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Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #50 on: March 03, 2006, 05:16:15 PM »
Yeah but for us Phil fans ........to CUTE  :hearts:

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #51 on: March 06, 2006, 10:01:23 PM »


Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #52 on: March 06, 2006, 10:10:29 PM »

Offline Boingo

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #53 on: March 07, 2006, 11:57:11 AM »
Bill (from TAR1 Team Guido) says the following in his CBS Return of the Racers blog:
Quote
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:

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #54 on: March 07, 2006, 12:55:00 PM »
Cool  Boingo !!

thanks to yikes @ tarflies
a radio interview with Phil

http://s57.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=2WAPBN6BJZKCO339C2WW4IJCU5


Offline supsandalee

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #55 on: March 07, 2006, 01:03:31 PM »
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

Offline never0102

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #56 on: March 07, 2006, 06:41:46 PM »
Bill (from TAR1 Team Guido) says the following in his CBS Return of the Racers blog:
Quote
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

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #57 on: March 07, 2006, 06:57:12 PM »
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/
« Last Edit: March 07, 2006, 07:06:09 PM by puddin »

Offline Boingo

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #58 on: March 07, 2006, 07:17:20 PM »
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).

Offline never0102

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #59 on: March 07, 2006, 07:33:49 PM »
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/
\
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.


Offline supsandalee

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #60 on: March 08, 2006, 03:30:40 PM »
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

 

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #61 on: March 08, 2006, 03:47:19 PM »
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

Offline supsandalee

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #62 on: March 08, 2006, 03:55:01 PM »
:rotf: Very funny article but I found it hard to concentrate after reading the title.

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #63 on: March 08, 2006, 05:17:24 PM »
Still thinking about Phil's package I see  :giggle: , me too  ;)

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #64 on: March 09, 2006, 12:26:51 AM »
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

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #65 on: March 09, 2006, 12:45:30 AM »
achived untill 7:30 pm ET Thursday
( click watch now )

Lynn & Alex recap the Amazing Race EP2

http://www.realityremix.tv/


Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #67 on: March 09, 2006, 10:26:53 PM »
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

Offline supsandalee

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #68 on: March 17, 2006, 09:07:40 AM »
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.


Offline supsandalee

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #69 on: March 22, 2006, 10:32:52 AM »
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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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #70 on: March 22, 2006, 10:44:56 AM »
This article is so one-sided :lol: , maybe the writer should check out the insider clips:}

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #71 on: March 22, 2006, 04:01:01 PM »
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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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #72 on: March 23, 2006, 12:14:56 AM »
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/

Offline puddin

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #73 on: April 15, 2006, 12:20:13 AM »
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

Offline supsandalee

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Re: Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
« Reply #74 on: April 18, 2006, 09:18:47 AM »
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