THE AMAZING RACE
The best reality show on television is back! The Amazing Race, now officially
The Amazing Race 2, kicked off last night with an hour chock full of
intense pressure, scenic beauty, flaring tempers and an ending so touching,
I almost choked up. (Hey, I said 'almost.')
Now for those of you who haven't been watching this show, pay attention.
Forget about your little Fear Factor and its overdone crawling insects.
Jeff Probst and Survivor are officially O-V-E-R. (I mean, who really
even knows how to pronounce 'Marquesas?' Or even where, exactly, it
is?) And all other reality shows are running on tired legs (read:
Real World). This is the show to watch! Not to mention, AR2 host Phil
Keoghan can take both Joe Rogan and Jeff Probst! Don't believe me?
Well, then check out my exclusive int'view with Phil himself (he does
answer part of the question for real!) right
here on the pages of twogirlsandatv.com.
Ps- It was also good to see more of Phil in the show and hey, how
'bout that spiffy new haircut, eh?
Back to the show. In case you missed it, eleven teams of two (each
with a pre-existing relationship) took off from the Nevada desert
to start the race around the world for one million dollars. We get
introduced to the teams at the top of show when they get helicoptered
to some remote part of the desert. The teams were getting intro'd
so quickly, I had trouble keeping up, (The whole helicopter drop-off
thing was a bit odd. We could have learned a lot more about them in
a brief pre-produced package.) but the catch with this show is you
never get to know the teams right off the bat. You gotta give it some
time and then everything will come naturally. Some teams did manage
to stick out though. You had the 'gutsy grannies,' (no explanation
needed) and a pair of gay men from Miami Beach who called themselves
'fabulous.' Oh, and by the way, they are not a couple! And there was
a pair of buddies from NYC, one of which looked like a young Woody
Allen.
Anyay, the race goes from the desert to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (My
jealousy kicks in immediately.) Once there, the teams have to race
atop this gigantic rock (and I say rock, because it wasn't a hill
or a mountain, but like a big giant rock just jutting out of the ground)
where the views of city below were just incredibly sweeping, to get
their next clue. I mean, I was so in awe of the views, I kind of lost
track as to who was leading and what was going on.
From there, the teams raced to some hotel, from which they had to
take boat rides the next morning to some island. This is where our
first big confrontation takes place. At the hotel, you had to check
in and book your boat ride for the next morning. Separated couple
Wil and Tara get there pretty early, but only she finds the actual
check-in spot, so while she's calling for Wil, some of the other teams
see what's going on and before you know it, you've got five teams
all jamming the window claiming to be next in line. It was a classic
scene of what happens when money and adrenaline are involved with
people. The baser instincts of the human form at their worst come
out to play. The scene was brief, but the follow, when Wil confronts
Blake (teamed with his sister, from Texas) about his so-called way
of playing the game, was quite entertaining. Wil acts a bit pissy
and Blake doesn't seem to care. A lot of 'whatever's are thrown around
and then Will huffs off, saying something like 'oh yeah, I'll remember
everything that happened here.' It was quite good.
Next, they take a gondola to some mountain, where the roadblock kicks
in - either scale down the side of the mountain or go back down by
the gondola and go to Impanema beach to find the woman that inspired
the song 'The girl from Impanema' and then race to the check-in.
As chance would have it, Wil and Tara check in first - and win a
trip to Hawaii in the process! This is something new - they didn't
give away prizes last year for coming into a checkpoint first. But
hey, whatever it takes to get these people going, right? Everyone
else starts to check in and then you realize - there's only two teams
left: the gutsy grannies and the mother-daughter team of Deirdre-Hillary.
Hillary, by the way is a nude model. (To find out more about that
- check out my exclusive
interview with AR2 host Phil Keoghan. I know, another shameless
plug. Sorry).
The
gutsy grannies, for obvious reasons, decide not to scale down the
mountain and instead go hunting for the 'girl from Impanema.' This
obviously takes much longer, so I totally wrote them off immediately.
They were soooo slow-moving, I couldn't see them not finishing last.
The mother-daughter team were the last ones down the mountain-side.
Deirdre, the mom, struggled coming down which delayed the team. In
the meantime, you find out that Deirdre and Hillary's father split
up when Hillary was young and only recently, have mom and daughter
reconciled. So as the race is winding down (in classic AR fashion),
you're getting sucked into this personal story as well. And wouldn't
you know it, the gutsy grannies pull off the upset!! When they check
in (on some boat in the middle of a bay) and host Phil tells them
they're the #10 team to arrive, the ladies start whooping it up like
they've won the whole race. I mean they were yelling and screaming
like mad… and I gotta say, you really felt happy for them. Like
they just won a Super Bowl or something.
Unfortunately, the sad part came a few moments later when Phil informed
Deirdre-Hillary that they were eliminated. Deirdre was absolutely
devastated! Crushed. You could see it in her eyes. This show was a
chance to rekindle/make up for what she had lost with her daughter
and she did not want it to end so soon. Plus, she felt like she had
let Hillary down even though Hillary told her that was far from the
truth as they embraced. It was a very emotional ending to one hell
of a first episode. And just think - the next new episode is on this
Wednesday - yee ha! As Phil told me, this show is a 'relationship
show' as well and boy was he right. Welcome back, old friend. Welcome
back.
last season....
And the winner is…
The moment we've all been waiting for (well, maybe it was just a
few of us) finally arrived last Thursday night. No, not another episode
of Inside Schwartz - the season finale of CBS' The Amazing
Race (and boy was it good). Not only did it come down to the wire,
but there was a bit of an upset element at work as well.
Rob and Brennan and Frank and Margarita were neck and neck again
as the final leg of the Race began. They completed their meager tasks
in Alaska (dog sledding was cool, but jumping into ice cold water?
(in Homer-esque voice) Boring! Alaska must have more to offer) and
then were on their way to the airport to get to the final destination
- New York City, where the whole thing had started. Team Guido was
24 hours or so behind and had no chance so anytime this episode spent
time on them (where they spewed positive messages about hanging in
there and hoping for a miracle, while comparing themselves to Bill
Clinton - huh?) was a total waste. No one cared… and let's face
it, we're all happy they didn't win. Sorry boys.
Now, when the two top teams found out they had to go to NYC (the
first destination was some public Square in Queens), the legalese
supertwins (who are from Hollywood) decided to buy maps and try to
figure things out while Frank starting shooting his mouth off about
home-field advantage (he and Marg are from Queens and the Square was
about 6 blocks from where their daughter was staying) and how he was
formulating plans to 'lose' the boys if they tried to tail him. Both
teams were on the same flight so it was gonna be close.
I must point out, however, that before the NYC destination was announced,
I was still on the fence in terms of what team to route for. But once
Frank starting acting like a jackass (is that too harsh?) and yapping
about how easily they would crush these guys in their 'hood, I instantly
decided to root for R&B (yes despite they're being 2 good-looking
white-boy lawyers who I'm sure lead pretty good lives out in LA-la
land). They seemed to be the ones with their heads on straight; talking
about winning and not giving up despite not being familiar with NYC's
surroundings. All Frank and Marg talked about was wanting to 'beat'
the lawyers… and how badly they wanted to beat them. Not about
wanting to simply win the competition.
The best part of the show happened now. The plane landed at Newark
airport. There was some jostling between the two teams trying to get
out of the aircraft. I thought I saw an elbow being thrown - just
kidding. But the action definitely increased tenfold. They raced out
to the cabs. The lawyers got in a yellow cab. F&M attempted a
gypsy cab but had some communication problem with the driver. Apparently,
the driver wasn't familiar with what was going on and didn't sense
the importance of moving quickly, so F&M bailed and grabbed a
yellow cab.
This sequence was fun because of the way it was shot and edited.
Fast cuts. Moving cars. It was like a commercial for speed… and
the tension of the race to get there was building quite nicely. I
actually sat up and started to really get into it. Back and forth
it went. The laywers thru the Holland Tunnel and into Manhattan and
then Queens. F&M over the George Washington and Triboro bridges.
Both teams on the streets of Queens (ps - nice shout-out for Queens
here - we love ya). The laywers seemed a bit confused while F&M
were simply cruising along. And then,… a stunning development.
The lawyer boys arrived first! I was shocked. I just kept thinking
about what Margarita had said earlier, something like 'if we lose
to them in our town, that's embarassing.' Bring on the embarrassment
then baby!!
The boys have to get on the 7 train (which is nearby) and take it
to Flushing Meadows Corona Park to the finish line. They start scrambling,
find the platform and pull a tourist move by asking the token booth
operator if they can buy tickets. Meanwhile, F&M are right behind.
They get to the Square shortly after the guys, and immediately head
for the train since they're very familiar with the surroundings. A
7 train is pulling into the station. Rob and Brennan get on. F&M
are bounding up the stairs to buy tokens, but nooooooooooo (insert
own negative-sounding buzzer noise here), the train pulls out with
only R&B on it. F&M get to the platform and since they didn't
see the lawyers, they sit there and wait for the next train and Marg
starts to get all excited, thinking they've won for sure because there
is absolutely no sign of the guys. This is where you actually start
to feel bad for her - not because she's with Frank, but because she
really thinks that they're gonna win and even starts to kind of prematurely
rejoice about it.
After some minor bumbling at the Shea Stadium/Willets Point Blvd.
Station, the lawyers enter the park and start jogging, following the
yellow flags, as instructed. (Why they were jogging is beyond me.
I kept yelling - RUN! Move your asses! If that was me I'd be going
all out… what if F&M were to suddenly sprint up behind you?)
They reach the final straightaway where at the end of a path is an
Amazing Race podium with rarely-seen show host Phil Keoghan and all
the previously eliminated teams (good to see the frat boys again!!).
So Rob & Brennan emerged victorious and I was happy for them…
maybe they can donate a big portion of their winnings to charity…
or at least some of it?
What
happened to F&M? Well, they pulled into the station, started running
into the park and when they saw all the other teams clapping and cheering
them on, they momentarily felt like a million dollars (once again,
insert own negative-sounding buzzer noise here), that is, until Marg
saw Rob and Brennan standing there, stopped and realized they weren't
the winners. Frank also stopped and they both seemed crushed for a
moment, but the cheering of the other teams for them to come in turned
them into good sports as they held hands and crossed the finish line
and gave R&B some congratulatory hugs. Tough loss though. They
really had a huge advantage but didn't luck out.
What happened to Team Guido? They were about to do the dog-sled race
when they got notice that Rob and Brennan had crossed the finish line.
They did the dog sled thing anyway. But what I loved most about their
finish is that they were the only team to not be present at the finish
line. It seemed only fitting that they were left behind. Good riddance
fellas.
Overall, this was an exciting series that really did come down to
the wire and made 9pm Wednesday essential tv viewing time (West Wing
whatever!). It was shot well (we got to see brief glimpses of many
beautiful countries), kept a good pace, and had lots of characters
that appealed to viewers. I can't wait for AR2 to air.
There are, however, a couple of things I'd like to have cleared up
though.
1. Money. Did it really matter how much teams spent? In the very
first show when teams were leaving from Central Park in NYC to go
to the airport, some teams stressed taking the subway because it only
cost $1.50 as opposed to taking a taxi. So I thought money would play
a big part. After that, you'd hear a team make reference to doing
something cheaper every now and then so they could save money, but
at no point was money ever taken into consideration. I didn't see
teams get more points or anything for saving money. Hell, Rob and
Brennan even rented some woman's cell phone for $300 on the last episode
and they won the whole thing. The money situation definitely needs
to be more clear for the next go-round.
2. Phil Keoghan. How many people know who this guy is or that he's
even the host of this show. AR producers have got to get him more
involved. A long voiceover at the top of each show explaining the
rules is not enough. He needs to appear throughout, Probst-like, explaining
things, asking dumb questions, or offering points or rewards…
or even just to check in with viewers. We've got to see this guy more
than just the end where he tells teams that they're 'the last team
to arrive' before eliminating them, like some sort of grim reaper.
3. The finish line shouldn't be in a team's hometown. Had Frank and
Margarita won, there would have been a public outcry (can one person
be considered a public outcry?) that this wasn't fair. And it just
isn't. The finish line should be a neutral site not near any of the
contestants' homes.
That's it. Keep up the good work and we can't wait to see what you've
got in store for us next year. I can only hope it's as good as the
2001 version.
Hey wait a minute - I've got nothing to write about now? I'm thinking
of that new show Ed on NBC. If anyone's got other thoughts out there,
please let me know.
Thanks and see you next time.
The
quick synopsis of what happened last night: Frank and Margarita are
neck and neck with Rob and Brennan the whole time travelling from
Beijing to Alaska. They fetch some kites (how's that for excitement?)
climb a very small portion of the Great Wall of China, fly to Anchorage,
Alaska, sleep in a cabin, climb the side of a small glacier (no slipping
or falling of any kind) and ride a snowmobile…and guess what?
Nothing exciting ever happened. (I guess the suits at CBS knew this,
which is why we got so much of Frank and Margarita arguing at the
top of the show.) Also, Team Guido is about a full day behind and
although it was nice to see very little of them, they're still in
the race. The big finale is next week in New York City, where Frank
and Margarita have the home-field advantage. (Note: please don't believe
the 'scenes for next week' that tout Team Guido as being involved
at the finale - this is a two-team race.)
As
for next week's finale, let's hope it really is down to the wire as
the end-of-show promo indicated. I'm not sure that I care who wins.
Rob and Brennan are lawyers (and best friends) so it's not like they're
living check-to-check. Frank is not that sympathetic of a character
although Margarita is quite likable (and you know the money would
go toward their daughter's education) so that's a toss-up. Team Guido?
Well I won't even go there - I mean is there anyone even out there
rooting for them? I doubt it. But if you are and you're reading this,
please contact me because I'm curious as to why in the world you would
do that. In conclusion: I don't care which team wins as long as Team
Guido loses. That's all I really have to root for. And hey, maybe
NYC will play a big role in the end - you know, like a team is stuck
in midtown during high-theater time and not be able to hail a cab
for like 30 minutes… or get stuck on a subway…or have to
shop at Macy's. Anything's possible - maybe even the other teams will
be at the finish line and when Team Guido gets there, they'll all
proceed to beat on them. Joking. 
Now
let me just take a minute to point out that Drew and Kevin were by
far the best team on the show. They were hilarious to say the least…
always cursing, calling each other dumbass with their thick New Yawk
accents and even once threatening to break Team Guido's legs (one
of my favorite moments). When I saw the very first episode, I couldn't
help but think that these guys weren't going anywhere. Instead they
made it quite far, because despite all the name calling, they totally
worked together…and like I said, they were by far the most colorful
team on the show. Team Guido on the other hand were quite the opposite.
They were mean, elitist snobs who once tried to stop a whole group
of teams from getting on an airplane by physically blocking the gate
entrance. They are definitely the antagonists on this show and no
one wants to see them win anything except maybe for their dog, Guido
himself. (Just seeing them in the opening credits as they make a champagne
toast in front of a fire makes me angry. Plus they always dress the
same!!! Ugh.)