Topic: Already disappointed with this season

[silverthorne]

What ever happened to the idea of an "around the world" race?  It was bad enough when they had a season that was pretty much only South America (during/after the pandemic), but now only Europe?  Jeez...they can just drive everywhere and not bother with getting tickets/flying on jets.  Plus, in Europe a lot of people speak English as a 2nd language, so there won't be much of a language barrier.  Was this simply a lame cost-savings measure?  And having the contestants from Big Brother?  Haven't they already had their chance at their 15-minutes of fame?  Yeah, I know they've had seasons with contestants from other "reality shows", but those sucked as well.  Soooo disappointing!

[Maanca]

Appearance fees would have been a burden on their budget (people with TV experience often expect to be paid up front to go on). A few BB alum tweeted they turned down this season because they weren't offered enough.

It's the downside of casting known figures over regular people who would drop everything to do the race.

[Pi]

I share some of the same sentiments, but I think it'll take another episode or two until any early opinions begin to calcify.

There's still a lot of potential for the season. For example, lots of self-driving could force plenty of interactions with locals- and even if they speak English, we know that teams can still struggle with their cars and each other even when supplied with good directions. Also, more race time could develop new friendships and rivalries amongst the teams that provide a different angle than the pre-existing connections and narratives from Big Brother.

It was easy to be underwhelmed by the first episode but I want to hold judgement until the teams, relationships, and route unfold a little more.