TAR in the Media

[Whimsy]

20 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I sent you a PM!

Looks like they deleted the thread I started for it, so I'm not sure where it is supposed to be discussed? Maybe a Mod can let us know...

Created a general thread to discuss other locations for the TAR here. 

[ApprenticeFan]

Bad news TAR fans as the race is out once again in the winter schedule for the third time in four years:

https://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/view?id=53948

[Lantern7]

5 minutes ago, ApprenticeFan said:

Bad news TAR fans as the race is out once again in the winter schedule for the third time in four years:

https://www.cbspressexpress.com/cbs-entertainment/releases/view?id=53948

Of course. I'm guessing CBS wants to go all-in for the fortieth season of Survivor. Apparently, it's the highest-rated show on the network, even as it's been getting dinged up every week by The Masked Singer. Hey, it's not like there's a season of TAR already filmed. Oh, wait . . . yes, it freakin' has. 😠

[TheRabbi]

On one hand, it sucks that we have to continue to wait for 32, and it sucks even more for the contestants (especially the winners), who will have to wait close to 18 months to see their season.   

On the other hand, CBS has clearly relegated TAR to 1 season per year at this point, so getting 32 aired in the winter wouldn't make TAR33 magically get here any quicker.  It would still be relegated to the 2020-21 television year, to air likely spring or summer 2021 (assuming it gets renewed). We'll probably get an announcement in March or so that TAR will fill in on Survivor's slot, over the summer, which was TAR31's initial plan.

Edited November 12, 2019 by TheRabbi

[ByaNose]

Here’s some new information. TAR still doesn’t get any respect:

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2020/01/amazing-race-33-amazing-race-32-updates/

[scrb]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

Here’s some new information. TAR still doesn’t get any respect:

https://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/2020/01/amazing-race-33-amazing-race-32-updates/

My fear is if CBS sticks it on CBS All-Access and you have to subscribe.

OTOH, they make keep paying to produce it if they want to fill out their streaming lineup.

 

 

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, scrb said:

My fear is if CBS sticks it on CBS All-Access and you have to subscribe.

OTOH, they make keep paying to produce it if they want to fill out their streaming lineup.

 

 

I actually never thought of that. I just That Star Trek: Picard starts streaming there on Thursday. I guess if they wanted to toss it to All Access they would have done it by now. I think CBS likes to see one of their shows fail and then they plug TAR in there if they can. I don’t watch much on CBS but they have a full line up of shows that have been running for years. I mean NCIS has been on the air for 17 years and I’ve never seen an episode. Crazy!

[BK1978]

On 1/19/2020 at 11:04 PM, scrb said:

My fear is if CBS sticks it on CBS All-Access and you have to subscribe.

OTOH, they make keep paying to produce it if they want to fill out their streaming lineup.

 

 

That was/has always been my fear as well.  I hate the fact that CBS has their own streaming network and I would not be willing to pay.  Not even for TAR.

[ProfCrash]

I will be done with Amazing Race if it moves to Streaming. I don't watch any of the streaming shows, I will be skipping Picard,

Annoying given that there is so much crap on TV. So they are keeping ok rated or poorly watched shows and putting good but niche shows on streaming.

Ah well, I am not such a fan girl to be buying into streaming.

We don't have Disney Plus or Netflix. We have Amazon Prime but that is because we get it with the package. We have Prime for the shipping and not the shows, although we watch the show.

[TheRabbi]

There are no indications anywhere that TAR is moving to streaming. It's a once-a-year show at this point, so we'll just enjoy it as long as it lasts. I actually thought that interview was a huge positive as it is confirmation that TAR 33 is in the works. So therefore we'll have at least 2 more seasons to look forward to. 

It sucks that we're down to once a year, especially since our ratings are very comparable to many shows. But keep in mind that the real money that CBS makes is getting these endless crime dramas to syndication deals down the road with many episodes. Even if TAR might rate a tad better than a few shows and make a few more ad dollars up front, CBS is playing the long game by having as many of their dramas get to long syndication deals as possible, which is where the real money is. TAR makes very little after airing the first time.

Edited January 22, 2020 by TheRabbi

[Quilt Fairy]

12 hours ago, TheRabbi said:

CBS is playing the long game by having as many of their dramas get to long syndication deals as possible, which is where the real money is. TAR makes very little after airing the first time

I've always thought that was stupid.  I guess the rationale is that once the winner is known, the show is not worth watching.  But I think TAR is more about the journey than the destination. 

I discovered TAR in it's 8th season, and at that time it was difficult to find the early seasons to catch up.  I remember finding several seasons airing late at night on GSN.  It didn't matter if I knew who won, I wanted to see the teams that had gained fame (and in one case, infamy) on TWoP.  

[Lantern7]

Super Bowl ad for Sabra Hummus. Zach King from TAR28 appears around 0:13.

I know Vine has been dead for some time, but is he still keeping busy?

ETA: In terms of TAR treatment, getting put on CBS's subscription service would suck, even if it was guaranteed Patrick Stewart would be the greeter at the end of every leg.

 

Edited February 3, 2020 by Lantern7

[ApprenticeFan]

I would say that The Amazing Race will be a permanently one-season show every TV season year. Survivor will be the same to reduce to one-season every year.

[Lantern7]

23 hours ago, ApprenticeFan said:

I would say that The Amazing Race will be a permanently one-season show every TV season year. Survivor will be the same to reduce to one-season every year.

If only. I could live with that, but the latter will never happen. Survivor brings in the good ratings, and they've plopped down in one spot, so things are cost-effective. Big Brother takes place on a glorified soundstage. TAR is probably seen as a once-a-year series . . . though I'm thinking CBS's unsaid line is "We'll air it when we air it."

Edited February 4, 2020 by Lantern7

[Lantern7]

Reality Blurred: one TAR33 team is from another CBS reality series. Of course they are. Even when we know we might not see that season until next year, the network still likes turning the screws.

Also, another team got identified, and there’s concern whether things will change due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

[ByaNose]

9 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Reality Blurred: one TAR33 team is from another CBS reality series. Of course they are. Even when we know we might not see that season until next year, the network still likes turning the screws.

Also, another team got identified, and there’s concern whether things will change due to the Coronavirus epidemic.

I read this. I’m still amazed there’s no premiere date for the season filmed more then a year ago. No respect.

[Hera]

2 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I’m still amazed there’s no premiere date for the season filmed more then a year ago. No respect.

Me too. I feel really bad for the people who run the race and then have to wait such a long time for their season to air. It must be a really unsettling experience to go from having to be so tight-lipped about it for so long to then suddenly having to answer a bunch of questions and do interviews, even though you're back to your normal life and the Race is no longer so fresh in your mind.

Do the winners still have to wait until the finale airs to collect their check? That must suck, too—presumably the winners have plans for how to spend their winnings that are on hold indefinitely.

[SVNBob]

1 hour ago, Hera said:

Do the winners still have to wait until the finale airs to collect their check?

Typically.  And that's for every reality and/or game show, not just TAR.

To use a related example: the 32nd season of Survivor that aired, Kaoh Rong, was actually the 31st filmed.  But it got delayed because at the finale of the 30th season, Worlds Apart, they announced the winners of the audience vote for the cast of the Second Chance season, and showed them "immediately leaving" for Cambodia to play again.  Because of that lead-up, Second Chances was the 31st season to air, despite being the 32nd to film.  Which meant that the cast of Kaoh Rong had to wait for two seasons (their own included) to finish airing before getting their winnings.

Edited February 24, 2020 by SVNBob

[ByaNose]

12 hours ago, SVNBob said:

Typically.  And that's for every reality and/or game show, not just TAR.

To use a related example: the 32nd season of Survivor that aired, Kaoh Rong, was actually the 31st filmed.  But it got delayed because at the finale of the 30th season, Worlds Apart, they announced the winners of the audience vote for the cast of the Second Chance season, and showed them "immediately leaving" for Cambodia to play again.  Because of that lead-up, Second Chances was the 31st season to air, despite being the 32nd to film.  Which meant that the cast of Kaoh Rong had to wait for two seasons (their own included) to finish airing before getting their winnings.

Yeah, I remember reading an interview where Michelle (spoiler alert) who had won had to wait a year to get her million dollars. She said they were told at Ponderosa before they left for home. Apparently, the cast wasn't too happy about that. Especially, the Final 3.

[mojoween]

My son texted me this, he doesn’t even watch the show but knows I love it (ok actually he said they should have a winners race so Tyler can race again, so that’s the last time he watched).

https://www.cnn.com/2020/02/28/entertainment/amazing-race-coronavirus/index.html
This sucks a lot, and I hope everyone is ok, and also I started watching in season five so how is it possible I have watched 28 seasons?!?

[chitowngirl]

Not surprising and smart to call everyone home before they got too far.

[Browncoat]

I hate that they had to halt production, but better safe than sorry.

[Lantern7]

I got the news from Reality Blurred. I have to wonder if the threat of an epidemic could curtail other reality shows, and if TAR33 would be able to resume.

[illdoc]

https://tvline.com/2020/02/28/the-amazing-race-delayed-season-33-coronavirus-cbs/

[Quilt Fairy]

1 hour ago, Lantern7 said:

I have to wonder if the threat of an epidemic could curtail other reality shows, and if TAR33 would be able to resume.

This is sad news, but they're talking about the possibility of canceling the Olympics.  I know some races have been delayed by a few days due to weather or other issues, but the coronavirus is not something that's going to go away soon.  For a show unbeloved by CBS, they may cut their losses and be done with it.  This may be the end of TAR.

Edited February 28, 2020 by Quilt Fairy

[ProfCrash]

I was wondering about this.

[scrb]

33 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

This is sad news, but they're talking about the possibility of canceling the Olympics.  I know some races have been delayed by a few days due to weather or other issues, but the coronavirus is not something that's going to go away soon.  For a show unbeloved by CBS, they may cut their losses and be done with it.  This may be the end of TAR.

Yup, would certainly give them the excuse.

[ByaNose]

I guess the Amazing Race strictly done in the USA wouldn’t work, right? The spoilers alone would kill the show. I think part of the appeal of TAR and Survivor in foreign locations keeps most of the audience in the dark. Heck! I think even The Bachelor/Bachelorette film a lot out of the US for the exact same reason. They don’t want to ruin the surprise. That said, I still can’t believe they are the season done a year ago hostage. I’m thinking it will be aired in the summer at the earliest. If the Olympics don’t air they might feel better about airing it without the competition from NBC. 

[theschnauzers]

The show was able to survive the security issues post 9/11, and that was global as well. Other CBS shows, like Survivor, and som dramas, like Blood and Treasure, are also going to be challenged as well.

And I’ve read some mention of San Diego ComicCon, May need to make a decision as well, as studios will have to decide whether to participate by the end of May as well.

Deadline is maintaining a list of coronavirus affected events, productions, etc., locations, and venues as well that is being continually updated.

https://deadline.com/2020/02/coronavirus-canceled-postponed-hollywood-sports-entertainment-1202870762/

[BK1978]

Did they really film the next season in 2018?  I thought they filmed it last year.  So it has been on the shelf for almost two years.  What the hell?

Also, I wonder how they are going to work the season that is currently filming now that it has been halted.

 

[SVNBob]

58 minutes ago, BK1978 said:

Also, I wonder how they are going to work the season that is currently filming now that it has been halted.

My guess: it'll depend where teams were in a Leg when the halt was called.

If the halt was called in the middle of a Leg, they'll probably reset to the previous Pit Stop.  TPTB will come up with an alternate leg during the stoppage, since some teams would have an advantage otherwise.  Then once it's safe, they'll start again with the new tasks in place as if the halt hadn't been called. 

If the teams are already at a Pit Stop when the halt is called, then they'll just restart the Race from that point when the all-clear is called.

In either case, the only major change will be all the teams will be well rested (unless TPTB fly them to the Pit Stop on red-eyes, then start the leg immediately), so KF will be reset.

[meatball77]

I'm surprised anyone greenlit the race to start at all, it's not like this hasn't been going for a couple months.

[ProfCrash]

44 minutes ago, meatball77 said:

I'm surprised anyone greenlit the race to start at all, it's not like this hasn't been going for a couple months.

The information out of China was stupid slow. The cases in Europe are from just this week. Cases from the continents of Africa and South America are just being reported. Initially it looked to be contained to Asia but now not so much.

[chitowngirl]

Racers took time off work and got in shape to do this. Now they’ll have to take time off again and keep in racing shape, mentally and physically. I don’t envy that.

[theschnauzers]

Just in the last 36 hours have cases been reported along the US Pacific coast, including five whose origins can’t be explain to travel from infected areas, or secondary infections in persons known to have been tested with a positive result.

So CBS and production are making the right call. One thing to remember: Authorities are trying to isolate and quarantine this infection. San Francisco issued a declaration of emergency just a few days ago. And the CDC has said it’s not a question of whether it will spread, but when. They’re still not sufficiently ahead to isolate the overall infection.

[Quilt Fairy]

12 hours ago, SVNBob said:

If the halt was called in the middle of a Leg, they'll probably reset to the previous Pit Stop.  TPTB will come up with an alternate leg during the stoppage, since some teams would have an advantage otherwise.  Then once it's safe, they'll start again with the new tasks in place as if the halt hadn't been called.

They are not just halting the race temporarily while the teams are at a Pit Stop.  They are sending everybody home. 

[theschnauzers]

Keep in mind, the idea is to resume once the medical issue is resolved so that travel is safe. CBS stated explicitly that three legs had been completed. One of the issues, if you reason it out, was where could the Race get to safely and avoid transportation hubs where there was a chance of transmission of the coronavirus. While it is not transmitted airborne, a person can risk exposure from unsterilized surface from contact anywhere as the coronavirus can survive for nine days. As a consequence, the available safe options for legs or backup legs and travel options disappeared quite quickly during that one week in filming three legs. It’s a pandemic, simply put, and it looks to be the most serious since the “Spanish Flu” pandemic of 1918-1919.

Many events, productions around the world have been and are being effected by the coronavirus. Others may be in the coming days and weeks. We will all need to be vilagent in the meantime.

[Taeolas]

Seems CBS is stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

On the one hand, there is talk that there might be another writers strike in the works, which is why the networks are frontloading their scripted shows as much as possible, and loading up their Reality TV schedules. TAR is a workhorse for CBS in that respect.

But TAR is also the one that would be most at risk for a worldwide plague affecting it. Survivor is an isolated group and crew at one location, so it is protected. Big Brother and the singing and talent shows are all soundstage productions; they might need to limit the audiences a bit but are otherwise local. TAR is stuck that it's main appeal is that it is teams going around the world and interacting with locals. It's almost impossible to make Coronavirus proof. 

[SVNBob]

7 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

They are not just halting the race temporarily while the teams are at a Pit Stop.  They are sending everybody home. 

I assumed that.  Perhaps I wasn't clear. 

If the Race was halted mid-Leg, they'd send everyone home first.  Then, once it's safe, they'd restart the Race at the Pit Stop the teams had last left.  But while the Race was stopped, TPTB would re-design the Leg that was in progress so as to negate any advantages teams might have had from partially completing the Leg originally.

Also, this is pure speculation as to what they're doing.  It's what I'd do in their place, and it seems the most fair to the affected teams.

[theschnauzers]

4 hours ago, SVNBob said:

I assumed that.  Perhaps I wasn't clear. 

If the Race was halted mid-Leg, they'd send everyone home first.  Then, once it's safe, they'd restart the Race at the Pit Stop the teams had last left.  But while the Race was stopped, TPTB would re-design the Leg that was in progress so as to negate any advantages teams might have had from partially completing the Leg originally.

Also, this is pure speculation as to what they're doing.  It's what I'd do in their place, and it seems the most fair to the affected teams.

They didn’t suspend during mid-leg. The CBS statement said three legs were completed. From what CBS said in that statement, and what Bertram said in a reply post on FB about this. “There wasn’t a choice”, all options had been foreclosed for filming a fourth leg. I’ve reviewed the news information that developed over the week and especially in the 48 hours prior to the CBS announcement, and that really was the only conclusion. The issue here is travel options that were safe. And with cases now appearing on every continent but Antartica, connecting flights had become quite problematic.

As to Survivor, filming its next two seasons soon, travel is likewise an issue, and with coronavirus cases breaking out along the US west coast, even flight connections become risky. This coronavirus can apparently survive 9 days on a surface, the incubation period is still not known, and it apparently can reinfect people. So even Survivor is at risk. At least one other CBS show has already been impacted. The CBS Summer drama, Blood and Treasure is currently filming, and at last report were filming overseas. They had done filming in China.

All this is just the tip of the iceberg. TAR 33 has not been cancelled, but TPTB are going to have to reassemble the local teams and decide their primary and backup legs. And it’s totally unclear when the coronavirus pandemic will have passed. 

Edited March 1, 2020 by theschnauzers
The iOS induced typos

[ProfCrash]

What happens with the eliminated teams? Do they have to return to Ponderosa Amazing Race style or do they get to stay home and go about their lives.

[Haleth]

5 minutes ago, ProfCrash said:

What happens with the eliminated teams? Do they have to return to Ponderosa Amazing Race style or do they get to stay home and go about their lives.

I would think that once filming starts again they'd have to disappear for the duration.  

[scrb]

There's a growing consensus that it mostly affects older people with various pre-existing conditions.

So would CBS ask contestants to sign waivers and the younger ones will?

Maybe even some older ones would as well it could lead to the contestants skewing younger in the future.  They were doing that anyways, since they want to attract the more attractive younger demographics.

[theschnauzers]

49 minutes ago, scrb said:

There's a growing consensus that it mostly affects older people with various pre-existing conditions.

So would CBS ask contestants to sign waivers and the younger ones will?

Maybe even some older ones would as well it could lead to the contestants skewing younger in the future.  They were doing that anyways, since they want to attract the more attractive younger demographics.

That’s not a consensus. While people who have autoimmunity disorders or who are more likely to get illnesses may be more likely to become ill, no one is immune. The symptoms for most expletive tested so far are mild, enough so that they aren’t aware that they’ve been infected with the coronavirus as opposed to other illness, it is not a flu and it isn’t a cold. Not enough is known to say only certain groups are particularly venerable. That’s no different than it is for the flu. The other worrisome element is that one can be reinfected by the coronavirus. And the consequences of that aren’t clear. TAR is tough on people who are older, and that alone is a factor in casting.

On 2/29/2020 at 3:45 AM, BK1978 said:

Did they really film the next season in 2018?  I thought they filmed it last year.  So it has been on the shelf for almost two years.  What the hell?

Also, I wonder how they are going to work the season that is currently filming now that it has been halted.

 

The 32nd season was filmed in very later 2018, so that a season was on the shelf when season 31 aired. That was the intention with filming 33 now.

And it is important to remember this was a “temporary suspension” because of the coronavirus outbreak. It had reached a point where safety couldn’t be assured and filming options and how to travel to them safely had disappeared in that one week of filming three legs.

As to how the season “will be worked”, the best example is how the original season worked out two temporary shutdowns. After the second leag, teams spent two extra days because of a flu outbreak in the cast and crew. Then in India, the race had to sit out several days while permitting issues in China were resolved. But the point is the filming was not cancelled, just suspended. This situation is a difference of degree as to how it is being handled.

[Quilt Fairy]

6 hours ago, theschnauzers said:

The symptoms for most expletive tested so far are mild

"Expletive tested"?  I can't figure out what that's a typo for. 

[theschnauzers]

55 minutes ago, Quilt Fairy said:

"Expletive tested"?  I can't figure out what that's a typo for. 

Ask Apple, their autocorrect feature has become very annoying since iOS 13 came out. It probably was meant to be exposed people.

[ProfCrash]

14 hours ago, scrb said:

There's a growing consensus that it mostly affects older people with various pre-existing conditions.

So would CBS ask contestants to sign waivers and the younger ones will?

Maybe even some older ones would as well it could lead to the contestants skewing younger in the future.  They were doing that anyways, since they want to attract the more attractive younger demographics.

A high percentage of the people who have died are older with pre-existing conditions. Plenty of people have gotten sick and recovered who are younger and healthy. And there is evidence that people are contagious for far longer then the traditional flu. And the virus seems to last far longer out of the body then normal.

Oh, and the "older people" comment seems to include people 60 and up, a fair number of which would probably be annoyed that they were considered "Older" and who are still working and traveling. This is not senior citizens who are retired and sick.

The move not only protects the contestants and the crew, who are all going to be more tired and run down due to the hours that they are keeping and the lack of nutrition and sleep which makes them all more susceptible to illness, but takes into the strong likelihood of countries shutting their boarders. China has been a regular filming stop for the show and it is closed. South Korea and Japan are pretty much shut down at this point. Parts of Italy and Spain are closed. No one trusts the countries in Africa or South America to be able to test people so we have no clue if there is an issue on either of those continents.

I think that people are getting really worked up and worried for something that is probably not that awful, this feels like a really, really bad flu to me, but there is no denying that this thing is spreading and we don't know enough about it to be able to say if my eye rolls are justified or if I am an idiot.

That said, I bought a bunch of frozen meals and staples this weekend. We can eat them over time as needed once this passes but I would rather have what we need in the house just in case something worse happens in the US.

[SnideAsides]

I would also add... Bertram is 80 now. Plus as much as it would be bad if one of the teams got it, imagine how much worse it would be for the show if one of the teams got it early in the race and passed it on to someone in another country.

[North of Eden]

I do hope this doesn't kill the series permanently....and also hope the affected teams are able to either start completly from scratch or pick up where they left off...but either way its and incredible mess and given TAR has always (inexplicably) been the red haired step child (constant night and time period switches,holding in reserve to "plug a hole and never  reunion show) it would not surprise me to see CBS kill it off once and for all.

[SVNBob]

3 hours ago, North of Eden said:

I do hope this doesn't kill the series permanently

If 9/11 couldn't kill TAR, a virus isn't going to either.