TAR30: Previews and Speculation

[Lantern7]

I don't think talking about teasers and commercials is allowed in episode threads, so I'm starting this one. Basically, if you see stuff in teasers, commercials and/or online, it would be posted here.

I am really, really, really, really hoping that the "partner swap" is temporary. From what I've heard, this has been done in the Canadian version. I don't know what happens there, and I'm dreading finding out. It feels like CBS is leaning on the producers to keep the gimmicks. That is probably not the case, but I have this image of Racers forced into a "key party" to get new partners. Bottom line: the concept kind of runs counter to what the series was built upon.

[Whimsy]

16 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I don't think talking about teasers and commercials is allowed in episode threads, so I'm starting this one. Basically, if you see stuff in teasers, commercials and/or online, it would be posted here.

I am really, really, really, really hoping that the "partner swap" is temporary. From what I've heard, this has been done in the Canadian version. I don't know what happens there, and I'm dreading finding out. It feels like CBS is leaning on the producers to keep the gimmicks. That is probably not the case, but I have this image of Racers forced into a "key party" to get new partners. Bottom line: the concept kind of runs counter to what the series was built upon.

Ugh. I didn’t watch the preview really but I HATE this idea!

[Lady Calypso]

31 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I am really, really, really, really hoping that the "partner swap" is temporary. From what I've heard, this has been done in the Canadian version. I don't know what happens there, and I'm dreading finding out. It feels like CBS is leaning on the producers to keep the gimmicks. That is probably not the case, but I have this image of Racers forced into a "key party" to get new partners. Bottom line: the concept kind of runs counter to what the series was built upon.

I wonder if maybe team swap will only be for one leg and it will take place during an NEL. I don't think they'd extend it for the rest of the race, and they wouldn't be able to switch back once a team is eliminated. They'll probably ask what it was like to swap partners and how it might change the original teams going forward and then we'll absolutely have at least two teams talk about how switching teammates made them appreciate their own team more and blahblahblah.

[Netfoot]

12 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

I am really, really, really, really hoping that the "partner swap" is temporary.

I too hope it is something like the Intersection, where the swap occurs but only temporarily.  Many times I've heard it said that Racer X from this team should pair up with Racer Y from that team... but in actuality, I think that would not be all that good.  Also, I would be quite annoyed if I went on TAR with my chosen race-partner, and then got arbitrarily stuck racing with some doofus.  If I got eliminated as a result, I'd be really steamed!

[peachmangosteen]

I am interested in the partner swap, but yea probably best if it's just for one leg and it's a NEL.

Does anyone know how it worked in the Canadian version?

Edited January 4, 2018 by peachmangosteen

[Lamb18]

I wonder if the swap is just for a detour, then they rejoin for the Roadblock. The thing is, if the remixed teams all go to the mat, then go back to original pairings, how do you figure out who starts first the next day? Unless it's arranged that the swap takes place in a leg before one where they all travel to the same place on the same flight.

[Christina]

I remember where the teams had to switch a partner for one challenge, but not which season. They had to go through an obstacle course type thing, where at one point someone was on the floor trying to avoid laser beams and the other person was directing them. One member of each team did the challenge while the other team members waited. It didn't last longer than the leg, but may have had them do more than just the one Road Block. 

The first two teams that arrived didn't like each other, and one had considered waiting for another team but decided it didn't make sense to not just try and complete the task with the team that was already there.

As I am typing this, I'm beginning to wonder if that was TAR:AU not Canada.

[valen]

Does the most recent preview show one contestant stealing the gnome of another contestant? It's the BB girl saying that the other contestant (the one that's waiting to get engaged) forgot it at the task, and she, the BB girl, needs it, so she's not saying anything. Then it shows the other contestant running after her screaming her name and saying "She's got my gnome." 

In the past, haven't there been penalties for taking the belongings of someone else, even if it was unintentional? 

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I would assume that if Jessica actually takes that woman's gnome then Cody/Jessica will receive a penalty of some kind.

[Lady Calypso]

It could be that they took it, or it could be that Jessica saw that Brittany (I think?) left her gnome somewhere and decided to just stay quiet. It seemed like Jessica knew that they had to keep carrying the gnomes to the mat, but Brittany probably left hers after a task and didn't think she needed it. 

Though her screaming that she had her gnome? Not sure what's going on there. 

[peachmangosteen]

Yea, I figured at first that Jessica just didn't tell Brittany that they have to take their gnomes and let her leave it somewhere. But then Brittany was saying Jessica took her gnome, which would be against the rules. Maybe Jessica just didn't tell Brittany to take it and when Brittany realizes she doesn't have it and needs it, she assumes Jessica took it.

Edited January 11, 2018 by peachmangosteen

[Lady Calypso]

5 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

Yea, I figured at first that Jessica just didn't tell Brittany that they have to take their gnomes and let her leave it somewhere. But then Brittany was saying Jessica took her gnome, which would be against the rules. Maybe Jessica just didn't tell Brittany to take it and when Brittany realizes she doesn't have it and needs it, she assumes Jessica took it.

But, if Brittany forgot her gnome, why does Jessica need hers? Wouldn't she have a gnome of her own?

I'm rewatching the preview and it feels like something is missing. From the previews, it doesn't seem like what Jessica did was wrong, because Phil's voiceover says she makes a "strategic" move. So I think there's some sort of twist that we'll find out in the actual episode. Because where in the world is Cody and Lucas, then? Is it a Roadblock and Jessica simply hadn't gone to get a gnome at that point, so when she ran into Brittany at the phone booth, she decided to take it? Why would Jessica not have gotten a gnome but Brittany did, then? 

Also, rewatching the two clips of Brittany calling for Jessica and Jessica running down the road with the gnome, they are not in the same time sequence. They're in two separate locations. So for all we know, Brittany called out for Jessica and she ended up stopping. 

[Lantern7]

Shit. Le Gimmick returns at least once next week. And it centers on bocce ball? *sigh* Why, Elise & Bert? Seriously, I'd like to know what stuff was their ideas, and what CBS "recommended" for the series to continuing airing.

I'm not rooting for anyone in particular yet, but the Kristi & Jen bandwagon probably has room, and they have finished in the top three every leg thus far. And "Well Strung" has finished fourth all three episodes.

[Miles]

Preview for episode 4

Phil: "And the head to head returns".

Racer: "No! That was terrible!"

Me: "No! This is going to be terrible!"

[Kijimuna]

18 hours ago, Miles said:

Preview for episode 4

For Leg 4 and Leg 5 alike:

The mediæval task appears to feature the Order of the Knights Templar on their Crusade against the local heretics, the Cathars/Albigensians/Waldensians - small wonder that this very region birthed the anti-Papacy at Avignon!

[Lantern7]

How soon do we get a "regular" length commercial for the next episode?  This one clocks in at eleven seconds.

And here are the average legs after five episodes:

2.40 Krista & Jen (Extreme)

3.20 Cody & Jessica (Big Brother)

3.60 Alex & Conner (Indy)

4.40 Henry & Evan (Yale)

4.80 Trevor & Chris (Well Strung)

6.00 Lucas & Brittany (Ocean Rescue/Engaged)

6.20 Joey & Tim (Chomp)(Eliminated)

6.80 Eric & Daniel (Firefighters/Twins)

It feels like the teams are spread out for the most part. The ladies only have one first-place finish, but they've placed in the top three in all five legs. Also, I haven't factored in Head to Head in this. Should I? And, if so, how?? For instance, would Yale be considered a stronger team because they probably wouldn't have finished in eighth under normal circumstances? On the bottom, I don't see the Firefighters lasting that long. Maybe making puns can keep a team in the game longer than usual. I mean, Gary made lots of groaners in TAR2, and he & Dave placed fifth.

[Pachamama]

 

 

[Lantern7]

Really hoping that the partner swap is for one or two tasks. That feels messed up. And if it had been done in TAR26, it would have felt like a huge "key party," and Phil would not have come out clean at the end.

Basically, I'm thinking next leg is non-elim with the Double U-Turn, and then the potentially awful idea gets run in the second hour.

[Maggie Mae]

I can't see how the partner swap could be anything but a non-elimination leg with an airport (or travel) bunching before the next leg. If a couple were to be eliminated, there would be no way to undo the switch. If there were not to be a bunching after they switched back, how would the departure times work? Sounds fun for one leg or task but it needs to be fair.

 

in the telephone challenge, didn't Jessica have 5 words and the other person none. (I may have to rewatch) I really don't think she was wrong to share and keep one back.  Brittany needs to get over herself. She's the only one getting on my nerves which is 'Amazing' this far in.

[mwell345]

32 minutes ago, Maggie Mae said:

I can't see how the partner swap could be anything but a non-elimination leg with an airport (or travel) bunching before the next leg. If a couple were to be eliminated, there would be no way to undo the switch. If there were not to be a bunching after they switched back, how would the departure times work? Sounds fun for one leg or task but it needs to be fair.

 I agree. The only other alternative is to eliminate 2 teams (because how would they ever decide which team is eliminated, unless the two that are last have to complete in another ridiculous head to head challenge which Phil seems to love?)  

I wish TAR would stop with the gimmicks.

[Lantern7]

Updated leg averages:

2.17 Kristi & Jen (Extreme)

3.67 Alex & Conor (Indy)

3.67 Cody & Jessica (Big Brother)

4.17 Henry & Evan (Yale)

5.17 Trevor & Chris (Well Strung)

5.83 Lucas & Courtney Brittany (Thanks, @PreBabylonia!) (Ocean Rescue)

6.00 Eric & Daniel (Firefighters)

I should look up TAR3 and calculate Teri & Ian's average after every episode. I'd like to see if Eric & Daniel are taking a similar trajectory. Their styles are different; Teri & Ian's M.O. was to narrowly avoid elimination. Meanwhile, the Firefighters placed in the Top 3 in two consecutive legs to even to give them a 6.00 average with six teams remaining. Personally, I think they take like Gary from TAR2 . . . so many lame jokes. At least those two are funny with their puns.

Bottom line: I reckon the gap between Extreme and the field is increasing. However, we're coming off two straight seasons where a case could be made that the fourth-best team won.

I'm hoping Ocean Rescue goes next. I mean, we've seen worse teams, and I'm thinking Courtney is lovely in real life, but those two need to wrap their run up soon. Like I said on the latest episode thread, there's a good chanc eshe would skip shouting "PINEAPPLE!!!" and go straight to choking out her fiance.

Edited February 3, 2018 by Lantern7

[PreBabylonia]

2 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Updated leg averages:

2.17 Kristi & Jen (Extreme)

3.67 Alex & Conor (Indy)

3.67 Cody & Jessica (Big Brother)

4.17 Henry & Evan (Yale)

5.17 Trevor & Chris (Well Strung)

5.83 Lucas & Courtney (Ocean Rescue)

6.00 Eric & Daniel (Firefighters)

I should look up TAR3 and calculate Teri & Ian's average after every episode. I'd like to see if Eric & Daniel are taking a similar trajectory. Their styles are different; Teri & Ian's M.O. was to narrowly avoid elimination. Meanwhile, the Firefighters placed in the Top 3 in two consecutive legs to even to give them a 6.00 average with six teams remaining. Personally, I think they take like Gary from TAR2 . . . so many lame jokes. At least those two are funny with their puns.

Bottom line: I reckon the gap between Extreme and the field is increasing. However, we're coming off two straight seasons where a case could be made that the fourth-best team won.

I'm hoping Ocean Rescue goes next. I mean, we've seen worse teams, and I'm thinking Courtney is lovely in real life, but those two need to wrap their run up soon. Like I said on the latest episode thread, there's a good chanc eshe would skip shouting "PINEAPPLE!!!" and go straight to choking out her fiance.

I think her name is Britney, not Courtney.

[Silver Raven]

Next week. Broken water buffalos?

[Lantern7]

Here are leg averages going into the final legs. Then I adjusted them, meaning that I took away a team's best and worst finishes and recalculated. In both cases, I did not count the partner swap; not out of outrage or protest, but because I didn't feel it fit into the overall results.

2.22 (2.29) Kristi & Jen

3.00 (3.00) Alex & Conor

3.67 (3.71) Cody & Jessica

4.00 (3.86) Henry & Evan

The funny thing: if you do leg averages for all eleven teams, the order almost matches that for eliminations (Trevor & Chris did better than Eric & Daniel). Also, going into last week's episode, all of the team that had finished first were still in the race. I think TAR3 may have been the only time that happened. Also, there were only three occasions where teams 6-11 made the top three in the leg (Cedric & Shawn finished second in the second leg; Eric & Daniel got third and second in legs 6-7). Now, I know that the head-to-head matches may have thrown things off, but I think we have the "right" final four. In the last two seasons, I felt that the best teams crashed and burned before the finale, and the fourth-best team (Dana & Matt, Brooke & Scott) wound up winning.

As for the finale? I don't know who would win. Extreme going out first would be "funny" because that would be the only time they didn't "podium." I don't think any other team in TAR history has pulled that off; without a comprehensive deep dive, I currently think the closest teams have been Eric & Jeremy and Justin & Justin's Fiance Diana. I'm good with any team winning except Big Brother. There's a small part of my brain that's scared that CBS would see a BB team winning TAR as the "perfect" ending and pull the plug on TAR. Paranoid, I know.