Topic: The 6th place curse

[Jobby]

Anyone realized that teams with potential to win the race also get eliminated mostly at 6th place too or did decently well but got done in by stupid mistakes like bad cabs or one wrong decision? (mostly stupid mistakes)

TAR2: Mary and Peach (pretty much unexpected as they just won the previous leg)
TAR5: Charla and Mirna (been over performing and doing really well, top of the pack)
TAR6: Jonathan and Victoria (top of the pack every leg until elimination)
TAR7: Brian and Greg (hardly had potential to win, but they did decent but were clueless)
TAR8: Gaghan Family (did really well at first and really had the potential to go far)
TAR9: Lake and Michelle (did better than Brent and Caite are doing now, lol)
TAR11: Joe and Bill (they're the Guidos..)
TAR12: Azaria and Hendekea (hat-trick, and BOOM)
TAR13: Kelly and Christy (were 2nd the previous leg and doing pretty well for the first half of the race)
TAR14: Mel and Mike (won a leg and top of the pack)
TAR16: Steve and Allie (won the previous leg and were top 4 6/8 legs)

And with that, i draw a conclusion that most of my favourite teams are eliminated at 9th, 6th and 4th.

Teams which died under my 6th place curse - Mary and Peach, Tian and Jaree, Gaghan, David and Mary, Azaria and Hendekea, Kelly and Christy, Mel and Mike and Steve and Allie. That's 50% of the time, especially for the past 4 seasons in a row.

BOO!

[Dånooky]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

[Cocoa]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

[redwings8831]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

Exactly.

[apskip]

Anyone realized that teams with potential to win the race also get eliminated mostly at 6th place too or did decently well but got done in by stupid mistakes like bad cabs or one wrong decision? (mostly stupid mistakes)

TAR2: Mary and Peach (pretty much unexpected as they just won the previous leg)
TAR5: Charla and Mirna (been over performing and doing really well, top of the pack)
TAR6: Jonathan and Victoria (top of the pack every leg until elimination)
TAR7: Brian and Greg (hardly had potential to win, but they did decent but were clueless)
TAR8: Gaghan Family (did really well at first and really had the potential to go far)
TAR9: Lake and Michelle (did better than Brent and Caite are doing now, lol)
TAR11: Joe and Bill (they're the Guidos..)
TAR12: Azaria and Hendekea (hat-trick, and BOOM)
TAR13: Kelly and Christy (were 2nd the previous leg and doing pretty well for the first half of the race)
TAR14: Mel and Mike (won a leg and top of the pack)
TAR16: Steve and Allie (won the previous leg and were top 4 6/8 legs)

And with that, i draw a conclusion that most of my favourite teams are eliminated at 9th, 6th and 4th.

Teams which died under my 6th place curse - Mary and Peach, Tian and Jaree, Gaghan, David and Mary, Azaria and Hendekea, Kelly and Christy, Mel and Mike and Steve and Allie. That's 50% of the time, especially for the past 4 seasons in a row.

BOO!

Joab,
Your list is a good one, but I can see two minor problems:
1. stating that Jonathan/Victoria were "top-of-the-pack every leg until elimination" does not match their actual record in AR6:
leg 1 #5 leg 2 #2 leg 3 #4 leg 4 #2 leg 5 #2, leg 6 #3 Leg 7 #5
That is an average of 4.14. In the statistical work of the schnauzers and several others, top teams are clearly identified as an average finish of close to 2.0 (which would be essentially top of the pack if Jonathan/Victoria had improved their finish by an average of 2 places).

2. I think you should consider putting Tian and Jaree on this list. They performed well throughout AR4 until failure to load their 2 bales of fabric in Alleppey India as they were getting on the elephant necessitated getting down to load, wasting the time that put them last at the pit stop. They could have knocked eventual winners Chip/Reichen out too, which i would have appreciated. As an overall team, they reminded me of Adam/Rebecca in AR6, with Tian the equal of Rebecca carrying the team and Jaree the wimp like Adam, and also Flo/Zach in AR3 with Zach carrying the team and Flo not at all a wimp but choosing to be of only limited value to her team.

[retard boi]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

 

I think that 6th  places teams are usually more colorfull and controversial but not nessesarly better, just more memrable.
I think that there is a "6h place" curse, but it's for elimination of intresting teams but not strong ones.

[redskevin88]

TAR13: Kelly and Christy (were 2nd the previous leg and doing pretty well for the first half of the race)

Please. Kelly & Christy were lucky to still be in the race at that point. They failed to read the clue many a times, only did well in the previous leg because of the "laundry detour". They were last in Bolivia, and only because Mark & Bill got a penalty. In the previous leg, they spent valuable time digging for a non-existent clue, and in their last leg, managed to somehow screw up the roadblock....and handed out a get-out-of-jail free card to Andrew & Dan.

[Coutzy]

TAR13: Kelly and Christy (were 2nd the previous leg and doing pretty well for the first half of the race)

Please. Kelly & Christy were lucky to still be in the race at that point. They failed to read the clue many a times, only did well in the previous leg because of the "laundry detour". They were last in Bolivia, and only because Mark & Bill got a penalty. In the previous leg, they spent valuable time digging for a non-existent clue, and in their last leg, managed to somehow screw up the roadblock....and handed out a get-out-of-jail free card to Andrew & Dan.

The get out of jail free card was handed to Dandrew by Ken and Tina because they chose to help them with the number spotting Detour over the girls.

And had Mark and Bill walked to their Detour like they wree supposed to, Kelly and Christy may have finished in front of them.

Also, if you are going to say that they only did well because of the laundry detour, you might as well say that Jet & Cord only did well because of the lasso RB, or that Joe and Bill only did well because of their ability to speak french.

[everbloom]

TAR13: Kelly and Christy (were 2nd the previous leg and doing pretty well for the first half of the race)

Please. Kelly & Christy were lucky to still be in the race at that point. They failed to read the clue many a times, only did well in the previous leg because of the "laundry detour". They were last in Bolivia, and only because Mark & Bill got a penalty. In the previous leg, they spent valuable time digging for a non-existent clue, and in their last leg, managed to somehow screw up the roadblock....and handed out a get-out-of-jail free card to Andrew & Dan.

They weren't doing that bad. If it weren't for how they practically died on the number-spotting detour, I think they could've gone very far.

[apskip]

One unusual measure that I apply in this type of situation is how I feel about a team which is eliminated.  Did they have potential to eliminate teams that I liked much better or not? I felt that Kelly/Christy definitely were potential competition for Nick/Starr, Tony/Dallas and Ken/Tina, my favorite teams in AR13. That translates into being a team that could have gone further if they were not so prone to the  mistakes cited in earlier posts.

[Hooky]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I was seriously thinking the exact same thing when I read this.

But if there are curses for some of the placings, here's what I would call them:

11th: Usually younger, fairly average teams with potential to do at least moderately well.
10th: Usually teams that are sacrificial lambs that should have been out on Leg 1.
9th: Usually average to strong teams with the potential to go far. Often very likable.
8th: Traditionally (pre-TAR 11) for elderly or weaker teams or (post-TAR 11) teams with the potential to go far. No solid pattern anymore.
7th: Usually a co-ed dating or married team. Usually somewhere from strong to average in skill.
6th: Usually teams with lots of personality or some other thing for which they are memorable.
5th: Possibly the one with the least of a pattern of all eliminations. I can't find anything unique about 5th place.
4th: Usually a popular team that people want to see in the F3.

I won't judge 12th place. Not enough for a pattern yet.

Obviously all of these have their exceptions. What I put here is the general rule that I observe, but these may not apply to every given season. Interesting how only one placing (5th) seems to have no observable pattern at all.

[DavidJunior]

Interesting how only one placing (5th) seems to have no observable pattern at all.

Yeah it does.  5th place is usually where my favorites end up. 

although, it has shifted to 4th in post TARAS...

[Hooky]

Interesting how only one placing (5th) seems to have no observable pattern at all.

Yeah it does.  5th place is usually where my favorites end up.  

although, it has shifted to 4th in post TARAS...

So it's getting better! Maybe it will shift to 3rd this season.

[DavidJunior]

Interesting how only one placing (5th) seems to have no observable pattern at all.

Yeah it does.  5th place is usually where my favorites end up.  

although, it has shifted to 4th in post TARAS...

So it's getting better! Maybe it will shift to 3rd this season.

shush!  you're going to jynx my team!  

you can tell i've been playing too much pokemon...  

[Hooky]

Interesting how only one placing (5th) seems to have no observable pattern at all.

Yeah it does.  5th place is usually where my favorites end up. 

although, it has shifted to 4th in post TARAS...

So it's getting better! Maybe it will shift to 3rd this season.

shush!  you're going to jynx my team! 

you can tell i've been playing too much pokemon... 

You're not alone.

Haven't for quite a few years, but I did obsessively when I was a kid. Before I found TAR.

[Evan_Weinstein]

12th place team, maybe you can include, so far all the 4 eliminated teams were all married, GOSH

Gina & Sylvia - TAR3
Debra & Steve - TAR4
Bilal & Sa'eed - TAR10
Eric & Lisa - TAR15

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I was seriously thinking the exact same thing when I read this.

But if there are curses for some of the placings, here's what I would call them:

11th: Usually younger, fairly average teams with potential to do at least moderately well.
10th: Usually teams that are sacrificial lambs that should have been out on Leg 1.
9th: Usually average to strong teams with the potential to go far. Often very likable.
8th: Traditionally (pre-TAR 11) for elderly or weaker teams or (post-TAR 11) teams with the potential to go far. No solid pattern anymore.
7th: Usually a co-ed dating or married team. Usually somewhere from strong to average in skill.
6th: Usually teams with lots of personality or some other thing for which they are memorable.
5th: Possibly the one with the least of a pattern of all eliminations. I can't find anything unique about 5th place.
4th: Usually a popular team that people want to see in the F3.

I won't judge 12th place. Not enough for a pattern yet.

Obviously all of these have their exceptions. What I put here is the general rule that I observe, but these may not apply to every given season. Interesting how only one placing (5th) seems to have no observable pattern at all.

[Hooky]

12th place team, maybe you can include, so far all the 3 eliminated teams were all married, GOSH

Not true. Gina & Sylvia and Bilal & Sa'eed were certainly not married couples. And there have been 4 12th place teams.

[Evan_Weinstein]

read my updated comment

anyway i never said couples, i said married people

12th place team, maybe you can include, so far all the 3 eliminated teams were all married, GOSH

Not true. Gina & Sylvia and Bilal & Sa'eed were certainly not married couples. And there have been 4 12th place teams.

[Hooky]

read my updated comment

anyway i never said couples, i said married people

12th place team, maybe you can include, so far all the 3 eliminated teams were all married, GOSH

Not true. Gina & Sylvia and Bilal & Sa'eed were certainly not married couples. And there have been 4 12th place teams.

Sorry, that was a misinterpretation.

[DavidJunior]

i think 12th could fit in the 11th category.

all of them (sans Debra and Steve  ) looked like they were decent competition.

well, at least until about 1/2 way...

[Jobby]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I wouldn't agree to that statement. Jody and Shannon, John and Scott, Lisa and Joni, Meredith and Maria, Don and MJ all had potential to win? That's pretty much a good joke, thanks.

[Zack.]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I wouldn't agree to that statement. Jody and Shannon, John and Scott, Lisa and Joni, Meredith and Maria, Don and MJ all had potential to win? That's pretty much a good joke, thanks.

Hence 'sometimes' - I'd say JVJ had potential to win, as did Lance and Keri.

[Hooky]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I wouldn't agree to that statement. Jody and Shannon, John and Scott, Lisa and Joni, Meredith and Maria, Don and MJ all had potential to win? That's pretty much a good joke, thanks.

Hence 'sometimes' - I'd say JVJ had potential to win, as did Lance and Keri.

Also Dustin & Kandice, Lynn & Alex, Peter & Sarah, Amanda & Kris, Anthony & Stephanie, and Garrett & Jessica. And many more.

[Dånooky]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I wouldn't agree to that statement. Jody and Shannon, John and Scott, Lisa and Joni, Meredith and Maria, Don and MJ all had potential to win? That's pretty much a good joke, thanks.

Don't you like the ambiguity?

IMO all teams have potential to win, just in different amounts.

[Hooky]

On another note, have you ever noticed that teams with potential to win are sometimes eliminated in 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 11th as well?

I wouldn't agree to that statement. Jody and Shannon, John and Scott, Lisa and Joni, Meredith and Maria, Don and MJ all had potential to win? That's pretty much a good joke, thanks.

Don't you like the ambiguity?

IMO all teams have potential to win, just in different amounts.

This is true. Oh wise one, do teach me.