Strategy is one of the many facets that can help a team win the amazing race (along with brute strength, intellect, personability and luck)
The purpose of this thread is to discuss/analyse/honour the greatest strategists to have run the race.
Personally I would classify a strategists as someone who is successfully able to employ a strategy on more than one occasion, although I am certain that there are great one off strategical moments from ordinary teams and I'm equally certain that they'll slip into conversation and belong there.
I'll list a few examples of what I mean but you'll probably notice that they are mainly from season 12 onwards (the seasons I have committedly watched) and the teams are typically 6th place or higher.
Terence and Sarah
Especially Sarah, she first amazed me when she was yelling at a Cambodian boatman to go faster in Khmer (I couldn't for the life of me figure out how she would know such a relatively obscure language). Reading interviews back in the day by this team I found out that she was quizzing people on the flights they were taking to pick up useful phrases and information. This would be a linguistic strategy, do you think it gave them an edge on the competition?
Dan and Jordan
I would argue that they won the race on strategy and luck. Their aim becomes clear from a moment in France in TAR16, I think it's they cowboys who speed past them at a task or on the way to the pit stop and one of the brothers quips "we'll pass them when it matters" or something to that effect. Dan and Jordan laid low for most of their race; they flew underneath the radar and were personable with most of the other teams (except I think the cowboys) in a season where u-turns were handed out based on personality. their other moment of strategical genius is infamous probably through the grudge it began, I don't even think I have to mention it *cough*first-class*cough* I think it's another perfect example of how they used their personality to get ahead and how they reserved their racing for when it mattered and it indeed worked for them.
Nary and Jamie
Although I liked this team their performances were somewhat mediocre. Their strategy was to lie about their professions to be underestimated by the other teams. The most glaring example of this was by Maria and Tiffany in season 15 however I mention Nary and Jamie because of what they did after being suspected by Art and JJ: they maintained the lie. It made so much sense to me, why give them the satisfaction? Reserve perfect honesty for the perfectly honorable (which Art and JJ were not). Although I don't think it really helped them I thought it was a smart move, why boost the morale of an antagonistic opponent?
Ryan and Abbie/Brent and Josh
I don't know which one of these teams decided it would be best to work together after being delayed so many hours but I think it's genius. Where teams would usually duke it out and try to survive themselves these two teams admitted that there was no chance of both of them making it and only little chance of one of them making it: the result, they capitalise on this minimal chance by working together. in the end it worked, one of the trailing teams caught up with the pack and the rest is history, they were back in the race and they went on to win. if the two teams hadnt worked together, this might not have been possible
Natalie and Nadiya
they cracked the double u turn in a move so clever im surprised it hasnt been seen since, this leads me to think it's actually been outlawed by the rules...
I hope this makes sense (I'm pretty tired)
I'm sure I'm forgetting some so help me out!