I miss Pre-Family-Edition. As many have stated it focused so much more on the teams of ordinary people, the comraderie, the little inter-couple tiffs (ILY Teri and Ian!), the drama, each country being showcased with it's best locales, best tasks and vibrant feel. I miss hearing the teams say "Travel to Egypt, to the Sphynx (totally spelt wrong, LOL)" and things like that where you get excited to see what each country has got to offer. I miss each team's relationship being explored. More driving, more game-talk, more strategy and wonder if 90-mins for each episode would be better (IDK). I really feel casting has changed as well...Idk, getting certain teams from TAR10-16 well they all seem wannabe's basically...Not many teams excited me much...I've being trying to tell myself I'm wrong but I'm not...
Who remembers teams from TAR3 travelling in the middle of the night (love night starts) to the Jet D'Eau, then getting a flag telling them to travel to Singapore. What about those exciting Alpine episodes in that season with the long drives, hell even the Flo/Drew romance! The whole idea of roadtrekking through Europe excited me, and the teams were great..Kenny and Gerard, the fierce Twins, Whiner and Zach, Teri and Eyen (LOL) the team you loved and hated and yet really hoped they stayed in and JV and Jill as well!
You don't get that anymore. Every leg seems like its overgone plastic surgery and all you see is quick snappy shots of 3 day time tasks (which usually are all boring), not really any suspense, too much cruelty amongst the teams ala TAR16...And sometimes I wonder if it isn't the teams at all its the way their portrayed. I sometimes wonder if TAR3 would be just as good if you put the latter casts in that season...and I think it is the race itself thats died a little. What about TAR4 Episode1 in the Alps and how exciting that was (though it was obvious Debra and Steve weren't going to make it bless them). And then Episode 2 starting with a night time taboggon down the mountain!
New seasons really feel plastic and polar to me. All you get is quick check out. Airport. All teams booked on same flight (damn production, and as people said about TAR1-7 when teams really got to chose what they wanted to do ala TAR1 with all the teams scheming to get off at Bologne and taking a taxi to the next pitstop!!). Arriving, mad dash which seems boring as well not at all exciting, Detour (kinda irrelevant to the country) Roadblock (10 mins away) All taxi's, not alot of driving! 1 stupid task and then pitstop. Its all about the stupid tasks as well. None of the airing time for stuff in between tasks like in TAR3, remember all the great moments we got when teams weren't racing? like the Europe legs with the full on self driving? When teams were booking flights, driving, on a 24 hour train, Flo whining, Teri yelling "Eeyen"! It's gone, all we get is that listed above, every leg with no real "polish". No development of characters, just full on race to this and that and not be last...
I'm starting to face the music...As so many programs...Early seasons>Late Seasons pale in comparison
TAR has lost its magic...I feel like I want to go into CBS Studios and get a really great season outta them! It has become plastic (Lynne Spillman, lol) just like Survivor as well although with the firing of Erika Shay its better...but back to TAR lol!
Sorry for my big speech but it just started and wouldn't stop lol! I hope some agree, where's all the polish gone, all the comraderie, the "real" drama not the production concocted crap and the great tasks, location-showing, team development and making the race full on like TAR1,3,5,7 and even 2,4,6 at times! 8,12,13,14,15,16 and 9,10,11 close behind them are all (watching again) paling in comparison...and I know costs are low, but damn costs, just go for it!