Show discussion: The Amazing Race US Season 19

By | September 26, 2011

It’s the tenth Anniversary race! The very first episode went out on September 5th 2001, and here we are ten years later having fallen in and out of love with it several times. We’ve been spoiled by the Australian version of the show which was a lot of fun indeed, but will we bother sticking around for the US one? I’m going to write some stuff about episode one, but I will stick it under a spoiler.

Right then:

  • The first task is at the starting line and the teams are told that the last team to move on will be given a Hazard which is just a Speed Bump under a new name.
  • Initially the task seems quite interesting – there are a load of umbrellas with letters on them and six other letters are revealed on a board. When you repeat the letters and combine the two it reveals the location of their next clue – in this instance “Taiwan, Taipei”.
  • Unfortunately what seems like quite a puzzly challenge is ruined by the fact it isn’t really a puzzle at all. In fact all the teams are going up to Phil with their umbrellas randomly until they hit one he says is correct – they get given keys to a car, and inside the car is a video message from Phil saying “congratulations, you’ve worked out you’re going to Taiwan, Taipei!” Er no they didn’t!
  • One team left their passport at the gas station and got it returned to them thanks to someone recognising the fact it was The Amazing Race and tweeting about it.
  • Next task a bit more interesting, rather than a clue box they have to work out (from the clue “look up!”) that the clue is being displayed on a billboard of red and yellow animated balloons. The clue is in Chinese so they have to get help to translate it. This is good, it’s more fun when they aren’t given things on a plate.
  • The roadblock was a memory test – go to a payphone and listen to a two sentence Confucius saying, then repeat it word for word to a monk.
  • Whilst one team had to go off and do a bungee jump as their Hazard, the next task was dragon boat racing. There was no detour in this leg, whether there was one but everyone just took the dragon boat racing anyway I don’t know.
  • I have no real favourite teams as yet, but it’s always funny when they have minor celebrity racers because they try and keep their fame secret which never works, and there’s not much the other teams can do about it anyway.

Good things to take away from the episode – less airport drama, less producers signposting everything for thick people. A task or puzzle at every location.

The Hazard didn’t really add anything and next week we’ve got a speed bump anyway, and a double elimination. Wooh.

8 thoughts on “Show discussion: The Amazing Race US Season 19

  1. Chris M. Dickson

    Someone called Haylei was haylei helpful in directing me to the right place.

    So far, so positive. The direction was beautiful, even by the high standards of this show, particularly the opening credits. I really liked the unexpected (all round, apparently!) Twitter plot. The casting looks good, too: it seems a bit less stunt-y than previous episodes, yet several of the teams have impressive credentials and I’m looking forward to following them. Sure, it’s not the most imaginative episode ever, but definitely one that is worth at least another episode. (I never did look up episode two of that other Burnett adventure race show – Impossible Mission or whatever it was…)

    Reply
  2. Andy "Kesh" Sullivan

    I’m just watching the episode in question on YouTube, and I think it was stupid of the teams to just run up to Phil with the umbrellas without even looking at them. The video message should have just said “Congratulations on solving the puzzle, your next clue will be at your destination”, and the contestants would have realised they didn’t know where they were going and have to go back.

    Reply
  3. David

    RE: Episode 2- I’m amazed that, 19 seasons into the show, we have so many people who suffer from RTFCS…Read the F$#$#$# Clue! Syndrome…

    Reply
    1. Brig Bother Post author

      Whilst I sort of feel sorry for them, I quite like the idea of them having a cryptic destination in each leg they can try to figure out themselves or they can buy a hint as an idea.

      Reply
    2. Alex McMillan

      It was cruel twisted genius placing a “give all your money away” clue, that looked so similar to their previous instruction most ignored it, especially on a double elimination.

      Reply

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