Analysis of editing can help us sort out which teams will battle to the end from the ones that won’t make it far. Last season, we had fun discussing how teams were portrayed and very early on the teams that were in for the long run were identified by seeing which were competitors and which were simply tourists.

This is meant to be a speculation thread. If you have a source that gives you spoiler information enabling you to declare who goes far, that is great and deserves its own thread. It isn’t what is intended here.

A new season is approaching, ( ) and I thought an early start would be appropriate. After all, the CBS interview videos are part of the presentation of the players, therefore part of the editing. It may be interesting to look back after a few episodes and see if the program edit matches the pre-season edit. If a team isn’t portrayed as they were presented, it could give us a clue, either positively or negatively.

Here are short synopses of the racers' interviews:

Bilal and Sa’eed: These friends tell us they have different temperaments. While Bilal is energetic and outgoing, Sa'eed is quiet and passive. They are fan of the show and are worried how they will be portrayed. They want to break stereotypes against muslims by showing they can deal with others in a positive fashion. They have traveled extensively. Bilal was in the military but wasn’t stationed overseas. They are both nervous about heights.

David and Mary are a hard working married couple. David traveled while he was in the Army but Mary has rarely been on a plane. They are fans of TAR but somewhat out of shape. She has studied simple phrases in different languages and as a coal miner, he is used to stress. They don’t want to be under-estimated.

Duke and Lauren are a father-daughter team.They had a conflict and were estranged for a while and want to use the race to find a bond. They are fan of the race but haven’t traveled overseas. They are fearless but don’t have a gameplan. They want to “take it as it is, stay calm and work things out together.”

Dustin and Kandice became friends competing for Miss USA. They have a competitve nature and work well together. They are both athletic and rely on their stamina. They’ve traveled a lot and look forward to seeing the world especially the UK. They may use flirting if it can help. They want to surprise the other teams by showing how strong they are.

Erwin and Godwin are overachieving, super competitive brothers. They say they are fit and have traveled together enough to know how to deal with incidents along the way. They speak 14 languages. They are aware that stress will come into play and are ready to deal with it. Erwin has a fear of heights. They’re ready to use Plan A, B and C if needed. Plan A is to see if other teams are willing to form an alliance to get further but if it doesn’t work, they are ready to go at it alone.

Kellie and Jamie were part of a cheerleading squad. They both studied in broadcasting. Neither as traveled overseas but are athletic. They are fans of TAR but have a certain fear of the unknown. They are nice people who want to have fun and maybe have an alliance. They don’t speak any foreign languages.

Lyn and Karlyn are long-time friends and mothers. They have never traveled and their preparation was to learn a few key phrases in different languages and to tone up. Karlyn isn’t a good swimmer but will give it her all. They don’t know how they will react to bungee jumps or other challenges. They can have hot tempers and fear they could be out-matched.

Peter and Sarah compete in triathlons and are extremely fit and competitive. The race is an ultimate challenge. Sarah had her left leg amputated at age 7 but she stills has completed 7 marathons and the Hawaiian Iron-man. They are fans of TAR and always looking for challenges. They have traveled a lot and are experts at the logistics involved, as athletes have to deal with a lot of gear in airports. He speaks German and she speaks Spanish.

Rob and Kimberly are dating and have different qualities that balance each other out. They wanted to be on the race to figure out where their relationship is going. They want to see how they deal with the pressure. They are both athletic and have stepped-up their work-out to prepare. From watching previous seasons, they figured the key to success is to work together and not fight. Rob tells us Kimberly is tough.

Tom and Terry are dating and have been together 2 years. They always have fun. Their preparation consisted of walking to work each day wearing a heavy back-pack and analysing the CBS web site to see what others have experienced. They have traveled somewhat. Terry speaks Spanish and Tom speaks “Brooklin and Queens”. They want to see if they can manipulate the others, treat them as puppets but still be friendly.

Tyler and James are friends who went through rehab together. They now model and enjoyed the hippies’ methods. They have traveled before. One is patient, the other aggressive. Both are fit for the competition. One of them is single and will be looking for cute girls.

Vipul and Arti are married but were friends first and feel that it helps. They also are fans of the race and wish to represent the Indian community well and respect others. They are well traveled and they speak different languages and complement each other. Both are patient and work together. Their preparation consisted of studying maps, going to the gym and doing some biking and swimming.

If history teaches us anything, teams that are out to prove themselves and don’t want to be under-estimated don’t usually do well. That would be the case of Bilal and Sa’eed, David and Mary, Duke and Lauren and Dustin and Kandice. Kellie and Jamie pointing out they studied broadcasting gave me the impression they were out to get exposure more than compete. Tom and Terry don’t seem to take it seriously either.

I’m undecided about Lyn and Karlyn who at least seem to understand their situation and know it will be hard. This is a team who could be first out or else get by, get some fans but not quite make it to the end.

Rob and Kimberly and Vipul and Arti also have other goals than simply focusing on the race. However the first couple seems to be in good shape. The second couple seems to have a good understanding of their abilities and their travels and language skills will help. One of these two could be going far.

The competitors seem to be Erwin and Godwin, Peter and Sarah and Tyler and James. It’s almost impossible to avoid comparisons to the Frat Boys when looking at Tyler and James and the Asian brothers have similar experiences to the hippies. Lets hope we’ll have more surprises this season!

Is there anything in the presentations of the teams that you feel can help see who will make it far? If so, I'd enjoy reading your impressions before the season starts and the discussion can really begin.