Author Topic: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?  (Read 4354 times)

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Offline Lemontail

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Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« on: December 13, 2014, 08:16:32 PM »
Which is best, Standard Definition Era or High Definition Era?
Personally, I think SD Era is best because there is many great tasks, memorable tasks, memorable team dramas, and great quality.
HD Era is okay, but worst are TAR 24, lame title quotes, lame tasks in lame seasons, and decreasing rating.
Best SD Era season: 17, 11, 7, 6, 5, 3, 12, 2, 1, 10, 14, and 13. (not in order)  :hrt:  :hearts:
Worst: 4, 9, 8, 15, and 16. (in order)  :groan:   :res:
Best HD Era season: 25, 18, 20, 22, 23, 19, and 21. (in order)  :hearts:  :hrt:
Worst HD Era season: 24. (not in order)  :groan:   :res:
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Offline BritishTARFan

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #1 on: December 14, 2014, 11:54:16 AM »
SD by 10000000 miles but I do like many HD seasons for example S25 but the best seasons to me are S10 S11 & S17


Offline G.B.

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #2 on: December 14, 2014, 01:47:16 PM »
Honestly, I always think of Classic TAR and Modern TAR, with Season 11 being the last of the classic series. To me, that's where things changed (not necessarily for the worse).
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Offline TARloveit

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #3 on: December 14, 2014, 05:07:00 PM »
In general, I like Seasons 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 & 25 (not in order)

Offline Philimination

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #4 on: December 17, 2014, 09:46:44 PM »
Honestly, I always think of Classic TAR and Modern TAR, with Season 11 being the last of the classic series. To me, that's where things changed (not necessarily for the worse).

I always think that Classic TAR [1-13] is the seasons with the older intros (S1 Intro, S2-13 Intro), and Newer TAR [14-25] is the seasons with the newer intros (S14-22 intro, S23-25 intro)
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Offline naejae91

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #5 on: December 18, 2014, 08:25:20 AM »
( All ranking are not in order)

Pre AS1 era (TAR 1 -11)
Best: 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 11 (AS1)  :kisses :xmas146
Neutral: 1, 6  :cmas11
Worst: 4, 8, 9  :gaah: :tantrum

Post AS1 & Pre UB era (TAR 12 - 18)
Best: 12, 14, 17, 18 (UB) :kisses :xmas146
Neutral: 13 :cmas11
Worst: 15, 16  :gaah: :tantrum

Post UB & Pre AS2 era (TAR 19 - 24)
Best: 20, 23  :kisses :xmas146
Neutral: 19, 21, 22 :cmas11
Worst: 24 (AS2)  :gaah: :tantrum

Post AS2 era (TAR 25 - beyond)
Best: 25 :kisses :xmas146 :luvya:
Neutral: Attention Spoiler Alert!!!
Show content
26 (Pre-season premiere)
Worst: Nothing so far
« Last Edit: January 11, 2015, 02:05:06 AM by 91zycn »
TAR25/TAR29: Modern classic season.

Offline Bookworm

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #6 on: December 18, 2014, 12:11:20 PM »
^pretty accurate tbh
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Offline BritishTARFan

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #7 on: December 19, 2014, 02:15:53 PM »
What is as2

Offline TARloveit

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2014, 02:24:50 PM »
What is as2
The Amazing Race 24 (well, another name for it, since the original All-Stars season is Season 11)

Offline Traveldude1

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2021, 10:22:23 AM »
The SD Era holds the edge over the HD era because the show casted more "Regular" folk and had a lot more airport drama which made the show a lot more exciting to watch. Plus, there's something mildly nostalgic about watching an older season of the show and seeing how the world has changed since say.... 2004. Besides, the older seasons had a lot more self-driving and better overall tasks as well that were legitimately hard.

Best SD seasons: TAR 3, TAR7, TAR 12, TAR 14, and TAR 16

Worst SD seasons: TAR 2, TAR 6, TAR 13, and TAR 17

The HD seasons aren't bad, especially the ones that were made Pre- All Stars. In fact, I'd say the stretch of seasons from TAR 18- TAR 24 with the exception of TAR 20 is perhaps the most consistent stretch of seasons the show has ever produced. I'm not saying they're all great seasons, but they're the most consistently good stretch of seasons. Despite all of that, the show became more overproduced around this time and Phil's narration changed for better or worse. We also saw the cutting back of airport drama even more until it would become nonexistent a few seasons later. The later HD seasons aren't great other than TAR 31. TAR 29 is an OK season but it flatlines in the middle and towards the end. Best HD seasons: TAR 18, TAR 21, TAR 19, TAR 31


Offline Wadsy

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2021, 10:07:58 PM »
Interesting topic, here's my opinion (in order of release):

Best SD Seasons: 3, 5, 6 and 7
Worst SD Seasons: 4, 8, 10, 13 and 16

Best HD Seasons: 18, 21, 29 and 30
Worst HD Seasons: 19, 24 and 27

Looking at the SD seasons, 5-7 is easily the golden age of the show in my eyes. I disliked the Family Edition for many reasons, I wish TAR 10 had never been made thanks to it's cast and lackluster route, TAR 13 was poorly executed and TAR 16 has one of the worst casts I have seen.

The HD seasons thankfully has less poor seasons but at the same time, no season that comes anywhere near the top quality of the best SD seasons. The newer seasons suffer from poor leg design in many areas or just plain annoying casting. Seasons 23 and 25 although not bad were very forgettable to me and then 28 is just a bit of a trainwreck but with some redeeming qualities. The same cannot be said about the three that made the worst list - for 19 was poorly made, 24 suffered the same fate and 27 was just boring throughout. I thoroughly enjoyed Unfinished Business and 21, and of course 29 and 30 much later.
Wadsy

Offline NELs

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #11 on: March 09, 2021, 11:00:57 PM »
I wish TAR 10 had never been made thanks to it's cast and lackluster route

Since when does TAR 10 have a lackluster route? If you only count TAR US visits, then it has the most unique countries visited in a single season with 6. Those six (in order): Mongolia, Kuwait, Mauritius, Madagascar, Finland, and Ukraine. Also five of these were IN A ROW. Kuwait through Ukraine. Don't forget this season made TAR history by being the first ever westward route of the entire show. One country having the double leg treatment (Vietnam) is also a huge plus in my books. This single season also has the most countries visited in a single season with 13.

Offline Wadsy

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #12 on: March 09, 2021, 11:47:39 PM »
It looked great on paper but not in execution.
The countries were not used as well as they could have been for the most part.
Mongolia and Finland were definitely great legs but everything else not really, and Spain was very under-utilized.
I was also put off by the task design and general leg planning in many of the places they visited. It just didn't really do it for me.
For me a bit part that makes a location ideal is the tasks and places they visit on the leg, and other seasons did it better.
Wadsy

Offline LandonM170

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #13 on: March 10, 2021, 11:21:15 PM »
For me based on my ranking list the SD era is better than the HD era.

Average for ranking -
The HD era: #15.7
The SD era: #16.4

So, I like the HD era more than the SD era. I am surprised, but it is not much.

Offline Traveldude1

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #14 on: June 10, 2022, 01:04:41 PM »
The show in its current form has become too produced and wacky with not only the editing but the tasks. The music too has become less intense especially the kind you'd hear on footraces to the pitstop. The SD seasons feel more "raw" , have more travel aspects and better character development than any recent season. You can even see the changes towards the modern era starting to appear in TAR 17 with the goofy music and the clown task. There's a reason why nearly every iconic team from the show comes from the first 17 or so seasons. Even after 15 years, I still rewatch seasons like TAR 11, TAR 9, and TAR 3

Offline Parasparopagraho

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Re: Which is best, TAR in SD Era or HD Era?
« Reply #15 on: June 10, 2022, 04:59:30 PM »
Top-tier SD seasons: 1, 3, 5, 12, 17
(Honourable mentions: 7, 8, 14)

Bottom-tier SD seasons: 4, 6, 9, 13, 16
(Dishonourable mentions: 2, 10, 11)

Top-tier HD seasons: 18, 25
(Honourable mentions: 21, 31, 33)

Bottom-tier HD seasons: 20, 24, 29, 32
(Dishonourable mentions: 22, 26, 28)

SD wins.