The Amazing Race Season 20, Episode 11 and 12 Discussion

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  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Well yeh the soldier who served in Iraq winning will be seen to be a good story. I always hate these messages they put in programs though, with the constestants uttering platitudes. It's nothing new in fact they had a team in TAR3 with a soldier from Vietnam. I actually liked that team but the speeches about Vietnam made me cringe. I really wish they would cut the political and social messages and just concentrate on the race.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    I really wish they would cut the political and social messages and just concentrate on the race.

    some of the great moment in the show have been when they have stopped to pay tribute to historical issues, for example I will never forget in series 6 when they paid tribute to the , where slaves were shipped to US from Goure Island in Africa was an amazingly moving moment, especially with regards to Gus and Hera, if you take away the insight in to cultures of the places people go then you kill the show stone dead, because what is a race around the world if you don't take a moment to look at and appreciate the cultures of the places your going to, you might as well just save the money and run the race in a stadium.....
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Best memory task I have seen was from the All Stars when they went down into the bank vault and had to match opinions with each other.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    Best memory task I have seen was from the All Stars when they went down into the bank vault and had to match opinions with each other.

    My favourites was in series 12, where they had to select objects from each leg of the race. It was incredibly complex but very exciting and was a real game changer. Likewise the season 14 one with the surfboards.

    The problem is for every good memory task there has been a rubbish one: like last years or the one from sea on 9 with the flags.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Muttley76 wrote: »
    some of the great moment in the show have been when they have stopped to pay tribute to historical issues

    The problem for me is that it always seems so manipulative. Perhaps the biggest Amazing Race cliche of all is the black contestant in Africa saying he is in his homeland and what a special bond he has with the land and people. And just as a side point anyway slaves were often simply exchanging a black master for a white one, they were already slaves. But of course saying that wouldn't fit their story. And it's just been done to death, it's like if the scriptwriters don't put it in they will get fired. I actually liked the first few episodes of the 6th season, but coincidentally I thought it went downhill after the slave trade/Berlin wall double whammy message episode.

    And it honestly feels like racers are just reading from a script often anyway, not like it is really their own individual thoughts. All this stuff in India about showing respect to the religion was so over the top, was it a response to someone in the previous season I think I heard someone say somewhere? I don't mind them looking at cultures but in an even way, not hitting me over the head with a sledgehammer. That's the problem with American shows, and Ch5 are probably pushing BB that way here, they can treat the audience like they are stupid. Well maybe some of them are, but not all and I'm certainly not. It's all part of the long recaps and interview snippets stating the bleedin' obvious. Or when they had Rachel and Brendon reshoot a scene earlier as if we wouldn't be aware of it.

    The actual format of the race is great, but with reality shows the presentation can sour things and the 'big brother' producers can think they are there to manipulate the audience as much as the contestants. That's how many reality shows seem to disintegrate.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Muttley76 wrote: »
    My favourites was in series 12, where they had to select objects from each leg of the race. It was incredibly complex but very exciting and was a real game changer. Likewise the season 14 one with the surfboards.

    The problem is for every good memory task there has been a rubbish one: like last years or the one from sea on 9 with the flags.

    I thought the design wasn't so neat with 12 (though it was complex), the surfboard one was better in that sense. But as I said I liked the neatness of the vault one. Also the totem poll one from 3 was neat, though it was a bit simple. The vault one was having to guess what somebody else would think (which I know had been done on Big Brother) and was a good twist on it I thought.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    The problem for me is that it always seems so manipulative. Perhaps the biggest Amazing Race cliche of all is the black contestant in Africa saying he is in his homeland and what a special bond he has with the land and people. And just as a side point anyway slaves were often simply exchanging a black master for a white one, they were already slaves. But of course saying that wouldn't fit their story. And it's just been done to death, it's like if the scriptwriters don't put it in they will get fired. I actually liked the first few episodes of the 6th season, but coincidentally I thought it went downhill after the slave trade/Berlin wall double whammy message episode.

    And it honestly feels like racers are just reading from a script often anyway, not like it is really their own individual thoughts. All this stuff in India about showing respect to the religion was so over the top, was it a response to someone in the previous season I think I heard someone say somewhere? I don't mind them looking at cultures but in an even way, not hitting me over the head with a sledgehammer. That's the problem with American shows, and Ch5 are probably pushing BB that way here, they can treat the audience like they are stupid. Well maybe some of them are, but not all and I'm certainly not. It's all part of the long recaps and interview snippets stating the bleedin' obvious. Or when they had Rachel and Brendon reshoot a scene earlier as if we wouldn't be aware of it.

    The actual format of the race is great, but with reality shows the presentation can sour things and the 'big brother' producers can think they are there to manipulate the audience as much as the contestants. That's how many reality shows seem to disintegrate.

    I'm starting to feel like your too cynical for this show....;)

    Being serious, it feels like you would change every single aspect of the show that makes it special and different and turn it in to something that is one dimensional and generic.

    The show as it is has lasted for 20 seasons and is still going strong, don't you think it's fair to say the producers have been something right all these years to do so?
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Muttley76 wrote: »
    Only one team didn't follow the instructions, though Dave and Rachael almost didn't themselves. It happens sometimes that people don't follow the clues, it got a couple of teams eliminated in the past, and almost a third time actually, when people were told to walk to the pitstop and didn't. Theres no conspiracy theory and no evidence to support your notion that the other teams were "encouraged" to take cars at all. The clue was quite explicit but in the heat of the moment it's easy not to read things clearly, which is what happened here.

    I'll never trust reality show producers, we are never shown everything. They clearly all read the clue. Why were their cars there anyway? The editing can also make it a bit confusing as well as they wanted to pack so much in (too much) to one episode. I know people haven't read clues before but that seemed like they all clearly read it fully.

    Remember when they got Rachel and Brendon to act out a scene, you really believe everything? Of course you don't lol.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    I'll never trust reality show producers, we are never shown everything. They clearly all read the clue. Why were their cars there anyway?

    The cars were there because they used them to get to the venue and had them wait in case they needed them. That's what teams almost always do. No mystery there.

    Again, teams read clues and still get it wrong all the time. One team convinced themselves that "walk to the pit stop" meant that they had to walk from their cab to the pit stop when they reached their destination, for example, and got eliminated as a result.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again, even though it seems to be the inconvenient truth that gets ignored, if the producers manipulated the outcome of the race in favour of one team or another it would be a violation of US federal law because the Amazing Race falls under the definition of a game show, which is heavily regulated due to historic issues many years ago when they were riddled with corruption (I'm sure you've seen Quiz Show, right?)

    Editing being misleading is one thing, but they would not and could not do anything to effect the outcome of the race one way or another or they would be breaking the law.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Muttley76 wrote: »
    I'm starting to feel like your too cynical for this show....;)

    Being serious, it feels like you would change every single aspect of the show that makes it special and different and turn it in to something that is one dimensional and generic.

    The show as it is has lasted for 20 seasons and is still going strong, don't you think it's fair to say the producers have been something right all these years to do so?

    I've never liked the message part, it's one of the things I'm putting up with because I do like other aspects of the show. But it really does make me cringe. Another example the deaf guy in TAR14, and Charla in TAR 5/11. I actually liked Charla and Mirna (mainly for Mirna who was funny), but it was obvious they were encouraged by the producers to run with the story of the little person and her struggles. I don't need to be preached to. Americans are probably more used to this kind of approach, maybe they are less cynical and more trusting. But I really don't think that approach would be accepted so much here, and I'm glad people are questioning I think that is very healthy.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Muttley76 wrote: »
    The cars were there because they used them to get to the venue and had them wait in case they needed them.

    Well they obviously didn't need them did they? Ultimately you can pin most things down to the person making the decision, it's hard to conclusively prove manipulation / encouragement in reality shows as the only people with all the evidence are the producers lol. But the contestants know what they are letting themselves in for, for the viewer though it's frustrating not seeing things unedited. I really do think the power can go to the heads of reality producers.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    Well they obviously didn't need them did they?

    But the contestants didn't know that at the time though, did they? I mean when they arrived to start the task there they didn't know they would be leaving in a helicopter did they? So it wasn't remotely "obvious" at the time, in fact if anything the remoteness of the location would have suggested they would need them.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    The taxi driver seemed to just be encouraging them into the car and I don't know where the taxi driver was taking them a few times in that leg really. Anyway the predictable result happened, Rachel and Dave won.

    Oh and can someone explain why they need taxis in Hawaii? It should have been the racers driving.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    The taxi driver seemed to just be encouraging them into the car and I don't know where the taxi driver was taking them a few times in that leg really.

    They went and ASKED him something, for goodness sake. I really think you just need to accept that Rachel and Brendon f*cked up and move on, all this conspiracy theory nonsense is making you look like a sore loser, imho.

    Anyway the predictable result happened, Rachel and Dave won.

    It did, but not in a predictable way at least.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    I can accept they made a mistake but If you don't think the producers have an influence in this show then many would disagree with you. What about Uchena and Joyce getting on the plane after it was about to leave in TAR 7? :D Art and JJ certainly did nearly win this but I guess that final roadblock wasn't exactly designed for Art. Why no detour towards the end anyway? And I'm still asking why they are using taxis around Hawaii instead of driving themselves?
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    starry wrote: »
    What about Uchena and Joyce getting on the plane after it was about to leave in TAR 7? :D

    what about it? Things like that are up to the pilot to make calls on

    Art and JJ certainly did nearly win this but I guess that final roadblock wasn't exactly designed for Art.

    I don't see how it was designed against him. It was just that he wasn't very good at it.

    Why no detour towards the end anyway?

    It's quite common for the final leg to have a different structure.

    And I'm still asking why they are using taxis around Hawaii instead of driving themselves?

    Again, this is far from uncommon in the final leg of a race, so I have no idea why you are asking yourself this at all, other than to desperately try and come up with another excuse for your Perfect Princess getting her arse kicked.

    I give up, seriously. Theres no reasoning with people so convinced everything was a fix against their pet favourite.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    I prefer them driving around and making their own mistakes rather than depend on taxi drivers, nothing new with me with this leg. That's why I liked the German leg where they where actually allowed to drive around.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    I think we can safely say Bopper and Mark will be put into the next All Stars if available, the producers even gave them a word before the winners at the end as if they were the second place team rofl.
  • Kyle123Kyle123 Posts: 25,782
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    Yeah, I think Bopper and Mark will be the only team from this season who we'll ever see again. It'll be a long time before another Allstar season, and I can't really see any of the others being memorable enough to compete again. Maybe Brenchel, but given the controversy about them recasting Romber in the first Allstar season, I don't think they'll go down that route again.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    I quite liked Rob and Amber in it, even though I never saw Survivor. That was another team that won quite a few legs. I don't understand why Uchena and Joyce were chosen again though, I would have thought there would be more controversy over that as they won it first time round.
  • Kyle123Kyle123 Posts: 25,782
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    I think the controversy stemmed from the fact that it was the fourth time in around 5 years that CBS had cast them on a reality show, as well as giving them their own show, and that they had both already won major prizes on Survivor.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    Mark and Bopper are likely for another all stars, sort of sign posted like Gary and Mallery were a few seasons back. But I don't want to see another all stars for a long time yet, I tend to think there was too short a gap between all stars and second chance concepts, really, even though I much preferred the second chance concept.
  • starrystarry Posts: 12,434
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    Kyle123 wrote: »
    I think the controversy stemmed from the fact that it was the fourth time in around 5 years that CBS had cast them on a reality show, as well as giving them their own show, and that they had both already won major prizes on Survivor.

    Ah ok I didn't realise they had got their own show as well. :D That's a bit like CH4 with Nikki. Reality show producers most definitely have their favourites. I will say though that they were good racers anyway. And despite what some say about Rachel I don't think she is a big favourite of CBS, if she was she would have had a much better edit.
  • phill363phill363 Posts: 24,311
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    Can't believe at the end I was rooting for Rachel and Dave :rolleyes: the best thing i can say about the end was thank god Art and AJ didn't win. overall I think this season could of done with a better cast, I think both Art and AJ and Big Brother was slightly too much.

    oh well bring on The Amazing Race Australia season 2.
  • Muttley76Muttley76 Posts: 97,888
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    phill363 wrote: »
    Can't believe at the end I was rooting for Rachel and Dave :roll eyes:

    I know, when i though Art and JJ were going to win I almost gave up watching, but then when Rachel and Dave caught up to them I was cheering them on, says much about how much I didn't want Art and JJ to win, lol! :D
    the best thing i can say about the end was thank god Art and AJ didn't win.

    Indeed!
    oh well bring on The Amazing Race Australia season 2.

    Looking forward to it muchly, though I understand they have introduced some new quirks I'm not sure I like, as yet.....
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