S29.E12: We're Going To Victory Lane

[greyhorse]

1 minute ago, fib said:

I doubt there is a rule about it, but the key is that if fail to claim your bag at the airport, the airline will keep it for you and you can claim it with you baggage ticket stub after the race.  If you ditch it in cab, chances are it's gone for good. 

No, when you gate check, your bag goes to the hold and gets claimed at baggage check.  The only items brought to the gangway are strollers, wheelchairs, etc.  Your bag gets the same kind of tag it would get if you went through a normal process.  (Side note: this is not true on the little tiny regional jets with limited space in the overhead bins where no one can carry on a normal size bag.  In these situations, the bags are brought to the exitting passsengers as they exit the plane.  This isn't 'gate checking' though, which is available on all planes, especially now that baggage fees mean no one wants to stow luggage so they often run out of room on the plane for bags). 

I'm going to disagree slightly.  There are certainly a lot of times when I've flown (and not just on tiny regional jets) where you hear the announcement "if you are in boarding group 4, there will be no room in the overhead bins so we are asking you to get a gate check ticket and leave your bag at the end of the gangway".  Those bags (at least in my experience) are usually then brought to the gangway when you arrive.  Certainly it is airline and airport dependent, because I do recall one time where my bag ended up in baggage claim.  People don't check their bags because they don't want to pay the fees and perhaps more importantly, they don't want to wait 30-45 minutes to get their bag from baggage claim.

I must have missed the part where Scott said they were the last ones on and they gate checked.  Such a smart smart move.  Again I'm expressing shock that the other two teams didn't do the same.  There have been enough TARs now where you know that this is a final leg strategy, just like you know there will be a memory challenge.  It's not as if this is a novel concept like when MyOxIsBroken Colin had called ahead for a waiting cab which at the time was ingenious.

Every year I'm hoping they come up with some final memory task that teams can't anticipate and plan ahead for.  I think the greetings (what was hello and goodbye), what the greeters looked like (I think that was Nat and Kat's season), and of course the aforementioned puzzle that required logic and memory have been the best.  Surely they can come up with something more challenging in the future than what we saw once again.

[blackwing]

24 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I'm going to disagree slightly.  There are certainly a lot of times when I've flown (and not just on tiny regional jets) where you hear the announcement "if you are in boarding group 4, there will be no room in the overhead bins so we are asking you to get a gate check ticket and leave your bag at the end of the gangway".  Those bags (at least in my experience) are usually then brought to the gangway when you arrive.  Certainly it is airline and airport dependent, because I do recall one time where my bag ended up in baggage claim.  People don't check their bags because they don't want to pay the fees and perhaps more importantly, they don't want to wait 30-45 minutes to get their bag from baggage claim.

I must have missed the part where Scott said they were the last ones on and they gate checked.  Such a smart smart move.  Again I'm expressing shock that the other two teams didn't do the same.  There have been enough TARs now where you know that this is a final leg strategy, just like you know there will be a memory challenge.  It's not as if this is a novel concept like when MyOxIsBroken Colin had called ahead for a waiting cab which at the time was ingenious.

Every year I'm hoping they come up with some final memory task that teams can't anticipate and plan ahead for.  I think the greetings (what was hello and goodbye), what the greeters looked like (I think that was Nat and Kat's season), and of course the aforementioned puzzle that required logic and memory have been the best.  Surely they can come up with something more challenging in the future than what we saw once again.

I agree, whether the gate checked bags end up on the gangway or in baggage claim seems to depend on the airline and the airport.

Scott definitely said that he purposely hung back and let the other teams board first so that they wouldn't see that he and Brooke were gate checking their bags.  This was an extremely smart move.  That way none of the other teams would realise that Scott and Brooke might have an advantage.  You would think that once the others saw that they didn't have bags and were running around all over Chicago that they would dump their bags as well.  But none of the other four seemed that bright.  Scott and Brooke together probably had twice as much brain power as any of the other two teams.  I have to wonder though if it would have caused an issue if a team just decided to leave their packs by a garbage can on the street.  In today's world, I would wonder if police would be afraid of bombs.  

A few seasons ago, remember when all the clue boxes tended to be some kind of unique container?  Like a tire, etc.  Posters were speculating that the final challenge was going to involve the clue boxes.  Alas, no.  I agree that some kind of more unique final challenge would be better.  Preferably one that combines both memory/puzzle and physical.  The one from several seasons ago involving running around a shipping yard looking for containers and memorizing a number to put into the right order was pretty challenging, considering I don't think they were allowed to write the numbers down as they found them.  The one won by Bates and Anthony where they had to find balls in a giant ball pit which the correct names in order was also interesting.

I'd like to see a final challenge that really tests the Racer's observation skills.  Maybe an article of clothing or accessory from each pit stop greeter, and not necessarily one that is really obvious (e.g., Greek god white tunic from the Greek greeter).  I'd make it like a necklace, or a brooch, or hat, or bracelet, or shoes, or something that doesn't instantly scream what country it came from.

[mikewho]

Quote

Honestly, I'm not as broken about the finale like TAR3. That was brutal. I mean, Brooke was shrill, but she didn't try to quit hundreds of times like Flo. 

Although I agree that Brooke was nowhere near Flo-level on this race, I still remember on TWoP when people talked about her off the race. At least some of them.

People who met her at TARCon's basically said, 'On the race, Flo was terrible. Off the race, she's pretty nice.'

I met Flo at a TARCon. I asked for a pic to be taken of us together and she obliged VERY nicely. Just as we posed for the camera (arms over each other's shoulders, cheek to cheek) I decided to just throw this out there to see what she would say.

'By the way Flo, I never boo'd you.'

She immediately said, 'That's OK, you didn't have too. Believe me, I boo'd myself.'

[fib]

36 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I'm going to disagree slightly.  There are certainly a lot of times when I've flown (and not just on tiny regional jets) where you hear the announcement "if you are in boarding group 4, there will be no room in the overhead bins so we are asking you to get a gate check ticket and leave your bag at the end of the gangway".  Those bags (at least in my experience) are usually then brought to the gangway when you arrive.  Certainly it is airline and airport dependent, because I do recall one time where my bag ended up in baggage claim. 

 

5 minutes ago, blackwing said:

I agree, whether the gate checked bags end up on the gangway or in baggage claim seems to depend on the airline and the airport.

Scott definitely said that he purposely hung back and let the other teams board first so that they wouldn't see that he and Brooke were gate checking their bags.  This was an extremely smart move.  That way none of the other teams would realise that Scott and Brooke might have an advantage.  

Huh.  Learn something new everyday.  Because of where I live, I'm stuck with United if I want direct flights.  No one I have crummy gate check experiences.  :-). 

I agree it was smart smart smart of Scott to handle it this way.  And it really paid off. He wouldnt have been able to offer to carry Brooke if they had bags! When he and Brook completed the riddles ahead of everyone else, I figured they were going to win - because no way was Scott going to let whiny "I can't do it" Brooke do the last challenge, and both of them are smart.  So I was pretty sure they would handle a memory challenge well. Oh well - He earned it!

[iMonrey]

Quote

The bottom line is whichever team manages to come in first on the last leg deserves to win. There are no such thing as "underserving winners".

The quirk of this game is that what seem to be the strongest teams, "on paper," often don't make the final three, simply by a stroke of bad luck or producer manipulation like these awful U-Turns. I would argue that Matt and Redmond, Floyd and Becca, and maybe Seth and Olive "should have" been the final three based on perceived strength. So there's always an element of dumb luck in making that final 3, realistically. I'd certainly say Brooke and Scott and Team LoLo managed to stumble into the final three by sheer dumb luck. 

That being the case, simply based on that final leg, Scott and Brooke deserved to win. They got out ahead of the other teams and stayed there. They earned it.

Quote

Granted, they still needed to complete all the tasks efficiently, which they did so they deserved to win.  But basically it was all set-up by arriving to the Chicagoland Speedway first.

Not really. As stated above, Scott and Brooke made the smart decision to check their bags before they got on the plane - that's how they got out of there first. And there was no guarantee Brooke would ever be able to complete the tire-changing challenge - plenty of opportunity for another team to pass them.  Even afterwards, by the time they got to the subway station, Tara and Joey had caught up with them. But Tara and Joey screwed up doing the postcards task (and I honestly don't know what the hell Team LoLo was doing). So the whole thing wasn't decided by who got to the Speedway first.

I agree there have been too many seasons where it seems like whoever arrives first at the first task stays in first place through the final leg, based solely on poor leg design and easy tasks. That might have prejudiced us into thinking this was the case again, but it wasn't. This time, the first place team stayed in first place by making smarter moves and not screwing up.

Quote

it was pretty funny when Joey said Go Red Sox and the Cubs fans booed.

Yelling "Go Red Sox" at a bunch of Cubs fans is a classic asshole move. I'm sure Joey thought it was funny but it's yet another example that he's basically a jerk.

[jumper sage]

5 hours ago, fib said:

Not really.  I believe they probably got out of the plane faster, through customs and immigration faster, and through the airport faster because they had ditched their bags by checking (or gate checking) them.  Which was a smart maneuver that paid off for them the rest of the leg.  

Plus, Tara and Joey had caught up at the start of the post card task.  They were seen in the subway in the same shot as Brooke and Scott when Tara and Joey were looking for the construction worker and Brooke and Scott were researching the riddles. They were just really efficient from that point on (and a luttle lucky), but they raced well from that point on. 

Im not happy Brooke won, but they did complete a tough leg intelligently, and for that I give them props. 

I agree with your entire post.  I would add that Scott deserved to win and Brooke won because God hates me.

I wish they would show that if the 3rd team is evidently out of the race, they just tell them to go to the finish line.  It would appear as though that happened with team Lolo.

4 hours ago, backformore said:

I enjoyed the earlier seasons, before everyone had smartphones. 

Fern?  Is that you?

@Edgehopper - Love the rooftop stands.  Takes me back to the tv show Two of a Kind starring the Olsen twins.

Edited June 2, 2017 by jumper sage

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, greyhorse said:

Once the other teams saw how unencumbered Brooke and Scott were without the heavy bags, they should have left them.  

When did the other teams have a chance to see that? At the Speedway, presumably everybody's bags were left back in the cabs that were waiting to return them from this rather remote spot. There was indeed a moment in the subway station where Tara and Joey caught up and might have noticed, but their attention seemed to be elsewhere. And after that, everyone was out following their own paths, with little to no chance to observe each other.

6 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Yelling "Go Red Sox" at a bunch of Cubs fans is a classic asshole move. I'm sure Joey thought it was funny but it's yet another example that he's basically a jerk.

Yes, what did Joey accomplish by doing that, other than prove to a bunch of strangers who were previously kindly disposed toward him that he's a loudmouth asshole?

[seacliffsal]

I think it was Joey and Tara who entered a cab and asked to be taken to the hot dog place.  The driver said he didn't know it so they should take another cab.  Of course, they had to complain about that.  Would they have preferred that he pretended to know where it was and delay them even more (as well as overcharge due to not going directly there)?  

Also, Team LoLo told a driver that they were in a race for a lot of money.  I have never understood why racers continually think it matter to a cab driver that they, the racers, may win a lot of money.  I have watched every season and see this pretty consistently.  If the driver isn't winning a million dollars, why should he care if you are?  The racers seem to think that statement is a motivator.  If I was a cab driver I would refuse to move until they told me how much of that they were going to give to me...

Oh, a couple of people have asked why the guys didn't carry more than one number at a time during the scoreboard task and that was because they were told that they could only carry one at a time.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Amazing Race Hits The Second City To Crown Its First-Place Finishers

Teetering on the brink of cancellation, the show takes its best shot at going out on a high note, but fails in more ways than one.

[aradia22]

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I'd like to see a final challenge that really tests the Racer's observation skills.  Maybe an article of clothing or accessory from each pit stop greeter, and not necessarily one that is really obvious (e.g., Greek god white tunic from the Greek greeter).  I'd make it like a necklace, or a brooch, or hat, or bracelet, or shoes, or something that doesn't instantly scream what country it came from.

I think it would be interesting in theory but unless they picked up on it at some point, it would turn that last challenge into a process of elimination with people just constantly checking with the judge until they got it right. No one's that attentive unless it's somewhat obvious. Like, maybe they're bright red shoes so if you were paying attention, you might remember. 

Quote

Also, Team LoLo told a driver that they were in a race for a lot of money.  I have never understood why racers continually think it matter to a cab driver that they, the racers, may win a lot of money.  I have watched every season and see this pretty consistently.  If the driver isn't winning a million dollars, why should he care if you are?  The racers seem to think that statement is a motivator.  If I was a cab driver I would refuse to move until they told me how much of that they were going to give to me...

I mean, I think that Lolo making that almost their entire strategy was a bad plan. But to be fair, on this season and in other seasons, we've seen that there are drivers who respond positively to being told they're part of a race. They might drive faster/better or at least the driver and racers boost each others' morale. 

[blackwing]

10 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I think it was Joey and Tara who entered a cab and asked to be taken to the hot dog place.  The driver said he didn't know it so they should take another cab.  Of course, they had to complain about that.  Would they have preferred that he pretended to know where it was and delay them even more (as well as overcharge due to not going directly there)?  

I believe that was London and Logan.  They asked for Wrigleyville Dogs and the driver said "I need an address".  I thought they had the right to complain... cab drivers should provide good service.  If they don't know where a place is, they can look it up.  I am surprised that he saw that there was a camera guy and still didn't want to look it up.  At the very least, he could have started driving to Wrigleyville and called a friend to find the exact address.  What's even weirder is that I think we saw the guy's face, so he clearly signed a waiver allowing them to air the footage.  Why would he sign the waiver knowing he was going to be on TV and then come across as a standoffish jerk?

Edited June 2, 2017 by blackwing

[chaifan]

For a few minutes, when Brooke and Scott had the early lead, I was hoping that not having their packs would do them in.  Wouldn't it have been great if the final challenge included something that they picked up along the way - the gondolier shirts, or something like that?  And if you were "smart" and ditched your bags, then boo hoo for you. 

As for the person who wondered how the other teams would have known B/S checked their bags, they would have seen them getting off the plane with no bags.  Racers always have theirs as carry ons.  B/S would have been the only ones entering or exiting the plane without their bags.

[greyhorse]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

I agree, whether the gate checked bags end up on the gangway or in baggage claim seems to depend on the airline and the airport.

Scott definitely said that he purposely hung back and let the other teams board first so that they wouldn't see that he and Brooke were gate checking their bags.  This was an extremely smart move.  That way none of the other teams would realise that Scott and Brooke might have an advantage.  You would think that once the others saw that they didn't have bags and were running around all over Chicago that they would dump their bags as well.  But none of the other four seemed that bright.  Scott and Brooke together probably had twice as much brain power as any of the other two teams.  I have to wonder though if it would have caused an issue if a team just decided to leave their packs by a garbage can on the street.  In today's world, I would wonder if police would be afraid of bombs.  

A few seasons ago, remember when all the clue boxes tended to be some kind of unique container?  Like a tire, etc.  Posters were speculating that the final challenge was going to involve the clue boxes.  Alas, no.  I agree that some kind of more unique final challenge would be better.  Preferably one that combines both memory/puzzle and physical.  The one from several seasons ago involving running around a shipping yard looking for containers and memorizing a number to put into the right order was pretty challenging, considering I don't think they were allowed to write the numbers down as they found them.  The one won by Bates and Anthony where they had to find balls in a giant ball pit which the correct names in order was also interesting.

I'd like to see a final challenge that really tests the Racer's observation skills.  Maybe an article of clothing or accessory from each pit stop greeter, and not necessarily one that is really obvious (e.g., Greek god white tunic from the Greek greeter).  I'd make it like a necklace, or a brooch, or hat, or bracelet, or shoes, or something that doesn't instantly scream what country it came from.

Agree that Scott and Brooke together had the most smarts.  Heck, even Scott or Brooke probably have more smarts than either of the teams combined.

Yeah, I would totally like to see something like that.  But if there was no specific country related item, it would be darn near impossible.  Hopefully the writers can come up with something more original.  After 29 seasons, it's hard, yes, but that's what they get paid to do.

46 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Not really. As stated above, Scott and Brooke made the smart decision to check their bags before they got on the plane - that's how they got out of there first. And there was no guarantee Brooke would ever be able to complete the tire-changing challenge - plenty of opportunity for another team to pass them.  Even afterwards, by the time they got to the subway station, Tara and Joey had caught up with them. But Tara and Joey screwed up doing the postcards task (and I honestly don't know what the hell Team LoLo was doing). So the whole thing wasn't decided by who got to the Speedway first.

I agree there have been too many seasons where it seems like whoever arrives first at the first task stays in first place through the final leg, based solely on poor leg design and easy tasks. That might have prejudiced us into thinking this was the case again, but it wasn't. This time, the first place team stayed in first place by making smarter moves and not screwing up.

Yelling "Go Red Sox" at a bunch of Cubs fans is a classic asshole move. I'm sure Joey thought it was funny but it's yet another example that he's basically a jerk.

Yes, agreed.  On rewatching, we do see that Joey and Tara had caught up in the subway., so it wasn't just getting to the speedway first.   The leg was won by the footrace through the city's landmarks.  I can live with that kind of challenge deciding the winner.

Cubs fans are some of the diehardiest of the diehards.  You have to be, considering the team hadn't won in 108 years.  And now that the Cubs are actually the champions?  To scream that was kind of a jerk move.  I think he was also trying to be funny but it just has no place in Wrigley Field.

35 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

When did the other teams have a chance to see that? At the Speedway, presumably everybody's bags were left back in the cabs that were waiting to return them from this rather remote spot. There was indeed a moment in the subway station where Tara and Joey caught up and might have noticed, but their attention seemed to be elsewhere. And after that, everyone was out following their own paths, with little to no chance to observe each other.

Yes, what did Joey accomplish by doing that, other than prove to a bunch of strangers who were previously kindly disposed toward him that he's a loudmouth asshole?

They should have just realized while running through the city of Chicago - hey, what the heck are we carrying these 20 pound back packs for full of stinky clothes that we won't need tomorrow?  Let's dump these bags somewhere so we can run faster!  But sigh... they were just too dumb or inexperienced to come up with that idea.

[ByaNose]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The quirk of this game is that what seem to be the strongest teams, "on paper," often don't make the final three, simply by a stroke of bad luck or producer manipulation like these awful U-Turns. I would argue that Matt and Redmond, Floyd and Becca, and maybe Seth and Olive "should have" been the final three based on perceived strength. So there's always an element of dumb luck in making that final 3, realistically. I'd certainly say Brooke and Scott and Team LoLo managed to stumble into the final three by sheer dumb luck. 

That being the case, simply based on that final leg, Scott and Brooke deserved to win. They got out ahead of the other teams and stayed there. They earned it.

Not really. As stated above, Scott and Brooke made the smart decision to check their bags before they got on the plane - that's how they got out of there first. And there was no guarantee Brooke would ever be able to complete the tire-changing challenge - plenty of opportunity for another team to pass them.  Even afterwards, by the time they got to the subway station, Tara and Joey had caught up with them. But Tara and Joey screwed up doing the postcards task (and I honestly don't know what the hell Team LoLo was doing). So the whole thing wasn't decided by who got to the Speedway first.

I agree there have been too many seasons where it seems like whoever arrives first at the first task stays in first place through the final leg, based solely on poor leg design and easy tasks. That might have prejudiced us into thinking this was the case again, but it wasn't. This time, the first place team stayed in first place by making smarter moves and not screwing up.

Yelling "Go Red Sox" at a bunch of Cubs fans is a classic asshole move. I'm sure Joey thought it was funny but it's yet another example that he's basically a jerk.

I thought he was just being funny. I guess people take things more seriously then I do. 

[CoyoteBlue]

2 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I thought he was just being funny. I guess people take things more seriously then I do. 

Yeah, that was my take too. Friendly fan ball-breaking kinda thing. It's not like he said "Cubs suck!" or something. That would be rude.

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

think it was Joey and Tara who entered a cab and asked to be taken to the hot dog place.  The driver said he didn't know it so they should take another cab.  Of course, they had to complain about that.  Would they have preferred that he pretended to know where it was and delay them even more (as well as overcharge due to not going directly there)

Not everyone keeps things like that and not everyone did the same detours, so unless they were specifically told to keep items that would not be fair. Also, if they had been told to keep things Scott and Brooke wouldn't have checked their bags.

[hatchetgirl]

My thoughts....

I'll ok with Scott's win. Honestly, if i won next to her my next move would be a massive face punch then hand my check to her. 

Honestly she's an awful awful awful person.  There was nothing redeeming about her. When she said "all those experiences..." i thought punch her, punch her now! She won't remember any of that! Cow. 

When i saw Shamir i said to my hubby "what do you think it will be like for him to be known as the guy who had to get his gnards checked for the REST OF HIS LIFE!" I them collapsed into laughter. 

I think mom and dad should have won, but they didn't.  Sigh. 

Seriously though... Wrigley Field has stands on an apartment building across the street? 

Edited June 2, 2017 by hatchetgirl
To add a question...

[iMonrey]

Quote

I have never understood why racers continually think it matter to a cab driver that they, the racers, may win a lot of money.  I have watched every season and see this pretty consistently.  If the driver isn't winning a million dollars, why should he care if you are?  The racers seem to think that statement is a motivator.  If I was a cab driver I would refuse to move until they told me how much of that they were going to give to me...

I've often wondered this myself. We constantly hear teams tell people "We're in a race" but we never hear any of them way "We're on The Amazing Race." I wonder if there's a rule that says they're not allowed to do that.

[Marvin]

I thought that racer's had to reach Phil on the mat with their bags in sight otherwise they couldn't finish a leg ? I remember that he has made racers go back for their bags in the past - so how does that work here ?

That was a very boring final. There were no challenging tasks that allowed a change in position. Running around is not much of a challenge for these teams. I was hoping for something that threw Brooke off. I really do get the impression that this was fiddled so that she won for some reason as Scott has done all the difficult tasks and he seemed to do more than she did ?

 

The Amazing Race is getting worse season by season - they seem to have lost the spark that the earlier series had.

[hatchetgirl]

28 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I thought he was just being funny. I guess people take things more seriously then I do. 

I thought so too.  Since the Doyers are so beloved here in LA (where the fans beat to brain damage a Giants fan) i like to think the east is a bit more sports comraderish (boy i spelled that poorly I'm sorry) than we are and would just sort of grudgingly go "GAR" than really care, you know? 

[Lakebum]

Not much to add besides "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."

Pretty telling that a for a guy who is afraid of heights and yet participated in several height-related tasks, including a spectacularly scary bungee jump, the biggest obstacle Scott overcame was... Brooke.

[fib]

7 minutes ago, Marvin said:

I thought that racer's had to reach Phil on the mat with their bags in sight otherwise they couldn't finish a leg ? I remember that he has made racers go back for their bags in the past - so how does that work here ?...

Individual legs yes.  You can essetialy drop your bag and RUN FOR YOUR LIFE IN THE RACE to the mat once you see Phil.  But I think this is just security. Ditch it earlier and it may be stolen and then you're out of luck.  But i really believe that essentially, you can ditch your bags at any point and keep racing without them... if you dont want to have changes of clothes etc for the remainder of the race. You cant ditch your fanny pack though with your clues and passport. 

Edited June 2, 2017 by fib
Speeling. On an ipone

[Bryce Lynch]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The quirk of this game is that what seem to be the strongest teams, "on paper," often don't make the final three, simply by a stroke of bad luck or producer manipulation like these awful U-Turns. I would argue that Matt and Redmond, Floyd and Becca, and maybe Seth and Olive "should have" been the final three based on perceived strength. So there's always an element of dumb luck in making that final 3, realistically. I'd certainly say Brooke and Scott and Team LoLo managed to stumble into the final three by sheer dumb luck. 

That being the case, simply based on that final leg, Scott and Brooke deserved to win. They got out ahead of the other teams and stayed there. They earned it.

Not really. As stated above, Scott and Brooke made the smart decision to check their bags before they got on the plane - that's how they got out of there first. And there was no guarantee Brooke would ever be able to complete the tire-changing challenge - plenty of opportunity for another team to pass them.  Even afterwards, by the time they got to the subway station, Tara and Joey had caught up with them. But Tara and Joey screwed up doing the postcards task (and I honestly don't know what the hell Team LoLo was doing). So the whole thing wasn't decided by who got to the Speedway first.

I agree there have been too many seasons where it seems like whoever arrives first at the first task stays in first place through the final leg, based solely on poor leg design and easy tasks. That might have prejudiced us into thinking this was the case again, but it wasn't. This time, the first place team stayed in first place by making smarter moves and not screwing up.

Yelling "Go Red Sox" at a bunch of Cubs fans is a classic asshole move. I'm sure Joey thought it was funny but it's yet another example that he's basically a jerk.

I don't like Joey, but I thought that was funny and the Cubs fans probably did as well.  

[watch2much]

5 minutes ago, Lakebum said:

Not much to add besides "BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."

Pretty telling that a for a guy who is afraid of heights and yet participated in several height-related tasks, including a spectacularly scary bungee jump, the biggest obstacle Scott overcame was... Brooke.

exactly!  I did not want Brooke to win, but it's almost palatable because Scott is so deserving of the win.  I take issue with people who say it's a race and people don't have to abide by promises, but the guy who helped Brooke specifically asked her not to u-turn them in return for his help with the ladle--I think she should have honored it.  It's not like there weren't others who they could have u-turned.  I hope future racers will take note and NOT help fellow racers.  

I also hope they show returns to it's roots.  A variety of established couples across different ages, relationships, etc.  I do not want to see strangers, you tube people, or single people looking for dates.  Find people who are fans, who really want to race, and who are interesting...PLEASE!

3 minutes ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I don't like Joey, but I thought that was funny and the Cubs fans probably did as well.  

agreed.  it was just fun trash talk.

[bunnyface]

I wonder what would have happened at the final task if the teams were closer together.  It looked like a pretty tight space and more than one radio would have been distracting.  Would they be made to go in turns?  Would two teams have worked together to block the other from getting a number up?  Previously they had separate work spaces or a big area to work in but that would have been tight. 

I'm not a Joey fan but I thought his yelling Go Red Sox was funny.  I didn't think it was out of line at all.

When Phil said "Brooke overcame...{pause}"  I yelled "NOTHING!  SHE OVERCAME NOTHING!"  Brooke is the worst.

[Rinaldo]

1 hour ago, seacliffsal said:

Also, Team LoLo told a driver that they were in a race for a lot of money.  I have never understood why racers continually think it matter to a cab driver that they, the racers, may win a lot of money.  I have watched every season and see this pretty consistently.  If the driver isn't winning a million dollars, why should he care if you are?  

For sure, and this came gloriously to fruition in the finale of TAR2. (I can still recall all of us at TARcon spontaneously applauding this moment.) Leaving the airport in San Francisco, Wil and Tara tried to jump the line for taxis, telling the dispatcher, "We're in a race for a million dollars" as if this should matter. And the dispatcher said, "I don't care. I'm not gettin' any of it."

26 minutes ago, hatchetgirl said:

Seriously though... Wrigley Field has stands on an apartment building across the street? 

It's more like... the owners of apartment buildings across the street saw an opportunity and made the most of it. They've upgraded the amenities over the years, even some purpose-building, and there's been some bad feelings (in both directions) at times. It's quite a history. 

22 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

We constantly hear teams tell people "We're in a race" but we never hear any of them way "We're on The Amazing Race." I wonder if there's a rule that says they're not allowed to do that.

I'm not sure if it's ever been confirmed, but that's always been the assumption by viewers, as they always stick to the generic wording (and have from the beginning).

[biakbiak]

8 minutes ago, Rinaldo said:

Leaving the airport in San Francisco, Wil and Tara tried to jump the line for taxis, telling the dispatcher, "We're in a race for a million dollars" as if this should matter. And the dispatcher said, "I don't care. I'm not gettin' any of it."

Just to give credit to the right side of the bay for that awesome moment it was at the Oakland Airport!

24 minutes ago, watch2much said:

.  I take issue with people who say it's a race and people don't have to abide by promises, but the guy who helped Brooke specifically asked her not to u-turn them in return for his help with the ladle--I think she should have honored it.  It's not like there weren't others who they could have u-turned.  I hope future racers will take note and NOT help fellow racers.  

 I didn't have a problem with it because there was a uturn between the ladle task and the one in Greece where they didn't unturn them so that seems a fair trade. Also, the reason they got eliminated that leg isn't because they were u turned it was because Mike refused to turn around and also forgot to pick up a goat.

[TheFinalRose]

I've been a Cubs fan my whole life, but I rooted for the Red Sox in the famous Boston/Cincinnati world series back in the day.  I thought Joey yelling "Go Red Sox"  was funny and lame. Also, the Red Sox are in the American League and the Cubs are in the National League so they are not heated rivals. Now if he yelled "Go St. Louis" he'd get more of a bad reaction.  

Quote

I do not want to see strangers, you tube people, or single people looking for dates.  Find people who are fans, who really want to race, and who are interesting...PLEASE!

You Tubers was so annoying it's a testament to how much I love this show that I still watched that season. 

Quote

Honestly she's an awful awful awful person.  There was nothing redeeming about her. 

Every time I saw her I  kept imagining what Brooke was like in high school and college/sorority, probably mean-girling everyone 24/7.

[Nalan]

6 hours ago, blackwing said:

As it was, Brooke and Scott were the only team seen borrowing a phone and googling.

Tara & Joey got a smartphone, too, at the beginning of the task.  They asked people along the way to make sure they were going the right way.

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

Scott definitely said that he purposely hung back and let the other teams board first so that they wouldn't see that he and Brooke were gate checking their bags.  This was an extremely smart move.  That way none of the other teams would realise that Scott and Brooke might have an advantage.

Given the big lead they had, I don't think that played any part in their win, so I don't give them any credit or call it "extremely smart."

[amazingracefan]

The memory task was pretty weak at the end, and the code of the equations was basically just the same thing (childishly simple).  The locations in the leg were good, but the tasks weren't quite hard enough. 

The previous leg on the other hand was one of the best, probably along with the one were they had to search through the small boxes.  It was extra long as well which reminded me of the sadly defunct Australian version which used the length to have more tasks and more difficulty.

[amazingracefan]

9 hours ago, absolutelyido said:

It would have been more interesting if, say, Brooke & Scott had to list the placement of Tara & Joey in each leg, T & J had to list how LOLO placed, and LOLO had to list how B & S placed. The teams may not have been as prepared for that.

I think it would have been much harder if they had mixed up a whole load of different memory subjects (while putting fake clues in there to throw them off) than just making it about one thing.  Instead it was just a few things on one subject, a team knows that subject then it's over with in minutes.

[sinycalone]

I join those who felt Joey was doing a little harmless smack-talking...and I laughed. (Agreed, if he'd mentioned the Cardinals instead...that would have been different.)

Yes, Joey and Tara did enlist the aid of a woman with a smart phone...and they double-checked directions along the way. (Also, it was LoLo who had the driver who insisted on the address before he took them anywhere.)

While I found LoLo pleasant enough....I am still puzzled about their reaching the final three.  No sense of urgency at all.

Brooke did not sink to the level of Kendra....but I still think she might have matched Flo for whiny-ness.

[amazingracefan]

20 hours ago, aradia22 said:

I feel like this leg went really quickly but they did a lot of running around. We just didn't see it.

It's inevitably rushed in a 40 minute program, longer episodes in other versions of the franchise allow time for more drama and more difficult tasks.

15 hours ago, greyhorse said:

Riddle challenges are not interesting anymore since pretty much any local has a cellphone.  Not sure if there could be a stipulation in the clue saying you can't ask anybody for help.  Make the racers find an Internet cafe or a tour book.  Google pretty much takes away any challenge of a riddle.

It depends how hard it is.  Inevitably on this version they were detailed enough to work out easily, and direct clues to where they should go.

[ptuscadero]

Please tell me that didn't really just happen. 

[greyhorse]

1 hour ago, Rinaldo said:

I'm not sure if it's ever been confirmed, but that's always been the assumption by viewers, as they always stick to the generic wording (and have from the beginning).

Yes, pretty sure that's been confirmed through various interviews.  I think it's an attempt to keep down spoilers in this internet and social media age.

38 minutes ago, Nalan said:

Given the big lead they had, I don't think that played any part in their win, so I don't give them any credit or call it "extremely smart."

I'm confused by this statement.  Scott and Brooke got a big lead because they were the most efficient in finding the 3 landmarks.  I think not having heavy backpacks was totally smart and contributed to that.  Would you rather run around Chicago with heavy backpacks on your back (and in Scott's case, it would have been 2 backpacks since he would have to carry Brooke's), or not bother with it and be able to run faster?  Surely one can understand why it would be easier to run without a pack than to run with one.  Not following the logic here.

3 hours ago, blackwing said:

I believe that was London and Logan.  They asked for Wrigleyville Dogs and the driver said "I need an address".  I thought they had the right to complain... cab drivers should provide good service.  If they don't know where a place is, they can look it up.  I am surprised that he saw that there was a camera guy and still didn't want to look it up.  At the very least, he could have started driving to Wrigleyville and called a friend to find the exact address.  What's even weirder is that I think we saw the guy's face, so he clearly signed a waiver allowing them to air the footage.  Why would he sign the waiver knowing he was going to be on TV and then come across as a standoffish jerk?

So agree.  I would have gotten out too.  The cab driver was acting like an idiot and I wouldn't want to leave my race chances up to that. "Wrigleyville" dogs.  The cab driver couldn't at least start driving and figure it out?  Take out his smartphone and look for it?  What kind of cab driver is that?  If he has somebody get in his cab and ask to go somewhere and he doesn't know where it is, he would rather refuse the fare and play dumb?  Idiotic.  He certainly didn't help the cab driving profession there last night.  Reminds me of the time I went to Paris and the cab driver pretended that he couldn't understand I was asking him to take me to the Eiffel Tower.

[Nalan]

3 minutes ago, greyhorse said:

I'm confused by this statement.  Scott and Brooke got a big lead because they were the most efficient in finding the 3 landmarks.  I think not having heavy backpacks was totally smart and contributed to that.

I'm not giving them an ounce of credit for an obvious move being confused as "smart."  Because it was just that.  An obvious move.

[iMonrey]

Quote

Given the big lead they had, I don't think that played any part in their win, so I don't give them any credit or call it "extremely smart."

? How do you think they got that lead in the first place?

Quote

I'm not giving them an ounce of credit for an obvious move being confused as "smart."  Because it was just that.  An obvious move.

Well the other two teams didn't think of it, which is why Scott and Brooke had the lead from the start. So I guess, if it's not smart, then they were less dumb than the other two teams?

[RealReality]

21 hours ago, aradia22 said:

Transferring over some thoughts from the Live thread...

I decided to root for Brooke and Scott a leg or two ago which made this finale easy for me to watch, though still kind of boring. 

All the car racing stuff was incredibly boring for me to watch. Good job, Scott who seemed to be driving well from the beginning. The timing seemed challenging but not impossible like the cup stacking last leg. 

Lolo have zero sense of urgency. This is why I can't root for them even though they're blander and more inoffensive than other teams. You're in a RAAACE. They act like they're just on vacation.

I think Tara/Joey got lost for a bit and they didn't show it. 

I can't help it. I like Brooke/Scott even though I know I shouldn't. Him offering to carry her and bringing up Crossfit. Like, I should dislike them. I don't know why I don't. But they amuse me more than the others. 

Remembering your leg placement is a tough challenge. Maybe it's easier for them because it's happening all at once and it's more significant in their lives (I guess I'd be more likely to remember I finished 7th if I almost got eliminated) but still. Tough one. 

Brooke's voice is actually pleasant over the radio... you know, when she's not whining and screaming. There's the hard accent but she has a pleasantly mellow speaking voice. Anyway, Brooke killed that. 

Brooke looks really thin. I'm not concern trolling. I think she dropped a lot of weight with not eating regularly, running around so much, and not sleeping. I hope she had a nice break and got back to her normal non-race self. 

Damn it, Lolo. Run. At least pretend you're racing. 

I feel like this leg went really quickly but they did a lot of running around. We just didn't see it. 

Eh, I'm not over the .moon but I'm pleased with this outcome. 

5

I will join you at the table for one.  Brooke is, to me, what Hayley was to other viewers -- a dislikable personality that for some reason amuses me.  I NEVER understood any of the love for Hayley, so I can accept that no one would understand me being amused by Brooke.  I just couldn't at one part where Scott was offering to carry her on his back and she was still whining .  Like girl, come on now, you are the weakest link.

It also helps that I really didn't have a dog in the fight after team fun was eliminated.  Tara and Joey/London and Logan were both just whatever for me.

[willgracefan]

Best part of the episode was when Joey yelled to the "crowd" of Cubbies fans. "Go Red Sox" I'm a diehard fan and I pronounce my Mets love and Yankee hate whenever and wherever I can! #LGM 

[Netfoot]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

We constantly hear teams tell people "We're in a race" but we never hear any of them way "We're on The Amazing Race." I wonder if there's a rule that says they're not allowed to do that.

It certainly used to be a rule that they didn't mention The Amazing Race.  I am surprised that they let them say "We're on a Race for a Million Dollars!" which, surely, is pretty much a declaration they're on TAR.   Maybe things are more relaxed now?

2 hours ago, Bryce Lynch said:

I don't like Joey, but I thought that was funny and the Cubs fans probably did as well.  

Well, they didn't pelt him with hotdogs, at least!

1 hour ago, Nalan said:

Given the big lead they had, I don't think that played any part in their win, so I don't give them any credit or call it "extremely smart."

I think the big lead they had is probably - at least in part - because they came running off that international flight with nothing but a fanny-pack of documents for customs to look at.  That would probably have got them into a taxi and away while the other racers were being inspected for contraband.

[Nalan]

Just now, Netfoot said:

I think the big lead they had is probably - at least in part - because they came running off that international flight with nothing but a fanny-pack of documents for customs to look at.  That would probably have got them into a taxi and away while the other racers were being inspected for contraband.

I've said my piece on that.  I'm not budging from it.  'Kay?

[RealReality]

5 hours ago, greyhorse said:

I'm going to disagree slightly.  There are certainly a lot of times when I've flown (and not just on tiny regional jets) where you hear the announcement "if you are in boarding group 4, there will be no room in the overhead bins so we are asking you to get a gate check ticket and leave your bag at the end of the gangway".  Those bags (at least in my experience) are usually then brought to the gangway when you arrive.  Certainly it is airline and airport dependent, because I do recall one time where my bag ended up in baggage claim.  People don't check their bags because they don't want to pay the fees and perhaps more importantly, they don't want to wait 30-45 minutes to get their bag from baggage claim.

I must have missed the part where Scott said they were the last ones on and they gate checked.  Such a smart smart move.  Again I'm expressing shock that the other two teams didn't do the same.  There have been enough TARs now where you know that this is a final leg strategy, just like you know there will be a memory challenge.  It's not as if this is a novel concept like when MyOxIsBroken Colin had called ahead for a waiting cab which at the time was ingenious.

Every year I'm hoping they come up with some final memory task that teams can't anticipate and plan ahead for.  I think the greetings (what was hello and goodbye), what the greeters looked like (I think that was Nat and Kat's season), and of course the aforementioned puzzle that required logic and memory have been the best.  Surely they can come up with something more challenging in the future than what we saw once again.

It sounds like the smartest part of the move was to conceal their plan from the other teams.  As scott said.....they don't win in a footrace, because, well...Brooke can't, so making sure the other teams didn't think to check their bags to the final destination was a key component.  If everyone had checked their bags, Brooke and Scott would have lost because it would have essentially been a footrace to the different historical sites.

[Netfoot]

10 minutes ago, Nalan said:

I've said my piece on that.

As you wish.

[greyhorse]

I would love to hear the other teams' explanation for why they ran around Chicago with heavy backpacks and at what moment did they realize that Brooke and Scott didn't have theirs.  I wonder if any of them will say they didn't realize it until they watched on tv last night.  The other four just didn't seem to have a lot of racing smarts, at least TAR racing smarts.  I don't know if we ever heard any of the four of them talk about how they were a fan of the show, etc.  You don't have to be a student of the show in order to race, but I think being familiar with the race, the set-up, the little tricks, etc. certainly can help you to gain a little advantage.

39 minutes ago, Nalan said:

I'm not giving them an ounce of credit for an obvious move being confused as "smart."  Because it was just that.  An obvious move.

Either they were smart, or Tara/Joey and LoLo were dumb.  Either way, they did something that the others did not.  So, at least in my opinion, that was a winning move.  Hiding the fact that they gate checked their bags IS smart.  If they had gotten on first and dropped off their bags at the gangway, the other teams would have seen it.  So purposefully hanging back and boarding last - how can you not say that wasn't a smart move?  That's great race strategy.  Now the other teams could have dumped their bags at any point in Chicago but didn't.  That was just plain dumb on their own part.  So whether it was smart of Brooke and Scott, or dumb of T/J and L/L, does it really matter?  Things fell in place where Brooke and Scott had an advantage that the others did not.

[Nalan]

1 minute ago, greyhorse said:

Either they were smart, or Tara/Joey and LoLo were dumb.  Either way, they did something that the others did not.  So, at least in my opinion, that was a winning move.  Hiding the fact that they gate checked their bags IS smart.  If they had gotten on first and dropped off their bags at the gangway, the other teams would have seen it.  So purposefully hanging back and boarding last - how can you not say that wasn't a smart move?  That's great race strategy.  Now the other teams could have dumped their bags at any point in Chicago but didn't.  That was just plain dumb on their own part.  So whether it was smart of Brooke and Scott, or dumb of T/J and L/L, does it really matter?  Things fell in place where Brooke and Scott had an advantage that the others did not.

Aaaaaaaand it was barely touched on at all during the finale except that one moment.  So clearly, it had no bearing on the results.

Still.  Not.  Budging.

Edited June 3, 2017 by Nalan

[raven]

1 hour ago, sinycalone said:

I join those who felt Joey was doing a little harmless smack-talking...and I laughed. (Agreed, if he'd mentioned the Cardinals instead...that would have been different.)

Yes, Joey and Tara did enlist the aid of a woman with a smart phone...and they double-checked directions along the way. (Also, it was LoLo who had the driver who insisted on the address before he took them anywhere.)

While I found LoLo pleasant enough....I am still puzzled about their reaching the final three.  No sense of urgency at all.

Brooke did not sink to the level of Kendra....but I still think she might have matched Flo for whiny-ness.

I was spoiled for the ending a while ago so I'm going to just be lazy and quote this because I agree with it (except for the Cardinals, I don't watch baseball).   As for the Brooke/Flo comparison, at least Brooke did her share of tasks and though Scott offered, Brooke did not have to be physically carried, so there's that.  It was cute at the end when Scott said "let's hold hands, do this together" running to the mat, though when they got there they weren't holding hands, LOL.

Logan/London - their kind of sense of....meandering during the race sure was odd.  They were competent but may have fared better with different partners who were more energetic or with an actual urge to win.  Or maybe they really didn't get along and hid it well?  Who knows.  Logan sure seemed over it at the end.

Couple of different decisions and Tara & Joey would have won; they were a good team (catching up at the race task) but Scott/Brooke were smart and had the extra time cushion (and no major snafus/meltdowns) that couldn't be overcome, so congrats to them.

Plus we get another season!  Yay!

[RealReality]

4 minutes ago, Nalan said:

Aaaaaaaand it was barely touched on at all during the finale except that one moment.  So clearly, it had no bearing on the results.

Still.  Not.  Budging.

well just because you didn't see it in the finale doesn't mean that it didn't play a role.  Maybe it didn't, but I've walked all over Chicago (went to the same fountain, or as my ex-boyfriend called it "the Married with Children" fountain) and it would be so much more difficult with a heavy backpack.  In the summer Chicago is wonderful, but humid.  Walking all over the city with a backpack on would just take more time and with the humidity too....yikes!

For my part, I love the city, and I wish that they had chosen to focus some attention on the gorgeous public art in Chicago instead of on these landmarks that everyone knows/has seen.

Edited June 3, 2017 by RealReality

[aradia22]

Quote

It's inevitably rushed in a 40 minute program, longer episodes in other versions of the franchise allow time for more drama and more difficult tasks.

I think it was something off about the editing this season and this leg in particular. There are more teams in other legs and yet you have a better sense of what's going on, how far apart teams are, how long things are taking. Maybe they had to do it this way to keep up some suspense with the winners so far in the lead. But in my opinion it was less interesting to watch. Aside from rooting for Brooke and Scott, I felt less invested in this episode, or let's say I was less invested in what the other two teams were doing. Because it was kind of hard to tell. You would just see them wandering a bit and then eventually they'd get to the place Brooke and Scott had already visited. 

[Haleth]

Man, if I had a nickel for every time I've walked past the Water Tower I wouldn't need TAR.  

Holy moley, the cab fare from downtown to Wrigley, to back downtown, not to mention the time... the racers must have been pulling their hair out. Very stressful when you are not racing for a $million.  Was the finish line on the back side of Navy Pier?  I couldn't place it. 

[etagloh]

Well, that was one of the better final legs in recent years. Done during the day, mostly in built-up areas with people around, and with a DGAF attitude towards spoilers: running round (and up and down) in the heart of cities is better than being confined to arenas or other closed-off areas at 6am. (I'm even okay with the Chicagoland task, since it was self-drive -- at 150mph! -- in a final leg. Safest way to do it. TPTB rightly does not let teams drive themselves on public roads in the final leg.) As the Chicago locals have confirmed, the decisive part was the plan of attack for the three landmarks: which order, where to use the El and then where to go on foot. That provided Scott & Brooke with the lead they needed to avoid a challenge afterwards.

Scott used his fan knowledge well with the gate-check, and deserves the share of the million for putting up with Brooke, and for the fire tower reference, even if he got the season wrong. Brooke will always be Flo 2.0, but at least she mostly held it together during the hardest part of the leg.

(Funny knowing that TAR used Wrigley Field before the World Series, and Phil had to dub that in afterwards.)

I really didn't dislike this season as much as I expected. I hated the gimmick and disliked the casting, but I was expecting a lot worse in terms of blowups and breakdowns, and I think the leg planning and location choices were as good as they've been in perhaps the last ten seasons. (Apart from the U-turn placement. That was awful.) I wish they'd been used for a more conventional cast.