The (not so) Amazing Race (not around the world)

Cafe Society
1

So last night I decided to prep for tonight’s episode of The Amazing Race by finding some publicity page about this season.

You see, at the beginning of a new season there are just so many teams that I have trouble sorting out all the players, their names, what their relationships are (brothers/couples/father-daughters, etc.) and any little bit of bio information they’re offering to help me get up to speed.

But I was shocked (shocked! SHOCKED!) with what I found on the Wikipedia page. Apparently when the decision was made to turn the episodes into 90 minutes last year, this season was completely in the can, already edited for the usual 60 minute slots … and they made the decision to SKIP that entire season and just edit the following season’s race to 90 minutes and show that one instead.

So what we’re seeing now is actually the season that was filmed earlier, with previously cut footage worked back into it. Which might not really matter, except when it was filmed they were still way more worried about sending the cast and crew out into what still might have been the massive danger of Covid exposure.

So this season is another one where they chartered a plane to ferry everyone about, so no scrambling at airports for the ‘best’ routes to travel.

Worse, they’d decided to cut the risks (and costs?) of filming by restricting the travel: The teams never leave the New World!

They start in Mexico, and also visit Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Barbados, and the Dominican Republic before ending up back in the USA. (Note much danger of the teams having to deal with killer jet lag this season, eh?)

Now, I’m not saying there aren’t plenty of interesting things they can do and see and visit, but I hardly see how going up and down these two continents counts as “a race AROUND the world.”

I feel cheated.

2

Have any of the Amazing Races truly been “around the world”? I don’t remember any of them which finished in the same place, or even the same city, where they started. I expect there are some that didn’t cross every meridian. And I seem to recall a season with teams of four family members which stayed within the U.S.

3

I had no idea a new TAR was starting tonight, so thanks for the heads-up. That’s interesting about this being a previously filmed race that was already in the can before the one that last aired.

I’m of two minds about the 60 vs 90 minute episodes. There have been some legs in previous races where it seemed like they had to cut a lot to make it fit, but some of those 90 minute episodes felt way too padded out.

I usually DVR and watch a few days later, so it helps to be able to skip through the ads.

And as with every new TAR, I wish @zut was still around to do the Taxi Assessments.

4

IIRC, the 90 minute episodes were due to the writers/actors strikes from preventing new shows from airing in the fall. So I’m guessing they actually filmed what turned out to be TAR 35 with the intent of 90 minute episodes from the start. I don’t have a problem with it, any TAR is better than no TAR.

Amazing Race 6 started and ended in Chicago. It looks like they did circumnavigate, but in the Northern Hemisphere only.

And yes, the family edition was strictly in North America, only venturing outside the USA to Panama, Costa Rica, and Canada. Since there were 9 minors in the race, including an 8 year old (!), I assume the producers thought the normal travel routine would be too difficult.

Oh, and the race actually started airing last week, so hopefully your DVR picked it up already @Shoeless.

ETA: The last race started in LA, traveled west, and ended in Seattle, so they actually traveled more than 360 degrees of longitude.

ETA2: Looking through the list of seasons, there have actually been several cases where they either traveled more than 360 degrees, or started & ended in the same location.

5

Yeah my DVR is usually more on the ball than I am. I don’t watch much network TV these days so I don’t see the promos when a new race is starting. Last one in the fall, I caught a promo during a football game, and when I checked the DVR I discovered it had started a month before!

6

The worst part about that one is they never announced they were sticking to the US for the season. So we were watching each episode going “surely they’re going to leave now”. Then, just when we had given up, they fly to Panama in episode 5, only to head back to the US in episode 7.

7

Man, those twin brothers are really getting the “moron” edit, aren’t they?

And I was disappointed in the detour - I thought they said or at least implied that if you lost/popped any balloons you had to replace them, but it looked like it was purely an easy search/run a bit task. As opposed to the flag task which seemed easier but drove teams crazy.

8

Nothing about reality TV shocks me.

9

So we’re seeing the last 2 seasons out of order? What we’re seeing now (season 35) was filmed before season 34?

If that’s so, then how do we explain that Phil says, before dropping the flag, that “like last season (referring to season 34) there will be no NELs”?

It does seem unusual that they started the race outside the US.

10

So it’s in the 23rd year but the 36th season???

11

They used to have two seasons per year, like Survivor. That show started in 2000 and is currently in its 45th season!

12

Last season they brought a little of the messing around in an airport which I was glad to see. I think the show was worse when they got rid of that (or minimized it). Rather than a conjured problem for the racers to get past the airports were real world, out of control of the producers challenges and that made it more fun because anything could happen.

Chartered jets…bleh.

13

Probably ADR’d in after the fact.

It’s an unpopular opinion, but I kinda like the chartered flights more. With the logistics of air travel becoming more difficult, airport drama hasn’t really been a thing for a long time. Usually you end up with everyone on the same flight or maybe split between two. I think it really only came into play once last season where someone managed to sneak onto an earlier flight that was supposedly sold out.

With the chartered flights they can set up staggered starts when they get to a new location. No more “let’s fly to a new place only to have the next thing not open for another 4 hours.”

14

I don’t think it’s an edit. Has there ever been a more clueless team than these surfer dudes? Ever? I haven’t finished watching tonight’s episode but I had to take a break because I was laughing so hard. I’m at the point where they are changing the detour again like somehow they are going to be able to do either of them. Can’t load a truck, can’t cook, can’t load a truck, let’s try to cook. Oh my god. This is hilarious.

15

A few thoughts. First, you might expect the owners of an aerobics business to fly up the stairs. You would be wrong. Second, it may have been fatigue or the stress of the race, but Sean is probably getting razzed by everyone today for his momentary freak out about descending a trail that a) had stepping stones; and b) even Angie, the 55 yo mother had no issues navigating. Third, and I might be wrong, but I think that outboard boat motors usually have their horsepower rating marked on the cover. If that’s right, I saw 90, 80, 115, and 45 hp motors on various boats. Choose wisely when picking a boat. Forth, the food in the cooking challenge looked delicious. Finally, someone tell the firefighters that the 80’s called and wants their sunglasses back.

Edited to add that the jeeps were cool, but a better task would be having to drive one with the front wheels off the ground in a figure eight track. Loading it like the Joads leaving Oklahoma was pretty lame.

16

I just got around to watching the first episode on DVR last night. (And unfortunately, the first 45 minutes was local severe weather coverage, so I missed all the team introductions and stuff.)

So, this is another “no non-elimination legs” race? Usually, like the last race, they instead swap in a couple of “mega-legs” where they get to the mat and Phil hands them a clue and says “You’re still racing!” But IIRC the team who comes in last is not eliminated but are also handed a clue and allowed to continue racing. (Which is essentially a NEL. Potato/potahto.)

Except at the end of the first episode, the team who came in last DID get eliminated. So, did they explain this at the beginning and I missed it? Am I misremembering how these “you’re still racing” legs work?

17

I’m going to miss them. Ironically, if they had only changed their mind twice instead of thrice they’d still be in it.

18

Not me, they were annoying. I am glad to see the last of them.

I think this is the only time that no-one did a challenge, every did the other choice.

19

A lot of incompetent teams in this edition. Zut would have most every team with 4 flat tires and stranded in the desert.

If this race is mostly in Latin and South America, Ricky and Cesar are going to have big advantage in navigation with Cesar? being fluent in Spanish. It also helps that they are capable in doing tasks.

I don’t if it was a possible for the firefighters to miss the Rebus as badly as they did. Yet they still didn’t get eliminated because one contestant couldn’t orientate herself correctly.

20

That always bugged me. “Yay! We got an earlier flight and beat the other teams by three hours! Oh…we can’t do anything for five hours and the other teams catch up.”

Phooey