S34.E12: The Only Leg That Matters

[Whimsy]

Quote

The final 3 teams travel 3,000 miles to race through Nashville for the final showdown, where they must deliver guitars and play a giant floor piano to win the $1 million prize.

Original airdate 12/7/22

[mojoween]

The new format and The Amazing Private Plane mean there is no opportunity for a Guido situation, and that’s a bummer.

It makes for a close finish, that’s true, but the travel part was always something that had to be taken into account.

Were Rex and Friend not at the finish?

[dizzyd]

Bummer that primetimer chose finale night to act up. It was an overall great season. I liked most of the teams and all the locations. I loved how they made the show theme the finale challenge and it was a nice close race to the end. 

[ApprenticeFan]

The first night finale leg since season 32. Haven't watched the episode yet.

Wait for TAR 35 in January 2024 and let's wait for over a year to the next season.

Edited December 8, 2022 by ApprenticeFan

[toodywoody]

Great season. 

I still love this show and am glad it made it through the pandemic.

Tonight was back and forth. All 3 teams were great and great with whoever they ran the race with. All 3 teams also were saying things about all the other racers and I hope they all stay in touch with each other. 

It didn't matter to me who won, they all ran a good race. 

So happy for my favorite show but don't want to wait so long for it to come back 

[DEL901]

In an interview, Derek and Clare said they were about 15-20 minutes ahead of the twins at the end, with the twins ahead of L&M by the same amount of time.  I don’t know if it ultimate a difference, but with the tw8ns starting out first fr9m the booze place and arriving a5 the bridge 3rd did hurt them.  

Apparently Clare’s family put together a TAR boot camp for them including teaching them to drive stick and blind folding them, driving them somewhere unfamiliar so the could figure out how to navigate back, map reading, etc.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/how-big-brothers-derek-and-claire-prepared-for-the-amazing-race/

[Lantern7]

Like I said in the (wonky) live thread: another team from Big Brother won, and I'm okay with it.

Don't get me wrong . . . I still see BB as the enemy, because of its existence and how CBS will fawn over it (and Survivor), while leaving TAR fans high and dry. Cody & Jessica were insufferable throughout TAR30, and I felt they lucked into their win. Derek & Claire . . . eh. Just . . . I'd rather the twins won (still looking for a twin team to take the title one day), but Derek & Claire earned their $1 million. Clearly, TAR has to be the superior show for Derek. Would he put The Challenge over that? Fat chance. Phil is miles above TJ "Not Ready For Network Prime Time" Lavin.

The final challenge . . . like I said in the live thread, you could feel the love put into making it.  Give the teams oversized piano keys, connect locales to each one, then make the Racers "play" the keys in order. That makes an orchestra play the TAR theme, and they can run to the finish line. Even if you're not into music, it was still an accessible game. All Survivor does nowadays is bring out carny games, puzzles and endurance challenges.

Here's hoping we won't have to wait long for TAR35. I've accepted that CBS does give a shit about TAR. They just don't give enough of a shit.

[Yogisbooboo64]

While I'm ecstatic that Derek and Claire won, I would have been just as happy if Luis and Michelle had won....they permeate such joy in life that they eventually won me over.

I was NOT crying at Emily and Molly's speech, prove that I was!!

[Fukui San]

The final task was worthy of the finale! I'm glad that all three teams were there at the same time so that any could (theoretically) win. The time pressure of the challenge made me think of playing Overcooked at home. The wrong turn definitely cost the twins.

Pretty good final episode, all in all.

[aghst]

Derek gave them a big advantage in the climbing and repelling task.  He had done it before and he's going against two women.

After that it was a matter of finding bystanders the quickest to find the next destination.

It also seemed like he'd figure out that the memory challenge with the big piano keyboard was about playing notes of the TAR theme and he could just figure out the keys that matches the notes, without worrying about the pictures.  They all knew the sequence of the legs so it was a matter of identifying the keys and stepping on them fast enough.

Why did they choose 11 seconds though?

[toodywoody]

11 legs was what I was thinking. Claire kept saying 11 before they figured out the seconds that they had. I could be wrong though 

[PurpleTentacle]

This was a fun final leg. The tasks were still a bit covid-meh, but there were quite a few opportunities to pass each other and that is a lot more than you can say about other final legs.

Also all great teams you wouldn't mind to win. That's not nothing.

6 hours ago, mojoween said:

The new format and The Amazing Private Plane mean there is no opportunity for a Guido situation, and that’s a bummer.

I mean something like that hasn't happened in like 20 seasons and especially not for the final leg. Production makes sure that you can't be so far behind that that becomes a foregone conclusion.

59 minutes ago, aghst said:

Derek gave them a big advantage in the climbing and repelling task.  He had done it before and he's going against two women.

I was very critical of their strategy of frontloading Claire for the roadblocks, since once or twice that nearly cost them the race and you actually have to get to the end, otherwise your roadblock count doesn't matter, but it payed off big time here. I think Claire would have been the last one down there and that might have been enough to make the difference between first and second.

Edited December 8, 2022 by PurpleTentacle

[Haleth]

I'm happy for the winners but would have been happy for any of them winning.  TPTB did a great job with casting (mostly) likable teams.  You could see that all the losing teams were genuinely happy for the winners, which is one of the things I like best about TAR; no pouting, no grudges, everyone is there to have a good time.

3 hours ago, aghst said:

Derek gave them a big advantage in the climbing and repelling task.  He had done it before and he's going against two women.

The twin (I forget which did the task) said she'd done rock climbing and rappelling before too.  It's too bad their turning the wrong way after that task cost them so much time.

[Browncoat]

While I’m bummed that Primetimer wouldn’t let me in last night for the live chat, I really enjoyed the finale!  I absolutely loved the final task.  And no one can blame taxi karma for losing.  I believe if Molly and Emily had been better navigators, they would have won.  Molly was just as fast as Derek at the bridge — she just got a later start.

One minor quibble, though, Phil, sweetie.  Nashville was not the birthplace of bluegrass music.

[Guest]

Good season, even if the final three finished in the opposite order of what I wanted. When Emily was talking at the finish line and her voice suddenly got all high and squeaky, I think that was the first time the Amazing Race made me cry. And I've gotta give a shout out to Luis and Michelle for their overall demeanor throughout. When Michelle went up the bridge second but didn't come down second, Luis didn't show an ounce of frustration or irritation - just a little befuddlement over what was happening. And when she did appear, he was all "there's my wife!" and smiling with no recriminations, and they got on with the next task. I'm sure they have their moments when they're not being edited down for a tv show, but overall they seem to have life locked pretty good.

Also props to all the final teams for keeping pretty cool during the final task. The perfectly synchronized "oh my god"s from the twins 😆

[Artsda]

That was a great ending and I was ok with anyone winning. They all played well and played well together. It was a good cast and group of people.

[Lamb18]

Primetimer's in a pissy mood this morning. Each time I try to move on to the next thread, I get the Community Unavailable-Please Try Again screen. Well, at least this is a nice thread to get stuck on.

[Carey]

10 hours ago, mojoween said:

Were Rex and Friend not at the finish?

No they were not.  FWIW, Ryan is a rather big deal, fairly known.  However, not at a level where he and his buddy would get special privileges to forgo the end segment.  To be fair, there might be a reason for their MIA status; while the final mat and the Top 3 "exit interviews" and recap or whatever isn't a live reunion, we've been seeing a lot of people skip those end segments for undisclosed reasons.  It was still a bit odd but not that surprising.

Speaking of not surprising was Derek & Claire's victory.  I could've hated them (I actually did not, TBH there wasn't even any dislike here) but I would've still praised their win since they ran a very good race.  They dealt with the adversity, made it through, and won.  That's good enough for me

[PurpleTentacle]

19 minutes ago, Carey said:

No they were not.  FWIW, Ryan is a rather big deal, fairly known.  However, not at a level where he and his buddy would get special privileges to forgo the end segment.  To be fair, there might be a reason for their MIA status; while the final mat and the Top 3 "exit interviews" and recap or whatever isn't a live reunion, we've been seeing a lot of people skip those end segments for undisclosed reasons.  It was still a bit odd but not that surprising.

But reunions happen months later, after the episodes aired. The finish line is literally at the end of the race and considering how fast they ran this one, it was probably way under two weeks. Usually teams are sequestered for that time and/or run decoy. So for them to not be there, they'd have to have a very good reason to not be in breach of contract.

[Lovecat]

1 hour ago, PurpleTentacle said:

But reunions happen months later, after the episodes aired. The finish line is literally at the end of the race and considering how fast they ran this one, it was probably way under two weeks. Usually teams are sequestered for that time and/or run decoy. So for them to not be there, they'd have to have a very good reason to not be in breach of contract.

23 days, Phil said before officially declaring D/C the winners.

I was all in for the twins, and I'm not embarrassed to admit I cried when they had their moment on the mat.  They both seem to be strong, intelligent, accomplished, kind women, and their story is incredible.  It truly is amazing to see how alike they are, despite not having been raised together.  When I was 26 I met a brother I never knew I had--not a twin, and we were actually half-siblings, but a similar enough experience that I can really identify with Molly & Emily.

Though my favorites did not win, this was a fantastic, edge-of-your-seat finale.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this crowd "playing along" (what would *I* do with this task...) at home--if my husband or I had been able to get past that bridge task (he's afraid of heights, and I'm clumsy and fall down a lot) I would have wet my pants in delight to find the final task had something to do with the TAR theme!  I'm a musician and my husband always knows when I'm watching the show because he hears "BOMP, BOMP, BOMP...BOMP-BOMP-BOMP BOMP, BOMP BOMP!" from the living room :)

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

FWIW, Ryan is a rather big deal, fairly known.  However, not at a level where he and his buddy would get special privileges to forgo the end segment.  To be fair, there might be a reason for their MIA status; while the final mat and the Top 3 "exit interviews" and recap or whatever isn't a live reunion, we've been seeing a lot of people skip those end segments for undisclosed reasons.  It was still a bit odd but not that surprising.

Quote

But reunions happen months later, after the episodes aired. The finish line is literally at the end of the race and considering how fast they ran this one, it was probably way under two weeks. Usually teams are sequestered for that time and/or run decoy. So for them to not be there, they'd have to have a very good reason to not be in breach of contract.

Maybe one/both of them had Covid.

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Quote

FWIW, Ryan is a rather big deal, fairly known.  However, not at a level where he and his buddy would get special privileges to forgo the end segment.  To be fair, there might be a reason for their MIA status; while the final mat and the Top 3 "exit interviews" and recap or whatever isn't a live reunion, we've been seeing a lot of people skip those end segments for undisclosed reasons.  It was still a bit odd but not that surprising.

Quote

But reunions happen months later, after the episodes aired. The finish line is literally at the end of the race and considering how fast they ran this one, it was probably way under two weeks. Usually teams are sequestered for that time and/or run decoy. So for them to not be there, they'd have to have a very good reason to not be in breach of contract.

Maybe one/both of them had Covid.

Maybe Rex's shiny teeth would have attracted too much outside attention and spoiled the outcome.

[iMonrey]

I thought this was one of the best season finales TAR has had in years. The tasks were impressive, and together with all the self-navigation there were plenty of opportunities for teams to pass each other. 

I sort of expected Luis and Michelle to win, I'd been getting a "winner's edit" impression from them for awhile now. But when Derek was talking about how he felt like he had an edge in the bridge climbing challenge during an early TH I started to suspect they had won. You can usually kind of tell from their demeanor on these things.

That final task at the piano was no joke. I think that's one of the hardest final tasks they've ever done. Very old-school TAR. Again, I think Derek and Claire had the edge here because it would have been a big help to know which keys were which so you could go "A, C, G, B" etc. If you didn't know the keys you'd just kind of had to remember which ones to step on by sight.

I really did warm up to Luis and Michelle by the end. No screaming, no crying, no mental breakdowns for falling so far behind. They are a lovely and supportive couple. 

I can see why Derek and Claire might not have been fan favorites with people who hadn't watched them on Big Brother, but I had, and I thought they were a couple of sweethearts. I'm thrilled they won. They deserved it.

[RunningMarket]

One burning questions Mr. Market and I have - when Derek (and Claire) hit the final mat, his shirt was clean (albeit sweaty). During the TH, Derek had a visible red stain on his shirt. I thought initially dried blood, and kept waiting for him to bonk his nose. Mr. Market thinks maybe they gave them food between final mat and filming the TH, and it's BBQ sauce.

Enjoyed the finale. The wrong turn/way definitely set the sisters back. I have no idea why Michelle decided to climb up the bridge the way she did. The final task was a great one. I would still be there.

[proserpina65]

5 hours ago, Browncoat said:

One minor quibble, though, Phil, sweetie.  Nashville was not the birthplace of bluegrass music.

You mean it's not Tennessee blue grass?  Lol.

The twins were my favorite team, but I would've been happy for any of the final 3 to win.  Hell, I'd have been happy for most of the teams this time around.  Despite the restrictions caused by covid, the producers managed to put together a great race.  I very much enjoyed it.

[PurpleTentacle]

2 hours ago, Lovecat said:

23 days, Phil said before officially declaring D/C the winners.

Thanks. Guess they had a lot of downtime at the pitstops.

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

I sort of expected Luis and Michelle to win, I'd been getting a "winner's edit" impression from them for awhile now. But when Derek was talking about how he felt like he had an edge in the bridge climbing challenge during an early TH I started to suspect they had won. You can usually kind of tell from their demeanor on these things.

Curious. They weren't even in contention for me. I said last week that it was between the twins and Derek and Claire. Even though I gave the edge to the twins. I thought the constant "leg" would lead up to a win where "they overcame insurmountable odds".

Luis and Michelle were just too invisible in the first part of the race. I think we had winners like that before, but it's very rare.

1 hour ago, RunningMarket said:

One burning questions Mr. Market and I have - when Derek (and Claire) hit the final mat, his shirt was clean (albeit sweaty).

It wasn't there in the beginning of the final amazing bathmat, when Phil told them they had won, but it was a bit later while they were still on the mat. So way before the TH. It looks like blood. Maybe he fell down along the way and cut his hand a bit, then wiped it on his shirt at some point?

Edit: It is there after he hugged Claire vigorously, he is sniffing very pronounced and there seems to be a bit of tissue sticking in his nose. So maybe she headbutted him by accident. That would be a funny story to tell at some point.

Or he is an anime character and just felt Claire's boobies during that hug. 😆

Edit2: I can say for sure that it happened at some point during the hug. There is a spot of blood on Claire's neck where his nose was.

Edited December 8, 2022 by PurpleTentacle

[HurricaneVal]

I'm good with it.  My sentimental favorites were the twins, but they just plain got outraced. 

Derek and Claire are kind of an awkward couple, and I can see how their Big Brother provenance rubs people the wrong way, but you can't deny they worked it and raced hard.  They were calculated and strategic, and maybe that's a legacy of BB, to scheme and prepare and have contingencies on contingencies.    Neither of them are your typical braying attention whore BB racer (lookin' at you, Rachel) or publicity placement (Jessica and Cody) racer.  They're just a goofy, unlikely couple.  I will always remember Derek from his BB stint as "Lord of the Latrine", when he had to make heraldic announcements anytime one of the hamsters went to use the loo, which was annoying all around, but he made it fun with his cleverness and sense of humor.

The tasks were spot on old school TAR, that's for sure!  Nicely done, show!  A spectacular, camera ready giant physical task outside common comfort zones, a very local task highlighting some of the local culture with the guitar delivery to local clubs, and then finally a giant memory task.  Nice!  It really was quite a close race, I like that.  There was not a single "fluke" team there at the end, and each of the eliminated teams were eliminated for reasons.

I get it, that with COVID restrictions we can't have the really spectacular destinations and tasks we used to, but I'm really tired of "safe" Europe.  My hope is that the show will eventually return to truly a "race around the world" with destinations in Africa, SE Asia, South America etc. and that CBS doesn't realize they can make the show on the cheap by continually visiting the same locations over and over.  Like how Survivor is now stuck permanently in Fiji.  Fingers crossed, y'all!

[PurpleTentacle]

5 minutes ago, HurricaneVal said:

My hope is that the show will eventually return to truly a "race around the world" with destinations in Africa, SE Asia, South America etc. and that CBS doesn't realize they can make the show on the cheap by continually visiting the same locations over and over.  Like how Survivor is now stuck permanently in Fiji.  Fingers crossed, y'all!

Tbh they could film survivor on a soundstage and it wouldn't lose that much. A beach is a beach is a beach. The only interesting locations were when they went to something different, like the Amazon.

The Amazing Race lives from its exotic locations and the culture shock of it all. I hope once it's possible again they do like one leg in europe and then it's off to africa and asia afterwards.

[aghst]

I will never get sick of Europe.

[kitkat343]

18 minutes ago, aghst said:

I will never get sick of Europe.

They had some beautiful legs in Europe this season (especially Iceland), and I also loved seeing Petra.  If they can't afford to travel all over the world or if the logistics are too challenging now, then maybe pick one beautiful place like Petra we've never seen before and head there for a couple of episodes.  

Edited December 8, 2022 by kitkat343

[PurpleTentacle]

49 minutes ago, aghst said:

I will never get sick of Europe.

I have to live here, I don't need it on the race.

Yes sure, there is some beautiful landscape, but culturally it is way too close to america and also there is basically no language barrier. I want those racers to struggle and I want to see stuff I can't see with a few hours drive.

[eel21788]

11 hours ago, aghst said:

After that it was a matter of finding bystanders the quickest to find the next destination.

There was too much of that. They should have been required to figure it out on their own for a real test of traveling skills. Isn't that what this show should be about?

[mertensia]

I was rooting for the twins, but am happy for Derek and Claire. Also, they deserved it.

That piano task looked hard to me. I want more finale tasks like that!

[aghst]

4 minutes ago, eel21788 said:

There was too much of that. They should have been required to figure it out on their own for a real test of traveling skills. Isn't that what this show should be about?

They're not used to use their own phones but they can borrow them as much as they like.

A distinction without a difference?

[EllenB]

I've seen only a few episodes of Big Brother over the years, so I was pleasantly surprised by Derek and Claire. They're so  normal in a nerdy and fun way. I was prepared to dislike her based on the first episode, but she always identified the reasons for her occasional meltdowns after that, and apologized for them, which I think takes a mature level of self-awareness. And I really like how she and Derek approached the tasks as a true team, explaining their strengths and weaknesses. This is one of my favorite seasons, with so many likeable teams and very little bad drama. And, I especially loved the wonderfulness that is Linda and Lamumba! Thank you, TAR!

[SHD]

I need that final task explained to me, step by step. Did they have to step on each key (black AND white) and then remember which keys had photos that were actually race related? And then somehow only those photos stayed on their screen and they had to figure out the order they encountered them? And then play the keys in the correct order? 

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, SHD said:

I need that final task explained to me, step by step. Did they have to step on each key (black AND white) and then remember which keys had photos that were actually race related? And then somehow only those photos stayed on their screen and they had to figure out the order they encountered them? And then play the keys in the correct order? 

There were two phases, sort of a practice phase and a final phase. During the practice phase, stepping on each key (apparently black and white, as Luis and Michelle figured out partway) put a photo up on screen, but only 11 of them related to the race. They were free to tap as many times as they wanted to figure out which were the 11 they needed, and in which order.

When they were ready to make an actual "final" attempt, they hit something (I think they referred to it as a pedal) that indicated that they were trying for real, and 11 blanks appeared on the screen along with a timer counting down. As they stepped on each key in sequence, that photo would appear in the blank. During this final phase, if they got them out of order or hit a key that wasn't one of the 11 or ran out of time, they were buzzed incorrect and had to start over. The correct sequence would apparently play the theme song of the show, though that was difficult to tell from their understandably spastic efforts.

Edited December 8, 2022 by tracyscott76

[Thalia]

This finale was filmed practically in my backyard and I had no idea that Phil was in town.  SOB!   I found it interesting because I knew exactly where they were last night.   Once the teams were at the bridge, everything they did took place in 3 or 4 mile radius.  The trip to the Gibson shop was probably less than two miles, and it was a pretty straight shot with only a few turns.  The bars were about a mile away between Gibson and Wildhorse*, and flat.  They had to run a mile uphill to get to the Coliseum.   Then, just under a mile back down to the Ryman aka the Mother Church of Country Music.  

I thought this was one of the worst height challenges they've had.  Well, I guess the tightrope.  At least with bungee jumping you just have to get it over with.   Walking up that arch, no way, no how.  The show did a good job of making viewers tense up with that.  

*Downtown Nashville has exploded with tourists in recent years.  But in the late 1980s it was still sleepy enough that the owners ran a bunch of cows down second avenue to celebrate the opening of the Wildhorse Saloon.  And I was among the idiots who walked down there to see the cows.  I was not lonely, it was a big crowd.  

Edited December 8, 2022 by Thalia

[aghst]

When Derek and Claire completed the piano task the other teams paused, thinking it was over.

It probably was but it must be tough, to be competing on the same task, the last task before the run to the finish line, only to see another team complete it while you're struggling.

Then Derek and Claire ran across the piano of one of the other teams, though they were just standing not trying to complete the task.

[Hera]

8 hours ago, tracyscott76 said:

Good season, even if the final three finished in the opposite order of what I wanted.

Same here, though I also would have been happy with an Emily/Molly win. I have nothing against Derek and Claire, it's just that I liked the other two teams better. But Molly and Emily screwed up the navigation and it cost them, and Luis and Michelle screwed up the attention to detail by not checking out the black keys on the final task.

I really liked the tasks for this finale—all of them gave the opportunity for teams to pass each other, so Derek and Claire's win wasn't a foregone conclusion until they solved the final task. I also liked that the final task was properly difficult. The 11 second time limit was a brilliant touch. Without it, the task would have been like a lot of other forgettable and lacklustre final tasks, but the time limit took it from memory challenge to memory and strategic coordination challenge. It still wasn't quite as good as the final roadblock for Season 12 (honestly, I don't think they'll ever top that one for me), but I'll definitely remember this one and I think it probably was been possible for one of the lagging teams to make up time. Really, Emily and Molly did, just not enough to snag the win.

[Guest]

Just now, Hera said:

Same here, though I also would have been happy with an Emily/Molly win. I have nothing against Derek and Claire, it's just that I liked the other two teams better. But Molly and Emily screwed up the navigation and it cost them, and Luis and Michelle screwed up the attention to detail by not checking out the black keys on the final task.

Yep, Emily and Molly would have been fine with me, too.

As for the part I bolded, I have no idea how Luis and Michelle took so long to figure out that the black keys were also in play. How did they think they had 11 race-related images without hitting any of the black keys? They were already making final attempts when they finally noticed that the black keys were important. Between that and Michelle making the bridge climb harder than necessary and apparently having some kind of brain freeze up at the top, I think L/M hit an exhaustion-related mental wall at the worst possible time.

[iMonrey]

Quote

It still wasn't quite as good as the final roadblock for Season 12 (honestly, I don't think they'll ever top that one for me)

What was season 12's final challenge? I'm amazed people can remember these things.

I just know a lot of them have been pretty lame/easy in recent seasons and I was very impressed by this one. Maybe the show heeded the complaints that they were getting too easy. This one was really hard.

[Guest]

Just now, iMonrey said:

What was season 12's final challenge? I'm amazed people can remember these things.

I just know a lot of them have been pretty lame/easy in recent seasons and I was very impressed by this one. Maybe the show heeded the complaints that they were getting too easy. This one was really hard.

They had a whole pile of stuff (including actual living things like a person and a donkey), from which they had to pick one item representing each leg and put it on a platform. However, there were multiple options for some legs, and they also had a list of logic puzzle requirements like "one item must be a stick", "one item must have wheels", and so on. So you had to hit on the exact correct combination of things. I'm not doing it justice; it was very difficult.

So this piano one wasn't as diabolical, but as @Hera noted, it added the element of coordination and speed.

[twilightzone]

Redemption for Derek and Claire.  They were on BB23 - the season of The Cookout alliance - to finally get a black winner.

Then Derek competed on CBS The Challenge, but his partner had an injury which cost them in the competition.

All 3 of the final teams here on TAR were decent people.  I wouldn't have begrudged any one a win.

[SHD]

1 hour ago, tracyscott76 said:

There were two phases, sort of a practice phase and a final phase. During the practice phase, stepping on each key (apparently black and white, as Luis and Michelle figured out partway) put a photo up on screen, but only 11 of them related to the race. They were free to tap as many times as they wanted to figure out which were the 11 they needed, and in which order.

When they were ready to make an actual "final" attempt, they hit something (I think they referred to it as a pedal) that indicated that they were trying for real, and 11 blanks appeared on the screen along with a timer counting down. As they stepped on each key in sequence, that photo would appear in the blank. During this final phase, if they got them out of order or hit a key that wasn't one of the 11 or ran out of time, they were buzzed incorrect and had to start over. The correct sequence would apparently play the theme song of the show, though that was difficult to tell from their understandably spastic efforts.

Thank you! I don't know how long ago this was filmed, but if I had gotten to this task, I would still be there today trying to get it right. LOL

[katycat74]

Per Derek he had a nosebleed just as they hit the mat s ok that explains the stains on his shirt and why Clair hit the mat alone at first and he followed

[Netfoot]

Late to the party..;. but better late than never.

I am thrilled that Derek & Claire won the race. I think they deserved the win; no perverse taxi-luck or anything like that gave them an edge. They raced well from episode #1, faced and overcame challenges that were a strain for them, (Claire on the tightrope, for instance) and they were first to the mat thanks to their racing skill. Congratulations to them, and I hope they go from strength to strength in their relationship and their careers.

Now TPTB. Can we please have an end to packing the race with ex-BB competitors? D&C may have been good people who were able to win me over, but they are the exception that only proves the rule.

Now to make an admission. This has been a good race, in that I have not disliked anyone for most of the race and right up to the end of the last episode, I would have said that any of the final three winning would have been OK with me. I would have preferred D&C, but anyone would do. But at the very beginning of this episode I realiszd I did not want Molly & E-Molly to win. Anyone but them. Why? Petty reasons, I guess.

Number One: I'm sick and frigging tired of hearing about the god-damned knee .So please! Shaddup!

Number Two: They keep saying things like "We have to stay on the race so we can get to know each other after 34 years!" So, wait. When the race is over, do they just wave goodbye and never see one another ever again? Aren't they even going to exchange numbers? It's bullshit. They will continue to "get to know each other" for the rest of their lives. They don't need to be on TAR for that to happen. So please! Shaddup!

As finales go, this was actually quite good. The race was close from beginning to end, with each team standing as good a chance as the others for the majority of the leg. I'm also trying to recall when last they allowed self-driving on a finale.

The tasks were sufficiently varied and the final foot-keyboard was a test of memory, agility, and teamwork. Recent final tasks have been Roadblocks, with one team member sitting in tortured silence and the other taking responsibility for the win or loss on their lonely shoulders. This was better. And the 11-second timeout that took most teams by surprise just added the icing to the cake.

It was great to see Caroline & Jennifer put in a cameo appearance. I always enjoy when they include past racers in the tasks, and was glad to see this pair. They were a 2nd place race team on a race marred by the presence of Brendon & Rachel, the insufferable BB team (well, Rachael, really), and the almost equally insufferable Dave & Connor.

In closing, I am going to say that I forgot how ugly Dom's "hair" was. Nearly as ugly as her personality. How nice that she went out at the end of episode #3.

And as for Abby & Will: It's one hell of a way to be eliminated from the race. If there is a "Second Chance" season any time in the future, they get my vote for a place.

[I Want My MBTV]

1 hour ago, twilightzone said:

Redemption for Derek and Claire.  They were on BB23 - the season of The Cookout alliance - to finally get a black winner.

Then Derek competed on CBS The Challenge, but his partner had an injury which cost them in the competition.

All 3 of the final teams here on TAR were decent people.  I wouldn't have begrudged any one a win.

So this was Derek's 3rd 'reality' show?  I don't get it.  I didn't have anything against him or Claire but I also didn't find either of the particularly interesting (though I'd take not interesting over obnoxious) - I'm really surprised he'd get cast on all these shows.  The only one I watch is TAR but I thought BB especially cast 'personalities'.  

I was hoping the Twins would win (followed by Luis and Michelle) but they really messed up first with missing the parking then with driving aimlessly from the bridge with no idea where they were going and of course they were going in the wrong direction!  Certainly can't begrudge Derek and Claire's victory. They ran a very competent race.

TAR will forever and always be one of my favorite shows but I do miss things from the earlier seasons.  Even before the Covid restrictions the challenges of the show had been watered down.  I do hope they do away with the leaving in groups.  If you arrive first at the mat you shouldn't be leaving at the same time as anyone unless they arrived on the mat seconds after you.  I think that's been my biggest issue with things how they are now. Though I am thankful to have TAR back and that they managed to keep going after Covid.   

Great teams, great scenery, Phil.....   

[30 Helens]

Really fun finale. And surprisingly suspenseful, given the lack of potential travel glitches.

I’m glad to see that Derek and Claire won over so many people who were inclined to dislike them at first because of BB. I spent way too much time watching live feeds during their season, so I had a good sense of their personalities, saw how they interacted with others, witnessed several deep conversations in the backyard hammock, etc, and came into this knowing that they are both genuinely lovely people. I’m thrilled for their win. (Although I would have been perfectly happy with either of the other teams winning, as well. Nothing but rootable teams in this finale.)

It’s unfortunate that when casting teams from BB, TAR generally chooses the louder, more obnoxious people (see: Rachel). But just like any reality show (including TAR), BB casts a mix of personalities. Not all of them are awful. Not even the majority are awful. So next time you see a BB team on here, don’t assume you should automatically hate them. (Just ask me. I’ll let you know if you should. 😉)

It’s kind of interesting that other reality shows (BB, Survivor) tend to feed into TAR, but it doesn’t go the other way. I wonder why that is?

[dgpolo]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

It was great to see Caroline & Jennifer put in a cameo appearance. I always enjoy when they include past racers in the tasks, and was glad to see this pair.

Were they under some restriction not to say anything? or sing? It was really odd that they were there and didn't actually say anything and it was actually one of the teams that sang their signature 'song'. It was also nice that they were recognized, among the many things I hated about the family edition was the fact that only one person on one team recognized Kevin and Drew (who did a lot of talking)

4 hours ago, Thalia said:

I thought this was one of the worst height challenges they've had. 

I think climbing the Sydney Harbor bridge was scarier than this one. Not to mention rappelling face first down a skyscraper or -my vote for worst- inching along a ledge on the side of one of the Alps from one window to another.