Things You Hope Change This Season
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TV ClubHouse: Archives: Things You Hope Change This Season

Bastable

Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 06:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Now that we're in the third season of TAR, there are some obvious patterns emerging. If you were producing the show, what recurring things would you change this time around?

Me? I'd be careful about allowing too many pile-ups overnight at airports. A few times is OK, but last season the teams would get going only to be put on level playing fields time and again. It took some of the thrill out.

I'd also finally shoot some new footage of those hands taking the clues out of the envelopes. I'm so sick of looking at that wall of shrubbery behind the clue! They've been using the same footage since Season One!

Seamonkey

Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 07:15 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I seriously wish they would redesign those envelopes.. while the "zip" sound is cool and all, it is NOT cool to leave the image of hundreds of those zip strips flung to the ground worldwide.. yeah, I hope the camera crew picks them up, but.... it is just a small, thoughtless and ugly feature.

Fruitbat

Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 08:16 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Bastable, they may have taken care of that by having two planes with limited seating and the three busses all leaving one hour or so behind each other. Looks like they are making attempts to prevent that, so far anyway. I think they heard you, and I agree.

The format is routine. Racing to challenges and the familiar end with the host announcing their place.

More clips of their relationship with each other in both the group and privately, maybe. Challenges that seperate the group more widely. Ways to get ahead other than the FF that would require more planning and thought. The Detours could be subtle, leaving a question as to which would be faster....let them figure that out and throw in some that purposely deceive.

Riddles and puzzles mixed with the athleticism that could push teams to work together. A scavenger hunt would nudge them to find creative ways to get the items quickly dividing the list with several teams or paying a local to help.

I do not find watching people skydive or bungee jump interesting. Do we have to watch *everyone* do *everything*?

Sbw

Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 08:29 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with Fruit. I would like to see more interaction between the racers. I also want to know at the end of the show, what time each team arrives. They show the problems most of the teams encounter, but we never really know exactly how it fits into their time line.

Bastable

Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 11:49 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I would like them NOT to go to Alaska this year.

I'd also like to see less emphasis on airports. More long overland trips -- trains, ferries, buses -- would be far more interesting, since they tend to break down more in foreign countries. Last season, if you were able to sweet-talk airline desk clerks, it was all you really needed to win the game.

Phineas Fogg made it around the world in 80 days without taking a single jet plane. Can't our teams?

Seamonkey

Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 05:29 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I want to see Fruitbat sky dive or bungee jump :)

Hereiam

Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 11:27 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with everything said thus far. I would love to see some of what goes on at the pit stops between team members and other teams.

Ladytex

Monday, October 07, 2002 - 07:33 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I would like to see less time waiting for places to open. This was bad last year and cut out the advantage of a couple of groups. You get there hours before the next group and end up even with them because of the opening time. I would like to see more of the interaction at the pit stops also.

Lumbele

Monday, October 07, 2002 - 08:30 am EditMoveDeleteIP
Timeline, interaction, less attention to minor or repetitive stuff - all great suggestions. May I add that I'd like to learn more about some of the landmarks they hit, background, history. But then again that should perhaps be a show all by itself.LOL

Calamity

Monday, October 07, 2002 - 01:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'd also appreciate timechecks and landmark/cultural information (although that may be hard to fit in). The airport ticket routine does get a bit repetitive.

I don't mind a couple extreme sports challenges but prefer those activities that combine several physical skills, such as when they had to scale the cliff face. And balance them out with some *really* tough mental challenges.

Maybe make some of the detours equally difficult/speedy so it would involve more strategy in deciding which one to take.

I'm okay with showing more player interaction if it's about gameplans or commentary on the places they visit. But if it's excessive yapping about relationships between partners, no thanks. More than likely it'll either be all saccharine-sweet platitudes or "too much information". I thought the bickering between Tara and Will last year was uncomfortable and exploitive. The show's focus should be race action not gossip about the contestants' private lives.

Ophiliasgrandma

Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 04:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I can see the producer's wisdom in 'leveling the playing field' from time to time. All it would take for the audience to leave in droves is for one team to get days ahead of everyone else.

Tabbyking

Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 04:54 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
although it is really frustrating for the poor team who leaves at 11:30 p.m. 'hours ahead of the next team' to get to a merry-go-round that opens at 10:00 a.m. (so even the dumbest bevis and butthead can catch up) that's the way it is sometimes. i like the 'close' races and i also like it when someone squeaks by and the others have to wait a few hours or find an alternate--maybe quicker route--or something.

you are right about them 'needing' to level the playing field from time to time. i didn't even care to see the guidos at all the last episode where they were 24 hours behind! (although i secretly said, "yes!" while making a fist in the air!)

and hearing margaretta say to frank, 'what are they doing here?!' about the attorneys was priceless. marg and frank thought they were home free because they were from queens and they were minutes behind the other guys...marg thought all the cheering was for them coming in and it was cheering for the duo who had already made it in.

Squaredsc

Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 11:19 am EditMoveDeleteIP
i would also like to see more of the interaction at the pitstops and more nice-looking men with their shirts off. <hee hee>

Hippyt

Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 03:18 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I would like to see those two hoochie-mommas stop begging at airports,and QUICK!

Not1worry

Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 06:57 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'd like for the host to quit dragging out the moment when the teams arrive on the mat. They stand there for what seems like an eternity waiting for him to announce their position. Enough already, tell them what number they are. Especially the middle teams, what's the big drama with making it in say, 4th. That guy is not one of my favority reality hosts. I'd love to see Anderson Cooper doing this one.

Bastable

Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 08:01 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm getting annoyed with the stupid equalizers! Can't the producers time things after the pit stop so that there's no waiting? For example, instead of having them all wait for hours to enter the Sun Pyramid, allow them leave the pit stop starting the moment it opens, so that they trickle in naturally? No one would end up being a full day behind if you planned all the activities for an episode to fit into a day, sunrise to sunset, and started the race at sunrise.

Betty

Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 09:16 am EditMoveDeleteIP
I agree with everyone, even the debate over leveling/no leveling of the playing field. Last night at the pyramid I was thinking why didn't someone go around to a side gate and play Cha-Cha-Cha with the guard to let them in early. The pile ups do help with one team getting too far ahead, but it's boring watching it all. It sometimes seems all we see is an hour of running through airports and not enough of the strategy. On a side note, the pyramids were too physical with no mental challenge (track stars = win, old fat folks = stroke) - was anyone else looking around for the elevator or at least a golf cart, lol?

I too want to see more thinking and reasoning, again like Cha-Cha-Cha did last year but more within the actual game play. Give puzzles where the solution is your next designation. And give them more activities to do such as the golf game. Having them drive somewhere, get out, hang off a pole, get in the car, and drive to the next site really is boring. The scavenger hunt would be fun in having them scout out local foods or landmarks, and that would give us some local history/culture that others have mentioned. Or do a maze of a village and meet with the local shopkeepers or government officials and have them perform a task at each stop. If it's a cheese shop, have them milk a cow. If it's a barber shop, have them cut a customer's hair or have their own hair styled. If they meet the local justice, have them sit in as judge in traffic fine court. Or help the garbage collector for a block. And the villagers give them scores so they must be conscientious and aware of how they complete each task.

And they lose time or are moved down a position each time they leave trash anywhere. Seamonkey, that gripes me too. How about gaining time if they do a good deed or go out of their way to dispel the "Ugly American" like the moms did with the little girl?

Yes, give us more insight into their strategizing. I want to see what they do after hours in the hotel; how are they interacting with other teams, are they making alliances, and can they play tricks on others to delay them. I also want to see behind the scenes such as what the crew does during filming and after hours because the crew is so much more involved in the actual *play* than Survivor or BB.

I'm also tired of the taxi driver scenes... well, with the exception of the guy's face yesterday when he got flashed. It's just not fun when they get a driver who has no idea where they're supposed to go or who can't drive. There are some funny instances like Dumb and Dumber leaving their bags in the cab but there's so much viewing time wasted on having to see each and every one.

Tabbyking

Thursday, October 10, 2002 - 09:57 am EditMoveDeleteIP
i agree there haven't been any real 'puzzles' this year so far. remember last time when they had to find out the grand roue was a ferris wheel before they could go to it? this one so far does have them 'go here', 'go there', 'do this'...they need to say 'find where the teenagers like to hang out most' or 'go to where the women do the wash'...something besides being given exact destinations. i'll bet it will change some though. at least hoping it does! it is, after all, only coming up on episode 3. i think there is such a jumble of people the first few weeks, they can't film a lot of each team or have very involved detours, etc., just due to logistics. once they are down to 5 or 6 teams, we should get more difficult challenges.
my daughter had just asked me if anyone ever had an accident on the show, when "crunch!" the bus hit that car! my daughter's eyes got real big! i don't think they will give anyone credit for the time loss however, as it is just a fact of life. last year they gave time for technical difficulties with the cameras, etc., but not for all the taxi breakdowns or the bus tire needing changing. didn't drew and kevin change the tire?!
which reminds me: several years ago my sister's husband was taking a bus from northern california to fresno. he had worked hard all week and decided to just take the bus rather than drive 7 hours. ron is about 6'4" and weighs about 260...about 90 miles short of fresno, the bus had an accident. they kept waiting for a subsitute bus and a tow truck. my brother-in-law finally got off the bus to survey the damage. part of the metal at the front of the bus was twisted next to the passenger side front tire, so you could not make a right turn. after another hour or so, with no other bus arriving, my brother-in-law got back off the bus. he took the metal in his hands and pulled and pulled until it was free of the tire. then he said, 'let's get this bus moving!' and the amazed driver got back on the bus and drove it to fresno!