Topic: TAR17 starting line/finish line cities?

[WalterC]

It's interesting to see that San Diego still has not been used as the starting or finish line city, considering it is only 2 hours away from LA.

[chill_sd]

It's interesting to see that San Diego still has not been used as the starting or finish line city, considering it is only 2 hours away from LA.

As a San Diegan, I would love to see this happen.  San Diego would have fewer options for flights than L.A. though.  I would hope they could work in the Trolley, but since it doesn't go to the airport, the options would be somewhat limited.

I was just thinking, it would be interesting to see a new twist at the start, like putting a Road Block between the starting line and the airport.

[DavidJunior]

i'm sensing a pattern with end cities in post TAR.
each in a different state, all within the same geographical region.

TAR 12- Alaska
TAR 13- Oregon
TAR 14- Hawaii
TAR 15- Nevada
TAR 16- California

only places left on the "West Coast" are WA, AZ, UT, and ID

i say 2 or 3 of those before they start moving into the Central 1/3 of the country.

[Kiwi Jay]

I actually like the fact that TAR is always starting in L.A because thats how we get our excellent team photos.

[redwings8831]

I was just thinking, it would be interesting to see a new twist at the start, like putting a Road Block between the starting line and the airport.

Yes, but then teams would have to be placed on flights based on the completion of the task. If not, then its one big equalizer and the early task becomes virtually pointless.

[Dånooky]

I was just thinking, it would be interesting to see a new twist at the start, like putting a Road Block between the starting line and the airport.

License plates ring any bell? We all know how that turned out.

[Hooky]

I actually like the fact that TAR is always starting in L.A because thats how we get our excellent team photos.

Yes, but surely they could get excellent photos in other places as well. You don't have to be in LA to do that.

[Mandoli]

I actually like the fact that TAR is always starting in L.A because thats how we get our excellent team photos.

Yes, but surely they could get excellent photos in other places as well. You don't have to be in LA to do that.

Agreed. There are other decent enough places in the US that they could start at, and the pictures would be neat due to a nice backdrop. (Okay, besides the backyard of my house, but I doubt they'll be coming here anytime soon. )

[Zack.]

I just want them to come back to the East Coast.  I mean, we're more than just New York, and we don't bite 

While the logistics of this would be hard, this would make an excellent Finish Line location.

[chill_sd]

I was just thinking, it would be interesting to see a new twist at the start, like putting a Road Block between the starting line and the airport.

License plates ring any bell? We all know how that turned out.

Oh, I completely agree.  No eliminations at the starting line.  My thought was something like this:  They start at the Rose Bowl, and teams must make their way on foot to the Norton Simon Museum and locate a piece of art, which they have a detail of a face to match.  Then they must correctly identify the city in the artwork.  When they have correctly identified the city to a museum guard nearby, they are given their next clue which includes flight information.  The first teams get the early flight, but no elimination.  Then they pick a Mercedes from the parking lot and head to LAX.

[georgiapeach]

Love that!!

[David]

Yes! That'd be great. In fact, when I think about starting a fantasy game, there are a pair or three tasks before the flight so that not only a drive-to-airport gives you an advantage or a disadvantage of 2 hours more or less, that is brought to the next leg.

That's pretty cool, chill!

[redskevin88]

Or why not copy TARA and do a starting leg in the host city? Or even fly to Canada-Caribbean first before going to Europe/Asia. I would love to see it happen... Evan?

[Caelestor]

Or why not copy TARA and do a starting leg in the host city? Or even fly to Canada-Caribbean first before going to Europe/Asia. I would love to see it happen... Evan?

Don't agree with having a starting leg in the U.S, because the US is always visited last leg. It works in TARA because they start in a different country each time.

However, starting in Seattle and having to drive to Vancouver would be awesome.

[mswood]

Some points

The pluses with LA, are that, thanks to hard work in detectives and the  exhaustive ground work of Chateau we have gotten footage that we wouldn't get with just random strangers and their camera phones.  I can't really stress the amount of time Chateau had to have spent over the last two seasons.  I tried it once (missed it by a week, and we should be so glad), because it is truly time consuming and he did it many, many days.

Thats the one plus to LA.

As to the idea of a task before leaving the US, I have to real problem with it with two conditions.

1.  No damn starting line elimination, one of the foulest things the production has ever done (that and making teams read hate mail about themselves as a task, this show is supposed to be above that type of behavior).

2.  No equalization with flights or once landing in the destination city.

Take season 15, we had a task at the starting line, which determined flights, but the problem with this (besides the stupid elimination) was that in Japan, production equalized everyone (and worse to that, let random chance be what released them, the first and only time that has ever happened for tasks, and it was stupid).  But clearly they can let teams arrive and go straight to tasks (they have done that many times).

[georgiapeach]

TOTAL AMEN TO THIS!!!

[mswood]

Well with all the time for research people of done (tips, calling for permits, taking scraps of data to narrow down time frame and location sites to playing phone and email tag, to the actual physical time Chateau spent going through the airport, talking to the Shuttle services (and their workers) for tips and contact info. 

Now that doesn't mean if they had a different location we wouldn't also be blessed with a resident in the area who would go that extra mile and do all that leg work (but I think we are very, very lucky) and get us things like pictures, talk to racers (buy them books) to get info for things like flights and next destination.

But clearly just the luck of the draw random camera/phone person who posts and tweets isn't going to do all that.

I mean seriously look at season 15, and the excellent footage chateau got.  With all the behind the scenes detective work to get him to the actual starting line.  To get the coverage he got there, to actually getting to the airport and get the coverage there as well.

Its extremely impressive.

[DrRox]

+1

[Dånooky]

I was just thinking, it would be interesting to see a new twist at the start, like putting a Road Block between the starting line and the airport.

License plates ring any bell? We all know how that turned out.

Oh, I completely agree.  No eliminations at the starting line.  My thought was something like this:  They start at the Rose Bowl, and teams must make their way on foot to the Norton Simon Museum and locate a piece of art, which they have a detail of a face to match.  Then they must correctly identify the city in the artwork.  When they have correctly identified the city to a museum guard nearby, they are given their next clue which includes flight information.  The first teams get the early flight, but no elimination.  Then they pick a Mercedes from the parking lot and head to LAX.

The problem is, unless it's a two-hour opener, we get another " only 10-minutes in Japan" situation were the first destination is practically non-existent.

[Caelestor]

I wonder why they don't bother to have 11 legs, but make the first leg slightly longer (not a full double-length) and make it two hours long. I'd much rather see more of the first country (provided it isn't a country that's constantly being reused) than the last. Another provision: don't hold two legs in the same city 

[Mandoli]

Another provision: don't hold two legs in the same city

This. If production wants two legs in the same country, then that's fine - granted that they don't have back-to-back legs in the same city.

[DavidJunior]

Another provision: don't hold two legs in the same city

This. If production wants two legs in the same country, then that's fine - granted that they don't have back-to-back legs in the same city.

This I actually don't mind too much, with one major condition:

No cities that have been used quite often.

I liked the double Prague legs, and I like the idea of double Shanghai legs (we'll see if they actually turn out to be good when it airs)

Beijing and Moscow, on the other hand, I very greatly disapproved of.

There are very many big cities around the world that can be used that will still yield wonderful tasks and entertainment value for two back-to-back legs

I say keep it, for now

[mswood]

What truly doesn't make since is why CBS has cut the first episode down from either an hour and a half or two hours.  Season 10 is the last season to have the first leg be longer then an hour (something that started with season 4).

It just doesn't make logical sense, the single leg shown over two hours has consistently generated stronger then average ratings for TAR.  And with the exception of the 9 episodes of Undercover Boss) TAR is consistently the strongest demo performer for CBS on Sundays.

And since the two hour episodes are typical designed the same as a typical leg, they just include more of the footage, and show all the actual route markers (Something that often gets edited out).  So it gives CBS the benefit of having another strong performer, with having almost no additional cost.  Its a win, win.  And on a business level makes absolutely no sense.

Now I can understand making the race shorter, as it saves money on all aspects, but to not take the footage you already acquired and maximize your profit off of it makes zero sense.

There is no rational reason for why we don't get 13 hours (even if its only 12 legs and shot with the new 21 day race plan).

[Caelestor]

Another provision: don't hold two legs in the same city

This. If production wants two legs in the same country, then that's fine - granted that they don't have back-to-back legs in the same city.

This I actually don't mind too much, with one major condition:

No cities that have been used quite often.

I liked the double Prague legs, and I like the idea of double Shanghai legs (we'll see if they actually turn out to be good when it airs)

Beijing and Moscow, on the other hand, I very greatly disapproved of.

There are very many big cities around the world that can be used that will still yield wonderful tasks and entertainment value for two back-to-back legs

I say keep it, for now

My main problem with 2 legs in the same city is that often half of the tasks are subpar.

Take for example Dubai last season. The water finding roadblock and the gold/glass detour were very interesting. The snow detour and the boat roadblock were just lame. We could have had one good leg instead of two mediocre ones. I'll give Prague a pass because most of the locations visited were good (except the random kayaking detour).

Also look at Beijing TAR 14. The first leg was just a roadblock and a detour, and there was so much "drama" padding that episode. With some changes, the producers could've easily produced one interesting episode.

[DavidJunior]

Another provision: don't hold two legs in the same city

This. If production wants two legs in the same country, then that's fine - granted that they don't have back-to-back legs in the same city.

This I actually don't mind too much, with one major condition:

No cities that have been used quite often.

I liked the double Prague legs, and I like the idea of double Shanghai legs (we'll see if they actually turn out to be good when it airs)

Beijing and Moscow, on the other hand, I very greatly disapproved of.

There are very many big cities around the world that can be used that will still yield wonderful tasks and entertainment value for two back-to-back legs

I say keep it, for now

My main problem with 2 legs in the same city is that often half of the tasks are subpar.

Take for example Dubai last season. The water finding roadblock and the gold/glass detour were very interesting. The snow detour and the boat roadblock were just lame. We could have had one good leg instead of two mediocre ones. I'll give Prague a pass because most of the locations visited were good (except the random kayaking detour).

Also look at Beijing TAR 14. The first leg was just a roadblock and a detour, and there was so much "drama" padding that episode. With some changes, the producers could've easily produced one interesting episode.

I forgot about Dubai!  Which, I agree, was pretty "meh"

That, and Beijing would've been better had they been only one leg and went to another location within close proximity.  Qatar or Abu Dhavi for Dubai, and anywhere in Northeastern Asia (Japan, Korea, Northern China) for Beijing.

The tasks in Moscow were interesting, but then again a good amount of the first leg could've been filmed anywhere in Russia.

Prague so far was their best.  Locations and tasks that were unigque to Prague (and the Czech Rep. in general), difficult for racers, yet entertaining for us, and it was a city that hadn't been grossly overused at that point.

Although, Shanghai has been used before, I don't feel it's been overused, yet.

I think it's a good idea, they just need to pick better locales to host the double legs