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The Amazing Race International Versions => The Amazing Race: International Versions => Topic started by: Xoruz on October 19, 2021, 09:41:30 PM

Title: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on October 19, 2021, 09:41:30 PM
Update from Ron Shahar when asked about HaMerotz LaMillion:

Quote
'There's nothing to panic about, once it's possible we'll do it. Right now I don't see how it can happen in the world, every country has its own corona laws. God forbid, if one of the contestants or crew members test positive, then what do we do? All sorts of things that go beyond normal production management. It probably currently produces such an expensive production because of these issues that they prefer to wait with it."

https://tmi.maariv.co.il/celebs-news/Article-871661

This interview came after Ron competed on The Masked Singer.

Includes video of Ron singing "(I've Had) The Time Of My Life" dressed as a doe: https://www.mako.co.il/good-evening-with-guy-pines-articles/Article-77fef2c59159c71027.htm
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on October 19, 2021, 09:43:40 PM
Unlike Canada or Australia, Israel's much too small a country to think about a domestic edition. The wait will be worth it.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on May 29, 2022, 03:07:45 PM
This was in Ron Shahar's IG story. Credit to Avid for noticing it!

Must mean Season 9 is on the horizon. 7 and 8 filmed back-to-back in 2018, so yeah, if it hasn't been cancelled, they're waaay overdue to film as well. Now's the time while every other version is.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Avid on May 29, 2022, 03:08:18 PM
Translate this pliz
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on May 29, 2022, 03:35:56 PM
Translate this pliz

Loosely: "Reshet is considering bringing back The Amazing Race."
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 06, 2022, 11:25:58 AM
News from last month.

https://www.israelhayom.co.il/culture/tv/article/12845708

Quote
"Israel Hayom" learned that in a new survey conducted among viewers, they were asked if they would like to return the successful reality show to the screen • Will it actually happen?

Is the old reality show "The Race to the Million" on its way to return to the screen? "Israel Hayom" has learned that a survey has been taking place in recent days, in which they checked the intentions of watching "The Race for a Million" if it returns to the screen.

In the survey, the participants were asked, among other things, whether they had watched the show in the past and which reality show they would like to see come back. At this stage it is not clear who commissioned the survey, but it indicates the feasibility and willingness of the television people to return the format to the screen.

"The Race for a Million" is considered one of the most beloved reality shows, but also very expensive to produce. About 8 seasons have been broadcast in Israel so far. The show went off the air in December 2020, among other things because of the Corona epidemic. So will she be back soon? time will tell.

"The Race for a Million" is the Israeli version of the American reality show "The Amazing Race". The program was broadcast starting February 5, 2009, on Channel 2, by Reshet. With the split of Channel 2, the program moved to be broadcast on Network 13. At the 2014 Israel Television Academy Awards, the fourth season of the program won the "Best Reality Program" award.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on September 11, 2022, 12:40:27 PM
Just learned some sad news via a Facebook Amazing Race fan group - HaMerotz LaMillion has officially been cancelled after 8 seasons. This comes from a TAR fan in Israel who works in the production company's building and read it on Entertainment pages :'(

It certainly stood over among other versions over the years for its unique tasks,

That leaves US, Canada and Australia as the only active versions left.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: jfarbzz on September 11, 2022, 08:24:45 PM
Just learned some sad news via a Facebook Amazing Race fan group - HaMerotz LaMillion has officially been cancelled after 8 seasons. This comes from a TAR fan in Israel who works in the production company's building and read it on Entertainment pages :'(

It certainly stood over among other versions over the years for its unique tasks,

That leaves US, Canada and Australia as the only active versions left.

Wait what 😭 what group was this?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on September 11, 2022, 09:11:46 PM
The Amazing Race Fans

Quote
After 7 seasons and 1 Allstars’, The amazing race Israel “Hamerotz-Lamillion” Cancelled.
The last two season were awful and out of the format and gained low at ratings.
The question that arises is if the competing channel will take the format, but rumors came up - the production might do something different, and maybe twisting the format to be cheaper.
As a producer myself in the same channel (But, News…) and a fan of the amazing race, I want to suggest new ideas of how to save the format without a large budget.
Anyone?😉

He said it was published in Entertainment pages but I couldn't find an article.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: G.B. on September 11, 2022, 09:58:32 PM
If some guy on Facebook says "The show is cancelled" and immediately follows it up by calling recent seasons "awful", that doesn't strike me as a reliable source.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: jfarbzz on September 12, 2022, 08:13:35 AM
News from last month.

https://www.israelhayom.co.il/culture/tv/article/12845708

Quote
"Israel Hayom" learned that in a new survey conducted among viewers, they were asked if they would like to return the successful reality show to the screen • Will it actually happen?

Is the old reality show "The Race to the Million" on its way to return to the screen? "Israel Hayom" has learned that a survey has been taking place in recent days, in which they checked the intentions of watching "The Race for a Million" if it returns to the screen.

In the survey, the participants were asked, among other things, whether they had watched the show in the past and which reality show they would like to see come back. At this stage it is not clear who commissioned the survey, but it indicates the feasibility and willingness of the television people to return the format to the screen.

"The Race for a Million" is considered one of the most beloved reality shows, but also very expensive to produce. About 8 seasons have been broadcast in Israel so far. The show went off the air in December 2020, among other things because of the Corona epidemic. So will she be back soon? time will tell.

"The Race for a Million" is the Israeli version of the American reality show "The Amazing Race". The program was broadcast starting February 5, 2009, on Channel 2, by Reshet. With the split of Channel 2, the program moved to be broadcast on Network 13. At the 2014 Israel Television Academy Awards, the fourth season of the program won the "Best Reality Program" award.

Yeah, and it doesn't make sense when we just got this news.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: RealLifed on September 13, 2022, 04:24:55 AM
:( Omg if that's true then its really sad omg.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: georgiapeach on September 13, 2022, 06:35:42 AM
I have asked someone who would likely know. THRERE IS NO NEWS ON THIS FOUND in Israel.

Hopefully just false info!!
The Amazing Race Fans

Quote
After 7 seasons and 1 Allstars’, The amazing race Israel “Hamerotz-Lamillion” Cancelled.
The last two season were awful and out of the format and gained low at ratings.
The question that arises is if the competing channel will take the format, but rumors came up - the production might do something different, and maybe twisting the format to be cheaper.
As a producer myself in the same channel (But, News…) and a fan of the amazing race, I want to suggest new ideas of how to save the format without a large budget.
Anyone?😉

He said it was published in Entertainment pages but I couldn't find an article.

I asked someone who would likely know. There is NO NEWS ABOUT THIS POSTED IN ISRAEL found.

Hopefully FAKE NEWS!!
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on November 28, 2022, 06:38:36 AM
12 picked up the rights for TAR.

Quote
The beloved reality format that was abandoned due to the corona epidemic and remained off the broadcast schedule on Network 13, finds a new home with the competitor, just after the announcement of the program that will "replace" it.

https://www.ice.co.il/tv/news/article/911215

13 replaced TAR with Peking Express. New season is set to film in 2023.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on November 28, 2022, 12:30:25 PM
At least it's a more reliable source than last time, that was my bad  :funny:

Hopefully now they can get out and do a season 9! Israel's the only active version we haven't heard from since before Covid.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: BourkieBoy on November 28, 2022, 05:35:05 PM
I don't watch HaMerotz LaMillion (because it's not in English), but I do love reading summaries of episodes! This series always visits the most exotic of locations and has the most craziest tasks imaginable, so I'm excited that TAR Israel has been revived!   
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on January 12, 2023, 10:18:49 PM
https://www.israelhayom.co.il/culture/tv/article/13548360

Quote
According to a source in the production, most of the participants will be anonymous, but some names of potential celebrity couples for the season have also come up.

The new season is expected to be filmed in the coming months and the castings and auditions for it continue.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on February 10, 2023, 12:31:26 PM
12 has begun auditions for its host. Ron Shahar is being considered.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on March 19, 2023, 10:15:33 AM
Say hello to the new host of HaMerotz LaMillion: Yehuda Levi.

(https://ynet-pic1.yit.co.il/picserver5/crop_images/2023/02/20/rkBXxaZ11Cj/rkBXxaZ11Cj_223_43_1473_829_0_x-large.jpg)

Quote
The 43-year-old Levi is considered one of the most successful and leading actors in Israel in the last two decades, and this will be his first time as a host on a TV show.

https://www.ynet.co.il/entertainment/article/rj1dzho13

Levi posted the announcement on his Instagram, which implies a 2024 airdate. (Long story short, 12 wanted him but feared scheduling conflicts.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CpsDgc-NJw9/
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on March 19, 2023, 12:17:15 PM
Interesting. Ron Shahar was a great host, but this guy sounds like he'll know what he's doing.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Avid on March 19, 2023, 01:38:10 PM
Insane ,we have a new host
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on April 17, 2023, 03:21:44 PM
Levi posted the announcement on his Instagram, which implies a 2024 airdate.

New-ish logo.

(https://www.kipa.co.il/userFiles/735-415/334694_0a1a42f85ed8a3b09cf7f56a9133dfd8.jpg.webp)

Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on May 02, 2023, 10:06:45 AM
Get ready.

(https://media.tenor.com/fQespnZvxeMAAAAC/the-amazing-race-phil-keoghan.gif)
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on May 02, 2023, 03:44:44 PM
Welcome back, HaMerotz! It's been 5 years since they filmed 7 and 8. Hopefully they still deliver the random, top-notch tasks we came to expect from this version!
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on May 11, 2023, 01:28:33 PM
Yehuda will be attending the Monte-Carlo Television Festival, which will run from June 16-20. Gives us a sense of when filming will end.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on May 11, 2023, 03:14:41 PM
As was the case with previous seasons, could we assume Iceland is leg 2 and they had one in Israel?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on May 11, 2023, 03:31:08 PM
The teams were still in Israel on Monday waiting to start. They could have done a leg in Israel on Tuesday or Wednesday and we missed it, or the first leg started in Iceland.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: H_E_L_L_O on May 17, 2023, 08:51:41 PM
So far the route is Israel -> Iceland -> Spain -> Morocco. Heading Westward to the Americas would make sense. I wonder if they possibly could’ve picked up the original Brazilian and American legs for TARAUS5?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on May 17, 2023, 09:46:36 PM
Here's a summary.

Thursday May 11: Teams were spotted in Reykjavik.
Saturday May 13: Photo of U-Turn vote board displaying 13 teams was posted. Yehuda also posted a shout-out to a friend back home on his IG story in a van.
Sunday May 14: 12 teams were spotted in Malaga, Spain.
Monday May 15: Teams were spotted in Tangier, Morocco.
Tuesday May 16: Certain this was a rest day.

I can't find any info confirming a leg in Israel, but I'm also not 100% on two Iceland legs outside of the one U-Turn photo. It is possible that Hallgrímskirkja (location of U-Turn vote) was the Pit Stop for the first leg. Teams then voted outside the church for the second leg and went out to the glaciers. If this is true, then we started with 14 teams and might not have any NELs.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Brannockdevice on May 18, 2023, 11:20:57 AM
If memory serves correctly this will be the first visit to the Arab world! I wonder how they will approach this?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on May 18, 2023, 11:27:37 AM
If memory serves correctly this will be the first visit to the Arab world! I wonder how they will approach this?

I checked the list of countries they've been to, and yeah it is. It'll be an interesting leg from their perspective.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: dryedmangoez on May 18, 2023, 06:30:53 PM
Israel and Morocco began normalizing relations in 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords. Would not be surprising if they also go to Bahrain and UAE in the future. Would be a nice step forward for the countries.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Parasparopagraho on May 18, 2023, 06:37:16 PM
^

It would also be neat if Oman were to streamline relations as well, seeing as its last visit by any edition was/is much further back than the seasons in the thirties, i.e. just before the shift to HD.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on May 23, 2023, 09:30:00 PM
After looking at Yehuda’s instagram, are we even sure that Victoria Falls is confirmed?

The only thing we can say with absolute certainty is that Yehuda attended a concert at Victoria Falls. At the same time, a DJ posted an IG story with Yehuda dated two weeks ago.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17966662535386053/


I'm not usually in these parts but it looks like Yehuda was in Zambia a few days ago (possibly Victoria Falls) https://www.instagram.com/p/CsZLRW1M251/

The same person who tagged Yehuda also arrived in Zambia two weeks ago and likely posted a photo dump after leaving.

https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18365419483010488/
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 07, 2023, 12:20:13 PM
Final 5 looks like 1 MM team, 1 FF team and 3 MF. Guessing most of these teams left were last sighted in Morocco

MM is Yiftach & Sahar.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on June 08, 2023, 06:00:39 AM
Vietnam was F5 according to the voting board. If today's India sightings are Israel, it's probably the last country.

With the network change, I wonder if they'll still do as Israel's normally done in past seasons? The race won't actually be finished, they'll wrap it up for a few weeks and run the final part at home.

Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 08, 2023, 06:04:59 AM
Vietnam was F5 according to the voting board. If today's India sightings are Israel, it's probably the last country.

Teams in India aren’t a match to Israel. It’s Australia.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Avid on June 10, 2023, 04:10:36 AM
Vietnam was F5 according to the voting board. If today's India sightings are Israel, it's probably the last country.

Teams in India aren’t a match to Israel. It’s Australia.
This is the confusion  ,I was talking about ..now wait when usa hits the rff
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Parasparopagraho on June 17, 2023, 07:05:07 PM
Any update(s) on the rumoured Sofia visit?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on June 17, 2023, 08:59:31 PM
Any update(s) on the rumoured Sofia visit?

That's what I'd like to know. This is already one of the best routes of a TAR in the last 5 years. A brand new country would push it to the top.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 17, 2023, 09:03:04 PM
I got nothing.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 09, 2024, 06:00:16 PM
Soon

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C71opeSNk-6/
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on June 09, 2024, 06:12:16 PM
Huh. We all knew this season would get a delay with the war going on, I didn't think we'd see it for a while yet.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 19, 2024, 03:20:45 PM
They’re saying that this season will visit the most countries out of any single season of TAR globally. Think the previous record was 12.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Z-HuGozJc/

Goes without saying that we missed a few countries. For example, Mongolia.

(https://www.amicusmongolia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Genghis-Khan-Equestrian-Statue-chinggis-khaan-complex-300x200.jpg)
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: H_E_L_L_O on June 25, 2024, 01:31:58 PM
It appear only Germany and Mongolia were missed, along with a starting line in Iceland and a final leg in Israel.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: ZBC Company on June 26, 2024, 08:16:24 AM
It appears only Germany and Mongolia were missed, along with a starting line in Iceland and a final leg in Israel.

Are you sure It's Germany
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 26, 2024, 10:41:04 AM
July 1
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on June 26, 2024, 08:07:12 PM
New promo was also released today. Talks about how this is a record breaking season with the northernmost starting point, most countries visited, traveling to three countries on two continents within a 24-hour period. Has shots of Yuda in Reykjavik, Malaga, Seoul, Marrakesh, and Munich (https://maps.app.goo.gl/Km1ZfbZsW6Hd6zTy8). The first Pit Stop is the same location from TAR 30.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oonbgl4CXfQ

It appears only Germany and Mongolia were missed, along with a starting line in Iceland and a final leg in Israel.

Are you sure It's Germany

Yes
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 01, 2024, 11:30:07 AM
Leg 1: Monday, Tuesday, & Sunday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 01, 2024, 05:17:46 PM
Official VOD link: https://www.mako.co.il/mako-vod-keshet/the_amazing_race-s1

For the first episode at least, it can be viewed anywhere.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: G.B. on July 02, 2024, 06:45:58 PM
Can you tell if the rest of the episodes are geo-locked, or just paywalled?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 02, 2024, 07:02:54 PM
Can you tell if the rest of the episodes are geo-locked, or just paywalled?

Paywalled
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 05, 2024, 01:20:14 PM
The third episode is now on Sunday at 9:30 PM.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 07, 2024, 11:29:48 AM
Leg 1 of the new version is done and dusted. I saw many people talk about how the first episode was slow. I do agree. That's largely the case as the ice climb task was used to introduce the teams. By the second episode, the show is back in the swing of things. We saw the return of classic aspects like a task where teams have to interact with locals. One team even interrupted a funeral to ask for directions. The show also really tested the mental faculties of the teams with the cryptic clues of the hotdog stand and the church. The keychain was also clever as some teams figured it out early and other teams just thought that they had to find a sweater with a flag. Also, what was in the waters of the North Atlantic where two teams lost their money this past week. I will say, one thing that is slightly weird about this version is how they end episodes in the middle of tasks rather than at the end.

Off to Spain on Monday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: ZBC Company on July 07, 2024, 10:11:11 PM
does anyone have link for episode 2
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 08, 2024, 11:29:47 AM
Leg 2: Monday & Saturday

Haven’t seen the episode yet, but I think Gibraltar is next.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: ZBC Company on July 08, 2024, 05:08:47 PM
does anyone have link for episode 2
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 13, 2024, 11:30:19 AM
Week 3: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 16, 2024, 11:29:12 AM
Elimination tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 17, 2024, 11:44:07 AM
More Morocco on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 17, 2024, 08:48:23 PM
The crazy leg certainly lived up to its name. 3 countries (with a first ever visit to Gibraltar), 2 continents, within 24 hours. Teams were in Malaga in midday and a couples of them got off of the ferry in Tangier around 6 AM the next day. We saw another team lose their money (how?), and a team get sideswiped. A couple of familiar task from US were brought over like Picasso and twirl time. There were also some incredibly difficult tasks like the telephone number search and the Fast Forward. Seriously, that Fast Forward was one of the hardest ones I've seen. Then again this was for a Pit Stop on another continent. (How often can I say that?) It was also crazy to see Itzik & Esty dominate the leg only to falter at the last task.

Did I mention that this was only the second leg.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 18, 2024, 05:54:44 AM
Casting is open for another season.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9jUzQFIEJ4AUTO_YxEL3erWjGWraXuysB2cFo0/
https://shortaudition.com/The-Amazing-Race2
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 20, 2024, 11:27:47 AM
More Marrakesh on Monday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 22, 2024, 11:30:25 AM
Pit Stop tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 23, 2024, 11:29:31 AM
Senegal on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 24, 2024, 08:46:55 PM
Out of the first three legs, this was probably my least favorite. There were multiple tasks that were just pure luck as well as a very physical Double Battle. Guy really took the brunt of it with a streak of bad luck and almost injuring himself after falling into a tannery vat at the Roadblock. Also Guy after the Roadblock:

(https://ew.com/thmb/g0jc7D5I8DB1vkXvRXh-Bmj3vPw=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/13544__bigfat_l-48b88b5b40d3445e89518bcc0dc31956.jpg)
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 27, 2024, 11:31:30 AM
Tonight’s episode was postponed.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on July 30, 2024, 11:28:29 AM
Yet another delay.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 01, 2024, 11:29:29 AM
More Senegal on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on August 01, 2024, 04:12:10 PM
Why did this episode keep getting delayed? They've been good about keeping schedule thus far.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 01, 2024, 05:23:12 PM
Preempted by news of regional events.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 03, 2024, 11:31:07 AM
Next episode on Monday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 05, 2024, 11:30:02 AM
Pit Stop tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 06, 2024, 11:30:08 AM
Azerbaijan on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 07, 2024, 07:17:04 PM
20 years. It’s been 20 years since the last visit to Senegal. It's a visit Inbar & Avishai won’t forget. First their bags got stuck in the truck of their taxi and they needed a guy with a crowbar to get them out. Then they ran across the grounds of a mosque and their camera operator got an earful from locals. Surprisingly, they didn’t even have the worst luck of the leg. I will say that this leg felt a bit stretched over 4 episodes instead of 3.

We’re done with Africa, now off to the Caucasus.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 10, 2024, 11:30:17 AM
Next episode on Tuesday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 13, 2024, 11:21:58 AM
More on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 17, 2024, 11:30:08 AM
Pit Stop on Monday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 19, 2024, 11:29:38 AM
Austria tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: aviva23 on August 20, 2024, 10:49:47 AM
wow what a crazy route! after Austria the teams will continue to Germany.
today Austria, Thursday in Munich, and Saturday the "90' minute elimination" at the Allianz Arena.
what do you think is their next destination?
I think it will be Zambia / Bulgaria / Mongolia / South Korea.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 20, 2024, 11:27:03 AM
I think it will be Zambia / Bulgaria / Mongolia / South Korea.

With regards to Zambia, I think Yehuda was just attending a music festival there before filming began. To further clarify, the Zambia photo in sightings was posted when they were in Senegal.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: aviva23 on August 21, 2024, 10:46:51 AM
I think it will be Zambia / Bulgaria / Mongolia / South Korea.

With regards to Zambia, I think Yehuda was just attending a music festival there before filming began. To further clarify, the Zambia photo in sightings was posted when they were in Senegal.

I think you might right, after they left Senegal, Yehuda says that the teams left Africa.
so they won't be in Zambia in this season.
here is my guessing to the entire race, and the legs that already aired.

leg 1: Iceland - 1st elimination
leg 2: Iceland - Spain - Gibraltar - Morocco - 2nd elimination
leg 3: Morocco - 3rd elimination
leg 4: Morocco - Senegal - 4th elimination
leg 5: Senegal - Azerbaijan - 5th elimination
leg 6: Azerbaijan - Austria - Germany - 6th elimination ?
i think somewhere between legs 6-9 it will be a non-elimination leg. just don't which one.
leg 7: Germany - Bulgaria -
leg 8: Bulgaria - Mongolia
leg 9: Mongolia - South Korea
leg 10: South Korea - Vietnam - quarter-finals (5 teams left, according to the voting board)
leg 11: Vietnam - New Zealand - Semi finals (final 4)
leg 12: New Zealand - final

another scenario could be that they went to Singapore or maybe India instead of Bulgaria.
but i'm quite sure they were in South Korea and Mongolia.
the only thing i'm sure about it that there will be at least one leg without elimination and that the final country is New Zealand
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 22, 2024, 11:26:04 AM
Next one on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 24, 2024, 11:28:16 AM
Mongolia on Monday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Maanca on August 24, 2024, 04:51:26 PM
So we were wrong about Bulgaria?

Show content
At least we won't have to wait long to see it, because TAR37 was confirmed to have gone there
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 26, 2024, 11:24:58 AM
More tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 27, 2024, 11:26:03 AM
Pit Stop Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on August 31, 2024, 11:25:31 AM
Seoul tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: aviva23 on August 31, 2024, 01:12:57 PM
So we were wrong about Bulgaria?

yes, we wrong about Bulgaria, it doesn't seems like they are going to  back again to Europe.
my guess is next destination is South Korea, and after that is Vietnam,
New Zealand is the final country, but i'm not sure if the semi-final is in New-Zealand too, because it is known that the amazing race has visit 13 countries, while Mongolia is the 9th country, so it means 4 more leftt.
what other country can they visit between Vietnam and New-Zealand? i hope for Fiji but it is unlikely to happen. maybe it will be Thailand/Cambodia/Laos/Austraila.
and beside, i don't think we will see a non-elimination leg.

Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 01, 2024, 07:30:00 AM
The South Korean episodes have been delayed to focus on news.

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/hersh-goldberg-polin-israeli-american-hostage-killed-in-gaza-family-says/
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 02, 2024, 11:26:12 AM
Squid Games tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 03, 2024, 11:26:10 AM
Pit Stop with a twist on Thursday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 05, 2024, 11:25:42 AM
Partner Swap shenanigans on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: aviva23 on September 06, 2024, 06:19:57 AM
So Leg 8 was a non-elimination leg (and the only leg without an elimination, thanks god cause i loveeee Lior and Sapir)
leg 9 is a swap teams leg in Korea. i think the swapping  team to reach last is going to face a double battle between the two original teams. 
They said  the racers has visit 13 countris. is that including Israel? i mean they were not even start in Israel,
what do you think is coming after South Korea?
i know for sure that Leg 10 is South Korea - Vietnam
and Leg 12 is New Zealand FINAL!
but what about Leg 11? Semi finals in New-Zealand too?
if it is, so the Final Leg starts in New-Zealand and ends in Israel? if it does true so it gives us 13 countries (including Israel).
or do you think there is another country between Vietnam and New-Zealand?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 07, 2024, 11:24:54 AM
Find out what will happen to Esti tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 08, 2024, 11:25:23 AM
Pit Stop on Tuesday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 10, 2024, 08:16:38 AM
Just announced the finale will air on the 24th & 25th.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 10, 2024, 11:25:10 AM
Elimination tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 11, 2024, 11:31:31 AM
Vietnam on Saturday
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 14, 2024, 11:25:06 AM
Papaya drama tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 15, 2024, 11:25:09 AM
Find out who will make the Final 4 on Tuesday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: aviva23 on September 15, 2024, 11:39:39 AM
just saw today a mark of TAR in Northern Italy in Cinque Terre, but i haven't seen any couple. anyone knows what version it might be? cause its not the Israeli Version. maybe Australia or USA?
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 17, 2024, 11:48:25 AM
New Zealand tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 18, 2024, 12:07:28 PM
Next one on Saturday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 21, 2024, 11:31:04 AM
Find out who makes the Final 3 tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 22, 2024, 11:25:40 AM
The finale begins on Tuesday.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 24, 2024, 11:31:14 AM
The final episode is tomorrow.
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: Xoruz on September 25, 2024, 11:30:03 AM
It's finale day!

That's a wrap! See you next season!
Title: Re: HaMerotz LaMillion 9 (TAR ISRAEL) News, Media & Discussion of *spoilers*
Post by: G.B. on October 01, 2024, 08:17:23 PM
Oh gosh I'm here, finally. I'm so sorry, I really wanted to be here and talk about the season, liven up the discussion and such. But the fact is that I was pretty severely delayed in getting started on this season, and from there I just couldn't catch up. There were always episodes coming out ahead and I was still behind. I only watched the finale today. So, I didn't want to go into this thread for fear of spoilers. Too bad there was so little discussion of this season, because I thought it was beyond spectacular. HaMerotz LaMillion is BACK after starting to decline in the previous seasons. I'll give my thoughts on each of the legs now.

ICELAND:
This was a very strong start and I knew right from the second task, the very cryptic one with the hot dogs, that this was going to be a good, challenging season. Iceland is a spectacular place to see and this was so much fun to see teams going all over the place on this leg. Teams getting lost, shifting placements all over the place, it was wild and very enjoyable. I thought it was incredibly strange that they just plain didn't have any traditional team introductions. No filming of the teams back at home? I kind of missed that, but the teams' personalities came out pretty quickly on this leg. I love that right away we learn that this season is going to be one that really, really tests the teams' mental fortitude. The hot dogs, the church organ player, the sweaters and keychains. It's nice to see a race focus more on that instead of the physical aspect. But I will say, when I saw the final challenge before the Pit Stop and what it entailed, that's when I knew this season was a winner. It WASN'T a luck-based task! It was one that genuinely and fairly tested teams' powers of observation and mental fortitude. Gone were the days of dice roll Pit Stops, and it was glorious!

Michal & Elrom I immediately liked their personalities. It's not so surprising that they got targeted, since I suppose other teams figured they were genre-savvy. Sad to see them go so soon, as Michal seems like a barrel of laughs.

SPAIN/GIBRALTAR/MOROCCO:
This whole leg could be defined as "unexpected". The Fast Forward blew me away with how involved and challenging it was, yet at the same time it still seemed BARELY doable. It might take a long time, but HMLM legs are long anyway so it would balance out. I was quite disappointed that only one team was even allowed to ATTEMPT it. I thought that was a very strange choice. I loved the Beatles involvement in the task, gave me a chuckle for sure. Gibraltar was one of my top 10 wanted destinations for the Race to go, so I was excited to see it happen. I'm sad that it turned out to be a bit of a dud, with 11 out of 12 teams showing up after night had fallen, meaning noise ordinances kept the band from playing and the teams from being animated or excited. As for Morocco, I was wondering if any of the newly forged Arab connections would eventually result in a visit, but I didn't expect one so soon. I was confused until I did some research and learned there's a lot more Israel-Morocco history, so it makes a lot more sense to me now. I love how you can tell the teams took WAY longer on this leg than producers were expecting, as teams had to stay "overnight" from the hours of, like, 8am to 11am. They even adjusted the departure times of the last two teams because their ferry was so late. All in all, it was fascinating to see just how exhausted EVERYONE was from this monster of a leg. It could have been better, but it was still pretty fun.

Shahar & Ronit reminded me a lot of Yafa & Boaz from season 4 and I really liked them. Ronit was endearing to me, and I was really pulling for them to go much farther than just two legs. Quite sad to see them go so soon.

MOROCCO:
Tangier is one thing because it's so close to Spain, but I didn't expect the Israeli race to then delve deeper into the heart of Morocco too. I was expecting something to go wrong, but everything was very pleasant. It was a pleasant time to experience as a viewer, though not so much for some of the racers. Poor Guy, he got completely battered on this leg. I was absolutely expecting him to have to withdraw due to his injuries, but he kept on going. The Yield didn't surprise me, I think everyone was just getting annoyed by those two, haha... When I saw the music task at the end, I noticed that every leg thus far had featured a song for one of it's tasks. It made me wonder if there was going to me a memory challenge at the end of the race related to all of the songs hey had heard. This didn't end up being true, but for a while I thought it would be. Also you have no idea how much I jumped for joy to see a SECOND Roadblock... After All-Stars only had a single one, I was afraid the Israeli Roadblock was extinct.

Raheli & Miri were funny but also kind of grating on the ears with how much they yelled. They also seemed to be totally exhausted by this point, so I didn't expect them to go much further. It's not often that a Yield actually ends a team's run on HMLM, but this is a rare example.

SENEGAL:
Israeli races have visited Muslim-majority countries before, but always only just the one. I definitely did not expect another one to follow right after, and I was excited to see Senegal. It's been two decades since the teams fought with taxis and jumped into pink-coloured water on the season that's sadly mostly forgotten. Seeing Senegal again in modern times was wonderful. The moment when a team's bags got stuck in the old half-broken taxi's trunk was absolutely hilarious to see. I was ASTOUNDED to see how many of the teams were doing the watermelon task...backwards. As in, why are you sitting facing away from the melons? FACE them to keep them in place. I appreciated how SMALL they made the flag marking the delivery point, as again it reinforced just how much mental fortitude is required of this particular season. Human-sized foosball is just a genius idea. It was a little bit strange to see teams visit the "Slaves island" and not do anything at all related to the slaves or their history, and instead just to baguettes. I suppose HMLM doesn't really do "moment of reflection" tasks; the only one I can think of is the holocaust survivor who was at the Pit Stop in Poland.

Amit & Rotem were a hoot. They weren't my most favourite of teams, but their shenanigans still made me smile and it was encouraging to see them succeed as far as they did despite not being in the best of shape. Fun times with them, though.

AZERBAIJAN:
So of course I was floored to see a THIRD Muslim-majority country visited in a row. I wasn't even aware that Azerbaijan accepted Israeli passports until now. Either way, it was nice to see the three countries of that region checked off the list. I was floored to see just how BAD AT MATH most of these teams are with the first task, and how BAD AT COOKING a lot of them were. Pro tip: Touching an oven is HOT. The stairs challenge was fun, though there wasn't really any challenge introduced by using their Azerbaijani names. It would've been better if teams had to ask locals what the name meant as well. The rest of the leg that took place at night highlighted a side of Baku/Azerbaijan that was not shown at ALL on the TAR20 visit, so it was a nice change of pace. The Happy Hour password was a fun way to trip teams up, but I'm surprised at just how long it took some teams. One team didn't even figure it out, a local had to solve it for them. Finally...jam? Jam is what eliminated a team? Wow...

Idan & Guy's elimination caught me off guard. They fought through so much adversity, especially on Guy's part, only to be eliminated by jam? Very disappointing, if I'm being honest, though at least it wasn't unfair such as the likes of Ben & Ran. I was honstly expecting them to reach the finals.

AUSTRIA/GERMANY:
I had always wondered if these countries were even on the radar for HMLM, considering their history. So I was happy to see them both finally visited. The Sound of Music task was SPECTACULAR, and I enjoyed it a lot. The Loacker product placement was a bit weird, but then the Detour. What ARE those tiny bikes? I swear, I did a million google searches and I can find no evidence online that thise bikes even exist in real life. Anyway, it was nice to see this little corner of Austria that's never been visited on the race before. We've seen enough Vienna and Salzburg, this was something new. The visit to Germany was fun, but a little short. Beer, theatre, and that's about it. I did find it funny how hard it was for teams to find the Pit Stop even after they reached the Arena, because it's so big and the taxi drivers were so confused. Also, YAY A SECOND DETOUR. Again, the last TWO seasons only had a single one, so I was afraid they were extinct too.

Hassi & Yerin, I loved them as an underdog team and was very impressed to see them win a leg. However, unfortunately they only have themselves to blame for their elimination. Why, oh why, did they decide to have Yerin ride the bike first? Obviously Hassi, who is older and heavier, was going to have much more trouble on the bike. She absolutely should have gone first. Then they might have realized that it was the wrong choice and gone to saw logs instead. A shocking example of first to worst.

MONGOLIA:
Mongolia is a fun place and I'm glad to see it being visited more often. This was a fun leg, though it wasn't anything super spectacular. I was disappointed to see the "Warrior's Gate" challenge yet again. We've already had this in HMLM, back in Japan on season 1. (Incidentally, WHY DON'T THEY EVER GO BACK TO JAPAN??). I did enjoy the integration of taxis into the final task, considering how rare and expensive they are in Mongolia. I thought that was pretty clever.

Modi & Miki's withdrawal caught me off guard at first, but honestly I was just waiting for something like this to happen on HMLM and am surprised it took so long. HMLM is so much longer and more involved than other races, and it's exhausting! I appreciate how the host convinced them to step on the mat and still receive the 6th place they deserved before allowing them to withdraw. They were pretty fun, and I liked just how many languages they could speak.

SOUTH KOREA:
Oh, this leg was FUN! Visits to Korea have been a bit samey on other seasons. How many times have we seen Tuho, the spectacle of being close to the DMZ, and gross food. This time it was K-Pop and Squid Games! I really, really liked the K-Pop Dolls challenge. Forcing the teams to listen to a song and sing it to locals is hilarious and also a really great challenge, and I was surprised to see who was the ONLY contestant to immediately recognize one of the songs... Esti?? I was also surprised at just how few of the teams recognized the Gangnam Style dance featured on the post card. I've never seen Squid Game, but I know of it and integrating two of its challenges into the Race was a spectacular idea. As for the Loved Ones aspect? Well, I've always thought that the requisite "Loved Ones" challenge on races were a bit of a drag and always went on too long. It's not the viewers' family, so it can get a bit boring becuase we don't have the connection that the teams have. I was very, very happy and excited to see the requisite "Loved Ones" part actually be integrated into a challenge. Playing it during Red Light, Green Light as a way to distract the teams and make them cry makes it MUCH more engaging for the viewing audience......And then they have the normal loved ones visit right afterwards anyway. Ah, so close. The end sure caught me off guard though. I honestly didn't know The Masked Singer originated in Korea...All I know about that show is just how much my dad despises it.

PARTNER-SWAPPED SOUTH KOREA:
Well this was a treat. The idea of a Partner Swap is honestly really good and has the potential for a LOT of entertainment. I still feel that the Partner Swap in TAR30 was a really big dud. They didn't do much, they didn't travel anywhere together, and it was over before you know it. So THIS Partner Swap was looking to be much, much more entertaining! Even just the fact that it wasn't so much a "Swap" as the teams getting totally mixed up. The fact that Itzik managed to pick the one single girl for his partner was just perfect, though I also appreciated how kind and undderstanding Lee was towards his religious mandates. The leg was so-so, falling back on the typical Korean fare we've seen already, and the fan dance task confused the heck out of me. I still don't understand how teams were meant to extract unambiguous numbers from that. When the host announced that, unlike TAR30, this Partner Swap would end with an elimination, I got super hyped. I still believe it would be a GREAT idea to actually eliminate one of the swapped teams. Afterwards, everyone else would go back to their normal teams, but the remaining swapped team would have to continue on the race as a "new" team until the end, still racing to win half of the grand prize. Sadly this didn't end up happening, but what they did instead was still a great idea. Dissolving the teams into individual contestants allows them to still have an advantage for finishing the rest of the leg in first (unlike Cody & Jen just getting shafted entirely) and lead to a very fair way to get final placements (and an elimination) on the leg. The final challenge was a littttle bit luck-based for my tastes, but finding your name in a completely different language is a fun task that I wish we'd see more of.

Udi & Matan, I must be honest, were the least interesting team of the Race. They weren't bad at all, and I by no means disliked them whatsoever, but they were the most plain and didn't really stand out to me. I enjoyed their company and preferred them over a CERTAIN other team, but I wasn't too hung up to see them eliminated here either.

VIETNAM:
I was hoping for a few more new countries instead of a three-peat, but Vietnam is always fun. Although we've already seen Ho Chi Minh City, it would've been nice to see them travel somewhere like Da Nang or Hue. This leg was okay, nothing super special, although I like the papaya task and thought it was fun. I liked how it was rainy season in Vietnam at the time and teams kept getting drenched by downpours.

Sahar & Yeftah...so how did you get eliminated? Flowers. When they completely DOMINATED the first leg, remaining in 1st the entire time, I was afraid that they were just going to dominate the whole race and be unstoppable. I appreciated seeing this turn out to not be the case when we see that these very strong military boys do have some flaws that hold them back...namely math, cooking, and apparently floral arrangements. Very unexpected to see them hit the final task in first, then drop to last and be eliminated, but it wasn't a dice roll so I'm satisfied by the upset.

NEW ZEALAND:
In contast to the Ho Chi Minh visit, I rather enjoyed seeing a return to the location of the Finish Line of the very first season. And this visit taking place in the DEAD of winter gave it a much different feel. This must rank as one of the top 10 coldest legs of the race ever, there was frost everywhere! I'm surprised they even let teams drive themselves in such icy conditions. It was an absolute treat to see the Shemozzle Race return again, even if the rules were a bit confusing to follow again. The airbag task was...weird. You should've seen my face then the host says "New Zealand is leading the world in fighting climate change. Teams must now jump on a balloon." The fact that not one but two teams had vehicle problems at the same time, while in 1st and 2nd place, really shook things up. As for the final memory challenge, I give it full props for how difficult it was! On this race, which I have repeatedly praised for how much it is challenging the mental fortitude of teams, it's satisfying to see this culiminate in one of the most mentally challenging tasks I've ever seen. And this solidified the season as having NO pure luck-based tasks before the Pit Stop for any of the legs. Words cannot describe how happy this made me, and elevates this season right up to the top as one of my favourites of all time!

Itzik & Esti reminded me of a more modern Akiva & Anaelle, more in tune with the modern world but still holding onto their religious values with an iron grip. I like teams like this, who stand out significantly among the crowd and/or have a small but persistant handicap. I was always rooting for them to succeed and I loved seeing a rare, RARE example of a couple on TAR who don't constantly fight. I can only remember one or two fights off the top of my head. Sad to see they couldn't make it to the final...esepcially for the one team that beat them out...

FINAL LEG:
They claimed that this would be the most countries visited on an Amazing Race "worldwide". With the finale being in New Zealand, though, they fell short of this. For those of you wondering, the record number of countries is actually 13, set by The Amazing Race 10, as this includes the home country of the United States. If this Race had started or ended in Israel, they would have tied the record, but still would not have beaten it. As for the leg itself, the two extreme heights-related challenges were a blast to watch and very creative. Yet, the leg felt short. Like, REALLY short. I know the final leg of HMLM is usually shorter than the others, but this one felt particularly short. What brought it around, though, was the brilliant idea of the final challenge. Finding someone to literally lend out their car is a fantastic idea and a great way to cause panic and exitement during the rush to the Finish Line. The Finish itself was a little boring, just a normal mat on a dark bridge with no other teams, but it was still pretty fun.

Lior & Sapir I couldn't stand. From the very first leg, they constantly got on my nerves with their incessant arguing and fighting, bad attitudes, and general lack of energy. I swear on every single leg, Lior looked so done with everything and I was expecting him to quit every single time. I honestly just wanted them gone, leave the race to teams who are enjoying it a lot more, and much would have preferred Itzik & Esti in the finale besides them...Especially for what happened. I think it's a total waste when a team with someone who is afraid of heights gets into the HMLM finale. It's happened before and it happens here. HMLM ALWAYS has an extreme heights-related challenge on the final leg. It's been that way from the start, and teams KNOW this. So obviously a team that's afraid of heights is not going to succeed at this task and it's just a waste of a position in the finale. As we can see what happened, Lior didn't even try.

Inbar & Avishay were pretty fun. For a lot of the race they kind of flew under the radar and I never initially pegged them as being on track for the finale, but they surprised me. I loved Inbar's energy, and their unique relationship of uncle and niece was a relationship we don't usually see. I think the best part of them was that their interactions with locals were always the funniest.

Lee & Anne were my pick to win behind Itzik & Esti, and in the finale I just knew they would crush it and win. They were fun, they were funny, they had bright attitudes and optimism. In general it was very fun to watch them and see them succeed, and I think they very, very much deserved their win. Good job to you two!