Archive > The Amazing Race

Amazing Race 7 on-line / Articles/ Library

<< < (7/13) > >>

puddin:
March 02, 2005
Snap Judgements of the Latest Amazing Race Teams
Tonight a new season of the best show on television, The Amazing Race, kicked off. If you're not yet watching the Race, you really need to start. Heck, even James watches, even though he likes to pretend that he doesn't ;-).

I still have a hard time figuring who's who, but even so, it's never to early too judge. Let's take a quick look at the latest batch of teams racing around the world for a cash prize of $1,000,000.

Debbie & Bianca: Team Just Friends. Or are they "just friends"? For some reason, I get the feeling they may really be a romantic couple. I guess we'll find out. Anyway, Debbie & Bianca seem like they handle travel and communication problems well, but when things don't go exactly right they freak out a little. That could be a problem as teams never go the whole race without a few bumps in the road. My personal ranking: 6th of the 11 teams

Susan & Patrick: Team Thinks They're On Survivor. This mother and son team really benefited in the first leg by tagging along with the Spanish-speaking Debbie & Bianca. I don't know how they'll do on their own. Plus, they seem to think they're on a manipulation-based game like Survivor. Come on people, it's not about screwing other teams, it's about racing fast yourself. My ranking: 8th.

Rob & Amber: Team Really Was On Survivor. Reality TV fans already know these two from their appearances on Survivor. While some might hold that against them, I actually like them. It helps that Rob is kinda hot (especially with the Boston accent). I think they'll be a great team: they're smart and athletic. Plus, already in this first leg when things went wrong, they were able to laugh about it. Teams that don't waste time & energy fighting each other have got to do better in the long run. My ranking: 3rd.

Brian & Greg: Team Brothers Braff. I think these guys bear more than a passing resemblence to Zach Braff from Scrubs, especially Greg. Let's face it, they're handsome devils. Plus, they've shown an appealing combination of humor and dorkiness so far. I love 'em. They came through this leg unscathed, so I can't tell how they'll act towards each other when the going gets rough. My ranking: 1st.

Lynn & Alex: Team Jaybird. Lynn reminds me so much of Project Runway's Jay. Together, they remind me a little bit of season three's beloved Team Cha Cha Cha. They aren't as fabulous as Danny & Oswald (who is?), but they're very funny. Of course, the funny teams never win. :-(. My ranking: 2nd.

Meredith & Gretchen: Team Dandy (for Dandy Don Meredith). I know these guys are supposed to be the lovable grandparents, but I don't like them one bit. They, like Susan & Patrick, seem to think this is Survivor or Big Brother. Just shut up and race. My ranking: 9th.

Ray & Deanna: Team Backslide. These on-again, off-again daters are another blah "couple" team. Actually, they're worse than blah as I think that Ray was a huge asshat tonight. He was really mean to Deanna, who was really struggling with the high elevation in Peru. I hate it when a player just rags on their teammate like that. My ranking: 10th.

Uchenna & Joyce: Team Sob Story. One of this married couple worked for Enron, while the other worked for Worldcom. On to that add the fact that they've been trying to get pregnant for years with no luck. They want to use any money they win for more in vitro. Now, hate them if you will for airing their personal sob story, but hey, to get on the show you have to have some kind of hook, right? Anyway, it looked like they got off to a slow start, but once they hit the llamas they did a much better job of working together. They could go far. My ranking: 5th.

Ron & Kelly: Team POW. He's a former POW in the Iraq War, she's a pageant queen. He annoyed me when he made a special point to tell Ray about his POW past and how he'd use the money to help disabled vets. What was the point of that? Did he expect Ray to just roll over and let him win? But, other than that moment they seemed okay, if unmemorable. In fact, they're both pretty dorky. Normally, that would endear them to me, but in this case not yet. My ranking: 7th.

Megan & Heidi: Team Barbie. These two identical friends made an early statement that they weren't dumb blondes. Unfortunately, they then proceeded to do dumb things like digging in a pile for tickets for a 7:40 flight when there were still 7:00 tickets to be had. Maybe they'll redeem themselves, but for now their ranking is dead last: 11th.

Ryan & Chuck: Team Hillbillies. Ask not for whom the fiddle twangs, it twangs for these guys, the first team Philiminated. I really liked this team. Sure, they made the same mistake as Team Barbie, but they were so funny and so personable and so surprising (one of them just happened to speak Portugese!). I wish they would have gotten a better cabbie at the end. My ranking: 4th.

So there you have it, ten teams remain and the race is on! I love this cast compared to last season's: fewer models and more quirky types. Hopefully this season will also have less bunching, less Europe, more airport strategy and more cranky animals. Lemme tell you something, cranky animals are comedy gold.

Posted by kris at March 2, 2005 12:03 AM

http://www.dummocrats.com/archives/000765.php

puddin:
Villages couple survives first elimination on 'The Amazing Race'

By THERESA CAMPBELL, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES - Villages snowbirds Meredith and Gretchen Smith proved they can keep up with the youngsters on "The Amazing Race," as the pair began from the starting line in Long Beach, Calif., and flew to Peru, where their adventure included roping llamas and taking a thrilling zipline ride across the country's picturesque mountains and valleys.

The grandparents finished sixth out of 11 teams.

The first episode of the seventh edition of "The Amazing Race" aired Tuesday night during a two-hour premiere on CBS. Viewers will be able to see the Villagers on television again next week as "The Amazing Race" continues. The show follows two-person teams as they race around the world to compete for a $1 million grand prize. It's being broadcast locally on WKMG-TV, Channel 6, in Orlando.

The Smiths, who are renting a winter home in the Village of Lynnhaven, are contractually forbidden to talk about their experience until they have been eliminated from the show. Readers can learn more about the pair through "The Amazing Race" Web site, which features live interviews with the teams.

The Smiths married in their 60s after being matched by mutual friends. This is the second marriage for both. On the Web site, they shared their fascination for the reality show.

"I think we are like Monday morning quarterbacks. We've watched every session of 'The Amazing Race' and we'd sit there in our easy chairs and say, 'Gee, we could do that,' " Gretchen said, adding she and Meredith have five grown children between them. 

   
 

"The next thing we knew, we got an application from one of them, saying, 'Go for it, you'd be great,' " she said. "Meredith will tell you that in our age, we're in our late 60s, and there is not that much more opportunities for 'the great adventure,' so we decided to take a chance and try out for it."

The Smiths say they work well as a team, because they understand each other's strengths and weaknesses.

"We have the advantage of working together without conflict," Meredith said.

"Meredith's strengths are physical; he is very analytical," Gretchen said. "I tend to be more unfocused, I go off and find different directions, but I think that's a woman thing. We're very multitask oriented, and when he's trying to communicate with me, he makes me look directly at him, and his famous word is, 'Focus.' So, I think that is what is going to happen on this adventure, he is going to try to keep me focused. One thing we have to do together is he is stronger, physically, than I am and I think he'll pull me forward, and I will encourage him when he's doing all the hard things."

Meredith revealed their strategy.

"We'll take the time to analyze the clues and be very deliberate in what we do before we go running off," he said, adding the pair decided early on that Gretchen would do the driving.

"I have a heavy foot, and he will do the navigating," she said.

The Smiths also hope to be involved in some water challenges as they compete in "The Amazing Race."

"We're both water people, and I've done a lot of swimming in my day, competitively, and so I am looking forward to challenges where I will be able to use my swimming skills," Meredith said.

He believes their ability to communicate in other languages will help. Meredith can speak Spanish while Gretchen knows French.

"We're both prepared. Meredith more than I, because it has always been his mantra. He's in good physical form," she said. "I tend to, now that I'm retired, to sit back and read my newspaper and enjoy life a little more, but he does push me and encourages me to go through some of these very difficult tasks."

The Villagers said they wanted to enjoy the experience. They are not expecting to be the best in the race.

"We do not have any illusions of going there and being perfectly prepared. I think there are going to be a lot of surprises," Meredith said. "And the fact that we are a little bit older, and have seen a little more of life than some of the other contestants, will be to our advantage in handling surprises."

Recap of episode 1

Helicopters transported the 11 teams of two to the historic harbor in Long Beach, Calif., where host Phil Keoghan welcomed them to the starting line of the race. After informing the teams there would be eight elimination legs during the course of the race, Keoghan signaled the start, and teams raced to their bags, where they learned they would be flying to Lima, Peru, on one of two flights. After landing, they had to travel by bus to the Plaza de Armas to find their next clue.

The Smiths were on the second flight.

After landing in Lima, the teams rode a bus to Plaza de Armas and opened their next clue, which instructed them to travel 30 miles by bus to the city of Ancon. Once there, they had to make their way by rickshaw to the beach known as Playa Hermosa and dig through one of three sand piles for airline tickets to their next destination, Cuzco, Peru. Each pile had a different departure time: 6 a.m., 7 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. Once a team claimed a set of tickets, they could not search another pile.

The Smiths had to settle for the 7:40 flight.

Landing in Cuzco, the next clue revealed the teams had to take a marked taxi 22 miles to the small town of Huambutio and find a kiosk where the owner would hand them their next clue. Arriving at the kiosk, the clue instructed the teams to make their way two miles to the top of a gorge, take a zipline across it, and then a second zipline to get to the bottom.

The Smiths yelled with delight during their individual zipline rides across the picturesque view of the mountains and valleys around them. Next, the teams faced their first detour. They had to choose between Rope A Llama and Rope A Basket. For Rope A Llama, each team had to rope two llamas and take them to a pen. Roping the llamas didn't require strength, but getting them to cooperate and walk to the pens was frustrating and time-consuming for some of the teams.

Rope A Basket required each team member to use a rope to tie a basket containing 35 pounds of alfalfa to their back and carry it two-thirds of a mile to a store. Carrying the heavy baskets required strength, but teams with endurance could finish quickly.

The Smiths chose the Rope A Llama task, and while the llamas stubbornly refused to be pulled in any direction for some of the teams, Gretchen patted the llamas on the rear and told them to get moving. They did as she told them, which allowed the pair to take a delivery truck ride, departing every 20 minutes, nearly 20 miles to the town of Pisac, where they were told to search the marketplace for their next clue.

The final race of the show was a frantic race to the mat to learn how the teams placed. The Smiths arrived sixth. The 11th and last team, Ryan and his friend Chuck, were the first to be eliminated.

Luckily for "The Amazing Race" fans in Florida's Friendliest Hometown, Meredith and Gretchen are still in the race, which means Villagers can cheer for the town's celebrity snowbirds again next week.

Theresa Campbell is senior features writer with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9260, or theresa.campbell@thevillagesmedia.com.

puddin:
Amazing Racers drop in on show-watching party at Crazy Gringos

By THERESA CAMPBELL, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES - Crazy Gringos was the hottest place in town for "Amazing Race" fans Tuesday night, and once Villagers noticed Meredith and Gretchen Smith were among them in watching the reality show, fans were elated.

They couldn't resist seeking their autographs and telling The Villages snowbirds that they're cheering for them.

Fans say the Smiths showed up quietly, sitting at a table with Villagers Nancy and Bill Petri, munching away on nachos before being recognized in the dimly lit restaurant. Once the word was out that the Smiths were in the house, the couple hopped from table to table during commercial breaks to meet the crowd.

Some of the 100 fans at the party, including Art and Jean Ollila, couldn't resist asking Meredith and Gretchen their outcome in "The Amazing Race."

"Keep watching the show," were the words the Ollilas and other fans said they heard from the Smiths.

And if you're an "Amazing Race" fan fretting about missing Tuesday's party, don't worry. Crazy Gringos plans to host another "Amazing Race Party" on Tuesday, so fans can watch the fourth episode on Crazy Gringos' 19 television sets and big screen TV. The show airs at 9 p.m. on WKMG-TV, Channel 6, in Orlando, with eight teams left in a globetrotting race for a $1 million prize. 

   
 

"This is a great party and it's exciting," said Will Pardee, assistant general manager of Crazy Gringos, who was thrilled by the turnout. "We really appreciate the business, and we're inviting Meredith and Gretchen to come back as well."

Cheers from the crowd

During the beginning of Tuesday's show, Gretchen acknowledged on TV that Meredith was taking on a lot of the responsibilities in the race.

"But I make it up to him in a lot of other ways," Gretchen said on-screen, prompting the crowd at Crazy Gringos to erupt in laughter and cheers.

In another scene, Gretchen tells Meredith: "You're doing very well, honey."

"Awww," their fans at Crazy Gringos cheered in unison at hearing that.

Jack and Sherry McGraw were thrilled to be among the partygoers watching "The Amazing Race" with fellow fans, including the Smiths.

"We told everybody back home that we were coming to Crazy Gringos to watch it, and little did I know they would be here, so that is exciting. Absolutely, we're rooting for them," Sherry McGraw said. "It's so thrilling to have somebody from The Villages have a good showing on the show. They are doing awesome."

"They are going great," added Jack McGraw, who raised his arms in the air in support of the Smiths.

The McGraws also raved about the "Amazing Race" party at Crazy Gringos.

"This is just one more thing that makes The Villages special," Sherry said. "They always go the extra mile to support people, and we're just so happy to be a part of the excitement."

Barbara Canipe was glued to the tube while watching the show and was thrilled when she met the Smiths.

"They are great and so nice," Canipe said, adding she has been an "Amazing Race" fan for years and was a fan of Gretchen and Meredith before meeting them on Tuesday. "The two of them together, they're smart."

John Rohan attended the party with his son, John Michael, and the pair were among the Smiths' cheering fans.

"Oh, this is very exciting," Rohan said.

Carol Reynolds expressed the same sentiments, adding: "I'm here tonight as a Gretchen and Meredith fan."

"It's exciting to see someone who is on TV, and that they are here at Crazy Gringos enjoying the excitement with everybody else," Judi Andrews said. "I'm watching the show because of them."

Sheila and Roger Hartwell were all smiles upon meeting "The Amazing Race" contestants.

"It was wonderful talking to them," Sheila said.

Bill and Nancy Petri also found it fun watching "The Amazing Race" with the Smiths.

"Oh yeah, we're Gretchen and Meredith fans," Nancy said, adding she never watched "The Amazing Race" until now.

"I met Gretchen right before the show started at a flight attendants' meeting here in The Villages, and I went home and told my husband, 'We have to start watching The Amazing Race because Gretchen and Meredith are going to be on it,' " Nancy said. "Gretchen is a former flight attendant with American Airlines, so we have a kinship."

"And we're happy they are here in The Villages," Bill Petri added.

During a commercial break, Bill echoed praise for the pair: "Oh, they're doing well."

The Petris noticed that the Smiths, like the other fans of the show, were focused on the TV screen, eager to see the actions of the other teams on the show.

"I can tell they are getting a big kick out of the reactions in here," Bill said of the fans.

The crowd booed when contestants Rob and Amber of "Survivor" were shown pulling tricks to get ahead of the rest of the teams, and the fans cheered with delight whenever the Smiths were on the screen.

Theresa Campbell is senior features writer with the Daily Sun. She can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9260, or theresa.campbell@thevillagesmedia.com.

puddin:
Easton's Amazing Racers hold on to seventh place
By JOHN GRIEP
News Editor
March 17, 2005
 
 
 “Lucky 7.”

 That was Meredith Smith’s comment when he and wife Gretchen were told they had finished in seventh place on the third leg of the “Amazing Race.”

 The Easton couple maintained their ranking from last week’s leg, after rising to as high as fourth place at the “detour” task.

 Starting in seventh, the Smiths quickly drove out of Santiago, Chile, and were in third place as the teams drove through the Andes into Argentina for their first task of the leg.

 “This elevation is ferocious,” Meredith remarked as he drove the winding, mountainous road to the next clue.

 Brothers Brian and Greg passed the couple before reaching the “detour” at Puente Viejo, where teams had to choose between paddling seven miles down a river or biking seven miles along a railroad track.

 The brothers, with their physical strength and fitness, opted for biking, a choice that backfired when one’s tire went flat and they had to finish the course carrying their bikes.

 The Smiths chose paddling and passed the brothers as they were trying to inflate the tire. Two other teams who chose the river course also would pass the brothers before they reached the end of the bike course.

 The Easton couple finished the rafting trip in third place, but were passed by dating couple Ron and Kelly before reaching the next clue box.

 Teams were directed to drive 70 miles away to Camping Suizo where they would enjoy a traditional Argentine barbecue.

 When teams arrived there, they faced a “roadblock,” a task one team has to perform. The clue said the team member should not be a vegetarian.

 Meredith took on the task for his team and learned he had to eat four pounds of the traditional meal, which included pork sausage, blood sausage, cow rib and other cow parts.

 “Survivor: All Stars” Rob, who reached the task in second place, decided early on he couldn’t finish and took a four-hour penalty that began when the next team arrived to get their clue. He then set to work convincing another team to also quit, knowing it meant his team could not finish last.

 His break came when dating couple Ray and Deana arrived at the task and Deana decided to perform it. She soon realized she would be unable to eat the four pounds of food and opted to quit after Rob explained his plan to the team.

 As Meredith struggled to eat the food, Ray and Deana then persuaded the Smiths to join them for the four-hour penalty, which began when mother-son team Susan and Patrick arrived at the roadblock in eighth place.

 With three teams sitting out, Alex, who had arrived at the task in first place with partner Lynn, and Uchenna, who had arrived in sixth place with wife Joyce, battled to finish the meal first. Despite Alex’s headstart, Uchenna cleaned his plate first, soon followed by Alex.

 But the married couple got lost on their way to the pit stop, allowing gay couple Alex and Lynn to reach the finish line for the third leg in first place. Uchenna and Joyce settled for second.

 Brothers Brian and Greg were third, followed by dating couple Ron and Kelly. Ron, who had been imprisoned for more than two weeks in an Iraqi prison during the Iraq war, said the traditional Argentinean meal had been the worst meal he had ever had.

 Although the food in the prison tasted worse, Ron said, he didn’t have to force himself to eat four pounds of it.

 Rob and Amber, the engaged “Survivor” couple, finished fifth, while Ray and Deana beat Meredith and Gretchen to sixth place after their penalties expired.

 “I didn’t think I could do it,” Rob told host Phil Keoghan at the pit stop, “but I found a way to plot and scheme in the Amazing Race.”

 Patrick, who began eating in earnest when the last team, Debbie and Bianca, arrived at the roadblock, finished ahead of Debbie, who also managed to eat the entire meal.

 However, the lifelong friends from Virginia — who had hoped to be the first all-woman team to win the “Amazing Race” — finished in last place and were eliminated from the race.

 They took home a consolation prize of $10,000 each — the reward for finishing first in the premiere episode of the reality show. A crucial mistake in the third leg — driving more than two hours past the exit for the Andes mountains — led to their downfall.

 While the Smiths have ranked sixth or seventh in each of the first three episodes, the race is getting tighter for the Easton couple with each leg. With sixth place in the first leg, the team was in the middle of the pack. Although they finished Tuesday night’s episode in seventh place, that ranking now puts them next to last.

puddin:
Are These Amazing Race Gals Gay?
by Ethan Alter


Debbie and Bianca
 

Debbie Cloyed and Bianca Smith went into The Amazing Race (Tuesdays, 9pm/ET) intending to be the first all-female team to walk away with the $1 million prize. (Click here for photos of all the teams.) Unfortunately, a major navigational error on their way from Chile to Argentina set the gal pals back by almost five hours and sealed their fate. Here, they discuss their mistakes, Rob Mariano's controversial Roadblock strategy and what they really mean by calling each other "lifelong friends."



TVGuide.com: So you really had no idea you were heading in the wrong direction for two hours?
Debbie: We had gotten directions from someone who told us that it would be a five-hour trip, so we were expecting a long drive and weren't perturbed at all by how long we were on the road. We were double-checking our directions along the way, but every single person would tell us something different, and our map was pretty inadequate at that point. So we were just going with it and having fun and then, when we saw the ocean, we knew we had screwed up.
Bianca: After a week of racing we were going on very little sleep and so you have to go on trust instead. We trusted that the initial directions we received were correct, and they ended up being wrong.
Debbie: You have to understand: Bianca is pursuing a Ph.D. in education, I just finished a novel, and I have two photography books coming out. But we've always been horrible with directions. [Laughs]

TVG: Your getting lost was ironic, since you were the one team that actually spoke Spanish fluently.
Debbie: It's funny. Bianca and I have traveled the world together. Between the two of us, we've been to 30 countries, except for South America. So for us to get to go to a place where neither of us had been before and be able to communicate was terrific. And we have more travel plans now. Bianca is going to Australia this summer, we're going to volunteer at an orphanage in Africa in the fall, and after that, we're going to move to Buenos Aires for a year.
Bianca: We'll teach English, Debbie will write, continue with her photography, and learn how to dance tango! Every couple of years, we get cabin fever and have to take off to another country. So when we saw Buenos Aires, we fell in love and were like, "All right, we're coming back."

 
 
 
 
TVG: You clashed with Rob a few times. What's your take on that stunt he pulled at the Roadblock? Brilliant strategy or flagrant cheating?
Debbie: I love the compliment Rob gave me: "That chick is tough. She's got the b---s to yell at me." That was my favorite part of the show. I was like "Right on." That settled [our conflict] for me; it's all good. We're more proud of ourselves if we play fair, but he did it a different way and that's life.

TVG: Were you aware that Rob had stolen your cab in Chile?
Bianca: No, we didn't know about that. We watched it for the first time along with the rest of the world. It is interesting and funny to see behind-the-scenes stuff like that. But we weren't shocked.

TVG: You were very vocal about wanting to be the first all-female team to win the race.
Bianca: That was definitely something that was important to both of us. We felt it was bigger than ourselves, and it was a chance to show that women are just as strong and just as tough [as the male teams]. And really, I think we accomplished that. Our lack of direction skills aside, I think we maintained our dignity and our strength throughout. I know for a fact that we have more guts than many of the men in our lives. That is what's unfortunate about the fact that we didn't win. We had what it took and luck wasn't on our side. It's about time that a women's team wins the race.

TVG: The show billed you as lifelong friends, but at times you seemed... er, more than that. Care to comment?
Debbie: We're lifelong friends, but I am aware of [the speculation]. I think it's a shame that people have to ask questions like that because it's obvious that they don't have a friendship like we have and have had our whole life. If only they could be so lucky. It says more about them than it does about us. Bianca has been with me my whole life. She's seen every triumph, every sorrow, every good, every bad, every boyfriend. She's my family.
Bianca: Also, culturally, my mother is Mexican and this is the way we behave. We're very touchy; we love each other and we're not afraid to tell each other. Life is too short to be boring and not love with all your heart. So that's where all the touching, kissing and loving came from. But we are definitely lifelong friends. We live on separate coasts right now. I live outside of Washington, D.C., and Debbie is in L.A. But we talk on the phone five times a day and visit each other often. Whenever we part, we always have a plan for a future trip to look forward to.

TVG: Bianca, settle a lingering question. Did you deliberately point Ron and Kelly to the wrong sandpile on the beach in Peru?
Debbie: We're glad you asked us this! We have to set it straight. I'm the one who went to go look for the piles, and Bianca somehow got the information wrong...
Bianca: Actually, Debbie, they did show what happened. If anyone has TiVo they can go back and look. I watched it again, and it showed that I said to Ron and Kelly, "There's a 7:00 and a 7:40 flight. I think the middle one is the 7:00." I don't know if they put the "I think" part in there, but they definitely showed that I told them there were two flights. When they got to the middle pile and saw it was 7:40, they should have gone on to the next one.
Debbie: That sort of thing adds drama to the show. And you have to understand, we were so far ahead of those people at that point. We were trying to help everyone. It was not intentional. Bianca is a very wonderful, honest, golden-hearted human being. We felt so horrible when we found out they thought that we had misdirected them. But then they got back at us by keeping us off the bus the next day!

source
http://tvguide.com/news/insider/050322b.asp

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page