Happy Spring Amazing Race fans!
I went into watching this week’s broadcast knowing that one of my favorite teams, Margie & Luke appear to suffer a major event during this race. The preview shows Margie fainting in the heat and it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. It also appeared that other teams would struggle as well. The teams left the sixth pit-stop after a day in India where you would expect teams to struggle, but this time the Amazing Race visit to India was relatively easy.
Also easy was the departure from India. The teams left in the following order. Tammy & Victor at 10:21am, Mel & Mike at 10:50am, Kisha & Jen at 11:02am, Margie & Luke at 11:03, Jaime & Cara at 11:04 and Mike & Mark at 11:11am.
On the show, it appears that FEW could properly prounounce the name of the next destination, "Foo Kette" as in "two wong foo" or "egg FOO young" then the first half of the word KETTLE. Teams would leave India for the city of PHUKET, Thailand and all but Jaime & Cara purchased their airline tickets at a travel agency before going to the airport. But all teams made the same flights and were on even footing.
The teams had their taxi drivers and locals lead them to their first destination. Their first clue was only a photo of an animal that hinted that teams would go to the Phuket Zoo but Mel & Mike assumed their clue was to go to a beach. They found themselves lost with no one having an idea what clue the photo meant.
The first clue had teams take a photo with a tiger then participate in a local zoo performance that required having an elephant walk over their backsides. After that teams would go to retrieve their picture with the tiger and on the back of the picture would be their next clue.
It is worth noting that the tiger’s handler only had ONE ARM!
The next clue would have teams travel to an herb shop where the clerk would have to search for their next clue through 99 different drawers. It appeared that the first five teams easily passed on to the next task with Mel & Mike lagging way behind.
The detour task choices were “100 barrels” where teams would have to have to fill 53 barrels with water placed on a fishing boat preparing for a long trip and position the remaining empty barrels in precision on the top deck of the boat. Or “2 miles” where teams would have to carry a rickshaw with their team partner as the passenger to a park. Many teams went first to the marina and found it difficult to locate the boats then they changed to perform the “2 miles” task.
The “2 miles” detour was the source of a few problems teams had on this leg of the race. Teams faced flat tires with manual air pumps that a few teams forgot to bring. Teams also had difficulty with directions but one team, Mark & Michael hired a taxi to lead them to their correct destination. They used their taxi by following it to their destination then had that same taxi drive them to the final destination which was the PIT-STOP, therefore giving MARK & MICHAEL their first ever first place pit-stop arrival.
But Mark & Michael discovered a problem. They violated rules by hiring the taxi to assist them in the “2 miles” detour and they tampered with the tire pumps used for the rickshaws and put them back. For those infractions, they faced an hour long penalty forcing them to wait before they could check in.
Mark & Michael weren’t the only ones to make mistakes. Tammy & Victor prematurely dropped off their rickshaw so that set them back a few minutes as they had to run back to properly park their rickshaw vehicle. Then Tammy & Victor were SECOND to arrive at the pit-stop with less than 5 minutes left for Mark & Michael’s penalty. So TAMMY & VICTOR would end up in first place again and for that they won a vacation in Hawaii.
Closely behind Tammy & Victor were JAIME & CARA officially in SECOND PLACE with Mark & Michael having ONE minute left in their penalty wait, they would eventually become THIRD PLACE.
MARGIE & LUKE arrived in FOURTH PLACE and after Phil made a comment about Margie being like “the Bionic Woman”, Margie fainted from the heat. They ran her into a shaded area, applied water and called for medical assistance. But she recovered from her heat exhaustion and refused the medical assistance.
One could imagine the fear that Luke had in seeing his mother suffer this spell. She is his ONLY assistance in communication and they were in a foreign land. But it appears that Margie will be ok. Besides, if anything really bad had happened when this was taped, we most likely would have already known before the show aired.
Only two teams successfully completed the “100 Barrels” detour task with the fishing boats. Kisha & Jen who would then have their taxi driver drop them off at the wrong location. But Kisha & Jen arrived at the pit-stop in FIFTH PLACE.
And finally, Mel & Mike arrived was the last team to arrive and I had a prediction right two times in a row. Mel & Mike were eliminated but not for the reasons I had expected. They fell to the back of the pack upon arrival in Thailand when thought their photo clue led them to a local beach instead of the zoo. They also didn’t seem to rush through any of their task. On this leg, Mel & Mike were tourists instead of competitors on The Amazing Race. Now they can be “on vacation” as they join the other eliminated racers held “captive” at the holding resort while the race continues. This is not a bad thing for Mel. He could use some rest. I hope he had a great time doing just that.
If Mel & Mike had chosen the “2 miles” detour, one of them would have been the second casualty of the heat. I just didn’t see Mike carrying his father on a rickshaw and Mel could not have survived the physically demanding run carrying his son on a rickshaw in the heat. Even the most physically fit racers showed signs of strain. If Margie would faint after only carrying the rickshaw for part of the run, Mel would have had some issues for sure.
Well I am not celebrating the fact that I correctly predicted the elimination of Mel & Mike. I do think I have a good chance of predicting the next elimination. The gloves are off as we are not far from knowing who will make the final three. I still predict that the final three will include Tammy & Victor and I think it is a good bet on either Jaime & Cara or Kisha & Jen making the final three. I still think we could see the first all-female team winning The Amazing Race. This means either Mark & Michael or Margie & Luke are the next teams to be eliminated. I think this could turn on Mark & Michael and the previews for the next broadcast indicate that Mark & Michael having a huge problem. Apparently they lost their back packs and begin to argue over it.
I predict Mark & Michael for next elimination for another reason, playing too hard and having a relationship breakdown. The latter is always a problem for a team on The Amazing Race.
The next broadcast is in TWO WEEKS. We have to tough it out and wait a little while longer for it. And I will blog about it then. Thanks for reading and happy spring!
Sunday, March 29, 2009
The First BASTARD Churches of Crisp County Georgia
When my sister Erika was very little, she could not prounounce the name of our church properly. When asked, she would tell people that we went to "The First BASTARD Church". I would like to thank the BAPTIST ministers of Cordele Georgia for that reminder.
They have called on the Crisp County Georgia school system to ban scholarship applications targeted for gay students. The Baptist clergy in Crisp County accuses my beloved P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of promoting the "homosexual agenda" by the placement of scholarship applications at Crisp County High School. The so-called "Christians" love to use those two words "homosexual agenda" don't they?
There are many college scholarship programs offered by PFLAG and many PFLAG chapters including PFLAG Atlanta. However it is not known exactly what P-FLAG scholarship applications were available at Crisp County High School. We "PFLAG'ers" are deeply concerned about this. I fall in the catagory of "angry" at the religious nutcases that are making a fuss over this. (Yes I said it!)
How can you seriously consider putting another obstacle in the way of a young person wanting to get an education? It's no wonder why smaller towns like the area where this news came from are suffering from this bad economy more than anyone. Whatever jobs you can find in areas like Cordele/Crisp County are for the people they tend to produce, less educated with no ambition to do more with their life, people who are followers and not capable of becoming leaders and "Good Ole Boy" leaders who couldn't lead themselves down a one way straight line street.
As you read the article that I am sharing I also have these questions. I wonder if the same "christians" who want to ban college scholorship access for gay and lesbian students would consider it fair to also restrict access to scholorships from organizations that cater to BLACK people? United NEGRO College Fund are you next? Or how about the Tom Joyner Foundation who proudly supports sending students to only Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Would the Baptist preachers want to ban that access too?
Hey Baptist Pastors of Crisp County, how about being FAIR and BALANCED? Haha, i'm sure you've heard that theme from your favorite TV news channel.
Lets go ahead and ban ALL targeted scholorships! No more "affirmative actions" for ATHLETES and no more scholorships for students who want to go to a seminary.
Public school is one place that has become infested in political correctness and a warped idea of "fairness". So if the Baptist preachers of Crisp County are really concerned about doing things they feel are "right" then lets be fair about it. Only allow one for all and all for one type of scholorship or none at all. That sounds fair doesn't it?
But for these "christians" it is OK to be "fair" as long as you balance the scales to allow the heavy weight of discrimination to fall on a promising student that happens to be gay or lesbian.
Well God Bless America.
Hmmmm.
I'm so angry about this I am ready to quote an infamous loud mouthed preacher named Jeremiah Wright. But I won't say it right now. I still feel that it's better to be nice. Maybe I should pray for them.
Read the news article below, from the Cordele Dispatch
Gay scholarship material draws protest
By BECKY CRISSMAN
becky.crissman@gaflnews.com
CORDELE — Crisp County Board of Education has been asked to ban the presence of scholarship applications designated for gay students at the high school.
Superintendent Dr. Judy Bean received a complaint this week from a local minister regarding scholarships offered by an organization openly supportive of homosexuality. The applications are reportedly available in the guidance office of Crisp County High School.
Rev. Tony Register of Wenona Baptist Church went directly to Dr. Bean as soon as he received a copy of the flyer which he said was displayed on a table among other scholarship materials.
“It is nothing more than a solicitation for homosexuality,” said Register. “To me it openly offers the opportunity to be ‘paid’ by voluntarily coming forth and admitting homosexuality or your support of the homosexual agenda.
“I think it is an outrage and should not be allowed in our schools.”
The scholarship is offered by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). According to the flyer, applications for scholarships for $5,000, $2,500, or $1,000 are available.
Before completing the form to apply for one of the scholarships, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
• Be a graduating senior entering higher education for the first time in 2009 (2008 graduates who take a year off are still eligible).
• Self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or as a straight ally.
• Demonstrate an interest in service to the LGBT community.
• Apply to an accredited higher education institution.
According to Dr. Bean, she and members of the board were unaware of the flyer’s presence in the school. In a phone interview, Dr. Bean revealed she had learned that this was not the first year the PFLAG scholarship flyer had been on display in the school.
“Apparently this is the second, possibly third year it has been made available,” said Dr. Bean. “This is the first time this has ever been brought to our attention.
“There is a table in the guidance office that features scholarship materials and that is in fact where the flyer was located. The board does not sanction these materials. They are placed there by guidance counselors.”
Dr. Bean said the flyer was removed after the deadline passed. She says she has never been aware of a Crisp County student receiving or even applying for one of the scholarships.
“If they can promote things like that in our schools without us being made aware of it, then we have a problem,” said Register.
“Dr. Bean informed me that neither she nor the board was aware of the material. I think that is a problem. Our local administration and government needs to be able to keep us informed.
“Every parent should have known it was there. Every community has their own moral standards and should not have to worry about things like this sneaking past us.”
Rev. Ray Burnette, director of missions for the Houston Baptist Association, said the association is taking a stand in the situation.
“We are going to speak up and let it be known how the Christian community feels about this,” said Burnette.
“As Christians we have a right to stand up for what the Bible says about this issue (homosexuality).
“It is our hope that this will be taken out of the school and in the future things like this are evaluated before they are placed in front of our children.
“I believe we should have a choice as to what our children are being exposed to.”
Bean asked the school for copies of the PFLAG scholarship information material. She was scheduled to bring that material before the board as information.
“It is unsure what, if anything the board can do about the situation,” said Bean.
Crisp County High School Principal Toriano Gilbert said the scholarship information in question is placed on a table among other scholarships available for interested students. A list of available scholarships can also be viewed on the school website.
“We do not promote any particular scholarship through our guidance office,” Gilbert said. “However, we do not discriminate against any particular group either.”
They have called on the Crisp County Georgia school system to ban scholarship applications targeted for gay students. The Baptist clergy in Crisp County accuses my beloved P-FLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of promoting the "homosexual agenda" by the placement of scholarship applications at Crisp County High School. The so-called "Christians" love to use those two words "homosexual agenda" don't they?
There are many college scholarship programs offered by PFLAG and many PFLAG chapters including PFLAG Atlanta. However it is not known exactly what P-FLAG scholarship applications were available at Crisp County High School. We "PFLAG'ers" are deeply concerned about this. I fall in the catagory of "angry" at the religious nutcases that are making a fuss over this. (Yes I said it!)
How can you seriously consider putting another obstacle in the way of a young person wanting to get an education? It's no wonder why smaller towns like the area where this news came from are suffering from this bad economy more than anyone. Whatever jobs you can find in areas like Cordele/Crisp County are for the people they tend to produce, less educated with no ambition to do more with their life, people who are followers and not capable of becoming leaders and "Good Ole Boy" leaders who couldn't lead themselves down a one way straight line street.
As you read the article that I am sharing I also have these questions. I wonder if the same "christians" who want to ban college scholorship access for gay and lesbian students would consider it fair to also restrict access to scholorships from organizations that cater to BLACK people? United NEGRO College Fund are you next? Or how about the Tom Joyner Foundation who proudly supports sending students to only Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Would the Baptist preachers want to ban that access too?
Hey Baptist Pastors of Crisp County, how about being FAIR and BALANCED? Haha, i'm sure you've heard that theme from your favorite TV news channel.
Lets go ahead and ban ALL targeted scholorships! No more "affirmative actions" for ATHLETES and no more scholorships for students who want to go to a seminary.
Public school is one place that has become infested in political correctness and a warped idea of "fairness". So if the Baptist preachers of Crisp County are really concerned about doing things they feel are "right" then lets be fair about it. Only allow one for all and all for one type of scholorship or none at all. That sounds fair doesn't it?
But for these "christians" it is OK to be "fair" as long as you balance the scales to allow the heavy weight of discrimination to fall on a promising student that happens to be gay or lesbian.
Well God Bless America.
Hmmmm.
I'm so angry about this I am ready to quote an infamous loud mouthed preacher named Jeremiah Wright. But I won't say it right now. I still feel that it's better to be nice. Maybe I should pray for them.
Read the news article below, from the Cordele Dispatch
Gay scholarship material draws protest
By BECKY CRISSMAN
becky.crissman@gaflnews.com
CORDELE — Crisp County Board of Education has been asked to ban the presence of scholarship applications designated for gay students at the high school.
Superintendent Dr. Judy Bean received a complaint this week from a local minister regarding scholarships offered by an organization openly supportive of homosexuality. The applications are reportedly available in the guidance office of Crisp County High School.
Rev. Tony Register of Wenona Baptist Church went directly to Dr. Bean as soon as he received a copy of the flyer which he said was displayed on a table among other scholarship materials.
“It is nothing more than a solicitation for homosexuality,” said Register. “To me it openly offers the opportunity to be ‘paid’ by voluntarily coming forth and admitting homosexuality or your support of the homosexual agenda.
“I think it is an outrage and should not be allowed in our schools.”
The scholarship is offered by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). According to the flyer, applications for scholarships for $5,000, $2,500, or $1,000 are available.
Before completing the form to apply for one of the scholarships, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:
• Be a graduating senior entering higher education for the first time in 2009 (2008 graduates who take a year off are still eligible).
• Self identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) or as a straight ally.
• Demonstrate an interest in service to the LGBT community.
• Apply to an accredited higher education institution.
According to Dr. Bean, she and members of the board were unaware of the flyer’s presence in the school. In a phone interview, Dr. Bean revealed she had learned that this was not the first year the PFLAG scholarship flyer had been on display in the school.
“Apparently this is the second, possibly third year it has been made available,” said Dr. Bean. “This is the first time this has ever been brought to our attention.
“There is a table in the guidance office that features scholarship materials and that is in fact where the flyer was located. The board does not sanction these materials. They are placed there by guidance counselors.”
Dr. Bean said the flyer was removed after the deadline passed. She says she has never been aware of a Crisp County student receiving or even applying for one of the scholarships.
“If they can promote things like that in our schools without us being made aware of it, then we have a problem,” said Register.
“Dr. Bean informed me that neither she nor the board was aware of the material. I think that is a problem. Our local administration and government needs to be able to keep us informed.
“Every parent should have known it was there. Every community has their own moral standards and should not have to worry about things like this sneaking past us.”
Rev. Ray Burnette, director of missions for the Houston Baptist Association, said the association is taking a stand in the situation.
“We are going to speak up and let it be known how the Christian community feels about this,” said Burnette.
“As Christians we have a right to stand up for what the Bible says about this issue (homosexuality).
“It is our hope that this will be taken out of the school and in the future things like this are evaluated before they are placed in front of our children.
“I believe we should have a choice as to what our children are being exposed to.”
Bean asked the school for copies of the PFLAG scholarship information material. She was scheduled to bring that material before the board as information.
“It is unsure what, if anything the board can do about the situation,” said Bean.
Crisp County High School Principal Toriano Gilbert said the scholarship information in question is placed on a table among other scholarships available for interested students. A list of available scholarships can also be viewed on the school website.
“We do not promote any particular scholarship through our guidance office,” Gilbert said. “However, we do not discriminate against any particular group either.”
Sunday, March 22, 2009
The Amazing Race weekly blog: A little Shaking Going On.
Hello again fellow Amazing Race fans. I knew I was going to be late this evening and made sure to have my DVR and a backup set to record the show at 8pm. Well little did I know that like the NFL football games in the fall that could cause the show to be delayed on the east coast that the same would occur in the spring because of a sporting event that I truly don’t care about. College Basketball’s March Madness, of course traditionally shown on CBS. So while I was 30 minutes late getting home, the show was a full hour late. At least I am not missing it.
What I have been missing is on my predictions for elimination of teams on The Amazing Race. My last prediction for elimination was for Christie & Jodi because on this episode they face a “speed bump” that could cause a delay and keep them in the back of the pack. I have been predicting that the gay father and son team Mel & Mike for elimination most weeks because Mel has struggled through the hefty tasks and travel. He’s had it easy for a couple episodes. Now it’s time for suffering. Suffering? Well, this episode began with teams leaving the cold and cleanliness of Russia for the hot and dusty land of India.
Margie & Luke left the pit-stop first just after Midnight, Tammy & Victor at 12:24pm, Former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jaime & Cara at 12:30, Mel & Mike at 1:01am, brothers Mark & Michael at 1:02, sisters Kisha & Jen at 1:30am and last place team Christie & Jodi at 3am. But none of this will matter as once again, teams face that great equalizer of flight schedules AND a requirement that they make their travel through Moscow. And while the teams departed on different flights overnight, everyone would make the same flight from New Delhi to the city of Japur, India.
Once in India, teams had to travel by taxi to locate a specific tree to get their next clue. And this is when teams had trouble with taxis. First Mel & Mike’s taxi driver walked away from the car temporarily leaving Mel & Mike stranded for a few moments. Knowing their driver was getting directions and other teams already on their way, they tried to get another taxi. But their things were locked in the trunk. Other problems included one team’s taxi stopping to get gas.
Teams had a reality check while riding in their taxis as they began to see the poorer areas where people and animals were seen eating trash, children were walking around naked and living conditions were very poor. The most emotional was Luke who cried like a baby as he saw the living conditions.
Once teams located this sacred tree there were telephones there where they would have to listen for their next clue. Margie & Luke decided to follow another team and didn’t use the telephone
The next clue sent teams to a place called Amber Fort and there was the “roadblock” task that required teams to care for a camel by providing feed and water to a herd of camel. This was a physically demanding task that required carrying heavy buckets of water and large baskets of feed. It was time for the elderly Mel to do some heavy work and he did so much faster than expected.
Some teams broke some of the rules of this task by not using the correct type of bucket or basket according to local customs. But they corrected themselves part way through their task.
After the “detour” came the “speed bump” task that only Christie & Jodi would have to complete. That task had them decorate an elephant with paint for a festival. It seemed like a fun event but they were still in last place and this task would only delay them further.
After the “roadblock”, teams had to race to a puppet store in town to get their next clue, the “detour”. Detour task choices were “Movers” when teams would have to transport several large barrels full of hay on a pedaled vehicle to a location where they would then search through the barrels for a small metal elephant trinket and then exchange it for their next clue. The other “detour” choice was “shakers” where teams would put on local costumes and dance for tips. Every team chose the “shakers” but brothers Mark & Michael chose the “movers” task and they struggled to search for the tiny trinket in the large barrels.
After earning a certain amount, teams would proceed to the next pit-stop at a place called Jaigarh Fort. The first team to reach the pit-stop was the brother-sister team Tammy & Victor. And for their first arrival at the pit-stop, they won a kayak.
The rest of the arrivals were in the following order.
SECOND: Mel & Mike
The next three arrivals were a foot race.
THIRD: Kisha & Jen, immediately followed by
FOURTH: Margie & Luke immediately followed by
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Michael & Mark
And just a few minutes behind but still in last place were the CHRISTIE & JODI and they were eliminated.
Folks, this means I got a prediction right! And this is a rare occasion. It was very possible that another team could have messed up good enough to allow Jodi & Christie time to catch up. But even Mel & Mike managed better than expected.
We are reaching a point where it is safe to predict what teams would likely make the final three. I think the sibling teams TAMMY & VICTOR and KISHA & JEN can make it to the final three provided they maintain a good relationship and remain focused through the remainder of the race. I also believe JAIME & CARA could make the final three AND I am cheering the former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to win the race. It would be the largest win related to my Miami Dolphins since the 1974 Super Bowl.
DAMN, Jaime & Cara weren’t even born when the NFL team they used to cheer for last won a Super Bowl game. I wish them well. Make us “dolfans” proud Jaime & Cara!
I also think there is a good chance for Margie & Luke to make the final three and but I have to be honest, I think Tammy, Victor, Kisha, Jen, Jaime and Cara are the strongest competitors left in the race. And as much as I hate to appear to be age discriminating I think the remaining competitors are good and will make for a good fight for the race. But they simply are not as physically strong as the younger teams.
So my predictions for upcoming eliminations include Mel & Mike and Mark & Michael. The first team because of the aged and struggling Mel and Mike is a bit of a weakling. Then Mark & Michael are at the back of the pack right now with younger and faster teams leading the pack. Their being stunt men in real life could help them survive the tough tasks but their physical size forces them to work extra hard to get through this race.
My prediction for next elimination is a tough decision. The previews for next week’s broadcast show Margie fainting in the heat but it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. She and Luke will probably survive elimination. I however predict that Mel & Mike will be the next team eliminated. I am guessing that if Margie appears to faint after a grueling leg of the race, Mel won’t have a picnic either. I don’t wish for this, I’m just keeping it real.
So again, my prediction for next elimination is for Mel & Mike.
We shall see next week. I hope you have many great days between now and then.
What I have been missing is on my predictions for elimination of teams on The Amazing Race. My last prediction for elimination was for Christie & Jodi because on this episode they face a “speed bump” that could cause a delay and keep them in the back of the pack. I have been predicting that the gay father and son team Mel & Mike for elimination most weeks because Mel has struggled through the hefty tasks and travel. He’s had it easy for a couple episodes. Now it’s time for suffering. Suffering? Well, this episode began with teams leaving the cold and cleanliness of Russia for the hot and dusty land of India.
Margie & Luke left the pit-stop first just after Midnight, Tammy & Victor at 12:24pm, Former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jaime & Cara at 12:30, Mel & Mike at 1:01am, brothers Mark & Michael at 1:02, sisters Kisha & Jen at 1:30am and last place team Christie & Jodi at 3am. But none of this will matter as once again, teams face that great equalizer of flight schedules AND a requirement that they make their travel through Moscow. And while the teams departed on different flights overnight, everyone would make the same flight from New Delhi to the city of Japur, India.
Once in India, teams had to travel by taxi to locate a specific tree to get their next clue. And this is when teams had trouble with taxis. First Mel & Mike’s taxi driver walked away from the car temporarily leaving Mel & Mike stranded for a few moments. Knowing their driver was getting directions and other teams already on their way, they tried to get another taxi. But their things were locked in the trunk. Other problems included one team’s taxi stopping to get gas.
Teams had a reality check while riding in their taxis as they began to see the poorer areas where people and animals were seen eating trash, children were walking around naked and living conditions were very poor. The most emotional was Luke who cried like a baby as he saw the living conditions.
Once teams located this sacred tree there were telephones there where they would have to listen for their next clue. Margie & Luke decided to follow another team and didn’t use the telephone
The next clue sent teams to a place called Amber Fort and there was the “roadblock” task that required teams to care for a camel by providing feed and water to a herd of camel. This was a physically demanding task that required carrying heavy buckets of water and large baskets of feed. It was time for the elderly Mel to do some heavy work and he did so much faster than expected.
Some teams broke some of the rules of this task by not using the correct type of bucket or basket according to local customs. But they corrected themselves part way through their task.
After the “detour” came the “speed bump” task that only Christie & Jodi would have to complete. That task had them decorate an elephant with paint for a festival. It seemed like a fun event but they were still in last place and this task would only delay them further.
After the “roadblock”, teams had to race to a puppet store in town to get their next clue, the “detour”. Detour task choices were “Movers” when teams would have to transport several large barrels full of hay on a pedaled vehicle to a location where they would then search through the barrels for a small metal elephant trinket and then exchange it for their next clue. The other “detour” choice was “shakers” where teams would put on local costumes and dance for tips. Every team chose the “shakers” but brothers Mark & Michael chose the “movers” task and they struggled to search for the tiny trinket in the large barrels.
After earning a certain amount, teams would proceed to the next pit-stop at a place called Jaigarh Fort. The first team to reach the pit-stop was the brother-sister team Tammy & Victor. And for their first arrival at the pit-stop, they won a kayak.
The rest of the arrivals were in the following order.
SECOND: Mel & Mike
The next three arrivals were a foot race.
THIRD: Kisha & Jen, immediately followed by
FOURTH: Margie & Luke immediately followed by
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Michael & Mark
And just a few minutes behind but still in last place were the CHRISTIE & JODI and they were eliminated.
Folks, this means I got a prediction right! And this is a rare occasion. It was very possible that another team could have messed up good enough to allow Jodi & Christie time to catch up. But even Mel & Mike managed better than expected.
We are reaching a point where it is safe to predict what teams would likely make the final three. I think the sibling teams TAMMY & VICTOR and KISHA & JEN can make it to the final three provided they maintain a good relationship and remain focused through the remainder of the race. I also believe JAIME & CARA could make the final three AND I am cheering the former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders to win the race. It would be the largest win related to my Miami Dolphins since the 1974 Super Bowl.
DAMN, Jaime & Cara weren’t even born when the NFL team they used to cheer for last won a Super Bowl game. I wish them well. Make us “dolfans” proud Jaime & Cara!
I also think there is a good chance for Margie & Luke to make the final three and but I have to be honest, I think Tammy, Victor, Kisha, Jen, Jaime and Cara are the strongest competitors left in the race. And as much as I hate to appear to be age discriminating I think the remaining competitors are good and will make for a good fight for the race. But they simply are not as physically strong as the younger teams.
So my predictions for upcoming eliminations include Mel & Mike and Mark & Michael. The first team because of the aged and struggling Mel and Mike is a bit of a weakling. Then Mark & Michael are at the back of the pack right now with younger and faster teams leading the pack. Their being stunt men in real life could help them survive the tough tasks but their physical size forces them to work extra hard to get through this race.
My prediction for next elimination is a tough decision. The previews for next week’s broadcast show Margie fainting in the heat but it appears to be at the pit-stop mat. She and Luke will probably survive elimination. I however predict that Mel & Mike will be the next team eliminated. I am guessing that if Margie appears to faint after a grueling leg of the race, Mel won’t have a picnic either. I don’t wish for this, I’m just keeping it real.
So again, my prediction for next elimination is for Mel & Mike.
We shall see next week. I hope you have many great days between now and then.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
THE AMAZING RACE 14 WEEKLY BLOG: Why mama was right about always having clean underwear.
Mama used to always say "Always have on clean underwear as you never know when you might get into a situation when others may see it" Let me add to that if you are traveling in cold climates, the type of underwear should cover as much as possible and keep you warm.
Well this time I am right in front of my television and blogging my impressions of The Amazing Race as it happens. Welcome to my weekly Amazing Race Blog for season 1.
The teams are in Siberia and its cold. Not only is it cold but with the strongest and potentially fastest teams out of the way, things now start to get ugly amongst the remaining seven teams.
The greatest of what I call the “Great Amazing Race team equalizers” came into play at the start of this leg. Teams had to travel over 400 miles via train to the town of Novosibirsk, Russia. And whatever position a team had didn’t matter. Even though teams departed from the pit-stop starting at 12:35 noon, everyone would wait for the same train scheduled to depart at 10pm that night. So they had an all day wait then an overnight train ride arriving the next afternoon. An entire day of travel passes and everyone is on an equal footing.
After the train ride teams travelled by taxi to their “detour” task choices of “Russian Bride” where teams would drive themselves to an apartment complex and then drive that bride to the church to meet their groom or “Russian Snowplow” where teams would drive themselves to a stadium where they would drive snowplows through a course. The vehicles the teams would use were Russian made vehicles with 4 speed manual transmissions.
During the start of this leg, teams tried to follow each other. Some assumed they still could have alliances with other teams but those so-called alliances began to disappear. The first to pull away from that (literally) was Victor who drove away leaving other teams behind while each of them were getting directions to their “detour” destination.
About half of the teams chose each of the “detour” task choices and there were few problems except for the blondes Christie & Jodi driving their bride to the wrong church. Tammy & Victor finished the snowplow task first and Mel & Mike finished driving the bride to the church first.
Then teams had to drive themselves to a library to search for the next clue and for things many of us should not see ESPECIALLY IN HIGH-DEFINITION… Host Phil Keoghan IN HIS UNDERWEAR!
Actually, it was the introduction to the “roadblock” task where one team member would have to run in a marathon in their underwear. Yes, in the cold winter of Russia, team members had to run outside in their underwear. The team member had to run with fully clothed Russian running partners for about a mile and a half from the library to a theatre where they would meet the other team partner and check in at the pit-stop. The Pit-stop is inside the theatre.
The racers we got to see in their underwear (or less) were Luke in a pair of “tighty blackie” briefs, Cara and Tammy each wearing bikini briefs and tops that didn’t reveal much, Mike in loose fitting boxer briefs, Mark in tight fitting black boxer briefs, Jen who had to actually put on some underwear to complete the task and the only one caught wearing a THONG, the bare-frozen assed Christie.
The racers ran the freezing streets to cheers and looks from the locals. The women got some special attention from the local men including some honking car horns and even a police siren.
Luke was the first to finish and therefore he along with his mother Margie were FIRST at the pit-stop. Their prize for the first-place finish was a vacation to a much warmer locale, Saint Lucia.
The rest of the arrivals were the same order as I mentioned in the underwear run
SECOND: Tammy & Victor
THIRD: Jaime & Cara
FOURTH: Mel & Mike
FIFTH: Mark & Michael
SIXTH: Kisha & Jen
SEVENTH: Christie & Jodi were last but this was the first of the NON-ELIMINATION legs of this season. That is a good prize for having to run outside in your underwear in sub-freezing temperatures. But for not having been eliminated Christie & Jodi will have to complete a special task that is exclusive to them, also known as the “speed bump” and it could seriously delay them and increasing their chances of being eliminated in the next leg.
So we have another first to worst situation. The “dumb blonde” came out of Christie & Jodi when they drove their bride to the wrong church. Kisha & Jen still appeared to have that big sister, little sister battle but on a friendlier scale. Add to that the little sister struggled to drive a stick shift. So Kisha & Jen also fell from the top two to the bottom two.
MY PREDICTIONS:
I think Tammy & Victor will be the strongest team on the race and reach the top three as long as they maintain a civil relationship. But I also think they will play dirty to survive the rest of the race. Also willing to play dirty may be Margie & Luke. I am not sure they will make the final three but they will not go down without a fight. I am not predicting specific teams yet but I do think there is a good chance that there may be an all-female winner of the race. We have three strong all-female teams left who are fully capable both physically and at least two of the teams mentally. I am sorry but I have to pull the stereotype about the “dumb blonde” and predict that Christie & Jodi will struggle to survive another leg. It is for that I am predicting CHRISTIE & JODI for next elimination.
Now, the previews for the next broadcast will show emotions and potential disaster as one team may have lost their bags. That type of mishap has killed off teams in previous seasons. But you cannot assume anything from the previews for the next broadcast. Creative editing creates great illusions.
But because of the next destination being in India and the upcoming “speed bump” task which surely would be something difficult while in India and the fact that it would be two young women who are not accustomed to the heat and poverty they will see while traveling in India. I maintain my current prediction that CHRISTIE & JODI will be the next team eliminated.
We will also see other teams struggle while in India as it has always been the most difficult area of travel on The Amazing Race. From the poverty, the unsanitary conditions or the local transit system together with the tougher tasks based on local customs. The Amazing Race will have tough times ahead.
And I will be watching from the comfort of my air-conditioned home. I can’t wait until next week.
And I hope to never have to see Phil in his DRAWZ ever again!
Well this time I am right in front of my television and blogging my impressions of The Amazing Race as it happens. Welcome to my weekly Amazing Race Blog for season 1.
The teams are in Siberia and its cold. Not only is it cold but with the strongest and potentially fastest teams out of the way, things now start to get ugly amongst the remaining seven teams.
The greatest of what I call the “Great Amazing Race team equalizers” came into play at the start of this leg. Teams had to travel over 400 miles via train to the town of Novosibirsk, Russia. And whatever position a team had didn’t matter. Even though teams departed from the pit-stop starting at 12:35 noon, everyone would wait for the same train scheduled to depart at 10pm that night. So they had an all day wait then an overnight train ride arriving the next afternoon. An entire day of travel passes and everyone is on an equal footing.
After the train ride teams travelled by taxi to their “detour” task choices of “Russian Bride” where teams would drive themselves to an apartment complex and then drive that bride to the church to meet their groom or “Russian Snowplow” where teams would drive themselves to a stadium where they would drive snowplows through a course. The vehicles the teams would use were Russian made vehicles with 4 speed manual transmissions.
During the start of this leg, teams tried to follow each other. Some assumed they still could have alliances with other teams but those so-called alliances began to disappear. The first to pull away from that (literally) was Victor who drove away leaving other teams behind while each of them were getting directions to their “detour” destination.
About half of the teams chose each of the “detour” task choices and there were few problems except for the blondes Christie & Jodi driving their bride to the wrong church. Tammy & Victor finished the snowplow task first and Mel & Mike finished driving the bride to the church first.
Then teams had to drive themselves to a library to search for the next clue and for things many of us should not see ESPECIALLY IN HIGH-DEFINITION… Host Phil Keoghan IN HIS UNDERWEAR!
Actually, it was the introduction to the “roadblock” task where one team member would have to run in a marathon in their underwear. Yes, in the cold winter of Russia, team members had to run outside in their underwear. The team member had to run with fully clothed Russian running partners for about a mile and a half from the library to a theatre where they would meet the other team partner and check in at the pit-stop. The Pit-stop is inside the theatre.
The racers we got to see in their underwear (or less) were Luke in a pair of “tighty blackie” briefs, Cara and Tammy each wearing bikini briefs and tops that didn’t reveal much, Mike in loose fitting boxer briefs, Mark in tight fitting black boxer briefs, Jen who had to actually put on some underwear to complete the task and the only one caught wearing a THONG, the bare-frozen assed Christie.
The racers ran the freezing streets to cheers and looks from the locals. The women got some special attention from the local men including some honking car horns and even a police siren.
Luke was the first to finish and therefore he along with his mother Margie were FIRST at the pit-stop. Their prize for the first-place finish was a vacation to a much warmer locale, Saint Lucia.
The rest of the arrivals were the same order as I mentioned in the underwear run
SECOND: Tammy & Victor
THIRD: Jaime & Cara
FOURTH: Mel & Mike
FIFTH: Mark & Michael
SIXTH: Kisha & Jen
SEVENTH: Christie & Jodi were last but this was the first of the NON-ELIMINATION legs of this season. That is a good prize for having to run outside in your underwear in sub-freezing temperatures. But for not having been eliminated Christie & Jodi will have to complete a special task that is exclusive to them, also known as the “speed bump” and it could seriously delay them and increasing their chances of being eliminated in the next leg.
So we have another first to worst situation. The “dumb blonde” came out of Christie & Jodi when they drove their bride to the wrong church. Kisha & Jen still appeared to have that big sister, little sister battle but on a friendlier scale. Add to that the little sister struggled to drive a stick shift. So Kisha & Jen also fell from the top two to the bottom two.
MY PREDICTIONS:
I think Tammy & Victor will be the strongest team on the race and reach the top three as long as they maintain a civil relationship. But I also think they will play dirty to survive the rest of the race. Also willing to play dirty may be Margie & Luke. I am not sure they will make the final three but they will not go down without a fight. I am not predicting specific teams yet but I do think there is a good chance that there may be an all-female winner of the race. We have three strong all-female teams left who are fully capable both physically and at least two of the teams mentally. I am sorry but I have to pull the stereotype about the “dumb blonde” and predict that Christie & Jodi will struggle to survive another leg. It is for that I am predicting CHRISTIE & JODI for next elimination.
Now, the previews for the next broadcast will show emotions and potential disaster as one team may have lost their bags. That type of mishap has killed off teams in previous seasons. But you cannot assume anything from the previews for the next broadcast. Creative editing creates great illusions.
But because of the next destination being in India and the upcoming “speed bump” task which surely would be something difficult while in India and the fact that it would be two young women who are not accustomed to the heat and poverty they will see while traveling in India. I maintain my current prediction that CHRISTIE & JODI will be the next team eliminated.
We will also see other teams struggle while in India as it has always been the most difficult area of travel on The Amazing Race. From the poverty, the unsanitary conditions or the local transit system together with the tougher tasks based on local customs. The Amazing Race will have tough times ahead.
And I will be watching from the comfort of my air-conditioned home. I can’t wait until next week.
And I hope to never have to see Phil in his DRAWZ ever again!
THE AMAZING RACE WEEKLY BLOG-A little late but done
I apologize for the long delay in getting my weekly Amazing Race blog out. I didn’t get to watch the show for a few days but I assure you that this blogging is still a fresh reaction to what was seen on the previous broadcast of The Amazing Race 14. Until watching this broadcast (recorded via DVR) I have had no knowledge of what happened or who was eliminated. I avoid all media and talk about the show until I see for myself. My having a very busy work week allows for this.
So by the time anyone reads this there will have been TWO broadcasts of The Amazing Race and a new twist to the game will have been revealed. The BLIND U-TURN which allows a team to force a team into a delay anonymously.
Anyway picking up where I left off, there were EIGHT teams. The last team to be eliminated made a huge mistake by making a very risky airline reservation that turned into an overnight delay leading to their elimination. Also we saw a team fall from first to last mainly due to their collapse in teamwork.
IN Romania, the nine remaining teams had to travel to a Hydroelectric Dam in Siberia. Teams were required to travel through Moscow Russia. The teams departed the pit-stop over a three hour spread and split over four different flights and connections from Romania to Moscow. Five teams found themselves stuck in Moscow because of a delayed flight while three teams made the same flight together into Siberia.
The departures from the pit-stop were in the following order. Mel & Mike left at 10:49pm, Amanda & Kris at 10:43, Kisha & Jen at 10:45,Maggie & Luke at 11:03pm, March & Michael at 11:05, Christie & Jodi at 11:08, Jaime & Cara at 11:29pm and Tammy & Victor left the pit-stop two hours later at 1:30am.
Upon leaving the pit-stop teams tried to make their airline reservations by using their taxi driver’s cell phones. But Mark & Michael somehow called Jaime & Cara’s taxi and as that team realized what happened, they seized the opportunity by pretending to be travel agents. It was a funny joke that could have really screwed Mark & Michael up but both teams still managed to make their airline reservations later at the airport. The joke would eventually be on Jaime & Cara as Mark & Michael was one of the three teams to make the connecting flight to Siberia. Jaime & Cara was one of the five teams left behind in Moscow.
The three teams that made the first flight to Siberia arrived overnight and had to wait for the facility to open in the morning. The remaining teams waited in the Moscow Airport overnight and arrived in Siberia in the morning.
Once at the hydroelectric dam teams were given the clue to travel to a church for the detour task choice of either “Stack” where teams would have to stack firewood in precision like wood blocks or a house of cards. Or “Construct” where teams would have to build and install wooden window shutters.
Mark & Michael were in first place but had a mishap while stacking the firewood then they gave up and went to the other task. This allowed Kisha & Jen to finish first quickly followed by Christie & Jodi. While Mark & Michael were searching for the location of their “detour” task, the remaining five teams arrived to work on the firewood stacking “detour” and most of those teams had mishaps where their stacks fell. Some of them had their stack fall just as they reached completion.
Margie & Luke and Tammy & Victor each completed their stacks of firewood. Mel & Mike had a complete collapse of their stack and Amanda & Kris and Jamie & Cara had a partial collapse. Mel, Mike, Amanda and Kris each decided to give up and complete the other “detour” task but one team would find themselves surprised later.
At this point teams faced the new version of the “Amazing Race” “U-Turn”, now called the “Blind U-Turn” where teams could anonymously impose a “u-turn” on another team. The “U-turn” requires a team to return to complete the opposite of their “detour” selection. The fastest and most capable team, Amanda & Kris were selected for the “u-turn” anonymously by Margie and her deaf son Luke. Their reasoning for this was to give Jaime & Cara a chance to complete their stack and stay in the race.
Jaime & Cara managed to finish stacking their wood and moved on to the “roadblock”. The other teams that chose the wood shutters “detour” either struggled to assemble their shutters or to locate a house to install them. The teams worked together during the “detour” but one of them admitted accurately that it was a “caravan of idiots” like the blind leading the blind. One of those teams not yet knowing they were doomed to repeat the task they had given up on.
After the “detour” teams travelled to an amusement park and the “roadblock” task having one team member ride a bobsled at a high rate of speed and while doing so they must look for and memorize letters posted along the course then unscramble the letters to create a word at the end of the ride. The word would be the name of a Russian Playwright.
Luke struggled to complete the roadblock task and became discouraged but with the other teams running slow he had plenty of time to keep trying and finish the task.
After the “roadblock” teams were led to the next pit-stop, The Krasnoyarsk Theatre in Siberia Russia.
It was a race to make first place. Kisha & Jen finished the roadblock FIRST but Christie & Jodi made it to the mat first. For their first place arrival, they each won a motorcycle. Kisha & Jen arrived SECOND.
The rest of the arrivals were….
THIRD: Tammy & Victor returned to the top half of the pack from last place to third
FOURTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Mel & Mike, the team I predicted for elimination survived another leg of the race thanks to the blind u-turn and for their making no mistakes on this leg of the race. But if not for a faster team being sent back to repeat a task I am not sure that Mel & Mike would rank as high as they did.
SEVENTH: Mark & Michael ran out of money to pay their taxi but bargained with their driver and still made it to the mat before the next team and avoided elimination.
EIGHTH: Amanda & Kris assumed that they were selected for the U-turn by Kisha & Jen or Christie & Jodi because of those teams making an earlier flight or being “untrustworthy”. Then Kris commented that Mel & Mike or Margie & Luke would be more compassionate. But it was Margie & Luke who helped keep Amanda & Kris in last place. And Amanda & Kris were eliminated.
The elimination of Amanda & Kris leaves this season of the race with NO strong young athletic male on the race. When things reach a point of needing extreme physical ability, Kris would have easily been one person who could stand up to the challenge. Their elimination also means the end of any married or dating couple on the race. It’s all siblings, friends or relatives. No romantic relationship issues to get in the way of competition.
As for my lame assed predictions for elimination, I think it is a tossup between the current last place teams. In this case you have the oldest competitors in the race with what appears to be a considerable amount of time that could be a problem for them catching up. The previews for the next broadcast show teams having to go for a run in the cold. That could be a problem for those who are out of shape or have limitations. So I will go out and predict again for MEL & MIKE for possible next elimination. I don’t mean to pick on them as they are a team I like but Mel is not the strongest person on this race. He has shown signs of struggle and if another u-turn is used against a stronger team that may be the only thing that keeps him and his son alive a little longer in the race. But for now I predict Mel & Mike for next elimination.
Again, sorry for my very late posting of what is supposed to be a weekly blog. In less than 24 hours we will have seen another Amazing Race broadcast and this time I will be home to watch it on schedule. I expect to post my remarks shortly after.
So by the time anyone reads this there will have been TWO broadcasts of The Amazing Race and a new twist to the game will have been revealed. The BLIND U-TURN which allows a team to force a team into a delay anonymously.
Anyway picking up where I left off, there were EIGHT teams. The last team to be eliminated made a huge mistake by making a very risky airline reservation that turned into an overnight delay leading to their elimination. Also we saw a team fall from first to last mainly due to their collapse in teamwork.
IN Romania, the nine remaining teams had to travel to a Hydroelectric Dam in Siberia. Teams were required to travel through Moscow Russia. The teams departed the pit-stop over a three hour spread and split over four different flights and connections from Romania to Moscow. Five teams found themselves stuck in Moscow because of a delayed flight while three teams made the same flight together into Siberia.
The departures from the pit-stop were in the following order. Mel & Mike left at 10:49pm, Amanda & Kris at 10:43, Kisha & Jen at 10:45,Maggie & Luke at 11:03pm, March & Michael at 11:05, Christie & Jodi at 11:08, Jaime & Cara at 11:29pm and Tammy & Victor left the pit-stop two hours later at 1:30am.
Upon leaving the pit-stop teams tried to make their airline reservations by using their taxi driver’s cell phones. But Mark & Michael somehow called Jaime & Cara’s taxi and as that team realized what happened, they seized the opportunity by pretending to be travel agents. It was a funny joke that could have really screwed Mark & Michael up but both teams still managed to make their airline reservations later at the airport. The joke would eventually be on Jaime & Cara as Mark & Michael was one of the three teams to make the connecting flight to Siberia. Jaime & Cara was one of the five teams left behind in Moscow.
The three teams that made the first flight to Siberia arrived overnight and had to wait for the facility to open in the morning. The remaining teams waited in the Moscow Airport overnight and arrived in Siberia in the morning.
Once at the hydroelectric dam teams were given the clue to travel to a church for the detour task choice of either “Stack” where teams would have to stack firewood in precision like wood blocks or a house of cards. Or “Construct” where teams would have to build and install wooden window shutters.
Mark & Michael were in first place but had a mishap while stacking the firewood then they gave up and went to the other task. This allowed Kisha & Jen to finish first quickly followed by Christie & Jodi. While Mark & Michael were searching for the location of their “detour” task, the remaining five teams arrived to work on the firewood stacking “detour” and most of those teams had mishaps where their stacks fell. Some of them had their stack fall just as they reached completion.
Margie & Luke and Tammy & Victor each completed their stacks of firewood. Mel & Mike had a complete collapse of their stack and Amanda & Kris and Jamie & Cara had a partial collapse. Mel, Mike, Amanda and Kris each decided to give up and complete the other “detour” task but one team would find themselves surprised later.
At this point teams faced the new version of the “Amazing Race” “U-Turn”, now called the “Blind U-Turn” where teams could anonymously impose a “u-turn” on another team. The “U-turn” requires a team to return to complete the opposite of their “detour” selection. The fastest and most capable team, Amanda & Kris were selected for the “u-turn” anonymously by Margie and her deaf son Luke. Their reasoning for this was to give Jaime & Cara a chance to complete their stack and stay in the race.
Jaime & Cara managed to finish stacking their wood and moved on to the “roadblock”. The other teams that chose the wood shutters “detour” either struggled to assemble their shutters or to locate a house to install them. The teams worked together during the “detour” but one of them admitted accurately that it was a “caravan of idiots” like the blind leading the blind. One of those teams not yet knowing they were doomed to repeat the task they had given up on.
After the “detour” teams travelled to an amusement park and the “roadblock” task having one team member ride a bobsled at a high rate of speed and while doing so they must look for and memorize letters posted along the course then unscramble the letters to create a word at the end of the ride. The word would be the name of a Russian Playwright.
Luke struggled to complete the roadblock task and became discouraged but with the other teams running slow he had plenty of time to keep trying and finish the task.
After the “roadblock” teams were led to the next pit-stop, The Krasnoyarsk Theatre in Siberia Russia.
It was a race to make first place. Kisha & Jen finished the roadblock FIRST but Christie & Jodi made it to the mat first. For their first place arrival, they each won a motorcycle. Kisha & Jen arrived SECOND.
The rest of the arrivals were….
THIRD: Tammy & Victor returned to the top half of the pack from last place to third
FOURTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Jaime & Cara
SIXTH: Mel & Mike, the team I predicted for elimination survived another leg of the race thanks to the blind u-turn and for their making no mistakes on this leg of the race. But if not for a faster team being sent back to repeat a task I am not sure that Mel & Mike would rank as high as they did.
SEVENTH: Mark & Michael ran out of money to pay their taxi but bargained with their driver and still made it to the mat before the next team and avoided elimination.
EIGHTH: Amanda & Kris assumed that they were selected for the U-turn by Kisha & Jen or Christie & Jodi because of those teams making an earlier flight or being “untrustworthy”. Then Kris commented that Mel & Mike or Margie & Luke would be more compassionate. But it was Margie & Luke who helped keep Amanda & Kris in last place. And Amanda & Kris were eliminated.
The elimination of Amanda & Kris leaves this season of the race with NO strong young athletic male on the race. When things reach a point of needing extreme physical ability, Kris would have easily been one person who could stand up to the challenge. Their elimination also means the end of any married or dating couple on the race. It’s all siblings, friends or relatives. No romantic relationship issues to get in the way of competition.
As for my lame assed predictions for elimination, I think it is a tossup between the current last place teams. In this case you have the oldest competitors in the race with what appears to be a considerable amount of time that could be a problem for them catching up. The previews for the next broadcast show teams having to go for a run in the cold. That could be a problem for those who are out of shape or have limitations. So I will go out and predict again for MEL & MIKE for possible next elimination. I don’t mean to pick on them as they are a team I like but Mel is not the strongest person on this race. He has shown signs of struggle and if another u-turn is used against a stronger team that may be the only thing that keeps him and his son alive a little longer in the race. But for now I predict Mel & Mike for next elimination.
Again, sorry for my very late posting of what is supposed to be a weekly blog. In less than 24 hours we will have seen another Amazing Race broadcast and this time I will be home to watch it on schedule. I expect to post my remarks shortly after.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
The Amazing Race weekly Blog: Sibling steam lost.
Before I begin this week's blog I need to rant....
NOTE OF SUGGESTION TO LOCAL CBS AFFILIATE WMAZ-TV CHANNEL 13 IN MACON GEORGIA!
WHEN YOU DECIDE TO RUN A SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR EMERGENCY WEATHER YOU COULD AT LEAST PLACE IT IN A POSITION ON THE SCREEN THAT DOES NOT BLOCK THE TEXT THAT APPEARS DURING THE AMAZING RACE! SURE, YOU THINK THE SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR WEATHER ALERTS AND SCHOOL CLOSINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT DAMN, BE CONSIDERATE FOR PEOPLE WHO TUNE IN TO WATCH THE AMAZING RACE.
The reason for the opening statement is because on the evening of the March 1st broadcast of The Amazing Race in Central Georgia, the area had a rare snow storm of LESS THAN ONE INCH of snow which caused some sort of a panic and most of the schools decided to close on the next Monday even though most of the snow DIDN’T STICK and or had melted within a couple hours! The local station plastered message scrolling at the bottom of the screen through MOST of the broadcast and I was unable to read anything that would identify a team, a location or a team place position throughout this week’s broadcast.
I bet they weren't as paranoid about snow in the Northeast, where some areas got a FOOT of snow this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now, on to the blog
Greetings everyone and I apologize for my delay in posting this week’s weekly Amazing Race blog. I had a busy weekend so I missed the actual broadcast. But thanks to the DVR, I had the show recorded and watched it a day later, so here are my impressions for this week.
So far I am enjoying the season. I like the new editing and updated theme music for the show. And certainly I am enjoying the scenery. Also there are hardly any teams or team members that are annoying the crap out of me unlike any other season so far. I have noticed a great problem developing with the sibling teams. The older sibling takes on a more dominant role and the younger sibling feeling disrespected and wanting more equal and fair treatment from the older sibling. As the older sibling with a very vocal and sometimes mean spirited younger sister I certainly know how it feels to think I know more because I am a few years older and have to fight with the younger sister over it. It’s really not a fun position to be in and I could see where it could eventually cause problems in a situation like The Amazing Race. So we are about to see an escalation in tension between siblings within a team.
Having said that, the top team from last week’s broadcast is the brother-sister team TAMMY & VICTOR who arrived at the pit-stop in Salzburg Austria first and breezed through the last leg of the race but began to show signs of struggling to get along.
The departures from the pit-stop began late in the morning with Tammy & Victor leaving at 10:13am nearly two hours before the next team, the gay father and gay son Mel & Mike who left at noon. Followed by Amanda & Kris at 12:15, mother and son Margie & Luke at 12:30 then married couple Brad and Victoria, former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jamie & Cara, sisters Kisha & Jen, brothers Mark & Michael and finally, the blonde beauty queens Christie & Jodi. I don’t have the departure times for most teams because of screen blockage for weather problems we had over the weekend. The local station ran messages at the bottom of the screen so I could not read the actual time of departures. I do remember from the last broadcast that there appeared to be a long stretch toward the end with the last place team arriving very late at night.
Teams travelled to Romania to the gymnasium where Olympic Champion Nadia Comeniche trained for the 1976 games. And getting to Romania was a challenge for some.
So with the rather large stretch of time between the first and last team departures, Tammy & Victor had the greatest head start of at least two hours before the second team. Most of the next teams were able to catch the same train and they made reservations for flights leaving for Romania at 4:45pm while Tammy & Victor made reservations for a 3pm flight. But their plane had to return to the airport in Munich because of mechanical problems. With their great head start completely vanished, Tammy & Victor had to settle for a 9:30pm flight with the four teams at the back of the pack. Meanwhile, married couple Brad & Victoria gambled on an earlier flight (7:30pm) with a connection and lost because their first flight was delayed and they missed their connecting flight in Amsterdam. They were forced to wait until the next morning for any available flight to Romania.
So Mel & Mike, Amanda & Kris and Margie & Luke were all hours ahead of everyone else arriving in Romania and took taxis to the historic gym for this episode’s “roadblock” task where teams had to perform gymnastics. We saw Amanda complete the procedures first then Margie and Mike. Those three teams moved on before the next few teams flight arrived. Then Tammy & Victor, who started this leg with a two hour head start, had bad directions and were the last of the teams from the 9:30 flight to arrive at the roadblock. Now Tammy & Victor were further behind in the race. Then Tammy struggled to complete the gymnastic procedures under the constant pressure of her older brother pushing her to get the task done. The other teams had left the gymnasium.
It is at this point, THE GREAT AMAZING RACE TEAM EQUALIZER DEMON came into place as ALL but one team met at the Bucharest train station. The train everyone would have to take was not leaving until 6am the next morning. The one team behind was Brad & Victoria at the airport in Amsterdam with no chance of catching up.
After the roadblock, teams then had to travel by train to the area of Transylvania to locate “the black church” for the “detour” task choices of “gypsy moves” where teams would go to a Gypsy settlement where they would act in helping a Gypsy family move using manual labor or “vampire remains” where teams would have to perform tasks inspired by “Dracula” that involve opening a coffin and smashing antique wooden frames stored inside the coffin to locate the Amazing Race flag then give it to someone dressed like a vampire to get their next clue.
After the “detour” task teams travelled to a local house for the PIT-STOP. Amanda & Kris were first to finish and could have been the first at the pit-stop but they lost their fanny pack with all of their money and passports inside. Mel & Mike were next to leave for the pit-stop and were FIRST to arrive at the pit-stop. For that they won a vacation package to Costa Rica from show sponsor Travelocity. Amanda & Kris found their fanny pack and arrived at the pit-stop in SECOND place.
The rest of the arrivals were…
THIRD: Kisha & Jen
FORTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Mark & Michael in a foot race with the next team
SIXTH: Christie & Jodi. The team I predicted to be eliminated had little problem during this leg of the race. They also caught up
with the help of travel schedules.
SEVENTH: Jamie & Cara
EIGHTH: Tammy & Victor struggled to get along and in the process, they got lost during the “detour”. Then Victor became emotional through the “detour” task and appeared to have given up. They also had the unfortunate luck of the early first flight that had to return to the airport and killed their strong lead. I’m sure that played a role in their spirit during this leg of the race. It clearly was not a good time for them.
Married couple Brad & Victoria went on to finish through the leg of the race and arrived after dark and were eliminated. They took a chance on a flight schedule that would have arrived earlier than a later leaving but direct flight that other teams selected. It was a gamble that cost them the race because of a delayed flight and a fogged in connecting airport.
And now I come to the end of this week’s blog and I missed the prediction for elimination. That is actually the norm for me. Sometimes it’s more of a “who I wish would be eliminated” prediction than one based on true ability. But we have good teams left. I should say we have good capable teams left. But if I had to choose one team for elimination that choice would have to be narrowed down to one of strength or great disadvange. But you can’t let any disadvantages fool you.
We have the first ever deaf contestant on the show with Luke & Margie and he and his mother have remained in or near top positions so far. Same for an injured and aging father traveling with his not-so strong son (Mel & Mike). The father is struggling to keep up and sometimes you wonder if he will drop dead. Or is it just an old gay drama queen about to come out?
If I had to continue my tradition of predicting the next team to be eliminated then I have a tough choice to make. The top team is now at the bottom. The bottom of the past couple legs managed to step ahead a couple positions. The team with the “weakest” contestant is Mel & Mike with the old man struggling through most of the heavy tasks. It is not going to get any easier as this race goes on. So I will continue my weekly predictions and I have to say that we will have another “first to worst” situation next week with Mel & Mike being eliminated or at least in last place. That is my prediction. Mel his son Mike.
If they are eliminated they will be fine. Mel needs some rest and you know the eliminated racers have that hidden retreat to hang out at while everyone else lives the rough life in a quest for a million dollars. Hey, it’s still a good “free” vacation.
WE shall see next week. I will try to blog a little sooner after the broadcast.
Have a good week!
NOTE OF SUGGESTION TO LOCAL CBS AFFILIATE WMAZ-TV CHANNEL 13 IN MACON GEORGIA!
WHEN YOU DECIDE TO RUN A SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR EMERGENCY WEATHER YOU COULD AT LEAST PLACE IT IN A POSITION ON THE SCREEN THAT DOES NOT BLOCK THE TEXT THAT APPEARS DURING THE AMAZING RACE! SURE, YOU THINK THE SCROLLING MESSAGE FOR WEATHER ALERTS AND SCHOOL CLOSINGS ARE IMPORTANT, BUT DAMN, BE CONSIDERATE FOR PEOPLE WHO TUNE IN TO WATCH THE AMAZING RACE.
The reason for the opening statement is because on the evening of the March 1st broadcast of The Amazing Race in Central Georgia, the area had a rare snow storm of LESS THAN ONE INCH of snow which caused some sort of a panic and most of the schools decided to close on the next Monday even though most of the snow DIDN’T STICK and or had melted within a couple hours! The local station plastered message scrolling at the bottom of the screen through MOST of the broadcast and I was unable to read anything that would identify a team, a location or a team place position throughout this week’s broadcast.
I bet they weren't as paranoid about snow in the Northeast, where some areas got a FOOT of snow this week.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And now, on to the blog
Greetings everyone and I apologize for my delay in posting this week’s weekly Amazing Race blog. I had a busy weekend so I missed the actual broadcast. But thanks to the DVR, I had the show recorded and watched it a day later, so here are my impressions for this week.
So far I am enjoying the season. I like the new editing and updated theme music for the show. And certainly I am enjoying the scenery. Also there are hardly any teams or team members that are annoying the crap out of me unlike any other season so far. I have noticed a great problem developing with the sibling teams. The older sibling takes on a more dominant role and the younger sibling feeling disrespected and wanting more equal and fair treatment from the older sibling. As the older sibling with a very vocal and sometimes mean spirited younger sister I certainly know how it feels to think I know more because I am a few years older and have to fight with the younger sister over it. It’s really not a fun position to be in and I could see where it could eventually cause problems in a situation like The Amazing Race. So we are about to see an escalation in tension between siblings within a team.
Having said that, the top team from last week’s broadcast is the brother-sister team TAMMY & VICTOR who arrived at the pit-stop in Salzburg Austria first and breezed through the last leg of the race but began to show signs of struggling to get along.
The departures from the pit-stop began late in the morning with Tammy & Victor leaving at 10:13am nearly two hours before the next team, the gay father and gay son Mel & Mike who left at noon. Followed by Amanda & Kris at 12:15, mother and son Margie & Luke at 12:30 then married couple Brad and Victoria, former Miami Dolphins cheerleaders Jamie & Cara, sisters Kisha & Jen, brothers Mark & Michael and finally, the blonde beauty queens Christie & Jodi. I don’t have the departure times for most teams because of screen blockage for weather problems we had over the weekend. The local station ran messages at the bottom of the screen so I could not read the actual time of departures. I do remember from the last broadcast that there appeared to be a long stretch toward the end with the last place team arriving very late at night.
Teams travelled to Romania to the gymnasium where Olympic Champion Nadia Comeniche trained for the 1976 games. And getting to Romania was a challenge for some.
So with the rather large stretch of time between the first and last team departures, Tammy & Victor had the greatest head start of at least two hours before the second team. Most of the next teams were able to catch the same train and they made reservations for flights leaving for Romania at 4:45pm while Tammy & Victor made reservations for a 3pm flight. But their plane had to return to the airport in Munich because of mechanical problems. With their great head start completely vanished, Tammy & Victor had to settle for a 9:30pm flight with the four teams at the back of the pack. Meanwhile, married couple Brad & Victoria gambled on an earlier flight (7:30pm) with a connection and lost because their first flight was delayed and they missed their connecting flight in Amsterdam. They were forced to wait until the next morning for any available flight to Romania.
So Mel & Mike, Amanda & Kris and Margie & Luke were all hours ahead of everyone else arriving in Romania and took taxis to the historic gym for this episode’s “roadblock” task where teams had to perform gymnastics. We saw Amanda complete the procedures first then Margie and Mike. Those three teams moved on before the next few teams flight arrived. Then Tammy & Victor, who started this leg with a two hour head start, had bad directions and were the last of the teams from the 9:30 flight to arrive at the roadblock. Now Tammy & Victor were further behind in the race. Then Tammy struggled to complete the gymnastic procedures under the constant pressure of her older brother pushing her to get the task done. The other teams had left the gymnasium.
It is at this point, THE GREAT AMAZING RACE TEAM EQUALIZER DEMON came into place as ALL but one team met at the Bucharest train station. The train everyone would have to take was not leaving until 6am the next morning. The one team behind was Brad & Victoria at the airport in Amsterdam with no chance of catching up.
After the roadblock, teams then had to travel by train to the area of Transylvania to locate “the black church” for the “detour” task choices of “gypsy moves” where teams would go to a Gypsy settlement where they would act in helping a Gypsy family move using manual labor or “vampire remains” where teams would have to perform tasks inspired by “Dracula” that involve opening a coffin and smashing antique wooden frames stored inside the coffin to locate the Amazing Race flag then give it to someone dressed like a vampire to get their next clue.
After the “detour” task teams travelled to a local house for the PIT-STOP. Amanda & Kris were first to finish and could have been the first at the pit-stop but they lost their fanny pack with all of their money and passports inside. Mel & Mike were next to leave for the pit-stop and were FIRST to arrive at the pit-stop. For that they won a vacation package to Costa Rica from show sponsor Travelocity. Amanda & Kris found their fanny pack and arrived at the pit-stop in SECOND place.
The rest of the arrivals were…
THIRD: Kisha & Jen
FORTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Mark & Michael in a foot race with the next team
SIXTH: Christie & Jodi. The team I predicted to be eliminated had little problem during this leg of the race. They also caught up
with the help of travel schedules.
SEVENTH: Jamie & Cara
EIGHTH: Tammy & Victor struggled to get along and in the process, they got lost during the “detour”. Then Victor became emotional through the “detour” task and appeared to have given up. They also had the unfortunate luck of the early first flight that had to return to the airport and killed their strong lead. I’m sure that played a role in their spirit during this leg of the race. It clearly was not a good time for them.
Married couple Brad & Victoria went on to finish through the leg of the race and arrived after dark and were eliminated. They took a chance on a flight schedule that would have arrived earlier than a later leaving but direct flight that other teams selected. It was a gamble that cost them the race because of a delayed flight and a fogged in connecting airport.
And now I come to the end of this week’s blog and I missed the prediction for elimination. That is actually the norm for me. Sometimes it’s more of a “who I wish would be eliminated” prediction than one based on true ability. But we have good teams left. I should say we have good capable teams left. But if I had to choose one team for elimination that choice would have to be narrowed down to one of strength or great disadvange. But you can’t let any disadvantages fool you.
We have the first ever deaf contestant on the show with Luke & Margie and he and his mother have remained in or near top positions so far. Same for an injured and aging father traveling with his not-so strong son (Mel & Mike). The father is struggling to keep up and sometimes you wonder if he will drop dead. Or is it just an old gay drama queen about to come out?
If I had to continue my tradition of predicting the next team to be eliminated then I have a tough choice to make. The top team is now at the bottom. The bottom of the past couple legs managed to step ahead a couple positions. The team with the “weakest” contestant is Mel & Mike with the old man struggling through most of the heavy tasks. It is not going to get any easier as this race goes on. So I will continue my weekly predictions and I have to say that we will have another “first to worst” situation next week with Mel & Mike being eliminated or at least in last place. That is my prediction. Mel his son Mike.
If they are eliminated they will be fine. Mel needs some rest and you know the eliminated racers have that hidden retreat to hang out at while everyone else lives the rough life in a quest for a million dollars. Hey, it’s still a good “free” vacation.
WE shall see next week. I will try to blog a little sooner after the broadcast.
Have a good week!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Governor threatened to whip reporters ass
This video is a priceless event on Mississippi TV Newscast TEN YEARS AGO.
The Governor of Mississippi had a mistress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBk6MzXBdJU
I had to research this and what I found out was classic. A political devil for sure.
In 1996, Former Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice signed an executive order banning same-sex marriages in Mississippi. I guess this was his contribution to protecting the sancticity of marriage. But he was also cheating on his own marriage during that time.(so much for honoring marriage) and this TV report was in 1999.
Fordice's term of Governor ended in 2000. He died in 2004 the same year that voters in Mississippi voted to amend the state's constitution to strengthen Kirk Fordice's earlier executive order BANNING same-sex marriages
And it was his EX-WIFE who was by his side at the time of his death.
(I wonder what she said to him that day)
The governor married that other woman and they divorced a short time later. Another successful example of marriage in Mississippi huh?
Oh, he also suggested that Bill Clinton resign from the office of President of the United States during his scandal with Monica and her Blue Dress.
The Governor of Mississippi had a mistress.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBk6MzXBdJU
I had to research this and what I found out was classic. A political devil for sure.
In 1996, Former Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice signed an executive order banning same-sex marriages in Mississippi. I guess this was his contribution to protecting the sancticity of marriage. But he was also cheating on his own marriage during that time.(so much for honoring marriage) and this TV report was in 1999.
Fordice's term of Governor ended in 2000. He died in 2004 the same year that voters in Mississippi voted to amend the state's constitution to strengthen Kirk Fordice's earlier executive order BANNING same-sex marriages
And it was his EX-WIFE who was by his side at the time of his death.
(I wonder what she said to him that day)
The governor married that other woman and they divorced a short time later. Another successful example of marriage in Mississippi huh?
Oh, he also suggested that Bill Clinton resign from the office of President of the United States during his scandal with Monica and her Blue Dress.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
They say "Call him PRESIDENT OBAMA"!
In the great 1967 film "In The Heat Of The Night", a black police detective named Virgil Tibbs found himself stuck in a small Southern town where he would surely not get any respect. The locals in the town would still refer to him as "boy" while he was clearly a grown man.
My favorite line in the film was when police Chief Gillespie laughed about Virgil Tibbs name and asked what to the people in his northern hometown of Philadelphia called him, then Sidney Poitier responded with a strong "They call me MISTER TIBBS". That response didn't sit too well with Bill Gillespie who by the way NEVER called "Mr Tibbs" by the more formal name. In both the movie and the television versions of "in the Heat of The Night", the Bill Gillespie character called him "Virgil". And except for "Virgil Tibbs" wife and family, nobody else EVER addressed the man by his first name.
What does my recollection of an old movie and TV show have to do with this post?
Well, this posting started out as a rant. There is a conversation in certain circles that really gets on my last nerve.
I keep hearing people talk about how we should address the President of The United States. There are many people, ESPECIALLY African-American people expressing their demands that everyone (especially news media, talk radio show hosts and non-blacks) say "President Obama" or "President Barack Obama" and NOT to say "Barack Obama" or "Obama" or any other nickname. People are insisting that the president of the United States be addressed with the respectful name title and to "give him the respect that he deserves". Some have even said not to address him or talk about him using "Mr Obama". The demand is that you say PRESIDENT before you say anything.
Before anyone thinks that I am "hating" on the President you should KNOW this about me. I did not vote for him. I am an independent and I voted Libetarian in past elections. Just about NONE of my votes counted for much. And thats ok with me. I simply don' t support Democrats or Republicans. I refuse to support what I think is a disfunctional two party dominated system and I wish we could abolish it. I am a growing minority. However I also refuse to sit on my ass on election day. I have not missed a single election since I was age 18.
Having said that I fully believe in fairness and will call out hyprocracy when I see it. And I think I see it very clearly in this issue some have in how we should address the President.
Why all of a sudden are people so demanding of respect? Are you demanding respect for the position or respect for the man holding the position? The position itself may deserve respect but I think the PERSON holding the position needs to EARN respect. If you think he or she has earned that respect, then respect him with the title or naming of your choice.
Some of the people making these demands about how to address the president may also believe in some illusion of a "freedom of speech" too. But then turn into hyprocrates when criticizing how others speak.
If I were to meet the President personally, I would address him with the appropiate "Mr President" unless the man himself directs me to say differently. But what about his wife? I haven't heard ANYONE express the same demands to properly address her as Mrs. Obama. As she is the President's wife, why isn't everyone addressing her in a more respectful way? Do you know her as well as the girlfriends you hang out with at the mall? Probably not! So why isn't Michelle Obama getting the respect that the die hard fans of her husband are demanding for him?
Back to how people think we should respect the President. If a man in his position should be addressed or talked about with the title President mentioned BEFORE anything else, then where were you people when names like "Dubya", The letter W, "BUSHit" or "Bushy" were thrown around? It seems that the very people who are demanding that everyone properly respect the current president had NO problem using nicknames or disrespecting the previous president. Now the shoe is on the other foot as Republicans refuse to respect the current president. Plus some just forget to say "President" while meaning no harm or disrespect, yet they too get called out for their failure to show the respect that some people think should be expressed.
BTW, many conservatives are demanding that the "hockey Mom" from Alaska be called the respectful title of "Governor Palin". Which also has me wondering why they have bumper stickers with just her first name on it. Those bumper stickers replaced the black "W" stickers in the rear windows of SUV's and Minivans across America.
I don't get it. Looks like people want one thing but do another AND the women are getting no respect. I wonder if a Liberal ever called Sarah Palin a "GAL" how angry would Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity get?
Then there those who claim stupid things like "MY president" or "their president". NO, he is OUR president whether you voted for him or not. And while I think some of the nicknames being used by the people who don't like the current president are juvenile and unnecessary I do think that both sides need to need to get over themselves.
This demand for the world to say "President" before anything else is as much a waste of time as the issues raised during the election over the excessive use of his middle name. And that too showed a lot of bias and hyprocracy as we never heard the other candidate referred to as John Sidney McCain. But wait, that name didn't have a controversial connection.
Anyone ever watch the 1980's TV show "Love Sidney"? Well I would compare that as punishment on par with John SIDNEY McCain's being held prisoner during the Vietnam War. That is my STUPID connection with the senator's middle name. The TV show was that bad.
Anyway, my observation is that Barack Hussein Obama, The President of The United States of America is the ONLY one not making an issue out of juvenile things like name titles. He is the only one working on more important issues while "the rest of us" are behaving like immature and ignorant brats unworthy of respect ourselves. I do respect our President for showing some class.
My favorite line in the film was when police Chief Gillespie laughed about Virgil Tibbs name and asked what to the people in his northern hometown of Philadelphia called him, then Sidney Poitier responded with a strong "They call me MISTER TIBBS". That response didn't sit too well with Bill Gillespie who by the way NEVER called "Mr Tibbs" by the more formal name. In both the movie and the television versions of "in the Heat of The Night", the Bill Gillespie character called him "Virgil". And except for "Virgil Tibbs" wife and family, nobody else EVER addressed the man by his first name.
What does my recollection of an old movie and TV show have to do with this post?
Well, this posting started out as a rant. There is a conversation in certain circles that really gets on my last nerve.
I keep hearing people talk about how we should address the President of The United States. There are many people, ESPECIALLY African-American people expressing their demands that everyone (especially news media, talk radio show hosts and non-blacks) say "President Obama" or "President Barack Obama" and NOT to say "Barack Obama" or "Obama" or any other nickname. People are insisting that the president of the United States be addressed with the respectful name title and to "give him the respect that he deserves". Some have even said not to address him or talk about him using "Mr Obama". The demand is that you say PRESIDENT before you say anything.
Before anyone thinks that I am "hating" on the President you should KNOW this about me. I did not vote for him. I am an independent and I voted Libetarian in past elections. Just about NONE of my votes counted for much. And thats ok with me. I simply don' t support Democrats or Republicans. I refuse to support what I think is a disfunctional two party dominated system and I wish we could abolish it. I am a growing minority. However I also refuse to sit on my ass on election day. I have not missed a single election since I was age 18.
Having said that I fully believe in fairness and will call out hyprocracy when I see it. And I think I see it very clearly in this issue some have in how we should address the President.
Why all of a sudden are people so demanding of respect? Are you demanding respect for the position or respect for the man holding the position? The position itself may deserve respect but I think the PERSON holding the position needs to EARN respect. If you think he or she has earned that respect, then respect him with the title or naming of your choice.
Some of the people making these demands about how to address the president may also believe in some illusion of a "freedom of speech" too. But then turn into hyprocrates when criticizing how others speak.
If I were to meet the President personally, I would address him with the appropiate "Mr President" unless the man himself directs me to say differently. But what about his wife? I haven't heard ANYONE express the same demands to properly address her as Mrs. Obama. As she is the President's wife, why isn't everyone addressing her in a more respectful way? Do you know her as well as the girlfriends you hang out with at the mall? Probably not! So why isn't Michelle Obama getting the respect that the die hard fans of her husband are demanding for him?
Back to how people think we should respect the President. If a man in his position should be addressed or talked about with the title President mentioned BEFORE anything else, then where were you people when names like "Dubya", The letter W, "BUSHit" or "Bushy" were thrown around? It seems that the very people who are demanding that everyone properly respect the current president had NO problem using nicknames or disrespecting the previous president. Now the shoe is on the other foot as Republicans refuse to respect the current president. Plus some just forget to say "President" while meaning no harm or disrespect, yet they too get called out for their failure to show the respect that some people think should be expressed.
BTW, many conservatives are demanding that the "hockey Mom" from Alaska be called the respectful title of "Governor Palin". Which also has me wondering why they have bumper stickers with just her first name on it. Those bumper stickers replaced the black "W" stickers in the rear windows of SUV's and Minivans across America.
I don't get it. Looks like people want one thing but do another AND the women are getting no respect. I wonder if a Liberal ever called Sarah Palin a "GAL" how angry would Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity get?
Then there those who claim stupid things like "MY president" or "their president". NO, he is OUR president whether you voted for him or not. And while I think some of the nicknames being used by the people who don't like the current president are juvenile and unnecessary I do think that both sides need to need to get over themselves.
This demand for the world to say "President" before anything else is as much a waste of time as the issues raised during the election over the excessive use of his middle name. And that too showed a lot of bias and hyprocracy as we never heard the other candidate referred to as John Sidney McCain. But wait, that name didn't have a controversial connection.
Anyone ever watch the 1980's TV show "Love Sidney"? Well I would compare that as punishment on par with John SIDNEY McCain's being held prisoner during the Vietnam War. That is my STUPID connection with the senator's middle name. The TV show was that bad.
Anyway, my observation is that Barack Hussein Obama, The President of The United States of America is the ONLY one not making an issue out of juvenile things like name titles. He is the only one working on more important issues while "the rest of us" are behaving like immature and ignorant brats unworthy of respect ourselves. I do respect our President for showing some class.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The Amazing Race 14 Weekly Blog: As sweet as a Cherry Pie in your face
It has been a rather strange Sunday for me but I made it home just in time for the next installment of THE AMAZING RACE 14 and as I watch I compose this, my weekly Amazing Race blog.
Some changes in the appearance of the show include an updated theme song and some fantastic editing that allows you to watch two teams at a time with smooth transition from one scene to the next. It has
The first pit stop was in the Swiss Alps and the team in first place is MARGIE & LUKE, a mother and son team with Luke being the first ever contestant on The Amazing Race who is deaf.
Margie & Luke left at 2:45am, siblings Tammy & Victor at 2:47am, brothers Mark & Michael at 2:59, father and son Mel & Mike at 3:19am and dating couple Amanda & Kris at 3:47am. Married couple Brad & Victoria and the former Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders Jaime & Cara each left at 3:56am followed 6 minutes later by siblings Kisha & Jen. Then the married couple from Virginia left at 4:04am and the final team to leave was Christie & Jodi at 4:12am. So we have a 90 minutes spread in departure times from the pit-stop. But as usual for a middle of the night departure, the AMAZING RACE EQUALIZER as (I call it) could have come into play because of flight schedules.
Most teams made their airline reservations while traveling to the airport thanks to the use of borrowed cell phones from their taxi drivers. Teams first had to fly to Munich, Germany then drive themselves to the town of Ruhpolding and most teams were able to get on the earliest flight to Munich leaving at 7:15am. However MARK & MICHAEL did not call ahead to make their reservations and found themselves having to wait for a later flight along with last place team Christie & Jodi who did call ahead and discovered the early flight was booked so they already reserved the next available flight. Mark, Michael, Christie & Jodi were going to be at least an hour behind everyone else but they had an opportunity to catch up with everyone at the next task.
Once in Munich, teams drove Mercedes-Benz automobiles on the Autobahn to Ruhpolding and Tammy & Victor surged ahead to first place. Kisha & Jen got lost along the way. Once in Rupholding teams had to ride a cable car to the top of a 6000 foot mountain to locate their first clue, THE ROADBLOCK
The “roadblock” task had teams paraglide to the bottom of the mountain or if wind conditions were too severe, they could take a hour long hike down the mountain. For those who don’t know, the “roadblock” task is actually a task done by ONE of the team members. The other either waits or performs another task while meeting their partner at the end of the task.
The wind conditions were too severe for the paragliding so most teams chose to do the hike down the hill while MEL, who hurt his groin during the last leg decided to wait for the winds to calm. In doing so, all the other teams caught up and left to hike leaving Mel & Mike at the top of the hill.
Mel, who happens to be a former minister talked about praying for the wind to change and (possibly through creative editing) the wind did change so he was the only one who paraglided and landed in time to leave the roadblock in 5th place. Tammy hiked down the mountain and left the roadblock with her brother Victor in 1st place, a position they would maintain all day.
I was not surprised that the ONE team member to screw up during the roadblock would be LINDA, the whiny other half of Steve and the major reason I predicted their elimination for this round. She made a wrong turn along the marked hiking path, ended up on the other side of the mountain crying and a local woman kindly drove Linda back to the correct path. By then they were in last place.
Next was a 25 mile drive to the “detour” task choices of “Balancing Dolly” where teams would have to ride a SEGUE vehicle through a 2 mile obstacle course or “Austrian Folly” where team members would have to throw a pies into each other’s face until they discover a pie with a cherry filling. Can you say “food fight”? And those pies looked so good. If I were there, I wouldn’t want to throw anything. I’d want to chow down in that dessert wonderland.
After the “roadblock” teams had to run to a wood cutter who would saw a log and stamp the next clue onto the wood. That clue would send the teams to the next pit-stop which was a drive to a castle called the Schloss Hellbrunn
The first time to arrive at the pit-stop was TAMMY & VICTOR and for their arrival, they each won a hybrid go-cart.
SECOND: Mel & Mike
THIRD: Amanda & Kris
FOURTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Brad & Victoria
And these teams arrived after dark
SIXTH: Jaime & Cara
SEVENTH: Kisha & Jen
EIGHTH: Mark & Michael
NINTH: Christie & Jodi
And I GOT A PREDICTION RIGHT EARLY IN THE RACE! Yes I am happy!
OH, the country bumpkins from rural Virginia, STEVE & LINDA were last and they were eliminated.
If anyone has ever read my Amazing Race blogs on MySpace, then you know I predict the elimination every week and I have usually a poor track record in making these predictions. But this one was easy to predict last week. Linda was in no way capable of doing this. All the Amazing Race was going to be for her and her husband Steve was a really cool vacation of a lifetime. I do hope they enjoyed it. I am also glad to have a major whiner like Linda eliminated EARLY.
I am starting to see the weaknesses in teams that I feel are ingredients for failure on The Amazing Race. Teams that bicker with each other or have where one partner is bossy over the other often don’t do well on the race. Their attitudes take away from good teamwork and distract them from their mission. With that I we saw a relationship struggle between the siblings Kisha & Jen. We also see this in the current first place team Tammy & Victor. In both cases, the older sibling appears to assume the dominant role which leaves the younger sibling having problems with it which turns into problems for the team. Tammy & Victor seem to be the stronger team physically and may make it very far in this race despite any developing relationship issues.
I often refer to teams by some not-so-nice nicknames for good reason. Sometimes those teams admit on the show that they play the part of that nickname. So if I call Christie & Jodi “blonde bimbos” for their performance on this week’s broadcast I believe I am quite accurate. They completely misunderstood the directions leading them to the wood cutter for their final clue. Part of that misunderstanding had them thinking they actually had to cut their own wood. So they remain in last place with what appears to be many hours to catch up.
With that, I make my prediction for next weeks elimination for CHRISTIE & JODI. We don’t know just how many hours behind they are from the rest of the teams but to be in last place with half of the teams having arrived at the pit-stop during daylight is not a good place to be. Being a couple of “blonde bimbos” making mistakes don’t help either. So again, I predict Christie & Jodi for next elimination.
The previews for next week’s broadcast indicate that one team loses their money and passports. This happened to a team last season and it proved to be a fatal mistake. But previews don’t always give any strong hints. So we will just have to see next week. And I will blog about it.
So see you next week, same Amazing Race time, same Amazing Race channel.
Some changes in the appearance of the show include an updated theme song and some fantastic editing that allows you to watch two teams at a time with smooth transition from one scene to the next. It has
The first pit stop was in the Swiss Alps and the team in first place is MARGIE & LUKE, a mother and son team with Luke being the first ever contestant on The Amazing Race who is deaf.
Margie & Luke left at 2:45am, siblings Tammy & Victor at 2:47am, brothers Mark & Michael at 2:59, father and son Mel & Mike at 3:19am and dating couple Amanda & Kris at 3:47am. Married couple Brad & Victoria and the former Miami Dolphin Cheerleaders Jaime & Cara each left at 3:56am followed 6 minutes later by siblings Kisha & Jen. Then the married couple from Virginia left at 4:04am and the final team to leave was Christie & Jodi at 4:12am. So we have a 90 minutes spread in departure times from the pit-stop. But as usual for a middle of the night departure, the AMAZING RACE EQUALIZER as (I call it) could have come into play because of flight schedules.
Most teams made their airline reservations while traveling to the airport thanks to the use of borrowed cell phones from their taxi drivers. Teams first had to fly to Munich, Germany then drive themselves to the town of Ruhpolding and most teams were able to get on the earliest flight to Munich leaving at 7:15am. However MARK & MICHAEL did not call ahead to make their reservations and found themselves having to wait for a later flight along with last place team Christie & Jodi who did call ahead and discovered the early flight was booked so they already reserved the next available flight. Mark, Michael, Christie & Jodi were going to be at least an hour behind everyone else but they had an opportunity to catch up with everyone at the next task.
Once in Munich, teams drove Mercedes-Benz automobiles on the Autobahn to Ruhpolding and Tammy & Victor surged ahead to first place. Kisha & Jen got lost along the way. Once in Rupholding teams had to ride a cable car to the top of a 6000 foot mountain to locate their first clue, THE ROADBLOCK
The “roadblock” task had teams paraglide to the bottom of the mountain or if wind conditions were too severe, they could take a hour long hike down the mountain. For those who don’t know, the “roadblock” task is actually a task done by ONE of the team members. The other either waits or performs another task while meeting their partner at the end of the task.
The wind conditions were too severe for the paragliding so most teams chose to do the hike down the hill while MEL, who hurt his groin during the last leg decided to wait for the winds to calm. In doing so, all the other teams caught up and left to hike leaving Mel & Mike at the top of the hill.
Mel, who happens to be a former minister talked about praying for the wind to change and (possibly through creative editing) the wind did change so he was the only one who paraglided and landed in time to leave the roadblock in 5th place. Tammy hiked down the mountain and left the roadblock with her brother Victor in 1st place, a position they would maintain all day.
I was not surprised that the ONE team member to screw up during the roadblock would be LINDA, the whiny other half of Steve and the major reason I predicted their elimination for this round. She made a wrong turn along the marked hiking path, ended up on the other side of the mountain crying and a local woman kindly drove Linda back to the correct path. By then they were in last place.
Next was a 25 mile drive to the “detour” task choices of “Balancing Dolly” where teams would have to ride a SEGUE vehicle through a 2 mile obstacle course or “Austrian Folly” where team members would have to throw a pies into each other’s face until they discover a pie with a cherry filling. Can you say “food fight”? And those pies looked so good. If I were there, I wouldn’t want to throw anything. I’d want to chow down in that dessert wonderland.
After the “roadblock” teams had to run to a wood cutter who would saw a log and stamp the next clue onto the wood. That clue would send the teams to the next pit-stop which was a drive to a castle called the Schloss Hellbrunn
The first time to arrive at the pit-stop was TAMMY & VICTOR and for their arrival, they each won a hybrid go-cart.
SECOND: Mel & Mike
THIRD: Amanda & Kris
FOURTH: Margie & Luke
FIFTH: Brad & Victoria
And these teams arrived after dark
SIXTH: Jaime & Cara
SEVENTH: Kisha & Jen
EIGHTH: Mark & Michael
NINTH: Christie & Jodi
And I GOT A PREDICTION RIGHT EARLY IN THE RACE! Yes I am happy!
OH, the country bumpkins from rural Virginia, STEVE & LINDA were last and they were eliminated.
If anyone has ever read my Amazing Race blogs on MySpace, then you know I predict the elimination every week and I have usually a poor track record in making these predictions. But this one was easy to predict last week. Linda was in no way capable of doing this. All the Amazing Race was going to be for her and her husband Steve was a really cool vacation of a lifetime. I do hope they enjoyed it. I am also glad to have a major whiner like Linda eliminated EARLY.
I am starting to see the weaknesses in teams that I feel are ingredients for failure on The Amazing Race. Teams that bicker with each other or have where one partner is bossy over the other often don’t do well on the race. Their attitudes take away from good teamwork and distract them from their mission. With that I we saw a relationship struggle between the siblings Kisha & Jen. We also see this in the current first place team Tammy & Victor. In both cases, the older sibling appears to assume the dominant role which leaves the younger sibling having problems with it which turns into problems for the team. Tammy & Victor seem to be the stronger team physically and may make it very far in this race despite any developing relationship issues.
I often refer to teams by some not-so-nice nicknames for good reason. Sometimes those teams admit on the show that they play the part of that nickname. So if I call Christie & Jodi “blonde bimbos” for their performance on this week’s broadcast I believe I am quite accurate. They completely misunderstood the directions leading them to the wood cutter for their final clue. Part of that misunderstanding had them thinking they actually had to cut their own wood. So they remain in last place with what appears to be many hours to catch up.
With that, I make my prediction for next weeks elimination for CHRISTIE & JODI. We don’t know just how many hours behind they are from the rest of the teams but to be in last place with half of the teams having arrived at the pit-stop during daylight is not a good place to be. Being a couple of “blonde bimbos” making mistakes don’t help either. So again, I predict Christie & Jodi for next elimination.
The previews for next week’s broadcast indicate that one team loses their money and passports. This happened to a team last season and it proved to be a fatal mistake. But previews don’t always give any strong hints. So we will just have to see next week. And I will blog about it.
So see you next week, same Amazing Race time, same Amazing Race channel.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Amazing Race 14 weekly Blog: Who drops the Cheese?
Greetings everyone.
This is the first of my weekly blogs expressing my own observations of a favorite television contest, “The Amazing Race” season 14. I have been doing this for the past three years and this will be the first time that I posted my weekly Amazing Race blogs on blogspot. I posted the previous season’s opinions on MySpace but it has become more difficult to post blogs there because of their ever changing settings that mess up a good blog posting many times forcing me to go back and “fix” problems with my blog’s appearance. Also, I think for more access and less drama, its time to go a more mainstream and intelligent route.
This is not to say that I am in any ways “intelligent”. Actually when it comes to “The Amazing Race” I can be a bit of a bitch. I am totally biased against certain types of people but I try my best to be open minded.
I love the show for I feel this is one of the greatest competitions on television. I love to see the adventure and certainly love to watch as they travel worldwide. It inspires me to want to travel abroad which I never have. I also had a few minutes of insanity when I for some reason thought I too could be a contestant on The Amazing Race. Then I see the teams in some foreign land where they would have to ride on filthy trains then over eat fried exotic rodents or worms in some alleged fine dining establishment and we sometimes see one of the contestants vomiting on the side of the dinner table. Those moments tend to cure me of my dream of ever becoming a contestant on The Amazing Race.
And just to put “for the record”, as you read my blogs you will see that I often give teams my own nicknames often referring to specific “tokens”. What do I mean by “tokens”? Well if you haven’t noticed, there seems to be this formula in selecting teams for The Amazing Race. You have a “friends” team. Then you have to have the token young married couple, the token older married couple, the newly dating couple and the couple with relationship issues, the token siblings, the token best buds who are either horny jock type wannabes, blue collar working stiffs or bumbling nerds. There are also either “the country bumpkins” or “Hillbillys” or “hippies” team. Usually one of those at a time especially the one year there was the “goth” team. There are the token parent/child teams and you ABSOLUTELY have include the token Black (or “African American) couple so as for the show to not be considered “racist” and they could also be any of the other “tokens” that I mentioned. One of my favorite teams in the history of The Amazing Race are the winners of the show from 2005, married couple Uchenna & Joyce.
Other “token” categories in my biased and sometimes bitchy blog expressions are the all-female teams. One is almost always the blonde bimbos or beauty queens depending on my mood and their success in the race. Then there are the brunette bimbos or beauty queens. And for some reason, the brunettes tend to be rather bitchy but can kick some ass on the show.
And finally, there is usually the token gay or lesbian contestant. Every show must have at least one but the Amazing Race may have missed in a couple seasons. One gay couple won the Amazing Race in its early years. They were two good looking athletic guys named Chip and Reichen. And for some reason the guy named “Reichen” (pronounced RYE-KEN) is assumed to be some sort of gay male god. To me he appears to be a self involved “think he is so cute” asshole who must drools while checking himself out in front of a full length mirror naked every morning. I think he is an arrogant no-talent shallow shit.
Yes, that is one of the biased opinions I tend to post about The Amazing Race. Oh and there have been gay drama queen types on the show over the years too. Lesbians have been represented on the show as well but I regret it was not with much success.
This season’s gay team is also a father and son team. BOTH the father and the son are gay! And I predict that neither of them are going to get much respect in the gay community because they aren’t picture perfect for any centerfold. I still wish them well.
Sometimes The Amazing Race will include a team member with a special condition showing the world that despite whatever disability or impairment, a person CAN achieve. One year the show had a woman who lost one leg but still triumphed in athletics. Unfortunately she partnered with a whiny control freak idiot who was fully capable in athletics but also full of poor attitude which I think was the biggest disadvantage for their team. They were eliminated half way through that season. This season will include the first ever DEAF contestant as part of the parent/sibling team on the show.
As you read my weekly postings you will see that I tend to support the underdog and the older and more mature contestant. I detest crybabies, arrogance and control freaks on The Amazing Race despite my being a bit of a control freak myself. I believe in real teamwork and partnership in The Amazing Race. I think of alliances on the race as a recipe for disaster and eventual deceit. I could go on to warn you of further biases I have as a dedicated fan of The Amazing Race but I hope you will take time to read my weekly ramblings to learn for yourself. You may love me or hate me for it but I will have fun posting it.
And I must advise you that I watch and compose my blog as the show is being broadcast. Here I will post my immediate unfiltered observations. I most likely will post them BEFORE the show is broadcast in western time zones. So consider this a spoiler warning.
I also offer my own predictions and wishes for winners and people being eliminated each week. I am usually WRONG in my predictions and I will admit it when I am wrong and brag like a brat when I am right, especially if it is a team that I don’t like.
As you read my weekly Amazing Race blog I am assuming that you have researched the teams and read their bio’s on The Amazing Race website. At least I hope you have.
If you want to know how I have expressed myself about previous seasons of The Amazing Race, AND if you have too much time on your hands, then search the archives of my blog on MySpace. You’ll find any title with “The Amazing Race” as my weekly blog entry.
Now on to season 14, the first in a couple years to begin in February. The show has been on since 2001 and I became a fan in 2005. Normally there are TWO seasons in a year with one in the Fall and the other in the late winter and early spring. I tend to enjoy when the show airs new episodes in the winter as they aren’t so frequently delayed due to sporting events on a Sunday afternoon, (ie: NFL Football).
As usual the show begins in Southern California with the 11 teams arriving in marine helicopters then teams got to drive nice Mercedes Benz vehicles through the maddening Southern California traffic to the airport in Los Angeles. The teams had to choose one of two specific flights to either Milan or Zurich then take a train to Switzerland. One team, Jennifer & Preston (a dating couple from South Carolina) missed their train connection and while waiting found themselves in a heated discussion. One would think that missing that train would put the team behind but once in the town of Locarno, teams had to travel on foot to a church and any lost time that some teams had would be made up.
This is what I call the “Amazing Race Team Equalizer” where because of flight schedules or closed facilities teams that had fallen behind will catch up and possibly surpass other teams.
Teams had camp out in front of a church and signed up for an assigned departure time the next morning. Each time had a few teams leaving in 15 minute intervals. The next morning gave teams their clue to travel via taxi to a water dam for the season’s first “Roadblock” task of bungy jumping from the water dam.
Did I mention that BUNGY JUMPING is another cure of my dreams of being a contestant on The Amazing Race? Somehow a million dollars isn’t enough for me to do some things. There isn’t a bungy cord strong enough for my fat ass nor am I crazy enough to attach one to me and go over. Sorry but it aint happening for me. I don’t want to be the first Amazing Race contestant to shit my pants on national television.
Well, after the teams Bungy Jumped, they traveled by train to the city of Interlaken where they would have the next task of hiking up a steep and slippery hill then transport heavy blocks of cheese on racks attached to their backs to the bottom of a hill. Teams would have to stack two cheese blocks each at the bottom of the hill.
Several struggled by slipping on the hill, breaking the racks and dropping their round blocks of cheese. This task was especially difficult for 68 year old MEL, the gay father teamed with his gay son MIKE. Mel struggled to carry the 100 pound block of cheese and summoned help from his son to return to the top of the hill. A very early indication that any openly gay representation on this season’s Amazing Race will be very short lived. Also struggling throughout this first leg of the race was 53 year old LINDA, the wife of STEVE in what I could call the token “country bumpkin” team from small town Virginia. Linda was a little emotional and whiny about most things and her husband Steve who is ten years her junior often fussed at his wife to keep up the pace. She was no match for climbing the hill.
After the cheese on the hill, teams were sent to the town of Stechelberg where they would have to locate a group of yodelers at the site of the first PIT STOP. The first to arrive at the pit stop were the mother and son team MARGIE & LUKE and for the first time in Amazing Race history, host Phil Keogian used sign language to tell Margie & Luke their position in the race.
For their first place arrival at the pit-stop, Margie & Luke won a vacation package to Mexico from Amazing Race sponsor Travelocity.
The remaining arrivals were as follows
SECOND PLACE: Siblings TAMMY & VICTOR
THIRD PLACE: Brothers MARK & MICHAEL
During this time, an emotional Luke expressed how he wanted to show the world that deaf people can achieve things. So far, he and his mother made first place.
FOURTH PLACE: Gay father and Gay son MEL & MIKE. Who made it by the luck of other teams being slightly delayed in their travel prior to having to carry the heavy cheese.
FIFTH PLACE: Dating couple AMANDA & KRIS
SIXTH PLACE: Older married couple BRAD& VICTORIA
SEVENTH PLACE: Former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders JAMIE & CARA.
My bias as a lifelong fan of my hometown Miami Dolphins requires me to support this all-female team, a couple of red head beauty queen cheerleaders who I hope will do better on The Amazing Race than the team they used to cheer for does in a regular NFL season.
EIGHTH PLACE: Sisters (or “Sistas” if you wish) KISHA & JEN
NINTH PLACE: Country bumpkin married couple STEVE & LINDA made it to the pit stop despite the drama dragging and crying of Linda. Something tells me that ninth place is the best we are going to see out of them. But then underdogs do tend to wake up and surprise us. Or stay along just long enough for comic relief.
And then the final two arrivals are an example of creative editing and surprise leading to a foot race to the finish.
TENTH PLACE was the team that appeared most likely to be eliminated as CHRISTIE & JODI were outsmarted into taking what they thought was the “earliest” train to Interlaken but turned out to be the one that would arrive later by taking a longer route. They were last at the final task but barely beat PRESTON & JENNIFER who have upheld the tradition of South Carolinians that have been ELIMINATED very early in The Amazing Race.
It has happened in at least two previous seasons where a team from South Carolina was the first team eliminated. I notice this because my family is from The Palmetto State.
But the people of South Carolina should not feel bad for Preston & Jennifer as they will get to spend the longest time at “The Elimination Station” which is basically being held at a hideaway resort vacation spot while everyone else completes the race. So although they won’t win a million dollars, they still get a pretty nice vacation. See the Amazing Race website for details about the “Elimination Station”.
I notice at the pit-stop that the eliminated PRESTON was wearing an AUBURN UNIVERSITY sweatshirt! And he is from South Carolina, home of the GameCOCKS!
So I guess there may be some happy “cocks” over an Auburn loss.
I know a few Auburn fans who might get offended by that, but its just a blog and I am a smart ass!
Finally, I normally save my predictions for elimination for the second or third episode but I can’t help it. I must predict that STEVE & LINDA will be the next team eliminated. We already see that she is slow and very whiny and Steve is a bit of a klutz. I just don’t seem them surviving another leg.
Now will you survive my next Amazing Race expression to be posted next week? I hope you can. I will do my best.
So see you next week, same Amazing Race time, same blogspot channel.
This is the first of my weekly blogs expressing my own observations of a favorite television contest, “The Amazing Race” season 14. I have been doing this for the past three years and this will be the first time that I posted my weekly Amazing Race blogs on blogspot. I posted the previous season’s opinions on MySpace but it has become more difficult to post blogs there because of their ever changing settings that mess up a good blog posting many times forcing me to go back and “fix” problems with my blog’s appearance. Also, I think for more access and less drama, its time to go a more mainstream and intelligent route.
This is not to say that I am in any ways “intelligent”. Actually when it comes to “The Amazing Race” I can be a bit of a bitch. I am totally biased against certain types of people but I try my best to be open minded.
I love the show for I feel this is one of the greatest competitions on television. I love to see the adventure and certainly love to watch as they travel worldwide. It inspires me to want to travel abroad which I never have. I also had a few minutes of insanity when I for some reason thought I too could be a contestant on The Amazing Race. Then I see the teams in some foreign land where they would have to ride on filthy trains then over eat fried exotic rodents or worms in some alleged fine dining establishment and we sometimes see one of the contestants vomiting on the side of the dinner table. Those moments tend to cure me of my dream of ever becoming a contestant on The Amazing Race.
And just to put “for the record”, as you read my blogs you will see that I often give teams my own nicknames often referring to specific “tokens”. What do I mean by “tokens”? Well if you haven’t noticed, there seems to be this formula in selecting teams for The Amazing Race. You have a “friends” team. Then you have to have the token young married couple, the token older married couple, the newly dating couple and the couple with relationship issues, the token siblings, the token best buds who are either horny jock type wannabes, blue collar working stiffs or bumbling nerds. There are also either “the country bumpkins” or “Hillbillys” or “hippies” team. Usually one of those at a time especially the one year there was the “goth” team. There are the token parent/child teams and you ABSOLUTELY have include the token Black (or “African American) couple so as for the show to not be considered “racist” and they could also be any of the other “tokens” that I mentioned. One of my favorite teams in the history of The Amazing Race are the winners of the show from 2005, married couple Uchenna & Joyce.
Other “token” categories in my biased and sometimes bitchy blog expressions are the all-female teams. One is almost always the blonde bimbos or beauty queens depending on my mood and their success in the race. Then there are the brunette bimbos or beauty queens. And for some reason, the brunettes tend to be rather bitchy but can kick some ass on the show.
And finally, there is usually the token gay or lesbian contestant. Every show must have at least one but the Amazing Race may have missed in a couple seasons. One gay couple won the Amazing Race in its early years. They were two good looking athletic guys named Chip and Reichen. And for some reason the guy named “Reichen” (pronounced RYE-KEN) is assumed to be some sort of gay male god. To me he appears to be a self involved “think he is so cute” asshole who must drools while checking himself out in front of a full length mirror naked every morning. I think he is an arrogant no-talent shallow shit.
Yes, that is one of the biased opinions I tend to post about The Amazing Race. Oh and there have been gay drama queen types on the show over the years too. Lesbians have been represented on the show as well but I regret it was not with much success.
This season’s gay team is also a father and son team. BOTH the father and the son are gay! And I predict that neither of them are going to get much respect in the gay community because they aren’t picture perfect for any centerfold. I still wish them well.
Sometimes The Amazing Race will include a team member with a special condition showing the world that despite whatever disability or impairment, a person CAN achieve. One year the show had a woman who lost one leg but still triumphed in athletics. Unfortunately she partnered with a whiny control freak idiot who was fully capable in athletics but also full of poor attitude which I think was the biggest disadvantage for their team. They were eliminated half way through that season. This season will include the first ever DEAF contestant as part of the parent/sibling team on the show.
As you read my weekly postings you will see that I tend to support the underdog and the older and more mature contestant. I detest crybabies, arrogance and control freaks on The Amazing Race despite my being a bit of a control freak myself. I believe in real teamwork and partnership in The Amazing Race. I think of alliances on the race as a recipe for disaster and eventual deceit. I could go on to warn you of further biases I have as a dedicated fan of The Amazing Race but I hope you will take time to read my weekly ramblings to learn for yourself. You may love me or hate me for it but I will have fun posting it.
And I must advise you that I watch and compose my blog as the show is being broadcast. Here I will post my immediate unfiltered observations. I most likely will post them BEFORE the show is broadcast in western time zones. So consider this a spoiler warning.
I also offer my own predictions and wishes for winners and people being eliminated each week. I am usually WRONG in my predictions and I will admit it when I am wrong and brag like a brat when I am right, especially if it is a team that I don’t like.
As you read my weekly Amazing Race blog I am assuming that you have researched the teams and read their bio’s on The Amazing Race website. At least I hope you have.
If you want to know how I have expressed myself about previous seasons of The Amazing Race, AND if you have too much time on your hands, then search the archives of my blog on MySpace. You’ll find any title with “The Amazing Race” as my weekly blog entry.
Now on to season 14, the first in a couple years to begin in February. The show has been on since 2001 and I became a fan in 2005. Normally there are TWO seasons in a year with one in the Fall and the other in the late winter and early spring. I tend to enjoy when the show airs new episodes in the winter as they aren’t so frequently delayed due to sporting events on a Sunday afternoon, (ie: NFL Football).
As usual the show begins in Southern California with the 11 teams arriving in marine helicopters then teams got to drive nice Mercedes Benz vehicles through the maddening Southern California traffic to the airport in Los Angeles. The teams had to choose one of two specific flights to either Milan or Zurich then take a train to Switzerland. One team, Jennifer & Preston (a dating couple from South Carolina) missed their train connection and while waiting found themselves in a heated discussion. One would think that missing that train would put the team behind but once in the town of Locarno, teams had to travel on foot to a church and any lost time that some teams had would be made up.
This is what I call the “Amazing Race Team Equalizer” where because of flight schedules or closed facilities teams that had fallen behind will catch up and possibly surpass other teams.
Teams had camp out in front of a church and signed up for an assigned departure time the next morning. Each time had a few teams leaving in 15 minute intervals. The next morning gave teams their clue to travel via taxi to a water dam for the season’s first “Roadblock” task of bungy jumping from the water dam.
Did I mention that BUNGY JUMPING is another cure of my dreams of being a contestant on The Amazing Race? Somehow a million dollars isn’t enough for me to do some things. There isn’t a bungy cord strong enough for my fat ass nor am I crazy enough to attach one to me and go over. Sorry but it aint happening for me. I don’t want to be the first Amazing Race contestant to shit my pants on national television.
Well, after the teams Bungy Jumped, they traveled by train to the city of Interlaken where they would have the next task of hiking up a steep and slippery hill then transport heavy blocks of cheese on racks attached to their backs to the bottom of a hill. Teams would have to stack two cheese blocks each at the bottom of the hill.
Several struggled by slipping on the hill, breaking the racks and dropping their round blocks of cheese. This task was especially difficult for 68 year old MEL, the gay father teamed with his gay son MIKE. Mel struggled to carry the 100 pound block of cheese and summoned help from his son to return to the top of the hill. A very early indication that any openly gay representation on this season’s Amazing Race will be very short lived. Also struggling throughout this first leg of the race was 53 year old LINDA, the wife of STEVE in what I could call the token “country bumpkin” team from small town Virginia. Linda was a little emotional and whiny about most things and her husband Steve who is ten years her junior often fussed at his wife to keep up the pace. She was no match for climbing the hill.
After the cheese on the hill, teams were sent to the town of Stechelberg where they would have to locate a group of yodelers at the site of the first PIT STOP. The first to arrive at the pit stop were the mother and son team MARGIE & LUKE and for the first time in Amazing Race history, host Phil Keogian used sign language to tell Margie & Luke their position in the race.
For their first place arrival at the pit-stop, Margie & Luke won a vacation package to Mexico from Amazing Race sponsor Travelocity.
The remaining arrivals were as follows
SECOND PLACE: Siblings TAMMY & VICTOR
THIRD PLACE: Brothers MARK & MICHAEL
During this time, an emotional Luke expressed how he wanted to show the world that deaf people can achieve things. So far, he and his mother made first place.
FOURTH PLACE: Gay father and Gay son MEL & MIKE. Who made it by the luck of other teams being slightly delayed in their travel prior to having to carry the heavy cheese.
FIFTH PLACE: Dating couple AMANDA & KRIS
SIXTH PLACE: Older married couple BRAD& VICTORIA
SEVENTH PLACE: Former Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders JAMIE & CARA.
My bias as a lifelong fan of my hometown Miami Dolphins requires me to support this all-female team, a couple of red head beauty queen cheerleaders who I hope will do better on The Amazing Race than the team they used to cheer for does in a regular NFL season.
EIGHTH PLACE: Sisters (or “Sistas” if you wish) KISHA & JEN
NINTH PLACE: Country bumpkin married couple STEVE & LINDA made it to the pit stop despite the drama dragging and crying of Linda. Something tells me that ninth place is the best we are going to see out of them. But then underdogs do tend to wake up and surprise us. Or stay along just long enough for comic relief.
And then the final two arrivals are an example of creative editing and surprise leading to a foot race to the finish.
TENTH PLACE was the team that appeared most likely to be eliminated as CHRISTIE & JODI were outsmarted into taking what they thought was the “earliest” train to Interlaken but turned out to be the one that would arrive later by taking a longer route. They were last at the final task but barely beat PRESTON & JENNIFER who have upheld the tradition of South Carolinians that have been ELIMINATED very early in The Amazing Race.
It has happened in at least two previous seasons where a team from South Carolina was the first team eliminated. I notice this because my family is from The Palmetto State.
But the people of South Carolina should not feel bad for Preston & Jennifer as they will get to spend the longest time at “The Elimination Station” which is basically being held at a hideaway resort vacation spot while everyone else completes the race. So although they won’t win a million dollars, they still get a pretty nice vacation. See the Amazing Race website for details about the “Elimination Station”.
I notice at the pit-stop that the eliminated PRESTON was wearing an AUBURN UNIVERSITY sweatshirt! And he is from South Carolina, home of the GameCOCKS!
So I guess there may be some happy “cocks” over an Auburn loss.
I know a few Auburn fans who might get offended by that, but its just a blog and I am a smart ass!
Finally, I normally save my predictions for elimination for the second or third episode but I can’t help it. I must predict that STEVE & LINDA will be the next team eliminated. We already see that she is slow and very whiny and Steve is a bit of a klutz. I just don’t seem them surviving another leg.
Now will you survive my next Amazing Race expression to be posted next week? I hope you can. I will do my best.
So see you next week, same Amazing Race time, same blogspot channel.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)