S28.E01: I Should've Been A Boy Scout

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I wondered if I should be concerned when he said he was sad when his daughter had to leave home in her teens to make her career on YouTube.....!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I actually had to pause the episode so I could ask Mr. EB why in the hell a 17 year old girl needs to LEAVE HOME to make youtube videos. Mr. EB's explanation: "Daddy only had dial up so she had to get the fuck out of there."

[tenativelyyours]

My thoughts exactly, only I wouldn't have been so nice about it.

 

I have never heard of any of these "important, influential" people... and I'm more proud of that now than I was before the show. Apparently, to be a Social Media Superstar, you must be very loud and very stupid. I know and respect the Rules of the Race, but if they don't get these people some handlers, who knows how long this season could last? Until the last of them wanders into the wilderness or off of a cliff, I guess, which might not be long at all, come to think of it.

 

So far, the ONLY team that doesn't seem to be suffering from terminal Look At Me-itis, combined with Listen to Me Scream-itis, is... the black brothers. (I'm sorry, but like someone else posted, not knowing who any of these people are or what it is that they do makes it hard to identify them right now. Eventually, maybe, we'll learn their names, but "YouTube Sensations" isn't going to cut it this season. So until I learn their names, they're "the black brothers" and "the crying idiots from Alabama" (my home, BTW) and "the girl and her stupid father" and "the gay couple with bad hair and worse laugh" and "guys who play Frisbee" and... "the other teams.")

 

A longer translation in my house is "the boys whose mother went to Harvard...but they didn't"

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I am not familiar with any of these people, but based on their self-descriptions, I was least inclined to hate the dancers (because posting tutorials to teach an actual skill is good in my book) and the guy who makes vines with magic (because he's doing something that requires more effort than turning on the camera and going on and on about something he got for free for fifteen minutes). "The boys whose mother went to Harvard...but they didn't" get a tiny high five from me, solely because I found it hilarious that the one named Darius uses the name MrLegendarius.

 

I have no idea why that flight attendant's video went viral because I have heard versions of that spiel from various flight attendants since I started flying Southwest in the 90s.

[RCharter]

I enjoyed this episode much more than I thought I would!  I really like Darius and Cameron, Tyler and....his partner who didn't get much camera time (Korey?)  I also like the Cory kid, because he was just so cool with his mother who was basically have guilt fits.  I like Scott, but I'm not sold on Blair.  I do not like anyone who is going to "use their sexuality" to get ahead on the race.  Heard that a million times before, and it almost never works....just look at the video of the Cheerleaders begging for money in the square last year.

 

I do however, think its ridiculous for teams to put on a show for the camera as they are in the middle of doing a task.  Yelling out "WHICH ONE OF YOU ISN'T PLAYING?????" and dancing for the camera seems ridiculous when you're in a race and in the middle of performing a task that would require you to pay attention.

 

Oh, and 1) a three year engagement without a date....is called a boyfriend, 2) did that guy say that his wife was the first woman he kissed?  whats the story there, he isn't young enough for that to be typical.

[In Pog Form]

What the hell is wrong with these people?

Edited February 13, 2016 by In Pog Form

[RCharter]

Wanting to take a penalty on the first leg??

Wandering around the grounds and dropping your puzzle pieces??

Asking a random guy on the street if he's a mariachi?? (His expression was priceless.)

 

That had to have been the most absurd moment in this entire episode.  "Pardon me kind sir, but I'm looking for a mariachi who is fake playing, would you kindly fake play some mariachi music for me?"

 

Not as funny as that girl asking him in all seriousness "Are you finding tiny drums in the grass?" Why, yes, yes I am!

I see your "tiny drums in the grass" and raise you a "hey random stranger carrying a guitar, can you fake play some music for me so I can get an Amazing Race clue?"

 

I still refuse to believe despite facts to the contrary that Professional Ultimate Frisbee is an actually thing.

I have heard of RoosterTeeth because a friend used to work with them and my boyfriend has heard of the magician who's videos I thought looked really cool bit other than that I am clueless.

To be fair he was carrying a guitar out of its case walking down the street.

 

I can believe its a thing.  I'm surprised its a thing with playoffs and medals and....groupies?

 

Maybe poker players can go to the Olympics after all.

 

 

[tenativelyyours]

I enjoyed this episode much more than I thought I would!  I really like Darius and Cameron, Tyler and....his partner who didn't get much camera time (Korey?)  I also like the Cory kid, because he was just so cool with his mother who was basically have guilt fits.  I like Scott, but I'm not sold on Blair.  I do not like anyone who is going to "use their sexuality" to get ahead on the race.  Heard that a million times before, and it almost never works....just look at the video of the Cheerleaders begging for money in the square last year.

 

I do however, think its ridiculous for teams to put on a show for the camera as they are in the middle of doing a task.  Yelling out "WHICH ONE OF YOU ISN'T PLAYING?????" and dancing for the camera seems ridiculous when you're in a race and in the middle of performing a task that would require you to pay attention.

 

Oh, and 1) a three year engagement without a date....is called a boyfriend, 2) did that guy say that his wife was the first woman he kissed?  whats the story there, he isn't young enough for that to be typical.

 

Nothing says lasting love like doing a competitive reality show when three and a half years engagement can't get you to figure it out. 

 

For guy whose newly married wife is the first woman he kissed (which makes it in his late teens or even early twenties right?) are Duggars even allowed to do magic?

[califred]

I'm rooting for Burnie and Ashley (yellow/Rooster teeth) bc they got my 18 yr old to watch this with me again. They have a pretty successful business.

I don't know who anyone else is and would like the crying Mom and son gone.

[kris4n6]

I don't know who any of these people are, so the 'social media' aspect is lost on me.  I actually enjoyed most of the episode and wasn't really overly annoyed by any teams, although I was also making dinner at the same time so I wasn't paying attention 100% (example of this - I thought that the racers were supposed to "follow the drones" after finding the mask pieces, and I was wondering how they were going to have drones flying in the caves. And I didn't really question it, and since I was in the kitchen when they actually heard the drums and followed them, I didn't realize it was drums until I read it here.  Whoops.).

 

I did like that it was a non-elimination - I've always hated that teams go out after just one leg, when you barely know who anyone is.  And it's much better than the time they eliminated a team at the starting line!

[Jac]

I liked this episode. <br /><br />First episodes of TAR always feel very crowded and rushed, which is the inevitable consequence of having so many teams in play and this was no exception. The editing in this felt a little off with people showing up at the pit stop who I did not recall seeing finish the previous task which exacerbated the problem.<br /><br />I don't have any real issue with the social media stars theme of the season as I only know RoosterTeeth and my sister knew Tyler Oakley but that was it. My reaction was mostly, YAY, TAR IS BACK!<br /><br />I haven't really made any judgments about the teams yet, we didn't get to spend enough time with them.<br /><br />I liked the challenges, especially the fireworks one. The cave one was a little less interesting but still enjoyable enough.<br /><br />I liked that the first leg was a NEL, I'd like a little more time to get to know the teams this year.<br />

[Knuckles]

So, these folks are a youtube thing. So what. I like the show, love the locations, and minus Justin, look forward to another season. The racers will sort themselves out in the next few eps, and I can decide who I most want to see fail. Already though, they are providing amusement...looking for drums outside the cave? dropping pieces of your puzzle and then taking a leisurely stroll to retrieve them? digging for clues in a pile of dirt when you are told to enter a cave?

No Einsteins in this crew.

And that is why this show is fun. Outside of your comfort zone, people are prone to all kinds of crazy. Add in a time factor...(though nobody told the doctor this is a race, apparently), it amps it up.

Phil is forever...he smiles at these excitable, nitwit racers, clearly hoping they will not grab him. His discomfort is always a plus.

[Haleth]

I am sooooooo very, very sick of 20 something dames using their "looks,sexuality". They are typically boring and uninteresting. I am never clear why the show casts so many of this type. I have trouble remembering who they are when they are on camera! I do understand that young men want to see this, but.....I am old.

 

As you say, people like to look at pretty people.  Watching the "this season on TAR" previews, my husband said that I should never, ever think about applying (because of the typical jump from high places challenges).  I pointed out to him that we are neither young nor pretty so there is no chance we'd be picked anyway.

 

I don't know who any of these people are since my internet time is limited to PTV and FB so right now I can't even sort out who the teams are.  The dancers seem ok.  (His pale blue eyes are beautiful.)  The Not Harvard brothers and the gay guys seem ok too.  Cole (the only one whose name I know) is loud and obnoxious and can leave anytime now.  Everyone else is a blur.  Oh, yeah, Scott of the tiny grass drums.  Bet he kills it at Easter egg hunts.  LOL

 

Awesome.  I was quoted on the PTV front page.  

[chaifan]

Cole reminds me of Jim J Bullock, which makes me feel a little bad for Jim J Bullock. I was disappointed that it was a NEL. I was ready to see dad and "watch me put on makeup" daughter go.

I did like that at least two teams stated they were fans of TAR, but I don't remember which teams those were. Anyone remember?

[RCharter]

Cole reminds me of Jim J Bullock, which makes me feel a little bad for Jim J Bullock. I was disappointed that it was a NEL. I was ready to see dad and "watch me put on makeup" daughter go.

I did like that at least two teams stated they were fans of TAR, but I don't remember which teams those were. Anyone remember?

Tyler and Korey, and the dancers I think because they were so excited for Phil to tell them they were in first at the mat.

[aemom]

I'm pretty sure that they went with the YouTubers this season to get more youngsters to watch.

I watched with my 13 year old son and he knew the Frisbee guy, the magic guy, the videogame couple (and said their games were cool), and Tyler.

So interesting that my young generation only knew 4 of them, so I wonder how famous they all actually are. Though, he would never watch makeup and hair tips.

Cole, dear God, STFU. You are beyond loud.

Is this the first NEL in leg 1? I can't remember them doing that before.

I didn't like how lopsided the detour was - all the Mariachis finished before one firework team did. So far I'm not hating it, but Cole and the model chicks can go anytime.

[tenativelyyours]

Cole reminds me of Jim J Bullock, which makes me feel a little bad for Jim J Bullock. I was disappointed that it was a NEL. I was ready to see dad and "watch me put on makeup" daughter go.

I did like that at least two teams stated they were fans of TAR, but I don't remember which teams those were. Anyone remember?

 

 

I think we have seen enough that the Doctor and his YouTube 'Ho (as in 'westward ho' not, well...hmm awkward) to be pretty sure they will not be seeing much of the world or Phil courtesy of The Amazing Race and Travelocity.  I could be wrong but they have elimination written all over them.  Though this is more a race of lots of stupid mixed with a little proficiency that seemed to kick in the last leg of the race.  The Brothers Whose Mother... pleased me with their jump as did the Rooster team.  But mixed with the camera mugging was a lot of ineptitude that was almost bizarre it was so pronounced. 

 

But Doctor Easter Egg Hunt (love that image) and his vocal frying daughter seemed almost Darwinian in their ability to be eliminated.

[Jodithgrace]

I came into this season prepared to hate it. I know nothing of You Tube and Vine "sensations" and was prepared for endless mugging and attention seeking behavior. But I actually didn't dislike it as much as I feared, though it is early days yet.

Basically, since I don't recognize any of these people, they are just random couples, parent/child, siblings, etc., which is how I like my TAR. And I kinda like the mixed start from home, for a change, though it lacked the traditional feel of the race for the backpacks which usually starts the race. 

 

Mexico City seems a little close to home to me for a starting leg. I like it when racers are sent directly to Africa or at least Europe to give them the most culture shock possible. However, since most of the racers have never left their parents' basements, i guess Mexico is enough of a shock to start out with. 

 

I, too, marveled at the girl who left home at 17 to become a You Tube star. As far as i know You Tubing is mostly done in the comfort of your own home. Of course all i know is Wayne and Garth and "Fun with Flags." I mean where did she go? Her friend's basement?

 

It was at least entertaining to me watching those hapless racers digging in random sand piles and dropping mask pieces on the ground in search of the elusive mini drums in the grass, or whatever the heck they were doing. 

 

So far I like the dancers, who actually seemed like really good dancers, and the magicians, even if their magic is only trick photography. It's at least clever and inventive. 

Crying Mom can leave ASAP. 

[Chyna]

I think we have seen enough that the Doctor and his YouTube 'Ho (as in 'westward ho' not, well...hmm awkward) to be pretty sure they will not be seeing much of the world or Phil courtesy of The Amazing Race and Travelocity.

 

 

Yes, in the "This season! On the Amazing Race!" montage, they were suspiciously missing. Thank Jeebus.

[Silly Angel]

The premise makes me feel 102, but on the upside, imagine how pissed Tyra Banks is that she didn't think of it.

[Netfoot]

imagine how pissed Tyra Banks is that she didn't think of it.

 

Just be glad this crew didn't get found by Probst!  They's be sprinkling the rice all over the beach, getting lost in the forest, burning down the shelter, impaling themselves with the spear, lopping off their own limbs with the cutlass, drowning on fishing expeditions, demanding the coconuts pick themselves, making a ball gown with the tarp, using the torches to paddle the canoe, crapping in the well, drinking from the latrine, using the cooking pot as a hat...  And that is just the clever ones!

[TheRabbi]

Is it time to revive the hashtag #FreeBlair ? Her father doesn't seem the most adept racer of the bunch.

For those asking, there has been a leg 1 NEL a handful of times. Season 15 had the dreaded starting line elimination, then leg 1 turned out to be NEL, season 18 (Unfinished business) started with a TBC episode, and season 19 started with an NEL before that poorly conceived double elimination the following leg.

I do appreciate that at least a few teams are fans of the show. And there were some great editing moments as well. I loved the girls in the cab singing the race theme leading into the opening titles. And I loved Tyler humming one of the 'victory' songs, followed by the show respecting that and playing it for him.

Edited February 13, 2016 by TheRabbi

[mtlchick]

 

I'm pretty sure that they went with the YouTubers this season to get more youngsters to watch.

 

The Amazing Race and CBS Tweet Twitter accounts were reposting a lot of the tweets of the contestants, and a lot of them have a high number of followers (and while I didn't check Vine profiles, probably posted videos encouraging people to watch live.)

 

And I noticed that some of the teams knew each other as they met up in the airports, so that may affect the amount of "backstabbing racing" this season. 

 

But hey!  No Justin.

[RCharter]

Is it time to revive the hashtag #FreeBlair ? Her father doesn't seem the most adept racer of the bunch.

I think he may come in handy!  Last year, Rick (from the doctors team) completed a few of the tasks first time, amazingly well, because he had a great eye for detail and precision from doing surgery.  I'm not sure if he'll be able to keep up long enough to showcase his skills, but maybe....

[Pepper Mostly]

My son loved Red vs. Blue and still watches Rooster Teeth so I rooted for them. Brothers who didn't go to Harvard and the dancers are my faves so far, in that they are more like regular racers and aren't as shrieky as the rest of the roster. Between the shrieking and the crying, I was at the end of my rope. If I have to lunge for the mute button, I am not being entertained. 

 

 

It was at least entertaining to me watching those hapless racers digging in random sand piles and dropping mask pieces on the ground in search of the elusive mini drums in the grass, or whatever the heck they were doing.

Agreed! When that girl ever picked up and started shoveling I laughed heartily. So if its a Cavalcade of Stupid for a few episodes while we separate the wheat from the chaff, I'm fine with that. 

[fishcakes]

I can't tell because the whole episode was so frantic, but it seems like there might be some decent teams. The problem is that they're being drowned out by the relentless shrieking, sobbing, and camera mugging of a few. Also, overall, this seems like a stupider group of people than we've ever seen before; seriously, "WHO'S NOT PLAYING? ARE YOU NOT PLAYING?" Shut up.

 

And the first fifteen minutes of the episode being nothing more than a commercial for all of their YouTube and Vine channels was obnoxious.

 

I don't know; I feel like the show has been an increasingly faint copy of its early season greatness for quite a while now, but I've kept watching and I'll probably watch until the bitter end. I do think, though, that the gimmicky casting will kill the show sooner rather than later.

[anniebird]

I mean where did she go? Her friend's basement?

 

Perfect!

[peachmangosteen]

A longer translation in my house is "the boys whose mother went to Harvard...but they didn't"

 

This was the best part of the premiere imo. "People think we're stupid but we're totally not; our mom went to Harvard!" I mean I was loling.

 

I'm not super into youtube/vine but I feel I'm pretty versed in social media and I barely recognize most of these people. Tyler is the only one I really know of and I've seen some of the magic vines (they're really entertaining) and that's about it.

 

I found this episode straight-up hilarious. I was rolling through a lot of it. 

Edited February 13, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[iMonrey]

I was prepared to hate this and I don't know any of the teams, but I thought it was actually pretty good. I didn't hate anyone right out of the gate and sort of enjoyed their enthusiasm.

 

The thing is - there's going to be a lot of complaining about "mugging" and fame whores, but in a season with this kind of gimmick, that's going to be a given. That's what these people do - they mug for cameras. And when they're all coming from the same "profession" - it's not bothering me. Frankly if I ever got on The Amazing Race I'd mug too. I wouldn't be able to help it. You can tell these people are all thrilled to be on the show.

 

Maybe that's what made the gimmick work for me. All of these teams were selected for the same reason, and they all seem to be fans of the show. There aren't any teams recruited from Reality TV Casting Central or Models Inc. 

[needschocolate]

I will gladly take an NEL the first leg over an express pass.  

 

I was glad that the make-up girl and her father weren't philiminated, only because I actually know someone (a TAR watcher) who actually watches her videos.  So, I had heard of make-up girl indirectly, and the frisbee guys and the magician seemed vaguely familiar to me, I think I may have seen something someone posted to facebook.  

 

I have a high tolerance for what most would call mugging - for instance, the Afghanimals didn't bother me at all, I was even rooting for them every season they were on.  That said, the mugging done by one Frisbee guy - the better looking one who is single (not a surprise given his personality) - bugged the crap out of me. Too bad he couldn't fit a neon sign saying "LOOK AT ME!!!" into the carry-on compartment - maybe if he had a sign like that, he wouldn't feel the need to yell all the time.  

[shura]

The clue directed them to the drums, but since they couldn't hear the drums from the digging area, I can understand that some people thought they might be outside.

 

And the doctor, just to cover all bases, even drummed on some metal gate of what appeared to be a service area and asked "Is this it?" Oh, I'm so glad they weren't eliminated. This will be fun. 

[green]

What the hell is wrong with these people?

 

The best summation of this horrible cast I can imagine.  Thank you.

[Merneith]

Cole reminds me of Jim J Bullock, which makes me feel a little bad for Jim J Bullock.

 

Hilarious.

 

 

I think he may come in handy!  Last year, Rick (from the doctors team) completed a few of the tasks first time, amazingly well, because he had a great eye for detail and precision from doing surgery.  I'm not sure if he'll be able to keep up long enough to showcase his skills, but maybe....

 

This Doctor is an Ob/Gyn, sooooo ... let's hope not.

 

I'm pretty sure after listening to all squealing, this episode left me Literally Dead. My favorite team is the Brothers, because they were the quietest.

[Irlandesa]

2) did that guy say that his wife was the first woman he kissed?  whats the story there, he isn't young enough for that to be typical.

They're newly married but how long have they been together/known each other?  I didn't think that was strange if they just happen to have known each other since childhood.  But it could also be the case where they're in one of those super religious groups who don't kiss until they're married/engaged.

[Eolivet]

The thing is - there's going to be a lot of complaining about "mugging" and fame whores, but in a season with this kind of gimmick, that's going to be a given. That's what these people do - they mug for cameras. And when they're all coming from the same "profession" - it's not bothering me.

 

Yes. And I totally disagree that Justin makes these people look better, because Justin was the only one jumping around like a lunatic and mugging for the camera while everybody else was going about their business. When they're all doing that, to me, it makes it easier to tolerate. It's not like my TV is set on normal volume for 10 teams, but I have to turn it down seven notches for 1 team. They're all loud -- it's all their default setting.

 

It's like being in a crowded stadium vs watching the game in your living room. Screaming and yelling at a stadium isn't a big deal because everybody's doing it, and after a while, you don't even hear it. Justin was the guy who came to my Super Bowl party and was bellowing at the top of his lungs when everybody else was just trying to watch the game.

 

I admittedly had never seen any of these people before, but I'm side-eyeing the supposed "Hilarious Southwest flight attendant" because that's pretty much all of them. I feel like a better designation for her would be "Hilarious Southwest flight attendant that happened to be caught on camera and posted online."

[Nidratime]

The team that got on my nerves from the get-go was the mother and son, who nearly had a breakdown upon learning that they'd have to leave their home, as if they were never returning. The son is so dramatic. He's either moaning and groaning and crying when things are going bad or yipping and hooting when things turn out okay. He's an emotional yo-yo. His mother is not much better, more a crier than a hooter. Unless they get knocked out early, the two of them are certainly going to bring the drama.

 

One annoying development involving one of them was towards the end of the episode when the young woman was trying to convince the mother to take a four hour penalty with her *ON THE VERY FIRST LEG!* Honestly, what are they going to do when actual killer fatigue kicks in?

 

ETA: Oops. I see I repeated myself in making my first point from a post I made earlier. I guess that's how much it struck me.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Nidratime

[Quilt Fairy]

I was least inclined to hate the dancers (because posting tutorials to teach an actual skill is good in my book)

Except what I saw them demonstrating was not what I personally would call dancing.

 

I didn't hate the episode. I enjoyed the tasks, if not the teams so far.

 

And now I'm going to have to look up who the hell "Justin" is, because, see, I've forgotten him already!

[whiporee]

I'm pulling for the frisbee guys because they're Gators and so am I.

Plenty shallow, but we take our fandom where we can get it.

[Knuckles]

"Cavalcade of Stupid"

 

Thank you for this.Just remember, these folks are all over 18 and will soon be choosing the leader of the free world. 

[StatMom]

For an absolutely hilarious look at the fireworks thing, see the Mexico episode of An Idiot Abroad (season 1) with Karl Pilkington.

Edited February 13, 2016 by StatMom

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Amazing Race Goes Viral
Social media superstars from the world of Vine, YouTube, and Instagram converge on Mexico City to kick off a brand-new gimmick designed to get youngsters to care about this show.

[nottopbravo]

Awesome.  I was quoted on the PTV front page.  

 

You are now an internet "sensation". 

 

This now qualifies you to join the cast of The Amazing Race.

[needschocolate]

And now I'm going to have to look up who the hell "Justin" is, because, see, I've forgotten him already!

 

No! Don't do it! Fight the urge! Take the 4 hour penalty and don't complete this task!

 

I had forgotten about Justin, had forgotten about everyone from last season, then I saw his name upthread and all the memories came flooding back.  

 

Don't look him up! Let him stay out of your brain.  Ignorance is bliss.   

[Netfoot]

Just remember, these folks are all over 18 and will soon be choosing the leader of the free world. 

 

Thankfully, only a part of it.

[Etta Place]

If that dad were my gynecologist, I'd be changing doctors immediately after seeing this episode.

[gibasi]

I hate that so many of them know each other already.  And I don't even know why that is.  All of them are pretty indistinguishable from each other because they all come from the same world of you tube.  They are all self-promoters and very camera aware.  I am prepared to give it a chance  and will say they are all starting on an even playing field for me-I hate them all. 

[J-Man]

So ...

 

1. Non-elimination on the first leg.

2. No prize for the winner

3. No Express Pass

 

I wonder what in other ways the Race will be changing it up this season?

 

Also, instead of Killer Fatigue, I can envision that most of these teams will instead suffer from major withdrawal symptoms from being away from their cell phones and computers for such a long stretch.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I noticed that the first team on the mat asked if they could take a selfie with Phil but I thought the racers weren't allowed to have cell phones. Did they change the rules for the internet "stars" so that they can continue making vines and videos while racing? Or did that team use a regular non-phone camera?

[Quilt Fairy]

So ...

 

1. Non-elimination on the first leg.

2. No prize for the winner

3. No Express Pass

Wait, "no prize for the winner"? Did I miss this in the opening? They're not racing for $1M?

[needschocolate]

It seems to me that last season or the one before that, the teams were required to take selfies - didn't one team miss a train because they were busy taking a selfie?  I think that time they were only allowed to use the phones to take pictures. 

[peachmangosteen]

Wait, "no prize for the winner"? Did I miss this in the opening? They're not racing for $1M?

 

I think that poster meant there was no prize for winning the first leg.