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

[Ducky]

It's kind of funny -- "TV Grim Reaper" (who used to be the "Cancellation Bear") is still stuck in the "Nielsen's are all that matters" mind-set.  DVRs made regular llive advertising fairly obsolete and streaming is becoming the way to go.  Premium cable is as based on subscriptions as Hulu or Amazon Prime, so it will stick around for a while.  Add to that that streaming video doesn't have to be Closed Captioned, which is another big advantage.

Streaming video doesn't have to be Closed Captioned...as an advantage?  Not sure I understand what you mean but the biggest disappointment so far for me with internet video and streaming IS no captioning as I AM Deaf. 

 

  That leads into.... I have no idea who most of these people are.  I think I am familiar with Zach King and maybe Rooster Teeth (usually from posted videos on FaceBook).  I almost never do YouTube because 99% of them are not captioned-- properly.  YouTube's auto captioning attempt doesn't cut it... at all it's that bad.  So I stick to videos of D/deaf vloggers, events etc and music videos that I know the lyrics to or HAVE the lyrics in the video.

 

On to the race.... Since I don't know many (or all?) of these racers (and not because of my age but more because of inaccessible videos) I'm watching this as if it was just a bunch of people.  So far I like the Non-Harvard brothers, Tyler/Korey (though he has been accused of transmisygony (sp)-- not sure how true that is aside from using an offensive term), maybe Dana/Matt (dancers)- they were the ones who said they were big fans of TAR.  Not too sure on the rest.  Cole is going to be interesting to watch and see how he reacts to the stress of the race.

 

  Loved the mariachi detour though I probably would have been there for hours... I wonder if you were allowed to touch the instruments (vibrations)- looked like some did do that.  The fireworks one was also pretty cool and it was fun to see how excited they were to watch the bull go up in flames.  An "oh lordie" moment with Scott wandering outside then realizing he dropped a lot of his pieces- he lost a lot of time there.

 

I'm in for the long haul.... Nobody really obnoxious yet- nothing like in years past.  I even gave Justin a bit of a pass last season (barely) till the race was further along.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Ducky

[Netfoot]

I'm not as sanguine.

 

That's why I say I'm nervous.  These contestants may soon dial it back and race instead of tooting their own flutes, but these aren't the type of people to do that, at least, not according to TPTB's own hype.

 

So you're stereotyping all social media personalities as all exactly the same.

 

No, I'm not.  As I have said, I revere certain YTers and watch their videos religiously.  I'm expect the majority of people who use social media are just fine, and not in the least obnoxious.  But some people are "social media influencers", A.K.A. fame-whores who make little in the way of useful contributions to... anything.  And these form the pool that TPTB apparently went fishing in.

 

Who's hamming it up for visual effect?  Which ones of these contestants?

 

WHO IS FAKE PLAYING?!!?!??!!

[Rick Kitchen]

 

I almost never do YouTube because 99% of them are not captioned-- properly.  YouTube's auto captioning attempt doesn't cut it... at all it's that bad.

 

YouTube's closed captioning is atrocious and absolutely worthless.  Some YouTubers have set up closed captioning of their videos on their own.  I know Tyler Oakley has all of his videos closed captioned.  He has also asked viewers who speak other languages to caption his videos in their languages to help out his viewers.

[piequinn35]

Please tell me why on earth would you want a 4 hour penalty if the 2 of you were the last teams there and on the first episode??

[Anati]

 

No, I'm not.  As I have said, I revere certain YTers and watch their videos religiously.  I'm expect the majority of people who use social media are just fine, and not in the least obnoxious.  But some people are "social media influencers", A.K.A. fame-whores who make little in the way of useful contributions to... anything.  And these form the pool that TPTB apparently went fishing in.

 

 

This comes across like you are fine with the kinds of youtubers you like, and dismiss anyone else as a "famewhore". Look at Matt and Dana's channel. Regardless of what you think of hiphop dancing, they are clearly extremely talented dancers/choreographers who are making a contribution to that field. Their videos feature very little talking, and spotlight many other dancers. In fact, when I found out they were cast for the show, I looked at their channel and had to watch several videos before I figured out which one was Matt. This was their biggest video last year for reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxT7kK5Gygk

 

Look at the Rooster Teeth channels (there are several). The only video that Burnie is in regularly is their podcast, if you take a listen to it, you will realise that it's not all about him. Instead, it's a funny chat with 3 or 4 other people, about news and pop culture, and anything else that may be interesting. Here's a silly, funny (NSFW) video he is in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pka-iimdgFc

Ashley is effectively a news host, she talks about industry news, not herself.  The Clevver girls do much the same, really not very different than local TV hosts.

 

Zach King's videos are designed to show off his video editing tricks, not his personality.

 

Blair's kind of content is not for me, but is posting a makeup tutorial all that different from posting a "how to tune a carburetor" video that you say you are ok with? She has a skillset and is teaching it to others. There is a value to that, whether you value the fashion/hair/makeup world or not.

 

Hell, even Tyler, who most easily fits your "famewhore" slur has demonstrated that he has more depth than you are giving him credit, as he has done heaps of work for worthy charitable causes. His teammate is a podcast cohost, nothing more.

 

 

I was also wary of the season theme when announced, but I did my research an have realised how different these people's job and lives are.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Anati

[auntlada]

Please tell me why on earth would you want a 4 hour penalty if the 2 of you were the last teams there and on the first episode??

That's a good question. You really need at least three teams to do it since as far as you know, one of you will be eliminated. If there are only two of you, the one not eliminated will be starting the next leg four hours behind everyone. You want at least one other team with you.

[Kromm]

No, I'm not.  As I have said, I revere certain YTers and watch their videos religiously.  I'm expect the majority of people who use social media are just fine, and not in the least obnoxious.  But some people are "social media influencers", A.K.A. fame-whores who make little in the way of useful contributions to... anything.  And these form the pool that TPTB apparently went fishing in.

This is based on (in some cases) hearing just a few sentences so far from some of these teams? 

 

I won't disagree with the Instagram Models. The whole idea makes me shudder.

IMO unless we DO specifically know their channels and their content, those few sentences are all we have so far. 

[Netfoot]

This is based on (in some cases) hearing just a few sentences so far from some of these teams? 

 

I am basing my expectations on the way TPTB has promoted this season.  And so far, (after only a single episode, I grant you) my reservations have not been dispelled.  I don't see much to like in any of the competitors, even though as I've previously said, I readily admit there is scope for that to change.

 

Now, in past seasons, competitors have started the race with some schtick (Hot Girls, Horn-dogs, whatever) that rapidly vanished when the going started to get rough. And I'm hoping, that this will happen with these racers as well.  If it does, we might end up with a good race and an enjoyable season.  But I fear that this may not happen, because the racers think the opportunity to self-promote on network television is worth more than running the race.

 

And I fear that concessions have been made to persuade these folks to agree to race at all.  Such as the leg #1 NEL which I've mentioned before, that I think is a suspiciously convenient way of guaranteeing each "celebrity" that they will get at least two episodes on TV.  If next week is a TBC...

[North of Eden]

Wow, this could be it...the season that kills my love for THE  AMAZING RACE. We are so far from the pure version of TAR from the early seasons that we may never get back. Gimmicks every other season now and this may be as bad as the dating season. If you told me back around season 3 or 4 we would have a season consisting of nothing but Famewhores I would never have believed it.

 

Making matters worse is something rubs me the wrong way about other teams already having met or knowing each other. Not sure why but I don't like it.

Also because they are Youtuber's they seem to be "on" 99% of the time. I hope that fades as killer fatigue sets as it could get old pretty quickly having for instance that alpha male team hooting and hollering like at that Mariachi challenge or Tyler feeling the need he has to prance around and present like he did upon his bull building completion.

 

What;s up with the Dad....not only wandering around outside...but not realizing he was dropping puzzled pieces all over the place.

 

It's too early to say I hate people but as of now I don't like anyone of them with the exception of Sheri of Team MILF and that's only because she is cute...she must have had her wastrel son in the morning and was able to make Graduation Day by noon.

[green]

I think the point is that while there are a lot of social media stars and you can perhaps be dismissive of some of them, Oakley is at a much bigger level than most of them. Most people under a certain age probably identify him as readily as you might identify one of the actors who appeared on Friends. And he's a big brand ambassador--he appears on behalf of the whole service on/in a lot of mainstream media (magazines, talk shows, etc.)

 

He's kind of the ultimate "just because you haven't heard of him..." type of new media personality. 

 

I personally run into that problem with Vine stars. I know most of the YouTubers but wouldn't know a Vine star if I walked into one. It kind of makes me feel old (then again I barely use Facebook and don't use Twitter at all, so I'm already a Social Media Luddite in some ways). 

 

I never ever watched Friends.  Why do you think I would?  And again I don't care about this guy's 15 minutes of fame.  "Celebrities" of every stripe in every media don't do anything for me.  Can't stand them and I hate they (the net version) have taken over TAR this season just like I always hated all the mactors and models on the show over the years.  That's my opinion and I stand by it.

 

I agree with North of Eden above me ... this could be the season that finally kills TAR for me forever.  And I watched it since Season 1, Leg 1 aka the smoke that thunders.  Not much thunder left in the show at this point.  What a difference that first cast was to this one.

Edited February 16, 2016 by green

[Kromm]

I never ever watched Friends.  Why do you think I would?  And again I don't care about this guy's 15 minutes of fame.  "Celebrities" of every stripe in every media don't do anything for me.  Can't stand them and I hate they (the net version) have taken over TAR this season just like I always hated all the mactors and models on the show over the years.  That's my opinion and I stand by it.

This doesn't substantially damage my point--in fact it may even enhance it. If you're being honest, whatever you do or don't think of Friends, do you believe your attitude is typical or atypical? There's nothing wrong IMO with admitting that it's atypical, but that opens the door in a very real way to admitting that a show like TAR is also made for a mass audience and not for those with atypical preferences. And that's also the position of YouTube stars now. They've shifted from being atypical/fringe to mainstream--albeit a transition that's incremental and that's a whole spectrum since specific people among them can still be total nobodies, but the entire IDEA of them is mainstream now.

 

I get that this is more a reaction against stunt casting in general, but I don't see YouTubers as the same thing as the typical mactors the show often has had (or like the even worse bane, "professional reality stars", who bounce between shows). YouTubers by and large are content creators--most of them create and produce their own content. I hold that in far higher esteem than people who just float between reality shows, or who make livings making appearances on other people's creative endeavors. 

 

Regarding stunt casting as an entire phenomenon, I do hate it on the typical TAR season. That said, there's a good argument for a theme season, where it's an equal playing field in that regard vs. the annoying as shit way individual stunt cast teams take over a typical season. Although the fame levels ARE vastly different with this group, and in a way Tyler Oakley is the real stunt casting, I think overall it means they have the same kind of goals and approach to the game--which brings back some equivalency (even if Oakley is the one who's going to get stopped on the street all around the world and get offers of help from everyone, the same way Rob & Amber, for example, did).

 

I guess my point is that I think this was better as a dedicated season than the trickle of Youtube casting we were getting. This means also that we're less likely to get YouTubers in upcoming seasons, because the show has blown that wad already.

[Kromm]

One other subtle aspect to TAR that just occurred to me... there has always been the populism at the base of the show concept. We watch TAR because we identify with the racers as representatives of us.

 

I know that Social Media people are being decried here as if they're somehow "not like us", but that's actually the very opposite intention to what YouTube is theoretically based upon. The whole idea is that YOU, if you cared to, could simply upload a video and with skill and luck become a YouTube star yourself. Is that so terribly different from the idea that anyone can be cast on TAR and win it?

 

I do get that the whole idea of making videos plays to a seeming wide divide between the people in our society that believe in self-effacement/the weight of the sin of seeming to promote oneself... and those who don't. But I think that's an oversimplification, because as I said upthread somewhere I see a real difference between people who work hard to make creative content that just happens to feature themselves in it, and those who spend their lives uselessly tweeting about what sandwich they had for lunch, or how much they hated a certain character on Game of Thrones. The first takes effort and skill. The later just takes self-obsession.

 

As for hating celebs in general?  I don't know where to go to address that. Really if you watch reality shows at all I think you are somewhat trapped by the very fact that the show itself MAKES these people into celebs. It can't be helped, or stopped.  But even if this bunch are so-called "Social Media stars" already, the point is they are people who at least worked for it, by and large. That doesn't mean you have to like or respect that, or want to see those people in a race, but I do contend that I don't think it's single-handedly killing the show for all time, as some are saying. I think (as I said before) it may actually clear the boards a bit for at least a few seasons so CBS isn't tempted to keep slipping YouTubers (and if we're lucky Reality Stars) into "normal" casts.  We can hope.  In the meantime I'm going to take this for what I think it is--a cast where if those aspects ARE some kind of distraction, at least (in theory) its a fairly equal distraction with all of them (barring Oakley's bigger public recognition factor than most of them). 

[jhlipton]

My point was that TPTB didn't recruit the people posting "This is how to tune a carburetor" videos.  They picked from the Look-at-me-look-at-me-look-at-MEEE! brigade.

Quite a few of them post "how to" videos (Zach posts "how to make videos like mine"). Maybe not anything you want to know how to do, but not "Look at MEEE! videos either.

 

 

Streaming video doesn't have to be Closed Captioned...as an advantage?  Not sure I understand what you mean but the biggest disappointment so far for me with internet video and streaming IS no captioning as I AM Deaf. .

 

Not an advantage to you (or me). It's an advantage to the people posting the video -- they don't have to incur the time and/or cost of Close Captioning. (And YTs auto-CC never comes close to right.)

Edited February 16, 2016 by jhlipton

[MyAimIsTrue]

Speaking as someone who is approaching "get off my lawn!" territory I just can't wrap my head around making a career out of posting videos on YouTube or Vine or whatever else is out there.  I've never heard of any of these people and fear some of them will be mugging for the camera while trying really hard to get discovered by a Hollywood agent. 

 

That being said the first episode was rather enjoyable and I liked the mariachi task but I still think TAR is better than such stunt casting.

[fishcakes]

This discussion has taken a really strange turn. Posters aren't saying that they hate all social media personalities, only that they don't love the gimmick of an entire cast of social media personalities as TAR contestants and that the early assumption that this cast will contain more than the normal number of teams who are actively jockeying for camera time seems to have been borne out based on the first episode. Several of us have also said that there seem to be some good teams (the non-Harvard brothers, for example) who are getting less attention because they're acting like normal people instead of amping up the drama by weeping because they have to leave their home for 4 weeks to play a game or the wacky hijinks by trying to outscream 100 mariachi players. I don't understand why people are arguing so hard against the idea that some people might not, in general, be overly thrilled with this particular cast.

Edited February 16, 2016 by fishcakes

[peachmangosteen]

I think in some cases there seems to be a bit of a 'people who use social media are worthless and disgusting' underlying thing, which I believe is what some people are really objecting to. Also it makes no sense at all to me coming from people who are posting on a public discussion board. 

 

... somewhere I see a real difference between people who work hard to make creative content that just happens to feature themselves in it, and those who spend their lives uselessly tweeting about what sandwich they had for lunch, or how much they hated a certain character on Game of Thrones. The first takes effort and skill. The later just takes self-obsession.

 

Tweeting about your thoughts on a show you watch is 'self-obsession?' Is that not basically what everyone posting here does? 

[John Seavey]

Wow, lots of stuff going on here.

 

Honestly, my first impression watching this episode is that if you cut the introductions where they are clearly prompted to talk about their social media experience, you would have absolutely no idea that there was any gimmick at all to this season. The teams are straight out of TAR Central Casting--you've got a dating couple that have been together for years but just haven't tied the knot yet, you have a father/daughter team where the father is a bit muddled but loves his little girl, you have an adorable gay couple, you have a pair of dudebros who love sports, you have a pair of models, you have two co-workers in a media job who are "fierce", you have the younger sibling pair, you have the dating couple who have been living in sin for ages and are pretty chill about it, you have the single mom and daughter duo...it's pretty much a standard TAR cast just like any other, except for their jobs. (And for those complaining that this cast is exceptionally narcissistic and annoying, I have one word for you. "Twinnies!")

 

The biggest difference I saw from other seasons? No "Mean Girls" BS, no "I'm not here to make friends" hypermasculine douchebags, no instant feuds brewing at first sight. Everyone seems to know each other at least by reputation and like each other's work, they are being very supportive and friendly towards each other, and they're not being overtly rude to the locals or each other because they know that'll probably lose them fans. If that's indicative of the rest of the season, I AM ALL FOR IT.

 

And no, they're not worse racers than anyone else and they're not being treated with kid gloves. Lots of people get lost on the first leg, because they're still getting used to finding their way around in a strange city where they don't necessarily speak the language. (Remember Tokyo in TAR 26?) Lots of people misinterpret the directions and wander around in a daze. ("What's a candela bra?") And in TAR 25, the bottom three teams actually did join in on the four-hour penalty instead of just talking about it. This is a perfectly normal premiere for everyone who didn't walk into it ready to scream "Get off my lawn, millennials!" (And I say this as a forty-year old Gen Xer.)

 

I get that there are a lot of people out there who don't watch YouTube or Vine for personalities, and have a mental wall between "proper entertainers" like Jimmy Kimmel who sits in front of a camera and acts doofy and "YouTubers" like Tyler Oakley who sits in front of a camera and acts doofy. But I'd really like to see an end to the "famewhore" name-calling, because it's nasty and mean-spirited. Let's just settle in, get to know these people, and really appreciate them for who they are as human beings.

 

Then, based on that, we can start irrationally hating them. :)

[henripootel]

But I'd really like to see an end to the "famewhore" name-calling, because it's nasty and mean-spirited. Let's just settle in, get to know these people, and really appreciate them for who they are as human beings.

 

This is an admirable sentiment but I'm not sure one we should strive for here.  For one, I honestly think we'll never get to know any of them as human beings.  We're seeing a highly edited version of a completely contrived competition, of people who make their living filming some version of themselves for distribution.  We're at several levels of abstraction here, plus these folks agreed to be on tv.  We're not invading their privacy, they're doing everything they can to make their antics public.  Good with me, but my part in this is giving these guys both barrels here.  

[John Seavey]

This is an admirable sentiment but I'm not sure one we should strive for here.  For one, I honestly think we'll never get to know any of them as human beings.  We're seeing a highly edited version of a completely contrived competition, of people who make their living filming some version of themselves for distribution.  We're at several levels of abstraction here, plus these folks agreed to be on tv.  We're not invading their privacy, they're doing everything they can to make their antics public.  Good with me, but my part in this is giving these guys both barrels here.  

 

Well, as I joked, I have no problem with giving them flack for things they do on the show. Like, say, wandering completely out of the task and scattering all your puzzle pieces on the lawn like you need an extra Easter Egg hunt challenge to spice up the Roadblock. :) My issue is with the labels like "famewhore" that seem to be labeling them as terrible people for wanting to express themselves through a medium that didn't exist when Nixon was President. Yes, they are doing everything they can to make their antics public. And you know what? If there weren't people willing to do that, we wouldn't have a Race to watch, and that would kind of suck. I don't mind if people complain about bad behavior on the show, and I don't even mind if people say things like, "I don't understand why anyone would watch their YouTube channel," but I think "famewhore" crosses a line into active irrational hatred that I'm going to call people on.

[henripootel]

I think "famewhore" crosses a line into active irrational hatred that I'm going to call people on.

We'll have to agree to disagree - I think it's an awesome neologism.  It's got nice bite, good mouthfeel, even a bit of prosody.  Even has nice metaphoric depth - just like regular whores, famewhores endure something they may not (but may, who knows) enjoy just to achieve some other goal.   They also give it up the moment they have enough money or notoriety to never have to do such things again.  Pretty great word, this.  As opposed to "social media influencers" - ugh, there's some clumsy phrasing that ... whatever's the opposite of 'rolls off the tongue'. 

 

Can't speak for everyone but I don't 'irrationally' hate famewhores, I heap scorn on them in this case because they're taking up space on a show I like, doing things I don't like.  Nor do I even 'hate' them, I don't wish them specific harm and godspeed with their famewhoring, but please do it elsewhere.  Truth be told, my real scorn is for the producers, who decided that what the viewers really want to see is a whole show of these bozos.  At least last season I could fast forward through the Justin parts and still see plenty of the show.

 

ETA: just realized I threw in another insult, calling these guys 'bozos'.  But there's a fair bit of truth in there too.  To me these guys are pretty much clowns, and like real clowns (the circus kind), I just don't enjoy the art.  I know it's hugely popular so who am I to say nobody should enjoy it, but the fake 'masks' (greasepaint or metaphorical), the exaggerated antics, the parody of genuine interaction - similar, and to me, off-putting.  I never made that connection before now.  Interesting. 

Edited February 16, 2016 by henripootel

[Rick Kitchen]

This discussion has taken a really strange turn. Posters aren't saying that they hate all social media personalities, only that they don't love the gimmick of an entire cast of social media personalities as TAR contestants and that the early assumption that this cast will contain more than the normal number of teams who are actively jockeying for camera time seems to have been borne out based on the first episode. Several of us have also said that there seem to be some good teams (the non-Harvard brothers, for example) who are getting less attention because they're acting like normal people instead of amping up the drama by weeping because they have to leave their home for 4 weeks to play a game or the wacky hijinks by trying to outscream 100 mariachi players. I don't understand why people are arguing so hard against the idea that some people might not, in general, be overly thrilled with this particular cast.

 

I, personally, have no problem with anybody who doesn't like the cast as individuals, but to have so many people on here tarring the entire cast as famewhores who are out to to out-scream each other, which is blatantly untrue, is getting on my last nerve.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Rick Kitchen

[Kromm]

This discussion has taken a really strange turn. Posters aren't saying that they hate all social media personalities, only that they don't love the gimmick of an entire cast of social media personalities as TAR contestants and that the early assumption that this cast will contain more than the normal number of teams who are actively jockeying for camera time seems to have been borne out based on the first episode. 

The last statement is debatable, and seemingly what's most subjective between all of us. I saw some people engaging each other in kissy-admiration ways, but the mugging TO/jockeying for the camera didn't seem any noticeable worse to me than in any other (recent) season.  I find myself wondering if people might be attributing more behavior as that than usual because it's a case of them processing what they're seeing to fulfill their pre-conceptions/expectations about these folks.

 

I'd welcome specific examples of the jockeying/mugging if anyone really thinks it was that off the scale (so it would have to be more than one or two examples, IMO)--that said again there's no real objective measuring stick for a threshhold of what's "too much" anyway.

[Kromm]

I, personally, have no problem with anybody who doesn't like the cast as individuals, but to have so many people on hearing tarring the entire cast as famewhores who out to to out-scream each other, which is blatantly untrue, is getting on my last nerve.

I can't quite get that annoyed--I just find it puzzling. I think these people seem LESS like the traditional fame-whores we (mostly all of us) hate so much, because again, they actually self-produce content. They aren't just inserting/forcing themselves into the media, or other TV shows, or "the right parties" or the whole laundry list of self-promoting activities we know from the traditional reality TV fuckhead leeches on society--they did the work FIRST to create their own product (admittedly of varying quality and effectiveness between this whole group--some have done it much better than others). To me (but apparently nobody else--even you Rich haven't taken this specific tact) it's puzzling they're being tossed in the same basket as the Kardashians, Gosselins, Duggars, or the relatives of actual famous people who have reality shows (another annoying trend, featuring people with names like Jackson, Braxton, etc.) Those people are evil.

 

These YouTube folks, at worst, are a mix of genuinely entertaining people and yes, like any group this size the show might pick, some total annoying assholes.  But I don't think that last tendency is linked (in what I saw) to them being social media stars. It's linked to them being human beings in a group this size. To me these guys (except Oakley, because he's a bigger star now, and the Clevver News girls, who are just mouthpieces for a fairly large media company) are pretty much just small entrepreneurs. Their products admittedly ARE linked to themselves, akin to reality TV stars, but the difference is that most of them are doing the work themselves. It makes all the difference in the world, IMO, and makes self-promotion admirable in that context (whereas it's repulsive in people who are nothing BUT the product--like most reality TV stars). That said, I don't even see the self-promotion in what we've seen aired. They gushed over each other and if they'd had cameras I'm sure would have posed for tons of annoying as shit selfies (which I hate), but their talking heads and talk during the race didn't seem to be about pushing viewers to their channels, other than what the show ITSELF decided to ask them about via off-screen producers.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Kromm

[fishcakes]

I, personally, have no problem with anybody who doesn't like the cast as individuals, but to have so many people on hearing tarring the entire cast as famewhores who out to to out-scream each other, which is blatantly untrue, is getting on my last nerve.

 

I've haven't seen anyone here say that. One person said they weren't impressed by any celebrities, either of the internet or more conventional variety, but I don't think anyone has said that every last person in the cast is a famewhore. What I'm hearing is a wish that the few teams that seem to be most aware of the cameras would dial it down so we can get a look at the rest of the cast.

 

I'd welcome specific examples of the jockeying/mugging if anyone really thinks it was that off the scale (so it would have to be more than one or two examples, IMO)--that said again there's no real objective measuring stick for a threshhold of what's "too much" anyway.

 

People have given examples of what they take to be mugging. If you don't feel the number is sufficient, then fair enough, but I don't think anyone should be required to justify their opinions by cataloging every single example just to prove a point to someone who already disagrees. It's not that important and, as you say, there's no objective measurement anyway. Some feel like the attention-seeking is higher than normal with this cast; others don't.

[Kromm]

Asking for examples is NOT a demand that people justify their opinion. It doesn't invalidate or minimize anyone's opinion--it just says that if any part of this discussion is debate and someone has interest in changing my mind, then examples would be necessary.

"Required" is the issue. I don't have the power, or the wish to require anything.

[John Seavey]

 

Can't speak for everyone but I don't 'irrationally' hate famewhores, I heap scorn on them in this case because they're taking up space on a show I like, doing things I don't like.

 

"I don't irrationally hate them, I hate them because I'm watching television and they're talking about YouTube" is not the most persuasive argument I've ever heard. :)

[Kromm]

Tweeting about your thoughts on a show you watch is 'self-obsession?' Is that not basically what everyone posting here does? 

I should have been more specific. To me tweeting is not a conversation. It's a monologue. What we're doing here (at least at it's best) is a conversation. it's putting out your thoughts, but with a totally different purpose (to my mind), because while we aren't in the same room, at least in theory we care about the other person's reaction and opinion. To me tweeting does not. There is a system for response of course, but it's mostly shouting to the universe, and I personally have always found that as... well... okay, it's better if I don't say what I really think of it, because I'm sure we have lots of happy tweeters here.

[henripootel]

"I don't irrationally hate them, I hate them because I'm watching television and they're talking about YouTube" is not the most persuasive argument I've ever heard. :)

 

Boy no kidding - who said that?  I said because they have an irritating manner, who said 'because they're talking about youtube'?  How is disliking anyone for an irritating manner (no matter where they honed it) 'irrational'?  

Edited February 16, 2016 by henripootel

[blackwing]

I should have been more specific. To me tweeting is not a conversation. It's a monologue. What we're doing here (at least at it's best) is a conversation. it's putting out your thoughts, but with a totally different purpose (to my mind), because while we aren't in the same room, at least in theory we care about the other person's reaction and opinion. To me tweeting does not. There is a system for response of course, but it's mostly shouting to the universe, and I personally have always found that as... well... okay, it's better if I don't say what I really think of it, because I'm sure we have lots of happy tweeters here.

I agree.  I think there is a vast difference between posting on this site and what these "social media people" do.  I post here because very few people I know watch the same shows I do, and I like to talk about the shows I watch and share and exchange thoughts with lots of people, and not just the two friends I know that also watch the same show.

 

I still don't understand the obsession with people who promote themselves on "social media".  Maybe I'm just a fuddy duddy, but I can't ever imagine myself "following" two ladies who wear clothes or this young blonde boy in the mother/son team who also seems to be a model and is known to several of the other contestants.  Do they all know each other?

 

Taking away my lack of enthusiasm over the contestants or the time wasted on their "stories"... I found myself a bit underwhelmed at this episode.  Was it a requirement that all of the teams live close to those three starting cities?  And wasn't it interesting that they all seemed to magically land in Mexico City at the exact same time?  I assume they all landed and were all held at the airport somewhere before getting released.

 

The dad in the father/daughter team was quite hapless, and I am annoyed at the girl (no idea which one she is) who seemed to fairly quickly try to convince others to take the penalty.

[Kromm]

I agree.  I think there is a vast difference between posting on this site and what these "social media people" do.  I post here because very few people I know watch the same shows I do, and I like to talk about the shows I watch and share and exchange thoughts with lots of people, and not just the two friends I know that also watch the same show.

 

I still don't understand the obsession with people who promote themselves on "social media".  

The thing is I don't see it as cut and dried as "Bulletin Board vs. Social Media" people. I think there's also a big difference between someone who's essentially producing amateur short films and someone who tweets about the hairball their cat just choked up. The problem with tossing all social media users in the same basket is that it acts like they're all doing exactly the same things as each other.  But even among this group who were cast, there were a bunch of different types/end-products. From Tyler Oakley, who's practically a cottage industry doing so much host-like stuff (so he's essentially no different in some ways to anyone who works as an interviewer or host), to people who make instructional videos, to the more annoying ones, like the (rightly derided) Instagram Models (what they actually do is hard to describe, but it IS ridiculous). 

 

Think of it this way: what did Phil Keoghan or Ryan Seacrest or Carson Daly or Tom Bergeron or Jeff Probst do to become a star? Well for some of them it was radio. For others auditions for TV hosting gigs, or cross-transfers from reporting jobs, or the like. But if YouTube had been around when these folks were starting, isn't it more than possible that they would have done the same thing as Tyler Oakley and build their own outlet? So in a way I think the bad feelings towards folks like Oakley is most like disapproval of people like this show's own host (or hosts of other similar shows). After all, what's the closest pre-YouTube equivalent?  Right. Phil's job. Other than the fact that someone had to hire Phil rather than him hiring himself.

Edited February 16, 2016 by Kromm

[blackwing]

Yes, I do agree with you, there seemed to be varying degrees of exactly what it was they did.  The pair I don't "get" the most are the mother/daughter that I think the mom said the daughter made a You Tube of her making fun of flight attendants and it has been viewed 22 million times.  Really?  Has that launched their "career" as a whatever or was it just a one time thing?

 

But I reiterate my confusion that the young blonde boy apparently has some "following" as a model or whatever it is he does.  He looks to be about 20, and I have to wonder what kind of mother thinks it is OK to pimp her son out on the internet like that.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but still.

[NurseGiGi]

Clowns give me an irrational case of the heebie jeebies.  

[peachmangosteen]

I should have been more specific. To me tweeting is not a conversation. It's a monologue. What we're doing here (at least at it's best) is a conversation. it's putting out your thoughts, but with a totally different purpose (to my mind), because while we aren't in the same room, at least in theory we care about the other person's reaction and opinion. To me tweeting does not. There is a system for response of course, but it's mostly shouting to the universe, and I personally have always found that as... well... okay, it's better if I don't say what I really think of it, because I'm sure we have lots of happy tweeters here.

 

OK I see now that we're just looking at it from different perspectives. I personally use twitter to have conversations with people and everyone I follow is doing the same so I don't see the problem with it. But then again I just don't really care if people go on twitter and just tweet what they had for lunch. It's not hurting anyone so I'm not mad about it. Now people who go on twitter to harass and/or abuse people or just generally act like assholes, that I hate, but it has nothing to do with social media, it's just me hating assholes!

 

I think there's also a big difference between someone who's essentially producing amateur short films and someone who tweets about the hairball their cat just choked up.

This is definitely a good point. Again, personally I don't have any disdain for or problem with people who post a video on youtube of their cat, but certainly what these people (well most of them) are doing is much more than that. Sure they happen to be on youtube/etc., but really they're videographers, or hosts, or models, or makeup artists. Which are all fine professions imo.

[jumper sage]

I am basing my expectations on the way TPTB has promoted this season.  And so far, (after only a single episode, I grant you) my reservations have not been dispelled.  I don't see much to like in any of the competitors, even though as I've previously said, I readily admit there is scope for that to change.

 

Now, in past seasons, competitors have started the race with some schtick (Hot Girls, Horn-dogs, whatever) that rapidly vanished when the going started to get rough. And I'm hoping, that this will happen with these racers as well.  If it does, we might end up with a good race and an enjoyable season.  But I fear that this may not happen, because the racers think the opportunity to self-promote on network television is worth more than running the race.

 

And I fear that concessions have been made to persuade these folks to agree to race at all.  Such as the leg #1 NEL which I've mentioned before, that I think is a suspiciously convenient way of guaranteeing each "celebrity" that they will get at least two episodes on TV.  If next week is a TBC...

I agree!  I came on here to do my usual post of how I like the teams, the challenges.............Yikes!  Having read ALL the pages in this thread I am taken aback.  But here I go with my opinions:

 

Everyone leaving from their homes?????  Different!  I do like that they had cabs for everyone but then I thought maybe some don't drive?  Can that be possible?  We shall see.  I like the exuberance for 10 minutes then I had to turn down my sound.  Everyone seems really friendly, that's a nice change.  The biggest change is the posts, holy shit, the posts.  I will now make popcorn and see how this plays out.

Edited February 16, 2016 by jumper sage

[Anati]

  The pair I don't "get" the most are the mother/daughter that I think the mom said the daughter made a You Tube of her making fun of flight attendants and it has been viewed 22 million times.  Really?  Has that launched their "career" as a whatever or was it just a one time thing?

 

But I reiterate my confusion that the young blonde boy apparently has some "following" as a model or whatever it is he does.  He looks to be about 20, and I have to wonder what kind of mother thinks it is OK to pimp her son out on the internet like that.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but still.

 

To clarify, it was the mum who made the viral video, not the daughter. It wasn't making fun of flight attendants, s she herself is one. It was just a funny take on the safety info all flight attendants have to give. You can see it here. It was a one-off, they haven't made a career of it, and the mum is still working as a flight attendant.

 

The son is a "viner", whose mum sometimes appears in his vines. Fairly certain that he started the account of his own volition, and wasn't pimped out by his mum. You can watch a compilation here if you want. It's not for me at all (I think its targeted at 13 year olds, which is fine but...).

[Maverick]

Clowns give me an irrational case of the heebie jeebies.  

 

 That's not irrational.   Clowns are creepy.

[RCharter]

Please tell me why on earth would you want a 4 hour penalty if the 2 of you were the last teams there and on the first episode??

 

I was completely confused by that.  I'm not TAR historian, but if two teams show up at the same time, and they are the last teams and they are each taking the penalty, who gets eliminated?  Does it end up being a footrace at the end of the four hours?

Wow, this could be it...the season that kills my love for THE  AMAZING RACE. We are so far from the pure version of TAR from the early seasons that we may never get back. Gimmicks every other season now and this may be as bad as the dating season. If you told me back around season 3 or 4 we would have a season consisting of nothing but Famewhores I would never have believed it.

 

Making matters worse is something rubs me the wrong way about other teams already having met or knowing each other. Not sure why but I don't like it.

Also because they are Youtuber's they seem to be "on" 99% of the time. I hope that fades as killer fatigue sets as it could get old pretty quickly having for instance that alpha male team hooting and hollering like at that Mariachi challenge or Tyler feeling the need he has to prance around and present like he did upon his bull building completion.

 

What;s up with the Dad....not only wandering around outside...but not realizing he was dropping puzzled pieces all over the place.

 

It's too early to say I hate people but as of now I don't like anyone of them with the exception of Sheri of Team MILF and that's only because she is cute...she must have had her wastrel son in the morning and was able to make Graduation Day by noon.

 

 

Speaking as someone who is approaching "get off my lawn!" territory I just can't wrap my head around making a career out of posting videos on YouTube or Vine or whatever else is out there.  I've never heard of any of these people and fear some of them will be mugging for the camera while trying really hard to get discovered by a Hollywood agent. 

 

That being said the first episode was rather enjoyable and I liked the mariachi task but I still think TAR is better than such stunt casting.

 

I feel like that was Justin's plan and he wasn't a YT'er at all.  I guess its all just in who you cast on these shows as people.  I'm sure there is much more of a concern about public image, but I think the stress of the race will wear down any nice public face they had, and editing will give us the story.  As someone said, I just don't see the different in personalities from previous seasons and this season.  There are some people so far that are quietly competent, there are people that are going to "use their sexuality," there is an older person that you suspect is going to get cut pretty quick, there are a few wildcards.  I would think that those who go over the top mugging as the race goes on will be cut pretty quick....because dancing around for the camera and not focusing on completing your task is just a ridiculously stupid move and as the teams whittle down people making such ridiculously stupid moves should end up going home.

Wow, lots of stuff going on here.

 

Honestly, my first impression watching this episode is that if you cut the introductions where they are clearly prompted to talk about their social media experience, you would have absolutely no idea that there was any gimmick at all to this season. The teams are straight out of TAR Central Casting--you've got a dating couple that have been together for years but just haven't tied the knot yet, you have a father/daughter team where the father is a bit muddled but loves his little girl, you have an adorable gay couple, you have a pair of dudebros who love sports, you have a pair of models, you have two co-workers in a media job who are "fierce", you have the younger sibling pair, you have the dating couple who have been living in sin for ages and are pretty chill about it, you have the single mom and daughter duo...it's pretty much a standard TAR cast just like any other, except for their jobs. (And for those complaining that this cast is exceptionally narcissistic and annoying, I have one word for you. "Twinnies!")

 

Thats how I feel as well.  I had big reservations about a cast of YouTubers, just because it sounds like the worst idea ever and giving in to the popularity of social media.  But in watching it, they didn't seem all that different from any other cast.  After enduring Justin last year I think people are very sensitive to camera mugging, but with the exception of useless dancing around for the cameras, and yelling "ARE YOU NOT REAL PLAYING!" and maybe "Hello total stranger, can you fake play for us?" I don't think there has been much mugging.

 And you know what? If there weren't people willing to do that, we wouldn't have a Race to watch, and that would kind of suck. I don't mind if people complain about bad behavior on the show, and I don't even mind if people say things like, "I don't understand why anyone would watch their YouTube channel," but I think "famewhore" crosses a line into active irrational hatred that I'm going to call people on.

I don't mind the label "famewhore" but to me, it should be equally and fairly applied.  Your favorite celebrity...probably a fame whore.  They are pimping themselves out for the public in an effort to be famous, whether through the medium of TV, movies, record sales and music videos.  As long as the label is equally applied I guess its fine.  But if someone on YT making a video automatically makes them a famewhore for trying to get people to watch the video or to expose themselves to a wider audience than everyone in entertainment is pretty much a famewhore as well.

[Kromm]

I don't mind the label "famewhore" but to me, it should be equally and fairly applied.  Your favorite celebrity...probably a fame whore.  They are pimping themselves out for the public in an effort to be famous, whether through the medium of TV, movies, record sales and music videos.  As long as the label is equally applied I guess its fine.  But if someone on YT making a video automatically makes them a famewhore for trying to get people to watch the video or to expose themselves to a wider audience than everyone in entertainment is pretty much a famewhore as well.

I don't have a big enough thumbs up for this.

I actually use the term, but I personally use it differently than it seems to me how some folks here do. To me a famewhore is someone who seeks fame on someone's else back, or at someone else's expense, rather than on their own talent--or at least their own effort (if they aren't talented). Merely being someone who self-promotes does not a famewhore make, in my definition. If you genuinely put something worthwhile out to the world, you are not a famewhore. Heck, if you at least TRY to put out something you think is worthwhile (even if you are wrong) and put honest work into it, you aren't a famewhore.  

 

To me the essence of the famewhore is that they're taking a shortcut. If someone thinks they're famous (or more importantly worth my attention) simply because they've been on TV (or even online) that's bullshit and famewhorism. If someone's made something though, put actual sweat, imagination and/or tears into it, and is promoting it?  Good for them. NOT a famewhore.

 

Well... at least if you don't break some other unwritten rules, like trying to steal credit or attention from someone else (thus the charge that Taylor Swift, for example, despite genuinely being one of the hardest working people in show business MIGHT somehow also be a famewhore, because she leans in to every photo at every possibility  with every other celeb). I do get there's that other way to be one... but it's still in a way about taking a shortcut (just starting from a place of strength where it's even more puzzling that someone might do so). 

 

If these people on the race really show a pattern of paying MORE attention to the camera than to the race then they might fit that last definition. If people are just getting "vibes" that they think these racers are promoting themselves too much.... well.. that's different. Are they taking time or attention away from someone else?  Are they racing worse because of watching a camera? It for me would have to be one of those things rather than simply the notion that they're talking about themselves or their online activities.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Kromm

[MortysCleaningLady]

Yuck.  I'm not even commenting until Tuesday.  Maybe if the alleged celebs had been cut in half and the rest of the teams were made up of Mensa members, Jeopardy stars (even Arthur Chu) and some likeable people.  I guess I'll root for the dancers, but that's only if the Roaming Gnome is not eligible to win.

[liqidclark]

Well, I'm already okay with this season's theme, if only for the really interesting conversation it's generating about different types of fame and media. But while the presentation of the show will probably have thematic elements embedded throughout the season, like hashtags and maybe some tasks involving public relations, I don't think the contestants will behave much differently than previous casts for very long. We were overloaded on social media stuff in the first episode because we just saw all the teams' introductions and that thematic similarity was repeatedly highlighted.

 

But aside from that one emphasized similarity, they seem to have the same variety of lifestyles and relationships we usually see in typical casts. I don't think their "social media influencer" status is really much of a special thing at all, because you could say that about almost anybody. We all influence society, and most people use some kind of social media. If that lady who was recorded saying something funny at her job on a plane fits the theme, then the theme isn't really that much of an actual factor. I think it's more of a marketing theme aimed at drawing in new viewers, and won't really change the competition or the storylines much.

 

I think it'll be important that so many teams already know each other, but that happens with "All-Stars" seasons, too.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Liqidclark

[green]

This discussion has taken a really strange turn. Posters aren't saying that they hate all social media personalities, only that they don't love the gimmick of an entire cast of social media personalities as TAR contestants and that the early assumption that this cast will contain more than the normal number of teams who are actively jockeying for camera time seems to have been borne out based on the first episode. Several of us have also said that there seem to be some good teams (the non-Harvard brothers, for example) who are getting less attention because they're acting like normal people instead of amping up the drama by weeping because they have to leave their home for 4 weeks to play a game or the wacky hijinks by trying to outscream 100 mariachi players. I don't understand why people are arguing so hard against the idea that some people might not, in general, be overly thrilled with this particular cast.

 

Totally agree.  Those of us who hate this casting have a right to hate it.  Don't know why so many people here are trying to make us change out minds or recant or give up out values so we will "like" this cast.  It you like it you then like it and don't need outside validation to confirm that by trying to change our minds.

 

Weird teh different definitions of famewhore I see.  To me it is a person who whores after fame.  And that is what this cast is to me because that is their chosen path in life.  Not just looking for a once in a lifetime experience like regular people.  These people just want to amp up their own stock like any other mactor would.  In both cases they are trying to use the show to help their career though it usually doesn't help one bit in the end.

 

Fin eall of these people are members of the human race.  I just choose to dislike that type.

 

To the poster that labeled me "atypical" ... really?!?!  Who is typical?  Is there a "typical herd" running around somewhere?  Every last one of us are unique and think for ourselves.  Or should anyway.  But apparently I get psychoanalyzed here because I am deemed "atypical" as in I disagree with the people who love this cast?  Don't get what is going down here.  Used to be a forum where you could just post a pov about a show good, bad or ugly.  Maybe those good old days are gone.  Too bad.  This was a cool forum.

[Kromm]

I'm not trying to poke the bear, I swear, but I don't understand why the idea of people stating their positions and defending them, asking if possible for clarifications or debating specific points is infringing on someone's rights (not my phrase--it's use is what I'm responding to) to have, hold, defend, deny, accept or any other thing you could do with an opinion. I for one haven't even once approached talking about what people are or aren't allowed to think, say or feel. Me debating certain points, stating my own position, asking for clarifications or yes, examples is denying no right--and honestly I don't think it's been rudely phrased overall either--although I do understand that sometimes replying to someone's statement with a counter can offend someone all by itself. 

 

I did use the phrase "atypical" at one point, but I don't believe I attributed any negative weight or censure to it. And in fact I ASKED if someone thought their position on something was typical or atypical and also went out of my way to say that there was nothing in my opinion wrong with that. 

 

I'm going to bow out after this post. Clearly we aren't going to agree--not only about this cast, but about any post and response etiquette either. For what it's worth, there was no intent to offend you, green,

Edited February 17, 2016 by Kromm

[RCharter]

Totally agree.  Those of us who hate this casting have a right to hate it.  Don't know why so many people here are trying to make us change out minds or recant or give up out values so we will "like" this cast.  It you like it you then like it and don't need outside validation to confirm that by trying to change our minds.

 

Weird teh different definitions of famewhore I see.  To me it is a person who whores after fame.  And that is what this cast is to me because that is their chosen path in life.  Not just looking for a once in a lifetime experience like regular people.  These people just want to amp up their own stock like any other mactor would.  In both cases they are trying to use the show to help their career though it usually doesn't help one bit in the end.

 

Fin eall of these people are members of the human race.  I just choose to dislike that type.

 

To the poster that labeled me "atypical" ... really?!?!  Who is typical?  Is there a "typical herd" running around somewhere?  Every last one of us are unique and think for ourselves.  Or should anyway.  But apparently I get psychoanalyzed here because I am deemed "atypical" as in I disagree with the people who love this cast?  Don't get what is going down here.  Used to be a forum where you could just post a pov about a show good, bad or ugly.  Maybe those good old days are gone.  Too bad.  This was a cool forum.

Well, I think you can, and should share your POV on a forum, but its a forum so I would also expect discussion, back and forth and sometimes disagreement.  Some are going to agree with you and some won't.  Someone disagreeing with you isn't them trying to change your mind anymore than your disagreement with their point of view is an effort get someone else to change their mind.  

 

For my money, if these people are fame whores, so is Meryl Streep, George Clooney, Danny DeVito, Taylor Swift and Tony Bennett.  They all whore after fame, some have gotten it, but they have to still whore themselves to keep it.  They all do things to stay in the public eye and remain famous.  And thats my only point in saying that one should fairly apply the term famewhore.

 

I think its arguable as to whether this show would help a YT'ers career.  As someone (Kromm?) pointed out above, these people already have channels and content that they provide, they are just trying to get you to watch it.  If you like someone on the show, but didn't know about them, you're more likely to take a turn at YT and check them out (or at least I would).  In a space like YT where there is limitless content, just getting people to know who you are is a challenge.  But this isn't like someone who would get on the show and then hope to be put on a TV show or something along those lines (I'm sure none of them would turn down a TV show, but in this case they win even if a few more people visit and subscribe to their already created channels).  

 

I haven't seen many people who love, love, love the cast, the strongest feelings on the board seem to be feelings of disgust towards the cast, so in that way I think your POV is pretty typical.  I don't love or hate the cast as a whole, I just think they are a pretty typical cast.  I might change my opinion if there is massive camera mugging, but so far, its not really there or if it is, its being left on the cutting room floor.

[David T. Cole]

Civil disagreements welcome. Just don't, you know, go crazy.

[Anati]

It's increasingly clear to me that there is a major cultural clash (probably generational?) on the matter. 

 

 Don't get what is going down here.  Used to be a forum where you could just post a pov about a show good, bad or ugly.  Maybe those good old days are gone.  Too bad.  This was a cool forum.

 

The nice thing about a discussion forum is that you can post your good/bad/ugly pov, and then people are free to agree, disagree or discuss what has been said. You can interpret that as them as a person trying to make you change your mind, or you could view it as a person involving themselves in a conversation, and presenting the opposing viewpoint. So long as it's civil, why does it matter if people try to explain their differing viewpoint? It makes for a more interesting discussion.

 

I disagree that most of these contestants are just trying to advance their career. The models probably are (but there are models doing the same on most seasons). But Tyler, the dancers, the gamers, Zach the Vine guy etc. are all as big in their particular niche of entertainment as they possibly can be. They don't need the show to help with access to agents and sponsors, or whatever else they might want, because they already have those contacts and opportunities. 5 million twitter followers > a few episodes of TAR in the media world these days.

 

Edit: I see that, while I was typing RCharter made a lot of the same points as me, with better phrasing! Sorry for the repetition.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Anati

[Rick Kitchen]

 

It's increasingly clear to me that there is a major cultural clash (probably generational?) on the matter.

 

I'm probably one of the oldest people in this thread, and I'm a YT fan.  :D

[henripootel]

Clearly we aren't going to agree--not only about this cast, but about any post and response etiquette either.

For what it's worth, Kromm, I've enjoyed this thread and read your posts eagerly.  The range of opinions has been pretty interesting, and I don't think we're here to agree, just to mix it up in smart company.  Heck, I might keep watching this season (which I'm a bit dubious about) just to participate in these discussions.  What more can we ask of civilized discourse.  

[Ducky]

YouTube's closed captioning is atrocious and absolutely worthless.  Some YouTubers have set up closed captioning of their videos on their own.  I know Tyler Oakley has all of his videos closed captioned.  He has also asked viewers who speak other languages to caption his videos in their languages to help out his viewers.

Cool I may have to check his out then.  Thanks!

 

Not an advantage to you (or me). It's an advantage to the people posting the video -- they don't have to incur the time and/or cost of Close Captioning. (And YTs auto-CC never comes close to right.)

 

thank you for explaining- now I see where you are coming from.  Sadly most people say "it's tooo hard to do".  Well... yes and no.  On YouTube at least I know you can download the auto caption transcript, edit that then re upload it.  Some do try to have the transcript posted in the text section below the video, and others are able to caption them easily if it's a prepared talk or something.  The 'spontaneous' ones are the ones that are not easily captioned on the fly. 

 

To be fair I try to hold deaf folks to that too- while I may understand their signing, a closed captioned script would help the hearing! :)

[iMonrey]

 

One big difference might be that Erin and Joslyn aren't models. They're Entertainment Journalists for Clevver Media

 

You say potato . . .

 

 

Please tell me why on earth would you want a 4 hour penalty if the 2 of you were the last teams there and on the first episode??

 

Because if you're the last two teams and you don't think you're ever going to finish you make an agreement to sit out the same penalty and then let it come down to a cab ride and foot race to see who comes in last. Rather than trying to spend the next twelve hours figuring out a puzzle you can't seem to put together.

Edited February 17, 2016 by iMonrey

[John Seavey]

Boy no kidding - who said that?  I said because they have an irritating manner, who said 'because they're talking about youtube'?  How is disliking anyone for an irritating manner (no matter where they honed it) 'irrational'?  

 

As I said, they have done nothing different, collectively or individually, than anyone in previous seasons apart from mention that they're on YouTube. Yet you hate them, even though you (presumably) liked earlier seasons of the show. So I can only assume it's the word YouTube that's driving this. :)