Topic: Why the Amazing Race has lost its magic

[apskip]

You need the Colin and Christie/Nick and Starr (Anybody else notice how the two most dominant teams in history aren't M/M teams?) teams to keep the unexpected results in perspective, and to keep them that much more amazing.

Nick & Starr dominated only because all the other teams sucked.  They were merely lucky in that regard.  Were they up against way more competitive teams, they would've been out long before the F3.
[/quote

Ashe:
To state that Ken/Tina at 7 to 10 minutes behind at the Finish Line or Toni/Dallas sucked is pretty blatant. I thought AR13 was plenty competitive even though Nick/Starr won the majority of the important legs. I will guess that you must have been thinking aobut Dan/Andrew, whose main function was to provide comic relief.

[Coutzy]

You need the Colin and Christie/Nick and Starr (Anybody else notice how the two most dominant teams in history aren't M/M teams?) teams to keep the unexpected results in perspective, and to keep them that much more amazing.

Nick & Starr dominated only because all the other teams sucked.  They were merely lucky in that regard.  Were they up against way more competitive teams, they would've been out long before the F3.

Ashe:
To state that Ken/Tina at 7 to 10 minutes behind at the Finish Line or Toni/Dallas sucked is pretty blatant. I thought AR13 was plenty competitive even though Nick/Starr won the majority of the important legs. I will guess that you must have been thinking aobut Dan/Andrew, whose main function was to provide comic relief.

hear, hear.

Kenny and Tina were (for me, anyway) The BJ and Tyler of TAR 13, always just behind the dominant force.
And Toni and Dallas were a well oiled racing machine, miles better than Ronald and Christina, who made final 3.

The only teams in series 13 that put in really forgettable performances were Dandrew, Anthony and Stephanie and Aja and Ty. All the other teams had distinct high points in their race.

[Dånooky]

Also, love them or hate them, TAR has not been able to recreate the casting magic of Rob/Amber, who turned race strategy into an art form.

If you call bribery, strategy...I think that ain't gonna happen anymore, you see how negatively peple here react to Mark & Michael's pump hiding last leg and while some people still criticize the use of the U-Turn...Actually, now that I think of it, it's sad that most of the time teams in TAR strategize they're showcased like "evil"

[Neobie]

I heard this analogy on TWoP way back in Season 2: TAR should be run like a marathon or a motor race - you should do everything within the rules to get yourself ahead, but not anything to put others behind.

TAR7 Rob crossed the line from time to time, but my favourite racer for fourteen seasons? Still Blake and his zany schemes by a margin! (Metal detectors in the night, rhinoceros gifts, shortcuts to the mat...)


Oh how I took the Peruvian trucks for granted back in TAR7... OK the locals were planted, but... they give such a warm fuzzy feeling that's so hard to come by nowadays!

And TAR:A? Pfft. It takes the weaknesses of TAR and then magnifies them! (Adopting the U-Turn and placing it at the worst possible place, culturally-comatose tasks like paintball in Thailand, taxi-taxi-drive-taxi-drive...) It seems like the producers aren't trying very hard - I've seen school races organized by grade kids that are that much more professional - and I'm not kidding.

[Dånooky]

TARA usually gets better once they reach the final 6

[TARAsia Fan]

I haven't posted here, but I've read all of your comments. Everyone has valid points. Whether TAR works for you or not is totally subjective. There's no right or wrong answer here.

To me, TAR has remained fresh. While I was disappointed in TAR10 when Tyler & James won (I felt as negatively as Ashe did about TAR13), I've felt the producers have tried to continuously shake things up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (remember that "surprise" elimination in the middle of the first leg in TAR 10? - not a good idea, IMO).

But I still get excited for each new season. I still get pumped especially after an episode like last night. To me, TAR has not lost the magic, has not jumped the shark. If you feel that way, I respect that. We all can't agree.

The show may have lost the magic, but again, not a wrong answer. Hopefully, the producers will keep trying to make improvements to the show.

Over 13 seasons, you can't have the same show over and over again, then it becomes stale. I feel shows like American Idol and Survivor have become stale because of the formula. I feel because of the different locations each season, TAR is exciting and just seeing how each team deals with the language barrier and stress is great for me.

[Ashe]

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (remember that "surprise" elimination in the middle of the first leg in TAR 10? - not a good idea, IMO).

That one actually could've worked a lot better had they saved it for later on, like, say, the F8 or F7.

[TARAsia Fan]

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (remember that "surprise" elimination in the middle of the first leg in TAR 10? - not a good idea, IMO).

That one actually could've worked a lot better had they saved it for later on, like, say, the F8 or F7.

I'll agree with that. And if they used it more than once a season, it could have been better.

[mswood]

The main reason I have a hard time classifying how strong a team Nick & Starr were is that, not only was that season full of teams blundering.  It was the one season (out of all of them) that featured almost no driving.  In fact all the driving they did (first only in english speaking countries) total was less then most seasons have in a heavy driving leg.  And the legs they did drive in were they lost positions.

In fact in most other seasons the ability to navigate (in vehicles) is one of the single biggest factors in how well a team does.

I am not saying this as someone who disliked Nick & Starr.  In fact they were one of my favorites of that season.

Based on breaking down all tasks and abilities of teams (for all the seasons in fairly psychotic detail) I would place about 10 teams better then Nick & Starr.

Still like them though.

[tarflyonthewall]

A while back, I posted this on my old blog. I like your explanations better, though.

[Coutzy]

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (remember that "surprise" elimination in the middle of the first leg in TAR 10? - not a good idea, IMO).

That one actually could've worked a lot better had they saved it for later on, like, say, the F8 or F7.

I'll agree with that. And if they used it more than once a season, it could have been better.

For me that suprise elimination was essentially a Pit Stop, since I regard the leg as a double length leg anyway.

Total agreement on the point of shows like Survivor and their formula though. Once you get people actively anticipating "twists" like a merge, its time to can the idea and go with something else.

Biggest suggestion I would have to make to improve TAR would be to bring back the Fast Forward on every leg, and have a Yield (or U-Turn, I'm not fussy) On every leg. This way it becomes a strategic decision to use it, instead of "It only appears once, we might as well take it" decision.

[Ashe]

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (remember that "surprise" elimination in the middle of the first leg in TAR 10? - not a good idea, IMO).

That one actually could've worked a lot better had they saved it for later on, like, say, the F8 or F7.

I'll agree with that. And if they used it more than once a season, it could have been better.

For me that suprise elimination was essentially a Pit Stop, since I regard the leg as a double length leg anyway.

Total agreement on the point of shows like Survivor and their formula though. Once you get people actively anticipating "twists" like a merge, its time to can the idea and go with something else.

Biggest suggestion I would have to make to improve TAR would be to bring back the Fast Forward on every leg, and have a Yield (or U-Turn, I'm not fussy) On every leg. This way it becomes a strategic decision to use it, instead of "It only appears once, we might as well take it" decision.

I suspect budget problems might've forced them to discontinue that tradition.

[patlini]

Even if the current TAR isn't the same as it was in its infancy, its still better than a lot of the pap out there.

[Moo]

I haven't posted here, but I've read all of your comments. Everyone has valid points. Whether TAR works for you or not is totally subjective. There's no right or wrong answer here.

To me, TAR has remained fresh. While I was disappointed in TAR10 when Tyler & James won (I felt as negatively as Ashe did about TAR13), I've felt the producers have tried to continuously shake things up. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't (remember that "surprise" elimination in the middle of the first leg in TAR 10? - not a good idea, IMO).

But I still get excited for each new season. I still get pumped especially after an episode like last night. To me, TAR has not lost the magic, has not jumped the shark. If you feel that way, I respect that. We all can't agree.

The show may have lost the magic, but again, not a wrong answer. Hopefully, the producers will keep trying to make improvements to the show.

Over 13 seasons, you can't have the same show over and over again, then it becomes stale. I feel shows like American Idol and Survivor have become stale because of the formula. I feel because of the different locations each season, TAR is exciting and just seeing how each team deals with the language barrier and stress is great for me.

I couldn't agree more with what you have said Ken! Survivor and AI have been stale because of the usual things, TAR has something new for us every time. Starting with the locations itself!

[puddin]

I thought this take on realitytv was interesting

http://www.maximumfun.org/blog/2009/04/survivorman-reality-tv.html

[georgiapeach]

I find it particularly interesting that he holds up Survivorman as the shining example of a real show. . Wasn't that the show that had a recent expose showing that the main guy was receiving quite a bit of production help along the way? Or do I have that comfused with another man against the bears show?

[puddin]

I think its this one peach

Man vs. Wild
http://www.tvguide.com/news/Man-vs-Wild-13968.aspx

[georgiapeach]

Thanks, puddin!!  Gosh, the wilderness is hopping these days with Discovery Channel guys!

[Snooky]

I think its this one peach

Man vs. Wild
http://www.tvguide.com/news/Man-vs-Wild-13968.aspx

Honestly, I think that Man vs. Wild is more entertaining, but on survivorman the host is on his own.
Anyway...back on topic:
I compare season 1 to survivorman, and season 13 as Man vs. Wild.

[puddin]

I think its this one peach

Man vs. Wild
http://www.tvguide.com/news/Man-vs-Wild-13968.aspx

Honestly, I think that Man vs. Wild is more entertaining, but on survivorman the host is on his own.
Anyway...back on topic:
I compare season 1 to survivorman, and season 13 as Man vs. Wild.

lol, thats a great way to look at it Snooky!

[Coutzy]

I find it particularly interesting that he holds up Survivorman as the shining example of a real show. . Wasn't that the show that had a recent expose showing that the main guy was receiving quite a bit of production help along the way? Or do I have that comfused with another man against the bears show?

On the note of help from production: Did anybody notice how much make up the girls (especially Parvati) seemed to be wearing on Fans vs Faves?

[TexasLady]

I haven't commented because I'm so new to TAR but from my family's perspective, we love TAR. Nothing else compares to it. It's people doing things that most viewers will never do in places they will never visit.

My hubby and I started watching during the last All-Star version and been hooked since. I'm sure if I had watched since the beginning I'd have suggestions or dislikes but to keep a show on the air, it has to attract viewers especially new viewers. In our home, it's a must watch show. (Not to mention how I am in total AWE of the super detective abilities of everyone here on this forum!) 

BTW, I hate that survivor man show. I always think he's going to die any minute from dehydration, some super poisonous snake bite or a horrible foot fungus. 

[Jobby]

I was flipping through wikipedia looking at the statistics of the past seasons of The Amazing Race and realized how much TAR love TAR 14 has brought back for me. In an interview, i remembered Phil saying that this season was special and could be compared to that of Season 1,3,5 and 7.. which i completely agree now that the race is coming to an end. There were really memorable teams this season such as Margie and Luke and Tammy and Victor, just like in TAR 3 how people remembered Flo and Zach, TAR 5 for Colin and Christie and Charla and Mirna, TAR 7 for Meredith and Gretchen and Rob and Amber.

Compared to milder seasons like TAR 4, TAR 9 and TAR 13 (mostly in recent seasons), i believe that TAR 14 has indeed helped TAR make a comeback and place it as among one of those top reality shows of all time (it already is, just that more people like it better now!)

Alot of times, it really depends on luck that a season will come off as interesting and exciting to the viewers. For example, TAR 13 was ruined by Nick and Starr's constant first place, TAR 12 was ruined by a pair of boring winners (definitely not TK and Rachel's fault, but i believe Ron and Chris and Kynt and Vyxsin had wayyyy more supporters.. but TAR 12 was a good season overall), TAR Allstars was ruined by Eric and Danielle winning against SUPER popular teams from Dustin and Kandice, Charla and Mirna, Oswald and Danny and Uchenna and Joyce. TAR 10 was ruined by alpha males winning again and the two all-female teams who make it to the F4 not winning. TAR 9 was ruined by Eric and Jeremy and BJ and Tyler switching on and off for first place for the entire race and another alpha male winning while TAR 8 was ruined by the fact that it was raced in the USA. So if you're looking from my perspective, i actually believe that it is not wrong for me to say that from Season 8 to Season 13.. TAR was actually in a real mess because the expected happenings which majority wanted did not occur (such as more teams winning first and better winning teams).

Whereas for TAR 3, 5 and 7.. there was a magic to it like Phil had said because the race was more unpredictable. TAR 3 had Teri and Ian being the underdogs, Flo and Zach winning. TAR 5 had Chip and Kim, Charla and Mirna, Linda and Karen and Kami and Karli in the F6 while TAR 7 had Meredith and Gretchen in the F4 and Uchenna and Joyce winning against Rob and Amber. And the reason why i compare this season to the 3 i listed above, is because nobody expected Margie and Luke to make it to the F4.. and all-female teams like Kisha and Jen and Cara and Jaime making it to the F4. And we had what the producers always liked as well, drama between two teams which makes the race so much more interesting! Except with the fact that there are more double legs in a particular country, i actually thought that the tasks and locations chosen for TAR 14 has been of quality standard this season and they were actually memorable like other seasons task such as TAR 5 Caviar, meat carrying and Ostrich egg.. for example i really like the cheese rolling, cake throwing, running bare in the cold win in Siberia and a number of other memorable tasks this season that we haven't see but know it's going to come soon (Opera task and scorpion eating in China).

So the point i'm trying to make here is.. TAR lost it's magic for a period of time, but i believe TAR 14 brought the magic back and i hope this little spark and flame will continue to burn brighty and bring us a good season of TAR 15 and more seasons to come!

[Dånooky]

I think TAR's magic relies mostly in how the casting process goes and not having teams that are clearly stronger than the rest, I think the cast director finally nailed it in this season making a memorable cast which was also funny, dramatic, and overall kept each other in check. I think TAR recovered its magic this season, because you can feel the competition between the teams.

[apskip]

I agree with cdfe88 on this. Casting several teams all about equal in their performance potential is the key to the most successful amazing Races. In AR14, we have the final 4, but we also had Amanda and Kris and Brad and Victoria who bit the dust early but could have gone all the way.