Loved how the EP was used twice this season.
Here’s a twist:
After they complete the task, they get a choice:
EP good for ONE TASK in the next few legs
OR
FF that lets them go check in at the pit stop THIS leg.
No extra production costs. Would anyone know how to suggest this to Phil or production?
I think you posted this on Reddit as well? I avoided posting there because I couldn't really find much I cared for about the concept. I've talked about this in threads over the years when people bring up wanting the Fast Forward back in every leg (or in more legs). Basically, changing race mechanics to allow people to skip all tasks is a built-in anticlimax. Fifteen or twenty minutes into a forty-five to sixty minute episode gives away your winner. All of a sudden the only thing you're paying attention to is tasks they'll never test their mettle at, and a race at the bottom, and that diminishes the race as a whole.
The second item here is that pushing someone straight to the end in multiple legs diminishes the excitement of winning a prize. It's dull and diminishing to the sponsor for a team to land, go to the easy task, skip everything, and get $7,500 each for having gone through the least rigour. Surely Expedia doesn't want their name attached to "you saw the least of the country and skipped the actual engagement with travel, so here's a freebie".
So in response to your question, I think the less complication the better. Fast Forwards are an interesting idea, but they're gone for good reasons. Adding a bunch of rules to the Express Pass adds less for a long-term viewer and it makes it harder to understand for a casual one. You can have a dynamic race without needing to soup up existing items. The most recent season showed that.
