S28.E04: Get It Trending

[Corgi-ears]

I would read what she said on Twitter but she blocked me. I responded to Phil's tweet asking if we the viewers would have helped her by saying "It's a raaaaaace!" Apparently she didn't agree.

 

 

 

Dana seemed to skip Twitter this week, unless I removed her last week and don't remember. She was getting blasted for sitting on that man's chess board. Rightfully so, in my opinion. I'm sure she'll blame editing like she did last week.

 

 

Awesome. My great hope for this season is that it will prove the modified adage, "Live by social media, die by social media." It would just be THE BEST if, in the final episode, a team is running to the finish line, and then either gets mobbed and impeded by their "fans," or better, gets distracted by a tweet or the flash of a nearby camera, and lose the whole fucking raaaaace.

Edited March 5, 2016 by Corgi-ears

[Sentient Meat]

I like the way the producers tried to capture the younger demographic by embracing the cord cutter millennials instead of denying their growing power.  The problem is that they all seem too similar... even their approach to the game, to the point where their cooperation might arguably have led to the somewhat inevitable 8 team mat finish.  The race has always been about diversity... not just gender, race, sexual orientation or age... but also geographical, cultural, and occupational as well... and if anything this season emphasizes both the beauty and the boredom of an emerging monolithic culture that has grown up worshiping the same internet memes, tropes and traditions.  Their camaraderie is kinda cool... but I feel a sameness about the contestants not unlike had the show made an all athlete, a top model, or a Hasidic Jewish version of the show.  Maybe it would have helped if they somehow designed tasks that allowed them to integrate their social media skills into this season... instead it feels like had they done a crossover version of the Amazing Race with for example, American Idol alumni except none of them were allowed to sing.

 

My takeaway from this season is that I need to watch certain YouTube channels more and get more familiar with these emerging stars.  I felt old watching all these people in other countries get excited over these web celebrities when I didn't know a single one.

[Corgi-ears]

I didn't understand it either, how can they know the exact number of people who can sit on it? Are they all the same size? What if one team had tiny girls & another had giant guys, how would they come up with the same number?

 

 

It was two newspaper pages' width.

 

 

 

Right. This was the episode's way of making allowances for varied kinds of asses, which, come to think of it, is also a perfect description of this season. HEY-OH!

[Richness]

That was a horrible leg design and a horrible way to end the leg. While I'm glad the whining models are gone, I did not like the mat at the end of several trains ride. Bunch them up at the beginning if you must, but not at the end just before the mat. This would have been a great time for a Continue Racing pit stop.

 

Unfortunately, the racers helped each other again. Hasn't this happened on every leg so far? I wonder if that has more to do with the social media stars sort of knowing each other, because I don't think it happens as much with teams unfamiliar to each other. It seems to happen more on All Stars or Unfinished Business seasons where the players know each other already.

 

Nor am I sure why the sharing bothers me so much here, but not on some other reality shows. I think it's because they outright share answers (seat totals) instead of helping get the answers. For example, I love it when contestants on Face Off help each other like with opening difficult molds, but they don't make the molds for them; or chefs helping finish plating on Top Chef, but don't do the actual cooking. The helping at the flags Roadblock was only slightly better than sharing seat totals. Because if they hadn't, some of them might still be there trying to guess the flags.

 

Can someone explodie the "Blodie" so I never have to hear it again? I refuse to justify that word with a pound sign. (Yes, get off my lawn kids, and take your hashtags with you.) They wasted way to much air time on "blodie" than on the race. It was annoying as hell on the Blind Date edition with its forced date nights, and it's just as annoying here. I'm here to see sweeping vistas and people trying to accomplish tasks, not talking heads spazing over possible intamacy under a blanket like giggling tweens.

 

Again, I'm shocked these people are generating the type of fans that they are. I'm wondering if they would be recognized like that without the TAR camera crews with them.

 

With all the negatives, I still love TAR. I just want them to do better than this. The tasks themselves were actually fantastic.

[In Pog Form]

So, what's the deal with Blair's eyelashes? Why are they all pointy like that?

[In Pog Form]

They mentioned during the episode that one member needed to have their butt on the bench at all times during the counting, so I'm guessing that sort of thing was specifically forbidden.

Then couldn't one team member simply sit in place, while the other one measured and counted the sections?

[Anati]

 

Then couldn't one team member simply sit in place, while the other one measured and counted the sections?

Burnie and Ashley have explained that the clue dictated the exact way you had to do it. You could not multiply and you could not lay the newspapers on the bench.

[In Pog Form]

Burnie and Ashley have explained that the clue dictated the exact way you had to do it. You could not multiply and you could not lay the newspapers on the bench.

That seems extremely unlikely. What the hell would the language in the clue look like? Specific instructions that they have to use that "leapfrog" method? It's difficult to believe they could put that in words understandable by the racers that did not include loopholes. How could they even prevent the act of multiplication? The production crew can't read the racer's minds to tell if they are doing mental arithmetic.

Do you have the text of what Burnie and Ashley claimed?

Edited March 5, 2016 by In Pog Form

[Lukeysboat]

I was thinking "I hope they get to keep the knife" when the SAK guy said it was good, and they did!

They did get to keep the knives. The judge handed them back.

According to tweets from Tyler and Blair, they did not.

Blair said, "We didn't get to keep the knife we made but dad and I tried to!!! It would be such a cool souvenir from the race."

Tyler responded, "@BlairFowler we wanted to keep the knife so badly too!! we'll just have to go back someday & make another :] SOMEDAY!!"

[Haleth]

About the detour, as others have stated, the clue said they had to sit on the bench and the correct number was based on how many newspaper lengths, not body size.  Plus the other factor is that they probably didn't know how long the bench is, so the only way to get an answer was to start playing leapfrog and count.

My takeaway from this season is that I need to watch certain YouTube channels more and get more familiar with these emerging stars.  I felt old watching all these people in other countries get excited over these web celebrities when I didn't know a single one.

 

Or not.  I still don't care who they are.  I refuse to call reality show participants and YouTubers "stars."

 

Right. This was the episode's way of making allowances for varied kinds of asses, which, come to think of it, is also a perfect description of this season. HEY-OH!

Exactly.

 

The knives would have been confiscated at airport security anyway.  

[mertensia]

If I recall correctly sometimes the instructions can be quite elaborate and it sounds like this time instructions said "you must physically do this".

[Browncoat]

Bummer about the knives.  I thought I heard Tyler ask if they could keep the knife and I thought I heard the knife guy say yes.  That would have been cool.

[Christina]

Tyler and Blair both said on Twitter that they were not allowed to keep the knives. 

[Bryce Lynch]

It wouldn't surprise me if the extra set of rules stated they had to go down the entire line.

"Wah! We're last and no one wants to help US! The girls ran by and left me out! They're so MEAN!" (stomps feet.) Or....this is a race, you haven't showed brilliant displays of skills and you're really slow? Au revoir models. May I never land on your Instagram page.

Intellectually, it should be easy to understand why nobody would help them. But I get how, emotionally, it would be extremely frustrating to have all the other teams get help on 2 straight tasks while you are on your own.

[shura]

How could they even prevent the act of multiplication? The production crew can't read the racer's minds to tell if they are doing mental arithmetic.

 

Oh, I don't think the production had much to worry about with most of these people. The no math rule was probably put in there as a safety measure to prevent undue mental strain. Don't want these emerging stars to hurt themselves.

 

Blair said, "We didn't get to keep the knife we made but dad and I tried to!!! It would be such a cool souvenir from the race."

 

Tyler responded, "@BlairFowler we wanted to keep the knife so badly too!! we'll just have to go back someday & make another :] SOMEDAY!!"

 

They know they could buy one, right? Also, can't they use normal amounts of exclamation points?

[Bryce Lynch]

Why were those models not running at the end to catch that train? was that just editing or are they that stupid?

I get being upset that no one is helping you, but you can't judge them for not helping. Especially if you show up late, no one is going to cut your time in half just to be nice. I also don't like the brothers(friends?) for giving everyone the bench answer.

I'm supposed to believe in a romance when they have seen each other ONCE in this entire race? And it's HER? Yeesh. Though that commentary cracked me up at the end "there's Dana...and there's Claire. Oop, Claire is down. Claire is down"

Dana is still such a bitch. First to her boyfriend, then to the poor chess players. Telling her boyfriend to sit on the board, and getting mad when he wouldnt? Then pushing it herself?

I don't like Dana, but I blame the race desigers for that. It was extremely rude to have a task that requires racers to convince or coerce people into getting out of their seats.

I'd like to see them try that in NYC.

[Anati]

That seems extremely unlikely. What the hell would the language in the clue look like? Specific instructions that they have to use that "leapfrog" method? It's difficult to believe they could put that in words understandable by the racers that did not include loopholes. How could they even prevent the act of multiplication? The production crew can't read the racer's minds to tell if they are doing mental arithmetic.

Do you have the text of what Burnie and Ashley claimed?

 

From "the amazing race" part of reddit:

 

Burnie: "The procedure we all used was required by the clue. You could not lay the paper on the bench, nor could you multiply."

 

Ashley: "We had to do it seat by seat, and one of us had to be sitting at all times. We couldn't lay the papers out and measure that way either."

 

In fact, their accounts over there provide a lot more background info if you're interested. https://www.reddit.com/user/jinxcellent (Ashley) https://www.reddit.com/user/GusSorolaVERIFIED (Burnie). 

[Bryce Lynch]

Oh, I don't think the production had much to worry about with most of these people. The no math rule was probably put in there as a safety measure to prevent undue mental strain. Don't want these emerging stars to hurt themselves.

They know they could buy one, right? Also, can't they use normal amounts of exclamation points?

I don't think one they bought would be anywhere near as cool a souvenir one they made.

[NurseGiGi]

I fully expected to see the teams racing to the mat holding hands and singing Kumbaya.

 

I'm desperately hoping there's a disgusting food task in their future.

[peachmangosteen]

While I liked the tasks and they were appropriate to the city/country, I wish there had been a chocolate task at the chocolate shop. Like eat this box of chocolates to get the race clue underneath.

 

I was really hoping they'd have to eat a bunch of chocolates, too. Seems like such missed opportunity that they didn't have that as a task.

 

Intellectually, it should be easy to understand why nobody would help them. But I get how, emotionally, it would be extremely frustrating to have all the other teams get help on 2 straight tasks while you are on your own.

 

This. I mean I think I probably would've stopped whining about it a bit sooner than she did, but I definitely get being upset when you see everyone helping each other and no one will help you even though you get that it's because it's a race.

 

I don't like Dana, but I blame the race desigers for that. It was extremely rude to have a task that requires racers to convince or coerce people into getting out of their seats.

I'd like to see them try that in NYC.

 

Oh man, I'd love to see them do that in NYC. Especially with these particular racers.

 

I continue to enjoy this season. I mean they're mostly all stupid and the #Blodie stuff was nonsense, but I'm just watching the whole thing as if it's a comedy and it's fun.

Edited March 5, 2016 by peachmangosteen

[iMonrey]

 

And I call BS about the airport fans. Maybe Tyler Oakley has fans. But I refuse to believe that some Colombians at an airport in Cartagena would be able to recognise some Z-list American YouTube "stars". Wouldn't it be more likely they'd be familiar with Colombian or Latin Z-listers who do similar things but in Spanish? I refuse to believe that the average Colombian surfs the Internet looking for videos from Magenta team who are discussing American pop culture. I'm American and I have never heard of ANY of these people before this race.

 

I strongly suspect the attention they get in the airport is due more to the fact that Amazing Race camera crews are following them around and the locals know what The Amazing Race is. The show plays it up like these people are globally famous but I bet this happens every season - people see a bunch of camera crews and figure out they're filming The Amazing Race and want selfies with the teams.

 

I thought for sure this was going to be "to be continued" leg because I can't remember another leg that ended with a bunched train ride like that. I thought it was kind of hilarious that for all the place switching and bunching the teams still ended up in the same order they started in - with Kurt and Brodie in first, and Tyler and Korey in second. 

 

Geez I had just started to warm up to the models last week and then they go and pull this whiney ass entitlement crap and sour grapes. Good riddance. I still wish it had been the "hosts" though. 

[zizzy]

I didn't mind a couple of contestants agreeing to help each other at the flag challenge.  Two people would make the task go more quickly.  But to provide the location of the chocolate shop...at the beginning of the leg?  Dumb.  

 

That one didn't bother me too much because it looked like an equalizer. Even if they had let the other team wander around for two hours before finding the chocolate shop, it didn't seem like it would have made much of a difference. They would have still had the other team right behind them at 10:00 the next morning.

 

But I don't get Brodie and Kurt sharing their answer at all. 

[sharkhawk]

My problem with the flag challenge was that every team got the same countries.  It would have made a lot more sense for each team to have had to find their own flags.  That would have mostly stopped the cooperation, and made it more of a challange.

[Fat Bastard]

I kept wondering how they managed to have Mr Putin judging the task at United Nations.

 

Otherwise one of the poorest leg designs in TAR, but I kind of liked the story arc "from sunny Colombia to snow-covered Alps".

[Artsda]

 

Brittany said on Twitter that they needed to get tickets, so it wasn't as close as it looked.  On the other hand, it could still be their fault.  She said they could have bought tickets on the train but only had US currency...so why hadn't they changed some money beforehand?  And why couldn't they get all the necessary tickets at the first station?

It's still their fault then, the 2nd group all ran from their train over to the last train without going to get tickets. They didn't need to go around and inside then come back out like they showed the models doing. So the 2nd group must have all had their tickets.

 

Models should have exchanged money since the leg started or bought all their tickets in the first window so they could run. They didn't seem to want to really race this leg at all. They wandered around aimlessly, then whined and wanted the other racers to stop and give them the answers/instructions to the flag. Then they just slowly walked around and wasn't in a hurry to really try and not be last. 

[Fat Bastard]

Models should have exchanged money since the leg started...

 

I'm sure some Swiss gentleman would have exchanged dollars in the train too if they would've asked.

[Haleth]

I kept wondering how they managed to have Mr Putin judging the task at United Nations.".

Ha! I thought the same thing!

[mojoween]

Aww an eating chocolate task would have just reminded me of season 5.

I feel like after everyone left the chess players sent a letter to the Swiss government asking them to reconsider their stance on neutrality.

From start to finish the entire nonsense about the shomance proved to me that I am apparently too old for life.

[ForeverAlone]

I prefer the more straight up competitiveness from earlier seasons, rather than the rah rah, everyone gets a gold star (except for the last place team of course, because they would just be stupid to help the last place team at the risk of their own placement-a very basic concept the Models utterly failed to grasp and kept whining about). Maybe it is a generational difference. I am Gen X, and we were raised to be more independent, and millenials seem to be more about teams. At least that is what I take away from this season. I don't find it a BAD season (yet anyway,but give it time), but the constant shrieking from some teams get on my nerves, and I just prefer the more competitive, isolated game play among the teams. At least some of them seem to realize that they will eventually have to work on their own, which hopefully will provide some entertainment, because some teams almost seem incapable of doing their own work. And that was utterly crap leg design at the end, where they were all bunched up at the Pit Stop. I haven't seen the mid seasons yet (basically anything from 12-27), but these legs just seem so freaking easy compared to early seasons. Plus all this freaking collaboration. I always liked the teams that worked and succeeded more on their own, rather than had to be carried, because they wouldn't/couldn't do their own work. 

[Wandering Snark]

 

With all the negatives, I still love TAR. I just want them to do better than this. The tasks themselves were actually fantastic.

Agreed. They do need to do better than this crap...

 

I think the issue here is that previous racers read the clue and then did a little planning dialogue of how they were going to approach the task and off they went; while these people aren't racers they are collaborators in spirit. So they read the clue and look around to see who they're going to work with then whatever group they end up in decides how they will do the task and they go off. It's just a totally different way to run the Race. It's also, I'd guess, mainly due to the fact that they wanted "social media" teams that would join them not social media teams that know the show.

[possibilities]

It would have made a lot more sense for each team to have had to find their own flags.  That would have mostly stopped the cooperation, and made it more of a challenge.

I've come to believe that the show likes the co-operation among teams and doesn't want the race to be more competitive or difficult. They probably thought having the teams bunched into an 8-way footrace was exciting, too. It seems like they KNEW how to make a difficult race that induced Killer Fatigue, separated the teams, and pushed even the stronger teams to their absolute physical and emotional limits... and they stopped doing it. It's not that they don't know how. It's that they apparently prefer the easier and less competitive version. I don't understand it, but I really think it's not an accident. The only thing I can think of is that it's just plain less expensive to spoonfeed flights, keep the teams bunched, and make the tasks easier thus quicker to complete. It's certainly not more exciting to watch, and I have yet to hear anyone say they love the new, less difficult format. Could they seriously have been unable to find teams willing to do the more difficult versions? Other than that, it has to be just that it's easier and cheaper to film.

[biakbiak]

I strongly suspect the attention they get in the airport is due more to the fact that Amazing Race camera crews are following them around and the locals know what The Amazing Race is. The show plays it up like these people are globally famous but I bet this happens every season - people see a bunch of camera crews and figure out they're filming The Amazing Race and want selfies with the teams.

I disagree. I think the cameras might make people do a doubletake and wonder why they might know them but it's not something that has happened before except with a few times with Rob and Amber and Jonathan from NKOTB, so just cameras alone don't account for it. The group surrounding Tyler was tween girls which is a huge part of his demo and not really TARs. Did all of them necessarily know them? Perhaps not but they got excited when their friends told them he was famous. Edited March 5, 2016 by biakbiak

[tenativelyyours]

These people seem as stupid as they are annoying.  I think the lack of howler monkey screeching on the blond boy's part looks like fatigue already.  In fact a lot of the teams look beat this leg.  And this is only the fourth leg as it were. 

 

I guess I should be glad they are helping each out.  Otherwise at least half the teams would still be careening wildly through the streets of Geneva looking for the proper Rohr entrance.  In fact I wonder if someone in production on the film crew isn't making sure to say in loud sotto voce; "I wonder if they worked together they could actually get the fucking task done already". 

 

And it seems like there are a lot of moments that clues are not being fully read to complete comprehension.  It is simply follow and jump in and do what the others are doing.  Or appear to be doing.  I hope whatever influence these people do have via social media is attracting mostly the 'already stupid" demographic because anyone who is still impressionable might not stand a chance. 

 

The models whining rhetorical "why isn't this right" had me wanting them to go over the Vocal Fryer (is she trying to knock off as many years as she can with her father?) and Dana in an instant.  And over Bellowing Brodie.  And annoying Tyler (his partner seems okay enough for this bunch).  Well over all the rest.  Can we have a show with no winning team?   How's that for a "first"?

 

Even the bench task seemed possible to do and not have the people already sitting, props or not, to move if they were reluctant to do.  One person sitting could assess the standing with the paper spread properly. 

 

How can you leave a piece out of the knife and think it is done?  Really?  How can you stand there and see what seems like a map of the flags right in front of you and not realize it?  How long can you say the words "amazing race" or even "race" and not fully understand the "race" part. And why do so many think milling about aimlessly as fast as they can is going to get them where they want instead of simply figuring out a map and stopping to ask questions?  Yelling as you run past someone if they speak English leg after leg without actually engaging people politely for a second or stopping to let the person see the location written in the clue doesn't count as "asking directions" either.  I wonder if we will get to a point where they have to drive themselves somewhere and one will yell out the winder as they speed past and be shocked they didn't get an answer.  There is a level of weird entitlement wrapped in idiocy this season of yuckleheads that amazes me.  And it manages to incorporate almost all the teams and their members.   From the bellowing demands to simply walk forward and show who wasn't playing an instrument to Scott asking the vendors to hand him the answers in the way of the correct woven bags.  There is such a high annoying level among them all to simply have what they want given to them.  And from oldest to youngest it seems a field of people who still are shocked and stunned at hearing the word 'no'. 

 

Okay let's skip past the idiocy of Blair and Brodie and jump to the even stupider hypothetical.  What if it did turn out these two were meant for each.  And got married and had kids.  What if they managed to produce children with the combined vocal habits?  Can you imagine the horror?  People grinding words like a Honda Civic thrown in a cement mixer at Brodie's bellowing and blaring levels?   Dogs in neighboring states would howl.  Before jumping in front of moving cars to end the agony.

Edited March 5, 2016 by tenativelyyours

[shura]

I don't think one they bought would be anywhere near as cool a souvenir one they made.

 

No, but Tyler's proposal to go back and make another one wouldn't make it any more of a souvenir. It would still produce just a Swiss Army knife they didn't make on the Race (although yes, it would still be cooler than a store-bought piece). I am wondering now, is that place open for tourists who can go in and make their own knife or was it just for TAR?

[biakbiak]

No, but Tyler's proposal to go back and make another one wouldn't make it any more of a souvenir. It would still produce just a Swiss Army knife they didn't make on the Race (although yes, it would still be cooler than a store-bought piece). I am wondering now, is that place open for tourists who can go in and make their own knife or was it just for TAR?

You cando it t the visitors center .

[Hera]

"What language do they speak in Switzerland?"  "Swiss."  They could've said French, German and/or Italian and been correct, but SWISS?

To be fair, Swiss German is pretty hard to understand if you're used to standard German. But I'd be surprised if any of the racers knew that.

 

Intellectually, it should be easy to understand why nobody would help them. But I get how, emotionally, it would be extremely frustrating to have all the other teams get help on 2 straight tasks while you are on your own.

This is what I thought too, and is also why I felt a little sorry for the models. Being excluded is fundamentally unpleasant and knowing the (completely understandable and rational) reasons for it isn't going to do much to stop it from feeling personal. That said, there's no excuse for not legging it to the platform, currency change or no. In their place, I would have been sorely tempted to board the train anyway and buy tickets from the conductor (and pay any fines). It seems silly to exchange money for more Swiss francs when you're about to enter a country that uses the euro anyway. But then again, maybe the race has a rule that states you must buy a ticket before boarding transport out of a city or country.

 

I don't mind the collusions so much, since it can't last forever and opens the door to teams getting mad at each other ("We helped them on the last leg and when we needed help, they just breezed right past us!"). I am surprised at the lack of thought into who gets help and who doesn't. If you're going to help a team, it's better to help out a weak team, rather than the ones who are more or less keeping up with you. The boost the weak team gets might keep them out of last place, allowing you easier competition in the later rounds, while keeping a strong team in doesn't benefit you at all. Of course, this time there was that bunch right before getting to the mat, so anyone could have come in last, which would have been frustrating if all the teams had been on the same train at the end.

[Netfoot]

I felt a little sorry for the models. Being excluded is fundamentally unpleasant and knowing the (completely understandable and rational) reasons for it isn't going to do much to stop it from feeling personal. That said...

 

Totally agree.  You can feel bad about it.  But when she realized she wasn't getting the help she thought she deserved, Jessica just wandered aimlessly up and down, and made little visible effort to pull them out of trouble.  And again, they could have rushed onto the train, persuaded some citizen to change money for them, and paid the fine/bought a ticket, to be in the final sprint to the mat.  Who knows?  They might have saved themselves and sent home some other team.  

[blackwing]

The people sitting on the benches must clearly have been told about the task and might have been told to be difficult.  Particularly the chess players.  After the third time they were asked to move, any sensible person would have taken the chess board and moved across to the open bench ten feet in front of them.  Especially after seeing so many other people coming in to do the exact same task.  Then problem solved, no more bothering.  In that sense I'm not really sure if I blame Dana.  They were clearly trying to be difficult.  She could have been nicer about it, but as I said, any reasonable person would have moved somewhere else.  Thus my suspicion that they were told by production to stay there.

[Rick Kitchen]

 

I strongly suspect the attention they get in the airport is due more to the fact that Amazing Race camera crews are following them around and the locals know what The Amazing Race is. The show plays it up like these people are globally famous but I bet this happens every season - people see a bunch of camera crews and figure out they're filming The Amazing Race and want selfies with the teams.

 

Man, people on here are just bound and determined to minimize the popularity of people they claim to have never heard of.

[Browncoat]

I've never heard of any of them, but I did see an advert for a RoosterTeeth production before a movie I saw today.  No idea what the production was, though, and I suspect the only reason I remember RoosterTeeth is because of this season of TAR.

[ForeverAlone]

I had never heard of any of the TAR participants this year beforehand, except for Tyler, so it has been interesting to see that some of them are recognized in foreign countries. 

[Netfoot]

Man, people on here are just bound and determined to minimize the popularity of people they claim to have never heard of.

 

To the best of my knowledge and memory, I have never heard of any of these competitors/racers before.  Nor prior to this race, have I seen any of their videos, followed or friendsed them on Faceblot, or seen any of their bodies of work that make them popular or famous.

 

I have now observed them for four episodes.  While something may occur in future episodes to change my mind, I can state that I have not been inspired to go online and seek out any of their content, watch any of their videos, or otherwise subject myself to any of their art.  The glimpses of their output forced upon me by TPTB is sufficient for me to conclude that the contributions of these 'influencers' is without merit or value.  The fact that they are popular and have large followings is nothing but a sad commentary upon the intelligence of their target audience.

 

I do not desire to "minimize the popularity" of these people.  Their popularity is a given.  But as far as I am concerned, their contributions are without significance, and for many, it seems significant contribution is beyond them.  Perhaps, if they were to forget about who was trending and race a good race, they might find a permanent place in my mind, as worthy competitors in the amazing, Amazing Race.  I doubt they've got it in them, but I'm hoping they prove me wrong.

[tenativelyyours]

I don't think I am not giving these "stars" their due to also realize that with all the teams in one place like that with all their camera crews filming, that people would not be drawn to them, which in turn draws more people to them.  And the show itself might be recognizable there by now just by its nature of filming.  Even through the same means that these people purportedly drew such large crowds.  If people can watch YouTube videos then they can see the Amazing Race, clips and full episodes online as well.  To the point that people with lots of camera crews who can only admit they are in a race or a competition might get attention. 

 

And yes it might be cynical to think that since the show is committed to having such a themed season it will make sure to support or edit to convince us the legitimacy for such a decision but it is hardly silly.  If the show decided that bringing this group as a whole on was a good business decision because they are "stars" why wouldn't they also commit to smart business practices of simply re-enforcing that one way or another as well as making sure to insert a scene that really does much to remind that element that does see these people as a draw that they were right in the first place.  If your intent was to bring in a new demographic via this casting, it only makes simple and practical sense to provide whatever positive re-enforcement you can such as a scene which says "see what big stars they are" i.e. see how right you were to come watch this season because of them.?

[Rick Kitchen]

 

I do not desire to "minimize the popularity" of these people.  Their popularity is a given.

 

Not by those who claim that the only reason they're mobbed by people in foreign countries is because of the TAR cameras.

[LittleIggy]

According to tweets from Tyler and Blair, they did not.

Blair said, "We didn't get to keep the knife we made but dad and I tried to!!! It would be such a cool souvenir from the race."

Tyler responded, "@BlairFowler we wanted to keep the knife so badly too!! we'll just have to go back someday & make another :] SOMEDAY!!"

Well, they sure made it look as if they got to keep the knife. The guy handed the knife back to them. Guess it was snatched back at the door.

I still think they could have counted the sections first, then done the leapfrogging to measure the first section, then multiply. The team could then just pretend to do the whole thing, etc.

[Jal]

Totally agree.  You can feel bad about it.  But when she realized she wasn't getting the help she thought she deserved, Jessica just wandered aimlessly up and down, and made little visible effort to pull them out of trouble.  And again, they could have rushed onto the train, persuaded some citizen to change money for them, and paid the fine/bought a ticket, to be in the final sprint to the mat.  Who knows?  They might have saved themselves and sent home some other team.  

 

It's easy to say things like that from the comfort of home, without having to make that decision in a few seconds.

 

While they're annoying, I didn't find the models to be out of line with their comments, especially after watching how the rest of the contestants have played.

[Matryoshka]

I've come to believe that the show likes the co-operation among teams and doesn't want the race to be more competitive or difficult.

I would have to disagree; wasn't the elimination of "eat, sleep, mingle" and the introduction of the U-turn all designed to create conflict between the racers, not cooperation?

[ForeverAlone]

I would have to disagree; wasn't the elimination of "eat, sleep, mingle" and the introduction of the U-turn all designed to create conflict between the racers, not cooperation?

That is definitely one aspect that was supposed to foster conflict. Maybe they would get more if they put in rules that prevented the sort of collaboration we have seen this season, so every team was pretty much running their own game. Of course, part of the problem this season, likely is because many of them are already familiar with each other, at least professionally. 

[Christina]

FWIW - I was reading the Reddit link posted somewhere in this forum, and Burnie said that a person in a class field trip recognized Zack, and then in spread like wildfire. So it was a group of students who mobbed them, based on one person's initial recognition. 

[zizzy]

To the best of my knowledge and memory, I have never heard of any of these competitors/racers before.  Nor prior to this race, have I seen any of their videos, followed or friendsed them on Faceblot, or seen any of their bodies of work that make them popular or famous.

 

I have now observed them for four episodes.  While something may occur in future episodes to change my mind, I can state that I have not been inspired to go online and seek out any of their content, watch any of their videos, or otherwise subject myself to any of their art.  The glimpses of their output forced upon me by TPTB is sufficient for me to conclude that the contributions of these 'influencers' is without merit or value.  The fact that they are popular and have large followings is nothing but a sad commentary upon the intelligence of their target audience.

 

I do not desire to "minimize the popularity" of these people.  Their popularity is a given.  But as far as I am concerned, their contributions are without significance, and for many, it seems significant contribution is beyond them.  Perhaps, if they were to forget about who was trending and race a good race, they might find a permanent place in my mind, as worthy competitors in the amazing, Amazing Race.  I doubt they've got it in them, but I'm hoping they prove me wrong.

 

I can't help but find it kind of hilarious how many TAR fans are so quick to call the work of this seasons contestants "without value" when we're mainly discussing a reality show--the very definition of "trash TV" for a lot of people. I mean, I love TAR, but it's not "quality TV" for me by any means. It's a fun show that I like to watch after a day at work and get invested in. Which I imagine is similar to the people who watch and follow Tyler's vlogs of the frisbee guys or whatever it is the rest of them do. It's just weird to see so many people insult fun but perhaps not exactly the "smartest" entertainment when that's exactly what TAR is to me.

 

But I admit I enjoy a few of Rooster Teeth's productions, and if you asked me to compare the supposed value or merit of TAR to something like Red vs. Blue, I would have no problem saying that RvB has more "artistic value" than TAR (even if it's not been the best written show). So maybe that comment about the intelligence of their target audience applies to me.

Edited March 6, 2016 by zizzy