Jump to content

The Amazing Race 35

WBT

By WBT
in Movies and TV

 Share

Recommended Posts

WBT

WBT 20559

Posted
Posted

This started up last week and I don't see a thread.  The premier was pretty good.  None of the teams stood out too much for me yet, whether good or bad.  Overall I'd call it a plus that there was no one that was too annoying.  I guess so far I'm rooting for the deaf guy and son and the older Texan guy with his hot Baylor grad daughter: https://www.instagram.com/thebucketlistvagabond/?hl=en  The last place brother/sister team was just boring and timid so that was no real loss.

They're back to flying commercial and brought back the express pass and the U-turn, all good.  

They've been to Bangkok at least 2 or 3 times before this, but it's one of my favorite cities that I've visited so I was happy to see people back there.  Lulz at the guy telling the airport taxi driver he wanted to go see the big Buddha...in Bangkok.  I haven't been to either of the first two Wats but I have been to the one that was the pit stop.

Those fantail boats are fun, especially the small ones with the 18-wheeler engine and especially when you're riding during the daily thunderstorm.  Lulz at making them wear life jackets.  They definitely bought those specifically for the show.

The challenges were pretty weak though.  Real Thai massage is legit.  You wouldn't think those tiny chicks could work you over so much.  And if you tense up or grimace too much they'll stop and ask you, "you OK?"  It does feel really good though and you feel good afterwards.  As far as a challenge on the show, it was kind of dumb.  And most people here would be hitting up a different type of massage place for sure.  The sword thing was just one of their typical boring choreography challenges.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Scraps

Scraps 13560

Posted
Posted

Early front runner for hated team is the married people that had to restart the massage. Dude playing around too much already like a douche. Was playing on the highwire too.

Why any moron would select a routine over just 30 mins of torture is beyond me. Yeah its gonna hurt but just sack up and lay there



I think the bro/sis probably have fingered/jerked off each other before. They seem very close lol.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
wild_turkey

wild_turkey 3159

Posted
Posted

Watched the first episode and agree that I don't particularly love any teams or hate any teams. Won't miss the brother and sister combo and there was definitely something weird about their relationship.

The deaf dad and son seem cool. The black guy brothers seem cool. Texan dad and daughter are alright.

A few of the teams seem to lack much of a competitive drive, which is kind of boring to include teams like that because it's like the SEC scheduling cupcakes like App State. I'd prefer a season stacked with good teams.

I like that they are back to flying commercial, but it seems like TAR has pre-booked 2-3 flights and teams will just fill those flights in order of airport arrival. I really liked the old days when teams could book any flights they choose, either at a travel agent or at the airport, and watching them take gambles on close connections that could either pay off big or be disastrous. That was good stuff, but I think the complicated logistics of air travel will prevent that from ever being part of the show again.

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
TonyTexas

TonyTexas 10504

Posted
Posted
6 minutes ago, wild_turkey said:

I really liked the old days when teams could book any flights they choose, either at a travel agent or at the airport, and watching them take gambles on close connections that could either pay off big or be disastrous. That was good stuff, but I think the complicated logistics of air travel will prevent that from ever being part of the show again.

The problem with that is it often resulted in huge gaps between the top and bottom teams. I remember a few seasons where the last place team(s) would be a 24 hours or more behind. Not great for the competitive aspect of the show. 

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Texzilla58

Texzilla58 4731

Posted
Posted

I wish they were using more third world conveyances in some of these places. Riding a train in India with the women constantly groped, or having to ride in an ancient DC3 in some remote place with fears a wing might fall off, or being hauled in for interrogation by some secret police.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Knoxtnhorn

Knoxtnhorn 5971

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, Scraps said:

 I think the bro/sis probably have fingered/jerked off each other before. They seem very close lol.

LOL.  I threw the, "So that's how it is in their family" line to my wife.  Then, had to explain it.

+1 for having mostly likeable teams.  

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
idigTexas

idigTexas 2284

Posted
Posted

I agree that the teams all seem likeable so far.  We'll see what tolls, if any, the stresses of the race take, but so far so good.  I'm not unhappy about the lack of non-elimination legs.  Those always seemed coincidentally convenient to keep well liked or hated teams in the race. 

I was not impressed that some teams struggled for over an hour to solve a fairly simple word scramble.  Some of them would still be there if not helped by other teams.  

I was very impressed by the sisters earning the express pass.  I'm pretty sure I would not have done it, but I would still be pissing my pants at the highwire, so it wouldn't have come into play for me.  

I do miss the old school "make your own travel arrangements" aspect, but as others have noted, it really did create insurmountable gaps.  Season 1 is the perfect example, where the 3rd place team finished more than a day behind the winners.  Of course they deserved it for being douches who wasted an express pass by taking a spa day before traveling to a pitstop, so it was still enjoyable even if not suspenseful.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Scraps

Scraps 13560

Posted
Posted

I wish I could remember what season I started watching.  I just looked up season one contestants because I know it wasn't then and didn't even know there were two chicks from Baytown on that season.  I was living in Austin at the time for college, so probably didn't hear anything about it.  Looks like they sucked and got the boot 2nd.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Herpa Derpa

Herpa Derpa 6122

Posted
Posted (edited)

Same. Was in on Survivor at S1, but didn't start with TAR until quite a few seasons had gone by. Old seasons are available on Paramount+.

 

Agree with all about the bro/sis team being easy to hate and root against. Also got some weird Principal Rooney vibes. They struck me as a couple of homeschooled kids who really didn't know how to think independently. 

"you choose" "No, you choose" "I can't choose, you do it" "I can't either, you do it."  Please...both of you...let me be the one to to choose who to first punch in the face.

Edited by Herpa Derpa
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
idigTexas

idigTexas 2284

Posted
Posted

There appear to be mostly competent teams this season, so I don't think we'll see a few dominate lake we normally do.  Some minor fails, but nothing horrible yet.  I was surprised to see the Asian couple struggle so much in another country where they somewhat speak the language.  I was expecting them to fall back eventually, but not in Vietnam. 

No non-elimination legs, but the ol' "you're still racing" fake out is still in play.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Herpa Derpa

Herpa Derpa 6122

Posted
Posted
On 10/17/2023 at 10:51 PM, TrashMaster G said:

A distinction without a difference. 

Yeah, that was annoying.

 

On 10/18/2023 at 7:55 AM, idigTexas said:

Exactly.

There is a difference in that the last place team in a "keep running" format doesn't have the speed bump that a non-elim last place would. I'm still on the fence as to which way I prefer. Would be interested for someone less lazy than I to see if any prior winners were ever saved by a non-elim leg.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
WBT

WBT 20559

Posted
  • Author
Posted
4 minutes ago, Scraps said:

Not sure why red getting so pissy that chick didn't help her on tiles. Why the fuck would anyone help someone else so they could run off and take 1st and not reciprocate the help. Lmao

Yeah that was stupid.  The team she fights with is my least favorite though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Stringer

Stringer 1438

Posted
Posted

I was going over the archetypal teams with my wife the other night. You know, the father/daughter, married couple, sisters, etc. has there been a lesbian couple? I’ve watched since 2005 (the cursed family edition) and couldn’t think of one off hand. There have been plenty of gay men couples but I couldn’t think of a lesbian one.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15531

Posted
Posted
On 10/13/2023 at 7:45 PM, idigTexas said:

There appear to be mostly competent teams this season, so I don't think we'll see a few dominate lake we normally do.  Some minor fails, but nothing horrible yet.  I was surprised to see the Asian couple struggle so much in another country where they somewhat speak the language.  I was expecting them to fall back eventually, but not in Vietnam. 

No non-elimination legs, but the ol' "you're still racing" fake out is still in play.  

 

On 10/17/2023 at 9:51 PM, TrashMaster G said:

A distinction without a difference. 

Yeah, that was annoying.

I don't agree.  As noted above, the non-elimination legs always seemed timed to avoid eliminating a fan-favorite or otherwise interesting team.  Probably just coincidental, but it raised the prospect that the results were rigged.

With the "keep racing" legs, there's no possibility of that.  They have to have the challenges up and running well in advance.  So there's no way the producers can make a last-minute "let's make this a non-elimination leg" decision to preserve a favored team.

As to this last leg, I think we all saw what that long flight from India to Frankfurt in coach can do to one's mental acuity and temperament.  Now's when we get more fights and more muddle-brained decisionmaking.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
idigTexas

idigTexas 2284

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

 

I don't agree.  As noted above, the non-elimination legs always seemed timed to avoid eliminating a fan-favorite or otherwise interesting team.  Probably just coincidental, but it raised the prospect that the results were rigged.

With the "keep racing" legs, there's no possibility of that.  They have to have the challenges up and running well in advance.  So there's no way the producers can make a last-minute "let's make this a non-elimination leg" decision to preserve a favored team.

As to this last leg, I think we all saw what that long flight from India to Frankfurt in coach can do to one's mental acuity and temperament.  Now's when we get more fights and more muddle-brained decisionmaking.

All they have to do is decide if the race will continue now or after a stop.  They can easily have contingencies in place and make that decision during a leg if a fan favorite/evil villain is struggling early.  Obviously, that decision has to be made before the first team arrives, but there is no reason it couldn't me right before they reach the mat.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15531

Posted
Posted
11 minutes ago, idigTexas said:

All they have to do is decide if the race will continue now or after a stop.  They can easily have contingencies in place and make that decision during a leg if a fan favorite/evil villain is struggling early.  Obviously, that decision has to be made before the first team arrives, but there is no reason it couldn't me right before they reach the mat.  

But not really, because you have to have all this shit set up.  You have to have all the people in place at the challenges, and the venues of for the challenges need to be shuddered to the public/their normal operations.  You can't just have teams showing up a day earlier than anticipated because the producers decided at the last minute that a particular team was in danger of elimination.

And for the record, I'm very skeptical of the hypothesis that non-elimination legs weren't pre-set at the beginning of the race.  Fan favorites are only fan favorites because of how the producers edit their footage after the race is concluded.  So they're not worried that any particular team is going to get eliminated.  They're going to edit the footage to make the surviving teams more popular.

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
idigTexas

idigTexas 2284

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

But not really, because you have to have all this shit set up.  You have to have all the people in place at the challenges, and the venues of for the challenges need to be shuddered to the public/their normal operations.  You can't just have teams showing up a day earlier than anticipated because the producers decided at the last minute that a particular team was in danger of elimination.

And for the record, I'm very skeptical of the hypothesis that non-elimination legs weren't pre-set at the beginning of the race.  Fan favorites are only fan favorites because of how the producers edit their footage after the race is concluded.  So they're not worried that any particular team is going to get eliminated.  They're going to edit the footage to make the surviving teams more popular.

Why not?  Teams have arrived at challenges several hours, sometimes even more than a day apart, even without any production interference.  Do you think those bands, dance troupes, camel wranglers, cheese makers, cat jugglers all just keep at it during that time?  Is it not possible that they are capable of turning the lights on with only a little bit of notice, and are compensated to be ready to go over an extended period time? 

Some legs are obviously less malleable than others, especially when pre-arranged flights were in play, but I choose to believe that the production staff favors certain teams to the extent that there may be occasional shenanigans at play.  If it makes any difference, it seemed a lot more heavy handed in seasons past when there were multiple NELs per race, and they always seemed to save a team I wanted gone.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ghost of LL

Ghost of LL 15531

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, idigTexas said:

Why not?  Teams have arrived at challenges several hours, sometimes even more than a day apart, even without any production interference.  Do you think those bands, dance troupes, camel wranglers, cheese makers, cat jugglers all just keep at it during that time?  Is it not possible that they are capable of turning the lights on with only a little bit of notice, and are compensated to be ready to go over an extended period time? 

Some legs are obviously less malleable than others, especially when pre-arranged flights were in play, but I choose to believe that the production staff favors certain teams to the extent that there may be occasional shenanigans at play.  If it makes any difference, it seemed a lot more heavy handed in seasons past when there were multiple NELs per race, and they always seemed to save a team I wanted gone.  

You wanted that team gone because the editing was done to make you want that team gone.  That team was the "heel."  But they played the heel only because that's how the producers edited the footage after the race was concluded.  And it made sense to make that team the heel knowing that they kept tenaciously sticking around through non-elimination legs, which ended up infuriating you (and probably me) and made for good television.

Look at the last leg, though.  Do you think they're going to have that dance troupe come in a day early on the spur of the moment?  Do you think they'd be able to have that ballroom available a day early with no notice?  Fuck no--this shit is planned out months in advance.  And maybe you plan for that ballroom to be booked for eight hours, but that doesn't mean you can change the booking the day beforehand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
idigTexas

idigTexas 2284

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, Ghost of LL said:

You wanted that team gone because the editing was done to make you want that team gone.  That team was the "heel."  But they played the heel only because that's how the producers edited the footage after the race was concluded.  And it made sense to make that team the heel knowing that they kept tenaciously sticking around through non-elimination legs, which ended up infuriating you (and probably me) and made for good television.

Look at the last leg, though.  Do you think they're going to have that dance troupe come in a day early on the spur of the moment?  Do you think they'd be able to have that ballroom available a day early with no notice?  Fuck no--this shit is planned out months in advance.  And maybe you plan for that ballroom to be booked for eight hours, but that doesn't mean you can change the booking the day beforehand.

Venues can be reserved for multiple days well in advance just as easily as they can be for one.  If they are paid enough, I suspect that the ballroom owners would be willing to be on call for months.  As you said, these things are planned well in advance.  You don't think they are going to build in some wiggle room in case flights get canceled, extreme weather, or some other unforeseen occurrence that impacts scheduling?  

I get it.  You want the race to be pure with no production manipulation.  I do too.  I just don't believe that it is, at least not entirely.  I have always believed that there are times where decisions are made mid-leg to produce or at least favor a certain outcome.  I could be wrong. 

I understand that editing can make any team more (dis)likeable.  I also understand that some teams come by those traits naturally or exhibit behaviors that make for good tv.  If I'm in charge, I'm going to want to see those teams stick around as long as possible.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


Football ... Basketball ... Baseball ... Other Sports ... Futbol ... 🤫995🤫 ... Gambling ... Movies & TV ... Music ... Hobbies ... Lulz ... Food & Travel ... Daily Texan ... Business and Markets ... Cloak Room ... Help ... For Sale ... Board Discussion ... Subscribe!... Donate!... Advertise... COOKIE MONSTER!

×
×
  • Create New...