S30.E01: You're a Champion? Prove it!

[Haleth]

27 minutes ago, NeverLate said:

I can't find out, so I'll go with duty free booze!..lol

Lol!  That's better than cod liver oil. 

I bet they were provided with cold weather wear in those white bags. I didn't notice if they all had the same hats or gloves.  It could even be something they need in next week's episode. 

[Enigma X]

I have not watched this show since Big Brother people were cast the first time because I felt it was moving away from a show based on merit to one with either real or manufactured (not sure which) drama. This used to be my favorite reality drama, and last night I forgot why I stopped watching all those years ago. Although no one overly irked me, not even the two bickering women, I was reminded that this show is not really truly reality in the truest sense of the word but just the same reality-based sensationalized filler as other shows in the reality genre (such as Big Brother). So, I am out again.

[BarneySays]

I can't quite explain it, but this opening had an inchoate pall over it.  Is it the impending cancellation?  Or just a group of mostly uncharismatic and low energy people?  From the dead eyes of the BB guy (creepy) to the dead countenances of the basketball players to the over the top passive aggression of the twee goat yoga chick, I felt much less of the start of the race excitement and energy among the cast.  Even the nervous energy of the female debater put me a little off (and those are my people, as I competed in forensics in high school and get those two as if I know them personally). 

The only people who stood out for me were the violinists and the female lifeguard (perhaps her partner is the george burns of the pair).  That rant about never letting him live down a mistake was hilarious.  I hope she keeps up the wit.  I think I will enjoy the debaters (her reaction to being called a wizard was amusing) and the surfers (I like no nonsense female teams, as opposed to the trite boxing models with the hackneyed underdog speech- seems no one could have underestimated them if they wanted to do).

I don't think the BB player cheated at the spelling challenge (which I loved). They have usually been able to work together on road blocks and in challenges like this will undo their work so others can't copy it.  I would bet the other teams undid their answers after getting the clue.  She didn't do that because they were sharing work.  I also can believe the "help" was not intentional cheating.  Even to a devoted fan of the show like myself, it's sometimes hard to grasp where the line is.  There have been other times where, like this one, I've thought the "cheering" from the side was too directed and instructional, but they were not penalized.  Of course, the most notorious instance of watching your partner screw up was when one of the harvard brothers was complaining he couldn't find the drop off point for his bags as he was standing in front of the clue giver.  His brother could not utter a word on his behalf.  As for helping, I remember way back when uchenna wanted to help fran and barry push their boats, but said that the rules did not permit them to help other teams.  I think that rule (which I agree with) was eventually discarded.   

I can't deal with the eaters.  They're not terribly telegenic and they don't even really seem to know each other.  Mostly, though, I find those eating contests absolutely grotesque.  It was not an issue when they simply got a 30 second to 1 minute spot on the news on July 4th (just like the polar bears on new years day), but the attention and the grossness of the display are too much IMO.  To whom does this appeal? 

The exchange between the players when one wouldn't give the driver the first four letters of the name made me think he was either dyslexic or illiterate.  I understood the utter frustration of the driver. 

Finally, the non-blond goat yogaer appears to be almost pathologically passive-aggressive.  What a manipulative ass.  She gives me the creeps.   

Edited January 4, 2018 by BarneySays

[proserpina65]

12 hours ago, kris4n6 said:

Loved the skiers and violinists. I was not expecting them to say they were violinists.

I had them pegged as gym rats.  Which they may be as well, but they sure don't look like the violinists I've seen before.  Not that I'm complaining.  I also liked the Indy drivers.

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, BarneySays said:

The exchange between the players when one wouldn't give the driver the first four letters of the name made me think he was either dyslexic or illiterate.  I understood the utter frustration of the driver. 

I was fully on the side of the driver (Cedric?). When you're in control of the car, give them the name of the place you're supposed to go to! They're the ones that have to make the turns, and two sets of eyes are better than one. Like, my god. 

[Gummo]

TAR is back! TAR is back! TAR is BAAAAAACK!

Yes, I'm happy about that, why do you ask?

I get why they do stunt casting now, this group seems less stunt-y than recent seasons. 

They started in one of my favorite youthful hangouts,  Washington Square! A good start, esp. with teams already driving themselves - and getting lost! - on the very first leg! And yes, Iceland is breathtaking.

Can't stand the mean girl dynamics of Goat Yoga, I'm very sorry my eye candy, the Ring Girls, were knocked out by such unpleasant people. And you'd think Team Pro Ballers would know TO READ THE DAMN RULES.

And a drop-dead knockout gorgeous greeter at the end of the first leg! Did any other oldsters think Miss Iceland looked like Mamie Van Doren in her prime?

Having seen the vile Cody & Jessica on BB, it was gratifying to see Cody's same ol' assholishness bite him in the butt on the very first leg. But if he keeps his mouth shut AND LISTENS TO JESSICA (who's marginally less vile and probably a whole lot smarter), they might go far.

No particular favorites yet, but I'm dismayed at the way CBS is just throwing this season out there, as if they can't wait to get it off their schedule.

[TheRabbi]

3 hours ago, Dobian said:

Thirty seasons and I finally got to see a true race to the mat, with a photo finish no less.  You could see Phil was thrilled by it.  Plus the added drama of the NBA guys standing there waiting for their penalty to expire, it was a classic.

Sorry that the Ring Girls didn't beat out Goat Yoga.  How many seasons now has the hot chick team been eliminated in the first leg?  

Surprisingly, not that many. The ones that come to mind are season 25 (realtors in St Thomas), and season 20 (the golfers who were within sight of the pitstop but didn't see it and retreated). But they don't tend to make it much further!

I'm happy with the cast, but is this the fewest blood-relation or family teams we've had so far (except the strangers season of course)? The firefighters is the only family team, which is kind of disheartening. I do miss the parent/child and sibling teams. But I'm fully onboard for the season.

Edited January 4, 2018 by TheRabbi

[chaifan]

28 minutes ago, BarneySays said:

The exchange between the players when one wouldn't give the driver the first four letters of the name made me think he was either dyslexic or illiterate.  I understood the utter frustration of the driver. 

 

Edited January 4, 2018 by chaifan

[NeverLate]

35 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Lol!  That's better than cod liver oil. 

I bet they were provided with cold weather wear in those white bags. I didn't notice if they all had the same hats or gloves.  It could even be something they need in next week's episode. 

I suspect you're right about the clothes. Cod liver oil, yummy! We had that as kids, yuck, but we never had colds.:)

[chaifan]

26 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I was fully on the side of the driver (Cedric?). When you're in control of the car, give them the name of the place you're supposed to go to! They're the ones that have to make the turns, and two sets of eyes are better than one. Like, my god. 

 

I totally get what the driver was asking for.  With odd foreign names you don't know what letters are silent, etc., so don't give me some butchered pronunciation, just give me the first 3-4 letters that I'm supposed to be looking for on a sign.  More importantly, don't argue about this, at least not now while you're in the car-  just do what he asked, then if you think it's stupid, talk it out later.

Edited January 4, 2018 by chaifan
hit enter too early. oops.

[Special K]

Game of Thrones fans:  Was the giant "Viking" pulling the car the second actor to play Gregor Clegane AKA The Mountain?  I know that actor is Icelandic, and it looked like him to me.

[Charlesman]

I like the cast so far. I know, stunt casting usually sucks, but, they've picked people who will actually Race, so, maybe it'll end up being a better show than pulling in random attractive people off the street who don't know what they're doing.

[BarneySays]

Quote

Sure, the brunette woman (April??) was being somewhat passive aggressive, as her partner even said that she would do. But I just simply found Sarah to be meaner and more blatantly aggressive. It doesn't seem like they get along all that well and they seem to clash more often than not. Judging by how Sarah taunted April about crying and being emotional and whatnot, I guess I don't like that kind of attitude. It's basically knowing a person well enough to be able to hit them where it hurts. I'm not a fan of passive aggressive behaviour either, so I guess I might have to rewatch to see how April first responded; I must have missed that particular part. 

I viewed their exchanges as the passive aggressive one poking the aggressive one to elicit the reaction she got.  This allows PA to go immediately into victim mode (why won't she just be a little nicer to me?! wah).  Consider what actually would have taken place.  PA would have had a conversation while A slept.  A would have awakened, they would have prepared to get off the plane, go through immigration and customs and then find their car.  PA doesn't mention her convo ever during all of this time.  Instead, she waits until A is trying to figure out directions to coyly inform her that she already got directions while A was sleeping.  That is some nasty assed PA behavior IMO.  I may be sensitized to this conduct because there is nothing more I cannot bear than a passive aggressive person.  It's a level of dishonesty mixed with cowardice that I find utterly ugly.  I refuse to be around them if possible.  If not, I know how to shut them down and will do so.  No tolerance at all. 

[ByaNose]

20 minutes ago, BarneySays said:

I viewed their exchanges as the passive aggressive one poking the aggressive one to elicit the reaction she got.  This allows PA to go immediately into victim mode (why won't she just be a little nicer to me?! wah).  Consider what actually would have taken place.  PA would have had a conversation while A slept.  A would have awakened, they would have prepared to get off the plane, go through immigration and customs and then find their car.  PA doesn't mention her convo ever during all of this time.  Instead, she waits until A is trying to figure out directions to coyly inform her that she already got directions while A was sleeping.  That is some nasty assed PA behavior IMO.  I may be sensitized to this conduct because there is nothing more I cannot bear than a passive aggressive person.  It's a level of dishonesty mixed with cowardice that I find utterly ugly.  I refuse to be around them if possible.  If not, I know how to shut them down and will do so.  No tolerance at all. 

I understand passive/aggresive but aren't they life long friends? That is one friend I wouldn't want.

[Special K]

11 minutes ago, ByaNose said:

I understand passive/aggresive but aren't they life long friends? That is one friend I wouldn't want.

 If I remember correctly, one of them said "we've known each other for a long time" - which does not mean they are friends.

[Cotypubby]

1 hour ago, Haleth said:

Lol!  That's better than cod liver oil. 

I bet they were provided with cold weather wear in those white bags. I didn't notice if they all had the same hats or gloves.  It could even be something they need in next week's episode. 

They all seemed to have hats and clothing that said 66* North on them, which Googling is an Icelandic winter wear clothing store, so the bags must have been all the gear they were given.

1 hour ago, BarneySays said:

 (I like no nonsense female teams, as opposed to the trite boxing models with the hackneyed underdog speech- seems no one could have underestimated them if they wanted to do).

I rolled my eyes so hard at their sob story of being "only" 5'7" so they had such a hard time being models. My heart bleeds for you. How will you two ever make it with such a life-affecting disability.

[Netfoot]

52 minutes ago, NeverLate said:

Cod liver oil, yummy!

Thank your lucky stars you didn't have Castor oil, or Shark oil!  

[Lantern7]

3 hours ago, BarneySays said:

I can't quite explain it, but this opening had an inchoate pall over it.  Is it the impending cancellation?  Or just a group of mostly uncharismatic and low energy people?

It's only the first episode. Once again: I was there at Washington Square Park, and I didn't get a funereal vibe . . . like this might be the last season, and Les Moonves was gonna parachute in at any second to cancel the series personally and punch Phil*. I'm ready to give these people a shot. Hopefully, it would won't be as weird as TAR29's "22 Strangers" format.

3 hours ago, BarneySays said:

I can't deal with the eaters.  They're not terribly telegenic and they don't even really seem to know each other.  Mostly, though, I find those eating contests absolutely grotesque.  It was not an issue when they simply got a 30 second to 1 minute spot on the news on July 4th (just like the polar bears on new years day), but the attention and the grossness of the display are too much IMO.  To whom does this appeal?

I reckon Joey and Tim know each other from the eating circuit, and they're more than likely friends than acquaintances. I only see the Nathan's contest, but I get why competitive eating would be gross. Personally, I'd like to know how many hot dogs Joey (and Tim) would be able to eat if he had to eat one at a time, frankfurter in bun, without dipping them in water. Y'know, like a normal human being. But I'm okay with these two for the moment. And like I said, I knew Tim from his paint, which was a nice moment for me at the time. I probably would have responded to "Cedric Ceballos," but I wouldn't have told you anything about him.

*Actually, I wasn't thinking about Les Moonves at that time, but the worst case scenario I imagined wouldn't be appropriate for the forums.

Edited January 4, 2018 by Lantern7

[millennium]

6 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

 

 If you had to choose between the original format and the show being cancelled or the slightly more gimmicky teams and a race, what would you choose? 

Cancellation, no question.   Because I'm still watching but not enjoying it which strikes me as a major waste of time.  Why do I watch?  Probably for the same reason I read the latest Stephen King novels or watch the X-Files revivals  -- I keep hoping against hope that some trace of the former greatness will emerge rather than it being a tedious exercise in fan service.   

Edited January 4, 2018 by millennium

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, Special K said:

Game of Thrones fans:  Was the giant "Viking" pulling the car the second actor to play Gregor Clegane AKA The Mountain?  I know that actor is Icelandic, and it looked like him to me.

I kind of thought so at first, but then I wasn't sure.

[millennium]

1 hour ago, BarneySays said:

I can't quite explain it, but this opening had an inchoate pall over it.  Is it the impending cancellation?  Or just a group of mostly uncharismatic and low energy people? 

The latter.   Plus I thought all the hoopla at the start of the race felt cheesy and commercialized.   The excitement seemed manufactured.  

[proserpina65]

20 minutes ago, Cotypubby said:

They all seemed to have hats and clothing that said 66* North on them, which Googling is an Icelandic winter wear clothing store, so the bags must have been all the gear they were given.

I rolled my eyes so hard at their sob story of being "only" 5'7" so they had such a hard time being models. My heart bleeds for you. How will you two ever make it with such a life-affecting disability.

5'7" is pretty short for a model.  (See, I learned something from Tyra Banks!)  Not that I wasn't rolling my eyes too.

14 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

Interesting that after all these seasons, TAR has given up some of the secrecy about the race.  They used to start in remote sections of obscure parks, or in some stadium that could be closed to the public, and there were never any spectators to watch the proceedings.  Now they film the start (with all of the backstage preparation and retakes) with an audience.

I think in this age of social media, it's gotten extremely difficult to keep filming locations a secret.

[NeverLate]

27 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

Thank your lucky stars you didn't have Castor oil, or Shark oil!  

Castor oil we had!! I'm as old as dirt..LOL

[ItsJessMe]

10 hours ago, millennium said:

Here's the crux of my complaint, aside from my personal preference of watching average folks: it's apparently no longer enough to just want to race.   Now you need a resume that includes evidence of prior superlative achievement -- debating champions, skiing champions, pro basketball players, Big Brother winners, petite models, etc.   The average joe no longer stands a chance of running the Amazing Race. 

But that's the entire premise of the season.  People who have excelled in competitive venues before.  Ok the Yoga Goat women don't really fit but they needed to fill teams so I can forgive a bit of a pass.  If there are other seasons, I'm sure there will be "normal" people back in it.  But this season was expressly designed for c-list celebrity casting.

[proserpina65]

7 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

I might prefer total unknowns but if it is between minor celebs or at least really well known people in a specific niche market and no show, I choose niche market

 

7 hours ago, ProfCrash said:

If you had to choose between the original format and the show being cancelled or the slightly more gimmicky teams and a race, what would you choose?

Yeah, I'd rather have AR from the first several seasons, but I want AR and still enjoy seeing the places to which it goes, so if I have to have slightly gimmicky teams, I'll take them.

 

4 hours ago, AEMom said:

I have to say that I've never heard of any of the competitors and I've never watched a single minute of BB, so all these people are of the equivalent of casting "regular normal people" for me at least.

I'd heard of Joey Chestnut only because the news usually mentions the Coney Island hot dog eating contest.  Had no idea of any of the others are, so not really stunt casting for me either.

[displayname]

28 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

14 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

Interesting that after all these seasons, TAR has given up some of the secrecy about the race.  They used to start in remote sections of obscure parks, or in some stadium that could be closed to the public, and there were never any spectators to watch the proceedings.  Now they film the start (with all of the backstage preparation and retakes) with an audience.

I think in this age of social media, it's gotten extremely difficult to keep filming locations a secret.

And I think it's a great marketing ploy! Invite people to the starting line to get them more involved with the racers, and give them a taste of the thrill! TAR detectives are a thing anyway, maybe they'll get involved in that, learn more about countries, see the tasks people are doing, and get excited about watching them on TV!

 

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

[CaioF]

Apart from the the roadblock and navigation the rest of the leg was meh..  But since they didnt had the teams in different flights as usual, maybe they wanted to keep things more simple for this premiere (and thats why such a close race at the finale).

For me, Kristi and Jen for the win. They did the best this leg, are very promissing and its about time for another all girls team to win. I was expecting team Big Brother to struggle more (despiste we didnt see the guy showing how he solved the letters roadblock). Producers want them till the very end, so...

Other teams, still need to see.. But the Goat Yoga and the Basketball team are already showing fadig? Geeez! 

Couldnt care enough about the ring girls. They didnt performed the worst on the leg tho, should have be one of the teams above, BUT, if you struggle that much to park a car, well..

I wont mention what was showed on the preview of the season but I just hope the new twist is something just for one task or one leg at the most.

PS: Good to see the show rating rised 70% over last couple seasons.

Edited January 4, 2018 by CaioF

[TheRabbi]

32 minutes ago, millennium said:

The latter.   Plus I thought all the hoopla at the start of the race felt cheesy and commercialized.   The excitement seemed manufactured.  

As someone who was in attendance, I can assure you the excitement was not fabricated. Hundreds of fans in attendance, and the excitement was genuinely palpable....for the first couple takes at least. By the time they said go, maybe some folks were a bit wearier.  But the fans nearby me were all incredibly stoked to be there.

[Netfoot]

10 minutes ago, CaioF said:

But since they didnt had the teams in different flights as usual...

See, I think this is symptomatic of where the race is/has been going.  It's been said a thousand times before and no doubt will be a thousand times more, but packing the race with "celebrity" people and presenting them with challenges which aren't even slightly challenging does not make for a more interesting race.  At least not for me.  Maybe millennial viewers get all weak at the knees at the very sight of a "famous" hot-dog eater, and are amazed if they are required to perform difficult chores like lighting a candle with a box of matches, or changing a lightbulb or something like that.

I prefer when they weren't spoon-fed plane tickets, taxis, and everything else, and just getting to the next pitstop was in itself a challenge.  And the tasks themselves were actually tough!  It's for a million bucks!  It is supposed to be spirit-crushingly hard!

[chaifan]

33 minutes ago, ItsJessMe said:

But that's the entire premise of the season.  People who have excelled in competitive venues before.  Ok the Yoga Goat women don't really fit but they needed to fill teams so I can forgive a bit of a pass.  If there are other seasons, I'm sure there will be "normal" people back in it.  But this season was expressly designed for c-list celebrity casting.

YMMV, but other than the BB team and Joey Chestnut (and arguably the NBA players), these are all "normal" people, not celebrities from any list.  For the few that are involved in competitive professions (Indy cars, skiers), they aren't celebrities within those professions, just competitors. 

[proserpina65]

10 minutes ago, Netfoot said:

I prefer when they weren't spoon-fed plane tickets, taxis, and everything else, and just getting to the next pitstop was in itself a challenge.

We don't actually know that they were spoon fed tickets this time.  We didn't see any airport drama, and for that, I am grateful as it's always been one of my least favorite aspects of AR.

[iMonrey]

I just wanted to add that I was delighted to see Phil's picture in the opening credits. I'm shocked that Jeff Probst hasn't demanded that on Survivor years ago. 

Quote

I viewed their exchanges as the passive aggressive one poking the aggressive one to elicit the reaction she got.  This allows PA to go immediately into victim mode (why won't she just be a little nicer to me?! wah). 

But if that's their dynamic how on earth do they manage to work together on a daily basis, and what on earth possessed them to go on a stressful race together? They don't seem to get along on even a basic level. They hadn't even reached a task yet and were already making each other miserable. Right off the bat, it feels like someone talked them into this, or else they were somehow matched together despite not knowing each other very well.

Quote

I prefer when they weren't spoon-fed plane tickets, taxis, and everything else, and just getting to the next pitstop was in itself a challenge.  And the tasks themselves were actually tough!  It's for a million bucks!  It is supposed to be spirit-crushingly hard!

Yeah, they used to get actual clues they had to figure out before they could find their next location. Not just "go here" but find the place where so-and-so lived or where such-and-such wrote a famous novel, etc. Now it's just "go here." How on earth is that interesting?

I can see why maybe they had to simplify things back when they were promoted from a once-a-year summer show to a twice-a-year prime time show, because that's twice as many races per year for the planners. But now? They're back to one a year.

Edited January 4, 2018 by iMonrey

[TheRabbi]

1 minute ago, proserpina65 said:

We don't actually know that they were spoon fed tickets this time.  We didn't see any airport drama, and for that, I am grateful as it's always been one of my least favorite aspects of AR.

The first leg has always spoonfed flights. Phil usually says something like 'There's only room on the first flight for 6 teams'. There were 2 separate flights for this leg, but they chose to edit out airport drama since they arrived within 10 minutes of each other.

[proserpina65]

15 minutes ago, TheRabbi said:

The first leg has always spoonfed flights. Phil usually says something like 'There's only room on the first flight for 6 teams'. There were 2 separate flights for this leg, but they chose to edit out airport drama since they arrived within 10 minutes of each other.

I still appreciate not seeing the airport crap.

[NeverLate]

21 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I still appreciate not seeing the airport crap.

Me too. :)

[Dobian]

11 hours ago, millennium said:

Here's the crux of my complaint, aside from my personal preference of watching average folks: it's apparently no longer enough to just want to race.   Now you need a resume that includes evidence of prior superlative achievement -- debating champions, skiing champions, pro basketball players, Big Brother winners, petite models, etc.   The average joe no longer stands a chance of running the Amazing Race. 

It's not even "superlative" achievement, it's having garnered some sort of Z-list celebrity status for yourself, whether you were on BB or Survivor, are a YouTube "star", or are the champion of some sporting event on ESPN Eight "The Ocho".  The show's producers have gotten it into their heads that to hit the younger audience demographic they need to find racers who have some sort of built-in social media buzz.  But aren't most Amazing Race viewers on the older side and don't give a crap about that stuff?  Younger viewers are more likely to be watching the CW when they're watching any network at all.

[amazingracefan]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

Cancellation, no question.   Because I'm still watching but not enjoying it which strikes me as a major waste of time.  Why do I watch?  Probably for the same reason I read the latest Stephen King novels or watch the X-Files revivals  -- I keep hoping against hope that some trace of the former greatness will emerge rather than it being a tedious exercise in fan service.   

But if others still get something out of it why deprive them?  Others can watch something else.

51 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

We don't actually know that they were spoon fed tickets this time.  We didn't see any airport drama, and for that, I am grateful as it's always been one of my least favorite aspects of AR.

Airport drama can be good sometimes, it adds to the storyline.  Just like you want to see some navigating and not just tasks.

4 hours ago, BarneySays said:

From the dead eyes of the BB guy (creepy) to the dead countenances of the basketball players

I can't deal with the eaters.  They're not terribly telegenic

I don't want it to be about whether someone has photogenic looks or not.

[amazingracefan]

16 hours ago, UncleChuck said:

Interesting that after all these seasons, TAR has given up some of the secrecy about the race.  They used to start in remote sections of obscure parks, or in some stadium that could be closed to the public, and there were never any spectators to watch the proceedings.  Now they film the start (with all of the backstage preparation and retakes) with an audience.

They've probably given in to the spoiler people, who get their kicks out of knowing in advance what will happen, always very strange to me.  I can watch a season a second time knowing what will happen if I want that experience, but still get the suspense first time round.  But with them it's like they think that by knowing what happens before it airs they're somehow ahead of the producers, they're only ahead of the broadcast, that's all.

 

9 hours ago, green said:

He didn't cheat.  He actually solved the puzzle for the other team which was dumb but not cheating.  Then he went back to see why his solution still didn't work for him. 

And it is perfectly legal for people performing Roadblocks to help each other out.  They do it all the time. Tons of times through the past seasons.  Actually pretty rare, especially when there are a lot of teams still in the Race, not to have this going on.   It is their partners that can't help them is the only rule.

 

I hate the helping of other teams, it means less deserving ones can progress.  It actually makes a nonsense of the rules too if a team mate can't help but another team can help you.  I'd rather no help, the helping aspect greatly increased in later years of the show. 

 

The first episode I thought was ok, mainly for the spelling challenge which did bring some drama, alongside the navigation.  The basketball teams were probably easily safe,  there was a bit too much going on about how they were in danger, and too much pointing towards nobody coming in from Phil :D  The final two teams at least were genuinely close.

[displayname]

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

I still appreciate not seeing the airport crap.

I think I was the only one who liked the strategising. Season 11 would have been perfect if the team that won hadn't won.

[mikewho]

Just a clarification for those who may be incorrect (and by no means do I intend to put anyone down).

I've seen a few posts here (and more on other sites) that state they're happy this season started in the same place as Season 1.

Technically, they didn't. This season started in Washington Square Park, in southern Manhattan.

Season 1 started at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, approximately 3 miles north.

And as for the eyebrow-pop, Phil did it in his introduction shot.

[dgpolo]

8 hours ago, TheRabbi said:

The season is still 12 hours/legs. But CBS is doubling up episodes 4 times to get the whole season in before Survivor comes back. The entire season will be done by the 21st of February. February is all 2 hour episodes.

February 8-25 is the Olympics, TAR will get no real ratings for this outing.

[Hawkes]

First time watching TAR as I have never been truly interested in it.  I have, though, watched all of the Canadian ones.  I found the Canadian one to be more exciting but this was the only episode of TAR that I've seen.

My family is cheering on Alex and Conor as we're huge Indycar fans.  My son, Connor ironically, was able to meet Alex last year in Toronto and got his autograph too.  Really nice guy.

[iMonrey]

For what it's worth, ratings for the premiere were very good. 1.6 in the 18-49 demo and 7.31 million viewers. That's double the average of last season and the biggest premiere since 2013.

[ItsJessMe]

3 hours ago, chaifan said:

YMMV, but other than the BB team and Joey Chestnut (and arguably the NBA players), these are all "normal" people, not celebrities from any list.  For the few that are involved in competitive professions (Indy cars, skiers), they aren't celebrities within those professions, just competitors. 

Right, but the premise of the show is that these are people who have reached the top of their fields.  I hadn't heard of any but Joey Chestnut so they're normal to me, but that was how they were selected.

[AZChristian]

2 minutes ago, ItsJessMe said:

Right, but the premise of the show is that these are people who have reached the top of their fields.  I hadn't heard of any but Joey Chestnut so they're normal to me, but that was how they were selected.

I'm thinking the top of the field for goat yoga instructors is not comparable to top of the field for NBA players.  

[chaifan]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

For what it's worth, ratings for the premiere were very good. 1.6 in the 18-49 demo and 7.31 million viewers. That's double the average of last season and the biggest premiere since 2013.

I'd like to say it's because TAR is awesome, but I wonder if premiering so early in the year, when there's been nothing but repeats and holiday specials on for a month or so, as well as being in the dead of a very very cold snap for many of us, has helped the ratings.  I have been perfectly happy this last week to be a well bundled couch potato and will lap up just about any new episode of anything that is on the air.

[Haleth]

12 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I'm thinking the top of the field for goat yoga instructors is not comparable to top of the field for NBA players.  

Or winner of the Indy 500.  Granted, that doesn't carry the same cachet that it did in the past, it's still a pretty impressive accomplishment. 

Edited January 5, 2018 by Haleth

[Cardie]

20 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

Why do they all have to be stunt castings?  Why not just ordinary people?

I absolutely agree. That was the charm of earlier TAR before there were internet celebrities famous for everything. I'm rooting for the firefighter twins from Hicksville just because they seem more real than all these other fame-seekers.

[Lady Calypso]

2 minutes ago, Cardie said:

I absolutely agree. That was the charm of earlier TAR before there were internet celebrities famous for everything. I'm rooting for the firefighter twins from Hicksville just because they seem more real than all these other fame-seekers.

I'd also like to include the Yale Debaters in that. They seem pretty down to earth, from what I've seen. 

[Cardie]

^^Yeah, but being a Yale debater means that the easy life is waiting for you after the Race. I suppose part of this is being old and fed up with smiling millennials. I approve of smart contestants (and those muscular musicians) more than hot dog consumers or BB housemates but increasingly the racers have practiced public performance skills that make them seem less authentic.