In recent memory, yes. I don’t know if it’s ALWAY been that way, but I know it has for a long time (since at least TAR8 (family edition)). Looking at the TAR wiki, it looks like season 7 (which Uchenna & Joyce won) did not have a final memory task.
I’m ok with the results, I’m disappointed with the episode. It was all taxi-drama.
Some taxi-issues are ok, but I like season finales to have tasks. Tasks that they actually have to do and that it’s possible for teams to screw up or do especially well. There’s no way to be exceptional screwing in lightbulbs, counting, and falling. It’s a million dollars, they should have to work for it.
My wife is convinced the country singers only survived to the final three cause the show rigged it so it would be so. It was a bit too convenient how they were saved by two non-elimination rounds. They were not a strong team and should never had made the final three.
The first time Mark and Bopper were on the race, they came in last on two NELs. So, it has happened before. They never made it to the Final Three though.
Yeah, not a great leg in terms of tasks, but I was satisfied to see Rachel not win. I just really disliked her “we’re aren’t playing dirty, but it’s the final leg so what do they expect” bit. Then “I should have shoveled more dirt in their hole” and trying to steal another team’s cab (which might have been more Brendon, actually).
There’s a rule against sabotaging other teams, right? Someone got busted for it many Races ago for hiding a bicycle pump that other teams needed. I would think shoveling dirt into another team’s hole would draw the same penalty.
The Globetrotters.
I didn’t see Brendon doing that at all. When Rachel screwed up with the boots, he was all “let’s not dwell on it, let’s just hurry and get it right”, which is pretty much how he reacted to missing the Clue Box at the hotel, too.
One question, Rachel already won an episode of Big Brother ($500,000 according to Wikipedia); just how much money does she need before she has a baby?
Three holes being dug close together–some dirt’s gonna fly. Unless they’re deliberately shovelling it into another team’s hole (which, from the looks of it, they weren’t–they were just flinging it out of their hole), then so be it.
Overall, the most disappointing final ep I can remember for a long time. Very linear, little chance for an order change-up, just blah overall.
Gotta pay off the Dr to not force an abortion on her. (As in, who wants another Brenchell in the world?)
I was very disappointed that this ep was only about finding the clues and getting the right taxi driver (you talkin to me?).
Nah, the David Copperfield thing was just lame. First, they had to bust open the box with the keys, which is not the TAR way of doing things. Then the non-Roadblocking player on each team got blindfolded, like there was something they weren’t supposed to see, but then one of the blondes took off her blindfold and had to run back to get the keys. Then they handed the key ring into the player in the box; why not just have them carry it with them when they climbed in? Then they were supposed to pick the lock to let themselves out, but we didn’t see any of them actually do that. It was an elaborate illusion, staged three times, for an audience of one. As a Roadblock, a task that’s supposed to present a challenge that can be overcome by skill or strength, it sucked.
Was Bopper back for the finish? I forgot to look for him. Mallory is still all kinda cute, though.
They could have had a combination lock on the box of keys. and the Combination is a significant number from the race. Perhaps the numbers of steps they counted and then had to convert to Roman Numerals.
Got to hand it to Rachel by climbing in the back and trying to get a tool to open the box.
They definitely needed to have a task for them to do upon landing after the skydiving. Give all three teams an opportunity to arrive to a cheering audience, and make it an actual race to the finish.
Ugh, what a terrible finale. Both the Copperfield thing (seriously, WTF was that? Points to the blonde for having a “this is the dumbest thing ever” look plastered on her face the whole time) and the skydive were just killing time tasks. Fitting the light bulbs wasn’t much better. Really disappointed there was no memory task, everything just came down to taxi luck.
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? If them winning meant she was going to “have a baby” (how about “start a family” you self-centered jerk) then thank god they lost. Smart of her to grab a tool from the back to open the box, but uh, what are you going to do with a whole jack?
And man, I thought the whole season was a bit repetitive (remember when I ruptured my Achilles?) but this episode really took the cake with that. Achilles. Baby. Sixty year old man. Achilles. Baby. Sixty. Achilles. Baby.
I noticed that too, but I think she was just handing the jack to Brendon while she was fishing around for something else. Spare tires, and their accompanying tools, are usually packed in a pretty tight space. There may have even been tools under the spare wheel, all of which would have been difficult to get to when you’re sitting on top of it.
Awful finale, redeemed only by the chance to see Rachel lose and melt down some more. What an awful person and a moron to boot. Something’s amiss cognitively there - she can hardly run without faceplanting. On the boot task, she said the proper words from the clue (size 9 or 11) and then literally moments later had changed it to 10.
It is so common for people who are going to a final leg in their home town to blow it!
Well, he was more all, “let’s not dwell on the fact that you screwed up, let’s just hurry and get it right so that your mistake doesn’t cost us the race.” I like the hurry-and-get-it-right part; the make-sure-Rachel-gets-the-blame part, not so much.
Yes, this kind of inordinately annoys me. I suppose it’s possible that the prizes are awarded as a 20-year annuity or something, in which case $25K per year is nice but nowhere near filthy-rich territory. Or maybe Rachel is a keen financial planner, and has a long-term investment strategy which prohibits current use of her money. Either way, though, if having a child is that important to her, then she should. If they decide they need to save money beforehand to make things easier, then I applaud them for their fiscal responsibility, but shut up about it, because it’s your choice, and you’re starting out on a lot more stable footing than most couples do.
I can only hope that humanity uses the several years of warning appropriately to prepare for Rachel’s offspring.
I’m pretty sure it’s almost always something like a a 20-year annuity. And that’s pre-taxed too! So yeah, so very likely a not-huge amount on a year to year basis
It can’t be both. They can’t charge you taxes on money you haven’t received yet. And given that the first Survivor winner Richard Hatch went to federal prison for 4 years for failing to pay taxes on his winnings, I’d say he got the full 1 million up front.
“All-Stars Edition: The Not Really Amazing At All Race”
Who said anything about paying taxes before receiving it?
At any rate, here’s a good article on the topic