2344 replies to this topic

[wombat42]

Bring back Dave and Margaretta! And nobody from the fourth season!

I think it would be just as interesting with old teams because it would be more competitive. And there would be all new inter-team relationships and alliances. If I could pick 12 teams to return they would be:

Rob & Brennan (because they have to)
The Guidos (evil team #1)
Dave and Margaretta (because they got screwed)
Tara and Wil (evil team #2)
Blake and Paige (just plain funny)
Teri and Ian (Tara and Wil: The Elder Years)
John Vito and Jill (Dave and Margaretta: The Younger Years)
Zach (Hey, Flo quit)
Ken and Gerard (because they rock)
Mary and Peach (because Mary kicks ass)
Frank and Margarita (they were so close)
and the Frats

It's so hard to choose.

[NovacScott]

I think it would be just as interesting with old teams because it would be more competitive.

As of TAR5, TAR4 teams will be old teams. I don't see why they should be excluded, and CBS certainly wouldn't leave them out.

[Frenchteacher]

If they did it, I think it should be only teams that placed #2-#4 (plus some other racers if some teams couldn't come) from all seasons.

But... how interesting would it be if they did only 4th through 6th place finishers -- the Top 3 teams all had their day in the sun, after all?

Just putting that out there.

[Miss Alli]

But if you invite 2nd-4th place teams, it's not All-Star. It's Also-Ran. I mean, if you set out to specifically exclude people who won, then to me, it's like a consolation round. What I think would be interesting would be seeing how much is luck and how much is skill, and for that, you need everybody to take another shot, including winners.

[NovacScott]

ITA, MA. I understand the idea that "they already won, so why should they play again?", but even then, half the $1M winners didn't need the money to begin with anyway. Still, I don't think they would have to stick to a 1st through 3rd for all five seasons, because it would not be a "Top Racer" edition of TAR, but an "All-Star" edition. This fact, combined with a desire for ratings would likely lead TPTB to aim to get the crowd favorites and least-favorites to return. That way, we could get cool teams like 4th place Cha Cha Cha and avoid 3rd place Team Who?.
Unfortunately, any way you slice it, I doubt that some of our favorite TWoP posters who performed poorly would be selected, such as TNT and Amander & Chris, those underachievers!

[tarsier]

As long as we have plenty of time here to design something that won't happen...

If the next race that's run is an All-Star Edition, let's include the winners of the first five races, one additional fan-selected team from each race, and two producer picks. If they went with the previous CBS-site popularity polls, that brings in Oswald/Danny, JonVito/Jill, and Al/Jon, plus someone from 1 and 5. But I'm guessing some of the likely teams would be in different circumstances now than they were when they raced and wouldn't be able to take 5 or 6 weeks off again, so you wouldn't necessarily get all the teams you wanted anyway.

Or better yet, give five spots to previous winners, five spots to the favorite runner-ups from each race, and five spots to those teams voted to have been most shafted by bad luck in each race. Then don't have any non-elimination rounds. (This ain't the NFL pro-bowl, this is serious). This would be the only way Chris and Amander could get a sniff ;-)

[mtvcdm]

Eh, why not toss in my design? Pretty much most of the reasonable stuff's been said, so I've made a convoluted piece of logistical horror.

*The most popular winner.
*The least popular winner. (Yes, that means we have to bring back Flo.)
*The most popular last-place team-- seriously, anybody can go in one leg, so we give someone a second chance. But don't let it happen again.
*The best team never to use a Fast Forward.
*The most popular team overall.
*The least popular team overall-- but since Flo's already here, we'll have to find a runner-up.
*The best team never to accrue a time penalty.
*The best fourth-place team.
*The team to end their race with the most money-- who needs to pay $500 for a cell phone call in the last leg? (If a team's frugal enough, they can reach this point without having to be in the final 3.)
*The team with the best title quote. ("Did You See How I Stopped It? With My Face!")
*The team who made the stupidest mistake, to see if they learned from it or are doomed to repeat it. (Heave, because when they should have zigged, they took a taxi)
*A team chosen at random.

[Frenchteacher]

Or they could mathematically average each team's place and pick the top 12 teams, regardless of season. Of course, you'd have to factor in early eliminees, b/c someone who came in 1st in one of the early legs and then quickly got eliminated shouldn't necessarily get to play. As Miss Ali said, that's not All Star per se.


ETA the following:

It's Also-Ran. I mean, if you set out to specifically exclude people who won, then to me, it's like a consolation round.

I disagreed for awhile b/c it didn't feel right that one team would win a 2nd $1 mln, but I'm starting to come around.

Edited by Frenchteacher, Jan 12, 2004 @ 8:36 PM.

[LawDog]

The inherent problem with the "All Star" concept is that it's such an ambiguous term: what criteria do you use to deem someone an All Star? Is it based on a team's finish, their popularity, their perceived skills, what? Arguably, you want to see the "best" teams compete against each other, but how do you define and rate who is the best?

Personally, I think that as long as they leave out the obvious cannon fodder (sweet as they may be), they really couldn't go wrong. But with the show consistently struggling to get the big viewing audience (which I'll never understand), I just don't see the concept ever being turned into a reality.

[Frenchteacher]

how do you define and rate who is the best?

I guess that's kind of the crux of the thread, isn't it? ;)

I think that as long as they leave out the obvious cannon fodder (sweet as they may be), they really couldn't go wrong.

Am I reading this correctly? Are you suggesting that the show not re-invite the clowns? Wow. Just want to make sure I understand correctly.

Finally,

the show consistently struggl[es] to get the big viewing audience (which I'll never understand)

I think the obvious solution is to call it "Survivor: The Amazing Race."

[Miss Alli]

Please don't talk about other people's opinions as if you don't believe they could seriously hold them. That's kind of rude.

[Frenchteacher]

I'm sorry. You're right. I didn't mean to be rude, Miss Ali and LawDog. My tone was perhaps inappropriate, although that was not my intent. Without being quite so incredulous, let me say that I was surprised by that comment and looking for further explanation, I guess. (And also still not 100% sure I interpreted the comment correctly in the first place.)

[Ronin47]

I think LawDog is referring to teams that, sweet and so likeable as they may be, would not go very far, like Dave and Margaretta or Debra and Steve, or others. Everybody loves them, but the chances that they would win are pretty small.

I think he's suggesting that if they were all GREAT competitors who all could conceivably win, that would be one hell of a race (not that it's ever NOT one hell of a race, but you know what I mean).

Edited by Ronin47, Jan 13, 2004 @ 12:04 AM.

[SVNBob]

Yesterday, I came up with what could possibly be the best way to run an AllS-TAR. It's twisted, slightly evil, but keeps true to the Race itself.

Start by inviting back all the Racers. That's right, all 46 (or more including TAR5) teams. Have them all meet at the starting line (for this, it'd have to be on the 50-yd line at some stadium...possibly Reliant here in Houston).

Then come the changes. First, all legs are elimination. Second, the first leg will have a mass elimination at the beginning then continue as a non-elim leg, making leg 2 the first normal leg. Out of the teams, only 14 get flights out of the country. That makes the inital run to the airport(s) all the more important.

Using this idea, every team would get a second chance and the true cream would rise to the top. Granted, it would also probably lead to quick elimination of several fan-favorites (I don't see the Cha or the BFGs doing well in this scenario), but in all likelyhood the top 3 or 4 from each season would be well represented.

[Bill1978]

I like it SVNBob. True it's twisted, it's evil but damn I like it. It would allow everybody's team to 'come back'. Sure we may need a whole hour just to go through the teams but I could live with it. Then as you said, the first 14 teams to get a flight are through. I can't see this ever being adopted but I seriously like it, really brings out the race element.

[tarsier]

SVNBob: Start by inviting back all ... 46 ... teams.  [Have] a mass elimination at the beginning ..., only 14 get flights out of the country. That makes the inital run to the airport(s) all the more important.

That's just too funny. Starting in Houston sounds good, we'll give each team a 1986 Toyota Celica with one red or yellow door, and the first clue directs them to a route marker in Dealey Plaza. (That should give the older folks a slight edge ;-) There they receive the news that the limited flights are leaving from Phoenix, Denver, St. Louis, and Atlanta.

[LawDog]

Thanks Ronin47, that's it exactly.

[MacMadame]

I think they should just invite back whomever they want to invite back and not have any sort of rules about it. Go over past racers and pick a new set they think will gel and make for good tv.

[NovacScott]

I think they should just invite back whomever they want to invite back and not have any sort of rules about it.

I agree with this statement wholeheartedly. Isn't that what they did for Survivor? Still, I enjoy reading all these fuddled rule schemes people come up with for "All Star Qualification".

[tarsier]

And here I thought my fuddling days were over.

[Frenchteacher]

I think they should just invite back whomever they want to invite back and not have any sort of rules about it. Go over past racers and pick a new set they think will gel and make for good tv.

I'm sure that's what's eventually going to happen, but it's fun playing producer & coming up w/ ideas of our own, too. I love the idea of free-for-all, every-team-invited-back idea, with the mass elimination. Think about what it would sound like: "Monicker and Sheree, Amander and Chris, Debra and Steve, David and Jeff, ..., Gary and Dave, Mary and Peach, ..., Heather and Eve, Derek and Drew, ..., Margaretta and David, and Matt and Ana, you are the teams not to get a flight. I'm sorry to tell you you've all been eliminated from the race. Whew! The Philimination would take up the entire episode.

(Btw, team names were chosen pretty much at random. No bearing on who I think would actually not get a flight.)

[miri]

Monicker and Sheree, Amander and Chris

Do we have enough teams who have a member with a name that ends in an "a" so that we can have all All "ER" TAR?

[NovacScott]

Hmm, you mean with George Clooney, Noah Wyle, and the rest?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist!

[AirSteve]

Where's this ORD?

[NovacScott]

Just look for airplanes within 4 miles of each other. When you find that, you've found ORD.

[TAR Neobie]

Oh seriously, if you wanted a mass-elimination, just make their first stop Iraq or something. Mass-elimination? (Explosions, gunfire.) Voila! But that makes future All-Stars a little problematic...

Back on topic, I would really like a huge international poll or something to choose at least half the returning teams...

[KonaKini]

Mmmmm. George Clooney!!!!!!!!!!!