# THe Amazing Race Finale **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2014, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725 "2014-05-19T12:08:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/41 "2014-05-20T17:12:01Z")
I thought that’s what you meant by “pre-taxed”. Regardless, Hatch is one example of a $1 million winner who received the full $1 million immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/42 "2014-05-20T17:13:25Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > I thought that’s what you meant by “pre-taxed”. Regardless, Hatch is one example of a $1 million winner who received the full $1 million immediately. I was simply saying whatever the stated amount is ends up being less than the promised amount. I just posted an article above with some interesting info though, suggesting both a lump sum or annuity may be options ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/43 "2014-05-20T17:44:17Z")
At this point, Brendan and Rachel are professional reality-show people and I’m almost positive all the talk about wanting to have a baby was their way of trying to get somebody to give them a reality show about the process. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/44 "2014-05-20T17:46:07Z")
Back to the Road blocks. What are the rules? And if Dave Conner didn’t follow them what would have happened? ( probably nothing because I feel that the PTB wanted this ending) ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/45 "2014-05-20T18:32:50Z")
> [@magnusblitz](#): > > Also, good karma to the blondes’ taxi driver for not giving in. I wonder if it’s possible to just take an instant dislike to Brenchel? Perhaps he watched the previous season with them? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/46 "2014-05-20T19:36:24Z")
> [@GrandWino](#): > > At this point, Brendan and Rachel are professional reality-show people and I’m almost positive all the talk about wanting to have a baby was their way of trying to get somebody to give them a reality show about the process. I would absolutely watch that. I’d have to shower after each episode, but I’d watch. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/47 "2014-05-20T20:05:10Z")
I don’t have any real data to support my hypothesis, but it seems like these prime time reality shows payouts pale in comparison to shows like Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy. Some WAG prizes on daytime and Syndicated shows. Per One Hour of show WoF: 50K TPiR: 60K Jeopardy!: 40K Survivor: about 1.3 MM payouts, 15 hours of show: 86K/hr TAR: about 1.3 MM payouts 13 hrs of show: 100K/hr Big Brother: about 750K payout 30 hours of show: 25k/hour These are prime time shows…they got to be getting a lot more ad revenue than syndicated and daytime shows. Yes, Production costs are much higher for the Prime time shows. ---
**Author:** ![jacobsta811](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jacobsta811/32/2893_2.png) [@jacobsta811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jacobsta811)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/48 "2014-05-20T20:13:43Z")
> [@eenerms](#): > > Back to the Road blocks. What are the rules? And if Dave Conner didn’t follow them what would have happened? ( probably nothing because I feel that the PTB wanted this ending) Production usually doesn’t let you not follow the rules. I believe in a prior season, when it got too many on one person the roadblock clue said something like “Note: Dave must do this roadblock” for all roadblocks where it would be possible to break the rule. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/49 "2014-05-20T23:53:01Z")
I would have whooped and hollered with glee if Brenchel’s cab driver had simply pulled over and said, “we’re not going one more inch until you two sit back and shut up, or GTFO.” I thought they were really being assholes to that driver and made her really nervous, making her drive even more carefully. Ever try to drive at night with the dome light on? It’s not that easy. I’m as content as I can be about the ending. They were whiners but at least they played fairly nicely. Well, they were edited that way, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/50 "2014-05-21T03:24:09Z")
I forgot to mention that, in addition to the whining and cheating, I was also rooting massively for Brendon and Rachel to lose because of the “We have god on our side” comment. Really? God would pick sides among contestants in a reality show? If so, I severely doubt he would be pulling for such a pair of douchebags. ---
**Author:** ![slitterst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/51 "2014-05-21T16:05:34Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I forgot to mention that, in addition to the whining and cheating, I was also rooting massively for Brendon and Rachel to lose because of the “We have god on our side” comment. > > Really? God would pick sides among contestants in a reality show? If so, I severely doubt he would be pulling for such a pair of douchebags. When she said that I yelled at the TV, “Of course He’s on your side. He’s GOD. He’s on EVERYONE’S side!” My wife took the remote away from me at that point. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2014, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/52 "2014-05-21T23:29:15Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > Oh, yes. I almost forgot about that. There was NO WAY to tell who actually finished when on that task, because at some point, just by the very nature of the illusion, they had to have done a whole lot of video shenanigans to get them out of the box before their monitor-selves actually finished the unlockings. That whole task was just categorically wrong for this show. Completely. I kind of felt like the whole thing was scripted and planned, down to the non-task-performing partner’s reaction shots. I really felt cheated by that task more so than the assembly-line finish line “run”. Copperfiled wouldn’t be part of something quite that lame, where after the other contestant watches their partner undo the locks, they all go take a 10-minute cigarette break before resuming the shoot. Copperfield is clearly lame (based on his appearance this episode) but not quite _that_ lame. The way the trick worked seemed pretty obvious to me. The spectator was blindfolded when brought to the crate because their partner was never in that crate; those were plant hands we saw. The partner was led to a truck somewhere in that parking lot with a crate inside it where they did their unlocking deal, then put on the firefighter costume and walked over to surprise their partner. The spectator was blindfolded so they wouldn’t see their partner being led away from the show crate to a different crate off camera. ---
**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 22, 2014, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/53 "2014-05-22T00:12:18Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Copperfiled wouldn’t be part of something quite that lame, where after the other contestant watches their partner undo the locks, they all go take a 10-minute cigarette break before resuming the shoot. Copperfield is clearly lame (based on his appearance this episode) but not quite _that_ lame. > > The way the trick worked seemed pretty obvious to me. The spectator was blindfolded when brought to the crate because their partner was never in that crate; those were plant hands we saw. The partner was led to a truck somewhere in that parking lot with a crate inside it where they did their unlocking deal, then put on the firefighter costume and walked over to surprise their partner. > > The spectator was blindfolded so they wouldn’t see their partner being led away from the show crate to a different crate off camera. I agree that’s how it probably was done. Copperfield even said something like “did you feel your partners hands” after they handed “them” the keys; trying to drive home the illusion that the other player was in the box. ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2014, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/54 "2014-09-22T19:53:14Z")
In case anyone is still subscribed to this, the new season starts this FRIDAY! I haven’t been able to watch this show in ages so I am really excited. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/55 "2014-09-24T05:08:17Z")
**The Amazing Race Canada** airing on CTV just concluded its second season. All the episodes are available on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MY5cG8zo7g). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725/56 "2014-09-24T13:39:45Z")
Thanks for the heads-up. I knew the new season was starting soon but wasn’t sure exactly when. I’m looking forward to it being on Friday now so I don’t have to worry about it being delayed by football. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-race-finale/688725.md?page=2)