S26.E01: Great Way To Start A Relationship (Tokyo, Japan)

[lilwhitelion]

Yes, Tyler is gorgeous - part of the third team to hit the mat.  But what struck me whenever they showed Laura, his blind date partner, was how much she looks like Amy Adams.  

[Turtle]

Am I the only one annoyed that they paired the one minority blind date male with the one minority blind date female? I saw him standing there with the singles. Then I saw an Asian girl run out with the single girls, and I knew right away they'd be paired together.

 

Confused about the sake task. Did they really only have to identify one bottle? I thought they'd have to get everyone at the table the right one (four bottles I think). What would have stopped them from just continuously grabbing bottles when they were wrong?

 

 

I wasn't bothered by the pairing because I assume all the couples were matched up based on somewhat in-depth profiles (or at least a comprehensive questionnaire), and so it wasn't race-based.  It's likely some of them expressed a preference for certain racial, ethnic, religious, or other backgrounds (or even blonde or tall or lean), or expressed no preference in any of those categories.  That kind of thing is not at all unusual for matchmakers or dating websites, and it's not unusual for people to have preferences, and so I really don't think the show would match that couple up just because Minority and Minority!  I did side-eye that there weren't more non-whites overall, however.  Surely a fair amount of people who aren't white want to be on this show, but it seems it's usually only one or two teams who aren't white (while we know that is not reflective of the general population), and maybe another team who is "different" such as being deaf or a little person.  I don't mean that to sound derogatory - I really just wasn't sure how else to express it.  

 

I was also confused about the sake task.  At first I thought they were going to have to deliver all the bottles to different tables, based on what the tables ordered, but it really did seem like they only had to find one bottle.  The longest it could possibly take is 10 trips to the bar in that case, which seems poorly designed.  This show usually designs these things so well, this seemed like the rare misstep.  

Edited February 26, 2015 by Turtle

[yattsukeru]

This was one of the most intense Leg 1s we've seen in a long time, and I always love it when they visit places I've been. Comments above about cab versus train from Narita are spot on: unless it's the dead of night, there's no reason to waste the money. They showed teams taking the Skyliner train, which goes straight to Ueno station in 41 minutes and is only about a mile from the shrine they visited. Unless editing misled me, it looked like others took Narita Express which is much less direct.

 

I found it really hard to keep up with who was getting lost and where they were at the end, so I was surprised that CJ & Lebya took so long to get to the U-turn. I also about pissed my pants when she said "I'm not paying 100 yen!" The Detour options weren't too far apart, but the U-turn was quite a ways away so having to backtrack really hurt Jeff & Lyda. If they had all been close together it may not have turned out that way.

[GaT]

Too early for me to like anyone, but at least I don't hate anyone yet.

[Wings]

 

I was also confused about the sake task.  At first I thought they were going to have to deliver all the bottles to different tables, based on what the tables ordered, but it really did seem like they only had to find one bottle.  The longest it could possibly take is 10 trips to the bar in that case, which seems poorly designed.  This show usually designs these things so well, this seemed like the rare misstep.

 

 

They were shown 10 bottles but they were placed on the bar shelves and mixed with many more bottles they were not previously shown.  It had the potential of taking a long time.  I don't think they anticipated the dance would take that long to complete either.  The judges were very strict, too strict for this endeavor.    They test these with challenges beforehand, of course, with crew members.   The testers must have done very well on the dance and poorly on the sake!   

[djlynch]

Did they ever say why they have the cameras/smartphones? They appeared to be color-coded to the teams so maybe they'll have them for the entire race. I wondered if TPTB had finally caved in to the realities of 21st century technology and just given all the teams the same equipment to keep a level playing field.

 

They never specifically said anything more than about the selfies, although I think it's more than just a camera because I noticed that there was a quick shot where one of the racers had it out and was checking the screen while they were walking down the street. I got the sense that they were using it to either translate or to re-check the clue, but I don't remember enough of the context to be sure.

[ProfCrash]

I think the Sake was easy. If you were comfortable with one or two bottles, you were good to go. You keep sending the same bottle no matter what is asked for and you are done. I am guessing that they figured that the racers would see it as a needle as a haystack or too much memorization and hence scary and go for the more physical task. The sake was so stupidly easy. I kind of liked that the U Turned team pretty much said that once they completed it in like, 10 minutes.

 

So the blind date thing is not too annoying, at least not yet. The Dr and Nurse combo is going to be a disaster. The sad thing is that it is hard to be a Pediatric Nurse. There is a lot of training and intelligence that goes into that job so they should be a good match but she is such a cheerleader. She is that bubbly, loud personality that wants everything to be exciting and positive. Just feels so happy, happy.

 

I liked the mud run. Liked the dance thing and am amazed that no one left to try the other option.

 

Looks like it has the potential to be a good season

[Haleth]

I felt terrible for the professional dancers having to constantly repeat their routine for 4 hours.  I wonder how many times they had to do that.

 

The dating/blind dating aspect didn't really bother me since at this point I can't tell who is who and with whom, they're all a blur.  Funny that the first 3 teams were strangers though.  Even funnier is watching the doctor's body language.  He's not digging the nurse.

 

Good on Jenny for insisting on reading the clue again before they started running around the parking garage!

 

Please drop the selfies!  It's obnoxious and takes time away from the show.  Let viewers look at them on the website instead.

 

The sake Samurais were hilarious.  Did you all see the one guy make the WTF face when a racer tried to pronounce something in the next clue?

I think the Sake was easy. If you were comfortable with one or two bottles, you were good to go. You keep sending the same bottle no matter what is asked for and you are done.

 

I think it would depend on how the challenge was worded.  Could they switch tables? Or once one was chosen and an order placed were they required to find that specific bottle?

Edited February 26, 2015 by Haleth

[proserpina65]

I was also confused about the sake task.  At first I thought they were going to have to deliver all the bottles to different tables, based on what the tables ordered, but it really did seem like they only had to find one bottle.  The longest it could possibly take is 10 trips to the bar in that case, which seems poorly designed.

 

It did seem like the samurai doing the ordering asked for a different type of sake on each try, but we only saw a couple of tries, so I'm not sure.  And as ProfCrash pointed out, they really only had to keep sending out the same bottle until it was the right one.  I think the producers thought the language issue would make it more difficult; I'm pretty sure that's why most of the teams chose the other task.

Edited February 26, 2015 by proserpina65

[Wings]

 

I felt terrible for the professional dancers having to constantly repeat their routine for 4 hours.  I wonder how many times they had to do that.

 

 

I didn't!  The judging was way too strict.  The teams were not auditioning for their next video, for cryin' out loud.  I did note that there were only 3 dancers left teaching at the end.  

[Skittl1321]

 

Kurt, honey, if you've never had a boyfriend, please don't go into this thinking "this might be the one."

I thought they were really reasonable on the mat though. I don't know which one is which, but one guy said "it's too soon to tell" and the other said "but no matter what I think we're going to have a great friendship".

 

Other thoughts

-I thought the U-turn was the right thing to do. There was only 1 team left at the dancing, the team that used the u-turn had no way to know other teams ahead of them were lost, or how much longer it would take the single team behind them to finish.  From their perspective- if the teams in front of them were on the way to the pitstop, the team behind them finishes right after they leave- what if they had bad taxi luck or something?  They could have been eliminated.  The u-turn bought them some time, when they thought they were in serious danger of elimination.

 

-I think the blind date thing made for a really nice opening episode. There was very little screaming because people were still being polite to each other.  I imagine this will change soon.

 

-I did not care for the nurse.  I loved her patronizing attitude when Jonathan said he was a singer (I'm guessing he didn't want to sound braggy or lie) and laughed when it turned out she was actually a fan of his band. (Are all of these racers old enough that they will know who NKOTB are? I think most are.)

 

-I too wondered why no team considered switching (and my standard- that is not a bald snark! Those guys would switch then switch again!). Usually there is a lot of talk about whether or not to switch on a difficult detour, maybe it got edited out so the selfie silliness could be shown. But when they showed the elapsed time clock of less than 4 hours, I realized even if it was frustrating, it probably wasn't yet at the fever pitch of being worth it to have to find the place and do what was clearly described as a difficult task.

 

-I liked the lawyers, and their parsing out vicinity made me laugh. But it was a good editing move for the editors to show that the people IN the building were lost.

 

I felt terrible for the professional dancers having to constantly repeat their routine for 4 hours.  I wonder how many times they had to do that.

 

Probably for longer than that, because only that one team had been there 4 hours. They weren't the first team, I don't think.  (Though I don't recall if they were first or second flight. If they were first flight they probably weren't that far behind.)  I did notice that at the end there were a lot fewer dancers left in the group.

 

I don't know that the judging was too harsh, because the mistakes were all very visible. Usually the racer knew they messed up as soon as they took the step, they weren't left waiting for the ruling.  It wasn't that the feeling of the dance was wrong (there were some teams not lifting their leg up nearly as high as the trained dancers, some that marched instead of a smooth walk; but that wasn't the problem)- they got called wrong if they lost balance and put their foot down, or stepped off beat, or had their arms out when everyone else was in.  Obvious errors that I could have judged.

 

My husband and I were discussing, and we were shocked more people didn't do the sake task. To do that task, only ONE person has to be good at memorization. To do the dancing TWO have to be coordinated and have rhythm.  His good memory would override my crappy one, but my good dancing couldn't help his poor dancing.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Skittl1321

[tominboston]

The mud/obstacle course was a nice twist on what has now become the usual boring "run to your commercially sponsored car, drive to LAX, and fly to Asia" beginning of a race. I was surprised that a couple of the male racers seemed to be making no effort to help their struggling female partners through the obstacles... wonder if there was a "no helping" rule in place. Glad the racers were given a chance to shower off before getting in the cars.

 

The blind date concept is simply stupid, the stunt casting of minor celebrities is annoying, and I miss the old days when teams were a cross-section of normal people. It's good to have TAR back for another run, but I suspect that the dating theme is going to get really annoying after a couple more episodes.

 

And as one who is completely un-coordinated and hopeless when it comes to complex dance steps, I agree with the many folks above who note that anyone who kept trying the dance task after four or five failures really should have switched tasks. Even if your memory wasn't great, there seemed to be no penalties for wrong answers in the saki task and you could just keep going back to the bar until you got it right.

 

 

[Alapaki]

I think the Sake was easy. If you were comfortable with one or two bottles, you were good to go. You keep sending the same bottle no matter what is asked for and you are done. I am guessing that they figured that the racers would see it as a needle as a haystack or too much memorization and hence scary and go for the more physical task. The sake was so stupidly easy. I kind of liked that the U Turned team pretty much said that once they completed it in like, 10 minutes.

 

 

I may have misunderstood the task, but as wings707 (and I) mentioned upthread, it looked like they were shown 10 specific bottles and told the names of those bottles.  So they had to memorize which names matched which bottles.  But then after they took the order from the table, the bottles were placed on the shelves behind the bar, amongst other, similarly labeled bottles, that they hadn't been shown.

 

Therefore, they couldn't just memorize that "brand xyz" had two black letters/symbols on a white label, because on the shelf there were other "sucker-bottles" with two black letters/symbols on white labels.  So they would've had to memorize what the specific letter/symbols looked like.  

I reminded me of the opera-costume memorization task last season.  The room with the costumes seemed to have several sucker-costumes.  So they teams couldn't just remember to look for a green dress because there were several green dresses.

 

I think the Sake was easy. If you were comfortable with one or two bottles, you were good to go. You keep sending the same bottle no matter what is asked for and you are done. I am guessing that they figured that the racers would see it as a needle as a haystack or too much memorization and hence scary and go for the more physical task. The sake was so stupidly easy. I kind of liked that the U Turned team pretty much said that once they completed it in like, 10 minutes.

 

 

I agree generally, however, when one Team finished, the male-racer was directly behind one of the pros.  You could see the pro and the female-racer raising their arms up to the side to at least shoulder-height.  The male-racer barely raised his arms at all.  I think they even played the sad-trombone music.  I thought for sure they were going to be tagged for that.  But they were let through.  So the judging may have been a bit inconsistent.  Or, the judges were told to be strict for the first x-number of tries for each team, then to loosen up.

[Wootini]

On the plus side, I didn't actively hate anyone, which is weird for this show. Usually there's at least a few people who are just awful human beings right out of the gate. The blonde paired with the doctor is super annoying, though. I feel terrible for him being saddled with her. He's very cute and deserves better. Although I enjoy the exasperated looks on his face throughout as he occasionally realizes he's traveling the world with this woman… (Sorry, it'll take me a few episodes to start learning names)

 

I also kind of get the impression that it was Jonathan's boyfriend who wanted to do this show. Just look at Jonathan's expression in the opening credits… he looks SO uncomfortable, like he'd rather be anywhere else! :D And during the show, he also doesn't seem quite as into it as his boyfriend.

 

I agree that the selfies are annoying. My husband remarked on it halfway through the episode, wishing they'd stop. I said they have to sell the phones to make money for the show, but then he pointed out that they never made a point of mentioning the brand or showing the logo. So… kind of blew that one, TAR! (And I suppose the phones have been deactivated so they can't even use WiFi? They're just cameras at this point? Because otherwise that would REALLY change the race…)

 

That saki task was oddly worded. When it turned out they only had to deliver one bottle to get their clue, I thought that sounded too easy. Granted, they made it more challenging by putting the 10 bottles on a massive shelve with tons of other bottles, but no one seemed to really struggle with it too much. But it must have sounded worse in the description since everyone went with the dancing. And I'd like to think that's why no one switched tasks because otherwise it's because they're all too stupid to understand the concept of "Hey, we're really struggling with this and it might take a really long while… maybe we should try the other one before we fall even further behind?" That wouldn't bode well for the season.

 

I don't understand the reasoning behind putting a U-Turn in the first leg before any rivalries have been created. And then they make it a blind U-Turn so it won't even CREATE any rivalries! It was kind of telling that nobody even bothered with it until the Truckers couple who U-Turned the only couple they knew were behind them so they wouldn't get passed on the way to the pit stop. Which is actually a good reason to use it. 

Edited February 26, 2015 by Wootini

[Mreid]

This premiere was actually better than I thought it would be.  So far Tyler and Laura are my favorite team.  They didnt come in 1st place but they seemed to get along really well.  I kinda like CJ and Libby but they are horrible with directions good gawd. Im not surprised the old couple were out first I knew they would have a tough time keeping up with the younger cast. They got screwed by Rochelle and Mikey though. I would never U turn a team but especially not an older couple thats just messed up man.  I still miss the old format though of male female and couple teams.  But overall not a bad premiere.  

[laurakaye]

Kudos for titling each section of your review with the names of NKOTB songs!

[Skittl1321]

 

I also kind of get the impression that it was Jonathan's boyfriend who wanted to do this show.

Jonathan has said in a few interviews that he has been trying to get on the show for awhile.

 

 

but especially not an older couple thats just messed up man.

So you think a team should get special favors just because they are older?  They u-turned the team that they thought most directly stood in their way of getting safely to the pit-stop.  Every other team was ahead of them (they had no idea other teams were lost)- so they picked the only team that COULD overcome them.  It meant they saw them as potential competitors, not just an older team.  I think it would have been pretty insulting if they didn't u-turn them saying "they're old- they won't be able to beat us"

 

Interestingly, while Jeff is 57, Lyda is only 49- Jonathan and Harley are 46 and 41, so not that different. And they don't seem to be viewed as an old couple, but in amazing race terms, they are too.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Skittl1321

[Alapaki]

I agree that the selfies are annoying. My husband remarked on it halfway through the episode, wishing they'd stop. I said they have to sell the phones to make money for the show, but then he pointed out that they never made a point of mentioning the brand or showing the logo. So… kind of blew that one, TAR! (And I suppose the phones have been deactivated so they can't even use WiFi? They're just cameras at this point? Because otherwise that would REALLY change the race…)

 

 

I thought I heard one of the Racers refer to the phones as "selfie devices" or something to that effect that suggested to me that they are strictly cameras.  It seems annoying to me too, especially given that "selfies" are so cliche at this point.

 

But, maybe there is some way that the photos they take will somehow factor into the final memory task in the final leg?

[joanne3482]

I think the whole point of the selfies is that some of these are blind date couples, and it's kind of cool for them to be able to document their one long and unusual blind date through photos.

 

I would think it would be the same for anyone on the race. If I ever went on it I would love to have photos of the places my teammate and I saw and the things we got to do. But I do agree, this aspect seems to be added specifically because of the dating couples. 

[Wootini]

Jonathan has said in a few interviews that he has been trying to get on the show for awhile.

 

Fair enough. I guess it's his social anxiety that's making him look like he doesn't want to be there! :D

 

And Alipaki, I would at the very least be using the "selfie" cam to take pictures of all the challenges and stuff just to help me with the memory challenge at the end!

[truthaboutluv]

The blonde paired with the doctor is super annoying, though. I feel terrible for him being saddled with her. He's very cute and deserves better. Although I enjoy the exasperated looks on his face throughout as he occasionally realizes he's traveling the world with this woman…

 

 

While Hayley is definitely annoying and for an introvert like myself, her constant chatter would drive me crazy too, I thought Blair had a very condescending, know-it-all attitude about him. And so I loved when he almost screwed them over going the wrong way when Hayley told him it was the other direction. I loved that she was right there and that she gloated about it. 

[HaymakerHattie]

Jonathan strikes me as a bigger fan of the show than I'd have guessed, but I don't know if "having been asked a few times if he'd like to do the show" and "trying to get on the show" are the same thing necessarily. Far from a NKOTB-head (despite the headlines in the recap!) but the few interviews I've read suggested the former more than the latter. It totally makes sense that they'd have sought him out, because I think the show got a not-insignificant boost from his fans.

[Skittl1321]

 

but I don't know if "having been asked a few times if he'd like to do the show" and "trying to get on the show" are the same thing necessarily.

The article I read made it sound like he wanted to be on the show, not that they were asking him to be on the show. Just this year they called him to see if he wanted to be on the couples show.

 

http://www.etonline.com/tv/160226_jonathan_knight_and_partner_harley_rodriguez_go_very_public_on_the_amazing_race/

"Actually, I was trying to get on the show for the past four seasons, and it just didn't work out until this year."

Do you have somewhere else where he has said he was asked multiple times to be on the show but was unable?  Maybe he just isn't very clear in what he is saying if he is telling both stories.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Skittl1321

[Lorimac]

Great John Belushi reference!

It seems to me that the "blind date" couples have the advantage for the following reason: Both members of the "blind date" teams are A types who wanted to be on this show so desperately that they were willing to be teamed with a total stranger in their quest for $500,000, whereas in the "dating couples" it is likely that one of the members is more gung-ho than the other, and had to talk their partner into applying.

My whole family used to watch "AR" together and we dropped off about five years ago when it started getting a little boring (one more missed train disappointed face shot) and a little cruel (remember the episode where someone was dragged through a muddy rice field face first by an ox - - - of course, that episode did provide the classic "My ox is broke"). But I kind of got into it last night, even though it still was boring (the Synchro Steps thing went on WAY too long) and still a little cruel (did they really have to crawl through mud to get the first ticket? Wjat is this, Survivor?).

[jumper sage]

I thought I would hate the blind date aspect but I thought it was a nice diversion.  The blind dates did not have the luxury of a meltdown and then all is forgiven by an already loved one.  Best behavior might be a good race quality.

 

I am always amazed by you people who know everyone on the first night.  This is what I know:

Older dating couple - gone

boy band guy - not bad

lawyers - not bad

adorable black couple - I like them but I don't think they will last long

both gay teams - I agree that the blonde guy who never had a boyfriend is in for a rude awakening

Hailey and the guy that DOES NOT LIKE HER AT ALL..

 

The saki task was way easier than described.  I couldn't believe everyone stayed at the dance thing.  Dance thing way cool though.

Glad the show is back on Friday.

[RococoChanel]

WOOOOOOOOOOOW I am NOT into this show this season. The selfie cams, the blind dates, the awkward conversations, the u-turn. All of it. I was bored out of my mind. Also it's hilarious how the doctor really doesn't like the nurse at all... 

[tobysmom]

I enjoy the show once in Japan, but I agree the Selfie thing was a little much.

 

Enjoy the challenge, but I agree that the dance thing went on too long and surprised that the later couples didn't change to do the Sake detour.

 

I must have missed why Jonathan and his BF didn't do the dance challenge? You would think of all people a member of a boy band that is known for there synchronized dance steps would have jumped on that one.

Edited February 26, 2015 by tobysmom

[Skittl1321]

 

I must have missed why Jonathan and his BF didn't do the dance challenge? You would think of all people a member of a boy band that is known for there synchronized dance steps would have jumped on that one.

He said it takes him weeks to learn choreography.

[tobysmom]

He said it takes him weeks to learn choreography.

ahhh thanks - I did miss him say that

[Brookside]

Why was the first location spoiled in the topic heading?  I try hard to avoid any spoilers especially the locations they are going to out of the gate.  I don't even open the episode thread until after the episode ends so as not to read the blurb.  Yeah I know the previews often contain that stuff but the first episode I always liked to be surprised by.  And some people on here may even avoid the previews in season to keep locations unspoiled.  Just wondering if the location destination really needs to be in the heading topic.  Thanks for listening.

 

Why don't you like the location being given beforehand?  I'm truly curious as I personally don't understand what difference it could make to your viewing.  Thanks.

[Quilt Fairy]

Why don't you like the location being given beforehand?  I'm truly curious as I personally don't understand what difference it could make to your viewing.  Thanks.

I didn't post the original complaint, but I'll answer anyway. You know why they call them 'spoilers'? Because they spoil the show for some people. I like finding out where they're going next the same time the racers do when they open their next clue. It's part of the adventure.

 

All that being said, I certainly do not blame PTV, I blame CBS, who started putting the countries in their episode titles and showing the entire race route on their website several years ago. It's probably the same idiots who thought a season made up of all dating couples was a good idea.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[HappyDancex2]

Thanks MountainDooooo for finding the video and yay it has lyrics too, karaoke style!  It was earwiggy during the challenge but may be a fun song on to run to.  Figured since those poor dudes were there for over 5 hours doing that dance I could contribute 99 cents to the fund. 

 

I'm pretty sure the samurai people were actors in a borrowed restaurant.  And that host looked a lot like a popular "game show host" type guy in japan, although I'd have to go back and look.  I too was confused by how the challenge was worded....I thought it was going to be auditory on one end and then completion of all the bottles.  I speak a little Japanese and even I thought WTF how will they ever get those???  Matching bottle labels was far kinder.

 

I do wish they went into the cost/transportation issue a little more concerning price and time etc.  I find that kind of stuff interesting.

[KHenry14]

Interesting start to the Race. Sure the whole blind dating thing is completely contrived, but in a few legs nobody will care. OK, Kurt will care, but nobody else. The lawyers look to be very strong. I wouldn't be surprised to see them make the finals. Blair and Haley will be fun to watch this season, mostly for the comic relief. Team Tuskegee looks like they have deer in the headlights syndrome.Team NewKids seem to get too stressed out, so one wonders if they'll crack under the pressure of the Race.

The only team that annoys me is Team Hairdressers. Reminds me too much of the Dentists from last season. ;)

[Brookside]

I didn't post the original complaint, but I'll answer anyway. You know why they call them 'spoilers'? Because they spoil the show for some people. I like finding out where they're going next the same time the racers do when they open their next clue. It's part of the adventure.

 

All that being said, I certainly do not blame PTV, I blame CBS, who started putting the countries in their episode titles and showing the entire race route on their website several years ago. It's probably the same idiots who thought a season made up of all dating couples was a good idea.

I think you nailed it with "some people". I do know what spoiler means, and to me giving the next location doesn't spoil anything. Obviously, people approach things differently.

[Apocalypse Cow]

I think that may be entirely possible. Although at some point during the episode, I suddenly thought that I would not be the least bit surprised to hear they started dating after the show. I think she clearly bugged him with the constant talking but I just got this sense that she may just grow on him. Something about how by the end he just seemed kind of amused by her and her antics. 

 

I got that feeling also. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if they were dating after the show.  She is so awkward though. Bless her heart.  

[Netfoot]

Hayley called it a "Selfie-Cam" so I don't think it's an actual phone.

 

For her sake, I hope they get eliminated soon.  Otherwise Blair will garrotte her with a bootlace.  As for him, he's a bit of a condescending ass.  She guessed his age at thirty-five and he gets all pissy about it.  So, what, is he like twenty-two?  No, he's thirty-one.  That isn't so vastly different from her first guess, Blair!  She should have said forty-one for her second guess.  That would have set the mood!

 

Middle-Aged Has-Been On The Block needs to go home, because yawn!  More regular people on the race, please.  Less forgotten celebrities and rusting stars.

 

Eliminated couple didn't seem to be good racers (hard to tell in a single episode, but...) so no great loss to the show.  TruckStop Luv couple also looking fairly incompetent racers, doomed to early elimination, but maybe they can hang on and prove me all wrong in my assessment.

 

The season being full of dating couples didn't grate as bad as I expected.  Blind Dates could work fine for those pairs that quickly realise this is about racing efficiently and not about Looking For Love.   Blind Dating couples who spend time working on their relationship won't do well. 

[msburg]

My favorite part of the recap was when the author described their crush on Jonathon. I was in junior high school when they first got famous, and Jonathon was my NKOTB boyfriend for exactly those reasons. I had maybe a bit of contempt for those who chose the obvious Jordan or Donnie. And we all thought Joey was a tad too young, LOL.

I enjoyed this first episode, though it dig drag in the last half. I enjoyed that were no obvious early front runners. I am looking forward to the breakdowns we're sure to witness in the blind date couples when extreme fatigue sets in.

[ferretrick]

The following should not be on the Amazing Race: teams of strangers, selfies, and annoying blonde women unless they are named Mirna. That is all.

[needschocolate]

I can understand wanting to take pictures, even selfies, to document your time on the race, and the producers may want the selfies to post on Facebook or the website, so, I don't have a problem with them taking selfies - I have a problem with them showing them during the show.  I just saw them take the picture, I know what they look like (would know what they looked like even if I didn't see them take the photo, I don't need to see what the selfie ends up looking like.  It is a waste of time. I expected Phil to mention "Ford's new Selfie-Cam" and see a few of the racers saying stuff like "Wow, Ford's new Selfie-Cam is so easy to use and takes great pictures. And I heard you can get a discount if you book a trip through Travelocity."

 

I hope the poster upthread is correct and the selfies end up being part of the final task - "Put these photos in order."

 

 

I may have misunderstood the task, but as wings707 (and I) mentioned upthread, it looked like they were shown 10 specific bottles and told the names of those bottles.  So they had to memorize which names matched which bottles.  But then after they took the order from the table, the bottles were placed on the shelves behind the bar, amongst other, similarly labeled bottles, that they hadn't been shown.

 

Therefore, they couldn't just memorize that "brand xyz" had two black letters/symbols on a white label, because on the shelf there were other "sucker-bottles" with two black letters/symbols on white labels.  So they would've had to memorize what the specific letter/symbols looked like.  

 

There were 3 of us watching at my house, and when they first described the detours, all three of us, none of which have any sort of dancing talent whatsoever, said we would do the dancing detour.  When we heard the names, we though "Wow, that is going to be difficult!" When we saw that the ten bottle would be mixed in with other bottles, we said, "Wow, that is going to extremely difficult!" And when it turned out that they only had to being the right bottle once, We all said, "Huh? Too easy!"

 

Yes, there were extra bottles, many of the bottles looked similar, and the names were tough to say and remember, but, they only had to remember one of the bottles.  Not all of the ten bottles had a white background with black writing, some had different colors on the label.  Heck, they could just bring the same bottle out to each table, and in ten tries or less they will have their clue.  I think it took longer than that to bee shown the dance routine one time.  

 

Editing may come into play, but the ones who did the saki task seemed to do it quickly, much quicker than the dancing.  The detours usually seem more even in difficulty, but this time it appears to be an instance of a much simpler task sounding much more difficult.   

[Lamb18]

Am I the only one annoyed that they paired the one minority blind date male with the one minority blind date female? I saw him standing there with the singles. Then I saw an Asian girl run out with the single girls, and I knew right away they'd be paired together.

I noticed the minority/minority pairing, too, but I think other factors went into it, such as profession. I noticed professions getting matched up, such as legal and medical. I think hair color did, too! I like the lawyer team the best; for some reason they remind me of Nat and Kat from TAR 17. I'm not surprised the blind dating teams did better because their only concern is maintaing the relationship long enough to win. They don't have to worry about maintaining a long-term relationship. And I've just figured out why the lawyers remind me of Nat and Kat - Nat and Kat's relationship was a working one, besides being friends, and I think the lawyers are going to look at their relationship as a working one with the goal of winning the race.

I think the sake challenge host might be the same guy who was the game show host in season 15's wasabe challenge and who also showed up in another season. The face looked familiar(of course the hair was different with the samurai hairpiece).

Anyhow I'm interested to see how this season goes. Last night was a TV watcher's heaven w/back to back Survivor (good premiere) and Amazing Race. Edited February 27, 2015 by GenL
fixed quote tags

[Lemons]

 

How much Blair is NOT into Hayley.  I kind of hope they survive just to watch that.  But then she talks and I get over it.

 

Is Blair the doctor?  He's not a very likable guy.  And I see that the casting people are still into really fake boobs.

[liqidclark]

I thought that was a pretty great first episode. The dating twist worked out a LOT better than I expected. I think it actually makes the teams more interesting, since we've sort of seen every possible type of pre-existing relationship already at this point. And the question of whether or not being strangers will be an advantage is also interesting. Were they paired up because they seemed to compliment each other, or were they put together to drive each other nuts? Probably some of both. I don't think it really needed to be dating themed, though. Just the fact that some teammates don't know each other's strengths and weaknesses yet adds a new layer of interest. I found myself actually wanting to pay close attention to the personalities and how they worked together, which isn't something I've felt drawn into for many seasons.

 

And then the tasks were great, too. Oh, some of you just met and are probably trying to look your best? Well, why don't you crawl through a muddy obstacle course then? Ha! I thought that was a clever way to break the ice and mix up all their first impressions. From the shallow end of the pool, it was a good way to basically let viewers ogle all the competitors, as well.

 

Everything Japan was awesome. That city always seems to really be a navigational challenge, in general, which is good. I also expected the sake task to be much more difficult than it turned out to be. I FUCKING LOVED all the people in that bar. The dancing challenge was pretty funny, too, especially as the competitors started losing their minds from frustration while vogueing like robots. Maybe I'm easy to amuse in some ways, I dunno. Even the taxi driver who was fucking with that one couple's minds was hilarious, following them around just to confuse them and then eventually actually taking them where they needed to go. I don't know what the fuck was up with that guy, but I want him to know that he is appreciated.

 

It's too soon for me to like or dislike any of the teams. None of them seem like deliberate assholes, though, which is a rare delight. And again, I must admit to being especially interested in how many of the new partnerships will develop. I wanna say this season looks really promising so far, but of course that's a crazy thing to say after one episode. But I'm hopeful.

[iMonrey]

I actually came to enjoy the selfies because I can appreciate what a wonderful memento that would make after running the race. 

 

Still don't like the fact that every team is made up of dating couples, whether they just met each other or not. There are way too many bland, interchangeable teams to tell apart. Apparently the show thinks couples bickering is entertaining - notice the montage at the beginning of the show. I don't recall enjoying any of those couples. But I guess their market research and focus groups told them different.

 

That said, I'm kind of cracking up at Blair and Hayley (the doctor and pediatric nurse) - I thought he was actually recoiling from her the moment he met her at the starting gate. And I'm kind of enjoying Jelani and Jenny (lawyer couple). Survivor or Big Brother would have deliberately paired polar opposites to insure maximum bickering and fight scenes, whereas this show seems to have made at least a small effort to pair these people up based on some mutually shared aspect of their lives. So, there's that.

 

Speaking of Survivor, I didn't care for the opening obstacle course, although I guess it did immediately weed out the physically weakest. I'm just not sure how relevant that is on the race. For that matter, I suspect this experimental gimmick with the blind dates will serve only to demonstrate that the kind of relationship you have with your partner is irrelevant most of the time. 

[Skittl1321]

I've figured out my issue with the "selfie cam".  Why can't they just have cameras?  I've been turning a camera around to take a picture of myself with someone else when no one else is around since the late 80s.  But this way, they can take pictures of other things too.

 

Also, it appears they are there for TV viewer pleasure, not racer momentos.  As someone else said, I don't need to see the selfie. I can see the video of what is happening from the nice HD cameras following them around.  I thought this especially when we saw the video tour of people learning the dance.  We were ALREADY watching that scene.  It was dumb to have it on the phone, especially since I couldn't tell what kind of phone it was, so it clearly isn't product placement that is keeping one of my favorite shows afloat.

[Asha124]

Jelani & Jenny and Laura & Tyler are my early favorites. I hope they stay likeable.

 

I have never heard about NKOTB. I am either too young or too European.

 

Libby & CJ annoyed me. I hate when teams go to foreign country and start shouting "English!" at everybody. I would never demand anybody from other country to know my mother tongue. On top of that, they kept getting lost.

 

The Hayley & Blair trainwreck is hilarious.

 

I was sad to see the older couple go. Jeff looks great for his age.

 

On a completely shallow note, there was a lot of Japanese eye candy this episode. I approve.

 

It's sakE. (I am sorry, it's just that I actually speak some Japanese and it's killing me to see it spelled saki)

Edited February 26, 2015 by Asha124

[green]

Why don't you like the location being given beforehand?  I'm truly curious as I personally don't understand what difference it could make to your viewing.  Thanks.

 

Since this was addressed to me ... Easy.  I like to be surprised.  Just like I like to be surprised as to who finishes first or last.  I don't like to feel like I'm watching a repeat show I've already seen due to a bunch of spoilers.  I went a couple of seasons with spoilers some years back now and it just left me with a totally stale and jaded feeling when viewing the episode.  I'll never do spoilers again.

 

I love to learn the next location when the teams find out ripping the clue.  To imagine myself ripping the clue open like it was Christmas morning.  it's one of the highlights of an episode for me.  A new day, a new part of the world.  How awesome is that.  The whole planet as your playground.  Any spoiling like that takes away from the enjoyment of the show to me.

 

Hate the love boat format.  Corny stuff.  Hate dating couples on TAR period.  Bring back real TAR.  I can handle 2 or 3 of these teams in a season, but all?  Yuk.  I hate soap opera stuff period.  Add in those stupid, childish selfies and it is going to be a very long season. 

 

Glad we saw maybe the best of seasons since the TAR classic era last race.  Cause this season I'll be ripping TAR online big time for the first time since TAR Family Edition.  And they had my beloved Mama Paolo on that edition.  I have seen this new cast and no one is worthy of carrying the shoes of Mama Paolo.

 

I don't hate all the teams per se.  I hate them all balled together and shoved in my face like some trash TV dating game show.

Edited February 26, 2015 by green

[blackwing]

For her sake, I hope they get eliminated soon.  Otherwise Blair will garrotte her with a bootlace.  As for him, he's a bit of a condescending ass.  She guessed his age at thirty-five and he gets all pissy about it.  So, what, is he like twenty-two?  No, he's thirty-one.  That isn't so vastly different from her first guess, Blair!  She should have said forty-one for her second guess.  That would have set the mood!

This was really funny to me, because I actually thought he looks like he's in his late 30s.  So her guess was even more charitable than mine would have been.  It's not easy to see why he's still single.  He seems to want to blame it on the fact that he's a busy doctor, but it seems more that it's because he's not very easygoing.  I notice they list him as "Navy doctor".  Any particular reason why the "Navy" is important?  I would have thought a doctor is a doctor.

 

Hayley is the one that was gushing about Jonathan Knight, right?  But the kicker to me is that i didn't think she recognized him at all.  Even when he said he was in New Kids, she was all OMG but it seemed to me that she was this close to saying "wait, which one are you?"  She said something about "I thought you were a Backstreet Boy" didn't she?

 

I love to learn the next location when the teams find out ripping the clue.  To imagine myself ripping the clue open like it was Christmas morning.  it's one of the highlights of an episode for me.  A new day, a new part of the world.  How awesome is that.  The whole planet as your playground.  Any spoiling like that takes away from the enjoyment of the show to me.

Sorry, but I disagree with you.  I agree with the moderators that it's in the official episode titles on the show.  I actually prefer seeing the locations in these threads.  If we ever want to look back at these threads later it helps to identify which episode is which, since the title quotes themselves are not meaningful for that purpose.

[mtlchick]

 

I must have missed why Jonathan and his BF didn't do the dance challenge? You would think of all people a member of a boy band that is known for there synchronized dance steps would have jumped on that one.

 

His own band mates can tell you he has two left feet. 

[Skittl1321]

 

She said something about "I thought you were a Backstreet Boy" didn't she?

No, she said she saw him with the Backstreet Boys.

 

They toured together.

 

 

Any particular reason why the "Navy" is important?  I would have thought a doctor is a doctor.

But he is also in the navy; navy doctors don't just care for those in the navy, they are in the navy themselves- that would be the difference from what we think of as a typical civilian doctor. It's important because unlike most doctors, he could be called to go into a war zone with the military.  He could be captained "naval officer" or "doctor".  But "Navy doctor" shows that his job is both.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Skittl1321

[truthaboutluv]

Hayley is the one that was gushing about Jonathan Knight, right?  But the kicker to me is that i didn't think she recognized him at all.  Even when he said he was in New Kids, she was all OMG but it seemed to me that she was this close to saying "wait, which one are you?"  She said something about "I thought you were a Backstreet Boy" didn't she?

 

 

Someone beat me to it but she mentioned seeing him with the Backstreet Boys because I can believe Hayley is at the age where she was a Backstreet Boys fan when she was a little girl but New Kids On The Block was before her time. And Jonathan never said NKOTB at first. He said he was a singer and Hayley asked him to name a song of his and he said Step By Step. Once he said that, she figured out it was NKOTB because as she mentioned, she'd seen them with BSB on tour. 

 

As for Blair, after initially rolling my eyes at Hayley and her constant chatter in the car, I really came around to liking her and disliking him and agree with others about seeing exactly why he's single. The funny thing is, I think Hayley really may just be perfect for Blair. He clearly takes himself too seriously and seems to have a stick up his ass so he probably needs someone as bubbly and goofy as her. And annoying voice aside, she's clearly not dumb if she's a fertility nurse. It was my experience in college from having friends in the nursing program that they're pretty much all pretty hard. Hell thinking about it some more I actually think Hayley might be too good for Blair.