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Amazing Race 9 Articles / Library
puddin:
Nice match Neobie :)
puddin:
'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
puddin:
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
puddin:
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
puddin:
another Phil video interview, not bad .
http://www.tampabays10.com/aroundthebay/aroundthebay_article.aspx?storyid=26541
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