How good were the seasons Boston Rob and Amber were on?
Older SeasonInteresting, is it a common takeaway that Rob and Amber were well received?
I just watched s7 (haven’t seen s11 yet), and I just kept hoping they’d get eliminated. Rob seemed like a pompous, homophobic jerk, and Amber just went along with it, laughing. Then of course there are the moments like them not stopping for the car crash when everybody else did. Granted other people I’m sure wouldn’t necessarily have as negative of feelings, but I thought the whole season was a bad look for them overall. Surprised to hear this might not be the case.
I think it's important to keep in mind that the world was very different 20 years ago.
Yes, gay jokes and humour was 'in'. No, it doesn't make it right, even back then. But it was the way things were at the time, just like how 'oh, marriage is like a ball and chain' jokes were popular too.
The key thing is that Rob was extremely charismatic, and he could deliver the humour that people liked at the time. That and their love story on Survivor was a cultural phenomenon. Their wedding was televised. They were pretty much reality TV superstars, and that momentum carried them forward.
Yes, that behaviour wouldn't fly on today's reality TV, and I'm sure they've changed in 20 years too (just look at Colin and Christie). But for that time, they fit the bill of popularity perfectly.
Everybody seems to love them, no idea why. Just seeing or hearing the words "Boston Rob" makes me cringe. If they bring him/them back again, I ain't watching.
Rob and Amber were very controversial at the time. Tons of people loved them…tons of people hated them who saw them (mostly Rob) as obnoxious screen hogs and wanted them eliminated asap. Many especially thought they had an unfair advantage (locals often recognized them and were willing to work with them). Remember S7 was aired right at the heart of peak Romber-mania where they were everywhere and many were getting sick of them.
20 years later I do appreciate them and what they brought to the season though. They are great and very entertaining players. Remember they are ultimately villains, and every great season has a great villain or two.
Rob’s charisma was off the charts and I can’t believe what other players agreed to do for them
Rob could be a cult leader. Just look at every show he’s been on, people flock to him.
I mean he practically was one on his winning season of Survivor.
I prefer S11 over S7. Idk S7 is the definition of a great season but not the most rewatchable season as the narrative are heavy on 2 to 3 teams (and one of those teams aren't the greatest of characters). Great moments and I like how they tried something different with the route.
Two of my favorite seasons. They're good antagonists both times they're on. Amber particularly gets a lot more villainous content that wasn't seen on Survivor.
I pretty much try to ignore them as much as I can when I am rewatching.
I migrated to TAR from Survivor, and of course B. Rob is a legend there (as is Amber, although less so). I was wondering how his Survivor prowess might translate to TAR, and I have to say, I was blown away by how well they did their first time out. A lot of people think "oh, well they were famous, so the locals helped them at every turn" but that really only happened a couple of times. What DID happen is that Rob "worked the room", so to speak. He found people who were willing to help a bit, and got them to help a LOT. And I guarantee it wasn't always just because they knew who he was. He just knew how to get people on board to help out.
And of course they're not above pulling some underhanded stuff once in a while.
I was kind of "over" the whole Rob and Ambuh phenomenon by the time I checked out TAR, but I came away thoroughly impressed by their gameplay.
I do think Rob/Amber were helped a lot by their celebrity status. I also think their strategy game was way overrated on TAR7. They did make some spectacular moves but they also made a few that backfired on them. But they ran a spectacular race. There is no doubt about it.
Definitely favorites.
I’ve been rewatching all the seasons in order. Rob’s strategy and gameplay changed the race. He brought a whole new way to play that had never been done before. He was a mastermind at playing the game. Absolutely fascinating to watch!
THIS! I come from being a massive Survivor fan, and watching Rob basically break the game in TAR 7 was so freaking exciting and fun to watch.
Season 7 is really good.
7 is top 5
11 is top 15
Season 7 is in my top 5 and 11 is in my top 10.
I mean, for me TAR is easy to separate the contestants from the course.
And Rob & Amber raced during two golden era seasons.
So by default, to me, they are A tier seasons.
The routes are long, travel heavy, fun tasks.
That said, TAR7 is a little lack luster. It was a weird route and IMO the non elims are too end of the race heavy.
TAR11 is near perfect. I just didnt care for the winners.
Season 7 was good despite robust presence. Seeing them eliminated early on s11 made that season so much more satisfying.
A lot of people (including TAR producers) were mad Rob/Amber were on Season 7 but they really mad it a great season. The entire cast and the race were spectacular but they had so many storylines about "Can Rob/Amber be beat?" or Rob/Amber manipulating other teams and forging alliances. It made the other teams look like underdogs with a great fight to see if Rob/Amber can be beat. Even on Season 11, Rob/Amber were great and had this really great story arc.
S7 is generally regarded as a top tier season with a really likeable cast. All Stars as well,
Rob in particular was a very smart racer, he was very good at working with the rules in a way that gave him distinct advantages, but the bulk of their success came from using their fame to have people literally guide them around the various cities they visited which severely undermines their strength as a team.
Season 7 is personally one of my favorite TAR seasons of all time, in large part due to Rob and Amber. Fantastic, S-tier television. The one thing I will say is that you can tell it was filmed in 2005 with some of the people. And I have a minor gripe with the route (the only reason you should not circumnavigate the globe in this show is a pandemic). Season 11 is definitely solid and fun, but it has more aspects that bring it down. For me it is a firm B tier season.
I am a Survivor fan first but Rob and Amber were a lot more likeable on TAR.