The worst double-elimination in TAR history. Words can't express how pissed off I am right now
F*** this season.
Right there with you.
When Eric and Lisa were eliminated in Season 15, it caused an enormous Fan backlash. People were horrified, not entertained. It was widely considered to be the WORST TAR decision ever, and IIRC even BVM or Phil admitted in a later interview that it was a mistake.
I can only think of the excitement of being chosen, and the enormous amount of anticipation and preparation each team does. Imagine training, shopping for your things, packing and repacking your backpack, organizing your life, your family, yur job to ne able to be gone for up to a month. Only to be eliminated at the start?
To me that is cruel and unusual and VERY bad for the show.
It is clear from what we have seen so far that this show is all about $$$$$$$$. Not entertainment or good TV, certainly not making the race as good as it can be.
With all the Indonesian sponsors, this is supposed to be a tourist attraction. Fair enough. But having a stray politician do the GO? Puh-leez. I doubt production got a say in that, which happens when you sell out control to your sponsors.
Cutting their field of 11 teams down to 9 on Ep 1 is purely budget. Or they would have realized we WANT to get to know the teams, see them race, even if only for a full leg. In this series, keeping national pride going for more that an Ep is important to maintain viewership. If you lose half your viewers early on, what have you gained?
TARA early seasons was top notch. The racers here are engaging and interesting, the upcoming locations are pretty good, the Detour choice here was entertaining,but the cutting two teams so early has made this a failure at the start. They have a lot of ground to make up now.
I hope to never see another start line elimination in TAR as long as I live.