The Amazing Race 12 (1 Viewer)

[JeffO]

I've really enjoyed this season, especially with what I consider two underdog teams making the final three. Nick and Don have Don's age going against them, and I don't think either has the keenest mind. Ron has his age going against him. I don't remember for sure, but has anyone as old as Ron or Don ever been in the final three?

I would make the odds of TK/Rachel winning about 70%, Ron/Christina about 25%, and Nick/Don about 5%, although I'm rooting for either underdog team to win.

While I've enjoyed this season, I don't think this was a very good episode. There was a lot of traveling, without the teams doing much themselves. The car balance and car underwater tasks were not good tasks - the teams were only passengers, and didn't have to do anything themselves. The walking over stones challenge was too minimal to really affect the game much. There wasn't enough individual navigating through the cities, either driving or walking around. Too much point to point travel via cabs, planes or air.

 

[Jason Seaver]

One thing I really would like to see the race planners do is cut the amount of money teams receive down to the point where they have to try and navigate a strange public transportation system rather than take cabs - it would eliminate an element of chance and replace it with a type of navigational skill. I fear it might be a nightmare in terms of getting clearances from a bus full of people versus one driver and dealing with red tape, since each transit authority has its own bureaucracy.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Agreed. And, such footage is easy for the editors to manipulate.

At the end of the last episode (when it was unclear if the last team would be Don & Nick or Nate & Jen) my wife was saying out loud, "I know they are just making it look close, but I'm still nervous!"

 

[Mike Frezon]

I thought one of the most interesting moments of the last episode was when Nate & Jen opted for the subway and bus to get to a certain point rather than the taxis that everyone else were taking.

I agree mixing up the transportation modes would definitely add some to the local experience (although I sure do like the white gloves that some places make their taxi drivers wear! )

I wonder if they specifically stipulate the transportation modes in the clues based on some problems in the early seasons of the show?

 

[Jason Seaver]

Maybe. I remember back in the first season, there was a clue that could have sent someone off to the wrong country if they got it wrong, but there's been little like that since. I wonder what sort of permits Bruckheimer & co. have to get, and whether they've gotten burned by a team wandering into a town where they didn't have a permit. Heck, when teams book flights, I imagine producers have to scramble to make sure that they've got permission to film at whatever airports they might have layovers in or on the plane.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Between TAR and shows like Survivor...I would love to see behind-the-scenes bonus features (if we could get them to release more DVDs of the various seasons) of just the things you are describing. The logistics of never seeing camera/audio crews, shooting in airports, traveling with the contestants, etc. It is amazing how seamless those producers/editors make that work on those shows.

I stumbled upon some reality show (TLC network, I think) of some couple with eight kids the other day. They were taking them to Walt Disney World. During the show...you actually saw remarks/asides from the crew and even interaction between the mother and one of the producers. It really gave the whole show a much different feel--breaking down a "wall."

 

[Ken Chan]

TK&Rachel started after Nicolas&Don, but finished before them. If they were battling for 3rd&4th instead of 2nd, that could have made a big difference.

 

[JeffO]

Ken, I agree there could have been a positional change, but it seemed as if the entire challenge only took 5-10 minutes, so the time lost would be a few minutes. I prefer some of the challenges where a team can gain or lose a half an hour or more.

 

[James Lee]

Exclusive: Jennifer Parker, Nathan Hagstrom dish on 'The Amazing Race'

A link to a post elimination interview with Nate and Jen. They expand on the decision to take the subway in Taipei instead of a taxi. There is also a bit about some deceptive editing the producers of the show did when the teams arrived in Taipei. Finally, and this blows my mind, the whole race experience did not destroy their relationship in the end.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Alright TK and Rachel! I was actually hoping there for awhile that Christina and Ronald could pull it off but i'm happy for TK and Rachel all the same.

 

[AnthonyC]

Ugh...it went the exact reverse way I would've liked. :frowning: TK and Rachel weren't awful but Nick and Don or Ron and Chris would've easily been one of my top three winning teams. TK and Rachel I'm just so indifferent to that it's actually a major disappointment to see them win.

 

[Joseph S]

One thing I was wondering about was...

What happened to financial concerns? No more begging for taxi driver rides at the end?? Total screwup by Nick and Granddad and it wasn't even a concern that they had to pay for two more cab rides. Rachel deserved it just by pulling off the last puzzle. Didn't expect that one based on their edit.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I was wondering what the name of that creek was they were supposed to get to, it sounded like everyone was saying 'Shit Creek' which of course caused me to make "up shit creek without a paddle" jokes through the whole ep lol.

 

[Jonny P]

In my mind...

It was the BEST SEASON EVER!

I really enjoyed this one...and liked all of the final three teams.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Yup. Congrats to the hippies! First, BJ & Tyler...now TK & Rachel.

The moral of the story must be to be laid back and you'll go far in TAR!

Would have liked to see Don & Nick win...it's amazing how they were all at that last road block together. That was one tough puzzle. Christina was sooooo close. What a shame. It really looked like her father made quite a sea change in his attitude. Good for him. I still contend it was quite an odd idea: to have "my father join me on a grueling, high-stress, around-the-world adventure and hope that we grow closer." But...it seemed to work!

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

I thought the same thing lol, just relax and have fun with it and you'll do well, fighting and arguing all the time saps both your mental strength and your stamina.

BTW, did anyone else notice the funny/sad thing that Ronald said after they came in second? He said "now when I tell Christina 'I love you' i'll actually mean it for once." If I were Christina I wouldn't know quite what to make of that lol.

 

[Chris]

The thing is, Amazing Race is the only reality show I watch. I think it's because it's a show that has a really strong storyline plus it has a sort of educational quality for it. The challenges match with making Americans see other cultures and experience them. I loved the end of this season, like most, because you can root for everyone who's there and feel pretty good about it. TAR is like the "feel good" reality programming..

 

[Chris]

The thing is, Amazing Race is the only reality show I watch. I think it's because it's a show that has a really strong storyline plus it has a sort of educational quality for it. The challenges match with making Americans see other cultures and experience them. I loved the end of this season, like most, because you can root for everyone who's there and feel pretty good about it. TAR is like the "feel good" reality programming..

 

[Jay H]

Sure sounded like "Shit creek" but then of course they flashed it once in the subtitle at one point.. I liked when before that challenge, they kept flashing back to the lonely bag back at 6th ave outfitters...

there is a grid system to Anchorage so at least (more than likely) the teams did have a big hint of where 6th Avenue Outfitters were.. Kudos for Ron/Chris to get the internet lounge so they could figure out where the store was.. If I was them, I'd be printing out maps of Anchorage and everything Alaska while I was there too...

Congrats to TK and Rachel, I was rooting for them but didn't really care who won, I liked them all..

Jay

 

[Walter C]

I still couldn't figure out how it was suppose to be solved.

I was hoping for a family team to finally win the race for a change, but I am okay with TK & Rachel winning. Much better than that faked relationship that won last season. If they ever decide to do All-Stars again, I don't think we'll see runner-ups there.

Overall, I thought TAR has made a nice recovery with this season. Too bad we may have to wait until next fall for TAR13.