S33.E01: We’re Back!/S33.E02: It Can’t Be That Easy

[Zonk]

47 minutes ago, Hpmec said:

Yes, totally agree that the tasks weren't up to TAR standards. Like this was a budget version of the game. The mail task  should have had the clue hidden in an envelope with a specific postal code on it that they had to decipher from seeing the numbers randomly arranged on the walls of the tunnel. And that envelope hidden among hundreds in the bin, each with a different code.  That would have been a challenge. A clue dumped in the bottom of a bin? Not worthy of TAR. 

And Boris with the queen? In previous seasons, there would have been a ballroom full of Queen impersonators and the next clue would have been given to contestants who could find the one wearing a particular tiara. Again, they took the bargain basement approach.

I mean the first few legs are always a bit bargain bin. They have to get 11 teams through the tasks somehow. It usually gets better once we are down to like 7. We never would have seen a ball room full of queens for the first leg.

But I do agree, this was especially lackluster. Even a step down from the usual first legs.

[jabRI]

22 hours ago, Hera said:

Totally agree. I thought it was mean of him to bring up the fact that she used to be an athlete. I don't believe for a moment that he didn't know what her current athletic ability was and didn't understand why it had atrophied (for good reason) in the intervening decades.

But they knew they were coming on TAR, at least, what months in advance? In that time you can take up walking again,  then get into practice power walkings in your downtown area, and how to pace yourself to work together.  Not doing that is just setting yourself up, sorry.   Like someone else said, if you are going on TAR learn to drive a stick (both of you) and to hold your own swimming and biking.  These always come up.

[Colorado David]

21 hours ago, Browncoat said:

The flight attendants lost me with their extreme vocal fry when they first opened their mouths.  

 

 

this. i hate vocal fry speak.

[Netfoot]

27 minutes ago, jabRI said:

But they knew they were coming on TAR, at least, what months in advance?

Nobody has ever confirmed this, but I doubt they get more than a few days notice that they have been selected and the race is on. A week maybe?

If they had begun preparations from the time they submitted their application, they would have a while longer. But (sadly) most teams don't submit applications any more. They are stunt-cast and don't have any advanced notice to speak of.

Again, speculation on my part. If anyone has hard data on the timeline pre-race, please speak up!

Actually, this season is the first opportunity that teams will have a real chance to prepare. The teams post-hiatus should be so much better prepared than in the initial legs. Especially with Phil literally telling them to go and learn to drive a manual transmission, because "replacing clutches is sort of expensive!" It will be good and interesting to see which teams (if any) took the hint.

 

[Hera]

16 minutes ago, jabRI said:

But they knew they were coming on TAR, at least, what months in advance? In that time you can take up walking again,  then get into practice power walkings in your downtown area, and how to pace yourself to work together.  Not doing that is just setting yourself up, sorry.   Like someone else said, if you are going on TAR learn to drive a stick (both of you) and to hold your own swimming and biking.  These always come up.

Sure, but he wasn't complaining that she hadn't followed an agreed-upon pre-race fitness plan, he was complaining that she wasn't acting like the college athlete she was when they first met over 20 years ago. That's an unreasonable standard to hold her to, even before we get to the fact that they live and work together, so her fitness level and what she did (or didn't do) about it ahead of the race shouldn't have been a surprise to him.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

Akbar talked on their video about opening up his school at night for night programs. But it was Sheri who was seen serving food -- that might have been just for the video, but she also knew how many people they could feed in one night. I wouldn't be surprised if her time free for training is swallowed up in part by helping fulfill his promises. 

[HurricaneVal]

Even if the racers go off during the COVID hiatus and learned how to drive manual transmission cars, that's only going to help them a little bit since the TAR producers always seem to find a fleet of quirky vintage and notoriously finicky cars for the racers to fumble and drive.

Or they could just start them out in a parking garage with gentle slopes.  That is comedy gold right there. 

I almost think steeper hills are easier for beginners than gentler slopes.  The survival instinct kicks in at that point and the primitive hindbrain takes over control and coordination of feet and hands and the results can be a bit jerky but the job gets done.  Without that imminent threat of death plunging you backwards into the abyss like you get from a steep hill, the higher frontal lobe brain functions are still in control for the gentle slopes, and tho frontal lobe like to dither and is less focused than the lizard brain. 

Or at least that was my experience from forty years ago learning to drive a stick shift.

[sinycalone]

Have no clue if the lead time remains the same as it was a few years ago, but many teams have talked about how they trained for the show....weeks and weeks of hiking, weight-lifting, biking, swimming, etc.  The hockey brothers, who were in good shape to begin with, mentioned the strenuous routine they had set up pre-race.  Mary from Kentucky lost some weight prior to the race because of the exercise program she followed.

 

BTW...I thought most of the racers were very polite to the locals....I heard lots of pleases and thank yous.

[kris4n6]

3 hours ago, Hera said:

To be fair, it wasn't just him—he and Taylor were both surprised and dubious about how easy the task was, and convinced each other not to trust Anthony. I think if it had just been Anthony and Penn or Anthony and Taylor at the task, then they might have accepted that there really wasn't anything more for them to do and gone back when Anthony did. It was the presence of another person who couldn't believe the task was that easy that did them both in.

It's also interesting to note that in their podcast, Penn said a few extra things about the clue.  One was that there was an address and postal code on it, so he thought they had to find something with those same numbers.  And that when Anthony left, he also had a small box in his hands so they thought they'd need something else.  He also swore that Anthony's clue was open but I haven't heard any other confirmation of that so maybe it just looked torn on one end but wasn't actually open.

I definitely agree with them that this is probably the easiest roadblock I've ever seen and I understand why they were confused (though I think 30 minutes more searching was overkill).

[illdoc]

8 minutes ago, kris4n6 said:

(though I think 30 minutes more searching was overkill).

I think they had to wait for the next train (which may have been 30 minutes later).

[aghst]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

Even if the racers go off during the COVID hiatus and learned how to drive manual transmission cars, that's only going to help them a little bit since the TAR producers always seem to find a fleet of quirky vintage and notoriously finicky cars for the racers to fumble and drive.

Or they could just start them out in a parking garage with gentle slopes.  That is comedy gold right there. 

I almost think steeper hills are easier for beginners than gentler slopes.  The survival instinct kicks in at that point and the primitive hindbrain takes over control and coordination of feet and hands and the results can be a bit jerky but the job gets done.  Without that imminent threat of death plunging you backwards into the abyss like you get from a steep hill, the higher frontal lobe brain functions are still in control for the gentle slopes, and tho frontal lobe like to dither and is less focused than the lizard brain. 

Or at least that was my experience from forty years ago learning to drive a stick shift.

I thought about practicing driving manual but you can't rent such a car in the US, at least where I live.

Some driving schools may have manual cars but most don't.

So I might have saved a hundred dollars here and there renting manual on trips to Europe but most rentals of automatics are about $50 a day, sometimes up to $70-80 but when the rates are higher like that, all rates are higher, including standard transmission cars.

The only exceptions are these tiny cars like the Fiat 500 (or even smaller) which has really room for 2 adults and not enough space for luggage in the trunk.

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Actually, this season is the first opportunity that teams will have a real chance to prepare. The teams post-hiatus should be so much better prepared than in the initial legs. Especially with Phil literally telling them to go and learn to drive a manual transmission, because "replacing clutches is sort of expensive!" It will be good and interesting to see which teams (if any) took the hint.

But it's not like driving manual is a surprise.  They've had to do that every single season.  If they didn't bother learning between getting selected and the original beginning, they may not have bothered between.

[kwnyc]

On 1/6/2022 at 12:47 PM, blackwing said:

Also, if he was complaining she was so slow, why didn't he carry her bag? 

I TOTALLY said this out loud! I also wonder if they tried to keep people off the Underground because Covid had already broken out in Europe, and that might also have played a role in the teams leaving from home airports and not having to fight through airport crowds in Europe.

Also (and I've been saying this since 2001!) you don't have to finish FIRST in any leg but the last one. All you have to do is not finish LAST. So all the people saying "we have to get to the mat first" are stressing themselves. If they have an idea of where they are in the pack, all they have to do is make sure at least one team is behind them.

It's kind of like on "Hell's Kitchen," learn SCALLOPS, RISOTTO and WELLINGTONS before you go on.

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by kwnyc
Additional thought

[Netfoot]

22 minutes ago, Katy M said:

If they didn't bother learning between getting selected and the original beginning, they may not have bothered between.

That's true. And for that matter, staying in shape, driving manual, learning to swim, row a boat, sail a boat, etc, etc, are things we all should do, whether we contemplate running the race or not.

But here we have first-time racers who have had the chance to race for 2, 2½, maybe 3 whole legs of the race and suddenly know for sure how hard it really is! It should really be the inspiration they need to prepare for the remainder of the race. We're going to see who (if any) took that on board and who didn't.

[whiporee]

I'm just glad there's no obvious alliance forming yet -- or if there is, they're keeping it off camera. It's been a long time, but that really took a lot out of the last season for me, so hopefully the producers nipped it in the bud -- and especially if they had the COVID time off to edit and strategize around it. 

I had an immediate distaste for Penn and Kim, but it went away once they stopped showing their videos. I don't like people who rush to center stage. Which, unfortunately for al old man like me, means I dislike large portions of the population these days. Aside from them, though, I didn't dislike anyone. The flight attendants energy and joy in doing it was a lot of fun to watch, so they are my favorites at this point. I like people who seem to find joy where they can. 

[ProfCrash]

Finally watched the episode after someone reminded me that I could watch it online. Thankful for the new computer with a huge screen and another snow day. 

That was a good start. None of the teams seemed to be horrible. Akbar and Sheradin are kind of annoying. He needs to chill out a bit. OK, a lot. Lulu and Lala are kind of annoying. 

The mail task was brilliantly simple, way to over think everything. 

The cake task was fine.

Overall I was glad to have the show back. I hope to be able to watch it on a regular TV sometime soon. 

 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Sure, but he wasn't complaining that she hadn't followed an agreed-upon pre-race fitness plan, he was complaining that she wasn't acting like the college athlete she was when they first met over 20 years ago. That's an unreasonable standard to hold her to, even before we get to the fact that they live and work together, so her fitness level and what she did (or didn't do) about it ahead of the race shouldn't have been a surprise to him.

I think the most telling piece of information is Sheri saying Akbar's behavior was the norm for them. "It's always nag nag nag with him." She's probably just learned to tune him out.

By the way, where is everyone getting the info that her name is Sheridan? She is listed as "Sheri" in the opening credits and all the on-screen subtitles.

 

[Netfoot]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

By the way, where is everyone getting the info that her name is Sheridan? She is listed as "Sheri" in the opening credits and all the on-screen subtitles.

https://forums.primetimer.com/topic/124883-s33-akbar-cook-sr-sheridan-cook

 

[jabRI]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Nobody has ever confirmed this, but I doubt they get more than a few days notice that they have been selected and the race is on. A week maybe?

But don't they need time to sent up a leave of absence, secure someone to housesit/watch the kids/feed the cat?  As soon as you apply and start doing that, you should start getting into at least shape enough to walk a city.  I'm not judging, I've been in that position, and you can do it.

[One Imaginary Girl]

11 hours ago, Hpmec said:

Yes, totally agree that the tasks weren't up to TAR standards. Like this was a budget version of the game. The mail task  should have had the clue hidden in an envelope with a specific postal code on it that they had to decipher from seeing the numbers randomly arranged on the walls of the tunnel. And that envelope hidden among hundreds in the bin, each with a different code.  That would have been a challenge. A clue dumped in the bottom of a bin? Not worthy of TAR. 

And Boris with the queen? In previous seasons, there would have been a ballroom full of Queen impersonators and the next clue would have been given to contestants who could find the one wearing a particular tiara. Again, they took the bargain basement approach.

 

I kept thinking during the cake task that in previous seasons, the judge would have nixed the wrong ones without stating what the problem was, and the racers would need to work it out themselves.

[freddi]

Gah, I watched this On Demand, where CBS does NOT allow viewers to jump forward, and the stream stopped 12 minutes before the end.  When I refreshed, it started ALL OVER again, trying to make me watch the first 108 minutes all over again, with no possibility of jumping back to where it had stopped.  Many thanks to the live chat for indicating what happened at the end!  This was too tame to watch twice.  

[ratherbereading]

Akbar needs to shut his yap. His wife had very large breasts and it is damn uncomfortable to run.  I noticed every time they showed her running. Her arms were clenched at her sides. Looks like she was trying to support the girls. Not sure why she didn't have a better bra on though.

 

I am rooting for the father/daughter team. 

 

Welcome back TAR. I've missed you. 

[Zonk]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Nobody has ever confirmed this, but I doubt they get more than a few days notice that they have been selected and the race is on. A week maybe?

I don't have a fixed timeline, but considering that contestants have to clear things with their jobs, have to find sitters and were able to put in a lot of training, it has to be at least a few months notice.

4 hours ago, illdoc said:

I think they had to wait for the next train (which may have been 30 minutes later).

From what I gathered they let multiple trains pass by. Which was the entire problem.

[Netfoot]

6 minutes ago, Zonk said:

but considering that contestants have to clear things with their jobs, have to find sitters and were able to put in a lot of training, it has to be at least a few months notice.

 We will have to disagree on this. I think they get a call saying "We want to invite you to go on the race. It starts next Tuesday. Can you make that? If not, I have 20 other people on the short-list..."

Again, I ask anyone with hard data on this to sing out!

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

 We will have to disagree on this. I think they get a call saying "We want to invite you to go on the race. It starts next Tuesday. Can you make that? If not, I have 20 other people on the short-list..."

Again, I ask anyone with hard data on this to sing out!

I applied and sent in a video.  One of the requirements was that you already had to have a passport, so I guess that could count as evidence of not getting a few months notice.  I don't think it would be as short as a week, though.

[Netfoot]

Thanks for that info. It may not be a big piece of the puzzle, but...

[dgpolo]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

One of the requirements was that you already had to have a passport, so I guess that could count as evidence of not getting a few months notice. 

They also need to get visas for the countries they visit, I've never traveled much so I don't know how long that would take. I have read somewhere that production gives them a list of countries to get visas for, with some countries listed as decoys, just there to throw them off.

[Spoopy]

5 hours ago, Zonk said:

I don't have a fixed timeline, but considering that contestants have to clear things with their jobs, have to find sitters and were able to put in a lot of training, it has to be at least a few months notice.

I think it varies from team to team. For example Ernie & Cindy knew they were going to be on for, I believe, 1 month, Kristi & Jen didn't know they were 100% percent going on until 12 days before it began, and Chris & Bret didn't know they were going on until like a week before it started filming.

[Netfoot]

https://shejustglows.com/2015/04/amazing-race-contestant-shares-16-things-didnt-know-show/

"Once [Hayley Keel] found out she was on the show, she had about a month to get ready."

More time than I thought! 

 

[Kleav]

On 1/6/2022 at 2:22 PM, blackwing said:

Connie's husband kept insisting that Westminster Abbey was Big Ben.

Also, I believe he said "Westminister" (four syllables).

[Katy M]

6 hours ago, dgpolo said:

They also need to get visas for the countries they visit, I've never traveled much so I don't know how long that would take. I have read somewhere that production gives them a list of countries to get visas for, with some countries listed as decoys, just there to throw them off.

I have been to two countries where I needed a visa, so know from personal experience that that usually doesn't take too long.  Especially the countries where it's just an electronic visa and nothing stamped on your passport.  If countries thinks the show helps tourism (don't know if they do or don't) they probably expedite.

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, Katy M said:

I have been to two countries where I needed a visa, so know from personal experience that that usually doesn't take too long.

My first ever visit to TARCon, I got to the aeroport and was told I needed a visa. I made it from the aeroport to the US consulate (embasy?), obtained my visa physically, in my passport, and was back to the aeroport in 57 minutes. And I didn't even have a photograph.

Unfortunately, as I arrived back at the aeroport, I saw my flight climbing out...  Fortunately, I had planned to go the Friday, so by catching the Saturday flight instead, I was still able to make TARCon in plenty of time.

So, a visa doesn't have to take a long time to acquire. But times may vary. A visa for Turkmenistan would probably have taken at least two hours...

[Roccos Brother]

Oh Amazing Race, how I've missed you so! You bring such joyous escapism and vicarious exploration and adventure into my life! I hope they never stop producing new seasons, even if we have to settle for a watered down version of what the show used to be.

FWIW, I had no idea what a "bobby" was, and I've been to London and watched British soap operas in the past. I've never heard that term used before. I'm more shocked that people don't know who Boris Johnson is, not because of his stature or position, but because he's such a distinct character.

The men walking around with bowl hats and dressed up as telephone booths was ADORABLE. Whoever came up with that idea, give them a bonus!

Don't really mind any of the teams so far, with the exception of Sam and Connie. They just seem obnoxious to me. Currently rooting for the father/daughter team and the gay married couple. Also adorbs!

Can't wait to see how the whole hiatus over covid situation plays out!

 

[Meredith Quill]

On 1/6/2022 at 1:20 PM, Zonk said:

Referendum was June 23 2016. But the UK only left the EU January 31 2020.

Exit talks took a very long time and at the end the agreement was still shit since the UK wanted to keep all the benefits of being in the EU, but none of the obligations. Naturally the EU said "fuck you" to that and that is how we got the shitshow we got, with the UK now struggling to fill their supermarket shelves and the North Ireland question still not solved.

Incorrect, we aren't struggling to fill our shelves due to Brexit, that's pure propaganda codswallop. Although, come to think of it I did struggle to get any caviar or foie gras the other day, hmmm. As for the rest of this comment, I shall politely agree to disagree my friend.

Fun to have the show back. I enjoyed the episode overall and it struck me personally that at least a couple of the teams thought that was actually HMTQ, lolz. 

[Netfoot]

Just now, SilverStormm said:

it struck me personally that at least a couple of the teams thought that was actually HMTQ, lolz.

Surely nobody actually thought that HRH QEII would agree to being a prop for The Amazing Race? Surely things on the Civil List can't be that tight?

If they wanted a cheap Royal they could have tried the Duchess of Sussex. She'd prolly have done it for a half of Guinness and a packet of Porky Scratchin's, so long as they promise to put her face on the telly.....

[Meredith Quill]

2 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Surely nobody actually thought that HRH QEII would agree to being a prop for The Amazing Race? Surely things on the Civil List can't be that tight?

If they wanted a cheap Royal they could have tried the Duchess of Sussex. She'd prolly have done it for a half of Guinness and a packet of Porky Scratchin's, so long as they promise to put her face on the telly.....

Literally nothing surprises me in this world anymore. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

On 1/8/2022 at 5:09 AM, One Imaginary Girl said:

I kept thinking during the cake task that in previous seasons, the judge would have nixed the wrong ones without stating what the problem was, and the racers would need to work it out themselves.

I said this exact thing to my OH - "why is he telling them exactly what they got wrong? WUT?".

[proserpina65]

I enjoyed seeing so much of London.  I used to live within a 10 minute walk of the Museum of Natural History so it was cool to see that.

I was sorry to lose the cops in the first leg.  I was hoping it would the incredibly annoying twins, so of course the second leg ended with everyone still racing.

I liked the best friends where the one had been falsely imprisoned, the father & daughter team, the flight attendants, and, surprising, the internet parents.  I'm trying to reserve judgment on everyone else so far.

On 1/5/2022 at 10:01 PM, mojoween said:

If hitting a bullseye is something I would HAVE to do to move on, we would never leave that bar.

Yep, no way could I have done that.

On 1/5/2022 at 11:20 PM, Lantern7 said:

Other than maybe Ron from TAR7 (an actual prisoner of war), has anyone been remotely where he was?

Possibly Ian from TAR3?

On 1/5/2022 at 11:38 PM, Shadow Wave said:

"There's drippage, I can't have that" would have been a great episode title.

There's something either Ryan or Dusty said that I thought would've made the perfect episode title, and now I can't remember what it was.

 

On 1/6/2022 at 10:47 AM, Racj82 said:

Oops. Didn't know was a thing I needed to know. Also, I don't really follow a lot of customs, etc from other countries. Not really a concern of mine nor am I a heavy traveler.

Presumably you'd do some research ahead of time if you were going on AR though.

On 1/6/2022 at 7:41 AM, TheRabbi said:

because the tasks of darts/cakes/mail was pretty dull.

I loved those tasks and thought it was great that they spent the first two legs in London.  To each their own.

 

 

[proserpina65]

On 1/6/2022 at 12:30 PM, Netfoot said:

Ryan & Dusty: "He's like a raccoon in a dumpster!"

THAT'S the quote I was thinking of!

 

[proserpina65]

On 1/7/2022 at 4:18 PM, Katy M said:

But it's not like driving manual is a surprise.  They've had to do that every single season.  If they didn't bother learning between getting selected and the original beginning, they may not have bothered between.

Manual cars are harder to find here in the US these days.  Most models are automatic at many rental places.  You'd have to find a friend or relative who still had something with a manual transmission.  Not impossible, of course, but more difficult than it used to be.

 

[Lantern7]

On 1/5/2022 at 11:20 PM, Lantern7 said:

The couple from Love Island were tolerable . . . though Ray's yellow and black sweater immediately made me think of Giordi LaForge from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Here, judge for yourself. The yellows aren’t exactly a match, but I think the black on top makes the comparison fit.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

1 hour ago, Netfoot said:

If they wanted a cheap Royal they could have tried the Duchess of Sussex. She'd prolly have done it for a half of Guinness and a packet of Porky Scratchin's, so long as they promise to put her face on the telly.....

She has more integrity than many of the royal family. I'd be happy to see her and Harry in an American leg. 

Re: how much notice contestants get, this isn't an official data point, but this site ("Fact" 7) says that contestants have about a month's notice. https://www.thetravel.com/the-amazing-race-24-behind-the-scenes-facts-that-we-werent-supposed-to-know/

 

[Netfoot]

3 minutes ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

She has more integrity than many of the royal family. I'd be happy to see her and Harry in an American leg. 

Ok.

[Ilovepie]

Glad this show is back, with the caveat that this season doesn't get ruined by the team alliances. I sadly quit watching last season because it ruined it for me. So far, most of these people seem pretty nice. We'll see.

It was bittersweet seeing them starting in London and knowing it's getting shut down soon. Ironically, that was my last big vacation before Covid. I was there in 2019.........

I was laughing at the guy just wandering around yelling "Bobby! Bobby!" like it was a person's name. I try not tot judge people too hard about stuff like that, but oof, that was so dumb......

Maybe I'm the minority, but I love Kim and Penn. Funny enough, I discovered them while furloughed from my job spring/summer 2020. They had made a bunch of Covid videos. Kim portraying "Corona" was pretty funny. I laughed when Penn said "Oh look, there's poop. Pretty much sums up my day."

And I agree with everyone about the lady that needs a new bra. Good lord, that was horrible. And I don't think she got a full breath until she hit the pit stop. Stamina might be a problem for her.....

[Zonk]

On 1/9/2022 at 4:24 AM, Katy M said:

I applied and sent in a video.  One of the requirements was that you already had to have a passport, so I guess that could count as evidence of not getting a few months notice.  I don't think it would be as short as a week, though.

Yeah because production has to get visas, which is going to take a while.

On 1/9/2022 at 6:28 AM, dgpolo said:

They also need to get visas for the countries they visit, I've never traveled much so I don't know how long that would take. I have read somewhere that production gives them a list of countries to get visas for, with some countries listed as decoys, just there to throw them off.

I'm pretty sure production does that and requires the passports for it. The Holdernesses said that they were excited to find a stamp of Nepal in their passports but the race didn't go there for obvious reasons.

So that explains why you need a passport right away, potentially months before the race starts.

On 1/9/2022 at 6:22 PM, Netfoot said:

My first ever visit to TARCon, I got to the aeroport and was told I needed a visa. I made it from the aeroport to the US consulate (embasy?), obtained my visa physically, in my passport, and was back to the aeroport in 57 minutes. And I didn't even have a photograph.

How long a visa will take depends on the country. I assume your visa wasn't for China or Nigeria. They can't risk the race on that, so they have to apply for the visas far in advance.

I still can't tell you a definitiv timeline, but considering how much preperation past racers were able to cram in, it has to be far more than a week. Also why would production cut it so short? What would be the benefit from a production standpoint?

On 1/9/2022 at 6:58 AM, Spoopy said:

I think it varies from team to team. For example Ernie & Cindy knew they were going to be on for, I believe, 1 month, Kristi & Jen didn't know they were 100% percent going on until 12 days before it began, and Chris & Bret didn't know they were going on until like a week before it started filming.

I assume the backup teams will get called on very short notice sometimes. I can believe 1 month being standard and the backup teams being called in up to the last minute.

22 hours ago, SilverStormm said:

Incorrect, we aren't struggling to fill our shelves due to Brexit, that's pure propaganda codswallop.

Nah, that's just reality. Sorry. Of course technically those shelves are filled, with filler-cartons with big advertisements on them, but not with food, like they used to be.

22 hours ago, SilverStormm said:

I shall politely agree to disagree my friend.

I guess we have to politely disagree about reality some more then. Ü

Edited January 10, 2022 by Zonk

[RunningMarket]

21 hours ago, Mediocre Gatsby said:

She has more integrity than many of the royal family. I'd be happy to see her and Harry in an American leg. 

Re: how much notice contestants get, this isn't an official data point, but this site ("Fact" 7) says that contestants have about a month's notice. https://www.thetravel.com/the-amazing-race-24-behind-the-scenes-facts-that-we-werent-supposed-to-know/

 

Point 4 coincides with what I read back in 2013. I cannot remember the team, but they did a lengthy interview afterwards, and said you have to try and explain to your employer that you need about 30 days off, but can't tell them why. I suppose a workaround would be to inform your employer ahead of time that you've applied for TAR and if you "suddenly" need that leave of absence, there's less questions.

[PaperTree]

47 minutes ago, Zonk said:

So that explains why you need a passport right away, potentially months before the race starts.

I got my first passport in 1971 when I was 12.  I still have all of them.  Never let it lapse.  And since 9/11, it makes domestic travel a little easier.

Dad flew for Pan Am.

[Meredith Quill]

1 hour ago, Zonk said:

Nah, that's just reality. Sorry. Of course technically those shelves are filled, with filler-cartons with big advertisements on them, but not with food, like they used to be.

I guess we have to politely disagree about reality some more then. Ü

Lol, in that case, very politely indeed, extremely even some might say. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[TaraS1]

On 1/9/2022 at 5:36 PM, Netfoot said:

If they wanted a cheap Royal they could have tried the Duchess of Sussex. She'd prolly have done it for a half of Guinness and a packet of Porky Scratchin's, so long as they promise to put her face on the telly.....

Best comment ever LOL.  

I would like every team to be given some kind of truth serum and asked if any of them really thought that was the Queen.  I must know.  

[greyhorse]

 

On 1/6/2022 at 2:29 PM, SG429 said:

Imagine the poor task coordinator charged with creating bins full of decoy letters.

For some reason I thought they were real letters and felt bad that mail belonging to someone else was getting ripped open.

Such a dumb task.  But those two Einsteins at least showed maybe it wasn't as easy as one would have thought...

Cake challenge.  Obviously the working area was small.  But I would have liked to see some partitions so the racers couldn't see what everyone else was working on.  The husbands had no clue what any of the flags were - not even France - and just copied what everyone else was doing.  Poor design.

The twin girls are annoying and I couldn't care less about them.  I'm not even going to bother learning their names, not that it would help to know who is who since they really do look alike.  Didn't understand why the sister was crying in the cab - she's not the one who "is going through a breakup".  Shouldn't it have been the "whoa is me I can't do anything and I'm a failure" one that was crying?  Didn't understand that sequence.

I'm surprised it was a NEL, but yes, they were too happy in their interviews to have been eliminated.  I'm also sure all of us TAR veterans knew they would be last, despite the drawn out cab sequences of the husbands fretting about being stuck in traffic and the girls seemingly being able to find a quick route and very optimistic..  

 

[MartyQui]

On 1/6/2022 at 2:53 PM, Netfoot said:

I don't know how, but I didn't know about the attack on the Paris train, and certainly didn't know when the teams were announced that one of the teams of racers were involved in that.

I happened to take the 15:17 to Paris a couple of weeks after the attack…we had brought cheese with us from Amsterdam, and when the conductors figured out we were Americans, they gave us free wine to go with it!