The Amazing Race has always been fantastic. Easily 8-10 stars. Until recently.
The last few (post COVID) seasons 34-36 have removed all the travel aspects and it's essentially watching the Detours, Roadblocks, etc in some exotic location.
They no longer show ANY of the travel.. no scrambling for "first flight" anywhere. No dealing with non-English speaking travel agencies. What's the point of a "race around the world" if you never actually see any of the travel?? Just have them all compete in challenges outside the studio lot in the US. Would it really be any different?
The lack of actual travel has made it FAR FAR less "adventure" overall. Some of the best parts were watching the contestant interactions at airports or bus stations when they were NOT competing in a challenge. Now, all you see are challenges and driving to challenges. They rarely even do the "take a taxi" and always seem to provide a race vehicle.
It's diminished the show considerably. They need to bring back the travel aspect.
This series started by showing clips of teams at the pit stops.. when they were NOT racing. Those moments were fantastic... it was a poor choice to removed those several years ago. Now, they've removed all travel. They've slowly lost sight of what made this series popular and have essentially ruined the entertainment value at great deal. Producers would do well to go back and watch seasons 1-4 themselves and see what drew viewers in.
I'm sure there's some reason for starting every leg with all teams already in some country and at a mat and merely ripping clues in order. But it's not nearly as interesting or entertaining.
Seems to me they are doing their best to create something they can sell in syndication.. a simple 1hr block for 10 episodes. Either that or Phil is tired of it. If Phil's tired.. find a new host for heaven's sake. I doubt anyone watches this show for Phil's short explanation narratives.
If the AU and CA versions can still show travel, why can't the US version?? Lack of travel has moved the US version to the bottom of the list.
Season 36 has even done away with the final "Remember the Race" detour. Perhaps because the "race" isn't really what this show is about any longer.
The last few (post COVID) seasons 34-36 have removed all the travel aspects and it's essentially watching the Detours, Roadblocks, etc in some exotic location.
They no longer show ANY of the travel.. no scrambling for "first flight" anywhere. No dealing with non-English speaking travel agencies. What's the point of a "race around the world" if you never actually see any of the travel?? Just have them all compete in challenges outside the studio lot in the US. Would it really be any different?
The lack of actual travel has made it FAR FAR less "adventure" overall. Some of the best parts were watching the contestant interactions at airports or bus stations when they were NOT competing in a challenge. Now, all you see are challenges and driving to challenges. They rarely even do the "take a taxi" and always seem to provide a race vehicle.
It's diminished the show considerably. They need to bring back the travel aspect.
This series started by showing clips of teams at the pit stops.. when they were NOT racing. Those moments were fantastic... it was a poor choice to removed those several years ago. Now, they've removed all travel. They've slowly lost sight of what made this series popular and have essentially ruined the entertainment value at great deal. Producers would do well to go back and watch seasons 1-4 themselves and see what drew viewers in.
I'm sure there's some reason for starting every leg with all teams already in some country and at a mat and merely ripping clues in order. But it's not nearly as interesting or entertaining.
Seems to me they are doing their best to create something they can sell in syndication.. a simple 1hr block for 10 episodes. Either that or Phil is tired of it. If Phil's tired.. find a new host for heaven's sake. I doubt anyone watches this show for Phil's short explanation narratives.
If the AU and CA versions can still show travel, why can't the US version?? Lack of travel has moved the US version to the bottom of the list.
Season 36 has even done away with the final "Remember the Race" detour. Perhaps because the "race" isn't really what this show is about any longer.