Fans are not loving the abundance of Mega Legs on The Amazing Race season 34, and it's time to explain why. A Mega Leg is essentially two legs of the race, which are merged into one long and continuous leg. This forces racers to immediately move on to the next destination after arriving at the Pit Stop. The Mega Leg has become a fixture of season 34, and so far this season, two episodes have already ended without conclusive results, due to the nature of the twist. In past seasons, Mega Legs were typically a surprise for racers, and not announced by host Phil Keoghan until teams arrived at the Pit Stop. In season 34, the Mega Legs are announced ahead of time.
The Amazing Race fans at Reddit are disappointed over the Mega Legs' execution on this season, citing lessened suspense and confusion over eliminations as the main issues. New Amazing Race twists, including The Scramble, have been added to season 34, in order to shake up the traditional format of the show. Another important addition to the season was a promise of no non-elimination rounds, which was intended to raise the stakes of each leg, as teams would no longer be offered the possibility of second chances. In a Reddit thread started by u/SagginBartender, users discussed the merits of frequent Mega Legs so far this season. "It doesn't make sense to tell the audience from the beginning, it takes away all the suspense," one user pointed out, referencing past seasons, when racers were surprised at the Pit Stop by Phil, who informed them that the race was still going, and handed them new clues.
The Amazing Race Fans Would Like Fewer Mega Legs
Another fan explained how racers knowing about Mega Legs beforehand changes strategic aspects of The Amazing Race, saying, "We also saw different strategies forming from telling the teams beforehand, like doing less strenuous tasks or helping other teams." In general, fans have been critical of the lack of suspense this season, which can also be attributed to The Amazing Race no longer booking flights, and depending on charter airlines instead. This groups racers together, regardless of placement. For those who feel like the stakes have been lowered even further by early Mega Leg announcements, the season seems less engaging overall.
Fans Find The Amazing Race Twist Disappointing
Users in the same thread also questioned how season 34 can take credit for being a, "non-elimination" season, when Mega Legs technically allow teams to survive past an entire individual leg, without the risk of going home. One disappointed The Amazing Race fan commented, "I think they billed the season as 'no non-elimination legs' just because it 'sounds' cool, a bit more dangerous. It's kind of just a superficial way of drumming up interest in the season." The sentiment is shared by other viewers, who expected every episode this season to end with an elimination, only to see three entire episodes wrap up without a clear exit from any racers. One reason for this change in plans was the early exit of Abby Garrett and Will Freeman due to COVID-19, which unexpectedly threw the schedule off for the remaining contestants.
Over the years, The Amazing Race has adapted to shifting circumstances and audience expectations by adding and eliminating certain elements of the show. The increased number of Mega Legs this season, and the decision to inform the audience and racers of them beforehand, definitely shook up The Amazing Race viewers' expectations. Unfortunately for some fans, the implementation of frequent Mega Legs only decreases the overall suspense of the season, and appears at odds with other promised twists. Now that fans are speculating that recent episode edits have spoiled the winner of Amazing Race 34, maintaining suspense in any way possible needs to be a priority for the show. As the future seasons progress, it will be interesting to see whether the show moves away from season 34's execution of Mega Legs.
Source: u/SagginBartender/Instagram