TAR in the Media

[Lantern7]

Huh. Sometimes, wonders never cease. Here’s hoping for an early season!

[Roccos Brother]

HURRAY!

[selkie]

I'm guessing mid-season replacement wherever CBS needs to plug a schedule leak. Each season is effectively a nice miniseries that CBS can place on a schedule in whatever time slot is available and it will pull a certain useful base viewership number. 

[ProfCrash]

I liked how the last season worked. I did not have a problem with the double episodes, although I would prefer a longer season. I strongly prefer watching the Amazing Race then not so I'll take the double episodes. It seems like using the time slot in between Survivor seasons worked well because it was something that Survivor fans were fine with tuning in for.

[Evenshorter]

Reading that it's going to be Big Brother edition...

[Lantern7]

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Link?

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, Evenshorter said:

Reading that it's going to be Big Brother edition...

Hell to the no.

[Evenshorter]

3 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Link?

[Lantern7]

Is there anything we can do to stop this? Seriously, my biggest fear was that Les would cancel the series because a BB team won. This might be worse. Seriously, has there been anybody on that show who was entertaining and not a colossal trainwreck?

Fuck Big Brother. If I wanted to torture myself, I'd watch that.

[Netfoot]

8 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Is there anything we can do to stop this?

I doubt it, not if it's gone this far already.

8 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Seriously, my biggest fear was that Les would cancel the series because a BB team won.

I'd more understand the BB Edition if a BB team hadn't won.  They've desperately wanted a BB winner for ages, and one way to guarantee that would be to make sure that all the teams (and therefore, any winner) was from a BB background.  After the BB win, I had hoped there would be no more need to have BB teams on the show.  Goes to show how smart I am...

Honestly, this places me in a bit of a dilemma.  I love TAR and I've watched every episode.  Family Edition, Social Media Influenzas... all.  But I think BB stinks, and the very last thing I want to see is an entire field of BB teams.  So, do I not watch the show I love?  Or do I watch the people I hate?

If we all refused to watch this season, would TPTB come to their senses and stop casting dumb-assed teams?  Or would they fold their tents and make this abortion the last ever season of TAR?  The latter, I fear!

[ProfCrash]

bleeeccchhhhh

Just an awful idea. I don't mind the stunt casting, I normally don't know the people who are stunt casted so it doesn't feel that awful to me but this is ridiculous. I fear who will be on it and how awful it will be.

[Lantern7]

Fuck us all.

This might be the greatest cruelty. If we watch, we expose ourselves to about 22 socially-inept assholes whose average IQ tops out around 90. If we pass and/or boycott, Les can threaten to pull the plug, even though he’d probably flood the series with all sorts of assholes were the series to be continued. Like people from The Challenge. If you don’t watch that show . . . I envy you. You wouldn’t want most of those people.

Edited May 4, 2018 by Lantern7

[TheRabbi]

I'd honestly rather have the show canceled than go through this. I understand crossovers happen and we've resigned ourselves to having a BB or Survivor team on from time to time, but this is crossing a line. I'm not sure I could watch. I'm praying it's a BS report. CBS upfronts are in about 2 weeks so maybe they will announce something then. If not then we'll certainly find out when they start filming, which is speculated to be late May/early June.

[ProfCrash]

53 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

Fuck us all.

This might be the greatest cruelty. If we watch, we expose ourselves to about 22 socially-inept assholes whose average IQ tops out around 90. If we pass and/or boycott, Les can threaten to pull the plug, even though he’d probably flood the series with all sorts of assholes were the series to be continued. Like people from The Challenge. If you don’t watch that show . . . I envy you. You wouldn’t want most of those people.

I gave up on the Real World and Road Rules and the stupid follow on shows ages ago. I think I left right about when CT was returning for the third time and acting like a total asshole and being allowed to be a total asshole. It annoyed me that they screwed up Road Rules so badly and then the Real World went to hell. Just uggghhhh

I will not watch the Amazing Race if it leads down that awful path. I love the show for the destinations but also because I tend to like most of the teams. I have yet to make it past week three of Big Brother because the contestants tend to be that bad. I am not sure that I will be watching this up coming season. Simply awful concept.

[Browncoat]

And here I was, worried that I would miss/have to catch up on episodes if it airs in December/January -- I'm going to be out of the country then -- but I don't have a thing to worry about!  No way am I watching an all BB TAR.

[Evenshorter]

It does say "special edition" in my link. Any chance it will be a shortened version like DWTS is doing right now (an all athlete's version, 4 weeks long)?  I'm waiting impatiently to see who teams will be. Any way Paul is not going to be on? Because if they couldn't make him win BB in 2 tries, maybe this will do.

[Ducky]

I came here to post that TMZ link but looks like some folks were faster.. and as I noted to my FB group- I knew that half (more than half?) the fans in this forum would NOT be pleased.

 

I'm sure not.  Why a "crossover"?  They're copying The Walking Dead!

oh...wait... <side eye>

[Lantern7]

1 hour ago, ProfCrash said:

I gave up on the Real World and Road Rules and the stupid follow on shows ages ago. I think I left right about when CT was returning for the third time and acting like a total asshole and being allowed to be a total asshole. It annoyed me that they screwed up Road Rules so badly and then the Real World went to hell. Just uggghhhh

I will not watch the Amazing Race if it leads down that awful path. I love the show for the destinations but also because I tend to like most of the teams. I have yet to make it past week three of Big Brother because the contestants tend to be that bad. I am not sure that I will be watching this up coming season. Simply awful concept.

Actually, CT is okay these days . . . though I acknowledge that his "improvement" partially stems from him hitting rock bottom and going upward from there. Most of the other Challengers suck. They're even importing assholes from Great Britain. I like my fellow TAR fans. If they are unaware of malignancies like Johnny, Zach, Devin, Veronica, Camila, and so on . . . I'd want them to remain ignorant. Even nicer folk like CT, Leroy and Jenna popping in would be problematic for me.

If this is a way to cancel the series, this might be the most evil way to do it . . . with the diehard fans like myself contemplating bailing out. If TAR31 does an all-BB cast, maybe Phil should quit. I don't think we should judge him for staying, since he has a stake in the series, but resigning after thirty-plus seasons would send a message that he cares. Or something.

[RandomWatcher]

Call me a masochist if you want, but I would watch it just to see what happens

[Lady Calypso]

This is a late April Fools joke, right?

I'm a Big Brother fan and I think it's a terrible idea.

[TVbitch]

Noooo! It was on TV Guide news today. W.T.F.

The deal is everyone gets 15 fucking minutes of fame. Fine. Okay. But not they get on one reality show and turn it into a career of being on reality shows. How very fun and lucrative for them. But I prefer to see regular folks on an adventure. Not fame seekers sucking up more camera time. 

[SVNBob]

Slightly better news.  Not an All BB edition, but BB vs TAR All-Stars.

[Browncoat]

29 minutes ago, SVNBob said:

Not an All BB edition, but BB vs TAR All-Stars.

That might be less bad, but I'm not thrilled about it, either.

[ByaNose]

They did well with newbies & one BB pair. I think that’s enough. I’d prefer a whole bunch of whackos making fools of themselves. LOL!!!! That said, how about 1 BB couple, 1 Survivor couple & all new people. Sound good? Anyone? Hello!

[RandomWatcher]

Who would be considered an Amazing Race All Star?

[Netfoot]

1 minute ago, RandomWatcher said:

Who would be considered an Amazing Race All Star?

Green hat.

[ByaNose]

49 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Green hat.

Green Hat is on twitter saying it’s fake news. Of course, he might be bitter because he wasn’t asked back. Time will tell. They’ll be filming in the summer I presume and could possibly air again between Survivor seasons on Wednesday. At least, that’s my thought since it did so well in the shorter airing schedule.

[Lantern7]

I’ll take Justin. Even if he gets aggro at the thought of (figuratively) beating up Big Brother contestants, at least he’s “family.” And I think he would dial it down a notch. Seriously, if it’s a “TAR vs. BB” format, are there any returning Racers you wouldn’t root for against former housemates?

ETA: Looks like Survivor might play a part. I will be annoyed if it’s basically “Survivor vs. Big Brother” with no actual Racers returning.

Edited May 5, 2018 by Lantern7

[RandomWatcher]

4 hours ago, Netfoot said:

Green hat.

Was that one of the competitive eaters?

[Lantern7]

@RandomWatcher . .  no, that would be Justin, the superfan who ran with his fiance Diana in TAR27 and got way too into it

[RandomWatcher]

Why is it that I can remember more people who have been on Big Brother, The Challenge and American Idol than I can remember who's been on Survivor, The Voice and Amazing Race? If my brain wasn't filled with that, I would likely be more productive.

[SVNBob]

3 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

ETA: Looks like Survivor might play a part. 

More movement on the suckometer away from "total suckage".  The more shows added for the stunt-casting pool means fewer BB idiots to clog up the show.

Is it still gonna suck?  Probably.  But it feels well-suited for the shorter "season" with constant double episodes.  It'll be a definite "get it over with quick" kind of season.

[SnideAsides]

I honestly don't mind if the season is a "reality stars" season in general, as long as they limit it to one team per non-TAR franchise. Like a season with three TAR All-Star teams and then one each from, say, Big Brother, Survivor, Top Chef, Project Runway, The Challenge, America's Next Top Model, The Voice, and RuPaul's Drag Race could work. But if they're going to insist on an all reality star season of a reality show, it really should be Celebrity Big Brother.

The best way to do a reality stars season, though it would be WAY too much of a hassle to organise (and would showcase how bad this show's casting has gotten) would be a TAR All-Stars season where the "filler eye-candy" teams are replaced with actual all-stars from foreign TARs.

[biakbiak]

4 hours ago, SnideAsides said:

Top Chef

That cpuld be fun but they would most likely cast the worst! 

[doodlebug]

8 hours ago, SnideAsides said:

I honestly don't mind if the season is a "reality stars" season in general, as long as they limit it to one team per non-TAR franchise. Like a season with three TAR All-Star teams and then one each from, say, Big Brother, Survivor, Top Chef, Project Runway, The Challenge, America's Next Top Model, The Voice, and RuPaul's Drag Race could work. But if they're going to insist on an all reality star season of a reality show, it really should be Celebrity Big Brother.

The best way to do a reality stars season, though it would be WAY too much of a hassle to organise (and would showcase how bad this show's casting has gotten) would be a TAR All-Stars season where the "filler eye-candy" teams are replaced with actual all-stars from foreign TARs.

They would only consider other CBS shows to use for cross promotion so Project Runway, etc are never going to be represented.  Somebody at CBS  must feel that putting their reality 'stars' onto other shows is a good idea promotionally speaking; more's the pity.

[ByaNose]

13 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

@RandomWatcher . .  no, that would be Justin, the superfan who ran with his fiance Diana in TAR27 and got way too into it

I couldn’t stand him and was glad they lost. He was such a baby. I just saw a video he posted and he looks a lot different and didn’t mention Diana. I’m not sure if they are still together or not. That said, they ran a great race until the final leg. Which unfortunately is the most important leg. 

[TheRabbi]

Well, I still loathe the concept, but I'll still watch. If the initial, all-BB rumor panned out, I may have skipped it. But TAR vs BB vs Survivor I will still begrudgingly watch, even though I don't watch the other 2.

[Lantern7]

@ByaNose . . . I believe Justin and Diana have wed. Seriously, though, I'd take him over your average houseguest.

Seriously, though . . . if Phil thought that he has had enough, or if he doesn't like the direction (especially if it's all BB), would you understand if he quit? I know he's got a producer credit these days, but I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to deal with assholes that are barely better than Jonathan Baker.

[Browncoat]

I can't imagine TAR without Phil.

[TVbitch]

Phil survived the youtube "stars" edition, he will survive this.

[Lantern7]

@TVbitch . . . yeah, but they turned out nice. Granted, they may have held back on a lot of negativity in order to protect their respective brands. Big Brother people? From what little I’ve seen, they wear nastiness very openly.

[mikewho]

I never really care much about who is cast, or where they came from. I was never into the 'fame whore' type of thinking. As long as the race and tasks are good, they travel well, and as long as it's not another Family Season, which was the only season I bailed on. The tasks on that season were all 'Go to Springfield from Mayfield and sit in a giant chair' types. Yeah, Mama Lasagna bungee-jumped with her son, but how many times had we seen that before? It was just plain boring.

[Kelda Feegle]

I have never watched BB and I'm not in America anyway so I guess they'll all be just people to me, but I'm sure that the BB thing will be shoved down my throat in every episode and that will be annoying. 

[Lamb18]

On ‎5‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 5:14 PM, RandomWatcher said:

Who would be considered an Amazing Race All Star?

The Cowboys. Bethany and Adam. Brooke and Claire. Nat and Kat. There are some BB people who wouldn't be too awful, like if Scott and Shelby or Morgan from BBOTT were a team, or Morgan and Alex. Victor and Nicole might be OK. But Paul and anybody - NO. Mark and Elena may be tolerable. Raven and Matt or anyone else - NO.

[Netfoot]

35 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

The Cowboys.

They've already been on TAR three times!  Please not let's have to look at them again.  

37 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Brooke and Claire.

If ever someone deserved another chance, it is Claire.  (Can you believe?  Her profile says "Favourite Food:  Watermelon".)

48 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Nat and Kat.

As previous winners, I don't really care to see them again.  As a substitute, I offer Nary and Jamie.

[Browncoat]

2 hours ago, Netfoot said:

(Can you believe?  Her profile says "Favourite Food:  Watermelon".)

That's hilarious!  I don't know if I'd ever want to see another watermelon if I were Claire.

[Netfoot]

33 minutes ago, Browncoat said:

That's hilarious!

Yah, I made that up!  :)  It might not be true, but it should be!

No doubt, Claire is tough.  After eating that watermelon, she went right back and fired the bungee-canon again!  She and Lena (hay bales from hell) are two of the racers I admire most for sheer grit.

[Browncoat]

3 hours ago, Netfoot said:

She and Lena (hay bales from hell) are two of the racers I admire most for sheer grit.

Maybe they could come back as a team!

[Falafel]

So, I am someone who stopped watching TAR around season 19. (I'm not sure why - it's a great show.) I picked it up again in this last season and I couldn't help but notice how different it was. They didn't show jostling for flights at the airport at all. That is a huge departure from when I last watched the show - finding the best flights was a key component of every leg and at least the first 1/4 of the episode would be devoted to it. I still remember that some of the very best teams did so well because of how savvy they were with finding flights, like Mirna & Charla and Colin & Christie in Season 5 stand out in my memory.

Has this difference been explained in any articles anywhere? Do teams chose from pre-selected flights now or something? I do recall some episodes where a team got so far ahead, or a team got so far behind, that the leg wasn't very suspenseful. (Who else remembers when Charla & Mirna couldn't do the detour because of a "storm" when they arrived the day before everyone else.) Or do they just not show airport stuff unless it significantly changes the order of the race? And is there a specific season where this changed?

Edited May 8, 2018 by Falafel

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Falafel said:

So, I am someone who stopped watching TAR around season 19. (I'm not sure why - it's a great show.) I picked it up again in this last season and I couldn't help but notice how different it was. They didn't show jostling for flights at the airport at all. That is a huge departure from when I last watched the show - finding the best flights was a key component of every leg and at least the first 1/4 of the episode would be devoted to it. I still remember that some of the very best teams did so well because of how savvy they were with finding flights, like Mirna & Charla and Colin & Christie in Season 5 stand out in my memory.

Has this difference been explained in any articles anywhere? Do teams chose from pre-selected flights now or something? I do recall some episodes where a team got so far ahead, or a team got so far behind, that the leg wasn't very suspenseful. (Who else remembers when Charla & Mirna couldn't do the detour because of a "storm" when they arrived the day before everyone else.) Or do they just not show airport stuff unless it significantly changes the order of the race? And is there a specific season where this changed?

At  one point, Colin and Christie got about a 24 hour lead and arrived in a city before Phil and the crew had a chance to get there.  I think that played a factor in how much leeway the teams were given in planning their own travel because the show just didn't have enough staff to cover teams in multiple countries at once. 

Also, security concerns have arisen involving air travel over the past couple decades (duh!) and there are some foreign airlines that are not considered to be safe or reliable for American travelers which has lead to a decrease in the number of options for teams.  The show apparently gives them a list of approved airlines/cities for any flights they have to book in order to avoid putting anyone in potentially dangerous situations. 

I believe, too, that consolidation of airlines and routes has lead to larger planes flying fewer routes; so there just isn't the abundance of options available that there used to be.

I doubt we'll ever see the return of the airport drama on the show, but, I agree with you, it often added a lot of excitement as teams made decisions concerning flights that either made or broke them.