S28.E12: The Only First That Matters

[Wandering Snark]

Must admit that's the first time I've heard any use of the phrase (approx) "And you know how well teachers are paid!!" without it being sarcastic. Look at that guy in his fancy car, must be a professor of archaelogy or something!! Comes up, well, never.

But given the price of schooling (even wellll before college!) for a large family I can see why it would makes someone mention it were they to be in line for a windfall as something they could use that money for.

[aradia22]

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Matt being the most athletic made a big difference in that jump.

You're giving him a lot more credit than I did. As a short person, I immediately thought, well he's a got advantage over Tyler and Sheri with both his height and longer arms.

Quote

Next time is strangers who have been paired together, and on Twitter Phil said it will air in September.

GAH. Why? I know this isn't what they've done... they've gone for some gimmick again or some shenanigans for drama but the only way I'd find this acceptable is if they created super teams that might not get along (thus giving them some drama) but that are set up to win in terms of skills. Assemble gladiator teams and then really push them with the tasks.

Quote

Too much stunt casting maybe. I want to see teams who are longtime race fans, not folks who are prospective famewhores or people who are trying to grab YouTube clicks or Twitter followers or whatever.

See, I feel like many of the less famous, thirsty teams were eliminated first. What I liked about most of the final teams was that they've already achieved a comfortable level of internet fame so I didn't get that desperate "give us a TV pilot" vibe from them all the time.

[RCharter]

2 hours ago, mertensia said:

I don't know about Troy University but I went to the same university where my father taught and received no break in tuition. Also, professors? Not necessarily raking in the dough.

really?  I thought a tuition break was pretty standard for employees and family.  Was your father tenured?  Maybe thats the difference?  But I thought even the employees who worked in financial aid and what not got the same deal.

[mertensia]

Yes, my father was tenured. It's a well-know university as well. No tuition breaks.

[RCharter]

19 minutes ago, mertensia said:

Yes, my father was tenured. It's a well-know university as well. No tuition breaks.

Wow, that sucks.  Around these parts its one of the reasons why people agree to take low paying jobs at colleges.  Oh well, I'm sure with a professor for a father you were smart enough to get a great scholarship!

[BK1978]

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 8:57 PM, ByaNose said:

I'm so happy Tyler lost. Is that wrong? What a last leg to lose. It's the only leg that matters.

Not wrong at all.  I found him to be annoying and smug throughout the entire race.  I was so happy when he did not win. 

I had like six other posts quoted but the multi-quote is not working for me.  So I will just put some of my thoughts here on what I wanted to say to the other posts.

I was surprised at how good this season turned out to be.  When I first heard this would be an all-Social Media season I debated on if I was going to watch it or not.  I thought it would be a cast full of Justin's but it did not turn out that way.  It was not the best season but it was pretty good.

Sheri & Cole grew on me as well.  At first I found him to be highly annoying but by Friday night's episode I found myself wanting him and his mother to win.

Edited May 15, 2016 by BK1978

[mojoween]

The grizzled fisherman handing out the clue on the boat looked like an actor but I can't quite place him.  Does anyone know?  I haven't seen it come up anywhere online.

[aemom]

I agree that I'm tired of the stunt casting and especially tired of the producers looking to recruit people for the show. I'm more than happy to watch real fans who don't look like supermodels on the show.

My kids also used to love the show but ever since they started The Amazing Race Canada,  they've lost interest in the US one because the tasks on the Canadian one are so much harder.  I also find that the tasks on the US one have become more dumbed down over the years.  YMMV.

[Netfoot]

13 hours ago, greyhorse said:

There is no room for movement if the team in first nails every single task and stays out in front.

True, but the same is also true for Olympic Hurdlers.  If the guy up front keeps on rocking, it will always be difficult for the team behind to overtake.  I don't think that Matt/Dana won because the tasks prevented any overtaking.  I see their win because they killed the last leg, competing each task better than any of the other teams.  If they had made any sort of real screw-up, it would have opened the door, but they just kept on rocking the leg.

2 hours ago, AEMom said:

I agree that I'm tired of the stunt casting and especially tired of the producers looking to recruit people for the show. I'm more than happy to watch real fans who don't look like supermodels on the show.

Honestly?  I find the contestants who are on the show in order to further their careers have a tendency to be less than entertaining.  But when you start talking about "real fans" I get nervous, too.  Because as soon as I hear them talking about beating Rachael & Dave's record, I know we have a Justin on our hands.

[indeed]

Tyler and Corey probably figured Dana would be screaming at Matt and sabotage their chances.  They hadn't won a leg or even come in second all race.

Didn't they win the very first leg?

I liked the season, but this final episode was disappointing.  The last challenge should've been much harder IMO.  And way too many commercials.  It was obvious no one was going to give M/D any competition.  *Yawn*

[ByaNose]

Yeah, the #hashtag task just wasn't hard enough. There should have been bogus names, extra letters & little more challenging. I think the container challenge that the was done a few years ago went on for hours and was physically exhausting. This was just a few barrels in wine country with Wheel of Fortune thrown in. 

[needschocolate]

Burnie and Ashley were known as the "second place team."  Cole and his mom came in near the bottom so many times that they  earned the title of the "second to last place team."  I suppose it is only fitting that they finished the race second to last (which was also second place in this case).

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 10:35 PM, J-Man said:

Obviously they didn't waste a lot of time showing the second and third place teams working on the memory task, but from the few glimpses they gave us, I don't think Cole and Korey were doing too well. It appeared that Cole had misspelled "Cartagena," and I don't think Korey had figured out the whole hashtag thing-- he was just spelling out the cities. Maybe they didn't have to actually finish once the winners checked in, but I'd be curious to know.

My gut feeling is that once the first two teams have crossed the finish line, someone tells the last place team to stop and go to the end.  No point in having everyone, incluidng all the people the show has to pay, to wait around for someone if it isn't going to change the outcome.

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 6:44 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Dana, on the other hand, is only 29. I suppose it's possible that a person that age could have 8 kids but man, that would be exhausting to basically have back to back pregnancies for a decade.

Well, it is easier if you don't have them one at a time - there was Octomom a few years ago.

I don't know how old they were when they started or stopped having children, but two of my great-grandmothers each had 12 kids, all singel births.

On ‎5‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 8:50 AM, iMonrey said:

Ugh. I was hoping Tyler and Korey would win, but I would have been OK with Sheri and Cole winning. Would have been fine with Ashley and Burnie winning too. But Dana? You just don't want to see someone who's done nothing but bitch and moan and scream at her partner get handed a million bucks at the end. I don't, anyway. I think this was the worst winning team in memory. (Never saw the Zach and Flo season.)

I don't either.  I can never root for couples that bicker (even if it is just one of them doing the bickering).  The closest I come to rooting for them is to root for them to fail because the one who is obnoxious did something obnoxious (Like Justin last season).  Karma is fun to watch.  The only way there would be a chance that I was happy with Dana and Matt winning is if Dana would have told Phil "This leg made me realized how much better we are together when I put effort into staying calm and be patient, rather than screaming and flying off the handle."  Instead, she kept up the "We are volatile.  We bicker. Etc"

I think when Matt says "We yell" he is thinking "You yell, but, if I say that, you will just yell more."  And when Dana says "We fight," she is thinking "You are the problem, I am just including myself because I am trying to be nice to you, like I always do, even though you never treat me with respect."

Edited May 15, 2016 by needschocolate
I had included a quote that I didn't mean to quote

[Hpmec]

A few thoughts from someone familiar with Santa Barbara...

• 1. Matt and Dana chose the wrong people to ask about a cab after they let theirs go. The hotel clerk and the craft vendor were both apparently clueless and gave them bad information. They were actually only a couple of blocks from the train station where there would be a cab waiting. Someone should have known to direct them there. 
• 2. Gibralter Rock is not a place that would likely be familiar to a cabbie. It is up a steep, out of the way mountain road above the city -- way off the tourist beat and hard to find. The odds of a cabbie having heard of it or being able to easily find it- even with directions-- are low. 
• 3. On the other hand, teams must have been spoon fed directions to the vineyard, which is 40 minutes outside of Santa Barbara in the Santa Ynez Valley. That particular vineyard is not open to the public and their website only references a tasting room in town. No team seemed to have trouble finding it, so I call generous production assistance on that one. Also, why four clues in the hay? Could race planners have originally planned for four teams at the finish and made the switch to 3 late in the game? Something was up with that.

All in all, a dull final episode. Teams should have all been whisked off to Santa Barbara in unison and allowed to truly race to the finish. 

Edited May 15, 2016 by Hpmec

[greyhorse]

6 hours ago, Netfoot said:

True, but the same is also true for Olympic Hurdlers.  If the guy up front keeps on rocking, it will always be difficult for the team behind to overtake.  I don't think that Matt/Dana won because the tasks prevented any overtaking.  I see their win because they killed the last leg, competing each task better than any of the other teams.  If they had made any sort of real screw-up, it would have opened the door, but they just kept on rocking the leg.

We're saying the same thing.  I was responding to somebody's post who was upset that there wasn't "room for movement" and that their favorites Tyler and Korey had no chance.  Tyler and Korey had no chance because Matt and Dana rocked the last leg (aside from making a 20 minute mistake by letting the taxi go) while Tyler and Korey bumbled their way through to the finish.  They wasted time by running up Angel's Flight and missed the clue at the bottom, and then compounded that mistake by taking three tries for the clue.  Then they seemingly took longer to find the boat than Matt and Dana did, although who knows with editing.

I'm ok with Dana winning.  On the level of hotheadness and annoyingness in TAR history, she doesn't even begin to tip the scale.  Fiery is a good way to describe her.  But it works for the two of them, so who are we to judge.  I loved that they gave a little dance on the winner's mat at the very end.  The jumping up and then spinning and dropping down to Matt's ankles looks like something that I've seen on Dancing with the Stars.

[Jobiska]

33 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I'm ok with Dana winning.  On the level of hotheadness and annoyingness in TAR history, she doesn't even begin to tip the scale.  Fiery is a good way to describe her.  But it works for the two of them, so who are we to judge.  I loved that they gave a little dance on the winner's mat at the very end.  The jumping up and then spinning and dropping down to Matt's ankles looks like something that I've seen on Dancing with the Stars.

I, too, have no problem with Matt and Dana winning.  Based solely on what we've been shown on the show (I do understand people have seen her get grumpy and reactive on Twitter, but I personally haven't), after his shutdown/her meltdown in Dubai, in the post-leg interviews she seemed teary and regretful about her behavior, and after that I don't remember her being anywhere close to as hurtful to her partner (snappish, maybe, and getting anxious about the cab in this leg, but not cruel).  It takes a lot under these circumstances to notice and turn behavior like that around even to the extent that she did.  Not saying she's always the most soothing person to be around, but I think that unlike many, many racers we've seen who just got meaner and meaner to their partners, she had a moment of awareness and made at least some effort afterward to improve.  I am another not on the "Free Matt" bandwagon.  And I loved their dance moves on the mat.

[Blissfool]

The reason it was so boring, or no room for movement, is that each task was ultra simple. Once Matt established a lead, which in my opinion is due to his long arms and legs, the others lost it for themselves with the simple mistakes  (St. Theresa Museum, anyone?). Nobody even made any errors in the final task. As viewers, aren't we used to the camera shots where there mistakes are pointed out to us by production? 

Who designed this leg? Obviously a cbs intern! 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Matt and Dana rocked the last leg (aside from making a 20 minute mistake by letting the taxi go) while Tyler and Korey bumbled their way through to the finish.

At one point, after letting their cabbie go, M&D observed that T&K had taken their cab.  (Quite properly, seeing as M&D had dismissed it.  No accusation!)  So, we see T&K departing in a cab, and M&D standing there with no cab.  At that point, I think, T&K were in 1st place!  How is it that they were not able to capitalize on this lead, and carry on to win the race?  

Starting at the aeroport. M&D outraced the rest to pull ahead into a clear first place lead, while T&K fell back to third.  Then, when T&K took the lead again, after M&D foolishly gave up their cab, M&D outraced them again, to retake the lead, which they held to the finish.  Did M&D race better than everyone else?  Did T&K race worse?  Was it a combination of the two?  Or was it all decided by the turn of the wheel of fate?  One way or the other, M&D got into a leading position twice, while T&K fell to the back of the pack twice.  I'd have to say that M&D raced well, and T&K raced poorly.  

Obviously, there was opportunity for positions to change, because they did.  T&K went from evens at the start, to last, to first, and back to last.

So, the way to overtake another team, was to race better than them, or for them to race worse than you.  And that's as it should be.  The last thing you want to see in the finals, is some loser team get pushed to the front because they found their Red Bean faster.  

[jhlipton]

On 5/14/2016 at 9:06 AM, J.D. said:

I like when they mix it up and throw in something that allows the other teams to catch up if they're behind.  For example, when they throw in a time delay where the teams all meet up somewhere to take a flight but the plane doesn't leave for another 5 hours.

I wouldn't like that.  One final "bunch" at the start of the leg, then everyone is on their own.

As others have said, the leg looked like there was no movement possible simply because Matt and Dana rocked every task.

On 5/14/2016 at 11:59 AM, jumper sage said:

He himself is afraid of caves.  What?  No caves on TAR?  I LOVE PHIL THOUGH.

There have been plenty of caves and tunnels.  Remember FlightDad searching for pieces outside on early this season?

 

3 hours ago, Hpmec said:

 Also, why four clues in the hay?

I think it was so teams would have no idea how many teams had already arrived (if they had been mixed up more than happened).

[QuantumMechanic]

On 5/14/2016 at 9:44 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

that article says that Shari has six kids, not eight. It lists all of them by name and age so I don't know if she was joking/exaggerating when she said she was eight kids or if she or her husband has two kids from a previous marriage that weren't mentioned in the article.

I don't she ever said she has 8 kids.  What she said was "we're a family of eight".  I took that to mean her, her husband, and six kids.

[QuantumMechanic]

12 hours ago, AEMom said:

My kids also used to love the show but ever since they started The Amazing Race Canada,  they've lost interest in the US one because the tasks on the Canadian one are so much harder.  I also find that the tasks on the US one have become more dumbed down over the years.  YMMV.

For those of us in the US and not near the border, is there any legit way to watch TAR-Canada?

[jumper sage]

1 hour ago, jhlipton said:

There have been plenty of caves and tunnels.  Remember FlightDad searching for pieces outside on early this season?

Not like they have heights.  Was Phil actually in the tunnel and if so he was probably at the entrance.

They need to get back to old school TAR with actual activities you would do in a country and have a mixed group of people racing.

[aemom]

2 hours ago, QuantumMechanic said:

For those of us in the US and not near the border, is there any legit way to watch TAR-Canada?

I just found it on iTunes at $2.99 per ep, but I'm not sure if there on restrictions or not as to whether or not US customers can purchase them.

[Rick Kitchen]

There's an official channel on YouTube for TAR Canada, but only through season three and not all of the episodes:

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXlexKLWx4gnI8yxAWDG-eA

[Alapaki]

I think this is the least engaged with a TAR season that I've been since I started watching (and I started with Season 2, actually the finale of Season 1).  I didn't even bother to watch the finale until last night.

I think that's a function of just being Meh about the who casting theme.

I suppose TPTB have decided that stunt-casting is the price required for keeping the show going, but I personally prefer "regular" people who have genuine personality, rather than racers with some level of pre-race notoriety who insist that they are "Personalities".

But, whatever.  I'll keep watching.

[proserpina65]

So basically I decided that my dislike of Tyler was much greater than my dislike of Dana, and that I am okay with this result.  To give her props, she rocked that memory task.

Overall, the last leg was pretty decent.  Some good tasks, some attractive locations and winners I didn't completely hate.  And I don't blame Sheri one bit for practically being in tears over that roadblock - I'd probably have been hysterical and puking, and I certainly wouldn't have been able to get on with it the way she did.

[proserpina65]

Quote

As for this episode, Brandon the instructor didn't seem to mind that Tyler found him attractive. No idea if Brandon was into it or not, but he was pretty smiley about all the future husband jokes and what-not. He certainly didn't seem bothered by it.

I actually thought he looked pretty annoyed by the time Tyler finally finished the task.  Kind of like "Hey, it was funny the first ten times you said it, but now, not so much".

Edited May 16, 2016 by proserpina65

[snarktini]

19 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I actually thought he looked pretty annoyed by the time Tyler finally finished the task.

I agree. I like Tyler and didn't mind the junior high style crushing, but Brandon looked exasperated at one point and the guys needed to back off.

[Mreid]

Matt and Dana won the amazing race? LOLOLOLOLOL omg thats so funny I haven't even watched the finale yet because ive been at parties all this weekend. But for some reason I'm not even upset I find it hilarious. Thats what Tyler and Korey get for not helping Burnie and Ashley last week  those guys forgot that Matt and Dana did win the first leg. I would have never helped them. And who would have ever thought Sheri and Cole would finish in 2nd place wow Pretty good season 

[biakbiak]

26 minutes ago, snarktini said:

I agree. I like Tyler and didn't mind the junior high style crushing, but Brandon looked exasperated at one point and the guys needed to back off.

Tyler and Korey never met a riff they couldn't beat to death.

[How Bout That]

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I hate when racers talk how they are afraid of heights, can't drive stick over & can't swim over & over & over. If that's the case what the hell are you dong on The Amazing Race?

That's how they got on the show. People who behave like adults, perform well together, complete tasks quickly and efficiently and have no serious phobias are not welcome on that show.

[kingshearte]

On 5/15/2016 at 8:40 AM, AEMom said:

My kids also used to love the show but ever since they started The Amazing Race Canada,  they've lost interest in the US one because the tasks on the Canadian one are so much harder.  I also find that the tasks on the US one have become more dumbed down over the years.  YMMV.

 

12 hours ago, Rick Kitchen said:

There's an official channel on YouTube for TAR Canada, but only through season three and not all of the episodes:

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXlexKLWx4gnI8yxAWDG-eA

There are only three seasons so far. And I second the notion that they've been considerably better than the last several seasons of original flavour TAR. Even the first season, that didn't leave Canada, proved (in case anyone was wondering) that the staying in the US part was not what ruined the family season. I've found that, overall, the teams on TARCan have been less drama-filled (although the team drama level was generally pretty low this season, too), and the tasks have been way harder.

I think the degree of hardness of the tasks on this last leg is largely what's giving some people the impression that there was no room for movement in this last leg. I think maybe it was just missing at least one task that was so difficult that even a really strong team could take long enough doing it that other teams could catch up. Instead we had a fairly straightforward jump, a helicopter ride, a needle-in-the-haystack task that could have shaken things up, but (based on editing, at least) seems to have not been as challenging as some have been, a brute strength task, and then a predictable memory task. I'm not in any way knocking Matt and Dana's performance here; they basically smoked everything, and, much as I don't particularly like them, they definitely earned this win. The other two teams simply didn't perform as well. Maybe a more difficult memory challenge (which often seems to be where the teams end up all working on it at the same time) would have made people feel like other teams continued to stand a chance? I don't know. I didn't really object to the leg design (although two height-based challenges seems a bit cruel — not that I'm suggesting anything was deliberately stacked against anyone, but given how common fear of heights is, the odds that someone in the final six would suffer from it seem pretty high, so tormenting that person twice in one leg seems just a touch cruel to me), but I would have liked to see a harder memory challenge.

[meep.meep]

21 hours ago, Little Spoon said:

The reason it was so boring, or no room for movement, is that each task was ultra simple. Once Matt established a lead, which in my opinion is due to his long arms and legs, the others lost it for themselves with the simple mistakes  (St. Theresa Museum, anyone?). Nobody even made any errors in the final task. As viewers, aren't we used to the camera shots where there mistakes are pointed out to us by production? 

Who designed this leg? Obviously a cbs intern! 

I didn't find it boring.  There were plenty of places to switch leads, but it didn't happen because Matt and Dana actually competed very well.  They were the only team to need one jump to get the first clue.  She paid attention to the clue about the boat and knew that it had to be somewhere near the museum which cut down on the time they spent searching.  She, and apparently the other contestants, had noticed the hashtags scattered through the clues, had them memorized, and got the final task done quickly.  They lost time looking for a cab, and also got lost looking for the lake on their way to actually win.  The other teams could have capitalized on their mistakes, but they didn't.  And the other teams should have done the final task faster, because both of them were tall enough to get the medallions on the hooks easily.  Dana had trouble reaching.

There was a camera shot of Tyler and Korey missing the clue box.  We don't know if anyone really screwed up the final task, because they didn't show it.  But they showed Tyler jumping 3 times, Sheri jumping twice, Sheri and Cole having to find a taxi, etc.

I may be the only one, but I don't miss the TAR classic bunch at Narita, when one team can't get on the early flight.  I don't like any required bunching in the final leg.

Where are the complaints about the "spoon fed" helicopters?  "They should have to walk!"

[blackwing]

Remember in the thread for last week's episode when we were having a discussion of what constitutes mugging?  And some said that Tyler and Korey aren't mugging, that's just who they are?  I would say this finale episode was a classic demonstration of mugging from them.  It wasn't just Tyler this time, Korey also does it a lot.

The schtick about Brandon the attractive climbing instructor and how Tyler just wanted to keep seeing Brandon?  Ugh.  Korey's "we're usually a two try kind of team", followed by "see, I told you, two tries" and then "did I say two tries, I meant three tries".  Wasn't funny or witty.

But worst of all was those stupid clown wigs they put on for the flight from Guangzhou to Los Angeles.  Either they purchased them in China, or more likely, they packed them in their bags and were carrying those things around for thousands of miles.  I bet they were intended for a pit stop, where they would greet Phil wearing these oh-so-funny wigs.  Except they never did, and probably thought "OMG we forgot to wear these wigs, let's do it now for the camera".

THAT is mugging.

I'm not much of a social media person and had never heard of any of these "famous" personalities prior to this race.  As far as I'm concerned, if I never have to see or hear from that little turd Tyler ever again, it won't be long enough.

[DonitsYum]

Is there any place where you can see the actual time differences between each contestant's finish? I'm guessing Tyler and Korey lost a good 20 minutes searching for the 1st clue box. I'm wondering just how far back they were by the end.

[greyhorse]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

Remember in the thread for last week's episode when we were having a discussion of what constitutes mugging?  And some said that Tyler and Korey aren't mugging, that's just who they are?  I would say this finale episode was a classic demonstration of mugging from them.  It wasn't just Tyler this time, Korey also does it a lot.

The schtick about Brandon the attractive climbing instructor and how Tyler just wanted to keep seeing Brandon?  Ugh.  Korey's "we're usually a two try kind of team", followed by "see, I told you, two tries" and then "did I say two tries, I meant three tries".  Wasn't funny or witty.

But worst of all was those stupid clown wigs they put on for the flight from Guangzhou to Los Angeles.  Either they purchased them in China, or more likely, they packed them in their bags and were carrying those things around for thousands of miles.  I bet they were intended for a pit stop, where they would greet Phil wearing these oh-so-funny wigs.  Except they never did, and probably thought "OMG we forgot to wear these wigs, let's do it now for the camera".

THAT is mugging.

I'm not much of a social media person and had never heard of any of these "famous" personalities prior to this race.  As far as I'm concerned, if I never have to see or hear from that little turd Tyler ever again, it won't be long enough.

1000 likes.  Tyler is a turd.  But he's apparently a very successful YouTube turd, so what do I know.  That's his schtick and if that's what puts dough in his cookie jar, then he's going to keep it up.

I'd be curious how much money each of these YouTubers makes per year.  The fact that they were recognized all around the world makes it seem like it's quite significant. 

[Rick Kitchen]

This article seems kinda iffy, since it says Tyler makes between $93,000 and $744,300 per year.

https://josephmur.wordpress.com/2014/12/23/how-much-money-do-youtubers-make/

But that doesn't include things like hosting gigs and whatever he makes from his book royalties.

This video from last year says $350,000 a year

 

[North of Eden]

Going in my mantra was "Anyone But Tyler" and I was not dissapointed. I laughed every time they were falling behind and when they had a Taxi Driver that didn't know how to get there. Bonus laughter whenever they would cut to the cab and Tyler had his solemn face on-only it wasn't fake this time like it was last week when the team was being eliminated. He hit a new low this week. Sexual harrasment is not cool when men do it to women and it's not cool when men do it to other men like Tyler was doing to the poor Task Trainer at the jump.

Anyway...Tyler aside this entire wretched season was redeemed when I saw they were going to Santa Barbara. Ever since I vacationed out their 20 years ago I have had a long term goal for when I retire to leave upstate New York behind for the winter months and spend them in that lush California, I have a carefully crafted plan on how to do this so I LOVED seeing the city in all its beautiful glory. I'm so happy the Race went there.

Good finale...props to Dana and her man.... I never really had a problem with her like most seemed to so I'm happy for them and for Cole and Sherri for coming in second despite several blunders that could have put them dead last. Hopefullly after this finale they in theory shouldn't have a fear of heights.

Here's hoping for a gimmick free Fall Season!

[etagloh]

12 hours ago, Alapaki said:

I suppose TPTB have decided that stunt-casting is the price required for keeping the show going, but I personally prefer "regular" people who have genuine personality, rather than racers with some level of pre-race notoriety who insist that they are "Personalities".

I think it's more a consequence that early TAR was 'early reality TV' in the US, so nobody really knew what would come from it, and now it's sort of old-school. If you're applying for TAR now, then you're doing so in the context of 15 years of TAR and 15 years of reality television in which success got sashayed into some kind of celebrity. We can want TPTB to stuntcast less and regular-cast more, but, y'know, the reaction to Justin showed that picking an ideal cast is really hard.

I actually found this season's cast refreshing because whatever online success they had wasn't contingent and wouldn't be contingent on how they performed. That's even though lots of teams clearly loved TAR, had done so from the outset, and wanted to run the race in a fairly old-school way, with more eat-sleep-mingle than ALLIANCES and DRAAAAMA. Even if the final leg was meh, that's because final legs on TAR are often meh.

[Wandering Snark]

9 minutes ago, North of Eden said:

Here's hoping for a gimmick free Fall Season!

Hate to burst your bubble but it's back to Gimmick Central to cast for Fall, all teams will be two people who don't know each other but have been paired up just for the Race. *sigh*

[North of Eden]

9 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

Hate to burst your bubble but it's back to Gimmick Central to cast for Fall, all teams will be two people who don't know each other but have been paired up just for the Race. *sigh*

So in other words an ENTIRE cast filled with a Mark and Mallory pairing? As my college math teacher use to say YE GODS!

[ByaNose]

I remember back.in.the.day thinking it would be a neat concept to have strangers running the race. That idea quickly left my head after the previous blind dating debacle. It doesn't work because it helps the story if the pair have some type of realtionship. Of course, that didn't stop total strangers from winning the race either. So what do I know?! LOL!!!!

[BarneySays]

There are always opportunities to change the order- someone screws up, bad cabbie luck, a flat tire, someone gets injured, etc.  I think the issue is how many opportunities the leg design provides for shifts in position.  First come, first serve tasks cement the order going into the task and can actually increase the impossibility of a shift in position.  For example, if the three teams arrive 2 minutes apart to the roof challenge and it takes 20 minutes to do the challenge, the first team would leave with an additional 36 minute lead.  It did not appear that the teams could do that challenge simultaneously.  These kinds of tasks (as well as first come transportation, like the helicopters) can actually compound the effect of the bad luck incidents (taxis, etc.) because they take away opportunities to make up for that lost time. 

It seems to me the best way to solve this problem is that have more complex tasks on the final leg- challenges that combine a multitude of skills- strength, smarts, stamina- because that would maximize the strengths and weaknesses of each team.  I think needle in a haystack tasks on the final leg are also a mistake because because the lucky finder could have their win sealed at that point. 

I agree with others that this was a dull final.  To me, it is only surpassed by that horrible one where they had to change the lights on the side of a building and helicoptered to the finish line (it's hard to beat that in the anti-climactic department).  But I will say that this season was much more enjoyable than I expected.  There was a lot of hamming it up in the first couple of episodes, but these were generally smart, thoughtful people.  Sherri was the standout for me.  I thought we were going to get the whiny, plodding middle-aged woman character, but she really impressed.  I also really liked Zach and Rachel (she has a very photogenic face to me, warm, open, kind) and Bernie and Ashley.  I did not care for Dana, but mostly because she preens about being a dancer (thanks for abetting her, TPTB), but she's horrible.  That dance routine, with her mouth hanging open and lack of energy, was embarrassing.  Sherri performed much better, with Ashley not far behind her.  Dana has no charisma, no talent.

[biakbiak]

 For example, if the three teams arrive 2 minutes apart to the roof challenge and it takes 20 minutes to do the challenge, the first team would leave with an additional 36 minute lead.  It did not appear that the teams could do that challenge simultaneously.  

They were on different buildings.

[Lamb18]

I finally saw the finale. I'm happy for Dana and Matt.When they were at Santa Barbara harbor, I half expected to see Kinsey Millhone come running along.

My favorite part was Matt and Dana's dancing at the end. It was fun to see them show their dance moves while waiting for the next team. One thing I liked about this season is that the teams got along with each other pretty well, and once we got into the season, the social media stuff didn't really make much difference to how the teams raced.

[greyhorse]

Saw the article on TAR Facebook about Tyler and Korey.  They said they recognized on leg 1 that the hashtag would be part of the final memory challenge.  They made flashcards and were quizzing each other all the time, so they had it completely memorized.  As fans of the show, they were expecting it.  I hope TPTB recognize that it's no secret anymore that the final challenge requires remembering where you've been and certain details.  Not sure what else they could do to make it more challenging, but that's why they're TPTB and I'm just a guy commenting on previously.tv

[kingshearte]

21 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Saw the article on TAR Facebook about Tyler and Korey.  They said they recognized on leg 1 that the hashtag would be part of the final memory challenge.  They made flashcards and were quizzing each other all the time, so they had it completely memorized.  As fans of the show, they were expecting it.  I hope TPTB recognize that it's no secret anymore that the final challenge requires remembering where you've been and certain details.  Not sure what else they could do to make it more challenging, but that's why they're TPTB and I'm just a guy commenting on previously.tv

One way they can make it more challenging is to make it something a little less obvious. At this point, teams can safely assume that they better remember the order of the cities they visited (and what countries they're in), but there are all kinds of things they could pull from each leg to make teams remember. Could be something the greeter (or Phil) is wearing, some kind of something that teams would have to notice and remember at one task location on each leg (although they'd have to find a balance between something being so out of place that it was immediately obvious as something noteworthy and something being so inconspicuous that no one would have a hope of noticing), or some kind of clue that related specifically to the tasks. Conversely, they could sprinkle a bunch of things like that throughout, so that teams wouldn't be able to know for sure which of the noteworthy things they should focus on. For example, say, hashtags in the clues, flowers on the greeters, a different coloured fish hook necklace on Phil every leg, some sort of symbol or something at one of the tasks, and a clue related to a task. And then they only actually need to know one of those sets of things. Or, to really mix things up, figure out a way to ask for a mixture of those things in the final task. Or have the full set for each leg combine to solve some sort of puzzle that provides the required input for that leg.

I might be making things a little too complicated at this point, but I do agree that they need to come up with something.

[sinycalone]

On 5/19/2016 at 1:59 PM, Lamb18 said:

I finally saw the finale. I'm happy for Dana and Matt.When they were at Santa Barbara harbor, I half expected to see Kinsey Millhone come running along.

My favorite part was Matt and Dana's dancing at the end. It was fun to see them show their dance moves while waiting for the next team. One thing I liked about this season is that the teams got along with each other pretty well, and once we got into the season, the social media stuff didn't really make much difference to how the teams raced.

Had the same reaction....wondering when Kinsey would make an appearance.

[ProfCrash]

I know I didn't post at all this season, I tend to use this site as my version of a smoke break at work and the Friday air date just mucks with my posting.

I enjoyed the season. I thought that the teams were interesting and that most of them did a good job getting along with each other. I liked how they interacted with each other. I liked how the teams seemed to get along. It didn't stop them from being competitive and occasionally lying to one another but they seemed to respect each other. I liked the lack of massive amounts of bitchiness and fighting. I thought many of the tasks were interesting.

It was not a stellar season but it was one of a few seasons where I didn't hate anyone. There wasn't anyone I was screaming to get off my TV set.

I was surprised how much I enjoyed it given the gimmick but it was enjoyable for me and I would be fine with them doing something similar in another season.

[ProfCrash]

Quote

I work in higher education and the full time faculty I work with actually say they feel a little guilty about the gravy train they're on.  They make A LOT.  Some more than others, of course.  And the largest U in the nation is down the street.  Kids of faculty attend there free, from what I've heard.  States vary, though.

I left Academia because the pay was so bad. The average salary for a starting Prof in Political Science in 2001 was $35,000. So my extra 4-8 years of education was worth what? My friends in the Math Department were looking at jobs that offer far less. Full Professors can make in the 6 figures. Mind you, it takes 12-15 years to become a Full Professor, you have to first become tenured, which takes 6 years at most schools. After another 6 years at most schools you can become eligible to be a Full Professor. So, 4-8 years of extra school then 12-15 years of time on the job = a 6 figure salary.

Faculty can make more if they write successful grant proposals but that pool of money has been shrinking recently. And some programs pay more, normally the Business School and Medical Schools. There is gradation in the various majors but it is less obvious.

Yes, children can attend the University for free but that is used as an incentive to keep the faculty at the University and not jump to another school. Free tuition is commonly used as an incentive at schools. I have friends who teach at private high schools and they have the same incentive.

Then there are the adjunct positions, which are growing at an alarming rate. Adjuncts are not on the tenure track and are paid by class. They make very little and seldom have any benefits. I have no clue why people choose this track. I suspect that they hope to be offered a tenure track position at some point in time but that does not happen all that often.

I do know this, my salary tripled as soon as I left academia.

The great part of Academia is that you are normally doing something that you love. You are researching in areas that you enjoy and have an opportunity to influence lots of young people. There are opportunities for travel for research and to present your research at conferences and the like. But it is also a huge time commitment. Between committees, office hours, teaching and research most of my Academic friends are working 60 hour weeks. And it can be brutal. Publish or perish is no joke. It is not uncommon for people to be denied tenure the first go around. The pressure to publish in the top journals is massive.

[possibilities]

I have a friend who has taken adjunct jobs. The reason is: tenure track positions are hard to come by, and she needed a job. She also commutes many hours a week, because she couldn't get a job closer to home. I agree it's exploitive, but the reason they get away with it is because people want to work in academia and the supply of professors outstrips the demand (and the institutions have no morality about exploiting labor).