S32.E01: One Million Miles

[Haleth]

Oh, man, I FORGOT TO WATCH LAST NIGHT! 😫

What a great start!  Fun countries, fun tasks, and goats!  Everyone on the race seems nice so far.  There isn't anyone I can say I can't stand right now (although Michelle is kind of on the bubble), so I was sorry to see the catfish guys get eliminated.  I thought for sure if they all were still racing the guys would be allowed to continue.  Bummer.

How many times did those poor spectators and musicians have to listen to the Banana Boat song?

 

[Lady Calypso]

Welcome back, TAR! I have genuinely missed you, especially a season with all fresh faces!

I really enjoyed how things played out in this premiere. There wasn't the second flight teams who were in immediate danger for being too far behind; they all had a chance to catch up, which I think they all did. And the tasks were fun! I had a blast watching the goat running task to the finish line! And the Banana Boat song. 

I enjoyed most of the pairs. Michelle was irritating and one of the blonde sisters irritated me at a point (not sure if she was Kaylynn or Haley) but everyone else seemed fine. I think I'm rooting for Team Parents (Hung and Chee) Team Father/Son (Jerry and Frank) and Team Tinder (Leo and Alana) the most (though the last team could change depending on how annoying they get). I also liked Team NFL (DeAngelo and Gary) I especially had a good chuckle at how Leo completed the task and how serious he was about hitting the notes. Team Olympics was also fun to watch, especially the dyslexic segment. 

Overall, a solid start to the season. 

[danm]

Happy to have the show back, or at least finally have this one out of the can.  No love or hate (yet) from me for any of the teams, and I always feel sorry for 1st team eliminated.  Happy also to have teams "regular people" instead of "re-packaged wanna-be tv personalities" because I feel this is a very  important part of this show's core values.  I'll stretch to include the ex-NFL players into the "regular people" category, partly because of their comic-con intro, partly that they have now demonstrated that they can easily come in last place, partly because they seem to be fairly normal people, and mostly because I have no prior knowledge of them and they haven't been on some other tv show already. 

Funny thing for me, was I saw Phil pushing a particular Cellular Service Provider on broadcast tv a few days ago, and didn't get what/why he had fallen far down enough to where he had to do that.  And then during the show there was a product placement ad for the exact same Cellular Service Provider (show sponsor) and immediately understood why he was doing regular ads for them.  I'm currently visiting my father, and he uses that exact same Cellular Service Provider...  but has absolutely no idea or knowledge of who Phil is.

For me, I liked the team intros mixed into the first 20 minutes of the show, because I find the team-team-team... usual order to be quite tedious.  And I don't remember who any of them are anyway.  At least in this (new) way, I could wonder for a minute or two "who are those unintroduced people and what is their story" and then eventually it was revealed.  

There was some chances for order-mixing, and believe that now "one motor or two motors" will become a decision factor on which boat to choose if you have a choice.

Let the season continue, and improve with every episode.  

 

[Fukui San]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Oh, man, I FORGOT TO WATCH LAST NIGHT! 😫

What a great start!  Fun countries, fun tasks, and goats!  Everyone on the race seems nice so far.  There isn't anyone I can say I can't stand right now (although Michelle is kind of on the bubble), so I was sorry to see the catfish guys get eliminated.  I thought for sure if they all were still racing the guys would be allowed to continue.  Bummer.

How many times did those poor spectators and musicians have to listen to the Banana Boat song?

 

OMG. I just realized that when teams were saying "Team Catfish", they meant those guys and not the team that met online and started dating 10 months ago like I assumed.

[Eolivet]

Decent episode, but I cringed at the volleyball guys. They are literally every "dude bro athlete" team ever, but they hide their dude bro athleticism with beards. Completely unspoiled, but bracing for them to go far.

Out-of-work football players I classify differently, because they're older and presumably retired (and thus out of shape), but can we get one season without a dude bro athletic team? Please?

[iMonrey]

38 minutes ago, danm said:

Happy also to have teams "regular people" instead of "re-packaged wanna-be tv personalities" because I feel this is a very  important part of this show's core values. 

Agreed. Admittedly, the race has been dumbed down over the years, which makes casting all the more important. They've had some dud casts for a few seasons lately so I was really pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this one. 

[Roccos Brother]

Disappointed that Hung and Chee were robbed of a first place prize, let alone the FIRST first place prize!

Also sad to see Nathan and Cody/Catfish boys be the first to go, they were emerging as an early favorite. I was really hoping for a non-elimination.

Happy that Amazing Race is back to the original casting formula, with no gimmicks this season. Feels like they're missing a parent/child pairing though!

Also happy to see Amazing Race returning in general to serve as my travel porn to live vicariously through during this difficult time of pandemic quarantining!

Edited October 15, 2020 by Roccos Brother

[illdoc]

12 minutes ago, Roccos Brother said:

Feels like they're missing a parent/child pairing though!

It's there---basketball player and his father (who coached him). 

[TVbitch]

A lot of sibling and athletic teams, but no youtube "sensations" or Big Brother teams, so I am happy.

But dang it, I really wanted the catfish team to stay. A lot of the other teams seem like have already enjoyed some adventure in their lives, what with being pro-athletes and/or having more money to travel, so I was really rooting for those guys. 

[HurricaneVal]

Squeeeeee!!!!  My show is back!!!

I love all the teams, though I really, really, really dislike bushy hipster beards so I'm concentrating on the volleyball player's sunny upbeat personality rather than their appearance.   I even like Michelle, though her comment seemed unnecessary.  I think she was striving for sarcasm and was probably taken out of context.  Or not.  Time will tell if she's really a nasty piece of work or not. 

My favorites so far are the football players who seem to have a truly quirky and unexpectedly nerdy (cosplay!) friendship, the Olympians because I just flat out love The Olympics and I haz a sad that the Tokyo games have been postponed this year, the married couple because they're just so damned determined and cute, and the brother and sister because they're such superfans.  But everybody seemed so enthusiastic and happy to be there racing.  Buh-bye, catfish guys....  You seemed nice, but just not really cut out for longevity in the race.

They really started out with two Amazing Race classic comps: the needle in a haystack search, and the performance judgement.  I hope they hit all the classics as the race proceeds.  I hope someone's ox is broken.

Poor Phil seemed completely freaked out by Hung's header at the mat!  She also bowled into the greeter pretty hard, but he seemed OK.  She's tiny, but she had a lot of momentum when she hit him!  I noticed that for every team after that Phil kept yelling "Let go...LET GO...LET GO OF THE GOATS!!!!" as they approached the mat after finishing the run.

I can't wait until next week....and the week after that.....and the week after that.............

[Roccos Brother]

17 minutes ago, illdoc said:

It's there---basketball player and his father (who coached him). 

Whoops! I totally forgot! So far, I like this cast; no offensive teams imo, but also not many standouts. 

[meep.meep]

15 hours ago, hula-la said:

I want to race with goats. That is all. 

Every single time we watch an episode of Amazing Race my daughter asks me if there will be bunny racing.  So this time I asked her if goat racing was good enough.

4 hours ago, Fukui San said:

OMG. I just realized that when teams were saying "Team Catfish", they meant those guys and not the team that met online and started dating 10 months ago like I assumed.

If the nerds were really Team Catfish, then they wouldn't have ever met up.  

Hooray!  My show is back!

[Netfoot]

So very pleased to see TAR back on the air! And extra pleased that they made their first stop in TnT! I always thought they'd never go to the islands because there is really only one way in and out. But the TnT stop gives hope for all the islands!

Off in search of a fruit vendor on (looks like) Eastern Main Road. Then to roll drums to what looks like a party-yard. Those drums had already been reworked into base pans, by the way. Or at least partially reworked. You could see the tops were divided into three.

Eswar & Aparna: They really think it's better to hang back? Generally, I'd say that isn't any sort of race-winning strategy.

Then an ATR 72 to Tobago. Last time I was there, I was four year old. That was sixty years ago. (Do the math, if you really care.) So I didn't recognize anything directly. But naturally, they would have to end up at Buccoo Reef. And for the most part, on pirogues. 

Kellie & Lavonne: We're going to hear the word 'Olympics' an awful lot, aren't we?

Daylight come an' I wanna go home! My grand niece used to play pan. Chee had good rhythm on the pan first time out. Michelle... not so much. She was more concerned about how she looked! It was quickly obvious that remembering the strikes was not the hard part for some, but getting the rhythm was the problem.

I shouldn't have been surprised by Goat Racing, seeing as it originated in Buccoo...  (It's pronounced BUCK-OO and not BOO-COE, as I heard some racers say it.)

Aaaand an Uber-leg on Day One!  You go, Phil! They will have to return to Piarco, I think, because I don't think there are any international flights out of Tobago.

17 hours ago, raeb23 said:

It's steel drums, though we tend to use "steelpan" or just "pan".

I can confirm what @raeb23 says: it starts life as an "drum" but by the time you can make music with it, it's a "Steel Pan", or just a "Pan".

16 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I forgot to mention: poor form for Phil for not bringing up Claire's name in that one spot.

I think the watermelon backfire was an iconic moment and I agree that Claire should be remembered for that, and for the fact that she got up, finished the challenge, and continued running the race. I'd have called for an ambulance and headed out to the hospital! Even now, when I see that clip, I feel actual pain, just watching!

13 hours ago, Fukui San said:

Who else kept hearing The Proclaimers every time you saw the "One Million Miles" title?

Not me, because I really hate The Proclaimers and that horrible song that made them famous.

Well, I can't say I have discovered any teams to especially like or dislike.  Not too fond of Michelle -- her specifically and not team Michelle & Victoria. I think it was more Michelle's condescending attitude, as much as anything she said. And this is Episode #1, so perhaps the team will improve in my eyes. Wouldn't have been sorry to see team Eswar & Aparna eliminated, just for their "Let's deliberately not try hard in case we fall down" approach to the race. Try your best or don't try at all, people! Nathan & Cody were eliminated and they were inoffensive enough that I would have been more than OK for them to stay on, but somebody had to go, I guess. Kaylynn & Haley didn't seem to get much airtime this episode. I'm left with the "Dumb Blonde Cannon Fodder" impression -- and I hate when that happens, ever since I came to that conclusion about BQs Dustin & Kandice, and they proved me so completely wrong. (The BQs are still my favourite racers of all time.) So maybe Kaylynn & Haley will prove my initial gut feeling wrong, and go on to kick ass and take names.

So to finish, Thank you Phil, thank you TPTB, for a gimmick-free cast of racers, and an enjoyable first episode. Looking forward to the next episode with great interest!

[Hera]

8 hours ago, Brynnjk said:

Even before [Michelle's] comment, I really didn't like their team vibe.

I agree with this. Michelle seems like a lot, but I didn't like Victoria's little speech on the boat to the goat racing about how she would have been better at the roadblock because she played bass drum and the piano, and then quickly backtracked to add that Michelle is good at the piano too. I suspect these two still haven't completely shed their parent-assigned roles, but we'll see—sibling teams can always bear a little more dysfunction than couples can.

This seems like a reasonably nice cast, so I don't have any clear front-runners in terms of favorite teams. That said, I do have a soft spot for James, who applied so many times before finally getting on the show. I can't imagine how frustrating it's been for him to have to wait another two years to get to talk about the season he competed on.

6 hours ago, RoxiP said:

I thought the catfish guys were kind of nice and I was sorry they were eliminated...seriously...would it have been too much trouble to let them run until the end of the leg?

There was a season where the first leg was a non-elimination leg and I wouldn't have minded if they had done it again here. What I didn't like was that Hung and Chee didn't seem to win anything for coming in first because this wasn't a pit stop, but at the same time, Nathan and Cody got eliminated, as though it were.

[raeb23]

4 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Off in search of a fruit vendor on (looks like) Eastern Main Road. Then to roll drums to what looks like a party-yard.

The stall was on the EMR in St. Augustine, just down the road from the Exodus panyard.

16 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

They will have to return to Piarco, I think, because I don't think there are any international flights out of Tobago.

There are international flights from Tobago but only to London and Frankfurt. So they would have to go back to Piarco and fly to Miami, Caracas or Panama City to catch a flight to Bogota.

[Maverick]

 Apparently there's precedence for eliminating a team in the middle of super leg, but I don't like it.   Then it's not really a super leg--it's just  a non-existent pit stop.   I actually wish all the first legs were super legs.   I generally feel sorry for the the first eliminated team and I think a super leg gives everyone a chance get the hang of racing and gives the last team a kick in the pants to not fail.    

[katalizt]

16 minutes ago, Maverick said:

 Apparently there's precedence for eliminating a team in the middle of super leg, but I don't like it.   Then it's not really a super leg--it's just  a non-existent pit stop.   I actually wish all the first legs were super legs.   I generally feel sorry for the the first eliminated team and I think a super leg gives everyone a chance get the hang of racing and gives the last team a kick in the pants to not fail.    

I completely agree, we just never really get to know the first team out. I wasn't expecting an elimination either. 

The last five minutes or so felt so rushed though. The eliminated team didn't get much of a goodbye.

I'm excited that they're going to Bogotá! 

[Netfoot]

15 hours ago, Maverick said:

I actually wish all the first legs were super legs.   I generally feel sorry for the the first eliminated team and I think a super leg gives everyone a chance get the hang of racing and gives the last team a kick in the pants to not fail.

I know where you're coming from. I've often said the first two legs should be NEL, because it would give all the teams a chance to get used to racing, and we'd get to see more of the early dismissals before we they go. I realize keeping all the teams racing for three episodes would increase the cost of production and is therefore unlikely, but I think it would be a good (as opposed to gimmicky) change.

Thanks for the specific info, @raeb23. It's been a long time since I lived in T&T but EMR did look familiar. Didn't recognize the yard, but then there are yards all over Trindad! And I wouldn't recognize any of them specifically, in any case.

Does anyone know what time of year this was filmed? It was very Carnival and they even had Midnight Robber on hand. I just wonder if they held the fête specifically for TAR or if they actually filmed during Carnival.

Edited October 16, 2020 by Netfoot

[AuntieDiane6]

Quote

Ugly American making racial stereotype of another contestant? Yup. (Congrats Michelle you waited close to two years to get a bad edit on the first episode.)

My Asian family of first generation Americans would make similar remarks.  Perfectly acceptable in Asian communities, although they usually only make such comments among themselves. 

Michelle may be a jerk, though, according to everyone's standards.  We'll see.

[Haleth]

27 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Does anyone know what time of year this was filmed? It was very Carnival and they even had Midnight Robber on hand. I just wonder if they held the fête specifically for TAR or if they actually filmed during Carnival.

I think someone said it was filmed Nov 2018. 

[Skyfall]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

I know where you're coming from. I've often said the first two legs should be NEL, because it would give all the teams a chance to get used to racing, and we'd get to see more of the early dismissals before we go. I realize keeping all the teams racing for three episodes would increase the cost of production and is therefore unlikely, but I think it would be a good (as opposed to gimmicky) change.

Thanks for the specific info, @raeb23. It's been a long time since I lived in T&T but EMR did look familiar. Didn't recognize the yard, but then there are yards all over Trindad! And I wouldn't recognize any of them specifically, in any case.

Does anyone know what time of year this was filmed? It was very Carnival and they even had Midnight Robber on hand. I just wonder if they held the fête specifically for TAR or if they actually filmed during Carnival.

Nov 2018 and they can fix NEL at the beginning by having double elimination legs later.

[chaifan]

6 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I even like Michelle, though her comment seemed unnecessary.  I think she was striving for sarcasm and was probably taken out of context.  Or not. 

I thought it was sarcasm.  It was clearly a swipe at the "all Asians are child prodigies on musical instruments" stereotype.  I didn't think she was making fun of Chinese, she was making fun of people who lump all Asians together.  My guess is she and her sister have spent their lives saying "we're Vietnamese, not Chinese", since Chinese seems to be the default Asian nationality for white people who can't tell difference.  Anyways, I loved the bit about the mom only having one picture in her wallet. 

I liked all the teams, but wasn't sad to see the catfish guys go.  They were the least interesting to me.  Bottom 3 were them, the blonde sisters and the dad/son team.  I do give the blonde sisters credit for seeing the advantage in having one of the two athletic teams eliminated early (even though it didn't work out that way). 

How is it that the nerdy gal never got around to getting dressed after the fish challenge?  She was in her bikini the rest of the race.  I just don't see that as a smart move - they had no idea what the next challenge would be, and a bikini isn't exactly optimum racing attire. 

Eswar's logic (?) on not hauling ass in the beginning was just dumb.  I get not being stupid, but RAAAAACE!  I hope they step up, because I like their dynamic together. 

Welcome back, Phil.  We missed you.

  

[bugsmum]

I felt terrible for the Olympian who struggled with two consecutive tasks that revolved around numbers; I was really pulling for them to not come in last because of it.  Watching those two women run with the goats - wow, that was an impressive sight.   Michelle's comments didn't much bother me.  Although I myself am not Asian and therefore would not say that sort of thing, I've heard similar from my Asian family and friends.  She may yet turn out to be an ass but I'll reserve judgement for now.  

[Quilt Fairy]

18 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I think that was TAR 10. I remember being excited that there were four teams who were minorities going into the season. Then two of those teams got eliminated in the first double episode, including the "To Be Continued" elimination. It was not the Poker Girls' season, but the season where the second bus bonded and formed the "Back Pack" alliance. The Coal Miners David and Mary and the Beauty Queens Dustin & Kandace debuted that season.

Yes, that's it,  Bilal & Sa'eed.  Don't know why I thought the Poker Girls were in that season, apparently they were in S15.  

[Bad Example]

Thank you, Amazing Race Gods, for the goats.

GOATS GOATS GOATS!!!

I feel like Hung is all of us with her answer whether she was all right.  "I'M ON THE MAT!"  That's right, you're more than all right!  

Disliked Michelle pretty much from the first words out of her mouth, don't like the Beard Boy vibe and they lost me with "hillbillies".  I liked Eswar and Aparna on paper before the race, but so far he's disappointing me.  Hustle is important and he seems like he's got a superior attitude. 

Someone mentioned that they liked Kellie but didn't see enough of LaVonne to know.  For me, LaVonne's lack of blame when Kellie was struggling on the drum was enough to put her on my good list.  

And good grief, Gary doesn't have a neck, he's got a head on a mountain. 

[North of Eden]

A  day late to this party but here goes.

Almost lost my mojo to type this because I was so disapointed th two freinds went out. I liked their attitudes and enthusiasm for the race so its a shame they went out early when there are a lot more teams I would have prefered bite the dust first episode like Team Gross Beards or the team of boyfriends because I feel like we've seen this exact same team cast over and over again with only the names being different. I like more unusual teams like the two NFL players.

More Cajun Asian please! So good to have a team to root for since there is no one left to root for on a certain other CBS show now airing that shall remain nameless. Man, Victoria is all kinds of smokin' hot so I can overlook her prima donna like sister.

Nerds please stop playing up the nerd angle so hard. Olympians...what no budget to pay for stock footage for a flashback to 2012 olympics?

"Teams must now comb through a crowd of hundreds" nice shout out to the lost world of pre-2020! How I mess thee!

Enjoy this while you can folks...between the anemic premier numbers and COVID...this may well be it. 😞

[Johannah]

I can't remember names for anyone this early.  Don't dislike anyone, yet, but hate the beards.  Not the guys.  Their beards.

I thought the Olympian racers were going to beat the goats.  One was ahead about halfway through the race.

[bamlou]

5 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

My Asian family of first generation Americans would make similar remarks.  Perfectly acceptable in Asian communities, although they usually only make such comments among themselves. 

Michelle may be a jerk, though, according to everyone's standards.  We'll see.

As a fellow Asian I get what you mean, and found myself amused by Michelle's comment and totally took it as sarcasm said in jest to undercut/poke fun at such stereotypes.

 

20 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I like the mix of people so far. I'm here for the (one sided so far) Asian on Asian rivalry.

Haha yes me too ...I'm just thrilled that there's more than one Asian team this season for such a rivalry to exist!

[BK1978]

15 hours ago, Seelouis said:

 

I may be wrong but I believe Hung is the wife and Chee is the husband. 

You are not wrong and I am an idiot for not checking before I post.  But I tend to have one stupid post a day on this site. 

Okay nothing to see in my previous post...move along now.

[BK1978]

8 hours ago, AuntieDiane6 said:

My Asian family of first generation Americans would make similar remarks.  Perfectly acceptable in Asian communities, although they usually only make such comments among themselves. 

Michelle may be a jerk, though, according to everyone's standards.  We'll see.

I just wanted to add that my dislike of Michelle didn't come from the joke.  I got her joke and I did not find it offensive especially when it was confirmed that he did indeed play the piano.  I just found her over all attitude to be sort of crappy.  But as you said, we will see.  I might end up loving her.  I was just going off first impressions.

Also, @North of Eden, I forgot to quote you but I second what you said about Victoria.  My god is she beautiful. 

Edited October 16, 2020 by BK1978

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Hera said:

I agree with this. Michelle seems like a lot, but I didn't like Victoria's little speech on the boat to the goat racing about how she would have been better at the roadblock because she played bass drum and the piano, and then quickly backtracked to add that Michelle is good at the piano too. I suspect these two still haven't completely shed their parent-assigned roles, but we'll see—sibling teams can always bear a little more dysfunction than couples can.

I agree. Victoria’s comment about how she would have been better made be reevaluate my opinion of Michelle. Michelle gets it on her second try and they are in second place and Victoria still has to get in a dig about how she’s better. It’s so easy to fall into old patterns around your siblings. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As a short person, I really felt for Hung when she and Chee were doing the fish task in the water. Her life vest was floating so high over her shoulders that it was practically over her head.

10 hours ago, Haleth said:

I think someone said it was filmed Nov 2018. 

Why did they wait so long to air this season?

[FoundTime]

Also loving the lack of stunt casting this season. I wasn't spoiled before the premiere but I would have been so disappointed after so long a wait (and God knows when this show can ever film again) to catch any whiff of it.

And as an introvert, that party they had to roll the drums to was pretty much my idea of a living hell.

[SnideAsides]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Why did they wait so long to air this season?

A combination of factors. TAR has been used as midseason filler ever since CBS realised the Friday Night Death Slot was a terrible idea, but there wasn't room for 31 so it ended up being held until Million Dollar Mile got axed last summer. Nothing on CBS really failed last fall season, and they originally announced it was going to take over Survivor's timeslot in May. But then shows started shutting down because of the pandemic (TAR33 was the first to suspend filming, in fact; they'd just set off when everyone started shutting their borders) and when it became clear they probably wouldn't be able to resume in time to fill the fall schedule, TAR32 was postponed in order for CBS to have at least one new season of a recognisable show to advertise.

Edited October 16, 2020 by SnideAsides

[Haleth]

So there is one more completed season on the shelf waiting to be shown. 

eta: (Was a season filmed in summer 2019?)

Edited October 16, 2020 by Haleth

[jah1986]

8 minutes ago, Haleth said:

So there is one more completed season on the shelf waiting to be shown.

Is that correct? I thought season 33 was halted mid-production so it was not completed.

I really enjoyed the premiere. I didn't realize how much I missed this show and Phil's eyebrow pop.

I don't actively hate any teams yet. I always thought this show would be welled served by having a 90 minute premiere. Things just seemed to go by so fast, I had a hard time keeping up.

Loved the one Olympian basically outrunning her goat. Was also sorry to see Team Catfish go home, but at this point I didn't want to see anyone go home.

Looking forward to the rest of the season.

[DEL901]

29 minutes ago, Haleth said:

So there is one more completed season on the shelf waiting to be shown. 

eta: (Was a season filmed in summer 2019?)

Nope.   From what I have read, this is it until they can film again.  

[SnideAsides]

33 got shut down after filming three legs. Sorry for the confusion. (I kinda love how the four TAR franchises still running all reacted very differently to the pandemic: TAR US tried and failed to film a new season, TAR Israel re-edited a season it had already filmed to stretch legs out and add more episodes, TAR Canada simply took the year off, and TAR Australia has scrapped its planned route and is instead filming its next season domestically.)

Also I'm completely fine with the show using Day-O for the Road Block. If only there was a Catherine O'Hara reference.

[sinycalone]

Quote

I just wanted to add that my dislike of Michelle didn't come from the joke.  I got her joke and I did not find it offensive especially when it was confirmed that he did indeed play the piano.  I just found her over all attitude to be sort of crappy.  But as you said, we will see.  I might end up loving her.  I was just going off first impressions.

Agree....it wasn't the "joke" it was her general attitude that I found disagreeable.  Again, it was the first episode...so she could turn out to be fine.

[Lovecat]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

As a short person, I really felt for Hung when she and Chee were doing the fish task in the water. Her life vest was floating so high over her shoulders that it was practically over her head.

I had to laugh when she said that, at 5' and 100 lbs, it was hard for her to roll the steel barrel, because I (at 4'9", but significantly more than 100 lbs) had just thought, "Oh, it would be easy for me to roll that; I'd barely have to bend over!"  

4 hours ago, FoundTime said:

And as an introvert, that party they had to roll the drums to was pretty much my idea of a living hell.

OMG, same.  I wasn't great in crowds in Before Times--see above, I'm 4'9", so crowds for me are just bunches of chests, backs, and armpits to smother in.  Wading into a crowd of people dancing around in costumes to loud music under flashing lights?  The thought makes me want to curl into a little ball.  And now, during Pandemic Times, the sight of more than, like, 3 people together makes my brain scream "Too many!  Too close!!"

2 hours ago, jah1986 said:

Loved the one Olympian basically outrunning her goat. 

My mouth fell open in awe.  She runs like a gazelle!  So smooth and efficient.  The greeter was also impressed, but I think maybe his delight over her "form" may have had a slightly different meaning...

[Brookside]

1 hour ago, sinycalone said:

Agree....it wasn't the "joke" it was her general attitude that I found disagreeable.  Again, it was the first episode...so she could turn out to be fine.

I'm willing to give Michelle the benefit of the doubt at the moment since I'm wondering, as a sufferer myself, whether she is "afflicted" by RBF (resting bitch face).

[MartyQui]

1 hour ago, SnideAsides said:

TAR Australia has scrapped its planned route and is instead filming its next season domestically.)

I didn't know this, but as I was watching I was thinking it would be fun to have a season totally in the US...there are so many cool/beautiful places they could go to.

[jah1986]

44 minutes ago, MartyQui said:

I didn't know this, but as I was watching I was thinking it would be fun to have a season totally in the US...there are so many cool/beautiful places they could go to.

The one season that was mainly set in the US was not a popular season. And there are still some COVID hot spots in the States, not sure how much they could do.  But yes, there are some beautiful places to see.

[watch2much]

22 hours ago, TVbitch said:

But dang it, I really wanted the catfish team to stay. A lot of the other teams seem like have already enjoyed some adventure in their lives, what with being pro-athletes and/or having more money to travel, so I was really rooting for those guys. 

I'm with you 100% on this.  they really wanted an adventure.  and I always have a soft spot for contestants who demonstrate good manners to the locals.

[Netfoot]

2 minutes ago, jah1986 said:

The one season that was mainly set in the US was not a popular season. And there are still some COVID hot spots in the States, not sure how much they could do.  But yes, there are some beautiful places to see.

True, S8 was a horrorshow, but (at least for me) not because it was largely filmed in the US.

I don't know what the viewership numbers for TAR are globally, but some viewers like myself, are not from the USA. So highlighting parts of the US would be no less exotic (for me) than highlighting parts of any other similarly developed country. The last few challenges in the final episode of each season are usually set in the US anyway, and I don't find them any less interesting or exciting than the challenges set in earlier legs of the season(s). 

Personally, I'd like to see TAR stop in my home country, just... because. I always assumed that would never happen since they would have to enter and exit via the same aeroport. I always figured the circular route was unacceptable. But the trip to TnT has awakened hope yet! Mind you, I can't think of any particularly thrilling or unique local activities they could somehow use as challenges... Barbados has to be the most boring place on earth!

2 hours ago, SnideAsides said:

Also I'm completely fine with the show using Day-O for the Road Block.

Was there some objection to this? 

[PaperTree]

23 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

True, S8 was a horrorshow, but (at least for me) not because it was largely filmed in the US.

Was that the "family" season?  That was dreadful.

Edited October 16, 2020 by PaperTree

[Maverick]

 The problem with season 8 was less about being set in the US and more about why it was in the US.  Namely, because there were teams of families, many of which with young children.  

[HurricaneVal]

Oh man....is it Wednesday yet?  Dang it.

 

[Kromm]

It's new, and yet a timewarp to a world I feel like I barely recognize anymore. 

So weird. 

[survivinmt]

SO, so, so glad this show is back on. I was totally bummed that the friends were out first. Really wanted to see them experience some (more) of the world.