Amazing Race 11 - All Stars (begins 2/18/07)

[donnajon]

Looks like I am the only one rooting for Charla and Mirna. They are not the only players on this race that have exhibited rude behavior. And I think they are at a distinct disadvantage because of Charla's height. I think they have done fantastic and I was really annoyed last week when they were far ahead of everyone when they got to the ferry in Dar Es Salaam. And they delayed the ferry due to the weather by over 13 hours. It looked like blue skies to me. I think that this is one of those instances when the producers interfered in the game to keep someone from having such a sizable lead.

The BQs had a sizable lead as well and they had to wait until 1pm the next day to catch the bus. Not only did they loose that lead, but because of a bad cab, they had to wait another 4 hours for the last racers to catch up. I think the producers have to do some bunching. Think about it. How exciting would the race really be if one team got 2 or 3 days ahead of the others. Not to mention the production problems of Phil having to be in two different countries for a pit stop.
I think if they are going to have an intersection with a FF, they should be prepared to give both teams a prize. I wouldn't have taken the FF, knowing that I could only use it once and I was already 4 hours ahead of the next team.
I think the intersection would be more interesting with more teams. It would be fun if it were done with 10 teams rather than six. That doesn't leave you too many options and didn't give the Guidos much of a chance to make up their deficit. If they had arrived first and worked with the BQs, they might have had a chance to beat the 30 minute time.

 

[Grog]

I'm not sure that the producers change the game to create bunching. The routes and tasks are planned out ahead of time, and to change them on the fly might possibly be an FCC violation. Remember, TAR is a game show and has to follow certain rules set in place after the game show scandals of the 1950s. To create bunching would basically be the same as rigging the show.

There is also the risk that if they did create bunching on purpose it would leak out due to the number of people involved in the show (it only takes one disgruntled employee). Right now TAR is a cash cow for CBS and I doubt they want to kill it off.

Then again I might be wrong and the bunching may be deliberate, but I don't see CBS taking that kind of risk.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Love, Love, Love last night 2 hour show.... So entertaining! I'm with the minority, because I like Charla and Mirna. They are sooo funny! I liked them from the other season.

ITA! We root for Charla and Mirna, would hate to see them go as they ARE entertaining to watch!

 

[Disneymaddness]

ITA! We root for Charla and Mirna, would hate to see them go as they ARE entertaining to watch!

Sorry to disagree but I find them rude and annoying, especially Myrna.

 

[Beth76]

Then again I might be wrong and the bunching may be deliberate, but I don't see CBS taking that kind of risk.

In this week's case is was deliberate and planned. They split the teams into 3 each on the charter busses. Then from there, they split them into pairs. So obviously they planned on having one of the early teams waiting around 4 hours for the second charter.

 

[nuke]

In this week's case is was deliberate and planned. They split the teams into 3 each on the charter busses. Then from there, they split them into pairs. So obviously they planned on having one of the early teams waiting around 4 hours for the second charter.

I agree. Also Phil can only be in one place at a time. So they can't have teams more than 24 hours behind another team. One team would be getting to pitstop A and the front teams would be at pitstop B.

I'm sure those charter buses times were changed to make sure the last team got on the second bus.

 

[Kycha]

I'm sure those charter buses times were changed to make sure the last team got on the second bus.

I agree too. And the busses didn't even leave until 1pm and 5pm, the next day. Seemed awful late in the day to me. They didn't have any busses leaving earlier in the day? This sure seemed like a way that the producers used to bunch the racers up. For Joe/Bill and Eric/Danielle, a 4 hour window was much easier to make up than a 16 hour one.

I have heard people accuse the producers of manipulating the game in the past. Supposedly, holding planes so teams can make a certain flight. I never believed it until this season.

 

[Good Ol Gal]

I agree too. And the busses didn't even leave until 1pm and 5pm, the next day. Seemed awful late in the day to me. They didn't have any busses leaving earlier in the day? This sure seemed like a way that the producers used to bunch the racers up. For Joe/Bill and Eric/Danielle, a 4 hour window was much easier to make up than a 16 hour one.

I have heard people accuse the producers of manipulating the game in the past. Supposedly, holding planes so teams can make a certain flight. I never believed it until this season.

I agree. I did not like the intersection at all, especially after the bus thing.

 

[Yzerbear19]

I agree too. And the busses didn't even leave until 1pm and 5pm, the next day. Seemed awful late in the day to me. They didn't have any busses leaving earlier in the day? This sure seemed like a way that the producers used to bunch the racers up. For Joe/Bill and Eric/Danielle, a 4 hour window was much easier to make up than a 16 hour one.

I have heard people accuse the producers of manipulating the game in the past. Supposedly, holding planes so teams can make a certain flight. I never believed it until this season.

They had to schedule at least one of the buses later because Joe/Bill's mandatory 12 hour pitstop didn't end until like 3 or 4 pm (I can't remember exactly right now).

In every season there are times when producers manipulate the game by bunching the teams up (either things don't open until a certain time and production knows this, they charter them on planes somewhere, etc). In this case it was necessary because you can't have the teams that spread apart. I'm sure they will bunch the teams back up again several more times before the end of the race.

The intersection this time was just stupid because being teamed up with another team didn't really help with the detour. It may have helped with the bagel task, but it was still a simple enough task that a team by themselves could have accomplished it.

 

[Grog]

OK..I give up...I'm sure the producers were orchestrating all this from their secret base on the grassy knoll

 

[4greatboys]

Sorry to disagree but I find them rude and annoying, especially Myrna.

ITA

 

[Jimbo]

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but I kind of like the way the airport issues in Africa spread the teams out. Teams always spend a lot of time in airports, but most seasons it really doesn't matters much. Most times when a team finagles a better flight, the rest of the teams catch up while they wait for a musuem to open up or something.

That's not happening so much this year. You can get a lead and have it make a difference for a couple of legs. OTOH, you can have a travel disaster, like Terri and Ian and the Guidos, and never make it up. To me, that's what this show is about anyway... who can get from point A to point B the fastest. Not who can eat the most bratwurst.

Compare this year to the season with the two wrestlers. That year they had a detour or roadblock at the end of most every episode, and a bunchup just before the task. So everything depended on how fast you did the final detour, and the first 50 minutes of the show didn't matter at all.

So it may not be great television to see teams so far behind, but at least that time in the airport actually pays off.

 

[PixieDust32]

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but I kind of like the way the airport issues in Africa spread the teams out. Teams always spend a lot of time in airports, but most seasons it really doesn't matters much. Most times when a team finagles a better flight, the rest of the teams catch up while they wait for a musuem to open up or something.

That's not happening so much this year. You can get a lead and have it make a difference for a couple of legs. OTOH, you can have a travel disaster, like Terri and Ian and the Guidos, and never make it up. To me, that's what this show is about anyway... who can get from point A to point B the fastest. Not who can eat the most bratwurst.

Compare this year to the season with the two wrestlers. That year they had a detour or roadblock at the end of most every episode, and a bunchup just before the task. So everything depended on how fast you did the final detour, and the first 50 minutes of the show didn't matter at all.

So it may not be great television to see teams so far behind, but at least that time in the airport actually pays off.

 

[Kycha]

I realize that I may be in the minority on this, but I kind of like the way the airport issues in Africa spread the teams out. Teams always spend a lot of time in airports, but most seasons it really doesn't matters much. Most times when a team finagles a better flight, the rest of the teams catch up while they wait for a musuem to open up or something.

That's not happening so much this year. You can get a lead and have it make a difference for a couple of legs. OTOH, you can have a travel disaster, like Terri and Ian and the Guidos, and never make it up. To me, that's what this show is about anyway... who can get from point A to point B the fastest. Not who can eat the most bratwurst.

Compare this year to the season with the two wrestlers. That year they had a detour or roadblock at the end of most every episode, and a bunchup just before the task. So everything depended on how fast you did the final detour, and the first 50 minutes of the show didn't matter at all.

So it may not be great television to see teams so far behind, but at least that time in the airport actually pays off.

I agree! I find it more enjoyable when the racers aren't all bunched up. It is a race after all.

 

[GypsySue]

very well put, Jimbo. It does make it more interesting.

 

[hematite153]

To me, that's what this show is about anyway... who can get from point A to point B the fastest.

I agree. One of the things I liked best when I watched the first season on DVD was that Kevin was able to find ways to take trains to a neighbouring country to catch a flight that would arrive earlier than the "best" flight from their original airport.

I wish the producers would make a point of setting up legs where teams can get ahead by thinking outside the box and finding different routings.

Although I thought the time between the lead teams and the back teams was problematic, I agree with the poster who said they liked the fact that airport struggles created spreads recently.

 

[karenbaco]

Can anyone remind me how the Beauty Queens got left behind to wait for the next teams at the Crossroad? How did U&J and Cha Chas become partners first? Weren't they all together??

 

[ColoradoBuffaloMom]

Can anyone remind me how the Beauty Queens got left behind to wait for the next teams at the Crossroad? How did U&J and Cha Chas become partners first? Weren't they all together??

I think Uchenna and Joyce and the Cha Chas got there before the Beauty Queens so teamed up together and the Beauty Queens were left to wait for the next group.

 

[PixieDust32]

I think Uchenna and Joyce and the Cha Chas got there before the Beauty Queens so teamed up together and the Beauty Queens were left to wait for the next group.

 

[karenbaco]

I knew that but how did the other 2 teams get there first? I thought the girls did the piano tuning soooo fast. How did they get behind the other 2 teams? I forgot what happened.