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The Amazing Race: Design Challenge VIII - Final Round Design Show on Page 50!

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gamerfan09:
Comments will come in around 12 hours from me for all finalists. Please take note that I cannot go in depth as much as I'd love to, so a cleaned up footnote format will be used. Sorry for the delay  :2hearts:

gamerfan09:


Gamer's Final Judgments:

I will be doing footnotes for everyone. Good luck! And this time, due to the delicate nature of this finale, I apologize if I didn't respond to PMs before, but if you want to clarify specific aspects, feel free to PM me.

First off...



Route:

Show contentNew Zealand - This is a very adventurous leg. I think my only problem with it is that aside from the Maori and pavlova task, there’s a little bit of an overload of adventure tasks which is kind of predictable for NZ. But this is a solid leg and a solid starter.

Australia - Liked this leg! Definitely an improvement from the first submission.

Cambodia - Easily the best of the legs so far. It’s a busy Cambodia temple run Roadblock, and both of your Detours are telegenic and interesting. Also love the eating task!

Thailand - Another great leg! Love your tasks, and the Head to Head not being at the end works. The Roadblock is also hard enough to make placements truly shift, so props to that.

Kenya - Absolutely love your music task and your Detour has the potential to be a very busy task. I also like how chaotic the Roadblock can be, although I think three sandals is a bit excessive.

Kenya 2 - Unfortunately I think this is the first leg I just didn’t enjoy. I think the Roadblock is too long, and the Beasts Detour feels like something that’s been done before. I also think the translation task is a little bit too predictable and overplayed since we’ve had so many language tasks in Africa by now.

Croatia - Not a fan of the slide puzzle Roadblock. I also think the map ARI at the Museum is a bit too safe? The leg just doesn’t flow very well with me here. I don’t really like Croatia on TAR, and this leg unfortunately continues that streak.

Latvia - A Fishing Speed Bump is fine since it’s easier than a basic task, but fishing is boring lol. It’s a personal pet peeve and that bothers me. Your Detour is great though! I just think that the spa treatment with condensation might be a little bit too unrealistic. Still, good task. Your Roadblock though… it’s pretty similar to CHEKOV from TAR14 but I appreciate the music twist.

Czech Republic - Still like this leg!

Spain - Decent leg! I like your pot smash Detour and the other Detour is an exhausting physical task to balance it. The Roadblock is also not exactly that original (and a similarity to a TAR14 task again sticks out - this time Chinese Waiter but in Spanish), but it’s a good Roadblock. Also like the murals ARI, but I feel like you could have cut the knights lol. It just feels like bloat especially when one of your Detours was already a puzzle.

Peru - My thoughts stand.
Finale

Show contentOk here’s where I can get a little bit more in depth. Your first Roadblock is decent, but I think there’s a bit of unnecessary bloat with the second task being the other team member joining to look for a buoy. IMO, that could have easily just been part of the RB as well. Drive the boat then find the buoy. Your second Active Route Info flows way better though! It’s not that hard to remember the eliminated teams, but an added factor of having to navigate and find hints before putting them all together is great. The Leprechaun Fashion Show task is fine, and I like the idea of teams searching in a crowd for someone with the right match. Your final RB is pretty much what TAR32 could have done but didn’t do, and for that, good job.
Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show contentFinale Thoughts: Slightly unnecessary bloat aside from the first Roadblock + ARI, this is a great memory-task filled finale that successfully captures the vibe of being a busy, difficult, and packed finale leg.

Overall Route Thoughts: This is a pretty good route Nuku! While I think your first two legs lean a little bit too heavy on the adventure side, and I think your route suffers a little bit in the middle stretch, the highs are good enough to overpower the lows. Excellent job! The improvement of your work from Day 1 to now is going to be your biggest selling point.

gamerfan09:


Gamer's Final Judgments:

Next we have...



Route:

Show contentGuatemala - My thoughts kind of stand, still not a fan of the nun task, but I appreciate the new Roadblock and the nun task being delegated to an EP challenge works better.

Brazil - Your Detour is fine but I think your task descriptions on the Wiki are a little bit too wordy. Regardless, the first option is a good matching task and the second is a decent cooking task. The Capoeira Roadblock is decent, and it kind of surprises me that they haven’t done this on a Brazil visit on TARUS yet lol. As a whole, this leg is alright.

Spain - Love the changes of this leg! The Detour is no longer confusing and I also really like the other one, despite the Cooking Detour feeling a bit off since we just had one last leg. The Sangria task also being relegated to a Roadblock flows way better. You pretty much took a leg I had problems with and did some reshuffling to make it a good leg, so nice job there.

Croatia - Okay so I have very mixed thoughts. For one, your Speed Bump actually feels like it would have been better suited as the Roadblock, since it’s a more active task. The necktie task, considering how there’s a limit, definitely feels more like the Speed Bump than the Roadblock. For your Detour, I’m a bit confused on why we have three Cooking adjacent Detours for three consecutive legs. The other Detour is way better, and is easily the task I loved the most. It could really show off the location and it might make for some good TV if you get teams to try and get people who ended up not being couples. As a whole, that other Detour is really what only manages this leg for me. Maybe Croatia is a cursed location because with Nuku and now you, the Croatia leg is easily my least favorite thus far.

Belgium - The horseback shrimping Roadblock is great. I normally hate fishing tasks, but making teams use a horse to help catch them is a nice twist. The Which Pets Detour is also good, but as a matter of personal preference, I’m not a fan of the morse code Detour. Sure they’re balanced, but considering how a Morse Code Detour in an episode is what made TAR lose their first Emmy (deservedly, TAR16 sucks lmao), I just don’t think it’s a very exciting task.

Kenya - Same comments as before except you structured the coconuts right this time. Great job.

Ethiopia - Same as before. An excellent leg and even better than Kenya.

Sri Lanka - Still unsure about that one Detour’s penalty system but otherwise its fine.

Uzbekistan - Both Detours fit the vibe of a chaotic market, but weirdly, I think both are a bit too similar? One just involves matching more intricate patterns while the other is correctly determining items from a list. Still, solid market Detour. The sheep double battle is great (I refuse to acknowledge the Face-Off name). Love the Roadblock too! It’s a music task with some navigation added. My only uncertainty for this leg is your similar Detours tbh.

China - Your Fast Forward is decent but I’m not sure about the Roadblock. I don’t know how this would work with multiple teams, but I just think that the “only x guards will let you pass” task extended just doesn’t seem very new. It’s a staple on activeTV TARs, and even though it could work on TARUS, I still think this is unnecessarily long. Your Detour is good and I like how both play with time. For the Bamboo Balancing, the time burned will be on swimming back. For the other, it’s the 10 minute ride. Considering how minutes are very important at this point, I appreciate the Detour also being a strategic choice for teams.

China 2 - Your Roadblock is great! Like the integration of knock-offs. The Speed Bump also being a cryptic clue instead of a task is also very inspired, while I think your Detour also works very well. Love the matchmaker Detour and the music Detour. Also love the idea of a memory task at Final Four. Honestly, while I think your tea task ARI is a little bit too much for a leg (I doubt this will all fit in an episode), this is a very packed and exciting China leg.
Finale

Show contentYour first Roadblock… I’m not sure. I respect the idea of a very hard task at the get go, but I’m not too sure about the execution? For better or worse, it feels like a memory task that would be much more at home on a TAR Fantasy Game than the actual show. The teepee building Active Route Info is fine, but has been done before. The bullriding… idk I feel like there’s a little bit too many elements there. I get the searching + bull task, but its immediately followed by a searching through crowd + put them all together element and it just feels overwhelming. They’re good tasks on their own, but I think a split could have worked better instead of all these elements being there at once. Now your second Roadblock is where it’s at. I like the picturesque looks of the balloons mixed with the flags. This is a great final task.
Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show contentFinale Thoughts: Unfortunately, Bookworm, while I do respect the ideas on board, I’m not too sure about this finale minus your final Roadblock. There’s an unfortunate amount of bloat on your other tasks, and the teepee isn’t very original. It’s still a decent finale all things considered, but I think there was just too many elements in play.

Overall Route Thoughts: While I think you definitely had an overload of cooking Detours on the first half, and I do have problems with your finale and the Croatia leg specifically, I still think your endgame stretch of Kenya to China 2 is VERY strong and will be your strongest selling point for this route. You’ve been one of the most consistent designers here from Round 1, great job!

gamerfan09:


Gamer's Final Judgments:

In third, we have...



Route:

Show contentJapan - Still love this leg. Your best submission and a very very strong start.

Tibet - Removing the Head to Head element out of the monk task is enough to say this leg is already better than the original submission. It is a busy and atmospheric mountain leg that just works.

Brunei - Like your Kite Roadblock and the school bus task. But I’m not sure about the sudden forced bunch at the end. I get that it’s three teams tops, but it still feels off to suddenly force teams to be split into threes 15 minutes apart when the next task is right before the Pit Stop and is just a sports task. Otherwise this is an alright leg that is really hurt by that final structure.

New Zealand - Unfortunately still not a fan of this leg minus the cooking Roadblock and it feels a little bit too short.

Maldives - Not a fan of the Speed Bump, but I like the trash collecting Roadblock. The Detour… I think the time spent on the trip is a little bit too long, and a long boat ride for a Detour choice when we already had a boat ride like that in Brunei feels off. A shame because both options as tasks are actually pretty good. I also heavily appreciate how your leg focused on showcasing the locations, but the tasks aren’t exactly there.

Egypt - This is a heavy Egyptian mythology leg but the papyrus Detour isn’t very exciting, unfortunately. I do love your Fast Forward and Roadblock though!

Finland - Same thoughts as the original submission, but I do appreciate the extra task of eating the local delicacy.

Finland 2 - See, as much as I find this leg objectively not very cultural minus Santa, this leg proves how being cultural doesn’t always mean bad. Absolutely loved this leg as a winter theme. The Detour being luck vs. delivery is a good strategic choice, the Roadblock is a bit too similar to TAR14 Chekhov but works better since there’s a memory element, and the Angry Birds task + huskies just work. It’s not a very original leg, but it’s a ton of fun, and that’s what matters for this leg. Great job.

Three Country Leg - First off, appreciate the concept. Secondly, I’m not sure how to feel about Andorra just being used for a mountain bike task. Ditto with France for the newspaper task. Lastly, your Detour is actually very good but I have issues with feasibility. I get that the difficulty in the dishes is the sheer amount of food + memory, but I think 32/40 is still too much. As for the other Detour, I’m not sure about how the safety will work. I think teams are better off just finding the people to do the stack instead of doing it themselves. As a whole, interesting concept but the execution could have been better.

Peru - Did you forget to include your second Detour option? I don’t see it at all in the Wiki. I can’t judge this properly as a Detour with a U-Turn if I can’t see the other option. Otherwise Lay it Down is a fine task. Your Speed Bump being a leadup to the Roadblock is also good. I appreciate having them be able to see what the Roadblock is presumably while doing their Speed Bump which can help the last place team strategize prematurely. Makes it a bit more fair. I also like your extra tasks! Honestly, just disappointing that the other Detour option isn’t here on the Wiki, because otherwise this is a very very solid leg, and I like that the Speed Bump is nearer to the end of the leg to prevent teams just U-Turning the Speed Bumped team. A resubmission where I liked what was added but I wish it was complete on the Wiki.

Costa Rica - Love the juggling Roadblock. Sip and Serve as a Detour though… while I like Sip a lot, I think Serve is a bit too unfeasible to require teams to cook that much, wouldn’t you say? I think just making an intricate special as a cooking task would work much better. Also not a fan of the limited stations at Final Four when these tasks don’t really feel like they’re that cramped feasibly. The Sack Race ARI is fun! This is a good leg minus your cooking Detour.

Finale

Show contentThe Superman Roadblock lol <3 Considering how prevalent superhero movie culture is right now, I appreciate this! The polaroid task is good, the Pierogi task adds some culture to the leg, and then we go to NASA. Your final Roadblock is very very interesting concept-wise. And then… Finish Line? That was fast lol.
Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show contentFinale Thoughts - While I really loved the idea of your final leg being Hollywood then NASA (because ALL STARS hehe), I think your finale had to have an extra task or two. It just feels pretty short, and that’s really just a shame for me because otherwise I do like this finale a lot. I just wish you added an extra task or memory element somewhere. Still a good finale though and hypothetically speaking, the best TAR All Stars finale already :)

Route - NRH, no matter what happens, please know that just by making it to the end, you have achieved the pleasure of saying that you were a Design Challenge finalist. Not everyone can say that, and you should be very proud of even getting here. That said, I thought your route was a relatively mixed bag. While I think it started off excellent, I had quite a bit of issues after all the way to the end. Locations are on point though, which will definitely be your selling point. Good job!

gamerfan09:


Gamer's Final Judgments:

And last but not the least...



Route:

Show contentMyanmar - Still love this leg.

Taiwan - Ditto.

Hong Kong - Okay a leg I haven’t seen before! Let’s see. The Hong Kong Roadblock is very good, but I think your Detour is the highlight lol. While I’m not sure about the feasibility of TAR actually having a socially-relevant task, this is a good Detour and certainly a good statement. Your bonus maze task is actually the weakest element of the leg, but it works as an add-on after that Roadblock. A good leg.

Norway - My thoughts remain the same but I appreciate the changes done for the Fast Forward!

Netherlands - Still love this leg.

Netherlands 2 - I think this leg is a little bit too short, but it does make sense as a Non Elim. Head to Head being at the start is better, not too sure about the task itself though. The luck task and Cheese delivery tasks are good though! As a whole, I think this is your weakest leg so far, but that’s only really because of not enjoying your Head to Head that much.

Greece - Love the Greek mythology Roadblock! It’s a simple and easy task that can work with the atmosphere. I also appreciate that while technically your Detour on paper isn’t very exciting, I like the idea of both tasks achieving the same goal but approached from different areas. Wind is cool in the sense that you have teams actually making a windmill, while Water has teams working with rocks to also build a water system. This is a decent, short leg.

Chad - Same thoughts as before.

Togo - Your Fast Forward is great. It is a very intense music and matching task that would definitely make a good set piece for an FF battle. Your Detour is also very cultural. The Screaming Stories in particular is a good memory task that can easily led to drama over who does the relay. The other Detour is definitely slower, but that just means there’s a strategic element to this Detour, and that is always appreciated. The Roadblock is also interesting because its a twist on your typical house construction task in Africa. It would also look really cool and potentially interesting to see racers estimate of how much they work on their walls only for it to fail lol. As a whole, I think this is your strongest non-submitted leg thus far.

Mexico - I think it’s certainly a choice to have the entire leg at Chichen Itza. As for your Detour, both options are cultural even though I think it’s a bit too general to have a cooking task vs a local game task. It’s personally not a very exciting Detour, and since the leg takes place at the same location, the U-Turn seems ill-placed… but luckily you have the memory task at the U-Turn spot. I think this is even better because by surprising teams at Final Five with the memory task and right before the final U-Turn of the route, you give teams a difficult task to make placements shift instead of just having the board. Good! Afterwards teams are faced with yet another mental Roadblock involving the Mayan calendar, and while I really wasn’t too keen on this leg for your Detour, the rest is too strong to ignore. Good job!

Chile - Still like this leg.

Finale

Show contentNot too sure about the feasibility of the bungee + ball Route Info, but it’s definitely an interesting take on what is otherwise your typical New Zealand heights task. I’m also not sure about its structure because as recent finales have proven, a jump could determine the final leg before it even really begins. We then have a memory task involving barrels that I think is good! It’s hard enough to stump teams but not impossible. We then have a physical task involving powering a boat, and then a final Roadblock. Much like the bungee, I think this is a typical adventure task (in this case skiing), but you made it the memory task. I think this type of memory task works great for a season where so many different clueboxes are in play like TAR19. We then go to the Finish Line.
Overall Route + Finale Thoughts:

Show contentFinale Thoughts: While I have problems with the bungee, I appreciated what you were going with for the finale. You pretty much threw in basic elements that almost every New Zealand leg has (bungee, skiing, wine), but you integrated various twists and spins on these otherwise basic tasks to really elevate it, especially with your memory tasks. Just a very strong finish.

Overall Route Thoughts: You came in out of the gate as one of the strongest designers, and the fact that you barely changed anything in your reused legs from your submissions speaks volumes. As for your route as a whole, while it’s not perfect (I personally think some of your non-submission legs are a little bit too short + some comments here and there about specific tasks), I think your selling point, much like all of your work to this point, is your consistency. Your presentation, your creativity, and your tasks and locations have been there from day 1. Excellent job!

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