I agree. I do not ever remember so many teams helping each other in challenges. When you are not in the 5 team alliance, you have a very difficult time to break into final 5 when they are even using roadblocks against you.

I am not even sure who I like best for winning.


This could very well be the end of this show with the worldwide pandemic lasting for years.

After his comments at the end of this week's episode, I'm a bit surprised that DeAngelo is primed for a return, or even that he'd be invited. But I guess since the show was filmed so long ago, and given the demographics to which he and Gary appeal, not to mention their solid showing, it puts them as contenders for an all-star return. Further to what the prior poster said, this of course all assumes the show is able to continue going forward, since they travel to so many remote places where COVID might not be eradicated as quickly or even to an extent they'd feel comfortable using as places for the show to visit.

Agree. This was not a good finale, the previous episode with the all day race would have been a much better finale.

I have no clue how they made this happen amid COVID, but apparently they did - the new season starts in January: https://ew.com/tv/the-amazing-race-season-33-cast/

The 3 first episodes were filmed before the world went into panic-mode. Production was then naturally halted as they couldn't travel the world freely anymore.

According to an article that I found online, this is what they did to complete it:

"In September, Thom Sherman, the network’s senior EVP of programming, announced at the Television Critics Association summer press tour that “The Amazing Race” will be on the network’s 2021-22 schedule. The following week, filming resumed with the whole production using a charter plane to travel from location to location. Filming reportedly wrapped in October."

From another article it also said that the contestants were not allowed to use public transportation.

Regardless, happy that my favorite show comes back. It gives us something to look forward to when governments all of the world goes into *see above spoiler* another panic mode and shuts down everything again

Glad to see the best reality show on TV(formerly Survivor until the producers decided to completely **** it up) finally making a return. Phil's talent was wasted on that other show he's been doing

I worked on the episode that filmed in Vegas many seasons ago. It was a lot of fun but had to sign a NDA with a multimillion dollar penalty if you disclosed any aspects of the competition. Didn't even tell my wife I worked on the show till it aired and my credit was on the screen.

Nice! Do you mean the finale of season 15 or season 24 ? Can I ask what part you worked on, or are you still bound under that NDA?

I worked on a segment where the contestants did an escape trick with David Copperfield. Probably aired in season 15.

Dont know if anyone's watching the new season that got paused by Covid. Pretty funny to see the team get eliminated first, be allowed back after the pause, and then immediately get eliminated first again. There are some really bad teams this year - don't recall ever seeing a season where there was at least 3 teams you can immediately say "they have no chance just based on physical ability".

Yea, this looks like a weaker non-family season as far as teams, but teams having to drive themselves with no GPS will at least make it entertaining. Super early guess, but it does look like the married YouTubers in their 40s will make the final 3. They’re getting a winners-esque edit so far

Not too difficult to find via google, but the stated reasons why the four teams didn't return were:

Taylor & Isaiah - death of Taylor's brother from COVID just after they'd returned with the intention of staying in the race

Anthony & Spencer - job stuff

Sam and Connie - Connie was seven months pregnant

Caro and Ray - they broke up in July 2020

Last one is about the least surprising thing I could imagine.

Maybe it's silly but I like the fact that the team that basically couldn't move faster than a slow walk was eliminated because of it. There's something to be said for a game called the Amazing Race to be decided by actual speed.

If this was any show other than Amazing Race, I'd have thought the producers told the bros to basically fail at the cheese detour to create the come from behind drama, as how else can you explain everyone being able to make the cheese no problem and them utterly failing at it? But whatever - to see them make up the gap then finish third, the other teams must feel like they'll need a miracle to win, although as we all know seemingly unbeatable teams have found a way to be beatable in the past.

I agree with this. I mean they colossally ****ed up the task, then switched tasks, which is usually a terrible decision. And they still finished third.
Now that Anthony and Spencer have dropped out, it's really hard to see Ryan and Dusty losing.

I did laugh at Dusty and Ryan stripping down on the mat in front of the flight attendants. As much as they were joking about it, I would bet that unlike earlier in the challenge, they couldn't have remembered their boyfriends names at that moment.

I realize that often in past seasons teams who were way behind still managed to get on the same flights as the top teams; however, that wasn't always the case and now it seems like they're staggering the starts after the flights only by a matter of minutes, rather than the amounts behind the other teams actually were. It makes me wonder if the charter flight factor will have a hand in any of the subsequent eliminations.

Man I was big mad about

They’ve had eliminations on stupid **** like that in the past, but that really felt like an NEL half way through. Especially knowing that they had 7 instead of 9 teams for the restart.

No post mortem? I'll give my two cents.

Do they always start the final teams at the same time, or was this a special circumstance due to the whole COVID thing? It didn't really matter, as it only benefitted the bros and they finished third. The sound effects road block seemed a little unremarkable for a final three type situation. The memory one was pretty good, as usual.

As a whole the season was decent, if a bit short at nine episodes. They did what they could under the circumstances. I also liked that there were no bickering teams. I know that can make for "good TV" sometimes, but it was nice to see harmony and teamwork on full display. I guess after COVID people had good vibes.

I'll keep watching though for sure.

I really enjoyed this season. I had gotten tired of the show and didn’t watch the last season. I really thought the flight attendants were going to win when they got to the memory challenge first. Glad to see Penn and Kim win since they’re local. I didn’t know about their YouTube presence but knew Penn through him being an anchor at a local TV station some years back.

Lulu and Lala threw a cast finale party in Miami and that was pretty cool to follow on Instagram.

It was a satisfying end to a kind of unremarkable season - really felt like the best three teams made it to the end, and I would have been satisfied with any of them winning, but the gap between those top three and the rest was very substantial. Arun+Natalia making the final four in other years would seem like a travesty, but I can't see it that way when every other eliminated team was kind of terrible too.

Agree on the foley challenge - kinda weak and I'm not a fan of challenges that come down to some expert's judgment that "it's good enough". Would always rather have clearly measurable challenges.

Can't imagine how long the bros must have been looking for that elevator clue. They looked like they were hours behind.

I'm surprised no one has bumped for the new season. Am I crazy to say it seems more weird that there's no longer the Travelocity product placement than no elimination legs?

As for what I've seen so far, the separated twins seem ridiculously strong, and then there are a few kind of so-so teams, and then the weak ones, several of which have already been eliminated. But as has been the case recently they've seemingly done away with the "drama" teams, which I know some liked to hate watch but I'm fine without them being theere. I've seen very little masking, but I guess there are tight controls we don't see.