Author Topic: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)  (Read 46221 times)

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Offline slayton

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #75 on: September 27, 2010, 06:24:40 PM »
I thought the episode was well paced, which always makes an episode appear good on the surface.

After thinking about what actually happened on the episode, however, I thought it was only decent.

The boat task was the only thing that I liked.

I didn't like that teams went to Stonehenge just to grab a clue.

It didn't look like teams had difficulty with climbing a ladder and getting doused.

If someone didn't get hit in the face with a watermelon, I wouldn't have found the roadblock to have been that interesting.

I've never found it to be interesting when teams get lost while driving on maintained roads. 

I love it when teams get lost while driving in the middle of nowhere, like the desert in TAR1 & TAR2, or when they're traveling by foot.

Offline Belle Book

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #76 on: September 27, 2010, 06:36:41 PM »
Okay, having watched the season premiere of TAR 17, i just thought how lame TARA 4 season premiere is.

Just the first 10 minutes of the show and it got me really fired up and worked up for the entire season, to want to see who wins and who will have a chance to get to know each other better and which locations they will be going to. It is the first time in 17 seasons where i actually appreciated the MULTI camera angles at the starting line and helicopter shots of the vehicles moving away from the starting line. It made the first 10 minutes of the show truly exciting and truly one of its own.

And throughout the entire episode, i just can't sit down properly without feeling excited for each and every moment of the race. The editing was so good that i really thought Katie and Rachel had a good chance of getting on the first flight, when in fact Chad and Stefenie were just moments behind Jill and Thomas. The editing really got to me!! But at least it really kept me glued to the TV screen.

I loved this leg because SELF-DRIVING is back. You see, when a team loses because they suck at self-driving, it is entirely of their own fault and no one will feel bad if they got eliminated. Okay, i would have been sad if Andie and Jenna got eliminated, but wouldn't be as sad because they can only blame themselves for not driving well.. but thank God the mother and daughter is still around. Ron and Tony, i don't know what they were thinking, but if you're lost... or terribly lost.. don't keep driving... of course i don't know if they did keep driving on, but it is impossible to just keep driving in the wrong direction had they bothered to ask directions more frequently.

The wade a boat across the river task was a genius task which forced teams to work together and i loved it. The Roadblock was creative and only Amazing Race producers can think of something like that. I think the producers were even happier that Brooke/Claire (one of them, i still don't know who is who yet) got a watermelon straight at her head and it is good for TV. LOL! But it was definitely pain and i gotta say that the task is definitely one of those memorable tasks that you will remember on the first leg.. (Cheese rolling anyone?? LOL!)

London is beautiful and i loved the sights that TAR offered us! Realized that the split screens that they used on Season 14 were absence from this season.. will they be back?

I love the teams this season.. with the exception of Chad and Stefenie! As usual i'm rooting for ALL 4 of the ALL-FEMALE teams but everyone else maybe except Jill and Thomas is in my good books right now.. this season really reminded me of the time during TAR 14 where i loved most of the teams at the beginning.

I can't wait for the next episode already!! :hearts: :hearts: :hearts:

I'm really rooting for Nat & Kat and Brooke & Claire but I like Connor & Jonathan and just about every team except Chad & Stephanie.  BTW, it was Claire who got hit with the watermelon.

Belle Book


Offline Cocoa

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #77 on: September 27, 2010, 07:21:54 PM »
Joab, there was a split screen. But only once, though. :tup:
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Offline theschnauzers

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #78 on: September 27, 2010, 08:55:56 PM »
I can't remember which thread it was. but there was a question about whether Ron and Tony did the roadblock. I think the answer is one of them did.  I saw a red roadblock envelope in whichever of them was holding the clue envelopes on the check in mat.
So it looks as if they got to do all the tasks before they were eliminated,
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #79 on: September 27, 2010, 09:37:27 PM »
I think Ron mentioned about riding the horse too...
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Offline Slowhatch

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #80 on: September 27, 2010, 09:45:39 PM »
All the cars had Michigan plates. I'm sure it was a sponsored plug, but still...there are plenty of smart-car dealerships in Mass. where vehicles could have been arranged at a much lower cost.
The plate numbering looks non-standard, and I'm not sure about the yellow letter decals.

Offline Dånooky

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #81 on: September 28, 2010, 01:16:28 AM »
and I'm not sure about the yellow letter decals.

I think those are used to keep track of which team drives which car, I remember seeing something similar in TAR3 during the dieselgate episode
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Offline Chateau d If

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #82 on: September 28, 2010, 02:50:09 AM »
Mat location for this leg of the race:

Bernie Sanders:  "We only go around once, we may as well make history as we go around."
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Offline Chateau d If

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #83 on: September 28, 2010, 02:53:56 AM »
Thanks to Jill:

This shot was taken between 11:16 and 11:28 am (assumes May 27th).
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Offline krabbe

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #84 on: September 28, 2010, 11:25:35 AM »
cuse.
I thought the episode was well paced, which always makes an episode appear good on the surface.

After thinking about what actually happened on the episode, however, I thought it was only decent.

The boat task was the only thing that I liked.

I didn't like that teams went to Stonehenge just to grab a clue.

It didn't look like teams had difficulty with climbing a ladder and getting doused.

If someone didn't get hit in the face with a watermelon, I wouldn't have found the roadblock to have been that interesting.

I've never found it to be interesting when teams get lost while driving on maintained roads. 

I love it when teams get lost while driving in the middle of nowhere, like the desert in TAR1 & TAR2, or when they're traveling by foot.

Now that I've rewatched it, I agree. The producers got lucky with the watermelon hit, because it was such a random task. The boat thing was good because it wasn't as easy as it looked, it required skill and patience. As for Stonehenge, I think it's a logistical nightmare to have a task there. But I find it weird that the teams had a hard time finding it. They're in an English speaking country, the motorways are well marked, & they had maps. Being "on the wrong side of the road" is not really an excuse. Still an exciting episode, though.


Offline theschnauzers

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #85 on: September 28, 2010, 11:43:58 AM »
Speaking of Stonehenge, the most recent series of Doctor Who used it as a location for the final story of the series (The Pandorica Opens/The Big Bang), and most of that shoot was done at night.) So while TAR wasn't unique in filming there, it's very rare, and it was the latest world landmark to make some sort of appearance on TAR.

I'm not bothered that teams only got a clue at that locale; it's the seeing of it, and finding it by self-navigation and driving, that was the treat. The show has often sent teams to a world landmark on the first leg (1- Victoria Falls; 2- the Christ Statute overlooking Rio, 3- the pyramids outside Mexico City; etc. (And by sending the teams there out of Heathrow provided Phil and Bert the time to get to Eastnor Castle before the teams.)

The place was beautiful to see, and I'm glad the show went there.
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Offline georgiapeach

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #86 on: September 28, 2010, 03:40:15 PM »
AND we got a crop circle!! :hearts:
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Offline Hooky

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Re: TAR 17 EP 1 "They Don't Call it the Amazing Race for Nothin'!" (Premiere)
« Reply #87 on: October 04, 2010, 02:57:00 PM »
and I'm not sure about the yellow letter decals.

I think those are used to keep track of which team drives which car, I remember seeing something similar in TAR3 during the dieselgate episode

They have also always been numbers, so the fact that they are now letters is an interesting development.
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