The Amazing Race 26 Season Wrap-up

TAR2612

Blind. Bertram and Co. must have been blindfolded when they stuck a bunch of strange ideas onto a wall and threw a dart to see which gimmick they’d use for Season 26 of The Amazing Race.

All-couple, blind dating season it is!

I’ll just say it right off the bat. The Blind Date twist/gimmick seemed like a bad idea from the start and now that the season is over and done with, it still is a bad idea.

It added almost nothing of value to the show. It didn’t add any new viewers. It didn’t make things more exciting. The only positive of the twist is that it introduced us to Hayley. But that could’ve easily been accomplished by forcing her to find a partner and throw her onto a regular season. (It’s not like TAR hasn’t cast that way before.)

But let’s backtrack first. All the way to TAR25.

The milestone 25th season is the best TAR season since TAR17. It’s no secret that TAR has been at its weakest these last few years and going all the way back to TAR12 even, the last truly amazing season. Season 17 was the closest TAR has come to regaining some of the magic that made the series such a success in the first place.

After the disaster that was “All-Stars” 2 or TAR24, anything would’ve likely looked better. Even some dumb blind date twist. But TAR25 took things a step further. For some reason, Betram and Co. went back to basics for TAR25. They touched on the basic elements that make for a good TAR season: great casting, great tasks, great locations and great competition. No need for twists or gimmicks. (The Save was a non-factor.) TAR25 was just a pure, no frills, enjoyable season with good winners.

But with the move to Friday and the ratings catching up with the declining quality over the last few years, apparently CBS and Betram and Co. were looking for ways to bump up the ratings.

Why they thought recycling NBC’s failed Jenny McCarthy-hosted Love in the Wild was the answer to gain new or win back old viewers, who knows.

The love aspect was so heavy-handed the entire season. Much of it so forced and contrived. Especially with Phil needing to ask every team about falling in love every chance he got. Even at the Finish Line!

The idea of strangers Racing together may or not be a good idea. (Leaning towards not a good idea.) But shoving an all-couple edition of the Race while pursuing some sleazy blind dating/Bachelor-type gimmick really made the whole concept of strangers feel used and stale instead of fresh.

And it didn’t help ratings one bit. You might want to credit the gimmick with keeping TAR above a 1.0 live rating. But that can be credited as much to TAR’s loyal, core audience.

And despite what some people will tell you, the facts are these [/Pushing Daisies]:
TAR is *not* cheap to produce. The logistics and travel and worldwide crew cost about as much as the normal scripted drama. You want an inexpensive reality show? Undercover Boss is inexpensive. Big Brother is inexpensive. Any other studio-based show is inexpensive. Not TAR. If TAR were to slash its budget any more than they already have, we’d have the opening Leg in the Starting Line city or TARAu3-style 10 short Legs with less teams.

And for a non-cheap show to produce, even in this age of DVRs and Hulu and CBS All-Access and iTunes and less people watching TV, a same-day rating of below 1.0 in the demo on any broadcast network that isn’t the CW is still not good. No amount of awards of recognition or critical acclaim (which TAR struggles to hold on to in recent years) can save such a low-rated and poorly watched show.

Now TAR is definitely returning for season 27 in the Fall, but there is no question TAR is teetering on the cliff. And whose fault is that? Just point to whoever was responsible for the less-than-amazing seasons we’ve got over the last few years. It’s no surprise even the most dedicated fans have lost interest in TAR.

Who knows what TAR has in store for season 27. It’s great to stay positive, but the reality is TARs in Canada and Israel will likely live longer than the trailblazing original mothership.

Anyway…

Back to this season specifically.

But what can you say about a season that draws ideas from The Bachelor and thinks #selfies are things you want to see on a travel/reality-competition show?

It was nice to see Fitbit sponsoring the show. And again, product placement and sponsors are one of the reasons TAR is still breathing.

So then why with these dumb selfies did TAR not find a sponsor for the phones they would use on the show? They used Microsoft Lumias, but didn’t get Microsoft to sponsor? Could they really not find any company to sponsor the devices they would use on the show or did they not even attempt to find one? Mind-boggling.

At least Travelocity and Ford haven’t given up on the show.

Phil popping up during the Legs was actually a little better this season. But still not including team placements at the Mat is annoying.

The Teams
Couples, dating couples specifically, usually blend in together on the Race. There are usually a few on each season. And on TAR26, we had 11. So it was unavoidable that you pretty much couldn’t tell most of the dating couples apart in the first half of the Race. That’s definitely not a good thing.

One of the reasons a TAR cast may be great is that it will have a diverse mix of characters and team dynamics. An added bonus is if there is great competition. By having all couples, TAR26 eliminated one of the biggest things that makes the Race fun to watch. Seeing people of different backgrounds and relationships competing with each other is much more interesting than seeing the same, young dating couple at every turn.

The only big personalities to have come from this season are Hayley and, to a lesser degree, Jenny. Both feisty women who are accomplished in their careers (a nurse and a lawyer) who may be too naggy for some to take. Like I mentioned earlier, it’s not like TAR hasn’t pulled from Survivor or Big Brother’s casting pool and forced an applicant to find themselves a partner to Race with. So if they liked Hayley and Jenny so much, they could’ve easily asked them to find a partner. No need for this Blind Date gimmick. Because it certainly didn’t produce any other memorable team.

A Positive?!
Why yes. This season isn’t all bad. And as you’ll see below, it’ll rank in the middling seasons of TAR. In other words, it fits in perfectly with any non-TAR17 or TAR25 post-TARAS season. Not garbage like TAR24, but not amazing either.

Still, the fact that no one team dominated and several teams won Legs is a testament to improved Leg design. The only Linear Legs this season really were the two Namibia Legs and the penultimate Leg in Peru. In Peru, the Leg was a Non-Elimination anyway.

It was good to see the Detour return in the First Leg. But really, it was just so TAR could have a BLIND Double U-Turn. (Get it? BLIND!)

The tasks were all pretty standard TAR most of the season. Tasks like the New World Order dance, the ladyboys in Phuket, the Oktoberfest Detour, and the Peru 1 Road Block and Detour were good tasks. And the multi-part Detour in Bangkok was creative.

But even with typical TAR tasks, it can still work if the Leg design is okay. And for the most part, it was this season.

Overall
Overall, TAR26 is at the bottom of my 2nd tier of seasons. Dragged even further down by the unnecessary gimmick.

Maybe after TAR24, this season would’ve looked great. But especially after TAR25, it was back to more of the same TAR that’s caused its steep decline.

I’m certainly holding out hope that TAR27 will be much better. Even more for the sake of the show’s future.

My FINAL Subjective Team Rankings

If I could split the teams and rank by person, I would. But for this final ranking, I won’t.

Either way, Blair & Hayley are my favorite team from this season. Really the only good thing to have come from the dumb twist. Their “relationship” during the Race was amazing and fun to watch. If all the other couples were as interesting and hilariously fun as them, then we’d have a completely different season. Hayley’s “You never listen to me” was a fascinating narrative to follow. As was their evolving relationship from mutual annoyance to mutual understanding. While it did seem like they wanted to strangle each other at times, it was evident towards the end of the Race that they grew accustomed to each other and were able to adapt to each other well. They could’ve easily won the million had it not been for Hayley’s mistake. And as much as I don’t like the twist, I would not mind Hayley & Blair return on TAR: Redemption.

Jelani & Jenny were my pre-Race favorites and I was excited to see them dominate the first 2 Legs. I was happy to see them start bickering too to show that they weren’t invincible. But they definitely got less fun as they settled into cruise control and kinda lost their way. The fire that was there in the beginning was gone by the end of the Race. I definitely love Jenny though. But as a team, they wasted some great potential.

And now we get to the other teams who are so interchangeable.

These rankings basically hold up from the first episode. CJ & Libby and Jeff & Lyda could’ve been interesting teams to watch moving forward. CJ & Libby seemed much more fun and outgoing than most other couples while Jeff & Lyda could’ve been the “older” team to counter all the young teams.

I definitely felt for Bergen. Not because he didn’t find love, but because of getting eliminated thanks to Kurt‘s lack of drive and determination in that final Leg. There was a danger of TAR overplaying Harley & Jonathan and the NKOTB stuff, but thankfully they didn’t. Instead, they were just another bland couple.

I like Mike & Rochelle and they showed flashes of excellent Racing. But overall, they didn’t step it up when they needed to.

Now the couples who were the most interchangeable. Matt & Ashley had some interestingly fun quick meltdowns, but not enough to really leave a lasting impression. Aly & Steve were absolutely boring most of the Race until their meltdown in Namibia when we saw some interesting dynamics that were absent previous and could’ve been great to watch if we saw more. Jeff & Jackie were just a typical couple you’d see on any other TAR season. And finally Tyler & Laura, the cocky, overconfident jock and head cheerleader who love selfies and you just can’t bring yourself to root for.

ALL-TIME RANKINGS

OVERALL SEASONS
1. TAR3
2. TAR5
3. TAR8
4. TAR1
5. TAR11:AS
6. TAR12
7. TAR2
7. TAR4
7. TAR10
10. TAR6
11. TAR17
12. TAR25
*gap*
13. TAR9
14. TAR19
15. TAR18: UB
16. TAR20
17. TAR21
18. TAR16
19. TAR14
20. TAR15
21. TAR13
22. TAR7
23. TAR22
24. TAR23
25. TAR26
*gap*
26. TAR24
FINALES
(regardless of winner)
1. TAR3
2. TAR12
3. TAR21
4. TAR8
5. TAR5
6. TAR2
7. TAR1
8. TAR16
9. TAR15
10. TAR14
11. TAR25
12. TAR20
13. TAR6
14. TAR19
15. TAR17
16. TAR22
17. TAR23
18. TAR11: AS
19. TAR4
20. TAR26
21. TAR18
22. TAR9
23. TAR13
24. TAR10
25. TAR7
26. TAR24
GROUP of TEAMS
1. TAR3
2. TAR8
3. TAR5
4. TAR1
5. TAR11: AS
6. TAR2
6. TAR12
8. TAR6
8. TAR4
10. TAR10
10. TAR9
12. TAR25
13. TAR20
13. TAR19
13. TAR17
16. TAR21
17. TAR18
18. TAR22
19. TAR23
20. TAR16
21. TAR15
22. TAR14
23. TAR13
24. TAR26
25. TAR7
26. TAR24
MY ALL-TIME TEAMS
1. Ronald & Christina (TAR12/18)
1. Teri & Ian (TAR3/AS)
1. Charla & Mirna (TAR5/AS)
4. Kris & Jon (TAR6)
4. Kelly & Jon (TAR4)
6. Linda & Karen (TAR5)
6. Ken & Gerard (TAR3)
6. Brendon & Rachel (TAR20/TAR24)
9. John Vito & Jill (TAR3/AS)
10. David & Margaretta (TAR1)
11. Meredith & Gretchen (TAR7)
12. Brian & Ericka (TAR15)
13. The Linz Family (TAR8)
14. Max & Katie (TAR22)
15. Ernie & Cindy (TAR19)
16. Nat & Kat (TAR17)
17. Brook & Claire (TAR17)
18. Erwin & Godwin (TAR10)
19. Natalie & Nadiya (TAR21/24)
20. Trey & Lexi (TAR21)
21. Pam & Winnie (TAR22)
22. Tim & Te Jay (TAR25)
23. Amy & Maya (TAR25)
NON TOP 3 TEAMS THAT
SHOULD HAVE GONE FURTHER

1. Ron & Christina (TAR18)
2. Teri & Ian (TARAS)
3. John Vito & Jill (TAR3)
4. The Gaghan Family (TAR8)
5. Linda & Karen (TAR5)
6. Bopper & Mark (TAR20)
7. Meredith & Gretchen (TAR7)
8. Charla & Mirna (TAR5)
9. Natalie & Nadiya (TAR24)
10. Natalie & Nadiya (TAR21)
11. The Paolo Family (TAR8)
12. Pam & Winnie (TAR22)
13. Gary & Mallory (TAR17)
14. Joseph & Monica (TAR9)
15. Kym & Alli (TAR25)
16. Bill & Cathi (TAR19)
17. Tim & Te Jay (TAR25)
18. Jim & Marsha (TAR5)
19. Steve & Allie (TAR16)
20. Hoskote & Naina (TAR23)
21. Mark & Mallory (TAR24)
MOST DESERVING
FINAL 3 TEAM (NON-WINNERS)

1. Brook & Claire (TAR17)
1. Kris & Jon (TAR6)
1. Teri & Ian (TAR3)
1. Charla & Mirna (TARAS)
1. Ronald & Christina (TAR12)
6. Ken & Gerard (TAR3)
6. Brendon & Rachel (TAR24)
6. Kelly & Jon (TAR4)
6. Dustin & Kandice (TARAS)
10. Gary & Mallory (TAR18)
11. Max & Katie (TAR22)
12. Jaymes & James (TAR21)
13. Brian & Ericka (TAR15)
14. Eric & Jeremy (TAR9)
15. Brendon & Rachel (TAR20)
16. Nicolas & Donald (TAR12)
17. Frank & Margarita (TAR1)
18. Trey & Lexi (TAR21)
19. Ken & Tina (TAR13)
20. Hayley & Blair (TAR26)
21. Jenny & Jelani (TAR26)
WINNERS (subjective, as a team)
1. Amy & Maya (TAR25)
2. Ernie & Cindy (TAR19)
3. Nat & Kat (TAR17)
4. Dan & Jordan (TAR16)
5. The Linz Family (TAR8)
6. Flo & Zach (TAR3)
7. Rob & Brennan (TAR1)
8. Uchenna & Joyce (TAR7)
9. Chris & Alex (TAR2)
9. Chip & Kim (TAR5)
9. Tammy & Victor (TAR14)
*gap*
12. Kisha & Jen (TAR18)
12. Meghan & Cheyne (TAR15)
12. Tyler & James (TAR10)
12. Freddy & Kendra (TAR6)
16. Bates & Anthony (TAR22)
17. Nick & Starr (TAR13)
18. Rachel & Dave (TAR20)
19. Jason & Amy (TAR23)
*gap*
20. Reichen & Chip (TAR4)
21. Tyler & Laura (TAR26)
22. BJ & Tyler (TAR9)
23. TK & Rachel (TAR12)
24. Eric & Danielle (TAR11:AS)
25. Josh & Brent (TAR21)
26. Dave & Connor (TAR24)
WINNERS (with respect to final 3)
Winning Team
> > Who I Wanted to Win
1. Amy & Maya
> > Amy & Maya (TAR25)
1. Ernie & Cindy
> > Ernie & Cindy (TAR19)
3. Dan & Jordan
> > Dan & Jordan (TAR16)
4. Uchenna & Joyce
> > Uchenna & Joyce (TAR7)
5. The Linz Family
> > The Linz Family (TAR8)
6. Tammy & Victor
> > Tammy & Victor (TAR14)
7. Nat & Kat
> > Nat & Kat or Brook & Claire (TAR17)
8. Rob & Brennan
> > Rob & Brennan or Frank & Margarita (TAR1)
9. Chris & Alex
> > Blake & Paige or Chris & Alex (TAR2)
10. Chip & Kim
> > Chip & Kim or Brandon & Nicole (TAR5)
11. Tyler & James
> > Tyler & James or Lyn & Karlyn (TAR10)
12. Jason & Amy
> > None (TAR23)
13. Flo & Zach
> > Teri & Ian or Ken & Gerard (TAR3)
14. Kisha & Jen
> > Gary & Mallory (TAR18)
15. Meghan & Cheyne
> > Brian & Ericka (TAR15)
16. Nick & Starr
> > Nick & Starr or Ken & Tina (TAR13)
17. Reichen & Chip
> > Kelly & Jon (TAR4)
18. Freddy & Kendra
> > Kris & Jon (TAR6)
19. Rachel & Dave
> > Brendon & Rachel (TAR20)
20. Bates & Anthony
> > Max & Katie (TAR22)
21. Dave & Connor
> > Brendon & Rachel (TAR24)
21. Tyler & Laura
> > Hayley & Blair or Jenny & Jelani (TAR26)
23. BJ & Tyler
> > Eric & Jeremy or Ray & Yolanda (TAR9)
24. Eric & Danielle
> > Charla & Mirna or Dustin &Kandice (TAR11:AS)
25. TK & Rachel
> > Ronald & Christina or Don & Nicolas (TAR12)
26. Josh & Brent
> > Trey & Lexi or Jaymes & James (TAR12)

29 thoughts on “The Amazing Race 26 Season Wrap-up

  1. Lets go back to TAR 24, is it true that the show pretty much favored Dave & Connor to win? If yes, that would be unfair for Brenchel and even to their BFF’s Caroline & Jen.

    1. It’s interesting because Bertram and Co. didn’t really sugarcoat Dave & Connor’s horrible personalities during the Race. A lot of casual fans who usually have questionable judgment actually did not like Dave & Connor, which was a big surprise. But also a testament to just how bad Dave & Connor really were.

      At the same time, the rumors are that it wasn’t so much they wanted Dave & Connor to win as they wanted Brendon & Rachel to lose. Apparently, Bertram and Co. didn’t even want to invite them back for All-Stars, but CBS really pushed for them. There are also whispers that Bertram and Co. have structured Final Legs in which they can skew certain things toward certain teams. Like the taxis for example, which are now provided by the show and not necessarily any ol’ taxi teams can get at the airport like they used to do. In post-Race interviews, Brendon & Rachel talked about how they would be first to leave a Route Marker, yet somehow always arrive last at the next one. Stuff like that.

      1. So they don’t want to invite Brenchel back but they really want the Globetrotters and the Cowboys. I don’t mind Luke & Margie. But I’m still annoyed that I have to endure another season of them. One season of them is enough. But we got see them three times. Enough of gimmicky teams. There are so many teams who haven’t even get a second chance to race. That’s unfair.

        1. I know right? Bertram and Co. really have a strange taste. But their views on All-Star teams have always been strange. For Unfinished Business, they didn’t want to invite anyone pre-All-Stars because they said no one remembers any team from back then. Isn’t that horrible?

  2. I love your write-ups but honestly, this is where I would disagree on you entirely.

    Take away the blind-date gimmick and the dating theme and this was a pretty good season with a good cast and solid racing with LOADS of inter-team drama.

    I understand being underwhelmed by this season, but if you actually look past it starting from Germany onwards, this was an amazing season on its own merits. Just like how TAR8 is a good solid season with a meh theme (families), so is TAR26.

    It’s just a shame that the winners were one of the show’s worst, but other than that, I felt TAR26 was a great season. (Just don’t let the theme repeat again BVM and Co!)

  3. Just rewatch TAR 3. I actually enjoy it. Definitely the best season. I also grew to appreciate Flo. She wasn’t as annoying the first time I watch the season. I don’t think she’s useless. Speaking of useless, Caroline & Jen went to my mind. LOL!

    1. Yeah, Flo definitely brought a lot to the season. And as much as everyone likes to say she’s useless, I think she might have been able to carry her weight even on the seasons with Road Block limits.

        1. Let’s see…
          1. Teri & Ian
          2. Ken & Gerard
          3. John Vito & Jill
          4. Flo & Zach
          5. Derek & Drew
          5. Michael & Kathy
          5. Heather & Eve
          8. Gina & Sylvia
          8. Dennis & Andrew
          8. Tramel & Talicia
          11. Andre & Damon
          11. Aaron & Arianne

          Looking back now, I actually like all of them, even Andre & Damon and Aaron & Arianne. Much more than many teams in recent seasons. Andre & Damon almost getting thrown in jail and their bumbling, bottomgoddessing is pretty amusing. While Aaron & Arianne were the competitive villains who you don’t actually completely hate (hello Dave & Connor! lol)

          It’s like, I like the middle teams of TAR3 more than I might like my “favorite” team of recent seasons, you know?

    1. I think…
      1. Kelly & Jon
      2. Tian & Jaree
      3. Steve & Dave
      4. Amanda & Chris
      5. Millie & Chuck
      6. Monica & Sheree
      7. Debra & Steve
      8. David & Jeff
      8. Jon & Al
      10. Steve & Josh
      11. Russell & Cindy
      GAP
      12. Reichen & Chip

        1. 1. Charla & Mirna
          2. Linda & Karen
          3. Jim & Marsha
          4. Brandon & Nicole
          4. Colin & Christie
          4. Bob & Joyce
          7. Dennis & Erika
          7. Chip & Kim
          7. Kami & Karli
          7. Alison & Donny
          GAP
          11. Marshall & Lance

  4. I don’t understand your logic because you rank Colin & Christie higher than Chip & Kim yet on your season wrap-up you want Chip & Kim or Brandon & Nicole to win.

    1. Well, my team rankings now are different from how I felt back when the season first aired. I definitely did not want Colin and Christie to win back then. But I look back at them more fondly and think about all the great and fun drama they brought while also being great competitors. I may have “liked” Chip & Kim and Brandon & Nicole more back then, but looking back it’s like, “They were nice and all, but I remember Colin & Christie more.”

    1. 1. Kris & Jon
      2. Lena & Kristy
      3. Gus & Hera
      4. Don & Mary Jean
      5. Hayden & Aaron
      5. Meredith & Maria
      7. Lori & Bolo
      8. Avi & Joe
      9. Jonathan & Victoria
      9. Freddy & Kendra
      9. Adam & Rebecca

      1. I’m still curious about the winner rankings. Freddy & Kendra is not in the bottom where they supposed to be. Their winning completely robbed “the perfect couple” Kris & Jon.

        1. In the overall winner rankings, I definitely can’t put Freddy & Kendra lower than any of those after Reichen & Chip. But they are in the middle group of those I’m just “meh” about.

          About Kris & Jon, I guess the list you want to look at more is my relative ranking with respect to the Final 3. For me, the winner is worse if they beat TWO teams I was rooting for in the final Leg.

    1. It’s interesting, I don’t really dislike any TAR8 teams. So I guess these rankings are based on how much I like them, how much I remember them and how much fun drama they brought to the show.

      1. Paolo Family
      2. Gaghan Family
      3. Linz Family
      4. Rogers Family
      4. Weaver Family
      6. Godlewski Family
      6. Bransen Family
      8. Black Family
      8. Aiello Family
      10. Schroeder Family

      1. I don’t understand. The Paolos and The Gaghans are ranked higher than The Linzes who are on your all-time favorite time teams. I think that you should edit your all-time teams’ list.

  5. Just rewatch the first couple episodes of TAR 1. I actually like it! It had different feel than any other seasons. Plus, the Guidos are great villains. But I still wonder why you dislike Reichen & Chip (TAR 4) even when they are not as evil as the Guidos were?

  6. Hayley was horrible—shrill, nagging, and utterly obnoxious, sorry. Your inexplicable adoration of her takes away some of your credibility.

    I will still read your recaps because you have some good insights, but please try not to make completely loathesome teams.

    1. Thank you for your support.

      Well, I thought Hayley and Blair were the most interesting team on this season. Especially when other teams were pretty bland, you need to have a team that creates drama to keep things interesting. They also had the best story all season. Hayley was always right whenever Blair hesitated. But then it was Hayley in the finale who made the mistake that cost them the money. That’s hilarious. And since you don’t like her, that should be very satisfying.

      Anyway, it’s a TV show and I like to watch good character and also still want to root for people too. We all have different opinions of course.

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