The Amazing Race: Do You Believe in Magic?
May 19, 2014 8:47 PM - Season 24, Episode 12 - Subscribe
The season finale of The Amazing Race, with the final three teams racing to the mat for the million dollars.
The real winner of this race was anyone who gets to live in world where Rachel and Brandon don't reproduce.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:25 PM on May 19, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 9:25 PM on May 19, 2014 [4 favorites]
All through the season, I kept reading things about how the Brenchels were super annoying and I'd think 'oh, they aren't that annoying, they're just competitive and not looking to make friends.' And the I would watch an episode and remember that they really are that annoying.
I'm really not entirely convinced that Rachel even can read, and I honestly don't understand why she was left to interpret the clues all the time when she clearly effed them up at every opportunity.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:32 PM on May 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
I'm really not entirely convinced that Rachel even can read, and I honestly don't understand why she was left to interpret the clues all the time when she clearly effed them up at every opportunity.
posted by jacquilynne at 9:32 PM on May 19, 2014 [2 favorites]
Pretty underwhelming finale, none of the challenges looked difficult, just showy. I wish there had been one of the usual final tasks where they had to remember things about past legs.
posted by wsquared at 9:39 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by wsquared at 9:39 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
I wasn't a fan of Brendon and Rachel for the most part, but I became a little more sympathetic to them just as a backlash after they became the target of the "accidental alliance," even if it was their own actions that made them that target. Out of the three final teams, I guess I was pulling for Dave and Connor, if I had to choose one, but my interest in the season dropped quite a bit once the cowboys were eliminated.
Pretty underwhelming finale, none of the challenges looked difficult, just showy. I wish there had been one of the usual final tasks where they had to remember things about past legs.
I agree that the challenges seemed a bit simple for the finale and would have liked something harder. But the "remember things from past legs" challenge has been so overdone I was glad not to see it, especially with second- or third-time racers who, if they have a lick of sense (I know, not a given), have been taking and reviewing copious notes in their downtime for just such a challenge.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:40 PM on May 19, 2014
Pretty underwhelming finale, none of the challenges looked difficult, just showy. I wish there had been one of the usual final tasks where they had to remember things about past legs.
I agree that the challenges seemed a bit simple for the finale and would have liked something harder. But the "remember things from past legs" challenge has been so overdone I was glad not to see it, especially with second- or third-time racers who, if they have a lick of sense (I know, not a given), have been taking and reviewing copious notes in their downtime for just such a challenge.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:40 PM on May 19, 2014
Once they saw the 'where to jump' sign, there was nothing, really, that would change the order, so it was functionally the end of the race. Having them jump practically onto the mat was showy but not actually interesting.
And, yeah, I'd have preferred the Cowboys - either they're just really nice guys and solid racers, or the editors are able to recut things to lie way more than I think they can. :)
posted by rmd1023 at 10:46 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
And, yeah, I'd have preferred the Cowboys - either they're just really nice guys and solid racers, or the editors are able to recut things to lie way more than I think they can. :)
posted by rmd1023 at 10:46 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
I will credit Dave and Connor with the one notable smart move of the episode: upon being told that the number of light bulbs they've counted is incorrect, they figure their count is most likely off by one and guess, rather than trying to re-count the light bulbs.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:55 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:55 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh geez, I hate All-Star shows because chances are I'll have to put up with people I've already hated once. The Brenchels. Thankfully, I didn't see them in Big Brother (didn't she ALREADY win $ on that show?) She is as dumb as a bag of hair and I have no respect for him because he married her.
That whole thing about only having kids if they won...that's a sack of EW right there.
I'm glad they lost. I hope never to see them again, nor any of their stupid family.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:39 AM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
That whole thing about only having kids if they won...that's a sack of EW right there.
I'm glad they lost. I hope never to see them again, nor any of their stupid family.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:39 AM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
But the "remember things from past legs" challenge has been so overdone I was glad not to see it
They go overboard by requiring such specific knowledge that most teams have to guess. But I do think they should at least have a challenge where you have to know where you were and what you did. Even better when you have to know something about the culture that you really should have picked up while you were there (what the currency is called or how to say "please" and "thank you").
The Amazing Race works best when it's about the foreign cultures and the scenery. This season was really focused on the fights between teams and alliance building. Rachel was actually toned down compared to normal, but the crying because she can't have a baby until she wins another game show was gross. Awful finale for a pretty bad season.
posted by Gary at 10:53 AM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
They go overboard by requiring such specific knowledge that most teams have to guess. But I do think they should at least have a challenge where you have to know where you were and what you did. Even better when you have to know something about the culture that you really should have picked up while you were there (what the currency is called or how to say "please" and "thank you").
The Amazing Race works best when it's about the foreign cultures and the scenery. This season was really focused on the fights between teams and alliance building. Rachel was actually toned down compared to normal, but the crying because she can't have a baby until she wins another game show was gross. Awful finale for a pretty bad season.
posted by Gary at 10:53 AM on May 20, 2014 [1 favorite]
I was pleasantly surprised that I grew to love the Afghanimals this season. I had not been their biggest fan in seasons past.
The Brenchels did not pleasantly surprise me. Sounds like I'm good company there, though.
posted by divka at 11:24 AM on May 20, 2014
The Brenchels did not pleasantly surprise me. Sounds like I'm good company there, though.
posted by divka at 11:24 AM on May 20, 2014
Super disappointed by the finale. I hate when taxi drivers have so much control over the outcome. The country singers got lucky when their cab driver was able to swiftly take them to the correct Mirage entrance, but they couldn't beat Dave and Connor with the light bulbs. Their cab driver was superior again by nearly getting them to the helicopters faster, but Dave and Connor's made up for a wrong turn by being willing to gun it past the singers. Whoever got to the helicopter first was pretty much guaranteed a win. It seemed very difficult to miss that sign.
The Brenchels were super annoying and I'm glad they didn't win, but their cab driver was terrible so they didn't really have a chance.
They should definiltey have a finale challenge that has something to do with the countries they have visited. Two that I liked were the "hello" "goodbye" challenge in season 21 and the one where they had to pick greeters, who each wore a representative hat, in order in season 17.
posted by ephemerista at 11:45 AM on May 20, 2014
The Brenchels were super annoying and I'm glad they didn't win, but their cab driver was terrible so they didn't really have a chance.
They should definiltey have a finale challenge that has something to do with the countries they have visited. Two that I liked were the "hello" "goodbye" challenge in season 21 and the one where they had to pick greeters, who each wore a representative hat, in order in season 17.
posted by ephemerista at 11:45 AM on May 20, 2014
But their cab driver was terrible so they didn't really have a chance.
The funny thing is, the last time I was in Vegas, we had this really, really terrible cab driver who couldn't find the Luxor, and we were all joking about how you can see the Luxor from fucking space because it has a giant light shooting out the top of it and it shouldn't be all that hard for her to find it, especially if you're a cab driver who works in Vegas and driving people to casinos is basically like 99.98% of your job. I'm not wholly convinced that wasn't the same cab driver, though I doubt it really was.
The whole thing did actually make me wonder, though, about the cab drivers. It often seems like they're just grabbing cab drivers out of a taxi line-up or flagging them down, so they can't be pre-vetted unless the show is seriously faking things, but they must need releases to use the footage and I don't remember there ever being a case where they had to blur a driver out. I wonder if it just never happens because everyone wants to be on TV? Or if they just edit around those situations?
posted by jacquilynne at 2:01 PM on May 20, 2014
The funny thing is, the last time I was in Vegas, we had this really, really terrible cab driver who couldn't find the Luxor, and we were all joking about how you can see the Luxor from fucking space because it has a giant light shooting out the top of it and it shouldn't be all that hard for her to find it, especially if you're a cab driver who works in Vegas and driving people to casinos is basically like 99.98% of your job. I'm not wholly convinced that wasn't the same cab driver, though I doubt it really was.
The whole thing did actually make me wonder, though, about the cab drivers. It often seems like they're just grabbing cab drivers out of a taxi line-up or flagging them down, so they can't be pre-vetted unless the show is seriously faking things, but they must need releases to use the footage and I don't remember there ever being a case where they had to blur a driver out. I wonder if it just never happens because everyone wants to be on TV? Or if they just edit around those situations?
posted by jacquilynne at 2:01 PM on May 20, 2014
That whole thing about only having kids if they won...that's a sack of EW right there.
Not to mention all the praying and claiming that God was on their side during certain inane tasks.
Because only the true Christian will be able to win the race of putting on tweed and hurling a rubber boot full of water across a field. Just a gross couple all around.
Afghanimals were 100 tons of awesome.
posted by chococat at 8:20 AM on May 23, 2014
Not to mention all the praying and claiming that God was on their side during certain inane tasks.
Because only the true Christian will be able to win the race of putting on tweed and hurling a rubber boot full of water across a field. Just a gross couple all around.
Afghanimals were 100 tons of awesome.
posted by chococat at 8:20 AM on May 23, 2014
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It did seem like a *really* close finale, with people hitting clue boxes at the exact same time and everyone generally doing the tasks at the same time.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:53 PM on May 19, 2014 [1 favorite]