Topic: TAR 27 MEDIA

[georgiapeach]

There are some great interesting bits in that article!!  Thanks for sharing it.

Adding in the rest....


Amazing Race” host Phil Keoghan, who has been at the helm of the U.S. juggernaut for 27 seasons, is also quite happy about the success of the show, which wrapped its third season in September.

“I’m so pleased that it’s worked in Canada and fans are happy because after making ‘Amazing Race’ in America successful you don’t want to have a blemish in the franchise and so we’ve had not just success but great success,” says Keoghan over the phone from the UK.

“I think the Canadian (version) from what I’ve seen … it does definitely have a Canadian feel to it, which is great. Maybe it’s closer to what the Canadians want and some of the things they don’t like about the American show they’ll like more in the Canadian show. Ultimately I think people like to watch themselves, their own people, people that they can connect with.”

So what makes our teams so distinctly Canadian?

“You hear ‘sorry’ from a Canadian a lot more than you do from an American I think,” says Keoghan with a laugh.

“It’s awesome that it’s worked and that Canadian fans are happy and don’t feel that somehow it’s not a match. It’s something that they’re really proud of and that they love.”

Apply now to be on 'The Amazing Race Canada!'

 The Emmy Award-nominated Keoghan, who is also a producer on “The Amazing Race,” says the success of the show – no matter which country is producing it – depends on three key elements: the teams, what they’re doing and where they’re doing it (in that order).

“A huge amount of credit has to go to our casting team over the years because that is the No. 1 most important factor in making any series a success: are the teams interesting? And then (when) we put them into an interesting situation is their reaction to that stimulus interesting to watch? The third layer is where are they and what are we seeing behind them?”

Keoghan says a really captivating team being lost in a taxi can surpass anything else in the show. 

“It’s about the teams. The focus is how do we get them to react to an amazing race? It’s imperative we get that right. We get that wrong then we lose out on having a great show.”

It doesn’t mean “The Amazing Race” hasn’t tried new elements over the years though, including a family edition and bringing former contestants back for all-stars and unfinished business. They also tried a blind date concept in Season 26, with half the teams being existing couples and the other half meeting for the first time on the mat.

 Even though there were no love connections, Keoghan says there’s a possibility they’d do it again or something else like it.

“I loved it just to try something different. It surprised me, it surprised the fans. Who would’ve guessed that three out of the four teams in the final leg would be teams who had never met each other before? That certainly dispelled a lot of my beliefs about what teams do well and a lot of fans, too.”   

The current season of “Race” has returned to the show’s typical format (teams with existing relationships) but they are revisiting some familiar spots, including the Batoka Gorge in Zambia, the very first challenge ever on “Amazing Race” when Season 1 aired in 2001.

“I love going back and this season we’ve done it quite a bit, visiting some of the iconic spots, the switchbacks are always to me a lot of fun. We have such history to draw on and it’s great to have that history.”

In the next episode, airing tonight at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CTV, teams will visit another familiar site – the Arc de Triomphe in Paris – the Pit Stop for the second leg in Season 1.

“Next to the Taj Mahal and the Pyramids it’s right up there. It’s absolutely iconic on the Champs-Elysees, it’s absolutely stunning and beautiful and then they have some really interesting challenges – a rapping challenge, they get in some biplanes. It’s awesome.”

They will also be travelling to Poland and India later in the season, something Keoghan is particularly excited about.

“Those episodes through India are my favourite this season, just because of taking ordinary people or so called ordinary people and putting them in an extraordinary situation with vivid colours and culture and where they are a complete fish out of water … It’s a great finish. Lots of drama.”

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Episodes 8 and 9 from TV Guide:

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Episode 8 title

[georgiapeach]

Amazing Race's Phil Keoghan praises Canadian version of hit show
 
Phil Keoghan has deep-rooted Canadian connections, but that's not why he loves our version of The Amazing Race


 By Steve Tilley, Postmedia Network 
First posted:  Wednesday, November 04, 2015 01:55 PM EST  | Updated:  Wednesday, November 04, 2015 02:07 PM EST 

   
 
We Canadians are a polite and reserved people most of the time. But when it comes to The Amazing Race, we were not going to sit quietly until we got what we damn well wanted: a version of the show that highlighted Canuck courage and competitiveness.

And nobody is happier about the success of The Amazing Race Canada than Phil Keoghan, the longtime host of the U.S. version of the globe-trotting, Emmy-winning reality show.

Canada’s pent-up demand to take part in The Amazing Race “was more than any other country in the world, I’ve got to say,” said Keoghan, on the phone from the U.K. where he was watching his New Zealand All Blacks defeat Australia in last weekend’s Rugby World Cup final.

“Any country likes to watch its own compete,” said Keoghan. “There’s a certain amount of patriotism, and there’s that rivalry between Canadians and Americans, and I think Canadians initially felt like they were left out.”

With Canadian Olympic gold medalist Jon Montgomery as host, The Amazing Race Canada kicked off in 2013 with a debut season that never left Canada’s borders. Some cynics snarked that it made the show a lesser version of its American cousin, but Keoghan disagrees.

“I think it was a really smart move to focus in on Canada, because I think it rallied the fans around the franchise, and I think it made Canadians – who are such a proud people, and such a great country – think, ‘Wow, we really do live in an amazing place,’ ” he said.

The two subsequent seasons have ventured outside of Canada – to China and France in Season 2, and Chile, Argentina and India in Season 3 – and there’s no reason to think next year’s Season 4 will be any different. (If you and a partner think you’ve got what it takes to win the next season of The Amazing Race Canada, head to theamazingracecanada.ctv.ca/casting to apply.)

“And then when they did go out (of Canada), it got everyone excited because it’s like, ‘Oh, OK, now we get to see the Canadian version go out into the world,’ ” said Keoghan. “It was a good move.”

Before The Amazing Race, Keoghan was a well-known TV personality in his native New Zealand, and he’s travelled the world crossing items off a very impressive bucket list, including making one of the world’s tallest bungee jumps and eating dinner at the edge of an erupting volcano.

But he comes by his love of Canada – and of rugby – very honestly, eh, having spent four years living in Ontario as a kid.

“My dad coached the University of Guelph rugby team,” said Keoghan. “There was a big match back in 1971 between Guelph and Queen’s (University), and my dad was the coach and they were a bit short on players. So my dad jumped into the game and they ended up winning it.”

Currently in its 27th season, the U.S. version of The Amazing Race heads from France to the Netherlands in Friday’s episode, where two-wheeled transportation is likely to factor into a challenge.

“We’re going to Rotterdam, an absolutely spectacular city,” said Keoghan. “It’s a country that is very advanced, they love technology, they love bicycles of course – any excuse to get a bicycle in the show is good with me, so you might see some pedalling – but it’s also one of the busiest harbours in the world.”

And while the Green Team – Philadelphia radio personality Justin Scheman and his fiance,

schoolteacher Diana Bishop – have dominated the race with strategy and cunning, previous seasons have shown there’s no such thing as an unbeatable team in The Amazing Race.

“At the end of the day there are still cancelled flights, there’s still a taxi driver that takes them to the wrong side of town, there’s still the possibility they pull a leg muscle or they ostracize themselves from the other teams and the other teams want to gang up on them and eliminate them,” said Keoghan.

“The people who win are not always the fittest, they’re not always the smartest, they’re not always the strongest.”

Sometimes, they’re not even the politest. Eh.

The Amazing Race airs Friday nights at 8 p.m. on CBS and CTV.


http://www.torontosun.com/2015/11/04/amazing-races-phil-keoghan-praises-canadian-version-of-hit-show

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Episode 9 title

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Episodes 10 & 11 from TV Guide:

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Episode 10 title

[gamerfan09]

Why Justin and Diana are Making 'The Amazing Race' Season 27 Painful to Watch

The Green Team is unstoppable on The Amazing Race season 27. If there has ever been a team more dominant than Justin and Diana on The Amazing Race, I can't remember them. It's gotten to the point where I think even host Phil Keogan is getting a little bored of seeing Justin and Diana in first almost every leg. Is there anything The Amazing Race can do about Justin and Diana? More importantly, should they?

The Problem with Justin and Diana Winning

The issue with Justin and Diana's dominance goes beyond Justin's obnoxiousness. It doesn't help. Justin certainly makes the Green Team's supremacy harder to swallow. If Justin was more likable it would be less egregious but the problem with one team winning is the same regardless the personality of the team. The Tortoise and the Hare isn't a good story because the Hare is trouncing the Tortoise for the majority of the race. I mean, the Tortoise and the Hare is a stupid story regardless but one of the points of the fable is that it isn't fun to watch someone being beat so soundly in a race.

There is no tension. There is no interest about who will be in first because by the time the leg starts Justin and Diana have already finished it. This is an obvious exaggeration but it's still boring to watch an episode of The Amazing Race when Justin and Diana are so far ahead. There is never a sense of Justin and Diana fighting to stay in the race, there's rarely a chance of them fighting for first place.

It's even hard to invest in the rivalry of Justin and Diana versus the other teams because we almost never see the teams interact. The Green Team is so far ahead of everyone else that the other team's desire to beat them is some abstract idea. There was some crossover in the first couple of legs. Now it's hard to remember the last time Justin and Diana were on screen with anyone but themselves and Phil.

Can The Amazing Race Stop it?

The Amazing Race probably has a lot more planning than most reality shows. The amount of travel in a season sort of necessitates it. I think it would be wrong to assume that The Amazing Race is on autopilot for the entire season. If they want to step in, put in an extra hard challenge or a U-Turn, they can do that. I'm sure that the contract that the teams sign protects them from The Amazing Race producers targeting them so they can't make a better show. The Amazing Race can't actively try to get Justin and Diana out but maybe they should level the playing field.

Maybe there should be more of those catch up points The Amazing Race puts every so often on the race. These would not only allow some of the other teams to catch up but it would make for a more interesting race. The Amazing Race is at its absolute best when two teams intersect and are frantic to beat one another. More catch ups would certainly make that more a regular occurrence.

I understand the counter-argument to this though. It's not as if Justin and Diana are cheating on The Amazing Race, at least not that we know of, they are coming in first on their own skill. This shouldn't be penalized. It doesn't matter if it makes for less interesting viewing, The Amazing Race should let Justin and Diana get what they deserve. I understand this point of view and respect it. It a fair assessment. The part of me that wants to be entertained though can't abide it. Justin and Diana need to go or fall in the rankings and soon.

But what do you think? Are Justin and Diana TOO good at The Amazing Race? Is that that the other teams are just bad? Do you enjoy watching Justin and Diana win? Do you even like them more than the other teams? Who do you think has the best chance of beating them, if anyone?

The Amazing Race season 27 airs Fridays at 8pm on CBS.

Source: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/the-amazing-race/amazing-race-justin-diana-too-58126.aspx

[MrDS]

This sounds like they're basically forgetting about Davechel - it'll be interesting to see if they manage to match or even beat their record

[georgiapeach]

This sounds like they're basically forgetting about Davechel - it'll be interesting to see if they manage to match or even beat their record

Welcome HOME!!!

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Episode 11 title

[gamerfan09]

Final Three finale!

[georgiapeach]

YEP.

[Marionete]

Episode 11 title

Thanks to the media for spoiling the green team being in the F4

[Candi Lee2]

Hamptons Fishermen on The Amazing Race Season 27 Finale
Several East End fishing boats and the local fishermen who operate them will appear on the Season 27 finale of CBS’s Emmy-winning reality contest The Amazing Race on Friday, December 11 at 8 p.m.

The show’s final episode, Leg 12, was filmed in part on Hampton Bays-based fishing boats The Outcast with Captain Kenneth Jayne and first mate Meredith Daniell; The Clover with Captain Christopher MacGuire and first mate Bob Gregor; and The Annie K with Captain Russell Brisson.

In July of 2015 the production crew of The Amazing Race approached local fishermen at the Commercial Fish Dock in Hampton Bays looking for three lobster boats to include in the filming of the program’s final challenge. Contestants, who had spent the previous 11 episodes, or “Legs,” traveling the globe and completing various physical and mental challenges, were asked to haul lobster pots on lobster boats in Shinnecock Bay. In reality, the local fishermen explained months after filming, lobster fishing is not allowed in Shinnecock Bay and the challenge was staged for the show.

Captain Jayne of local boat The Lady J—known for supplying fresh fish to local farmers markets in the Hamptons—has extensive experience as a lobsterman and was able to supply all of the equipment needed for the challenge. Captain MacGuire and Captain Brisson own tuna fishing boats. Captain Jayne says all involved were proud to lend authentic experience and equipment to the finale challenge on The Amazing Race.

Before reaching Long Island’s South Fork, The Amazing Race took contestants to locales around the world, including Venice Beach, California and Rio de Janeiro; Buenos Aires; San Antonio de Areco, Argentina; Victoria Falls along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe; Paris, France; Rotterdam in the Netherlands; Krakow, Poland; and Agra, India. The teams will face off in Hong Kong and Macau for Leg 11 of The Amazing Race this Friday, December 4. The remaining contestants, who our local fishermen would not name, will then head to the Hamptons for Leg 12 and the show’s finale.

Watch the final teams pretend to haul lobster pots in Shinnecock Bay off Hampton Bays on CBS next Friday, December 11 at 8 p.m.
http://www.danspapers.com/2015/12/hamptons-fishermen-on-the-amazing-race-season-27-finale/

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Finale episode title

[Plaidmoon]

The local Long Island Suffolk county government issues a press release stating how proud they are that TAR is using them for the end of season 27.

There's not much here that we didn't already know. The most interesting section was a quote from Elise Doganieri.

“We chose to shoot the finale of The Amazing Race on Long Island because the Hamptons are a magical and unique place you cannot find anywhere else in the world,” stated Elisa Doganieri, Co-Creator of The Amazing Race and Native Long Islander. “I also grew up on Long Island, so many of the places we showcased in the finale were places where I spent my summers. The Suffolk County Film Commission was incredibly helpful working with us to find just the right locations and worked with our team to make the production progressed as smoothly as possible.  We had their full support throughout the shoot and we are extremely grateful to them.”

https://www.longislandexchange.com/press-releases/bellone-announces-finale-of-the-amazing-race-tv-show-filmed-in-suffolk-county

[Platrium]

I think this is the right place to post this:
http://www.people.com/article/amazing-race-kelsey-gerckens-joey-buttitta-engaged