S25: Previews & Speculation

[tds444]

yeah i think it's for sure a non elimination because the finale is December 19th.

[Rusun]

I don't think impoverished is the right word to describe either The Philippines or Vietnam, developing to be sure but not impoverished, Vietnam in particular is developing fast and has some fairly decent infrastructure in the big cities. I'm not as familiar with The Philippines but it is no where near as undeveloped as parts of Africa.

 

Yes, but when TAR3 filmed at Hồ Chí Minh City, Huế, Đa Nẵng, Hội An, and Hanoi back in the Summer of 2002, the boom in modernization had yet to hit: the subsequent return trips during TAR10 (Spring 2006), TAR15 (Summer 2009), and especially TAR22 (Autumn 2012) did demonstrate the fast development and more than fair infrastructure in the major cities that you mention.

 

On the other hand, if the following previews are any indication, little has changed since TAR5's visit over a decade ago during the Winter of 2004 - ironic that Morocco technically had a lower Human Development Index at the time of filming, yet seemed much more prosperous:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7K-OfEJiRw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNOZm1QMtF4

Edited December 5, 2014 by Rusun

[Lingo]

Oh God, Robbie's dumb animal phobia again!

[Lantern7]

. . . and that should make the ox task more fun than it already is.

[auntlada]

Between his animal phobia and her whining, perhaps they are going to be the ones with the broken ox, not Jim and Misti.

Edited December 6, 2014 by auntlada

[Lantern7]

Here are average placements after ten legs (adjusted stats are in parentheses, with best and worst legs subtracted from the average):

 

2.60 (2.13) Misti & Jim

2.90 (2.63) Adam & Bethany

4.40 (4.38) Brook & Robbie

4.90 (4.88) Amy & Maya

 

I figure it would take a miracle for the Wrestlers and Scientists/Candy Girls to be in the final, let alone for one of them to win. Then again, I didn't see the Cyclists' ultimate defeat coming, so what do I know? I reckon that the Dentists and Surfers would battle for win and place positions.

 

Off-topic question: do you think Amy & Maya resent being called "Candy Girls"? Even Phil seems to be doing it.

[riley702]

 

Off-topic question: do you think Amy & Maya resent being called "Candy Girls"? Even Phil seems to be doing it.

I don't know, but I find it condescending.

[Netfoot]

Off-topic question: do you think Amy & Maya resent being called "Candy Girls"? Even Phil seems to be doing it.

 

Didn't they give themselves that name?  When Jim & Misty chose Molar and Bicuspid? 

Edited December 6, 2014 by Netfoot

[Rusun]

Didn't they give themselves that name?  When Jim & Misty chose Molar and Bicuspid? 

 

Nope, they called themselves "Cookies and Cream".

 

I guess that the window-smashing stunt in the mid-season preview will happen in the finale instead of during any of the three legs in Asia.

[Lantern7]

Let me try another metric: the ratio between a team's front-of-pack finishes to being in the back of the pack. Any median finishes (sixth out of 11, fifth of nine, etc.) would count as 0.5 front, 0.5 back.

 

Misti & Jim: 7.5/2.5 = 3.00

Adam & Bethany: 7/3 = 2.33

Amy & Maya: 4/6 =  0.67

Brooke & Robbie: 3/7 = 0.43

 

Not much difference from average placement, though the Scientists' two median placements allows them to go ahead of the Wrestlers, making them a better team statistically. Or maybe I'm thinking too hard about it.

 

ETA: Kym & Alli finished with a ratio of 3.50 (7/2), so maybe the system isn't perfect.

[Lingo]

Off-topic question: do you think Amy & Maya resent being called "Candy Girls"? Even Phil seems to be doing it.

 

Maya's probably like, "um, Amy's the Candy Girl, I'm the Ice Cream Girl!"

[Lantern7]

From this week's description:

 

Strong teams make a mistake that could cost them $1 million; Phil Keoghan has shocking news for the contestants at the pit stop.

 

My guess: the final three teams are told to keep racing, with no eat/sleep/mingle in between. The only other "shock" I can think up is that there's no elimination, and we'll be getting four teams in the final leg.

[shok]

I'm thinking maybe the first couple of teams to the mat get told they read a clue wrong or missed a direction telling them to walk while they took a taxi or something like that and they have to go back and finish a task.

[Lantern7]

Apparently, Amy looks close to keeling over in commercials, to the point where Phil is urging her to get water at the Pit Stop. Maybe she and Maya have to drop out, an the fourth-place team manages to stay on for the final leg?

[Lingo]

Two teams break the rules so flagrantly that they have to eliminate them both and let the cyclists back in?  (Fingers crossed!)

[Lantern7]

Looks like I was one-for-two, prediction-wise. I would not have believed in a final four finale, even if Phil is going to eliminate a team halfway through the leg. Assuming this week's leg counts as legit, as oppose to being part of a mega-leg, here are the leg-placement averages (with adjusted average in parentheses):

 

2.64 (2.33) Misti & Jim

2.82 (2.56) Adam & Bethany

4.09 (4.11) Brooke & Robbie

4.82 (4.78) Amy & Maya

 

Still feels like a case of "racers vs. race-nots," even with the Wrestlers' win. The front-to-back ratios also confirm that:

 

Adam & Bethany: 8/3 = 2.67

Misti & Jim: 7.5/3.5 = 2.14

Amy & Maya: 4/7 = 0.57

Brooke & Robbie: 4/7 = 0.57

 

If the Dentists win: They will have won six legs, and they would be the obvious team to win.

 

If the Surfers win: It'll be a rare case of a fan favorite team winning. They are no polls on CBS.com, but I'm assuming Adam & Bethany gained fans along the way.

 

If the Wrestlers win: It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, though I'm assuming there would be a line to slap Brooke for being an ugly American.

 

If the Scientists win: It'll be as big an upset as the Beekman Boys winning two years ago. Amy & Maya may not have been inept, but they have lagged behind most of the way.

[Netfoot]

If the Scientists win: It'll be as big an upset as the Beekman Boys winning two years ago. Amy & Maya may not have been inept, but they have lagged behind most of the way.

 

They are likeable characters with reasonable challenge skills, who keep dropping the ball on navigation.  (Jeepney going the wrong way?  Almost inevitably!)  They are the weakest team remaining, and Amy seems to be spent, but they are orders of magnitude more likeable, more competent, and more deserving of a win, than the Boring Beekmans.  To such an extent that I think it's unfair to compare the two teams. 

[Camera One]

I'm pretty sure I watched the season with the Beekmans, but I don't think they left an impression on me, neither negative or positive.  I wish the TWOP forum was archived so I could check what I actually thought of that season and who I was cheering for.

[peachmangosteen]

I loved that the Beekman Boys won, but I don't think Amy/Maya winning would be like that. They're much more likable.

 

I hope they do win. What can I say, I love an underdog.

[auntlada]

My guess: the final three teams are told to keep racing, with no eat/sleep/mingle in between. The only other "shock" I can think up is that there's no elimination, and we'll be getting four teams in the final leg.

 

Can you help me pick lottery numbers?

[Lantern7]

Anybody want to take a stab at how the "previously" segment will go down on Friday? I'm thinking we start off with the NYC start, then go into the Realtors/Firefighters skirmishes, as well as Nici's breakdown at the Pit Stop. I also figure we'll get Tim & Te Jay's struggle on the pole, the one Firefighter's swollen ankle, and Amy smacking into the car. As for individual segments (in alphabetical order):

 

Dentists: They started off with a leg win, then they wound up finishing last and tried handing in their Save. No scary Jim moments, but we'll see them struggle with tasks, which doesn't take away from their four other leg wins.

 

Scientists: Struggle, struggle, struggle, and the massage Detour, because the producers are cruel like that. After seeing Amy almost keel over at the last Pit Stop, we'll be reminded that they're still in the game, and we'll get Maya running a lap and/or proclaiming how much she loves the show.

 

Surfers: I know they haven't run the race like Kris & Jon, but I think they won't have a flaw shown in their segment, just like the TAR6 couple. Phil won't mention how Bethany has "single-handedly" stayed in the game, because he's not a total asshole . ..  but he will say that the Surfers have managed to "hang ten" in their quest for a million bucks.

 

Wrestlers: Lowlight after lowlight, with lots of complaining from Brooke. Yadda yadda yadda, managed to hang on and (miraculously) win the last leg. Oh, and we'll see Brooke drop the elbow on the thing of hay (or whatever she was carrying), because she's a wrestler.

 

That's all I got. Oh, and I think there will only be three Roadblock/final task stations in the end, and the last team to arrive automatically goes to the Finish Line to cheer on the remaining teams.

[Lingo]

They are likeable characters with reasonable challenge skills, who keep dropping the ball on navigation.  (Jeepney going the wrong way?  Almost inevitably!)  They are the weakest team remaining, and Amy seems to be spent, but they are orders of magnitude more likeable, more competent, and more deserving of a win, than the Boring Beekmans.  To such an extent that I think it's unfair to compare the two teams. 

 

Beekmans' average placement up to leg 11: 4.909

Scientists: 4.818

 

They're ... actually pretty much neck-in-neck in average placement. As for personalities, I don't remember much about the boys, except that they kind of seemed resigned to coming in last about 2/3rds of the way through the Race.  Which I suppose supports Netfoot's POV.

 

BTW, I think the BBs were the third team to win the Race without winning a single previous leg.  The first two were ... the winners of the first two All-Stars seasons.  Weird!

[Lantern7]

So . . . who ya got for the finale? I'm going with the ending of most happiness, with Adam & Bethany triumphing over the Dentists.

 

ETA: It should be noted that the commercial for the finale has sixteen people at the finish line, so I think you can make out the final eliminated team if you squint hard enough. Just thought I'd warn you guys about that.

[Netfoot]

Final Task:  Where along the way did you see Phil? 

[enlightenedbum]

That promo for next season is HORRIFYING.  Who thought this was a good idea?

[riley702]

Amazing Race: Blind Date? Yikes.

[Nidratime]

Well, after seeing the preview for the next season, I've got to say ... that will be unique. Will someone be giving someone else a rose?

[riley702]

Please, God, no!

[raven]

 

That promo for next season is HORRIFYING.  Who thought this was a good idea?

My sentiments exactly!  Dating couples with some meeting for the first time?  DATING couples??? Please don't mind the shouting but dating couples are the least interesting pairings (as always, IMO) and the *twist* makes it even worse.  What a way to ruin the ending of this season.  

Edited December 20, 2014 by raven

[Lantern7]

FIVE "blind date" couples. Is the casting pool so shallow that Bertham and Elise had to recruit and/or choose singles for teams? Did they learn nothing from Mark & Mallory? I'm hoping for the best, but I'm starting to dread TAR26 as much as I am with the "collar" edition of Survivor.

[TheRabbi]

That promo was indeed pretty horrifying.  Remember how great Phil's speech at the start line of TAR 25 was?  "More than a decade ago, we set out to create a show with teams of two, bound by love, by friendship, by family...".  And here we are a season later turning it all to shit.

 

I am also of the opinion that dating couples are among the least interesting pairs the show  routinely casts (this season: Dennis and Isabelle, Keith and Whitney, TJ and Tim).  There's only so much variety couples can have, and its much more interesting seeing all the unique pairs that can get on.

[Skeeter22]

I'm not looking forward to the "what does this mean for our relationship" drama that will undoubtedly unfold, but I'll still watch. It can't be as bad as the family edition, and it's only one season.

[mtlchick]

Am I fan of this idea?  Hell no.  We kind of went through that with Eric and Danielle in TAR9 and it was literally just for show.  

 

But in terms of the teams...let's just say that was the best spoiler I could ever hear.

[Netfoot]

Final Task:  Where along the way did you see Phil? 

 

Uh... Apparently not.

[kassygreene]

I think I prefer Dating Mactors.  And I hate Dating Mactors.  But just-met-for-the-show Blind Dating Mactors has the potential to be worse then All-Stars.  

 

Unless!  If one of the Blind Daters was a Weaver?  That would have interesting possibilities.

[Netfoot]

Unless!  If one of the Blind Daters was a Weaver?  That would have interesting possibilities.

 

Only if it was Rolly and he was dating Carissa.  Or Ma Weaver dating J*n*th*n.

[Camera One]

The real wildcard is the five teams whose teammates have never met.  Now, I feel if you're going to do that, it should be all teams, not just five.  Are those teams going to be at a huuuge disadvantage?  If so, isn't it unfair to them?  But the question is, should it be done at all?  TAR has always been about teams with a pre-existing relationship (just ask Eric & Danielle).  I just can't predict how this change will alter the dynamic of the race.

 

Would Amy have soldiered on through heatstroke and dehydration if she didn't know Maya and didn't care if she was disappointed?  I like to think so, but racers bearing up under the stress so as not to disappoint their friend/father/wife/etc is a big part of what has made some teams great.  It remains to be seen whether/how the behaviour of the five blind-dating teams are affected by the fact that they don't really care what the other team member thinks or feels.

 

I agree... if they want to try this "theme", then fine, but have all the teams be with people they've never met.  It irked me a little with the All-Stars that it's such a mess of people with no coherence.  I could see a bunch of teams racing who all got eliminated from bad luck.  But then they throw in the "fan favorites" or other random teams from the past.

 

I think if the individual racers are very competitive or really want that million dollars, they would try to perform well regardless of who their teammate is.  Their problem will be in communication, not knowing each other's strengths and weaknesses, being able to be honest with one another and finding their "groove".  Mallory and Mark though was probably a case where Mark would have gone full out for Bopper's sake.  But maybe that's mainly when a team joins, and one person is more gung-ho about the show than the other one.  If they find two people who are driven, and put them together, they could still be motivated.

[peachmangosteen]

Have any of the cast been spoiled yet (besides the NKOTB guy)?

[lilabennet]

I am not a fan of having themes on TAR, especially a dating theme (WTF?), but if this is a precursor to future changes, then I would like to put in a vote for a season that is battle of the sexes themed: An equal number of same-sex pairs, 2 pairs of each gender from the 20-29, 30-39, and 40-49 age brackets, preferably with no obvious weak links or cannon fodder.

[oblivion]

Long time lurker, first time poster.  I was inspired to post because I'm fairly sure I spotted Steven Langton, an Olympic bobsledder, in the preview for Season 26.  Coincidentally, I happened to notice that he wasn't competing in the first World Cup race this season (right before I saw the preview), so I'm guessing it was because he was on TAR.

[green]

Worst casting idea ever for TAR26.  I HATE soap opera garbage with a passion!

 

A whole season full of self-absorbed, boring and/or annoying, smoochie and/or yelling, screechy,  couples.  Dating couples tend to be so shallow.  They have no long history to make their stories interesting usually.  They freak out at each other more often than other relationship teams on the whole (exceptions to ever rule of course).  They are one of many reasons I always liked TAR2 the best of all time.  No dating couples on that season at all!  Now that was excellent casting.

Edited December 21, 2014 by green

[Chrissytd]

The theme for the seasons sounds really dumb, but I'll try to preserve judgement until after the premiere.

[Taylorh2]

I like the theme for the next show. I think it'll be really interesting to see how strangers thrown together-work together.

[lianau]

I think they will work together  very, very well or not at all . Nothing in between . They are either trying to be on their best behavior to impress the potential dating partner or not even trying to be nice to someone they don't mash very well with . Like Mark and Mallory with a twist .

[Kel Varnsen]

Only if it was Rolly and he was dating Carissa.  Or Ma Weaver dating J*n*th*n.

I would love it if they brought back any of the little kids from the family season for another "Unfinished Business" season for a two person team. When they did their little interview it the start of the season and they were asked what their unfinished business was they could say "we were little kids and you made us race against full grown adults!".

[chaifan]

My thought is, if you're going to have a gimmick theme, then go for all married (or long term dating) couples and just before the race starts, while they're all at the start line, replace one racer with his/her mother (so the other racer is racing with his/her mother-in-law).  Then yell start.  Follow up after the Race finishes airing to see who's still married/together/talking with their in-laws.

Edited December 22, 2014 by chaifan

[Maverick]

 So what's the over/under on this upcoming dating abomination being worse the The Season That Shall Not Be Named.

[TheRabbi]

This will probably be worst than family edition in my opinion.  Family Edition still managed to cast some good teams, like the Weavers, Paolos, Gaghans, Bransens, and maybe even the Screaming Sisters.  All dating couples is boring enough as it is, and the blind date thing should be a complete disaster.  I am not excited for this at all.

Edited January 17, 2015 by TheRabbi

[green]

I don't know which season cannot be named.  I think Season 9 was the worst ever especially since it's spawn went on to destroy TAR All-Stars as well.

 

If you meant Family Edition.  Yeah the format was bad and most of the teams too.  But the Paolos and Weavers, the only 2 teams I found worth watching, were great casting which lifts it above Season 9 for me.

 

I definitely think Mama Paolo alone will make Family Edition better than this horrible format.  Maybe even Season 9 will be better because this coming season sounds like wall-to-wall-to-wall of "made up" couples.  It's like take Eric and Danielle from Season 9 and turn them into Eric & Danielle -- a new, made-up team on All Stars -- and make a whole flock of them?  The horror!  The horror!

 

You know there is NOTHING more socially awkward and miserable then finding yourself with a couple who are squabbling.  They both start to make their cases to you and they keep escalating it and you want to run out of the building screaming.  That is what I think this next season will be like.  Uncomfortable to the max.

[Lamb18]

I'm holding off judgment for now.  If the blind dating couples are just people who want to be on TV - yeah, disaster - but if the couples are super rabid fans who love the race, then there could be some real excitement and epic moments.