S27.E10: Bring The Fun, Baby!

[sinycalone]

Early in the race, there was some bunching...but even on some of those occasions, the teams got to take numbers according to when they arrived.  Didn't change the order at all in those cases for the most part.

[Guiaoshi]

I dont blame the lack of bunching cause I agree that they can be really unfair (I agree with the little bunching with the order that teams should start a task tho, making some leads smaller).. The problem this season is the totally lack of self navigation (it should be one of the main skills to be tested on the race) and the linear legs/tasks.. It all leaves little room for mistakes. On top of that, they give a extra u-turn so easy to reach that once again, the green team had a great advantage to get there first.

And I´m with you guys saying that Justin is acting a bit.. Now that he has a clear lead for legs, with no competition around him, that hes able to enjoy the race (not saying hes a bad person/hes all fake, just saying hes forcing things for the camera and hes only able to show this good side of him cause hes running the last few legs by his own).

Edited November 29, 2015 by GenL
Edited out preview talk

[RedheadZombie]

Maybe it's because I mistakenly thought Chris was gay, but the paps seem like such a fake couple to me.  He's started using endearments, but I'm just not buying it.  They hug when they check in instead of kissing.  They don't seen to know each other very well.  And the best part was when he talked about marriage.  She gave him a look like - OK, you're taking the act a little too far.

 

As mentioned by others, I'm tired of the cheerleaders acting like their task is harder than everyone else's.  I found it particularly ridiculous when one of them complained about how uncomfortable she was that a crowd was watching her.  You're a cheerleader!  Being watched is your raison d'etre.

[Boilergal]

You feel disgusted by India? How sad.

Based purely on what I have seen each season, and they are there for what seems like 2 legs every time. There appears to be garbage everywhere in the streets, large animals roaming the streets, which I doubt are polite enough to go somewhere private to do their business, so I can only imagine the amount of manure in the streets and the smell that comes with it. Not to mention the year they had to do the task in the Ganges River, that still gives me the heeby jeebies. From my own experience with TA's in college, the smell of people, and the complete lack of personal space would have to be nauseating.

It also makes me very sad to see the large number of little kids roaming the streets, and the dogs that appear to be starving and missing limbs.

[ratherbereading]

 

I don't think that would help them at all. I can't remember the team or the season (hopefully someone else will) but one team was basically kidnapped by their taxi driver & taken to the wrong village to be held for money, & the only thing the camera guy did was film it.

 

That was Morocco, not India.  Season 3, fireman and cop team.  And the camera crew intervened.  The sound guy, who carries a cell phone, called in the private British security team that always trails racers each season and the situation was dealt with.

I also like to think that if a female racer was getting assaulted, that the camera crew would step in and then call the security team.

I'm of two minds about TAR going to India. It's important that the average American see that other countries have many problems apart from what gets shown in the usual prettified travel show. (Face it, a travel show about India is not going to show the kinds of things we see on TAR). But the physical danger racers get placed in bothers me a lot. The numerous female contestants groped on the trains in season past. The excessive crowds that can put all of them in danger. I wish the show would find a way to balance the toughness of traveling through India with the safety of the racers.

 

Someone up thread described Justin as an over eager puppy. That is exactly what he reminds me of. It is refreshing to have a team that is competent and gets things done. I would love to see the race to the mat come down to a foot race between J&D and J&K. The cheerleaders can be the third team. Logan and Chris can be the next to go. They are just thoroughly unpleasant. To each other and to other around them.

[Marvin]

 So in every leg, J & D get to leave first, are competent racers (like the reporters), and therefore will always come in first. I really need to see all of the teams leaving at the same time to find out if anyone can beat them. Otherwise it's kind of boring to me because there is zero suspense, week after week.

 

I agree - there is no other way the teams can catch up if the green team already have several hours head start ! 

 

 Each week, it's just like watching a train going to the next destination, with the caboose getting cut off at the end. 

 

Very true.

 

At this point i am routing for the Reporters !

[Haleth]

They were bunched when they landed in New Delhi. Team Green were not first to the laundry task last week but they managed to pass everyone by the end of the leg. That's good racing.

[green]

They were bunched when they landed in New Delhi. Team Green were not first to the laundry task last week but they managed to pass everyone by the end of the leg. That's good racing.

 

True that.  And there were other times the teams all landed together and Green Team won after the international flight bunch.  They are just an awesome team that first and foremost READS the clue then can usually figure out the best detour option for them so they don't have to abort and try another.

 

I would have loved to see how they would have done driving themselves cause you just know Justin practiced stick shifting in his sleep.

[PhD-Purgatory15]

To be fair though, Kelsey and Joey were right with them leaving the laundry task and had bad tuk tuk luck getting lost on the ride to the stacking a cart detour.

Not saying that J&D haven't shown race skills...they absolutely have. But I'm not sure their level of skills should equate to seven leg wins. Seven! The biggest part of their success (outside the general weakness of their opponents) has been avoiding catastrophic taxi/tuktuk luck, and largely being right on which detour is the right option every leg. They've also avoided Diana being stuck on a brutally physical roadblock too. Digging on a beach for hours and hours, anyone?

Edited November 28, 2015 by PhD-Purgatory15

[ProfCrash]

I am not a fan of Indian legs. They have gone there far too often and female teams have had issues in the past. They are limited where they can go for security reasons. But mainly they have gone there so often it gets boring.

I was happy with the race Alabama ran. They had some issues at the begining but they worked them out. Denise is a tough woman who handled some pretty phyical tasks. It sounds like she realized that her son is still the person she raised and that she can still love him. It sounds simple but we are all aware that it is not that easy for everyone.

Chris and Logan annoy me more and more. Now we have yelling and shoving. Awful

Joey and Kelsey are fine. Kind of boring but compotent.

Justin didn't irk me as much this episode. I liked the tatoos and their appreciation of the experience. I just know that if they fall behind then they wil bicker and be awful.

I still like the Cheerleaders. I like their attitude and perserverence.

[Netfoot]

They were bunched when they landed in New Delhi. Team Green were not first to the laundry task last week but they managed to pass everyone by the end of the leg. That's good racing.

 

Which is why I say they are good racers.  I see no evidence of greatness.

 

Justin didn't irk me as much this episode. I liked the tatoos and their appreciation of the experience. 

 

Because we didn't see much of them this episode, so their potential to irk was far less than usual.  It was Diane with the tattoos.

[Lingo]

I think it's Logan that I truly dislike and maybe not Chris. From her snatching the clues from Chris and refusing to talk through who should do what task, to her constant belittling of him and threatening to quit, she's really toxic. At least she knew they looked terrible while screeching.

 

I really think they are both equally annoying. Logan yells at Chris a lot but I get it because he always looks like he's wandering around with his head cut off. He never listens to her, and when she does a RB or an assigned task on a Detour (like the boat simulation) he nitpicks her to death and doesn't listen to her when she tells him to stop. Then again some of the things she complains about (like the fact that she wants him to walk right next to her all the time) seem really unnecessary too.

 

I do wonder if Logan and Chris  are watching themselves as TAR airs...and how do they see themselves?  It's one thing for a team to have a bad leg and a cringe-worthy fight, but these two have not had a kind word for one another since the start of the race. They are toxic together and the way they speak to one another is straight-up ugly. Are they embarrassed at seeing themselves, or oblivious? When Chris joked about them getting married, and Logan seemed to think that was a real possibility, I was stunned. From the editing it is hard to tell if the other racers are interacting with them at all or avoiding them. Just being within earshot of them would be unpleasant.

 

I think they're aware of it and they're just used to it. Like, this is the only way they know how to do conflict resolution. There's a bonus clip this week where the cheerleaders were telling Phil how they were listening to the Paps argue and how they found it funny. Of course the Paps were standing next to them at the time so maybe they were being polite.

 

So in every leg, J & D get to leave first, are competent racers (like the reporters), and therefore will always come in first. I really need to see all of the teams leaving at the same time to find out if anyone can beat them. Otherwise it's kind of boring to me because there is zero suspense, week after week.

 

I'm with green and others who've pointed out that there has been plenty of bunching. Just last week they were all on the same train in india, and J&D didn't even finish the roadblock first but somehow came in first anyway. The teams travel long-distance almost every other leg, and almost every time that occurs, it's a bunch because they're all on the same plane/train/bus or whatever. J&D just manage to have the right combination of skill and luck to keep coming in first. I do have to wonder if they have some super-secret way of communicating with the locals that manages to keep them from ever getting super-lost.

 

And I also find it funny to hear folks complaining about too little bunching, because usually it is the opposite. I know bunching is a necessary evil on this show but I'm not a big fan of it. I do like the fact that where there has been non-transportation bunching (as in Africa or Rotterdam) they've been given numbers to allow the teams in front to still enjoy a bit of the advantage they earned.

 

Also, what is a "non-linear" leg?? Every leg has the same basic design (Start - Task1 - Place 2 - Task 2 - Pit Stop) and it's not like they ever have choices (except for Detours).

 

Wow.  So few comments.  Do we have the Thanksgiving weekend to thank for that?  Or has Justin ruined the season that much?

 

Thanksgiving. But I do admit that every week I watch hoping someone else gets first!

 

India is my favorite place to visit on earth.  A few cruddy guys treating the cheerleaders badly could just as well happen in America.  And does every day of the week here.  People are people everywhere.  And some (not all) male teenagers are, alas, male teenagers everywhere too.  There are few places young women can walk in large cities in America without this kind of treatment as well especially at night.

 

India has always shown me the most gracious, most giving and most polite and helpful people on the planet.  We could learn a lot from their kind and generous character.

 

I hear what you're saying, but if you're implying the harassment is just as bad in other places as it is in India then I'd find that hard to believe. I think the cheerleaders live in NYC so they'd be used to the kind of harassment that occurs in NYC. The Race has been to many big cities all over the world but I don't recall women having trouble in anywhere else like they consistently seem to do in India.

 

Did I hear his mom call James Earl "Spud Bud?" At first I thought it was "Spud Dud" (at the balloon task). He doesn't look like a potato to me, so I'm curious about the origin of that nickname.

 

Apparently (this is from a bonus clip) he came out of the womb looking like a potato. She also calls him "Potato Head." BTW, I like James Earl and I like Denise. She's a motormouth and a bit over-excitable but she's clearly trying to compensate for the pain she caused JE when he came out, and I think she proved herself on this race in more ways than one. I was hoping they'd beat Chris and Logan.

[holly4755]

I think we judge racers based on people that we know. I went to the Tarcon and met some people who were judged to be horrible people, and found it was usually editing, when you met them and you met the other racers they would fill in the left out parts which usually consisted of someone suffering from Dysentery that makes them pretty miserable to be with and explains why the person, who has diarrhea did not do the roadblock or was short tempered or had a hard time eating or drinking something, now fussy, just could not keep it down.

 

I am not as hard on anyone, but Chris has been quitting since day one, I can see why Logan has had it with him. She has carried the load and dragged him with her, it has to be exhausting. I find Justin loud, but I can see him really enjoying himself, he is not making random noises, just enjoying where he was - last night the heys are what people were shouting to him and he was shouting it back.. Making noises at animals is not so endearing, but I know people who do that. 

As to bunching, I think this was pretty close to it, the time difference from the first to last racer was an hour 13 minutes - the times were 5:10, 5:18, 5:23, 6:00 and 6:23.. I think team 1&2 came in fast, Team 3&4 came in almost at the same time. My complaint would be that these tasks seem shorter than usual and that is why it is hard to catch up. They came into and left the balloons in the same order, the instructions don't seem as confusing as they were in the past.  The detour seemed a fixed time you could not pass the horse of the groom, but you could gain or lose speed on the ride part. I think if others did the ride side, they would have been better off. 

Except for the reporters, I noticed that all other teams had someone up front helping with the bicycle, the first guy had someone help in the back, It was not just the Cheerleader.  

 

Just guessing but I would not be surprised if TAR paid for the weddings, for couples that could not afford big fancy weddings,  I think that is what they do when people get married on TV in the US (thinking of the Today show weddings).  I hope Chris and Logan were joking abut a wedding, I think they have grown to hate each other. 

 

I think that TAR was telegraphing a surprise loser in the previews for next week or at least an unhappy Justin. 

 

ETA edited because my key board is functionally having a breakdown and deleting letters and words and other crazy things. Must buy new keyboard. 

Edited November 29, 2015 by holly4755

[Netfoot]

^^^ I doubt anybody got married at the "weddings".  No groom is going to agree to sit and wait on a racer who could be eight hours late!  Had to be a production-sponsored costume party with a Wedding Theme.

[green]

Just guessing but I would not be surprised if TAR paid for the weddings, for couples that could not afford big fancy weddings,  I think that is what they do when people get married on TV in the US (thinking of the Today show weddings).

 

Liked you're longer post above but this part I think is inaccurate.  There were no real weddings.  Just locals cast in the roles.  Likely wannabee actors.  Local bands hired etc.  Starting with the Vienna FF with all the walzing pairs at the palace in TAR4, TAR on occasion hires out tons of people for a big spectacle task. 

 

Now does a real Indian wedding procession look like that.  Darn straight it does.  And they seem to happen all the time at any time of day, night, late night, whenever in bigger cities.  And the brass bands are always loud and ... ah ... well ... ah ... loud.  But these were not real ones.

Edited November 28, 2015 by green

[Subrookie]

TAR has always been a favorite show, but 20 minutes of Justin playing to the camera is not entertaining, it is tedious.

 

This is becoming easily one of my least favorite seasons. There haven't been any animal challenges that I can think of yet, no driving themselves, and really not many if any challenges that would spread everyone out. The fact that the news couple is consistently around the same amount of time behind Justin and his fiancé shows just how easy these are. 

 

I just want this season over. It's just been horrible. 

[Quilt Fairy]

I so want a leg like the one a few seasons ago in (I think) Manila, where one of the front-running teams spent hours and hours and hours in a taxi trying to find the detour/road block location and were eventually (again, I think) eliminated. And yes, I want Justin and Diana in that taxi.

 

I think the only reason Justin is so upbeat is that they have been in the front for so many legs. Remember in leg 1 when they tried for the FF and they canceled it due to wind conditions? He was crying in the taxi saying they're last, it's all over, etc. He was ready to give up. To me, how someone reacts when they're last is a better indication of their true nature than how they seem when they're in first.  

Edited November 29, 2015 by Quilt Fairy

[Ducky]

 

I found it particularly ridiculous when one of them complained about how uncomfortable she was that a crowd was watching her.  You're a cheerleader!  Being watched is your raison d'etre.

 

 I missed that line of hers for some reason.. but I think there is a BIG difference between a crowd of mostly men  it seems like(particularly the ones who were trying to get up  close and personal and destroying her balloon net) where she ISN'T performing and a crowd at a football game where she IS performing.

 

 I'd definitely feel uncomfortable in her shoes in a sense- in a large crowd...in any country.

[Whimsy]

REMINDER- there is NO preview talk in the episode threads. None. I've edited some posts. PLEASE remember this as I'm kinda tired of having to post these reminders.

[Dobian]

10 legs in, and still teams have never had to drive themselves. I'm enjoying this season, but that is definitely my biggest complaint.

 

I hadn't noticed until you mentioned this.  Driving is a huge part of these races, it's very strange that they eliminated it this season.

 

Tiffany getting her balloons ripped by the jerk but still able to deliver a couple and get her clue, I wonder if there is a specific rule that if you are deliberately sabotaged by a local you get a pass.  Obviously they told her she could continue to the delivery point and not go back for more balloons.

 

Team Paparazzi, I hate you.  You're only still in it because they stuck both detours in the exact same place.

 

I liked Dr. Bombay giving out the clue at the party.

 

Sorry to see mom and son go.  Now it's anyone except Logan and Chris for me.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

Maybe it's because I mistakenly thought Chris was gay

 

I don't think you were mistaken.

[shura]

Now does a real Indian wedding procession look like that.  Darn straight it does.  And they seem to happen all the time at any time of day, night, late night, whenever in bigger cities.  And the brass bands are always loud and ... ah ... well ... ah ... loud.  But these were not real ones.

 

So what's with the chandeliers there? I mean, yes, I suppose it's impressive that your wedding procession has a nice working chandelier among other accoutrements. But it comes with this ugly, loud, smoking generator and all the wires! Doesn't it put a damper on the festive mood a little bit? How did this custom come about? I'm guessing it used to be torches or something similar, and then someone decided to upgrade to a more modern technology? I bet it was Home Depot or its Indian equivalent, they probably have a sign "See an associate for wedding rentals" in their lighting department there.

[Subrookie]

I didn't watch it twice but I thought Tiffany's balloons blew into the next lane and got hit by a passing scooter. It didn't seem to be intentional, more like an accident but I could be wrong.

I did say to my wife during the balloon challenge that I wondered if TAR had security with the racers. It didn't seem very safe.

[Vantraveller]

 

 

Also, what is a "non-linear" leg?? Every leg has the same basic design (Start - Task1 - Place 2 - Task 2 - Pit Stop) and it's not like they ever have choices (except for Detours).

 

 

 

 

To me a "non linear leg" is one where there is more chance for teams to pass each other. This season seems to have a lot of tasks that are just walk from here to there or wait in line while the team in front does the task. It always seems to be the order they arrive is the order they leave. There has been nothing so physically or mentally challenging that teams are slowed down enough to be passed.

[ItsJessMe]

I agree - there is no other way the teams can catch up if the green team already have several hours head start !

 

J&D left at 5:10 today and Kelsey & Joey left at 5:18.  Logan & Chris left at 5:23.  So it wasn't hours. 

[Kromm]

Geez, I'm not really sure I buy Logan and Chris as a dating couple. Aside from the fact that they appear to loathe each other, Chris seems more like he's a gay guy than James Earl does.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

J&D left at 5:10 today and Kelsey & Joey left at 5:18.  Logan & Chris left at 5:23.  So it wasn't hours.

James Earl and his mom left last at 6:30 so the spread from first to last was less than an hour and a half.

 

One of the reasons I don't like Justin is that he is one of those obnoxious people who is playing to the camera and to the crowd whereas the other teams, however annoying (the cheerleaders whining. Logan and Chris fighting) seem to be acting that way in spite of the cameras, not because of them. In other words, I think that the others are being recorded as they react to things while Justin is constantly mugging for the cameras and yelling, "WOOOOOOOOOOO!" while staring straight at the lens. He is also a shit stirrer and a hypocrite. He was positively gleeful when he got the cheerleaders and the paparazzi sniping at each other last week. This week he acted like he u-turned the paps out of the goodness of his heart to protect his "friends" - but this was after he admitted to the cameras that he didn't like the paps. You know those cameras are recording what you say, right?

 

Maybe it's because I mistakenly thought Chris was gay, but the paps seem like such a fake couple to me.  He's started using endearments, but I'm just not buying it.  They hug when they check in instead of kissing.  They don't seen to know each other very well.  And the best part was when he talked about marriage.  She gave him a look like - OK, you're taking the act a little too far.

I don't have a problem with them hugging at check in because a lot of the couples who kiss at check in give each other pecks like you'd give your grandma at Christmas, which is about the same level of passion and intimacy as a quick hug. In addition, I get couples who aren't overly affectionate in public or on camera because I relate to them. Mr. EB and I are schmoopie at home, but almost never in public. I guess I figure why make out in a bar when I have a perfectly nice house where I can do that instead!

[Pepper Mostly]

 

I do wish racers were told ahead of time that certain American customs, especially physical contact with strangers, can be offensive in some countries.  While they cannot prepare teams too much, they really should be given a crash course on expressing appreciation in ways that are more universally accepted.  Bowing, shaking hands - no hugging or kissing.  

 

God, yes, this, a thousand times! I can see hugging an enthusiastic local who seems open to it (like the adorable girl in Holland with the tulips), but that wedding planner was clearly cringing when the cheerleader flung her sweaty body at him. We've seen this time and time again from "hot girl" teams, who dispense hugs and kisses to locals like they are handing out money. Cool it. Not everyone is tremblingly grateful for a hug from you, even if you are a Hooters girl/cheerleader/model/playboy bunny/foxy boxer. Be respectful. 

 

Justin is working my last nerve. I love a good racer and I love a character--huge Rob and Amber fan, liked the much reviled hippies. But he is obnoxious with a capital O. I agree with the above assessments that he is either trying for a show of his own or raising his profile as a performer. He is not entertaining. He is not likable. He is like being hit on the head repeatedly with a wooden spoon. He was marginally less annoying this episode, but only because he wasn't berating Diana for her poor decisions, shortcomings, or bad performance. Gah.

[Netfoot]

Not everyone is tremblingly grateful for a hug from you, even if you are a Hooters girl/cheerleader/model/playboy bunny/foxy boxer.

 

Especially in your skimpy Gym kit, exposing loads of sweaty armpit and damp skin!  Ugh!

[possibilities]

I don't see the paparazzi team as a couple, either, because they seem to actively hate each other. But then we've seen both dating and married couples before on the race, who act like they hate each other, so who knows?

 

Chris had been puking earlier in the leg, and was still feeling sick, and I wouldn't kiss anyone who'd been puking, no matter how much I adored them, so hugs vs kisses at the mat seems perfectly reasonable to me. Not only would he likely have the most repulsive breath imaginable, but he might also be contagious. An obligatory cheek kiss instead of kissing on the mouth could probably be undertaken, but would it really be that more intimate than a hug at that point? They're sweaty as hell; a hug might be more a sign of true love than a cheek kiss at that point.

 

Also, in my view, suspicions that Chris is gay are unfounded. Does he seem attracted to any of the males we've seen him interact with? Barring that kind of evidence, any speculation is based on stereotypes. He may or may not be gay, but he hasn't given us any evidence that I've seen one way or the other.

[TV Anonymous]

There is a Saskatchewan Roughriders fan in Agra? Color me surprised!

[backformore]

 

Also, in my view, suspicions that Chris is gay are unfounded. Does he seem attracted to any of the males we've seen him interact with? Barring that kind of evidence, any speculation is based on stereotypes. He may or may not be gay, but he hasn't given us any evidence that I've seen one way or the other.

I agree. I know plenty of people who think they can tell who is gay, based on clothing, body language, or speech patterns. They're often wrong, but defend their hunch by saying the guy is "closeted". People do not have to fit stereotypes of gay or straight. I take people at their word. If two people are in a relationship, I assume they have some romantic/sexual connection with each other. I certainly don't have any special psychic power to determine that they are lying.

[RCharter]

Watched this last night with my date, who's not watched the show in a long time, after we got home from our local high school football playoff game. He said "That guy with the dorky hat needs to go. He's on this thing hoping he gets his own reality show."

So, it's not just me. :)

He's playing this hoping he gets a spot on "The View"....thats how much he is overdoing it

[RCharter]

This is becoming easily one of my least favorite seasons. There haven't been any animal challenges that I can think of yet, no driving themselves, and really not many if any challenges that would spread everyone out. The fact that the news couple is consistently around the same amount of time behind Justin and his fiancé shows just how easy these are. 

 

I just want this season over. It's just been horrible. 

I haven't really even watched this episode....and TAR used to be the first thing I would turn on as soon as I got home friday night.

 

People complained about last season, but I found that very entertaining and it was still appointment TV for me.  But at this point, I don't like anyone left in the race, and would only watch to see Justin/Chris and Logan eliminated.

[Lemons]

Especially in your skimpy Gym kit, exposing loads of sweaty armpit and damp skin!  Ugh!

And those ponytails on top of the head along with the tacky neon outfits. and they are just shocked when people around the world aren't finding them completely adorable! The cheerleaders need a mirror.

I don't see a problem with Justin mugging for the camera, so what? It's a reality game show. It should involve interesting characters. He's like the nerdy superfan living out his fantasy. The cheerleaders are stereotype characters of Jersey girls. The paparazzi are characters of tough talking reporters. Characters you like or dislike makes it more fun.

[dgpolo]

Because . . . people want to see real people, not characters?  That's what.

But he -is- a real person, the type of real person that mugs for cameras. I known a lot of them, they are real. I also don't see a problem with it. Not on a reality game show anyway.

[RCharter]

And those ponytails on top of the head along with the tacky neon outfits. and they are just shocked when people around the world aren't finding them completely adorable! The cheerleaders need a mirror.

I don't see a problem with Justin mugging for the camera, so what? It's a reality game show. It should involve interesting characters. He's like the nerdy superfan living out his fantasy. The cheerleaders are stereotype characters of Jersey girls. The paparazzi are characters of tough talking reporters. Characters you like or dislike makes it more fun.

 

 

Because . . . people want to see real people, not characters?  That's what.

 

The job of a person on a reality show is to be themselves.  The job of the producer is to create the narrative.  

 

Justin trying to mug for the cameras is not being real, its him trying to be a producer as someone above mentioned.  Its also him thinking he is going to somehow be more likable by being some character.  He is not any more likable for being that guy that mugs for the cameras and always tries to give us "a wink and a nod"  I find it condescending and patronizing.  

[realitynotfantasy]

THIS captured my feelings about Justin pretty well:

He wants you to think "I'm just enjoying the race," but it's really "Hey!! LOOK AT ME enjoying the race!" And while he is an undeniably good-- no, great -- player, his smugness about it makes him unbearable. Sportsmanship: it's not over-rated... and Justin hasn't a shred of it.

He's not running the race he's performing it!
 
And why haven't there been any navigation or driving tests? Hmm, is it because say a person from New York who might not even own a car doesn't have driving skills? Who knows, it might cause that said team problems. And oppositely that same team would be much more comfortable and well aquainted with the little tricks of catching public transportation and schedules (taxis, buses, trains, etc.) And there seems to be a lack of situations where there might be an opportunity to shake up the running order?  With all the double legs (to be continued) And the timing of the U turns being suspicious (again, no opportunity to pass) it seems like "THE FIX IS IN" and The Amazing Race from the beginning was setting us up for the Great American love story - 'the just look at how much joy he's having" - the lovable SuperFan and his wife being the champs this year.
 
Yeah, kinda biased.

[possibilities]

I'm guessing it's more expensive to have teams self-navigate. Maybe they lost the product placement deal, maybe because car manufacturers don't like to see their cars break down or people have trouble driving them on camera, and to provide cars another way, and insure both the vehicles and the drivers/passengers, would be hugely expensive. The cars used on the race have been through hell with people who don't know how to drive stick, put the wrong gas in the tank, crash into things, blow out tires, drive on blown out tires, etc. And it's dangerous, with everyone underslept and half-crazed with stress. It's fun to watch, but self-navigation is probably one of the most expensive ways to move people around, outside of the unavoidable airfare. And it's also the most unpredictable. People may miss a bus, but production can estimate how far apart that will space them. When people drive, you don't know if they will be 12 hours behind or 20 minutes. We've seen people drive the wrong way around a mountain, and get lost in amazing ways.

 

I think the lack of challengingness on non-navigation tasks is also a cost-saving factor. It makes things more predictable for production. It is less likely that someone will get injured. It compresses things when the teams are only 90 mins apart instead of 24 hours or more, as has happened in the past.

 

When ratings were higher, the race was more difficult and more expensive and more interesting, because the budget was higher. Now, the show is aging and some of the loss of ratings is probably just due to people getting bored like they do with other shows that used to be higher rated (for instance American Idol). This started a downward spiral of them cutting costs, which makes the race less interesting, which drives the ratings even lower.

 

I really don't think the show designed the racecourse to be easier for Justin. I don't think they want a pre-ordained and telegraphed winner any more than viewers do. They realize people like suspense about who will win each leg, as well as about who wins the million.

 

I don't object to Justin the way most people here do. I think he was a dick to Diana a few legs ago and I didn't like him then. But I don't really think he mugs more than lots of other contestants have done, and I think he's shown more appreciation for the experience and for the places they visit, than numerous others who have behaved much worse.

 

We've also had other dominant teams that were bland to the point of stupor (Meghan and Cheyne), or who were fake as well as boring (the frankenteam of Danielle and Dude who's name I forget, from one of the earlier repeat-racers seasons), and Rob and Amber who not only mugged, but actively attempted to sabotage the other teams and didn't have any pre-existing love of the show, but were 100% there only for the money and fame. So to me, Justin seems like an enthusiastic, competitive, and "large personality" type of guy, who melts down when he's behind, but is no worse than half the other racers we've seen, when he's ahead.

[Collie]

I've been very unhappy with all the linear tasks that only need perseverance to finish.  IMHO there's been a dearth of mentally challenging tasks lately.  When TAR does have them (such as setting up the BBQ meat in a particular manner for roasting or searching for the correct Van Gogh painting), the order gets shaken up.  That's the TAR I love.

 

I particularly like mentally challenging tasks that can only be done by the person with no way of getting help either by a friendly passerby with a phone or by sharing information with another team. 

 

I know some folks really hate the needle-in-the-haystack challenges but at least that would add some uncertainty and make things more interesting.

 

Normally I love competent racers and TAR fans but I really dislike Justin.   It could be that my displeasure about the season is rubbing off on him but a lot of it is his mugging and performing for the camera.  Justin has an oversize personality & ego and he would be more palatable if the editors would show him in smaller segments.  

[RCharter]

I don't know, even with all the past issues the car sponsorship have been in the race even up until last year.  And it worked given the nature of the show, and because they were always able to feature a feature of the car.  Last year, it was something having to do with parking assist on the Ford Festiva, or the Ford Fiesta, or the Ford Fantastic or whatever.

 

So, I don't think any of those considerations (which have been in place for years) would have stopped the car sponsorship if they hadn't stopped it before.

 

I would understand your argument, if they hadn't had the racers driving cars as recently as last year.  And nothing awful happened with the cars last year, which would also make your argument a little more understandable to me.  

[green]

THIS captured my feelings about Justin pretty well:

He's not running the race he's performing it!

 

And why haven't there been any navigation or driving tests? Hmm, is it because say a person from New York who might not even own a car doesn't have driving skills? Who knows, it might cause that said team problems. And oppositely that same team would be much more comfortable and well aquainted with the little tricks of catching public transportation and schedules (taxis, buses, trains, etc.) And there seems to be a lack of situations where there might be an opportunity to shake up the running order?  With all the double legs (to be continued) And the timing of the U turns being suspicious (again, no opportunity to pass) it seems like "THE FIX IS IN" and The Amazing Race from the beginning was setting us up for the Great American love story - 'the just look at how much joy he's having" - the lovable SuperFan and his wife being the champs this year.

 

Yeah, kinda biased.

 

Really?  They "fixed" the show for the two NY cheerleaders?

 

Yeah I know you meant Justin but as a superfan of the show he would have practiced stick shifting day and night before the show.  And it isn't like anyone living in NY can't drive anyway.

 

Personally I think any "real" person (not a trained "mactor" type or say the Reporters this season) would tend to play to the camera because they aren't used to a camera in their face and feel a need to do something, anything, when the light goes on.  Being "natural" with a national TV show's camera in your face is not a "natural" thing.  People not used to it will react in all types of ways across the spectrum to getting tongue-tied (a problem Justin doesn't seem to have, hah) to mugging, lecturing (to seem smart), trying to seem cool or hip or in with pop culture, to attempts to be funny, whatever.

 

I remember Brennen from Season 1 saying he tried so hard to come up with a clever line to get TV face time when they went to the place in Tunisia where the exterior shots of the cantina scene from original Star Wars was shot.  He failed, they went with a Kevin & Drew comment which wasn't clever but just mentioned that that was where Star Wars had filmed, ha.  But I assume many "real" people since Season 1 have tried to get some camera time as well as the "mactors" who are usually there on the Race for just that reason.

 

I don't care if people are loud or shy or whatever.  As long as they appreciate the Race and the cultures they visit and aren' t mean to everyone and are good Racers then I'm fine with them.

Edited November 29, 2015 by green

[RCharter]

I actually think most real people, running in a race around the world for a million dollars would soon forget a camera is in their face and just be themselves.  Which is what the vast majority of the racers I've seen end up doing, for better or for worse.  They should all be doing something when the light goes on.....they should be running the race.

 

The race should be enough, you shouldn't be putting on a one man show of "Please Like Me America, I'm Justin!" and "Hey World, Isn't My Girlfriend Crazy....Wink Wink"

Edited November 29, 2015 by RCharter

[merylinkid]

Justin is playing the part of a SuperFan running the Race.    He honestly doesn't come across to me as a SuperFan who has watched every season at least 3 times.   Otherwise, he would have known in the first leg that FFs sometimes get cancelled due to weather and it does not mean you are out because you chance it.   He's made other mistakes too.   I also think he did the "Amazing Race" engagment proposal as a way to get on the show to promote himself.   He knew he needed a hook and this was more amazing that a lesbian couple, parent and child trying to rebuild their relationship, person with disability showing they could do anything, etc.

 

Also, pet peeve of mine -- I really dislike assuming some guy is gay just because he is not immediately sexually assaulting his female partner.   Some people just aren't physically affectionate in public.   And I'll take that over the cheerleaders who assume everyone wants the cheerleaders to be all over them.  And it goes both ways, if they shouldn't be manhandling complete strangers, complete strangers should not be manhandling them.    That incident on the bike must have been very frightening.  

[RedheadZombie]

I missed that line of hers for some reason.. but I think there is a BIG difference between a crowd of mostly men  it seems like(particularly the ones who were trying to get up  close and personal and destroying her balloon net) where she ISN'T performing and a crowd at a football game where she IS performing.

 

 I'd definitely feel uncomfortable in her shoes in a sense- in a large crowd...in any country.

The whole episode made me claustrophobic. But the funny part was the cheerleader wasn't complaining about being mauled while on the bike or the weird moment when she had to shove the little kids away. She was complaining at a point where they weren't being crowded. She whined about being watched and the camera immediately panned to show the type of typical crowd that watches at a small distance on every task. And they always have a group watching them perform a task, and they are actually performing while doing it. The crowd was even quiet, unlike some tasks where the crowd is laughing at people struggling. She just reminded me of a cousin who would complain people were always watching her. Once she kinda screeched it as we drove away from a McDonald's drive through window. My said - um, they're actually staring at my Cadillac!

[Netfoot]

I really dislike assuming some guy is gay just because he is not immediately sexually assaulting his female partner.  

 

Sort of like when I hit on a girl and get rejected, it doesn't mean she's gay?

[possibilities]

And nothing awful happened with the cars last year,

One team abandoned their car in the middle of the leg, because they couldn't figure out how to drive it. It wasn't the car's fault, because the team was made up of people who were flummoxed by the stick shift and at least one of them seemed to desperately want to quit anyway, IIRC, but it was memorable enough that it stuck with me more than whatever feature they were trying to promote about the car, and it was the cause of that team's elimination.

 

They also had a team drive on a flat, didn't they? I know for sure that there was a delay due to a flat tire, but I thought they also drove on the rims for a while (though I'm not 100% sure that was the same incident and it might have been a different year).

 

 

 

I actually think most real people, running in a race around the world for a million dollars would soon forget a camera is in their face and just be themselves.  Which is what the vast majority of the racers I've seen end up doing, for better or for worse.  They should all be doing something when the light goes on.....they should be running the race.

Yes, but Justin is able to come in first, leg after leg, without seeming to be breaking a sweat. He's not forgetting the camera is there because the race is too easy and it's not absorbing all his attention. He's chatting with the team, so to speak. I kind of like that he's not going along with the deceit that no one knows they're being watched, and that he's not above acknowledging "the help"-- it's not coming across over the top or rude, to me. It's not his fault that the rest of the competition is so far behind that he doesn't have to concentrate more on racing in order to pull through. Should he fake being more stressed? I don't think he's so charming that his behavior will get him a show of his own (considering how 90% of viewers seem to hate him and consider him an obnoxious blowhard, that seems even more unlikely than it would otherwise), I think he just comes across like a guy having a blast. It's neither charming nor obnoxious to me, just kind of neutral.

 

I also don't get why the team wearing green is considered offensive. We've had teams emphasize a color before, and I thought that was something production asks them to do. What color were they supposed to choose?

 

I also don't know how to judge whether he's a superfan or a person playing the part of a superfan. I think anyone who is a true superfan would be excited to be there. And anyone who wants to be on the race enough to put that much work into pretending to be a superfan, and then goes on to run it without dissing the locals and whining about how hard it is, or whatever, is OK by me. We've seen fans of the show make mistakes once they actually start racing. Everyone says the race is much harder than they expected, and real life is way more stressful than watching it. So I don't think a freak out over the FF on Leg 1 or other errors along the way, prove or disprove true fandom vs faked fandom.

 

I feel weird defending someone who isn't even a particular favorite of mine. He's not even anywhere on my list of "favorite racers", not even near the bottom. He just doesn't bother me, is all.

 

 

 

I really dislike assuming some guy is gay just because he is not immediately sexually assaulting his female partner.   Some people just aren't physically affectionate in public.   And I'll take that over the cheerleaders who assume everyone wants the cheerleaders to be all over them.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about this!

 

I've been very unhappy with all the linear tasks that only need perseverance to finish.  IMHO there's been a dearth of mentally challenging tasks lately.  When TAR does have them (such as setting up the BBQ meat in a particular manner for roasting or searching for the correct Van Gogh painting), the order gets shaken up.  That's the TAR I love.

 

I particularly like mentally challenging tasks that can only be done by the person with no way of getting help either by a friendly passerby with a phone or by sharing information with another team.

Yes!! Maybe the producers are just bored and getting lazy and it's not all about the budget. That meat task is an example of something that wasn't dangerous or very costly, and it did vary the placements based on performance. We don't need tasks that demonstrate the ability to use google and a smartphone.

Edited November 30, 2015 by possibilities

[awaken]

Sorry if I missed this- were the balloons something particularly unique to Indian weddings, or just a task for the heck of it?

 

Oh my goodness, Logan's face when Chris was talking about proposing was absolutely black- no way is that a real relationship!  

[Maysie]

Yes Chris is annoying but holy moly Logan is a nasty piece of work. It really makes me wonder: if my only way to get on the race was to run it with someone who brings out my worst qualities, would I run it? How important is that race? I sense that Justin would run the race with the devil himself but I don't see much passion about anything from Chris and Logan, so I'm perplexed why she would undertake a grueling trip around the globe with someone she doesn't seem to like or respect much.

 

And I'm in the camp of Justin is performing the race more than running it (whoever posted that on page one nailed it). He can't just do a task. He has to shout, flail and "engage" with the locals, though jumping around and yelling woooo wooo or amigo or whatever the word of the day is hardly engaging them. I can't put my finger on why, but when I see Justin go through his paces, he seems insincere or forced. I will concede that it may be extremely difficult to turn "off" his persona since he is a morning radio personality. Given that he has to have a big personality on the air, it may be that Justin is one of those people who's always on, which means I wouldn't like him if this is his natural state. I guess that means he's in a no win situation with me, which isn't fair, but there it is.

 

I do believe he's sincere in his fandom. I wonder if he'd be so enthusiastic on a more difficult version of the race. They're basically walking through this race (I'd love to see them go up against some really great teams of days gone by) and it'd be interesting to see how he responds to a needle in the haystack kind of situation or some other real threat or adversity.

 

Kind of hoping the reporters get the win, bland as they are.

[awaken]

Every single time I see the reporters on the screen, or read you all talking about them, I wonder who they are, and have to remind myself.  Not a good sign!!