Topic: Eleven Families of Four

[Chateau d If]

Okay GMan, let's officially open the hunt for the eleventh team.

We can gather all the evidence for and against here.

I am now convinced that one team has been removed from the race by something other than Philimination.

Here is what tipped me:


As the Linzs are running to their SUV at the USSRC you can count seven SUVs there.  And the Bransens are already on the road.  So that makes eight SUVs.
But at this point in the race (start of leg 4) we have been shown that there are only 7 teams left (Blacks, Rogers, Aiellos eliminated).  Okay, so maybe the 8th SUV belonged to the Aiellos.  But, later on we see the last two teams to leave USSRC approach the remaining SUVs and there are only two there.  That tells me that 8 teams started the 4th leg of the race.

[Chateau d If]

GMan!

I see that you were already onto this!

You posted it 4 min sooner!

[gingerman28]

To recap:

In EP1 - we had 11 SUV's lined up in Brooklyn and as Mama Paolo arrives she comments that they are always last. and we only have ten teams accounted for.

In EP2 - we had 10 stretchers and orderlies (would they have an extra orderly also standing by) when there are only 9 teams accounted for.

In Ep 3 - we had 9 jeeps lined up at the Muddy Run when only 8 teams are accounted for.

In Ep 4 - we had 8 SUV's waiting at NASA when only 7 teams are accounted for.

Pretty consistent pattern, me thinks.

The question is if our reasoning is right, there should only be 6 somethings when only 6 teams are accounted for in Panama. Keep your eyes peeled for the tell-tale marker.

[Chateau d If]

Also, there are suspicious gaps in the sequence of the teams as they walk to the starting line.

Does anybody feel like tracking all the running racers after the "Go"?

And, at Dulles you see some people wearing packpacks we don't know standing around our racers.  Who are they?

[charlierose]

I really think you may be to something. Things are happening way to fast.  We are in the 4 episode and already have 4 eliminations. 

But how would there be a missing team, if when all teams have arrived on the mat Phil has told them face to face you are Team # .  That would have been very difficult to edit.  Just a thought. :]

[Mandoli]

There's a nice little pause When Phil speaks, going inbetween "(add family name here)" and "You're team number (add finishing position here)." You can clearly hear the said pause in Tuesday's episode of the show. Something tells me right there that there's another team in the race, but CBS just doesn't want to show them battling in the race.

[rmax]

Wasn't there a wide angle shot of all the teams at the start of the race?  If anyone has Ep 1 on tape, go back and look to see if it was possible that an 11th team could have been cut out of the frame (the team would have had to be on the far left or right).

[Chateau d If]

There's a nice little pause When Phil speaks, going in between "(add family name here)" and "You're team number (add finishing position here)." You can clearly hear the said pause in Tuesday's episode of the show. Something tells me right there that there's another team in the race, but CBS just doesn't want to show them battling in the race.

I think the Phil statements "X Family, you are team number N" are only valid if it shows him saying it and at the same time, in the same shot, you really do see Family X standing there.  They have it down to a procedure that they film Phil saying "X Family, you are team number N" without that any in the shot because the editors need it that way.  Also, the editors can just zoom in on Phil and effectively crop out something they don't want in the final production.  I think this has evolved into procedure not because they plan on editing out a team but because they always have had to adjust team arrival times according to time credits and penalties.  That is the actual arrival position of a team may be a point of uncertainty at the instant the team arrives because the time credits and penalties have not been accounted for for all the teams.

Wasn't there a wide angle shot of all the teams at the start of the race?  If anyone has Ep 1 on tape, go back and look to see if it was possible that an 11th team could have been cut out of the frame (the team would have had to be on the far left or right).

GMan has suggested that if there was an 11th team there at the startline it was digitally removed.  Initially I dismissed this thinking TAR was above doing digital manipulations.  There are plenty of things they could do to clean up a shot (remove cameramen, shadows of cameraman, etc.) but they don't.  But maybe this problem team is such a mess up that TPTB authorized the digital fix.

And for some new evidence from Tuesday night's show:

There were 8 canoes for the "Play" part of the Detour.

There were 8 log sawing stations for the "Work" part.

[Slowhatch]

Maybe someone can use the Finish Line program to put the issue in front of a team, as well as lobbing other hot potatoes ("Did you see the Weavers breaking any rules?", etc.).

[kraziladi]

Wasn't there a wide angle shot of all the teams at the start of the race?  If anyone has Ep 1 on tape, go back and look to see if it was possible that an 11th team could have been cut out of the frame (the team would have had to be on the far left or right).

I still have the first episode on my computer.  I have reviewed frame by frame and you cannot tell if a family was edited "out".   (%#   They would be next to the Gaghan's on the far left (stage right) or next to the Rogers on the far right (stage left), which Phil was blocking.  Watching the start - running for the backpacks, there are not extra families or people. I have gone frame by frame and counted bodies and wrote down what everyone was wearing.   ]][

There is someone (1/2 body) to the far left of the screen (about 3 family widths from the Gaghans) with a red/black jacket.  Barely shown as camera was panning while they were all in line  I have compared clothes, earrings, watches etc. on the boats and at the start of the race.  The only discrepancy, if you could call it that, is while showing the Weaver's in the water taxi, there is a taxi behind them and one next to them on one side. You cannot tell if there is another water taxi on the other side.  All of the overhead shots show the water taxis in a V shape.

Whew CBS is good at editing people out or could they have reshot this?   :unde:

There are definitely 11 SUV's at the beginning of the race, in this order:  Black, beige, black, black, beige, black, black, black, beige, black, black.   *(^ Either they have one extra vehicle for every task or there was a mystery team.

I guess time will tell as we see additional epi's.    |#'

[Chateau d If]

I have compared clothes, earrings, watches etc. on the boats and at the start of the race.

That's great work Krazi.   :t-up:

When I get home I was planning on counting cars for TAR5,6,7 to see if they routinely have an extra in the line.

[gingerman28]

The cars at the beginning of EP4 I think are a dead giveaway!We have only 7 teams now left. The Bransens take car no. 1 and when the Linz arrive (the second team to leave 3 minutes later) there are 7 cars in a row with a gray one to the far left.  When the last two teams arrive (again 3 minutes apart but the Gaghans are catching up to the Paolos) there are now only two cars left with the gray one still on the far left!)  In otherwords, one extra car has left before the last two teams arrive.

CBS has been doing a lot of post-production editing to keep numbers in line with what they want us to believe is correct. At the centrifuge, numbers from 1 to 8 are shown in extreme closeup with a similar hand picking each off. In one shot the hand comes out of a long sleeve (I can't recall the team now) but I do remember that no body on that team had a long sleeved shirt on.

In signing up for the bus ride from Chalrston SC to Huntsville AL, we see teams signing up for the first and second bus and the clipboard is on a green counter with light colored edge.  In the closeups of team names on the signup sheet with four lines for each bus, the clipboard is now on a solid brown surface with no edges showing.  Obviously, this clipboard is not in the location on which the teams are signing. And we have this same close up, with the same angle, with the same backgroung (different from the actual counter) after each team signs in.  Moreover, when the Schroeders sign in (no. 3 on the list) you can make out what seems to be 3 names already on the list. (The Godlewski sisters are the fourth team to sign in.)

We can reach an almost definite conclusion on the number of teams if we can catch the numbers on the backpacks of all the teams. Each teams backpacks all carry the same yellow tag with number on it.  So far I have identified the following:

#1 - ?
#2 - ?
#3 - Linz
#4 - ?
#5 - ?
#6 - Weaver
#7 - Paolo
#8 - Aiello
#9 - Schroeder
#10 - Gaghan

If a #11 shows up for one of the unknowns, we got it made, mates. But still the mystery team could just by chance by the #11 backpack.

[banzai]

episode 1, 11 cars.

[cinni]

wow, our own new game, hunt for the missing racers.

just one dumb question, would cbs have an extra whatever just in case there is a problem with one of the other whatever? ie, if one of the cars won't start, they already have one sitting there ready to go. don't want to keep kids waiting and all.

[Chateau d If]

That's what makes this so hard.  We have to sort that out.

GMan, that 3rd name on the list may be a big clue.  I will take a look at it later on.

Unless someone can upload the shot!

Also, remember those extra people who showed up in the USSRC spoiler shots (start of Leg 4)?  Need to look closer.

Where did those shots come from?  Do we have higher resolution versions to work with?

[supsandalee]

We can reach an almost definite conclusion on the number of teams if we can catch the numbers on the backpacks of all the teams. Each teams backpacks all carry the same yellow tag with number on it.  So far I have identified the following:

#1 - ?
#2 - ?
#3 - Linz
#4 - ?
#5 - ?
#6 - Weaver
#7 - Paolo
#8 - Aiello
#9 - Schroeder
#10 - Gaghan

If a #11 shows up for one of the unknowns, we got it made, mates. But still the mystery team could just by chance by the #11 backpack.

I looked through lots and lots of shots (from Tarflies) and only found five backpack tags.
   A couple just confirmed yours -- #7 Paolo, #8 Aiello and #10 Gaghan.
   There is a clear picture of Char Schroeder with a #1 tag on her backpack which contradicts.
   While not completely clear it looks like the Bransen girl has #4 on hers.
   So, who the heck is the lady to the left of Gaghan dad. She looks like a team member but not any we've seen!!

Also, from ep. 4 heres a great shot of 7 SUVS while the Linz are walking towards it and we know the Bransens left 3 minutes before them.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[gingerman28]

While checking on the "fake" plane takeoff from New Orleans (actually it is taking off in Los Angles and heading off over the Pacific) I counted 12 cars waiting outside Dodger Statium for 12 teams (TAR4) and 11 cars for 11 teams at the Santa Monica Pier (TAR6) so it seems that in previous races, there are the same number of cars waiting at the start line as there are teams. 

[Chateau d If]

On the other hand the 11th SUV was still there when the 10th team (Godlewski's) left.  So the 11th team would have had to have been last which is what? one chance in 11?  :unde:

I've got some Tag #s

#1  Black (ep1 10:04)    |(  I'll have to look again since the shot above shows Schroeder's with #1.
#2  Bransen (ep1 9:47)
#3  Linz (ep3 21:52)
#4
#5
#6  Weaver (ep1 9:50)
#7  Paolo (ep3 39:32)
#8  Aiello (ep3 forgot to note time)
#9
#10  Gaghan (ep1 10:07)

The time is where it occurs on a tape which has had commercials edited out, intro and credits credits still there.

[supsandalee]

On the other hand the 11th SUV was still there when the 10th team (Godlewski's) left.  So the 11th team would have had to have been last which is what? one chance in 11?  :unde:

I've got some Tag #s

#1  Black (ep1 10:04)    |(  I'll have to look again since the shot above shows Schroeder's with #1.
#2  Bransen (ep1 9:47)
#3  Linz (ep3 21:52)
#4
#5
#6  Weaver (ep1 9:50)
#7  Paolo (ep3 39:32)
#8  Aiello (ep3 forgot to note time)
#9
#10  Gaghan (ep1 10:07)

The time is where it occurs on a tape which has had commercials edited out, intro and credits credits still there.

Hey, maybe Schroeders are 11!!!! That would confirm some things.

Please look at the pic above and verify it is a Bransen girl. It really looks like a #4 on the backpack to me.

[Chateau d If]

That's too tiny to read for me.  We will have some more oppportunities to get their tag #.

I went back to 10:04 on my ep1 to check the tag # for the Blacks.  Now I am seeing #4 there.  It's got a straight line and it's just a single digit.

The shot is of the team as they round the corner to the SUVs.  The tag is on one of the kid's packs.  There are not a lot of opportunities to get tag #'s for the Blacks.

And the Bransens are definitely #2 as they start running with their packs (Ep1 9:47).

This is what we've got so far:

#1  Schroeder (see Tarflies pic above)
#2  Bransen (ep1 9:47)
#3  Linz (ep3 21:52)
#4  Black (ep1 10:04)
#5
#6  Weaver (ep1 9:50)
#7  Paolo (ep3 39:32)
#8  Aiello (ep3 forgot to note time)
#9
#10  Gaghan (ep1 10:07)

So that leaves the Rogers and the Godlewskis left to determine.  With the Rogers gone their tag # may be a mystery.  I will check the Ep1 and 2 again for any views.

[supsandalee]

Did anyone every figure out who this chick is to left?

[attachment deleted by admin]

[Chateau d If]

I not certain but there were some USSRC staffers around.

I need to check the recording.

[supsandalee]

I not certain but there were some USSRC staffers around.

I need to check the recording.

What if they finally made a slip on the editing? Team 11???   |#' Well, it's fun to make unwarranted assumptions anyway.

[Slowhatch]

Did anyone every figure out who this chick is to left?

Probably another staffer, like the green shirt guy (see below). Another edit from the sequence: while the Paolo son grabs and holds up his ticket with his left hand, closeups review the hand grabbing tickets 6 and 7 to be a righty (and probably the same hand for both shots).

[attachment deleted by admin]

[gingerman28]

In the clear Tarflies pix of the Schroeders at the computer in USSRC the "1" on the girl's backpack looks a wee bit off center. Could the editors have digitally removed the second "1"?  This might explain why we had a no. 1 down for the Blacks also.