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Original Message
"Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Estee on 09-26-11 at 10:10 AM
LAST EDITED ON 09-26-11 AT 10:33 AM (EST)

For notes on leg construction, task design, course layout, camera work, and the other elements which go into the actual assembly of the Race. (This is not for commenting on Racer actions unless said actions were directly caused, influenced, or sabotaged by Production.) It's sort of a behind-the-scenes GUFU with occasional positive notes, and it's one thread per season. Sort of like how it's one elimination per standard mat.

Um...

...this isn't going to be a very positive opener, is it?

Slap Double-elimination on the next leg shatters the stone around the last original commandment of the Race: On all legs but the final one, thou art fine unless thou comest in last. Now you're dead if you're next-to-last? Where was this rule when Dandrew was sliming about? Sure, it may be good for five seconds of drama, but Racers need something they can count on, and violating your own structure this badly takes out all ability to rebuild trust. Tell you what: how about on the leg after the next, you eliminate the team that comes in first? Third? No, how about everyone who reaches the mat spins a wheel and if it lands on Bankrupt...

Slap 'And here we are reporting from Los Angeles, the only city Racers ever seem to leave from.'

Slap The opening task basically broke down to 'Grab umbrella. Check with Phil. If wrong, grab different umbrella and repeat.' How about making the teams actually unscramble the destination once they had the proper rain shield? By sending them on their way as soon as they had the right one and outright giving them the destination in the car video, this turned into a pure luck-based randomizer. (Admittedly, given some of the teams, they'd still be there... but that's Casting's problem.)

No hand movement For now, I choose to believe that a Twitter network of TAR fans got that passport to the airport. But don't push your luck.

Slap Did anyone mention leg funds? Ever?

Slap I'm all for nightmare clues that require actual brainpower to figure out, but it helps if they're in a language the Racers can read. While only one team managed to turn 'Look up' into a waking nightmare, virtually everyone had issues with sorting out a myriad of red-and-yellow signs to spot the one they needed -- which they couldn't make any sense of without local assistance, and therefore, no brainpower required. (Imagine the chaos if there had been a right-color billboard advertising an amusement park.) This at least partially left the teams at the dubious mercy of luck -- again.

Oh, and convince me the guy in red-and-yellow boxers wasn't a plant.

No hand movement The Roadblock should not have been that difficult to complete -- but again, that's Casting's problem more than it is Production's. But I suppose it would have been too much to ask for the monk to say "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... NO!"?

Shrug Did anyone else feel like the rowing challenge was half a Detour where no one took the other option? (Tell me they all completed the course on one try. I could use the laugh.)

Slap A Hazard is a Speed Bump is a 'We're Still Trying To Work This Out.'

If we had a casting slap thread, it would be up to twenty posts by now.

Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by samboohoo on 09-26-11 at 10:58 AM
Agree almost completely. I don't buy the Twitter crap - at least not in the way it was presented.

I thought I had missed something with that first challenge.


Samboobree, brought to life by Arkie


"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 09-26-11 at 02:11 PM
LAST EDITED ON 09-26-11 AT 02:12 PM (EST)

>LAST EDITED ON 09-26-11
>AT 10:33 AM (EST)


>Slap Double-elimination on the next leg shatters the
> stone around the last original commandment of the Race:
> On all legs but the final one, thou art fine unless
> thou comest in last.

Clap for me:

1) I always hated the fact the person who loses the first leg gets to do so little and does not get to travel much.

2) Mixing up the rules keeps people on their feet. The race becomes boring when everyone knows what to do based on past races.

>Slap 'And here we are reporting from Los Angeles, the
>only city Racers ever seem to leave from.'

True: But how many choices do they really have? And with the company based in LA it is a no brainer. In your defence starting the race out of BC Canada, or Washington state could be fun too.

>Slap The opening task basically broke down to
> 'Grab umbrella. Check with Phil.

Yes, that was pity-full! An easier clue with just the country's name scrambled and they having to whisper the answer to Phil would had been better. The car video gave the city name anyway.

>No hand movement For now,
>I choose to believe that a Twitter network of TAR
>fans got that passport to the airport. But don't
>push your luck.

Possible, I am hoping that is it too.

>Slap Did anyone mention leg funds? Ever?

No, but was it really needed at the start?

>Slap I'm all for nightmare
>clues that require actual brainpower to figure out, but it
>helps if they're in a language the Racers can read.

Clap for me:

The clue to find the clue WAS IN ENGLISH.
'Look up' means look up, it does not mean 'leave the square', it does not mean 'look at people's underwear'. And the fact that only one team wasted 4 hours means it was solvable by anyone who looked up and asked people to translate the signs visible.

>Oh, and convince me the guy
>in red-and-yellow boxers wasn't a plant.

Okay, he looked human to me

>No hand movement

Same:
>But I suppose it would
>have been too much to
>ask for the monk to
>say "Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha... NO!"?

Confucius says:
Monk who waits and laughs lasts, laughs best.

>Shrug Did anyone else feel like the rowing challenge was
>half a Detour where no one took the other option?
> (Tell me they all completed the course on one
>try. I could use the laugh.)

You asked, so they all finished in one try!

>Slap A Hazard is a
>Speed Bump is a 'We're
>Still Trying To Work This
>Out.'

But I liked it!

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Joools on 09-26-11 at 04:01 PM
True: But how many choices do they really have? And with the company based in LA it is a no brainer. In your defence starting the race out of BC Canada, or Washington state could be fun too.

They spend weeks sending production crews around the world, I think it's in the realm of plausibility that they could start the race somewhere besides L.A. once in a while. Any city with an airport serving international destinations would do. Miami, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul...pick one.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by MsShel330 on 09-27-11 at 09:05 PM
>True: But how many choices do
>they really have? And with
>the company based in LA
>it is a no brainer.
>In your defence starting the
>race out of BC Canada,
>or Washington state could be
>fun too.
>
>They spend weeks sending production crews
>around the world, I think
>it's in the realm of
>plausibility that they could start
>the race somewhere besides L.A.
>once in a while.
>Any city with an airport
>serving international destinations would do.
> Miami, Denver, Seattle, Minneapolis/St.
>Paul...pick one.


I'd love to see them start from different cities in the US.
Also, I liked the non-elim leg in the 1st. It lets us get to know the racers better and ITA it keeps them off balance as to when the non-elims will come. I'll be interested to see how they do the double elimination next week.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by cahaya on 09-27-11 at 03:43 PM
I always hated the fact the person who loses the first leg gets to do so little and does not get to travel much.

Yeah to this. At least this way, the last place team gets to go for two weeks instead of one. And, as before, the next to last one goes home in two weeks too.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Molaholic on 09-26-11 at 06:14 PM
Slap - That opening "task". As I recall, the Voice Over Guy did say something about using the letters to figure out the initial destination. I didn't see anyone actually do that...

slap - Well, I've already posted my thoughts on the magic passport (or maybe it was the All Powerful Passport Gnome at work...)

clap - I thought it was a clever segue to go from a Buddhist Temple in L.A. to the Confucian Temple in Taipei.

slap - and the difference between a "Hazard" and a "Speed Bump" is what exactly? (besides giving the guys making the props a little work over the summer)

slap - What's this about "the first time in TAR history to have a double elimination round". What about the times when the team finishing the pre-challenge were eliminated? And I also recall a mid-leg Philimination station at least once.

clap - No real clap -- I just didn't want to end with another slap.

"Claps & slaps &..."
Posted by cahaya on 09-27-11 at 03:35 AM
... recaps!

Complete with team introductions for people like me who often get them confused.

That passport thing seemed rather, ummm, fortuitous.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Max Headroom on 09-27-11 at 11:30 AM
No hand movement Double elimination next episode. There's past history of a team being eliminated mid-leg, and that's more tolerable than having the last two teams show up at the mat get Philiminated.

Slap Giving the last team to find the right umbrella an extra "Hazard" task? Isn't finishing last enough of a penalty?

Clap I'm in the minority on this one, but I liked the Twitterific way the lost passport made it back to its owner. Though the Vegas showgirls are extreme long shots to win, it would've svcked for them to get Philiminated at the starting line over a dropped passport, just like it svcked for Zev and Justin.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by kingfish on 09-27-11 at 02:09 PM
So, they (the two girls) are leaving the gas station, and the camera looks down at the passport lying in the ground, then up at the girl's SUV as it was leaving, the camera obviously being apart from their SUV at that point.

Did the cameraman assigned to the girls just bail on them in order to get that shot? Or did their cameraman ask them to leave while he filmed them as they were leaving, then return for him? If either was so, did that not raise their suspicion into the red zone that something odd was happening?

Or do they assign a chaser camera in a separate vehicle to each team?

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Max Headroom on 09-27-11 at 02:21 PM
The camera operator probably took the passport-on-the-ground shot while the girls were inside the gas station asking for directions.
"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by cahaya on 09-27-11 at 03:26 PM
Very likely, yeah. The gals were so inattentive, though, that he could have shot that after they both hopped in the Explorer, with the shot made just before driving off.

We don't have any shots of the guy actually finding the passport, which would happen if the camera operator was still around. But just the mere presence of two teams with camera operators in tow arriving separately on those premises was enough to alert any bystander what was going on.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by kingfish on 09-27-11 at 07:58 PM
There was one final shot of the girls driving off and leaving the station, then a pan to and a close up of the passport in the middle of the empty pavement of the gas station.

Either they left their personal cameraman there, or they left and then had to come back for him, or there was a second cameraman in a chase vehicle.

It's possible that a second team arrived after the girls got there and that their cameraman just got the shot serendipitously, and given there were earlier shots of the passport on the ground by the SUV before they left, indicating that the camera crew were onto the unfolding drama, although unlikely this is just barely possible.

IMO, however it happened, you got to give it to production for being right on top of that.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by cahaya on 09-27-11 at 08:18 PM
Yeah, you're right now that you mention it... there's a shot of the SUV driving off with empty pavement and the passport sitting there for anyone to clearly see.

Now all the camera operator has to do is just stand there aiming the camera at the passport until somebody fortuitously walks by and ask themselves, "why is that guy aiming his camera at that thing on the ground"?

Yup, rather observant of them. Of course, with 18 prior seasons of practice, they know what to look out for, as they've probably seen just about everything.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Draco Malfoy on 10-05-11 at 07:50 PM
I *think* what they do there to preserve the "reality" of shots like that is that the teams get in the car and their camera crew films them driving away a bit, then gets in once the cameras are off. I seem to remember reading that somewhere, but damn if I can remember where.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by cahaya on 09-27-11 at 03:41 PM
Slap: Early Hazard? It's bad enough to finish last to the mat and get lucky enough to continue but penalized for it. But placing last in the very first challenge that was pretty much the luck of the draw the way everyone was lining up to show umbrellas with repeated, "That's not correct."?

Clap: Starting at a Buddhist retreat in California and going to one in Taiwan.

Slap: Billboard clue in Chinese script. Yikes, methinks everyone was looking for something a bit more obvious in English, even in plain sight of the billboard.

Clap: Dragon boat race! I've been to a few and the atmosphere is fantastic to experience.

Slap: I've been to Taipei several times, and I never saw a four-star general strolling in the park to greet visitors. I can easily think of several other cultural greeters (like a dance troupe or artist or pop idol) than a military general.

Clap: Five minutes of fame for someone actually helping out a team and returning a lost passport. And in L.A. of all places, where a black market stolen U.S. passport can fetch a grand.

Slap: Bungee jumping is a hazard?

Clap: Season 19.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Colonel Zoidberg on 09-27-11 at 11:04 PM
Slap The opening task was stupid and pointless. More stupid and pointless than the previous season with all the stupid paper airplanes. At least they had some clue what the hell they were looking for then. This season? Pick the right umbrella. Lame, lame, lame.

Hair yank So...there are other cities you can open the Race in besides Los Angeles. And you are aware of this fact, correct? I mean, for Pete's sake, Green Bay, Wisconsin has the Super Bowl champs and can't get TAR anywhere near there. Is this why L.A. can't get an NFL team, people? Is TAR too powerful an influence? Sheesh. And yes, I know they recently opened in Massachusetts and once in San Diego. But since All-Stars...that's still six out of eight openings in L.A. That's a little ridiculous.

Head scratcher Given that LA is a big city, plenty of people are good Samaritans, and plenty more are good DAWs, it is possible that someone went out of his way to give someone a passport back. It is possible. Not for sure. But it could have happened. It's plausible enough that I could conceivably put it into a fanfic. It's no less plausible than a chubby law student with a bad knee beating a rough-and-tumble jock in a footrace. So I'll give it a pass.

Noogie Clever idea to have a clue like that one at the market district, or whatever the hell Taipei calls their version of Times Square, blend in. Only problem? It worked a little too well.

Ear flick Is the Hazard really that much different from the Speed Bump? Couldn't they make them trek through about a hundred yards of cow poop to their next clue instead?

Nudge The Express Pass has run its course. Besides, both teams that won it on past seasons finished in the glorious position of third, where this incarnation of the Fighting Banana Slugs, a.k.a. Ernie and Cindy, are probably destined.

Clap So it took 15 seasons to cast an interracial couple. And it took only four to cast another. And for this issue to fade quietly in the background. (Just watch - starting next episode, they won't shut up about it. I'm always a jinx.)

Right hook So NEL is now followed by double elimination, which totally defeats the purpose of the NEL in the first place - and puts in an extra NEL, which everyone hates. That or, Bruck forbid, someone comes back later (DISCLAIMER: I assume no responsibility if Bruck actually puts in a zombie team in this or any future season. So nyah.) Since this isn't exactly something they try on a regular basis, did anyone in production ever consider why they don't do it? It's sort of like staging a Running of the Mountain Lions or putting a hockey team in Miami - there's a reason no one ever tried it before. Because it's a damn stupid idea.

Left hook Also, in TAR10, they also tried the double-elimination, so it's not exactly a first-time experience for TAR. It fizzled then, and it'll fizzle worse now.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Max Headroom on 09-28-11 at 09:24 AM
Maybe they can throw a U-Turn into the double elimination concept. The U-Turn is always fatal anyway...
"Indonesia. "
Posted by Estee on 10-03-11 at 04:48 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-03-11 AT 04:49 PM (EST)

Clap The charity hit was a good idea, both in depriving the Racers of funds and calling attention to the need for more donations. (I'm also assuming the orphanage got a fee for serving as a clue site.) Always nice to see the show kicking in where it can do some good -- but you really should have flashed a number/website/address on the screen.

No hand movement The sign was prominent. The sign was in plain sight. The sign was in English. Therefore, anything that happens is Casting's problem. Casting's major problem.

Slap Wasting a perfectly good cave. I understand you want the Player Lost In The Dark shots, but not giving us any night vision shots or 'before they arrived' vistas meant we couldn't really appreciate the beauty of a special location. When they're not around, hit the lights.

Slap The rung spacing on the exit ladder. You have varying heights among your teams. Give the shorter players their own section.

Slap Mandatory for the first giant bunch point. Seriously, shouldn't having one team finishing nearly six and a half hours behind the leaders have some consequence?

Slap Well, so much for the drama of a double elimination. (By the way, technically, every elimination before this was a double.)

Clap While the Detour was ultimately repetitive -- no matter which branch you turned to, you were ultimately looking like a fool while begging people for money -- it was also balanced and came across as being fair to all teams.

No hand movement I normally wouldn't approve of telling Racers exactly what they forgot to do: sending them back to figure it out on their own is more interesting. On the other hand, I do realize a three-day leg would have thrown the schedule off.

"RE: Indonesia. "
Posted by moonbaby on 10-03-11 at 07:21 PM
Slap: for making me sad that a couple of the teams I'd hoped would go far ended up eliminated.

Slap: showing so much of the sibling fighting. We got the point after about ten seconds.

Clap: I loved the tiny details aspect of that sign. And that the first team to notice was the snowboarder dudes.

Very much agree about the wasted moment for the orphanage charity and about the cave. That was too bad.

"RE: Indonesia. "
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-04-11 at 09:20 AM
>LAST EDITED ON 10-03-11
>AT 04:49 PM (EST)
>

>Slap Wasting a perfectly good
>cave. ..... When they're
>not around, hit the lights.

Must agree 200%, that cave looked like it was a special sight.

>Slap The rung spacing on
>the exit ladder. You
>have varying heights among your
>teams. Give the shorter
>players their own section.

But DON'T TELL THEM.

>Slap Mandatory for the first
>giant bunch point. Seriously,
>shouldn't having one team finishing
>nearly six and a half
>hours behind the leaders have
>some consequence?
>
>Slap Well, so much for
>the drama of a double
>elimination.

Am I the only person who loved it?
>
>Clap -- no matter
>which branch you turned to,
>you were ultimately looking like
>a fool while begging people
>for money -- it was
>also balanced and came across
>as being fair to all
>teams.

Having all the money begged going to help other people is a big plus. Include two millionaires begging is the icing on the cake.

>No hand movement I normally
>wouldn't approve of telling Racers
>exactly what they forgot to
>do: sending them back
>to figure it out on
>their own is more interesting.
> On the other hand,
>I do realize a three-day
>leg would have thrown the
>schedule off.

But it would had been fun! I wonder which teams would have messed up more than once and had to wait for other teams to clue them in.

"RE: Indonesia. "
Posted by Molaholic on 10-04-11 at 10:03 AM
LAST EDITED ON 10-04-11 AT 10:05 AM (EST)

Clap Ditto the money-to-the-orphanage claps

No Hand Movement (other than a single digit) Whatever happened to the Local Greeter?

"RE: Indonesia. "
Posted by featherfish81 on 10-04-11 at 11:46 AM
This one might be debatable, but

Slap for putting the obscure billboard clue in a country where everything is the race colors. After seeing the shots of how lots of awnings and signs were yellow and red, it doesn't surprise me that most of the teams just assumed that the billboard wasn't part of the race too.

"RE: Indonesia. "
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-05-11 at 03:28 PM
While true, that does not explain why so many left the square while looking for the clue.
"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Estee on 10-10-11 at 08:44 AM
Slap Repeat after me:

"If any team gives any other a solution, hint, or false lead during a puzzle challenge, the giving team shall receive a fifteen-minute time penalty for each receiving team, cumulative."

That ought to shut them up in a hurry.

Mini-Slap If not for the equipment malfunction, everyone would have ended the bicycle tour in the same position they began. Regulating speed like that doesn't make for the most exciting race.

Clap Nicely deceptive Detour. 'Sure, we can do three hundred little things or we can do three medium-sized ones. Let's go for the three!' And they forget that the middle portion will be actively trying to run away from them every chance it gets. The seedlings gave teams time and the sheep took it away...

No hand movement Racers unable to read clues has been the hallmark of the season-to-date, but I can't fault the wording on the temple one unless I get to read it word for word.

Clap Some good locations on this leg, and the temple was a treat. (International visitors entrance?)

Slap Too much reliance on taxis in this country. I know you don't want newbies dealing with suicide traffic, but the early stages have presented very few chances for teams to get themselves car-lost. Trade the occasional near-miss for a safer area with twisting roads.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Max Headroom on 10-10-11 at 09:11 AM
Slap For Race rules allowing four teams to collaborate on the temple counting task. I find that much more offensive than one team trying to help another team, which at least can be considered strategic.

Combined: Clap No bunch point this leg. Slap Linear tasks with few chances for teams to move up/down in the standings.

Clap The temple was a great backdrop for Race activities.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by kidflash212 on 10-10-11 at 09:28 AM
I don't know - at least if teams collaborate, they are participating in the task, where just giving the answer to another team lets that teams completely skip the task. I don't even get the strategy in this case - I could understand trying to keep Bill & Cathi in the Race as they would be easy to beat but keeping Marcus?
"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by kidflash212 on 10-10-11 at 09:34 AM
Clap Tasks have included a mental element that has been missing in recent Races.

Clap Borobudur Temple. Looks incredible.

Slap Three legs in the same country?

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Molaholic on 10-10-11 at 10:29 AM
LAST EDITED ON 10-10-11 AT 09:39 PM (EST)

Clap Borobudur Temple. Add the fact that teams were required to adhere to specific decorum rules (no running, wearing the sarong, etc.) With several of the teams even going to the extreme of sitting in the lotus position to give the answer this actually gets a High Five as well.

Slap Yes, the bicycle task was a waste of time (unless you're in to irritating bell ringing).

Clap Jims Casino

eta: Clap Two weeks in a row for Andy/Tommy to benefit from folks not following the letter-of-the-clue. WAY TO GO, DUDES!

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by michel on 10-10-11 at 04:26 PM

>Clap Jims Casino


I certainly clap to that also as I think I'm still number 1!!

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by michel on 10-10-11 at 04:24 PM
>Slap Repeat after me:
>
>"If any team gives any other
>a solution, hint, or false
>lead during a puzzle challenge,
>the giving team shall receive
>a fifteen-minute time penalty for
>each receiving team, cumulative."
>
>That ought to shut them up
>in a hurry.

I completely disagree. Every reality TV show needs some strategy to be entertaining. So, I Clap that they are allowed to help another team.
What I Slap are courses designed in such a way that one team can simply follow the others.

>Mini-Slap If not for the
>equipment malfunction, everyone would have
>ended the bicycle tour in
>the same position they began.
> Regulating speed like that
>doesn't make for the most
>exciting race.

Big Slap: I think the pedal malfunction was pre-arranged so that Ernie and Cindy would have to use the Express Pass. When has a pedal fallen of your bike? Why didn't one of the accompaniers give Ernie his bike?


>Clap Nicely deceptive Detour.
>'Sure, we can do three
>hundred little things or we
>can do three medium-sized ones.
> Let's go for the
>three!' And they forget
>that the middle portion will
>be actively trying to run
>away from them every chance
>it gets. The seedlings
>gave teams time and the
>sheep took it away...

Clap AND Slap I found it really interesting that Rice field was easier. It will force them to think even more about their choice.

BUT, on the other hand, there was absolutely no way that Cathi's bag was full when she reached the end. She had taken so many falls that there was more grass in her hair than in her bag. I guess they want to protect the old folks because viewers like old folks.


>Clap Some good locations on
>this leg, and the temple
>was a treat.

That Temple was wonderful. One of the best combination of Location/Task ever.



Thanks Agman!

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by jbug on 10-10-11 at 04:54 PM
protect the old folks because viewers like old folks.

and some of the viewers are old folks...


Crusin w/ Tribe

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by michel on 10-10-11 at 05:40 PM
I'd love to be on the race but I wouldn't expect preferential treatment. We even saw that her bag half full.
"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by garibaldi on 10-12-11 at 01:38 AM
LAST EDITED ON 10-12-11 AT 01:39 AM (EST)

SLAP - for allowing the girls with the biggest....eyes.. to be eliminated one leg before the swimming/bikini challenges.

CLAP - Was it just me or did Phil almost tear up and his voice break a bit when he told her he didn't think her daughter would be disappointed by her performance. He's a great host, nothing phoney about him.

SUGGESTION: Why not add a timer on the screen for each team working on a tough challenge, like a stopwatch.

"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by jbug on 10-12-11 at 09:39 AM
Welcome gari!
I've been wanting that timer for years!
"RE: Production: claps & slaps"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-13-11 at 11:38 AM
>Slap Repeat after me:
>
>"If any team gives any other
>a solution, hint, or false
>lead during a puzzle challenge,
>the giving team shall receive
>a fifteen-minute time penalty for
>each receiving team, cumulative."
>
>That ought to shut them up
>in a hurry.

Note: in this case the order of the top two teams would had swapped but no other change would had taken place.

I prefer 5 minute penalty - but cumulative to all teams the info passes to.

If team A tells team B then team A has a 5 minute penalty.
But if team B tells team C then team A has 10 minutes and team B 5 minutes in penalty.

"The leg of ???"
Posted by Estee on 10-17-11 at 10:37 AM
I had a power blackout. You tell me.
"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by michel on 10-17-11 at 01:10 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-17-11 AT 01:11 PM (EST)

Andy and Tommy won the stage. Shocked?

Slaps Bunching point and NEL. But that is old news. The snowboarders and the sailors had the wrong flight to Phuk-it. Despite being the first to leave, they landed last. Without that bunching point it would have been fun to see them fight their way back up in the standings. The NEL meant the twins are staying one more week.

Clap: The detour gave teams a chance to play a part in restoring the coral reef but...

Slap...the task was so hard that only 2 teams completed it. All the others switched detour and put out chairs on the beach so that the Fat Cats of Phuk-It could install their derrières instead.

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by Molaholic on 10-17-11 at 06:23 PM
Andy and Tommy won the stage. Shocked?


Uhhh -- How could she be "shocked" when she had no power???


**scurries back into the safety of my nearby mole-hole

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by michel on 10-17-11 at 06:36 PM
LoL!

Ever heard of static electricity?

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-19-11 at 03:57 PM
Was the task hard, or were the racers being lazy?

It looked like the frame needed some solid pounding together to make it firm, no just pushing tubes into tube - whack it with a rock/hammer pounding was needed at each and ever junction.

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by jbug on 10-17-11 at 01:26 PM
SLAP: production for no life vests in the speed boats. That surprised me.
Life vests for rowing a kayak out on the reef but not for riding on the bow of a fast speed boat?

CLAP: "I like the beard" comment on the PS mat.

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by michel on 10-17-11 at 03:08 PM
Yeah, I noticed the lack of life vest also. Weird that they wouldn't think of safety first.
"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-19-11 at 03:53 PM
Aside that Asia tends to have lower safety standards, on any modern design all the cushions of the seating are floats, meaning if the boat sank there would be tons of stuff to hang onto if needed.

Additional, if the boat is one of the fiberglass-over-foam designs being made for the last couple of decades, it can't sink at-all even if you cut it in half.

They were probably safe at all times, short of jumping out of the boat on purpose.

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by jbug on 10-19-11 at 07:56 PM
My thought was more of the danger if they had fallen out of the boat, not the boat wrecking or sinking.

They were going really fast; most were standing in the bow of the boat.

Then it appeared they wore vests when they got into the kayaks; yet they'd have to take the vest off to dive to the bottom, right?

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by moonbaby on 10-17-11 at 01:41 PM
Clap: having the teams look for the ocean outcroppings that matched the coin they were given. That was cool.

Clap: lovely scenery and the sweeping camera shots over the water. Made me want to go there BAD.

Clap/Slap: Cathi falling down repeatedly saying "I'm good." It was funny for a couple of times. Then they got carried away with it. As they did with the cut to the snickering natives at the beach set up spot. *shame rattle*

Slap: Phil's immunity necklace. Hoping he takes it to a "we buy gold!" place so I never have to see it again.

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by Molaholic on 10-17-11 at 06:33 PM
Slap and Clap together : Giving us repeated mispronunciations of Phuket, thereby allowing Laurence to drop an 'inadvertent' F-bomb that still passed muster with the standards and practices folks .

Clap : For the attempt to make the Earth just a little greener, coral-wise.

Slap : L&Z --- world class sailors getting bungled by a ship's compass (with accompanying foreshadowing comment).

and the biggest SLAP of all to Estee's power provider!

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by garibaldi on 10-17-11 at 11:58 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-18-11 AT 00:00 AM (EST)

CLAP - A really physically demanding leg

SLAP - How many teams actually looked for alternate flights/routes while they were at Yogjakarta airport? The amount of time spent at the airport really didn't justify the payoff of the first two teams arriving in Phuket last.

SLAP - Surely they could have found some fetching young Thai thing to greet teams at the mat? Where did they dig up that old fossil?


Re safety issues, guys how many of you have ever been to Southeast Asia or Asia in general? Life is cheap.

"RE: The leg of ???"
Posted by kidflash212 on 10-18-11 at 10:03 AM
Hey a newbie! Welcome garibaldi!



Capn2patch put me in motion!

"Thailand, redux"
Posted by Max Headroom on 10-24-11 at 08:30 AM
Slap For the blatant production intervention when Liz/Marie's bus left without them. Does anyone really believe the bus company voluntarily stopped the bus somewhere down the road to wait for foreign tourists with money problems?

Slap For the blatant production intervention with Liz/Marie's "free" taxi rides. The producers paid the fares just to get Liz/Marie to the mat for Philimination instead of having to send Phil to find them in some random spot in Bangkok.

Clap The speed bump took a little more time than usual, and making the penalized team shovel dung was a great idea.

Clap Loved the elephant ride. Whether or not it affected the race outcome, it was fun to watch.

Clap For the limited bunch point at the bus terminal. I expected there to be one overnight bus to Bangkok which didn't leave until after all teams arrived at the terminal.

Slap Why bring the teams to Bangkok, have them ride a couple of places by taxi, then send them to the pit stop? Guess they needed everyone near the airport for the next leg to ensure the proper bunch point.

"RE: Thailand, redux"
Posted by Estee on 10-24-11 at 01:09 PM
Slap Thirteen hours on a bus just to go feed some fish? Max is right: there are times when the teams have been moved in the night during rest periods so they could start off closer to their bunch point, and this should have been one of them.

Clap Double Roadblocks with forced participation are still new enough that Racers aren't used to them and don't prepare for the prospect. (But the first one was far too easy when compared to the second.)

Clap Good use of the spirit house and subsequent setting -- regardless of what a given team might think.

Slap This was one of those times when we really needed a clock on the screen. How did some teams get tied up enough to hit the bus station five hours after departure? Six? Twelve? How long were they on the elephant? What was the commute time to get those notes they should have taken originally? Just how bad was the traffic? We missed a lot of information, and the cumulative result just looked off.

Clap Vastly improved Speed Bump.

Slap And the last time a bus stopped some distance away from the original starting gate and waited for two ordinary passengers was...? Who was driving that thing, Uchenna?

"RE: Thailand, redux"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-24-11 at 05:43 PM
I am not so sure about your second slap. Are not twins in Asia considered very lucky, and that is why the cabbies took them?

I could be wrong and mixing up with another part of the world.

"RE: Thailand, redux"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-24-11 at 05:45 PM
Looks like I am wrong: http://ask-a-chinese-guy.blogspot.com/2011/05/twins.html
"RE: Thailand, redux"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 10-24-11 at 05:49 PM
But in West Africa they are: http://www.sfu.ca/archaeology/museum/ndi/mystudy.html
"RE: Thailand, redux"
Posted by PsychoKitty on 10-24-11 at 06:58 PM
LAST EDITED ON 10-24-11 AT 07:16 PM (EST)

Slap - contestant gufu ;)

My favorites Andy & Tommy taking the opportunity to say "we know there is only 1 God" Gag. . . I want to LVOE them! ;) Howzabout God is worshipped in many ways by people around the world and treat all rituals & methods with respect. (Which they did, I'm not saying they didn't. Well actually I didn't like it but they weren't awful about it . . . ) But I am tired of this being an issue in our divided society . . . I admit knee jerk reaction on my part! But our contestants need to be a little more worldly!!! I don't want "to go all Weaver on their A$$! ;)


Not that I have an opinion one way or another ;)
Signature by tribephyl

"Malawi"
Posted by Estee on 10-31-11 at 06:22 AM
Clap Well, we haven't been here before...

Slap What a fun cultural lesson, learning about the assembly of do-it-yourself toy trucks. What a moral compass for the Racers, realizing they have it better than they ever suspected. What a cheap move by the producers, never lingering on that address sign long enough for the casual viewer to write it down, providing contact information, or just outright donating a bunch of toys to the school.

This does not exclude the possibility that it happened off-camera and many of us believe task sites get paid. But this is the second time we've seen a group of kids in need of donations and no contact data has been given.

No hand movement So were the warehouse workers doing their own jobs and the interference was unintentional, or was this a group holiday where they just decided to mess with the fresh meat?

Slap This one's a double-hander: one for the producers, one for the storage facility, and it's the same cause: where were the air filter masks? Spend a day in the warehouse breathing in tobacco and it's all you'll be able to smell for th rest of the week. For the employees, make that the rest of their lives. Even if the unprocessed product doesn't act as an inhaled potential carcinogen, how much good are the constant fumes doing for your olfactory nerves?

Clap Gotta wonder just how many of the teams thought they'd have to carry the beds more than five feet off the truck...

Clap Technician on hand (called for on camera at one point) to help those doing the sewing Detour branch get the balky machines running again. Most people have never seen those models: asking teams to do their own repairs is too much.

No hand movement This borders on a Slap, but has to stay neutral: until we get more information about the wording of the clue, we don't know if anything was said about paying the final truck drivers who brought the teams to the Pit Stop. We can't rely on the incredible not-reading skills of the ex-teachers -- but they weren't the only ones to make the mistake. Was there anything in the text to indicate the last road run wasn't a freebie? We may never know.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Max Headroom on 10-31-11 at 07:59 AM
Slap Too.many.non.elimination.legs!

Slap Linear legs after a big bunch point place too much emphasis on being first out of the airport. Get a slow, nitpicky customs agent? Meet the Philiminator.

Clap Echoing Estee, I like new destinations, and Malawi was new.

Clap Loved the cheering, dancing warehouse workers.

Clap Carrying their own beds to the pit stop was a nice finishing touch.

Slap Lots of chances for racers to get hurt in this episode. Minimal protective equipment at the tobacco warehouse, racers riding in haphazard places on randomly-designed trucks, etc.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Molaholic on 10-31-11 at 10:03 AM
Clap Ditto on the lesson about life in the Third World.

Slap Laurence and his 1950s attitude about women-folk being born to sew.

Slap A tobacco warehouse?

Slap Come on, producers, give us a little Malawi history lesson -- after all, you did take us to the Memorial Tower.

Slap, Boot the the Head, & Kick in the Youknowwhats NEL!!!

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Estee on 10-31-11 at 10:24 AM
Slap Come on, producers, give us a little Malawi history lesson -- after all, you did take us to the Memorial Tower.

Ditto this. I spent that whole segment waiting for Phil to tell us what it was memorializing.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Colonel Zoidberg on 11-05-11 at 01:03 PM
A tobacco warehouse?

Considering that TAR actually bans Racers from using tobacco...but then mandates that they haul it? I guess making people drink absinthe as a punishment for finishing last wasn't enough (and considering one of the participants was a teetotaler...imagine if he had been a recovering alcoholic. Lawsuit, meet TAR.)

TAR needs to be a little more consistent with its policy on substances already.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Draco Malfoy on 10-31-11 at 11:19 AM
Slap YMMV on this one, but I found one thing really odd: Every other time a team has incurred a penalty or had to go back and complete a task, they were told immediately what to do before anyone else was checked in.

Last night when Bill and Cathi checked in the first time, they were told to stand aside while Jeremy and Sandy (I think) where checked in, then Bill and Cathi were told what they needed to do. It ended up not affecting things (since they didn't finish last and it was a NEL,) but Phil cost the older team a little time, which, if it came down to a footrace between them the NFL player and his wife, could've cost them the leg.

I realize that J & S were standing right there, but it just seemed a very odd departure from the usual to me, and if Bill and Cathi had been eliminated because of that, they would've had cause for complaint, IMO.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Estee on 10-31-11 at 01:11 PM
*nods* I can see that. The argument for not holding J&S up might be that it affects their departure time -- but if the producers are smart enough to figure that one out, they should also have enough brainpower to take one minute off that particular Pit Stop clock. You're right -- the way it went down is a little weird.
"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Draco Malfoy on 10-31-11 at 10:50 PM
Considering that last week we saw people standing to the side when there was a near-tie, I don't think it would've made that much difference to their start time for Phil to tell them what they needed to do *first*.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Estee on 11-01-11 at 06:18 AM
One thing I have noticed over the seasons (insert your own 'only one?' jokes here) is that when two teams hit the mat in a virtual tie, the next departure has them leaving a minute apart.

Which doesn't even remotely apply here, but I'm operating on very little sleep and felt like mentioning it.

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by PsychoKitty on 10-31-11 at 03:52 PM
I noticed that too - it was very odd. And I was praying they wouldn't be eliminated by it.... And then NO ONE WAS!!!! WTF ANOTHER NON ELIM?????!!!!!

Not that I have an opinion one way or another ;)
Signature by tribephyl

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by Draco Malfoy on 10-31-11 at 10:55 PM
The wife and I both were annoyed by it, and while I have no problem with Amani and Marcus, I was very relieved when they passed them on the way back.

And we usually get 3 non-elims a season, so it didn't bother me too much. When we get to number 4 though...

"RE: Malawi"
Posted by emydi on 11-01-11 at 10:44 AM
I think the 1st didn't count bc of double elimination the next week. I think the number of weeks left in season to finale means we'll have one more NEL
"Malawi II"
Posted by Estee on 11-07-11 at 09:49 AM
LAST EDITED ON 11-14-11 AT 04:09 PM (EST)

Clap Gosh, there's a lot to do here. The decision to give the country an extra showcase leg was the right one,

Clap Great choice of Pit Stop and mini-history lesson (although a little more explanation would have helped, as most Americans barely speak History).

!Slap! Let's talk about the Lugout branch of the Detour. Production has no way of knowing which teams are going to reach this point in the course. Challenges are chosen before the teams are cast. All challenges do not have to be exactly suited to every team, but each team should have a chance to complete every task.

Now. Go ahead and tell me the twins were going to carry eight people to shore on their shoulders.

Right. They'd still be in the lake, at least if the local authorities hadn't successfully dredged up the bodies. Combine that with the Double U-Turn factor and you potentially have another Eliminate One Team Free on your hands. Bad design, horrible challenge, and a chance for a perfect storm of boot-to-the-face. It was dodged this time. On the next go-round...

Slap Seriously: no one could be bothered to check the bikes?

No hand movement The new U-Turn notice board. Gluing the pictures on was inherently funnier (and would have been more suitable to the setting). I suppose it's a chance to show off the new budget, but it mostly came across as a waste of money.

Clap Okay, now we're getting closer to what a Speed Bump should be in terms of challenge. Keep going on this general path.

Slap Commercial break in the middle of a footrace for first, huh? Tell your editing import from TBL s/he's fired.

"RE: Malawi II"
Posted by jbug on 11-07-11 at 10:44 AM
SLAP: Andy & Tommy (I'm repeating what I posted in ECST).

When A & T were jumping off the canoe & running the beach, sorta playing w/ the kids, I was liking them - such a fun attitude.

Then? they smashed it for me.
I just knew they'd get 10 feet from the mat & hit the brakes, allowing Ernie & Cindy to pass them.
I realize it is a race. But leaving first on the next leg by a couple of seconds is not going to help them.
They'd won 3 prizes - default prizes. Why not show some good will and miss this one? Could have meant big down the line if they need help & E & C are around to give it. E& C could very easily have U-turned them this leg (& probably wish they had).
As it is, now they are the target. And I hope a u-turn is used on them.

"RE: Malawi II"
Posted by Molaholic on 11-07-11 at 10:58 AM
Clap More Malawi!

Slap Yea, buggie got it right. A&T should have let E&C pass them. (Plus, it would have given me a perfect bet in Jims Casino, with the Keeper bonus thrown in!!)

Shrugging shoulders As to that high tech (maybe even HD?) new UTurn board -- a quick glance when L&Z used it seemed to show a red X in one (or more) of the team pics. Where these Philimated teams? If they were teams that had already passed the UTurn then L&Z obviously didn't get the hint.

another Slap to A&T.

"Denmark"
Posted by Estee on 11-14-11 at 10:51 AM
Slap 'To the standards of the judge' is always a nightmare on anything involving movement, since we don't know what those standards happen to be -- much less how the Racer is currently violating them. Not having all the steps of the dances (which mostly came across as muted hopping) didn't help either. I'm still convinced Zac was released just because no one in the hall could stand listening to Laurence any longer. And then we got a second judged task with the butter. Those sitting way too close to an HD set might have been able to tell what was being checked for. Everyone else got to make a round of six pats a few dozen times. (I'm not including the rabbit agility test in this because the requirement -- don't hit the bar -- was easy to spot.) Just too much 'Well, if we like you' for one episode.

Clap Not only is putting Racers in costumes almost never a bad idea, but redoing the font on the dance updates almost bordered on classic. Plus you resisted the urge to have Len show up, so bonus points there.

Clap After far too many legs spent in taxis, the teams finally get back to driving themselves -- with the expected results.

Slap 'So you can catch any flight you can find, which may potentially let you get a look at our Hours Of Operation sign that much earlier.' No wonder Jeremy & Sandy were confused about their castle. Their wrong destination had an HOO sign: it had to be a task point!

Clap Rabbit agility test. We all want the bunnies.

Slap The editing didn't convey any idea of how long it took to set up the agility course, which looked as if it was the major part of the Detour branch. For a U-Turn leg, getting a sense of how much time is consumed for each option is important.

Clap About time we got here...

Slap What was the point of unfolding and refolding the castle sign? Trying to call attention to the movement or throwing a few extra potential seconds of delay in via luck?

Slap When you provide an ancient cargo ship that's been converted into a hotel, show the interior.

Clap Great scenery all around for the early part of the leg, with some fantastic location choices. (As for the second half -- is it just me or have we been spending a lot of time on farms lately?)

"RE: Denmark"
Posted by jbug on 11-14-11 at 11:01 AM
Lawrence: You really think you are the best at e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g?
and that you know e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g about e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g?

I am so glad you were driving and not Zac; the poor boy would never have heard the end of it.

"RE: Denmark"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-14-11 at 11:45 AM
Clap: I loved this whole episode. The costumes, the dancing the bunnies, the ship pit stop...it all made me want to go to there.
"RE: Denmark"
Posted by LeftPinky on 11-14-11 at 03:33 PM
Loved the leg but,
SLAP - for not having them eat herring (or any other typical food)...

"RE: Denmark"
Posted by Molaholic on 11-14-11 at 04:22 PM
Clap Bunnies. Too bad they didn't have the impact or presence indicated in the commercials.

Clap Men in Tights.

Slap Yea, that folding/unfolding sign routine was rather lame.

Clap Overall, the best episode of the season.

"RE: Denmark"
Posted by olathejoe on 11-14-11 at 05:07 PM
CLAP for the different ending. How many times have we seen the sudo race for the finish by the teams in last and second to last, only to see the second to last team finish second to last and the last place team finish last. This week the team that looked lost enough to cost them the race actually was lost enough to cost them the race. Judging from the sun angles, Zac and KIA (know it all)finished quite a while after the dork and the girl that always wears her "shirts" so tight fitting they can't show her from the neck down.
"RE: Denmark"
Posted by garibaldi on 11-14-11 at 09:24 PM
CLAP: First time to Copenhagen, which appears to be a very pretty city.

CLAP: Great shots of Sandy churning that butter

SLAP: Needed more shots of Sandy churning that butter

CLAP: Very cute rabbits, in whole quite a light-hearted episode despite some meltdowns along the way.

CLAP AND SLAP? Sending a team way up north during the summer gives them a lot of extra daylight to work with. Why waste it when the site is closed until the next morning? These late night bunch points are getting predictable and tiresome, though I know they are a boon from an operational standpoint for the crews.

SLAP: Why pick a salty old captain for the local greeter?

"RE: Denmark"
Posted by featherfish81 on 11-15-11 at 01:18 AM
>
>Slap 'So you can catch any flight you can find, which may potentially let you get a look at our Hours Of Operation sign that much earlier.'

I completely agree. Teams managed to find 3 different ways to get to Copenhagen earlier than the scheduled flight, and it only saved them an hour?

"SLAP"
Posted by jbug on 11-15-11 at 10:50 AM
Production & whoever is responsible for recruiting racers for TAR. Zac & Laurence were asked twice to be on TAR before they accepted! twice!
There must be thousands and thousands of teams who send in applications. Ordinary people who would never have a chance to travel like this on their own. People whose lives would change tremendously from the experience and from the prizes and prize money.

Yet, production goes out & begs people who are already experienced travelers, who obviously already have money (they have enough to have traveled extensively, so...), yada yada yada.

Just ticks me off a bit that so many people who have their hopes up when they send in an application get rejected while production begs teams who have never even heard of the show & don't have any clue as to what it is to do it.
SLAP SLAP SLAP

~~rant over~~ just for now...

"RE: SLAP"
Posted by Draco Malfoy on 11-18-11 at 10:12 PM
This. As one half of a team that has sent in MANY applications and gone to casting calls, it bugs me to no end seeing so many recruited teams get cast instead. I can deal with one team, to drive ratings, but I'm tired of all these marginally famous types.

"Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by Estee on 11-21-11 at 09:12 AM
!SLAP! Superleg? Right then and there? Really, it's almost as if you enjoy being hit. Or maybe you were so worried about losing your precious snowboarders that you decided to pull a last-second TBC out of your collective rear. Possibly you're just that determined to annoy people. If it's a Superleg, make it a two-hour episode. That's the only way to cure this.

Actually, there's another. But it's sort of -- permanent. (Hey, ever join a suicide pool?)

!SLAP!

take a deep breath
prepare for the worst
a bunch point the size of the un-i-verse!

Variable-time tasks! Driving yourself with not only a chance to get lost, but to do it across a border! Lots of navigation! Lots of memorization! Mandatory drama that one poor petulant little snowbird couldn't possibly deliver until it had chapter and verse attached! Hours between teams! And at the end of it all -- one train.

Y'know, most people just spend money on blush.

Clap The above two are especially annoying because up until that point, we were having a good leg. Strong tasks, fun locations, tapping into the local culture, self-navigation and for chrissake, you went to Legoland. (And arguably could have stayed for the day.) Until bunch pointlessness reared up and poisoned the entire first half, the season was arguably in the middle of the best stretch so far.

No hand movement If a Racer cannot figure out what attempting to provide a dramatic performance means, it is not your problem. (If a new reality competition appears with that kind of audition failure, I'm coming back for you.)

Slap So if a Lego piece falls onto the ride area, no one can try to recover it while everything's at a standstill? Given it's not the smallest area and the park is active, but the piece which did go out seemed to stand out nicely against the blue surface. Restarting from scratch is a little too painful there.

No hand movement The weightlifter judges were clearly looking for a minimum standard of attempt that had nothing to do with the muscle mass of the team performing it. All they were asking for was a sincere try. Since the subjectivity is removed, let the task proceed.

Slap Okay, seriously: is CBS now so terrified of the Moral Guardians to make blurring the side into a mandatory PTC Terror Alert activity?

Slap Not everyone is comfortable wearing so little clothing. At the very least, shorts and halter tops should have been provided for those not willing to go the full route: there still would have been more than enough to judge by. You were lucky to get the teams you did for that task -- for some people, doing that is a Scarred For Life situation. And I'm not even talking about the viewership.

"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by olathejoe on 11-21-11 at 11:34 AM
There was blurring? I missed it. What got blurred?

clap: I always clap for the superlegs. I like it when they change things up.

slap: not nearly enough screen time for the large breasted one in the bikini. She's been trying to show them off all season, finally gets a chance and they show her in the bikini for a about 5 seconds. At least 3 of those seconds she was running though.

"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by Colonel Zoidberg on 11-22-11 at 01:03 AM
LAST EDITED ON 11-22-11 AT 01:03 AM (EST)

There was blurring? I missed it. What got blurred?

Amani's sideb00b got blurred. Twice.

Round of applause Denmark is clearly one of the most entertaining countries ever. Why didn't they think of this place before?

Right hook What the hell, people? A leg that seemed designed not to have a bunch point suddenly has one? It would have been faster simply to tell them to take a pedicab to Brussels. Sheesh.

Noogie There's no way in hell there wasn't some sort of producer intervention regarding the missing tickets, although I suppose Bruck owed Ernie and Cindy one after taking their four-hour lead and chopping it up like poop.

Dumb look If you go on TAR, you waive your right not to wear ridiculous costumes. Bodybuilder gear is included in this.

Left hook Way to waste an entire country by making it a pass-through, the equivalent of a plane-change city.

Check your math, Cindy If your parents immigrated to the U.S. from China, you are a second-generation immigrant, not a first-generation immigrant, at least if my understanding of immigration is correct. This, of course, is said to a child of immigrants by...well, me. So, if I'm wrong, pie me in the face.

"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by kidflash212 on 11-21-11 at 12:32 PM
Slap - There's a place for subjective judging but there as been too much lately, the dancing, the dramatic reading, the bodybuilding poses, even to a lesser extent the butter molding. While we didn't see the whole routines, it seemed to me Amani & Marcus benefited greatly from subjective judging as their first routine did not seem much different from any other teams.

Slap - the blurring was ridiculous.

CLAP - For Bill & Cathi's bodybuilding instructor. He may not have taught them well but he sure looked good doing it.



Capn2patch put me in motion!

"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by Max Headroom on 11-21-11 at 02:44 PM
Slap! Massive.bunch.point. And after a very entertaining leg to boot.

Clap The theater map on the bike wheel was an interesting touch.

Clap The theater wasn't far from the statue, so a return trip was a significant but not unreasonable penalty for failing the dramatic rendition of the poem.

Clap Having Racers drive themselves throughout much of the leg instead of playing another game of Taxicab Lotto.

"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by BrassFan on 11-21-11 at 10:15 PM
LAST EDITED ON 11-21-11 AT 10:15 PM (EST)

Slap! for a "Next Week" promo that showed every team except for one, indicating who gets eliminated (or the possibility of a non-elimination leg).

"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by samboohoo on 11-22-11 at 02:27 PM
I wasn't clear on whether or not they "had" to go back to the statue. Cathi did because she missed a word. The other two didn't miss any words, they just didn't provide drama.


Samboobree, brought to life by Arkie


"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 11-22-11 at 05:02 PM
I wondered about that too. It seem rather to me that if there were any other team there that they would go next then you could try again.
"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by jbug on 11-22-11 at 05:27 PM
CLAP: Phil showing off his bodybuilder moves!
Was I the only one to catch that?


"RE: Tri-Country Spectacular. "
Posted by garibaldi on 11-28-11 at 01:01 AM
LAST EDITED ON 11-28-11 AT 05:14 AM (EST)

CLAP - Probably one of the most entertaining legs ever from a viewers' standpoint, apart from the appalling bunch point for the train trip.
SLAP - Would have loved to see more of Lego Land.
SECOND SLAP - Surely there must have been some points of interest in Hamburg which are detour-worthy, rather than it just being used as a transit point?
CLAP - Loved the out-of-the-box body-building challenge. The old folks are in pretty good shape. And thank you, thank you, thank you producers for finally giving Sandy (?) a chance to, er, show off a bit.
CLAP - Great head fake by Phil introducing the body-building challenge in a shirt, then going topless when they cut back to him for the rest of the intro. Glad to see he's still having fun with this.
SLAP - The snowboarders. "Grandma Cathi" told you to be dramatic at the theatre! Serves you right being sent back to the statue for such a lacklustre performance.
SLAP - Cindi for losing the train tickets. Will Phil penalize them at the mat for riding the rails for free?

"Belgium."
Posted by Estee on 11-28-11 at 11:19 AM
Slap When I want to watch a fifteen-minute Mustang commercial, I'll let you know. Sure, let's spend a quarter of the episode writing a love letter to the all-American car which just happens to have its testing facility in Europe. Funny how no one ever brought that part up... It's also the second time you've been to a test track, so no points for originality. Although the first one spent a lot less time trying to sell stuff.

No hand movement Totally predictable first-place prize.

Slap Very finicky, potentially dangerous Roadblock. The speed trial tasks never seem to pass without a few dozen collective run-throughs, and driving any car you're not seriously familiar with at that kind of speed followed by a brake-down isn't begging for trouble, but it's extending a palm in that general direction. Too many chances for things to go wrong, and very few of them would have been minor.

Slap Given the amount of space at the test track, different Racers could have simul-participated at a safe distance from each other.

Clap Great choice of Pit Stop. (Is it possible to go inside, or is the whole thing solid?) The micro-clue was also a nice touch.

No hand movement The Detour came across as severely unbalanced towards the raft branch, but there's no way to tell how much of that was bad design and how much was from teams messing up the waffles over and over and over and over...

Slap The pigeon tracking amounted to a search task. would it have been so much trouble to attach a tracking chip to one pigeon leg and let the team try to home in on human skills? Or would that have been requiring an actual flight of homing pigeons in the first place? (Go ahead, tell me the destination bird wasn't planted.) The entire task also felt tacked-on: just one more thing to do so the Atomium could be shot after sunset.

"RE: Belgium."
Posted by kidflash212 on 11-28-11 at 02:00 PM
Slap - Maybe. Did it seem to anyone else that the addresses the teams needed to find played a role in placement? Andy & Tommy and Jeremy & Sandy had the same address and found it easily, where the other teams seemed to struggle much more to find the address.

A Kick In The Sack - to the CBS exec who decided to go to the Denver/San Diego game at 7:05PM. The New England/Philly game should have been shown to the end and the delay would have been much shorter.


Capn2patch put me in motion!

"RE: Belgium."
Posted by Max Headroom on 11-28-11 at 02:22 PM
Clap More self-navigation by the teams instead of Taxi Lotto. I'd much rather watch teams ask for directions than hear them scream "We're in a race, go faster" at their taxi drivers.

Clap To the sympathetic waffle judge. There are times when "Ha ha ha.... NO!" is appropriate, and times when it is not.

Clap For no bunch point during the leg. Though it doomed Bill and Cathi, at least they paid a price for finishing last in the previous leg.

Clap For showing more of Belgium, a country that I'm not that familiar with. (And it looks interesting.)

Slap What was the point of the carrier pigeon task? Past episodes have edited out entire tasks which didn't influence the outcome, and this one didn't have much impact.

"RE: Belgium."
Posted by PepeLePew13 on 11-29-11 at 09:28 PM
Oh, Belgium is a great country, been there twice. People tend to overlook it in favour of France or the Netherlands, but it's certainly a worthy destination in itself. Bruxelles, Bruges, Antwerp, historic medieval towns, Christmas markets, beer cafes, chocolate, and plenty of good restaurants.
"RE: Belgium."
Posted by qwertypie on 11-30-11 at 06:25 PM
And waffles! I really want a waffle right now.
"RE: Belgium."
Posted by popeave on 11-30-11 at 06:33 PM
Slap(??) Should Bill and Cathy have had a Speed Bump task? Did the first half of the superleg count as a non-elimination point? If so, where was the speed bump? Perhaps edited out. Maybe they would have needed to do something before the pigeons.

I like the concept of a pigeon task, especially the mini photo, but somehow it didn't really turn out to be what I would have hoped for. Better if racers had been required to put their names into a bird's ankle and then needed to retrieve that bird from the home loft (find that bird from the dozens that may be in the loft. My guess is that the birds are reliably fast enough to get home more quickly than foreigners who don't know where they are going.

"RE: Belgium."
Posted by Estee on 11-30-11 at 06:40 PM
find that bird from the dozens that may be in the loft.

It would have been comedy.

*pictures Marcus desperately lunging after birds*

Major comedy.

"RE: Belgium."
Posted by garibaldi on 12-05-11 at 00:51 AM
CLAP/SLAP - Well, if you are going with product placement, at least be bold about it and pick something truly iconic. The smiles on the racer's faces easily won over any umbrage that this was becoming infomercial (race-mercial?).
SLAP - That said, the length of the car promo, er, segment seriously unbalanced the rest of the episode.
CLAP - I second the person above who thanked the producers for showing us more of Belgium.
SLAP - Again, let us have some stopwatch to see how long it takes teams to complete the challenges. This would only add to the suspense in many cases.
CLAP - No bunch point.
"Panama"
Posted by Estee on 12-05-11 at 11:42 AM
oh-oh-oh-oh-oh

Slap So you're telling me that you have people on staff who are comics-savvy enough to say 'We're in Belgium! We've got to have a Tintin task!', but no one who reads the trade magazines for either the comics or movie industries and would have known there's a movie coming out? One quick phone call between producers could have netted the show a nice sponsorship check, but no -- not a single mention of the film or even a commercial run during that hour. Way to miss your cash grab, geniuses.

Clap On the other hand, you did make a sincere attempt to put the character on screen, so kudos for that.

Slap Too much bunching and time manipulation in this leg. The Tintin task wound up being time-pointless thanks to the single flight: the overnight stay in the village created an artificial division which wound up being largely based in how well your boat captain could see in the dark.

Slap There could have easily been two to four rope courses set up between the towers. That should not have been a 'take a number and wait' task.

Mini-clap The glimpse of the Roadblock clue with its Racer marching orders was a tiny glimpse behind the production curtain.

Clap Definitive, exacting standards for shoe construction. Anyone seeing the original model would have no problems spotting where the teams were going wrong.

No hand movement Seriously: something has to be done about Racer delivery phobia.

Clap You wouldn't think two words written in English along a dress fringe -- in big letters -- bright red ones -- would be that difficult to spot, right? At least not until you see people fumbling through it...

In retrospect, I'm amazed we didn't have people catching flights to Philadelphia.

No hand movement The collusion between taxi drivers in getting everyone to their destination -- well, everyone minus snowboarders -- appears to have been completely their decision. While the leg would have been a lot different if teams had been driving themselves (for starters, it would have been about six hours longer), actions taken by team-recruited help are not in the control of the show.

"RE: Panama"
Posted by kidflash212 on 12-06-11 at 12:16 PM
Clap - For awhile I've been wondering if the Lazy Kim rule was still in effect. The clue at the Roadblock confirmed it still exists.


Capn2patch put me in motion!

"RE: Panama"
Posted by garibaldi on 12-06-11 at 10:51 PM
LAST EDITED ON 12-07-11 AT 00:13 AM (EST)

CLAP _ Loved how the boys stayed up to check out the Mustang site, like kids at Christmas, while everyone else snoozed away. But did it cost them later in the show?
SLAP - The episode lost serious momentum early with the TinTin task only to make up for it somewhat in the second half
SLAP - In Asia we didn't see that the teams were limited to a specific flight out of Amsterdam to Panama. Is that what happened?
SLAP - The tattoo challenge must have proved unnerving to those teams waiting overnight but was a letdown in the end. Since you've brought them up to the jungle, why not some other outdoor task to liven things up?
SLAP - The Snowboarders for being the first to a computer and not searching Belgian or European comic characters. And not realizing Chaplin and Keaton were real people.
SLAP - Disappointing the boys were eliminated due to collusion between the other teams' taxi drivers, but as someone notes above, there is really no way to stop that.
CLAP - Sandy back in a halter top. They are getting more and more positive edits...
DOUBLE CLAP - For all the girls on the cable walk, who were scared but took no prisoners, just issuing a 'holy crap' and then getting down to business and finishing the job.

"Atlanta."
Posted by Estee on 12-12-11 at 09:59 AM
Slap It's the United States. I'm guessing they know the traffic laws as poorly as everyone else. Let them drive.

Slap I understand not putting any sort of Marcus Attempt Counter on the screen to keep us from knowing just how far behind they were, but some sort of idea for how long each landing took would have been helpful.

No hand movement The map scramble was supposed to look big and bright, but mostly wound up looking a lot like a bunch of other things people have done before.

Clap But if we ever do manual typewriters again, let's have a Paul Sheldon challenge where it progressively throws the N, T, and E keys. And still no White-Out.

Slap If you can forbid them from using their notes, you can forbid them to use the Internet.

Clap 'Surprise! One more free-choice Roadblock! Bet you weren't expecting that after we custom-printed a clue! Suckers!'

No hand movement Bad information from the locals isn't exactly within producer control, and you have to figure race rules include 'At no time are you allowed to directly ask someone "Hey, do you know if a certain reality show is filming here?"' So the Dump confusion can pretty much be blamed on people being willing to believe anyone would live inside a former Home Depot. (Cue applause.)

"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by qwertypie on 12-12-11 at 11:02 AM
LAST EDITED ON 12-12-11 AT 11:03 AM (EST)

liver still recovering. I took a drink everytime Marcus said a football reference. Thank God, I gave up on taking a shot idea.

"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by jbug on 12-12-11 at 11:23 AM
SLAP: A mistake on the map should have required removing the rope from the hooks back to the one that was missed. Pulling the rope down & clipping it in didn't take much to correct a mistake.

CLAP: While I wish there was a rule against using/borrowing a phone for accessing the internet to get info, there isn't. So, CLAP to Cindy for immediately asking their driver to use his phone.
Stopping at a place (hotel) to use the internet would be more interesting - as proven this leg.

"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by samboohoo on 12-12-11 at 12:26 PM
Agree with you about the map mistake. Phil's teaser indicated that a mistake had the potential to change the game. It really didn't.


Samboobree, brought to life by Arkie


"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by PsychoKitty on 12-12-11 at 01:49 PM
Absolutely agree! I was shocked when Jeremy just moved a clip and that was it. He should have had to descend, find out he was wrong and started over like they do on other tasks during the race.

Adding a Production Slap:

"Recalculating" - how silly! The producers were trying to build suspense, but I'm curious how ahead Ernie and Cindy were already - half an hour? Jeremy and Sandy seemed to spend aLOT of time at the wrong Dump. . . Couldn't they have showed us Marcus trying to type the "l" ;) or Amani climbing the map instead?


Not that I have an opinion one way or another ;)
Sigs by Cig

"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by PepeLePew13 on 12-12-11 at 06:25 PM
My initial thought was that the mistake was in reference to "The Dump" where Jeremy and Sandy wasted so much time there before finally cluing to the fact it was not a former residence and making a call to find out where they should have gone - the time wasted certainly could have been the difference between finishing first or second.
"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 12-12-11 at 10:21 PM
Add me as another who wished they had to do the map from the start again.
"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by Molaholic on 12-13-11 at 00:05 AM
Slap I was hoping they’d get to some of the places I visited in Atlanta this summer (other than Turner Field) although I think the faux Dump was close to my hotel.

Slap Ditto on the map task.

Clap Actually, the whole thing kinda sucked (what with the demon team winning and all), so cancel the Clap


"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by garibaldi on 12-13-11 at 01:12 AM
LAST EDITED ON 12-13-11 AT 01:16 AM (EST)

After a very enjoyable season, TAR ends on a bit of a flat note...

SLAP: Agree on the map. It was certainly anti-climactic and the partners on the ground could help.
SLAP: The typewriter challenge was okay, but not really of the calibre you'd expect for the final leg.
CLAP: The flight simulator, now, was really cool. Though it needed some Death Star type simulated explosions or a cool computer voice saying "Marcus, you have now killed the equivalent of the entire population off xxx small town." Did anyone hear the instructor correcting Marcus on his repeated mistakes?
CLAP: Sandy's halter top again deserves honorable mention
SLAP: Why waste so much time showing them at the airport in South America if we know they are all on the same flight?
SLAP: The tone of the whole episode was a bit flat, lacking the suspense and drama of previous finales, not just in terms of the pacing and editing but even the somewhat subdued colors in which it was shot (especially the area around the mat, which almost looked as though it was filmed in the shade).
SUGGESTION: Can the producers find some venue for the final leg next season which does not involve taxis?

and finally

CLAP: Though they weren't my favored team, and I still can't see what Ernie sees in Cindy (unless he prefers the dominating type), they ran a very good last set of legs and learned from their earlier mental and physical mistakes. I would have been okay to see any of the teams win, though not overjoyed.

"RE: Atlanta."
Posted by kidflash212 on 12-14-11 at 11:22 AM
LAST EDITED ON 12-14-11 AT 12:13 PM (EST)

CLAP - I like that the clues were actual clues that needed to be researched and figured out. Although a mini-slap for the Dump clue - that may have been a little too vague. It didn't appear many locals even knew that Margaret Mitchell's home was called the Dump and the fact that there was a well known and well advertised store called the Dump was poor planning. I'm sure they could have come up with a Gone With The Wind reference.


ETA - A Chuckle - Gender roles are still so defined - notice that it was the guy who piloted the plane for every team.