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Archive => RFF Archived Boards => The Amazing Race => Topic started by: puddin on February 05, 2006, 05:27:26 PM
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(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Preview/76558759.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Preview/388db2e5.jpg)
http://specialsections.nypost.com/news/nypost/tvweek/20060205/p02.asp
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ok how did i miss that in the paper? i get the post :lol:
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Forget families, ‘Amazing Race’ returns to roots
( from msnbc )
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper and Andy Dehnart
MSNBC
Updated: 7:19 p.m. ET Feb. 6, 2006
Everyone's asking about "The Amazing Race." And here we thought it was almost impossible to miss the commercials CBS is firehosing onto the air. We've got that show's next premiere date, along with information about "Iron Chef America" and a third season of "Blow Out."
Q: When will the Amazing Race come back and will we have to suffer through another family edition that doesn't actually go anywhere? —Chris
When will there be a new season of “Amazing Race?” This is the only quality reality show. —Anthony
Did anyone ever get the pink slip for coming up with the format of the last "Amazing Race" — Family Edition" and how do the execs plan on recovering all the fans who decided to turn away? —Jason
A: "The Amazing Race 9" will premiere on Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. ET. The show will return to its usual format, featuring 11 teams of two people, each with some pre-existing relationship. Teams this time around include married couples, dating couples, friends, sisters, a mom-daughter duo, and a pair of "bohemian best buds." You can read more about the teams at CBS's Web site.
The show also promises that it will return to the international travel and flavor that earned it such loyal fans. It's obvious from your mail to us and must also be obvious to CBS that the family edition of the show, featuring four-person family teams, lamer challenges and a more domestic agenda, wasn't sitting well with viewers who craved a more global challenge.
As to Jason's question, we haven't heard that anyone was actually fired for coming up with the "Family Edition" concept, but host Phil Keoghan and CBS were blunt about saying they weren't thrilled with the season. The Edmonton Sun reported that Keoghan told TV critics “starting the show by saying, ‘Teams must now travel 8,000 miles to South Africa,’ is always going to beat saying, ‘Teams must now travel eight blocks.’ ” And CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler told the Toledo Blade "I don’t think we were particularly successful with [the family edition] ... Our producers wanted to try something different, and we supported that. ” —G.F.C
link (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11115304/)
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Race heads Down Under
It's good news for fans of The Amazing Race - the incredible journey with a $US1 million prize at the finish line is returning to Australian screens.
Race devotees were left in the dark when the Seven network held off on airing the eighth season of the reality show, which featured families of four zipping around the US - a twist on the usual format, in which teams of two journey to every corner of the world.
The series will make a welcome return when Seven begins broadcasting the ninth season - which returns to the classic teams-of-two set-up - on Thursday, 2 March, just days after it premieres in the United States.
Australian fans have an extra reason to look forward to the new season after Race contestants were spotted at Western Australia's Rottnest Island in November.
Kiwi Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race's well-travelled host, will make another trip Down Under when he travels to Melbourne later this year to compete in the Grand Prix's celebrity race.
http://www.yourtv.com.au/news/?i=79279
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Keoghan Glad 'The Amazing Race' Counters Negative World View
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
Feb 13, 2006
"The Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan has been to all parts of the world, so it's interesting to learn that the place he felt the most danger is "probably JFK Airport. I'm not even kidding. Immediately after 9/11, major airports in the U.S. felt dangerous.
"But you see," he adds quickly, "people's perception is that the world is dangerous -- and that's not necessarily a reality. What we see in the news is war, disasters, and civil unrest. The more news strives to look for controversy and conflict to get the big headlines, the more Americans view the world as negative and dangerous. The perception is that America is the safest place in the world, but statistics show that just isn't true. Think about it: When was the last time you saw a positive image of another country on television?"
Why, that would probably have been on "The Amazing Race," Phil.
The top-rated, three-time Emmy-winning CBS show returns Feb. 29, with 11 pairs of contestants on a world trek with stops in Africa and The Middle East. Keoghan says that after past "Amazing Race" installments gave viewers a look at everyday folks in other lands helping travelers, "I was asked by people in e-mails and on the street, 'Were those Muslim people really like that?'
This is where our show has become more than just an entertainment show," he says, adding that none of the team anticipated the program would become so huge -- it's a hit in some 80 countries -- and have such an impact. "If we show a Muslim person giving money and help and showing concern for the racers that is very genuine, we're letting viewers see a reality they're not usually seeing."
Keoghan's writing a book called "52 Reasons to Own a Passport."
link (http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_27263446.shtml)
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New 'Amazing Race' Board Game | February 14, 2006 10:49:40
Ringling Brothers circus clowns Jon Weiss and Al Rios join Dave Price to play in a round of the new "Amazing Race" board game, which will be introduced at the International Toy Fair.
videolink (http://video.cgi.cbsnews.com/video/video.pl?url=/media/2006/02/14/video1314532.rm&sid=&dart=news.video3) ( realone )
thanks kogs
(http://i1.[banned image hosting site].com/nqs67p.jpg)
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I cannot wait to get the game when I can :bliss:
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I'm always looking for a new game to acquire. I wouldn't be called the 'game-master' otherwise. I even picked up a few Survivor related games. One was a single deck - multiplayer card game where you play for immunity then everyone votes someone out of the game. We've played this many times in my large family. Once a month my parents, four sisters and all our spouses and children get together for games. We play the Survivor game but use a camcorder to record who we are voting out. Then when it comes to the final two, we have our jury vote for a winner. We then watch everything taped and wait to see who actually wins the game. It's lots of fun. I'm looking forward to playing the Amaizng Race game, though I'm not sure a camcorder would be used.
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thanks to banzai's link ~
Phil Keoghan just completd a conference call with reporters about
TAR9, and I was crazy enough to try and transcribe it while cradling a
phone on my shoulder. OK, so it's not bungee jumping off a high
bridge, but still. Anyway -- enjoy! I'll mail it in two parts so it
won't be so big.
--Sue T.
Q: Criticism for the family edition. What was your reaction?
PK: There's a great quote that I like which is, anything new and
different is most susceptible to criticism. We tried something, I'm
really proud of the fact that we tried something. If we hadn't tried
to change, people might have criticized us for not being adventurous.
While the idea of bringing in teams of four and having less
international locations is not as successful as the original format,
we also picked up a new group of people watching the show. I'm proud
of what we managed to pull together but there is no denying the fact
that the race is most successful when it has less faces, more places,
and teams of two racing around the world.
Q: Tyler seems like quite a character.
PK: I really warmed to him. I think that people's first reaction to
him is going to be, what is going on with this guy? There's something
extremely endearing about him. He's clearly very smart, very well
traveled. He's done some incredible adventures in his life. He walked
the length of Japan once, backpacked. He actually is one of these
people that I feel has a lot to offer. He's only 25 and I somehow feel
that he's somebody that we're going to hear a lot more about, not
because he's craving the limelight, but he's going to make some
statement in his life, I don't know what it is yet. I really enjoyed
meeting him and enjoyed having him on the race. I think he's a great
addition. He could perhaps look at a haircut more frequently and maybe
having a shave, but he's a really warm individual and added a great
mix to the show.
Q: 60K miles in 40 days?
PK: It's 60K in 29 days. Very dense schedule. It's the second most
number of miles in any race ever. It does have a dramatic impact on
the teams. It obviously is more taxing. With the reaction I think that
we got from the family version where people clearly made a statement
where they wanted that international element to the show, they miss
it. It shows that the places are as much a star in the show as the
people themselves. I think that's illustrated in season 8. We had more
characters, but people were missing that exotic element, that fish out
of water element. I think that is a huge hook for us. We have what
other shows do not have, the ability to every season make the playing
field fresh. We don't go back to the same studio, the same location or
the same set. We have the ability to mix it up and make it new and
original every single season. That is something that we have got in
abundance in this season. It's really exotic, we get to really cool
places. I think people want that and they certainly get it in this
season.
Q: A reporter from TAR9 contestant Joni's home town asks about her.
PK: I would say that there's no denying that the sisters get a hell of
a shock in the first leg of this race. Every single season, every team
without fail will say something to the effect of, "I've been watching
the show but I had no idea what it was really like until I ran this
leg myself." I think it shocked people and certainly with Joni, she
was completely and utterly shocked by what she went through, and what
was required to be in this race. These sisters are definitely sisters
who have enjoyed luxury in their life and prefer that over roughing
it, being in a tent and going three days without a shower.
Q: Question about how the production schedule affects Phil.
PK: It was certainly one of the tougher races for us productionwise.
In my memory from a personal standpoint, the toughest was season
three, we were driving through the middle of the night, it seemed like
we could never get sleep. [Season 9] was definitely tougher on the
teams than a lot of the other seasons. A lot of that had to do with
the fact that we got the message from people that they wanted an
international route, they wanted the race to go back to the teams of
two and they wanted more exotic, more adventure, push the people more.
As a result of that we paid the price in how it affected us making it.
Q: Any standout locations?
PK: There's definitely some… I love to see the teams go to places that
are places that we never normally get to see in mainstream media. A
big thing for me is that we have the ability to show international
locations in a way that other media just doesn't take the time to do
because good news or positive aspects of international travel don't
necessarily make mainstream media. When you see most international
locations there's a war, natural disaster, somebody burning a flag.
It's always a big eye opener for these teams to go someplace that is
very different from their local community. There's one location that
we get to in the middle east where the teams are immersed in a daily
task that a lot of people have to go through. It's great to see teams
used to going down to the 7-11 living life in a completely different
way and certainly a way that people overseas have to cope with every
day.
Q: Jet lag can't be visually shown but that's the secret ingredient to
a lot of people's reactions.
PK: There's no denying that jet lag, culture shock, a huge range of
emotions that come from pushing people to the edge of their ability
outside their comfort zone when they're perched on the edge of a very
steep cliff, when they're faced with a mindblowing challenge, that
that does stimulate and get reactions from people that are so needed
for creating drama. These teams are experiencing jet lag and a range
of emotions in a way they've never experienced before. They're going
in a new place mentally. It's one ingredient and obviously different
people cope with it in different ways. That is an element, and when
you add it to getting people to take these mental leaps, the reactions
that we obviously would like to get from people, we are trying to push
them. We want them to earn the right to be the winners of The Amazing
Race. We're not sending them on a comfort vacation. They're not in the
lap of luxury drinking pina coladas on a tropical beach.
Q: Any contestants express fear that locations might not be safe?
PK: We prepare all the teams for their visits to anyplace around the
world. You're right in saying that people's assumptions and their
beliefs about what the rest of the world is like or how the rest of
the world perceives us is sometimes skewed by what they see in
mainstream media. We have to let them know that we are visitors to
these countries and we have to be respectful of their customs. The
only polite thing to do, it's like walking into somebody's house where
they ask you to take off your shoes, you oblige, and if you don't,
you're going to get an adverse reaction from your host. We make it
very clear they must be respectful. That doesn't always happen. Some
teams have been blatantly rude and could easily be defined in the
terms ugtly American. We have seen teams go into the same situation
and behave in a manner that is much more reflective of what we would
want a good American ambassador to be. It's good for international
people and other cultures to see Americans in a different light than
the stereotypes that they build from the media that they get, and
conversely for Americans to travel internationally to see that
although all they see in mainstream media is war, natural disaster,
civil unrest and occasionally a group of people burning an American
flag, there are places to travel to that are in the middle east that
we read about in the paper or see flashes of in the news, that it is
safe to travel there, and inherently, people want the same things. We
all want shelter, we all want to do the right thing by our kids and
have a quality of life. We really are not that much different in
wanting those things. People are people, and good people are good
people. We can find good and bad everywhere… the show gives people an
incredible insight into what the world is really like as opposed to
the world that we see everyday when we turn on the news.
Q: A reporter asks about Uchenna and Joyce and whether there will be
any teams like them on the new race.
PK: Let me say that of any team we've ever had on TAR, I don't know if
there has ever been a more popular winning team. The energy when they
came into the finish line and won that race was absolutely
extraordinary. People were willing them over the line. They are very
special people. I think that they epitomize good American ambassadors,
the way that they were respectful to people, respectful to each other,
respectful to the other teams. They were driven and competitive and
still took time out to enjoy the travel experience. We cannot make a
show with 11 teams of couples like that. There would be no way to
create story arcs and contrast. With any good story you need the
adversary. You need a good mixture to make it dramatic and make it
work. Yes, we definitely have teams that have that strength of
character, and conversely we have some other teams who come from a
different place, perhaps a more selfish place. That's why we love the
contrast of old and young, some that are traveled and some that are
not so traveled, some that are smart and some that are more practical.
It's a little bit like cooking, you need the right ingredients. We
have in this season I think a fantastic mix.
Q: What do you think has been the biggest challenge for you?
PK: It's easy for me. I feel like I'm in a very lucky position to
continue to be associated with the show. It really hasn't been
challenging. Obviously it can be challenging on the road but I kind of
like it. I get myself ready for the race, I look forward to it. It's
like having a front row seat to a major championship. I love looking
over the teams and seeing them go through various changes. It's very
reflective of my whole philosophy of getting people to step outside
their comfort zone, something I've written about in my book. I love
this role that I have and I love that the teams are stretching
themselves and doing things that they never imagined doing.
Q: Tough being away from family?
PK: Yes it is. It's getting harder and harder because my daughter is
getting older [she's 10]. We're getting closer and closer. My wife and
I have always, my wife is Australian and I'm a New Zealander, we've
been together for about 18 years now. The whole time we've known each
other I've always traveled, and we've traveled together. We've found
ways to make that work. With my daughter, when she was younger and I
was away, she didn't notice as much. But I'm only away for each race
for 29 days, and of course I call in every day and I use, sometimes, I
have a lot of technology around me to be able to get on the internet
with her. When I'm home it's very intense. I have a lot of time with
her.
Q: Will the contestants in TAR 9 be heading to Australia?
PK: You never know. [Phil isn't allowed to spill the beans but an
Australian reporter says she's heard the race went to Adelaide.]
Australia is a fantastic race destination that's got a lot to offer.
Q: Do people on the street ever interfere with game?
PK: The show is moving so quickly that people tend to just, it's
almost like watching a race, a car race. People are turning their
heads. We move so quickly, it's very rare that we're stationary. Then
in the areas where the challenges are, we own those locations. It's
not easy for the public to just walk in when we've got an event set up
on a football field or something. There's occasions where the public
does have some interaction with the teams and if it's interesting
interaction, it makes the show. We've seen people help teams, or where
the teams have asked people on the street for help. I think it's all
happening so fast that people don't have time to react. People who do
recognize it and are fans on the show, the last thing on their minds
is wanting to interfere. They're fascinated and want to see what's
going to happen.
Q: Favorite characters this year?
PK: I love the contrast. We've got BJ and Tyler, they're a really
fascinating team. They're long haired hippie looking guys, they get
nicknamed the hippies very quickly after the start of the race. It's
going to be interesting to see how the audience reacts to them. They
might annoy some people. It took me a while to get where they were
coming from. It's like they're acting out in their own movie. Fran and
Barry have been married 40 years, they have an incredible amount of
energy for 60 year olds and should not be underestimated by anybody.
[Wanda & Desiree] The mother daughter relationship, the daughter seems
to be the more conservative, level headed one, and the mother is just
out to have a great time. You have all of these teams contrasted. The
nerdy dating couple [I think this is David & Lori] are so in love,
kissing all the way through the first leg and more concerned with each
other than making their way through the first leg. They met at a bar,
I think. They're both people who are an online, geeky kind of couple.
They feel like they found the right one. They're really adorable.
Q: Importance of casting a villain?
PK: I don't know if we've had that many teams we hate, have we?
Perhaps the adversary, I guess, the worthy adversary, the competitive,
driven type A personality character who, like [Boston] Rob—[The
reporter mentions Jonathan.] Jonathan was different from any other
person that we've ever had before. I think it's quite different from
Rob or Colin in season 5, who was extremely focused. You definitely
have to have a real contrast in characters. You can't have a whole
selection of teams that would all fit into the perfect mold of the
American traveling ambassador. You've got to have people that are more
type A and people that are more laid back. At the end of the day
they're giving us our material, and you have to have differences of
opinion and sexual orientation, some that are voting Democratic and
more right wing conservatives. People will go either way, you know
what I mean? It's certainly not our intention to cast people that the
audience is going to hate, but you definitely want the audience to
pick sides. To have somebody that the audience hates is not
necessarily a good thing. I don't think that is what makes the show
work. You want to polarize people, but there have to be some endearing
qualities.
Q: Do you suppress your accent on the show?
PK: I was asked in the very beginning in season one to make it more
American than my natural accent. Then people have said that they've
actually liked—any comments I get about the accent, people like the
fact that it sounds slightly international so it lends itself to the
show. I've tried to keep it consistent based on what I started off
with. When I'm doing the show I'm definitely aware of Americanizing
the words, saying "been" [he pronounces it "bin"] instead of "bean."
Q: You explain every week what a roadblock is.
PK: I have to do it again and again and again. It's always done in
different locations. It's like, I find I'm saying the same thing in
different locations all over the world. We keep picking up more and
more new viewers. The show has not plateaued out. I guess the idea is
that if you're picking up 3 million new viewers you have to get them
up to speed with the format of the show. I have people who stop me and
recite the definitions. I was at a book signing in Chicago, there were
about 200 people, and this 5-year-old kid was in the audience. He
comes up and says, "Do you mind if I do a detour?" I picked this kid
up and put him on the table in front of the audience, he grabbed the
microphone out of my hand and began reciting a detour, and then he
added in the words for where we were. We were in a Borders bookstore
and he said, teams must choose between "buy Phil's book" or "not buy
Phil's book." Obviously we've implanted this into people's heads. If
we change it, people might miss the comfort of hearing it every week.
Q: Do you know Jeff Probst?
PK: I know him going back to 1994 when we first met. We've stayed in
contact, and have found ourselves sitting outside of Les Moonves'
office as the two final people being considered for "Survivor." We
know what happened there. At the time I was really disappointed that I
couldn't be a part of that show, and it's been tremendously
successful. Now I can't imagine the show without him. It's sort of
weird. You go from that situation, to then cut to now when we're going
into 10 seasons. We're going to shoot the 10th season of TAR. We
think, what happened?
Q: Who has the tougher job? You, Phil or Ryan Seacrest?
PK: I think each job has got different challenges. I think that both
Ryan and Jeff are very good at what they do. I can't imagine either
one of those shows without them. Their faces become synonymous with
the show. There are aspects to their job and certain challenges that
they have that I wouldn't have a clue.
Q: I think you have the toughest job.
PK: I think what's interesting is that perhaps the logistics of my
job, perhaps they're the toughest, but again. I'm guessing. People's
perception of what I do and what my situation is like does always, it
continues to fascinate me. People are not aware of just how short a
time we shoot the shows, that I'm going to every single location they
go through. I have to travel the same number of miles. This is the
thing that people forget to consider. If the spread of the teams is
close to 12 hours at the pit stop, I'm there for the first team and
I'm there for the last. The first team is getting to leave for the
next leg while I'm still there wrapping up. There are times when I
don't have any major lead over the first team, and I cannot get to the
locations before I get to the pit stop ahead of them. We're on the
phone a lot and we can never predict how long the spread's going to
be. There have been odd occasions where I have been running up to the
mat and the first team is coming up from the opposite location. As we
get further and further into the race, the logistics of the spread
become easier for us. The more competitive teams are tighter, so the
pack is tighter. I have two passports, one is always out getting
visas.
Q: I would think you wouldn't want to travel when you're not filming TAR.
PK: I don't like to go too long without traveling. I love it. I ended
up getting the gig that is most suited to my skill.
Q: How are locations chosen?
PK: They come from collective ideas from people about certain things
they've heard about in different places. It's a matter of looking at
the world and marking out where we've been before and trying to get a
nice balance of different cultures and different challenges. It'll
either come from looking at the big picture and trying to balance a
route around the world that makes sense for the season, or specific
ideas that people read about, research, that we're alerted to. Then
it's a matter of producers going out and scouting and making sure
everything is what you expect it to be. Then we find people on the
ground to research those pieces and facilitate us in the local
countries.
Q: Reception from locals? [Asked by an Australian reporter]
PK: Australia, every time we've visited, we've always had a positive
reaction. Australians are huge fans of the show. I get probably a
dozen e-mails a day when the show's going out, and a lot from
Australia. They love the show. The most common question I get from
international fans is always, when are you going to let international
people take part in TAR. I just wish I had a dollar for every time
I've answered this question. The show is funded by a US network, and
so first and foremost it is for the US market. The fact that it does
well internationally is a bonus. You have to look at the US open
finals here in America, the ratings drop when there aren't Americans
competing. Most people like to watch themselves rather than watching
people from different countries. That said, TAR, with just an American
cast, has been a #1 show in many international markets. Add that to
the fact that there's a lot of legal ramifications to having different
cultures and different people. The best way for Australians to get
involved would be if there's an Australian format.
Q: Top five dream destinations that you've never visited, personally or on TAR?
PK: For me, on a personal level, I've always wanted to go to Mongolia.
I've never been to Bhutan or Nepal or into the heart of Africa. I grew
up in the Caribbean so I would love to have the show go there as well.
I'm hoping that if the show keeps going eventually we'll get to some
of these locations. Some of it has to do with logistics. Getting to
some of these more remote locations with all the people that we have
is very, very challenging. I hope that we can get to some more of
these places. If I don't do it on the race I'll do it personally.
Q: Will there ever be an all star edition of TAR?
PK: I don't know. I don't know how successful that type of format is.
From my understanding the all star version of Survivor was not as
successful as new, fresh faces coming in. I don't know if it's
necessarily a ratings winner. I think that you change the dynamic when
you bring back people, because people are different once they've been
shot and they've been produced into a tv show and it's gone out into
the world, and they have a chance to reflect on the way that they're
depicted and the way they react to them. One of the things that works
on the race is we are trying to pick people who are so-called ordinary
people in an extraordinary situation, and that keeps the show fresh.
When you know how somebody is and how they're going to play the game,
that's not as fascinating.
[part1 (http://groups.google.com/group/tvbarn2/browse_frm/thread/520845a08f215609/90f5ea2b32d09c66?hl=en#90f5ea2b32d09c66)
part2 (http://groups.google.com/group/tvbarn2/browse_frm/thread/edb96ee9a3a38cdb?hl=en)
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This spells first elimination doom for David and Lori:
The nerdy dating couple [I think this is David & Lori] are so in love,
kissing all the way through the first leg and more concerned with each
other than making their way through the first leg. They met at a bar,
I think. They're both people who are an online, geeky kind of couple.
They feel like they found the right one. They're really adorable.
I don't think Phil was ever in Arequipa: ???
People are not aware of just how short a
time we shoot the shows, that I'm going to every single location they
go through. I have to travel the same number of miles. This is the
thing that people forget to consider.
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Race down under
From: AAP By Erin McWhirter
February 24, 2006
AUSTRALIA will feature on US reality show The Amazing Race for the second time in its nine-series history.
Competitive Americans, vying for the $US1 million ($1.36 million) cash prize, visited Australia last year to tape the new season.
The visit was confirmed by Channel 7, which airs the show, in which 11 teams of two travel 96,540km in 29 days around the world.
There have been rumours since November that a couple was filmed at Adelaide airport as part of the show but long-time host Phil Keoghan is keeping mum about the Australian leg, ahead of the show's March 2 premiere here.
"I can't say anything about Australia," he said coyly from the US.
"I will say that Australia as a Race destination is good. In the early days of the show we filmed in Coober Pedy (South Australia) and I have a lot of family there because my wife is Australian ... so you just never know."
Keoghan says the distance of 96,540km is the secondest-longest Race in the history of the show, which throws a huge array of challenges at the competitors.
"It has a dramatic impact on the teams and we have an abundance of fresh locations this season, everywhere from Russia to the Middle East."
A seasoned traveller, Keoghan says culture shock and jetlag all lead to friction and tension during the race.
"There is no denying there are a huge range of emotions that come from pushing people outside their comfort zone ... when they are perched on the edge of a cliff or faced with a mind blowing challenge," the 38-year-old New Zealander said.
"Jetlag and culture shock does stimulate reactions from people that are obviously needed for creating drama.
"Many of them have never experienced these emotions before.
"They are going to a new place mentally and it does have an effect. They are not in a lap of luxury sipping pina coladas on the beach, they are working hard."
Teams compete in 13 legs around the globe. At the end each leg, the last team to arrive at the pit stop is usually eliminated.
When only three teams remain, they compete the final leg and the first team over the line wins.
Keoghan, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife Louise and 10-year-old daughter Elle, says his toughest challenge while away is missing his family.
"Yes, it is hard (to be away)," he says.
"It's getting harder and harder because my daughter is getting older and we are getting closer and closer.
"My wife and I worked and travelled together for 18 years so that has been part of our relationship and we found ways to make it work.
"When my daughter was younger and I was away she didn't notice so much. Now that she is older she does.
"When I am home it's very intense and I have a lot of time with her and we go for long trips. But, yeah, it's hard to be away."
Keoghan's star began to rise after he completed a cinematography apprenticeship.
At 19, he began presenting the New Zealand children's show Spot On.
An accomplished author and television host, Keoghan also has many other feats under his belt. He's broken a world bungee jumping record, dived in the world's longest underwater cave, eaten a meal atop an erupting volcano and renewed his wedding vows underwater.
His life is hectic, but that's how it likes it.
And losing out on hosting rival reality show Survivor to Jeff Probst was a blessing in disguise, he says.
"We were the final two people considered for Survivor and we know what happened there.
"At the time, I was really disappointed I couldn't be part of that show. Now, I can't imagine it without him (Probst).
"It's the beauty of hindsight. I believe I ended up getting the gig that is most suited to my skills.
"Prior to the Race, I had shot in 60 countries and I love being on location.
"For something like this to come along was great synergy."
The star, who has two passports – one to obtain visas for the show and the other for personal use – says travelling is still his passion.
"I don't like to go too long without travelling," he said.
Viewers can expect many colourful characters this season, including a couple of long-haired best mates, a guy who's scared of flying and a couple who have been married for more than 40 years.
Keoghan says it's the mix of personalities that make a good show, but they never look to cast a "villain".
"I love the contrast this season," he said.
"You have people who are extremely focussed and we need that.
"We need people who are giving us our material and they need a difference of opinion, some that are voting Democratic and (some who are) right-wing conservatives.
"You want an audience to pick sides, but to have somebody the audience hates is not a good thing.
"There has to be some endearing qualities (about the characters)."
The Amazing Race will screen on Seven, on Thursday March 2 at 9.30pm (AEDT).
http://entertainment.news.com.au/story/0,10221,18258207-10229,00.html
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Tuned In: 9th running of 'Amazing Race' returns show to familiar format
Friday, February 24, 2006
By Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Forgive CBS's "The Amazing Race," for it has sinned. It deviated from formula in its last outing, a U.S.-based family edition that didn't get much love from fans.
"Race" host Phil Keoghan knew penitence is what reporters and fans wanted to hear, so he came to a teleconference Wednesday with a willingness to acknowledge the show's past missteps and a mantra for the future.
"There's no denying the race is most successful when it has less faces, more places, and teams of two racing around the world," Keoghan said. And, hearing it, no doubt "Race" fans breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The ninth "Race" (9 to 11 p.m. Tuesday, KDKA) begins in the foothills overlooking Denver and will take the winning team 60,000 miles in 29 days.
"It's the most number of miles we've done in that short an amount of time," Keoghan said. "People clearly wanted the international element. They missed it. The places are as much the stars of the show as the people themselves. That was illustrated when you look at season eight. People were missing that exotic element, the fish-out-of-water element. That is a huge hook."
The 11 teams racing for the $1 million prize immediately head for foreign soil, flying out of Denver to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and along the way, nicknames for contestants quickly emerge: "Ken and Barbie," "the Frat boys," "the Hos," "Scott Peterson," "the hippies," and "the Frosties" for a team of prone-to-screaming sisters with frosted hair (they're hilarious).
Exceedingly well cast as always, some early favorites (including the Frosties) emerge in this "Race," most notably two twentysomething hippie guys from San Francisco and a sweet nerdy couple from Kansas.
"With any good story, you need the adversary, the heroes and villains," Keoghan said. "You need a good mixture to make it work."
One "Race" villain of the past, Rob Mariano, continues in the employ of CBS, hosting "Rob to the Rescue" segments for "The Early Show." Wednesday he's joined by wife Amber, formerly of Brighton, Beaver County, and the pair will "rescue" Lisa and Jason Zezza of Plum, who are in need of a baby sitter. Rob and Amber will baby-sit the kids while Lisa and Jason get a night out.
Given the antipathy so many "Race" fans felt toward Rob and Amber, it's doubtful there will be much clamoring for this next act. But those who tune in for the new "Race" next week will be gratified by the show's return to its familiar, best format.
source~
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06055/660292.stm
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I get most of the nicknames. Who would Scott Peterson be? Lake?
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one could only guess , yeah it fits Lake 's personality from what I've seen :lol:
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Take a pick:
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the picture in the middle looks just like Lake
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"The Ho's" :rotf:
I mean that was my first thought but I wouldn't call them that where they could hear me or find out.
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gosh i would have never thought of them as Ho's. double D is a much much better nickname, i think its by far the best nickname ever given to a team.
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'Amazing Race' going back to basics
By TARA MERRIN -- Calgary Sun
Less faces, more places.
That's the motto for The Amazing Race 9, says host Phil Keoghan, after last season's family edition, focusing on teams of four and set mostly in the U.S., fell flat with fans.
"It is certainly clear that the idea of bringing in teams of four and having less international locations was not as successful ...," says Keoghan.
"I'm proud of what we managed to pull together, but there is no denying the Race is most successful when it has less faces, more places."
On Tuesday, the reality adventure series returns with its original international format in which teams of two travel to exotic locations in a race around the world for a $1-million US prize.
This time around they will span five continents and stop in places such as the Middle East, Moscow and Sicily. "The reaction we got from the family version ... people clearly made a statement they wanted that international element of the show -- they missed it," says Keoghan
'FISH OUT OF WATER'
This season, the 11 teams, which include a Pizza Hut manager, a science teacher, a dentist, a valet and a retired physician, race across 97,000 km in just 29 days.
That is the longest distance travelled in the shortest amount of time throughout the show's eight cycle history, says Keoghan.
"(Last season) viewers were missing that fish-out-of-water element where people were completely and utterly dumfounded because of culture shock and language barriers.
"They missed that so that is something we have got in abundance this season. It is very exotic."
While the locations may draw fans back to the CBS series, the large range of colourful characters will keep them tuned in.
Among Keoghan's favourites are BJ and Tyler, a pair of well-travelled, long-haired hippies from California who speak several languages including Spanish and Japanese.
"It's going to be interesting to see how the audience reacts to them because they're a little goofy. It's like they are in their own movie -- they are a very fascinating team."
Older couple Fran and Barry, who have been married for 40 years and travelled to 45 countries together, also made an impression on the show's host. "Fran and Barry I love. They have an incredible amount of energy for 60-year-olds and should not be underestimated by anybody."
And then there's Lake and Michelle -- the racers most likely to be compared to dysfunctional couple Jonathan and Victoria from The Amazing Race 6.
"Lake and Michelle have a very interesting relationship. He's a dentist and she's a dental assistant," says Keoghan. "He's very much a type A personality. Very, very focused. Very, very driven and very keen to win this race."
But the strangest of the teams is definitely nerdy dating couple David and Lori, he says.
"They are both people, you'd imagine, who are an on-line geeky kind of couple," he says.
"And they are just so in love. They are kissing all the way through the first leg -- they're adorable."
After nine seasons of chasing teams around the world from pit-stop to pit-stop, Keoghan, who was CBS' second pick for host of Survivor behind Jeff Probst, says he still loves his job.
"Obviously it can be very challenging on the road, but I kind of like it," he says.
"I get myself ready, physically fit, and... I look forward to it.
"It's like I have a front row seat to a major championship."
But, while Keoghan still gets a thrill from welcoming teams to the finish mat, there is one part of his job he is less enthusiastic about -- constantly having to explain what a detour and a road block are.
"Maybe we'll put out a press release just to clarify, this is what a road block is and Phil will not be saying it any more," he laughs, adding people are constantly reciting the definitions to him.
"I was at a book signing in Chicago and this five year old kid ... said, 'Do you mind if I do a detour?' He grabbed the microphone out of my hand and started reciting a detour.
"He said, 'On this detour, teams must chose between buy Phil's book or not buy Phil's book.' I just laughed so hard because obviously we've implanted this into people's heads."
The premiere of The Amazing Race 9, in which teams race and complete challenges from Denver to Brazil, airs Tuesday on CTV at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on CBS.
link (http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/A/Amazing_Race_9/2006/02/26/1462965.html)
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They are kissing all the way through the first leg -- they're adorable
Not the second or third or fourth leg? Hmmm...
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pretty much what is posted above in Phil's teleconference but with Jonathans 2 cents fwiw ~
Amazing Race All-Stars Edition, Phil Keoghan Doesn’t Think It Would Be Successful
http://www.realitytvmagazine.com/blog/2006/02/amazing_race_al.html
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(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/20060226_075712_AE27_r.jpg)
Ready...Set...Amaze!
"Race 9" kicks off in Denver with hopes of revving up the international thrills missing last year
By Joanne Ostrow
Phil Keoghan wears a makeup bib around his neck as he strolls the upper reaches of Red Rocks Amphitheatre. A stylist fusses with his perfect hair as vans carrying 11 teams approach the foothills outside of Denver for "Amazing Race 9."
It's a sunny December morning, and the 30-day shoot for the program's 13-week run is about to begin. Sporting a gray turtleneck sweater, black boots and jeans, Keoghan affects the studied-casual look.
The crew has spent a solid hour arranging 22 backpacks in a semicircle, rearranging them into a line, then at an angle, in front of the Visitor Center. A battalion of 25 cameras, including one mounted on the nose of a helicopter, stands by to document this start.
With the teams arranged before him on the steps of the renowned concert venue, Keoghan revs up the contestants. "In just a few minutes you'll be leaving on a race around the world," he says.
OK, so it's not Ike and the paratroopers on the eve of D-Day. But CBS's "Amazing Race" remains the thinking-person's reality TV show. Teams race around the world - bickering across 60,000 miles in 30 days - pursuing a $1 million prize. A Silverthorne couple is among the contestants drawing on offbeat skills to surmount oddball challenges.
The show begins a new globe-trotting season with a two-hour debut, Tuesday at 8 p.m. on KCNC-Channel 4. The show moves to what will be its regular 9 p.m. Tuesday slot on March 7. Fans hope "Amazing Race 9" will return to its former glory after last season's disappointing family edition.
As the taping begins, what impresses an onlooker most is the production's rehearsed spontaneity. Keoghan will give his "Are you ready?" speech seven times, the teams yelling excitedly on cue each time, before capturing a suitable take.
"Phil will make every time like the first time," director Evan Weinstein says admiringly.
Roundly booed for the mostly domestic travel last time, "Race" this season again embraces an international format with a cross-section of mostly unrelated couples.
"It's easier to critique than to create," Keoghan says in defense. "I admire CBS for trying the family version."
Executive producer Bertram van Munster explained the family edition this way: "CBS made the decision. Les (Moonves, CBS's boss) wanted to broaden the (demographics)."
Keoghan is just back from a month snowboarding in his native New Zealand. He also toured 10 cities in two weeks promoting his book, "No Opportunity Wasted." (He also wrote the preface to "52 Reasons to Have a Passport.") His daughter is now 9. "I'll retire when she's 16 and gets a Nike golf contract," he says jokingly.
Checking himself, he rephrases: "Our show has the world to choose from - you could do 100 shows and keep it fresh every time. I could be doing this as a senior citizen."
At 60,000 miles, this route is one of the series' longest. (You can circumnavigate the globe in just shy of 25,000 miles, and that's on the equatorial route.)
"It's like turning a battleship around," van Munster says of his 200-person staff. More than 2,000 personnel are involved
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/20060226_075746_AE27_race2.jpg)
A CBS videographer captures a team embarking from DIA for "Amazing Race 9," which debuts at 8 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 4. A Silverthorne couple is among the contestants. (Post / Glenn Asakawa)
http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_3546897#
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Oh phew, thianks for posting that. I almost forgot the AR9 was on tomorrow night.
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Race's edge returns with ninth season
By HEATHER SVOKOSSTAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER
If you think that watching a bunch of people running to catch an airport shuttle wouldn't make for riveting TV, you've never seen The Amazing Race. And that's what's so darn amazing about it: Thanks to the show's brilliant pacing and editing, something as mundane as jockeying for airline flights can morph into a heart-thumping showdown.
That's just one reason that The Amazing Race -- which sends 11 teams of two in a breathless race around the globe for $1 million smackers -- is arguably the best reality show on TV.
Except. For. Last. Season.
But before I bludgeon the recent Amazing Race: The Family Edition, let me say this about the two-hour premiere of season nine, which airs tomorrow: The show is back to its stellar self, doing what it does best: raising our hackles and our heart rates.
That's because the show has gotten back to its tried-and-true format: teams of two people in an existing relationship -- sisters, lifelong friends, mother-daughter, husband-wife, boyfriend-girlfriend -- sent scrambling around the world.
Last season's family-of-four setup was publicly acknowledged by CBS as a failed experiment. As it turns out, it wasn't so fun watching families implode, kids cry, or a mother being verbally abused by her sons, even if she was a grating loudmouth. Because there were four people to a team -- and several children among them -- it limited the show's mobility. Barely any of the race took place outside of the United States. So instead of breathtaking panoramic views of Malaysia and Borneo, instead of bungee-jumping and gliding across Victoria Falls in South Africa, we had to trudge along with the families as they made their way to Anniston, Ala., to locate the world's largest . . . office chair.
Or take a George Washington-style trek across the Delaware, where the goal was to participate in a flag-folding ceremony. (Quick, what's the opposite of adrenaline?)
Thank goodness for season nine.
Teams start from the Red Rocks Amphitheater near Denver, Colo., and race off to their first destination: Sao Paolo, Brazil. The tension kicks in from the get-go, as they all race to catch the earliest flight. As viewers, our blood pressure rises and falls with each mini-drama. For instance, when one team walks by the clue box on a bridge, missing it approximately 19 times, we scream at them through our TV sets: "It's right there!!! You're walking past it! AGAIN!!"
Part of the fun of The Amazing Race has always been watching the dynamics of a pre-existing relationship and how it holds up (or doesn't) under the pressure of the competition..
Just as MTV's The Real World does, the Race tends to cast stock types, so you'll recognize a lot of them: the obligatory pink-clad hottie bubbleheads (childhood friends Dani and Danielle); the feisty retirees (Barry and Fran); the cool-headed African-American couple (Yolanda and Ray); the freakishly fit, would-be Abercrombie models (Jeremy and Eric).
Some of the rest of the cast don't fit the archetypes quite so neatly. Among them:
The Hippies. You'll either love or hate BJ & Tyler, two free-spirited best friends. With their beards, unkempt hair, red pants and kooky vintage shirts, they seem to have either escaped The Spin Doctors, or from a high school prom, circa 1975.
The Frosties. Joni and Lisa are sisters from Houston. They both have short shocks of frosted blond hair, upon which tiaras have occasionally sat. They know their way around a BeDazzler, and because of their 6-foot height, call themselves The Glamazonians. Their daffiness and their colorful expressions make them alternately fun and irritating to watch. Either way, I fear for their longevity: Early on, one sis says to the other: "Slow and steady wins the race." Um, reality check on Aisle 5?
The show wastes no time establishing this season's breakout villain: it's Lake Garner, a 37-year-old dentist from Hattiesburg, Miss. (think Gary Oldman with a Southern accent). His partner is his submissive wife, Michelle.
Lake is an amalgam of Amazing Race antagonists: Not only does he mistreat his wife ("Shut the [expletive] up!" he kindly offers), he's also poised to be an ugly American and has already raised a few racial red flags ("Michelle, you better run! That black girl'll outrun you!").
Just waiting for his comeuppance, our heart flutters. And when it happens -- no matter how big or small -- we lick our chops, and we thank karma, and CBS, for restoring our faith in the Race. :groan:
link~
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/entertainment/13972765.htm
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OMG from tv guide :lol: , Jeremy & Eric in Russia!!
Eric and Jeremy
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/EricandJeremy.jpg)
Joseph on THE AMAZING RACE 9 ( where is this ?)
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/JosephonTHEAMAZINGRACE.jpg)
Teammates Dani and Danielle
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/TeammatesDaniandDanielle.jpg)
Lake and Barry
we know this is Fran , not Barry ~
Loudmouth Lake, who is from Mississippi, and retiree Fran, of Colorado, make their way down the side of a mountain in the upcoming ninth season of The Amazing Race.
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/LakeandBarry.jpg)
Teams of the Amazing Race
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/TeamsoftheAmazingRace.jpg)
AGAIN they forget about Wanda & Desiree!!
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/misc/puddin2-27-20060000.jpg)
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STOP POSTING THESE PICTURES, I'M ALREADY EXCITED ENOUGH. :jumpy: :bliss:
CAN'T WAIT, CAN'T WAIT! :bliss: :piano:
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Question: I have two unrelated questions, so I'll (try to) be brief: Seeing the promos for The Amazing Race 9 (are you as excited as I am?), I wonder if they have ever considered trying it with teams who don't know each other beforehand. I realize they're probably a little gun-shy about experimenting with format after the last race, but I think it might be fun to see strangers working together. My other question is about Scrubs: I read that there has never really been a truly successful sitcom set in a hospital. Leaving aside M*A*S*H (which is kind of a special case), I can't think of any. Can you? Could it be that Scrubs is a historical first? — Staley
Matt Roush: Wow, those are unrelated. But I'm leading with this because (drumroll) I've just seen this week's two-hour opener of The Amazing Race 9, and I'm happy to say: The show we loved is back, as good if not better than ever. Put thoughts of Rob & Amber and the misbegotten family edition out of your mind. The teams are colorful and well chosen. You'll love some, a few will make you cringe, and this is already shaping up to be one of those seasons where you'll be sorry to see most of these teams go. Plus it takes no time for them to leave the U.S. and go someplace exotic (São Paulo, Brazil), and the tension never lets up. I was yelling at the TV whenever the players made mistakes, didn't follow the instructions, got lost, got in a slow cab, etc. So great to have it back. End of commercial, now to the question. Simply put, no to shaking up the format and forming teams of strangers. One of the greatest assets of Race is how it tests and in most cases strengthens friendships, relationships, marriages, and parental and sibling bonds by putting these couples through the stress of competitive travel while sharing the marvels of a worldwide adventure. Pairing strangers for the race would rob the show of one of its most enduring hooks. And as you said, Race is no doubt wary about messing with its formula after the "family" debacle.
http://www.tvguide.com/TV/Roush/AskMatt/
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Oddly enough, I have wondered several times how the show would work if you had complete strangers working together. I think that would have been a neater thing to try rather than whole families.
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OMG from tv guide , Jeremy & Eric in Russia
Took me awhile, but Jeremy and Eric are actually outside of Red Square at the foot of Bol Moskvoretskiy Most with the Kremlin's Saviour's Tower in the background on the left, and St. Basil's Cathedral on the right. Red Square lies behind St. Basil's. Looks like they are reading a clue and counting money, so it probably is the start of the next day following a pit stop in Moscow. Point of pit stop is probably St. Basil's Cathedral which is behind them, and since photographing in Red Square is very restricted they probably put the clue box outside in the square next to the Hotel Moscow (good place to spend the night!). Looks like dawn is just breaking and being November is probably around 6:30AM which would mean that they arrived at the pit stop around 6:30PM the night before. Things to keep in mind when the ep finally takes us to Moscow and for sure we know that Jeremy and Eric last until then (or it is one hellva decoy being fested upon us!!)
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found something ~
The Amazing Race: Insider Secrets
Amazing Race host Phil Keoghan shares an inside look at this season of the popular reality show, which airs Tuesday at 9 p.m
video
http://www.wbns10tv.com/global/category.asp?c=51378
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heres another Phil interview video link ~
http://cbs4denver.com/entertainment
I like how the interviewer calls Phil out on Denver being the starting location "Well, we've seen pictures "
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another Phil interview with video ~
http://kutv.com/video/?id=13434@kutv.dayport.com
(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0003.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0004.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0005.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0006.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0007.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0008.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0009.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0010.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0011.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0012.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0013.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0014.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0015.jpg)(http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b105/rawalsh/TAR9_Newpromo/new%20pictures/rff0016.jpg)
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im hating fran and barry even more :lol:
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another Phil interview ~
http://kyw.com/video/?id=23188@kyw.dayport.com
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Prime Time
(B)race Yourselves...
As THE AMAZING RACE prepared to kick off it’s ninth sojourn around the world, Weekly spoke with host Phil Keoghan and co-creator/executive producer Bertram Van Munster, who give candid assessments about last year’s controversial “Family Edition,” (including why everyone hated the Weavers) and preview what fans can expect in the next RACE.
By Robert Schork
Phil Keoghan
—CBS
Soap Opera Weekly: Even though the “Family Edition” wasn’t the success you had hoped for, our hats are off to you for trying something different.
Bertram Van Munster: It sounded better on paper then it was in reality, I guess. It sounded like it could make sense. It’s very difficult to tell the story of forty people in forty-two minutes. Everybody gets less then a minute.
Phil Keoghan: In a way, we had to do something different. We had to try something different. Otherwise we would have been accused of just doing the same old thing over and over again. So we tried it. I think ultimately, we underestimated one of the major draws of the show. Even though we did provide great people, that wasn’t enough for them. They want to feel that they’ve gone somewhere very exotic that they wouldn’t necessarily go themselves but were still interested in seeing. And they want to see people like them go to those places. I feel that if there’s anything positive to come out of what we did with the Family Edition, it’s that we’ll get people who found the show for the very first time because it said “family.” I think we’re going to get them plus all the other people coming back. I actually predict that we’ll have the best ratings we’ve ever had.
Weekly: So what’s in store for the new RACE?
Van Munster: I am really, really psyched about it. The results look amazing. In a reality show, you can cast them, you can get all this stuff and you can dig as deep as you want, but they can blindside you, or they can come out 10 times better than you expected. And I think we got some real good characters. The challenges are really original and are pretty hardcore. The cast is so good that I said, “Whoever gets eliminated, it doesn’t matter, because we’ll still end up with great [finalists].” Because sometimes you think “Oh God, if these guys get eliminated, I am ending up with some weakness here and there.” I never want anyone eliminated because we always put so much time in getting them in the first place that I’m always very sad when they go, but in this case whenever someone gets eliminated, it won’t damage the quality of the show, because the entire cast is marvelous.
Phil Keoghan: Well, people always ask, “What makes this season different from all the other seasons?” The show is the same, the format is the same, the premise is the same — what makes it different is the people. You really don’t know what you’re going to get until you roll the dice. Even though you’re holding the cards in your hand, you don’t know how they’re going to play out. You just do not know. People are going to audition and you see certain things in them that you think are telegenic and are going to make great story and for great television, but it’s really not until you play those cards in this race that you get a clear idea what this is going to be like. There’s a huge amount of change that occurs. As much as everything is planned and locked down as much as possible, there’s also a gamble out there. “Is this team going to play out the way that they say they’re going to play out?” “Is there really an issue going on between this person and that person?” There’s a tremendous amount of excitement in that because it is so unpredictable.
Weekly: In the last adult race, some players, like Rob in particular, played by the rules but found ways to turn the race on its ear a little bit. Have you done anything to prepare for that this time, or don’t you mind if that happens?
Van Munster: No, we did not. Rob played a great game, no question about it. But there were times where he started to combine SURVIVOR with THE AMAZING RACE (laughs). And I said, “Dude, if you’re gonna do that, then you’re gonna lose the race.” But he played very, very well. Rob and Amber were just absolutely fantastic for the race, there’s no question about it. They were very, very shrewd and very gung-ho.
Weekly: In the last race we saw the Weavers become ostracized from the rest of the teams. That’s the first time we’ve ever seen such negativity felt towards a team by the others. Do you experience any of that again in this race?
Phil Keoghan: Not in quite the same way. That was a pretty out-of-the-ordinary situation. Again, not something we anticipated, quite frankly. We didn’t see that coming. I was very surprised by that. When I felt they had knocked the wind out of their sails and they just didn’t wanna go on, I made a point of talking to them and saying, “Hey guys, wake up. This is a great opportunity, don’t throw this away.” I get so many e-mails from people who are so desperate and so keen to be on the show and you wish that you could give everybody a chance, but of course you can’t. So if I feel like any team is not fully appreciative of or not completely committed to being in the race, then I feel like I have to say something. Like, “Hey, are you fully aware of the opportunity that you have here? Don’t waste it. Go for it.”
Van Munster: It was very bizarre with the Weavers, because I couldn’t really see why, but the [other teams] wanted to just push them out of the game. They were always on the s--- list with everyone, and I could never figure out why because they tried to play fair. It was very, very interesting. Do we have people trying to do similar things this time? Absolutely. They are absolutely going after one another. They’re all in it to win it.
Weekly: And so are you, from the sound of things.
Van Munster: Well we put our heart and soul into this race, I can assure you that. I wanna get the old RACE back and I want all of you to be howling in the living room. I want you to be exhausted at the end of every episode from just looking at it (laughs).
source~
http://www.soapoperadigest.com/features/primetime/amazingrace9/index.html
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Thanks for the videos Puddin. I guess pickups are the entry vehicles for this season (you couldn't ride like that in CA, you'd get a ticket).
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Yeah Slowhatch pickups , funny the one article posted "Vans "
anyway Phils Diary from TV guide is now on-line ..it looks word for word the same as the hardcopy article ~
5:00 pm
Finally, everyone starts showing up to meet me at the first pit stop.
http://www.tvguide.com/News/Insider/
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USA Today~
What to watch Tuesday night
We're off — and we're off to Brazil! That's just the start of the great news at The Amazing Race (CBS, tonight, 9 ET/PT), which bursts out of the gate with a two-hour special that blows away any lingering cobwebs from the fall's family-edition disaster. This is Race as fans want it: two-member teams traveling around the world (60,000 miles in 30 days, we're promised), jetting to exotic destinations and negotiating their way through clashing cultures. Tonight, that includes learning that getting around São Paulo is no samba in the park.
Even the casting seems to be improved over the past few races. Granted, our impressions of the players often change as the game wears on, but initially at least, none of the teams hits the can't-stand-'em annoyance level that many of the families reached on first exposure. And there are already two teams that make an instant claim on your affection, The Freaks and The Geeks. ("We kissed in a helicopter over São Paulo," the self-titled nerds announce. "We'll remember that forever.")
In one two-hour package, you get travel, adventure, surprise and an important life lesson: Never try to build a motorcycle under pressure if you've never done it before. Odds are most of you already knew that. But some of the racers don't, which is yet another reason Race is TV's best reality show, bar none. On your marks, get set, go!
link~
http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/criticscorner/2006-02-27-critics-corner_x.htm
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Globe Through 'Race'-Colored Glasses
NEW YORK, Feb. 28, 2006
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan (CBS)
(CBS) It's back to the future for the Emmy-winning reality adventure series "The Amazing Race" as it returns for its ninth season Tuesday night.
Back is the show's international format, with eleven teams of two traveling to exotic locations in five continents, and stops in the Middle East, Moscow and Sicily, among many others.
Contestants include a Pizza Hut manager, dentist, science teacher, children's minister, retired physician and valet. They'll compete against one another in a race around the world for the $1 million first prize.
As usual, Phil Keoghan is the host, and he looks ahead with co-anchor Harry Smith on The Early Show Tuesday.
Season nine also features a contest in which viewers can win trips to the locales seen on the show each week.
The race begins in Denver, and the teams quickly jet off to their first destination, Sao Paulo, Brazil where, upon landing, they must venture deep into the heart of the city to find their next clue at the Hotel Unique.
Almost immediately, teams make their way by foot to a pedestrian footbridge overlooking a highway. One team struggles to locate the clue box, while other teams seem to find it with ease.
At the bridge, teams are faced with their first detour and must choose between finding a local motorcycle shop, where they will have to assemble a motorcycle from scratch, or soaring high above the city in a helicopter to try to locate a building where they'll find their next clue.
Keoghan tells Smith producers always intended to revert to teams of two, from the families as teams featured in the show's eighth edition. Clearly, he says, audiences prefer teams of two and fewer people and more exotic locales or, as Keoghan likes to say, "Less face, more places."
"I think the locations themselves are sometimes the bigger star then perhaps we realized," Keoghan observes.
Season nine, he says, has more miles in a shorter amount of time than ever seen on "Race" before.
"What we are able to do is give the audience a different perspective on the world then what they are being fed though the news every night, the message of wars, riots, and that it's unsafe to leave America. We are putting a positive spin on the world," Keoghan asserts.
Asked what some of the attributes are that winning teams have had over the course of the years, Keoghan says he doesn't really have an answer but, "Of course, intelligence, common sense, and being athletic doesn't hurt."
What about some of the biggest mistakes? "Not reading clues all the way through has got to be the worst," Keoghan responds. Also, giving up before it's over, and going too fast. Keoghan says teams need to slow down and think things through properly.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/28/earlyshow/series/amazingrace/main1352171.shtml
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Sorry guys, moved to the Spoilers/Rumours thread.
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Nice match Neobie :)
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'Amazing Race 9' kicks off
It's on your mark for the 9th edition of Amazing Race -- and it's all-American
By BILL BRIOUX -- Toronto Sun
Tonight's latest edition of The Amazing Race features hippies, 'hos and homos -- but still no Hosers.
After last fall's soft and fuzzy Family Edition flopped, tonight's latest Race features the most stereotypical pairings ever. It opens with a two-hour premiere starting at 9 p.m. on CTV and CBS.
But despite being bombarded with requests from Canadians dying to compete, no north of the border players are in tonight's quest for the million-dollar prize.
Host Phil Keoghan, who spoke with critics on a conference call last week, says CBS is not about to open the show up to international contestants. Reality shows are a lot like the Olympics where TV is concerned, he suggested. "Most people like to watch themselves rather than people from other countries."
In any event, CBS is probably loath to experiment with this series again so soon after the Family Edition flop. All-Star or International Races are likely back burnered for now.
The solution for frustrated Canadian Racers? "Go to CTV and ask them to make their own version," Keoghan suggests.
The 38-year-old New Zealander knows the series is twice as popular, proportionally, in Canada as it is in the U.S. On a recent visit to Toronto, he tried to hide out in the Air Canada lounge, back to the door and nose in a notebook, and still he was mobbed by Canucks. "No exaggeration, I must get 20 e-mails a week from Canadians saying, 'When are you going to let Canadians play on The Amazing Race?'" he told the Sun last month in Pasadena on the network press tour.
Keoghan admitted that the Family Edition was less than a success. "Race is all about faces and places," he said. "We had too many faces and not enough places." Starting the show by saying, "Teams must now travel 8,000 miles to South Africa," is always going to beat saying, "Teams must now travel eight blocks."
This time, the 11 new two-member teams needed their passports. This ninth edition of The Amazing Race travels 60,000 miles with stops in Moscow, Sicily and the Middle East.
As for talk of an All Star edition, Keoghan said don't hold your breath. Survivor really didn't get any kind of a boost when they did it, he said. He also thinks people change once they've been on one series. "They have a chance to reflect on the way they're depicted and the way people react to them," he said. "I don't think they are the same people any more."
TEAMS ARE A REAL TRIP
Remember the last Amazing Race, the "Family Edition," where four member teams basically drove around Mississauga in minivans?
Host Phil Keoghan admits that sucker had too many faces, not enough places. Ratings slumped, especially in the U.S., so the two-member, 'round the world race is back on with a vengeance this time.
Tonight, teams jet from Colorado to Brazil on the first leg of the 60,000 mile journey. To make things ridiculously easy to follow, the producers have cast this edition with the most obvious stereotypes imaginable. Within minutes, they're even calling themselves "the gay team" or "the hippie team." You'll swear it's all been wardrobed and scripted. Here they are:
THE PERFECTS
Lake and Michelle, married parents and too good to be true Southern professionals (he's a know-it-all dentist, she's his assistant).
TEAM 'HO
Danielle and Dani, roller skating skanks from Stanton Island, N.Y. "We love boys!" they declare as the prance around in hot pink suits.
TEAM HIPPIE
B.J. and Tyler, Frisco friends with Cheech and Chong charm. "Dude," says one after a chopper ride, "is this not the most James Bond thing you've ever done?"
THE BLACK TEAM
Ray and Yolanda, a lawyer and a teacher who have been dating long distance for five years. "I'm from the 'hood," Ray declares, adding he had to go to law school to "feel empowered."
THE GAY TEAM
John and Scott, lifelong friends from Massachusetts with one big handicap -- John's fear of flying. "My father called him his tallest daughter," said Scott.
KEN AND BARBIE
Monica and Joseph, incredibly fit Southern daters from Arkansas who water ski together like Sea World pros. A.k.a. "Team Mo-Jo."
THE DUDES
Eric and Jeremy, well-waxed beach bums from Florida where one's a bartender and the other a valet. "We would like to be millionaires," says one, "but we don't want to work for it."
THE FROSTIES
Lisa and Joni, two cougars from Texas shown wearing tiaras and leg wrestling each other in the opener. A.k.a. "The Glamazons" (both are 6-feet tall).
THE FOGGIES
Fran and Barry, Colorado grandparents married 40 years. Barry insists he's no kindly granddad, too competitive.
THE GILMORE GIRLS
Wanda and Desiree, a mother/daughter team with Puerto Rican roots who insist they're going to "salsa our way to the pit stop." A.k.a. Team Boricua (Team Puerto Rican).
TEAM NERD
Dave and Lori from Kansas, two made-for-each-other nerds nicknamed "The Einsteins" by the mother/daughter team.
http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/2006/02/28/1465689.html
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Why Host Phil Keoghan Would Never Run 'The Amazing Race'
Feb. 28 -- Phil Keoghan has been traveling around the world, doing crazy stunts all his life. On his "done" list are: holding the unofficial world record for bungee jumping, staying at a nudist resort, skiing behind a reindeer, sleeping in an ice hotel, swimming across the Bosphorus strait and eating dinner on top of an erupting volcano.
But there's one thing the 'Amazing Race' host would never do: Go on the show himself.
In an interview with AOL Television editor Kelly Woo, Keoghan reveals why not. He also gives us the early word on the upcoming ninth season, his view of reality TV villains, and lots more.
What can you tell us about the new season of 'Race'?
We're back to teams of two, by popular demand. We have less faces than we did in season 8 -- less faces and more places. I really feel excited about season nine. We have some really good teams.
How does the show continue to stay fresh in its ninth year? Will there be any changes to the rules or the format?
What always keeps the show fresh is the fact that we're always going to new places. In terms of changing things, there's no point in changing something that's obviously growing.
Ratings-wise, the show is doing very well now. The first four seasons, it always felt like it was on the edge of cancellation.
Winning the first Emmy definitely peaked people's interest. When you get an award like that and you're up against the best of the best, like 'Survivor' and 'American Idol,' people go, "Well, hold on, what's this show?" I had a lot of people stop me during season 8, saying "I had no idea about 'Amazing Race' until the family version. People are telling me the other version is better, so then I went and watched it on cable. Now I can't wait for it to come back!"
The family edition, however, wasn't a big hit with fans. Why do think that was the case?
I think it proved that while fans love having new people every season, one of the big draws of the show is the places. ['Family Edition' took place in the U.S.] A successful race seems to be a combination of faces and places. More faces, obviously, does not make up for less places.
Will the show ever do an all-stars edition?
I don't know. If you look at the history of having all-stars in any of the other reality shows, they don't do any better than having fresh faces. It's also a very different show. Once people have had a chance to see themselves on television, they're not the same people that went out there the first time. You can't have people come back and capture that freshness and that wide-eyed enthusiasm; they're just more jaded.
If there was an all-stars edition, who would you like to see come back?
I would love to see the fans vote for who they wanted to see come back. Put all the teams up and essentially have a popularity contest.
Do you play favorites with the racers?
You can't help but feel more empathy, feel more of a connection with some teams -- if only because you know they make for great television. Ultimately, the teams I want to see on the show are not necessarily the ones I like the most. Perfect people are not going to make for a perfect show. You need some contrast, you need some opposites.
Is there a particular racing duo you really rooted for?
I can tell you one of my favorite 'Race' moments, which would have to be season five, with Charla and Mirna when they were carrying the piece of meat. It's one of the single most entertaining moments of reality television I've seen.
Some racers have claimed that the editing made them appear more villainous than they actually were. Would you agree or disagree?
I don't agree that editing changes a person's personality. People are what they are. What editing does do is condense all the good and condense all the bad. If there is erratic behavior, that erratic behavior cannot be generated in editing. One of the things I say to the teams is take responsibility for your actions. Don't pretend that what you did in front of the camera did not happen.
Right, like when Jonathan pushes Victoria in season six....
He's probably the one who has said more about that than anybody. I also know him to be, since the race, I've seen him in different lights as well. But if the teams have put themselves in front of the microscope, they have to expect to be examined. I would not do it. I wouldn't go on the 'Race.' I don't want to be examined.
You wouldn't go on 'Amazing Race'?
I don't want to be examined by millions. If it was just an adventure, that would be very different. I admire them all for putting themselves out there. I wouldn't do it. I like to watch on the sidelines. At the same time I say that, I feel like we're giving them an incredible opportunity.
What do you think are the ingredients for a good 'Race' villain?Our show has never been about having villains in the same way other reality shows have had villains, where there have been people I would define as vicious. I don't think we've ever had anyone on the show who's been outright nasty. We're definitely picking people who are Type A, amped up, competitive, sometimes extremely focused and determined. Worthy adversaries, as I would call them.
Some fans did not like Rob and Amber from season seven, because they'd already won a lot of money on 'Survivor.' How did you feel about including them?
I loved that they were in the race. We really wanted to get some more attention for the show, we knew they had a huge following with 'Survivor' fans and we knew there were a lot of 'Survivor' fans who had never sampled 'Amazing Race.' That said, it's important to remember, they came to the show. We didn't go to them. Having them on the show had a big impact on the ratings. If we're not looking for ways to grow the audience, we run the risk of getting pushed aside by something else.
So, do you ever get sick of traveling?
No, actually. I really like it.
Do you have a favorite location from over the years?
Obviously, I'm biased towards New Zealand, because I'm from there.. [Also,] India because it's such culture shock for the teams. And then my favorite places after that would be anywhere I haven't been before. Prior to 'Amazing Race' I had worked in 60 countries so it wasn't like I wasn't well traveled. Going back to a place like Thailand or Malaysia is always exciting, but it's not nearly as exciting as going somewhere I personally haven't been.
Any travel tips?
I'm a firm believer in doing lots of research. I think the journey really starts before you go.
link~
http://television.aol.com/news/tv_tattler_celebrity_interviews/phil_keoghan?ncid=AOLETV00150000000001
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more on Lake~
TV -- Reality brutality
By DERRICK LANG, Associated Press (ASAP)
© February 28, 2006
NEW YORK (AP) _ When it comes to reality TV, winning ain't everything. It's really all about malevolently garnering the most screen time.
Nobody does that better than the bad guys and gals who make television's guiltiest pleasures, well, guilty. After sneaking a peek at reality TV's latest offerings, asap selected four fiends who could be the next Johnny Fairplay, of ''Survivor'' infamy. Gauge their evil with our Omarosa-o-Meter.
Lake Garner, CBS' ''The Amazing Race'' (premieres Feb. 28)
AGE: 37
OCCUPATION: Dentist
WHY YOU'LL LOVE TO HATE HIM: This Mississippian and his wife Michelle are the latest in ''The Amazing Race'' tradition of a mouthy-man-and-the-woman-who-loves-him team (see: ''dating couple'' Colin Guinn and Christie Woods in season five and ''married entrepreneurs'' Jonathan Baker and Victoria Fuller in season six.) But unlike his predecessors, Garner delivers his spite with a Southern twang. Dagumit!
http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=100331&ran=130491
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another Phil video interview, not bad .
http://www.tampabays10.com/aroundthebay/aroundthebay_article.aspx?storyid=26541
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this belongs here~
ok i signed up for a trial ,I had to see for myself :lol:~
Saving 'Race'
Why ''The Amazing Race'' should go on -- Lynette Rice lists five reasons the CBS reality show shouldn't be laid to rest just yet by Lynette Rice
No sense sugarcoating matters: The Amazing Race: Family Edition was a big-time suckfest! As much as we've always loved the Race, we're not quite ready to forgive and forget, so we insisted that executive producer Bertram van Munster and host Phil Keoghan give us five good reasons to tune in again when CBS' Amazing Race 9 debuts on Feb. 28 at 9 p.m. Ready, set, go!
1 NO MORE ANNOYING KIDS! The biggest problem with Family Edition was the sheer number of people on the screen. Of course, now van Munster admits that telling a story about 40 family members in 43 minutes probably wasn't the best idea (ya think?). ''Would we do that again? Probably not,'' he says. ''It looked better on paper.'' (No, it didn't.) ''People prefer a format with fewer faces and more places,'' adds Keoghan. ''This show is best when it allows ordinary people to go to extraordinary places, and when it allows the viewing public to live vicariously through the teams.'' Which means the next installment will have...
2 DYNAMIC DUOS! Rageaholic Jonathan and his masochistic wife Victoria from season 6 set the standard for scary intensity, but Keoghan hints AR9's uptight dentist Lake (teamed with his dental assistant/wife Michelle) might not be too far behind. There are also two 60-something jet-setters named Fran and Barry, and a couple of gut-busting, book-smart hippies named BJ and Tyler, who apparently love ''good times.'' (We're high on that!)
3 PHIL HAS A CRUSH! The normally stoic Keoghan has a special place in his heart for one pair, former track star Yolanda and attorney Ray. Actually, it's more like he has a special place in his heart for Yolanda's legs. ''The best...ever,'' swoons Keoghan. ''I mean, they're powerhouses. Toned, athletically pleasing. It's like, she comes to the Pit Stop in slo-mo, it's so distracting, it's...'' Okay, okay, Phil...we get it.
4 NEW, EXOTIC LOCALES! This edition makes first-ever stops in Moscow, Sicily, and Oman, which is ''one of the cleanest places in the world — like Singapore,'' says Keoghan. ''All anybody hears about the Middle East is negative. This proves to be a real eye-opener.''
5 MORE AGITA-INDUCING CHALLENGES! Not only will the teams have to cover more miles in fewer days (''Trust me, it gets really hard on the contestants,'' promises van Munster), they'll have to partake in some just plain cruel challenges: A roadblock in Brazil will require them to rappel down a 500-foot building, while in Russia, they'll have to jump off a 10-meter high dive in the dead of winter to retrieve a clue at the bottom of a pool. Of course, that's nothing compared with the challenge in Brazil where they'll have to turn sugarcane into fuel to operate their automobiles. Exclaims van Munster: ''Viewers will want to turn the TV off because they won't be able to take the tension anymore!'' Turning off TVs! That's exactly what CBS wants.
(Posted:02/24/06)
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Chip and Kim break down the TAR9 teams :hearts:
http://www.chipandkim.tv/
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Somebody's already doing a mashup (http://www.jaunted.com/maps/Amazing-Race) of TAR9; some of the links and pushpins are a bit off, but it's a good start.
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@ http://www.tvguide.com/default , you can watch a video interview of Phil .
Phil smells like LEATHER :jumpy:
top left corner ~
(http://i2.[banned image hosting site].com/qo877l.jpg)
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Saw this when it originally ran last Sunday on the TV Guide Channel. Phil doesn't reveal anything new, in fact, he sticks to the script, repeating the mantra, "...less faces, more places...". All in all a forgettable spot, thanks to the dippy co-hosts. I do find those two flakes sooooo annoying!
:gaah:
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Yeah but for us Phil fans ........to CUTE :hearts:
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Blinkx video search ...
pretty cool
http://searchus.blinkx.com/tv/search.do?query=amazing+race&bias=10&filter=true
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A moment with ... Phil Keoghan, TV host
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/261885_moment07.html?source=rss
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Bill (from TAR1 Team Guido) says the following in his CBS Return of the Racers blog:
We are back for another season of the best reality show on Television. Don't listen to us, it is what fans tell us all the time...we have heard it from stars like Sarah Jessica Parker!
Wow, Sarah Jessica Parker is a TAR fan. :jam:
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Cool Boingo !!
thanks to yikes @ tarflies
a radio interview with Phil
http://s57.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2WAPBN6BJZKCO339C2WW4IJCU5
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From the Hattiesburg Newspaper:
Garners off to good start in race
By Steven Godfrey
Every Wednesday the Hattiesburg American will update the progress of local couple Lake and Michelle Garner in their quest to win $1 million on this season of CBS' "The Amazing Race." Discuss their progress in our forums, www.hattiesburgamerican.com.
Week One: "Dag-Nabit"
Locations: Denver, Colo., and Sao Paulo, Brazil
The Missions: In the two-hour debut, the teams had to scale the Red Rocks amphitheater, drive through Denver, catch a plane and then scour Brazil's biggest city on a variety of missions, including helicopter rides and a mad dash through a soccer stadium.
Garners Good: Right off the bat Lake and Michelle entered the race in third (out of eleven) teams, and the very aggressive Lake completed a motorcycle assembly faster than anyone else. The uber-dentist even had time to spare to give instructions to another team.
Garners Bad: A misread of rules for booking flight plans caused the Garners to drop to last place momentarily. Lake also emerged as the go-getter of the cast, and his swearing digressed from a "dag-nabit" early to an F-bomb later. Also, a competing team referred to Lake as "Scott Peterson." Ouch...
Garner's Standing: After the debut leg of the race, Lake and Michelle are in fifth place. Volleyball bums Eric and Jeremy took the lead, and the annoying John and Phil got tossed.
Prognosis: Looking solid early, but can the Garners keep it together? And will Lake calm down?
Originally published March 1, 2006
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Bill (from TAR1 Team Guido) says the following in his CBS Return of the Racers blog:
We are back for another season of the best reality show on Television. Don't listen to us, it is what fans tell us all the time...we have heard it from stars like Sarah Jessica Parker!
Wow, Sarah Jessica Parker is a TAR fan. :jam:
Yes she is actually creditted as a BIG CONTRIBUTER of not haveing the show cancelled after the forth and third seasons
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Realitymix
Lynn & Alex at the TAR9 premiere party ( watch now )
slide the ruler about 3/4 way down
" if you didn't like last season because it was filled with America , cows and trailer trash " ...." and we're not talking about the Weaver mom ? " : :giggle:
http://www.realityremix.tv/
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Wow, Sarah Jessica Parker is a TAR fan. :jam:
Yes she is actually creditted as a BIG CONTRIBUTER of not haveing the show cancelled after the forth and third seasons
Cool. I found a reference to that in Wikipedia. I also found this map of places TAR has been (not including the current season).
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Realitymix
Lynn & Alex at the TAR9 premiere party ( watch now )
slide the ruler about 3/4 way down
" if you didn't like last season because it was filled with America , cows and trailer trash " ...." and we're not talking about the Weaver mom ? " : :giggle:
http://www.realityremix.tv/
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How Cows, and Trailer Trash Lynn and Alex really know how to describe themselves.
And the wikimap is a little inaccurate becuase the race has never done anything [like never go a clue or stopped] in Spain they just drove through it from Portugal to get on a boat to Morocco. Soem teams thought got suck in Spain with the gas misteak.
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Garners survive week 2 of 'Amazing Race'
By Steven Godfrey
Every Wednesday the Hattiesburg American will update the progress of local couple Lake and Michelle Garner in their quest to win $1 million on this season of CBS' "The Amazing Race." Discuss their progress in our forums, www.hattiesburgamerican.com.
Week Two: "Overdone With Spanish"
Locations: Brazil
The Missions: Week two brought the "Race" team out of the city and into the Brazilian countryside, as they had to climb a fire escape, rappel down, scale a waterfall and go off-roading in ethanol-fueled VW bugs.
Garners Good: This physical leg of climbing and running was no sweat, especially for Lake.
Garners Bad: Can these guys catch a break on the road? A hop on the wrong bus and then poor directions from locals saddled our duo, prompting Lake to dismiss the entire language of Spanish (and Portuguese, too). We don't blame him.
Garners' Standing: After two legs, Lake and Michelle are in seventh place (down from fifth). Hippies B.J. and Tyler are in first, "Southern Amazons" Lisa and Joni were eliminated with clutch problems behind the wheel.
Patch Work: Just what are a dentist and his wife doing with nicotine patches? We got the scoop: Those dotted stickers you noticed under each Garner's neck aren't for smoking - it's for sea and airsickness, according to Lake's mother Diane.
Prognosis: The Garners should be safe while the slow teams are weeded out (seniors Fran and Berry could be next), but the travel voodoo could hex them for good.
Originally published March 8, 2006
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Phil Frontal
On ''The Amazing Race,'' as the older teams flounder through a series of challenges in Brazil, one of the host's eyebrows dominates the action by Josh Wolk
Oh, underdogs. How we want you to win The Amazing Race. The joy it would give us to see, say, an older couple or a pair of middle-aged ladies come from behind to overtake a young, athletic duo and grab the million dollars.
But it just doesn't look like it's going to happen this time. The underdogs this year are senior citizens Fran and Barry and brassy sisters Joni and Lisa. Both want to prove the value of older people. Unfortunately, their value is dropping by the minute. The sisters, a.k.a. the Glamazons, have dropped so far that they're out of the race, and at the rate they're going, Fran and Barry look like they'll be pushed through the next leg in matching iron lungs.
After both teams narrowly evaded elimination last week, both talked big games about how they were going to come back this week. And since everyone bottlenecked up waiting for the first clue marker to be available at 8 a.m., they had every chance to do so.
But the dream died for Fran and Barry at the rappelling challenge, when Fran chose to go up the most crowded fire escape and was last in line to come back down the building. I do have to give her some credit, though: Considering how many times last week she walked right past the clue box on the bridge, this week it was impressive that she was able to find the bottom of the building when she rappelled down. I expected to see her hovering three feet above the ground, saying, ''I don't see the street, Barry! Maybe it's up a little higher?'' And then there was the subsequent waterfall rope climb. Fran seemed to have little idea how to use the ascender, and they kept showing her twirling midrope and going nowhere. From a distance, the only way to tell her apart from a chicken hanging in a Chinese-restaurant window was the crash helmet.
But at least they're still in the race, unlike the poor Glamazons, who made for an odd optical illusion: They seemed to be exerting the most energy running and driving everywhere but getting there half as fast. At the finish line, it was sad to see Lisa burst into tears when they were eliminated. I wonder if Phil wanted to cave and let them stay in the race if they would hand over all their money and belongings, but then the producers said, ''No way are they giving us all their stuff. What are we going to do with 12 pairs of matching neon sweat suits?''
For the same reason, I'm sure the producers are also praying that the hippies never finish last in a nonelimination round: They don't want to have to stand around while Vanilla Fudge empties 24 Hacky Sacks out of their pockets. I'm beginning to suspect that these are not actual hippies but rather two people who are forced to act like hippies because they lost a bet. They seem like guys going to a costume party rather than authentic flower people. Like when they got into a VW bug and Tyler said, ''Back to our roots with the VW, right?'' These guys were born in 1980! The only VWs they might have driven were Jettas, and you didn't see many of those at a Dead show.
As for the rest, ''She's my hotty boom-botty with the naughty Pilates,'' said David about Lori at the beginning of the race. And to the producers, they're the nerdy hurdy-gurdies with the Kurdish blurry turdies: It seems like they only get camera time if they're doing something geeky. I think that's why the other half of the waterfall detour was a science project, to distill sugarcane juice into ethanol. It's like the producers are throwing nerdy temptations in their way to bring out their most nerdish tendencies. Next week, will the detour be ''Speedo...or Greedo?'' With Speedo, you have to get in a bathing suit and swim down a river, but with Greedo, you have to get in a room with Harry Knowles and debate who should have shot first in The Empire Strikes Back. [Whoops, I meant the first Star Wars. I am not fit to shine the nerds' +3 longbows.]
But this is all frivolous: In this episode there was a story bigger than all of the teams combined. I'm talking about, of course, the emergence of Phil's eyebrow as its own character. It used to be relegated to the first episode: Phil would raise his arm to start the race, the eyebrow would go up, and then the teams were off, and the eyebrow (or ''Browsie,'' as I've come to name him) would drop down to its normal position, where it would remain for the rest of the season.
But apparently Browsie has gotten a taste of the limelight and has expanded its range. The frat brothers — who emerged this episode as leering boobs who have based their entire personalities on what they've learned from Super Bowl beer commercials — placed second, and as they ran to the mat, one of them yelled, ''Phil, you know how cranky I am right now? I'm gonna spank you, woman!''
And just when you wondered how Phil would respond to such an affront, he did nothing. He let Browsie do all the work. Browsie crept higher on Phil's forehead than he ever had before, creating an expression that said so much more than just, ''The race is about to begin.'' It said, ''Phil is not a woman.'' It said, ''Please do not spank him.'' And it also said, ''This pit stop is a choice between two tasks: me kicking ass, or me taking names.''
Was this the end of Browsie's repertoire? I think not! Because when Fran and Barry finally stumbled over the mat — both of them having celebrated two more birthdays since they'd left the last mat — Phil gave his longest pause yet between the sad intoning of a team's name and an excited ''You're team number 9!'' And then Browsie did something astonishing: He did not travel alone. He said, ''Come with me, other eyebrow! And we shall travel to the heights of Phil's forehead together and convey a surprise the likes of which Jeff Probst's eyebrows have never seen!'' And Fran and Barry, though nearly suffering coronaries from Browsie's roller-coaster ride of emotions, felt that much more joy for it. And chest pain. But mostly joy.
Knowing now what Browsie can do, I think he missed an opportunity. When Lisa weeped about being eliminated, why didn't he lean forward and wipe her eyes with his hairy self? It might not be sanitary, but it would certainly win a game-show-host Emmy. I'd like to see Bob Barker's eyebrow try that.
What do you think? Should the series establish a maximum age? How about a minimum IQ? And which of Phil's other body parts would you like to see take center stage?
EW (http://www.ew.com/ew/article/commentary/0,6115,1170926_3_0_,00.html)
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:rotf: Very funny article but I found it hard to concentrate after reading the title.
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Still thinking about Phil's package I see :giggle: , me too ;)
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Don't be late for this show, writes Lucy Beaumont.
IF COMPETITORS in The Amazing Race were drawn from an international field, we antipodeans would likely blitz the competition. We're more accustomed to being journey men and women, says host Phil Keoghan.
"Australians travel more than Americans," says the New Zealand-born Keoghan. "Because we're tucked away we feel this need to explore."
Keoghan has certainly done his patriotic duty. He lived in Canada, Townsville and the Caribbean as a child before returning to New Zealand, where he began his television career.
He is now based in Los Angeles with his Australian wife and their daughter. Having filmed nine series of The Amazing Race, a reality television show in which pairs embark on a high-pressure global scavenger hunt, Keoghan has worked in more than 60 countries.
"In America, people's perception of the rest of the world is so tainted by what they see in the media," he says.
"We see the world with a war or a natural disaster or civil unrest. (The show) is a way for us to show that the world isn't just one big, bad place."
The new series, which began airing last Thursday, includes a stop in the Middle East, albeit in spotless Oman, and in an Australian city (yet to be revealed).
Australian interest in The Amazing Race has grown since the first two series were aired sporadically (often late at night) on Seven, peaking last year when it was scheduled after Lost on Thursday nights.
A family version of the race that rated poorly in the US was not shown here. "We had 40 people with 10 teams of four," says Keoghan.
"Fans expressed that they would rather have less faces and more places. What was revealing was how much the locations were a drawcard in the show; as much as the people, if not more."
The faces have been perversely entertaining, though. From season one's villainous Joe and Bill to season six's Kendra whining that Africans "just keep breeding".
There have been twin brothers and Christian virgins, soccer mums and feisty grandparents. None have matched the shock and awe of married couple Jonathan and Victoria, also in season six, mentally and physically abusing each other in their pursuit of the million-dollar prize.
"I don't think we'll ever see another team like them," says Keoghan, whose favourite team this season is wacky pals BJ and Tyler because "they are just so out there". Dentist Lake and his dental assistant wife Michelle also promise competitive spirit.
Series nine premiered here a mere 30 hours after the first episode was shown in the US, meaning that websites and chatrooms will be relatively spoiler-free for Australian fans.
The finished product makes it seem that Keoghan enjoys a pretty cushy gig, cruising to each "pit stop" in the race to greet the winners and deliver that fateful line - "You are the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to tell you, you've been eliminated from the race". The reality of reality television means that he is also under tight time pressure.
"There's 13 shows and we shoot them in 28 days. In this season we do more miles and we shoot them in the shortest amount of time we've ever done," he says.
"People see me standing there calmly at the pit stop but if you look through the show you'll see me also at the 'roadblocks' and the 'detours' (task locations). Sometimes I'm waiting for the last team to arrive and the first team has left on the next leg."
Host and crew have to get as creative as the contestants, occasionally booking non-commercials flights and searching for shortcuts.
"They have been times when I've literally been running up to the mat with a team coming the other way. It gets that close."
The Age (http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--radio/staying-ahead-of-the-game/2006/03/08/1141701518647.html)
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achived untill 7:30 pm ET Thursday
( click watch now )
Lynn & Alex recap the Amazing Race EP2
http://www.realityremix.tv/
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Chip n Kim take of the teams EP2
( chapter 3 is a RIOT , Chip imitates Lake )
http://web.mac.com/mcallpl/iWeb/CKTAR9Recaps/Episode2Part1.html
http://web.mac.com/mcallpl/iWeb/CKTAR9Recaps/Episode2Part2.html
http://web.mac.com/mcallpl/iWeb/CKTAR9Recaps/Episode2Part3.html
http://web.mac.com/mcallpl/iWeb/CKTAR9Recaps/Episode2Part4.html
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March 12, 2006
BRIEF ENCOUNTER
No grass under his feet
"Amazing Race" host Phil Keoghan just loves staying ahead of the game.
By Susan King, Times Staff Writer
In the frantic global contest to win $1 million on CBS' "The Amazing Race," host Phil Keoghan provides a calm center as competitors travel each leg of the race to reach the week's "pit stop" and avoid elimination. The savvy New Zealand native, 38, is also on hand to explain to viewers the often outrageous special tasks — called "roadblocks" and "detours" — the teams must accomplish each week.
Part guide, part referee, he's more than willing to speak his mind when a team gets out of line. "I am not there to be a counselor or pass judgment, but I do try to ask the questions and say the things I know the audience might be thinking at home."
The ninth season of the Emmy-winning reality series began Feb. 28 and returns to the original format with teams of two. The eighth edition of the series was considered a big misstep by many fans because it featured squabbling families who primarily raced in America.
In the world beyond "Amazing Race," Keoghan co-created and co-produced the Travel Channel series "Phil Keoghan's Adventure Crazy" and was the executive producer and host of the Discovery Channel series "No Opportunity Wasted." He also wrote, with Warren Berger, a book by the same name that, like the series, aims to inspire people to "dream more freely and live more fully."
Was there any time during the production of "Amazing Race 8" when everyone realized that it wasn't working to have families competing?
I was excited about trying it. I thought it would be fun to do something different and mix it up. I think that if we hadn't done anything people would have said, "Why don't you try something different?" So there is sort of that thing that you're damned if you do and damned if you don't.
I get a lot of e-mails from people. The general consensus was, don't give us more faces and less places, give us the places with the faces.
You get to see all of these countries from a different perspective — an up-close look at the people and their customs.
In mainstream media, we do not see these images. When you see international locations on mainstream media there are stories about war, civil unrest, a government coup, somebody burning an American flag. So if every day people are bombarded with these images and there is nothing to counter that, then their perception is that the world is an extremely dangerous place. You wouldn't really want to get on a plane and go outside the United States because you are going to come in contact with a terrorist or somebody who is out there to harm you.
How many weeks did it take to shoot the new season?
This series was shot in 28 days. We started in Denver in December. It was the most amount of miles in the shortest amount of time. It was extremely challenging to stay ahead of the pace.
Have you ever lost your way to a pit stop, roadblock or detour?
Because I go to all the places that they go to and though I have directions, that doesn't mean I don't get lost. We have a small team. I travel with a producer and myself and camera and sound. If we have a pit stop in the jungles of Africa, I have to drive there just like the contestants. In Season 7, we had no cellphone services in a lot of places. If we get lost in the middle of the desert, it's not like you can pick up the cellphone and say, "Listen, we are at the corner of Pico and Rose. Where do we go?"
Have you always been a travel buff?
Prior to "The Amazing Race," I had worked in about 60 countries. I have been on the road now for 20 years.
My very first job was working as a television assistant in New Zealand. In those days, there was no degree that you could do in broadcasting and communications, so out of the whole country they would take two people from all the high schools to work for the national network, and I was lucky enough to get one of the spaces.
They would normally train you for three years as a TV assistant and then you would get picked for a section like camera or sound. After six months, I had a strong background in photography and I was put in the camera section.
How long did you do that?
I did that for half of '86 and '87. Then I was at a Christmas party and a producer there said, "Would you like to try out for this show?" It was called "Spot On!" It had been on the air in New Zealand for 20 years. It was a weekly half-hour show and they had three hosts. People would write in and get the hosts to do things. I had been watching it since I was a kid.
You nearly died during one of your stunts on "Spot On!" when you got lost underwater while exploring a shipwreck. How did that change you?
For the first time in my life I realized I could die. I said I wasn't going to live my life the same way, so I wrote a list of things to do before I died. Then I decided that I would do everything humanly possible to turn the list that I wrote into my living.
Have you done everything on your list?
I pretty much finished that list except for climbing Mt. Everest and going into outer space. And the list has continued to grow.
link (http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-ca-brief12mar12,0,1832235.story?coll=cl-tv-features)
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Garners ride high wire on 'Race'
Every Wednesday the Hattiesburg American will update the progress of local couple Lake and Michelle Garner in their quest to win $1 million on this season of CBS' "The Amazing Race." Discuss their progress in our forums, www.hattiesburgamerican.com.
Week Three: "Why Don't We Agree For You To Hush?"
Locations: Rural Brazil, Moscow, Russia
The Missions: Just the usual - ride a high wire across the jungle, search for clues in wooden nesting dolls, dive in an outdoor Moscow pool, jaunt through a Cathedral and clean a few busses.
Garners Good: A little luck with the taxis, quick thinking and a good break with the dolls finally have Lake and Michelle in front of the pack, despite their married bickering.
Garners Bad: Really guys, just stop driving cars altogether. Right out of the gate our seventh place Garners got lost in the Brazilian countryside. Just about every time navigation has been required in the race, our Hattiesburg couple has ended up due nowhere.
Garners' Standing: We're not really sure. Despite Phil standing on the magic square (in Red Square, no less), this leg is to be continued (thanks a lot, CBS). At the break the Garners were right behind beach bums Eric and Jeremy.
Yeah, That Russia: Lake was the only racer bummed about heading to the former U.S.S.R. Why? Because if there's anything to curb Southern gentility, it's cold weather and European swimwear. Dr. Garner had to take a 10 meter dive in a Speedo. In the cold.
Prognosis: With no one eliminated this week, there's still teams with more conflict (the forgetful Jersey girls and the seniors) than our bickering married couple. Things look safe for now.
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Strongest leg yet for 'Race' couple
By Steven Godfrey
Every Wednesday the Hattiesburg American will update the progress of local couple Lake and Michelle Garner in their quest to win $1 million on this season of CBS' "The Amazing Race." Discuss their progress in our forums, www.hattiesburgamerican. com.
Week Four: "Did They Rent That German?"
Locations: Moscow, Russia, and Frankfurt, Germany
The Missions: Racing around a Mercedes Benz test-track, looking for plastic gnomes in a field, hitting each other with breakaway bottles and dancing in lederhosen! Ah, Germany!
Garners Good: It's safe to say our navigational advice has paid off: The Garners befriended a drunken German man named Hans (no, seriously) who helped navigate the rural countryside in exchange for a ride home.
Garners Bad: What bad? This was by far the strongest episode yet for the home team. There was minimal bickering and excellent traveling - especially staying ahead of the pack to jump past seven other teams on a flight out of Moscow.
Garners' Standing: The end of the leg saw our couple in third place. Suddenly the Garners are in the driver's seat, moving past mediocre teams like Ray and Yolanda and the "MoJo" duo to compete for a possible first place.
Marital Bliss: While other teams seemed to relish having to break bottles over each other to find their next mission, Lake was gentle enough only to graze his wife with the breakaway glass. That, folks, is true love.
Prognosis: It's still possible that a few of the weaker teams (those seniors can't last long) could go soon, but now the "Race" has really heated up. The Garners will have to stay on top - and stay lucky - to compete with front-runners Eric and Jeremy.
Originally published March 22, 2006
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This article is so one-sided :lol: , maybe the writer should check out the insider clips:}
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Amazing Race 9
If we did some sort of analysis of all the Races' results, which would turn out to be the biggest factor in determining winners and losers: uncooperative airline-ticket agents, taxi drivers' senses of direction or contestants' ability to read a map? In this leg of the race, it really looked like the former two would be the undoing of someone, between the cabdrivers who couldn't find the trolley park and the two separate Russian ticket agents who refused to issue tickets just seconds after another team had bought some. But things nearly evened out again at the Mercedes-Benz test track. Who else was disappointed that the racers themselves didn't have to drive on it? I guess even Jerry Bruckheimer doesn't have that kind of insurance. Interestingly, all teams trying to get a leg up by forming alliances or at least following each other actually hurt their chances. First, what were MoJo and Dave and Lori thinking, sharing a cab to the "psyching out" pit stop (as Dave called it)? Love Team Nerd, but I hope they had no illusions that they could beat the others in a foot race. And then Dani and Danielle had the sorely wrong impression that Wanda and Desi knew where they were going. Desi complaining about her mom's insistence on pronouncing all foreign words with a Spanish accent cracked me up — my mom does the same exact thing. Language barriers meant very little in Germany, where everyone speaks better English than I do. (Though it looked like the Deutsch-speaking B.J. got to do some good flirting!) Even that drunk local who helped Lake and Michelle find the gnome farm was relatively articulate. The detour choice between bottle smashing (Ow!) and learning that dance seemed like a tough decision. Eric and Jeremy made the bottle-smashing look fun, but the dancers were letting everyone off rather easily — I'm sure I saw people slap the wrong knee and still get a round of applause and a clue. But as I predicted, Wanda and Desi's relentless pessimism (and probably lack of sleep) broke their concentration and spelled out their doom. Sadly, that means two all-female teams lost in a row. C'mon, Pinks, it's time to step it up! — Sabrina Rojas Weiss
http://www.tvguide.com/TV/Watercooler/default.htm?cmsRedir=true&rmDate=03222006&cmsGuid={34A29F27-BDBB-4CCA-98E0-B400730B5C62}&cmsSrch=true
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EPISODE 4 Phil's Blog
Eric & Jeremy still look like they’re cruising. Lake & Michelle sure like being in the front. Lake is getting more and more competitive. Great reaction from Fran & Barry, they are just so excited to be in this Race. The teams are separating a bit. The longer it takes for the last team to get in the more challenging it will be to catch up to the first teams. I really hope we can keep up otherwise our schedule will really get messed up. This has been the craziest schedule I can remember next to Race 3.
A real achievement for Wanda to get through the Roadblock challenge today. There is something wonderful about seeing people do more than they think they are capable of. Hearing people saying that they can’t do something only lessens the chances that a person will push themselves. Obviously, it is easier to just say, “I can’t.” On the Race people seem to step up like they never have before and I really don’t think it’s just about the million dollars.
Dave & Lori were the last team to check in at the virtual Pit Stop at about 7:10 pm, don’t think they liked the dramatic way I delivered the news…hey we’re making TV. Got to get moving to catch up. I have been told there is a lot of traffic between here and the airport, the first teams have a good lead on us. Our driver is driving safely, but certainly pushing it. We will really get behind if we miss our flight. We have a nice Mercedes, so at least we’re comfortable. Looking out the window I see a family eating ice cream and it’s freezing cold outside…that’s a little weird. They sure are used to the cold weather here.
We are all pretty chilled after a day in cold. Saw a funny sight tonight just before we left. One of the many couples getting married were having their photos taken not too far away from the mat. Their photographer was yelling out directions while snapping away various group shots. Finally they get to the bride and groom’s close ups and just as they’re about to kiss for the cameras, the groom’s phone goes off. He just stops everything, walks away, talks for a few minutes and then comes back, lifts up his brides veil and launches into the heaviest kiss I have every seen. They literally kissed for minutes while their friends snapped photos and cheered.
We stopped outside the airport, the driver said there is some kind of political event going on. There are fireworks going off all around us right now. There is no way we are going to make it into the airport so we’re going to walk in. Our driver is stuck and said it could take him hours to get out of here. Got to run to get this flight. Word is that there is a lot of confusion going on at the airport with the teams, some slow lines. Eric & Jeremy pretty much cruised through, luck is going their way right now. Others feel like nothing is going their way.
Our advanced time has got us hooked up with some tickets, so even though we got to the airport later than some of the teams we are on and will catch up to the lead teams.
The first teams at the Mercedes ‘Wall of Death’ loved the ride. Wouldn’t mind having some time to take a drive myself. It is awesome. Coming into the wall at over 100 miles an hour…we’re getting some fantastic reactions from the teams. Joseph went nuts.
We are headed straight to the Roadblock. A field full of “Travelocity” gnomes hats and feet. A fantastic set up. Just got a phone call, Wanda & Desiree are going the wrong way. They are apparently having a few words with each other. Danielle & Dani are following them and they are going around in circles.
We are only slightly ahead of Eric & Jeremy, trying to get our shooting finished before they get here. Loving the autobahn, driving at some incredible speeds…legally we are keeping ahead of things nicely…very good drivers. Read a piece in the paper this morning about Japanese tourists who come over here to drive without limits. They hire a fast car and then go all out on the autobahn. The roads are perfect here. Unfortunately, many are only experienced at driving at average speeds of 15 mph and so there have been a lot of terrible accidents.
The country-side is showing off this morning, a lovely fog is slowing burning off. Cars on the side of the road are covered in frost. A hot air balloon is ahead of us…the perfect day for a flight. Lots of hay bails scattered all over the rolling hills…can’t help thinking about the Roadblock in season 6 with Kristy & Lena. Another very quick trip through the country again.
We are right on track to get to the Pit Stop before the teams. The Bavarian Film Studio events were brilliant. A lot of laughs. Eric & Jeremy flirting with the locals as usual…they are constantly on the look out for the local “Hotties.” Can’t say they’re not having fun!
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race9/shows/ep04/phil/blog/
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This one's for immunity!
Mike Sauve
National Post
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Ever wonder how they cook up challenges for hit reality television shows like Survivor and The Amazing Race?
While Jeff Probst is the one to yell "Survivors ready? Go!", it's a team of producers who spend months conceiving and producing challenges.
Victoria-native Alan Bishop is among the best in the business. He's produced challenges for several Survivor seasons (Vanuatu, Panama and Guatemala), and this fall he begins his first stint as a challenge producer for The Amazing Race.
"With Survivor, we set up somewhere for six months on a closed set. With The Amazing Race you're basically racing the contestants. We've got to be two days ahead of them."
Planning begins several months before a season of Survivor shoots, Bishop said, explaining that his team brainstorms a few hundred concepts for challenges.
"Once you get on location, you find out what works and what will really stand out."
Challenge producers collaborate with the art department to design the structures. Bishop tests the tasks himself. Then, while the show is being filmed, Probst explains the challenge to contestants, cameras are turned off and Bishop's team explains the rules and safety concerns in detail.
He's witnessed wild stuff on white sandy beaches with castaways plucked from their daily lives. Once, while explaining a challenge, he noticed a female contestant urinating right beside him.
Safety is a major concern, but so is creating riveting TV, so Bishop's job is a delicate balance.
"You can't hurt people just because they're playing for a million dollars," he says. Challenges he's particularly excited about are often nixed due to safety concerns. Fairness also comes into play. "If you have three really athletic people and three who aren't, but they're all good characters, we can't always do the athletic challenges. We walk a fine line."
But friendly castaways make for boring TV, so producers sometimes ask Bishop's team to add conflict by pumping extra drama and excitement into elimination and reward contests.
The father of two is sworn to Survivor secrecy by "massive" CBS confidentiality agreements, so all he can reveal to his sons about his work is which episodes they might not want to miss.
"Their friends ask for inside information, but they like saying, 'No, I can't tell you,' even though they don't know."
His family is used to Bishop being away up to nine months a year. Before his reality gig, he participated in international Eco-Challenge expeditions and was a paratrooper in the Canadian Armed Forces.
When he is at home, Bishop organizes corporate team-building exercises, which he's been doing since the early 90's.
Today Bishop is organizing an Amazing Race-style event in Toronto for Electronic Data Systems.
"When I take a corporate group to an island these days, they think I'm stealing the idea from Survivor, but I've been doing that for years."
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/artslife/story.html?id=3b276d85-3e12-41ec-b3a8-a84984118d55&k=61500
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Here is the final article from the Hattiesburg Newspaper about Lake and Michelle. They interviewed them. These peeps are in major denial!
It's all in editing, rueful Garners say
By Steven Godfrey
He cursed, he complained and he argued with his wife - all on national television - but "The Amazing Race" contestant Lake Garner promises he's no villain.
"Looking back, I see that I was too naive to realize I got cast in that part," the Hattiesburg dentist said Thursday morning, just hours after appearing on a nationally televised morning talk show with his wife and teammate Michelle.
The couple were eliminated Wednesday night as contestants on the ninth season of the CBS reality adventure series. Just hours after their elimination episode aired, the pair started a press junket in New York City to talk about their experience as the "Bad Guy" couple.
"I think they [the press] were surprised," Lake said after "The Early Show" taping. "We kind of played it low key. They were probably expecting us to be more excitable."
That "excitable" nature has garnered the Garners more attention for their marriage than for their chance to compete for $1 million in "a race around the world" on national television.
"We thought we were getting along good during the show. I think in retrospect that after the second or third episode (Michelle) was wanting me to take the lead. After the first two or three legs I like to think I was listening to her sometimes," Lake said.
Michelle said the couple tried out because they wanted to play the game, not deal with the subsequent attention from the media and viewers. But a week before the season premiere on Feb. 28, Michelle read an article in Entertainment Weekly labeling Lake a "villain" character for the season. Before the show debuted, Lake was described as "highly competitive" on the "Amazing Race" Web site at www.cbs.com.
"I didn't expect (the attention) at all. I did the 'Race' because I wanted to; there was no other motive. I wasn't prepared for as many people to talk about it and know about us," Michelle said.
Once the show debuted, the Garners got a chance to see what footage "Race" producers had decided to air. In the seven episodes the pair appeared in, each installment had at least one scene where the couple had heated arguments. A constant point of contention was navigation, as teams are responsible for finding their way though various foreign countries to complete different tasks.
During Wednesday night's episode, the Garners were shown having a fight over directions while driving through rural Greece. Lake cursed at his wife, but Michelle then was seen calming down an "overstressed" Lake on the side of the road.
"They could have tried to show a softer side a little bit because it was there. But you get in the heat of the 'Race' and that competitive spirit can take over, and Lake is very competitive," Michelle said.
That spirit drew the attention of fans and Hattiesburg residents alike. Lake was a constant subject of scrutiny in online forums on "Amazing Race" fan forums, and the Garners' behavior became the subject of several letters to the editor at the Hattiesburg American. Lake said that the response he's received from friends and family has been overwhelmingly positive.
The Garners' immediate family have remained supportive of the pair throughout the experience. Michelle's mother, Pam Poston, and Lake's mother, Diane Garner, helped look after the couple's three children while the Garners were on the five-week shoot.
After their elimination, the couple was sequestered at an undisclosed resort for nine days. On the final episode, the pair will appear with all 11 teams at the finish line.
"My reaction (last night) was that it's over. The suspense was killing me," Poston said.
Poston said she thought the show's producers created stock characters with their portrayal of the couple,
"I think that they did something typical of a TV show. They had to give personalities to different couples. Unfortunately (Lake and Michelle) got the 'Bickering Couple,'" Poston said.
"Even though I knew it was a show I didn't like seeing anything that hurt my daughter and her family. It hurt me when they did (argue) because I knew there'd be a backlash on that."
Still, Poston stands by her son-in-law and daughter, who have been married for 15 years.
"Lake is very energetic, he tends to leap before he thinks, but in real life they are a close couple with their ups and downs and they always seem to get over them. Michelle is very sure of herself, too," Poston said.
"We enjoyed doing this," Michelle said. "(People) would be surprised that we have a great relationship, that we get along in everyday life as much as we do."
And Poston backs up her daughter's quiet reaction to her husband's on-air arguing.
"Michelle was always aware there was a camera on, so she was very gracious," Poston said.
"Trust me, at home she would've put a stop to all that pretty quickly."
Originally published April 14, 2006
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This seems like the best thread for this:
Google released Google Trends last week. When you search for Amazing Race (http://www.google.com/trends?q=%22amazing+race%22), you can see that it's more popular outside the U.S. than inside: some commonwealth countries esp., and they really like the show in the Philippines.
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thanks Slowhatch , I've been to the Filipino boards and sometimes wish I could send them over here but you know I don't want to intrude ;)
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Q: Why don’t they ever show the contestants going through customs on “The Amazing Race”? As a regular traveler, [I know that] this can be a long process. Do they get special treatment because of the program? —Anonymous
A: I think you answered your own question: It’s a long, boring process, and it makes for equally boring television. “The Amazing Race” is fast-paced, and a few minutes of watching teams stand in line at customs could kill that tension.
However, we have seen teams navigate through customs more than once on the show — but only when it’s especially entertaining or dramatic. For example, during “The Amazing Race 6”’s “special” recap episode, we learned that Lori and Bolo pretended that Bolo needed assistance in order to skip ahead in the line.
During “The Amazing Race 3,” hyperactive Flo tried to convince passive partner Zach to switch lines. They were in separate lines, and Flo’s was shorter, but Zach refused, and they were the last team to leave the airport. (They still won the race, though.)
Perhaps the most famous “Amazing Race” customs incident, however, came in season one, when Nancy and Emily, Drew and Kevin, and eventual winners Rob and Brennan tried to get through customs.
There, they encountered Bill and Joe, a.k.a. Team Guido, who positioned themselves in the way and argued with officials to delay the other teams; as Bill said, “It might just be one or two minutes, so let’s hold them up.” Kevin said they’d caused “an international incident,” but ultimately he and Drew, plus the other two teams, made their flight, and the Guidos’ plan failed. —A.D.
source MSN (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12372880/)
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since you have to register to read the article I'll post the whole dealio ~
May 17, 2006
The Toughest Mission Yet for 'The Amazing Race'
By KATE AURTHUR
By last May "The Amazing Race" had been transformed from an underdog reality series with a devoted cult following into a mainstream hit for CBS. Helped by the popularity of Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich, a love-to-hate pair of villains who had migrated from CBS's "Survivor," the finale of the seventh season of "The Amazing Race" drew more than 16 million viewers, a series high.
But instead of capitalizing on that success, in its two editions this season "The Amazing Race" has shed viewers. During the fall the producers introduced a family version of the series, which featured 10 four-person teams traveling around North America. It was pummeled by critics and fans alike.
Then, in February, a new installment of the show promised a return to the original structure: 11 two-person teams in a scenic, breakneck race around the world. But CBS moved the show from its established slot on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. to the 10 p.m. hour, where it lost more viewers, and weeks later, to Wednesdays at 8 p.m., where it has sunk even further. The spring installment last year brought in an average audience of 13.03 million; going into tonight's finale (8, Eastern and Pacific times; 7, Central time), this edition has drawn 9.11 million.
"We've sent it on a very tough mission," said Kelly Kahl, CBS's senior executive vice president for scheduling. "Wednesday at 8 is extremely competitive."
In that hour NBC's "Deal or No Deal" regularly squashes all other shows, and has succeeded in ousting the comedies CBS had scheduled there, "Out of Practice" and "Courting Alex." The ratings for "The Amazing Race" have improved the network's performance for the time period. Mr. Kahl said: "It was a net gain for us at 8 o'clock. It was a helpful move for the network, maybe a tough move for the show."
"It's because it's such a strong franchise that allowed us to do that," he continued.
But Brad Adgate, senior vice president and research director at Horizon Media, a media planning and buying agency, said the show was "hard to find" and that moving it to 10 p.m. right after trying to showcase its family appeal had been a mistake.
"There are a lot of people who don't let their kids be up at 10 o'clock," he said. "It was one of those 'What were they thinking?' type of things."
Bertram van Munster, who created the show with Elise Doganieri, conceded that this season had not been easy. But he spoke excitedly on the telephone last week about tonight's two-hour finale, and what he saw as a creative resurgence in the show.
Was he frustrated about bouncing around the schedule? "Here's my answer to that: that is just the way it is," he said. "We are the producers of the show; we deliver the show to the network. We really have no say in the programming. What my personal feelings are is irrelevant."
Later Mr. van Munster added: "Ideally, you have your time slot and you stay there. That's not what happened this time around."
He sounded sanguine even when he discussed the fall's family edition, which he produced at CBS's suggestion. "It sounds really good, 'Oh, let's do a family show,' " he said. "It sounds maybe better than it is. It was fun. But it wasn't necessarily what we expected."
There were too many contestants, which undermined one of the show's strengths: creating characters for the audience to root for and against. "I don't want to keep pounding on that thing, but to tell the story of 40 people is not easy in the first hour," Mr. van Munster said with a laugh. "I think we deserve a medal to tell the story of 40 people."
Another problem with the family installment, fans complained, was that the challenges were made easier so that teams with children could compete. Linda Holmes, who writes recaps for the show on the Web site Television Without Pity, said in an interview: "They had to go find, like, the world's largest office chair. It's one of those things you'd see on a postcard, but it's kind of a joke."
Ms. Holmes, who also oversees the site's forums on "The Amazing Race," said that viewers also disliked the normally globe-trotting show's being limited to North America. "As soon as they figured out that they weren't going to go significantly outside the U.S., and that they basically were going to drive around in trailers a lot, the crowd became very hostile," she said.
In a telephone interview last week, Phil Keoghan, the host of "The Amazing Race," said he had heard similar criticisms from the audience. "I underestimated how much of a star the places were in the show," he said.
But, he continued: "I don't want to be the one who says I told you so, because I was excited about it. I thought it was a bold move."
"The Amazing Race" has been renewed for one more edition, and is in negotiations for more. Mr. Adgate pointed out that even with its ratings dips, it still attracted CBS's youngest audience, making it a valuable series for the network, which is poised to finish the season behind Fox and ABC in the important 18-to-49 age demographic. "I think 'Amazing Race' and 'Survivor' prove that CBS can put on a show that's going to draw a median age in the 18-to-49 demographic," he said.
Mr. Kahl of CBS said: "Nobody expected to be talking about 'Survivor 13' or 'Race No. 10.' As long as they're performers, we'll keep them on the air."
Mr. van Munster scouts all of the show's locations with Ms. Doganieri, his wife. They have just returned from their test run of the next race and are preparing to film the new edition. He is happy to live this nomadic life as long as the show has an audience, he said.
"I'm not keeling over," he added. "I just got all my tests back; they're phenomenal. We put our heart and soul in it."
NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/17/arts/television/17amaz.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=login&adxnnlx=1147838603-Lx2ypt74+aWGjDDt1v4LvQ&pagewanted=print)
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my gut feeling is 10 will be broadcasted ala tar6 in november on tuesday nights in its home 9pm slot, then 11 will be held off until the end of may.
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Oh I want it back in its home Tuesdays at 9 ET so bad ! Really that is TAR's home and TPTB screwed up (:;)
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i also want it back on tuesdays. theres alot of questions that will be answerd by tomorow morning.
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book mark this ~
http://online.tvguide.com/special/fallpreview2006/
http://thefutoncritic.com/pr.aspx
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dont forget about media week.
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or press pass ! iif only they would give me access to the photos :meow:
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I wish they would give you access to photos (:;)