# Amazing Race 5/10 - Possible Spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 10, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217 "2005-05-10T14:43:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/161 "2005-05-14T19:27:50Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Here’s an idea: at the start of the leg after a NEL one, offer to ‘hire’ the last team to do something (anything – probably something physically tiring but not difficult) at a rate of $50 per half hour, as many hours as they want. That’s a neat idea. Though I think I tend to prefer the idea of just having an extra roadblock for the team instead of them losing their cash. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/162 "2005-05-14T19:32:55Z")
I agree with what many others have said here on the boards - instead of taking all their stuff, they should make the teams who lose the NEL do an extra task before starting on the next leg. ---
**Author:** ![jacquilynne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/67e7ee/32.png) [@jacquilynne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacquilynne)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/163 "2005-05-14T22:18:01Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > Here’s an idea: at the start of the leg after a NEL one, offer to ‘hire’ the last team to do something (anything – probably something physically tiring but not difficult) at a rate of $50 per half hour, as many hours as they want. This is, frankly, a brilliant idea. I like that eliminates something that is truly unpleasant about the game (rich Americans on an almost all expenses paid tour of the world begging poor locals for cash? WTF?) while adding a level of thinking and strategy to the solution. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2005, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/164 "2005-05-14T22:27:19Z")
How about this for a good move: Elise Doganieri, co-producer, told a friend at the TARcon party Tuesday night that there will be no more volume-based eating challenges. Yay! Those have become increasingly disgusting. I don’t mind eating local foods that they may find weird – live baby octupus, anyone? – but the “eat till you puke, then eat some more” challenges got completely out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/165 "2005-05-15T03:12:28Z")
> [@Mama Tiger](#): > > How about this for a good move: Elise Doganieri, co-producer, told a friend at the TARcon party Tuesday night that there will be no more volume-based eating challenges. Yay! Those have become increasingly disgusting. I don’t mind eating local foods that they may find weird – live baby octupus, anyone? – but the “eat till you puke, then eat some more” challenges got completely out of hand. The is great news. That volume eating stuff always made me uncomfortable. Imagine how uncomfortable it is for the contestants! Now they’ve got to do something about the NEL penalty. No more begging!!! ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/166 "2005-05-15T05:40:02Z")
> [@StarvingButStrong](#): > > … Anyway, it opens up a lot of choices for the players to consider and watching them make strategic choices has got to be a heck of a lot more fun than watching them beg. … this sounds like a good idea… i know! have optional roadblocks open to all players where you get a sum of money upon completion. how’s that? ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/167 "2005-05-15T12:56:42Z")
consider the idea of no mooney to start each leg for anyone, and awarding cash for the detours and roadblocks based on degree of difficulty and speed of completion: example from this race: deliver ten cups of tea to the occupants of an office building. $20.00 for each successful delivery, and $150.00 for the fastest team. failure of elements within the challenge could result in fines: spill the cup of tea you are to deliver? fofiet half of the cash value of successful completion ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/168 "2005-05-15T13:14:37Z")
I think a good idea for the NELs would be that at the next Detour, the last team would have to do _both_ choices, rather than just one. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/169 "2005-05-15T15:34:03Z")
> [@longhair75](#): > > consider the idea of no mooney to start each leg for anyone, and awarding cash for the detours and roadblocks based on degree of difficulty and speed of completion: > > example from this race: deliver ten cups of tea to the occupants of an office building. $20.00 for each successful delivery, and $150.00 for the fastest team. failure of elements within the challenge could result in fines: spill the cup of tea you are to deliver? fofiet half of the cash value of successful completion I really don’t like this idea. It further complicates an already sort of complicated race. I’m still having trouble identifying whether a task is a Roadblock or a Detour and I’ve watched every episode of all seven races. I just don’t like the concept of begging in the context of this Race. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/170 "2005-05-15T16:37:25Z")
And since the next Race will be the family edition, if they turn kids loose begging, I’m sure I am _not_ going to be alone in being totally outraged. There are limits, and that would cross them. But the producers at least are listening to fans, if what Elise said about the volume eating challenges is any indication. (And she’s even posting in a thread she started in the Tarflies forum, and also talked at length to a number of fans at TARcon, so signs are good that production is paying attention to suggestions/complaints.) I think the suggestion of doing both Detours, or making both members of a team do a Roadblock, woul be a good one. Or start the next leg with no money, but don’t strip what they’ve already saved. There’s lots of good ideas out therre; let’s hope production adopts one of them. Even taking away possessions may be a brief mental blow, but actually makes life easier, I suspect, for teams to not have to run around with those heavy packs any more, so didn’t turn out to be as much of a penalty as teams expected. ---
**Author:** ![annieclaus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5a626/32.png) [@annieclaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/annieclaus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/171 "2005-05-15T21:11:06Z")
> [@Mama Tiger](#): > > I think the suggestion of doing both Detours, or making both members of a team do a Roadblock, woul be a good one. Or start the next leg with no money, but don’t strip what they’ve already saved. There’s lots of good ideas out therre; let’s hope production adopts one of them. Even taking away possessions may be a brief mental blow, but actually makes life easier, I suspect, for teams to not have to run around with those heavy packs any more, so didn’t turn out to be as much of a penalty as teams expected. What about just giving them an extra time penalty. . . say an hour or so before they begin the next leg of the race. I can just see a big hourglass sifting away precious time for the NEL-ers. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/172 "2005-05-15T21:37:27Z")
I don’t really see why there has to be any penalty for finishing last on a non-elimination leg. It seems to be taken for granted that a team has to do something to pay for their good fortune, but how is it any different than a flat tire on a cab or any of the other vagaries of fate that affect the race? ---
**Author:** ![rockle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/73ab20/32.png) [@rockle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rockle)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217/173 "2005-05-15T23:23:31Z")
> [@Mama Tiger](#): > > And since the next Race will be the family edition, if they turn kids loose begging, I’m sure I am _not_ going to be alone in being totally outraged. There are limits, and that would cross them. Here’s the problem, though: From what a number of racers have said, and from what was shown in the “clip episode” this season, _teams are already begging for money even when they already have some._ They are padding their allowances from the producers. This is even more obnoxious and offensive to me than the “begging because they actually have nothing” (which I pretty much hate as much as I can). So, I agree with everyone who says that instead of begging, the penalty should be something different. I kind of like the “mugging” that they now do, but I think it could be changed slightly (especially in the case of the family edition) to, say, making them consolidate their stuff into one backpack provided by the producers (obviously smaller than the ones they started with). Combined with having to do an additional task – maybe not both Detours, since they are often time consuming to begin with, and they start far apart sometimes, and if you’re going to make it impossible than just eliminate them already – this would be an adequate penalty, I think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-race-5-10-possible-spoilers/303217.md?page=8)