The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Sorry this is posted late for the East and West viewers here. Was out most of the night

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Oh man, that was a hell of a surprise finish.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I like when there is a really hard challenge at the end. Glad to see Brooke and Robbie leave midway through the episode.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

They did have something of a point that it was kind of BS that there was zero penalty for finishing last the previous leg for the candy scientists. Since they were all on the same flight to LA that entire leg meant absolutely nothing.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Well, it was a keep racing leg. It probably happened b/c no one ever had to use the save. Besides, they were so far behind a penalty wouldn't have helped them anyway.

Apparently, they got lost b/c Brooke stopped and got directions and then got mad at Robbie for following the directions rather than doing the complete opposite, which is what she wanted to do. Or at least that's what I got from the show.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Yeah that was a pretty funny argument, punctuated by her loudly accusing him of getting loud.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I was a little sympathetic toward Brooke's view (shared by the other teams who finished the last leg ahead of the scientists) that there should have been only three teams starting the final leg as before...until my wife pointed out that the same argument could be made for any non-elimination leg of the race. Just because this was a new twist doesn't make it unfair. Had to reluctantly agree that she is right. :mad:

Adam & Bethany have to be one of the nicest couples ever to appear on the show (to each other, to other teams, and to the people they met along the way). They were so even-tempered and kind of awe-struck throughout the show...just acted as though it was a big, fun vacation. Kind of hated that Bethany didn't do the stunt thing, which she would have been fine with, leaving Adam to do the memory work (as well as having a bit more stamina in running around through the containers). Might have made a difference...who knows?

Wouldn't be surprised to see them again on Amazing Race & perhaps on Survivor in a future segment featuring loved-one pairings.

Pretty good finale, overall. Liked the winning team (most unlikely of the last four) & even didn't mind the dentists when Jim wasn't loudly boasting about being the best team ever, etc.

Brooke & Robbie will probably get a reality show at some point. They have good comic timing & are pretty uninhibited.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Horrible finale in my opinion. One of the worst.

I don't care why they did it, but the gimmick of "race on" for the finale was a terrible idea. There shouldn't have been 4 teams in the finale UNLESS it was a 2 hour finale with 2 legs, where one team got eliminated before the other 3 teams raced on for the title in the 2nd full hour/2nd full leg.

I have grown to accept the constant bunch ups. I don't come into these threads and complain too much. I understand that, over the course of a long race, that it just wouldn't work if certain racers got WAY out in front. Fine.

But this final leg was one of the worst as far as being created simply to get a close ending for television. The ONLY chance for real separation during the entire leg was getting lost or if there had been a taxi problem. That stunt challenge was one of the worst ever. There was literally nothing to it.

Getting Oscar out of the water wasn't much more difficult. Since they decided to give four teams the chance to win, we basically could have just had them take 3 teams to the final challenge and skip the first 45 minutes of the show. I love final challenges that are difficult (although this one I didn't like that much), but it's just wrong that there was no real reward for doing the other legs better. There's no way it was just a coincidence that all 3 teams that made it to the final comp were basically in a dead heat and that, plus or minus a few minutes, it really just came down to who had a better memory with the numbers. No one really got any separation during that LONG final challenge, so I have to believe it was set up in a way where only a significant blunder was going to keep the teams from all basically finishing in about the same time.

This finale, more than any other I can recall, seemed to be all about having an exciting free-for-all to the finish line. If the wrestlers hadn't gotten lost, all 4 teams would have been so bunched up, that the eliminated team probably would have arrived to the stunt challenge on the heels of another team and that would have sucked too.

I tweeted a much more condensed version of my thoughts to Alli and she favorited the tweet, so I'm guessing she mostly agreed, and this from someone who clearly wants to be invited back for an all-star season and hopefully will, along with Bethany and Adam.

Finally, I too wondered what could have been if Bethany had done the simple stunt challenge and Adam could have done the final one. Could he have remembered better and faster, could he have used his better conditioning to run around those containers fast enough to get any kind of real separation from the other teams? We'll never know, but when they saw the challenge was a stunt one, they probably never thought it could have been as ridiculously easy as it was. Maybe one of the easiest challenges all season.

Ugh.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I just liked that they had to drive once reaching the final destination instead of having taxi roulette.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I was glad the wrestlers were eliminated after Brooke was rude to the scientists at the airport. Every non-elimination leg is a waste of time, but they've been a part of the race forever. As soon as Brooke whined about it, I wanted her gone. I was very glad the dentists didn't win. Coming in second must have made the loss sting even more for them, and after Jim's bragging all season it was fun watching them lose. I never would have guessed the scientists were going to win, so that was a nice surprise.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Glad to see them bring back a tough final challenge, but otherwise the finale sucked. Still had taxi rides, ridiculously easy challenges, and far too much of the wresters before they were eliminated. It's quite clear the producers like them and they will be back for another season. Groan.

But unlike Survivor, their twist for next season seems interesting.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Boring finale. I hate all non-elimination weeks. I feel like those episodes are a waste of time to watch. They should had made them do an extra challenge of some type to be fair.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

SO HAPPY The Dentists didn't win!!!! Watching his face was PRICELESS. I wouldn't have grown to hate them so much if they had one iota of humbleness. They were a strong team, but were super obnoxious about it.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I liked the finale and the winners. That being said four teams in the finale is simply too many.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Most undeserving winners in quite a while. Wanted Bethany to win by t would have grudgingly accepted the dentists as well.

Not looking forward to next season, where its all couples, 5 of which are meeting face to face for the first time. What a load of crap! Keep that garbage off of the Amazing Race.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Brooke filled me with such rage, i Hate-googled her and found some topless video.

when bethany was running her juggs were flopping around so much i thought one would hit her on the forehead and knock her out.

i liked the final twist, just to see that smug dentist lose to the physically weakest team. it also felt nice to see a team that would never have won otherwise.

looking forward to next season. i wonder if the blind date people have to bunk together.

i think it will be entertaining to have all couples. if the Race is a rocking, don't come a knocking.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I casually mentioned that I thought the "dating" couples would have a big advantage over the "blind date" couples in the next season before my wife opined that married/long-term relationship couples might argue more & not get along as well.

I wisely shut up & retreated further into the recliner at that point.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I was hoping that either the surfers or the scientists would win, so was not disappointed. You have to give them credit... Amy trudged on through two grueling challenges with an injured hip and Maya has to have been the happiest, most wide-eyed contestant in Amazing Race history. I give them credit for not giving up when things got tough. Remember the cupping!

Bethany and Adam were great. I've never seen a couple get along so well over the course of an entire season. She did so many of the challenges quicker with one arm than the rest of them did with a full set. But if they couldn't win... I'm happy that Maya and Amy did.

I just love that dentist Jim had to eat his words about the scientists being low-hanging fruit. I was wondering if that (and the wrestlers griping) was a foreshadowing of the ending. Reality shows often tip their hat as to what's coming up when they show clips about how something couldn't "possibly happen" and just the thing they're referring to happens.

IIRC, the wrestlers came in last once and it was a non-elimination leg so Brooke's comments come off as hypocritical and self-serving. So glad they came in last. Rob is less annoying than she is. I was surprised that Phil didn't let them do the challenge just for fun. I wonder if Brooke's comments had anything to do with not allowing it.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I thought it was a good finale. An underdog team won, nobody got screwed over by taxi drivers, and all three teams were running pretty neck-and-neck during the challenges.

It was good to see Amy and Maya win; at the start of the race, I would have figured they would have been an early elimination, but they soldiered on to win the race. I also liked that an 'inferior' team beat Jim and Misti, who had been bragging about how awesome they were since day one.

I don't have a problem with Amy and Maya not having to do a speed bump or other penalty. Since one team was eliminated at the first roadblock any kind of challenge to the losing team would have automatically put them out of the race. (Or it would have if the wrestlers didn't get lost.)

I am sort of curious how the first elimination was supposed to work. Brooke and Robbie were eliminated when they got to the roadblock, so I'm not sure if they were only going to let three teams compete (with the last to arrive being automatically eliminated) or if they were only going to let three teams go on after completing it. B&R were so late that the other three teams had already left.

I sort of liked that the first two challenges were easy (jumping out of a window and fishing a dummy out of the ocean) because it made every second count. Every team was in first place at one point, and Amy and Maya even came back from last place.

And, yes, Bethany's tits were sure lively during this last leg. :lol:

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Yeah... that might be the case.

They have always said that the three non-elimination legs are predetermined before the race begins, so if that's the case, they probably would have had to have two NELs predetermined and the third NEL was the save. Since Jim and Misti didn't use the save, the last eligible leg to use it on then became an automatic NEL. As there's usually a NEL when they're down to four teams, they built the "keep racing" into the penultimate pit stop to compensate for the fact that there might not be a NEL at that point in the game. If the NEL had been played early in the race, then there wouldn't have been a NEL after the seventh leg.

So, in a sense, the unused save that Jim and Misti had may have cost them the race. Without the save in play, Amy and Maya would have been eliminated, and Jim and Misti would have come in first.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I thought this was the best finale in several seasons. I prefer it when there is a final challenge that involves some memory of where they have been since it lessens the chances of powerhouse physical teams winning.

It's always a better finale when none of the final teams have any experience in the final city and it seemed obvious none of these did.

Anyone living west of the 110 freeway knows that the 10 freeway is NEVER the best option unless its the middle of the night and you know there is no traffic.

The directions that Brooke and Robbie got looked right to me, they just took the wrong ramp and went westbound on the 10 toward Santa Monica instead of going eastbound to downtown LA. They deserved to not go any farther based on their own stupidity and showboating.

I would have taken La Cienega to Olympic Blvd and beaten all their asses!

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Good finale, and I thought sweet scientists earned it, I mean who would have picked this team to win iit in week one? I thought for sure they would have been eliminated in weeks 1-3. Good for them.

Really fun season.

Next season looks, like a potential train wreck tho...

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

leeta, you expressed a lot of my own feelings, so I'm just going to comment on your post:

My feelings, too.

Totally agree. It's easy to say they were a weak team, but they definitely had perseverance and positive attitudes. Maya's enthusiasm was great--she's cute as hell.

They reminded me a lot of Kris and Jon from one of the early seasons of TAR. Athletic, good-looking, supportive, having a good time, and little or no drama.
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...02/KrisJon.jpg

Kris :drool:

When that scene played out I immediately thought, "So the scientists are going to win." A hazard of being too familiar with The Amazing Editors' habits.

Again, I agree. When Brooke was acting so bitchy about the scientists still being in the race, I was hoping one of them would point out the hypocrisy. There were times when the wrestlers were fun to watch, but then there were times when they were really just ugly. I was glad they didn't make the top 3.


I haven't watched the last few seasons of TAR largely because the football delays on Sunday nights--along with conflicts with shows on other channels--always made it difficult to catch on my DVR. Moving it to Fridays brought me back.

I hope the cyclists come back for the next TAR All-Stars.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

These one hour finales are for the birds.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I'd echo most of the thoughts here. The finale lacked too much in the way of excitement. Definitely a surprising winner and finish. I'll admit that I couldn't help but laugh at watching Amy "run" during these last few legs.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I actually picked the scientists as "my" team in the first episode, but only because I reflexively support brains over brawn every time. I never thought they'd actually pull it off... but they had a good final day, and they earned it. Plus, Maya was probably my favorite contestant this season, even if she was paired with some kind of hunchback tree sloth.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Happy the scientists won (but would have been equally as happy for the surfers). Glad the dentists didn't win. Jim's shitty comment about hurting Amy's already injured leg was creepy. Misty seems like a nice person, though. The wrestlers: Robbie seems pretty cool but Brooke is an asshole.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

btw...Merry Christmas, Sky!

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I'm wondering if there was a production screwup somewhere (like they did something that accidentally gave one team an unfair advantage) which forced the producers to keep all the teams in for the sake of fairness.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Like having surfing or biking challenges when some of the teams are professional surfers or bikers? :lol:

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

It's possible, but I didn't get that feeling. I think, after 25 seasons, they're desperate for more things they can do for the first time, like having 4 teams in the finale.

Much like this season on Survivor with the first challenge done with no hands, or the first time a challenge wasn't completed and the players chose the winner.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

Yep. Ran the whole race hoping one team would screw up worse than them each leg until they finally ran out of teams to do that for them - but conveniently suffered zero penalty for coming in last. Then finally excel in one challenge, which happens to be for the million. Without bunch ups they might have finished three days behind the eventual winners.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I don't know about that. I seem to remember the two gay guys from a couple seasons ago as an incredibly weak team.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

But that wasn't planned, it was something Probst did spontaneously.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I don't necessairly disagree with you, but TAR has always been a game of simply don't come in last. Unless a team is in it for the first place prizes, there is really nothing good that comes from astrategy that focuses on coming in first. No matter how far you are behind the first place team, you know there will be a bunch up equalizer to even the odds in the next leg.

Teams that run the race trying to come in first, essentially taking big risks to do so, often end up eliminated.

My problem with the show is how often they subject the teams to things they have no control over including taxis. Show would be far better if they just elminatated them from the game. Make people drive everywhere or take other forms of public transportation.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I vote for mules.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I'm sure the gears were turning in his head, something new that hasn't been done before.

Agreed.

I have no problem with the scientists winning. It's about getting to the end and having a chance, and they did that. It's like a 7-8 seed winning an NBA title or a Wild Card team winning the Super Bowl. Just get in and anything can happen.

That's fair, but I think in some countries traffic and the roads are so hectic it would end up creating more problems having the teams drive themselves around. Much bigger potential for accidents. More public transportation would be a good idea where it is available.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

My only problem with the scientists was they got no penalty for Amy crashing into that van in the Philippines. And the wrestlers have no one to blame but themselves for failing to drive to their City Hall clue. Can't put that on a taxi fuck up this leg.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

The other element that has almost always been true is if you can make it to the end, you can count on there being a big challenge at the end that is much mental as physical. This lat season was a return to that, and that's how the scientists won. And unless it was all editing, they still didn't win by much.

Almost every country, including places and times in U.S. fits the defintion of having ugly traffic and hectic/confusing routes.

The bad taxi element has to go IMO, not matter how it is done. I would even be good with setting them up with drivers (one for every team) that were confirmed as knowing where they were going. They do this often, but usually it's restricted to boats and small airplanes.

Re: The Amazing Race (S25E12) -- Season Finale -- "All Or Nothing" -- 12/19/14
 

I always assumed there are countries with local rules regarding who can drive and cannot drive with a valid license/ foreign license etc. Getting a bad taxi drive or breaking down has always been part of the game. It is up to the racers to navigate with the drivers with a map or stop and ask for directions.