Just resurrecting this thread, because the TAR1 repeats on Australian television recently have given me some time to evaulate the question of how TAR has fared over the four seasons to date.

I'm one of those people who used to say that the first season was the best. Not any more. It's sad to say, but the longer time passes, the worse TAR1 seems to hold up. The producers obviously learnt a great deal during the original race as to how to make the show better in many areas, and the subsequent three seasons have shown the fruits of this.

Looking at the first season again, it just doesn't have quite the same zip or energy level as the others. In many respects this might be because it's obvious by as early as the third episode who the top four teams are going to be and nothing much happens in the interim to contradict this. It's also a little boring after the climactic Bangkok leg, which happens way too early for the closing legs to be truly exciting.

What's still great about TAR1 is its innocence - it's the only race to have taken place pre-September 11 and being the first has the most diverse and interesting cast. And nostalgia still plays a part for something not even three years old...for me, watching the episodes again conjures up special memories of staying up late on Tuesday nights, waiting patiently for the show to come on and being completely wound up and unable to sleep immediately afterwards!

So in retrospect, my own opinion is that TAR2 is actually the best season so far. TAR3 is not far behind, followed at a discreet distance by TAR1 and with TAR4 bringing up the rear. Although many of the individual aesthetic elements of the last season were very good indeed, for much of its duration the sense of fun and excitement that really make TAR great were far too often reduced to a dull mechanical plod.

Still, with the fifth season around the corner I'm interested to know whether anything has changed for any of you after a few months of looking back. Quite apart from Yields and Alison and everything else in the future, what "good times" does TAR's past bring back for the TARfly in each of us?

Here's how I rank the four seasons of TAR:

1) TAR3 - great pace, exciting finishes, teams to cheer and jeer
2) TAR2 - interesting race route (no Europe); great contrasts of teams (Tarawil, ChaChaChas)
3) TAR1 - the editing and pace are not as exciting as TAR3 or TAR2. The top 3 teams dominated from leg 1 which makes the whole race less exciting. But it was the original season. The India episodes are great.
4) TAR4 - a distant last :( Other than the India and Malaysia episodes, the rest of episodes were snorefests. Other than the Clowns, I disliked most of the other teams. This was a huge disappointment after TAR3.

I'd like to see how others rank the 4 seasons.

I gotta disagree though I don't really understand what "zip" means too well. Does that mean the feeling of rushing or crisp editing? I think the editing "crisped" itself up pretty early in. And I think the wonder and adventure was greater in TAR1 than any other season. The Lawyers dragged it down a bit because they were a dull team imho but Kevin & Drew have never been equaled in my mind though there are other teams I love almost as much. And Nancy & Emily were the best trans-generational team ever. Add in Frank & Margarita (she rocks) and their storyline and the best villains ever (classy Guidos) as well as the second best villains ever (Kim & Leslie) and it still holds up great. Classic Jules Verne-style route with lots of world icons too.

I agree TAR2 is damn good too. Depends on my mood which season I'd rank highest. I'm tempted to call a tie between the two. TAR2 had such an interesting cast overall and the alpha male team didn't annoy me like they did on all the other seasons (Chris whispers to sheep after all). Oswald & Danny and Mary & Peach were two of my top ten all time teams and I really liked Wil & Tara if not always their actions. I'm still undecided on how I feel about Blake even now but Paige was a good racer and Cyndi & Russell proved couples could be sweet and loving to one another and still make good TV. Great route for filming in January with still more world icons.

TAR3 in third cause Aaron & Arrianne still annoy the crap out of me even on repeated viewings. I blame them for starting the catty-like nosedive of this series. And Tramel & Talicia being eliminated so early knocked out a team that looked really fun and interesting. Ken & Gerard gave me a great rooting favorite and I admired Teri & Ian and Jill & John Vito equally. Zach was a saint and Flo was an albatross and annoying but not half as annoying as several teams on TAR4 so over time I can even tolerate her with the help of earplugs. The Mexico tourist attraction spots and Europe forever route wan't the best but hurrah for diesel fuel and lawyers who can't read.

TAR4. Thank God for the Clowns. They were the one bright spot in the last few episodes but the editing didn't let us get to know them like the teams in the past. The editing seemed far more surface and way too much about people shouting and screaming and demeaning each other. That isn't what TAR is about to me. And poor Millie, I really felt for her and still do. The remaining teams in the final five ... yuck. Especially Kelly & Jon. TAR4 was disappointing in comparison with the first three seasons. I fear what TAR5 will bring if this trend continues.

I rank them TAR3, TAR1, TAR2, big gap, TAR4. Sstraycat summed up my feelings about TAR4 perfectly. Contrast that with TAR3, where Ken & Gerard had me from the moment they started interviewing just before going for the FF, and the WonderTwins won me over a few minutes later. JVJ made a great impression in the second episode, and from that point on it was fun (although Aaron and Arianne are still very high on my hate list). I did wish we could have seen more of TnT and Dennis and Andrew, but I think it's telling that I even got attached to the second and third teams out. Flo didn't bug me as much as she did other people; when I watch the tapes, I just fast forward through her big rants and laugh at the little ones. The people in that race were so vivid, which made up for it appearing to be the easiest of the four races.

TAR1, my favorite team was Frank and Margarita. I never quite got behind Esquire, but I loved most of the other teams, especially Momily, and the Guidos were more like cartoon villains than anything really vile. Great locations!

TAR2 had my all time most hated racer, Wil. Mary and Peach and Cha-Cha-Cha are favorites, though, as are Russell and Cyndi. Not as likable a cast as those of TAR3 or TAR1, but there were people to care about.

TAR4 sucked. I have a really long hate list from that race. And I agree that the editing didn't let us get close to the teams the way it had in the past. I wanted to like the Clowns, ATCs, NFL wives, Tian & Jaree, and Amanda & Chris, but felt I wasn't give the opportunity to do so. I can't put my finger on what was missing there. What kept me interested was the difficulty of the tasks, the locations, and the fact that for me, bad TAR is still better than other TV shows.

I'm optimistic about TAR5, despite what's leaked out, because the odd-numbered TARs tend to be stronger.

I compleeeeeeeeetely disagree about TAR1. I think that that is not only the best season of TAR, but one of the best seasons of anything, ever (and this is not just going on memories, I saw it for the first time just a year ago and have watched it several times since).

These are my reasons. It has an awesome cast (definitely the best of any TAR, because everyone brings something to the table), great tasks (that bungee/swing thing is still the scariest thing I think they've ever done), and more than any other season, it seems to almost have a story arc. We see one relationship that seemed headed for the altar crumble (Lenny and Karyn), one relationship that was in trouble strengthen (Frank and Margarita), there's the whole good vs. "evil" thing that kicks in around the 6th episode and carries through into direct, nail-biting competition between Momily and the Guidos and Kevin & Drew and the Guidos.
The whole season has a combo of action, drama, comedy, suspense and a great cast that is downright cinematic. Honestly to me, it's like a really awesome 9 hour movie.

Rob and Brennan are also my favorite (by far) winners, and also the most deserving, because they played nearly flawlessly, which is all the more impressive because it was the first time the race was ever run.

TAR3 is my second favorite, it was the first one I ever saw and it's awesome. Great teams, fun episodes, and I actually like Flo a lot, believe it or not.
TAR2 - I don't quite love it as much as most people. I do really love it, and though there were some really great teams, too many of them just didn't seem incredibly interesting.
TAR4 - yeah, my least favorite as well. It's still awesome (because it's TAR), but all the teams I really liked got eliminated (Amanda and Chris, Steve and Josh, Tian and Jaree, Millie and Chuck), leaving the lamest final 3 ever (I only liked Kelly and Jon).

Ronin47, you pretty much summed up my feelings on all the seasons. I actually prefer the relaxed feeling editing of season 1 to the other seasons. Maybe it's because I didn't grow up with MTV, but I'm not necessarily fond of the quick-cut style that seems to be popular now. The main thing that seemed lacking on TAR1 for me was the soundtrack. They have done great stuff with the soundtrack in later seasons, TAR1? oye!

eta

So, does that mean TAR is the polar opposite of Star Trek movies? Heh.

I'd say that the music in TAR1 isn't too bad, miri. Only the first episode seems to lack much of a score, especially early on.

The rest of the season introduces musical cues which have been used ever since (though I believe the Horns of Perseverance first appear in TAR2). One of the things that really bugged me about TAR4 was the fact that many of the familiar musical pieces were altered in some way. I remember watching the opening sequence and thinking that the music was all wrong compared to the majestic theme used for the first three races.

What I perhaps meant by "lack of zip" about TAR1 is the fact that there's never really a sense of everybody being in the game. Rob & Brennan, Frank & Margarita, Kevin & Drew and the Guidos totally dominate the season in a predictable way which would be totally unacceptable now. It's compensated for by the fact that most of these are still some of the best teams ever, but it doesn't have the "anybody could win" feel I like so much about TAR3, for example.

It is a fine balance, though, and I admit I'm being a bit picky. Out of all seasons TAR1 and TAR2 are the ones which really have that travelogue feel which sets The Amazing Race apart from all the rest. Information, education and entertainment! TAR3 not so much, and this was another big deficiency of TAR4.

Despite featuring a number of great locations, almost everyone on TAR4 seemed petty and totally obsessed with the game over enjoying the sights of the world. Though there were certainly voice overs about how the locations moved the racers, they seemed a bit insincere and hollow. And the worst offenders were by far David & Jeff, who I don't think said one word about anywhere they travelled to in 13 episodes!

Every season has something of value, though. All of them merit rewatching in a way that even Survivor doesn't. You can keep discovering new things you haven't seen before every time you watch an episode, and for that alone the fact that only we in Australia seem to have the luxury of repeats is very sad.

On the whole TAR1 soundtrack thing, I really like the fact that there's hardly any music in the first episode. To me, that gives it a raw, documentary-like feel.

miri


Yeah, I noticed that too! [/ex-trekkie]

I'd rank them TAR1, TAR3/TAR2 (tied), and a very distant last would be TAR4. Ronin47, I agree with what you said about TAR1. Rob and Brennan are by far my favorite winners (even though I would have liked to have seen Frank/Margarita win, but oh well.) It's far to say that the first season didn't have the same spunk or adrenaline rush as the rest in the beginning, but it was the first season, and we were just getting used to a brand new show. Plus, the last 3 seasons spent the first minutes showing teams driving out of wherever and trying to make it to the airport, where season one only had teams getting in taxi's. The start didn't feel the same and wasn't as an exciting start as the rest have been. So here's why I ranked them that way:
TAR1: some of my favorite teams (the Frats, the Guidos, Frank/Margarita, Dave/Margaretta, Momily, Paul/Amie, Esquire), some of my all time favorite lines ("Swing you fat bastard, swing!", "That's Namibia, jackass", "You're a fat bitch") and some great rivalries (the teachers vs. Paul/Amie, the Guidos vs. everyone else.) Margarita is one of my favorite female racers. Who cares if Flo was the first girl to win? Margarita would run circles around her. I would have loved to have seen Kim/Leslie go farther, if anything just to keep up the drama between them and Amie for the next few episodes. Ronin pretty much summed up my other opinions on this season. Great locations and challenges, music was defiantly lacking.

TAR3: One of my favorite casts. If they ever did an all star race, I'd be happy with just about any team competiting from this season. Loved JVJ, Oh Brother, liked the twins but was glad they got eliminated when they did (the last thing I wanted to see was another all male team win.) Didn't really care for Teri/Ian at the time, but after watching it over again, their one of my favorites, too. I wish TNT and the Soccer Mom's could have gone farther. Heck, I wouldn't have been disappointed if Dennis/Andrew, the lawyers, and Michael/Kathy stayed in. Too much of Europe, though I did like where they went, and it did cause for some good moments (and might have helped lead to the demise of AA.) I wasn't really sure what to think of those 2; I liked them as much as I hated them. It's funny that this being the third season , there were still a lot of careless mistakes made. If it weren't for Zach, I'd consider the ending one of the worst.

TAR2: A little bit of a step down from the first season. I wrote this in another thread about Wil and Tara: say what you want about Wil, but he went to win, was competitive and aggressive, and obviously didn't seem to care about what the other teams thought of him. Had Tara been as competitive as he was and not kissy faced with another team, maybe the outcome would have been different. Despite their differences with each other, they still managed to do very well just about every leg. Didn't really have a whole lot of favorites this season but the teams I did like were the pastors, Twil, the Cha's, Mary/Peach, and the twins. Didn't see enough of Hope/Norm or the mother and daughter to know whether or not I'd like them. Also liked that there was no Europe, loved the fact that they went to South America and New Zealand. Teams that I wish had gone farther were Deirdre/Hillary, Shola/Doyin, and Cyndi/Russell. The best moments were the grannies clock not going off and them trying to blame Blake and Paige for it(whether or not Blake turned it off wasn't the reason they got eliminated) the bungee jump in NZ, Wil and Blake screwing up the RB in Sydney. And even though I wanted Tara and Wil to win, the ending was the best one yet

TAR4: Probably some of the teams that were more interesting getting philiminated first had something to do with it being a snooze fest. On the plus side, the India leg was one of my favorites, and this show had some of the best tasks I've seen. I have to disagree with Sttraycat; not thank god for the clowns but thank god for Jon and Kelly. The clowns tried too hard in the beginning to come off as funny, and it was obvious that they were trying. Towards the end I started liking them when they got more serious, and needless to say I was disappointed that they got eliminated and Reichip got to stay (why can't those penalities be longer.) They still have a long way to go in my book before they stack up next to the frats, the chas, and the brothers.

One thing that has to be factored into trying to rank seasons is that of the "tweaking" between the seasons in terms of clues, tasks, the rules the Racer teams had concerning booking and transportation, and the music, and editing. I have to take more than just the teams and how the teams were edited into consideration.
In terms of all of this, and looking at each season in terms of "fulfilled potential" I'd rank them as TAR 1, TAR 4, TAR 2, TAR 3. TAR 1, to me, is as perfect as an unscripted series could have ever hoped to be. Part of the problems for later seasons was that they simply couldn't quite reach the level of TAR 1, no matter what they did. TAR 1 had the feeling for the Racers and viewers alike of the unknown -- what exactly was the Race going to be and how does one excel in Racing? I have said in each season since the first that Rob and Brennan were the platinum standard of Racers, and I will use them as that standard for TAR 5 and beyond. It's going to have to be proven that there has been or will be another Racer team with such a perfect combination of Racer skills. This does not denigrate from Frank and Margarita, Bill and Joe, Kevin and Drew, and Nancy and Emily (in particular) as Racers, or as elements of the superbness that is TAR 1. In all honesty, could a screenwriter have done as well? I don't think so.
I understand that TAR 4 wasn't as acceptable in some respects, but in terms of the Race, and Racing, it surpassed TAR 2 and TAR 3. TAR 4, because of the route it took, and the tasks given the teams, was much closer in feel to TAR 1 than those other seasons. It also featured what was one of the two best final legs, if not legs period in the four seasons of TAR to date -- Reichen and Chip's final leg from Australia to Phoenix. It in fact reached the level of Rob and Brennan's final leg from Alaska to New York City in qualitative terms, which was an unexpected accomplishment.
I ranked TAR 3 below TAR 2 more because of the excessive amount of time spent in Europe than anything else. That was the weakest thing in TAR 3, beside having to put up with Flo's behavior. I also liked much of the TAR 3 cast (especially Derek and Drew) and the TAR 2 cast; the weakness of those seasons were more a factor of route and/or tasks than anything else.

I've been looking through the recaps trying to figure out just where the clues actually became instructions, and it really started happening about halfway through season one. However, I didn't really notice until Phil starting trying to tone down just how much help the teams were getting. The most obvious case of this was in season two, when he ominously declared that the teams had "only" a map to tell them where to go. As Miss Alli put it, as opposed to what, a sherpa?

Ah well Eegah, the origin of that can be traced with uncanny accuracy. There's everything up to and including Episode 5 of TAR1 (the one in the Sahara Desert) and everything afterwards, with a few notable exceptions.

In the first five episodes of TAR1, many of the clues are just that - clues. Consider the following:

-"Drive to the 'smoke that thunders'";
-"You are well acquainted with Songwe Village. Now find the Songwe Museum";
-Chief Mukuni's statuette of the Eiffel Tower;
-"Climb to the balcony on the second floor, then check out the telescopic view. We hear it's monumental";
-"Big news awaits at 'La Grande Roue'";
-"Find the man in the blue suit standing across from the Hotel de Ville";
-"Check in at the top of Chateau Les-Baux-de-Provence" (with everyone currently in Paris);
-The Tunisian flag, a photograph of a man and the word "A-salamah";
-A cigarette lighter with the El Jem Colosseum on it;
-A photograph of the globe in Tatouine;
-"Follow the yellow stones into the desert until you see an arrow pointing off somewhere";
-"Follow compass bearing 270 degrees to reach the pitstop".

What happened in Episode 6 was the famous instruction "Take a train to Castelfranco Emilia via Bologna". The Guidos and Frank & Margarita took a train to Bologna, but then interpreted the clue in such a way that they took a cab from there to the Pagani Auto Factory. This resuled in furious rows at the pitstop, much conversation with the legal department back in Los Angeles - and sadly, from that point onwards dumbed down instructions that ceased to be real clues.

(The necessity for more spoon-fed transportation from TAR2 onwards has only increased the reliance on precise instructions too).

Far more than taking the maps away, I think the one thing which would have pepped TAR5 up would have been a return to the clues. We shall see.

Oh, and in case anyone cares, here's my assessment of the various seasons, from worst to best. Keep in mind I consider people more important than the race aspects.

TAR4: This season focused way too much on the actual race, making it feel rather cold and distant compared to the others. We never really got to know many of the teams the way we did in past races. However, I do give some points to making many of them seem like real three dimensional people; there were very few I completely liked or completely hated.

TAR2: It was kind of a letdown after the brilliance of the first season, with fewer really interesting people and some rather irritatingly obvious clues (the map mentioned above). However, the presence of highly entertaining teams (for better or worse) like Tara and Wil, Blake and Paige, and Oswald and Danny elevates it above the most recent one. Plus, to date this is the only one with an actual race to the finish line, which has to count for something.

TAR3: An improvement on what came before it, and a sign that the show still had promise. Ken and Gerard are my favorite team in the show's history, and Derek and Drew and John Vito and Jill were great support. There was also the boohiss-ability of the likes of Flo and Zach and Teri and Ian. Even some of the early eliminatees, like Tramel and Talicia and Dennis and Andrew, provided great fun while they lasted. Only the final result and the long sojourn in Europe stop it from being as good as the first season.

TAR1: Just about the most perfect combination of teams the show has ever had. Rob and Brennan are likely the most satisfying winners we'll see on the show; always keeping their eyes on doing the next task as fast as possible no matter what the situation. Joe and Bill will always be the base from which other seasons' villains are measured. Kevin and Drew provided some amazing chemistry and funny stuff. I laughed, I cried, and at the end I was more satisfied than I have ever been since.

theschnauzers


Yeah! That's exactly what I was trying to say before. The sequence of events in TAR1, the cast, the triumph and defeat, the comedy, the drama, the fun, the hardship, it's all so emotionally satisfying it's like a really great movie. Or better.
Right down to the end where the Guidos get their "just desserts" by being left out in the cold (literally!), and the coolest high-5 ever (Kevin and Rob, on Rob and Brennan's way up to the finish line).

And Eegah, I totally agree with almost everything you said.

I have to admit, I never saw them dominating. Well, maybe the Guidos, but their boasting was smacking more of hubris than of actual dominance. Halfway through the season, Rob and Brennan made some mistakes that I thought would have done them in. Frank and Margarita's arguments sometimes made me think that they were done.

Anyway, my list would be as such:

TAR 1:



Some of the most engaging story arcs ever. Even the team that came in second and didn't win the million won something else, they strengthened their relationship. Everything else that is good about this season has been said.

TAR 3:

Characters-wise, came the closest to the first one. The teams you loved and the teams you loved to hate. I didn't even mind Flo as much, between my rolling my eyes and laughing my ass off at her petulant breakdowns.

TAR 2:

Would have been above 3 but the story arcs just didn't engage me. Still, much better than 4. Much more interesting teams that stayed longer in the Race.

Finally, it would be TAR 4, for the same reasons many have mentioned.

I've only seen the fourth season, and it was the best thing I've ever seen on TV, so it always amazes me to see almost everyone rank it the worst of the four. I've really got something to look forward to when I manage to see the first three. Lots of TAR4 teams grew on me, especially Tian and Jaree, Jon and Kelly, and the Clowns, and even though I was definitely rooting against the Chipsters, they ran such a good final leg that I couldn't help being happy for them when they won.

I managed to download the first episode of the first season the other day (no broadband here, so it took about a week), and when I heard that theme music, I swear I got goosebumps. One of the best moments of the episode is the 'car chase' scene where several teams are driving and jockeying for position. All the camera work is done from inside, so you never actually see the vehicles passing each other, yet just with the music and Racers' comments, they put together an intensely suspenseful scene. I don't remember anything like that in TAR4; the one time they had several vehicles driving together, everyone fogged up and had to slow down.

I actually spent much of the weekend having a marathon viewing of TAR2, and I agree with someone here who a long time ago said that it’s the most underrated season. Each time I rewatch it (and this made only the third), I’m reminded of what a great season and great cast it actually had. I’m with SttrayCat who said that it depends on my mood whether or not I enjoy TAR 2 better than TAR1. Actually, if the first season had been edited and scored in the same fashion as the subsequent seasons, then it would definitely be a tie between the first two. I think that both TAR1 and TAR2 have had the strongest casts to date. TAR2, in particular, seemed to me to have the greatest shifting of positions among teams from one leg to another and really enhanced the feeling and tenseness that ANY of the teams could take this race. I think overall, though, I have to give the edge to TAR1 because of the reasons others have mentioned…it really is the greatest unwritten script to ever play out on tv and I think the sense of wonder and anticipation experienced by the racers mirrored that of most of us viewers. Plus, and I’ve said this many times before, the opening credits for TAR1 is still the most exciting, coolest, visually stimulating opening for any show I’ve ever seen.

After TAR3 finished airing, I remember thinking that many of us would look back and think that it was the worst race ever. It started off kind of sketchy with the Mexico destinations, and combined with all the younger couple teams, it gave me a feeling of ‘Amazing Race: Spring Break Edition’ or something to that effect. Also, I felt there were a couple of teams cast only for their ‘gimmick’, who really added nothing to the dynamic of the race, like Michael/Kathy and Andre/Damon—two very boring teams IMO. This season rebounded to me midway through, and I still contend the non-elim episode with the ‘count the money/run the numbers’ detour is one of the greatest episodes in the show’s history, but the endless Swiss village legs and the end result did leave a sour taste in my mouth.

TAR4 I didn’t mind as much as many of y’all, but I do agree that the all-around pettiness among the racers took away from my enjoyment. Instead of friendly competition like we had seen in the first three seasons, we seemed to have more bullying, more cattiness, more nastiness. And again, there were a couple teams (Russel/Cindy, the Goats) that I felt added nothing to the Race. Nevertheless, I thought it started out much stronger than TAR3, had better destinations and tasks, and I at least was pleased with the results.

Best to worst, I would rank them: TAR1, TAR2, TAR4, TAR3.

For me, TAR 1 & 3 are probably tied for first, then TAR 4, with TAR 2 close behind.

I actually only started watching TAR during the 4th season, so by the time I got my hands on the other 3 seasons I was heavily spoiled for what happened during them. But even though I knew the outcomes, I think 1 and 3 are the best seasons because of the personalities of the racers and the interactions between the teams.

As other posters have pointed out, the TAR 4 racers seemed to spend most of their time sniping at each other. Although there were alliances, the teams really didn't seem to work together the way they did during the other seasons. The Twin Hunt was idiotic, but I loved watching the Band of Brothers and Fratilyesque.

TAR 2 is my least favourite, I just never got into it as much as the other seasons.

Wow, you all have such eloquent reasons for putting the seasons in the order you do. I can't even rank them. Seriously, it depends so much on what I want at the time.

TAR is dessert. Season one is cheesecake, rich and heavy, but in a good way. Season two was a chocolate souffle, just as rich, but lighter and fluffier. Season three was creme brulee: not fancy, but satisfying all the same. Season four was a goblet of ripe strawberries and raspberries sprinkled with champagne: nice, but right on the edge of pretentious, and somehow not quite enough most of the time.

I don't remember that much about TAR1 or TAR2. I thought both TAR3 and TAR4 were excellent. Each one had it's own strengths and it's own weakneses but overall they were both great. I loved the exciting finishes and from that standpoint TAR3's final episode was definetly better because all 3 teams were so close in getting to the finish line. But there were also episodes in both that had great down to the wire finishes like Ken and Girard and John Vito and Jill's exciting down to the wire finish. Also Amanda and Chris had a very close finish with The Supreme's early on as well as Millie and Chuck going up against Jon and Kelly. That was one of the most exciting Roadblock's ever because both teams were so close together the entire Roadblock. I'm pretty surprised at the number of people that are rating TAR4 last, but maybe part of that is me since I can't really remeber TAR1 or TAR2. I loved John Vito and Jill and Millie and Chuck as far as racers go and Teri and Ian, all those teams were pretty intense racers I thought.

The one thing that bugged me about TAR4 was that a lot of the challenges seemed really, really hard(physically) and it plugged the gross eating bit in there when Reichen and Chip had to eat the live Octopus. If I want to see that kind of stuff I can watch Fear Factor or Survivor. But I thought the physical nature of a lot of the later challenges put some teams at a huge disadvantage. Some of the teams that were eliminated early in the race would have had real trouble with some of those challenges. Tian had a lot of trouble holding in the bull racing event and Kelly, I thought it was amazing that she was able to get through the Kung Fu challenge. Could you have seen Dave or Steve trying to climb the ladder in the bat cave or the Supremes trying to pull up the Lobster traps. Reichen and Chip sure or Jon and Al but look at the trouble Jon and Kelly had with that. I just think there was way too much physical emphasis in TAR4. I mean it kind of makes the choice of Debbie and Steve look ridiculous. What chance do they have?

Even with all the disagreement on how we'd rank the individual seasons and why, I think we all agree that any TAR is better than no TAR at all.

Amen, SVNBob. I'm counting down the days till July. I have to admit that The Apprentice was a fairly good substitute, but there's just nothing else right now that comes even close to making me want to come home and watch TV. All-Star Survivors? Yawn. American Idol? Yawwwwwn. The Restaurant? Zzzzzzz. The Swan? Don't know, wouldn't watch it for all the plastic surgery in Beverly Hills.

It's time for more TAR!!!!

I have seen others express views contrary to yours. (I am not one of these people!)

TAR 4 also seemed to lack a lot of the "funny" moments from the earlier seasons, like the Frat's bickering, the teams trying to herd sheep, Heave falling out of the donkey cart, KennyG falling off the boat.

The cheese/manure detour in Amsterdam was pretty funny, but that's the only thing coming to my mind right now.

The fish-basketing detour in the Kota Kinabalu leg (the escaping fish, Millie falling in the water, The Who's goldfish-catching) was pretty funny to me. Of course I have a theory that anything involving The Who and fish ("Memorize that fish!") is funny, so I may be prejudiced. Chillie's constant double-entendres and AirSteve's face shake also come to mind.

Come on, it's pretty obvious in the context of that comment that the "all of us" refers to the people who were debating the quality of various seasons, not the population of Earth. Let's not needlessly start fights.

And we also have Dave's great one liners when Steve is jumping off the tower and he comments about "Whales being thrown from the tower" and his "eclipse of the sun comment". Plus when Steve was being opperated on and Dave mentions them pulling out his brain and not knowing that Steve had one. Those were some real classics.

I forgot about the fish detour, and the nutbunches. Okay, those were pretty funny, but as a whole I still think TAR 4 wasn't as funny as the others.

I've only seen 1 and 4, but I think a lot of the humor in 1 wasn't so much in the tasks as in the interaction between teams and between team members. I don't think we saw as much of that in TAR 4. Of course, it helped that I saw TAR 1 on DVD and had already read the recaps and knew what to look and listen for.

I know exactly what you mean. When I finally got to see TAR1, I had read Miss Alli's recaps so often I had a running commentary in my head as I watched.

I think TAR4 lacked the good feeling of comradery you got in moments in the other Races, especially TAR1. Back then it felt like a great adventure and though people were competing they were also sharing something really deep which will be with them the rest of their lives and it showed. Now it's more like "Big Brother Travels the World," and that is before Alison in TAR5.

And I think TAR4 treated the planet earth more like it was a mere prop is part of what I'm trying to say as well. Damn it, people throughout the ages would have given anything to be able to fly off on an adventure like this! How many people in the entire history of mankind could/can do something like this? Circumnavigating this wonderous world and traveling to all these fabulous places was just reduced to bickering and yelling and totally inept, petty stuff. If just felt like they dummed it down into "just another reality show" which it never was for me. The grandeur was gone.

And I personally don't know if any TAR is better than no TAR. If TAR5 proves even worse than TAR4 I may be out of here. Seeing something you have come to love being reduced to trash TV is reaching a point where it is almost to painful to watch for me. Now I'll watch something trashy like BB at times but I watch it because I expect trash; I don't expect it on TAR. I watch TAR for entirely different reasons and love it because it isn't trash. Yes, I'll give TAR5 a chance but I don't know in advance if I'll stay tuned to the end of this coming season.

I agree with what your saying Sttraycat. I've seen other people post it as well and that was the point I was trying to make in my post: TAR4 had more drama with the teams as far as them fighting with each other and with other teams (and it was pretty petty, even Joke's jabbing at Millie and Chuck.) But I'll be the first to say if it wasn't for that, this season would have been dead to me. Other seasons had drama as well and fighting, but it wasn't like this.

I was trying to think of how I wanted to describe TAR4 teams, and I don't know if it's that they were just too competitive and aggressive or what it was, but casting could have been better. I think when it came out, too, that some of these teams were recruited by casting agents or carried over from the previous season made it seem worse and more bland (and proves casting agents defiantly aren't on the same page as the fans as far as entertainment value goes.)

That all being said, I'd still watch TAR even if it had 12 teams made up of Alison, her boyfriend, and every other reality show contestant I hate.

I think it might have been different if some of the teams that were eliminated early (like Amanda and Chris) had stayed in longer, and some of the loner-type teams had gone earlier. It would have changed the dynamics and might have made it more fun.

Like The Australian, I have the opportunity to see TAR1 all over again. I think it was the best, but I can't rate the rest in any particular order. TAR4 is probably the second best for me because they passed so close (10 minutes) to my place when driving from Brisbane to Mooloolaba and back.

TAR2 probably rates highly with me as well because they also came to Australia in that one.

A friend at work is watching TAR1 and loving it. She hopes that the Guidos get their just desserts. I won't spoil it for her and tell her they do, because she asked me not to tell her who wins or who gets eliminated each week.

Each TAR has had its pros and cons, each has its own set of villains and heroes.

While the later TAR's were more disappointing with their spoon fed clues and production-provided transportation, each has its own classic moments.

I will keep watching.

auntlada


I completely agree. I really, really liked the friendly "woohoo!" camaraderie between Amanda and Chris, Millie and Chuck, and Steve and Josh in that first episode.
This is making me realize that it really is all about the teams (and casting). Just think how cool TAR4 would have been with those 3 teams along with the Clowns and Tian and Jaree as the final 5, and if dull, vanilla teams like the Who and Reichip were gone sooner. It would have totally changed the dynamics of the show (as auntlada said) and maybe Millie wouldn't have even gone nuts for a short time there.
But there's nothing you can really do about that - if the fun teams get eliminated, they get eliminated.

That reminds me of something; did we ever find out just what was up with all three teams winning the trip in the first leg of TAR4? That always just seemed ridiculous to me, unless they made them all stay in the same hotel room or something.

I'll take the opposite side on this. It seems to be an axiom among production folk that casting is everything to a reality show, but what attracted me to TAR was the tension generated by the race itself, without any outrageous characters or manufactured "drama." If what I hear about TAR5 is true, then sadly that rare reality animal--the functioning adult--is becoming extinct (last reported sighting:Mooloolooba, Australia).

And recording, I hope.

Slowhatch


Yeah, that's true - I didn't mean to say that it's all about the casting, it's actually the whole package that makes the show so awesome. I just mean that as tension-filled as it always is regardless, it sure makes it even more exciting if you've got some really interesting people to root for, and that's casting.

That's the great thing about TAR. I'll agree that season 4 had the weakest cast, but while they were boring me, I could still take great pleasure in all of the tasks and the locations.

And I'll second the thought that it might have been a great race if some others, particularly Chris and Amanda, had lasted while others were philiminated.

To me the general arc from season to season that I find troubling is made manifest in the following:

First, as has been said by many, the clues. No longer is it so much a puzzle about what or where to go next, just a go here. This gives the producers more control over keeping a tight competitive race, but I prefer to see more floundering. They can always add in some bunching somewhere. The corollary to this is also an increased reliance away from forcing them to use public transportation vice driving or cabs. I say the more time on busses and trains, the better for us viewers.

Second, it seems to me there is now a greater reliance from season to season on doing well at the airport. Perhaps this is due to less time in Europe, and hence fewer flight choices. All I know is that this has been one of the major frustrations to me as a viewer that success in the race is more and more due to how they do the airport and choose flights, then to how they actually race inside the country. If I could change one thing this might be it. I would love for the producers to somehow exert more control over country to country flights so that the focus on success will shift back to what you do on the ground.

Third, the increased attempts to cast a race for a story line. Perhaps it is a case that as more racers see the race, and the tactics become more evolved, that it will be a less friendly place anyway. I am not so sure. I would rather have more competent racers out there keeping the level of competition higher. I am sure I am not the only one who pulls my hair out at the number of teams who simply cannot read a map to save their lives. Lets see casting pick people based more on their ability to compete, vice on their backstory. This goes hand in hand with the tasks seemingly becoming more physically oriented. The race should allow everyone a chance, perhaps by making choices more between intellectual tasks and purely physical ones.

Here my random musings cease.

I think for me, I'd have to say they'd go TAR2, TAR3, TAR1, TAR4. (I'll admit I've only seen the last five episodes of TAR1)

TAR2's beginning I think was my favorite - out in the middle of a desert, no one around, only flags to look for in terms of where to go. TAR3 with the Everglades is close. The Dodger Stadium thing was silly - it wouldn't seem like it would take a lot to get out and head back to LA.

I would also echo the roadblock choice of the count the money or the objexts around town. I'd love to see some more of the intellectual challenges for the roadblocks. While I don't mind the bungee-hike thing, things like golf in 120+ weather vs. digging in a cave are so much better.

Actually, while Dodger Stadium may have been the easiest compared to the desert or the Everglades, remember that some teams had problems finding they're way out (the Goats lived in L.A. and even said it was pretty funny that they of all teams were having problems finding their way around a city they lived in.) Of course, this is the same team that drove right by a clue- twice, even after it was pointed out to them, and considering all the other mistakes they made, it really doesn't surprise me.

I think the whole hummers and stadium just went along with the theme of the city that they were trying to give us. TAR2's beginning and end are my favorites of any season, for the reasons you said BuckyBacker, and also the end for the reasons a lot of people have said. I liked some of the challenges in TAR4 more than any other season, but one problem is that too many of them were alike.

Well, TAR1's beginning was the worst of all, with everyone simply wandering casually around Manhattan, trying to work out flights. Anyone who tuned into it after the intro would have no idea at all they were watching a race.

Eegah, I have to disagree about the beginning of TAR 1. The teams were left in Central Park, without knowing which airport they had to travel to, when the flight(s) departed, or the best way of getting to any of them. That "wandering" look was the look of uncertainty and confusion, as each team figured out on their own how to get the information they needed and where to go dab smack in the middle of Manhattan Island. In subsequent seasons, the level of uncertainty of how to get to an airport at the beginning was much reduced, with the producer supplied transportation -- an element that was not used at the beginning of TAR 1.

I see bewilderment more than casualness. Talk about dealing with the unknown! I think most teams were likely afraid to make a 'wrong move' out of the gates. They didn't have the advantage of previous seasons to better understand what was transpiring. Hence, you had a lot of people trying to take in the situation, and then calculate what's their best move. Contrast this with the later seasons where the goal (getting the best flight out of the US at a pre-determined airport) was understood and the only question was which of the teams would succeed in high tailing to the airport the fastest.

I agree totally. Which is a good way of saying that the casting people screwed up royally by not casting the whole show with "regular" interesting folks but only half casting it that way and loading up with boring professional fame whores for the rest. Cast all the slots with regular types not used to the camera and limelight and then it wouldn't matter who goes out early as there will always be some good, interesting teams left.


I thought TAR1's beginning was the best ever because, unlike the other seasons, there was no spoon fed transport, no simple way to the airport and bang at the beginning they were faced with all sorts of decisions. Which airport? Assume JFK or stop and call? Which transportation? Taxi and maybe run low on money and stiff your cab driver or save money but not time by risking public transportation.

The result was total stress right off the bat with people running off in all sorts of directions. Soon Emily was freaking out at Nancy, Amie became pissed at cheapie Paul and Kevin was asserting his surprise that Drew could even tie his own showlace. Far more interesting than jumping in the car and follow everyone else to the airport to me.

I did like the visuals at the start of TAR2 with all the cars abreast in the desert I admit but getting to the airport was a lot easier for them. Once they were on the highway they were lined up like ducks in a row. I like that the options and choices started right off the bat in TAR1 better.

I'd like to see more less experienced travelers cast as well just to throw in another stray thought. Nancy was so jazzed to be traveling the world and who can forget Andrew's innocent and gleeful smile on the plane taking off from Miami as he expressed his thrill to be traveling outside the US for the first time in his life. Bring back the wonder. Enough with the majority of the teams being a bunch of jaded world travelers expressing bordom about having to be back in Italy again or whatever.

I'll agree the newbie travellers are the most fun. I also liked the Teri/Ian/Vietnamm storyline. I'll also throw in the Chuck/Millie/poor in India line too.

I think the bored traveller thing could be taken care of in casting. With a few well asked questions about travel experiences, etc., you should get an idea of how people see that.

I think that the distinction that should be made is 'jaded traveller' vs. 'excited traveller'; not 'experienced traveller' vs. 'inexperienced traveller'. I want to see excited travellers, and it doesn't matter to me if they've been a lot of places before.

Travel experience doesn't seem to have a lot to do with success; The Guidos didn't handle Paris better than anyone else for having lived there for , what was it? Two years? Blake and Paige didn't do any better in Hong Kong for having been there on business.

The Chas were the only ones who seemed to be able to use their travel experience for their benefit, and from having met them, I think that they might have done the same thing (taken some 'fun time' and recharged) even if they weren't experienced travellers, simply because that's the kind of guys they are.

My personal ranking:

TAR2. My favorite, because I thought the casting was nearly as good as the first season (we get the anti-Guidos in Danny and Oswald, the surprisingly formidable duo of Peach and Mary, who IMHO is one of the best female racers ever, Wil and Tara as good villains, Chris and Alex's dramatic nail-biting victory, the ever-charming Paige and Blake, etc.) The route was NOT Europe-heavy, and my favorite episodes include the sequence from Hong Kong to New Zealand. There was an interesting cast, and enough drama to be interesting but not to be annoying. The challenges were interesting, the cast mostly likeable, and I felt it was more of a level playing field than TAR1 but not overly leveled out like TAR3.

TAR4. I actually liked this one--it got me hooked on the show after my TAR3-induced malaise. Until this season, I had always put TAR as a distant second favorite to Survivor, but this season converted me. I found the cast very interesting, the race a bit more grueling than TAR3, and the locales interesting. I didn't find the "too many pretty people" issue to be all that much of a problem, because most of them came to play and played well. I have no problem with model/actor/aspiring musician types going on if they're in it to win it and not in it for attention. I think this one suffered a bit from losing some interesting teams early on, although a bland final three is better than a final three full of people I wanted to hiss at. Gotta admit that putting, say, Amanda & Chris and Monica & Sheree in for, say, David & Jeff and Reichen & Chip would have been a more interesting endgame, but I'd rather see strong, consistent teams make the end than, well, some of the ones that made the end in TAR3.

TAR1. I know ranking this season third will be viewed as sacrilege, but I wasn't as into this one as 2 and 4. I like this one's cast, but in other ways, I find it a lot less suspenseful. The casting has not been topped, true. The novelty made this one a classic, and villains such as the Guidos can never be topped. However, it's the only season that I would predictable. Aside from the fact that Nancy and Emily made it as far as they did, I can't say the elimination order contained many shockers, and I don't like the fact that I really don't feel any of the teams aside from the last four standing ever had a legitimate chance at winning. I think the playing field was leveled a bit after that, and while some teams like the Groanies are obviously cannon fodder, it's more open. I love this season, and I love the casting, but I think others were a bit more nailbiting. This is probably the season I want to see again most, though. (C'mon, CBS, if you can put that crapfest called BB4 on DVD, you can crank out some TAR DVDs...)

TAR3. Not a fan of this season, mostly because I found it hard to get into because four of the twelve teams were flat out unlikeable to me. (Couldn't stand Flo, Heave, Ian, or the Aaron/Arianne duo.) It's the only season I missed watching episodes of. I just found too few people to cheer for, and I think that in some ways, this season was less physically challenging than the other three (I'm sorry, but I think that Teri and Ian and Flo and Zach would not have made final three in any of the other three editions.) I didn't think that the strongest teams were rewarded in this season, and maybe my personal dislike of the top two teams clouds my judgment, but I found the endgame very disappointing.

Bump.

TAR5 in brief:

- Can the Yield. Bring back the FF in every leg.
- Kind of a low-rent feel in production values, like they're cutting corners or something.
- Editing better than TAR4.
- Teams more interesting overall but not as easy to love and less competent in general.
- More interesting destinations so far, but not enough variety in legs (3 airport legs in a row).
- Line confrontations continue, but somehow they're not as annoying to watch as they were in TAR4. Still, without a line-up referee, it's just a matter of time before two teams come to blows.
- Phil good as ever.