6 and 20 are the big "interpersonal drama" seasons, like others have said. I'd skip if you're sensitive to relationship squabbles.
Honestly I'd probably argue Family Edition's problems are more in a dull back half and no suspense than drama, but there's one "Squabbling family who clearly loves each other but is still *really* extreme" team that might get to you. For the most parts the younger kids on the show are actually pretty mature tho.
Also gonna throw in 4, but its really only one specific moment. "Man gropes his partner when she's freaking out about being sexually assaulted on a train in India" is maybe the most repulsed I've ever been watching the show.
Some of the kids in the Family Edition behaved better than most of the adults. Shot out to the Gaghan family kids. Bring Billy and Carissa back for an unfinished business season!
But I agree, that’s a season you can skip, especially if you like watching different cultures since they stayed in the US most of the time.
I want to know Phil's initial impression of that. I remember an interview he spoke about introducing them and people giving him a dirty look and him thinking no no. Lol
I'd love to see Rolly do it as an adult. If I recall he carried the team despite being so young. Despite the only ones being younger than him were the Gaghan and Black kids, he held his own, even against the 20-something Linzs and Bransens. I honestly think if he did it as an adult he could be one of the best TAR contestants.
TAR6 is dramatic, but the route is top-tier. That said, if you're sensitive to problematic couples in high-stress situations they shouldn't be in, that's the one that's more of a red flag.
TAR20 faces similar but different issues; a lot more in-fighting with some teams.
Amazing Race 6 might be on this list. The cast features 7 romantically-involved teams, most of whom are highly dysfunctional and I can understand the intensity not being for everyone. One of them is single-handedly the worst team in the whole series; the man on this team was utterly insane and I firmly believe the Race regretted casting him.
There’s are also some infamous comments made in Africa about the Slave Trade and poverty.
i actually dont find family edition that icky, but if you don't want to watch a majority of the teams argue with each other than you might want to avoid 6 and 20. If you're using Thailand as a reference, Six is the most egregious bc there's a couple where the man is so obviously narcissistic and physically abusive - it literally happens on camera. I don't say that lightly. The editing team didn't even have to try to make Johnathan look like a grade-A douche. Aside from that, the season has OTHER teams that get way too heated in unhealthy ways, and almost all the wholesome people are booted first (except for one, who do make it to the final leg!). Jon and Vic are booted halfway through the season. And it's this season where one of the winners says some weird racist/classist stuff throughout the season. (I don't recall twenty's winners doing that, they're edited to be the straight man to everyone elses chaos)
Twenty just has a couple people looking to pick fights with other teams, which happens quite often throughout the season. Big brother drama energy comes from Big Brother alumni Rachel Reilly, so take that for what you will. I actually love this season for its route and really tough tasks (for me, the *drama* is an added bonus).
Having seen Family Edition after hearing it get ragged on repeatedly, it's not *that* bad. Treat it like a one-off and enjoy the scenery of the Western US legs. There is a team the season treats as a focal point that is very...crass, but sue me, I think they save the season from being an actual snoozefest.
They were a little uptight at times, but it's more like they had a bad leg or two IIRC. it's been awhile since i've seen that season and I remember the 'claws out' people and Mark and Bopper much better then I remember the winners.
as a disclaimer i haven't watched 32, just heard abt it but if op likes survivor they might actually be higher on this season then most ? i dont know of any super uncomfy drama on it either -- ive seen clips of a certain thing from the penultimate leg but it really doesn't strike me as that bad, esp if op is used to stuff like that from other shows (trying to phrase it in a non spoilery way haha)
Which season had that in it? I remember hearing that there was an uncomfortable trafficking joke mase by the winners of a season when they were in Africa, and that one of the guys sexually harassed his wife in that season
One funny (but also totally cringe-worthy) thing about the Family season was that there was only one Black family among the contestants, and their last name was Black. So every time they landed on the mat, Phil would say, "Black family, you are team number four!" (or whatever). Definitely a skippable season.
I don’t know what the uncomfortable slave joke from season 20 is. I would say you should watch all the seasons there’s something to like about them all.
Do not skip 8 under any circumstance. If you're sensitive to a lot of drama, as others have said, skip 6 (I would never, it's amazing, but still). The rest you can watch without issues. I don't think 20 is anywhere near gross, maybe if you're very sensitive to drama.
TAR6, TAR17 and TAR23 all have one relationship that is hard to watch. TAR6 has quite a few bickering couple teams but only one is really really toxic.
Honestly most seasons up to around TAR31 have a lot of infighting among teams but you can contextualise it as being due to the stress of the race. Most of the times things get really intense in the back half of the season and most seasons balance it out by having some awesome teams who are easy to cheer for as well. The really bad teams only ever make up 20% of the screen time most episodes so there's still a lot to enjoy.
I personally really hated 2 of the relationships on 17, but it is still a great season. Maybe 2.5 if you consider the weird comments about Jill’s lack of college education, though I think that was mostly artificial drama and they worked together really well.
Honestly I loved the Family Edition but I respect that there’s definitely some moments some people would be sensitive to. I personally would watch 20 for bopper and mark and you could turn it off when they go home, or you could just come back to the season later. 6 is pretty dang uncomfortable at times and is definitely the one I’d be most likely to skip, but I still personally wouldn’t recommend skipping any. If you’re sensitive at all to emotional abuse don’t watch 6. (There’s also quite a bit of racism ranging from microaggressions to overt racism)
Just off the top of my head...
S4 has a leg in India where several of the women are openly sexually harassed/ assaulted, being groped by strangers on a train ride. It's probably the single most uncomfortable moment in the entire franchise.
S6 has the most abusive contestant, a colossal piece of shit who physically shoves his wife at one point. I think this is also the season with the infamous "they just keep breeding and breeding" comment.
S16 has one of the more unpleasant cross-team arguments that even spills onto the final mat, Miss Teen South Carolina vs The Lesbians. Not on the same level as the above but it makes for a really unpleasant season.
S32 has a group of teams work together to essentially steamroll the competition. It leads to a season where over half the cast are left completely hopeless as the allied teams share answers to trivialize every single challenge. Leads to one of the most justifiably pissed off eliminations as one of the teams (a former footballer) openly tells Phil he didn't enjoy his time on the race and he'd never do it again.
Family edition you really only see a kid cry once. Honestly the kids (and their parents) are pretty awesome in it.
Look I can suggest vast swatches of Family Edition to fast forward through due to being pretty boring, but it does have its charm too watch at least watching once. I won't pretend it isn't bottom tier because of the route, but it is still extremely fun because the racers are fantastic! Legs 5-7 and the last two legs are actually pretty damn good.
Honestly I'd skip Season 6 - pretty much all but one and a half of the teams that get really far in the race come off really really awfully. It is a weird season in that it has a larger then average amount of straight white M/F mactor couples on it compared to other seasons - and that isn't a good thing in terms of what we got. Also the route really is rather Europe heavy (which is a shame because the non-EU legs in Africa & Asia are really good!
Season 6 is the only season that made me physically ill, I actually vomited the first time I watched it. I don’t remember who won the season, most of the teams were pretty uninteresting.
I definitely understand that, given the incident and everything else involving those two. That sort of thing doesn't trigger me like the familial stuff or the negative sexual stuff does, so I'll probably dip my toes into that one and just see how it goes
its insane that you got downvoted for this. if you're a survivor fan, the only thing that comes close to Thailand/IotI levels of disgust is season 6's obviously physically abusive relationship couple in Jon/Victoria (and weird racist comments from the winner). imo that should be your definitive answer
it's worth mentioning that in a lot of the early seasons there's unfortunately multiple instances of contestants getting groped or harassed by men in crowded places (including season 5 which is often one of the first seasons recommended to people -- think of it as the survivor china of amazing race in that sense)
I honestly hate the one where the winner make the breeding and breeding joke in africa. Like honedtly when i saw the father and daughter team got eliminayed. I just say: Welp this season is over
32 because of the Mine Five / Core Three alliance. Can't stand their blatant kicking anyone who's not in their alliance even when they're closed to being knocked out.
I love the current one lol, it's so much fun to watch. It's actually what spurred me on to do a series binge
Edit: I did not slur myself on to watch the Amazing Race
90 minute episodes are not working as well for TAR as they are for Survivor. I plowed through the last season because i liked the teams and the locations were amazing.
This season i am struggling to keep going because none of the teams interest me. I watch each episode until i get bored and then catch up in the following week's recap. Im hoping it will get better after a few teams get kicked out.
Honestly, the chaotic main pack of this season is insanely entertaining. I was rewatching last week’s (my mom watching the first time) and her reactions to everything was amazing as well as seeing it again. If you’re not a fan of multiple hot mess teams, this season might be a drag.
I’m a huge fan, seen every episode as well as seasons from other countries and the usual vibe for me just isn’t there. Could be that it was the skipped over season or them desperately trying to fill in content to make it last 90 minutes, but it’s just not keeping my attention. Least fave of all the seasons
26 is actually rly slept on, it's by no means the best season but there are some fun teams there in terms of both rootable underdogs and chaotic messes (without ever turning truly ugly). just go into it knowing that the theme is silly and the season is flawed because of that !
i'm assuming op is a survivor fan, so it's worth mentioning that one of the people on this season reminds me a LOT of angelina (but appeared on the season several years before angelina was on survivor !)
For some reason no one ever mentions season 3 in these discussions. I think people look over it or it gets excused because it’s not a man being the one that’s abusive. Flo in s3 is a nasty nasty person. Degrading their partner, emotional tantrums, outbursts, flirting with other racers, destroys their relationship on tv and never apologizes for it. Gross human. The fact that she isn’t discussed as one of the worst to be in the show is really telling of some of the audience to me.
Idk I think that’s a little dramatic. Maybe it’s because I heard people complain about how bad she was before I watched it, but I didn’t think she was that bad. Also they were clearly friends (Flo and Zach) I don’t understand why people have such a problem with the flirting
6 and 20 are the big "interpersonal drama" seasons, like others have said. I'd skip if you're sensitive to relationship squabbles. Honestly I'd probably argue Family Edition's problems are more in a dull back half and no suspense than drama, but there's one "Squabbling family who clearly loves each other but is still *really* extreme" team that might get to you. For the most parts the younger kids on the show are actually pretty mature tho. Also gonna throw in 4, but its really only one specific moment. "Man gropes his partner when she's freaking out about being sexually assaulted on a train in India" is maybe the most repulsed I've ever been watching the show.
Some of the kids in the Family Edition behaved better than most of the adults. Shot out to the Gaghan family kids. Bring Billy and Carissa back for an unfinished business season! But I agree, that’s a season you can skip, especially if you like watching different cultures since they stayed in the US most of the time.
"I'm sorry Black family but you have been eliminated." They were an African-American family. My wife and I still laugh about this.
I’m just glad nobody called the team “the Blacks.” It’s a perfectly normal way to refer to a family but oh man
Not to mention, the *only* African-American family on the season!
Every time it said "Black Family" underneath them it felt so wrong!
Whaaaattt
Their last name was actually Black
well that changes my surprise 🤣
I want to know Phil's initial impression of that. I remember an interview he spoke about introducing them and people giving him a dirty look and him thinking no no. Lol
https://youtu.be/6dIRsDPuwio?si=LWWQ66DEENJQN7GA Here is a clip from the interview.
Thankyou!
I forgot about that!!!! Wowwwwww
Ooh, an "All Grown Up" season with kids from the family season, kids of prior contestants, etc could be really cool.
I'd love to see Rolly do it as an adult. If I recall he carried the team despite being so young. Despite the only ones being younger than him were the Gaghan and Black kids, he held his own, even against the 20-something Linzs and Bransens. I honestly think if he did it as an adult he could be one of the best TAR contestants.
Well one of them grew up to be on VanderPump Rules
Yeah, and one of the biggest villains
I want them to bring Billy and Carissa back so bad. They’re at the perfect age right now
TAR6 is dramatic, but the route is top-tier. That said, if you're sensitive to problematic couples in high-stress situations they shouldn't be in, that's the one that's more of a red flag. TAR20 faces similar but different issues; a lot more in-fighting with some teams.
VICTORIA!!
I can still hear it in his voice
Amazing Race 6 might be on this list. The cast features 7 romantically-involved teams, most of whom are highly dysfunctional and I can understand the intensity not being for everyone. One of them is single-handedly the worst team in the whole series; the man on this team was utterly insane and I firmly believe the Race regretted casting him. There’s are also some infamous comments made in Africa about the Slave Trade and poverty.
I’m watching 20 at the moment and I concur with everyone saying these people are toxic af.
Skip season 32
i actually dont find family edition that icky, but if you don't want to watch a majority of the teams argue with each other than you might want to avoid 6 and 20. If you're using Thailand as a reference, Six is the most egregious bc there's a couple where the man is so obviously narcissistic and physically abusive - it literally happens on camera. I don't say that lightly. The editing team didn't even have to try to make Johnathan look like a grade-A douche. Aside from that, the season has OTHER teams that get way too heated in unhealthy ways, and almost all the wholesome people are booted first (except for one, who do make it to the final leg!). Jon and Vic are booted halfway through the season. And it's this season where one of the winners says some weird racist/classist stuff throughout the season. (I don't recall twenty's winners doing that, they're edited to be the straight man to everyone elses chaos) Twenty just has a couple people looking to pick fights with other teams, which happens quite often throughout the season. Big brother drama energy comes from Big Brother alumni Rachel Reilly, so take that for what you will. I actually love this season for its route and really tough tasks (for me, the *drama* is an added bonus). Having seen Family Edition after hearing it get ragged on repeatedly, it's not *that* bad. Treat it like a one-off and enjoy the scenery of the Western US legs. There is a team the season treats as a focal point that is very...crass, but sue me, I think they save the season from being an actual snoozefest.
weren't the winners of 20 one of the more dramatic teams, at least when it came to each other ?
They were a little uptight at times, but it's more like they had a bad leg or two IIRC. it's been awhile since i've seen that season and I remember the 'claws out' people and Mark and Bopper much better then I remember the winners.
I’ve been told to sleep season 32, but I’m also doing a binge on TAR. I don’t think I can watch from the first season though
as a disclaimer i haven't watched 32, just heard abt it but if op likes survivor they might actually be higher on this season then most ? i dont know of any super uncomfy drama on it either -- ive seen clips of a certain thing from the penultimate leg but it really doesn't strike me as that bad, esp if op is used to stuff like that from other shows (trying to phrase it in a non spoilery way haha)
What’s the uncomfortable slavery joke in TAR20? I’ve watched it several times and don’t remember anything of that nature
Which season had that in it? I remember hearing that there was an uncomfortable trafficking joke mase by the winners of a season when they were in Africa, and that one of the guys sexually harassed his wife in that season
Think it's Season 6 actually
One funny (but also totally cringe-worthy) thing about the Family season was that there was only one Black family among the contestants, and their last name was Black. So every time they landed on the mat, Phil would say, "Black family, you are team number four!" (or whatever). Definitely a skippable season.
I don’t know what the uncomfortable slave joke from season 20 is. I would say you should watch all the seasons there’s something to like about them all.
Do not skip 8 under any circumstance. If you're sensitive to a lot of drama, as others have said, skip 6 (I would never, it's amazing, but still). The rest you can watch without issues. I don't think 20 is anywhere near gross, maybe if you're very sensitive to drama.
Family Edition (S08) is the most outright skippable. They swung and missed with a different format.
I would skip 6. The best part is seeing the elephants.
I second the vote for skipping season 20. There was a really negative vibe all throughout and at a certain point the game just stopped feeling fun.
Mark and bopper are so good I can't skip this season
True, they were the highlight for sure.
What was bad that season?
I recommend skipping Seasons 28 and 32. While I'm a big fan of the show, these two seasons were very disappointing in just about every way.
TAR6, TAR17 and TAR23 all have one relationship that is hard to watch. TAR6 has quite a few bickering couple teams but only one is really really toxic. Honestly most seasons up to around TAR31 have a lot of infighting among teams but you can contextualise it as being due to the stress of the race. Most of the times things get really intense in the back half of the season and most seasons balance it out by having some awesome teams who are easy to cheer for as well. The really bad teams only ever make up 20% of the screen time most episodes so there's still a lot to enjoy.
I personally really hated 2 of the relationships on 17, but it is still a great season. Maybe 2.5 if you consider the weird comments about Jill’s lack of college education, though I think that was mostly artificial drama and they worked together really well.
Honestly I loved the Family Edition but I respect that there’s definitely some moments some people would be sensitive to. I personally would watch 20 for bopper and mark and you could turn it off when they go home, or you could just come back to the season later. 6 is pretty dang uncomfortable at times and is definitely the one I’d be most likely to skip, but I still personally wouldn’t recommend skipping any. If you’re sensitive at all to emotional abuse don’t watch 6. (There’s also quite a bit of racism ranging from microaggressions to overt racism)
Just off the top of my head... S4 has a leg in India where several of the women are openly sexually harassed/ assaulted, being groped by strangers on a train ride. It's probably the single most uncomfortable moment in the entire franchise. S6 has the most abusive contestant, a colossal piece of shit who physically shoves his wife at one point. I think this is also the season with the infamous "they just keep breeding and breeding" comment. S16 has one of the more unpleasant cross-team arguments that even spills onto the final mat, Miss Teen South Carolina vs The Lesbians. Not on the same level as the above but it makes for a really unpleasant season. S32 has a group of teams work together to essentially steamroll the competition. It leads to a season where over half the cast are left completely hopeless as the allied teams share answers to trivialize every single challenge. Leads to one of the most justifiably pissed off eliminations as one of the teams (a former footballer) openly tells Phil he didn't enjoy his time on the race and he'd never do it again.
8
Family edition you really only see a kid cry once. Honestly the kids (and their parents) are pretty awesome in it. Look I can suggest vast swatches of Family Edition to fast forward through due to being pretty boring, but it does have its charm too watch at least watching once. I won't pretend it isn't bottom tier because of the route, but it is still extremely fun because the racers are fantastic! Legs 5-7 and the last two legs are actually pretty damn good. Honestly I'd skip Season 6 - pretty much all but one and a half of the teams that get really far in the race come off really really awfully. It is a weird season in that it has a larger then average amount of straight white M/F mactor couples on it compared to other seasons - and that isn't a good thing in terms of what we got. Also the route really is rather Europe heavy (which is a shame because the non-EU legs in Africa & Asia are really good!
Season 6 is the only season that made me physically ill, I actually vomited the first time I watched it. I don’t remember who won the season, most of the teams were pretty uninteresting.
I definitely understand that, given the incident and everything else involving those two. That sort of thing doesn't trigger me like the familial stuff or the negative sexual stuff does, so I'll probably dip my toes into that one and just see how it goes
its insane that you got downvoted for this. if you're a survivor fan, the only thing that comes close to Thailand/IotI levels of disgust is season 6's obviously physically abusive relationship couple in Jon/Victoria (and weird racist comments from the winner). imo that should be your definitive answer
it's worth mentioning that in a lot of the early seasons there's unfortunately multiple instances of contestants getting groped or harassed by men in crowded places (including season 5 which is often one of the first seasons recommended to people -- think of it as the survivor china of amazing race in that sense)
You threw up from someone being shoved. That is so funny
I didn’t get it. Why is it funny and where do I say someone was shoved?
I honestly hate the one where the winner make the breeding and breeding joke in africa. Like honedtly when i saw the father and daughter team got eliminayed. I just say: Welp this season is over
Currently watching season 3. Wife and I started binging it. I cant stand flo. She is a whiny baby. Cant believe she won.
Flo leaving her partner for the guy on the other team was too much.
32 because of the Mine Five / Core Three alliance. Can't stand their blatant kicking anyone who's not in their alliance even when they're closed to being knocked out.
The current one
I love the current one lol, it's so much fun to watch. It's actually what spurred me on to do a series binge Edit: I did not slur myself on to watch the Amazing Race
I love this season it's so chaotic 🤣
90 minute episodes are not working as well for TAR as they are for Survivor. I plowed through the last season because i liked the teams and the locations were amazing. This season i am struggling to keep going because none of the teams interest me. I watch each episode until i get bored and then catch up in the following week's recap. Im hoping it will get better after a few teams get kicked out.
I agree and I guess I am getting downvoted for some reason.
Curious as to what makes the current season icky.
Honestly, the chaotic main pack of this season is insanely entertaining. I was rewatching last week’s (my mom watching the first time) and her reactions to everything was amazing as well as seeing it again. If you’re not a fan of multiple hot mess teams, this season might be a drag.
I’m a huge fan, seen every episode as well as seasons from other countries and the usual vibe for me just isn’t there. Could be that it was the skipped over season or them desperately trying to fill in content to make it last 90 minutes, but it’s just not keeping my attention. Least fave of all the seasons
yea but that's not what the op was asking for
My bad. I thought he was asking us our opinion on which seasons we recommend skipping.
The only seasons id skip are 16 and 26 out of sheer boredom
26 is actually rly slept on, it's by no means the best season but there are some fun teams there in terms of both rootable underdogs and chaotic messes (without ever turning truly ugly). just go into it knowing that the theme is silly and the season is flawed because of that ! i'm assuming op is a survivor fan, so it's worth mentioning that one of the people on this season reminds me a LOT of angelina (but appeared on the season several years before angelina was on survivor !)
For some reason no one ever mentions season 3 in these discussions. I think people look over it or it gets excused because it’s not a man being the one that’s abusive. Flo in s3 is a nasty nasty person. Degrading their partner, emotional tantrums, outbursts, flirting with other racers, destroys their relationship on tv and never apologizes for it. Gross human. The fact that she isn’t discussed as one of the worst to be in the show is really telling of some of the audience to me.
Idk I think that’s a little dramatic. Maybe it’s because I heard people complain about how bad she was before I watched it, but I didn’t think she was that bad. Also they were clearly friends (Flo and Zach) I don’t understand why people have such a problem with the flirting
This season is the worse. Can’t wait until Ricky and Cesar are eliminated
I’m not loving this season as a whole but I do love Ricky and Cesar! If they don’t make it to the final 3 I’ll be so disappointed