't see the U-TURN strategy fail to understand the theory behind it.

If I were on the race and at the first U-TURN as one of the front teams, i'll use my U-TURN on either Michael and Louie or Jet and Cord because both of them are in the lead and i'll want them out of the race.

If i'm one of the lagging teams, my strategy would be to U-TURN Jeff and Jordan or Brent and Caite to ensure they stay behind me.

At the second U-TURN in Singapore, it was EXTREMEY dumb not to U-TURN the cowboys or the detectives once again.. especially after the detectives did a hat trick and the cowboys going from sixth to first.

If i'm a lagging team, i'll still U-TURN a team behind me for sure.. and i'm pretty sure Brent and Caite knew the cowboys were behind them. It was a solid pure DUMB move not to U-TURN them and i hope Jet and Cord WIN the race to let these 2 dumb teams who chose not to U-TURN them regret their choice.

Offline Jobby

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #37 on: April 14, 2010, 10:46:54 AM »
I just don't think the detectives and Brent and Caite deserved to be in the final 4. Very turn off!

Offline Ruth

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #38 on: April 14, 2010, 11:11:33 AM »
Well I don't like this season as much as previous seasons because the teams I really like have been eliminated way too early. Adrian and Dana, Jody and Shannon, Steve and Allie. What's left of the final four, I like Jet and Cord and the brothers, but I don't love them so if either of them wins the race, I'll consider this season redeemed but I won't be elated. Brent and Caite and Mike and Louie... They're just BLEAH. If the former win the race, this season will go down as one of the worst seasons. But the fact that I don't really love the teams remaining doesn't make it a bad season. Perhaps it's a boring cast, but I still love the race.
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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #39 on: April 14, 2010, 01:13:09 PM »
the U-turn choices aren't as dumb as everyone thinks.

Yes, the Cowboys are the strongest performers this season, but does that mean both Joe/Heidi and Carol/Brandy weren't stiff competition?

Joe/Heidi were consistently in the top half, and the times they weren't in the top 3 were Leg 1 (had trouble finding the paint task, whereas a couple teams didn't), and Leg 3 (where they had to switch detours after wasting a huge amount of time on the first one).  Had they not been U-turned they would've easily finished third that leg, and maybe even 1st if not at least 2nd on the next.  Just because Joe's knee was bad, did not count them out of the race.  Yes, they were U-turned for personal reasons, but that just proves that people would rather have a nice team perform extremely well, than a mean team perform relatively well.

Carol/Brandy were consistently in the top half as well.  and even when they bickered and fought, they still managed to beat out several other teams. Not to mention they were also the smartest team left.  And if we all look back, the vast majority of final tasks had a mental task, which usually relied HEAVILY on memory.  Do you think Brent/Caite, Jet/Cord, the bros, or the detectives could pound that out at record times? How about Carol or Brandy?  Would they be able to complete that quickly? So, if Carol/Brandy made it to the finale (which it looks like they probably could've at this point), and they just stuck with the pack on that last leg, they would easily be able to beat out whoever they were up against at that memory task.  and that task is almost always right before the finish line (sometimes within running distance).  I would argue that Carol/Brandy could easily have won had they not been U-turned.

and unless Jet/Cord actually do win, these U-turns do hold up as good decisions.  Because both of these teams would've been very tough to beat on that last leg.

Offline mrmando

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #40 on: April 14, 2010, 01:47:11 PM »
When you are the weakest team and you get a chance to use the U-Turn, you cannot, statistically speaking, make a bad decision. You can only make good decisions and better decisions. Carol/Brandy were behind Jet/Cord in terms of average placement, but were actually ahead of Louie/Michael. So while U-Turning them might not have been the "best" decision, it was certainly a "good" and probably a "better" decision.

Also, I think the goal of U-Turning a team should be to knock that team out of the race. If you think a team might be able to overcome the U-Turn and stick around for the next leg, you should U-Turn someone else. You don't want to spend the remaining legs racing against people who have a very good reason to resent you. If you knew that Jet/Cord handle adversity better than Carol/Brandy, and you didn't know that Jet/Cord were behind Carol/Brandy by a good chunk of time, it would make sense to assume that Jet/Cord could take the U-Turn in stride and still beat Carol/Brandy to the mat, whereas Carol/Brandy might well take the U-Turn personally, descend into bickering and whining, and fall apart on the second half of the Detour. (To their credit, they actually didn't fall apart, although there was good reason to assume that they might.)

Offline serendipity

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #41 on: April 14, 2010, 02:31:15 PM »
In fact based on strategy it is clear that both U-turns were wrongly used, that's no need to argue about that. Mike/Louie and Brent/Caite just rationalize their choices by saying Joe/Heidi and Carol/Brandy are strong teams. Right, they are strong teams (that is because Mike/Louie and Brent/Caite are already the weakest in the pack, so they can't find anyone worse), but clearly not the strongest. When you got a chance to U-turn anyone you want, why don't choose the strongest one? They are just shallow to put their personal feelings on the competition too much, and tried to act clever by telling everyone the choice is correct and there are much more reasons to do that rather than plain dislike of a team.

In fact everything seems coming from Michael. First he did not like Joe being more arrogant than him (I think he is also an arrogant man), then he is afraid of being beat by two women (I think he kind of discriminated women at this point, as he also gave no credit to Steve/Allie provided that they did exceptionally well before elimination), so that's how the game played out in the end.

I strongly hope that either brothers can win the race, if it's Jet/Cord that would be nicer as it proves that stupid choices cost these teams a million dollars.

Offline Dånooky

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #42 on: April 14, 2010, 02:35:10 PM »
I completely agree with DavidJunior and mrmando, obviously both U-Turns were personal in nature, but they were not bad choices. U-Turning the cowboys could have been a better choice, but given their lucky history, they could have easily recovered with some luck.
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #43 on: April 14, 2010, 02:56:47 PM »
:welcome: to RFF, mrmando! :waves:
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Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.

Offline Caelestor

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #44 on: April 14, 2010, 03:22:25 PM »
Here's what I don't understand.  Several people, including Luke, have made statements like this:
Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Well, if they had "strong racing skills" it was probably a good idea to U-Turn them.  When Mike & Louie U-Turned Joe & Heidi, they were right behind them, despite Joe's bum knee.  When Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, they were also right behind them.  On both of these legs, Jet & Cord were struggling.

The editors have certainly highlighted the personal nature of the U-Turns, but there were strategic reasons for both of them also.  And both teams that used the U-Turns ended up in the Final 4, so I would say they were successful.

Luke, not to be cynical, but then why did you U-turn Amanda and Kris? Did they not deserve a spot in the Final Three? (I agree with several of your other points, just not about the meaning of the U-turn)

I can criticize the editing and the producers' portrayal of teams, but I can't rank a season down for how the actual events turned out, because that is up to luck and the teams themselves.

Could this season have been more enjoyable? Yes.
Was this designed better than other recent ones? Yes, and that's what makes this edition better than some other recent installments. It seems TAR put much more effort into trying to improve the racecourse. It's a shame that the perception of some teams is undermining this edition.

I'm sort of sad that I tend to be ignored here... :'(


Offline shzron1946

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #45 on: April 14, 2010, 04:11:22 PM »
What I want to say is that there are those who play very emotionally and those who play very intellectually. I am sure everyone would like to think they are being really intellectual and cerebral and all that, but by golly sometimes you just go on a hunch, or go with your feelings.

Now,going back to Caite and her partner and the two lesbian ladies whose names I can never remember.  I am sure that we in the viewing audience were getting info through some very clever editing that was brainstormed AFTER Caite and her partner actually had u-turned this team, but let's face it, they had been told from the beginning that the two ladies were making fun of them, and the ladies themselves appeared to have personally confirmed that they thought the couple was stupid.  If I was the Caite and whatshisname couple, I'd have u-turned them too, just because I could and just to shut them up once and for all and GET THEM OUT OF THE GAME OUT OF SHEER SPITE.  They had it coming.  You all know they did.
 
And also, they could have actually won! 

If I was Caite or her partner, even if I didn't think I could win, I wouldn't want THEM to win.  This is these two ladies' own fault.  Even though they made fun at the beginning of the race,  if they were half as smart as they seemed to think they were, they would have smoothed that over pretty soon after the start.  This is not a game where you want people to be mad at you.  A little bit of help along the way has saved many an Amazing Racer and we all have seen that.  These older ladies were  not only nasty and cruel, they were arrogant.

I think they don't realize how abrasive they were because they didn't see or live the edited product,  as we did.  Maybe they will have a different story if they ever watch videos of the whole season.  Still, whatever was really happening, they were not making Caite and her partner feel particularly forgiving. 

So all of you intellectuals who want to argue the intelligence of the u-turn, keep this in mind:  Sometimes simple human feelings can trump all the  rational argument.  Karma can be a killer.  And guess what, ladies?  THIS TIME IT WAS AND YOU'RE GONE!!!

Offline georgiapeach

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #46 on: April 14, 2010, 04:19:20 PM »
:welcome2: to RFF shzron1946!!
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Offline slayton

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #47 on: April 14, 2010, 04:36:42 PM »
TAR16 accomplishments (based on spoilers):
  • First cast in TAR:US history to not have at least 3 teams with an average placement better than 4.  (The following two are corollaries of this accomplishment.)
  • First cast in TAR:US history with more than 1 team in the final 4 with an average placement of 4 or worse.
  • First cast in TAR:US history with more than 1 team in the final 3 with an average placement of 4 or worse.

A great team would be wiping the floor with these other teams.

Can we look at this from the reverse, and say that the TAR 16 eliminated teams are performing better than early-eliminated teams in the past? Or say that this cast is more well-balanced than those of the past?

I don't believe these statistics can prove the aptitude of a group, since rankings are very much a zero-sum game.

To me, it's all about the TAR16 cast doing things that none of the previous 15 casts have ever done, for whatever reason.

It's all subjective, so I guess that we'll just have to agree to disagree about this.

The only thing that's not debatable is that if Dan & Jordan or Brent & Caite win, TAR16 will set a new record for worst performing winners in TAR: US history, by at least six-tenths of a point.

Offline DeafRacer

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #48 on: April 14, 2010, 05:16:43 PM »
Nah actually, people who don't see the U-TURN strategy fail to understand the theory behind it.

If I were on the race and at the first U-TURN as one of the front teams, i'll use my U-TURN on either Michael and Louie or Jet and Cord because both of them are in the lead and i'll want them out of the race.

If i'm one of the lagging teams, my strategy would be to U-TURN Jeff and Jordan or Brent and Caite to ensure they stay behind me.

At the second U-TURN in Singapore, it was EXTREMEY dumb not to U-TURN the cowboys or the detectives once again.. especially after the detectives did a hat trick and the cowboys going from sixth to first.

If i'm a lagging team, i'll still U-TURN a team behind me for sure.. and i'm pretty sure Brent and Caite knew the cowboys were behind them. It was a solid pure DUMB move not to U-TURN them and i hope Jet and Cord WIN the race to let these 2 dumb teams who chose not to U-TURN them regret their choice.

WELL SAID!!!!  :jumpy:   That's what exactly U-Turn is for!!!! Not for getting teams out that you don't like! I mean come on, $1 million is at the stake!

Here's what I don't understand.  Several people, including Luke, have made statements like this:
Joe & Heidi and Carol & Brandy deserved not to be U-Turned. They showed their strong racing skills and they deserved their spots in the Final Three.   :'(

Well, if they had "strong racing skills" it was probably a good idea to U-Turn them.  When Mike & Louie U-Turned Joe & Heidi, they were right behind them, despite Joe's bum knee.  When Brent & Caite U-Turned Carol & Brandy, they were also right behind them.  On both of these legs, Jet & Cord were struggling.

The editors have certainly highlighted the personal nature of the U-Turns, but there were strategic reasons for both of them also.  And both teams that used the U-Turns ended up in the Final 4, so I would say they were successful.

Luke, not to be cynical, but then why did you U-turn Amanda and Kris? Did they not deserve a spot in the Final Three? (I agree with several of your other points, just not about the meaning of the U-turn)

I can criticize the editing and the producers' portrayal of teams, but I can't rank a season down for how the actual events turned out, because that is up to luck and the teams themselves.

Could this season have been more enjoyable? Yes.
Was this designed better than other recent ones? Yes, and that's what makes this edition better than some other recent installments. It seems TAR put much more effort into trying to improve the racecourse. It's a shame that the perception of some teams is undermining this edition.

I'm sort of sad that I tend to be ignored here... :'(

Caelestor, I'm not like Michael & Louie or Brent & Caite who based the decision on personal feeling about which team to U-Turn. I based my decision on STRATEGY. I want to make sure that I could ensure my team all the way to the Final Three. At that point, the teams that were behind us: Tammy & Victor, Cara & Jaime, Amanda & Kris, Mike & Mel, and Mark & Michael (but we thought M&M were already ahead of us since they took the first flight out).

Jaime & Cara, they were our main ally so no way we would U-Turn them. Mike & Mel, I knew about Mel's groin injury so that would slow them down so we would be able to beat them in footrace. I did thought about U-Turn Tammy & Victor over Kris & Amanda. But, I look at it that Tammy and my mom both got same strengths. I could beat Victor in physical challenges. Victor could beat me in mental challenges. So, Tammy & Victor and my mom & I are pretty much same in several ways. Not forget to mention their meltdown in Romania so I thought it is hurting their racing at that point. That's why we didn't U-Turn them.

For first three legs, Amanda & Kris finished pretty strong and we were basically on each other's heels. I thought of the long term strategy: there's no way that I could match Kris' insane strengths in the challenges. There's no way that my mom and I could beat them in the footrace if it ever came down to it. So, my thought was, "U-Turn them and hope it will knock them out of the race." Sure, we could have use them as our shield to protect ourselves for next U-Turn in case a team wants to U-Turn a strongest team. Only our best chance was getting to next U-Turn first in order to protect ourselves. Our gamble paid off for having Tammy & Victor as our ally. AND! Not to forget that I saw Amanda & Kris left the stack detour and heading for the shutter task. So, I knew it's a perfect shot that would ensure their elimination for sure since the stack task is pretty tough.

Hindsight, I based my strategy on a long term goal that I want strongest teams to go first hence that's why I U-Turned Amanda & Kris because they're strongest team at the point, not because I don't like them. They def. do deserve their spot in the Final Three and I adore them. But again, I was RACING. Caelestor, you can't criticize me for U-Turning Amanda & Kris and I was playing to win, not play to get teams out that I don't like.

It's just a turn off that people like Brent & Caite and Michael & Louie aren't being strategic on what's best for themselves in long run.

DavidJunior

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Re: Season 16 = Dumbest Cast Ever...?
« Reply #49 on: April 14, 2010, 05:33:39 PM »
my problem is that everyone seems to think, apparently, that Carol/Brandy wouldn't be a HUMONGOUS threat in that final leg.

are they not the most intellectual team on the race (at least at the point they were eliminated?)

and if they had survived this leg (and let's say they U-turned the Cowboys out of the race), they would've had two teams have major meltdowns on the next legs to ensure they made it to the end.

and even if Jet/Cord survived this leg and got rid of Louie/Mike, Carol/Brandy prob. would've been able to beat Dan/Jordan with their meltdown.

Carol/Brandy in the final 3 would be a tough team to beat, especially with an almost guaranteed mental/memory task on the horizon.

although Brent/Caite probably weren't thinking on a strategic level, it was a very good strategy (getting rid of the smart rather than the strong or fast, esp. in the final stretch).