The Amazing Race > The Amazing Race Discussion
Why the Amazing Race has lost its magic
ImANewUser:
Not quoting Joab's post since I don't want to clutter the thread with block quotes. :funny:
I agree with the cast comment. It can affect how you think about a season. But the route/tasks can affect the cast too, since it's the tasks that determine what comes out of the Racers' personalities. And I also agree that 'I like a season' =/= 'the season is great'. It may seem like they're the same, but it isn't.
Also, Joab, Season 14 was more Euro-centric than Season 7. Actually, Seasons 3, 4, 6, 9, 10 & 12 were all more Eurocentric than Season 7. They actually spent around half the Race below the equator, and that's sadder because it didn't feel like it. It felt like the race was just filmed in the back lot. Followed by a North America-based TAR 8 & the beginning of my spoiling days with Season 9, I just answered the question to "Why do I feel like TAR has lost the 'oomph' factor?" :funny: The magic though, will never go away. ;)
ETA: Yes, I just made this post a self-reflection thread. Now if you excuse me, I'm off to watch Glee. :funny:
Coutzy:
--- Quote ---
IMO, i think equalizers and fixed routes are generally OKAY.. because at least all the teams will be together and it will be more exciting to watch
--- End quote ---
There's nothing wrong with an equalizer here and there, hell I'll even take one at the start of every leg if it gives every team a chance to survive. As Amber said in the commentary for S7 "Every leg is a race in itself" but 3 in a single leg, and then punishing a team that makes a mistake at the end, but essentially granting teams a free pass to screw up at any point before the very final task in a leg? IMO they should just put bunching points at the Pit Stop if they want to play like that.
For example, Freddy and Kendra in Sri Lanka took the slower Detour, even knowing that playing elephant polo would take longer than doing the ropes course. They took that task because they would probably never be able to ride an elephant again. Okay, that's fair enough. But what about all the other teams that worked to gain an advantage by doing the potentially scary task? They get royally screwed because they didn't arrive at the Temple of the Tooth within a four hour window, and eventually, Lori and Bolo, who (I think, don't quote me on this) arrived at the temple first, lose out because of a simple oversight.
And that, is my really roundabout way of saying levelers that late into a leg are stupid and evil.
Jobby:
--- Quote from: Coutzy on October 20, 2009, 10:18:24 AM ---
--- Quote ---
IMO, i think equalizers and fixed routes are generally OKAY.. because at least all the teams will be together and it will be more exciting to watch
--- End quote ---
There's nothing wrong with an equalizer here and there, hell I'll even take one at the start of every leg if it gives every team a chance to survive. As Amber said in the commentary for S7 "Every leg is a race in itself" but 3 in a single leg, and then punishing a team that makes a mistake at the end, but essentially granting teams a free pass to screw up at any point before the very final task in a leg? IMO they should just put bunching points at the Pit Stop if they want to play like that.
For example, Freddy and Kendra in Sri Lanka took the slower Detour, even knowing that playing elephant polo would take longer than doing the ropes course. They took that task because they would probably never be able to ride an elephant again. Okay, that's fair enough. But what about all the other teams that worked to gain an advantage by doing the potentially scary task? They get royally screwed because they didn't arrive at the Temple of the Tooth within a four hour window, and eventually, Lori and Bolo, who (I think, don't quote me on this) arrived at the temple first, lose out because of a simple oversight.
And that, is my really roundabout way of saying levelers that late into a leg are stupid and evil.
--- End quote ---
I remembered how Adam and Rebecca were dead last and saved by an Hours of Operation, and eventually won the leg with an FF... :funny:
woden:
Dubai episode was this season's problem in a nutshell:
1. Go up a tall building. Do... nothing. Find a clue to go to... a parking lot.
2. Go sledding. Inside.
3. Preview for next episode: a waterslide at an amusement park. Which makes at least two amusement parks visited this season.
Really? This is all there is left to do? For all the talk about the race on a budget, Tokyo and Dubai aren't cheap. For the money, go somewhere I haven't seen and do something I can't do. Whole thing feels so touristy this season.
I agree, Puddin - I liked season nine. Might be my favorite of the post-family edition seasons. Season 10 had that incredible route but such a weak cast/finish.
Hooky:
The whole problem with this season that I find to be a disturbing new occurence (and a little bit of last season, too) is just how stereotypically they are portraying the countries with the tasks.
Go to Japan and do...a game show (Phil: "The Japanese are well known for their wild and outrageous game shows.").
Go to Vietnam and...get muddy. And herd ducks. In a course set up just for the race.
Go to Cambodia...monkey this, monkey that, that's all that you can see in Cambodia.
Go to United Arab Emirates...worlds tallest building, too much emphasis on the desert, indoor ski resort (which is cool but not when combined with everything else this leg).
And it looks like Leg 6 will be about waterslides and stereotypical oil barons. Great. I didn't already know about that. *sarcasm*
In short, I expect the race to portray something I didn't know about the countries, rather than what I already knew.
And the Legs are just too centralized in one location. It seems less amazing because there are no "24 hour train rides", no self-driving that can spread teams apart and make the race seem bigger. There is no mystery to it. Everyone knows that the teams will all end up safe in the end. Nowadays there are no risks. Older seasons had much more of the unknown to them.
And yes, Seasons 9 and 10 were still great. How Season 10 turned out can't be helped; they obviously had an excellent cast if you look at all of them together. 10 had a wonderfully unexpected route, unexpected results, and did seem "larger than life". It was very well planned; it just turned out lousy in execution. And I loved the tasks and locations in Season 9. They were beautiful! :hearts:
All-Stars had a lousy route, but all the crazy and unpredictable things that happened still make it one of the better seasons, in my opinion, regardless of the winners (and the fact that we already knew the boot order). The problems came with the major condensing of Season 12. (:;)
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