Author Topic: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world  (Read 15176 times)

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Offline Carter

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A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« on: November 26, 2010, 01:35:14 PM »
I have some thoughts I need to get off my chest, because it's been bugging me since the Sydney leg spoilers this season.

To all the rff detectives, you do an amazing "job" reasearching tweets and sightings across the globe. This is not directed to you, but mostly to people who try to spot the teams in their home country. Detectives urge people to trace the racers, and that's fine, BUT...

From what I have seen and read from the Sydney leg, I saw some creepy stalking videos from fans who got stopped by guards and producers when they got too close for comfort. I can understand that many are curious and want to get info, but please understand that the stress-factor is high, and for me personally I find it rude and disrespecting when some get to much "in-your-face" that guards find the need to stop the fans and tell them to back off.

I was pretty gobsmacked when almost the entire first leg was spoiled right in front of our eyes, and I now feel that I've seen the entire first episode of TAR18. What's the point of watching it on tv now that I pretty much know most of what happened?

Maybe I'm exaggerating abit, but this is my feeling atm. Personally I find it much more exciting when detectives lose them for a little while and they suddenly pop up somwhere else. That is exciting, and it relies on our wits and detective work to try to connect the dots.

I have no problem with spoilers myself, the problem for me is when everything gets spoiled and people get out of their way to spot the teams and they get too close. It's called stalking, and that's not a good thing imo.

I just hope that the public out there who spot them stay enough out of their way to let them do their thing, because after all they are doing a tv-show and want to entertain the fans by producing this series we all love. Sorry if this feels like I'm whining. I don't. I just needed to get this off my chest, because I felt that people in Sydney got so excited to see the teams that they unwittingly disrespected the producers of the show by being too close for comfort. I hope that's not the case, and I hope that every spotter knows how to draw the line somewhere in respect for the teams.

Carry on investigation and  :ty for the exciting detective work.

Offline TexasLady

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #1 on: November 26, 2010, 01:56:35 PM »
You make some interesting points about filming and/or stalking the racers but I suspect this has been a problem for quite awhile, not just this race and the producers and crew have ways to deal with it.

Quote
I was pretty gobsmacked when almost the entire first leg was spoiled right in front of our eyes, and I now feel that I've seen the entire first episode of TAR18. What's the point of watching it on tv now that I pretty much know most of what happened?

More than once, the RFF detectives have been on top of the start of a race but viewing the photos and watching it unfold on our television sets is still exciting, at least for me. I think it boils down to whether someone wants to know as much as possible, (me) or nothing until the race starts and they watch it unfold on their television.

I do understand your concerns though.
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Offline Cocoa

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #2 on: November 26, 2010, 06:00:05 PM »
You are a WRP/CBS person, right? :lol: Joke

I understand what you mean as well, but it's all part of their job: to avoid the brilliant minds of the RFF people. I'm hoping for less spoilers also, but I agree what TL said: it's exciting to see all these actions unfold one by one in your television set and say "ooh! That's the one Coutzy captured!" or "that's what RFF exactly has seen!".

Don't worry, there is always that part of the race where they will be harder to spot, so guaranteed that the entire season won't be spoiled down to the bones. :lol:

The best remedy I can think of this is to proceed with caution when entering the spoiler-land of TAR18. :tup:
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Offline The Queen V

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #3 on: November 26, 2010, 06:10:24 PM »
better be bugged than be left alone.

editing is still different than just doing a live coverage of whats happening.

also, i think you got what you wanted, with absolutely no information as to where they are right now.

Offline Prophet

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #4 on: November 26, 2010, 06:47:00 PM »
In order 2 get any spoilers, one must assert themselves a bit. I think that if the racers have agreed to go on the show they know it will be widely followed. It's going to be show internationally on TV after all.
« Last Edit: November 26, 2010, 06:53:56 PM by the-pr0phet »
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Offline Coutzy

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #5 on: November 26, 2010, 08:10:15 PM »
I never got spoken to by security, for the record.

Offline TexasLady

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2010, 08:45:36 PM »
I never got spoken to by security, for the record.

Because you are not a stalker but a RFF detective.  :tup:
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Offline Coutzy

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #7 on: November 26, 2010, 08:56:11 PM »
I never got spoken to by security, for the record.

Because you are not a stalker but a RFF detective.  :tup:

Bit of both, actually. :lol:

Offline Neobie

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #8 on: November 26, 2010, 09:18:43 PM »
I'm fine with the level of spoiling as it is now (random intense spoiler legs happening once in a blue moon), but I'm going to have to say that Coutzy has spoiled (literally!) the newbies. Now we can't go a day without someone complaining that there are no spoilers! Come on, people, don't start taking this for granted.

Offline Coutzy

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #9 on: November 26, 2010, 09:28:35 PM »
Anyone who whinges can chip in for my flight costs. :lol3:


Offline DrRox

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #10 on: November 26, 2010, 10:08:45 PM »
Spoiling the Sydney leg was very unique. RFF had about 20+ hours notice of the teams arrival and RFF had a member that was willing to completely change their plans and go to Sydney to get all the info. It rarely happens that way. Thanks again, Coutzy.

We were just lucky about the Broken Hill leg that the show is so popular in Australia that people knew what they were seeing, when they were seeing it.
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Offline kiki

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #11 on: November 27, 2010, 03:40:46 AM »
The leg in Sydney was indeed amazing, but I don' t expect it to happen every single time. If we are lucky enough to find at least the next destination  I will be happy. Australia was the exception, if the Race came in Greece again, where I am,  I doubt that the people would recognise what it is much less report on it, as we haven't seen any season on TV.

Offline Jobby

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #12 on: November 27, 2010, 03:47:20 AM »
I think i read about a post on one of our posters shouting out to Kynt and Vyxsin and Cara and Jaime. I think that's really cool IMO. If i get to spot any of the teams, i'll probably act as a fern and help them throughout the leg, maybe even offering money from my own account. :lol:

How many times in your life are you able to spot A LIVE AMAZING RACE? I would have taken my camera and film the entire process for all i care. My only suggestion is that you should not visit the spoiler threads if you don't want to be spoiled.. i mean, how can you complain about too much spoilers when you're actually visiting a spoiler thread?? :lol:


Offline theschnauzers

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #13 on: November 27, 2010, 04:47:14 PM »
As we saw in season 11, or in the case of one certain team, season 7, TPTB have to expect that returning teams are going to be recognized on the street while filming in countries where TAR is broadcast. It is an element of the game of TAR that changes with returning teams, and merely leaving out the winning teams won't change that factor very much if at all.

A leg like the Sydney leg (or the start line near Boston in TAR 17) is very unusual; in fact, the last time before this may have been the final Portland leg in TAR 13, when the set-up and preparations in Portland were noticed a couple days in advance. So yes, it does happen, but it's almost random and rare and not something any of us can plan on.
« Last Edit: November 28, 2010, 01:37:38 PM by theschnauzers »
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Offline Mug Costanza

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #14 on: November 28, 2010, 12:20:30 AM »
TAR17 was my first season following the spoilers here on RFF, and really what I've found is that the Detectives are really good, but they can't tell us how teams interact within themselves and with other teams, or (in some cases) what the tasks will be, etc. Basically, what I do is avoid the contestant spoiler thread almost entirely, except every once in a while to check if any new teams have been identified, check out the live sightings/destination spoiler threads for about the first week of the race or so, and then stop with the spoilers entirely. It's a cool feeling, knowing that RIGHT NOW, The Amazing Race is being run and filmed somewhere in the world, but I definitely don't want to know every single thing that happens.

Just do what everyone else has said so far. Proceed with caution. Know your limits and only check out the spoilers for what you're comfortable with knowing before the season airs. :tup:
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Offline Neobie

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #15 on: November 28, 2010, 12:25:24 AM »
Personally I like doing my best to investigate the locations and tasks, but leave myself not knowing (as far as possible) how far each team makes. Best of both worlds!

Offline DrRox

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #16 on: November 28, 2010, 12:30:06 AM »
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

What he said........
Matthew 7:15

Offline zacz

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #17 on: November 28, 2010, 07:02:10 AM »
Personally I like doing my best to investigate the locations and tasks, but leave myself not knowing (as far as possible) how far each team makes. Best of both worlds!

I agree with Neobie. I like knowing the locations but would rather not know how far each team goes. Unfortunately the two go together. A couple of seasons ago they had a separate location spoiler thread. Unfortunately it didn't really work out since the spoilers that were found on the locations almost always had a descriptions or photos of teams that were spotted.

I have to say that the team 'bootlist' is much easier to figure out in an all stars season when all the teams are known, especially when they visit countries which air the amazing race. It is one of the reasons I was hoping that they would not do another all stars season.

Offline theschnauzers

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #18 on: November 28, 2010, 01:40:36 PM »
When Twitter made it possible to tweet photographs, that really changed the spoilering game. We like having photos because of their certainty, but it also means you get spoiled on team performance; it's become a necessary evil.
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Offline Prophet

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #19 on: November 28, 2010, 03:47:23 PM »
When Twitter made it possible to tweet photographs, that really changed the spoilering game. We like having photos because of their certainty, but it also means you get spoiled on team performance; it's become a necessary evil.

I know, photos r the best evidence available since troublemakers could easily invent social networking text.
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Offline RichInSydney

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #20 on: November 28, 2010, 05:20:12 PM »
Has anyone actually asked the producers or Phil about people like us who spoil the race? I know it would be a pain for crews who try to stop photos etc, but I think in the back of the producers minds, I think its a great compliment that us fans are so dedicated to the show that they would go so far out their way.

These days because so many of the teams are "semi-famous" anyway, us common people will never get a chance to go on the show. So for someone like Coutzy this would have been the closest anyone would come to being on the race without actually racing.

Also, the argument that it ruins the show for the rest doesn't stack up because for me personally I'm even more looking forward to watching the show seeing how close we were in our detective/spotting work.
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Offline Cocoa

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #21 on: November 28, 2010, 05:40:20 PM »
Peach has a quote from Phil talking about the detectives which can be seen in her signature. :tup:
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Offline graytex

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #22 on: November 28, 2010, 06:10:29 PM »
Peach and team LOVE the race as much as anyone can love the race.  They don't want to harm production.  They keep a close watch on things and know when detectives are crossing the line. 

Offline Prophet

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #23 on: November 28, 2010, 06:46:54 PM »
Peach and team LOVE the race as much as anyone can love the race.  They don't want to harm production.  They keep a close watch on things and know when detectives are crossing the line. 

The spoilers do not make me watch the show any less than I already do...I just like 2 know what's going on!
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Offline theschnauzers

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Re: A small plea to TAR-spotters around the world
« Reply #24 on: November 28, 2010, 11:09:21 PM »
There is a part of me that wants to understand what actually happens during each Race....dating back to TAR Classic, before the days of live blogging, Facebook, and Twitter.
We were Zaprudering each episode after it aired and reconstructed where the teams went that leg and using our ingeniuty to find resources to help; and then the Racers would help confirm and correct what we found.
Many of the skills being used today originated in that era. I am grateful to the TAR community outside the US for joining in -- it may be an unintended side effect of this age of instantaneous international communications, with native speakers of English and speakers of English as a second language, but it is welcome, nonetheless.
I for one want y'all to help, but as those of us who have been involved with TAR as fans since its earliest days, I also want us to do this without interfering. Enthusiasm can go too far, unitentionally, so in joining in, please take a moment to think.
That's all I can ask for.
Again, thank you all for helping!
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