Leg 11For the past few seasons, TAR has had great penultimate legs, and this leg is also one of them. This leg had a great mix of challenges, personal drama, and a tight finish. There were several challenges, none of which were easy, and the leg really showed the determination to win from the teams. It was a very competitive leg where any team had a chance to catch up or fall behind. From a travel aspect, this leg was able to show so many aspects of the UK that the show hasn't done before. I do applaud that the show was still able to be creative even in an over-visited location. While most of the teams delivered, this episode was essential a two-part story about the growth of Colin & Christie. This leg saw Christie struggle at a Roadblock for the first time since the caviar, yet Colin was still able to remain calm, reassure her, and then they were able to come back into contention.
The Roadblock judge response for an incorrect answer.
The same judge complaining that he was called away from lunch for Christie's second answer.
All the boat tipping.
Korey trying to shop for himself during the last task.
Colin dancing in the purple shoe store.
Code: It was a pretty confusing multi-step task.
Know: This was a pretty difficult mental task with so many opportunities to slip up.
Row: As someone who's rowed crew, some of the mistakes made did get a laugh from me. It was a very physical and tough task. The balance between difficult mental and physical Detour options was pretty good.
Market: Loved that the show surprised teams with this task after telling then that they were going to the Pit Stop. It was just difficult enough that teams could catch up. but the items weren't hidden too randomly so teams could get help from locals.
5/5Leg 12I still remember reading the updates and being so excited for this finale, and the episode did not disappoint me. Any leg that had to follow up TAR 30, which had a phenomenal leg design with albeit an outcome that wasn't great, was always going to be a tough act to follow. This was a good leg even if it didn't have a memory task. I also loved the outcome of this season. While there was some disappointment that Colin didn't have another blowup like TAR 5, I loved that this season highlighted the growth of Colin over 15 years. Colin is the most intense racer the show has seen, who yelled about an ox and was almost arrested. We got some glimpses into the old Colin like with the taxi this leg, but I love that Colin grew into a fun and lovable guy. He and Christie brought so many fun moments for me during this season. Personally, I think it was the greatest multi-season arc for a reality show contestant. It was almost poetic that Colin & Christie were able to calm each other down during a hectic task before they went on to win the Race, so I was greatly satisfied with their win.
May the highest vibing team win.
Colin's face when he got 9 pins.
Colin air drumming.
Colin hugging and lifting Phil.
Eliza's eyeroll.
Colin & Christie's win.
Vault: It was a fun adrenaline task that required team members that were probably frantic to actually slow down to get the task right. It's unfortunate that it led to the demise of the Afghanimals.
Fowling: It was a fun task with a game that I never even heard of.
Heidelberg: Based on what's been said, it was a needle-in-haystack task that was pretty easy.
Records: On its own the task was fine, but it was the weakest shown task of the leg in comparison to the other tasks.
Drum: The fact that returning players seasons have never had a memory task is a weird one. Still, I thought that this was a good task. Loved that there were so many small details that could delay teams and that teams had to not only overcome the stress of 12 legs of travel but also the loud music.
4/5Overall, I thought that this episode was a great end to an otherwise good season. I'm sad that TAR 31 is over and that the exact date for TAR 32 isn't out there yet, but I am happy that there will be multiple seasons of international TAR premiering in July.