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Thread Number: 1828
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Original Message
"Production help?"
Posted by Molaholic on 09-26-11 at 09:58 AM
I've really got to wonder just how much 'help' production crew gave in last night's episode. A lost passport suddenly appears at the airport? Really?? The finder allegedly posted on twitter that he had been in a scene (for another team) but then -- abracadabra - he finds the passport and knows it belongs to another TAR team?

As Sherlock Holmes said, 'there are no coincidences."

Also -- the oldest couple is totally befuddled by their first clue box hunt but are rescued by a first-episode NEL??

Give us a frellin' break already!

also -- please tell us that the Confucius Monk was given a chair at some point...

Table of contents
Messages in this discussion
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by Starshine on 09-26-11 at 10:14 AM
My favourite bit of assistance is still when Fran and Barry? kept walking over a bridge in Brazil unable to see the clue box with their cameraman becoming more and more obvious about filming the box as they walked past it.

Or if anyone say TAROZ or TARA3? The "Holey" statue in Prague was good for a laugh

"RE: Production help?"
Posted by PepeLePew13 on 09-26-11 at 11:45 AM
Well... I wouldn't say the passport thing was a complete reach because it's in Los Angeles, plenty of people know about the Amazing Race. The guy could have overheard the girls or another team asking for directions to LAX and when they also saw the cameras (which have the TAR colours on them), it's perfectly logical to figure out they're rushing to catch the plane to their next location.
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by Estee on 09-26-11 at 12:22 PM
He also could have been asked to sign a release after he was initially filmed.
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 09-26-11 at 02:24 PM
I bet if true that he got something for not posting a message before the race was televised.
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by CTgirl on 09-26-11 at 04:54 PM
I thought it was handled very oddly. If I found a passport on the ground, I would bring it into the gas station and leave it there figuring the owner would come back for it - which they did. But it doesn't have as much drama if you do it that way!
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by PepeLePew13 on 09-26-11 at 07:08 PM
Yeah but I got the impression the guys were there at the same time when the girls ran in to ask for directions and then took off like a bat out of hell. If they overheard that the girls were looking for directions to LAX and then they saw the passport ... if they're single guys, why not see if they could be a helpful DAW at the same time while getting to meet a couple of nice-looking girls? Think of the pick-up lines they could throw out there in the future!
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by udg on 09-26-11 at 08:29 PM
I've already deleted the ep from my DVR, but my understanding was:
1) Girl drops passport.
2) Helpful DAW shows up at same gas station and sees a different TAR team asking for directions to LAX. He also finds a passport on the ground.
3) Helpful DAW decides the best way to be helpful AND increase his odds of showing up on screen is to drive passport all the way to LAX.
4) Helpful DAW gets to appear on TAR.
5) (Hasn't happened yet, but likely.) Helpful DAW and his best friend form a team on 20 or 21.


Thanks to tribephyl for the sigpic!

"RE: Production help?"
Posted by Belle Book on 09-26-11 at 08:36 PM
Also, according to a blog entry online at the New York Times, the guy tweeted an uber-fan from Georgia who urged him to get to the airport and return it. Phil was actually heading to the airport to eliminate Kaylani & Lisa but production people who happened to be in Taiwan monitored the Twitters and found out that the passport had been found and notified people in LA that Kaylani & Lisa might still be okay.


"RE: Production help?"
Posted by udg on 09-26-11 at 09:32 PM
LAST EDITED ON 09-26-11 AT 09:34 PM (EST)

According to that blog, Pepe was right. The Helpful DAW did give directions to the girls.

Link: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/twitters-amazing-race-assist/

ETA: Or not. Here's the correction from the bottom of the article.
Correction: September 26, 2011

An earlier version of this post misstated the circumstances of Ryan Storms' interactions with "The Amazing Race" contestants. Mr. Storms did not give directions to the team of contestants that misplaced a passport; he gave directions to a different team.


Thanks to tribephyl for the sigpic!

"RE: Production help?"
Posted by Estee on 10-24-11 at 10:22 AM
And now we have the question of the Mysteriously Waiting Bus.
"RE: Production help?"
Posted by Max Headroom on 10-24-11 at 12:47 PM
As noted in the production "claps and slaps" thread. Feel free to add your fuel to my bonfire.
"New show title truly is"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-21-11 at 08:51 PM
LAST EDITED ON 11-21-11 AT 08:52 PM (EST)

The Amazing Coincidence.

Next up? The lost tickets that aren't being checked anyway.

AMAZING!

"RE: New show title truly is"
Posted by Earl Colby Pottinger on 11-22-11 at 04:34 PM
Nope, as pointed out in the spoiler thread by myself and others living in different places. There are a number of train systems out there that use the honour system.

At random times there will be a check for tickets and if you don't have one on you, you will fact some heavy fines and/or jail if they have a record of you doing it before. But for example on the GO-Train system I used for years the checks take place fewer than one in four train rides.

"RE: New show title truly is"
Posted by agman on 11-27-11 at 04:47 PM
I have never even heard of that before. I obviously don't get out enough!
"RE: New show title truly is"
Posted by Snidget on 11-27-11 at 07:11 PM
There has to be some formula where they balance out the costs of verifying each ticket vs fine amounts with sporadic enforcement.

I've seen this with parking meters in various locals. Some places they decide do less enforcement as it costs more to hire enough parking enforcement people than they can recoup in fines. Depending on the political will the fines may be low enough that people will just pay the fine every so often than feed the meter.

In other towns the balance works out the other way so they have enough parking people for the number of parking spaces to catch you just about every time you don't feed the meter.

Big city peeps are often shocked at getting parking tickets in towns small enough where one person can walk the whole metered area every hour on the hour (with time taken to write out tickets).

I suspect with a higher cost item it is easier to set the fines high enough to prevent much theft of service. Especially if they can more easily stop you from using it in the future.

"On my train line"
Posted by moonbaby on 11-28-11 at 08:40 PM
they are insane about checking your ticket. Even when they've seen you a zillion times they still ask for it. There used to be a conductor on the train going home that would stand around and talk to me almost every night. And still he asked for my ticket every night. Maybe folks try to sneak rides around here more than I know. I swear that one guy in the morning salivates at the thought of catching a ticketless someone. If they had been on my train they would have been very much out of luck. But it looks like if they had ridden with kid they would have been OK. Go figure.