The series finale of THE AMAZING RACE 14 had the usual tension brought on by creative editing during that rush to the finish line. Those who were eliminated during all the previous legs were taken out of their hideaway vacation spot and brought to a tropical paradise to greet the racers who suffered through eating insects, swimming, jumping, carrying loads and generally suffering around the world. Then all it took was ONE clue to bring a team down and Karma to slow another team to a crawl.
Sucks to be all of these contestants huh? Well, they got to travel around the world and didn't have to pay money for it.
The final leg of the Amazing Race 14 began in Beijing China and ended in Maui, Hawaii. TAMMY & VICTOR left the pit-stop at 9:15pm, MARGIE & LUKE at 11:04pm, and JAIME & CARA at 2:04am but the earliest flight would be at 9am the next morning making all teams equal as they return to the United States.
Once in Maui, teams had to rush to a beach to prepare a pig for a traditional Hawaiian Luau. Realizing that time was of the essence, some teams changed into bathing suits while riding in their taxis. Then some teams struggled to carry the heavy pig along the beach mainly Tammy & Victor as Tammy kept dropping the pig. Cara also struggled to carry her end while Jaime verbally expressed her frustration. Margie & Luke prepped their pig first.
The next stop was at Macgregor Point where teams had to use personal watercraft vehicles to search for their next clue among hundreds of buoys in the ocean. Here you see Margie becoming more frustrated with her deaf son communications in the form of yelling during the task. Still, they finished first and continued to the next task but the other teams were catching up.
Next stop had teams travel to Maui’s “surfboard” fence where the teams had their “roadblock” where a team member had to assemble surfboards with photos that identify each of the destinations in the correct order. Luke claimed the best memory so he performed the task and while doing so he had to keep pulling his bathing suit trunks up. Eventually he just took them off and continued the task in his underwear. I guess nobody told him he could tie up the string in his bathing suit. When Victor and Tammy arrived, he had the same problem with his shorts and he also removed them and continued the “roadblock” in his Speedos.
The other two teams began to lose time on the way to the “roadblock” as Tammy & Victor’s taxi cruised along behind a very slow driver and they were unable to pass and Jaime & Cara’s taxi driver got lost. Jaime’s attitude kicked in while the driver asked for directions via phone then Karma stuck back as the taxi operator got testy and refused to give the driver directions. So as a last resort, they called the local police to ask for directions. Then their taxi had to stop for gas which further frustrated Jaime but she later apologized for yelling at the driver. Eventually Jaime & Cara caught up at the “roadblock”.
Completing the last leg “roadblock” task is like completing a puzzle by memory. Many teams struggle to get the clues in the exact order and even the best ones get frustrated on just one or two clues. That happened to Luke and he became so frustrated he threw a surfboard. Luke was stuck only on ONE clue then Victor finished first and hauled ass out of there, then Jaime helped Luke decide his final clue after she finished second.
After the “roadblock” teams headed to the King Kamehameha Golf Club for the finish line and it was an easy finish for another over achieving sibling team as TAMMY & VICTOR are the winners of The Amazing Race. JAIME & CARA were second and the deaf boy Luke with his mommy Margie came in third.
Well that’s it. The fourteenth season of The Amazing Race is done. I think this was one of the most competitive seasons ever. Teams dropped in the necessary order of ability and at least one team with a challenge was able to complete the race. And while I had issues with Luke & Margie during the later legs of the race I do congratulate them on their achievements.
Once again, South Florida has a runner up with Jaime & Cara. They did well then Jaime showed a lot of kindness with her assisting Luke in that final task. Honestly, it would not have mattered since Tammy & Victor had already left for the finish line. But many teams would not have cared enough. I don’t think Luke would have cared enough to help anyone, so he should definitely be grateful.
So that is the end of my Amazing Race blogging season. Sunday nights will be rather boring for a while.
Thanks for reading my weekly Amazing Race blogs. I truly appreciate it
Sunday, May 10, 2009
The Amazing Race 14: To Pee or make the Final Three?
Hello Amazing Race fans.
I am blogging this just before the final three season finale will broadcast. This means I am a week late in blogging about the previous leg of The Amazing Race. But I have to tell you that watching last week was an amazing time of itself.
Last weekend I was out of town visiting family for a wedding. On Sunday we had afternoon storms that led to a power outage at my father’s house but electricity was on at a cousin’s home down the road. So we gathered at the house with electricity and I discovered that I have a few family members who were fellow Amazing Race fans. For the first time since I started watching the show in 2005 I spend the evening watching and talking about The Amazing Race. And I must tell you, I enjoyed every bit of it. I experienced the shared passion for the competition and opinions of the contestants.
I discovered last weekend that I am not alone in my growing dislike for the Mother and son team Margie & Luke and I am definitely not alone in my befuddlement of the outcome of Kisha & Jen’s participation in the race.
Since I am posting this so late that few if any will be able to read it before the winner is known you probably know that Jen & Kisha was eliminated and the final three would be TAMMY & VICTOR, MARGIE & LUKE and JAIME & CARA. I will tell you that I am cheering for the former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders to become the first ever all-female team to win The Amazing Race.
So to recap what happened before the final three was determined, teams were continuing on an extended leg of the race when they thought that they were headed for a pit-stop. Jaime & Cara were first at the pit-stop for the first time and since the leg was extended, there was no pit-stop prize for them. The second team was Margie & Luke and the third was Tammy & Victor. Kisha & Jen were last but relieved to know that the leg would continue. Jen had just struggled with her fear of water at a swimming pool task and was crying as they believed they were eliminated.
So as the race continues, the first stop on the extended leg was to search shops for a TRAVELOCITY KNOME which would have their next clue. And like all seasons, teams would have to carry the gnome doll with them to the pit-stop. They would then have to travel via electric bicycles across Tieanmenmin Square to a subway station for the next clue, the detour.
The Detour choices were “Beijing Opera” when teams would have to put on costumes and make up to the approval of judges before receiving their next clue, Or “Beijing food” where teams would have to go to a restaurant where teams would take food orders in the Mandarin language and serve to patrons. Most teams chose the “opera” detour except for the Chinese speaking Tammy & Victor who easily performed the restaurant detour then pulled the PUNK MOVE of selecting Kisha & Jen for the second U-TURN of the race.
This was the first of events that set up the demise of Kisha & Jen on The Amazing Race. Unlike the previous one, this “u-turn” was not "blind" so Tammy & Victor were identified as the ones who selected Kisha & Jen for the “u-turn” which forced Kisha & Jen to return to perform the opposite of their “detour”, forcing them to slow down. They wrote a note on the photo of Kisha & Jen saying “Sorry, we can’t outrun you”.
After the “detour” and Tammy & Victor’s “U-turning “ of Kisha & Jen, teams travelled to a food market for this seasons disgusting food eating task, The “roadblock” where team members had to eat friend scorpions and other insects. Jen struggled the most with this task by vomiting into a bucket a couple times and drinking lots of water which would haunt her later.
One team that struggled throughout the season was Jaime & Cara in foreign lands with language barriers, Cara’s attitude toward people who didn’t speak HER language in THEIR native land. In this leg they had their usual taxi problems and fell from first to last place. The caught up with the struggling Kisha & Jen at the “roadblock” task and we had the set up for a footrace to the pit-stop. The pit-stop was the next destination after the “roadblock”. But that footrace required a porta-potty break for Jen and that was the end of the line for the Sisters from Louisville.
Tammy & Victor easily arrived first at the pit-stop and with their Travelocity Gnome they won a vacation package to the Galapagos Islands. Margie & Luke, who were elated to know that their archrivals Kisha & Jen were “u-turned”, were SECOND and Jaime & Cara were the third team to arrive thus the final three was decided.
For the record, the pit-stop location was Niao Ciao, the centerpiece of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And somewhere on the property were a group of public toilet facilities where JEN made the decision to stop to relieve herself. This was the decision that spawned many jokes and a common question.
That question was “If you had to choose between a chance of winning a MILLON DOLLARS or wetting yourself” would you have made that critical decision to make that stop at the porta potty while in a foot race to the pit-stop which was only a few feet away. Well Mother Nature (and a lot of bottled water) called Jen to make the pee stop before the pit-stop.
So Jen Hoffman will go down in history at the woman who “pissed away” a million dollars. Well she pissed away a chance at a million dollars. She said in interviews this week that she did not regret her decision, so it is what it is. But I have to tell you that many people have said that if it were them, they would have taken the chance of wetting their pants, but would have checked in at the pit-stop then sought a bathroom.
There have been many blogs about Jen’s situation. One of the best ones was “Urine or You’re OUT”. And mine is “To Pee or make the Final Three”. Well it rhymed LOL!
And so the final three was set and some of my predictions were true. I did predict that Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke would make the final three. And I hoped that Jaime & Cara would make the final three and I am hoping for them to win. I didn’t predict Kisha & Jen to win but I always knew and grew to respect them as a very strong and competitive team. My earlier predictions for Margie & Luke were also hopes but those changed as their competition became more annoying over time. Luke especially developed a poor attitude and he and his mother held more of a grudge and I find it difficult to support teams with a mean spirit.
And now it is documented. My thoughts about the next to last broadcast of The Amazing Race 14 with less than an hour before the season finale will air on the east coast. As I am typing this, there is a storm outside and the local CBS affiliate is airing storm warnings. It is raining outside my home at the moment and I hear thunder.
If there is a god, PLEASE DON’T INTERFERE WITH MY WATCHING THE FINAL THREE AS THEY TRAVEL TO HAWAII and the winner of AMAZING RACE 14 is declared.
And let’s hope that Jen has emptied her bladder before sitting down to watch the final broadcast that SHE and her sister could have been in.
I am blogging this just before the final three season finale will broadcast. This means I am a week late in blogging about the previous leg of The Amazing Race. But I have to tell you that watching last week was an amazing time of itself.
Last weekend I was out of town visiting family for a wedding. On Sunday we had afternoon storms that led to a power outage at my father’s house but electricity was on at a cousin’s home down the road. So we gathered at the house with electricity and I discovered that I have a few family members who were fellow Amazing Race fans. For the first time since I started watching the show in 2005 I spend the evening watching and talking about The Amazing Race. And I must tell you, I enjoyed every bit of it. I experienced the shared passion for the competition and opinions of the contestants.
I discovered last weekend that I am not alone in my growing dislike for the Mother and son team Margie & Luke and I am definitely not alone in my befuddlement of the outcome of Kisha & Jen’s participation in the race.
Since I am posting this so late that few if any will be able to read it before the winner is known you probably know that Jen & Kisha was eliminated and the final three would be TAMMY & VICTOR, MARGIE & LUKE and JAIME & CARA. I will tell you that I am cheering for the former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders to become the first ever all-female team to win The Amazing Race.
So to recap what happened before the final three was determined, teams were continuing on an extended leg of the race when they thought that they were headed for a pit-stop. Jaime & Cara were first at the pit-stop for the first time and since the leg was extended, there was no pit-stop prize for them. The second team was Margie & Luke and the third was Tammy & Victor. Kisha & Jen were last but relieved to know that the leg would continue. Jen had just struggled with her fear of water at a swimming pool task and was crying as they believed they were eliminated.
So as the race continues, the first stop on the extended leg was to search shops for a TRAVELOCITY KNOME which would have their next clue. And like all seasons, teams would have to carry the gnome doll with them to the pit-stop. They would then have to travel via electric bicycles across Tieanmenmin Square to a subway station for the next clue, the detour.
The Detour choices were “Beijing Opera” when teams would have to put on costumes and make up to the approval of judges before receiving their next clue, Or “Beijing food” where teams would have to go to a restaurant where teams would take food orders in the Mandarin language and serve to patrons. Most teams chose the “opera” detour except for the Chinese speaking Tammy & Victor who easily performed the restaurant detour then pulled the PUNK MOVE of selecting Kisha & Jen for the second U-TURN of the race.
This was the first of events that set up the demise of Kisha & Jen on The Amazing Race. Unlike the previous one, this “u-turn” was not "blind" so Tammy & Victor were identified as the ones who selected Kisha & Jen for the “u-turn” which forced Kisha & Jen to return to perform the opposite of their “detour”, forcing them to slow down. They wrote a note on the photo of Kisha & Jen saying “Sorry, we can’t outrun you”.
After the “detour” and Tammy & Victor’s “U-turning “ of Kisha & Jen, teams travelled to a food market for this seasons disgusting food eating task, The “roadblock” where team members had to eat friend scorpions and other insects. Jen struggled the most with this task by vomiting into a bucket a couple times and drinking lots of water which would haunt her later.
One team that struggled throughout the season was Jaime & Cara in foreign lands with language barriers, Cara’s attitude toward people who didn’t speak HER language in THEIR native land. In this leg they had their usual taxi problems and fell from first to last place. The caught up with the struggling Kisha & Jen at the “roadblock” task and we had the set up for a footrace to the pit-stop. The pit-stop was the next destination after the “roadblock”. But that footrace required a porta-potty break for Jen and that was the end of the line for the Sisters from Louisville.
Tammy & Victor easily arrived first at the pit-stop and with their Travelocity Gnome they won a vacation package to the Galapagos Islands. Margie & Luke, who were elated to know that their archrivals Kisha & Jen were “u-turned”, were SECOND and Jaime & Cara were the third team to arrive thus the final three was decided.
For the record, the pit-stop location was Niao Ciao, the centerpiece of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. And somewhere on the property were a group of public toilet facilities where JEN made the decision to stop to relieve herself. This was the decision that spawned many jokes and a common question.
That question was “If you had to choose between a chance of winning a MILLON DOLLARS or wetting yourself” would you have made that critical decision to make that stop at the porta potty while in a foot race to the pit-stop which was only a few feet away. Well Mother Nature (and a lot of bottled water) called Jen to make the pee stop before the pit-stop.
So Jen Hoffman will go down in history at the woman who “pissed away” a million dollars. Well she pissed away a chance at a million dollars. She said in interviews this week that she did not regret her decision, so it is what it is. But I have to tell you that many people have said that if it were them, they would have taken the chance of wetting their pants, but would have checked in at the pit-stop then sought a bathroom.
There have been many blogs about Jen’s situation. One of the best ones was “Urine or You’re OUT”. And mine is “To Pee or make the Final Three”. Well it rhymed LOL!
And so the final three was set and some of my predictions were true. I did predict that Tammy & Victor and Margie & Luke would make the final three. And I hoped that Jaime & Cara would make the final three and I am hoping for them to win. I didn’t predict Kisha & Jen to win but I always knew and grew to respect them as a very strong and competitive team. My earlier predictions for Margie & Luke were also hopes but those changed as their competition became more annoying over time. Luke especially developed a poor attitude and he and his mother held more of a grudge and I find it difficult to support teams with a mean spirit.
And now it is documented. My thoughts about the next to last broadcast of The Amazing Race 14 with less than an hour before the season finale will air on the east coast. As I am typing this, there is a storm outside and the local CBS affiliate is airing storm warnings. It is raining outside my home at the moment and I hear thunder.
If there is a god, PLEASE DON’T INTERFERE WITH MY WATCHING THE FINAL THREE AS THEY TRAVEL TO HAWAII and the winner of AMAZING RACE 14 is declared.
And let’s hope that Jen has emptied her bladder before sitting down to watch the final broadcast that SHE and her sister could have been in.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Urine or You're OUT
I am so late in blogging about last Sunday's Amazing Race broadcast.
I am so pissed about the result I just couldn't get myself to actually blog about it. And the pun is intended! I am PISSED!
The title for this short blog entry was stolen from the headline of one blog I read about The Amazing Race.
So if you are looking for my weekly blog about The Amazing Race, hold on I will do one before the finale. I think I have calmed down from last Sunday and I will soon be able to post a rational thought. (if that's possible)
Oh and Blogger tells me I have an official follower. Whoever you are I thank you and I hope I don't disappoint you.
I am so pissed about the result I just couldn't get myself to actually blog about it. And the pun is intended! I am PISSED!
The title for this short blog entry was stolen from the headline of one blog I read about The Amazing Race.
So if you are looking for my weekly blog about The Amazing Race, hold on I will do one before the finale. I think I have calmed down from last Sunday and I will soon be able to post a rational thought. (if that's possible)
Oh and Blogger tells me I have an official follower. Whoever you are I thank you and I hope I don't disappoint you.
(Some of) My All-time "Quiet Storm" classics
You might think that my choosing these songs in a blog titled "E's ALL-TIME Quiet Storm" classics" would mean I may know something about love or romance or love making. Far from the truth! I still hold the distinction of having NEVER found that someone special much less ever having had a "date" or anything close to it. I am long over that and have accepted my failures in that arena to be destiny.
But I have always loved some music that is often shared by couples. Some of this may be called "baby making music". I just call them good songs that I have enjoyed through the years while I am very detached from the meaning of the songs.
So this lists videos of SOME but by no means all and not even a chance of listing any songs in any order. These are just random picks from my favorite nights listening to Vaughn Harper hosting WBLS "Quiet Storm" show in New York, or Huey Anderson of my hometown WEDR 99.1 in Miami or Freddie Cruz of Miami's "hot 105 Quiet Storm" or Mel Devonne's "Love Zone" show. Or the pioneering program of the "quiet storm" genre that is still heard over Washington DC's WHUR. These were some of the great songs that made for great and peaceful nights.
Enjoy if you want to feel soulfully good.
Atlantic Starr (1982)
Chapter 8 Featuring Anita Baker (1980) "I just want to be yours"
Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn (1981) "If this world were mine"
The Isley Brothers (1975) "Sensuality"
Deniece Williams (1977) "Cause You Love Me Baby" produced by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire
Love Unlimited (1974) " I belong to you" produced by Barry White, husband of Love Unlmited lead singer Glodean James-White
And speaking of Barry White, who may be considered the KING of "baby making music" during the 1970's and certainly one of the mainstays of any "quiet storm" broadcast.
"I've Got So Much to Give" (1973) title song to the album of the same name. And sadly a short version is all I could find on YouTube.
AND FOR ME THERE MUST BE SOME PHYLLIS HYMAN!!
"The answer is You" (1978)
And finally, but certainly not the last of my choices would be Phyllis Hyman's best friend, ANGELA BOFILL and her priceless song "I Try"from 1979
If there is any question about my seriousness in my love of QUALITY OLD SCHOOL, I hope this answers that question.
I ain't fooling when it comes to my old schooling!
But I have always loved some music that is often shared by couples. Some of this may be called "baby making music". I just call them good songs that I have enjoyed through the years while I am very detached from the meaning of the songs.
So this lists videos of SOME but by no means all and not even a chance of listing any songs in any order. These are just random picks from my favorite nights listening to Vaughn Harper hosting WBLS "Quiet Storm" show in New York, or Huey Anderson of my hometown WEDR 99.1 in Miami or Freddie Cruz of Miami's "hot 105 Quiet Storm" or Mel Devonne's "Love Zone" show. Or the pioneering program of the "quiet storm" genre that is still heard over Washington DC's WHUR. These were some of the great songs that made for great and peaceful nights.
Enjoy if you want to feel soulfully good.
Atlantic Starr (1982)
Chapter 8 Featuring Anita Baker (1980) "I just want to be yours"
Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn (1981) "If this world were mine"
The Isley Brothers (1975) "Sensuality"
Deniece Williams (1977) "Cause You Love Me Baby" produced by Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire
Love Unlimited (1974) " I belong to you" produced by Barry White, husband of Love Unlmited lead singer Glodean James-White
And speaking of Barry White, who may be considered the KING of "baby making music" during the 1970's and certainly one of the mainstays of any "quiet storm" broadcast.
"I've Got So Much to Give" (1973) title song to the album of the same name. And sadly a short version is all I could find on YouTube.
AND FOR ME THERE MUST BE SOME PHYLLIS HYMAN!!
"The answer is You" (1978)
And finally, but certainly not the last of my choices would be Phyllis Hyman's best friend, ANGELA BOFILL and her priceless song "I Try"from 1979
If there is any question about my seriousness in my love of QUALITY OLD SCHOOL, I hope this answers that question.
I ain't fooling when it comes to my old schooling!
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