TAR in the Media

[tv echo]

'The Amazing Race 36's Derek and Shelisa Williams Say "Having Fun" Led to Their Elimination
MIKE BLOOM   APRIL 18, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-derek-shelisa-williams-eliminated-interview 

Quote

You two start the race off very strong with three third-place finishes. But then after that you slide to the back of the pack. Was there a particular reason why you fell and couldn't catch back up to where you were?
Derek: think what really what really got us was when we fell to this third group. We thought we're going to be the second group, but that really just, boom, sent us. And the language barrier. It's hard to understand Spanish. If they say, "Go to this block, and then right after that, make the circle," it's hard to decipher that in Spanish. We don't speak it. So we struggled. I mean, we both read maps all the time. But that was our difficult. If they say, "Look for Cincuenta Street," in my mind, I'm looking for an S Street, when actually it's a C. So those were our really difficult things. And we depended upon ourselves. We didn't align ourselves with everyone else. If we did that, we'd still be rolling.

Shelisa: Yeah, but I think because we're so independent people. We just felt, "Okay, we got this." And we did kind of deviate from our original plan. We said we're going to stick to things that we know, and they're going to be physical. Because we're a little older, so maybe our brains don't work as well as it used to. We may not be able to do a puzzle as well, or figure out certain things. So our game plan was to stick to what we know. So when it came to the Bolero, if we just stuck to the bike, I think that that we could have made up time and caught up, because that's familiar to us. So I think deviating from our game plan kind of hurt us. And we also said we would never switch Detours, because we know what happens when people do, for the most part. And then we had to do that too. So I think just deviating from our game plan cost us.

Edited April 19 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The Amazing Race Still Hasn’t Fixed One Of Its Biggest Problems, Despite Producers Saying They Would
By Mack Rawden  April 21, 2024
https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-amazing-race-still-hasnt-fixed-one-of-its-biggest-problems-despite-producers-saying-they-would 

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Did you watch the most recent episode of Amazing Race 36? Well, let me summarize a key plot point: three teams just did the entire thing together. I’m not talking like they gave each other a little help. They literally, as a group, traveled to and completed every step of the mega leg together. It was really frustrating to watch as a viewer, and it was even more frustrating because the producers of the show vowed to fix the problem several seasons ago.
*  *  *
At the time, the complaints were so loud that producer Elise Doganieri had to address them in an interview. She admitted all the helping was “frustrating” to watch and said they’d need to put in a rule to prevent it from happening. Here’s a portion of the quote she gave to Reality Blurred…
*  *  *
Makes sense, right? Well, unfortunately, it apparently didn’t make enough sense to actually implement because Amber literally did the Roadblock for Angie and Leticia this week. She finished after a few tries on her end, and then she walked over to their puzzles, stood behind them and told each step-by-step where each one of the pieces went. She may as well have just put the pieces on the board for each of them.

Now, I’m not going to call what she did cheating because there’s clearly not a rule against it. So, it’s not cheating. It’s helping. And, to be clear, I get exactly why she helped. It’s hard to see your friends struggle with something difficult when you have the answers, and from a strategic standpoint, if you’re worried about navigating to the next step of the leg, it makes sense to give your allies the answer so you can all keep working together. If the only goal is to be not last and survive, then working together with other teams to not be last is the ideal strategy.

But watching all the teams help each other doesn’t make for a good viewing experience, and it also doesn’t help the teams that are behind catch up. Something needs to change. The Amazing Race has made a number of rule changes and format tweaks over the years, and now it’s time for another one. Maybe it means teams can’t talk to each other during Roadblocks and Detours. Maybe it means teams can provide help but they are banned from directly giving each other answers. Maybe it means something else. I don’t know what the solution is, but sitting back and letting teams do entire legs together is not it.

Edited April 22 by tv echo

[aghst]

They featured the teams working together.

They even titled the episode, referring to the alliance.

Obviously it's not a problem from the POV of the producers.

[tv echo]

‘The Amazing Race 36’ episode 7 recap: Who was eliminated in ‘Walk and Chew Gum Baby’? [LIVE BLOG]
Denton Davidson  April 24, 2024 
https://www.goldderby.com/article/2024/the-amazing-race-36-episode-7-recap/ 

[tv echo]

'The Amazing Race 36's Sunny Pulver and Bizzy Smith Felt "Hurt and Outsmarted" By the Three-Team Alliance
MIKE BLOOM   APRIL 25, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-sunny-pulver-bizzy-smith-eliminated-interview 

Quote

Talk to me about that. What was your reaction when you saw that three-team alliance box you out of the Detour during the Megaleg?
Bizzy: I mean, it hurt.
Sunny: [Laughs.] It did hurt! 
Bizzy: It felt like high school, getting pushed off from the cool kids. It is a race for a million dollars. I would have thrown their bodies under the bus as well. [Laughs.] So I can't blame them. But it hurt. It hurt like high school.
Sunny: I felt outsmarted. And not by two of the teams, but just by Danny. And that hurts. Danny is smarter as far as the race goes. I just thought "first come, first serve" was just a proper way of saying welcome. It actually meant "you can stay until you finish."

Edited April 26 by tv echo

[tv echo]

The Normalization of Emotionally Abusive Relationships on 'The Amazing Race'
By Dustin Rowles | TV | April 29, 2024
https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/the-troubling-normalization-of-emotionally-abusive-relationships-on-the-amazing-race.php 

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... It’s mostly family-friendly. However, the show often highlights a disturbing trend: the normalization and even rewarding of abusive behavior in romantic relationships.
*  *  *
Take, for example, Dave and Rachel from season 20. Despite winning a record-tying eight legs and ultimately claiming the grand prize, their relationship was far from healthy. Dave, a former military man, consistently displayed controlling, passive-aggressive, and emotionally abusive behavior toward Rachel, reducing her to tears on multiple occasions. Even their victories were marred by troubling moments, such as when Dave celebrated a win by yelling, “Now that’s why you listen to your husband!” It was like watching a marriage unravel on national television, and indeed, the couple divorced the following year.
*  *  *
This season, the “dating nurses” Vinny and Amber have taken the dysfunction to a new level. Vinny’s treatment of Amber is so egregious that it wouldn’t be surprising if production intervened at some point. Nearly every episode has featured Vinny berating, belittling, or gaslighting Amber, often blaming her for his own mistakes.
*  *  *
When your boyfriend repeatedly tells you that you’re not good enough, that you’re letting the team down, and that you’re a failure, maybe those thoughts are understandable. He insults and berates Amber and then blames her for her lack of self-confidence. Even when he’s trying to be encouraging, it comes off as condescending.
*  *  *
What’s even more troubling is that, like Dave and Rachel, Vinny and Amber have been consistently successful, rarely finishing outside the front of the pack. It’s troubling to think that treating your partner poorly can lead to success in the race, and by continuing to cast volatile couples and highlight their dramatic conflicts, the show tacitly condones this toxic dynamic. While The Amazing Race will likely always feature interpersonal drama, the show’s producers should take some kind of stand against the normalization of abuse, even if it’s only to acknowledge it by having Phil ask Vinny to show more compassion or by posting a message after the episode telling viewers where they can learn more about emotionally abusive relationships.

Edited April 30 by tv echo

[Lantern7]

Heads up . . . Phil is going to be on The Late Show tonight.

[tv echo]

One Wrong Turn Sends a Team Crashing Down! Who Went Home on 'The Amazing Race 36' Tonight?
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 1, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/who-went-home-amazing-race-season-36-week-8-2024 

[ApprenticeFan]

TAR will not be back until next year. It will not be this fall.

https://deadline.com/2024/05/cbs-fall-2024-25-schedule-1235901885/

Quote

Missing from the fall schedule is reality veteran The Amazing Race, which will return in midseason, possibly with a new twist, Reisenbach teased.

 

Edited May 3 by ApprenticeFan

[chaifan]

50 minutes ago, ApprenticeFan said:

TAR will not be back until next year. It will not be this fall.

That's interesting (and sad).  Does anyone know if there is one already shot that they are holding onto?  Phil has been announcing open calls for TAR contestants in each episode.  So will that be for airing in 2025, or later?

[ApprenticeFan]

6 hours ago, chaifan said:

That's interesting (and sad).  Does anyone know if there is one already shot that they are holding onto?  Phil has been announcing open calls for TAR contestants in each episode.  So will that be for airing in 2025, or later?

Yes. TAR 37 will be airing in spring of 2025, probably February 19 of next year, a total of usual 12 episodes.

The current 36th season (aka 35th season filmed), but the current TAR that is ongoing filming is TAR Canada 10.

TAR 37 hasn't still scouted locations yet that casting was pushed to last December but casting is still ongoing as of today (May 2, 2024). Filming was supposed to begin this month that several locations in Asia experiencing severe heat wave, but it will now be postponed to the fall (probably late October or early November) in time for spring 2025 premiere.

Edited May 3 by ApprenticeFan

[aghst]

Interesting, they don't always film in the summer, peak travel period.

Going to be challenging for tasks which require spending long days outdoors in the heat, as we're seeing with this current season in South America.

 

 

[SVNBob]

So it looks like there's a couple reasons for there not to be TAR in the fall:

• There's not a TAR season filmed yet they could air then .
• CBS has a new reality competition show that they want to debut, and are banking on maintaining the Survivor audience for it.
  • And the concept looks interesting enough that it might be able to, unlike other shows that CBS has tried in the post-Survivor slot.
    • Million Dollar Mile, anyone?  Or The "Real" Love Boat?

I'm going to give CBS some leeway this time.  They could have royally screwed TAR over with 35 and 36 getting swapped.  But they didn't.  I think they're finally realizing that TAR's a workhorse for the network and can be a consistent draw when it does air.

[tv echo]

'The Amazing Race 36's Angie and Danny Butler Reveal the Producers Nearly Saved Them from Elimination
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 2, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-angie-danny-butler-eliminated-interview 

Quote

Angie: Absolutely. It was completely out of our control. I mean, as you saw, as a matter of fact, I think Daniel mentioned it, but we never did see our crew. They ended up having the same crew that got us right when we got there and said, "Get out. We'll film you because nobody else is here yet. "And then they pushed us back in the car. That same crew's the crew that then ended up filming us at the end.
Danny: So they had us say a line that's like, "Hey, our crew has arrived." Out crew hadn't arrived.
Angie: They were lost in Barbados! [Laughs.]

Okay, we need to break down what happened here. Saying this is unprecedented would be putting it mildly. Because, from our perspective, it looks like your crew makes a wrong turn and takes a long time to arrive at the Detour (or apparently not at all) which cost you the race. But I know people online have also clocked that it looks like you're veering into traffic at that roundabout and maybe making some illegal turns. So walk me through what ended up happening.
Danny: This is my perspective. But while you're racing, I can acknowledge that my perspective could be wrong. But we're in the roundabout. And I was like, "Alright, we're just gonna keep going in the roundabout one more round," because I didn't know which turn it was.
Angie: And that was a rule too. If you don't know, keep going around. Because there's nothing illegal about that. You can keep going around and change lanes in a roundabout.
Danny: And so I'm like, "Alright, that's the turn." And so we ended up switching lanes to the left. And when we switched lanes to the left to take the next turn, I turn around and see the crew literally turn in. So I'm like, "Alright, let's pull over real quick. We can wait for like 30 seconds a minute." But there wasn't really an area. We had been debriefed by security that morning. And they said, "If you ever feel unsafe, or you lose your crew, make your way to the next location, and wait for your crew to get there." And so I was like, "Okay, that's the next smartest thing. I know where we're going. Navigator right here. I know how to get us to the location. And let's just wait." But we get there. And we get there second. So we're about five to ten minutes behind the boys. And we just wait. And wait, and wait. I'm sitting there going, "What's the rule? Give us a penalty on the mat. This is something that's never happened before on The Amazing Race."
Angie: And they were having a meeting as we got there. They're trying to figure it out, too. You can see these little huddles of meanings and franticness. They came to our car; they went away from our car. They came to our car; they went away from our car. So, to their defense, I think it was new for them too. I don't think anybody really knew what to do with us. So that was hard.
Danny: Ulimately, what ended up happening was I heard over the microphone, "Juan and Shane are coming up."
Angie: This was after an hour, or 45 minutes.
Danny: And I think they did love us. How do you not love mom? Mom was the star of the season. The producers loved her and camera people loved her. And so I remember the camera person coming over to her car going like, "Hey, y'all have waited long enough. Y'all have had a penalty long enough. We're just going to grab a crew."
Angie: And I was like, "Penalty?! What penalty? Why do we have a penalty? " So I did say that to the producers, like, "What was the penalty?" And he's like, "Oh, it's ok, just go." [Laughs.] There was a lot of "uhhh" that day. 
Danny: We end up getting to the mat. And literally on the mat, Phil is talking to us. And we see over in the corner all of the producers meeting, and they're talking. And Phil does not say, "You're eliminated." He's talking to us for like five minutes. So I'm sitting there going, "What's happening? Are they going to reverse the rule that make this a non-elimination leg or give us a time credit?" But ultimately, we went out. And to have it end that way? I'm like, "Yes! Something that's never happened in Amazing Race before!"
Angie: [Laughs.] Danny always turns it into a "This is The Amazing Race!" moment.
*  *  *
So at the butcher thing, when Danny is going over to help Mel and Yvo when we're done, Vinny and Amber weren't done yet. And I had already told them, "I'm not getting on that mat until you do." So Danny walks over to help Mel and Yvo, who we do not have an alliance with. And I'm thinking, "Okay, Mel and Yvo are gonna get there before we do. Vinny and Amber aren't done. I have to wait to step on that mat until Benny and Amber are there. What if Mel and Yvo on the map before Vinny and Amber? I just got into a car and went around in a lot of circles and experienced a lot of misery. I am not about to not step on that mat today. Danny, what are you doing?" I mean, the boy's head is working all the time. And I can't keep up.
Danny: You got to play the social game. But I will say to the fans, that night in the hotel, I went, "The fans are going to hate this episode." I know what I did, the "Mine Five" repeat flashbacks. And so, the next day, I'm like, "We're running our own race." But I will say, I do think the rule should be in The Amazing Race, once you get your clue and once you finish your puzzle, you leave. I think that should be a rule. I think that that is something. You can work together all the way up until you get your clue. But the second you get handed that clue, I would advocate for Amazing Race to change it. Even though it benefited us, I do recognize as a fan, that that is something that could create some more consistency in the race. 

Ratings: Abbott Elementary Rises, Jeopardy! Masters Returns Down
BY MATT WEBB MITOVICH   MAY 2, 2024 
https://tvline.com/ratings/jeopardy-masters-season-2-premiere-viewers-low-1235227655/

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CBS | Survivor (4.8 mil/0.8) and The Amazing Race (2.7 mil/0.4) both rose in the demo.

Edited May 3 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Bad News for a Good Doctor? Was SVU Day Off Oddly Spent? Biggest Survivor Meltdown Ever? Has Chucky Seen Last of [_______]? More TV Qs!
BY VLADA GELMAN, MATT WEBB MITOVICH, DAVE NEMETZ, RYAN SCHWARTZ, KEISHA HATCHETT, CHARLIE MASON, ANDY SWIFT, KIMBERLY ROOTS, NICK CARUSO   MAY 3, 2024
https://tvline.com/features/the-good-doctor-has-glassman-cancer-returned-final-season-tv-questions-1235227350/ 

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14 | Was it unfair of The Amazing Race to make Danny and Angie wait for a missing crew that never showed up? Should production have allowed them to stay in the race?

[Lantern7]

Phil was busy on Wednesday. Here he is on Live! with Kelly & Mark:

 

 

. . . and he also appeared on Late Show:

Bonus in this clip: the origin of the raised eyebrow!

 

[tv echo]

May TV Calendar: 70+ Season and Series Finale Dates to Save!
BY MATT WEBB MITOVICH   MAY 4, 2024
https://tvline.com/lists/tv-schedule-2024-may-finale-dates-calendar/bob-hearts-abishola-series-finale-ncis-hawaii/ 

Quote

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15
3 am X-Men ’97 Season 1 finale (Disney+)
9:30 pm The Amazing Race Season 36 finale (CBS)

[tv echo]

The Amazing Race Needs A Rule Change After A Production Choice Screwed One Team Over
By Mack Rawden   May 5, 2024
https://www.cinemablend.com/television/the-amazing-race-needs-rule-change-after-production-choice-screwed-one-team-over 

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The Amazing Race left many viewers confused and one team frustrated this past week after an obscure production rule seemingly had a major effect on the outcome of the leg. Now, the eliminated team is sounding off (in a pretty nice way) in interviews, and I’m left wondering why producers haven’t already announced they’re changing the absolutely stupid and unfair rule.
*  *  *
The episode’s production went out of its way to make it clear the crew getting lost was apparently Angie and Danny’s fault. The preview for the episode accuses them of making "a crucial mistake." The Wikipedia page even points out that Angie made “an illegal turn” in a roundabout, which caused them to get separated from their crew, but apparently, the truth is a lot more complicated than that. Their crew wasn’t just delayed, they allegedly got full on lost. The contestants told US Weekly it took the crew an hour and a half to get to the Detour which was less than twenty minutes away.
*  *  *
I haven’t seen any quotes from producers on exactly what happened or how the behind the scenes conversations went, but according to Angie and Danny, they were eventually told to film with a different crew. Production had Danny record a line, which aired on the show, about how the crew had just shown up (even though they hadn’t), and then they were allowed to move on. You can read a portion of the quote below…
*  *  *
... Fans have complained during several seasons about contestants helping each other too much, which still hasn’t been fully addressed, and now, we seemingly had an episode where a production crew getting lost may have altered the outcome.

But whether they want to be nice about it or not, whether they deserved to get further or not, The Amazing Race producers need to look at what happened here and change the rule. Contestants should make an effort to stay connected to their crew. They should encounter some kind of minor penalty if they lose them. Maybe that means pulling over to the side of the road until the production crew performs a u-turn or makes the next light or whatever. But these problems should be measured in 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there. If the crew legitimately gets lost and can’t figure out where they’re going, the producers need to step in and just let them go. I realize this might mean we’ll miss out on some footage and it’ll be complicated to edit, but maintaining the integrity of this being a race is more important than ensuring you have the best possible footage.

Edited May 6 by tv echo

[TheRabbi]

Regarding that last point, they would never just let a team continue without being filmed, but the solution is to have other teams stop in their tracks while they get production lined up to resume. They have constant communication with all teams and could just force teams to stop working on their detour until things are settled. If it was unsafe for driving teams to pull over, then time how long it takes them to reach the detour and then have them stop for that long. 

[North of Eden]

Not seeing TAR On the just released fall schedule. Instead another reality show called the summit listed after Survivor. Looks like we're going back to the 1  cycle a year BS. When will CBS stop with the disrespect of this show? Survivor never gets this treatment and hell they even gave extra BB with that garbage  Reindeer Games.

[Lantern7]

Is there an official/unofficial reason why TAR is skipping the fall? Was there a drop in ratings following Survivor? Is it a budget issue? Whatever the reason is, I don’t think it’s adequate enough to justify the movie.

If CBS kept TAR on for twice a year, we could’ve wound up with TAR40 coinciding with Survivor 50. Once again, I guess we know which show is more favored.

[seacliffsal]

I actually think logistics could be part of the reason that there will only be one TAR next year.  There are a lot more 'moving parts' to this show whereas once Survivor settled permanently in Fiji, there are far fewer logistical considerations-at least in terms of location, crews, transportation, etc. (and probably visas, etc.).  It might just take more time in general for a season of TAR.  IMO.

[aghst]

Maybe they're also trying to promote this other show.

[North of Eden]

8 hours ago, seacliffsal said:

I actually think logistics could be part of the reason that there will only be one TAR next year.  There are a lot more 'moving parts' to this show whereas once Survivor settled permanently in Fiji, there are far fewer logistical considerations-at least in terms of location, crews, transportation, etc. (and probably visas, etc.).  It might just take more time in general for a season of TAR.  IMO.

And yet they were able to do this for many years until they suddenly just stopped. They've always treated the show as the red headed stepchild. Constantly moving time slots, withholding it until shows like VIVA LAUGHLIN tanked and used it to "plug a hole in the schedule" never a reunion show and of course the whole only one cycle thing we are now back to.

[aghst]

Saw an article that Phil is developing a new show.

So it would be the third show, after TAR and Touch as Nails.

Maybe this other work also is a reason they won't have TAR back in the fall.

[Quilt Fairy]

48 minutes ago, aghst said:

So it would be the third show, after TAR and Touch as Nails.

I've tried several times to watch Tough as Nails and I just can't get into it. 

[tv echo]

Waterfalls and Baseball! Who Went Home on 'The Amazing Race 36' Tonight?
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 8, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/who-went-home-amazing-race-season-36-week-9-2024 

[SVNBob]

On 5/8/2024 at 1:18 AM, Lantern7 said:

Is there an official/unofficial reason why TAR is skipping the fall?

 

On 5/8/2024 at 7:10 AM, seacliffsal said:

I actually think logistics could be part of the reason that there will only be one TAR next year.  There are a lot more 'moving parts' to this show whereas once Survivor settled permanently in Fiji, there are far fewer logistical considerations-at least in terms of location, crews, transportation, etc. (and probably visas, etc.).  It might just take more time in general for a season of TAR.  IMO.

 

On 5/8/2024 at 11:04 AM, aghst said:

Maybe they're also trying to promote this other show.

 

 

[tv echo]

'The Amazing Race 36's Yvonne Chavez and Melissa Main Say Unseen Injuries Led to Their Elimination
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 9, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-yvonne-chavez-melissa-main-eliminated-interview 

Quote

We see you arrive at the Pit Stop while Amber and Vinny were still on the mat. Do you know how far behind you were?
Melissa: [Holds up two fingers.]

Wow, two minutes! You had said that you were about 10 minutes behind the pack leaving the first Roadblock. So how did you make up that time?
Yvonne: So, again, things you don't see. I think there's all kinds of fun, controversial things that happen, but let's just stick to what happened to us. Once we left the waterfall, on our way out, one of one crew members injured, I don't know, sprained--
Melissa: Injured his thigh.
Yvonne: Yeah, pulled some kind of muscle. So as we were running back, because it was quite a ways to get from the waterfall, about a mile and a half back. So we kept running, I don't know where it was.
Melissa: Essenitally the crew member, we had to just wait for a couple minutes, which we didn't think that much of. And then obviously now, seeing that we lost by two minutes, we obviously wish we would have said something. But we didn't. But anyways, then we got to cacao. And they didn't show it, but we only had to go down twice to pull the pods. Whereas every other team, as you could see, they all had to go down numerous times. And we only had to go down twice. And so that's where we made up the time.
Yvonne: And on other sides. So you saw how all of us were like all going for the same thing. That was one part of it. I see Rod, I keep making fun that he's three people. 
Melissa: Yeah they cheated! They brought three people. That's what we kept joking. [Laughs.]
Yvonne: I was like, "Dammit, Rod!" [Laughs.] And so I mean good on them. That was one of their strengths. But then with the whole other side of the field, there were tons, what you needed for at least half. So we had those two full bags. But another thing you didn't see is--
Melissa: I sliced her thumb right open. And she's over there with medical working on it. And I'm like, "Keep working!" And so she's sitting with one hand. [Laughs.]
Yvonne: I bled all over the cacao pods. The security guy's got my thumb, trying to help.
Melissa: So we made up a whole bunch of time. We left right after Vinny and Amber. And so what we what we saw was four out of the five teams took one way to get to the Pit Stop along the water. And, as you saw last night, Vinny and Amber went straight down the steps. And that's where they made up those two minutes, because they got lost.
Yvonne: From leaving the stadium and to the pink street, there were cabs out. So what you what you didn't see was some people got in the cab and the driver knew where they were going, or they didn't know. So we asked every single cab that was out there, "Do you know where this is?"
Melissa: And finally the last one said, "I do know where this is." He went quite quickly. It was just everything almost came together for us. And just losing by two minutes was was a tough pill to swallow.

Edited May 10 by tv echo

[TheRabbi]

CBS has been trying for years to find a new reality hit to go with their 3 reality shows that have been on forever. They have been candid about this. TAR has a loyal audience that is smaller than Survivor and BB and will follow it wherever it goes. Survivor is still their biggest reality show so is their best chance to launch a new show behind it. They've had some reality flops recently with Hunted, Million dollar mile, and Real Love boat, so we'll see how this goes. We've made it through 36 seasons and have a season 37 confirmed. The idea that CBS hates the show is laughable at this point. 

Hopefully focusing on one season let's them film the best season that they can. Let's just enjoy it.

[MsJamieDornan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ScNqn2vxoA

After watching this, I guess it's considered a game show.

[aradia22]

The Gold Derby interview with Yvonne and Melissa is interesting. They're more charming when they actually have time to talk. It's crazy the baby was born 5 days before the episode aired. I'm glad the IVF worked out for them with only one embryo.

I wonder if covid affected the challenge design and how short the legs were. Though that seems like it's been a trend for a while. They mention through a lot of the interview that none of the tasks actually took that long. 

[tv echo]

Critics Choice Real TV Awards: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ ‘The Traitors’ Lead Nominations
Winners will be announced at a gala ceremony set for June 15 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
BY KIMBERLY NORDYKE   MAY 13, 2024
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/2024-critics-choice-real-tv-awards-nominations-full-list-nominees-1235897773/ 

Quote

BEST COMPETITION SERIES
The Amazing Race (CBS)
RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV)
Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)
Survivor (CBS)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Traitors (Peacock)

[tv echo]

Phil Keoghan Breaks Down 'The Amazing Race 36's Most Talked-About Moments
MIKE BLOOM    MAY 14, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-phil-keoghan-angie-danny-butler-elimination-finale-sneak-peek 

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Well, let's start by looking at some of the major things people have been talking about. This really has been Ricky and César's season. They've won six legs so far, and if they win the next two, they tie the record for first-place finishes in a single season. What's been your take on their season-long dominance?
Okay, just to get rid of one of the conspiracy theories out of the gate. Ricky and César are not the only ones who speak Spanish. Because a lot of people are like, "The only reason they're winning is because they speak Spanish. That's not true." They're not the only ones that speak Spanish. And I've got to be honest with you; I think I am not alone when I say that we all tend to judge a book by its cover. I don't think that when you look at Ricky and César at the starting line, you go, "Oh, yeah, I'm pretty sure that that's a team that's experienced in welding." We're making certain judgments; we're making certain assessments.

But if you saw a couple standing there, and they were wearing a black outfit with ripped jeans, and their hands looked really like working hands, and they maybe had a t-shirt that said, "Metal rules" or something, and then someone said, "Pick the welders here," you'd probably go with them. Have you ever met a team on The Amazing Race that are literally blessed with skills across the board? They can do anything. They can sing, they can dance, they can weld, they can build. They're smart; they do speak Spanish. They have this great chemistry between them. They're the whole Amazing Race package, all in one. And let's be honest, there's a little bit of flair with the way that they've arrived here on the scene. They're certainly ardent followers of fashion. They didn't leave their best shirts behind. They brought them out of the race to show off.

Of course, we must get into one of the most controversial Amazing Race eliminations ever, when Angie and Danny were taken out in Barbados. The on-air explanation had been that the team had broken a rule in losing their crew, and had to wait until they arrived. But in speaking with Angie and Danny, they had said that there was a lot of figuring out in the moment on production's side how to handle the situation, down to producers meeting while you greeted them at the Pit Stop. Talk me through your perspective on everything that happened in this unprecedented situation.
The idea is that, after any season, you always go back, and you always look at how you can be better as a production. But we also have to look at, we have a set of rules. And the teams need to abide by those rules as well. Now, you're absolutely right; there was a lot of discussion. And a lot of people I know speculated, "That discussion must have been about whether we were going to keep them in or keep them out." That's not what the discussion was about. The discussion is about having to go back and look at footage, look at the timing of when certain things happened, where the responsibility falls on the contestant, and then where it falls on production, and then, in that moment, having to make the best judgment. Not on a team that is the most likable, or a team that we don't care about and we want to get out of the show, that's not how it's done.

The audience puts a lot of trust in us to make the right decisions throughout the race. But this is not a sport like tennis, where there's a line judge who says that was in or out. And now we have these machines that tell us very clearly, "That was out." We don't have that ability. You said "unprecedented." We're always trying new and different things. We're in new and different places. There are always going to be different factors that come into play. We didn't know it was going to rain, for instance, and what that might do to any number of things.

So the reality is that those who know the show, we've built our trust with the contestants. We build trust with the audience. We are not working with an exact science. And on the day, based on all the information that we have, we gather to deliberate and we try to make the decision in that moment. We don't have the ability to be like, "Oh, let's leave it for a month and digest and do a whole analysis about this." No, we have to make a decision there. And in that moment, based on the information that we had, we made the decision that we made. And that's all there is to it.

And I've seen all kinds of stuff online. And it's unfortunate that people start to spin. The other part of it is that we don't normally peel back the wall. We don't normally allow the viewer in. And if we're going to share some of that stuff with the audience, then, of course, we do open ourselves up more to the audience speculating about what they think happened. But what what the audience doesn't know is the timeline. One of the number one rules for any contestant: Do not lose your crew. Period. So they made a decision to keep on driving. And if the crew was lost behind them. The chances of them running into the crew going forward are pretty minimal. Anyway, all I'm saying is we always go back and analyze what we could do better on a given day. We have to go to the rules. We have to gather all the information, every camera, going back to the moments, documenting the time code. Take everything we can, make our best judgment that we feel is fair, and then we have to adjudicate it.
*  *  *
But I just want to [talk about] when people start talking about, "It was three minutes after this, two minutes after that." I saw some quotes, I'm not sure if it was an interview with you, where a team was talking about how many minutes it was between them and another team. They don't have a clock. We don't disclose to them exact timings. Sometimes, they'll say to me, "How close were we, Phil?" I'll say, "Just a few minutes." A few minutes could be two minutes; it could be 10 minutes. They don't have a clock. So for them to start going out into the world where they say they were only three minutes behind and, had they not done this, that, and the other thing, they would have easily made it up, it's not accurate. It's silly. Like I said, we're doing our best. This is a challenging show to produce. And no matter how much preparation we do, and no matter how many seasons we do, we're always going to run into weird things happening. It's not tennis.
*  *  *
So, you talk about teams that have attracted a lot of online attention. On that note, I do want to talk about Amber and Vinny. I feel like it's been a while since we've seen this type of couple dynamic on the race, where there is clearly a lot of conflict between them as they try to figure out how to get on the same page every leg. What was your perspective as you were watching them run the season?
It never ceases to amaze me sometimes how complicated relationships are, why certain people are attracted to other people, and how people end up in relationships. And I think as I've gotten older, I've become more accepting of what we see and what we assume. Because sometimes, when we see what we assume is a perfect relationship where a couple is really, really nice to each other. The assumption is, "Oh, that must be the perfect relationship. And then you find out later that there are things going on." So, I'm not a relationship expert. And I do love to see couples that really get on or relationships that are really firing really well. But I'm also very aware of the fact that it's impossible to just assess a relationship from the brief encounters that I have with them. It's too hard. But I don't want to see anybody upset. Like I have called out, like, "Hey, maybe take it easy."

Edited May 15 by tv echo

[Notabug]

1 hour ago, tv echo said:

Phil Keoghan Breaks Down 'The Amazing Race 36's Most Talked-About Moments
MIKE BLOOM    MAY 14, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-phil-keoghan-angie-danny-butler-elimination-finale-sneak-peek 

So, it seems that Phil is saying that Angie and Danny were supposed to wait for their crew, NOT go to the next stop as they did and that their assessment that they were only a couple of minutes behind the last team was inaccurate because teams are never told the time differential and Phil will only tell them in vague terms how far behind they were.  So, while they thought they were just a few minutes behind, it was significantly longer than that and their decision to continue on without their crew was not within the rules they were given, hence, the penalty.

Edited May 15 by Notabug

[tv echo]

And the Winner of 'The Amazing Race 36' Is...
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 15, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/who-won-the-amazing-race-36-finale-2024 

[tv echo]

'The Amazing Race 36' Winners Ricky Rotandi and César Aldrete Break Down Their Record-Breaking Run
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 16, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-ricky-rotandi-cesar-aldrete-winner-interview 

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So let's talk about how you got into the winner's circle, let alone on a future all-winners season. I think from a lot of our perspectives, the final leg was never in doubt for you, especially considering Ricky's experience in Philadelphia and being a mascot. But, no matter how well you were doing, you both seemed to always be level-headed about your chances of winning. Plus, you had just had your worst performance to date. So what was it like balancing the excitement of possibly winning with your usual caution?
Ricky: So they showed a really cool clip of us walking to the plane. And Phil's like, "We're going to the City of Brotherly Love!" We didn't know until that moment. So when he announced [that], that reaction was so genuine for me. I grew up in Philadelphia, I lived there before moving to New York City. When I said I lived 10 blocks from the art museum, I lived 10 blocks from the art museum. I know that area. So when we found that out, I was like, "Okay, this is great." However, people who've run in their home city are notorious for not doing well.
César: The only place that we didn't ask for directions was for the stadium. Everything else we stopped.
Ricky: We made it a point. I said, "Even if I know where it is, we're stopping to verify for directions." So that was the only place we didn't was for the stadium. Because I knew exactly where the entrance for the highway was. 
*  *  *
You talk about this mentality of, "If we haven't done it before, we'll learn it." Admittedly, that didn't come up a lot. Because it really did seem like nearly every task spoke to something the two of you had done previously. How surprised were you by that?
Ricky: I think it was a little surprising. As we went through, we're like, "Oh, we did kind of like have experience in this a little bit." I do think that there is a sense of confidence and flexibility for some things. I'd say there was probably 70% of things that we had background in, which really helped.
César: But for the other part, I think our jobs came in handy. Ricky's a preschool teacher. He had worked with babies from three months to five years old. He's on a constant high stress level. It's different, but he has to be caring for so many kids. Kids are trouble sometimes! And for me, I work in a catering company. I work in different places that aren't sometimes not even kitchens. Sometimes it's an office that we have to set up as a kitchen. So it's go with the flow.

'The Amazing Race 36's Juan Villa and Shane Bilek Talk the Out-of-State Blunder that Lost Them the Race
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 16, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-juan-villa-shane-bilek-finale-interview 

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Speaking of a shift in mentality, we hear you say in the penultimate leg that you have shifted your focus in the race from just having a good time together to winning for your families. I'm curious, did any particular moment or leg spur that shift on?
Shane: Well, I'll say that I think we kind of did a poor job of depicting our true competitive nature. Because we were on the show to win. One night, we binge watched about five seasons before [the race]. I knew that we could win a million bucks. And so we obviously, we're gonna have fun, because it's a once in a lifetime opportunity. But we're some of the most competitive people that you'll probably ever meet. And so, yes, once the team started whittling down, Juan, I mean you can take it from there, man. We got families at home.
Juan: Oh, yeah. And I would say that, at the beginning, obviously, it's all about fun. It's all about soaking it in. But I would say that those first then fourth-place finishes and then followed by a fifth-place finish was kind of a dagger to the heart every time. Because if you ain't first, you're last; Shake and Bake. So Shane and I were talking to each other. I think I think what you were seeing was was us shifting our point of views, narrowing down on the scope of what we needed to focus on. Because, like I said, we're not we're not super fans. It's an incredible show. But we obviously didn't have the experience that Danny, Ricky, César, or even Melissa had all being huge superfans. And so what we did was we would learn from the experience and we were seeing the focus kind of narrowed down to the important rocks and us kind of just locking in onto what was working and getting rid of what was working.

'The Amazing Race 36's Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun Recap Their Pit Stop Proposal
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 17, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-amber-craven-vinny-cagungun-engaged-eliminated-interview 

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Talk to me about that. I know you said the conflict you had reflects your reality. But how do you feel about your edit this season?
Vinny: For me personally, it did a disservice to who we truly are. We are very intense and passionate individuals for sure. But I believe that Amber was depicted as someone who was like this "I can't do this," very whiny, incapable woman. And the reality of our relationship is that if there's anyone that's incapable, it's me. And she is extremely capable and makes really the majority of our choices from a financial standpoint, from a life standpoint, from a domestic standpoint. She takes charge in so many ways that I don't believe that they did our relationship a true justice of what it is.
Amber: But I mean, they did have a story that they were trying to tell. And I think that for The Amazing Race, they did what they could with the footage, and then they had the proposal. So I think they had us struggling throughout the race, then we persevered, and we got engaged. I think that's the story that they were trying to tell. But our story has a conflict for sure. 

Edited May 17 by tv echo

[tv echo]

No interviews with Rod and Leticia?

The Amazing Race’s Ricky and Cesar Thought They ‘Might Be the Underdogs’ at First
By Sara Donnellan  May 16, 2024
https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-amazing-races-ricky-and-cesar-thought-theyd-be-underdogs/

Shane Bilek Says ‘The Amazing Race’ Made Him and Juan ‘Better Husbands’: ‘God Bless the Wives’ (Exclusive)
By Sara Donnellan  May 16, 2024
https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/shane-bilek-says-the-amazing-race-made-him-and-juan-better-husbands/

The Amazing Race’s Vinny Says His and Amber’s Fights Were Taken ‘Really Out of Context’ (Exclusive)
By Sara Donnellan  May 16, 2024
https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-amazing-races-vinny-says-amber-fights-were-out-of-context/

ETA:
Toxic Couple Vinny and Amber Ended 'The Amazing Race' in the Worst Possible Way
By Dustin Rowles   May 17, 2024 
https://www.pajiba.com/tv_reviews/vinny-and-amber-ended-the-amazing-racing-in-the-worst-possible-way.php 

Edited May 19 by tv echo

[tv echo]

Finally...

'The Amazing Race 36's Rod and Leticia Gardner Said They Were Thrown Off By No Final Memory Challenge
MIKE BLOOM   MAY 20, 2024
https://parade.com/tv/the-amazing-race-36-rod-leticia-gardner-finale-interview 

Amazing Race’s Rod and Leticia Share Relationship Wisdom: Marriage Isn’t Always a ‘Happy Situation’ (Exclusive)
By Sara Donnellan  May 21, 2024
https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-amazing-races-rod-and-leticia-share-their-relationship-wisdom/ 

Edited May 22 by tv echo