S31.E01: You're In Our Race Now

[Lakebum]

12 hours ago, green said:

I think TAR5 along with TAR1, TAR2 and TAR3 are the very best seasons ever. 

Agreed. But that was back when they cast actual PEOPLE who were most interested in the RACE. (And, also, back when every challenge was new and different, as were most locations.)

[slowpoked]

6 hours ago, Snickerdoodle said:

Season 5 was the first season I really watched, so I have a soft spot for Colin and Christie.  I hated them on their season and I was glad they lost.  I thought Colin was just mean and angry and Christie could do better. I'm looking forward to Zen Colin and more replays of "MY OX IS BROKEN!"

When this all ends, that will go down as one of the classic moments of TAR. 

[Halting Hex]

1 hour ago, green said:

I think this was more a CBS concept and it was originally TAR vs BB only because Survivor production wasn't on board (my guess on that last point, no proof, speculation).  But at the last minute they got Survivor onboard with the concept and it was a super hurried grab for any available Survivors at that point.

And the last minute Survivors kicked off some BB teams already cast as someone found out later including the infamous and pretty much universally hated Paul who was partnered with Josh, the pots and pans banger, who beat him on his second season.

Was that what happened?  I knew that some Big Brother teams had tried out for this season and were ultimately not cast, but I thought that it was simply a multi-stage process and the others were just the final culls.  Hilarious to think that some were cast and then un-cast.  

(And by some, I mean "Paul".  Suck it, Paul…forever and ever.  Josh, I go back and forth on…it was an amazing reveal when we found out that he was actually a BB superfan and he'd been playing Paul and the Paulettes [and probably production] for the entire season, and I was so thrilled to see Paul hoist on his own designated-goat petard.  But he did cross a lot of lines to stay "in character", so…)

Have to say it all worked out pretty well in the end, IMO.  I take pleasure in seeing Paul undone, but at least I could see the argument for having him/Josh as Racers.  I have no clue what Phil and BvM were thinking to have cast Mark/Elena in the first place.  Glad they got a do-over on that one.

As for the Survivor teams, Rupert was probably inevitable and hopefully he'll be gone soon.  Bret/Chris are nothing special, (but better them than, say, Zeke…) and the chaotic desperation does mean I get to see Corinne again, whereas if Probst had been allowed a finger on the scales, he would have blackballed her, I'm sure.  (His hatred of her is legendary; he's called her his least-favorite Survivor player ever [and remember, he subjected us to multiple seasons of multiple Hantzes… 😦] and for her 2nd season, Caramoan, he wouldn't even let the entire cast onstage at the finale, so determined was he to erase her from the show.)  

So, all in all, I'm glad that "random chance appears to have operated in [my] favor." JMO.

[EllenB]

I must be a contrarian.  I still think Rupert is okay, and I love Team Fun.  Aw, Becca had a few cranky moments when she was hot, tired, and under stress, so she must be a total fake bitch the rest of the time.  Yeah, right.  I'm a fairly fun, upbeat person, but you better not judge my whole life when I'm having a bad moment or it will turn into YOUR worst day.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, green said:

Only 3 days off?  What a piker.  You didn't try hard enough, hahaha.  Miss Ali (Linda) banned me three times for the crimes of: (1) Liking Danielle on BB3 who she hated, (2) Feeling sorry for strung-out Millie on TAR4 who she hated, and, (3) Liking Charla & Mirna whom she especially hated.  (Banning for life only works if the forum's software can ID your computer, not your user name, hah).

She never banned me but there were harsh recriminations and warning points about the Hippies, who she hated.

1 hour ago, Jaundiced Eye said:

I am Team Colin and Christie all the way. As long as we get a clip of “I’M PACKING IT,” I will die a happy woman. 

To me, that's the great phrase!  I also think him saying "Hakuna Matata" to the Kenyan policeman who promptly arrested him was also pretty memorable.

Sorry to add - Phil is looking oooold.  

[amazingracefan]

I so hoped Rupert was going out, what a meh cast from Survivor they picked.

Disappointed to see Becca back, nothing personal but she annoys me, sorry if she reads this but that's how it is.

Surprised some don't remember Art and JJ, they were villains (genuinely so, unlike others prior) and helped bring the drama in the first season I watched live.  After that season I thought the race changed for the worse.

Tyler/Korey aren't the worst but there have been at least two youtube teams I've liked a lot more.

Edited April 18, 2019 by amazingracefan

[Netfoot]

4 hours ago, green said:

Miss Ali (Linda) banned me three times for the crimes of: (1) Liking Danielle on BB3 who she hated, (2) Feeling sorry for strung-out Millie on TAR4 who she hated, and, (3) Liking Charla & Mirna whom she especially hated.

She never responded to a post of mine without snarling.

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Banning for life only works if the forum's software can ID your computer, not your user name, hah

Trying to recall my first userid...

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I so hoped Rupert was going out, what a meh cast from Survivor they picked.

This is the guy that built the tribe shelter under water!  He thinks an arm-hole tie-dye shirt is appropriate attire for racing around the world.  (Surprised they let him on an aeroplane with those armpits exposed to the whiff.) He can't ruff/gruff his way through TC.  Hopefully he will soon be gone for cause.
 

[watch2much]

• I, too, liked Rupert the first time he played on Survivor.  then each time he came back his was more arrogant.  tonight, he dismissed his wife when she pointed out the place with lights on then proceeded to wander around for hours.  he's a know-it-all who is clueless.  

[iMonrey]

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Maybe I'm a TAR snob (OK, I know I'm a TAR snob), but my opinion is that TAR fans and the "true" racers (non-stunt casted) are a different breed of reality show contestants.

I know what you are trying to say, but there is no such thing as a "non stunt-cast" player in a reality show. The producers have a list of parts, or roles, and find different people to play them every season, which is why the genre has grown so stale. It's so focus grouped and market researched the networks and producers think they have a list of "types" that the audience responds to best so they keep casting those same "types" every damn season.

On Amazing Race you always have your token older team, your token interchangeable babes with names like Kami and Kimmy or Karli and Katie and you can never tell them apart, and you always have a bunch of young dating couples and a bickering married couple and a "best friends" couple. That's why I eventually stopped watching this show, it was the same damn people, every year.

I recognize the irony that these are all people I already know and I like it better this way. I already like a lot of them from previous appearances so I welcome them back instead of having to endure another generic group of "types."

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Agreed. But that was back when they cast actual PEOPLE who were most interested in the RACE. (And, also, back when every challenge was new and different, as were most locations.)

Back when this show only appeared during the summer it wasn't as well known and they had more time to come up with complicated challenges. The show was watered down considerably when it started airing twice a year like Survivor. I also think that's when it fell into the Casting Central trap.

[theschnauzers]

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Back when this show only appeared during the summer it wasn't as well known and they had more time to come up with complicated challenges. The show was watered down considerably when it started airing twice a year like Survivor. I also think that's when it fell into the Casting Central trap

TAR has never been a summer only staple. In almost every annual television cycle, TAR has aired twice yearly. As far as the tasks are concerned, it seems to me they were simplified for this episode to give the BB and Survivor teams a chance to adapt to traveling, and finding places, but one can easily argue that didn’t matter given at least some of those teams were still navigation challenged. (The only exception seems to be Rachel and Elyssa as Rachel had competed on TAR twice.

[lexington11]

23 hours ago, Giuseppe said:

Yep, and this show has done plenty of those. It's almost always just luck.

So even after hearing Art and JJ talk about screwing up the final roadblock on their season AND seeing a clip of it, I still have no recollection. I must not have paid much attention to that season. No big loss for me.

I haven't been really excited about TAR in quite a few seasons, but seeing Colin and Christie again has me very giddy. I want my intense Colin back, but still so glad they're on again and I'm rooting for them big time.

I actually laughed when Janelle got the chocolate sandal on her first try. It was just so Janelle-like, lol.

For real...that gives me flashbacks to BB6, when Janelle got all the good prizes and caused the Friendship to collectively melt down

[lexington11]

21 hours ago, blackwing said:

I’ve watched every season of the Race since the very first episode premiered since the week before September 11, 2001.   I have absolutely zero recollection of Art and JJ.  And they finished third in their season???

The one that tried the climb irritated me to no end with his crying and kvetching   “I have a cramp wah wah wah!”  Suck it up buttercup!   But I hate Stupert with a passion so I was hoping that both of those teams could have been philiminated.

Corrinne still sucks.

Is the girl that Rachel Reilly is racing with really her sister?  If so, was she actually on Big Brother?  (I haven’t watched it in years.)  Or does she mean “sister” as in close friend.   If she wasn’t actually on the show and is Rachel’s real life sister, then why is TAR making an exception for her?  She wasn’t on a show.

Yes...Rachel's sister Elissa competed in season 15 of BB, so she counts as a CBS reality star

[Kel Varnsen]

This looks like it could be a fun. There are some teams I real like and some teams that impresed me in the past the Afghanimals were always competitive which I always appreciate in a team. Colin and Christie were from the first season of the race that I watched start to finish so it is always cool to see these shows remember their history. I only vaguely remember Corrine but Eliza is possibly my most favourite Survivor player ever or at least my most memorable. "It's a fuckin stick" was hilarious as was her kind if being the default Ponderosa host.

I will be happy though when Rachel is gone. And I hate Rupert more than anyone else on the show. I hate him more than he thinks he is great. If there was some kind of mathematical formula for the ratio of how great someone thinks they are over their actual skil level his number would be enormous.

[Rinaldo]

6 hours ago, Haleth said:

when Rupert and Laura showed up at the mountain could Art or JJ (whichever was doing the task) have tried completing it again?  Or were they committed to the 4 hour wait?

The latter. Saying "we choose to take the penalty" is a serious step, not to be taken without total commitment to the idea as a last resort, because it can't be taken back. 

[GenerationX]

"The Amazing Race is supposed to be fun and good!"

The epitome of whiny and entitled.  I have Rachel to thank for this, as its re-purposing for any activity anyone is complaining about is a running gag in our house.  It was kind of cool seeing her sister mock her about that very line, and she seemed to be almost self-deprecating about it.  There was actually a glimmer of humanity in her.  Not enough to root for her, of course, but enough to put her a notch above Rupert on the annoy-o-meter.

[ByaNose]

I did think it was funny when Bret didn’t grab the clue but I had forgotten the partners aren’t allowed to tell them anything. That’s gotta be so hard to not blurt out while he was up there “Grab the f’ing clue, Moron!”. LOL!!!! I’m sure it’s happened before but off the top of my head I don’t recall who or what season. 

[Fretful]

I feel like Colin is as intense as ever, but instead of being intensely competitive, he's become instensely mellow.

I was happy to see Brett and Chris.  I remember on Survivor they seemed liked two pretty genuine guys.

I watched Janelle's first season of BB. .  On left profile, she looks vaguely like  Janelle , but straight on-  I wouldn't have recognized her in a million years.

[Fake Jan Brady]

On 4/18/2019 at 5:21 PM, green said:

I think TAR5 along with TAR1, TAR2 and TAR3 are the very best seasons ever.  

Ahhh, the halcyon days when, if you were very lucky, you could be rewarded with a Kodak Easyshare camera if you won a leg.

[30 Helens]

19 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

With a few exceptions, the show managed to pick  my least favorites from BB and Survivor. so I was not excited to watch.  

I’ve never seen BB, so I have no opinion about any of them...except for Rachel. Why, Show??  Why do you hate me? Of the teams I do know, it seems like they went out of their way to pick the most unlikeable people they could find. Colin? Corinne? Why stop there, were Russell Hantz and Flo (of Zach and- ) not available?

For the shoe challenge, all I could think was, I’d hate to be one of the last teams there. Sure, there were a lot of shoes, but a lot of racers had to be chomping down on the same ones. How would you like to bite down on a heel that had fresh Rupert spit all over it?

12 hours ago, HurricaneVal said:

I don't know...when you commit to a penalty, are you stuck with it?  Maybe...probably?

Most definitely. Once you take a penalty, all you can do is wait it out. So you better be sure.

[aemom]

On 4/19/2019 at 4:02 AM, Fake Jan Brady said:

Ahhh, the halcyon days when, if you were very lucky, you could be rewarded with a Kodak Easyshare camera if you won a leg.

There were legs when there were no prizes at all. I remember Uchenna and Joyce shaving their freaking heads and there was no prize at the Pitstop.

I also remember how Art and JJ had that epic crash and burn on their final leg, but absolutely nothing else about them. I can't remember if I hated them or not.

I remember Becca losing her shit on Floyd when he lost his passport but honestly, if my partner lost their passport, I'd lose my shit too.

I did not recognize C&C at all but I am glad they're back. I hated them then and how they managed to come from behind to pass the Bowling Moms on the climbing challenge to stay in the race. But, they were good racers and I am hoping to see another epic meltdown from Colin at some point, because My Ox is Broken, is one of my all time favorite TAR moments. However, it will be interesting to see how they fare with them now having to split the roadblocks. Last time Colin did everything but the eating challenge. 

Edited April 20, 2019 by aemom
Fix something

[Twopper]

20 hours ago, Snickerdoodle said:

The cat thing cracked me up, too.  And then when he was climbing "Mt. Fuji" the other guy yelled at him, "Do it for [cat's name]!"

Pablo is the cat.  Since I have a cat, I will like this team. (this probably reflects how shallow I am when it comes to picking a team to cheer for)

I think I have only seen 30 minutes of BB so none of those racers mean a thing to me.  I have seen some seasons of Survivor, but it seems so totally different from TAR that I think it will take them  several legs to get up to speed.  They might have transitioned better to The Mole but it's run is over plus it was on the wrong network.

I like Becca and Floyd, especially Floyd so I hope they do well.  Becca can get on my nerves, but I think she is mostly ok.  

I think the other TAR pair left is Tyler and Corey (at least I think I have the names correct).  I have trouble with names on this show. and I usually do good to remember one name for each team. 

I am glad the show is back on.  

[displayname]

28 minutes ago, blackwing said:

Unfortunately, no.  All too real.  And arbitrary.  Someone got banned for saying some athlete in the Olympics sucked.

Huh. Glad I wasn't a part of that, I guess. I read the recaps, but that's all.

[TaraS1]

I avoided all spoilers about who was coming back, so I went nuts when I saw Janelle!  I've never missed a season of BB (or Survivor or TAR) and she's always, far and away, been my favorite houseguest.  Go Janey! #byebyebitches 

Sadly, I'm not that excited by any of the Survivor or TAR teams, except Becca and Floyd.  I liked Korey during his season, but Tyler and his yuk-yuk laughing made me insane.

Either way, though, so glad the Race is back!!

[iMonrey]

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TAR has never been a summer only staple. In almost every annual television cycle, TAR has aired twice yearly.

I missed the first three seasons, the first did in fact debut in the fall of 2001 and the second in the spring of 2002. But season 4 aired in the summer of 2003 then we didn't get another season until the following summer of 2004. So for two years it was in fact a summer show.

And if you go back and watch those seasons, the legs were positively grueling. In just one leg the racers were required to hike, climb, spelunk, and deep sea dive. All in one leg. It looked to be exhausting for even the fittest racers. Clues were puzzles you had to solve, not just directions. And Fast Forwards were things you had to compete for. 

The challenges have definitely been watered down, and it's been going on for a long time. It's not something they just started doing this season for the benefit of the Big Brother teams.

[Kel Varnsen]

4 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

The challenges have definitely been watered down, and it's been going on for a long time. It's not something they just started doing this season for the benefit of the Big Brother teams.

I would say not just the challenges but everything. I miss the crazy long drives through multiple countries, or the directions that told you to fly from one city to another but figure out your own multi-leg flights. 

[ljenkins782]

On 4/17/2019 at 10:19 PM, bunnyface said:

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PS:  Love the new Zen Colin.  Charla & Mirna are probaby asking who is that mellow dude on our screens.  Where did they put the real Colin, haha.

I have a feeling if Charla & Mirna showed up, the Zen would be out the window.  And it would be glorious!

This season needs to have both Charla & Mirna AND a stubborn ox before we can confirm that New Colin is a real thing. And of course, Christie's a life coach now. Of course she is. I laughed out loud when that cliche came out of her mouth.

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I was laughing so hard at Rupert & Wife bumbling all around that park for over two hours(!!) without noticing the giant inflatable mountain and bright lights.

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I loved them staggering about and his insisting "Well, it's not over there..." while we were shown the bright lights of the 'mountain' and given a great 'What the what?' kind of sound effect.

Those two are SO lucky that another team had to take a four hour penalty. I think at least one team will need to do that every episode if these two want to get any further. I suspect Laura is a bit smarter than Rupert (not hard), but seems a little tentative and not likely to speak up and take control so they are sunk. 

Corrinne and Eliza are a head-scratcher team for me. I know they are friends in real life, but Eliza is a bundle of nerves on her best day and I can't think of anything more stressful than having someone like Corrinne waiting in the wings rolling her eyes to the back of her head when you can't complete a task immediately. And in a race like this, it's not like you both have to try the same thing, one person does it and the other one stands by (presumably thinking that they could have done it better/faster) and if your partner is already a judgmental bitch who criticizes everyone for everything, that's going to get in your head fast. Eliza's going to melt down in a hurry.

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The cat thing cracked me up, too.  And then when he was climbing "Mt. Fuji" the other guy yelled at him, "Do it for [cat's name]!"

Pablo is the cat.  Since I have a cat, I will like this team. (this probably reflects how shallow I am when it comes to picking a team to cheer for)

Ha, same! The cat love and "Do it for Pablo" shot those 2 right to the top of my list. 

Edited April 19, 2019 by ljenkins782

[vmcd88]

I could not stop laughing at Art.  He makes it to the top and doesnt grab the clue and slides his ass back down and cant get back up there.  How the *&$@ does that happen?  They have to walk up to this thing, do you not look at the top....ever.  This task sums up everything I love about the race.  

[Netfoot]

I seem to remember the earlier seasons, Phil at the finish saying something like "21 countries, 55,000 miles..." but nowadays it's "8 countries, 19,000 miles..." so, I think the 'simplification' of the race is beyond doubt.

I also recall clues being actually difficult puzzles to solve, rather than simple directions to well defined places.  

And challenges were... challenging.

[fishcakes]

This was a fun first episode. I don't watch BB so I don't know any of them except for Rachel from her previous TAR appearances and she's never bothered me much although I might need earplugs for when she and her sister are doing a Talking Head. I also feel bad for any dogs who might be within earshot because good lord are these two ever screechy.

Biggest surprise is that Colin and Christie are still together. I would have guessed those two parted company years ago and never think of the other. But together with two kids and they seem really happy, so good on them. The meditation room made me snort laugh though.

I'm another one who can't remember Art and JJ, but I've found a lot of TAR teams in the last several years to be not memorable so I'm not surprised. I only remember Tyler and Korey as being on the race, but nothing else about them.

I loved Floyd but not Becca on their first season. I don't even remember her being pissy with him when he lost his passport; I only remember that she was really kind and supportive in their last episode when he was dehydrated and couldn't complete the task. So I think she's a good person, but she has an annoying personality. I went back and forth on her in this episode. Right off the bat, she looked directly in the camera and bellowed, "DOOOHKYOOOO JAPAAAAAAN!" and I was like, ugh, she's back, but then she and Floyd were so cute in their TH, joking about dating and what not, so on balance, I like this team.

The Garanimals Afghanimals! I always loved them and now there's an offscreen Pablo the Cat who stands to benefit, so this is the team I'm rooting for to win.

Bret and Chris are okay. They played fairly lackluster games on Survivor and I don't expect much from them here, but they're okay. Oh, I said that already. I can't get excited in any direction about them.

I'm not a Rupert fan by any means, but I feel sort of tender about him now that he's aging and still wearing that terrible shirt and being his consistently mediocre self. In person, I'd cross the street to avoid him so that he couldn't condescendingly explain something to me that I already understand far better than he does, but I don't think he's a bad person. I don't want them to win, but I hope they get far enough into the race that it's not humiliating for him. I could have done without seeing his unpixelated junk in the bodysuit though.

Corrine and Eliza are the only two I don't like. Corrine described herself as "100% that bitch," which is accurate and nothing to be proud of, but people like her always are. Eliza is worse to me, though. On both her Survivor seasons, she was picked on to some extent by the others and I get the feeling that she goes through life like that, but instead of it making her empathetic and kind, it makes her a wannabe mean girl. She's like the kid in school who gets bullied and then the bullies decide to adopt her and make her their minion and she's all for it, picking on the fat kid. Oh! She even did that this episode talking about Rupert having a beer belly, then they cut to a clip of Rupert putting something on his sandwich and asking Laura if she had more mayonnaise. I think this was supposed to make me laugh at Fat Rupert, but instead it made me feel bad for him. It will be fun if Corrine and Eliza turn on each other, then flame out spectacularly.

On 4/18/2019 at 10:03 AM, mookster said:

The tasks were underwhelming, and hordes of reality contestants descending on an unsuspecting foreign city shouting "English! English! Does anybody speak English?" will never cease to make me cringe. 

That was funny to me only because most people in Tokyo speak at least a little English. When I was in Japan, my Japanese was so plodding that the locals would usually take pity on me and start speaking English. Once when I was trying to call the airline to confirm my flight home, I messed up the city code and ended up getting some random person's house and even that person spoke English. However, if I saw a bunch of maniacs running around screaming, "DOES ANYONE SPEAK ENGLISH?" I also would pretend I didn't.

22 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

True.  And I've never been to Japan, but I'm fairly certain they have other things of note besides game shows and Mt. Fuji.  At least, I hope so!

A few years ago, there was an American reality show called I Survived a Japanese Game Show that had Americans living in Japan and competing on a game show. The winning teams got rewards like dinner at a traditional inn or visiting a shrine, but I thought the "punishments" for the losing teams were more fun and would make good tasks for TAR. There were things like working at a pachinko parlor, making mochi, or harvesting seaweed. More day-to-day stuff and not necessarily touristy things.

Edited April 19, 2019 by fishcakes

[PumpkinPK]

21 hours ago, PumpkinPK said:

I'm embarrassed that I don't know this.  What is the name of the windowpane building in the opening credits, right acter Coling and Christie appear?  It is lit up in magenta.  Where is it?

Special thanks to @lucindawalsh for sharing that the structure is The Frame Building in Dubai!

[Whimsy]

We still don't allow complaining against TWoP or talking about mod actions from this site or other sites in topic threads.  Any more reference to TWoP will be removed as it is off-topic. 

[blackwing]

1 hour ago, ljenkins782 said:

This season needs to have both Charla & Mirna AND a stubborn ox before we can confirm that New Colin is a real thing. And of course, Christie's a life coach now. Of course she is. I laughed out loud when that cliche came out of her mouth.

When I heard her say she was a life coach, I was surprised. 1) because it's her and 2) because I guess I don't fully "get" that whole industry.  Rich people apparently are willing to pay others to give them advice.  I don't know much about life coaching, how it's governed, do you have to get licenced, is there training you go through, etc.  My only experience with a life coach is when an underperforming employee came to us once and told us that the reason why it looks like she's been slacking is because her life coach advised her to slack off for a month so things would fall apart and we would see just how valuable she is and how she deserves a 50% raise.  We fired her.  Christie as a "life coach"?  The woman who told a cab driver to run people over who were in her way?  As Tiffany Haddish would say...... mmmmmhmmmm.

Wasn't Charla a clue giver on one edition of the race subsequent to her appearances?  Or am I making that up?  They used to do that on this show occasionally.  I remember most recently, Ernie and Cindy handed out clues at a Wrigley Field rooftop, and hilariously, nobody seemed to recognise tightly wound Cindy and her pack mule.

Would love to see Mirna and Charla again.  Colin hated Mirna so much, it'd be funny to see if he would still be so zen.  He always reminded me so much of Luke Skywalker in looks and mullet, so seeing him close his eyes and meditate when Christie was biting shoes made me think of Luke sitting on that mountain crosslegged and about to fade away.

[ByaNose]

I would have liked to see one of TAR winning teams been on this season. Just to mix it up a little. I'm not a Tyler & Corey fan so I hope they don't win. I'd be down with Colin & Christie winning though. I felt bad for JJ having to lose again because of Art. Rachel & her sister, Elissa look more alike than I thought. I think they'll do well. Although, I think most people will U-Turn them when they get the chance just because they can't stand Rachel and she can be competitive.

[lexington11]

16 hours ago, ByaNose said:

I did think it was funny when Bret didn’t grab the clue but I had forgotten the partners aren’t allowed to tell them anything. That’s gotta be so hard to not blurt out while he was up there “Grab the f’ing clue, Moron!”. LOL!!!! I’m sure it’s happened before but off the top of my head I don’t recall who or what season. 

Denise & James Earl (27, I think) got a penalty because Denise gave him the answer during a roadblock

[lexington11]

3 hours ago, vmcd88 said:

I could not stop laughing at Art.  He makes it to the top and doesnt grab the clue and slides his ass back down and cant get back up there.  How the *&$@ does that happen?  They have to walk up to this thing, do you not look at the top....ever.  This task sums up everything I love about the race.  

Ask Bret, because he had the same problem with the task

[mikewho]

1 hour ago, blackwing said:

Christie as a "life coach"?  The woman who told a cab driver to run people over who were in her way?  As Tiffany Haddish would say...... mmmmmhmmmm.

This was years ago, and my memory is old now. Heh. But I seem to recall Colin saying Christie would never be on another reality TV show because of how it was falsely edited.

She DID say 'Run them over!' at some point, but it was not when she saw the people crossing the street. Maybe it was ducks or something. But they inserted it at the people attempting to cross the street. And I do remember hearing her voice say that when the people were attempting to cross, but it was only in a voice-over. The camera was not on her face.

Granted, whenever she said 'Run them over!' isn't excusable, but she apparently didn't say at the people.

[lh25]

I was prepared to really dislike this season, because of the casting from other shows.  I was happily surprised.  I loved the joking about AR was supposed to be "fun and good".  And the "broken sand" comments.  Brought some humor in.  

I'm not a Rupert fan, and watching him dismiss his wife's pointing out the lights in the park while looking for the challenge didn't change that.  I disliked him from the time he stole other team's shoes on Survivor because he thought that's what pirates do.  It is interesting to see those from other shows realize how different AR is.

[mikewho]

4 minutes ago, lh25 said:

It is interesting to see those from other shows realize how different AR is.

Agreed. Even friggin' Rupert seemed sort of...downtrodden, shall we say.

[MVFrostsMyPie]

I'm so excited TAR is back!!! I forgot that this is my favorite reality show, it'd be gone so long. 

I don't know any of the BB teams since I refuse to watch that show, except of course how could I forget Rachel. I'm only a little familiar with Victor because I think he briefly was on one of the seasons of The Challenge, except he was completely forgettable. The two blondes from BB sound like malfunctioning robots (and look physically.... altered... enough to look like a pathetic man's sex doll fantasy).

Rooting for the Afghanimals, although I almost didn't recognize the one without his curls. LOL'd at them trying to throw the other teams off with their 'fighting'. Also, I'm totally down with Leo doing this for Pablo the Cat, because that's something I'd say too when someone starts talking about their kid and how they're doing this for their family. 

Is it a rule or just a norm for Tokyans to have clear umbrellas? 

Edited April 19, 2019 by MVFrostsMyPie

[mertensia]

This was fun and a good way to welcome the other reality show contestants to TAR. Flying to Japan then immediately going to do tasks must have been unwelcome.

I'm happy to see Becka and Floyd and the Afghanimals again.

[Quilt Fairy]

That was a decent first episode, much better than I was expecting.  My absolute favorite first episode was in (I think) S12, the one where they flew to Ireland and had the hysterical donkey task.  (I know someone will correct me if I'm wrong. 😉 )  Of course that was a 90 min or 2 hour episode, which is normally essential.  This one actually didn't seem too rushed at 60 min, although when the first team checked in at around the 30 minute mark I knew somebody had screwed up royally.  

Except for the beautiful octopus sand sculpture, that first task was absolutely meaningless since apparently they were all on the same flight to Japan.  Even with the recent spate of pre-arranged flights on TAR I don't remember that happening on a first episode.  I miss the flight wrangling and the occasional team that got a full day ahead or behind.  Difficult to film, maybe, because the had to have the roadblocks/detours up longer, but so much fun to watch. 

I am always disappointed when they go through a city in the dark as I want to SEE the places they're going.  Even though they're obviously in a foreign place it seems so anonymous. 

Perhaps I'm in the minority but I hated Charla and Mirna.  The entitled  attitudes not to mention those voices!  I would boycott an entire season rather than watch them again. 

[ljenkins782]

2 hours ago, blackwing said:

When I heard her say she was a life coach, I was surprised. 1) because it's her and 2) because I guess I don't fully "get" that whole industry.  Rich people apparently are willing to pay others to give them advice.  I don't know much about life coaching, how it's governed, do you have to get licenced, is there training you go through, etc.  My only experience with a life coach is when an underperforming employee came to us once and told us that the reason why it looks like she's been slacking is because her life coach advised her to slack off for a month so things would fall apart and we would see just how valuable she is and how she deserves a 50% raise.  We fired her.  Christie as a "life coach"?  The woman who told a cab driver to run people over who were in her way?  As Tiffany Haddish would say...... mmmmmhmmmm.

To be clear, I don't think she'd be a GOOD life coach. My impression of her the first go-round was a bit of a queen bee type, probably the prettiest of her circle, and she was with Colin, who came from money (IIRC, his interest in "extreme sports" mainly borne of boredom with a very comfortable life). So I'm picturing her life coaching business being her holding court with other suburban moms, teaching them how to "have it all" and people buying into it the same way people flock to those queen bees in a high school setting. 

As for life coaching training, no, it's not a degree you get. There are all kinds of programs, many of which are basically multi-level marketing deals where you pay money to get coached and then coach someone else who coaches someone else, etc. I'm sure there are some people out there who are genuinely helping other people under this label, but I don't see Christie as one of these. 

Quote

Biggest surprise is that Colin and Christie are still together. I would have guessed those two parted company years ago and never think of the other. But together with two kids and they seem really happy, so good on them. The meditation room made me snort laugh though.

Right?!? Their combined intensity seemed absolutely destined for a spectacular implosion, so I was stunned to see that they made it. I bet those kids are under some pressure though with those two as parents. There's no way their competitive drive and Type A ways have been completely eradicated through meditation.

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Corrine and Eliza are the only two I don't like. Corrine described herself as "100% that bitch," which is accurate and nothing to be proud of, but people like her always are. Eliza is worse to me, though. On both her Survivor seasons, she was picked on to some extent by the others and I get the feeling that she goes through life like that, but instead of it making her empathetic and kind, it makes her a wannabe mean girl. She's like the kid in school who gets bullied and then the bullies decide to adopt her and make her their minion and she's all for it, picking on the fat kid. Oh! She even did that this episode talking about Rupert having a beer belly, then they cut to a clip of Rupert putting something on his sandwich and asking Laura if she had more mayonnaise. I think this was supposed to make me laugh at Fat Rupert, but instead it made me feel bad for him. It will be fun if Corrine and Eliza turn on each other, then flame out spectacularly.

Agreed 100%. Eliza has never learned from her outside status, the minute she senses that someone else is a fraction lower on the social status scale, she turns on them with relish. The fat jokes are especially irritating since Eliza's clearly a stick figure by nature, so she can't really claim any high ground there.  

Quote

This was years ago, and my memory is old now. Heh. But I seem to recall Colin saying Christie would never be on another reality TV show because of how it was falsely edited.

She DID say 'Run them over!' at some point, but it was not when she saw the people crossing the street. Maybe it was ducks or something. But they inserted it at the people attempting to cross the street. And I do remember hearing her voice say that when the people were attempting to cross, but it was only in a voice-over. The camera was not on her face.

Granted, whenever she said 'Run them over!' isn't excusable, but she apparently didn't say at the people.

I think the editing could well have changed the details of that situation, but it captured the intent all the same, IMO. The clenched jaw intensity on her face in every tight part of the race and the fact that she was willing to run anything over at all (I guess better ducks than people, from a going to jail vs being a horrible person who won't get in trouble standpoint, but it's still a shitty thing to say) wasn't all editing. We saw enough of her and Colin to know that they were both win-at-any-cost people.

[scowl]

1 hour ago, mikewho said:

Agreed. Even friggin' Rupert seemed sort of...downtrodden, shall we say.

One good thing about this Rupert is that he was actually admitting that he didn't know what to do when they were lost. The Rupert I remember was supremely confident at all times, except when he nearly drowned his tribe in their shelter. That was the only time I remember him admitting that he had done something stupid (to the camera, not to his tribe, of course). 

Edited April 19, 2019 by scowl

[ML89]

TAR is back! Hurrah! Love Phil's Travelocity commercial.

I remember Art & JJ as being pains, I vaguely remember there was a female team that were cops that lied and said they were kindergarten teachers that Art & JJ were trying to suss out (really, tho, I'd bet on kindergarten teachers on TAR, they know how to be Zen). I'd forgotten they were on against Rachel and Brendan.

I see Jedi Janey's luck is still intact, Rachel is still annoying, I'll be begging the Afghanimals to take it down several notches in a week or so, Becca's okay but Floyd is so fun, and I'm glad that one of either Art & JJ or Brett and Chris got eliminated because I could not tell them apart. Rupert walking by the park was comedy gold. Corine and Eliza did at least make an attempt to eat some crow (Eliza is tweeting facts after the ep airs) so... I stopped watching Tyler & Koury's season so I have no memory of them. 

It was a solid start, if exhausting for the teams and I was just happy to see the show back - although I'm sure it was fun to be covered in beach sand for the flight. That was really useless with no advantage.

[Rachel RSL]

Finally got a chance to watch. I’m so glad TAR is back! Normally I loathe when shows recycle contestants but, I have to admit, I didn’t mind it this time. It was kind of nice to just enjoy the race and not have to try to learn a bunch of new names. Not that I’d want this every season or anything but it was kind of nice to give my brain a break this season.

It also helps that I like almost all of the contestants. I’m fine with Art and JJ going out first because they’re the only ones I don’t remember at all. But they prevented us from getting rid of Rupert so I now hate them. 

I remember back in the old days, I was one of a handful of people who absolutely loved Colin & Christie and, it turns out, I still love them! It’ll be funny to see a mellow Colin.

Edited April 20, 2019 by Rachel RSL

[Ilovepie]

I am so glad this show is back, but I agree with whoever before said they wished they would stop with the stunt casting. I do not, nor have I ever, watched BB or Survivor. TAR is actually the ONLY CBS show I watch, so I have no idea who any of those people are, with the exception of the awful Rachel, and only because she has been on TAR. I hope she’s less annoying with her sister than she was with her husband.

I think it’s pretty telling that all of the previous racers ended up at the front of the pack, with the exception of the last place team who I seriously cannot remember at all. Like, at all, even after seeing footage from their season.  I hope a previous racer wins. I like the Afghanimals, Tyler and Corey, and Funstoppable. I can’t wait for Colin’s zen facade to be challenged. I feel in my bones it’s coming, and I am here for it! And sweet Jesus, what did Christie do to her face? I didn’t even recognize her!

I really did not understand the point of digging in the sand if they weren’t going to be on separately timed flights. There was no advantage to finding the clue first. 

[susannot]

Just now, Ilovepie said:

I am so glad this show is back, but I agree with whoever before said they wished they would stop with the stunt casting. I do not, nor have I ever, watched BB or Survivor. TAR is actually the ONLY CBS show I watch, so I have no idea who any of those people are, with the exception of the awful Rachel, and only because she has been on TAR. I hope she’s less annoying with her sister than she was with her husband.

I think it’s pretty telling that all of the previous racers ended up at the front of the pack, with the exception of the last place team who I seriously cannot remember at all. Like, at all, even after seeing footage from their season.  I hope a previous racer wins. I like the Afghanimals, Tyler and Corey, and Funstoppable. I can’t wait for Colin’s zen facade to be challenged. I feel in my bones it’s coming, and I am here for it! And sweet Jesus, what did Christie do to her face? I didn’t even recognize her!

I really did not understand the point of digging in the sand if they weren’t going to be on separately timed flights. There was no advantage to finding the clue first. 

Yes, this show should definitely answer the question of which show is the hardest.  As Leo or Jamal said  "you're in our race now."

Colin was a good looking kid 15 years ago but a more mature Colin is even better looking now.  As for what Christie has done to her face, she has succumbed to Real Housewives syndrome and had her lips blown up, like several other women on the show.  I simply cannot understand why women  think that increases their attractiveness.

[illdoc]

10 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

There was no advantage to finding the clue first. 

I suppose, the earlier you find the clue, the earlier you get to the airport and can get better seats (i.e. closer to the front so you can get off quicker). Of course, the racers didn't actually know that there was only one flight----most (all?) of the time there's at least 2 flights---one leaving at least a half hour after the other one.

[scowl]

14 minutes ago, illdoc said:

I suppose, the earlier you find the clue, the earlier you get to the airport and can get better seats (i.e. closer to the front so you can get off quicker). 

There can always be that team, the one that just can't find the damn clue. Hours pass, it gets so dark that they bring out the lights, and they just keep digging and digging until they're in tears and the flight everyone else is on has already taken off. 

[Ilovepie]

38 minutes ago, illdoc said:

I suppose, the earlier you find the clue, the earlier you get to the airport and can get better seats (i.e. closer to the front so you can get off quicker). Of course, the racers didn't actually know that there was only one flight----most (all?) of the time there's at least 2 flights---one leaving at least a half hour after the other one.

I guess, but usually there is some overt advantage to being first, like an earlier flight. This time, there was a big race to the airport for what? Closer seats? Zzzzz.......

I think it was a lost opportunity. It seems like they have really scaled back on people booking their own travel, and I miss it, much like the teams driving themselves around. So much organic drama in the show has resulted from these things, and it’s really missing.