The Amazing Race > The Amazing Race Discussion
TAR: Where are we Going? Suggestions for the Future!
TARUSAFan:
--- Quote from: gamerfan09 on June 06, 2016, 01:51:02 AM ---First of all, thanks TARUSAFan for the essay, however I want to talk about some of your points for the sake of friendly discussion. :)
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---• Twists
> Season 26’s “Dating” themed season was atrocious on all levels. It is as bad as Season 24. None of the Blind-Dating teams even sparked a relationship. Also, there were too many double legs on the same country: Japan, Thailand, Namibia, Peru which some of the tasks were underwhelming. The only redeemable part was Hayley & Blair, a visit to Monaco and return visits to Peru and Namibia.
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I really do not get TAR26's hate when TAR6 almost literally did the same thing by having its near entire end-game have nothing but dating couples. No way is it as awful as 24.
I did not like it, nothing jumped at me for that Season other than what I've mentioned, Hayley & Blair, a visit to Monaco and return visits to Peru and Namibia. I would also include Jeff & Lyda, because they were an older couple that had a potential to be fun but got screwed over by U-Turn and Dancing Detour but it was a meh season for me. The tasks were just simple. Go to Japan to eat noodles infront of an electric fan feeding your partner, running around Monaco looking for flowers and chocolates while your partner sits back and relaxes on the yacht. Is this a travelling Season of The Bachelor. Phil was even putting on a different face or forced acting in Season 26. For me it is just as bad as Season 24, the casts were a majority of a boring and forgettable ones, the ultra-easy tasks and the overuse of double legs in 1 country. I also forgot to mention, they forgot to cast an all-female team, a lesbian team.
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> Please announce each team placements when they arrive at the mat. We do not see these nowadays, even the reactions of the teams. Also, the pitstart where the team who won the last leg reads the clue for the next destination. We need to see that again Moreover, Phil narrates it now. We do not get to see teams interact and they capitalize on 2 teams just like Season 28’s Blair + Blodie = Blodie. Atrocious, they could have used that time to explore the city more + team interactions. Don’t give the viewers something forced.
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Agreed, but wouldn't you say that part of the awkwardness of the Pit Starts now also comes from Phil no longer narrating the intro? I did notice that TAR26 began the annoying trend of showing off a team interaction before the first clue is ripped open instead of Phil narrating the history of the city. The Amazing Race is a show about the WORLD. I legit do not understand why petty interactions have replaced narration about the Pit Start country. Smh.
Season 27's Leg 2 started off with Justin & Diana interacting with teams on either Copacabana or Ipanema Beach. Milking, "oh we were on the 1st flight and we did not get to meet all the teams." Then starts off with Phil narrating a brief description of Brazil and Argentina. Tanner & Josh did not even get to read their clue. Yes, this is a travel show and many people aren't really that fully capable to travel as it is costly, the least they could do is let us get some information of these countries. 5 seconds of Blair talking about Brodie in Georgia is 5 seconds that should have been used elsewhere to add to see more of Georgia.
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> In visiting Asia, please visit other nations as well. We’ve been getting China, India, Indonesia, Japan… What about Israel, South Korea, The Philippines, Maldives, Cambodia? Stop visiting overused countries back to back or consecutively in Asia.
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I would argue that it's more or less the LEG DESIGN and the EPISODE that matters and not the overused countries in Asia. Look at the early seasons. Indian legs would always be fun, Indian legs would always bring out the best or worst in teams and would be season highlights (compare that to now where an Indian leg is Delivery vs. Delivery Detours and Balloon Roadblocks). I would say that the leg design and the episode matters the most rather than the location. I for one, would love a China visit in an area yet untouched. (Shenzhen on 28 was good!)
I do not mind if the leg design is proper, what I do not like is spamming it consecutively back to back or straight 3 consecutive visits. It would be good to have intervals so as to not exhaust the country too much. There must be proper balance.
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> Oceania, I am waiting for this one to pop up. Where's Australia, New Zealand, French Polynesia, Fiji and Vanuatu. I still cannot fathom, why this continent, Oceania is not visited considering it is one of the safest continents and there are loads to be done there.
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We had NZ and French Polynesia on 22 but yeah, we need another visit to these places. Can you believe it has been more than TEN SEASONS since Australia? Crazy.
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> Central America / Caribbean, I still don't get why this has not been visited that much. Costa Rica, The Bahamas, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Panama. Hopefully, we will see Cuba soon.
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Apparently it's American-Cuba ties that may prevent visits.
It might not be in the next seasons but I'm optimistic they will soon. The fact that Fast and the Furious 8 recently filmed there last May is history in the making and Vin Diesel himself told that the Cubans were ecstatic about Americans filming there.
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> Season 22, Season 23, Season 25 had a really great cast very diverse in my opinion. Season 27 also has a great cast but they did not develop them all properly. The only let down for Season 25’s cast for me was Keith & Whitney. Absolutely bland and boring. They both had their share in Survivor, so don’t steal another teams spot on the Amazing Race. Stop casting Big Brother, Survivor reality crossovers to join the Race. They have had their share of fame. They are obviously stealing a valuable spot to those who have applied.. Kudos for casting Bethany Hamilton in Season 25, a real inspiration for those with disabilities.
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I really don't see how these contestants have had their 'share of fame' but you call Bethany a standout and she has had a MOVIE based on her? I have no problem with crossovers, myself, but I find it weird that you call them to "stop casting these crossovers" when we have had only SIX (Alison/Donny, Rob/Amber, Ethan/Jenna, Keith/Whitney, Brendon/Rachel, Jordan/Jeff) out of 289 teams and two of them didn't even make it past two legs.
Bethany Hamilton got her fame for her life experience about the near-death experience that almost cost her life and how she overcame that incident, live a normal life and be a champion surfer again, not because she let herself get bitten by a shark to make her a movie and be popular. It was her faith, determination and perseverance is what got her to this stage. People with disabilities like Bethany Hamilton who has one arm and still complete 12 legs is an inspiration. We do not normally see them on the Race that is why I root for them and I thank the casting producers for doing so as they give hope for other people who share the same disability. Look at Charla & Mirna, Amy & Daniel, Margie & Luke, Peter & Sarah and Alex & Adam. Ones in bold, yeah they are popular, these people have disabilities but I would rather prefer these people over some other people who came from other reality series. They were just 6 teams combined Survivor and Big Brother that participated on the Race but they are for me in my honest opinion taking another spot of another hopeful who wants to join the Race, that's 6 hopefuls that could be bringing more to the show than them. There are so much more greater personalities than them who weren't picked. Besides, most of these crossovers were bland, boring and not memorable. Only Rob & Amber stood out. Ethan & Jenna had a million dollars already why join the Race. They have won Survivor. Bottomline, reality crossovers to TAR aren't my cup of tea
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> For the premiere episode, it would be good if it was at least 2 hours or an hour and a half to give us the opportunity to at least get to know the teams more and make it not too rushed on the editing because you are fitting 11 teams in one episode and that is hard. Everyone must be memorable even for a 1st boot. It would also be good to have at least 2 Roadblocks and 2 Detours on the 1st leg.
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I agree that premieres need to be longer, but I would also say that it's all about a matter of leg design. Look at the TAR28 premiere. It had one very fun (but unbalanced) night Detour and a pretty difficult Roadblock. If the episode's first obnoxious ten minutes were cut out, it would easily be the best premiere since 17 AND it was only 45 minutes.
With that in mind, look at the TAR26 premiere. Despite it being 90 minutes long, it still sucked because there was only one task and it was stretched out to 90 minutes. Additionally, the TAR6 premiere is an early-age boring example as well. Forty minutes of driving to an HoO and then one Detour stretched out over 50 minutes (the TAR4 one is also just eh). I would say that the best example of a 90 minute premiere is TAR17. Despite it being 90 minutes with only ONE Roadblock, it was still good due to the cryptic clue, coracle task, ladder task, and iconic watermelon RB. Ultimately, I would argue that we don't necessarily need 2 RBs and DTs, more ARIs and a major task that's actually difficult would suffice.
I'll stay firm with what I've said. We need longer premieres. But with better tasks, better leg design, better editing that everyone gets a decent shot.
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> Have us fans get to help develop the Race for the benefit of the show as well
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I want this but the closest we'll probably get is Design Challenge. We have had winners have tasks make it on the show, with the second Peru leg on TAR26 almost being EXACTLY like DC V runner-up RSF's leg! (Go to Chan Chan (the Detour location for one of the options) + her/his Detour was Surfing (the actual leg's RB) vs. Marinara (an ACTUAL Detour option for the leg!) :hearts:
Now that is good but that is just half of the iceberg. We need to complete it, the editing, the casts and other Race elements. I have read all those Design challenges and I'm 100% impressed
--- Quote from: TARUSAFan on June 05, 2016, 11:29:55 PM ---> Where exactly are the harder finales? we need this back Recent finales have been bland and boring.
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I would argue that we have actually been having better finales though? The 25-27 finales are nowhere near as awful as the 18/19/20/22/23/24 finales and the 27 finale is actually pretty top-tier due to the memory task overload? The 26 finale was also crammed with tasks, something very unusual with modern-day finales.
tarflyonthewall stated that recent finales have been formulaic, this is what I am referring to. It has been bland and boring because it has become predictable. Even if they encounter a few mishaps. You'll already see who's got the advantage who's at a disadvantage. Look at Season 28's Finale. Too many heights-related tasks. Dana & Matt just cruised to it to a point Sheri & Cole could not even catch up. While those Seasons you have mentioned, the Finales were awful. I will agree but for me, Season 25-27's Finales were halfway for me. I only felt the suspense on the last task before the Finish Line. The Final Roadblock, the containers for Season 25 or the chairs in Season 27, for me the suspense must be felt throughout the episode. Why would you even put the Finish Line near the Final Roadblock? It becomes all the more predictable.
If you read this all thank you and I agree with a lot of your points with some reservations :)
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I read everything. Here you go gamer, I actually enjoyed doing this discussion. :)
Bookworm:
I actually think TAR26 was top tier? I mean, the Japan legs sucked ass, but the Phuket Leg was strong and fun, if only racers actually tried to get The Save. The focus on Patong Beach nightlife was fun imo. Bangkok was a cool leg, with a transportation Detour reminding me of older TAR seasons. Germany was good; while it may be over visited as of late, the Bavaria Leg was one of the best in a while. France/Monaco was fun to watch, despite the Leg design not being perfect. Teams racing in suits and dresses is so <3333. Then, Namibia had two stellar EPISODES, despite the design for Leg 8 being decent at best. The Leg 8 RB is hilarious, as teams expect to be skydiving and then they had to run through the desert :lol: Amsterdam wasn't a great Leg, but the teams were great. Peru had two AMAZING Legs. I loved all of Otuzco and Trujillo, I just wish the Legs had a little bit more content design-wise. The KOR Finale was great again, and it had a full final leg. It was almost as good as TAR25 imo, and it would've been better if Hayley & Blair won. In the recent, crappier, seasons, TAR26 (& especially 25) is (are) great.
gamerfan09:
--- Quote from: Bookworm on June 06, 2016, 05:55:43 PM ---I actually think TAR26 was top tier? I mean, the Japan legs sucked ass, but the Phuket Leg was strong and fun, if only racers actually tried to get The Save. The focus on Patong Beach nightlife was fun imo. Bangkok was a cool leg, with a transportation Detour reminding me of older TAR seasons. Germany was good; while it may be over visited as of late, the Bavaria Leg was one of the best in a while. France/Monaco was fun to watch, despite the Leg design not being perfect. Teams racing in suits and dresses is so <3333. Then, Namibia had two stellar EPISODES, despite the design for Leg 8 being decent at best. The Leg 8 RB is hilarious, as teams expect to be skydiving and then they had to run through the desert :lol: Amsterdam wasn't a great Leg, but the teams were great. Peru had two AMAZING Legs. I loved all of Otuzco and Trujillo, I just wish the Legs had a little bit more content design-wise. The KOR Finale was great again, and it had a full final leg. It was almost as good as TAR25 imo, and it would've been better if Hayley & Blair won. In the recent, crappier, seasons, TAR26 (& especially 25) is (are) great.
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Yeah, 26 is probably in my Top 10 :lol: :C
ianthebalance:
I liked season 26, though it could of been even better without the blind date twist and Phil always asking if teams were In love.
"Are you guys in love?"
"No"
.....
"Are you guys in love now?"
"NO!"
"Please..."
Jimmer:
The only comment I really have that I felt like really worked when it comes to editing was when the first 10 minutes of editing was actually formulaic and repetitive. I always liked it and thought it was really good.
The repetitive and formulaic editing that I actually like goes something like this:
First you have Phil introducing the departure city and identifying a certain location was the nth pit stop/start of the nth leg. While it was standard and repetitive, I feel like many people liked it and actually showcases the world and culture
Then you have the first team reading the clue and say where they are flying next, and Phil cuts in to explain the location and culture and fun facts.
After this you come back to the team getting in a taxi and having a confessional or comments while riding on the way to the airport.
Then you flash to the 2nd team to depart reading the clue (even partially works), the proceeds to a shot in the taxi and a confessional.
This repeats until all teams have departed.
I does not need to be completely repetitive, as you can intersperse earlier teams arriving at the airport and booking tickets on their flight. (Also I love flight drama, and even if it makes up 15 minutes of the episode, I think it is worth it and also shows the actual travel aspect of the race, something that is now not seen as often as I liked before)
With multiple teams reading the clue, you are able to get all parts of the clue (including revealing to audiences how much money teams receive, something I feel needs to comeback. I feel like this is something fans always like to see and it is a shame that it is only shown in a handful of legs).
Additionally, with this editing, you give a chance to show all teams and helps to balance out air time since everyone gets one confessional at the beginning.
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