Yeah, yeah, I know the actual title quote is “Say you deepest prayers ever!” but come on. The continents, countries, miles is tradition and even if CBS won’t recognize it I will.
So last week we had the Best! Detour! Ever! with Rob and Kim and the *lyns being pelted in the face by Spanish tomato-lobbing “bastards!” as Tyler and James fulfilled their secret fantasy of becoming hot giany chicks. And we bid a fond farewell to the BQs, who were totally awesome all the time, just ask them. Tonight, in a truncated season finale, Team Ugly Americans, Team Go Home Alabama and Team Brokeback Models race to the finish line and a million dollars. Looks like football delays so set your recorders accordingly.
I am coming around to this slowly, having just started watching.
I got schooled on the yield two weeks ago, so now I have more questions.
A “roadblock” is a task that all the teams have to do, a “detour” the teams get a choice of tasks. Is that correct. Any more terms I should know, I understand Philiminated.
A Roadblock is a task that only one member of a team can perform. Each team member is limited to a maximum of six Roadblocks per race. This rule was put in place several seasons ago when a couple of teams had one team member perform 11 Roadblocks.
A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. Teams choose one of the two tasks and both team members must perform it. Teams are allowed to switch Detour tasks if they want.
A Fast Forward is the opportunity for one team to perform a specific task and thus skip all remaining tasks on a leg and go directly to the Pit Stop (the end point of the leg). There are usually only two Fast Forwards per race so teams have to decide when the best time is to go for it. If more than one team goes for the Fast Forward. Teams may only take one Fast Forward per race. If more than one team tries for any one Fast Forward, any team that doesn’t get it has to go back and complete the rest of the leg.
Only an hour, but man was that ever stressful! I was shaking at the end of the show - I’m OK with the winning team, but I was just REALLY REALLY hoping the second place team wouldn’t win. And I’m 100% OK with cheering the way the third place team went out!
Has it aired everywhere yet? CTV has a habit of airing shows early to get all their intended programing in, so I have no idea if this was at the usual time for the rest of the world!
I agree – it was stressful to watch, and therefore who can imagine how stressful it was to race in.
I was disappointed by the last part of the episode, especially the tasks in the final destination city. I was also disappointed about how the third place team got knocked out of the running (but like mnemosyne, I’m not complaining about who it was).
I … just don’t know what to say. I’m kind of with lorene: there really wasn’t anybody to cheer for, and I yet I still can’t believe it’s over already. The winning team is OK in my book, but … eh. And what will we do until February, when the next season starts? (I reserve judgment on whether it’s an “All-Star” season or not until I see who’s going to be on for sure.)
Is there going to be another “Treasure Hunters” or something? I need some kind of TAR-like fix.
That was a fit conclusion to a blah season. I was a bit disappointed to learn that it was only going to be an hour at first, and then I saw the content of that hour. I mean, it started off really interesting, with the three teams taking three different flights, but that was the last interesting part of the whole episode. Basically, the episode ended up being “race to the bunch points” and find a good cab driver, preferrably with an E-Z Pass.
I wish they would just stop with the sky diving roadblocks. They never really affect the race, apart from forcing some spacing when they are first-come-first-serve, and they aren’t very interesting television. At least with the bungee jumping, you get some hesitation and some humorous reactions from racers.
Why was it that all the teams chose the “fashion” detour? It wouldn’t necessarily have been my first choice.
rockle: As soon as this thread dies down (probably Tuesday), I’ll start a discussion on racing guidelines that I’ve put together.
Hentor: For Tyler & James, “Fashion” was the obvious choice. I personally would have favored “Art,” because I’m generally allergic to fashion. However, given the details of the task, since the teams didn’t have to design the outfit, just build it, that made it more engineer-friendly.
Oh, and it’s practically a TAR rule that every race must include a bungee jump or sky dive, if not both.
Boy, this season went on so long that I barely remember the first 3-4 teams that were eliminated. Anyone know what day the first episode aired? I’m guessing mid-September.
Not mine, either. My thought process would basically be: “Schlep a painting to some artist, or put together a jacket with the tracing and the cutting and the pinning and the pleating and the fitting and all that…no-brainer!”
I’m betting that whoever did Art would have been on that plane first…if they knew to go to CDG.
See, I’d have taken fashion in a heartbeat, since I sew. And would therefore know not to waste time by tracing when cutting around the template would save a ton of time.
I’m sorta meh here. I’m glad that the winners, won. I’m glad that second did not.
I’m just glad the third place team did NOT win. Otherwise it was blah.
Can’t wait until February’s “Return of the Racers”. I’ve heard some speculation on which teams/racers may be involved which if true, could make this an interesting season.
At the end of every season, I wonder why I bother watching the show. The strong teams can pretty much coast the first half of the race, and when it comes down to the end, a stroke of luck can mean the difference between winning and losing. A limited number of seats on a plane - hell, a freaking toll transponder was the difference between winning and losing this season.
I’d make a rule that no more than one third of the remaining players can be on the same plane/train/bus. If there are nine teams, only three can ride together. In the final three, they’re all on different planes. Plus, make the final tasks really difficult so there is a chance for the last team to catch up if they are smart.
I travel a lot, and when an airline clerk tells you “It looks bad”, you may as well forget it. Yet two teams managed to get on a full flight. It was just like a previous season where the jetway was sent out again after the door had closed. That doesn’t happen, ever.
What was up with the extra train? I’d be a bit nervous travelling in France if they let random trains onto the tracks.
I didn’t care at all for any of the final three, so this season seemed especially weak to me.
Solid first half hour. Odd fake-out with the trains. I was envisioning more drama with the two lead teams ending up on some out of the way spur while the team that thought they missed the train pulled ahead. Instead there was…just another train. Weird.
Completely bemused that all three teams chose Fashion. I wouldn’t have in a million years. Interesting how it played to strengths of two of the teams, the mothers who sew and the models who know clothes. One of the Brokeback Models did a stereotypical voice for a bit though, so that was disappointing.
Rob needed to shut up about the skydiving. Dumbass, it’s a Roadblock at an airport on The Amazing Race. What do you think it’s going to be if not skydiving?
Did anyone catch that comment from one of the Brokebacks about using the internet 24 hours in advance for airline tickets? Any idea if that’s a race rule? If it is it must be new because teams were definitely booking flights on the internet less than 24 hours in advance in past seasons.
Last half hour was weak. Bama vanished, which wasn’t surprising since they had to have been at least two hours behind. I hate that it came down to two transportation things. I realize they had to get them out of the city for the actual finish line but it was still disappointing. No last-minute task before the finish line a la last season’s flags or the Family Edition geography quiz, was kinda stank. I thought those were solid elements of those two races. If this had been a two-hour finale I think they could’ve added a task in NYC and shaken things up a bit. I loved how they tried to make the last taxi ride so dramatic in the clue. “Convince” a taxi driver to drive you to wherever. Like if you flashed a big enough wad of cash in front of them it’d take any more “convincing.”
As far as the final placement went, I’m fine with it. I would’ve been fine with either Brokeback or the Ugly Americans, as long as it wasn’t Bama. The strange thing is that if Bama had raced from the beginning the way they did in the last three legs, chances are good they would’ve pulled off an upset and also good that I’d have been rooting for them.
You know, it’s really not about racing. It’s about picking the right cab. I’m tired of people being defeated by transportation rather than by their inability to complete tasks rapidly or accurately (other than the stupid, stupid eating tasks).
I like the concept and I enjoyed the first few I saw (I haven’t been a watcher right from the beginning) but despite the tanks, etc., it still felt lacklustre somehow.
I loved it when Bama made it to the Eiffel Tower first and hoped they’d continue right on to the finish.
I’d like to have seen a Roadblock right before the finish line, like they did with the map puzzle in TAR: Family Edition. Give a chance for other teams to catch up.
Oh well, I’m glad that the models won, rather than Rob & Kimberly or the Bamas.
I’m tired of all of the bunching points. They should keep the park, museums, shops, etc. open for the racers 24 hours. Rather than forcing teams to take planes, why not just give them the next city. It would be interesting to see a team take a plane, another team take Eurorail, and the third rent a car to get from Barcelona to Paris.
Like everyone else, I’m happy Team Rehab won, only because I did NOT want the other two teams to win. Mostly a boring episode, I was more excited for the All-Stars promo at the end, but they showed NOTHING!!!
LOL at the detour…who’d have thought that being models would come in handy, for once!
And when Tyler started freaking out at the airport, I was waiting for James to say, “Oh, go snort a line already…”
