S25: Route Spoilers (No Elimination Info)

[auntlada]

I like knowing where the race is going, but not who is eliminated when so I thought I'd start this thread to talk about where the race is going (and possibly tasks), but not have specific information about which teams are still in the race.

 

So according to the spoilers I've read, it started in Times Square in New York City, and then racers went to Flushing Meadows Park to the Unisphere, where season 1 ended, to get their clues sending them to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

Then they apparently went to London for leg 2 or at least London on the way to somewhere else.

[Bella]

Great idea for a thread, AuntLada - thanks for starting it.

 

I thought they went to some gardens near the Tower of London; I don't think that was a transfer destination.

[TheRabbi]

I also love this idea!  And I say that knowing that I was the one who posted the likely results of leg 1.  I feel the same way, but usually its tough to only get the route spoilers.  I didn't like knowing the whole boot order of TAR24 before it even aired.  I find it fascinating to analyze where they're going, what continents/countries are overused, etc.  But curiosity always gets the better of me.

 

The race seemed to be completely off the grid today.  So likely either leg 3 in some remote UK region with no sightings, or leg 2 has an extended pitstop.  It's unlikely they've left for another country, as the London airport would have been filled with sightings.

 

 

Then they apparently went to London for leg 2 or at least London on the way to somewhere else.

 

Definitely London.  It appears there was a detour of some insane tradition of having to constantly flip pancakes while walking around a course.  And there was a punting/boating task in Oxford before the pitstop.  Should be a good episode!

Edited June 4, 2014 by TheRabbi

[Bella]

They punted around Oxford in Season 3. I wonder if there are going to be "25th anniversary tasks" reminiscent of other seasons.

 

I'm wondering if we could get a runner of sorts to bring over route info from realityfanforum and wherever else the deep-down, hard-core spoiling is going on. Then we could have this pared-down spoiler thread for our people who just want route info. I like and admire what they do at RFF, but the spoiler section is thick with everything they know and then some.

 

I'd volunteer, but my schedule doesn't allow me to visit there much over the next several days.

[kris4n6]

Thanks so much for this thread! I hate knowing in advance who has been eliminated/won (found out unintentionally about last season, ruined the last few episodes) but I love knowing where they're going. Especially if they're going somewhere I've been or want to visit.

[Bella]

I'm going to add "no elimination info!" to the thread title.

 

They went to Aberdeen, Scotland - again, as in TAR3.

[Rusun]

I'm wondering if we could get a runner of sorts to bring over route info from realityfanforum and wherever else the deep-down, hard-core spoiling is going on. Then we could have this pared-down spoiler thread for our people who just want route info. I like and admire what they do at RFF, but the spoiler section is thick with everything they know and then some.

 

I'd volunteer, but my schedule doesn't allow me to visit there much over the next several days.

 

I'm down for it!

 

P.S. Leg 3 will also involve the Shetland Islands, courtesy of RFF.

Edited June 4, 2014 by Rusun

[Bella]

I'm down for it!

 

P.S. Leg 3 will also involve the Shetland Islands.

 

Sounds great - thanks for anything you can bring over.

 

I also want to give credit where it's due, so if something comes from RFF or another source (is there a Miss Cleo, or do I have the wrong show?), please say so. I hope they would do the same for us. Links are optional.

[Rusun]

Sounds great - thanks for anything you can bring over.

 

I also want to give credit where it's due, so if something comes from RFF or another source (is there a Miss Cleo, or do I have the wrong show?), please say so. I hope they would do the same for us. Links are optional.

 

Thank you, too, and you do have the right show with the right person: Miss C. provided the entirety of last season's spoilers over at SurvivorSucks.

[auntlada]

I'm going to add "no elimination info!" to the thread title.

 

Thanks. I wasn't sure how to phrase that properly.

 

I've never been to Scotland, but have always wanted to go for genealogical purposes as my ancestors came from the Caithness area. I'm excited about a leg in the Shetland Islands.

[SnideAsides]

I'm calling it: Shetland pony task. It seems like the sort of "What did we find on Wikipedia?" thing this show would do.

[Demented Daisy]

Or Shetland sheepdog, since they seem to be fond of the herding tasks -- and dogs.

 

Back to lurking.

[auntlada]

I'd be up for both dogs and ponies. There are also always sheep, which are OK, but I'd rather see dogs and ponies.

[Lamb18]

Maybe they will ride a Shetland pony while herding Shetland sheep with a Shetland sheep dog. Since they're doing retro tasks maybe they'll have to separate three black sheep from a bunch of white ones.  Shetland sheep are small so it would probably be less difficult than the Season 2 task was.

[zoey1996]

Oh, I wonder if they've re-created the Olney, England pancake race.  http://olneypancakerace.org/  That would be fun!

I went to the Highland Gathering at Braemar last year, and also spent a couple of days in Edinburgh.  Sheep, Shetland Sheepdogs, all good.  Also a visit to a whisky brewer could be interesting, though that's probably a stretch.

[Demented Daisy]

Well, if they went to Edinburgh, they could tour the Scotch Whiskey Experience, learning about the history and production.  It's a fun tour!  (Or it was when I took the tour a dozen or so years ago.)

[Lamb18]

 

 

Definitely London.  It appears there was a detour of some insane tradition of having to constantly flip pancakes while walking around a course.

 

Oh, I wonder if they've re-created the Olney, England pancake race.  http://olneypancakerace.org/  That would be fun!

I wonder if they are doing the pancake races!  I'd love to see them do that and see racers get freaked out.  Couldn't you see Luke or Twinnies have a total meltdown?  Not that they're on this race, but if they were . . .

[SnideAsides]

I have to say, I think this "islands" theme they seem to be going for (Manhattan, US Virgin Islands, Great Britain, Shetland Islands) might actually be the kick in the pants the show needs - it's a gimmick but it really doesn't detract from the appeal of the show like, say, the "North America" route of the Family Edition did. Plus most of the safe countries the show hasn't visited yet are either islands or in eastern Europe, which means there's probably going to be more originality than usual.

[Rusun]

Never mind that the sole geographically insular borough is Staten Island, but Seasons 22 and 19 as well as Unfinished Business all put an end to that "theme". The every-four-seasons visit to Russia ever since the first St. Petersburg leg is a surer thing (Siberia notwithstanding).

 

zoey1996 and Demented Daisy: Speaking of TAR 22, the only team in the show's history to overcome both a Speed Bump and a W-Turn in the same leg had to haul eight enormous barrels of whiskey across suburban Duddingston. Three seasons later, production has demoted the Scottish capital into a mere transfer point between Oxford and Aberdeen, leaving little to no time for tasks therein.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Rusun

[Quilt Fairy]

I wanted to add my appreciation for this thread. It's exactly what I've wanted to see for years. Elimination info (especially the complete boot list) really does 'spoil' the show for me. But just the locations and the tasks piques my interest instead and makes me anxious for the show's return.

 

ETA: Maybe the Frisian Islands next?

Edited June 7, 2014 by Quilt Fairy

[Rusun]

Continuing the TAR17-esque vibe, Leg 4 takes place in Malmö, the southernmost of Sweden's major cities.

[TheRabbi]

Ok so I'm liking the route so far, but it's nearing crunch time.  I would imagine they'll probably stay for leg 5 somewhere in Europe as well, but then the big decision is whether they'll head south to Africa or continue eastward.  Surely they wouldn't skip Africa 3 seasons in a row? They've only done that one other time (13-15) and that didn't go over well.

 

Supposedly TAR24 had last minute canceled legs in Ethiopia, the Philippines, and Melbourne.  So how about leg 5 stays somewhere in Europe/Scandinavia, 6-7 in Ethiopia, 8 in India, 9-10 in Melbourne, 11 in Philippines, and west coast finale?  That would be a pretty great route.  I just hope they don't continue along a general eastward trail and think one cool first leg in St. Thomas means they are exempt from visiting the southern three continents. 

[TheRabbi]

It appears that leg 5 may be in Copenhagen, as RFF has a picture of a cluebox posted..  Kinda figured that they'd stay local for one more leg.  I would imagine a big flight is coming up soon for the next leg though, as they've been meandering around up in that region for 4 legs, so they've gotta head to a new area soon.  We'll see!

 

So we've got the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), the UK (England, Scotland), Sweden, and Denmark.  Thoughts?

[Rusun]

Leg 6 will be visiting Marrakech, Morocco, i.e. the first North African leg in fifteen seasons.

[Rusun]

Two weeks into the on average three-week long race, Leg 7 is staying in central Morocco - presumably by the Ait-benHaddou complex - while Leg 8 returns to Europe in order to visit Palermo (the Sicilian capital) and Ragusa (island's southermost city), Italy.

 

The last time that two countries hosted legs on back-to-back seasons was during TAR13 and TAR14 with India and Russia (Delhi/Moscow for the former, Krasnoyarsk/Novosibirsk/Jaipur for the latter), Loire Valley and French Tahiti excepted.

Edited June 14, 2014 by Rusun

[Rusun]

NEW NATION ALERT! Leg 9 is happening in Valletta, Malta!

[Bella]

RealityFanForum posted a tweet indicating that Phil was spotted in Singapore. The site also mentioned Indonesia, but I didn't see any confirming info. If anyone else visits RFF and gets more route info, please let us know!

[TheRabbi]

Singapore is accurate.  There's been a bunch of sightings in the last couple hours.  I was trying to avoid team spoilers but wasn't entirely successful.

 

So the race is winding down, likely with just 2-3 legs left approaching a west coast finish (I just hope its not LA).  It will probably wrap this Saturday or Sunday if past races are any indication.  RFF has done a great job getting the route, the only thing that they haven't said for sure is if Copenhagen was an actual leg, or if that was part of the Malmo, Sweden leg, since for that leg teams actually flew into Copenhagen.  So we've got:

 

1: St. Thomas

2: London/Oxford

3: Shetland Islands

4: Malmo, Sweden

5: Possibly Copenhagen, Denmark, or straight to Morocco

5-6 or 6-7: Morocco

7 or 8: Sicily

8 or 9: Malta

9 or 10: Singapore

 

So whether Copenhagen had an actual leg is what determines whether there is 2 legs or 3 remaining.  Personally, I hope there's still 3 left, maybe 2 in the Philippines before hitting Seattle or Phoenix.

[SnideAsides]

I'd guess somewhere in Hawaii as the final destination, since "islands" is unquestionably the theme this time around - the only place so far that doesn't fit the category is Morocco, which could just be a last-minute replacement. Even downtown Malmo is built on a network of islands.

[Demented Daisy]

Wasn't the finale in Hawaii a couple of seasons ago?  Has the show ever been to Guam?

[Rusun]

I'd guess somewhere in Hawaii as the final destination, since "islands" is unquestionably the theme this time around - the only place so far that doesn't fit the category is Morocco, which could just be a last-minute replacement. Even downtown Malmo is built on a network of islands.

 

You'll be eating crow when teams fly to Sihanoukville and/or Busan before finishing in San Diego.

 

Wasn't the finale in Hawaii a couple of seasons ago?  Has the show ever been to Guam?

 

Yes to both: Season 20 for the former (in Honolulu) and Season 11 a.k.a. All-Stars 1 for the latter. Coincidentally, the premiere this autumn will be the first visit to an overseas American territory since then.

[Maverick]

 Well there shouldn't be much jetlag or airport drama since they're fairly contained within Europe and North Africa.   Maybe they'll at least go to Australia or New Zeland (hello, Tasmania!).  I guess if they're sticking to an island theme they could backtrack and go to Madagascar but I'd say Japan is more likely.

[Bella]

RFF seemed to have some confusion about Copenhagen and Malmo, but a quick Google search shows they're only about 15 miles apart.

[legaleagle53]

Interesting that the legs are almost all in Europe this time.  They might as well call it "The Amazing Race Europe."

[Bella]

It looks like they're en route to Manila as I type. This is in keeping with the "islands" theme that's been speculated about. 

[Rusun]

For Legs 10 and 11, no less - a single country only did so during S22 and S16 in recent seasons.

 

To amend all our previous speculation, the itinerary is now as follows.

 

1. St. Thomas, USVI: May 31
2. London and Oxford, UK: June 1-2
3. Shetland Islands (Lerwick), UK: June 4-5
4. Malmö, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark: June 7
5. Marrakesh, Morocco: June 9
6. Morocco: June 10
7. Sicily (Palermo and Ragusa), Italy: June 13
8. Valletta, Malta: June 14-15
9. Singapore: June 17-18
10. Manila (Cavite Province), Philippines: June 19-20
11. Manila, Philippines: June 21

[TheRabbi]

Overall a pretty solid route.  Most closely resembling TAR3, with the first leg in North America, on to the UK, Morocco, back to Europe, then a hell of a trip to SE Asia including Singapore.  Might that indicate a return to a Seattle finish as well?  Filming will likely wrap tomorrow, but I'm putting my money on San Fran.

 

If I have one beef with the route, it's that Europe has really been working overtime lately, with 6 legs in 21, 4 in 22, 4 in 23, 5 in 24, and another 5 in 25.  Season 26 (fingers crossed) will hopefully feature overdue returns to South America, Australia, and the southern African regions.  But overall this is a giant step up from 24's abysmal route, and they even managed to sneak in a new country as well.

Edited June 21, 2014 by TheRabbi

[ProfCrash]

I get that people don't like the European heavy routes but there are so many places in the world that are flat out dangerous. I have some friends who live in the Philippines and Thailand so I read those local papers and I always get nervous when Amazing Race heads to the Philippines. I can't imagine what CBS does to provide security for Survivor when it was shooting in the Philippines. There is some not so nice stuff happening across the coutry.

 

European countries have their problems with terrorism but it is no where near as bad as it is in the Philippines, Thailand, a fair amount of Africa and countries. Toss in cheaper flights and travel and you can see why they keep using Europe, China, Japan and the like.

[TheRabbi]

All very valid points, and I'm sure planning the route has to be a logistical nightmare, but still Chile is now the only legs the show's had in South America in the last 5 seasons, and they haven't been to Australia in ages.  But like I said, overall this a good route, with the possible exception of.....:

 

Someone just posted a picture of themselves with Phil at the Hong Kong airport, and he is flying from HK to......Los Angeles.  Should have figured that, like season 17, the budget investment of having a starting line outside of LA, meant that they needed to recoup that by having the finish line there instead again.  Sure its still possible LA is just a connection point to the real final city, but if it was somewhere else nearby, surely there would have been an easier route from Manila than connecting in both Hong Kong and LA?

 

Regardless though, I'm really excited for this season.  I hope the cast is memorable.  Watching the new season 14 dvd that Amazon just put out, that season had such a great balanced cast (probably why 5 of them were invited back).  Bring on September!

[Rick Kitchen]

It would be nice if they finished the islands season on Catalina.

[outtosee]

So according to the spoilers I've read, it started in Times Square in New York City, and then racers went to Flushing Meadows Park to the Unisphere, where season 1 ended, to get their clues sending them to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

 

 

My stomping grounds! So cool. Can't wait to see it on TV.

[jjj]

Thanks so much for this thread!  I love anticipating the locations, but can't stand knowing the elimination order.  It sounds like the finish line is not known yet?

[Kromm]

I'd guess somewhere in Hawaii as the final destination, since "islands" is unquestionably the theme this time around - the only place so far that doesn't fit the category is Morocco, which could just be a last-minute replacement. Even downtown Malmo is built on a network of islands.

It's odd.  Because while Morocco is probably very used to international productions dropping in (it's been used in so many movies), there had to be some Island somewhere not on their primary agenda that could have served as a backup plan.  I wonder if it was just proximity then.  They wanted flight times that didn't interfere with the dates they planned for later legs, so they couldn't go that far astray.  And while Europe DOES have a lot of Islands, there's got to be a certain combination of permissiveness to film, combined with certain resources (an airport, for example).

[TheRabbi]

 

It sounds like the finish line is not known yet?

 

Per RFF, the finish line was Pointe Vicente Lighthouse in Los Angeles.

[Rusun]

Which is funnier: that Phil groups the Shetland Islands "in the middle of nowhere" or that he regards Sicily/Malta as (North) Africa?

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=i13_kZxOqQg

[SnideAsides]

Morocco's in North Africa.

[auntlada]

I don't know that I would call the Shetland Islands the middle of nowhere, but they are pretty far away from anything else.

[Rusun]

Morocco's in North Africa.

 

Except that's neither what Phil said nor implied during his run-down from 0:32 to 0:48:

 

1. "The teams start off." - New York City, the Beginning of the Race
2. "They go to a tropical paradise." - Charlotte Amalie, Leg 1
3. "Then they're going to be flying into Europe." - London and Oxford, Leg 2
4. "We're actually going to some very remote islands in the middle of nowhere (sic)." - Lerwick/Scalloway/Ninian's, Leg 3
5. "Then we travel back into Europe." - Malmö and Copenhagen, Leg 4
6. "And then from Europe through to the top of Africa." - Marrakech and Lalla Takerkoust, Legs 5 and 6
7. "And then from Africa through into Asia (sic)." - Singapore and Greater Manila, Legs 9 to 11, entirely skipping Palermo/Ragusa/Taormina/etc. and Valletta, Legs 7 and 8
8. "And then Asia home." - Greater Los Angeles, Leg 12 and the End of the Race

 

I don't know that I would call the Shetland Islands the middle of nowhere, but they are pretty far away from anything else.

 

Phil's description better fits the Faroe Islands, which should've been visited in S23 rather than that nondescript Norwegian place.

[SnideAsides]

You're assuming Phil was obliged to list every single destination from memory then, which he clearly wasn't. Plus I can't imagine people being too excited about him vaguely saying "and then into the Mediterranean" when we essentially just spent three legs there last season.

[Rusun]

It would be nice if they finished the islands season on Catalina.

 

Alas, not even the Memory Challenge got that "insular".