Topic: TAR 19 Speculation and Discussion *of SPOILERS*

[Alfwin]

So from what I read from the spoilers

Leg 1:Taipei, Taiwen
Leg 2: Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Leg 3:Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Leg 4:Phuket, Bangkok
Leg 5:South Africa/Kenya
Leg 6:South Africa/Kenya/Malawi
Leg 7:South Africa/Kenya/Malawi
Leg 8:Europe
Leg 9:Milan/Somewhere in Europe
Leg 10:Brussels, Belgium
Leg 11:Europe/SA
Leg 12:End City, NA

[selkie]

Another reason to avoid Israel is the incredibly agressive security procedures the country has in order to deter terrorism. It's probably not an easy country to fly into if you've got, say, Indonesia or Malaysia stamps on your passport, and Production doesn't want to have to deal with some sort of security or customs issue causing a team to lose a leg of the race.

[north09]

TAR Australia is flying into Israel on the next episode, and their first stop was Indonesia. So I wouldn't rule it out based on security. Anyway, I can't see them fitting it in from what we know about the route.

[Coutzy]

TAR Australia is flying into Israel on the next episode, and their first stop was Indonesia. So I wouldn't rule it out based on security. Anyway, I can't see them fitting it in from what we know about the route.

I wonder how Mo and Mos would have gone in Israel, given the fighting between mostly Jewish Israel and mostly Arab/Muslim Palestine.

[mjriches2005]

I think the expression of violence in Mexico reflects the popular perception of it as a center for drug wars. However, as Xarles quite properly points out, Mexico is an incredible place for tourists to visit. Among the great places where I have been and AR19 could go are:

Cancun (yes, indeed)
Cozumel
Merida
Mexico City
Oaxaca
Acapulco (despite the fact that there are killings there, it's still a fabulous tourist paradise)
Puerto Vallarta (would be a bit humid this time of the year, but that never stops an Amazing Race from steamy places)
Guadalajara

The one place where it would not be appropriate to visit is Tiajuana, but why would AR19 want to go there anyway?

How about Cabos San Lucas and La Paz in Baja California Sur.

[kenchan]

It looks like Phil has (or his publicity folks have) been tweeting since July 4th...

http://twitter.com/PhilKeoghan

[redskevin88]

TAR Australia is flying into Israel on the next episode, and their first stop was Indonesia. So I wouldn't rule it out based on security. Anyway, I can't see them fitting it in from what we know about the route.

I wonder how Mo and Mos would have gone in Israel, given the fighting between mostly Jewish Israel and mostly Arab/Muslim Palestine.

They have Aussie passports.

[Chateau d If]

I'm speculating that if Teams haven't left already they will leave within the next 4 hours for their final city in the US.  Here are my guesses for what country or city they will be coming in from:

Madrid
Dubai
Tel Aviv
Odessa
Istanbul
Kuwait
Amman
Damascus
Riyadh
Doha
Beirut
Jeddah
Muscat
Baku

and there ain't no more 

[theschnauzers]

Madrid is in Spain, and that one is far more likely than any of the cities in north Africa or the Mideast/Persian Gulf regions. (Doesn't mean Madrid is certain, just that the others are that unlikely.)

[Chateau d If]

Interesting huh?

We should be searching in Spanish!  Especially in about 5 hours when the flight lands.

[georgiapeach]

We need David and Dan!

I wonder if we could see a transit airport...JFK, Toronto, somewhere else first?

Hope all of you will be helping with the finale watch!!

[theschnauzers]

Peach, this could be the sort of year where Atlanta as a final destination city might actually be in play.

They've done Miami twice now, New York twice, and as far as international flights go from Europe, Atlanta, Boston, and D.C., and maybe Philly are about all that are left. They've used Boston as a start city. So, I suspect the ATL has at least a 1 in 3 chance this year, and teams can use the Metro out of the airport and avoid taxis completely or for parts of it. They haven't forced teams to use public transit on the finale since Chicago in TAR 6 and I think that is overdue.

[Chateau d If]

I'm sure Peach will be pleased if it's Atlanta.  But since the start was not NYC then shouldn't the end be?  Back to the ten-year theme. 

[Prophet]

I would go towards New York personally. Best flights from Europe, plenty to do, and the ten year finish line in Central Park. Even Atlanta doesn't beat that. (And Peach is lurking there  )

NYC would mean taxis though  Imagine a winner decided by a NY taxi ride to Central Park. 

[paldog123456]

There are some direct flights from Europe to Detroit. (About one or 2 flights to/from each location, so the producers could bunch everyone up.  )

[Xarles]

I wonder if we could see a transit airport...JFK, Toronto, somewhere else first?

Hope all of you will be helping with the finale watch!!

Dearest georgiapeach:

If your supposition is true, and the Helsinki tweet is true too, I will say that the final destination is CHICAGO!

Here's the catch: Remember that confusion in Paris seasons ago, between Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Le Bourget airports?

They can play it again in Helsinki! The traditional International airport there is EFHK Helsinki-Vantaa, but the one with flights at the time for the USA is EFHF Helsinki-Malmi.

One of the 3 flights available is a non-stop to KORD Chicago, and the other two go to: Guess? KJFK NY & CYYZ Toronto! Easy connections to Chicago!

Here are the flights to watch:

AAL131   B772   Chicago O'Hare Intl (KORD)   02:20p EEST   02:45p CDT (American)
 FIN5   A333   John F Kennedy Intl (KJFK)   02:20p EEST   03:38p EDT (Finnair)
 FIN31   B752   Toronto Pearson Int'l (CYYZ)   05:55p EEST   06:53p EDT (Finnair)

[Xarles]

These are the connecting flights through NY:


   FIN5   A333      Scheduled      Sat 02:10PM EEST   HEM   ►   JFK         New York, NY      
Finnair
COM261   CRJ9      En Route         JFK   ►   ORD   08:21PM CDT Sat      3 hours 15 minutes      
Comair

FIN5   A333      Scheduled      Sat 02:10PM EEST   HEM   ►   JFK         New York, NY      
Finnair
EGF3777   CRJ7      Arrived         JFK   ►   ORD   06:20PM CDT Sat      1 hour 0 minutes      
American Eagle

These are for today but might as well be for tomorrow.

And here are also a bunch of EASY connections that can make the return from Helsinki very easy:

http://flightaware.com/live/findflight?origin=EFHK&originName=&destination=KORD&destinationName=

[Xarles]

With the most and least solid, with the weakest and strongest clues and some feeling, this is the route I can come up with, for now. Can you all help me know if it fits in as it should?

ST      Los Angeles
L1      Taipei
L2      Jakarta
L3      Yogyakarta
CT      Jakarta Connect/Transit ONLY
L4??? Bangkok Connect???/Transit ONLY???
L5      Phuket
CT      Bangkok Connect/Transit ONLY
CT      Mumbai Connect/Transit ONLY
L6      Nagpur
CT      Mumbai Connect/Transit ONLY
L7??? Johannesburg Connect???/Transit ONLY???
L8      Lilongwe
CT      Addis Ababa or Nairobi Connect/Transit ONLY
CT      Amsterdam Connect/Transit ONLY
L9      Milan
L10    Brussels
L11    Helsinki
CT      New York City or Toronto Connect/Transit ONLY
L12FL Chicago

[Xarles]

If you wonder where did I get Nagpur from? Back in June 27 I sent this private message with my Nagpur speculation:

ON JUNE 27- This is what I may have found:

1.- Phil tweeted "CONGRATS!!! #robinfarina from #nownovartis #prowomens cylcing 2011 #roadcycling national champion @iamspecialized @nooppwasted" 8 hours ago.

2.- Then I looked for whoever else was mentioning TAR in the area and found:
http://twitter.com/#!/arnandar/status/85170822599286786, which reads in Indonesian: the amazing race s.19 edisi indonesia akan muncul di ep.3 dan 4, di edisi 4, lebih ke prjlanan mereka menuju phuket&koh samui dari jogja, and the Google translation is: the amazing race s.19 Indonesian edition will appear in ep.3 and 4, in 4th edition, they headed over to prjlanan & phuket koh samui from jogja

3.- Then I moved my pin pointers to Thailand, and looked for a TAR favorite destination in the 1000 mile radius from Bangkok, found Kolkata (Calcutta), India.

4.- Then I did a search within 1000 miles of Kolkata to see who else was also communicating (tweeting) with @iamspecialized in that area, which Phil mentioned in his earlier tweet. Common friend or co-worker theory.

5.- I found this tweet: http://twitter.com/#!/geargals/statuses/83810298317897728 and by triangulating between Buthan, Nepal, New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai, I was able to nail it down within 3 miles of downtown Nagpur, India: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=+%40iamspecialized++near%3Anagpur+within%3A3mi

6.- This tweet happens to be from 3 days ago, so I (very far fetchingly) may think that @geargals shares a like for bikes with Phil, works for a specialized sport gear shop in Anchorage and possibly be ahead of the teams in Nagpur. Notice: Why does her bio only says "Out in the world", why isn't she sharing her experiences or trip in India? Why did she travel to such a far place away from the tourist beaten path? Says she'll be back (where from?) within 24 hours... and while her biz is in Alaska, Colorado and Washington tweets from India?

7.- If you visit Nagpur's tourism site it has a lot of places TAR loves: http://www.nagpuronline.co.in/attraction.php including, guess what? An international airport with flights to... Sharjah, UAE!!! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Babasaheb_Ambedkar_International_Airport

July 9 Note: Later on we had them on the J-burg-Lilongwe flight instead of Sharjah, that's why I had to re-route them through Mumbai to make it fit as a possible speculation.

8.- The more my imagination flies, the less far fetched I believe this is.

[Prophet]

I have to admit, that train of spec lost me somewhere in the middle.

Why does the fact that she tweeted @iamspecialized mean she was with racers?

[Xarles]

I have to admit, that train of spec lost me somewhere in the middle.

Why does the fact that she tweeted @iamspecialized mean she was with racers?

As I said, I included everything from the least solid to the most solid clue. There is absolutely NO PROOF she was with TAR, but there were four  considerations:

1.- She was having a conversation with the same person Phil Keoghan was having one.
2.- She NEVER mentions she is away in India and she is there at the right time for the race to pass by from Thailand to Malawi.
3.- She tweets from Nagpur and rushes back in time for an event in Colorado.
4.- She is a high risk sport specialist and well away from her Anchorage home base in a secretive trip.

[weihen]

With the most and least solid, with the weakest and strongest clues and some feeling, this is the route I can come up with, for now. Can you all help me know if it fits in as it should?

ST      Los Angeles
L1      Taipei
L2      Jakarta
L3      Yogyakarta
CT      Jakarta Connect/Transit ONLY
L4??? Bangkok Connect???/Transit ONLY???
L5      Phuket
CT      Bangkok Connect/Transit ONLY
CT      Mumbai Connect/Transit ONLY
L6      Nagpur
CT      Mumbai Connect/Transit ONLY
L7??? Johannesburg Connect???/Transit ONLY???
L8      Lilongwe
CT      Addis Ababa or Nairobi Connect/Transit ONLY
CT      Amsterdam Connect/Transit ONLY
L9      Milan
L10    Brussels
L11    Helsinki
CT      New York City or Toronto Connect/Transit ONLY
L12FL Chicago

I think that   Brussels sighting is much more like a local race thing...or I miss something?

[Xarles]

There was some kind of sighting at The Atomium in Brussels which didn't have anything to do with the Boston-University-Brussels-Campus-Amazing-Race-for-newcomers-in-Lugano, Switzerland and that was the one considered, versus discarding the Boston U one.

[eddiethejet]

maybe they can end it here in greensboro, nc.  hahaha

[apskip]

Is Toronto confirmed as a stopover. 

Of course not! It was a speculative idea from Xarles as the backup to a direct Helsinki-Malmi to Chicago nonstop which, if it did happen (unlikely) would have easily carried all 3 teams and any crew (Amazing Races do not appear to be telecast in the finale flight to prevent spectators from noticing and because there are crews waiting on the U.S. end to take over). Also, nonstops are the traditional way to return to the U.S. because it minimizes the probability of RFF and others sighting the teams in route.