S18: Talk

[Whimsy]

Since some older seasons are available to view on different platforms, we are starting all episodes threads for each season.

[ApprenticeFan]

That is how I remember when the first flight from LA to Sydney, Australia (on a near-summer in Southern Hemisphere) diverted to Honolulu after a passenger (not related from the Race) was evacuated and ended in a last-minute KOR leg, which was a then-new twist of the Race. Too bad for Amanda and Kris screwed when they penalized for the automatic U-Turn after the first task and eliminated in the following leg.

This season was fairly average with teams given another shot to win, Jet & Cord, the cowboys, went into the trailing pack in legs 7-9 before being eliminated by a U-Turn from the Globes (Flight Time & Big Easy).

Edited January 10, 2016 by ApprenticeFan

[Supay]

Hooray for TAR's answer to Survivor's "Heroes versus Villains"!

 

As the show's first foray into HD, it nonetheless keeps the old-school BGM/SFX and quick-cut editing of the SD seasons intact, a precursor to the exquisitely well-made Canadian franchise two years into the future.

 

Any quibbles about certain casting decisions were swiftly put to rest with the elimination order, with admittedly one tragic exception shortly after the halfway point.

 

In addition, this unofficial second All-Stars made the best of overused countries by having unvisited regions host the rounds, be they quaint Asian wilderness or scenic European resorts. It's perfectly fine that the "seasonal count of new nations" amounted to a grand total of 1 when it not only featured one of the most original RBs in TAR history, but also - in the very same episode - provoked hilarious overreactions from those invested in a team facing the consequences of a poor social game.

 

Add in a medley of fun and challenging tasks along with an ending to right the wrongs wrought by Season 11 and the product is this masterpiece.

[danm]

I had my first visit to Florida Keys (Nov-2017), and I was happy to be staying on Marathon Key, quite near to the Trailer Park Task Site, and the Finish Line on Pigeon Key, finale locations for S18.  A large hurricane ("Irma") blew through the area in September of 2017 and hit Marathon Key vicinity very hard.  The Galway Bay residential area had a great pile of collected debris outside of it, but looks pretty well put back together on the inside.  I didn't try to go in and intrude on the people who live there.  Pigeon Key looks like a large wave or two washed over the whole island and left a lot of damage behind, it looks a lot better in the finale!  And the "Old 7 Mile Bridge," site of the bike/trike-to-the-finish-line-showdown is under some kind of repair or renovation and inaccessible to the public at the current time.

The people who live here have my admiration and respect for how they can deal with natural events like this and bounce back to keep on going.

[Roccos Brother]

I must say, that bikini challenge would have been impossible. A bunch of guys with cameras trying to get women to change into bikinis must have looked hella sketchy.

[Roccos Brother]

Bring on the HD! Yay! It really does make watching this show that much more enjoyable. The alps were so gorgeous!

This was a good season, but it felt very fast. Maybe because the locations didn’t seem as diversified as other seasons, but I still enjoyed it.

I liked a lot of the teams they brought back – some more than I initially realized. Was sad that gay brothers Sam and Dan did not return, but it appears I am in the minority. I wonder how “fan favorites” are determined. I never cared much for the Harlem Globetrotters, even though they can be funny (like when they were dancing while making drinks, and trying to figure out their zodiac signs). I remember liking Zev and Justin on their season, but they were occasionally annoying this time – like when they kept using Rontina for their Chinese speaking abilities.

My favorites were – Mel and Mike, Margie and Luke, and most of all, Ron and Christina. They all left early. Womp womp. Ron can behave like a cantankerous old man sometimes, but I find his dynamic with his daughter, along with his snacking habit, to be cute and endearing. They were also a competent team that made few mistakes. I would love for either them or Christina & Azaria to return as a team. I liked Azaria and his sister on Season 12, as well. Having both teams back would have been awesome. Rontina also showed why having multi-lingual teams make for a very entertaining race.

I’ve had Swiss fondue in Switzerland before. Zev was right – it basically just tastes like alcohol. Despite being a gluten, that roadblock would have been akin to torture for me. Finishing the dry wiener schnitzel (and chocolate cake!) in 12 minutes also seemed impossible.

The waxing was funny – similar to painful massages, maybe it’s the schadenfreude factor. I wish they would bring it back with more teams having to do it! I personally would love a free bikini wax (TMI?).

[dgpolo]

I quite liked this season and all the teams, though Amanda and Kris still elicited a 'Who?' from me even though I watched that season a little bit ago. I don't think it helps that his name is Kris with a K and I have a niece named Kris, so I keep trying to think of a female team when I hear their names.

I am glad for Kisha and Jen, they raced so well this time around, not top tier but very consistent. And they worked on their weaknesses too.

A little too much sharing this season but not as much as one coming up. The flags task was great but so many teams didn't have to figure it out. I don't know how Jet kept missing the last sentence. The other task was the moped one, why were people just telling people the answer? So strange.

There was also a lot of sharing at the kangaroo task, and it was so random that Kent just knew the symbols for Mercury and Bismuth.

Didn't like all the yelling at the chocolate gnome task, I think everyone should have had their initials on their mold.

Ron totally lost the plot looking for the holy men, and totally lost his temper with the buses.

Gary and Mallory raced really well. So did Zev and Justin, they just overshared a bit too much.

Has the U-Turn ever been as late in a leg as the one where the Globetrotters U-turned the Cowboys?

Again liked most everyone, especially the winners.

[bunnyface]

I've been rewatching seasons when there is nothing more interesting to me to watch.  I'm on season 18 now.  I had also been reading the recaps along with the rewatches but those are apparently no longer available.

Was it ever revealed what happened with the chocolate challenge?  Did Vyxsin really steal Flight Time's chocolate gnome?  It didn't look that way to me, but I can't remember if it was ever really figured out.

[ratherbereading]

On my annual rewatch. 

 

OMG I had forgot how annoying Kent is. Constant whining. I felt so bad for Luke but I loved how supportive Margie and the folks in the roadblock room. I think I would have also cried. And peed. :D