In my opinion, this season's AR2 did not live up to my expectations. For a start, the editing is horrible. The music and the scene does not match and the opening credits is slow. The contestants are not interesting because they are not arguing among themselves, with the exception of Mary&Peach. Everyone else seems to be happy travelling together. The clues are also too easy. The instructions are too direct. Finally, I don't like the idea of Phil greeting everyone at the finish line and letting them know what position they are in. He should leave it to the natives do it.

By the way, I predict the top 3 teams to be Blake and Paige (because they already reserved a web site), Tara & Will, (because they seem to get so much airtime), and Russ and Cindi. My gut feeling tells me it's Russ and Cindi who will win it.

• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,Loree, 10:22 AM, 03-31-02
• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2--Kind lengthy!!,tar2fan1, 12:26 PM, 03-31-02
  • RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2--Kind lengthy!!,sjunkim, 02:00 PM, 03-31-02
    • RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2--Kind lengthy!!,IWantPaige, 05:25 PM, 03-31-02
    • Funny words,Fast Eddie, 09:35 AM, 04-02-02
      • RE: Funny words,trigirl, 09:42 AM, 04-02-02
• comparing TAR's 1 and 2,trigirl, 04:43 PM, 04-01-02
• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,sjunkim, 05:55 PM, 04-01-02
  • RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,jase, 07:56 PM, 04-03-02
• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,smiles, 10:10 PM, 04-01-02
  • RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,Loree, 02:53 PM, 04-02-02
• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,alleyb, 03:41 AM, 04-04-02
  • RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,fyrenice, 10:59 AM, 04-04-02
• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,alleyb, 03:54 AM, 04-04-02
  • RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,Fast Eddie, 02:36 PM, 04-04-02
    • RE: Arriving at Pitstops,trigirl, 03:01 PM, 04-04-02
      • RE: Arriving at Pitstops,curveball, 03:10 PM, 04-04-02
• RE: My thoughts on Amazing Race 2,Blueville, 04:12 PM, 04-04-02

I'm wondering if Phil jumped up and down and threw a hissy fit that Jeff Probst gets more air time than him. So to make Phil happy they let him get more camera time at the end of the show. That is why he is now greeting all the contestants.

There have been some problems with TAR2 this year comapred w/TAR. I disagree that the editing and score do not match up....I think that adds the "feeling" for the viewers of the race....it gets you pumped....however, it has become a little tougher to comprehend where teams are in relation to other teams/time of day. TAR did that effectively, and I think TAR2 will do the same with time.

I do agree w/u on two points: Phil and team relations. The exciting thing about TAR was that Phil only appeared for the last place team......and the natives gave it a sense of where they were. Having Phil pop up w/every finish makes it seem more "CBS is still here and you're not 'really' in______" and it takes away from the heartbreak of the losing team...Phil having to only tell the last team that they were eliminated gave the show emotion.

W/team relations, we have seen more team bickering (ie--Chris and Alex vs Tara and Will). The game has become more about alliances and trusting other teams (which we saw in TAR w/K&D and Emily&Nancy) rather than 'backstabbing' and squabbling w/in the team. This adds a demention to the race that we haven't seen, but what made TAR more exciting was that the intensity of the race came with teams fighting among themselves, losing time, position, and sanity. This came out of the detours and roadblocks, which I agree have become easier (of course you'll slide down the Matterhorn...it saves time). The RB and Detours have to be more equal in time (ie--Kev and Drew looking for the car rather than taking the bus..both would take around the same time but presented different challenges). Both have to have + or - that make them both seem like viable options. TAR2 hasn't done that YET, and that has led to less fighting and dinamics among teams.

TAR2 has used airports to their advantage though............much more time spent in them, causing teams to make rash decisions. However, bunching again comes up........teams are too spread out.

Wow, this is freaking long..............thanks for reading...and don't get me wrong, TAR2 is good...and with tweaking, it can be equal/better to TAR.......lik every good sequel, it is sub-par compared to the original.

Rock on TAR2!!!!

>it gets you
>pumped....

Definently, throughout mostly the whole episode!!!

Phil doesn't always greet the teams, some of the time the locals say welcome to .... and then phil just says they're rank. We have seen less of the 'hands' too...or it seems like it because Phils been introducing all the RB's and D's.

I do agree on the detours. They can do better than this. RB's are pretty cool, especially that one where they had to barter in that market...

Personally, and I know I might get a lot of flak from this, but I like TAR 2 better than the original. Let me go over the best points of the show in my opinion.

1.The Teams
-Each team has a compelling personalities. Ab Fab is polite and likeable, Blaige are the anti-heros, Wil is the villian, and Gary and Dave are the crazy under dogs. I enjoy watching each and every team, even if Wil pisses me off.

2.The Explanation of Money and Airfare

3.The Prize
-When Tara and Wil won something for being in first. I wish they would do that every time, it makes the induvidual legs more important.

4.The Locations
-Same as the original but I love seeing parts of the world.

Some things I don't like is the natives not saying as much as Phil. But I do like the storylines.

Okay, life is (far) too short to bother with a post every time someone makes a spelling or grammar error, but this is too good to pass up. As written, the following means "and then Phil just says they stink". Perhaps a good choice of words after all.

>and then phil just says
>they're rank.

>>and then phil just says
>>they're rank.

Hilarious!

I am probably one of the few people who likes Phil greeting every team. It adds a little drama as the team holds their breath waiting for their placement. He gives a big dramatic pause each time. The locals are still there and sometimes I found them a little contrived in TAR1.

It's a little early to start dissing TAR2. As there are less teams we get to know the contestants a little better. It's like Survivor that way. Never watch that show until they're down to one tribe...way too many people before that for me to take an interest in them all.

The premier was simply amazing for the second one...I got all pumped and it was what I expected and more...

Although I only saw the last half of the season one premier... Went out, missed 'lost' (probably for the better, from what I hear) and ended up watching tar...hooked...lol

I think TAR2 is much better than TAR. The teams are a little more relaxed and have entertaining personalities. I also think the reason Phil greets every team is because they probably don't want to tip off the teams in regards to their placement and/or whether or not they have been eliminated until Phil talks to them. The first time around, they (and us) figured out that if they didn't see Phil, they were still in the game. That's not the case now and that's good. BTW, trust me...you didn't miss out on anything when it comes to "LOST". IMO, it was one of the worst reality shows ever on tv.

The clues are also too easy. The instructions are too direct.

Agreed. TAR2 need more clues like, "Which country does this flag belong to?" I think that was one of the best clues from last season. The other best clue was during EP 2 when the teams left the 1st pit stop and had to find that small museum that was about 100 feet away. Lots of time wasted there.

Yes, I want harder clues and challenges. I liked the one last time where they had the walkie talkies and the Festers crawled on the roof to fool the Guidos where to go.

And I want choices where the teams don't know which choice is the obvious faster one. I like when half the teams do one and the others take the other challenge. But so often we have all the teams doing the same one.

Looks like they have to deal with bats this week. Should be good.

I disagree completely. I think AR2 is even better than AR1. In the first season, I LOVED the first episode--especially for the bungee jump in Africa and for how quickly the show was able to introduce so many people and their relationships. AR2 wasn't able to delineate the teams quite as efficiently as the first, but I feel the challenges have been far superior to the first season, and the teams have become at least as interesting to watch as in AR1 as the show has developed.

One big thing that sets AR2 apart from the original is that the tensions so far have focused more on conflict between the teams (Blake & Paige vs. Tara & Will , Tara & Wil's alliance/non-alliance with Chris & Alex), rather than conflict within the teams (Lenny & Karyn, Paul & Amie, Frank & Margarita). This makes the game more interesting to watch for me, and I am glad the producers have decided to show some of the interactions during the pit-stops. I feel like I am watching more of a competition between the teams rather than internal break-downs within the teams.

I also find myself rooting for so many of these people. Danny & Oswald have proven to be the best ambassadors for America so far in AR history. I was SO worried that they were going to be last in this episode, mostly because I wanted to see a team that is all about kindness and interacting with real people during the race go far. I am a huge fan, and hope they can prove that goodwill does win out over maliciousness in the name of competition. Mary & Peach are also favorites of mine. I was so touched by Peach's reaction to giving the sunglasses to the African children. Yes, they are a team that is going to have to pull it together as the show goes on, but I think they have a good shot at it. I think Tara is also giving a good showing, forcing Wil to think beyond himself. Gary & Danny have a good attitude about the game (even if a little too staged for me). Their playful fighting with the Boston Boys gives them a few points in my book. Chris & Alex (who are my boyfriend's & my namesakes) are still kinda knuckleheaded (maybe they sound a little too much like Survivor's Robfather for my taste), but I felt Rob & Brennen were too boring to win the first AR, and Chris & Alex are at least as interesting as they were.

I am not sure how I feel about Blake & Paige yet. In some ways I think they have gotten a bum rap--all the things they have done have been legit (unless of course they really did turn of the Grannies' alarm clock). Yes, they have been out for themselves overall, by choosing not to wake the Grannies, by running ahead of Mary & Peach to the finish line, by taking the next available ticket agent at the airport, or by signing up ahead of Tara and Wil at the Hotel in Africa. But these are all things that show that they are here to play the game as a race. In and of itself, none of these acts are really malicious--the Grannies overslept, they took a short-cut to the finishline ahead of Mary & Peach, they saw an available ticket agent who no one else was taking, they got to the sign-up list while Tara & Wil were wandering around trying to find it--all this proves is that Blake & Paige are looking for the short-cut, looking at this as a race and trying to think smart. Some people may feel like their toes are being stepped on--but get off it people! This is a race! Of course other teams are going to look for an advantage. Bravo to team Blaige for taking an advantage whenever one appeared for them!

I am looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. In AR1, I found myself rooting for the Underdogs, and was ultimately dis-ap-pointed that Nancy & Emily and the Festers didn't go all the way. This time, I can't say that I feel so strongly about any of the teams (except maybe Danny & Oswald), but I look forward to the bittersweet disappointments that the eliminated teams will face, while continuing to be relieved that a team I like will stick around to face another episode. Just don't give me Tara & Wil, Blake & Paige and Chris & Alex as the final 3--I don't think I could accept that (at least at this point).

LAST EDITED ON 04-04-02 AT 11:02 AM (EST)

I am so with you here. Blaige are playing smart not amoral. It makes me ROFL when I see post on SB about how they need to play competitively and forget about morals, and then here a team gets bashed for playing with an edge on AR2.

I mean think about it. Blaige just capitalized on others mistakes. Did they trip M/P, slip the Grannies an Ambien, shove Tara and Will, or cut in front of the same line the others were in?

I for one go to the open grocery line, bank teller, ticket line ect. If I see an agent standing there doing nothing, I do not stand up on a chair and yell," Hey agent open. Any of you morons in front want to stand up and take notice."
Mary and Peach started the competition for the race to the stop. They got out of the car and started running. What will most hot-blooded competitive young things do when they see that? Try to beat them. If M/P had got sedately out of the car, I bet you Blaige would have followed along beside them.
As far as Tara/Will, that was their own dang fault. Who with any brains would not have gone ahead? Oh Paige, uh Tara/Will are having a misunderstanding about where to get the tickets, so lets stand here and wait for them to get their act together. I guess with that reasoning everyone should have yelled out to Dave and whats his name this pass ep. "Oh, guys you do not need to go all the way up there, right here is the flag. Do not worry! We will wait for you. After all, technically you were here first."
I admit I felt bad for the Grannies. However, it is nobodies job to take care of the other teams. Blake was obviously feeling bad as it was about the decision.

No the only thing I fault Blaige for is the stupid mistakes they made this past ep- three cars and that stupid motorcar. I mean look around for the flag before you burn your bridges.

One other comment--I do like that Phil greets everyone at the Pitstop. This keeps the teams from being tipped-off that they are the last to arrive, and has given AR2 much more entertaining Pitstop arrivals than AR1. The Grannies arriving saying "There's Dr. Doom" while the other teams stood grimly off to the side, followed by their looks of utter disbelief as they realized they weren't eliminated; Chris & Alex hugging the African tribesmen--much more entertaining! Otherwise, the teams would know before the offical announcement that they were safe or eliminated. This gives more opportunity for some real reactions at the Pitstop, which I find much more interesting. The national representatives are nice to see, but I don't feel like I am missing anything since they still are the ones to give the official greeting to the arriving teams.

I don't believe we're seeing real reactions. The last place teams have known they were last. If you notice, in at least two cases they bypassed the detour & roadblock because there was no point as all the other teams had already arrived. (If I remember correctly, the Grannies opened the envelope in Mandela's cell and it pointed them directly to the pit stop, and the twins never did the dune climb and slide.)

>I don't believe we're seeing real
>reactions. The last place
>teams have known they were
>last.

I think we are seeing real reactions. At the jungle camp the Grannies had no clue. In Thailand everyone was confused. Tara was shocked and said "how did that happen". I love that part!

I agree. The only teams that really knew were the grannies (a whole day late) and the twins (arrived early the next morning) and if it hadn't been edited the way it was, we all would have known, just like they did. I think no hope had a pretty good idea, and so did God Squad (shout out to God for knocking his own team out too! Good move!) But Phil being there helps add to the drama when they realize that they have not been eliminated (Chex last ep) Besides, nice he gets to do something other than describe what a detour is EVERY episode...

We're also getting more info about interaction between the players while they are at the pit stops. Last season, each episode started with some shots of the pit stop, and then the first team leaving. This season we're getting info about what took place during the pitstop, and which players' got on others nerves (i.e. Will's comments while drinking that bothered Russ and Cindi; Will and Blake getting into it during the layover).

Blue