Amazing Race 24 - All Stars

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I saw that no thread had been started yet. The new season kicks off this Sunday Feb 23 with 11 teams of returning "all-stars".

I was checking my dvr to make certain I had the show set up for recording the entire season, and I was noticing the description for the first episode and it said something like "...and one team doesn't make it to the starting line.." This makes it sound like what they did back in S15 when they had a challenge before they went to the airport and eliminated a team right away (Eric & Lisa) but I think its a red-herring. Race rumors have been rampant for a long time that scheduled team of Bopper and Mark did not actually race together, but instead Mallory (of Gary and) replaced Bopper, and this was done at the starting line. I guess we'll see.

The 11 teams include:

Three peaters:
-Globe Trotters
-Margie and Luke
-Cowboys
-Mallory (if rumors are true)

Two-timers
-Brenchal
-Afghanimals
-Twinees
-Mark (other half of Bopper)
-Dave and Connor (father son cancer survivors)
-John & Jessica
-Joey & Meghan (u-tubers)
-Caroline & Jennifer (country singers)

I have to say, probably one of the few times that I've gone into a season with extremely low expectations. There are very few teams on this list that I like or even think deserve to be there.

There is absolutely no reason to bring back teams for a 3rd time, especially these three teams, all of which have made final 3 once and didn't get the job done.

Then you have the really annoying group consisting of Brenchel, Afghanimals, Twinnees and the U-tubers.

Then there is the forgettable team, the Country Singers. I couldn't remember them, much less that they finished 4th in their original season.

I guess the rest would kind of be the sob story teams, for how they exited. Boppery (Mallory) and Mark, Dave & Conner with the dad rupturing his tendon or whatever that was, and John-Jessica getting eliminated with the Express Pass in their back pockets.

Its really hard to get behind any of these teams. The Cowboys/Trotters seem to be like the Rupert-Boston Rob of Survivor. Lets just keep bringing them back and hopefully eventually one of them will finally win and we can be done with them.

I would have really liked to have seen Andy-Tommy (snowboarders from S19) back, or Abby-Ryan from S21 or even Art & JJ, and am really surprised the Chippendales aren't back. Honestly, all my teams would have been probably S9 and earlier, but if they were only going to pick from the last 6 seasons, they could have done better.


I guess my default pick to win would be John and Jessica. Despite the bone-headed move on John's part, to first switch detour tasks and to then not use the EP at the roadblock resulting in elimination, they were one of the more interesting teams that season and had potential. Dave and Connor had the great backstory, being dual cancer survivors, but I didn't really find myself caring about them too much.

So....The World is waiting.. Travel safe.. Good luck..Go!!

[terri110874]

I am hoping the father and son team or mother and son team does well. Also like Bopper too. Not a fan of the twinees or the Afghanimals

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I am hoping the father and son team or mother and son team does well. Also like Bopper too. Not a fan of the twinees or the Afghanimals

You might end up being in the minority with Margie and Luke. They were one of the few teams, Travis & Nicole this last season would be the one other I can recall, that started out with a positive edit and fan feedback, but ended up the season almost as villains, or at least heavily disliked.

I just have no need to see them, or Cowboys/Trotters for a 3rd time.

[Melanie]

I couldn't feel any more differently with comparing the Globetrotters and Cowboys with Rupert and Boston Rob. No way! I am entertained by the Globetrotters and Cowboys, and for that reason alone, I'm okay with them being back.

Twinnies and Margie and Luck. Ugh. And I can't wait to find out what in the world is the deal with Mallory and Mark.

I'm ready for the new season (and Survivor as well) because it's special time that myself and my almost 16 year old share, as we're the only ones in the house who watch. We really look forward to TAR and Survivor nights. And Phil! I always miss Phil.

[TheDuckRocks]

I am completely confused by the recent TV commercials for this seasons AR. It was first announced that Mallory and Mark would be racing together as Booper's child was ill. Now they are showing clips of Mark and Booper as a team.
I'm with Mel on this one, for entertainment value I'm happy to see the Trotters and Cowboys back.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

I am completely confused by the recent TV commercials for this seasons AR. It was first announced that Mallory and Mark would be racing together as Booper's child was ill. Now they are showing clips of Mark and Booper as a team.
I'm with Mel on this one, for entertainment value I'm happy to see the Trotters and Cowboys back.

I think, and this is only speculation, as I saw a clip that showed Mark and Bopper going to the start line, is that it will appear that they are going to race together but at the last minute Bopper pulls out. If this happens, and Mallory magically happens to be there and available for the next month, then they knew well in advance and they are just playing it up for drama. My dvr guide when I was setting the season up, said something like "and one team doesn't make it to the start line" so again, I think Bopper pulls out at the last minute.

Trotters seem like nice guys, but they basically quit one season, and I felt they tried to cheat their next go round and basically they seem to yuck it up with everyone while basically just copying them and following them around and then beating them at the last minute. And like the Cowboys and Margie/Luke, not only have they had two chances at this, but they all have made final 3 and have had shots to win it, so I have no need to see them again.

Cowboys should have been eliminated the first leg in Unfinished Business season but were saved by a leg 1 continuation leg, and I thought they seemed kind of arrogant and went lone wolf, which really cost them and ultimately led to their demise with the roadblock in Lichtenstein.

I guess we'll see how it all plays out in a couple of days.

[Ian]

I'd like to punch Margie and Luke in the eye.

You know, figuratively speaking

[MNNHFLTX]

I'd like to punch Margie and Luke in the eye.

You know, figuratively speaking

Well, being it's a TV show, figuratively is the only way you can do it. But I echo the sentiment.

I have no idea how i feel about the teams for this race. I like Trotters and Cowboys okay, but I don't have a strong desire to see any team race three times, no matter how much I liked them in the past. I guess I am more focused on who I don't like, which would be Twinnies and Margie and Luke (tied for first place in that respect!) Not too keen on the Afghanimals either. Now that I think about it, I'm actually looking forward to seeing Brendan and Rachel again. When she wasn't crying she was kind of fun to watch.

[PirateLover]

Amazing Race just cannot play nicely with the DVR, can it? Another season, another delayed start... I had the last 10 mins cut off but I looked online to see that "Twinnies" are the first ones out and THANK GOSH for that!!! They were more annoying than ever.

I felt bad for Bopper being unfit to race. Not sure how long Mark and Mallory will last... It's hard enough to do something like this with someone you know well.

Overall I found it to be a very boring opening episode.

[TheDuckRocks]

Oh, happy day! The Twinnies are gone. Margie and Luke sure would be nice for next week. Has anyone heard an update on Booper's health? I'm also wondering why at one point they announced it was one of his kids that was ill. The mysteries of the AR producers continues is amaze me.

[tinkwest]

Oh, happy day! The Twinnies are gone. ....

[Ian]

Man, were we glad to see the Twinnies off first. I thought they were annoying last time, but maybe I had forgotten just how annoying. Ugh ... good riddance!

I enjoyed the episode. I'm such a fan of this show and I'm so glad it's back. Sunday nights just became meaningful again now that football is over!

For me, early on I'm pulling for Mark and Mallory, the Dad and son (the guy who popped his Achilles last time), Flight Time and Big Easy, and the Cowboys. That may change as the race evolves, but those are my favorites early on.

I'd love to see the Afghanimals or Margie and Luke go next, but somehow I doubt it.

[PirateLover]

Thinking back on it, the first half of the episode wasn't too boring. Finding the dress shop was more challenging than I thought it would be and watching teams from the first flight fall behind added some drama. The 2nd half was a letdown though. I dislike when the roadblock isn't a game changer. The order they got off that slow ride was the order in which they finished. Flipping on the high wire was an interesting twist to the the typical bungee/rappel challenge that we get, but in the end didn't appear to be any more difficult.

Joey and Meghan and Mark and Mallory are not going to last too long, in my opinion. Joey and Meghan just don't have the skills/strength and Mark and Mallory do not seem to be meshing as a team.

After the first episode, I think I'm going to choose Conor and Dave for the win. I think they are smart, they get along well, and in their first season they did pretty well even after the dad's injury. Also they are the only team that actually deserves a second chance based on how they went out.

[Middle of the Map]

Happy Day! My cowboys are back and the twinnies are gone. Also love the B-Ball guys. What a great start to the new season.

[MNNHFLTX]

I really enjoyed the start to this season; the fact that the Twinnies went home was just icing on the cake!

Has anyone heard an update on Booper's health? I'm also wondering why at one point they announced it was one of his kids that was ill. The mysteries of the AR producers continues is amaze me.

I'm not sure why that rumor circulated about Bopper's daughter unless there was some concern about the possible cause of his pancreatitis. I actually like Mallory and Mark together so far. I just hope they don't have a serious setback in the next leg, as was hinted at in the trailer.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

Finally got to see the premiere, too much on Sunday night with Olympics and Downton Abbey finale.

Compared to other opening legs from other seasons, this was pretty much a major let down and basically plain and simple, remedial.

I will admit that for the most part I wasn't excited about almost all of these teams, but once Phil dropped his arm, a lot of that just went away and I was able to enjoy the start of another season.

There are teams that I find likeable, like Cowboys and Trotters but having had two chances already, I really don't want them to win. I guess I can cheer for them to beat other teams, to a point, but I'm hoping 3rd strike and they are out.

I thought John and Jessica were shaping up to be one of the more interesting teams their initial season, until they made a bone-headed decision, so I'm hoping they rebound and have a strong Race.

But as far as the first leg, first I thought the initial editing was odd. When those first teams landed in China, it was almost like they were being followed by amateur camera operators instead of the "A" team. Once the second group of teams landed, editing and camera feel was back to normal.

As far as leg set up, pretty bad. Yeah some teams had problems finding one of the three dress shops, but basically none of the check points were really game changers nor allowed teams to really gain ground. Choosing the right bubble at the top of the tower was really the only wildcard to any of the checkpoints, nothing else seemed to really impact team placement.

The leg was saved by the Twinees getting eliminated.

Hopefully U-tubers next, followed by Margie and Luke and the Race will be off to a good start.

[PirateLover]

As far as Bopper, wasn't it his daughter who was sick in the first go-round? Because the Border Patrol Agents said they wanted to share some winnings with them because Bopper needed the money for his daughter? I think I recall she had some kind respiratory illness.

[The Hitchhiking Ghost]

As far as Bopper, wasn't it his daughter who was sick in the first go-round? Because the Border Patrol Agents said they wanted to share some winnings with them because Bopper needed the money for his daughter? I think I recall she had some kind respiratory illness.

Yes - Art & JJ, after they won the 4th leg of the Race and won $10,000 each, elected to split the money with Bopper and Mark. I do recall backstory footage that Bopper was racing for his daughter that was ill.

Most likely, that's what fueled the rumors that he had to back out of the race, for his daughters health, not his own.

[TheDuckRocks]

Most likely, that's what fueled the rumors that he had to back out of the race, for his daughters health, not his own.

That makes sense.

[PirateLover]

Well, I'm sad to find out I was right about Mark and Mallory. For a minute I thought I was going to have egg on my face when he whizzed through the road block and they were in first. As soon as they zoomed in on the bag, though, I knew they were in trouble. I can understand Mallory's point- if she had all of Mark's important documents, whatever is left in the bag is replaceable. On the other hand, I can understand Mark's view. He doesn't have much in life, so it's a lot harder for him to let go of what he DOES have. When he said "It's not even my backpack" and Mallory responded with "I'll buy you a new one!" it was clear that they have totally different views. They are both to blame, it's just a shame they went out that way.

-I can't take much more of Luke! He is already on the verge of meltdowns and it's only the second leg. Ack!

-I have to give props to Brendan and Rachel. I have actually been enjoying them thus far.

-It was smart of the Cowboys to give the blonds the express pass. They knew they'd burn it right away, then they wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Still, the whole "Oh we are the weakest competitors" tactic doesn't sit well with me.