Tom & Tyler: 1.67
Tim & Rod: 3.5
Jasmine & Jerome: 3.83
Viv & Joey: 4
Hayley & Mikayla: 4.33 (Eliminated at Chingisiin Khuree Camp)
Sid & Ash: 5
Femi & Nick: 6.33
So despite having struggled through this leg, it is still pretty evident that Tom & Tyler are still pretty much the one team that can easily win this season as long as they are not up against challenges that depend mostly or entirely on luck. But in this leg, production had thrown a major spanner in the works by making teams dig for their first clue - that meant that the first team Sid & Ash were out of there in ten minutes flat and after four hours, the last two teams left having incurred a two hour penalty. The traffic in Ulaanbaatar also played a major factor in randomizing the outcomes, so Tim & Rod were somehow cheated out of their first place finish despite being the first team to complete their dance detour. And most interestingly, for the first time this season, the weakest team was not eliminated but in fact it was a reasonably strong team that befell a huge dose of bad luck. Not only did Hayley & Mikayla fail to find the box in the sand, they were stuck in horrifically bad traffic (hey, Putin was in town) whilst Femi & Nick's driver took an unorthodox short cut - so really, Femi & Nick were saved by their brilliant driver in this leg. Teams got assigned drivers to take them back into Ulaanbaatar so it was once again, completely random which team got the better driver. But it wasn't like the teams conspired to get Hayley & Mikayla out because they were a strong competitor - the girls simply had terrible luck in this leg despite completing both the roadblock and the detour very efficiently. Therefore I blame the producers for this very unsatisfactory outcome.
Oh yes, it is one of the more cruel TAR traditions that has been done so many times before. In TAR US S9 E7 in Oman, teams had to dig in 117 sand dunes to find only 6 hidden woven pouches in order to receive their next clue. It was crazy hot and the conditions the teams had to endure whilst digging those dunes were insane - that's why I'm glad production imposed a four hour limit on this task as it was brutal. In TAR Latin America S5 E1 in Cartagena, Colombia, teams had to search amongst hundreds of sandcastles on a beach for a small number of statues hidden amongst the sandcastles - if they demolish a sandcastle that didn't contain a statue, they had to rebuild it. That wasn't so bad as the sandcastles weren't too big. In TAR Asia S1 E3 in Bali, Indonesia, teams had to dig for at tiny wooden surf board buried at a depth of 40 cm in a marked area on the beach - again, so many teams found that extremely brutal and it came down to dumb luck as to who got out of there first. And of course, the most recent season of TAR US S31 kicked off with the teams searching for their first clue buried in a giant sand sculpture on a beach in Los Angeles. Therefore the purpose of this kind of "looking for a needle in a haystack" task is to throw up completely random results as you're pretty much dependent on pure luck rather than any kind of skill - sure having the will to keep digging after a long time requires a lot of mental and physical strength, but is this the kind of outcome that we want - one that is based on luck rather than skill?
Skill vs luck in this leg
Let's look at the winning team in this leg: Sid & Ash. They struggled through the first roadblock with Sid taking far more time to learn the Mongolian chant than the other teams, then when they went to the dance detour, again they took far more attempts than the other teams to complete that detour. However, they got lucky three times in this leg: firstly when they found the box hidden in the sand before any other team, then when they traveled into the city whilst avoiding any major traffic jams - then lastly when three teams were racing to the pit stop at the same time, it looked like they were the third of three teams to leave the city but somehow because of the massive traffic jams caused by Putin's visit, they ended up first. So really, they enjoyed a massive dose of luck in this leg despite their somewhat below average performance at the challenges. Contrast that to Hayley & Mikayla who blasted through both the roadblock and the detour in style but still came in last by a pretty long way - oh boy, I think many would agree with me that it wasn't a fair outcome as too much depended on luck. The pit stop was 20 km away from town and okay, there were some yurts there which are very Mongolian but we have already seen those in the previous leg when the teams had to drink fermented horse milk in those yurts. They really should have picked a pit stop location in central Ulaanbaatar instead especially in light of the horrific traffic situation. After all, there are plenty of other popular, iconic landmarks in central Ulaanbaatar, why the hell did they pick a campsite 20 km out of town? Unfortunately, that was yet another poor decision by this production team.
There is a balance to be struck for the producers: if the outcome is too predictable (ie. Tom & Tyler winning again), then the programme risks being boring. But if the outcome is determined by luck, then the race wouldn't seem fair - teams should be able to use their skill during the detours and roadblocks to catch up with the teams ahead. However, I think that they got the balance wrong in this case because they should have known that Putin was in town - Ulaanbaatar is not a big city, Putin visiting would be major news. Trying to get around the city was already going to be completely out of their control, so I have two very simple alterations that would have made this leg a lot more fair: the first would be the choice of the pit stop as already discussed above - pick somewhere more central. Secondly, they could have reduced the depth at which the boxes were buried in the sand and also reduced the search area, so that even the unluckiest of all teams wouldn't be left empty handed after four hours. It is not just cruel but impractical to make these challenges too difficult. An element of skill or strength could also be introduced into the challenge - for example, you could tell the teams exactly where the clues are, but they have to dig 2 meters into the same, so it then becomes a physical challenge to see who can dig the fastest. Or alternatively, you could make it a navigation challenge, similar to the last leg when the teams are given co-ordinates and a compass, then they have to find the clue buried at the right spot: this was done in TAR US S16 E3 in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, when it was a test of one's navigation skills rather than down to dumb luck.
So, is there another fair way to slow down Tom & Tyler without being too obvious?
Oh yeah, absolutely! Throughout the history of TAR since 2001, there have been so many crazy tasks based on different skills. I know the boys are brilliant but surely they can't be good at everything? What we need is a much wider range of skills to test them - a test that was refreshingly different (pun intended) was the tea-tasting task in TAR US S18 E6. The teams had to taste a cup of tea before they left Kunming, China; when they arrived at their next destination Kolkata, India, they had to do a tea-tasting test whereby they had to identify the same tea they had tasted back in Kunming out of thousands of small cups of tea to get their next clue. Yes there was an element of luck but you needed a really keen sense of smell and taste to ace that roadblock. Now even if a team was physically strong and super intelligent, there's no guarantee that they would have a good sense of smell and taste to ace a task like that. The challenge is on the producers to come up with a wider range of challenges that test different kinds of skills, rather than simply give them the same kind of challenges over and over again. This is when the local fixers play a key role: they would be the ones who would find some unique local activity to turn into a TAR challenge, so the programme can showcase some interesting local culture to the audience. It's just stunning that Tom & Tyler seem to be good at practically anything you throw at them and it'll be a shame to try to artificially slow them down, which was what pretty much happened in TAR Asia S5 when Treasuri & Louisa were just way too strong and the producers were so determined that they would be U-turned in leg 9.
Good grief, haven't the teams done any research before embarking on this race? Dance challenges are brutal, they have little to do with physical ability but everything to do with memory - in these dance challenges, you are expected to memorize a large number of steps in a very short space of time. There's absolutely no room for improvisation and you can't try to impress the judges with anything that is not in the routine. The only people who are going to perform super well at a dance challenge are those who have spent years taking dance lessons before, hence the exercise of having to memorize choreography is nothing new for them. So for someone like Hayley & Mikayla, they have had plenty of lessons in the past because they have done Scottish dancing, but in the case of so many of the other teams, I'm not saying it is impossible and some did pick it up faster than others, but it is one of the hardest memory challenges you'll ever do. You see, we're used to memorizing information with our minds, such as when we study for exams but muscle memory, when you're learning routine, where you have to memorize movement rather than words, that's a completely different kettle of fish. Dance challenges are very popular on TAR and the most epic of them all has got to be the one from TAR US S20 E9 in Kochi, India where teams had to learn a really long and complex Bollywood dance routine. I did think that the dance judge in Ulanbaatar was somewhat lenient with some of the teams who weren't that precise, but I suppose the 'passing standard' had been determined prior to the teams arriving at theatre. I would definitely avoid any detour relating to dance.
What's with the acrobat/contortionist Mongolian lady at the pit stop?
Well circus is very popular in Mongolia and has had a long tradition there! I know the concept of circus type entertainment is quite universal, but for a country with a small population of just 3 million, there are many circuses in Mongolia. So they were trying to highlight an aspect of Mongolian culture by having a greeter at the pit stop mat perform something interesting, though it wasn't made clear to the audience. I think they should have had the pit stop at a circus in central Ulaanbaatar instead or have even made the teams do some kind of circus skills related challenge (it has been done before, TAR Latin America S3 E3 in Buenos Aires) whilst they were there, rather than just have a greeter do something like that at the pit stop mat. And as if Beau wasn't awkward enough, he didn't quite know what to do with her.
So are all the weak teams gone now?
Hmmm, I tend to see it like this: the race is for Tom & Tyler to lose, the one team which I think is strong enough to realistically challenge them is Jasmine & Jerome. They have won one leg and seem to understand the strategy needed in TAR. Then you have a bunch of teams including Tim & Rod and Viv & Joey who have an outside chance of taking on Tom & Tyler, but here's the problem with Tim & Rod: they just don't seem aggressive enough and they keep making poor choices when it comes to detours. And as for Viv & Joey, after a pretty good start, they seem to have run out of steam and have had a pretty tough time in the last three legs. The thing is I do like them so perhaps I am not being totally objective about their weaknesses, but the statistics never lie and they have been struggling. The two teams who have an outside chance are Femi & Nick and Sid & Ash - statistically, they are the weakest teams having struggled in South Korea and Vietnam. Mind you, these two teams did well in Mongolia with Femi & Nick nearly winning the last leg and Sid & Ash somehow winning this leg (I blame the terrible Ulaanbaatar traffic for this result). It goes to show that with some luck and if the conditions are right, they are capable of beating the other teams though I usually put my personal feelings aside and default to the statistics: it doesn't matter whether a team is likable or not, what matters in this race is their ability to get to the pit stop before all the other teams. This isn't a popularity contest unlike a programme like Big Brother.
Has the casting this year been bad then?
Well, I think so. Firstly, Sid & Ash should have never been chosen given that they have an abusive relationship and Sid has been arrested for domestic abuse. You don't allow criminals like the privilege to be on a platform like TAR. I don't expect all racers to be as holy as the nuns but I draw the line at domestic abuse. Speaking of nuns, I feel bad for them - sure they are super cute and likable, but they had no chance given the physical nature of the race and I knew they were going to be eliminated pretty early in the process. Likewise for Alana and Niko - they were so young and inexperienced, they were no match against the older and wiser teams who have had far more experience in navigating their way around foreign countries. And as for Chris & Adrienne, I took one look at Chris' absolutely massive pot belly and thought, that's going to be your downfall and whilst he managed to do quite a lot of the challenges, trying to ride that camel was the last straw that broke the camel's back. But do we want to see a cast made of really strong contestants from 25 to 35 whilst excluding anyone deemed too fat or too old? Perhaps the nature of the race needs to change, it needs to be less physical so the teams who are super fit can have less of an advantage when it comes to mental challenges. The bottom line is that you have one team that is significantly better than all the others so the casting directors have a lot to answer for - if we replaced Tom & Tyler with a much weaker team, then the playing field would be a lot more even in this season.
Who will be eliminated next in Zimbabwe? Who will win in the next leg?
Oh we're going long haul all the way to Africa next week - I can see the majestic Victoria Falls in the trailer for next week! None of the teams left are that weak, but I think that Femi & Nick will be next to get eliminated for the simple reason that they are still statistically the weakest team - they have made so many silly mistakes in the previous few legs and they have only been spared elimination before because there were much weaker teams still around. One more big mistake in the next leg and they would be gone - the same can be said about Sid & Ash who have made their share of dumb mistakes too. We saw Chris & Adrienne self-destruct in the last two legs mostly because they imploded under pressure - know we all know that Sid would beat Ash up in private (well, she called the police and he's been arrested so it is no longer that private) so he can be very volatile and crack under pressure too. So yes, it would be either of them - the trailer for the next episode doesn't really suggest which team would go home. And as for whom would win, I would imagine that it would probably be Tom & Tyler again, but given how the trailer from the last episode did include a spoiler that Sid & Ash did win this leg, it does seem to suggest that Tim & Rod will actually win this leg after working with Tom & Tyler at the intersection. I just can't see Tim & Rod somehow throwing Tom & Tyler under a bus just to get ahead - they are too nice and too naive to do something that devious, but that's exactly what the trailer seems to suggest they would do. My prediction for the next episode in Zimbabwe: Nick & Femi will be eliminated whilst Tim & Rod would actually win.
But next week, I'm off to Africa too!
Yes guys, I shall be in Morocco in North Africa next week, so I will do a double episode recap when I get back to London later next week. You know, some people have bitched before when they read my recaps and they say things like, "oh you talk about it as if it is so easy, you're judging the racers from the comfort of your armchair and let's see you try to go on the race." The fact is I've been to 67 countries in the world and that's why when I see some of these episodes, I would be like, "oh yeah Ninh Binh, I was there in 2011 and I remember the local folks rowing the boat with their feet." I do spend about 10 to 12 weeks a year traveling all over the world and this has been an epic year for me with trips to South America, the Middle East and Africa. So if people are going to bitch about me being too judgmental about the teams in Africa next week, I'd smirk and ask, "I'm going to Africa this weekend, what about you? So when were you last in Africa?"
Okay guys, so that's it from me on this episode. Do leave a comment below please and many thanks for reading!
Well circus is very popular in Mongolia and has had a long tradition there! I know the concept of circus type entertainment is quite universal, but for a country with a small population of just 3 million, there are many circuses in Mongolia. So they were trying to highlight an aspect of Mongolian culture by having a greeter at the pit stop mat perform something interesting, though it wasn't made clear to the audience. I think they should have had the pit stop at a circus in central Ulaanbaatar instead or have even made the teams do some kind of circus skills related challenge (it has been done before, TAR Latin America S3 E3 in Buenos Aires) whilst they were there, rather than just have a greeter do something like that at the pit stop mat. And as if Beau wasn't awkward enough, he didn't quite know what to do with her.
Hmmm, I tend to see it like this: the race is for Tom & Tyler to lose, the one team which I think is strong enough to realistically challenge them is Jasmine & Jerome. They have won one leg and seem to understand the strategy needed in TAR. Then you have a bunch of teams including Tim & Rod and Viv & Joey who have an outside chance of taking on Tom & Tyler, but here's the problem with Tim & Rod: they just don't seem aggressive enough and they keep making poor choices when it comes to detours. And as for Viv & Joey, after a pretty good start, they seem to have run out of steam and have had a pretty tough time in the last three legs. The thing is I do like them so perhaps I am not being totally objective about their weaknesses, but the statistics never lie and they have been struggling. The two teams who have an outside chance are Femi & Nick and Sid & Ash - statistically, they are the weakest teams having struggled in South Korea and Vietnam. Mind you, these two teams did well in Mongolia with Femi & Nick nearly winning the last leg and Sid & Ash somehow winning this leg (I blame the terrible Ulaanbaatar traffic for this result). It goes to show that with some luck and if the conditions are right, they are capable of beating the other teams though I usually put my personal feelings aside and default to the statistics: it doesn't matter whether a team is likable or not, what matters in this race is their ability to get to the pit stop before all the other teams. This isn't a popularity contest unlike a programme like Big Brother.
Has the casting this year been bad then?
Well, I think so. Firstly, Sid & Ash should have never been chosen given that they have an abusive relationship and Sid has been arrested for domestic abuse. You don't allow criminals like the privilege to be on a platform like TAR. I don't expect all racers to be as holy as the nuns but I draw the line at domestic abuse. Speaking of nuns, I feel bad for them - sure they are super cute and likable, but they had no chance given the physical nature of the race and I knew they were going to be eliminated pretty early in the process. Likewise for Alana and Niko - they were so young and inexperienced, they were no match against the older and wiser teams who have had far more experience in navigating their way around foreign countries. And as for Chris & Adrienne, I took one look at Chris' absolutely massive pot belly and thought, that's going to be your downfall and whilst he managed to do quite a lot of the challenges, trying to ride that camel was the last straw that broke the camel's back. But do we want to see a cast made of really strong contestants from 25 to 35 whilst excluding anyone deemed too fat or too old? Perhaps the nature of the race needs to change, it needs to be less physical so the teams who are super fit can have less of an advantage when it comes to mental challenges. The bottom line is that you have one team that is significantly better than all the others so the casting directors have a lot to answer for - if we replaced Tom & Tyler with a much weaker team, then the playing field would be a lot more even in this season.
Oh we're going long haul all the way to Africa next week - I can see the majestic Victoria Falls in the trailer for next week! None of the teams left are that weak, but I think that Femi & Nick will be next to get eliminated for the simple reason that they are still statistically the weakest team - they have made so many silly mistakes in the previous few legs and they have only been spared elimination before because there were much weaker teams still around. One more big mistake in the next leg and they would be gone - the same can be said about Sid & Ash who have made their share of dumb mistakes too. We saw Chris & Adrienne self-destruct in the last two legs mostly because they imploded under pressure - know we all know that Sid would beat Ash up in private (well, she called the police and he's been arrested so it is no longer that private) so he can be very volatile and crack under pressure too. So yes, it would be either of them - the trailer for the next episode doesn't really suggest which team would go home. And as for whom would win, I would imagine that it would probably be Tom & Tyler again, but given how the trailer from the last episode did include a spoiler that Sid & Ash did win this leg, it does seem to suggest that Tim & Rod will actually win this leg after working with Tom & Tyler at the intersection. I just can't see Tim & Rod somehow throwing Tom & Tyler under a bus just to get ahead - they are too nice and too naive to do something that devious, but that's exactly what the trailer seems to suggest they would do. My prediction for the next episode in Zimbabwe: Nick & Femi will be eliminated whilst Tim & Rod would actually win.
But next week, I'm off to Africa too!
Yes guys, I shall be in Morocco in North Africa next week, so I will do a double episode recap when I get back to London later next week. You know, some people have bitched before when they read my recaps and they say things like, "oh you talk about it as if it is so easy, you're judging the racers from the comfort of your armchair and let's see you try to go on the race." The fact is I've been to 67 countries in the world and that's why when I see some of these episodes, I would be like, "oh yeah Ninh Binh, I was there in 2011 and I remember the local folks rowing the boat with their feet." I do spend about 10 to 12 weeks a year traveling all over the world and this has been an epic year for me with trips to South America, the Middle East and Africa. So if people are going to bitch about me being too judgmental about the teams in Africa next week, I'd smirk and ask, "I'm going to Africa this weekend, what about you? So when were you last in Africa?"
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