The Amazing Race 14 Season Wrap-up

The Amazing Race

June 10, 2009

The Amazing Race 14 Wrap-Up

And our 14th season is over.

Another incredible Amazing Race has been run a new million dollar team has been crowned.

It always amazes me how The Amazing Race can thrill and excite and capture its audience season after season and never get old.

After an all-right TAR13, this season was refreshing. A couple of great new destinations and memorable tasks.

The Romanian Detour was probably one of the best in recent memory, having the teams visiting a gypsy camp or digging up coffins in the shadow of Dracula’s castle AND getting covered in blood in the process.

They then followed it up with morning log stacking in the midst of inebriated locals, wandering around a freezing Siberian village looking for a run down house, naked running through the city, and a very enjoyable foot massage.

The TAR animals delivered too. Camels are always classic and we even had elephants stepping and sitting on the teams.

It was great seeing the double leg return and the Blind U-Turn was interesting because it certainly did add to the drama.

This season also brought a “freshening up” of the series. After 13 seasons, we got a remixed opening theme, a new opening sequence, new Race icons, new font, and the introduction of the split screen.

All were executed pretty well. The remixed theme is great, though only slightly less awesome as the theme currently being used for the Israeli TAR. The new icons were definitely refreshing and the split screen made for some hilarious combos.

So I’ll have to say I enjoyed TAR14 more than TAR13. And hopefully, they can fine tune the changes to make them even better for TAR15 (15!!).

So here’s what I’m looking forward to/hoping for in TAR15…
-The new icons appearing on the Race Course
-A good set of teams
-Going to more countries/not spending more than 2 legs in one
-Have both cold and warm destinations, bonus if the Race alternates them leg-to-leg (hehe)
-More mentally challenging tasks, and throw in a few physically challenging ones like TAR10
-More comedy
-More fun Pit Stop greeters (TAR14’s nose flute guy, full on ballet, and the hungry Chinese couple were awesome)
-More fun Pit Stops too! Some out there, quirky Mat set-ups would be hilarious
-And finally, just don’t be TAR7

ALL-TIME RANKINGS
OVERALL SEASONS
1. TAR3
2. TAR5
2. TAR8
4. TAR1
5. TAR11:AS
5. TAR12
5. TAR14
8. TAR2
8 TAR10
8. TAR6
11. TAR13
11. TAR9
11. TAR4
*huge gap*
14. TAR7
—
FINALES
(regardless of winner)
1. TAR3
2. TAR12
3. TAR8
4. TAR5
5. TAR2
6. TAR1
7. TAR14
8. TAR6
9. TAR11: AS
10. TAR9
11. TAR13
12. TAR4
13. TAR10
14. TAR7
—
GROUP of TEAMS
1. TAR3
2. TAR8
3. TAR5
4. TAR1
5. TAR11: AS
6. TAR2
6. TAR12
8. TAR14
9. TAR13
10. TAR10
10. TAR6
10. TAR4
13. TAR9
*gap*
14. TAR7
—
MY ALL-TIME TEAMS
1. Kris & Jon (TAR6)
2. Teri & Ian (TAR3/AS)
3. Ronald & Christina (TAR12)
4. Charla & Mirna (TAR5/AS)
5. The Linz Family (TAR8)
6. John Vito & Jill (TAR3/AS)
7. David & Margaretta (TAR1)
8. Don & Mary Jean (TAR6)
9. Linda & Karen (TAR5)
10. Meredith & Gretchen (TAR7)
11. Erwin & Godwin (TAR10)
12. Tammy & Victor (TAR14)
—
NON TOP 3 TEAMS THAT SHOULD HAVE GONE FURTHER
1. Teri & Ian (TARAS)
2. John Vito & Jill (TAR3)
3. The Gaghan Family (TAR8)
4. Toni & Dallas (TAR13)
5. Linda & Karen (TAR5)
6. Meredith & Gretchen (TAR7)
7. The Paolo Family (TAR8)
8. The Rogers Family (TAR8)
9. Joseph & Monica (TAR9)
10. Jim & Marsha (TAR5)
11. Charla & Mirna (TAR5)
12. Mel & Mike (TAR14)
—
MOST DESERVING FINAL 3 TEAM (NON-WINNERS)
1. Kris & Jon (TAR6)
2. Teri & Ian (TAR3)
2. Charla & Mirna (TARAS)
2. Ronald & Christina (TAR12)
5. Ken & Gerard (TAR3)
6. Kelly & Jon (TAR4)
7. Dustin & Kandice (TARAS)
8. Eric & Jeremy (TAR9)
9. Ken & Tina (TAR13)
10. Nicolas & Donald (TAR12)
11. Frank & Margarita (TAR1)
—
WINNERS (as a team)
1. The Linz Family (TAR8)
2. Flo & Zach (TAR3)
3. Rob & Brennan (TAR1)
4. Uchenna & Joyce (TAR7)
5. Tammy & Victor (TAR14)
6. Chris & Alex (TAR2)
6. Chip & Kim (TAR5)
6. Nick & Starr (TAR13)
6. Tyler & James (TAR10)
*gap*
10. Reichen & Chip (TAR4)
11. BJ & Tyler (TAR9)
12. Freddy & Kendra (TAR6)
13. TK & Rachel (TAR12)
14. Eric & Danielle (TAR11:AS)
—
WINNERS (with respect to final 3)
    Winning Team
       Who I thought should have won
1. Uchenna & Joyce
    Uchenna & Joyce (TAR7)
2. The Linz Family
    The Linz Family (TAR8)
3. Tammy & Victor
   Tammy & Victor (TAR14)
4. Rob & Brennan
   Rob & Brennan or Frank & Margarita (TAR1)
5. Chris & Alex
   Blake & Paige or Chris & Alex (TAR2)
6. Chip & Kim
   Chip & Kim or Brandon & Nicole (TAR5)
7. Tyler & James
   Tyler & James or Lyn & Karlyn (TAR10)
8. Flo & Zach
   Teri & Ian or Ken & Gerard (TAR3)
9. Nick & Starr
   Nick & Starr or Ken & Tina
10. Reichen & Chip
   Kelly & Jon (TAR4)
11. Freddy & Kendra
   Kris & Jon (TAR6)
12. BJ & Tyler
   Eric & Jeremy or Ray & Yolanda (TAR9)
13. Eric & Danielle
   Charla & Mirna or Dustin &Kandice (TAR11:AS)
14. TK & Rachel
   Ronald & Christina or Don & Nicolas (TAR12)

My Final Team Rankings

	Tammy & Victor – It is good to see a team that has done well throughout the Race go on to win. They worked well together and they overcame a horrific leg that could’ve ended the Race for them. They are the first Asian winners of TAR (US of course) and made it through the Race largely on their own despite their mini-alliance with Margie & Luke and Jaime & Cara. They proved to be strong and they grew closer as siblings. They couldn’t ask for anything more from the Race. A well-deserved win.
	Amanda & Kris – I believe TAR and TAR fans have been looking for (whether they want to or not) the next generation Kris & Jon, TAR6’s out of the norm nice couple that actually Raced near perfection and were good looking to boot. Amanda & Kris seemed poised to be that team; both strong, the dreaded “nice” personalities, and yep, both easy on the eyes. But they were Philiminated in a perfect example of how one decision could end it all for you on the Race. I thought they deserved to go farther than they did.
	Mel & Mike – After a long while, finally an awesome father and son team. Mel defied expectations and like TAR12’s Don, made up in brains what he may have lacked physically. Both he and Mike kept up with the group and stayed in the top half much of the Race. A sad elimination since they did more than enough to deserve a spot in the final 3. Great, great team.
	Linda & Steve – It was a strange dynamic we got from them. After their time on Race and in Elimination Station, they are apparently just like that. They love each other, they have little spats and they can get pretty loud with each other, but that’s just the way they are. The unedited clips at CBS.com show how much fun they had on the Race and how much they really care about each other and it’s a shame it didn’t come out on the show, I think. Nonetheless, they were still pretty awesome.
	Cara & Jaime – Despite the feistiness of Jaime, they were able to grow as a fine team through the Race. Though not a perfect run, they did manage to step it up week after week to get themselves into the runners-up slot. Their alliance with Margie & Luke actually held them back a little during the Race, but in the end, it actually helped them pass the mother and son to take 2nd. Not the strongest female team ever, but they held their own.
	Kisha & Jen – After a slow start, they really hit their stride when it count and it got them 4th place. Though they could’ve done a couple of things differently, they overcame whatever sibling drama they had at the start of the Race and got things together as the final leg drew closer. Plus, no doubt the Race made their relationship stronger as a result.
	Christie & Jodi – They had the makings of a good team. They worked well together and that is always important if you want to get far in the Race. They slowly, but surely stepped things up week after week and if the Race weren’t so close, they could’ve made it farther then they did.
	Jennifer & Preston – For every “Amanda & Kris” on TAR, there’s going to be 4 “Preston & Jennifers,” a young couple that love each other very much, but like to argue anyway. We didn’t get much from them on the Race as the first out, but judging from their time in Elimination Station, sparks would’ve flown between them if they stayed in the Race. And if Steve & Linda had stayed longer as well, it would’ve been something else to see their little tension ON the Race.
	Brad & Victoria – I really wanted to see them be “bad ass” like they declared at the start of the Race. It just didn’t happen. They were physically capable of making far, but one thing or another took them out earlier than they probably could have been.
	Margie & Like – There is no doubt these two are a strong pair. Phil calling Margie “the bionic woman” is deserved for many reasons. She was a tough competitor, definitely exceeded many people’s expectations. And she also was able to carry Luke when he wasn’t able to (or didn’t want to) Race the best he could. Despite his breakdowns, Margie picked him up and pushed forward. However, from some choice moments during the Race and from post-Race interviews with other teams, it appears they weren’t as innocent as they were made out to be.
	Mark & Michael – Nice guys, but they Raced horribly. Some of their penalties alone were so obvious that it is crazy to think why they’d do them in the first place. They were saved almost as many times as Dandrew’s inexplicable luck last season and while they definitely enjoyed their time on the Race, they just didn’t Race on a level that would’ve won them a million without luck.

Relive The Amazing Race 14!

Click here to go to the archive to see all my recaps from the season and from seasons past!

Also, over 7000! caps, more than 500 from each episode at
xangatheamazingracecaps @ Photobucket

And, check out hours of bonus video including full episodes and the complete season of Elimination Station at CBS.com

See you in fall!
I’ll be sure to update throughout the summer and hopefully a whole new site in time for the 15th season premiere!
And GOOD LUCK to TAR at this year’s Emmys!

The Amazing Race 14 wrap-up

The Amazing Race 14 Season Wrap-up

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