Topic: Previous TAR Seasons Discussions

[Alenaveda]

Also, the original To Be Continued was created on the fly because the producers hadn't done their research and scheduled a NEL during a 'take all your money as a penalty' season in a country where it was illegal for the last Racers to turn around and beg in the streets for cab money to get to the airport.

They can't adjust the Book in order to favor a team they think will be popular. But they've got a lot more leeway in terms of adjusting on the fly than a show filmed on a nice controlled sound stage because Stuff Happens, and they've got a history of adjusting things if a Racer is impacted by an error caused by Production, even if they don't announce time credits like they used to.  They also omitted a Speed Bump that Vicki & Nick should have faced a few seasons ago because of some sort of snafu during what seemed to be an impossibly hard music task in, IIRC, Russia.

http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/the-amazing-race-leg-omitted-speed-bump-due-production-issues-11697.php

(There's some speculation that the production issue as bad enough that Vicki & Nick's non-elimination was unplanned, but production claimed it was a scheduled NEL.)

And I'm sure that production has also regularly thrown up hours of operation signs on the fly in order to prevent teams from ending up spread over three different continents. Again with the TARAS where Charla and Mirna got a day ahead of everyone in Africa because of the Great School Holidays and Hadj mess, went to take their boat to the next task, and instead came across a sign saying the boat couldn't operate that day due to high seas that looked a good 3-5 inches of fierce waves.

The explanation was that the guy outside the 3 rooms tell Nick and Vicki they had the wrong scores when, in fact, they had the right ones.

[SuperTux]

Why were Cindy & Ernie from S19 not penalized for losing tickets?

[AmazingRace]

Why were Cindy & Ernie from S19 not penalized for losing tickets?

I wonder why too. I think it's because they paid for their tickets anyways, so they didn't bother.

[redskevin88]

Here is a quote from theschnauzers about how production cannot manipulate the game.

Just a quick comment in all of the speculation.  Tasks are not changed at the last moment to favor teams; the elimination points are not changed, i.e., a non-elimination leg remains a non-elimination leg. I don't know if it is still being done, but in the early seasons, it was mentioned that production actually prepared a sworn affidavit, prior to the start of filming,of the tasks that would be used and at what point so as to avoid claims that tasks were changed on the spot to favor any team.
The affidavit, as I understood what was mentioned at the time, also included the backup tasks or legs in case of problems at any point in the race. There's absolutely no way a last minute change in location or tasks can be made without some advance preparation (local production crew and extras) so it can be executed and keep filming on track.
It irritates me to no end when there's a suggestion such as changing a task or an elimination point to favor keeping a particular team in the race. Among other things, since TAR is legally considered under US law to be a game show, it is required to comply with federal law that prohibits manipulation of the game elements to favor or not favor particular teams.

The first non-elimination in S16 is fishy, it spared the producers favorite Jeff & Jordan. Also the Blind U-turn in the next leg which kept them in the race.

[Zack.]

Not to me. I mean, they've had NELs on leg 4 before (TAR6) and they've had NELs in the first continent change before (TAR6, 7, 8 if you replace 'continent' with 'country', 9, 11) and they've had production favorites go early (Romber in TARAS).

Plus, the linear nature of the following leg suggests the Blind U-Turn was put in there to help whoever was spared to survive, because otherwise they would surely be last and out. Even if it was placed in to help J/J, it wouldn't have prevented Joe from making the comments he did on the bus or Louie/Michael to react negatively to them.

[Best Loser]

Why were Cindy & Ernie from S19 not penalized for losing tickets?

I'm thinking that as long as they take the required form of transportation (if any), it doesn't matter if they paid or not. I'm sure if teams could get on airplanes without buying tickets production would allow it.

[georgiapeach]

They had their receipts showing they paid for the tickets....

[Alenaveda]

Just as a fact:  about the Caribbean and Central America, TAR never had a first leg on that area (only TARLA 2 had the starting line at Guatemala's Tikal National Park).  The closest one was Mexico in TAR3.

(BTW, you keep surprising me with your analysis, and I think you're right about it)

[apskip]

Just as a fact:  about the Caribbean and Central America, TAR never had a first leg on that area (only TARLA 2 had the starting line at Guatemala's Tikal National Park).  The closest one was Mexico in TAR3.

(BTW, you keep surprising me with your analysis, and I think you're right about it)

Alaneveda,

I was shocked to learn in an unpublished separate analysis of Central America destinations only that Mexico only qualified under my sets of assumptions with Monterey with 3 flights to there from LAX at 5pm and one each at 9pm  and 10pm. Mexico City had only one nonstop flight and thus did not qualify. The other destinations that do not qualify based on my criteria are Guadalajara, Guajanato and Leon.

I am not clear what you were saying about AR3, but the first destination there was definitely Mexico City although it originated in Miami and not LAX.

[apskip]

Just as a fact:  about the Caribbean and Central America, TAR never had a first leg on that area (only TARLA 2 had the starting line at Guatemala's Tikal National Park).  The closest one was Mexico in TAR3.

(BTW, you keep surprising me with your analysis, and I think you're right about it)

Alaneveda,

I was shocked to learn in an unpublished separate analysis of Central America destinations only that Mexico only qualified under my sets of assumptions with Monterey with 3 flights to there from LAX at 5pm and one each at 9pm  and 10pm. Mexico City had only one nonstop flight and thus did not qualify. The other destinations that do not qualify based on my criteria are Guadalajara, Guajanato and Leon.

I am not clear what you were saying about AR3, but the first destination there was definitely Mexico City although it originated in Miami and not LAX.

Geographically speaking (Should be the differences on educationals programs.  For us, Canada, USA and Mexico always were part of North America: everything between Mexico and Colombia's border with Panama were Central America; and from Colombia to the Strait of Magellan were South America).

There is no question about the definition of North America, whether from decades ago or today. It is Canada, U.S., Mexico AND Central America.
However, I have discovered with some geographic research to double-check the current view of what constitutes Central America that Mexico is not included in the modern definition even though it was when I learned geography several decades ago. So I stand corrected (except for some who view the southeastern tip of Mexico as part of Central America). Thus AR3 did not go first to Central America. Also, Monterey is not in Central America so there are no places in Central America where you can fly nonstop from LAX in the designated time frame.

[Alenaveda]

Just as a fact:  about the Caribbean and Central America, TAR never had a first leg on that area (only TARLA 2 had the starting line at Guatemala's Tikal National Park).  The closest one was Mexico in TAR3.

(BTW, you keep surprising me with your analysis, and I think you're right about it)

Alaneveda,

I was shocked to learn in an unpublished separate analysis of Central America destinations only that Mexico only qualified under my sets of assumptions with Monterey with 3 flights to there from LAX at 5pm and one each at 9pm  and 10pm. Mexico City had only one nonstop flight and thus did not qualify. The other destinations that do not qualify based on my criteria are Guadalajara, Guajanato and Leon.

I am not clear what you were saying about AR3, but the first destination there was definitely Mexico City although it originated in Miami and not LAX.

Geographically speaking (Should be the differences on educationals programs.  For us, Canada, USA and Mexico always were part of North America: everything between Mexico and Colombia's border with Panama were Central America; and from Colombia to the Strait of Magellan were South America).

There is no question about the definition of North America, whether from decades ago or today. It is Canada, U.S., Mexico AND Central America.
However, I have discovered with some geographic research to double-check the current view of what constitutes Central America that Mexico is not included in the modern definition even though it was when I learned geography several decades ago. So I stand corrected (except for some who view the southeastern tip of Mexico as part of Central America). Thus AR3 did not go first to Central America. Also, Monterey is not in Central America so there are no places in Central America where you can fly nonstop from LAX in the designated time frame.

Once again, and for make it clear to you:  For us who lives in the other half of the continent, Canada, USA and Mexico always were part of North America: everything between Mexico and Colombia's border with Panama were Central America; and from Colombia to the Strait of Magellan were South America, and that's the way we used to divide the whole continent.  When I'm talking about "differences on educationals programs" I'm referring to this, ¿understood?.  So, from our point of view, the closest first leg to Central America - without counting TARLA 2 in Guatemala - was TAR3 in Mexico.  ¿Is it clear enough for you?
On the same way, if TAR24 (as an example) would have its first leg in any city of Colombia or Venezuela, then I would say that the closest first legs to Central America has been TAR3 (Mexico) and TAR24 (Colombia/Venezuela).
And to let it even clearer:  until TAR20, Argentina never had a first leg.  The closest first legs were TAR2-TAR9-TAR13 (Brasil), TAR5 (Uruguay) and TAR16 (Chile).

[georgiapeach]

 

[Alenaveda]

quick question, on Mark's last try they had a dancer doing the steps right near the camera guy, did they only do it that one time or had they done it throughout?

I think it was only for Mark's last attempt. For all the other teams, the blue podium where the dance instructor was showing his steps were occupied by the instrument players.

You're right AR. It looks like they made this concession for them. Maybe they wanted to avoid someone taking a four hour penalty in a NEL leg.

Show content

To end this discussion, I've been making the spanish subs sync of this chapter, and I found something that put things clear about this point: in Mark's third attempt to perform the dance routine, at 26.36 minutes of the episode, we can see the choreographer doing the routine in front of the stage, guiding Mark.  And you can also see the other coreographers close to the stage in every attempt that both Rachels, Vanessa and J.J. made to fulfill the RB, but the editing doesn't allow to watch if they're doing the same.

(EDIT: And also at the 7th attempt too. Down there you have the caps from every attempt)

[RaceUntilWeDie]

I didn't know where to post this, but I'll put it here:

Did you notice that Phil changed his hosting style for when he reveals the news to the last team that the leg is a NEL?

Example: I'm… pleased to tell you however… [ speaking at the last team ]

I've noticed throughout some of TAR19 and 20 that Phil asks questions or somehow gets the last teams to do a speech (i.e. Mark & Bopper) before revealing that it's a NEL.

I don't know, but this just bothers me.

[bcp19]

I didn't know where to post this, but I'll put it here:

Did you notice that Phil changed his hosting style for when he reveals the news to the last team that the leg is a NEL?

Example: I'm… pleased to tell you however… [ speaking at the last team ]

I've noticed throughout some of TAR19 and 20 that Phil asks questions or somehow gets the last teams to do a speech (i.e. Mark & Bopper) before revealing that it's a NEL.

I don't know, but this just bothers me.

Actually, for several seasons now Phil has had a 'tell' when it came to NEL.

In normal EL's, he more often than not says Something similar to "X and Y, you are the last team to arrive... I'm sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated"

But in NEL's he almost always says "X and Y, I am sorry to tell you that you are the last team to arrive... However(or I'm pleased to tell you) this is a non elimination leg.

[RaceUntilWeDie]

Well I meant that he doesn't actually right away tell that it is a NEL.

Example: Bopper & Mark

"You are the last team to arrive… I know you worked really hard… Bopper, I know you wanted to come on this Race so bad"

Example: Amani & Marcus

"You are the last team to arrive… how are you feeling right now?"

and back then it was basically "I'm… pleased to tell you however,"

Although this is such a small topic, I just wanted to bring it up.

This hosting style of Phil is something I really don't like, but it does allow for meaningful moments like both of Bopper & Mark's NEL's.

Just bugged that it's always so obvious when it's a NEL now, unless you read spoilers and know how long a certain team lasts 

[bcp19]

Well I meant that he doesn't actually right away tell that it is a NEL.

Example: Bopper & Mark

"You are the last team to arrive… I know you worked really hard… Bopper, I know you wanted to come on this Race so bad"

Example: Amani & Marcus

"You are the last team to arrive… how are you feeling right now?"

and back then it was basically "I'm… pleased to tell you however,"

Although this is such a small topic, I just wanted to bring it up.

This hosting style of Phil is something I really don't like, but it does allow for meaningful moments like both of Bopper & Mark's NEL's.

Just bugged that it's always so obvious when it's a NEL now, unless you read spoilers and know how long a certain team lasts 

I don't remember where I read it, but I'm pretty sure that Phil often takes several minutes talking to the racers upon arrival, it's just that most of it ends up on the cutting room floor.

[Alenaveda]

quick question, on Mark's last try they had a dancer doing the steps right near the camera guy, did they only do it that one time or had they done it throughout?

I think it was only for Mark's last attempt. For all the other teams, the blue podium where the dance instructor was showing his steps were occupied by the instrument players.

You're right AR. It looks like they made this concession for them. Maybe they wanted to avoid someone taking a four hour penalty in a NEL leg.

Show content

To end this discussion, I've been making the spanish subs sync of this chapter, and I found something that put things clear about this point: in Mark's third attempt to perform the dance routine, at 26.36 minutes of the episode, we can see the choreographer doing the routine in front of the stage, guiding Mark.  And you can also see the other coreographers close to the stage in every attempt that both Rachels, Vanessa and J.J. made to fulfill the RB, but the editing doesn't allow to watch if they're doing the same.

(EDIT: And also at the 7th attempt too. Down there you have the caps from every attempt)

And here's are some more caps from the RB:

1. Rachel (Davechel) 1st. attempt.
2. Rachel (Brenchel) 1st. attempt.
3-4 J.J. 4th. attempt.

In all of them the coreographers are close to the stage while they're doing the dance routine.


1


2


3


4

[Jobby]

I didn't know where to post this, but I'll put it here:

Did you notice that Phil changed his hosting style for when he reveals the news to the last team that the leg is a NEL?

Example: I'm… pleased to tell you however… [ speaking at the last team ]

I've noticed throughout some of TAR19 and 20 that Phil asks questions or somehow gets the last teams to do a speech (i.e. Mark & Bopper) before revealing that it's a NEL.

I don't know, but this just bothers me.

Normally before he did the revealing.. he will give a moment or two for the camera to zoom in to the death-panic-crazy-anxious-faces from the racers who came in last.

[tarflyonthewall]

I'm working on a guide to the tasks of various reality shows (including TAR), and I'm categorising the tasks for each show rather than doing them chronologically for many reasons, among them to compare similar legs. I've worked out that I want to split the legs up by geographic region and while some of them are obvious - Mauritius/Madagascar/Seychelles together, the Scandinavian countries together - others are frustrating to work out. Do I give China and India their own sections? But then what would happen with Sri Lanka and Mongolia? Do I include Israel and Turkey as "Middle East"? Do I separate Brazil from Hispanophone South America? Do I include Jamaica, Cuba, and the Dominican Republic with the Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica legs? Does Morocco go with Tunisia and Egypt as part of North Africa or Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Ghana as part of West Africa? What do I do with Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan? Or Guam? Or the Philippines?

So, I suppose my question is: How would you divide the world into "regions" for something like this?

Edited because Senegal? Not an island.

[georgiapeach]

I'd do it by episodes. WHy complicate things?

[tarflyonthewall]

A big part of the reasoning is that many of the other shows on the list are "recurring challenge, new players each week" deals, and I want to keep it consistent. I think I've got it all sorted, although there's some unfortunate bits where I've had to split a country's legs - Hamburg belongs with North-West Europe, Berlin belongs with Eastern Europe, and Munich belongs with the Alpine regions, for example. It doesn't work to keep them together.

[tarflyonthewall]

Here's what I've tentatively decided on:

NORTH AMERICA - Canada and the United States
CENTRAL AMERICA - Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico
"FORESTED" SOUTH AMERICA - Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela
"MOUNTAINOUS" SOUTH AMERICA - Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay
NORTH-WEST EUROPE - Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom
SCANDINAVIA - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
FORMER SOVIET UNION - Azerbaijan, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine
CENTRAL EUROPE - Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Romania, and Switzerland
MEDITERRANEAN - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey
WEST & SOUTH-WESTERN AFRICA - Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa
EASTERN AFRICA - Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Seychelles, Tanzania, and Zambia
MIDDLE EAST - Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates
SUBCONTINENT - Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka
SOUTH-EAST ASIA - Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
FAR-EASTERN ASIA - China, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, and Taiwan
PACIFIC ISLANDS - Australia, Guam, New Zealand, and the Philippines

I'm really not sure how to quickly describe the two South America categories - like, I see the "forested" countries as very "green" while the "mountainous" countries are very "brown", but that may just be me. There's still a couple I'm not entirely sure about - Jamaica's not really Central America (I was going to go with Anglophone North America and Hispanophone North America, but freaking Montreal had to exist and there are parts of the US where Spanish is dominant, and I wanted to keep countries together because casual viewers are more likely to remember, like, that the cheese wheel task happened in Switzerland than they are to remember it was in TAR14) while the Philippines isn't really the same sort of location as the other Pacific Islands - but by and large I'm happy with this list. If there's any improvements anyone can make, feel free to reply.

[Alenaveda]

Here's what I've tentatively decided on:

NORTH AMERICA - Canada and the United States
CENTRAL AMERICA - Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, and Puerto Rico
"FORESTED" SOUTH AMERICA - Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, and Venezuela
"MOUNTAINOUS" SOUTH AMERICA - Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Uruguay
NORTH-WEST EUROPE - Belgium, Ireland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom
SCANDINAVIA - Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
FORMER SOVIET UNION - Azerbaijan, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine
CENTRAL EUROPE - Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, Poland, Romania, and Switzerland
MEDITERRANEAN - Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey
WEST & SOUTH-WESTERN AFRICA - Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal, and South Africa
EASTERN AFRICA - Ethiopia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, the Seychelles, Tanzania, and Zambia
MIDDLE EAST - Kuwait, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates
SUBCONTINENT - Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka
SOUTH-EAST ASIA - Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam
FAR-EASTERN ASIA - China, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, and Taiwan
PACIFIC ISLANDS - Australia, Guam, New Zealand, and the Philippines

I'm really not sure how to quickly describe the two South America categories - like, I see the "forested" countries as very "green" while the "mountainous" countries are very "brown", but that may just be me. There's still a couple I'm not entirely sure about - Jamaica's not really Central America (I was going to go with Anglophone North America and Hispanophone North America, but freaking Montreal had to exist and there are parts of the US where Spanish is dominant, and I wanted to keep countries together because casual viewers are more likely to remember, like, that the cheese wheel task happened in Switzerland than they are to remember it was in TAR14) while the Philippines isn't really the same sort of location as the other Pacific Islands - but by and large I'm happy with this list. If there's any improvements anyone can make, feel free to reply.

I suggest you, in the South America matter, that you better use the same division we use here:

Atlantic countries:  Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Venezuela.
Pacific countries: Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Equador, Colombia.

This is because, for example, Argentina is not a "montainous country" only. In fact, you can't call the USA a "mountainous country" only because of  the Apalaches or the Rocky Mountains. Argentina has the Andes Mountains along his west border - places like Bariloche (TAR5/15) or Mendoza (TAR9) are there - and some secondaries chain of mountains related to the Andes (the mountains in Salta are one of them); but it's mostly plains, forests, plateau and an extended coast over the Atlantic Sea.  The same applies for Uruguay, who's not even close to the Andes (they're split South America in two) and only has very low hills known in spanish as "Cuchillas", so it becomes difficult to adjust your definition to it. By the other hand, Colombia has both mountains (the Andes) and forest, the same as Equador and Peru, so the difficult remains too.

I hope this can help you with your work.   

[Declive]

Uruguay , Ecuador , and Argentina shall not be considered as MOUNTAINOUS , but Colombia should.