The Amazing Race > RFF's Amazing Race: Design Challenge
The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!
Kamineko:
Kamineko's Comments
Hi Lemontail, these are my comments to your legs. :luvya:
Premiere Leg [Hagåtña, Guam → Ambon, Indonesia]
Show contentFirst, I’m glad to see an Indonesian leg that’s not held in either Java or Sumatra. And also, since some of my families are from the Moluccas, I think I can relate with some of your tasks here. So I expect an impressive leg to showcase eastern Indonesia from you.
We’ve never seen a Starting Line in Guam, so that’s definitely new and interesting to see happening in real TAR.
The Starting Line Task seems to be taking pretty long to complete. It looks interesting because teams would have to make more effort to finish the task rather than just finding things. The “AMBON, ID” could fool many teams because Ambon is not that well known for foreigners. They could arrange the letters into “I AM BOND” and ignore the comma as well lol.
The flying part is kinda long anyway. Why did you pick Guam and not a closer location like Singapore, for example? Perhaps you want a connection with the bamboo part?
The first task in Ambon is a Detour. The first option is to prepare ikan asar dish. It’s kinda similar to cakalang fufu in the preparation and result, so I can imagine how the task would be like. For the second option, I wonder if the bamboo carving is really necessary because it sounds like an extra task. The music part of the task looks fun anyway. I don’t really know if there is some pattern to stump the bamboo, because it can look random for some.
The first Roadblock doesn’t sound really complicated. The assembling part doesn’t look that confusing because the materials are not too many. I would love to see what kind of mock ritual they have to perform, though.
The following ARI task is great. I love that you showcase Ambon culture well, especially on this task. If you’re not showcasing a dancing task in an Ambon leg, I would be triggered lol.
The second Roadblock is another food related task, although this time they have to eat a local delicacy. I’ve eaten this dish before and I loved it. But perhaps some people are going to get a hard time finishing this dish because of the texture of the papeda that’s similar to eating slimy glue. But I love this dish and this task.
The Pit Stop location is also nice because it has a pretty landscape.
For my final comments, I like this leg and I believe it’s pretty solid. Maybe I’m biased since I’m not too foreign with the culture, but I believe you’ve done a pretty good job in showcasing the not-really-well-known culture. I think you can remove a task or two since it seems pretty long, especially with the long Starting Line Task, and it would be fine with the timespan. But overall, I am satisfied with this Indonesia leg of yours.
Assigned Country Leg [Darwin, Australia → Lampang, Thailand]
Show contentYour assigned country is Thailand and you picked Lampang, which is a city I’ve never heard before, so I’m curious what this city could show.
For the first Roadblock, I wonder why you didn’t showcase the “chicken bowl” part, especially that the location is famous for it? Remaking the egg won’t take too long it seems, but making 30 at the worst case could be a really annoying job.
Continuing to a street market, they have to prepare and sell a local dish. While making the dish doesn’t seem that hard, but selling it to the locals could take a long time if they’re not loud enough I think. Also, how much is the price for each kai paam?
Move on to the Detour. For the first option, it seems pretty straightforward. The tough part is making sure that they’re picking the correct dress. The second option seems pretty confusing for me. I would just prefer if you make the task simpler and easier to understand. If you want to keep doing tasks like this, I would prefer that you provide a sketch or a “demo” of how the task would be completed.
The Pit Stop location looks okay. The picture seems too dark, though. So I don't have much comment to the location.
For my final comments, I think that you showed a part of Thailand I’ve never heard before. However, I’m not that excited reading this leg and it’s pretty boring in my opinion. No task was memorable for me unfortunately, especially when you said that Lampang has so much to offer. Hopefully your premiere leg saves you this time.
Kamineko:
Kamineko's Comments
Hi MikeDodgers, these are my comments to your legs. :luvya:
Premiere Leg [Miami, FL, United States → Venice, Italy]
Show contentSo you picked Venice, Italy. It’s really interesting since Italy is rarely featured in a premiere leg, so I have a high hope for this premiere leg.
Your Starting Line Task was pretty solid. I wonder if the production threw some red herrings, so letters for, let’s say: ROME, FLORENCE, MILAN, BOLOGNA, etc., would also be included there as well. The teams separation was okay, although I would prefer if you included the flight detail there.
You said that teams would have no money for this premiere leg, which was not good in my opinion. Because the money given was not also used for transportation, but also for buying their needs like food or maps. It was kinda cruel to not give teams any money at their starting leg.
Your first Roadblock task was okay, although you missed many things to explain more about this task. Where were the locations that they had to deliver the silk rolls to? How much would each location pay? Was there a possibility that they didn’t have to deliver to all five locations, but could already collect 75 Euros? Also, once again teams are not allowed to keep the money although they didn’t receive any money at the Starting Line.
Their next task was to search for a letter from a cardinal. I don’t really understand the purpose of this task. Maybe you could provide a link to all of the letters? This task just didn't sound interesting for me to read, let alone watch it on TV.
The second Roadblock just didn’t excite me at all. It’s just another translating task, although in Venice you should have so much more options and ideas for tasks. How should they know how to translate the phrase? Were they given a dictionary or anything like that? I simply don’t like this task, sorry.
Then there’s already the Pit Stop? The location was okay, although all the locations for this leg looked monotone because they looked like the same thing. Also, I believe you should be aware that we asked to make a 2-hour premiere leg, right? Personally, I just don’t think the amount of tasks would be enough to cover the 2-hour timespan.
For my final comments, I believe this time you wanted to do an Italian history themed leg, right? However, I think that you overloaded the leg with so many history aspects that I found them boring in the end. You picked Venice, but I just don’t really feel that you did Venice justice. Also, because this was intended to be a premiere leg, I would be really bored to watch it until the end.
Assigned Country Leg [Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam → Baguio, Philippines]
Show contentBecause this was gamer’s assigned country to you, I will let gamer gives his comments more thoroughly because he understands his country better.
The starting location was the same from TAR 15, so it’s not really new to see on TV. Teams were instructed to fly to Manila, Philippines, and there’s a Double Yield in this leg. We’ve never seen this happen before in TAR, so it’s pretty interesting for me.
The first clue was located in a post office, and there’s also a Fast Forward. I just don’t like the Fast Forward task concept. I know that you wanted a Switchback to the Roadblock back in TAR 12 where Rob & Amber were eliminated, but that task was memorable just because the teams involved were interesting to watch. For you bringing back this task won’t work for me because I find it boring, sorry.
The others should drive to Banaue Rice Terraces, which are located around 395km (± 245 miles) away. That’s too far for a middle leg driving! In Google Maps, it says that the driving duration is around 8 hours, so I just don’t think this leg is feasible at this very point. And it’s just the beginning of some more infeasible driving length, to be honest.
Then teams had to harvest enough rice to fill up a bag. This task was okay and pretty much fitted with the location they were in.
Then, they had to drive to Sagada, around 3 hours away… That’s more than 11 hours after they left Manila.
Your Roadblock sounded dangerous for me. I don’t know whether this kind of task is allowed by the locals since it involves a sacred tradition, I believe. Also, getting inside a coffin while being hung sounds risky if the coffin falls, in my opinion.
Then it’s followed by a Detour. For the first Detour task, were you sure back then to include this task? Because from what I read, teams should find a man or woman who committed adultery, which was just unacceptable. Although you did say that the locals were just action (which means they were paid to act), I just don’t agree with the task concept. I won’t comment more about this task. The second Detour task also sounded dangerous with going inside a cave without any source of light.
Finally they went to the Pit Stop, which surprisingly located around 4 hours away from the Detour location. Which means that this leg would take at least 15 hours of self-driving, and adding a Fast Forward at the beginning was a cherry-on-top of why I think that this leg was just not feasible to do whatsoever.
For my final comments, I think that this is one of your worst legs. But I want to applaud you for trying your best to design two legs in this penultimate round. I also really appreciate your tenacity for making this far and you should be really proud of yourself.
Kamineko:
Kamineko's Comments
Hi nrh2110, these are my comments to your legs. :luvya:
Premiere Leg [Kyoto, Japan]
Show contentChoosing Kyoto as the Starting Line location and focusing the premiere leg on the same city is pretty daring, I say. I always have high hopes for a Japan leg, so hopefully you can impress me this time.
Love the Starting Line location. I think it fits really well for a Starting Line, especially in Kyoto.
The Starting Line Task is pretty solid I believe. I just wish you included the picture of the Kyoto International Manga Museum. Also, I believe this task fits better if it’s held in the museum, instead of in the Starting Line.
The first cryptic clue is nice. I believe teams would have a hard time to find out that Nintendo’s HQ is located here. But if they’re smart enough, they can just go inside the museum and ask for help from the locals.
The first Roadblock is nicely themed. I just don’t like that there are only four spots to perform the Roadblock at one time.
Onto the next task in Ichihime Shrine (a typo you made right there), which is a Hinamatsuri themed task is fine. I have some issues for this. First, that the shrine is way smaller than the Nintendo HQ but all teams can complete the challenge in one time, but you only provided four spots at the first Roadblock. Also, you used a picture of Ichihime Shrine that is located in Kanazawa, not the one in Kyoto, I believe.
The next location is pretty useless and can be skipped, because teams will only get a clue directing them to Kiyomizu-dera. Perhaps you picked Otani Hombyo because it’s near the next location, but I wonder why you pick the specific location, instead of other nearby locations like (for example) Ninenzaka or Yasaka Shrine.
Then teams have to go directly to a theater for another Roadblock. The concept is great because I would love to see a geisha-themed task happening. I am confused that teams had to dress a geisha, but followed by learning a dance routine, which was not really related. Perhaps you meant that they have to dress themselves as geisha then learn the routine? Because that makes more sense to me.
Finally they go to the Pit Stop at Kinkaku-ji. Nice location to serve at the Pit Stop.
For my final comments, I believe you highlighted Kyoto pretty well. It’s not a perfect one because I think you were rushed to submit this leg. Also, the latter half of the leg just seems pretty mediocre to me, because at the beginning I was pleased reading on your leg but it’s declining after the halfway of the leg.
Assigned Country Leg [Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei → Rotorua, New Zealand]
Show contentSince this is my assigned country to you, I really hope that you impress me with a side of New Zealand that I rarely see.
I like that you’re starting in Brunei. We’ve never had a leg before in Brunei, so I am really curious about a leg in Brunei as well. I have to say that the location that you pick, which is Rotorua, is not surprising, since Rotorua has some Maori influenced sights and many cultural sights as well in there. But let’s see if you can surprise me with your leg in Rotorua.
The first location is nice and well fit for the upcoming Roadblock. I really like the background story for the Roadblock, and that you took parts of the story as your Roadblock task. I just don’t like that you didn’t explain more about the music that they had to follow and you didn’t include a picture of the geothermal pool.
The next location is also nice. Although you didn’t have any task there, I like that the geyser fits really well with Rotorua.
Then, teams went to a Maori village. Although from the picture it seems to be a tourist attraction location, that's fine.
Your next task is another Roadblock, but it’s fine. I really like the Roadblock task since it fits really well with the indigenous culture there. I had watched this way of cooking in Gordon Ramsay’s Uncharted series, so I can imagine how this task would work, thus I really like it that you used this task.
Finally they go to the Pit Stop. It’s another nice location and really fit as a Pit Stop location.
For my final comments for this leg, I appreciate that you follow my suggestion and avoid the adrenaline activities, but still delivered a pretty solid leg in New Zealand. I just feel that I want to see more task(s) because it seems to be a pretty short leg. Another idea I kinda hoped you included in this leg was a task related to sheep since it’s an animal that fits well with New Zealand and I really love to see more featured in a race.
Kamineko:
Kamineko's Comments
Hi Nuku, these are my comments to your legs. :luvya:
Premiere Leg [Big Bear Lake, CA, United States → Cairns, Australia]
Show contentYour starting line is in California, which is pretty boring. But, I kinda like that teams are starting in a ski resort.
The Starting Line task looks pretty hard with so many things to complete. I wonder if you’re having this leg in winter or summer, since your Starting Line picture was supposedly in winter, but your tasks are definitely not a winter activity. The guessing part seems really obvious, but I don’t like that I can foresee that the first few teams to complete the task are alpha teams or totally fit teams, while unfit teams are almost surely in the back. If they could pick one of three, it would be better I think.
The first destination has been visited before in TAR 4, but I hope you can deliver a better leg in Cairns.
First Roadblock is located in the Great Barrier Reef, which is really nice. The task itself is just okay and won’t affect much on position shuffling, I believe.
Your second Roadblock pretty confuses me since I don’t really expect that kind of task. I don’t dislike it but I am not liking it either. I’m just confused because I don’t know why you have this concept.
The following ARI kinda saves you because I pretty like it. It’s not that new in terms of idea, but at least it’s culturally relevant.
The Pit Stop location is really great and breathtaking, though. I like it a lot.
For my final comments, I’m kinda confused with your leg for most part. You had a really tough Starting Line task, followed by a penalty for some teams. The second Roadblock is not really good, but the last task and the Pit Stop location are pretty memorable for me.
Assigned Country Leg [New Delhi, India → Tbilisi, Georgia]
Show contentYour assigned country is Georgia. However, you picked the exact same city as the one held in TAR28. I don’t know what else you can bring to Tbilisi, though. I hope you prove me wrong.
Thankfully you’re going directly to the outskirts. The ARI task seems interesting, but I would like to know each grape type’s differences from each other.
Following the ARI is a Detour, and it’s a blind one. However, judging by the Detour names, teams would get a clue on the upcoming task. If you use a similar option like “This” or “That”, it would be more fun to see. For the first option, it’s just a straightforward decorating task. What are the criteria to get accepted anyway? For the second option, it’s just a performing task x3 since I think they have to perform 3 times (correct me if I’m wrong). Please provide more context to the routine they have to perform so I would understand the difference with other countries’ music culture.
The Roadblock looks fun to watch, though. I like the concept that they have to show the moves within a designated amount of time.
The Pit Stop location seems to be an interesting location as well.
For my final comments, I think you’ve shown a different side of Georgia I haven’t been aware of. However, I would love it more if you just picked other cities, not Tbilisi again. Since we’ve seen a leg in Tbilisi before, that makes your choices more limited, so I think that what makes your leg seem to have many constraints.
Nuku:
--- Quote from: Kamineko on October 14, 2020, 12:32:37 PM ---
Kamineko's Comments
Hi Nuku, these are my comments to your legs. :luvya:
Premiere Leg [Big Bear Lake, CA, United States → Cairns, Australia]
Show contentYour starting line is in California, which is pretty boring. But, I kinda like that teams are starting in a ski resort.
The Starting Line task looks pretty hard with so many things to complete. I wonder if you’re having this leg in winter or summer, since your Starting Line picture was supposedly in winter, but your tasks are definitely not a winter activity. The guessing part seems really obvious, but I don’t like that I can foresee that the first few teams to complete the task are alpha teams or totally fit teams, while unfit teams are almost surely in the back. If they could pick one of three, it would be better I think.
The first destination has been visited before in TAR 4, but I hope you can deliver a better leg in Cairns.
First Roadblock is located in the Great Barrier Reef, which is really nice. The task itself is just okay and won’t affect much on position shuffling, I believe.
Your second Roadblock pretty confuses me since I don’t really expect that kind of task. I don’t dislike it but I am not liking it either. I’m just confused because I don’t know why you have this concept.
The following ARI kinda saves you because I pretty like it. It’s not that new in terms of idea, but at least it’s culturally relevant.
The Pit Stop location is really great and breathtaking, though. I like it a lot.
For my final comments, I’m kinda confused with your leg for most part. You had a really tough Starting Line task, followed by a penalty for some teams. The second Roadblock is not really good, but the last task and the Pit Stop location are pretty memorable for me.
Assigned Country Leg [New Delhi, India → Tbilisi, Georgia]
Show contentYour assigned country is Georgia. However, you picked the exact same city as the one held in TAR28. I don’t know what else you can bring to Tbilisi, though. I hope you prove me wrong.
Thankfully you’re going directly to the outskirts. The ARI task seems interesting, but I would like to know each grape type’s differences from each other.
Following the ARI is a Detour, and it’s a blind one. However, judging by the Detour names, teams would get a clue on the upcoming task. If you use a similar option like “This” or “That”, it would be more fun to see. For the first option, it’s just a straightforward decorating task. What are the criteria to get accepted anyway? For the second option, it’s just a performing task x3 since I think they have to perform 3 times (correct me if I’m wrong). Please provide more context to the routine they have to perform so I would understand the difference with other countries’ music culture.
The Roadblock looks fun to watch, though. I like the concept that they have to show the moves within a designated amount of time.
The Pit Stop location seems to be an interesting location as well.
For my final comments, I think you’ve shown a different side of Georgia I haven’t been aware of. However, I would love it more if you just picked other cities, not Tbilisi again. Since we’ve seen a leg in Tbilisi before, that makes your choices more limited, so I think that what makes your leg seem to have many constraints.
--- End quote ---
Well Kamineko I have to say I dont agree with some of your comments.
Yes the starting line is physical, but the country guessing will give the prepared and nerdier teams the advantage! The onyl advantage to doing the starting line fast is getting on an earlier flight!
the first roadblock i think could cause some shuffling! corals are very different from each other and the reef is large! plus a bit of swimming! again a physical task with key mental components!!
now second roadblock i knew it would either be a fantastic task or not a good task at all and i think you need some clarification. Each team has a outrigger canoe. They will have to take apart certain pieces using tools like screwdrivers harmer and what not. Then they will use certain things they get from the outrigger to make a beach volleyball net! it will be super fun to watch and again its physical but you are gonna need to be able to know how to put it together!
for my second leg i think i just need to explain my choice of Tbilisi. You guys gave me Georgia because the leg we saw wasnt great and it didnt represent the country or Tbilisi right so i decided to swing for the fences and make a leg in tbilisi to show what it can really offer and so my leg could be compared against TAR28! I wanted to giv tbilisi redemption it wasnt me wanting the easy way out! plus super different tasks!! the drumming is 3 performances but the racers need to change their tempo so it matches the dance!!! that is not easy!!! and if u saw the picture of the xmas tree you would see that that is definitely a tricky task as well!!! peeling all those stirngs of bark and decorating it!!!
im sorry to see rude but i really think you are looking at most of my tasks the wrong way and i hope this clarifies to you what they truly offer!!
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