Tour Group - General Discussion

[Rebecca]

I'm annoyed by the news it won't be back for many weeks! Stupid choice.

[izabella]

What the what?  I caught a little of this show by accident, and then watched On Demand, and now it's disappeared until May?! 

 

Oh, man, this show is my new reality crack.  Exotic travel porn, and American tourists navigating unfamiliar cultures.  Who came up with this idea?  They need a raise! 

Edited March 20, 2016 by izabella

[biakbiak]

I know only three of us are watching but a new episode is airing tonight.

[b2H]

Make it four......

[ChrissyT]

What did everyone think?

[mwcdeb8r]

I'm in. Rare cross of excellent travel porn and the right amount of drama.

[DeeplyShallow]

That cow scene was tough to watch. The gorillas were amazing. Glad this show is back.

[politichick]

I'm glad it's back, too. My best friend is going to be in Rwanda for six months, so it was nice to see what I might encounter when I go to visit!

[walnutqueen]

If I were on this tour and DIDN'T get to see the gorillas, I'd never forgive them!

Too bad these people are so unlikable - it could be an awesome show with a better cast.

[Juneau Gal]

No kidding Walnutqueen. I didn't understand how it was determined who got to see the gorillas and who didn't. But then again, I was only half paying attention because, as you say, the people are so unworthy. 

[biakbiak]

They didn't explain it besides creating drama with the twins but I would definitely be pissed but no one other than Amy and Misty seemed to care and Misty seemed to only care because  Jenna and Jared were together. I would also be annoyed if I was one of the people who got to stay up all night and guard the compound.

The conversation between Misty and Sandhurst about the nightstick was beyond cringeworthy. 

Edited May 11, 2016 by biakbiak

[Zizzlezazzle]

I think I heard this on the Watch What Crappens podcast, but this show premiered in the winter and apparently underwent its weird hiatus to wait for the Below Deck: Mediterranean premier, but also to get "retooled" because the ratings sucked and they wanted to show more of the drama and "fish out of water" insipidness served up by the two awful Las Vegas girls. I'm sure this kind of thing happens a lot with struggling shows on Bravo, but to my knowledge it's the first time the network has been so transparent about its shallow priorities. And still...really?! Those two vocal-fryed morons are scarier than any wild animals they'd ever encounter on this trip, and not even a little bit as interesting. I'm not sure why the producers think otherwise. 

I was also really bugged by some members of the group being excluded from the gorilla trip, especially  if it was ostensibly for "fitness reasons" and not just to stir up drama (though I'm more inclined to believe the latter). I'm not in the best shape, but I would have cried if I had been passed over for this experience. I'm sure it was a physically demanding, hot hike, but why not sit the entire group down and matter-of-factly explain to them the conditions and let them make their own decisions about whether or not to attempt it? Or why not just  break into two groups, a faster paced and then a slower moving group leaving at different times if they needed to keep the numbers down? 

The gorillas were the highlight of the series for me. Not sure I care enough to keep watching here on out.

[mwcdeb8r]

Yeah, I would have been pissed had I not gotten to see those gorillas, too. I was amazed just seeing them on the screen. And up close? I was wondering how they determined who got to go. Separating the twins seemed so bizarre, especially with that weird love triangle going on.

And that former model? Why'd she get to go? I can't tell if I like her or hate her. Her conversation with Amy? The one who keeps getting left behind? Was a piece of work. She wanted to talk, get an apology, and that was it. She did not care what Amy had to say.

I also thought the trip to the Matsai warrior village was pretty awesome. I'd be game to try the camel's milk and some of the other more unique cuisines, but I don't think I could handle drinking the cow's blood.

[izabella]

Love, love, love the beautiful on this show - so happy to meet some of the people, and see the landscape and animals of Kenya and Rwanda. Gorgeous!  I was totally charmed by the children at the school, as well as Jay's jumping.  "He's a good jumper."

The cow dung wall?  Not so much.  I would not have wanted to do that.  When you fly back into the US, one of the customs questions asks whether you have been on a farm, picked fruits or vegetables, touched animals, or went anywhere where you came into contact with such things...these people will need to be quarantined when they get back! 

The Georgia boys are growing on me.  They've pretty much taken everything in stride, and I like that they are lower key than I expected.  "Daddy drank cow's blood today! Yeah, it was so gross."

The jury's still out on Jared.  He needs to take up meditation and yoga, and maybe read up on zen philosophies.  He's wired too tight.

The drama-llamas are too much.  But it wouldn't be Bravo without them.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I respectfully want to punch Michelle in the face.

[kokapetl]

I caught episodes 9 and 10 on tv today (I haven't seen any other episodes). The actual sightseeing and activities they do seems to drown out the reality tv personalities 95 percent of the time. Is so strange in a world where Real Housewives travel to exotic locations to basically just argue. 

ETA: Spoke a little too soon. Near the end of the episode 10, someone figuratively gets their abortion thrown in their face. 

Edited May 14, 2016 by ingenting

[izabella]

They showed 9 and 10?  I thought they had aired only 3 episodes.

[kokapetl]

I'm in Australia. Perhaps there was no hiatus in the airing schedule. 

[Giselle]

I love travel shows, I will read travel books, plan itineraries for places I may never get to go. I am so disappointed in this show. I was hoping to see adventures, exotic places, but not through a drama fog of bitching, whining, fighting and "I'm not going to do that."

I canceled the TiVo one pass.

You all enjoy... if possible.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Doesn't it seem inappropriate for Sandhurst, the tour leader dude, to talk about the bodies of the twins and objectify them? Blech. I mean, I guess I shouldn't expect professionalism from these guides/whatever the hell they call themselves, but they suck as moderators between the group and they suck at their jobs. I wouldn't give them a generous tip at the end of the journey.

[spartanman25]

I doubt Sandhurst or either of the other two tour guides is really in charge.  Bravo is in charge and undoubtedly wants to see drama, not professionalism.  He is obviously into his own body and objectifying young women would seem to come naturally to him.  I do enjoy Rachel.  She seems to have a playful attitude and I haven't seen her do anything offensive yet.  It looks like there could be a Sandhurst/Michelle pairing.  She is attractive, but seems like a trainwreck.

[DrSparkles]

I would have likec to go on this trip :(

I am pleasantly surprised by the GA brothers. Investor guy is a turd.

ETA: Sandhurrrrrrsssssttttttttttt.

Edited May 18, 2016 by DrSparkles

[biakbiak]

How the fuck bad can the ratings possibly be that they are replaying an episode of Below Deck right after its initial airing and moving this until 11:45? I am an insomniac with a dvr so the times don't bother me but this show isn't that bad.

[b2H]

I think the big mistake was starting this show out a couple of months ago, as a filler, and then putting it on hiatus for a while (until a couple of weeks ago).  People lost whatever interest that was generated with the initial episodes because too much time has passed from its premiere.  Bravo scheduling is often crappy.

[biakbiak]

I thought I read that the reason they pulled it in the first place was because the ratings were so bad.

[Zizzlezazzle]

I'm hanging in there and actually enjoying this show a bit more now, but getting bumped to an 11:30 time slot certainly doesn't bode will for its longevity. Hopefully Bravo will at least air the remainder of the season.

It sucks that we're at this point in reality TV where if there isn't enough intense cat fighting or interpersonal drama within the cast we declare the show "boring," and dismiss it. There are some annoying piece-of-work cast members here, for sure, and I don't really love watching any of them--but I love viewing their journey and day-to-day activities in each location, and also anticipating where they'll next head. This is a different kind of show. It seems clear to me that TPTB were frustrated they were't able to manufacture more compelling storylines for the travelers. My (clearly unpopular) opinion is, WHO CARES?! You're giving me a front seat to amazing places I'll likely never get the chance to visit myself! Really,I'm good with that: I don't need a  love triangle or constant feuding--I can watch the rest of Bravo for those shenanigans. 

[biakbiak]

I don't have a problem with the word but I understand people do have a problem with it and he most definitely shouldn't have said it but Micheĺle's reaction was over the top insane. She works herself up into a frenzy and can't stop herself and calm down. Though if the show was trying to illustrate that Michelle was a hypocrite for using it in the flashback scene it missed the mark with me because she was telling a story of what she was called and used it to show how hurtful her friend was to her.

What was up with Jared buying the viagra? That was definitely weird but so was Misty's comment about it only being for gay dudes who want to sleep with girls. However, I thought it was completely unnecessary for her to confront him about it later.

Edited May 25, 2016 by biakbiak

[DrSparkles]

Michelle is intolerable. Send her home!!!!

[burner]

I thought the late airing was super lame. And I don't have a DVR and ended up getting bored and sleepy and just turned it off. It's on On Demand (I believe) but I don't really have any desire to try to watch the full episode or to catch up.

Misty and Jenna are twins right? But not identical? I think Misty is gorgeous but Jenna looks odd to me. I can't tell if there's some work done there or if they're just not identical.

Michelle is the worst but the whole cast is pretty terrible. Sucks because this show had potential.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

On 5/25/2016 at 9:09 PM, burner said:

Misty and Jenna are twins right? But not identical? I think Misty is gorgeous but Jenna looks odd to me. I can't tell if there's some work done there or if they're just not identical.

Misty and Jenna are fraternal twins. Jenna's face seems unnaturally angular/sharp and boney. 

[burner]

1 minute ago, MattDuffysCat said:

Misty and Jenna are fraternal twins. Jenna's face seems unnaturally angular/sharp and boney. 

Ah! That makes sense and I agree with your assessment of Jenna. Also, love the username and that giant cat! GO GIANTS!

[biakbiak]

Okay this week it's not just been bumped for a replay of Below Deck and Southern Charm!

[burner]

Bumped again! And we're talking about Bravo here. The ratings must actually be really terrible. I guess since they aren't really tying it in with Below Deck anymore they could at least move it to Friday nights or something. Burning off the episodes at midnight doesn't make sense to me at all.

[izabella]

Bravo certainly isn't making it easy to watch the show, nor did they promote it at all.  I could only make it through 15 minutes of Below Deck, so I don't get why that show is so much more important. 

[b2H]

I've given up hope for Tour Group.  These two weeks without Andy forces Bravo to actually show programming instead of the waste of time that is the Clubhouse (sorry, personal opinion here).   They could've spent this time doing a better job of promoting some of the programming that's gotten really crap scheduling.  There's no way, even with a DVR, that I would spend time on something the network itself doesn't even prize. 

I'm out, sadly.

[izabella]

My thoughts on the latest episode...

The Georgia boys continued to impress.  Despite an awkward start conversationally, they ended up having a really nice dinner with the Sri Lankan family.  I'm glad they appreciated meeting the family, and the food and were open minded about the experience, which I believe some of the other travelers would not have handled as well...like Heather who can't even bring herself to go drink some tea.

Michelle...is that the former model's name?  OMG, she needs to shut up about the special-snowflake-ness bestowed upon her when she gave birth.  "How dare you call me a C U Next Tuesday?!  I'm a MOTHER!"  "Seeing these gorillas is so moving because I'm a MOTHER!"  "I'm a MOTHER!  Once you've given birth to a human, you can't be doing yoga stretches on tv because you're a MOTHER!  Who has given BIRTH!" SHUT UP!  Is guzzling beer in the pool and climbing all over the tour guide on tv also something a MOTHER shouldn't do, or are you a MOTHER who has given birth and has a child only when you want to use it for self-serving purposes?

Speaking of yoga...tantric yoga for a random tour group?  Really?  If that had to happen, it should have been discussed ahead of time and been optional.  But maybe that was for drama purposes rather than actual touring.

Liked the Sri Lankan dance lesson on the beach, and the visit to the tea plantation. 

[MVFrostsMyPie]

Well, that was sufficiently awkward.

[Ladybugnine]

On a shallow note: Why does Jetta need a swim cap? Her hair is in a natural style. Unless it's a weave/extensions, which would make sense for me, because if you have natural hair, who cares if it gets wet? She's on vacation, so, her hair getting wet shouldn't be an issue, should it? Maybe it's just me.

[Giselle]

Was looking for another show and saw this. I stopped watching after the third episode, the gorilla one.

Edited June 5, 2016 by Giselle
Added word: watching

[biakbiak]

I mean yes the ratings are shitty but what could Bravo possibly expected? Given the fact they yanked it off the air with no notice, I seriously had to come to this thread to realize it wasn't cancelled and I watch a lot of crappy Bravo and the last two weeks bumping it with no notice and doing none or barely any replays. I mean I have a season pass but not everyone does.

Curious how these numbers compare to the first season of Below Deck Original or Apres Ski because someone at the network must freaking hate this show.

[Christi]

I hate the girl tour guide.  I know she is a rich socialite, but she is also just a one trick pony with her eating gross food.

Everytime there is a weird food, they show her shoveling it down.  She. Is so impressed with herself. ...it got played out episode 1...

I dont need to know EVERY EPISODE what an exciting, liveing on the edge, free spirit she is.  Yawn

On Thursday, June 02, 2016 at 5:20 PM, Ladybugnine said:

On a shallow note: Why does Jetta need a swim cap? Her hair is in a natural style. Unless it's a weave/extensions, which would make sense for me, because if you have natural hair, who cares if it gets wet? She's on vacation, so, her hair getting wet shouldn't be an issue, should it? Maybe it's just me.

Maybe it just take forever to dry?? That could be annoying

Edited June 9, 2016 by Christi

[izabella]

12 minutes ago, Christi said:

I hate the girl tour guide.  I know she is a rich socialite, but she is,also just a one trick pony with her eating gross food.

I agree.  She doesn't add very much to the trip. 

I was hoping one of them would get arrested for yelling in Thailand. 

[Giselle]

4 hours ago, Christi said:

I hate the girl tour guide.  I know she is a rich socialite, but she is also just a one trick pony with her eating gross food.

Everytime there is a weird food, they show her shoveling it down.  She. Is so impressed with herself. ...it got played out episode 1...

I dont need to know EVERY EPISODE what an exciting, liveing on the edge, free spirit she is.  Yawn

Maybe it just take forever to dry?? That could be annoying

On ‎6‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 5:20 PM, Ladybugnine said:

On a shallow note: Why does Jetta need a swim cap? Her hair is in a natural style. Unless it's a weave/extensions, which would make sense for me, because if you have natural hair, who cares if it gets wet? She's on vacation, so, her hair getting wet shouldn't be an issue, should it? Maybe it's just me.

 

My boyfriends daughter has long and super thick, thick gorgeous hair. She said it can take hours to fully dry.

Edited June 9, 2016 by Giselle

[Neeners]

You guys - I think Heather was on Gigolos, but went by the name Audrianna. Her back story was a socialite who was a client for a year and had just gotten engaged (and had been engaged multiple times) That's gotta be her, right? 

[izabella]

Heather is a mystery.  She wanted to hang by the pool drinking cocktails, that's IT.  So why she chose to go on a tour like this is impossible to guess.  Cancun is where she'd be happiest.

[Neeners]

The sad thing is I 100% think it's Heather and it's juicy info. But nobody gives a shit about this show. #matlockfail

[MVFrostsMyPie]

18 hours ago, izabella said:

Heather is a mystery.  She wanted to hang by the pool drinking cocktails, that's IT.  So why she chose to go on a tour like this is impossible to guess.  Cancun is where she'd be happiest.

Probably because it was the only reality show she could get on to try to create 15 seconds of fame for herself.

[thelonerafter]

Completely agree with everyone else, what's the point of going around the world if you're just going to lay by a pool? Wasn't Heather from Vegas? Couldn't she just staycation at a hotel with a nice pool on the strip?

I actually liked that in this episode they got to choose which trip they wanted to go on. I understand some of the trips in the other episodes had a limit on how many people could go, but they could have at least asked who wanted to and then draw for spots from there? (that may be less drama inducing though, so where's the fun in that) Also don't understand why on the last episode, when Heather did not want to go to the tea plantation, her spot was not taken by someone else who would actually appreciate the opportunity?

I'm actually really liking the couple where the husband had the scooter accident (I haven't learned anyone's names except for Jared, Misty, Jenna, Heather, and Michelle, probably because they're the most dramatic and get the most screentime) I like that they took their free time to go sightseeing and I completely agree with her that you can zipline anywhere, but riding an elephant is a lot less common. Though I do think Jared had a point that the zipline was probably a lot of fun, mostly because it was free of Heather and Michelle.

Finally, I don't understand the Jared/Misty drama. I think if you're gonna date someone on vacation you need to view it as a fling. You can act all cutesy and coupley on your trip but unless you're majorly in love by the end of the trip it's a fun fling and a good memory from your vacation.

[izabella]

I would have picked riding the elephants, too! 

Jared and Misty, lol.  Jared seems like he has a lot of issues, so he would totally suck at relationships.  Misty isn't much better. 

I'm still liking the Georgia boys.  I laughed when one of them said in a TH that he was open minded to everything, but if he had a choice between seeing a "LadyBoy" show and fishin', he'd choose fishin'. 

[biakbiak]

I seriously hate that this is going to be one and done. I loved the travel and there was a lot of stupid dramq.