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RHAP: We Know Big Brother
Taran Armstrong Talks The Amazing Race Season 38 Premiere
00:52:14
Taran Armstrong Talks The Amazing Race Season 38 Premiere The Amazing Race is back — and this time, the cast is full of familiar faces from the Big Brother house! Taran Armstrong and Mike Bloom break down the premiere episode,
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- [00:00]
Mike Bloom
The new Popeyes and Hot Ones menu is the definition of fire flavor. We've got the sizzling Sriracha dippers. 10 out of 10. Time to take it up a notch with the smoking Rojo chicken sandwich.
- [00:12]
Taran Armstrong
Mm, that's so hot, but it's so good.
- [00:15]
Mike Bloom
Now onto the daring dab ghost wings. Yep, there it is.
- [00:20]
Taran Armstrong
I love the spice level.
- [00:21]
Mike Bloom
Attempt the Popeyes and Hot Ones menu in stores. Our hottest collaboration yet. Love that chicken from Popeyes. Limited time and participating US Restaurants Disney.
- [00:31]
Taran Armstrong
And Pixar's Elio has a new home now streaming on Disney.
- [00:35]
Mike Bloom
That's amazing.
- [00:36]
Taran Armstrong
Critics agree Elio is fun and full of heart and humor.
- [00:40]
Mike Bloom
These are the lava tunnels. I am not fireproof. Just get in my mouth. Actually kind of comfy in here. It is.
- [00:46]
Taran Armstrong
It's certified fresh and verified hot.
- [00:49]
Mike Bloom
Ta da.
- [00:49]
Taran Armstrong
Elio's bringing the whole family together on Disney one. Two, two and a half, three Disney and Pixar's Elio now streaming on Disney. Rated PG. This podcast is supported by FX's English teacher. Last year's critically acclaimed series returns to follow Evan, Gwen and Markie as they vie for their students divided attention. See why Cosmopolitan called its premiere season a master class of comedy, while Glamour raved it's the year's funniest and most heartwarming new comedy series. FX's English Teacher. All new Thursdays on FX. All episodes now streaming on Hulu Foreign. Scott Hanson, host of NFL Red Zone. Lowe's knows Sundays are for football. That's why we're here to help you get your next DIY project done. Even when the clock isn't on your side. Whether that's a new Filtreat filter or Bosch and Cobalt power tools, Lowe's has everything you need to feel like the MVP of diy. So get it done and earn your sundae Shop now in store and online.
- [01:57]
Mike Bloom
Lowe's official partner of the NFL for a limited time at McDonald's, get a Big Mac Extra Value meal for $8.
- [02:04]
Taran Armstrong
That means two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun and medium fries and a drink.
- [02:11]
Mike Bloom
We may need to change that jingle.
- [02:13]
Taran Armstrong
Prices and participation may var.
- [02:30]
Mike Bloom
Hi everybody and welcome back to RHAPS coverage of the Amazing Race 38. Here we are a couple of days removed at this point from the jam packed hour and a half premiere of the Big Brother filled Amazing Race season. Bringing you a second podcast we hope to do on at least a regular basis, if not a weekly basis here on rhap called the the Sidecar Tour Amazing Race coverage or I guess the the clog shoe on the bike of our Amazing Race coverage as listen. Given the occasion bringing Big Brother houseguests onto the Amazing Race in a major capacity, we want to have frequent abilities to talk with people who are also fellow Big Brother house guests or prominent members of the Big Brother community to give their thoughts on the season as a whole, the teams, et cetera. And so to kick this off, I can think of no better person than someone who Rob has called Mr. Big Brother and now he's going to be Mr. Big Brother on the Amazing Race in the course of this podcast. You've heard him innumerable times over the summer as he himself is preparing not for a story's beginning, but a story is ending with The Big Brother 27 finale. Very excited. Taron Armstrong, thank you for taking the time to come in and chat about, you know, watching these contestants in a brand new way.
- [03:42]
Taran Armstrong
Thank you for having me. It's quite an experience to watch a bunch of players I know very well from watching them on the show, also some of them my friends. So it's a very strange experience with so many of them together playing on this show. Yeah.
- [03:58]
Mike Bloom
So I certainly want to get into a lot of your thoughts about the big beats to hit again. This is not going to be for people out there. And Beat by Beat recap already did that on premiere night with Rob with Jess. We'll be doing that every week. Probably going to be doing those podcasts on Thursdays just due to the survivor of it all. But don't miss a second of it. Weknow amazing race.com to make sure you're subscribed to that podcast, the exit interviews that Rob and Jess are doing, as well as this little experiment that we are doing right now. But let's talk about the grand experiment. Taran. That was and is the Amazing Race 38. Now, a while back, what seems like ages ago, an entire Big Brother season ago, you and me and Jess got together, did a draft of these teams. I think we certainly talked about, you know, your own experience with the Amazing Race and certainly some expectations you had of this season. But let's formalize this a little bit. What were sort of your thoughts going into this season based on the concept, based on the cast and one episode in, how has that reality met up to the expectation?
- [05:01]
Taran Armstrong
I think that my expectation was that I was just very excited, like I said, to sort of see, you know, all of these people have a shot to. To do something fun and to get essentially work, because for many of them, like, they are like, influencers or this is in their career that they are doing different shows. And so just very happy that they booked the gig, really. And. And I think I was most curious to see how some of the outliers would fit into this group, people like Enzo and Kat to some degree, and Natalie, who are a little bit outside of the bubble of the last few seasons, who already kind of know each other a bit more. And I. I was expecting Kat to be entertaining, and I feel like she delivered very much so. I was actually. I think I was expecting a wilder ride for Angela, who has just been kind of, like, steady so far.
- [06:06]
Mike Bloom
The wildest ride she took was on that bike in the episode.
- [06:09]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah. And honestly, exactly what I kind of thought might happen. Friends.
- [06:19]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, I mean, let's. Let's start there. You know, the. The streak that the Meow Meow had of finale finishes ends up happening here, whether it's due to, you know, the hazard, whether it was due to Jack and the bike, whether it was due to the flowers. Not entirely sure. But. Yeah. What did you make of getting to see Enzo back on our screens in a major capacity, especially alongside his brother?
- [06:44]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah, it's strange because he's. He's had a relative amount of success on Big Brother because he has a phenomenal social game. He's very good at broing down, of pulling together a group of guys usually, which doesn't say he can't work on women as well, but, like, he usually gets a core of guys together and runs down to the end with them, and it's very effective. But the guys that he works with are usually the ones winning the challenges. And so it's been strange to watch him go on a show like the Challenge and now the Amazing Race, where the challenges are the primary focus of it. I think maybe, like, he wants to prove himself that he can do these challenges, but it's just not necessarily his strength. And really, though, I think at the end of the day, you know, the challenge hurt, but that, like, whatever it was. Speed bump or whatever.
- [07:43]
Mike Bloom
Hazard.
- [07:44]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah, I. I can never.
- [07:46]
Mike Bloom
It's. It's basically a speed bump anyway. Both of them are just do this additional thing.
- [07:49]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah. They have so many different names for things. I don't know the difference between a roadblock and a. Whatever else they call them, but that didn't really even seem to slow him down all that much. The bike certainly didn't help in how hard it was to maneuver, but. But it was the navigation to the place, I think that really sank the team. And you know, at the end of the day, if you can't navigate there, that's. That's gonna hurt you.
- [08:13]
Mike Bloom
Yeah. I think what's so interesting is that I got the chance to talk with Enzo and Jack as well for parade and what they really expressed was something that we talk about all the time with team chemistry, which is like the two of them were also almost too similar. They talked about how they both were kind of stubborn and had their own ideas as to what they needed to do next and they neither one could necessarily back down. And we talked about this with some other teams as well. And this is something that maybe Enzo is able to pull off to success in Big Brother as an example, which is he was able to find the brigade right where he literally gave each person a nickname. As to this is your specific job within the alliance. It's a little tougher when you have like two muscles or whatever. You know, Enzo, Nick, two beasts I think was what Enzo nickname Hayden. When you have two of them on the team, it doesn't work as well as if you have the beast and the mad scientist.
- [08:59]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah, he had the meow, meow, meow, meow going on. Yeah. And you know, you saw it there. Like we're going through people's basements and backyards. Like, aren't they used to day that.
- [09:14]
Mike Bloom
Enzo went through the BB basement infamously in Big Brother 22. He should be used to it at this point.
- [09:18]
Taran Armstrong
He should be. Yeah. Yeah. Just a bad first run. I. I don't think they would have been a disaster team necessarily. I think that they just had a bad first leg and. And could never get out from underneath that. And you know, maybe with some more time and experience they could have developed into a better team but didn't have the chance.
- [09:39]
Mike Bloom
Again, we're not going beat by beat here. But I do want to ask your question about these initial elements that we got because there's a lot to talk about in terms of choice. Let's start with the production choice because this wasn't a hazard, this wasn't a detour. This was a brand new thing that they were doing this like pre starting line task of the human bowling and what I thought of it initially. And we'll get into like the whole choice with the second Express Pass and everything. But I kept thinking back, Taryn, to what they do sometimes in these Big Brother premieres, Most recently season 26 where it's okay, here's an opening competition and if you win, you get an advantage, and if you lose, you get a disadvantage. What do you make about these types of competitions? Did this work for you to sort of delay the actual start of the race, but provide this kind of method to have teams get out, you know, fast or slow, out of the gate?
- [10:27]
Taran Armstrong
It honestly kind of didn't. I, because here's the thing. I. The thing I often look for in the first episode of a show like this is how quickly can you introduce me to these teams? How quickly can you get me on board with who they are and what they're doing? And who do I want to root for? Who, like, do I understand who's on the screen at any given time? And that's why I'm not usually fond of an immediate, like, challenge that, like, means something because I don't even know who I want to win it yet. So I'm just kind of watching people bowl on ice. Now, granted, this season, I know all of these people, so I obviously do have rooting interests, and maybe that's what they're banking on to some degree. But I still felt like I was curious to know how the show was going to portray many of these teams, and I didn't feel like the ice bowling was a great place to do some of those introductions in a natural way. Obviously, Izzy introducing us to her team via dunking on dad on Jag. Very fun. Definitely helped us get some introduction there. But it was mostly through the confessionals because they were. All they were talking about in the moment was like, oh, too fast. As opposed to the normal way that I think we'd be introduced to many of the teams more so, which is like, them in the car talking to each other, a more natural introduction. And I feel like we didn't get that until after the competition. And the who do they give it to? Which also doesn't really mean anything because we still don't really know many of these teams yet. And they're talking about, like, oh, well, we're aligned with these people, so we want to give it to these people. And it's like, you haven't explained any of that yet. So, like, what is the meaning of this? I feel like that would have been more meaningful later on once we've been introduced more.
- [12:23]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, I mean, it is interesting to think about the way the show was edited and structured. Like, how much were they banking on the Big Brother fan base coming in. Right. For you to have an understanding of these people, because we did get some flashbacks and we got a little bit of exposition from these players. You have Chelsea being like, I won last season. I was good in competitions. But like, when you have that flashback of Tucker and Angela, which we'll talk about in a little bit, I can't imagine Amazing Race viewers got that much more context on what happened, considering it was like a 30 second clip.
- [12:54]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah. Also strange to hear Tucker be like, Angela was the first person to turn on me. That's not true. For the record, like, it's not even remotely true. Tucker had a lot of people against him. Angela was one of his few allies and when the writing was basically on the wall, she also turned on him.
- [13:15]
Mike Bloom
But.
- [13:15]
Taran Armstrong
But Chelsea is the person that got him out and she is also on this cast wall.
- [13:22]
Mike Bloom
Water under the bridge there, at least from that perspective. Well, let's get into this starting line because this is when, you know, I talk with Phil Kogan about, okay, how much is strategy going to be incorporated in this? And he said it's going to be a large amount than usual, partially due to the fact that these people come from a social strategy game and also due to the pre existing relationships. We'll get into that in a little bit. But to prove that Taylor and Kylan, for winning the bowling, get a second Express pass to give away and they choose Jess and Jag. Was this a good decision from your perspective?
- [13:54]
Taran Armstrong
I don't think so. Personally, it's hard to properly judge without full knowledge of what's happening in pregame and the relationships and discussions that have already been had. I don't know if we got the full explanation on the show or if there were deeper reasons. It's not something I've talked to Taylor about at all, but I understand the thought process, which is we want to make as many allies as possible. I think that's valuable. Even on the race. The more people you have willing to work with you at any given challenge means that the both of you will be able to do it faster. And that's useful. The more help you get, the better.
- [14:33]
Mike Bloom
But.
- [14:35]
Taran Armstrong
And I feel like we've seen a little bit of this problem in Big Brother this season. You do also have to help out your actual allies at some point. You know what I mean? Like being like, oh, we already have these people, so let's try and like, entice other people. It's just very transparent. And. And what message does that send to your current allies? They're probably not going to stop or refrain from helping you, but they're also going to be like, oh, I guess I should also be making friends outside of this. I guess I should Also be trying to work with Jag. I guess I should also be trying to work with these other people. Not that again, they wouldn't have been doing that before. But it doesn't exactly signal that you're a very useful person to be aligned with or work with because you're trying to play the field too much. And particularly when it comes to jag's team, which, as we saw in the episode, maybe not the most popular team there, maybe not a very popular decision in general, kind of turns people off from potentially wanting to work with you. So I didn't think this was the right call personally.
- [15:35]
Mike Bloom
Again, there's probably a lot of circumstances that we were not aware of, both things that weren't shown and stuff that happened pregame. But just knowing what we know now, do you feel like there was an ideal team that they should have gone for instead of Jason Jag with this?
- [15:47]
Taran Armstrong
I mean, yeah, I think that. I think Chada probably was the call here. I think that they. Everyone knows their friends anyway. I think I would assume, and it would only make sense that they give an express pass to, or whatever it was to Tchada's team. I think that you want to ideally have people that you're working with that, yes, can help you out, but also that you can help out and bring further along in the game that you feel like you are comfortable beating. And if they're working with Joseph and his brother, I don't think they might need it as much as, say, Chada's team. Not to say that Chada's team is not going to do well or, or couldn't do well, but I think perception is. You give it to a perception wise, like, weaker team that you have a connection with. And I think that, like, that's very understandable in everyone's eyes and it also actually does just benefit you.
- [16:42]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, I mean, we didn't see a lot of these strategic dynamics bear out in this episode just because I think everyone was trying to really get their bearings amidst all the difficult stuff that was thrown their way. I imagine this is going to start manifesting sooner rather than later, though. I mean, do you get the sense that Taylor and Kylan, they come in with an advantage not only due to the fact that they're two Big Brother people, but as you mentioned, coming from two different seasons, they are able to have these multiple connections. Kylan with Chado, you have Taylor obviously with Joseph, they don't really mention Turner at this point, but like he's connected with them as well. Do you foresee them sort of being the hub of this or could this be something that gets them explicitly targeted because people are seeing how well connected they are.
- [17:25]
Taran Armstrong
Well, what. And this is what I will say as well, and what I suspect some of the defense might be is that like, they are a big target as well. They are the only team that is two Big Brother players and they're both known to be at least decent to good competitors. Kyland was a very good competitor on his season. He then went on to the challenge where he's done well. Taylor wasn't exactly known for her competition prowess on her original season of Big Brother, but she then went on to compete on Reindeer Games, which was a spin off show of Big Brother that was just competitions came in second place. So no slouch in competitions either. So their reputation precedes them. They are certainly a big target and there is value to propping up another target theoretically in Jag and Jazz in the hopes that, like, if there's a U turn or something that people can use to target a team and you still have that team around, then it will go to them instead of you. I don't think I am like deep enough in the weeds of Amazing Race meta strategy to understand if there's a lot of value in that. But. But I could see why they might be thinking along those lines as well.
- [18:35]
Mike Bloom
So the other side of things are, as we've lightly alluded to before, those teams that come in with a bit of bad blood. Of course, as you mentioned, we had Izzy talking about how, you know, for that, for that, you know, large window of time. In 25, she was part of the alliance running the house that got rid of Jag the time he was voted out and then came back the Tucker and Angela of it all. I mean, from your perspective, because you've also seen obviously a fair amount of returnee seasons, Big Brother or otherwise. Is it to their betterment to come in with sort of these axes to grind against other teams? Because it feels like again, the editing is going to set up some sort of either like, you know, Izzy won't help Jag at Jass and Jag or she'll u turn them. Is.
- [19:16]
Taran Armstrong
Is.
- [19:16]
Mike Bloom
Is it good to sort of, I guess, let this, you know, previous grievances air out in a brand new setting like the Amazing Race.
- [19:24]
Taran Armstrong
I mean, it's not great. You know, it's good if you can like mend fences, especially if you can do so secretly. But. But also like that's, that's really deep in the weeds of social Strategy games. You know, how really, how valuable is it in the Amazing Race, even if you did secretly connect with another team, it's like they're going to see you working together in a challenge. You know, if. If you are, they're going to see that you're not u turning each other or that you're giving each other passes. So what is the use of the secrecy? And again, in terms of targeting, it's not very easy to target another team on the Amazing Race. There are very few opportunities to. To like, tangibly do it, and the only other thing you can do is just not help them, which isn't really targeting. So I think that just, if anything, having somebody with an ax to grind is just not good, because if they do find an opportunity to target you, they just might.
- [20:21]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, you had those sort of goggles on. Right. They were like, all right, we got to get him out at all costs. And I think that, you know, I don't want to equate the sort of two grievances that we're talking about, because I do think that it will be a lot easier if Tucker wants to take out Angela. I do think, with no offense to her and Lexi, that would be much easier to gang up on them and do than Jasmine Jag. You know, as we will talk about, the two of them dominated the first leg pretty much from start to finish with an Express pass in their pocket. I imagine that's not going to slow down really anytime soon unless they do the human bowling again. And so the thing about the U turn, which, to your point, is one of the only tangible ways you can actively target another team independently. The caveat with the U turn is that you can only use the U turn on a team that is behind you. So chances are if there is a team that is going to be in front of you, like Jass and Jag might be at any point in time, I mean, again, Izzy and Paige, no slouch is really great third place finish. It's really tough to just be able to find that opportunity to get the shot in on them.
- [21:24]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah. Which. Which again, speaks, I guess, against the argument of, you know, propping them up as a target, because in the few opportunities that they might be able to target another team, just because you have another threatening team that might be targeted doesn't mean that they are capable of being targeted. Which. Yeah. And if they have an Express Pass, they're less likely to be able to be targeted and more likely to be able to survive. Said so. Yeah.
- [21:50]
Mike Bloom
Well, let's talk about Jess and Jag because again, very strong start from them. The turbinators are back at it, picking up from where they left off a couple of years ago. Were you surprised at this either due to Jazz and Jag themselves or the competition around them, that they not only won the first leg, but did it in such a dominant fashion?
- [22:11]
Taran Armstrong
Not really. You know, Jag obviously dominated the competitions of his season, at least in the back half when he was competing against weaker competition. So that's kind of been the question. Like is Jag really good at competitions or was he just beating 50 year old women in very physical competitions? And, and I've always been of the opinion that he is, you know, who knows where, how he stacks up against like the top tier competitors of Big Brother. But I've always been of the opinion that he is a good competitor. I think on the draft that we did, I said Jag is somebody that will always look for the optimal way of completing a thing. He will always hustle through and he might not be the best at any given thing, but he'll always be able to approach it with a good strategy, good physical strength, endurance, speed and, and I think that that's kind of what we saw here. Just, just solid performance all around, no mistakes and first place finish. Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless. And if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should.
- [23:27]
Mike Bloom
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- [23:30]
Taran Armstrong
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- [23:34]
Mike Bloom
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Taran Armstrong
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- [23:43]
Mike Bloom
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- [24:21]
Taran Armstrong
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- [24:23]
Mike Bloom
Captain, an unidentified ship is approaching. Over.
- [24:26]
Taran Armstrong
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- [24:50]
Mike Bloom
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Taran Armstrong
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- [25:38]
Mike Bloom
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- [25:46]
Taran Armstrong
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- [25:48]
Mike Bloom
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Taran Armstrong
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- [26:20]
Mike Bloom
Well, let's go from the top of the leaderboard down to the bottom and talk about some very rough sledding. And I'm not talking about of the bowling variety for some of these teams you mentioned Kat. I do want to focus on her. I guess the cat survived and the meow meow had to go because I've talked about this on the recap. The Amazing Race path has been laid with plenty of iconic crash outs, including from someone like Rachel Riley, a multi time racer herself. Very few of them happen in the first like three hours of the race, as it did in the way that cat had broken down over the course of this episode. Give me your reaction to this. Like you said, you were expecting to be entertained, but I don't know if we expected to be entertained in this particular way.
- [27:04]
Taran Armstrong
I mean, I feel like it's so understandable, though, especially because maybe almost especially from a veteran reality TV contestant, because. And I could be wrong about this, but I feel like if you get onto the Amazing Race and you are. You've never been on a reality show before. You just, like, applied to be on the show. Whatever. You make a mistake in the first leg, it's devastating. You're. You. You feel bad about it, but even just being there feels like such a wow. Like, I can't believe I even got to do this at all. But if you've been on a show before, like Kat has, she was on the show six years ago, went on Big Brother, and I imagine has wanted to do it again ever since. And it's, you know, six years later, here's finally her opportunity to. To get back on tv, to do another show, to have fun, to play with people she knows and is friends with to some degree, and she screws it up in the first thing. Like, this is it. Like, if she screws up and. And she causes herself to be eliminated in the first leg, like, this could be it for ever. Like, she might never go on another show again after trying for six years. I don't. And I don't know that she's been trying for six years, but, you know, after six years of not being on a show, she's done podcasts, she's done lots of things. I. I really respect Kat. She has a lot of hustle. And. And so I can fully imagine how it might be really, like, in her head, like, oh, my God, this might be it immediately, and it's my fault. I screwed it up. And. And of course, she expresses that in. In a way that reveals why she is back on television.
- [28:51]
Mike Bloom
Exactly. And not to mention, as well, I talked about this on the recap. There's also the additional pressures, which. All the stuff I'm agreeing with you about in terms like her own headspace, but also then the added guilt of not only am I suffering, also my partner is suffering. Right. That's the odd thing about the Roadblocks is that there is this additional pressure that's provided because you are performing on behalf of your partner. Your partner is just a mere bystander, can only witness what fate will befall you based on your performance alone. It is a lot to live up to. And so, again, I am not bemoaning Kat whatsoever for how she reacted. If anything, I was supremely entertained by it. It was more so the surprise of now right out of the gate. But I think you bring up a really good point that, you know, the idea of leaving first after being away for such a large amount of time, like there are more stakes there, arguably than the BB 25ers and 26ers that were just on our screen a couple years ago.
- [29:49]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah. And yeah, you the the point there too, as well. Like, it's my fault and it's not just hurting me, it's hurting my partner that I screwed this up for them and this was their first opportunity to be on a show like this and to have fun. And this was going to be our trip and it was going to be such a good time for the two of us, and I screwed it up. Yeah. I can only imagine what's going through your head in a moment like that.
- [30:12]
Mike Bloom
Well, let's talk about what's going on through the heads of the Turners, who do not have a very fun day in Amsterdam, much like Matt Turner probably thought he might whenever he heard to be taking a trip to Amsterdam certainly did not turn out the way that he thought it would. So what were your thoughts about this? Because, you know, Turner is someone who also expressed very early on how emotionally overwhelmed he was. You know, it seemed like every task was the hardest thing he's ever done in his life. Was this something that surprised you coming into the race?
- [30:43]
Taran Armstrong
Not really. I like Turner. He's a good kid. He, on his season of Big Brother, kind of got a reputation for being a follower and, you know, really taking direction from other people. He is the person that Monty, who won the final hoh of that season, declined to take to the final two in favor of Taylor because he underestimated her. Taylor ended up beating him almost unanimously. The reason it wasn't unanimous was because Turner went on to the jury and despite Taylor having the best speech in Big Brother history and the entire jury applauding her on still voted against Taylor to win the game. The only vote to do so, according to him, because he thought that's how the rest of the jury was going to vote. And if he had known that they were all voting Taylor, he would have voted Taylor but didn't realize it. Despite the very obvious signs now he just got evicted. There's a lot of reasons why he might not have known, but I think it's very funny in terms of how it speaks to moments like him walking right by the clue after being told.
- [31:49]
Mike Bloom
Where it was not able to see the forest for the trees or I guess the flowers for the greenhouse in this case. I mean, talking about these two teams, certainly, at least the premiere is sort of setting up for us. Like, okay, these teams were boarding the struggle bus even if they were biking in this episode. The Amazing Race, in theory, should be a type of show where anyone can do well, either, you know, at the front of the pack or back of the pack at any portion in time. But do you think we're kind of being served up as these two teams as the next two boots, or do you think they have the capabilities to kind of rise out of the bottom?
- [32:23]
Taran Armstrong
That's a good question. I, I mean, I feel like it's not like Cat was doing bad prior to this moment. I do think that this is not the best sign for Turner and Megan. I, I was actually maybe expecting them to do a little better. Maybe they will once they get their bearings, because Turner was pretty good at competitions that season overall, but, and, and they're also just adorable, the two of them together. I, I, I found them very fun to watch, so I hope that they're not gone soon, but I also kind of hope that, like, nobody's gone. It's very, it's a very tough thing because I'm, like, I'm rooting for everyone, so it's like, not a huge loss if, like, one person leaves, but then on the other hand, I'm rooting for everyone, so it's a huge loss every time someone leaves.
- [33:11]
Mike Bloom
Yeah. I think what is going to be really interesting at the end of all this is how much does Big Brother competition experience and prowess play into the Amazing Race? Because I agree with you, like, Turner was somebody who won, I think, three HOHs in his season. He won part one of the final HOH, which was endurance. And so I was a little surprised that, like, in particular with the Roadblock, that he was not having a keen eye for detail that I would expect. And maybe part of that was just sheer exhaustion. And maybe that incorporates, again, like, the unseen element of the Amazing Race where any comp beast might fall apart if they're just fatigued at all times.
- [33:45]
Taran Armstrong
One of the first competitions Turner won on his season was an attention to detail competition.
- [33:50]
Mike Bloom
He.
- [33:50]
Taran Armstrong
He beat a bunch of other people doing that. So that said, he was not great at the quizzes. So, like, memory, maybe not like his strong suit. It's always hard to say. Big Brother competitions are tend to be very physical and, and so do the Amazing Race ones, but the Amazing Race ones, I would say the Amazing Race has even more physical competitions sometimes, but More often has, like, other skills challenged where, like Big Brother challenges general, like, agility and sometimes endurance and sometimes quizzes. And that's mostly it. With the occasional, like, random skill the Amazing Race will have will do, like memory, like, musical ability, dancing ability, rhythm, physical strength, cardio. Can you, like, row a boat? Well, like all kinds of random stuff. So. And on. I guess in that regard, being well rounded physically will be even better on the Amazing Race. But you do need to. To get through some of those extra, like, random things, like. Oh, can you dance, though?
- [35:07]
Mike Bloom
Yeah. I really enjoyed the premiere. I would say one of the sticking points I have, though is for the most part, we haven't gotten to know a lot of the partners of these Big Brother house guests. You know, there was a lot about, like Cat and Alex's relationship as example, but I do think especially a lot of the siblings, like, I don't feel like we know a lot about Eric Tucker's brother, Simone Hannah Chada's brother. You know, we're looking at Christine, except for her being a florist, Rubina's sister. But I'm curious, Karen, were there any one of these partners, these plus ones, if you will, that stuck out to you one reason or the other from the small amount of time we got to know them?
- [35:44]
Taran Armstrong
That's a good question. Yeah, I mean, I, I think the. The person we were introduced to the most was Kat's boyfriend, whose name escapes me.
- [35:55]
Mike Bloom
Alex.
- [35:56]
Taran Armstrong
Alex. Aside from that. Yeah. I feel like we didn't get a huge introduction to. I mean, we. They talked about how jazz is like the street smarts to jags, book smarts, but, yeah, not a lot.
- [36:17]
Mike Bloom
Well, speaking of Jess and Jack, I do want to ask what your thoughts were on them giving assistance to some teams or at least trying to join up with them. Right. Whether it was giving the Turners directions, whether it was jazz, I think making a smart move and basically having Eric do a lot of the grunt work and being like, okay, I'll sort of copy off of you at the end. Do you think this is something that, you know, they will be able to get repaid for in spades as a result? Do you feel like there's sort of like a zero sum game in the Amazing Race of, hey, I helped you out here, now you're going to help me out?
- [36:48]
Taran Armstrong
I think helping people out makes a ton of sense on the Amazing Race personally, especially if you're in first place. You know, being in first place, finishing first place, yeah, you get a prize. But if you care about winning the game at the end doesn't really matter. Like, right. So even worst case scenario, you help someone out and they end up beating you to first place. Oh, well, now they have a bigger target on their back. And if they don't and you still get first place, great. You helped somebody and you got some goodwill for them for free. Cost you absolutely nothing. So you might as well help out as often as possible, especially the further ahead you are. And, and that just gives you the ability to potentially be in the same spot and hope that they return the favor. And if they don't, you still haven't lost anything. And if they do, you've. You've gained something. Especially also, like, you know, working with another team during a challenge or a roadblock or whatever you want to call it, it's beneficial to you both because you're both doing it faster. It keeps you both ahead of the pack even more. Helping out a team just randomly like Turner and Megan, helping them out, theoretically, they're a weaker team. They're struggling with navigation. You just help the weaker team survive longer, which helps you. So, you know, it's. I really find very few situations where it would be like a. There'd be a significant downside to doing that.
- [38:15]
Mike Bloom
The sole exception, I would think, is if you stay behind to help another team. And we've seen this a handful of times in amazing way seasons past where it's like, I'm working with you so closely that I will wait until you get this roadblock right and then we'll all go together. That is when I think it sort of becomes antithetical to the entire concept of the Amazing Race. There was one season, Taran, where like, essentially there was like the brigade or the committee or the detonators, where there was this big majority alliance that formed in week two that essentially steamrolled everybody out and boxed each other out. But there was a moment where they were doing a roadblock and they were had to rappel down a building, like, looking at letters and then unscramble a word because of it. And then basically it was like one person solved. And they said, okay, I'm going to give the answer to all of you as you go down. I'll wait for you. And it raised a lot of red flags, red and yellow flags with the fan base because not only does that feel, again, a little too strategy oriented for a show like the Amazing Race, which is almost always about running your own race, it just seemed like there was so many downsides to doing it that, yes, you do. Curry favor and strengthen your alliance. But it comes at the cost of you trying to do what you were there to do in the first place, which is to run the race, get ahead, place a certain amount.
- [39:31]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah, you know, I. I think. I mean, I will say I think there is still potentially value there. If, if you are sticking together as a group, then, you know, there's four diff. There's four teams tackling every single challenge together. You're all going to be able to complete that usually faster than any other team. There might be spots where it doesn't make sense and maybe you start to break away. But. But I can also understand why fans would be upset about that. My own philosophy generally is it's production's fault. Because if you want to have a show, if your audience likes a show that is a certain way and you either cast the show with a bunch of people who don't want to play it that way or allow them to do that, those things within the structure of your game, it's on you. I prefer games that are built in a way that feels like physically prevent people from doing the things that are not entertaining or, like, not going to be what you want them to be. Like, if you make it a rule that you're not allowed to hang back at a competition and help out other teams or whatever, or maybe even make the challenge something where, like, they couldn't help if they wanted to, like, that's where I would prefer people step in. It's. I don't think it should be on the contestants to police themselves to be working in the spirit of the show necessarily. I think that's more so on the producers. I'll still blame. I'll still be mad at the contestants for it, but, you know, it's producers.
- [41:07]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, I very much have the same strategy as well that, like, yes, I very much understand especially Amazing Race. Only fans. Like, not only fans. The people who only watch the Amazing Race. The grievances that you pick with something like that of like, this is in Survivor. This isn't Big Brother. We don't want alliances. I more so see it as an opportunity to be like, hey, if you feel like there is an advantage to teaming up, like, exploit the system, make it work. I think to your point, Taran, it's less so. It's more so about disincentivizing those teams to do so. Whether it's like giving everyone a different puzzle, whether it's mandating, like, hey, once you get the answer, you have to move on. You can't stay behind it's those small tweaks that you make that are instead able to discourage the behavior rather than just being like, all right, well, you know, there was a lot of negative feedback the last time an alliance happened, so none of the teams are going to do it this time.
- [41:55]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah, exactly. I completely agree. It's all in game design. It's all in casting as well to some degree. So if people don't want to see it and the producers agree, then they should do something about it.
- [42:10]
Mike Bloom
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- [42:37]
Taran Armstrong
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- [43:05]
Mike Bloom
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- [43:24]
Taran Armstrong
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- [43:58]
Mike Bloom
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- [44:05]
Taran Armstrong
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- [44:37]
Mike Bloom
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- [45:04]
Taran Armstrong
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- [45:29]
Mike Bloom
Well, speaking of production decisions, I do want to ask you, Taran, about an interesting advent to this season. Now we like to call it Amazing Race Big Brother Edition. The actual subtitle they've used is Amazing Race European Adventure. And Phil, Phil, you know, is explaining at least a little bit of the logic here, at least for non budgetary reasons of like hey, this is how the Amazing Race started. And you know what he has talked about on the show, he talked about it with me as well, is that the fans really love those old school elements of a lot of foot races. A lot of people self driving and melting down subsequently, you know, utilizing more trains and forms of public transit than just hey, fly to this country, do this thing. I mean I'm looking at the continent, Taren, and I'm thinking of your beloved jet lag the game, which is so Eurocentric. So given sort of your own background from that perspective, do you have any thoughts about them kind of segmenting this season in one particular area?
- [46:24]
Taran Armstrong
Well, first of all, about foot races, I want to say why are they so bad at capturing foot races?
- [46:31]
Mike Bloom
They need a steady cam because all they have is that operator just running after them.
- [46:35]
Taran Armstrong
I like, they clearly had some sort of, I think drone shot of the, the checkpoint or whatever and they, they get out of the car and they include the line, oh, it's going to be a foot race. And then they cut right to Jag and Jazz at the, at the mat. It was like, yeah, we couldn't have. Even if it wasn't close, it would have been fun to watch them running. Like, what are we doing? That made me mad. But in terms of the European stuff, yeah, I definitely, my instant thought was, oh, this is when they were talking about trains. It's like, oh, are we jet lag in here? For those that maybe don't know, Jet Lag is a show on YouTube or on Nebula that that has been made by some very smart guys that we've talked to on the podcast. It is, they like to, you know, I guess I. A way it has been described is a mixture of the Amazing Race and Taskmaster where they are racing around, sometimes playing tag, sometimes like it's just a full on race, sometimes it's like capture territories kind of game. Either way, they're usually using only public transportation, mostly trains. And there's a lot of drama around trains and it's very, very fun. And I've been saying for years that Amazing Race should be taking from them a lot of their ideas and one in particular that I really love. The jet lag does that the Amazing Race does not is they have a map that they show you with little markers of where people are on the map at any given point which just really just helps sell you and like give you a nice picture of like where things actually stand instead of like leaving it so vague. Anyway, yeah, I wondered if this had anything to do with jet lag. It's a very popular show. Train drama in particular is very popular. Certainly not impossible that they came to it on their own, but I'm excited about this that they're only in Europe and that they're going to be using a lot of trains. I think that's more fun. I liked the Amazing Race back in the day when there was lots of plane drama and I have not liked the sort of sameness of the travel. Doesn't matter. It's all about just finding the thing and doing a competition. I like when the travel is part of it.
- [48:54]
Mike Bloom
Well, we shall see some train drama Taren as soon as next week as it seems like some stuff is breaking down on their way to the Czech Republic. But I want you to stake your claim about a team that's not breaking down anytime soon. We've only seen but 90 minutes of the Amazing Race 38. But given what you have seen, do you have a winner pick at this moment? Who do you think is going to be the first to cross the finish line in December?
- [49:20]
Taran Armstrong
I mean, I. I can not. It would be wrong of me to not stake my claim on Taylor and Kyland. They were my first draft pick. Taylor's a good friend of mine. I think they're both really strong. I think that they're both very strategically savvy. I think we may have some interesting dynamics between the two of them, given what was set up in this first episode. So, you know, that's. That's my pick.
- [49:48]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, I. You know, again, I don't know how much, obviously, you knew about all the things going on with Taylor and Kylan prior to this, because it seems like it's a. It's a relationship that kept incredibly private. So, yeah, what was it. What was your experience getting to watch them talk about the way that they communicate in a dynamic that, again, at least from a very public perspective, none of us really even knew about until the cast released?
- [50:09]
Taran Armstrong
I would say to, you know, again, she's a friend of mine, so it's, like, a little strange to speak on it, but in terms of reality TV commentary, I was not surprised at all about, given what I know of Kyland and what I know of her, that I was not surprised about their. Their. Their communication. And, you know, I almost hope that we get to see some. Some entertaining stuff from the two of them throughout the race. Kyland, on his season, was not really known for his, like, smooth communication skills. He very much was, like, a bit of a steamroller when it came to strategy, much bemoaned by me staying up all night whispering into people's ears and getting them to finally agree with him. And so I think. I think we could be in for some entertainment with the two of them, but who knows? Uh, with them.
- [51:07]
Mike Bloom
Well, Taryn, were there any other topics that we steamrolled over the course of this? Any other stuff you want to talk about when it comes to the Amazing Race premiere?
- [51:14]
Taran Armstrong
I mean, genuinely for me, and I know that this is, I guess, like, unique to me, but it's just such a joy to watch all of these people be excited to play this game and to be interacting with each other. And there's. There's beef and there's drama, but you can all. You can tell that they're all just, like, happy to be there. And excited for each other. And, you know, it was just. It just. It just brought joy to my heart. I really. I really liked watching this episode.
- [51:43]
Mike Bloom
I don't disagree. And I think maybe part of it is also, like, the loved ones aspect, that even if they were in and out about the concept of the Amazing Race or there are some people on the cast that they're not necessarily jazzed to see or jagged to see, there's this person that's next to them that obviously means a lot to them, that they get to showcase on TV that they get to spend a lot of time with, that they get to work together to hopefully win a million freaking dollars. And so I do agree there was so much enthusiasm from this group and the fan base as a result. And I think maybe part of it comes from the fact that they get to introduce a huge part of their lives to a group that just got to know them, you know, from a certain perspective. And so that concept alone gave me a lot of excitement. We got a little bit of it again in this episode. I'm hopeful that now that we've sort of moved past the introductions, we can get to know a bit more about each of these relationships because these are dynamics that we don't usually see from reality TV contestants. And I'm pumped for it.
- [52:39]
Taran Armstrong
Yeah.
- [52:41]
Mike Bloom
All right. Well, Taran, thank you so much again for stopping in, because you are in a whirlwind right now, sir. At the time we are talking, we're about, what, like, 36 hours or so, a little less removed from, at long last, the winner of Big Brother 27 being crowned. And of course, you have been doing so much great stuff, really, just pedaling the bike over the past 82 days, consistently keeping us fed with all the great content you've been doing. But what would you like to plug for the listeners out there, either in, you know, conjunction with the finale or otherwise? Because that's not the only Big Brother iron you have in the fire.
- [53:18]
Taran Armstrong
Yes. So listen, if you're an Amazing Race fan and you're getting all this Big Brother stuff and you want to know more about Big Brother, I actually wrote a book about the show called behind the Mirror. It's coming out in just a couple months now, so you can pre order it now. It's super helpful to pre order for just all kinds of reasons. So, Taron Armstrong.com if you want to pre order the book, it is written in a way that should be incredibly accessible for people who don't know a thing about Big Brother. You'll get some insights on some of the players of the Amazing Race this in this season and, and just an overall better understanding of like why people watch such a ridiculous show and. And you know, hopefully have a good time reading it. So check that out. You can also find. I have a Patreon where I'm doing watch parties for Survivor right now and I will be doing some for the Amazing Race as well. So you can watch my like live reaction to watching the episode and and stuff over on my Patreon.
- [54:20]
Mike Bloom
Yeah, and I will also say, Taren, I was thinking about this checking out the live feeds yesterday. So a bit of a spoiler for those who don't want to necessarily know the results of some of the parts of the final three. Hoh. But I got to admit when Vince kept going on and on about the fact that he couldn't read the directions properly and lost part two because of that, do you think that helps or hurts his chances of appearing on a future season of this with Morgan?
- [54:48]
Taran Armstrong
Man, Vincent Morgan on the Amazing Race would be quite a trip.
- [54:53]
Mike Bloom
Yeah. You thought Kylan and Taylor were complicated. Oh boy. Strap in.
- [54:58]
Taran Armstrong
No, I forgot about the bandana. It's all my fault. I'm such a screw up. Morgan, I'm so sorry.
- [55:04]
Mike Bloom
That's what I was gonna say. If you think Cat had a meltdown in episode one, Vince is like the surface of Venus with how much he would just melt into a puddle at the mere. You know, thought of possibly inconveniencing the team.
- [55:17]
Taran Armstrong
Exactly what I do in my real life.
- [55:20]
Mike Bloom
Exactly.
- [55:20]
Taran Armstrong
Should have read the directions. She said leave it behind.
- [55:24]
Mike Bloom
But Morgan would kill those roadblocks. You know, the gamer girl would be able to come through. So who knows, Maybe at the end of all this we can fan fiction our way into another season of this should it come to be. But right now we're focusing on the moment, which is the Amazing Race 38. I mentioned it before, if you missed our recap with myself, Jess and Rob, be sure to check that out. That was a really fun time. Live right after the premiere. And check out of course, Rob and Jess's interview with Jack and Enzo as well as mine over on parade.com and so again, this entire podcast is going to try to serve as a way to bring members of the Big Brother alumni and Big Brother community in to give their thoughts about it. Whether they are dyed in the Wolf fans, whether they're watching this for the first time. First time in a long time. And so I'm always open to suggestions if there are any alumni out there that you want to hear from. Reach out to me at a Mike Bloom type. Let me know who you want to hear from and I will send out the beacons, my little birds, to try to contact them and hopefully get them on here. Taryn, I think we're going to try you have you on as well in a recurring capacity. I know you're going to be in book tour mode, but obviously I know you love talking with these players as well. So I hope we get to hear from a wide swath of alumni because chances are I think a good amount of them are going to be watching what's going down this season.
- [56:38]
Taran Armstrong
Should be fun.
- [56:39]
Mike Bloom
All right, well, next week, myself, Jess and Rob will be back together covering episode two of the Amazing Race 38 as Taryn's beloved plane. Drama or train drama, I should say, will be at the forefront. And I'm excited to be one of your conductors aboard not only this podcast, but coverage in general. Thank you all so much for listening. Taran, thank you so much again for coming on. Until next time, everybody. Take care. Bye Bye.
- [57:08]
Taran Armstrong
Limu Gameo and Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us.
- [57:29]
Mike Bloom
Cut the camera. They see us.
- [57:31]
Taran Armstrong
Only pay for what you need@libertymutual.com Liberty Liberty Liberty.
- [57:35]
Mike Bloom
Liberty Savings.
- [57:36]
Taran Armstrong
Very unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. Affiliates excludes Massachusetts. Mike and Alyssa are always trying to outdo each other. When Alyssa got a small water bottle, Mike showed up with a 4 liter jug. When Mike started gardening, Alyssa started beekeeping. Oh, come on. They called a truce for their holiday and used Expedia trip planners to collaborate on all the details of the trip. Once there, Mike still did more laps around the pool.
- [58:00]
Mike Bloom
Whatever.
- [58:02]
Taran Armstrong
You were made to outdo your holidays. We were made to help organize the competition. Expedia made to travel.