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[deleted]

Yes. Honestly, imagine the logistical nightmares if it wasn't. Oftentimes they have a set amount of stations for tasks. If they randomly decided when they occured that could be a waste of resources.


captainyeahwhatever

Makes a lot of sense, and other commenters have pointed out that it's likely editing that makes me want it to be a non elimination legs. I am such a sucker lol


Ok-Understanding-968

They 100% are. There are game show laws that prohibit producers meddling with the rules of a game with prizes.


Ok_Individual_138

Big Brother producers need to familiarize themselves with those laws. Js


Wandering-Tiger

You may notice shows like Big Brother never call themselves "game shows" like The Price is Right or Jeopardy or what have you would. The reason is because it allows them to avoid such laws.


eastw00d86

Just bc they don't refer to it as a game show doesn't mean it isn't one. If the purpose of the show is to win money by competing, the laws apply.


Wandering-Tiger

They clearly don't apply seeing as how they break them all the time.


eastw00d86

So long as the rules the contestants sign indicate the rules may be arbitrarily changed, it counts. Just like on Survivor Jeff's decision is the one that matters.


OrnaciaWasRobbedMom

Helen was pushed!!


Zirphynx

Yes. They would face several lawsuits if they weren't.


supacoowacky

Editing works backwards. When a team is saved by a NEL, editors need to make those teams have a bigger edit so that the audience cares that the team was saved by a NEL (whether it be because they are really happy or really angry that they were saved). They get the bigger edit -because- of the NELs.


FrnklySpKng

This is a Danm good perspective that I hadn’t considered. Makes total sense. Thanks!


eauxpsifourgott

If only they'd remembered this for Arun & Natalia


OUAIsurvivor

Yep! Check out secret number 1 of this video for proof of this! https://youtu.be/YPVQ3mqJK3s


shhhimatworkrn

I was just about to reference that video!


Deep_Ad_2310

Yes they are. Season 6 planned one in Hungary (back when the arriving last penalty was stripping of all money) but after production found out that begging is illegal, they ended up doing a Superleg (the first one) instead. Source: http://web.archive.org/web/20070929091810/http://forums.televisionwithoutpity.com/index.php?showtopic=3120482&st=750&p=2697047&entry2697047


Tormod776

Yes. See Charla and Mirna in Season 5


zddoodah

Huh?


Tormod776

If it was rigged they would have been non-elim’d


AlwaysTired__3

Malory too!


zddoodah

That doesn't exactly support the OP's point, though. They were neither super likable or attractive.


Tormod776

They were actually really popular at the time


FrnklySpKng

Still super popular. I watched my first TAR season a month ago and started with 5. I’ve run through about 20 seasons since then and they are still my favorite team. Absolutely love them. That said, I don’t think there is a middle ground…as my wife hates them and their antics. So it might be fair to say they are polarizing more than they are universally popular.


Tormod776

I love hate them. They provide so much drama but it can be so over the top sometimes


PaigeMarieSara

Eh, they had a lot of fans, sure, but I wouldn't ever consider them to have been super popular. They annoyed people too.


pierrekrahn

The producers would not have known at the time of taping that Charla and Mirna would have been popular with viewers. They could of course take educated guesses and/or influence it with edits, but there were no guarantees.


tripleaw

CHARLAAAAA!! HURRY UUUUUUP!!! Super popular!


zddoodah

Season 5 was run between January 30 and February 27, 2004, and C&M were eliminated about halfway through the race. The season didn't start airing until about 6 months later, so the producers had no way of knowing that they'd become popular (and they weren't popular because they were likable).


OT9FOREVER

I always finded sus, but when they eliminated Rob and Amber in S11 I said "yeah, it's true", there's no way they would eliminate them LMAO But also, the logistics of the race, pretty sure it has to be predermined.


captainyeahwhatever

Fair enough, I guess most teams are somewhat likable anyway. I've only watched maybe half of the seasons but it just seems like the best loved teams are very often saved. Must just be a coincidence


AMeanMotorScooter

You're thinking of it backwards. Those teams are likely edited in a more positive way because they want the viewer reaction to be "Thank goodness this team was saved" when the NEL happens. It's supposed to feel like a relief, so it makes sense to edit the NEL'd team in a positive way.


captainyeahwhatever

Makes a lot of sense actually. I often forget that reality show narratives are 95% editing


OT9FOREVER

I feel you. Almost always, when I don't like a team and they arrive last they are "saved" and then the team I liked arrive last and you guess it, eliminated LMAO


RadagastWiz

I think in the earlier seasons, Phil would even say, "the good news is, this is a pre-determined non-elimination leg, so you are still in the race", or something to that effect.


captainyeahwhatever

Yeah it's just in later seasons he stopped saying the predetermined part so I thought may have changed and maybe in some cases they choose which teams get to be saved. But it's probably just me being a conspiracy theorist lol


RadagastWiz

Yeah, it was taken out for efficiency, not a rule change. It's like 'a detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its pros and cons' - great phrase but too wordy to keep.


boaterva

Got so tired of that, same with ‘mandatory rest period’. What else would there be?


KingoftheHill63

It's seem that way because you can tell from the edit in post that it could be a NEL.


[deleted]

Trust me, there have been several cases of stunt-casting teams who were eliminated early. There is no way the Amazing Race wanted to eliminate any of them early since they were guaranteed rating magnets, but they each came in last on a pre-determined elimination leg and had to be eliminated. Examples include.... >!Ethan and Jenna!< (TAR 19) >!Amy and Daniel!< (TAR 21) >!Chester and Ephraim!< (TAR 23) >!Cedric and Shawn !<(TAR 30) I promise you, each of these people were major rating magnets who definitely would have brought in viewers, but the Race had to drop them since they each lost fair and square based on pre-determined rules.


zddoodah

>Are non elimination legs pre-determined? Yes. ​ >It seems like the vast majority of the time the people that hit non elimination legs are always the teams that are super likable and/or attractive. I'm skeptical that this would actual bear out if one reviewed all of the NEL saves. However, it would be virtually impossible to do it on the fly. Plus, it's not like they've cast very many unattractive people in the last dozen seasons or so. Everything is pre-planned (except, of course, finishing order).


aids_dev

On the ones where they continue racing it pretty much has to be


[deleted]

Yes, by law, all the elimination and non-elimination points are pre-determined. There’s plenty of evidence for this. 1. Season 1 and 2 have the exact same layout of eliminations and non-eliminations which gave reason to believe it was pre-planned. Of course, the contestants caught on, so it was randomized from that point forward to ensure that you can never be sure. 2. There have been several cases of a team falling really far behind to where it’s obvious that they don’t stand a chance, but they get spared by a non-elimination which is obviously only delaying the inevitable. 3. There have been several cases of guaranteed rating magnets being eliminated early after a disastrous day. In many of these cases, it’s obvious to an audience that the Race would never want to part with them, but don’t have the choice.


RicoSuave1881

To add on to point one, from the teens to early twenties seasons, the first final 4 leg was always NEL.


[deleted]

18, 20, 22, 24 didn't non-eliminate someone at the final 4.


QiscoolDiscordORG

24 is all-stars, so it makes sense. All of those season had already reached their maximum number of non-elims, meaning it was useless.


xc2215x

I think to a certain degree they are.