And season 2 of The Amazing Race Philippines is over! I think most weren’t even sure a season 2 would ever exist. So it was great to hear last December that TV5 had indeed ordered a brand new season.

Let me just say right off the bat before we get to the very long essay below; It is absolutely amazing to have seen The Amazing Race Philippines Season 2. It definitely had its faults, but overall, it was a solid season and it even just existing is something to appreciate.

A big Congratulations to the cast and especially the crew for completing the season. Producing The Amazing Race is definitely a difficult job for anyone, even for creators Bertram Van Munster and Elise Doganieri. Taking on The Amazing Race is a big commitment production-wise, so it is definitely a big accomplishment when a season is completed.

There are definitely many good things to love about this season and unfortunately, many bad things to nitpick as well.

Let’s get it to it!

The Format

One of the biggest criticisms of season 1 was its erratic scheduling and format. Legs were split over random numbers of episodes and Legs started and ended on different days of the week. Maybe to fix that, the TARPh team, with the blessing of Bertram Van Munster himself, came up with a tweaked format that saw one Leg span one week’s worth of 6 episodes.

That resulted in reducing the number of Legs to 10, but also increasing the number of tasks and Route Markers per Leg. That would then allow each daily episode to feature at least one of those tasks or Route Markers.

Looks excellent and logical on paper. And I loved the idea at first. But it turns out it has its pros and cons.

On one hand, it helped the viewer not get lost when one could easily jump into an episode and not feel lost if teams are in the middle of a task or something.

But at the same time, we should all hope the Filipino audience would be able to follow the show even if it was edited like season 1 or a normal TAR in which teams are actually at different tasks and locations in the same 22 minute episode.

It turns out though that there are just some tasks that do not merit or deserve an entire episode devoted to it. The first Leg proved that with the very flat first Detour. Those kinds of episodes and the Pit Stop episodes which only featured teams driving to or making their way to the Mat felt incredibly long and tedious. Pit Stops should take no more than 5-10 minutes each Leg.

The biggest thing in the “con” column though has to be the loss of the sense of time on the Race. You really couldn’t feel the teams actually Racing through a Leg in those first few weeks. There was no sense of where teams were in relation to each other. For example, you had teams at one location after dark in one episode while other teams are at the next location in broad daylight in the next episode. It was like teams were Racing in mini-Legs in each self-contained episode.

While the thinking behind the self-contained episodes is understandable, it unfortunately hurt the overall Race-viewing experience.

The very first episode of the season was excellent. It was a perfect start having the SM Aura rappelling task be the very first clue at the Starting Line. But things slowed down considerably the next few Legs.

It wasn’t until the Ilocos Leg which marked the real turning point of the season, I think. With the Race having only finished filming weeks before the premiere, it was still in the process of being edited in post-production when the first episode aired.

Starting with the Ilocos Leg, I think the editing improved greatly. The proceedings were less tedious and were a little more tight. I think the better tasks helped too, but I can only assume that the TARPh post-production team took the viewers’ comments from the first week or two and used them to improve.

As for only having 10 Legs, I think that is perfectly fine with this kind of format. TARAu3 of course only had 10 Legs. But here on TARPh2, the number of tasks and locations they had were basically enough for 15-20 modern TAR Legs which have become much shorter and simpler.

But what was that non-elimination in Bohol and the unannounced Double Elimination though?! I have a feeling that was unplanned and not some pre-planned big twist because the 10 Legs for 11 teams meant only room for one non-elim and that would’ve been the Superleg. Easy.

Which, speaking of, still irks me. AJ & Jody should have definitely still been awarded a prize for winning a Superleg. TARUS has given prizes on TBC/no-rest Pit Stops.

Hmph.

For a season 3, may I humbly suggest maybe cutting down to only 5 days a week? (Since I know the daily format is likely here to stay, no matter what.) Maybe remove the self-contained format and have each episode play out naturally. More like season 1’s editing, but now with a set 5 episode-a-Leg format. Then have Saturdays and Sundays (which have shown to be the lesser watched nights for TARPh2) be the highlights episode (Sat) and marathon (Sun) instead.

While this format, I think, can still be used and fixed, it had two very bad consequences. First, all the room for extra tasks meant having a dearth of luck tasks. And the longer Legs also resulted in very linear Legs too. Jet’s comment in the penultimate Leg of never having even seen Tina & Avy for most of the Race as well as the mostly unchanged rankings in the first Legs show just how linear the Leg design really was.

And that Final Leg 10 was all kinds of horrible. What a horrible way to end what is otherwise a solid season. I was shocked. What happened there? Did the rest of the Leg run into problems so the other planned tasks couldn’t be staged? Or did the extra tasks never exist to begin with?! Just a shockingly horrible final Leg.

The Tasks

TARPh2 definitely had the quantity when it came to tasks, but many of them didn’t necessarily have the quality.

There were definitely plenty of awesome tasks though. In the first Leg, the SM Aura rappel and the Priscilla dance were particularly fun. The fruit side of the Detour in Batangas was one of the few physical tasks in the first few Legs (and it was fun as well). The fish Road Block and the MURDER!!!! Detour in Pangasinan are standouts.

The surfboard Road Block in La Union was an excellent update of TAR Asia and Australia’s original versions of the task.

Ilocos’ #MyOxisBroken was classic and actually was much more enjoyable and fun than TAR25’s Switchback ended up being.

In the latter Legs, the Battle of Mactan Duel Duel was great (more on those pesky Duel Duels later). The Bohol hammock course was a surprisingly excellent physical task. The Iloilo carabao racing was one of the season’s absolute best. The white water rafting was a task that definitely should’ve been staged in an earlier Leg with more teams to “enjoy.” And the amazing ostrich Detour MUST be staged by foreign TARs in the future.

There were a lot of big missed opportunities. I think the biggest one had to be the Poro Point Detour. It seemed like it could have been a great task at an amazing location.

The execution of some tasks were also disappointing; the ice block puzzle, the Philippine Stock Exchange puzzle, the Manaoag prayer, the bangus dance.

Teams should not have been allowed to share answers at either of those first Leg puzzles. Right from the start it lulled the teams into a comfort zone that would result in the horrible #TheBrainTrust alliance and the almost lazy lack of competition in the first half of the Race.

The Manaoag prayer and the bangus dance seemed to lack any discernible rules too which allowed teams to skirt by with less effort and penalize teams that actually took the time to complete the task correctly.

Then there are the absolutely horrible tasks, mostly the luck tasks. Some standouts had to be the MacArthur artifacts and the Sky Ranch Ferris wheel plus the Bohol perya game. Having so many luck tasks, sometimes one after the other and sometimes right at the end of Legs left teams’ fate out of their hands.

Plus, a repeat of selling waliseses? I’m sure they could have found something else to have teams sell in La Union. That was probably the laziest choice by task production this season.

And then of course there are the horrible Double Battle Duel Duels.

New Twists

I have always been intrigued by TAR Israel/HaMerotz LaMillion‘s Double Battles. From what I’ve seen and from what I understand though, those Double Battles have been mostly inconsequential to the Race and even more importantly, were just fun.

So seeing that Active TV would bring over those Double Battles intrigued me.

But what they ended up doing was turning these untitled, though inadvertently referred to by Derek as, Duel Duels into unfair and random penalties for teams that only sought to separate them from each other even more than they already were. They didn’t foster competition, especially when placed toward the end of Legs.

The sprinting Duel Duel is exactly the reason why Zarah & Osang were eliminated even though they put in more effort than most of the other teams combined.

The Battle of Mactan Duel Duel was a great task on its own, but horrible as Duel Duel. Especially when teams just quit.

The only good Duel Duel was the Road Block duel in Iloilo because the rules allowed NO team to actually move on if neither of the duel participants successfully completed the challenge. That’s contrary to the other duels which allowed teams to quit or beg for free passes to win and move on. Plus, it was the first task of the Leg.

The Duel Duels did nothing for competition nor enjoyment.

The other new addition to this season was instituting U-Turn and Yield voting on every Leg other than the first and last. Also a TAR Israel concoction.

It is definitely a very Survivor and Big Brother kind of thing to do. But, while it helped show how tough Kelvin & JP, Matt & Phoebe and AJ & Jody were for overcoming the “delays,” it only helped foster the idea of alliances.

The regular U-Turn or Yield is still the better option. It can create rivalries and competition without needing teams to align with each other to vote someone off the island or out of the house. That’s not the kind of drama TAR needs or should even aspire to have. The Race itself and the competition itself should be enough to cause teams to explode at each other and one another.

But ugh…

The Teams and #TheBrainTrust

Maybe the absolute worst part of the season was the formation of #TheBrainTrust™.

The biggest criticism of this season may be the lack of competition and the lack of competitive and fighting spirit from the teams. Apparently, the TARPh crew noticed it too, which culminated in Derek’s big sermon to RR & Jeck at their elimination.

Alliances are one thing on The Amazing Race. They definitely exist. But never have teams taken alliances to the extreme they did on this season. This isn’t Survivor or Big Brother US. You are not playing on tribes. You’re playing and Racing as a team of two. Ultimately, one pair wins in the end.

This season, we saw teams giving, handing out answers and solutions to tasks without even doing any work for themselves. It was unprecedented. Unbelievable. And definitely frustrating to watch. Seeing teams who actually were putting in the effort get eliminated early made that fact even worse.

Teams weren’t giving their 100% because they expected to have another team hold their hand the rest of the way. Teams would beg for freebies or beg for answers. That’s not how The Amazing Race works and I have never in my 14 years of watching The Amazing Race ever seen that kind of attitude be so strong and prevalent in one season.

The linear Leg design definitely helped foster that kind of atmosphere. But Derek’s sermon to RR & Jeck could have easily applied to everyone else at that point as well. Teams were taking the Race for granted. They weren’t competing. Some even whined about needing to actually do tasks or drive themselves to locations. It was seriously unbelievable.

You can make alliances, but this is still The Amazing Race. You’ve gotta Race. You’ve got to be able to compete and put in actual effort. There are no free rides or free passes (except for the Express Pass of course).

And your alliance will only take you so far. #TheBrainTrust really stifled competition in those first few Legs.

Teams really stepped it up in the last couple of Legs, but the first half of the Race was brutal in terms of the way teams treated the Race. Very sad.

And back to Derek’s sermon. That was AMAZING. Apparently he gave another sermon in Ilolilo, but the fact that Derek actually called out teams is just wow. Phil Keoghan has not called out a team in a long time (and I think TARUS definitely goes too easy on teams these days). But that TARPh actually not only had Derek say those things, but actually show them in the episodes is a great thing. It shows that maybe the crew of TARPh also really care about how the Race is run. But it also shows that they are not afraid to show teams as they really are. There’s no hiding teams’ true personalities or faults like TARUS has done.

How to Watch Though?

I live in the United States. And while we do happily subscribe to Kapatid TV5 via DishWorld on Roku (why aren’t they on Comcast Xfinity or even DirecTV though?!), The Amazing Race Philippines cannot air on TV5’s international channel.

Okay, fine. TV5 has its own, free livestream on their website. Even though it is geoblocked to anyone outside of the Philippines, I had to figure out how to change the proxy settings in my browser (none of that paying for proxies thingy, I have no idea how that works) just to be able to try and watch the show live. And I was able to. At first.

TV5’s livestream never fully worked and would regularly freeze up or just plain crash in the middle of episodes. So I gave up staying awake until 4am Pacific Daylight Time and hoped that any of the dozens of Filipino TV pirates would upload the episodes.

And I knew that was iffy, which is why I nagtiyagad watching the livestream because there are less uploaders for TV5 programs than there are for GMA or ABS-CBN programs. Plus, I already had experience falling behind when episodes of TARPh1 became sporadic.

It’s certainly no secret that there are dozens of people who record Filipino shows and put them online to make money via the ads on their malware-infested blogsites which aggregate the pirated videos.

But unfortunately, episodes did get sporadic or incomplete. Here’s my list of incomplete or missing episodes (I think):
Leg 2, Day 6 (Partial)
Leg 3, Day 2 (Partial)
Leg 4, Day 3 (Partial)
Leg 4, Day 5 (Partial)
Leg 4, Day 6 (Full episode)
Leg 5, Day 1 (Partial)
Leg 5, Day 5 (Partial)
Leg 5, Day 6 (Full episode)
Leg 6, Day 3 (Partial)
Leg 6, Day 4 (Partial TV5 upload)
Leg 6, Day 5 (Partial TV5 upload)
Leg 8, Day 1 (Partial)
Leg 8, Days 3-6!!! (Full episodes)
Leg 9, Day 1 (Full episode)

That’s a lot of episodes. But it wouldn’t be a problem if TV5 actually uploaded full episodes themselves. They’ve got their own YouTube channel and they usually upload full episodes of their other shows to YouTube as well.

And while TV5 actually did upload some episodes, the greater majority of the season was still missing from their official channel. They even uploaded episode parts that cut out after 30-60 seconds.

I’ve gotten messages every day from TAR fans, both Filipino and not, asking for links to episodes.

“Where can I watch the show?”

There are many non-Filipino TAR fans who love and enjoy watching foreign versions. And it would have been awesome if I could tell them, “Oh, here you go: You can watch full episodes on TV5’s official channel! No country restrictions too!”

Instead, I had to either point them to horrible, low quality and blurry videos or nothing at all.

I think The Amazing Race Philippines may be the only TAR in the world that does not have official episode uploads (and in HD!). TAR Israel and Vietnam both put episodes on their official YouTube channels (TAR Vietnam even has full ads and are unblocked out of the country). The new TAR China has the episodes, without restriction, on their official Sohu TV channel. And of course TAR US, Canada and Australia have their episodes on the network websites.

It was very disappointing to see TV5 not committed to uploading full episodes. They missed a HUGE opportunity.

First of all, they could have bypassed all those pirates and instead draw people to their official uploads, which would bring them the money instead of to the pirates. What’s TV5 have against YouTube revenue?

For Filipino fans, TV5 is still not available to big swaths of the population. And not everyone can be home at 7pm or 9pm to watch live. (Truncated Sunday highlights are not a solution.) So having same-day episode uploads would have helped fans and possible viewers keep up with the show. I believe both ABS-CBN and GMA have pay subscription services that have full episodes of their shows on demand.

But TV5 has had free episodes on YouTube for their shows, which is even better.

For Filipino and non-Filipino TAR fans outside of the Philippines, uploaded videos are the only way they can watch.

TARPh definitely needed all the social media discussion it could get, but it’s hard to discuss a show when you can’ t watch it, right? Those non-Filipino TAR fans who love watching foreign versions also love talking about those foreign versions.

Word of mouth is a very powerful tool. But you can’t have word of mouth if there’s no discussion. And there’s no discussion if there’s nothing to discuss.

It is TV5 and TARPh’s hope to be nominated for an International Emmy for this season. They could have helped their For Your Consideration campaign by uploading full episodes for anyone and everyone to watch. Get that buzz going. Allow people to share memorable scenes with each other, like the carabaos or the foot massages or the beautiful locations.

But unfortunately, TV5 dropped the ball there. And it’s a shame. Huge missed opportunity for a global audience for a show they were supposedly very excited and proud of. Why not show it off?

In addition, they had uploaded bonus videos similar to TARUS’ Secret Scenes, but stopped after like Leg 4 or 5. But those videos were 240p, like they were filmed on an old cell phone. That was insane! How is that possible?! Especially after they actually already uploaded full HD clips from the first Leg.

Very odd.

Biyaheng Pilipinas and Drones!

But back to the positive stuff.

It was very exciting to hear it would possibly travel out of the country when the new season was first announced. But even though they remained in the Philippines for another season, the route itself was one of the pluses of the season. The Philippines is so diverse, both with its people and its topography. And I think TARPh2 was able to highlight that diversity, for the most past.

I do think this was a better, more balanced route than season 1. They were able to Race through Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao and were able to visit some iconic landmarks, especially in Ilocos.

And because of a great sponsorship by Kia (Thanks Kia!!!), teams were forced to drive themselves for all the Legs in Luzon. That was definitely one of the best parts of the season. Teams don’t usually get to drive themselves that much on TARUS anymore other than on Ford-sponsored Legs.

Plus, to help highlight those great destinations, they used some HD camera drones. I’ve grown to absolutely love drones thanks to The Amazing Race.

It would be amazing to watch the show in HD. But even in blurry 240p uploads, you can tell there were some stunning visuals and excellent cinematography, especially from those drones.

The Future

As a fan of The Amazing Race since its very first episode in 2001, I was so excited when it was announced TV5 bought the rights and would be bringing the franchise to the Philippines. TV5 was the best possible network to help give the Philippines its own Amazing Race.

TARPh’s future was very iffy after season 1 ended until TV5 finally announced The Amazing Race Philippines: Biyaheng Asya in December 2013. And it was very exciting and a great relief.

Now that season 2 is in the books, I definitely hope this isn’t the last Amazing Race Philippines. I’m definitely hoping it’ll be sooner rather than later that TV5 announces they’re accepting applications for The Amazing Race Philippines Season 3: Biyaheng Asya.

In an interview with PEP, Derek said a season 3 would take place completely out of the Philippines, per Active TV requirements. So it would be absolutely amazing to watch Filipinos traveling around Asia.

There are plenty of countries in Asia and around the world that are visa-free for Filipino citizens, so that’s one hurdle they won’t need to stress over when coming up with a possible route.

Of course, the budget is a big issue to deal with, but TARPh got a good line-up of sponsors this time around. One would hope they’ll stick around and TV5 can attract even more for a possible season 3.

Filipino audiences really are averse to breaking their misguided network loyalty and do not want to believe that there are actually great shows on any other of the dozens and hundreds of channels on the dial.

I still believe TV5 can do a lot to attract more viewers and especially to a season 3 of TARPh. Building hype, designing Legs and tasks that are social media-ready and uploading full same-day episodes will all help word of mouth and help the show’s profile in the Philippines and around the world.

There’s definitely plenty of good and a couple of bad things about this season 2. But the mere fact that it exists is something to be thankful for. And that is does exist and has completed its run is something to congratulate TV5 and the entire cast and crew of The Amazing Race Philippines for.

Here’s to Season 3 and many many more seasons of The Amazing Race Philippines to come!

My FINAL! Subjective Team Rankings for the Season

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Zarah & Osang and Tina & Avy were probably the most heartbreaking eliminations of the season other than AJ & Jody‘s. But for Zarah & Osang and Tina & Avy, they were two of the only teams who best exemplified what the Race was all about. They had so much heart and gave their all to the Race even when the Race itself and maybe other teams were trying to push them down.

The sprinting Duel Duel was so cruel, yet it helped show just how much fight and determination Zarah & Osang actually had. And in spite of falling behind because of that horribly placed task, they still had a chance to survive at the end if it weren’t for Metro Manila streets turning into rivers. They gave more in one Leg than some teams gave their entire time on the Race.

Tina & Avy were inexplicably ostracized from the start. But that only helped make them stronger. They were actually pretty consistent Racers. There wasn’t one task they really struggled or failed at. They just didn’t have luck on their side like other teams did or have an alliance that could help prop them up (or give them answers). Them completing that ice block challenge on their own set the tone for the beginning of the Race . And all the way to their elimination, they really showed what the Amazing Race fighting spirit really looks like.

I was rooting for AJ & Jody as my pre-season pick. For one, because I usually love parent-child teams. And two, because I needed a good father-son team to get rid of the awful memory of Dave & Connor’s trail of terror on TAR24. AJ & Jody definitely delivered on both parts. They were the typical bickering parent-child and their little asarans and arguments were hilarious fun. And of course very relatable. They may have been card carrying members of #TheBrainTrust, but that was never the biggest part of the roles on the show. Instead, we got to see their relationship grow and that growth culminated in that amazing show of spirit, heart and determination by AJ at the Bohol hammocks. They were saved by a non-elim and fell victim to a surprise Double Elimination, but they still had a great Race. And they were great to watch.

Such a shocking and disappointing downfall for Luz & Chen. Luz was the absolute star of the first and second Legs. Her one-liners and hirits went unmatched through the season, not even by RR & Jeck. But their one mistake was definitely killer. And their shocking and unprecedented Pit Stop elimination meltdown was incredible. It was also sad, especially since Chen was absent at the Finish Line. But a promising start to the Race ended with their friendship, apparently, still broken to this day. Let’s hope they can mend fences and definitely return for TARPh: Unfinished Business in 2019. =)

Roch & Eji were definitely the loudest team this season I think. And that was a great thing! Their unexpected shrieks of joy from time to time were pleasant surprises and a lot of fun. They were firmly part of #TheBrainTrust, but when that alliance finally broke down, they were able to show what they could really do on their own. And Roch especially was able to show what she could do on her own too in some of the season’s most physical challenges. Of the final 3, I was probably rooting for them the most to win. But overall, they were fun, they enjoyed the Race and they stepped it up when they needed to, as evidenced by their win in Bohol.

Kelvin & JP were definitely one of those alliance-minded teams in the first Leg, but they soon became underdogs when #TheBrainTrust was formed and they ended up being targeted. That also helped them grow stronger. They overcame both U-Turns and used that strength to eventually help them reach the Final Leg mostly on their own. They were definitely willing to join #TheBrainTrust2 in the 2nd half of the Race, which then resulted in them losing their endearing underdog status. But once they did get in front, they were able to maintain their position and get themselves to the finale. They had the perfect combination of skills, determination and luck.

Jet & Yna! #TheBrainTrust ringleaders! I was really the most disappointed in them because I knew (and they later proved) that they had what it took to Race well on their own without the help of any alliance. They were Race fans who should’ve known how the Race worked. Yet they had some of the most regrettable scenes of the Race. First begging teams to let them win at that horrible sprinting Duel Duel, then the embarrassing yelling at that horrible MacArthur task, the threatening to quit at the foot massage and after all their awesome growth, again thinking about begging for a free pass in the penultimate! Leg. It was sad seeing Yna be so down on herself, saying she can’t do anything on her own. I knew that wasn’t true and she definitely proved it at the mountain bikes, the fish Road Block and that hammock task; all physical tasks she conquered excellently. I was so happy to see her do so well on those tasks. I just wish they had that same fight and determination the entire Race. But seeing their sibling relationship be so strong was definitely a highlight of the season.

Matt & Phoebe proved early on that they were a strong team. A VERY strong team. After winning Legs, they overcame U-Turns and Yields as well as themselves. After watching Alain & Audrey on TAR Canada 2 and their French bickering, it was amusing to see Matt & Phoebe would be able to provide some British-accented fighting on TARPh2. And they definitely delivered in that regard. They were the typical TAR bickering couple. They’d fight, even get physical, but still perform at the tasks and seemingly get over any big blowup they’d have. What separates them from Marc & Kat in season 1 as the “dominant” team of the Race are definitely those extra British arguments they had. That made Matt & Phoebe much more likeable or at least enjoyable to watch. But their win was definitely much deserved.

Daniel & Charlie‘s most amusing trait was their penchant to cuss up a storm. Swearing left and right was so randomly hilarious. Even more hilarious than any of their Juan Direction shtick or even their lack of Tagalog skills. They were definitely the most bottomgoddessy team of the season though, never able to get themselves out of 9th place. And they had a tendency to act like they were on an episode of Juan Direction instead of The Amazing Race. But they were certainly not the worst team of the season.

That’s when we come to RR & Jeck. I’m very familiar with RR after years of watching her on Wowowee. So I sorta knew what to expect from her. I was actually very excited to see she had auditioned with Wendy Valdez. And even more excited to find out she was actually cast. But eeek! No amount of one-liners and tarayan will make up for the fact that they whined about “abnormal” tasks and people, quit and threatened to quit, dragged their feet most of the Race and had the most lackadaisical approach to the Race I may have ever seen evah. They came across as halfhearted and that is definitely disrespectful, or at the very least very unfair to the eliminated teams and aspiring Racers who actually would Race with their whole hearts and to the fullest. I’m sure the crew and challenge producers didn’t appreciate being called “abnormal” either. Which is probably how that sermon even came about.

And finally Vince & Ed. They are the most interesting team this season. And interesting only because they started out as being the quiet, maybe even boring self-professed “nerds” only to become these strange, condescending elitists. They really rubbed a lot of fans the wrong way with their strange attitude. It was very surprising. Instead of being snarky fun, like when they seemed to be anti-Blondies for just voting for them, they (especially Vince) became very condescending and overconfident. It was very odd and so opposite of how they introduced themselves and were introduced at the start of the Race. And their defeatist attitude at the end of the Bohol Leg brought to mind Derek’s sermon to RR & Jeck.

“NEEDS to do?” Well, that’s a pretty strong headline. Actually, these are just humble (though necessary!) suggestions to hopefully give season 3 of The Amazing Race Philippines the best possible opportunity to succeed.

But let’s back up a little bit. Season 3?! Unfortunately, there is absolutely zero indication that The Amazing Race Philippines is even still alive at TV5.

I actually planned to post this as soon as a season 3 was officially announced. When/If that ever happened. It was all ready to go.

But TV5 has recently undergone some reorganization that included the dissolution of its entertainment department and moving toward outsourcing much of its programming schedule to outside producers (all of which have worked with TV5 in the past and at present).

Now TV5 has closed a deal with Viva Entertainment, the biggest independent producer and talent agency in the Philippines. Viva will now handle TV5’s entertainment division, including taking on homegrown TV5 talents with Viva CEO Vic Del Rosario in charge.

Right now, it’s a good deal as it gives TV5 an opportunity to beef up its original content which has greatly diminished in the last couple of months. Viva has plenty of experience producing feature films as well as managing its own cable networks which have included original programs featuring their stable of artists.

So how does The Amazing Race Philippines fit into this new picture?

Why a season 3?

Let’s first start with why TV5 should produce a season 3 at all.

The Amazing Race has proven to be the gold standard in reality television. It is a critically acclaimed, multi-awarded franchise that has been one of the most popular shows worldwide. That worldwide popularity encouraged many local versions of the franchise.

The Philippines has been one of the biggest countries of support for The Amazing Race, so it was only a matter of time before a local version was commissioned.

TV5 officially acquired the rights for a Philippine version of the franchise in 2011 and the first season went into production and premiered in 2012.

It was a success, by TV5 standards. Solid ratings behind Willie Revillame’s then-primetime show and mostly positive reaction from local fans. It wasn’t without criticism, of course, but TV5 decided on ordering a 2nd season which eventually premiered in 2014.

While The Amazing Race Philippines, like anything not related to the Philippine Basketball Association, wasn’t the breakout ratings hit that would help TV5 give the top networks a run for their money, it does bring the network several positives.

The Amazing Race is an international franchise that gives TV5 its own prestige program. By most standards, both seasons of The Amazing Race Philippines were produced with the same effort and care as other local editions. Both featured original tasks, teams and moments that could easily stand alongside other Amazing Races, including the American mothership.

And successfully producing something like The Amazing Race promotes what seems to have always been TV5’s philosophy: quality over quantity. And providing fresh and unique options for the Filipino audience.

The Amazing Race Philippines was also able to feature its home country like no other television show ever did.

As an international franchise, The Amazing Race has millions of international fans. And TAR fans, from casuals to the most die-hard, love watching The Amazing Race, no matter the language. (More on that below.)

The Amazing Race Philippines can help build TV5’s global profile for Filipinos and Filipinos-at-heart. This is especially necessary, as overseas Filipinos have been hugely important in the growth of both ABS-CBN (especially) and GMA at home and abroad. And TV5 definitely needs help growing at home and abroad.

And so now that TV5 has been convinced to order a season 3, let’s take a look at the things they can do to give it the best chance to succeed. These are all suggestions that are shared by many an Amazing Race fan around the internet. Whether it’s at PinoyExchange, Survivor Sucks, RealityFanForum or just Twitter and Facebook.

Format and airing schedule

One of the most unique things about The Amazing Race Philippines is its airing format and schedule. It is the only TAR franchise to air new episodes as much as six days a week.

Each of the 13 Legs of season one aired over 3-4 episodes, Monday through Saturday. The episodes, 30 minutes each with commercials, were edited in the same way as a normal American Amazing Race episode would be. The downside of this format was that Legs would begin and end on random days of the week with no uniform schedule. (Such as Elimination on Wednesday, new Leg on Thursday.) Sundays featured a marathon of the week’s episodes.

Season two featured a tweaked format that saw ten Legs broadcast over nine weeks. Each of Legs one through nine aired over six episodes, Monday through Saturday. Sundays featured a recap episode of the Leg. The final 10th Leg aired as a one-hour special in that Sunday slot.

The new format initially looked great on paper. And while season one’s format drew criticism, season two presented brand new challenges.

Season two moved toward self-contained episodes in which one episode would contain one or two complete tasks/challenges. The problem here was that many tasks did not merit or deserve an entire 30 minute episode devoted to it. But even more concerning was the loss of the sense of time on the Race. The feeling of teams racing against each other was almost nonexistent as there was no sense of where teams were in relation to each other for most episodes.

For example, you would have trailing teams at a task location after dark in one episode while the leading teams appear at the next location in broad daylight in the next episode.

The self-contained episodes were unexpectedly detrimental to the overall presentation of season two. It wasn’t until the last few Legs in which the production and editing team seemed to relax the strict “one task-per-episode” rule.

I know the daily format is something that is likely here to stay in any future season. So for a season three, I believe cutting down to five episodes per week/per Leg is a good idea to consider. That would include removing the self-contained format and have each episode and Leg play out naturally. More like season 1’s editing, but now with a set 5-episode-a-Leg format.

Both Saturday and Sunday airings were the least watched episodes of the week for season two. So in this new format, Saturdays can have the highlights/recap episode introduced in season two while Sundays can feature a full marathon of the week’s episodes.

Season two’s format also had two bad consequences on the Leg design. First, the room for all the extra tasks needed to fill one week of episodes meant having a dearth of luck tasks, poor tasks and even recycled tasks from season one.

And second, the longer Legs resulted in very linear Legs as well. Linear Legs provide almost zero opportunity for placement changes such as leading teams falling behind or trailing teams catching up. For example, it was very telling when on the penultimate Leg of season two, Jet & Yna commented on how they rarely, if ever, saw Tina & Avy on the Race course. That’s insane to think teams never saw each other since the Starting Line. And that definitely should not be the case on any season of the Race.

Tasks

Undoubtedly, one of things that help The Amazing Race be good television is the set of tasks. Good tasks must be challenging or funny/amusing or both. For season two, many tasks were uninteresting, which made for boring episodes.

The best kinds of tasks should challenge teams physically and/or mentally. And some of the most enjoyable and memorable tasks also include teams interacting with the locals as much as possible.

One of the biggest problems of season two were the luck tasks which are fine for one or two Legs. But not every single one.

And the other big problem were tasks that allowed and even promoted teams to not only work together, but simply give each other answers or solutions to tasks. That stifled competition for a better part of season two.

Any future Amazing Race Philippines will also need to look at crafting social media-ready tasks. The kinds of tasks and challenges that will produce moments which can be easily shared on social media. Bonus points if they can go viral a la TAR17’s Watermelon Road Block from the premiere.

The zombie task from the Iloilo Leg of season two was an incredibly creative idea. And the murder scene Detour in Pangasinan was basically recycled on The Amazing Race Canada 3.

But the important thing is to have interesting tasks that will foster competition amongst teams while providing opportunities for big moments that viewers will enjoy watching.

The Amazing Race Philippines will also need to make sure teams are actually completing tasks correctly and not finding loopholes to get out of performing challenges.

Twists

Season two’s introduction of the Double Battle (or Duel Duel) was a mess. Only one (the carabao racing Road Block) was any good while the others helped feed into the horrible atmosphere of non-competition amongst the teams.

The idea of the Double Battle/Duel Duel is great. And from what I’ve seen, Israel’s HaMerotz LaMillion has been able to use the twist very well. The Amazing Race Canada failed even harder with their two attempts in season three. But that doesn’t mean The Amazing Race Philippines can’t fix the idea.

The carabao racing Road Block Duel Duel was great because it helped drive competition, but did not outright penalize teams. If anything, Double Battles should push teams to compete while not being the sole decider of a Leg’s results. That is not what happened on here season two.

Elsewhere, the voting every leg for U-Turn and Yield didn’t create any of the drama they were supposed to and instead helped foster alliances and give rise to #TheBrainTrust. I think one or two voting U-Turn/Yields a season is okay. But the original use of the U-Turn and Yield where teams must decide when it is most advantageous to use that power provides a better opportunity for competition, strategy and rivalries.

The voting merely encouraged teams to gang up on one team like this were Big Brother (US of course) or Survivor. Which it is not.

Teams

One of the best moments ever on any Amazing Race I’ve seen has to be host Derek Ramsay actually calling out a team on the Mat for not being competitive.

His “sermon” to RR & Jeck in season two as they were eliminated was shocking and unexpected but completely welcome. While the show was airing, fans had pointed out RR & Jeck’s lack of competitiveness and almost disregard for the Race (including giving up). They treated it like a vacation instead of a competition. While the teams who were eliminated before them gave their 110%, RR & Jeck floated by with half the effort.

And apparently, The Amazing Race Philippines crew noticed that as well while filming which is why we got that amazing moment at the Mat.

I’ve never seen, and likely never will, see a Phil Keoghan or Jon Montgomery or Grant Bowler reprimand a team right at the Mat. As they were being eliminated! Derek’s sermon really was a stunning moment that RR & Jeck completely deserved. (And apparently, it happened again during the Iloilo Leg as well to other teams. I’m not sure because the episodes for that week never appeared online.)

That moment made many fans watching The Amazing Race Philippines realize that yes, maybe the crew behind the show actually does care about the Race. And the fans definitely appreciated that affirmation.

Season one definitely had a better mix of teams. They were all competitive, yet fun. Rivalries developed and there was plenty of tension between teams and within teams. They came to compete and were not about to easily hand someone else the answer or decide to give up.

Season two’s #TheBrainTrust was one of the worst alliances and displays of gameplay on any Amazing Race I’ve seen.

So for any future Race, teams must be here to compete. Casting must make sure these teams are here to actually Race and be competitive. This isn’t Pinoy Big Brother where contestants just need to act cute to get ahead as they wait for their showbiz careers. This is The Amazing Race.

And any teams that can produce big moments like this…

…are a bonus.

Be Accessible

The Amazing Race Philippines may be the only Amazing Race in the world that does not upload full episodes online within a day of its original airing.

Full episodes of season one were uploaded to TV5’s website almost two years after their original airing. Season two episodes were sporadically uploaded to YouTube weeks after their airing. And some of those uploads were incomplete. Just look at these uploads:

What is that?!

TV5 has touted its FREE on demand video on its website, but it is not timely updated. And just recently, they officially made ALL video on its website Philippine-only. All geoblocked when just a few weeks ago, they were readily available for any prospective TV5 fan and Kapatid to enjoy. That included The Amazing Race Philippines 1.

Especially when TV5 is not even available to much of the Philippines (because of poor signal reach), these uploads are essential. And not just for The Amazing Race, but for all their shows.

The Philippines is home to some of the world’s most sophisticated pirates. No, not the sea-faring kind. The kind that records television shows and movies illegally to make a profit.

There are many pirates in the Philippines who illegally record the entire line-ups of ABS-CBN, GMA and sometimes TV5. They then upload those videos online, in varying qualities, and allow the videos to be aggregated by other pirates on their own malware and ad-infested blog sites to make money. (With no profit for the networks themselves.) These videos, no matter how poor the quality, regularly get tens and hundreds of thousands of views each day!

So then why wouldn’t TV5 be encouraged to upload these same episodes onto their own website, or better yet on their rarely updated YouTube channel and then take those views and collect the profit for themselves!!!

Not only that, they could even include all the in-show commercials/branding and lower-third logos they want in addition to all the YouTube revenue.

The Amazing Race Vietnam and The Amazing Race China upload their full episodes onto YouTube with full advertisements within hours of their original airing. AND they are available for everyone in the world to watch. No geoblocking whatsoever.

The international Amazing Race fandom loves watching and discussing even foreign versions of the show. While TARPH2 was airing, I’d get countless requests from Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike for links to watch the show. And I sadly couldn’t point them anywhere because even I had no way to watch the series.

In addition to earning revenue for themselves, TV5 uploading full episodes to YouTube is particularly good for a franchise like The Amazing Race.

Having episodes readily available help drum up interest in the show. Using a platform like YouTube also helps people easily watch and share videos which then easily promotes discussion on social media. The more discussion about the show, the more people will watch. And the more people watch, the more discussion about the show.

But people need a way to watch before they can start discussing.

Making full use of YouTube helps beef up the show’s, and in turn TV5’s, video and online presence.

TV5 should also remember that it is at least 2015. They must upload full HD episodes as well as full HD clips online. Both ABS-CBN and GMA have been able to do that.

And TV5 was even able to upload bonus clips during the first week of season 2 in full raw HD. FULL high definition videos!

But then the following weeks up to the finale, TV5 inexplicably started uploading videos in 360p and lower or videos that were so distorted it looked like it was filmed on an old Nokia cell phone.

An old Nokia cell phone that didn’t even have a camera!

It is really inexplicable why such poor quality video would ever be uploaded by a major network. (But even the screencaps used on TV5’s Facebook and Twitter are still in such poor quality.)

TV5 is maybe the most technologically advanced and connected network in the country with its Smart/PLDT siblings under Manny V. Pangilinan. But they haven’t been able to use that well. And that includes their Cignal satellite TV service. They have been able to launch Bloomberg TV Philippines which broadcasts in full high definition, yet can’t upload at the very least a 480p video to YouTube?!

It’s sad that such great high definition footage (HD camera drones!!!) gets horribly downconverted or worse for broadcast and online. That’s not going to help TV5 nor the show. Any show, really.

Only Want What’s Best

As a fan of The Amazing Race since its very first episode in 2001, I was so excited when it was announced TV5 bought the rights and would be bringing the franchise to the Philippines. TV5 was and still is the best possible network to help give the Philippines its own Amazing Race.

TARPh’s future was very iffy after season 1 ended until TV5 finally announced The Amazing Race Philippines: Biyaheng Asya in December 2013. And it was very exciting and a great relief. Even if the Asian travel didn’t pan out, the mere fact that season two even happened is something to be thankful for.

In an interview with PEP, Derek Ramsay said a season three would take place completely out of the Philippines, per Active TV requirements. So it would be absolutely amazing to watch Filipinos traveling around Asia.

There are plenty of countries in Asia and around the world that are visa-free for Filipino citizens, so that’s one hurdle they won’t need to stress over when coming up with a possible route.

Of course, the budget is a big issue to deal with, but they were able to gather a good line-up of sponsors for season two. One would hope they’ll stick around and TV5 can attract even more for a possible season three and beyond.

Filipino audiences really are averse to breaking their misguided network loyalty and do not want to believe that there are actually great shows on any other of the dozens and hundreds of channels on the dial.

I still believe TV5 can do a lot to attract more viewers and especially to a season three of The Amazing Race Philippines. Building hype, designing Legs and tasks that are social media-ready, casting great teams and uploading full same-day episodes will all help word of mouth and help the show’s profile in the Philippines and around the world.

Many times, the most honest criticism comes from people who know you best. They care enough about you that they exert the effort to give you attention. Many fans have commented with suggestions and criticism (good or bad) about The Amazing Race Philippines because they want what’s best for the show and want to see it succeed. (And these are real fans who actually watch or want to watch the show. Not some loyalists of a competing network.)

So, first things first, let’s hope we will eventually see a TV5-produced season three (and more!) of The Amazing Race Philippines. And when that happens, hopefully they can take a look at fans’ suggestions and comments to help make the franchise as amazing as it can be.

The last new episode of The Amazing Race Philippines (the real! one, not the fake one lol) aired on December 7, 2014 on TV5. It’s been almost six years since the Philippines has enjoyed their very own homegrown Amazing Race. And while there’s only a 0.00001% chance it ever gets resurrected and while The Amazing Race franchise is dying a slow death around the world, my delusional TAR fan-self still dreams of the day #TARPH rises from the dead.

Back in 2015, I outlined “What TV5 Needs to Do for The Amazing Race Philippines Season 3”.

That post was more on the show’s format as well as explaining the importance of online presence and full episode availability. This post, however, proposes what TV5 can possibly do to help relaunch and successfully resurrect the series now six years later. At least, some suggestions on how to maximize the chance for success and how to go about even starting to breathe TARPH back to life.

Now I’ve had this concept/pitch almost ready to go months ago. Around the same time as I posted my Big Brother Philippines concept. I just haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and clean it up to actually post.

However, three things have happened since then that has an effect (positively or negatively) on the chances of a miraculous Amazing Race Philippines resurrection:
1. TV5 is gearing up for a return to producing local, original programming.
2. ABS-CBN has been yanked off free-to-air television.
3. COVID-19 has terrorized the world.

The coronavirus has shut down most entertainment productions around the world. And that includes new American, Canadian and Australian seasons of The Amazing Race. With the high level of uncertainty when it comes to travel, crossing borders and interacting with people while running around cities and towns, there is really no way for any Amazing Race franchise to get back to Racing any time soon. Perhaps even for a year or two. Anyone saying otherwise is being as delusional as I am in hoping for a TARPH Season 3.

But without the coronavirus, the fact that TV5 has decided to give it another shot with producing entertainment programs and ABS-CBN getting thrown off the air actually would’ve worked in The Amazing Race Philippines‘ favor. Perhaps from a 0.00001%, it would’ve improved to 0.000011%?

My original concept was about suggestions on how to market a potential return for The Amazing Race Philippines in order to maximize its opportunity for success. While today’s world certainly throws everything into chaos, I’ll present my original pitch with some relevant modifications.

And again, I don’t actually think there’s even a chance for TARPH regardless of TV5’s fortunes or the health of the world or the health of the Amazing Race franchise as a whole.

And! I have zero experience in television OR business. This is essentially ramblings from a fan. So there’s that. (lol)

Would you like an Amazing Race collector’s cup with your Chickenjoy?

How to Pay the Bills

Obviously, the first point of concern is where to actually get the money to even get the ball rolling. The Amazing Race is notoriously expensive to produce. The rights to the format alone are one reason why there aren’t more local versions, or at least, versions that last more than a few seasons. Don’t believe anyone who says that the series is actually cheaper than other shows.

Yes, the show might be cheaper to produce than some scripted series with stars
who demand higher talent fees. But The Amazing Race is certainly more expensive to produce and requires a lot more logistical effort than other reality competition programs.

So, we’ll need a lot of money upfront and a tightly managed budget. Aside from advertising revenue once it finally airs, here are some sources of moneys and ways to save money:
1. Upfront TV5 (Cignal?) cash
2. Find a co-producer (AXN/Sony Pictures Television?)
3. Plethora of product placements + unique brand opportunities
4. Find welcoming countries/locations that will subsidize production or provide incentives

First, TV5 will obviously have to fork over their own money. It’s an investment, for sure. And because it’s an investment, they’ll have to do everything they can to get the biggest return on it.

Finding a co-producer might also help ease the pain on the bank account. Similar to my proposal for Produce 101 Philippines, why not co-produce the series with a larger company. For Produce 101, it’s home network Mnet/company CJ E&M. For The Amazing Race Philippines, why not ask Sony Pictures Television’s AXN if they’d be interested in pitching in some Singapore dollars in exchange for airing rights around Asia.

I think of AXN because aside from unexpectedly resurrecting The Amazing Race Asia recently, they actually produced a local version of Cash Cab with Ryan Agoncillo. I’m not sure if it aired outside of the Philippines. But AXN may be open to working with TV5 on The Amazing Race Philippines. Especially when they won’t be paying for the whole thing.

Working with AXN also provides extra promotional opportunity for the series across Asia. And in turn helps TV5’s profile as well.

Next, it’s necessary to lure in as many promotional partners as possible. And that goes beyond just the prizes.

The Amazing Race Philippines (the real one) has had partnerships with Kia, Rexona, Nature Spring, KFC, Shell, Brother Philippines, RDC Royale Homes, etc. But all of those were merely as prize sponsors.

We will of course continue to have prize sponsors that would in turn get prominent placement in-episode throughout the season.

But there’s also plenty other ways to incorporate sponsors throughout the Race. And in ways that don’t feel too contrived.

TAR China, Canada and Vietnam have all featured teams randomly grabbing McDonalds, CLIF bars, energy drinks and other food stuffs during Legs. TARPH can certainly do similar things like that as well.

Then there’s other opportunities like, for example, on TARPHDME where I have Samsung sponsoring the Fast Forward or providing the tablets on the fancy U-Turn board.

Get your exclusive North Face Amazing Race Gear!

We could have clothing companies sponsoring team’s official clothes or backpacks and gear. Then of course selling branded gear in stores. Maybe one of the online travel sites or airlines sponsoring (but not limiting) flights or Legs.

Basically, find sponsorship opportunities in all facets of the Race. Whether in-Race or during episodes or even in promoting the series in stores or platforms.

For a series like TARPH, we should welcome as many sponsors as possible. And being a prestige show like The Amazing Race, it commands bigger, most established brands.

Of course we must ensure that none of the sponsors or product placement get in the way of the Race or the Race experience.

Finally, there are many tourism boards of countries and cities around the world that like to entice productions to visit them with generous incentives. Sometimes they will subsidize production just so you can come and feature their location. Indonesia did just that by sponsoring The Amazing Race Asia 5 which resulted in half the Race being held in the country.

I think that’s fine, especially for a smaller Race like TARPH. Any country outside of the Philippines is fine. And besides, it’s up to the Leg design and not just the name of the country that makes or breaks an episode.

Finding locations that offer incentives and subsidies could produce a pretty good route while saving a lot of money. Plenty of reality shows are able to film in exotic locales thanks to those benefits.

The Amazing Race Philippines Season 3: Celebrity Edition?

How to Reintroduce the Format

My pitch for the resurrection of TARPH requires an upfront commitment to two seasons. That’s because the first season back (really TARPH Season 3) will be a celebrity edition.

What better way to grab the Filipino audience’s attention immediately than having 11-12 teams of famous celebrities Racing?

We are betting on celebs boosting TARPH3 so that then we can welcome regular teams on TARPH4. Maybe have the casting call go out while TARPH3 is airing, for example.

TAR China and Vietnam have both been celeb-centric, but they’ve churned out solid seasons. Casting celebs will require extra scrutiny as we obviously don’t want 11 teams of annoyingly entitled divas or feeling-“big star” hams. We want teams who are competitive and want to Race. Local celebs have auditioned for both TARPH seasons before. So there’s definitely many possibilities.

We want good, competitive teams who want the adventure and the competition. Not people who just want some extra 15 minutes of fame. Those people can stick to Pinoy Big Brother.

Originally, we wanted to make a pitch to both ABS-CBN and GMA to allow their contract stars to participate in the Race by saying TV5 is not a threat to them. And being on TARPH, with potential international exposure, will actually help promote their home networks too. Plus #NetworkWarCulture would certainly drive discussion.

Now that ABS-CBN is in disarray, however, that pitch goes right out the window. There’s plenty of former ABS-CBN stars ready to go. (Though by the time TARPH would actually be safe to start Racing, ABS-CBN might have already returned to air anyway.)

Regardless, we want a mix of teams from entertainment, sports and even politics. Whatever will get people talking and supporting as long as the teams are potentially good Racers.

Again, we are betting on celebrities drawing an audience to TARPH3 who would then stick around for TARPH4 (with regular people) and beyond. Who knows, TARPH could be a biannual event. One celeb season and one regular season every year. (Similar to Big Brother UK in its final years.)

The Amazing Race Philippines on the Guadalupe Bridge billboards

How to Promote the Show

Obviously, having celebrities won’t be enough to promote the show.

Similar to my Produce 101 Philippines pitch, collaborating with local fast food chains or department stores/mall chains will help raise the show’s visibility. Especially as these stores and malls have very high foot traffic across the country.

If you haven’t been in one of the Philippines’ HUGE malls before, let me just tell you that they are always packed even in the middle of a workday.

Of course, COVID-19 has changed that and will likely not get back to normal any time soon.

So to get the word out, we’ll have to turn to the traditional billboards, print publications and now social media to raise awareness for the show.

The online component will be most important as we see next…

Miss an episode of The Amazing Race Philippines? Download the Cignal Play app!

How to Engage the Audience

Word of mouth is still a strong way to raise awareness and promote, especially when you’re almost starting from a grassroots-type of campaign. The Amazing Race Philippines on TV5 certainly feels like a grassroots campaign.

One of the things the first two seasons of The Amazing Race Philippines did horribly with was its online presence.

I outlined TV5’s shortcomings with its online presence in the “Needs to Do” post.

But basically, TV5 needs to make full episodes available to the widest audience possible. That means throwing the episodes onto YouTube without restrictions. Which is exactly what The Amazing Race Vietnam does and very successfully.

I know Cignal is starting to aggressively push their Cignal Play streaming app. And that’s a very smart thing to do. Putting TARPH episodes there is of course a no-brainer. But Cignal Play is not available outside the Philippines of course.

What TV5 should do (and depending on terms of a possible co-production deal with AXN) is they should upload full, HD episodes of TARPH onto a dedicated Amazing Race Philippines YouTube channel. Throw all the episodes, short clips, bonus clips, interviews and any kind of extra content you may have there.

By making the episodes and clips readily available, there will be no need for Filipino TV pirates to upload their own copies onto malware-infested blogsites. TV5 can get all the YouTube ad money for themselves. And by making this content easily available, you are in control of how to monetize that content.

More importantly, having everything readily available allows people to watch, share and discuss the show. That will drive social media interactions that in turn become positive word of mouth.

People will be driven to watch the show on TV5 and online. More viewers means more ad moneys of course. More viewers means more online interactions. And the cycle continues.

Being accessible fosters that discussion and allows for word of mouth to spread. And having lots of extra content, which shouldn’t take any extra effort to put together, helps drive that.

It is very important to not restrict any of this content outside of the Philippines. Of course, I am speaking as someone who lives in the United States. But I again point to The Amazing Race Vietnam and even Israel’s HaMerotz LaMillion who do not block their episodes (on TARV’s part) or all the bonus clips and content from the YouTube accounts. Someone outside of their home country can readily consume all the Amazing Race content they want.

And again, Amazing Race fans around the world like to seek out foreign versions. English subtitles would be nice. But even without them, TAR fans tend to enjoy watching as much Amazing Race as they can.

It is absolutely possible to geoblock content in the Philippines in order to drive Filipinos to a Cignal Play or elsewhere while having it all accessible worldwide. But even then, as the primary audience is the Philippines, allowing easy sharing via YouTube and other social media is, again, key to online impressions, interactions and word of mouth.

Full episodes on the official Amazing Race Philippines YouTube Channel please!

Tl;dr

All that above should be an easy read. But to summarize:
-Find as many sponsors as you can cram into the show.
-Find tourism boards that have incentives and even subsidize productions.
-Cast celebrities for TARPH3 to immediately draw attention to the resurrected series.
-Commit to a TARPH4 with regular people.
-Forge strategic promotional partnerships that raise visibility and awareness for show.
-Make all content (episodes, clips, etc.) easily and readily available worldwide to facilitate positive word of mouth via social media interactions and impressions.

This all may seem very superficial and uneducated coming from a basic fan like myself. But I don’t think anything on the list is unreasonable. A lot of content producers have had to adapt to the rapidly changing times. Whether that be in content delivery, the content itself or the intricate business and financial side of the industry.

Still, it certainly doesn’t cost much to dream. And perhaps smarter, more experienced people can come up with a more polished plan to make the longshot resurrection of The Amazing Race Philippines possible.

The post Concept/Pitch: Relaunching “The Amazing Race Philippines” on TV5 appeared first on dryedmangoez.

Happy 10th Anniversary to The Amazing Race Philippines which premiered ten years ago today on October 29, 2012!

CBS’ trio of Survivor, Big Brother and The Amazing Race (along with the Idol franchise) were considered the top tier reality formats of the time. They still are, I think.

It’s actually quite a feat that the three major Filipino networks had taken the marquee reality competition pioneers and done well: GMA Network with Survivor Philippines, TV5 (then-ABC) with Philippine Idol and (though there’s certainly a lot to be said about it) ABS-CBN with Pinoy Big Brother.

The Amazing Race was the logical next format to get its own Filipino adaptation. But with all the difficult logistics of producing it, not to mention the budget required, it was understandable that perhaps it wasn’t going to happen.

I’ve been a fan of The Amazing Race since it premiered in 2001. And of course, being Filipino-American, I was so excited to see the Philippines get its own local adaptation of the format. I remember when it was first announced in 2011. It was a mix of surprise and excitement.

I’ll be the first to say that The Amazing Race Philippines had its shortcomings. Back in 2015, I outlined my criticisms of the TARPH format and suggested ways to perhaps improve upon it for a potential season 3.

For The Amazing Race Philippines, I was initially confused and sometimes annoyed by the daily format. In hindsight, I definitely have a better understanding and appreciation of what TARPH needed to do to just get to air. It was definitely a Filipino adaptation of the format in the truest sense. And seeing how other TARs have “tweaked” the format, TARPH’s tweaks don’t seem so crazy anymore.

Filipino audiences are much more used to their daily soap operas rather than weekly airings like the original formats. And with such high costs to just license the formats, not to mention actually stage the production (especially for The Amazing Race), more airings mean more potential advertising revenue which in turn means a better return of investment. Television is a business, after all.

These considerations make the fact that TV5 was able to stage not just one, but two seasons is a major accomplishment. And two respectable seasons as well. Of the marquee reality formats, The Amazing Race is certainly the most challenging (and most expensive) to bring to life.

Both seasons featured solid casts and some unique tasks as well. Traveling around Asia would’ve been great. But as someone who’s only ever traveled between Metro Manila and my family’s home provinces of Cagayan and Kalinga, it was wonderful seeing the diverse locations and cultures around the Philippines.

Which makes it a shame that episodes of The Amazing Race Philippines aren’t more readily available online for fans and audiences around the world. (At least, episodes that aren’t 240p with large watermarks of malware-infested pirate blogsites stamped on them.) When I realized earlier this month that it was the 10th anniversary of TARPH, I decided to reach out to TV5 and people involved with the show to take a chance and see if it was possible to change that.

Over the years, especially during COVID, I guess people stumbled upon my recaps of TARPH and would ask if I could point them to where they could watch. Truthfully, I could only point them to a Google Drive of the low-quality recordings from the Filipino TV pirates which have now made their way to YouTube. (TV5! Please don’t copyright them!)

I can definitely relate to those people that messaged because I also would look for episodes of foreign TARs over the years, like those of Asia, Australia or Ukraine or Israel. I’m so grateful that TAR Vietnam and TAR China actually upload their full episodes, unrestricted, onto YouTube! (I definitely recommend checking them out!)

TV5 had randomly uploaded a few episodes to YouTube during season 2 (though now geoblocked to the Philippines only). So I can’t help but wonder what’s keeping TV5 from uploading the rest of it?

Though most of my contact attempts with TV5 went nowhere, I’m grateful to the kind people that did reply and were sorry that they couldn’t help. And if past Racers can’t even get copies for themselves, I doubt we’ll ever see them either. So we will just have to settle for the 240p uploads of season 1 and the incomplete, sporadic uploads of season 2. Some of season 2’s episodes, especially, will apparently be lost to the TV5 archives forever.

But I was really hoping that somehow, more people would be able to enjoy The Amazing Race Philippines. Again, as a Filipino-American, it’s always exciting to see something like TARPH. Getting to see a local adaptation of a popular international series with all the touches and cultural influences unique to the Philippines makes it very exciting for me. And having other people around the world able to experience everything the Philippines has to offer through a familiar format like The Amazing Race is something to be proud of.

That’s really partly why I’ve continued to do The Amazing Race Philippines: DryedMangoez Edition. I started it in 2014 to channel my excitement for season 2 into something and help promote the then-upcoming season. Afterwards, I continued as a fun way to hopefully, in some very tiny way, encourage TV5 to renew and continue producing the real Amazing Race Philippines as well as nudge them into going international.

And while as of October 29, 2022, it seems very unlikely The Amazing Race Philippines will ever return (both because of this COVID Era as well as TV5’s current state of operations), I somehow still find myself doing TARPHDME as a fun little wishlist-type of thing in my spare time. All in the hopes that maybe someday, by some crazy miracle, the real Amazing Race Philippines will be resurrected.

It’s crazy that ten years feels like so long ago, yet also not. But I definitely appreciate the two seasons we did get. Though it’s regretful that there isn’t a better way to relive those seasons, it doesn’t take away from their accomplishments. Having a Filipino adaptation be part of the now-legendary TV franchise is very much something to be proud of. And considering some recent seasons of The Amazing Race around the world, it just makes me want to go back to 2012 and 2014 again to enjoy TAR when maybe things were a bit more… amazing. =)

The post Appreciation: Happy 10th Anniversary to The Amazing Race Philippines! appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

Leg 23.06

Barcelona, Spain to Sapporo, Japan
Hokkaido Shrine, Maruyama Park (Sapporo)
Hidamari Glass Pyramid (Sapporo)
Moerenuma Park (Sapporo)
Sapporo Beer Museum (Sapporo)
Sapporo TV Tower (Sapporo)
Odori Park (Sapporo)
Mt. Moiwa Viewpoint (Sapporo)

Tricky challenges, unfamiliar transportation and the first Yield of the Race throw the teams into chaos as they Race through the beautiful and snowy northern Japanese city of Sapporo!

Teams begin this Leg at 11am on a brisk, sunny day after the city had several days of snow. Teams were surprised they would be taking public transportation this Leg and had to adjust and figure out the (at first) difficult Japanese subway system.

Teams maintained their positions, for the most part, as they made their way to the Hidamari Glass Pyramid and Moerenuma Park. But the Double Road Block proved difficult for all the teams as they struggled to get the hang of the snowball production. Teams also had trouble figuring out what they had to do with the By Hand half of the Double Road Block.

The difficulties and confusion allow Jacob & Jerika to move to the front of the pack, followed closely by fellow front-packers MM & MJ and Christian & Sam. Ehra & Michelle and Kakai & Cai manage to move up a few spots as well.

Teams then worked to figure out which bus(es) to take to the Sapporo Beer Museum. Despite leaving the Double Road Block in 2nd, MM & MJ are slowed down by the buses they choose. And that allows other teams to successfully target them for the Yield.

Jacob & Jerika, recognizing MM & MJ are the biggest threat, arrive at the board first and officially Yield the twins. Christian & Sam and Ehra & Michelle arrive next. And the Madrigal Sisters convince Christian & Sam to Yield Jacob & Jerika in order to block MM & MJ from Yielding another team. Though neither team knows that MM & MJ have a Super Yield available to them.

MM & MJ are not surprised to see their faces on the Yield, but are definitely surprised to see what Christian & Sam did. They decide not to use their Super Yield just yet, confident that they can still make up the 30 minute Yield time.

The Road Block proves tricky for most of the teams. But not for Cai who is able to correctly memorize the labels the fastest. She and Kakai move into first place as they head to Sapporo TV Tower. They decide to take a bus to save money.

Miriam & Ardy leave the Road Block and choose a taxi. Leaving the Beer Museum at the same time, Elma & Jojo, Jacob & Jerika, Wendell & Saviour and Christian & Sam decide to take the subway.

Sheryn & Mel leave the museum in 7th and hop into a taxi. As do Ehra & Michelle and Ina & Erika, but both end up having some communication troubles with their driver. MM & MJ, now in last place, also choose a taxi. But they end up arriving at the tower in 4th with the subway teams losing precious time.

The Detour offers another opportunity for teams to make up time. Or fall even further behind as MM & MJ, Jacob & Jerika, Wendell & Saviour and Sheryn & Mel would find out.

Christian & Sam, Miriam & Ardy and Kakai & Cai finish the Kira side of the Detour first and it is a taxi Race to the Pit Stop. But it is Kakai & Cai who end up stepping on the Mat first to claim their first Leg win! Miriam & Ardy settle for 2nd while Christian & Sam take 3rd.

Back at the Detour, the teams who chose the ice sculptures begin to feel frustrated, And as they see more and more teams finishing the Kira Detour, they decide it’s time to give up and just switch. MM & MJ are first to switch, followed by Jacob & Jerika, Wendell & Saviour and then Sheryn & Mel. Ehra & Michelle, however, feel they can finish their ice sculpture and decide to stick with it.

Elma & Jojo and Ina & Erika get their displays lit up and head to the Pit Stop to finish as Teams 4 and 5, respectively.

Ehra & Michelle, who stuck with the ice sculpture, end up finishing before all the teams that switch and officially check-in as Team #6.

Jacob & Jerika speed through the Kira Detour and step on the Mat as Team #7.

It is now down to the final three teams. MM & MJ and Sheryn & Mel leave the Detour at the same time, but Wendell & Saviour are only five minutes behind them both.

Sheryn & Mel, however, have trouble with their taxi. And that little delay allows MM & MJ and Wendell & Saviour to check-in as Teams 8 and 9, respectively. That means Sheryn & Mel are unfortunately eliminated.

The post The Amazing Race Philippines: DryedMangoez Edition Season 23 Race Tracker – Leg 6 appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.

I posted this on the TAR sub Reddit and didn’t realize how long it got. Lol So I’ll post it here too.

As the discussion over alliances on The Amazing Race heats up once again, I just wanted to share my take on it all. Though I’m pretty much just echoing my thoughts after The Amazing Race Philippines 2, The Amazing Race 32 and The Amazing Race Australia 5. Three of the seasons I’ve watched where alliances affected how much I enjoyed them.

I think there’s a bit of overgeneralizing when it comes to alliances on TAR. I think most fans have no problems with teams working together, giving each other a head’s up with a task or directions, driving together to a Route Marker, pointing in the direction of the cluebox. Or even giving another a team a hint or clue with solving or completing a task before they run to the next Route Marker.

Whether it is the Six Pack of TAR10. Or the Twin Hunt vs the Brotherhood of TAR3. Or Twinnies, Trey & Lexi and the Chippendales frolicking on the beach after eliminating their rivals. Or teams ganging up on Brenchel. Alliances have been a part of the Race from the very first episode.

But when it comes to just simply giving another (select) team the answer or solution to a task, or WORSE, actually doing the task for another team, then that’s where the ick and the sour tastes come about.

That’s what happened on TAR32. And sadly, it’s happened again on TAR35-turned-36 this week.

I’ll bring over two examples from international TARs that can be comparable to stuff that’s happened on TARUS.

On TAR Philippines 2 back in 2014, a Leg 1 task involved teams having to unscramble ice blocks with letters to reveal their next Route Marker. As teams struggled, a couple of teams decided to form a loose alliance and shared the answer with each other. Some of the teams then shared the answer with the rest of the teams. All while at the same time specifically excluding one team. This continued to the NEXT task which involved deciphering a code at the Stock Exchange and then again two Legs later.

What’s interesting with TARPH2 though is that in Leg 8, the show actually warned teams NOT to share the answer with others. (“Warning! Once you’ve found the next clue, do not share the answer with other teams. Do not make this mistake!”)

Alliance answer sharing plagued #AmazingRace Philippines s2. BUT! The show recognized the problem & put a stop to that midway through the Race as seen in this clip from Leg 8 warning teams to "not make [the] mistake" of sharing the answer.

TARUS and #AmazingRaceAU would never. pic.twitter.com/LmHZJTqKRQ

— DryedMangoez (@dryedmangoez) March 25, 2021

Meanwhile, an even more egregious example is from TAR Australia 5, Leg 58… I mean Leg 18. The Detour task involved teams needing to estimate and cut 7.4kg of cheese. They would then take their cheese up the hill to be weighed. If correct, they’ll be given the next clue. If not, they’ll have to go back down and get more or less cheese. After one team got the thumbs up on their cheese, they head back down the hill and ran into another team in their alliance who was walking up with their cheese guess. The first team decides to just hand them their block of cheese which had already been weighed. So that second team walked up to the scales, obviously got the correct weight and were then given the next clue.

For me, these are examples of the negative aspects of some alliances. It comes across as teams seemingly finding ways to get out of actually completing tasks. This is supposed to be a Race, yet we have teams holding hands through tasks and Legs. So watching it, you’re like “Then what’s the point of having these tasks in the first place when some teams don’t even end up completing them themselves?” And it’s an even worse look when other teams are able to do such tasks on their own. Knowing the effort the show puts into making these tasks and challenges happen, I think it is reasonable to see the teams also put in the effort rather than expect to be force fed answers by another team or spoonfeed the solution to others.

TAR is a competition, after all. And you’d like to see good sportsmanship and hard fought competition instead of watching teams exploiting loopholes and shortcuts. Even more so, many people watch TAR and not Survivor or Big Brother for a few related reasons as well.

However, it is definitely not only the teams’ fault. The rest of the fault lies with the show itself. If it is easier for a team to quit a task or ask someone else for the answer rather than completing the task themselves, then the task is no good to begin with. If that’s the case, then they’ve gotta find something else or design the tasks to prevent things like this from happening. If it means specifically forbidding teams from giving each other answers, then so be it. There are rules forbidding team members from helping their teammate during a Road Block. But having teams share answers with each other is perfectly fine?

That said, sometimes, alliances (or extreme uses of alliances) will have a (negative) cascading effect on the rest of the episode and the season. And like James and Cayla mention here, the What Ifs? affect how a viewer might experience or enjoy the rest of the season too.

When it comes to the idea that the teams are not Racing for the viewers, that is absolutely true. And I think a lot of people actually hate teams that intentionally play up to the camera or try to “appeal” to the viewers for one reason or another. This is The Amazing Race after all, not season one of Big Brother US or other international Big Brothers were the public decides evictions and winners.

That said, The Amazing Race is still an entertainment show, So of course viewers and especially longtime fans will feel a certain way about stuff that happens. And that includes feeling a certain way about teams as well. People can root for or against any team they want. The same is done in sporting events, beauty pageants, etc. And so long as they are not hurling nasty, vitriolic (or worse) comments at them, viewers should be able to like or dislike how a team runs the Race. That’s obviously a part of watching these reality-competition shows. It’s not about forcing teams to placate viewers. It’s just people’s reaction to what they are watching for an hour or 90 minutes every week.

The post Commentary: The Amazing Alliance Race? appeared first on DryedMangoez.com.