Topic: Best/Worst Legs, Ever.

[Neobie]

Your picks, and your reasons?

Here's my list of the 10 worst-planned legs, ever. What's yours?

10. TAR 14.2: Bavaria/Salzburg
Filled with forgettable and slapstick tasks, this leg was saved only by the high winds.

9. TAR 7.7: Botswana II
Linear leg that gave Brian and Greg no chance to catch up, and with only one change in standings throughout the episode.

8. TAR 4.2: Venice
Brilliant Roadblock, but handicapped by lacklustre Detour options (take the gondola, or... don't take the gondola) and a badly-planned bunch right before the Pit Stop.

7. TAR 11.10: Hong Kong
An excess of kung-fu/stunt tasks, fabricated and misguided "cultural" challenges, plus a Fast Forward that meant each of the four teams were separated so much the final standings were set from arrival at the airport.

6. TAR 10.9: Finland
Insipid tasks with very little relevance to Finland or Finnish culture, and a leg whose relevance was entirely wiped out by the TBC and flight options in the next episode.

5. TAR 1.9: Krabi
A leg with practically zero displacement, an overload of physical tasks, and an overnight anti-bunch that affected the remainder of the season.

4. TAR 6.13: Hawaii/Chicago
You'd expect a high standard for a finale, but everything done in Hawaii was negated by the final flight, and then... pizza.

3. TAR 3.10: Kuala Lumpur/Singapore
I can see how HDB flats can come into play, but... Kodak EasyShare Cameras. Phua Chu Kang. Manatees. Running around fountains. Erm?

2. TAR 8.11: Montana
It was a good Detour, but that added to the "too much cowboy stuff" we've already seen in the past four legs. This leg was burdened with the corny old-timey photo, and what could be in contention for the lamest Roadblock (after the Fountain of Wealth): golf. Wait, not even golf. Looking for golf balls.

1. TAR 13.8: Kazakhstan
You're going into this trying to prove that TAR is of better taste than Borat. And you go put people in a cow suit. Deeply affects TAR's reputation as a quality show. Fail, TPTB!

[Moo]

10 WORST LEGS EVER

10. TAR 5.11. Manila, Philippines
**** this leg! Had I been their consultant, It's not just Colin who's going to be saying "My Ox is broken!"

9. TAR 11.2. Chiquicamata, Chile
Chile Much? I didn't like the whole damn thing except for Charla and Mirna and Dustin and Kandice's confrontation, I also nominate this for the WORST.PITSTOP.LOCATION.EVER.

8. TAR 9.11. Tokyo, Japan
Weee... the first time you go to Japan, and three teams remaining and a NEL? WTH... So epically USELESS. The leg was fun, but the teams pissed me off...

7. TAR 12.2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
Yeah, even though Ron and Christina epically fails to communicate this leg (I hate seeing them like this), moving house furniture and bikes really showed how "nice" the Netherlands are.

6. TAR 13.5. Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia
It was a snoozefest. That's it. Aside from an ugly leg, (There could BE much better, isn't it?) the team was expected to be eliminated.

5. TAR 8.6. Costa Rica
Gaghan elimination <//////////////////////////33333333. Curse that red coffee bean! 

4. TAR 4.7. India 2
Tian and Jaree elimination </////3 instead of Richen and Chip. Not that India greatness compared to TAR 4.6. Mumbai Leg, which was the Rape Train of Love!

3. TAR 1.12. Alaska USA
Producers should have intervened with Joe and Bill's delay of a day, as such, I didn't actually the top 2 battling for the top spot.

2. TAR 14.3. Bran, Romania
I can't watch this leg... but everytime I watch it, I still want to kick Victor and Tammy out of the mountain and tell them that the arrows to the task are. Just glad they won.

1. TAR 11.6. Zanzibar, Tanzania
OMG.  WTH... This leg SCREWED PRETTY MUCH ALL-STARS. Thanks to this leg!!! And I still cuss and curse this leg everytime I see it, Teri and Ian and Guidos at the back of the pack <////////3

10 BEST LEGS EVER

10. TAR 2.7 Hong Kong, China
Love this leg! HONG KONG IS <3333333333333333

9. TAR 13.4. Auckland, New Zealand
Phil's Dad! Kentina in a helicopter! Self Drive leg! Kiwis! YAY! Best leg of TAR 13!

8. TAR 14.5. Maputo, Mozambique
For All-Stars, this was the best leg ever. Charla and Mirna comeback! (Malaysia was a notch down because of U/J being delayed by half a day; otherwise, it had been the best and E/D might have been eliminated, sparing us the best win in the history of the race)

7. TAR 8.10 Double Length Leg
Okay, not being in America, I personally loved TAR8 more than TAR9 or 7. Seriously. Godlewski family being eliminated <///////3, but the leg itself is <33333333333333

6. TAR 6.11. Xian, China
Hayden's hyperventilation, losing at the Roadblock and finally proposal at the mat! What a leg! I love this leg, second to Beijing 14.11.

5. TAR 7.13. Epic Finale that brought Romber second.
Hated them that season, but epically loved them at all-stars. Oh MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!

4. TAR 4.6. Mumbai, India
Rape Train! Rape Train! Rape Train! Nuff Said!

3. TAR 3.12. Vietnam
Flo: I quit!  OMG. Had this been elimination, Derek and Drew should have won the Race! 

2. TAR 10.1. Beijing, China/ TAR 6.10. Shanghai, China
China again! Yes! Epic leg as well!!! Love the twist and the challenges made! Shanghai is <333 as well!

1. TAR 14.11. Beijing, China
BEST.LEG.EVER. Getting a pee break costs a Million dollars, Jaime's reaction to China, Tammy and Victor superownage!!! This is by far the best China leg and the best leg ever released!

[apskip]

Neobie,

Your worst leg list is a good one. I will probably come up with my own after giving it some thought. In the interim, I do not agree with 2 of the legs you have placed on your list:

13.8 Kazakhstan - yes, the Borat schmaltz and the cow suits and most of all the misuse of falcons and Mongol warriors were terrible. However, I found the Fast Forward, the Golden Egg ROADBLOCK and the tasks around downtown Almaty leaving side the cow suits were all excellent in my opinion. You have the best and worst in the same episode, but it nets out to an average leg.

1.9 Krabi - I have a totally different view than you do about this. The damage was already done to Joe/Bill from the Bangkok to Krabi leg and their reluctance to head south when they received the FAST FORWARD clue. Kevin/Drew had an average leg getting to Krabi, but Frank/Margarita and Rob/Brennan had excellent legs. They earned their early start out of Krabi. The King was a superb DETOUR although its timing did close out the lagging teams and soon put them 24 hours beind. I think there ought to be more of rewarding excellent performance by letting teams go at full pace without being held back by so many bunching points. The fact that it was a 2 team race in the Finale and not a 3 team race is inconsequential. I would love to see far fewer bunch points at the end of the race. By working throughout the entire season to artificially force the teams together to start the final leg, World Race Productions is doing the fans no favor. AR1 was the only season to not do that so Bravo to its design!

[Zack.]

Best legs ever (in no particular order):

1. TAR 1310 - Moscow 2 - a very welcome addition of mental difficulty in the tasks made for an interesting leg (unfortunately negated by the outcome). One of the better Roadblocks of that season and certainly the best Detour pairing.

2. TAR 505 - Giza - Let's ignore the (not at all bad) tasks; holy crap, it's the Pyramids! And the Sphinx! Amazing stuff, indeed.

3. TAR 308 - Zurich - Best Detour ever (yes, I'll say it). A variety of transport (self-driving, ferry, two sets of trains, JVJ's bus ride which was not required by the clue, and foot plus I think only one taxi ride)

4. TAR 1207 - Tuscany - Very old school TAR, what with the variety of transport (boat, bus, taxi, driving, walking not required by the clue), the intelligent Detour with no clear answer and the amount of race activity in the early morning hours.

5. TAR 205 - Bangkok - Definitely my favorite of the Bangkok legs, there were a variety of interesting tasks which were culturally relevant and entertaining from a viewer's perspective. A bit saddened that no one took the head shaving FF, but whatever.

6. TAR 208 - Hong Kong/Sydney - I really enjoy when teams have to fly from two major cities, as it really shows which teams are on their game and which teams aren't (TAR 505 had this also). Additionally, the Roadblock was simple yet hilarious and shuffled team order, which shows that good tasks can be done without spending too much (the unaired FF is proof of this also)

7. TAR 107 - Italy/India - This leg is indicative of all of what India brings to the race (culture shock, culture shock, interesting tasks) particularly with one of the most difficult Roadblocks ever, plus I appreciate the freedom TPTB gave the teams re: getting to Dehli.

8. TAR 812/13 - Montreal/Toronto - A final leg TBC is cruel and evil. I loved it. Beyond that, the tasks were interesting (particularly the Montreal half and the final roadblock) and the stadium hunt is probably the most demanding thing they've had the racers do that didn't involve an ascender or caviar.

9. TAR 1102 - Santiago/Calama - *This* is All-Stars. Oppressive heat. Mental Roadblocks done in the middle of the night. Tons of self-driving. Challenging Detour (even if the frontloader was a lot easier). If only all of the legs were this well-done.

Keep in mind that this isn't my favorite set of episodes (note the lack of broken oxen, hateful individuals crying on the side of the road, screaming harpies accidently getting their boyfriends eliminated, stubborn donkeys, missing donkeys, people getting powder thrown at them, people getting tomatoes thrown at them, or people's stupid Yielding decisions biting them in their shoeless asses).

[ImANewUser]

10 WORST LEGS EVER

10. TAR 5.11. Manila, Philippines
**** this leg! Had I been their consultant, It's not just Colin who's going to be saying "My Ox is broken!"

9. TAR 11.2. Chiquicamata, Chile
Chile Much? I didn't like the whole damn thing except for Charla and Mirna and Dustin and Kandice's confrontation, I also nominate this for the WORST.PITSTOP.LOCATION.EVER.

And somehow, I thought that that Philippines leg was decently planned. Compare that to the Philippines leg in TARA 2. Fixing bikes? Matching shoes? Also, the Pitstop of the Chile leg was the ONLY redeeming thing about that leg. Causing five teams to completely go the other way was worth it.

Can't rank the legs at the moment. Too busy.

[Coutzy]

9. TAR 7.7: Botswana II
Linear leg that gave Brian and Greg no chance to catch up, and with only one change in standings throughout the episode.

Personally, I prefer the linear legs and I think that all seasons should have at least one (despite the fact that Brian and Greg are my third favourite team of all time.)

People that finish first should get some sort of advantage for finishing first, and a purely linear leg achieves this.

As for no opportunity to catch up, Brian and Greg climbed up the wrong water tower in the legs beginning, and two teams made errors at the Roadblock that gave them a sporting chance at least. Had B/G not made the initial water tower mistake, and not stopped to take their clothes off prior to the Pit Stop, things may have been completely different. The Detour in the leg was also a chance to catch up; it was a classic "Task that will be faster if you can complete it" vs. "Task that is slower but just about anybody can do it", in the form of balancing items on your head or milking a goat.

[Neobie]

Choosing the best was much harder than choosing the worst, as there are so many great ones, but all with their little bit of imperfection. (I do love a huge majority of the legs listed upthread!) Anyway, using a half-arbitrary weightage scale, here are my best-planned legs, ever.

10. TAR 10.2: Mongolia
One of the countries you never expected to happen. Difficult tasks (handling hyniks and dismantling a yurt), driving challenges, a totally new landscape, and the awesomeness of shooting flaming arrows across the steppe.

9. TAR 1.2: Zambia/Paris
From the thrills of the Zambezi River to the epicness of the Arc de Triomphe, with simple but potent clues like "Songwe Village" and the Eiffel Tower figurine. Add in airport madness and you have the makings of a great leg.

8. TAR 2.5: Bangkok
Brought out the chaos and complexity that is Bangkok. Making teams take public transportation allowed us to meet the original Fern, and the interaction that ensued was a delight to watch.

7. TAR 12.7: Tuscany
As ZackAttack308, I loved the varied modes of transport. This was a leg that tested teams mentally in a variety of ways, from sleep deprivation to finding out the best way across Italy to the microlight searching to figuring out da Vinci's devices. Genius!

6. TAR 5.5: Cairo
I didn't really like the Fast Forward, but the general cultural relevance of the tasks, a little bit of puzzle solving, the coolness of the Sphinx and archeology and camels and all, made this an all-rounded great leg.

5. TAR 5.2: Buenos Aires
After the random Shake Mega Disco, we were treated to a great combination of fun and challenging tasks in the Detour, intra-city navigation, direct/earlier bus choices, conflict over limited cabs in a small town, and the feeling that Buenos Aires is a great place to visit.

4. TAR 1.7: Delhi
Dragged down by the Italian portion with a boring Detour and Fast Forward, but the Indian part more than made up for it. Extreme culture shock, impossible clues, the Milan/Rome dilemma and the Taj Mahal - I was in awe after this episode.

3. TAR 3.11: Ho Chi Minh City and 2. 3.12: Central Vietnam
Two great legs in a row, could this be possible? Location-unique tasks that were fiendishly difficult (and hilarious to watch), yet each solvable using a bit of mental flexibility. Long train rides inducing mental breakdowns, and helping both the racers and the audience develop a changed feeling for Vietnam. Beautiful.

1. TAR 1.4: Tunisia I
Understated episode that combined everything that makes TAR great. Awesome locations (the El Jem Coliseum, the Tunis bazaar), a Detour revolving around a central theme, interesting and relevant experiences, the need to use one's brain throughout the episode (the flag clue, cargo ships from Marseilles, the arch, the lighter, running the Coliseum, retrieving the sword), language and currency difficulties, various transport options and the smooth transition from one clue to the next. This is as close to a perfectly-planned leg I can think of. Bravo.

[apskip]

It is time for my three favorite legs from all Amazing Races. I consider AR2 to be the finest season ever. The finale race to the finish line is the most riveting segment of all of the Amazing Races, but that finishes 4th in this season. Here are my best ever legs of Amazing Races:

2-8 Sydney, where the ROADBLOCK with the Aussie slang terms was the ultimate in cross-cultural communication tests

2-9 Cooper Pedy, the DETOUR choices of playing golf in the extreme heat and opal mining underground were both fascinating

2-10 Queenstown, the sheepherding task was incredible for such a simple task design; the bungy jump was the first of many in Amazing Races and the best

[Coutzy]

2-8 Sydney, where the ROADBLOCK with teh Aussie slang terms was the ultimate in cross-cultural communication test

I'm going to have to, as an Australian, dispute the authenticity of that task.

The only word that I had terms that I had heard of from that task were "daks", "sheila" and "cossie", and I had only heard of Cossie in a relatively old song.

To me, it seemed like it was a "This is what American's think Australians act like" task.

[Zack.]

3. TAR 3.11: Ho Chi Minh City and 2. 3.12: Central Vietnam
Two great legs in a row, could this be possible? Location-unique tasks that were fiendishly difficult (and hilarious to watch), yet each solvable using a bit of mental flexibility. Long train rides inducing mental breakdowns, and helping both the racers and the audience develop a changed feeling for Vietnam. Beautiful.

And this is my favorite set of episodes ever. Not one of the best leg designs IMO, but definitely some amazing character insight/growth/destruction.

[walkingpneumonia]

My mind went somewhere else completely when I saw the subject...

Best Legs Ever - Kandice
Worst Legs Ever - oh I could be so cruel - must restrain myself 

[Neobie]

There was this one leg in TAR10 that felt very... artificial. Also two legs in TAR5 that were... much shorter than normal. Hmm...

*I'm going to Hell*

[Moo]

10 WORST LEGS EVER

10. TAR 5.11. Manila, Philippines
**** this leg! Had I been their consultant, It's not just Colin who's going to be saying "My Ox is broken!"

9. TAR 11.2. Chiquicamata, Chile
Chile Much? I didn't like the whole damn thing except for Charla and Mirna and Dustin and Kandice's confrontation, I also nominate this for the WORST.PITSTOP.LOCATION.EVER.

And somehow, I thought that that Philippines leg was decently planned. Compare that to the Philippines leg in TARA 2. Fixing bikes? Matching shoes? Also, the Pitstop of the Chile leg was the ONLY redeeming thing about that leg. Causing five teams to completely go the other way was worth it.

Can't rank the legs at the moment. Too busy.

Don't even remind me of TARA2, which ultimately made Manila a laughing stock in terms of tasks...

[georgiapeach]

My mind went somewhere else completely when I saw the subject...

Best Legs Ever - Kandice
Worst Legs Ever - oh I could be so cruel - must restrain myself 

 

There was this one leg in TAR10 that felt very... artificial.

Y'all are killing me here.

How do you guys remember all this? It  all comes back immediately when I see the list, but I couldn't pull this out of my brain like that for anything...


The "lost" Tanzanian AllStars  leg still breaks my heart.

[Moo]

The "lost" Tanzanian AllStars  leg still breaks my heart.

This leg showed "everything wrong that could happen to TAR..." I mean, whoever wanted that leg? They could have just placed a different leg or have another non elimination, it was really freaky...

[georgiapeach]

It was really poor planning on their part, most anyone who has travelled in that area knows that the Haj complicates things enormously.

But I am still grieving for the unaired unseen uncreated footage of what may well have been Tanzanian game parks, one of my favorite places in the world. Add that to my list of "need to ask Phil about that one day...."

[michael]

My favorite legs are the ones on both TAR10 & 11 where Dustin and Kandice came in first (all 6 times).
My least favorite legs are the ones in both TAR10 & 11 where Dustin and Kandice got eliminated / came in 2nd place in the finale.

[Moo]

My favorite legs are the ones on both TAR10 & 11 where Dustin and Kandice came in first (all 6 times).
My least favorite legs are the ones in both TAR10 & 11 where Dustin and Kandice got eliminated / came in 2nd place in the finale.

OMG... Spread the love for BQ's! TAR 11 finale was the worst finale ever!

[Neobie]

Anyone from the Philippines care to speculate what the TARA2 tasks were supposed to be about?

Shoes = reference to Imelda Marcos? Or no?

[Moo]

Anyone from the Philippines care to speculate what the TARA2 tasks were supposed to be about?

Shoes = reference to Imelda Marcos? Or no?

Oh no, it was not related to Imelda at all! The hometown of the Marcoses or the Romualdezes, are outside Manila, and could have been better locations to shoot the Race with (particularly, the ILOCOS REGION = Love it!) I tell you! I come from the Philippines, and I really don't know why the task was that one... I can understand the plowing, but you know, THERE ARE PRETTY MUCH BETTER DETOURS that can be done in the Philippines!

Sadly, the country where I live in seem to be the least cultural among all of Asia...  Thus, making the Philippines somewhat relevant to a SA leg. XD

ETA: The 1 and 1/2 legs that TARA2 made in Manila was a big shame. That has got to be so stupid. Manila is a small city, there are all sorts of places to go to in METRO MANILA, like dance the "Tinikling" or sell "Dirty Ice Cream" or drive a jeepney through a marked course and earn 100 pesos, or like eat the "Isaw = pig/chicken intestine barbeque"...

[Jobby]

I'll start from TAR 3 which i can really remember.

The Switzerland leg was amazing.

The Detour on this leg was Extreme Swiss or Very Swiss. In Extreme Swiss teams had to walk on a narrow red bridge then bungee jump 620 ft (190 m) from it. In Very Swiss teams searched through Swiss bells on the necks of sheep for keys to unlock a box with their next clue. The Fast Forward was to eat enough of a wheel of cheese sliced into cubes to reveal the clue underneath it. The Roadblock was to assemble a Swiss army bike from a pile of parts with a completed bike as a reference.

Love the bungee jump, the sheeps and the Fast Forward.. was funny because JVJ had to eat so much cheese!

Vietnam leg was great because of the originality of the tasks.

The Detour on this leg was Basket Boats or Basket Bikes. In Basket Boats teams take a basket boat across the river to the clue box. In Basket Bike teams took a bike laden with shrimp baskets and travel 1-mile (1.6 km) down the road to the clue box. The Roadblock was to use a fishing platform to raise a net out of the water with the clue dangling underneath.

TAR 4:

South Korea Leg -

The Roadblock was to plunge into the icy river and swim under the ice to an exit hole. The Detour choices in this leg were Strong Hands or Strong Stomach. In Strong Hands, teams had to go to a local Tae Kwon Do dojang and break three boards before being receiving their clue. In Strong Stomach, teams had to go to a restaurant where they had order and eat a Korean delicacy. What they didn't know until it was given to them is that the delicacy was a large bowl of live octopuses.

Love the Tae Kwon Do, the octopus and nearly driving to the North Korea border!

TAR 5:
Tanzania Leg -

The Detour was Buzzing or Busy. In Buzzing, teams had to travel by bicycle to a local honey farm and harvest two kilograms of honey. When its successful, they would receive their next clue. In Busy, teams had to travel to a furniture store and deliver two chairs to a specified house. When the chairs are delivered in a right address, the house owner would receive the next clue. The Roadblock required one team member to eat an ostrich egg. When the bowl is cleaned, a food owner would receive their next clue.

Loads of Tanzania scene seen when teams were travelling around. Not much of an amazing detour.. but i remembered there was also a zipline before the Pitstop at nowhere? And the Ostrich Egg.. was too memorable.

New Zealand -

The Detour was Clean or Dirty. In Clean, teams had to drive 13 miles (21 km) to Okere Falls and complete a 1 mile (1.6 km) whitewater river sledge course to receive their next clue. In Dirty, teams had to travel ten miles (16 km) to Hell's Gate and search for clues buried in a hot mud pit. In the Roadblock, one team member had to inflate a Zorb and ride it down a hillside. At the bottom of the hill, the rider had to walk the Zorb a short distance to cross a finish line, then get out and join his/her teammate and run to the Pit Stop.

Love the Detour, it's exactly what we would want to do if we go to New Zealand! The mud pit, the whitewater river and the Zorb! LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEE it.

TAR 7:
Botswana Leg 1

In this Roadblock, that team member had to do a traditional bushmen hunting activity (throwing a spear into a swinging bag) 20 feet (6.1 m) to hit a moving target, once the target has been hit, teams would receive their next clue. In this Detour, teams choose between Food or Water. In Food, teams used a device called Kika to pound corn until it was mashed, then transferred to a basket, once it reached the specified line, the woman supervising them would hand them their next clue. In Water, teams had to fill 12 ostrich eggs with water from an underground spring using a reed straw, once completed, they had to bury them to the ground before receiving their next clue.

It has to be one of the coolest pitstops ever, cool busman hunting roadblock and 2 cute detours..

TAR 9:
Australia

At the airstrip was the second of two Yields hidden on the race. The Roadblock for this leg of the race saw one member of each team had to choose a plane and doing a 12,000 feet (3,700 m) tandem skydive. The instructor hands over to get their next clue. This leg's Detour offered teams the choice of Wet or Dry. In Wet, teams drove 6 miles (9.7 km) to a swimming hole called Buley Rockhole, then hiked and swam 1 mile (1.6 km) down a river infested with "spiders and poisonous plants" to receive their next clue. In Dry, teams drove 6 miles (9.7 km) on-road, then another 6 miles (9.7 km) off-road to a rock formation known as The Lost City. Once there, teams must selected a didgeridoo and following the sound of music in the air from a locate in nearby aboriginal. Then, they had to find an Aboriginal musician with a matching didgeridoo and each team member had to play a note to receive the next clue.

Additional task
At Crocodylus Park, teams had to wade into a pond full of crocodiles to retrieve their next clue above from crocodiles.

Love the Detour, showed the culture and less developed surroundings of Australia and the additional task and Roadblock was darn cool!

TAR 11:
Argentina -

Teams chose between Navigate It or Sign It for this leg's Detour. In Navigate It, teams had to use a map of Punta Arenas to get to the town plaza where a sailor would hand them a compass. Then, using the compass, the teams needed to walk directly south to find the Nautilus Building, a deep-sea salvage business. In Sign It, teams had to choose a pole and building supplies and carry them up a flight of stairs to Magellan's Map. Using the map as a reference, teams needed to figure out his journey around the world began and ended in Seville. Then, they had to build a traditional local signpost listing in order the fourteen ports of call in his voyage. While the signs didn't have to point in the right direction, all the cities had to be spelled correctly. The Roadblock on this leg was to sort through 1,600 pieces of mail and find one of two messages addressed to their team, written by one of the other teams from their season. The team member then had to read the message inside it to their partner, after which they received their next clue.

Post office at the end of the world. Very local Detour task and because Romber was eliminated.

TAR 12:
Burkina Faso -

In the Roadblock, the teams visited an area inhabited by Tuareg people, where one team member had to milk a Dromedary and collect the camel milk in a dried gourd bowl, up to a marked line. Once finished, they had to show their bowl to a local for approval and then drink all the milk. If a team member was unable to obtain the sufficient amount of milk from his or her own camel, he or she had to wait until another team has completed their Roadblock and try milking their camel. In this Detour, teams had to choose between Teach It or Learn It. In Teach It, they would have to teach schoolchildren who did not speak English to memorize ten words of English, in which they will later be tested by a local teacher. In Learn It, teams have to learn from the local schoolchildren ten words in the More language. Teams will later be tested for these words by a local teacher.

Love the Detour, the "Lorenaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" Roadblock and the 5-way footrace to the pitstop. But the tasks were the ones which made this leg amazing to watch!

TAR 13:
Cambodia -

The Detour was a choice between Village Life or Village Work. In Village Life, teams had to retrieve a set of toy teeth from a dentist, a doll from a tailor, and a basketball from a floating basketball court all on Tonlé Sap. Each team member had to score a basket before returning all the items they had collected to the Siem Reap Harbor. In Village Work, teams had to go into Tonlé Sap and retrieve two full baskets of fish and return them to the Siem Reap Harbor on Tonlé Sap. In this leg's Roadblock, teams had to go into Angkor Wat and find an Echo Chamber where they had to beat their chest to hear the echo. They could then pick up a stone frieze displaying their next clue on the reverse.

Additional tasks
When first arriving in Siem Reap, teams had to fill a truck with 25 litres (6.6 U.S. gal) of diesel fuel and then ride the truck to Siem Reap Harbor on Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. Teams then rode a marked boat to the boat stop Kho Andeth for their next clue.

Really showed us Cambodia!

TAR 14:
Romania:

At this Leg's Roadblock, one member of each team had to go through a series of Olympic gymnastics events including the balance beam, the parallel bars, and floor exercises before receiving their next clue. The Detour was a choice between Gypsy Moves or Vampire Remains. In Gypsy Moves, teams had to help a family of gypsies move from one camp to another by loading their belongings on a traditional horse-drawn cart and unloading them at another location. In Vampire Remains, teams had to drag a chained coffin to a field of stakes on the land of Bran Castle. Once there, they had to undo the chains of the coffin to find several antique frames which they then had to smash against stakes (i.e., impale, a reference to Vlad the Impaler) until they found one containing a flag that they could trade for their next clue.

I love the creativity of the Detour and the Roadblock was a good one which really showed us what Romania is good at.

India:

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to tend to a herd of camels belonging to the Maharaja by using traditional tools to pile hay up to a marked line and fill a trough with water. This leg's Detour was a choice between Movers or Shakers. In Movers, teams headed to the Sanganeri Gate, chose two rickshaws loaded with barrels of hay and transported them 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the Zorawar Singh Gate. When they reached the Zorawar Singh Gate, they then had to search through the hay for a metal elephant charm which they could then trade for their next clue. In Shakers, teams dressed in traditional costumes and joined a local dance troupe to collect Rs.100 (around US$2) worth of tips. They then gave the money they earned to the band leader to receive their next clue. In this leg's Speed Bump, one team proceeded to Kala Hanuman Temple and had to decorate an elephant's face with various paints. If the mahout was satisfied with their work, they will be able to continue with the race.

Additional tasks
At the Sacred Tree at Dhula Village, teams were left to figure out that their next clue would be revealed to them by picking up one of two telephones and calling one of the four telephone numbers provided. The person on the line then told them the location of their next clue: Amber Fort.

One of the best Indian legs i enjoyed the best. And the speedbump was cool, not to mention the dancing detour as well.

China Leg 1

In this leg's Roadblock, one team member had to direct a cormorant to retrieve fish they had thrown in the river. Once they retrieved 10 of the fish, they received their next clue. In the Detour, teams chose between Choreography or Calligraphy. In Choreography, teams had to perform a traditional dance routine. If their dance won the approval of two judges, they received their next clue. In Calligraphy, teams had to copy Chinese characters written by a calligrapher at four stations. Once the calligrapher was satisfied with the teams' calligraphy, he stamped their paper, and they proceeded to find the next station, which was named in the characters they had just copied. Once they had received all four stamps, they received their next clue. In this leg's Speed Bump, one team had to wash and dry the hair of two women before the team could resume the Race.

Additional Tasks:

At Folded Brocade Mountains, in an unaired task, teams had to climb to the Peak of the Luminous Moon and strike the "Drums of Life" before receiving the clue to the hair salon

You truly feel that you're in China and that you seriously appreciate the art and culture and the way of life there. Even the hair-washing Speedbump was lame, but inevitably cool.

China Leg 3:

In the leg's second Detour, teams chose between Beijing Opera or Chinese Waiter. In Beijing Opera, teams had to travel to the Huguang Huiguan Opera House; once there, they had to apply make-up onto each other exactly like the two models next to them. After approval, they had to go to the stage and bow to the master, who would hand them their next clue. In Chinese Waiter, teams had to travel to Huguang Huiguan restaurant; once there, they had to record four customer orders, spoken in Mandarin. Then, teams had to take their pad to a chef and pronounce the Mandarin orders correctly to have the chef prepare them. When teams served the plates to the customers, they would receive their next clue. In this leg's second Roadblock, one team member had to eat four fried Chinese delicacies: a grasshopper, larva, scorpion, and a starfish. After they finished, they would receive their next clue.

Additional tasks:

At Beihai Street Mall, teams had to search its stores for a Travelocity gnome, which had their next clue on the bottom of its base.
Upon arriving at Gugong Xibei Jiao, teams had to locate electric bicycles and use them to transport themselves past the Forbidden City and cross Tiananmen Square to Dongdan Station where they would find their next clue.

Opera, Chinese Restaurant, Chinese food which involves anything, Chinese Olympic Stadium. How much more China can you see from this leg? And the early moment at Tian-an Men Square was darn cool as well!

And this are the legs that i really like as i reviewed the past summaries of the races.. there are a few more that i really like too.. but there's just too many to list. Those that i listed are the ones that really left me with a strong impression which i will never forget for a long long time or with very good tasks OR left me a very strong urge to want to visit the country/place immediately after seeing the episode.

[Dċnooky]

TAR 14:
Romania:

At this Leg's Roadblock, one member of each team had to go through a series of Olympic gymnastics events including the balance beam, the parallel bars, and floor exercises before receiving their next clue. The Detour was a choice between Gypsy Moves or Vampire Remains. In Gypsy Moves, teams had to help a family of gypsies move from one camp to another by loading their belongings on a traditional horse-drawn cart and unloading them at another location. In Vampire Remains, teams had to drag a chained coffin to a field of stakes on the land of Bran Castle. Once there, they had to undo the chains of the coffin to find several antique frames which they then had to smash against stakes (i.e., impale, a reference to Vlad the Impaler) until they found one containing a flag that they could trade for their next clue.

I love the creativity of the Detour and the Roadblock was a good one which really showed us what Romania is good at.

I somehow sense a "paid actors" rebuttal is coming...

[Jobby]

TAR 14:
Romania:

At this Leg's Roadblock, one member of each team had to go through a series of Olympic gymnastics events including the balance beam, the parallel bars, and floor exercises before receiving their next clue. The Detour was a choice between Gypsy Moves or Vampire Remains. In Gypsy Moves, teams had to help a family of gypsies move from one camp to another by loading their belongings on a traditional horse-drawn cart and unloading them at another location. In Vampire Remains, teams had to drag a chained coffin to a field of stakes on the land of Bran Castle. Once there, they had to undo the chains of the coffin to find several antique frames which they then had to smash against stakes (i.e., impale, a reference to Vlad the Impaler) until they found one containing a flag that they could trade for their next clue.

I love the creativity of the Detour and the Roadblock was a good one which really showed us what Romania is good at.

I somehow sense a "paid actors" rebuttal is coming...

  My reply first would be, please tell me where you can get a real vampire. It would be cool, but we won't have TAR on screen probably anymore after the episode..

[georgiapeach]

I loved seing the gymnastic hall, that was an inspired choice! We all think gymnastics when we hear Romania I think.

And I loved the team insights we got on this leg.

But once I heard that the gypsy village was a "created" village, I was unhappy. There must have been so many better cultural tasks that could have been chosen, not one that perpetuates a whole cultural stereotype.

Kind of like the cow suits ...  funny as Dallas made that.

The coffin task was fun and campy and challenging for the racers. And the one view AT NIGHT with Brad and Victoria was amazing. That was a success I think, whereas the gypsy village one was not.  IMO.....

[Jobby]

The Gypsy village was definitely lame and one thing i didn't like.. i'm glad everyone think alike.