That’s true; I was thinking more in terms of the finishing racers themselves, including their close-ups.
This question is more asking about how they ensure eliminated teams running staged legs make it to the end before the teams still competing, but I’ll offer what cite I can for my assertion that eliminated teams do run the last legs.
A couple seasons ago when Team Big Brother (and the horrible bratty models) were racing, I watched the “jury house” footage every week starting with when Team BB got eliminated. The week after they got there another team joined the house, then nobody else ever got to the house. Instead, each week the newly-eliminated team would call from the race. I think they might have even mentioned it, but it was clear as day that the last 5 or 6 teams kept running all the legs through the finale.
It’s kind of a reversal compared to the other two “Big Three” CBS reality shows. On Survivor and Big Brother, the first participants eliminated go home, but if you make it far enough you get to go to jury house and chill. On TAR, the it’s the first ones out who get to chill on vacation while those who make it far enough never get a rest.
Really? Two of the most undeserving winners ever. I will give them credit for doing great on the last leg but during the rest of TAR they never took the lead and were helped out by the other teams so many times, even beyond the extraordinary amount of teamwork seen in this season of TAR.
Really? If you cross the finish line first, you deserve to win (assuming there was no cheating on the way). The only leg that you need to be first is the last one.
That’s one thing about TAR…I may absolutely despise the winning team sometimes, but I can’t claim that they didn’t deserve to win (possible producer airplane-holding shenanigans aside). If they cross that finish line first, they deserve to win. Even Freddy and Kendra. Even Flo (okay, Zack deserved to win). The only real asterisk I can think of is Joyce and Uchenna, because of the aforementioned possible shenanigans.
I disagree, Mallory and dad get into a cab with a driver that doesn’t have GPS and it instantly invalidates what they did the previous 14 legs.
As for why they didn’t deserve it. (Not) translating the marina flags on their own? The debacle in Luxumborg?!! Following the pack in Australia? Following Mal & Dad to the ticket counter to get the earlier flight to the US, etc. I know part of that occurs in every TAR, but not to the extent that Kesha and Jen did it.
As far as I’m concerned, every point they had difficulty, someone else bailed them out except the mobile home trailer and I think that the gamed the system to win and that their victory should demonstrate to the producers that while help between teams is a part of the game but at a certain level the individual team has to perform the task like no sharing of answers or having them leave for a task in 5 minute increments (reward for arriving early and no following another team) etc.
I see your point about Jen and Keisha kind of bumbling their way to the million dollars, but how in the world could the Amazing Race possibly implement a rule about “no following another team”?
When at a bunching point, leaving in 5 minute increments in order of arrival. Then the strategy is to help out someone behind you you have to give up 20 min or so of time. It also rewards the people who get there first. For example, the order you arrive at the airport, you have to get a cab in the same order with time inbetween the teams.
What is the producer and plane thing?
During Boston Rob’s first season on TAR, the flight from their penultimate leg to the last leg in Miami was already out of the gate when Uchenna and Joyce (the last team) got to the gate. Somehow, the plane was held and returned to the jetway so they could board. I’m agnostic on whether that was TAR-producer shenanigans or whether the gate clerk was just REALLY persuasive to the pilot on flight radio.
IMO, if it was “TAR-Producer Shenanigans”, it would have never been broadcasted.
(but people who believe that it was shenanigans, will say that is part of the conspiracy).
Uchenna & Joyce weren’t the last team - Ron & Kelly were still behind them. If U&J hadn’t gotten on the same plane as Rob & Amber, R&A would have had a 3 hour lead in the final city - most likely winning the race before the other teams even boarded their flight.
I used to be completely convinced the producers had a hand in this, but someone pointed out to me that given that people with professional cameras & sound equipment were standing there filming everything, it’s quite possible the gate agent & pilot were a little more accommodating than they would have been for just 2 people begging to get on a plane.