S27.E12: We Got A Chance, Baby!

[sinycalone]

 

Justin and Diana deserved the taxi Karma. Many racers in the past didn't deserve the bad taxi luck they got.

 

One case of taxi bad luck that was very instrumental in a team losing:  Thomas and Jill, TAR 17.  Their driver had to be one of the worst ever encountered on the race in the finale.  And his phone died while they were gettig the necessary answers, directions, etc.  This was in the L.A. area.  

[Netfoot]

One case of taxi bad luck that was very instrumental in a team losing:  

 

Sterling, the absolutely useless taxi driver that eliminated Gary & Mallory in Season 18.

 

Worst thing about it is I'd swear he was a Bajan, like me.  

[North of Eden]

Ahhh Justin...a tool to the bitter end. Cheaping out and sending his cab away....then annoying Logan and Chris's cabblie so much that he LEFT them and above all else interrupting Phil ON THE MAT! Super Douche! Diana had a positive attitude about losing but not Justin...now way...all tears saying everything they had won over the race was still not enough...in his mind HE was the only one entitled to win the Million dollars.

 

Joey and Kelsey are vanilla boring but I can live with their win because it kept it out of Justin's hands.

 

Production must have not liked Logan and and Chris to make them put together all six of those chairs when it was all moot.

 

And that sure did look like Victoria Grayson's house at the end there.

 

All and all an okay ending...props to the reporters for not taking a swing at Justin's head with a hammer when he was being obnoxious during the chair building.

[etagloh]

And also, isn't it kind of SOP in the last leg of TAR to land in a US airport, grab the first available cab and throw all your money at the cabbie as a bribe to stay with you reach the finish line?  As super fans, Justin and Diana should have seen the scenario played out a lot in previous seasons.

I still think the 'fly to Long Island' instruction is significant and odd here, because it heavily implied that in spite of flying to JFK and a first task close to Manhattan, this wasn't going to be a New York City final leg, and that there was going to be some significant road travel beyond the city limits. That's going to make you very wary of blowing whatever cash you have early on.

(Distinguishing between taxi karma and taxi luck feels like nothing other than it's okay for teams you don't like to be screwed over by cabs. One of those irregular verbs, see.)

[Maysie]

 

Logan, wow, there was a shot of her sprinting down the road, and she looked like a track star.

 

Well, as part of the paparazzi, Logan gets plenty of practice chasing "stars."

[sinycalone]

 

(Distinguishing between taxi karma and taxi luck feels like nothing other than it's okay for teams you don't like to be screwed over by cabs. One of those irregular verbs, see.)

 

IMO:

 

Taxi Karma - the team brings on their own problems by not working with their driver to get to their destination quickly, etc.  Example:  being rude to the cabbie so that he does not want to take you anywhere.

 

Taxi bad luck - you happen to get a driver who doesn't know the area, but fibs that he knows your destination; or you have some kind of mechanical failure.

[Netfoot]

^^^  It boils down to this:  Did you get a bad taxi?  Or were you a bad passenger?

[mertensia]

I still think the 'fly to Long Island' instruction is significant and odd here, because it heavily implied that in spite of flying to JFK and a first task close to Manhattan, this wasn't going to be a New York City final leg, and that there was going to be some significant road travel beyond the city limits. That's going to make you very wary of blowing whatever cash you have early on.

.)

Only if you are familiar with NYC. I am not so it would have been meaningless to me. Now clearly this meant something to Justin and Diana but I have no idea about the other teams.

[jhlipton]

If one of the memory tasks was replaced with questions like "How do you pronounce Hague?" and "Are all Catholics Christian?" the other teams may have passed Joey and Kelsey up (for the record, 

 

The second has been explained -- Catholics and Protestants (and Mormons) distinguish themselves from the others.  so "I'm a Catholic and he's a [non-denominational] Christian" does make sense.  Sort of like "I'm a Hasid and he's a [Conservative-mixed-with-reform] Jew".

 

 

 I could have sworn I saw the Cheerleaders hugging each other.

 

They also hugged the team next to them.

 

I thought it was bullshit that the show expected NYC yellow cabs to take them to Belmont park, outside of the City.  

 

It's not like Belmont Park is the sticks.  If there were no fare there, it looks like it's about 15 minutes to JFK, and I'm sure there are fares going into the city from there.  

[SomeTameGazelle]

Ahhh Justin...a tool to the bitter end. Cheaping out and sending his cab away....then annoying Logan and Chris's cabblie so much that he LEFT them

 

I didn't think Logan and Chris's cabbie left because Justin was annoying. I thought he left because he found out that they were going to want to go to Belmont next and he didn't think it was worth taking any team there. Chris had already paid him so there was no benefit in waiting around any more anyway. I don't know whether they had negotiated anything specific for the rest of the trip but presumably he didn't think it would be enough.

 

I thought that Chris handled stress much better in this ep. Not sure whether it was just editing or because having the end in sight improved his outlook.

[Guest]

^^^  It boils down to this:  Did you get a bad taxi?  Or were you a bad passenger?

And you can boil it down even further-- Were you edited as bad or was your driver?  I bet in most half hour cab rides, there's enough footage for either scenario with creative editing, music, etc.  (Not that I think Justin wasn't being a jerk with his, mind you.)

[kingshearte]

I think Justin is the first person I've ever seen who couldn't appreciate all the things he got to do and see. He just wanted money, and even the trips and stuff didn't make him happy. What a miserable human being.

There were the Wheelers, in the family edition. I will forever remember the brilliant juxtaposition of every other team expressing awe over the beauty of the scenery (I believe it was at the Grand Canyon or vicinity), and one of the Wheeler kids saying "God clearly didn't spend much time here." To this day, that is the exact phrase my husband and I use when faced with unimaginably beautiful nature.

 

Coming back to this race, though, I do agree that he has been shockingly unappreciative of the experience as a whole. I think there were moments when they did take a sec to appreciate the situation, but overall, not so much. And while I do sympathize with the frustration of making it all the way to the end but not quite managing to pull off the win, I think he is one of the few racers (on seasons I've seen, at least) to not even express appreciation for having been able to race all the way to the final mat. Other 2nd and 3rd place finishers have expressed disappointment, but also the appreciation for the experience. He was just a big old sad sack. And I can't lie: I am beyond pleased that, in addition to not winning the whole thing, not only did he fail to beat the record for most legs won, but he didn't even tie it. I am definitely too happy about that to be able to call myself a very good person right this moment.

 

I may be in the minority, but I don't need a villain to make a season worth watching. I'd happily watch a race with competitive, solid racers who don't come across as assholes most of the time they're on screen. Everyone has a bad day/moment and makes an ass out of themselves, but some people just live like that. Watching them compete for a million bucks isn't particularly satisfying television - except when they lose, but that's never a given.

I agree. You should come watch TAR Canada this summer. So far, while I haven't necessarily loved all the teams, the proportion of basically rootable teams has been quite high, with no real villains I can think of. And it's been delightful.

 

I still don't know what to make of Chris & Logan, but they kind of grew on me by the end. They became just too ridiculous to hate anymore, I think. I still do not understand their dynamic, or how they can live like that, but by the end, I was honestly just finding them funny, rather than obnoxious.

 

And Kelsey and Joey? I think I said way back in week, like, 2 or something, that I often gravitate toward the seemingly bland teams, largely because it suggests to me that they're decent to each other and to others. I like low-drama people in real life, and it seems I kind of like them on TV, too. Glad they won.

[blackwing]

I didn't think Logan and Chris's cabbie left because Justin was annoying. I thought he left because he found out that they were going to want to go to Belmont next and he didn't think it was worth taking any team there. Chris had already paid him so there was no benefit in waiting around any more anyway. I don't know whether they had negotiated anything specific for the rest of the trip but presumably he didn't think it would be enough.

I disagree, from the way he instantly said "I don't know where that is" and then the way the other guy instantly said "I'm not going there", it seemed to me that the two of them had been told about the jerk in the green shirt by the other driver.  It seemed to me like the driver was playing with him.  I don't fully get why he didn't just say "I have somebody already" like the other one did, but I think Justin was getting aggressive and was seemingly about to recite New York Civil Code sections on taxis and how they cannot refuse rides.  Kelsey and Joey's taxi was still hired with the meter running (or arranged).  But Chris and Logan had paid so it was an empty, unhired cab.  If I were the guy and didn't want to help Justin win a million dollars, I think I too would have left.  Too bad for Chris and Logan, but it's not like I would share any of the million if they happened to win.

 

I think Justin is the first person I've ever seen who couldn't appreciate all the things he got to do and see. He just wanted money, and even the trips and stuff didn't make him happy. What a miserable human being.

He is probably the worst of them, and unlike many others, he actually won a lot of prizes and money.  It might not be a million dollars but it's a lot of trips to cool places (or travelocity vouchers to whatever cool place he chooses) that many don't get.  Ass.  The person that I am reminded of that comes close to him in attitude is Millie the Mole.  She was all about the race, she didn't care about any of the experiences, all she wanted to do was to win the race while dragging around her doormat (pseudo?) boyfriend.   Cindy Chiang seemed like a fairly miserable person as well.

[needschocolate]

Agree on Justin disagree on Chris. It was clear that the cab driver was going nowhere without Kelsey and Joey and the fare they owed him.

Logan and Chris might as well have gotten onto one of the fire trucks and demanded the firefighters take them to Belmont Park. There was as good a chance of that happening as there was of the cab driver taking them there.

 

Oh, I can just hear it now --

 

Logan: Chris!!! Why did you get out of the fire truck!  You should have stayed in the fire truck! There would have been a fire somewhere!  They would have left sometime!  You should have stayed on the fire truck! We were on the fire truck and you f***ing get out! You should have stayed on the fire truck!

 

Chris: I think we are going to lose...

 

Logan: That is because you got of the fire truck!! You should have stayed on the fire truck!! Why did you .....(keep repeating until event he pigeons are covering their ears trying to hide). 

 

So he wanted $100 for the first $50 leg (so a $50 tip) then $100 more tip, to wait?  I may have dismissed him, too.  They didn't even have $200.  What else could they do?  

 

The way I understand it - Justin offered $100 and the cabbie asked if that was the tip or the total, including the fare.  Then Justin complains that he isn't paying a $100 tip on a $50 fare then complains that he isn't going to pay a tip, and then complained that he wants to be reimbursed the bridge toll (which he somehow paid $8 for a $5 bridge toll).  

 

What else could he do - well, he could have tried to be civil, instead of immediately going into attack mode.  

Edited December 15, 2015 by needschocolate

[valen]

On realitytvworld.com, there are interviews up with both Kelsey and Joey and Justin and Diana. K/J say their crab pots were all tangled and they had to pull them all up together, throw them back out, and pull them up individually. That must have been brutal. Justin admits that he was over confident and cocky and that he let his "New York" personality get in the way with the cab. Diana is very reasonable and repeatedly admits that they are lucky they ever got to the final leg. If Tiffany and Krista's cab had not gotten lost on the way to the pit stop, Justin and Diana would have never even been in the final leg and she acknowledges that. She says they rehash what they should have done differently every single day. 

[blackwing]

To me I suppose the issue is we didn't see what happened before that.  All we saw was Justin arguing with the driver.  There has to be a reason why Joey and Kelsey's driver was so pleasant to the point where he was willing to wait for them and allow them not to pay him yet.  And then there is Justin's driver, who some here have said was committing extortion by asking for a huge $100 tip on top of a $50 fare.  What we didn't see was how Justin behaved before that.  Based on his behaviour that we saw all throughout the race, it seems likely that Justin was being Justin.  He was probably gloating as soon as they left JFK about how they were going to win the million dollars, and about how great and awesome they are.  Meanwhile, the cab driver is listening to all of this.  He probably makes $35,000 a year, and then there's this extremely unlikeable jackhole sitting in his cab crowing about a million dollars.  I don't blame the driver at all for expecting a big tip.  He is listening to this guy talk about how they are going to win a million dollars in a few hours, and the driver is a part of it, so why shouldn't he expect a good tip?

[Special K]

On realitytvworld.com...Justin admits that he was over confident and cocky and that he let his "New York" personality get in the way with the cab.

 

I hate when "New York personality" = asshole.  Especially when promulgated by an actual New Yorker.

[John Seavey]

Not sure if I have seen this addressed... when the teams had to "fly to Long Island" were they forced to take a spoonfed flight?  Joey said something like "we are all going to be on the same flight".  Or did teams try for better times and not find anything?  I get that they want to try and keep everyone together, but it would have been more interesting to see the airport jockeying.  There are two airports in "Long Island" that are feasible and from Hong Kong there would have been plenty of options.  JFK is usually used for international flights, and a flight to JFK would be a direct flight.  But maybe the direct flight to JFK doesn't leave for 12 hours, and in 4 hours there was a flight to Chicago that was leaving.  From there they could have found a better flight through LaGuardia.

 

I do think that it's a bit disappointing to equalise everyone on the final leg.  It's how a fairly weak team that was nearly eliminated like the Beekman Boys ends up winning.  At least there were actual significant, time consuming tasks this time around.  I recall the days when it was pretty much just land, get in a cab, go here, get in another cab, and go to finish line.

 

They've been bunching people on the final leg for ages now. I think they realized after TAR 1, when the third-place team was still in Alaska when the first-place team crossed the Finish Line in New York, that it was not just undramatic but also logistically difficult to pull off a final leg without putting everyone on the same flight. It's just one of those things you have to be prepared for once you're in the Final Three, that you won't be granted any kind of inherent advantage based on your past performance and you have to race hard and not just assume that everything's going to fall your way and you can send your taxi away without making arrangements for return travel--

 

Sorry. That turned into editorializing. :) But the point is, it's pretty normal for the final teams to share a flight.

 

Chris: I have to take these pants off, I'm taking off my pants.

 

How was this not the episode title?

[Special K]

 

How was this not the episode title?

 

Or better yet, Logan's:  "You are NOT taking off your pants!"

[Bryce Lynch]

I hate when "New York personality" = asshole. Especially when promulgated by an actual New Yorker.

As a New Yorker, I must sadly admit that there is a lot of truth to Justin's comment. Of course not all of us are aholes, but the average New Yorker is far more rude and arrogant than the average American. Rudeness is often associated with strength and toughness and politeness with weakness.

[blackwing]

Or better yet, Logan's:  "You are NOT taking off your pants!"

Reminds me of TAR3.  Teri's pants were falling down, and she said she had to tie them, and Ian screamed "This is more important than your pants falling down!"  That made the episode title I think.

[mookster]

Mr. Mookster and I are both born and bred New Yorkers. He is more the "stereotypical" New Yawkah, albeit not rude or entitled, just brusque and fast-paced. I, on the other hand, am very quiet and polite and have had only pleasant experiences with cabbies. (Really!) Why, just yesterday I got a better table at a restaurant by asking nicely, whereas Mr. Mookster might have voiced his displeasure in a way that might not have yielded the same outcome. So please, world, don't judge New Yorkers by the Justin standard. :)

[jhlipton]

I didn't think Logan and Chris's cabbie left because Justin was annoying. I thought he left because he found out that they were going to want to go to Belmont next and he didn't think it was worth taking any team there. 

 

I just don't get this.  Belmont is about 20 miles from Randall Island, which is a decent fare for New York, I would think.  I sincerely doubt they would have to wait long for another fare back to the city, or they could go to JFK (7 miles) and get a fare.  So instead of a sure fare to Belmont, and a decent chance back to the city, they took off without any fare.  Why would they do that?  (Maybe my presumptions about the probability of fares is wrong...)

 

She says they rehash what they should have done differently every single day. 

 

OMG, that sounds awful.  You know that it's Justin telling Diane that is had only done this or that, while going from smirk to sob and back,  Every. Single. Day!

[Hanahope]

Also, cabs aside, I'm not sure they even would have won. Yeah they were able to make up the time fairly quickly (as were Logan & Chris) as evidenced by all 3 teams seeing each other on the boats. . . .  Does anyone know the time difference between first and second to the mat? I'm very curious. I mean, it would be hilarious if it was like 5 minutes, meaning the cab WAS their entire undoing, but I suspect there was more at play than that. K&J ran a pretty flawless leg.

 

It did look like some time had passed between Justin's finishing he fire roadblock and Joey finishing.  Enough time for Justine to talk to both cab drivers, scare one off, and have the other refuse, then they ran away  to find another cab.  More time passed because even though Joey seems to have finished the fire task right after Justin, Chris took more time, yet K&J were fighting over the one cab with C&L and neither seemed to have seen Justin talking with the cabs.  So it does seem like there was some time between J&D 'ready to leave' and the others, enough that J&D were not in C&L's view point when they tried to find a cab too.  So maybe 15 minutes at least?

 

So if J&D had left at least 15 minutes before K&J, then J&D would have gotten to the lobsters first, and may have finished the flags first, then gotten to the chairs first.  Now, maybe they wouldn't have gotten through the tasks as fast, being behind is a good motivator.  But there is a definite possibility that had Justin not messed up with his own taxi, they may have stayed in the lead and won.

 

K&J did run the perfect race, including keeping their cab, whereas J&D did not.

[Special K]

I just don't get this.  Belmont is about 20 miles from Randall Island, which is a decent fare for New York, I would think.  I sincerely doubt they would have to wait long for another fare back to the city, or they could go to JFK (7 miles) and get a fare.  So instead of a sure fare to Belmont, and a decent chance back to the city, they took off without any fare.  Why would they do that?  (Maybe my presumptions about the probability of fares is wrong...)

 

 

NYC cabbies don't want to go anywhere they don't want to go.  Which happens to be a lot of places.  I used to live in Brooklyn Heights, right over the bridge, and we could NEVER get a cabbie to take us there.  And we were white!  Of course they're legally bound to do so.  I have friends who live in Upper Manhattan -- not even an outer borough -- and to get home they have to call a car service.

 

Which is what Justin should have thought to do.  As a Bronx native, I'm sure the only for-hire vehicles driving him around the Bronx back then were gypsy cabs!

[Netfoot]

You know that it's Justin telling Diane that is had only done this or that, while going from smirk to sob and back,  Every. Single. Day!

 

I think he's more likely going back and forth between "Diana, you should have..." and "Diana, you shouldn't have..." than anything else.

Edited December 15, 2015 by Netfoot

[Ducky]

 

She says they rehash what they should have done differently every single day.

 

OMG.. and they're getting married?  I hope it's not going to be every single day for the next 50 years.  I'd be running screaming after 6 months...nay...3 months max...

 

 

Reminds me of TAR3.  Teri's pants were falling down, and she said she had to tie them, and Ian screamed "This is more important than your pants falling down!"  That made the episode title I think.

 

It was- that episode is next on my Amazon Queue to watch (I'm on season 3) and may I say the episode I watched today- first thing I said at the end... Flo is the female Justin...or is that Justin is the male Flo?  About the only difference is that Flo whined and cried about doing the tasks and Justin cried about "I could have done this task better, should have done it instead of Diana (Even while Diana did well on the task anyway).

[blackwing]

I've never rewatched Season 3, so it's been like 12 years or so since I had to witness Flo, but I would say that Justin is eons worse than Flo.  Flo was whiny and complained a lot, and often yelled at her partner.  But maybe it's the intervening years, but I don't recall her ever yelling at locals or treating them like dirt.  I also don't remember her crying much.  I think I remember one time when it might have been a bicycle task where she was sitting in the grass after falling and complaining (?)  But never do I recall full out tears like Justin had in the first, second to last, and last episode of this season.

 

Above all, I don't think Flo was ever arrogant.  Justin is the epitome of arrogance and hubris.  And that's why watching him fail was so spectacularly awesome.

 

When Flo raced, social media wasn't as prevalent.  There were message boards like TWOP.  But Facebook and Twitter didn't exist.  I hope Justin is skewered in social media for digital eternity.  I'd love for someone to make an animated looping GIF of all of his embarrassing sobbing, and send it to him.

[Noreaster]

I still think the 'fly to Long Island' instruction is significant and odd here, because it heavily implied that in spite of flying to JFK and a first task close to Manhattan, this wasn't going to be a New York City final leg, and that there was going to be some significant road travel beyond the city limits. That's going to make you very wary of blowing whatever cash you have early on.

(Distinguishing between taxi karma and taxi luck feels like nothing other than it's okay for teams you don't like to be screwed over by cabs. One of those irregular verbs, see.)

This is a good point.  It sounds like the contestants didn't really have that much money to work with.  It ended up working okay for Kelsey and Joey since Belmont Park isn't terribly far (it's on the border of NYC and Long Island) and the fire task was short enough that they had sufficient money to cover the wait time.  But I can see money being a concern for all the teams.  

 

I just don't get this.  Belmont is about 20 miles from Randall Island, which is a decent fare for New York, I would think.  I sincerely doubt they would have to wait long for another fare back to the city, or they could go to JFK (7 miles) and get a fare.  So instead of a sure fare to Belmont, and a decent chance back to the city, they took off without any fare.  Why would they do that?  (Maybe my presumptions about the probability of fares is wrong...)

Yeah, these presumptions may not be true.  We don't really have much details, but there are a whole slew of factors that may affect a taxi driver's decision.  

 

First, there almost certainly would be no fare to pick up at Belmont.  Most people in this area drive, or if there are non-locals going directly to Belmont on race days and they don't have a car, they take the train. (This is unlikely a race day though if The Amazing Race is filming.) Second, JFK may be relatively close, but there could be long queues for the taxis. Before taxis can pick up passengers, they have to go to a waiting area before they are dispatched to the different terminals.  Waits here can be long.  Like hours. Third, there could be other factors that would impact what fares drivers are willing to pick up.  Shift changes for one.  We don't know what time of the day these Amazing Race challenges were taking place, but shift changes happen at a certain time when drivers have to hand off the taxis or drop off the taxis at the garage.  Fourth, drivers have their own preferences. Some prefer to stay in Manhattan when possible. Some prefer airport pickups/dropoffs.  It varies. Taxi drivers are never supposed to refuse fares, but they often do. Either directly (just driving off if you're not already in the cab) or giving lame excuses (like they don't know the destination or their meter just broke or whatever).  

 

Who knows what these particular drivers in this episode were thinking.  Viewers really aren't shown much.  

 

ETA: Actually to be more specific on my first point, NYC taxis are not allowed to pick up outside NYC.  So they couldn't even pick up at Belmont Park or on the Long Island side of the border.  They could potentially pick up on the NYC side of the border, but as I mentioned above, there usually aren't people looking for taxi rides.  Almost certainly, no one is looking for a taxi ride all the way back to Manhattan as that's rather expensive and most people take mass transit in the area. JFK is where the taxi drivers would likely go next after Belmont Park or they would just drive back to Manhattan.  

 

Also, because the taxis can't pick up on Long Island, if these contestants had to take the taxis further out into Long Island, the fares would be double the rate that they were paying within NYC.  That is, once the taxi crosses the NYC/Long Island border, the meter starts running at 2x the NYC rate.  So the taxi ride could potentially be very costly and if Justin/Diana were aware of this, it would be even more reason for them to be cautious with the money.  

Edited December 15, 2015 by Noreaster

[BarneySays]

Here's the transcript of the exchange with the taxi:

 

J:  So you gonna hang or you need to go?

T:  If you want...

J:  So, I'll give you the hundred and you'll hang out?

T:  All together?

J:  That's what you said, a hundred to keep you

T:  This is extra fare, so...

J:  (cutting in)I'm not going to pay you a hundred more than this.  All right.  Stop here.  This...I'll give you the fifty and then you can leave.  Are you going to take the five dollars off for the bridge, that I already gave you eight dollars for?

T:  No tip?

J:  Thanks.

[jhlipton]

But there is a definite possibility that had Justin not messed up with his own taxi, they may have stayed in the lead and won.

 

If J&D had left yet, they might have landed at the first lobster boat, with the tangled pots.  I think they would have had a much harder time (with Justin sobbing over every inch) than J&K did.

 

NYC cabbies don't want to go anywhere they don't want to go. 

 

Yeah, these presumptions may not be true.  We don't really have much details, but there are a whole slew of factors that may affect a taxi driver's decision.  

 

Thank you both for the extra info.  My major cities are LA, San Diego and San Francisco, none of which really have the boundary issues that NYC does.

[Lingo]

Yes, but what is the solution?  To have them drive themselves?  That'd be disastrous.  They almost always come from overseas, so they are dealing with jet lag.  Add in killer fatigue and exhaustion.  But most importantly, they are racing for $1 million so they would probably be very dangerous and fast drivers on the road.  Not safe at all.

 

Don't forget that they allowed them to drive themselves during the first part of the final leg in Season 25. I don't get why it was allowed just that one time, and hasn't been done before or after. Is it much easier to drive in LA? (They were in LA right? But don't they end in LA pretty often?)

[Maysie]

 

She says they rehash what they should have done differently every single day.

 

Ay caramba. How awful yet how unsurprising. And this is why they'll end up on an all stars edition. The only thing we can hope for is that any all stars edition J&D participate in is packed with some good, solid teams that can eliminate the Greens early on.

[kdm07]

You've obviously never seen Flo, or Freddy and Kendra, all of whom were dreadful people, and yet they still won.

 

To this day, that win still makes me so frustrated! It's also why I was rooting for Joey & Kelsey to win this time around, I refused to believe TAR would do that to me again :)

 

You should come watch TAR Canada this summer. So far, while I haven't necessarily loved all the teams, the proportion of basically rootable teams has been quite high, with no real villains I can think of. And it's been delightful.

 

I agree, TAR Canada has been great so far. Speaking of TAR spin-offs, anyone know if TAR Australia will ever come back? It had it's villains but I really did enjoy that version of TAR.

[Guest]

I just don't get this.  Belmont is about 20 miles from Randall Island, which is a decent fare for New York, I would think.  I sincerely doubt they would have to wait long for another fare back to the city, or they could go to JFK (7 miles) and get a fare.  So instead of a sure fare to Belmont, and a decent chance back to the city, they took off without any fare.  Why would they do that?  (Maybe my presumptions about the probability of fares is wrong...)

Like someone else said, I think they just prefer taking short fares in Manhattan (those $2.50 flag drops add up) or doing airport runs.  It's more money per hour and more mindless.

 

why Joey and Kelsey's driver was so pleasant to the point where he was willing to wait for them and allow them not to pay him yet.

 

Well, he was pleasant but technically he was the one following the taxi commission rules I posted above.  They don't have to collect until the end and they have to wait.  

[SnideAsides]

Just based on how thoroughly and completely the network TAR Australia was on fucked it up, I'd have to say it won't be back. Big rant under the spoiler button.

Season two was dragged around the schedule so much (like, they aired an episode in different states on different nights because of a football game and were shocked when ratings fell in the states that got it a day late, in 2012; other highlights include taking it off the schedule completely to avoid it competing against the London Olympics and then burning the final three episodes of the season off on consecutive nights) that I'm pretty sure the only reason it got brought back at all for season three at all was because it won an International Emmy.
 
And then they fired the producers so they could make it in-house, delayed it for a year (by which point the host had clearly moved on mentally), reused an "Australia vs. New Zealand" casting gimmick that had consistently failed when used on other shows in the past (and which was counterproductive to the entire point of the race), cast the five Australian teams so poorly (two dull teams of fit white friends, an infuriatingly xenophobic fit white dating couple, a dull fit mixed-race dating couple whose mid-race engagement was overshadowed by a running plotline of "he is a big giant bodybuilder but has a teeny-tiny bladder", and a hilarious white cannon fodder team) it's almost as if they outsourced casting the Kiwi teams (a former NZ Idol contestant and his wife who were racing so they could afford to take in more foster kids, a Christchurch earthquake survivor and her "How is the incest subtext so strong when you clearly like men?" brother, a pair of 40-ish Maori housewives who didn't fall into the "older = slow!" thing all versions of TAR seem to suffer from, a pair of amazingly passive-aggressive bickering fat psychologists, and a hyper-competitive pair of alpha males who eventually and inevitably got screwed because everybody hated them) without telling the people they outsourced it to that the show was doomed to fail, planned the route really weirdly (six continents = good; 6/10 legs in Europe and south-east Asia = bad; the final two legs involving getting from Croatia to Melbourne via Buenos Aires and LA, with the entire LA section amounting to "photograph celebrity impersonators on the Hollywood Walk of Fame" and "eat a hot dog" = ugly), had tasks that were either stereotypical to the point of comedy (Thailand = get a massage!; random snowy Russian town = dog sledding!) or had nothing to do with anything (Cambodia = level a pool table!; St. Petersburg = find a luggage tag in a cloakroom!), didn't really sell the difficulty of the tasks that well (like, there were hard tasks, but as it was shown, the hardest tasks before the absurdly tough Argentina leg included "translate two words from Semaphore" and "tie a necktie"), got saddled with almost the worst possible boot order (aside from the first boots the most entertaining team left went home each and every damn time, while the designated assholes lucked into the only non-elimination), and then panicked when their changes weren't met with rapturous applause, hastily scheduling two ill-advised double episodes (the first with an elimination in the middle and a TBC at the end; the second with the two legs immediately before the finale) to get rid of the show as quick as they could.
 
I may still be a little angry about how that turned out, I'm not sure.

[Netfoot]

I watched the first two seasons which were great, but you're right -- they fucked up S3 so bad it's hard to believe it wasn't deliberate. 

[Ilovemylabs]

Earlier someone posted something about Justin's upbringing...how his parents were very tough on him.  I can't find it and the mods may have taken it down.  Can someone direct me to something about his background?  Still glad he lost.

[valen]

The second part of that interview is up today on realitytvworld.com and they are far less likeable in it. Diana is pretty arrogant in it as well. They do talk about getting married, although Justin freely admits that he will postpone his wedding, and won't really even pick a date for it yet, because he doesn't want to miss out on an All-Stars Unfinished Business 2 edition. He says he is going to stalk the producers and get "his fans" to stalk the producers until they get an offer to do another race. PUKE.

 

[jww]

Many times the racers jump into the cab and yell we are in a race for a million $, as if the driver should care and drive recklessly, riski getting a ticket  which will lead to higher insurance and maybe even losing their jobs.  Are the racers allow to make it worth  it to the driver by adding if we win we will give you $xxxx out of our winnings?  Could Justin have told his driver-I am short of cash now but if you stay with us and we win I will give you $10k?

[Guest]

I think it's safe to assume they're not allowed to bribe people with potential cuts of their winnings.

 

If I was a cab driver I would probably drive the teams to Belmont Park knowing they had a potential million at stake and also knowing I was being filmed and it's the right thing to do, professionally and ethically.  

 

The players aren't allowed to encourage drivers to break the law but "I'm in a race for a million" means a lot of other things besides "speed and run lights".  

[blackwing]

The second part of that interview is up today on realitytvworld.com and they are far less likeable in it. Diana is pretty arrogant in it as well. They do talk about getting married, although Justin freely admits that he will postpone his wedding, and won't really even pick a date for it yet, because he doesn't want to miss out on an All-Stars Unfinished Business 2 edition. He says he is going to stalk the producers and get "his fans" to stalk the producers until they get an offer to do another race. PUKE.

I'm assuming they have already been engaged for months? It was his stupid fake amazing race proposal that got him on this to begin with. So it was probably a few months before he got picked, then months since taping. So typical Justin to say they won't get married until after they appear on Unfinished Business 2. What if that season doesn't happen for another two or three years?

I truly hope TPTB follow the internets and know how generally despised this man is. They always want some "villain" teams, but the problem is that in Justin's mind, he's not the villain, he's the valiant hero who came $100 short of his dream.

Colon and CrASStie were at that time my most hated team, and I recall they skipped All Stars because she was pregnant. I have no doubt that Justin will forbid Diana to get pregnant for all eternity in case TAR ever asks them back. There's something really sad about him making her put their entire lives on hold. I pity the poor production people who will get daily calls from Justin about a return appearance.

[Maysie]

 

The second part of that interview is up today on realitytvworld.com and they are far less likeable in it. Diana is pretty arrogant in it as well. They do talk about getting married, although Justin freely admits that he will postpone his wedding, and won't really even pick a date for it yet, because he doesn't want to miss out on an All-Stars Unfinished Business 2 edition. He says he is going to stalk the producers and get "his fans" to stalk the producers until they get an offer to do another race. PUKE.

 

Any misgivings that I may have been too harsh in my assessment of Justin just went out the window with this. For me, this just underscores that he really is a dickish, douchebag of a tool.

 

Justin must have been that kid that kicked, screamed and basically threw a fit until he got everything and anything he wanted. Way to go Justin's parents! And I'm sensing Diana is enabling that (because if he's holding off on the wedding to get his second shot on TAR, he's essentially pulling the same moves). I sincerely hope that TAR producers become the first people to tell him no. I hate to see bad behavior get rewarded and that's exactly what that will be.

 

And can someone please explain to me how their marital status has anything to do with running the race again? I am at a loss for that.

 

ETA: I read the interview and they say they will be married by the end of 2016. They have also been together eight years. Diana knows exactly what she's dealing with. I say get married, have a great life and may we never see -- or hear -- you again.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Maysie

[valen]

Any misgivings that I may have been too harsh in my assessment of Justin just went out the window with this. For me, this just underscores that he really is a dickish, douchebag of a tool.

 

Justin must have been that kid that kicked, screamed and basically threw a fit until he got everything and anything he wanted. Way to go Justin's parents! And I'm sensing Diana is enabling that (because if he's holding off on the wedding to get his second shot on TAR, he's essentially pulling the same moves). I sincerely hope that TAR producers become the first people to tell him no. I hate to see bad behavior get rewarded and that's exactly what that will be.

 

And can someone please explain to me how their marital status has anything to do with running the race again? I am at a loss for that.

 

ETA: I read the interview and they say they will be married by the end of 2016. They have also been together eight years. Diana knows exactly what she's dealing with. I say get married, have a great life and may we never see -- or hear -- you again.

Did you see the part where he said he's already trying to figure out when the season would tape? And the part about their 10 commandments of the Amazing Race? They are something else. I do wonder what will happen if she gets pregnant.

 

I kind of wish Colin and Christie would come back and race on the same All-Star Season as Justin. That would be epic. 

[Netfoot]

I truly hope TPTB follow the internets and know how generally despised this man is. They always want some "villain" teams, but the problem is that in Justin's mind, he's not the villain, he's the valiant hero who came $100 short of his dream.

 

They have steadfastly refused to invite HWMNBN to return, despite his repeatedly trying to get on the All*Star seasons.  The thing is, TPTB want eyeballs, and if they think Justin will bring on a lot of hate-watchers, they will deliberately bring him back.  Their criteria have changed over the years.  J*n*th*n verbally and physically abused his wife on camera.  The worst Justin is guilty of is being an ass, but flamboyantly.  Peeling his teeth at every camera and loudly pretending to be everyone's friend.

 

I just hope and pray that Phil and the gang are as thoroughly sick of Justin and his posturing as we are.  

[Bryce Lynch]

Did you see the part where he said he's already trying to figure out when the season would tape? And the part about their 10 commandments of the Amazing Race? They are something else. I do wonder what will happen if she gets pregnant.

I kind of wish Colin and Christie would come back and race on the same All-Star Season as Justin. That would be epic.

I would love to see those 10 Commandments.

I can guess a few:

1) Always mug for the camera.

2) Always annoy the locals running the tasks in embarrassing attempts to be funny.

3) When in doubt, cry.

4) If anything goes wrong, blame Diana.

5) Be obnoxious to all your cab drivers...it makes them drive faster and treat you better.

6) Act like a TAR master and mock other team's choices, while not reading your own clues and pissing off your cab drivers.

7) Heckle opponents rather than focusing on your own task.

8) Let out an annoying, effeminate giggle at least once every leg.

[valen]

I would love to see those 10 Commandments.

I can guess a few:

1) Always mug for the camera.

2) Always annoy the locals running the tasks in embarrassing attempts to be funny.

3) When in doubt, cry.

4) If anything goes wrong, blame Diana.

5) Be obnoxious to all your cab drivers...it makes them drive faster and treat you better.

6) Act like a TAR master and mock other team's choices, while not reading your own clues and pissing off your cab drivers.

7) Heckle opponents rather than focusing on your own task.

8) Let out an annoying, effeminate giggle at least once every leg.

I think they deliberately didn't reveal them because they don't want to give others an "advantage" the next go around. She said they would be screaming at each other "Remember #3!" How odd.

[Netfoot]

1) Always mug for the camera.

2) Always annoy the locals running the tasks in embarrassing attempts to be funny.

3) When in doubt, cry.

4) If anything goes wrong, blame Diana.

5) Be obnoxious to all your cab drivers...it makes them drive faster and treat you better.

6) Act like a TAR master and mock other team's choices, while not reading your own clues and pissing off your cab drivers.

7) Heckle opponents rather than focusing on your own task.

8) Let out an annoying, effeminate giggle at least once every leg.

 

9) Be a cheapskate with your cabbie, because that never comes back to bite you.

[Maysie]

10) Intimidate your opponents: remind everyone that you are Super Fan and have run your own specially designed race so that no matter what they may have done to prepare, they pale in comparison to your foresight and desire to win.

 

11) Learn a handful of key phrases in a variety of languages to help with rule #2. "Friend" is always a good choice, especially when sung in a loud, annoying manner; the locals will appreciate that you consider them a friendly presence and the folks at home will praise you for embracing the local culture. Don't worry too much about "thank yous" and "please," because these are likely always universally understood in English, and by the time you're using them, the task is likely almost complete and it's not so important to be nice to the locals.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Maysie

[Kel Varnsen]

I would love to see those 10 Commandments.

I can guess a few:

1) Always mug for the camera.

2) Always annoy the locals running the tasks in embarrassing attempts to be funny.

3) When in doubt, cry.

4) If anything goes wrong, blame Diana.

5) Be obnoxious to all your cab drivers...it makes them drive fa&ster and treat you better.

6) Act like a TAR master and mock other team's choices, while not reading your own clues and pissing off your cab drivers.

7) Heckle opponents rather than focusing on your own task.

8) Let out an annoying, effeminate giggle at least once every leg.

Don't forget "it's ok to be an asshole to someone who probably doesn't speak english, since they probably won't understand you anyways".