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The Amazing Race => The Racers => Topic started by: georgiapeach on January 25, 2012, 08:51:10 AM
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(http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb140/ga--peach/TAR%2020/Cast%20Reveal/ArtandJJ.jpg)
Name: Art Velez
Age: 43
Hometown: Temecula, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Friend/Co-worker
Current occupation: Border Patrol Agent
Describe what you do: I tell others what to do, how to do it, and I prevent illegal immigrants from entering the country.
How will these skills help you win The Race? I have the ability to adapt, adjust, overcome and make split second command decisions.
Three words to describe you: Funny, hilarious and good looking.
Favorite hobbies: Shooting guns in competition, golfing and smoking/cooking meats.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Ben Affleck
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? My incredible son and my marriage.
What scares you most about traveling? Getting arrested in a foreign country.
What excites you most about traveling? Experiencing different cultures.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: My partner needs to understand and learn that not everyone in the world is stupid.
Pet peeve about your teammate: His botox shots, plucked eyebrows and those loafers.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? spoke highly of New Zealand and they were wonderful people.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? I want to see my partner cry on national television because I am his boss and he is a wuss.
Name: J.J. Carrell
Age: 42
Hometown: Carlsbad, Calif.
Connection to your teammate: Friend/Co-worker
Current occupation: Border Patrol Agent
Describe what you do: I supervise an anti-smuggling group of 20 agents in the United States Border Patrol.
How will these skills help you win The Race? I have to make quick and decisive decisions. I also have to think clearly and make sound decisions under extreme pressure.
Three words to describe you: Honest, funny and solid.
Favorite hobbies: Going to the beach, reading and working out.
What famous person reminds you of yourself? Goose in “Top Gun.”
What famous person reminds you of your teammate? The Tasmanian Devil.
What is the accomplishment you are most proud of? Adopting my son.
What scares you most about traveling? Getting sick.
What excites you most about traveling? Experiencing other people and cultures.
Biggest challenge you and your teammate will face on The Race together: We always yell at each other. We need a smooth communication pattern.
Pet peeve about your teammate: His stupid gold chain that holds his badge.
What country and place would you most like to visit and why? New Zealand, because I want to experience the people and the culture.
What do you hope to accomplish by running The Race (other than winning one million bucks)? A better working relationship and better communication
http://www.youtube.com/v/3KVIqO4n-zk?version=3&hl
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The first thing that struck me about them is that they don't quite fit one of the typical molds of teams. They will probably suffer from pride and overconfidence :lol:
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They're kinda reminding me of Louie & Michael. Not a likable team, but I feel they will go far
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I don't think I like them. They are my least favorites (:;)
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I'm really surprised there are two male teams over 40. These two remind me of Louie & Michael, too. Their video rubs me the wrong way for some reason I can't explain, so for these two I'll just have to wait for the first episode.
Also the guy on the right (J.J.?) looks way too much like my high school geometry teacher, it's seriously creeping me out.
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They are funny with a good sense of humor!
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Now I can see the vid, I kind a like them!
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For some reason Art's name reminds me of Art Vandelay off Seinfeld :lol:
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I like them and I would love to see TEAM Federal Agents VS Border Patrol Agents!! <33333333333333333333333
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I like this team, :tup:
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JJ seems to be a bit naive. Wanting to put a "face on border patrol agents"? Sorry, not buying that. Not sure about this team.
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They seam like a fun team. I have a f 3 vibe from them.
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Am I the only one who think they're annoying? :lol:
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Do not like them at all. They seem cocky. Kinda like watching 2 Nick (17).
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Am I the only one who think they're annoying? :lol:
I found them waaaaaay annoying on the premiere. I wasn't expecting it, but I was surprised at how much I didn't like these two.
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One of my fav. teams.
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They may be competitive on the Race, but I will always appreciate border patrol agents for what they do for my country :)
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They may be competitive on the Race, but I will always appreciate border patrol agents for what they do for my country :)
Brendon doesn't! :lol3: :lol3: :lol3:
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They may be competitive on the Race, but I will always appreciate border patrol agents for what they do for my country :)
Brendon doesn't! :lol3: :lol3: :lol3:
well not everyone does...
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Am I the only one who think they're annoying? :lol:
I do too. Especially that guy in blue. Something about him.
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I'm cheering for these guys on Leg 3! Hopefully it will be 3rd - 2nd - 1st and then the Leg 3 Curse can claim another victim! :lol:
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Unwarranted hatred of Brenchel since they were on BB :res: yes I hate Davchel since they're guilty by association :lol:
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I hate Davchel since they're guilty by association :lol:
That's the only thing I don't like about Rachel & Dave - their alliance with these people. :lol:
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I hate Davchel since they're guilty by association :lol:
That's the only thing I don't like about Rachel & Dave - their alliance with these people. :lol:
I don't like anything about them.
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Why do you guys don't like them?
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Why do you guys don't like them?
I like them ;D
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Why do you guys don't like them?
I like them ;D
Me too,i mean,what is to not like?
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They are being edited as an alpha male team, something some people don't like.
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Oh sure,if Joey Bitchness and Danny were edited to the Alpha Male team,even asking the cousins how to build staff, this same people wouldn't care :groan:
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Oh sure,if Joey Bitchness and Danny were edited to the Alpha Male team,even asking the cousins how to build staff, this same people wouldn't care :groan:
It seems that way :lol:
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The reason I don't like these two is because they are ridiculously rude. The way they talk about Brenchel (who aren't exactly my favourite team) is really unacceptable in my book. Don't judge a book by its cover... :naughty:
They also seem to be the 'bickering couple' of this season... :res:
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No they are incredibly rude. They need to learn that their ego is their worst enemy.
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No they are incredibly rude. They need to learn that their ego is their worst enemy.
What about Rachel's ego? :groan:
As for Art & JJ, I'm indifferent. I like them at times and don't at other times. They really remind me of Louie & Michael (and I may be the only person on RFF who actually liked L&M :lol:), so I feel like they could fly under the radar for a while and still be hanging around late in the Race.
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What's there to like about this team? :lol:
Egoistic, dysfunctional, whiney, weird, over competitive, blaming others when they couldn't win a leg, over expectation.
:res:
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What's there to like about this team? :lol:
Egoistic, dysfunctional, whiney, weird, over competitive, blaming others when they couldn't win a leg, over expectation.
:res:
I don't know why, but I don't like this team because of that reasons (bolded).. :gaah:
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They remind me of the female version of Katie and Rachel. Over competitive and ignorant.. whiney? :lol:
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They remind me of the female version of Katie and Rachel. Over competitive and ignorant.. whiney? :lol:
I have to agree with that! :lol:
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No they are incredibly rude. They need to learn that their ego is their worst enemy.
What about Rachel's ego? :groan:
As for Art & JJ, I'm indifferent. I like them at times and don't at other times. They really remind me of Louie & Michael (and I may be the only person on RFF who actually liked L&M :lol:), so I feel like they could fly under the radar for a while and still be hanging around late in the Race.
I like Louie and Michael too :lol:
But these guys are way way different from them. They are quick tempered and over competitive. And they create drama to them selves. Art yells for no reason. They're like diva guys.
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I loved Louie & Michael, but I hate these two! :knuckles:
I hope the U.S. Army and the Federal Agents shuts down the Border Patrol on this race! :lol3:
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OK, after that episode I'm slightly annoyed by them. :lol: There is nothing wrong with being good at stuff but they talk too much blahblah
They're the Colin and Christie of the year :lol:
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eewwwwwwwwwwww at this team.
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ugghhh
If they win, this season is totally :gaah:
HATE
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Love them
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Love them! They are cool team!
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:eww
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Interesting article!!
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/swcounty/region-local-border-patrol-agents-compete-on-amazing-race/article_0153c1e1-6b00-5abc-8a34-7e64ac91653b.html
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They drive me absolutely insane. I watched Sunday's episode on Youtube today and I had to skip over some of their parts.
Incredibly rude and full of themselves. Can't wait for them to go, hopefully sooner than later.
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They drive me absolutely insane. I watched Sunday's episode on Youtube today and I had to skip over some of their parts.
Incredibly rude and full of themselves. Can't wait for them to go, hopefully sooner than later.
Couldn't have put it better myself! ;)
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I was cheering for both, BUT now i like Art and i hate JJ
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I was cheering for both, BUT now i like Art and i hate JJ
Now that I think about it, I don't remember Art being as bad, but I can't be 100% sure. Like I said, I skipped over their "We're the best, every other team can work as hard as they want but we'll still beat them." attitude.
I didn't like Andy/Tommy because they didn't see to really be struggling at all and they were dominating (if that makes any sense) but now Art/JJ are the exact opposite, they know they're winning and they'll tell it to the camera at every darn moment they get. I guess I like the ones in the middle who work hard for first place and then earn it and don't rub it in our faces and instead appreciate it for the accomplishment it is.
.... or I'm just trying to come up with an excuse as to why I can't stand them.
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Im new to RFF and I had to weigh in on some of these posts.........I think it's all in the editing here! Interesting article posted by Peach. Not thinking "cocky, rude and full of themselves" team would be even doing fundraising efforts. I like them and see great potential here.
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Im new to RFF and I had to weigh in on some of these posts.........I think it's all in the editing here! Interesting article posted by Peach. Not thinking "cocky, rude and full of themselves" team would be even doing fundraising efforts. I like them and see great potential here.
I totally agree! :tup:
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I'd have to also agree that the editing also plays a very large role in shaping our opinions of this team (and every other team that has appeared on TAR). :tup:
However, having said that, it's also important to point out that they can only edit the material that you give them. Evidently, the scenes depicting Art & JJ's attitude actually had to have occurred in order for us to see those scenes on the show. ;)
Oh, and welcome to RFF, RoscoePWaggles! :bigwelcome :wel2 :welcome2: :hello2: :hithere:
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However, having said that, it's also important to point out that they can only edit the material that you give them. Evidently, the scenes depicting Art & JJ's attitude actually had to have occurred in order for us to see those scenes on the show. ;)
I have often said that too. I'm not only on one side of the editing argument but these guys aren't evil. They just run their mouths too much :lol:
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However, having said that, it's also important to point out that they can only edit the material that you give them. Evidently, the scenes depicting Art & JJ's attitude actually had to have occurred in order for us to see those scenes on the show. ;)
I have often said that too. I'm not only on one side of the editing argument but these guys aren't evil. They just run their mouths too much :lol:
Yeah, I have to agree. They do run their mouths too much! :lol: And I don't think they're evil, but some of the comments about Brenchel are pretty close to evil. :lol:
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I completely agree with all of that, however when they have thousands of hours of tape, they can essentially create any character they want. That is what CBS has done, I'm sure for every single contestant, not just these two. It will be interesting to see if they continue to portray this team and others differently if they remain on the race.
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:welcome: to RFF, RoscoePWaggles!! Great name! :lol:
I agree. I think these are just two hard playing super competitive guys which is a good thing race wise. And TAR goes to no end to get the soundbites from the racers it needs...editing can make or break anyone!
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Thanks Peach! It's GOOD to be here! :hrt:
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:bigwelcome to RFF RoscoePWaggles!
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They're most certainly not evil. Just least charismatic.
If there's an evil team, I would be the first to love them! :hearts:
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I like these guys because they are a really rare team: they don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk. They have gotten 3rd. 2nd, and 1st. And how are they bickering??? Me and my friends are just like them.
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Totally classy move by Art & JJ during Leg 4 that completely changed my opinion of them for the better. I won't say what it is, in case someone hasn't seen the episode yet, but I definitely have a better view of them after that now. :tup:
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I think I like them. Really. More and more time and time again.
I prefer the cousins, Kentucky, BB and the Teachers (:lol:), but I like these two too!
Hope the white Rachel and Dave are gone soon. Pleasepleasepleaseplease.
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After the last minutes of the episode I like them a bit more, but they were still talking about themselve the whole time. Didn't thought that they would do something like that :hrt:
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IMHO, it seemed like the editors were just trying to make them seem more likable. If it had been another team I doubt they'd show it...
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IMHO, it seemed like the editors were just trying to make them seem more likable. If it had been another team I doubt they'd show it...
I'm sure they'll show it. Regardless of any team, whoever shares/gives away their prize (money or travel) to another team is a TV material.
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IMHO, it seemed like the editors were just trying to make them seem more likable. If it had been another team I doubt they'd show it...
Show it just to make them more likable? I think this makes them more likable. It shows they have a heart and really aren't as terrible as some believe. It was a move unprecedented in the history of the show from what I understand, so it appears to me that it would have been aired regardless of who it was. :gaah:
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They did this, and it was a heart act. What other reason? We know that they don't care about been "nice guys"
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Art and JJ did outstanding in the Paraguay and Turin legs and placed 3rd in each of the Argentina legs. However, they had the advantage that both of them speak Spanish (as does Vanessa). When the language playing field is level in Azerbaijan, Kenya, India and Japan I predict they will do less well.
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I don't think that their language skills helped them stack watermelons or fly a toy helicopter
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Art and JJ did outstanding in the Paraguay and Turin legs and placed 3rd in each of the Argentina legs. However, they had the advantage that both of them speak Spanish (as does Vanessa). When the language playing field is level in Azerbaijan, Kenya, India and Japan I predict they will do less well.
I thought it was going to be in Tanzania. I'm pretty sure it is.
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In one of the CBS Extra Videos, Art and JJ stated that they had joined the elite group of 20 Amazing Race teams who had completed a FAST FORWARD. Either their counting or their research skills are a bit off. I have done the math here and this is my calculation of the number of prior teams completing FAST FORWARDs:
AR1 5
AR2 6
AR3 6
AR4 7
AR5 1 (a second one by Brandon/Nicole not completed)
AR6 2
AR7 2
AR8 1
AR9 2
AR10 3
AR11 both of these were repeats of teams in AR2 or AR7
AR12 1
AR13 1
AR14 0 because nobody wanted the unaired/unused one in Phuket
AR15 1
AR16 1
AR17 1
AR18 0
AR19 0
TOTAL 40
So Art and JJ are batting 50% on counting.
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Even if you include the first four seasons, that's roughly 45 teams out of over 210. That's a little over 20%. If you were to just count the seasons post 4, it'd be 21/166. Roughly 12%. I'd consider both counts as elite. So congratulations Art & JJ.
Edit: Nevermind, I just now watched the clip of them saying that. You're right, apskip, but I think it was just a spur of the moment statement from them.
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No matter what people think of them, they obviously have the skill sets needed to excel on TAR. They are strong at all different kinds of tasks, make good decisions on their feet, never get lost, and avoid the dumb mistakes all the other teams get bogged down in.
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No matter what people think of them, they obviously have the skill sets needed to excel on TAR. They are strong at all different kinds of tasks, make good decisions on their feet, never get lost, and avoid the dumb mistakes all the other teams get bogged down in.
True.
They've always had the first flight/train/bus to every location, and that's helped them a lot. :tup: But I don't want to watch them dominate. :res: I want some other teams to experience a 1st place finish, soon! ;)
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They're incredibly strong (paired with teams who are very prone to errors), which actually surprised me (I thought they'd be gone by Ep 3 pre-show).
But they are A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G (or at least, their edits).
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Do y'all know that they are having viewing parties to benefit retired and injured Border Patrol Agents??
These are nice guys. Competitive, hard core yes, but nice.
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Do y'all know that they are having viewing parties to benefit retired and injured Border Patrol Agents??
These are nice guys. Competitive, hard core yes, but nice.
:jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam: :jam:
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That's commendable! True class with these guys!
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They're clearly great guys outside the race.
I just wish I could feel the same way about them during the race, but I don't think that's going to happen...
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One of my two fav. teams.
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I started out not liking this team because I felt that they were arrogant. But then I realized that feeling came entirely from what they had to say during the interviews, not from anything they did while racing. (Not the talks with Phil on the mat, but the interviews one can find on the website)
Here's the thing - during the interviews, we only hear a team's responses. We never hear what question came before the response. And a clever interviewer can elicit just about any answer the interviewer wants, based on how a question is phrased and other techniques. So I'm thinking "a little bit cocksure of themselves" is part of the persona the producers want this team to portray.
I think with this team we have a sterling example of "actions speak louder than words", and I have revised my opinion and now appreciate them.
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Beautifully said. I can tell you without a doubt that production can be incessant getting that right soundbite.
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JJ seems the loudest of the two and sees himself as the leader of the group, at least that's what the editing suggests.
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Thoughts on Art and JJ
1) Little big-headed, if not obnoxiously cocky. This is a bit of a turnoff, but they seem a little nice. Right? :inocent:
2) I'm not a person that goes apecrap when make 4+ wins or something. I actually get confused and slightly annoyed when people root for the underdogs. Bill and Cathi, Dave and Cherie, Mel and Mike, and others I just couldn't stand. I root for top dogs only! Well, and nice people. Nice people work for me too. :hrt:
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I root for the bigger characters normally as they keep me entertained.
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In response to their "2nd place equating to a win on a FF leg" claim, this is what came to mind:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EKr-PpcVf4
watch from 9:24
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after these guys gave Bopper and Mark $5000, they gained my respect
but after Leg 7, i realised they're not gonna change, they are arrogant and cocky and they just want to make trouble
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I like how they race with intensity but they are a bit obnoxious sometimes
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I like how they race with intensity but they are a bit obnoxious sometimes every second they are on screen.
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I like how they race with intensity but they are a bit very obnoxious sometimes every second they are on screen.
:res:
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I like how they race with intensity but they are a bit very obnoxious sometimes every second they are on screen and try to create frictions and drama between other teams while acting like they want to stay out of it all.. .
:res:
I loved it when one of them (forgot whom) made a remark about not being on the race with his wife for the reason Dave and Rachel were being on each others case (basically both Dave and Rachel were to blame there), but then got into a fight with each other too and ended up losing to them. :lol:
So much for that logic.. Felt good to see them slipping up and eat their words for a change. (For however brief it may last... :lol: )
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so freakin' obnoxious. more so than Louis and Michael
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I like these two, but I will admit, they were (hopefully) at their worst this leg.
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I already dislike them and today's episode and insider clips just reinforces it. Trying to turn Bopper & Mark against Brenchel and Nary & Jamie and into a 4-team alliance was disgusting. Stirring up drama with the other teams and butting their heads into every situation was completely unnecessary. On top of that, they whine whenever another teams beats them at something or "follows" them. These two should've been cast on Survivor instead. Nothing would make me happier than to see them blindsided at a tribal council. Just plain cocky and insufferable. :res:
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These two got-to-go! :gaah:
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Their egos seem to get larger :lol:
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ever-growing egos and cocky attitudes
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Hypocrisy ("we don't want to be involved in the drama", yet they put themselves in the middle of the Brandon/Rachel and Vanessa/Ralph debacle and also tried to stir up drama against Nary and Jaime who are sweet women from what we see)
+
Strong performance with numerous (undeserving) wins
=
Frustration! (:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)(:;)
(not even sharing their money with the country boys makes up for it)
:killme:
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Oh, I think they deserved their wins, especially since two legs got them in several hours before the next team.
But two teams this season will make fans of the show implode if they win: Art & J.J. and Brendon & Rachel, so one of them has to win. It's been a long time since a strong male team has won (not counting international seasons), so I'm rooting for these two.
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I like them! They're funny and entertaining, and not in an annoying way.
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Threatning Mark and Bopper. Disgusting Human Beings, Go home (:;)
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How could any win be undeserving? It means they performed well or at least better than the others because TAR doesn't allow cheating.
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so freakin' obnoxious. more so than Louis and Michael
THIS. I didn't think it was possible, but we found them. The team that makes Louis & Michael seem nice. :'(
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They were incredibly annoying last episode. Their remarks about Nary & Jamie were so immature. They are two overweight middle age men acting like high school jocks.
JJ grow a beard and you can work part time as a mall Santa this holidays.
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html
Well, it's true I dislike them. But here's the thing:
I am sure they are nice, wholesome people. The articles just proves my hunch.
I always make sure to try and separate the racers on the show with who they are in real life, because it is unbelievable how editing can change someone drastically. So when I judge as annoying, cocky, egotistical, hypocritical, unfunny. I am judging the Art and JJ from the Amazing Race, not the Art and JJ in real life. It's completely different.
btw, still don't like them
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I can't believe I'm going to quote him, but Nick from Season 17 made a good point. He said in an interview something like "Viewers aren't judging the people Nick & Vicky, they're judging the characters Nick & Vicky."
So the people who are saying that Art & J.J. are doing good things in real life because it feeds their ego (Nobody here is saying this), those people are stupid. These two are good guys in real life, but from the scenes on TV they are smug, smug, smug (but they're also a really strong team). Even watching some of the bonus scenes online make them look better.
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html (http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html)
I will give you the best possible reason they shouldn't win. Because there are smarter, faster and equally strong teams in this competition. I will cite both Rachel and David and Brendon and Rachel in that category.
no spoilers please
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html
Great point :tup:
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html (http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html)
I will give you the best possible reason they shouldn't win. Because there are smarter, faster and equally strong teams in this competition. I will cite both Rachel and David and Brendon and Rachel in that category..
I do not agree that Brendon and Rachel are faster and smarter than them. Art and JJ have consistently placed higher than them. Only once did they beat them and that was when they were second and Art/JJ were third. That was also the only leg in which Brenchel had a chance to come out on top, every other time they have been substantially behind the leader. On the other hand Art and JJ have won three legs.
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html
I bet they're nice people in real life, but it doesn't make me like them any more when they're on screen... :res:
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html
I bet they're nice people in real life, but it doesn't make me like them any more when they're on screen... :res:
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I don't like them much either. I also wonder if being men and stronger hasn't helped them get first place more often. :umn:
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I know, I loved it when they acted all high and mighty about not bringing their wives along and then Dave and Rachel beat them :lol3:
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These guys love the drama, they bring the drama from NOWHERE.
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Ok, I'm tired of them now. They are running this race in a pompous and obnoxious way. They are giving a really poor example of themselves because most of the ten million viewers will not bother to find out if they are really nice irl.
What did Dave owe them that he had to Uturn Brenchel? And why do they only refer to that team as "Dave." Do they have a problem with women or something?
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Dear Art and JJ,
SHUT UP!
kevin
P.S. It is truly a shame you can't use another uturn. *sarcasm* Now you can't uturn Dave and Rachel in petty revenge, but they can still uturn you guys (which would be the smart thing to do).
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All the negativity about them is annoying. These guys have done so many good things, and they're owning at the race. Tell me again why everyone thinks they shouldn't win? Because they joke around and mess with people sometimes?
Here's an article on them.
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/murrieta/murrieta-fundraiser-viewing-party-set/article_22446a33-c334-58b6-8e66-d89e8d268d75.html
I bet they're nice people in real life, but it doesn't make me like them any more when they're on screen... :res:
they're not joking
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I do really like Art and J.J. but is true they are getting a little anoying in this last legs (sorry for the bad english :lol:)
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Ok, I'm tired of them now. They are running this race in a pompous and obnoxious way. They are giving a really poor example of themselves because most of the ten million viewers will not bother to find out if they are really nice irl.
What did Dave owe them that he had to Uturn Brenchel? And why do they only refer to that team as "Dave." Do they have a problem with women or something?
Reading through Nary & Jamie's interviews, that sounds like the case.
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Just reading through Nary & Jamie's interviews makes me dislike Art & JJ even more. :lol:
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Art and JJ are becoming worse and worse every leg, the Nary and Jaime interviews just make them hit rock bottom.
It's official, imo they are worse than the likes of Eric/Danielle, Eric/Jeremy, BJ/Tyler, FLlighttime/Big Easy, and Chad (season 17)
Congratulations Art and JJ, that's no small feat.
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Art and JJ are becoming worse and worse every leg, the Nary and Jaime interviews just make them hit rock bottom.
It's official, imo they are worse than the likes of Eric/Danielle, Eric/Jeremy, BJ/Tyler, FLlighttime/Big Easy, and Chad (season 17)
Congratulations Art and JJ, that's no small feat.
Meh. You hate on a lot of the good teams in my opinion.
I'll just keep rooting for Art and JJ. And BJ and Tyler will forever be the best. :hrt:
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And BJ and Tyler will forever be the best a better team than most people make them out to be. :hrt:
;D
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Something about JJ Carrell
http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/other-reality-shows/28092-extreme-makeover-home-edition-walswick-family-05-02-a.html
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:bigwelcome to RFF , Joha!
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:bigwelcome to RFF , Joha!
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Wow , this history about JJ... :'(
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Thanks!!!!!! :)
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Something about JJ Carrell
http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/other-reality-shows/28092-extreme-makeover-home-edition-walswick-family-05-02-a.html
Following up on that, he married one of the girls on the show. :o
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Yep, J.J Carrell got married in 2005 with Constance Ramos :hrt:
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I don't know why it's such a big deal to them why DaveChel decided not to u-turn anybody.
Leave Dave & Rachel alone! (:;) Especially Dave. :flirt:
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I can tell you why it is such a big deal to Art and JJ that David (notice that Rachel was never mentioned) did not U-Turn Brendon and Rachel:
1. The big one is loss of trust. Art and JJ thought they had a deal with David and they were livid that he did not perform as promised.
2. The net impact of that is that, in order to U-Turn Brendon and Rachel, Art and JJ had to use their one precious U-Turn for this season. That means if they might want to use one in a later leg if there is another U-Turn they no longer have it.
3. Of course if Rachel and David had used their U-Turn they would be in the same boat, with no U-Turn left to use.
4. I believe that the "karma" aspect of U-Turns was perfectly understood by both teams. That is another reason Rachel and David did not want to allow bad karma to get them later in AR20 and why Art and JJ had to take that chance to accomplish their objective.
Now, you must ask why Art and JJ had to have Brendon and Rachel U-turned. In my judgment it was stupidity on their part. They had an ample lead on Brendon and Rachel that would have prevented the latter team from catching Art and JJ. Once the pit stop following leg 8 is over all teams will be equalized either at Arusha or Nairobi airports. It was just ego and desire to crush their opposition that caused Art and JJ to act as they did.
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I'm not sure people should think about karma with u-turns, they are part of the game and there to be used. If there is karma it's against the producers who put them in. :D On balance I suppose I am against them being put in seasons as they put those who are already ahead further ahead.
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Now, you must ask why Art and JJ had to have Brendon and Rachel U-turned. In my judgment it was stupidity on their part. They had an ample lead on Brendon and Rachel that would have prevented the latter team from catching Art and JJ. Once the pit stop following leg 8 is over all teams will be equalized either at Arusha or Nairobi airports. It was just ego and desire to crush their opposition that caused Art and JJ to act as they did.
The anger that they are holding and their animosity towards other teams may turn out to be their undoing. If they make decisions based on "getting even" with Dave or disliking Brenchel, rather than making strategic decisions, they stand a good chance of making a critical error.
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I'm trying to come to grips with the fact that besides how irritating and unlikable they are, there is a ginormous chance they will make it to the final 3. This means they'll have a presence in every leg, I feel like chocking myself every time they come on (Whenever I rewatch previous episodes, I've actually muted the show whenever they're on, just because I don't want to hear them talk).
That's not even the worst part, if they do make it to the final three, they may win the race. If that happens, not only will they destroy an entire seaon but will become imo a more notorious winning team than Eric and Danielle (quite a feat).
god darn it, what were the casters thinking? good gravy, what a terrible choice!
The good news is that maybe their villainous edit is a sign that they don't win, cuz I mean really, why would the editors want to portray eventual winners as complete... you-know-what? Then again, there was Eric and Danielle, ugh.... I don't know.
Final note,
Art and JJ :eww
P.S You can tell I really strongly dislike this team, and that's true. But this is all my opinion only. I just really dislike their hypocrisy, egotistical attitudes, ever-growing arrogance, etc...
Again, it's all my opinion
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I don't think they're nearly that terrible or a casting mistake. Jonathan and Victoria were an example of a casting mistake. Art and JJ are just egoish. :lol:
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Yeah, I think casting hit the ball out of the park with casting these two. The fact that Art & J.J. get such a strong reaction out of everyone means to me that casting them was a success. And since according to Nary & Jamie they really were this way during the race, they aren't given a one-sided "root against this team" edit. That's not to say I want them to win. I just think there's a difference between teams whom I want to get really far and then fail (Team Guido), and teams whom I want off my screen immediately (Jonathan & Victoria).
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Yeah, I think casting hit the ball out of the park with casting these two. The fact that Art & J.J. get such a strong reaction out of everyone means to me that casting them was a success. And since according to Nary & Jamie they really were this way during the race, they aren't given a one-sided "root against this team" edit. That's not to say I want them to win. I just think there's a difference between teams whom I want to get really far and then fail (Team Guido), and teams whom I want off my screen immediately (Jonathan & Victoria).
Funny thing is even though I don't care for their arrogance, they don't seem as bad as Jonathan or the Guidos who were literally walking cartoon characters to me.
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Jonathan and Colin early on were like cartoon characters. Jonathan in particular was simply an annoying, self destructive person who people want off their screens from the start to the end. A bit like Chad and that other guy on TAR 17 but an even more extreme and unrelenting version. The aggression of them was as much on their partner as anyone.
The Guidos I thought were simply funny, and I don't remember them being that nasty about other teams, they pretty much seemed to keep to themselves most of the time. So I don't think they tried to intimidate, or could even be successful at doing that.
Another hate figure on TAR forums for some seems to be Rob and Amber, but again I don't think they were nasty. Maybe they played the game well in deceiving people sometimes, but all of the major players have to lie sometime to get ahead. They had some arrogance but no more than many others.
The deaf guy on TAR 14 was a bit mean as well I thought, and turned a bit aggressive. That was funny as they tried to set him up as a hero at the start. That was more like a passive aggression.
Art and JJ seem to be the first real successful villains I've seen on the seasons I've seen. They seem to not just have egos, or the ability to transfer their faults on others...they actually seem to enjoy being bad. And they also reinforce each others opinions and bad actions. They aren't very discriminating in who they attack either, you have the feeling they despise everyone. Art and JJ seem to have the ability to annoy most people while being still full of confidence themselves. They probably have more arrogance than I have seen from other racers too. And they definitely have had a role and sometimes (but not always) they have been funny in that. Hardly anyone would want them to win though as you want to see the bad guys trip up before the end.
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Looks like I'm the only one here who likes Art & JJ! :lol:
Well, you're gonna see them win TAR20. :hearts: Hopefully.
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Jonathan and Colin early on were like cartoon characters. Jonathan in particular was simply an annoying, self destructive person who people want off their screens from the start to the end. A bit like Chad and that other guy on TAR 17 but an even more extreme and unrelenting version. The aggression of them was as much on their partner as anyone.
The Guidos I thought were simply funny, and I don't remember them being that nasty about other teams, they pretty much seemed to keep to themselves most of the time. So I don't think they tried to intimidate, or could even be successful at doing that.
Another hate figure on TAR forums for some seems to be Rob and Amber, but again I don't think they were nasty. Maybe they played the game well in deceiving people sometimes, but all of the major players have to lie sometime to get ahead. They had some arrogance but no more than many others.
The deaf guy on TAR 14 was a bit mean as well I thought, and turned a bit aggressive. That was funny as they tried to set him up as a hero at the start. That was more like a passive aggression.
Art and JJ seem to be the first real successful villains I've seen on the seasons I've seen. They seem to not just have egos, or the ability to transfer their faults on others...they actually seem to enjoy being bad. And they also reinforce each others opinions and bad actions. They aren't very discriminating in who they attack either, you have the feeling they despise everyone. Art and JJ seem to have the ability to annoy most people while being still full of confidence themselves. They probably have more arrogance than I have seen from other racers too. And they definitely have had a role and sometimes (but not always) they have been funny in that. Hardly anyone would want them to win though as you want to see the bad guys trip up before the end.
Everybody gets to state their own viewpoint (or when matters of fact are involved, the facts) on RFF. I have only some common ground with you, starrynight. Here is where I differ:
The Guidos were indeed destructive and nasty and not at all humorous in their efforts to block Emily and Nancy from getting on the plane in Tunis in AR1. I do agree that they were on good behavior throughout AR11.
Rob was indeed malicious in Peru in AR7 when he succeeded in blocking exit from the back door of the bus. On a plane going to Punta Arenas Chile in AR11, Rob intercepted a response from a flight attendant to Uchenna, stole the information and leftt Uchenna without it.
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What I mean with Art and JJ is that they are different to others who try and get ahead simply by being devious in the game by taking other people's taxis, telling someone wrong information, trying to get airport staff to keep silent about flights, trying to get doors shut early, trying to delay people. I'm not sure if Art/JJ have done that stuff yet, maybe they have but I forgot. :D It's much more of a direct verbal villainousness, not always directly linked to the game even, almost like it's just for the pleasure of it. This is what for me makes them the first villains that I've seen on the show.
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I'm no fan of Art and J.J. - I find them to be over-the-top competitive and (at times) arrogant. But they are far from villains.
Usually villains don't do things like share prize money with another team, or return another team's lost passports when they might have hidden them, or simply let them stay lost.
From Art and J.J.'s perspective (which I don't totally agree with but think I understand), they only get ornery and nasty towards another team after that team has done something to them first.
Again, I don't totally agree with them, but I think from Art and J.J.'s perspective:
They didn't really get upset with Brendon and Rachel until B&R had followed them one too many times.
They didn't really get upset with Jamie and Nary until J&N looked them straight in the eye and continued to lie to them.
They didn't really get upset with Dave and Rachel until D&R broke their promise to them.
I think they are a bit too rigid about this, but clearly their internal "code of conduct" (we all have one, whether we realize it or not) includes 1) Pull your own weight, 2) Don't lie, and 3) Don't break promises.
And like all of us, they expect others to adhere to their own personal code of conduct, and they get really, really grumpy when that doesn't happen.
But they're not villains.
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I'm no fan of Art and J.J. - I find them to be over-the-top competitive and (at times) arrogant. But they are far from villains.
Usually villains don't do things like share prize money with another team, or return another team's lost passports when they might have hidden them, or simply let them stay lost.
From Art and J.J.'s perspective (which I don't totally agree with but think I understand), they only get ornery and nasty towards another team after that team has done something to them first.
Again, I don't totally agree with them, but I think from Art and J.J.'s perspective:
They didn't really get upset with Brendon and Rachel until B&R had followed them one too many times.
They didn't really get upset with Jamie and Nary until J&N looked them straight in the eye and continued to lie to them.
They didn't really get upset with Dave and Rachel until D&R broke their promise to them.
I think they are a bit too rigid about this, but clearly their internal "code of conduct" (we all have one, whether we realize it or not) includes 1) Pull your own weight, 2) Don't lie, and 3) Don't break promises.
And like all of us, they expect others to adhere to their own personal code of conduct, and they get really, really grumpy when that doesn't happen.
But they're not villains.
Ditto.
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They admitted that they churned things up intentionally at the airport to get their 'juices flowing'. Explain that. In the context of the show they are surely villains. Outside of the race in real life I don't know what they are like, but they are at least acting the role of villains in this show.
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We have different thresholds for villainy, that's all.
For me, a little verbal harassment isn't enough to consider someone a villain. But that's just me. I've taught my children for a long time that if you respond to an insult with a smile and a soft answer, the insulter gives up and goes somewhere else, because it is no fun.
But if you respond to an insulter by getting all torqued up and over reacting, you will continue to get insulted, because you have done just exactly what the insulter hoped you would do.
A lesson, by the way, that was apparently not taught to a couple of the remaining racers.
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I'm talking about in the context of the race, I don't want to confuse it with real life. It's an entertainment show in which people have their roles and in which there are peculiar pressures which we don't have in real life. Outside of the show I doubt some of these people will ever come into contact with each other again, but on the show they can't avoid each other and the stress of the race is likely to have an effect as well. And of course the whole thing is very heavily edited and manipulated by the producers as well.
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Ok I understand that TAR is heavily edited and stuff is picked and chosen to be shown however nothing significant can be manufactured! The furthest their manufacturing goes is harmless things e.g. someone on TAR 17 said that Brooke and Claire was probably laughing at their asses, cut to a scene where Brooke and Claire are laughing at something totally unrelated...that's pretty much the threshold of manufacturing (in my eyes)!
I think if the producers were genuinely trying to make out this team as villains than they would have cut out the scene with Art and JJ giving them the money. However I genuinely believe that they are just GRUMPY men with RIDICULOUS expectations and ruthless tactics in this game.
I realize my grammar is like TERRIBLE in this post so please excuse it! :lol: :lol:
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I'm sure they do have some of that arrogance in real life, though exactly how much is hard to say. And certainly they can't deny things that they have said. They would say they are just playing the game, though whether churning things up and aggravating people is doing that is questionable. That's why I would say they are being like villains, or the team the audience loves to hate on the show. They do seem very over the top so that makes me wonder whether some of it is put on for the cameras. I really believe that all teams do things for the cameras at one time or another and that it is encouraged.
My point was partly about the loyalty aspect someone brought up though. This isn't real life, it's a game there is no loyalty as they are all in it to win it. So their point about Dave/Rachel not having loyalty to them is a bit ridiculous.
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If they are supposed to be the villains why were they shown sharing their prize with Bopper & Mark? Probably because that's something the editors would show no matter who did it.
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They've become more 'villainous' as it's gone on it seems to me, earlier on they were more typical arrogant racers. :) But I wonder why they didn't just do that off camera or even just tell them after the race had ended. I suppose the money they had won was still fresh in their minds at that moment and supposedly they thought Mark and Bopper had been eliminated. Though I'm still not sure the production would have them promising money apparently in sympathy with someone being eliminated and then just reveal to them they hadn't been eliminated, as it could get a bad reaction as if they had been fooled.
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"Guys can't dance like chicks do, it's just not the same"
are they blind or something? can't they see that HALF of the bollywood dancers are male? who are just as capable as the females in performing the routine...
...or are they trying to imply that these guys aren't real men?...
god, they're irritating
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kevinint,
I think you have to take Art and JJ literally. They were stating that American females are typically more interesting to watch in a dance routine than American males. I think they have got That right, particularly with the specific males and females involved at this point in AR20. The Bollywood male ensemble dancers do have great skill, but Art and JJ were not focused on them.
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Women being better dancers than men isn't really that uncommon of an assumption, and I think you're both looking into it too hard. No, they weren't being misogynist, and no they weren't saying they liked looking at the women (after J.J. succeeded, Art said "women: 3, men: 1). I will state that the "Men can't dance!" shtick was only funny the first time, and it became a black hole of humor each time they repeated it.
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I've just realized this. It's JJ that's the infuriating one. Art is also irritating, but JJ has a superiority complex that's out of this world.
and to think they could have been gone instead of the awesome country boys.
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Yeh I've felt for a while that JJ sees himself as the leader of the two.
They've taken the wrong detour option twice recently, so they are making some mistakes.
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They are one of the worst teams after Michael and Louie. :gaah:
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They are one of the worst teams after Michael and Louie. :gaah:
Compared to them, Michael & Louie are Mother Teressas.
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Yeh I've felt for a while that JJ sees himself as the leader of the two.
They've taken the wrong detour option twice recently, so they are making some mistakes.
JJ sees himself as a leader of all the other teams as well :lol:
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They are one of the worst teams after Michael and Louie. :gaah:
I'd rather sit through Andy/Tommy again. My hate for them was that they didn't show enough emotion. Now I have Art/JJ and I'm severely regretting that. :lol:
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At least their Top 3 streak is broken. :hearts:
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I'd rather sit through Andy/Tommy again. My hate for them was that they didn't show enough emotion. Now I have Art/JJ and I'm severely regretting that. :lol:
Andy\Tommy >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Art\JJ
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JJ - "The last thing I'm doing is being a bitch"
A little hypocritical, are we?
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I think these two are better than Mike & Louie. They both are teams that think they have strategy or whatever, but the difference is that the Cop "convinced" another team to use the U-turn (which reading interviews, Brent & Caite would have done it anyway without help from the cops). Art & JJ had a point with the fact that Mark & Bopper could have gone for the Fast Forward, leaving the rest of the teams fighting for last (yes, they were rude about it). Art & JJ are a strong team, whereas Mike & Louie got lucky and won a leg that involved eating and drinking beer which was followed by two legs without an equalizer.
As a side note, if they aren't eliminated, they have to finish 2nd. Otherwise they'd beat Ken & Gerard's record. :(
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Mike & Louie got lucky and won a leg that involved eating and drinking beer
:lol:
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I get the comparison between Flo and BB Rachel, but in my opinion, the racer most like Flo is JJ. He can't stop complaining in the last few episodes. There was the ridiculous rant on the u-turn that had no effect, the immature brawl they picked with the army team, the constant complaining of other team's "poor strategy", etc...
The difference though between JJ and Flo is that I don't want to tape Flo's mouth shut.
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Rachel (O Reilly) is sort of like Victoria from Jonathan and Victoria
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
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Art and JJ are nice guys. Just very competitive...but only.
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones. :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.
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By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones. :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.
Umm excuse me my avatar doesn't have anything to do with it - plus I wouldn't be making fun of peoples avatars if I was you...
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones. :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.
Umm excuse me my avatar doesn't have anything to do with it - plus I wouldn't be making fun of peoples avatars if I was you...
Ok, pointing out your avatar might have been rude, but, feeling sorry for me?
By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones. :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.
Umm excuse me my avatar doesn't have anything to do with it - plus I wouldn't be making fun of peoples avatars if I was you...
Ok, pointing out your avatar might have been rude, but, feeling sorry for me?
By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.
Ha, you call Kaylani/Lisa obnoxious, but you like Brenchel :o
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How can Art and JJ compare to Andy and Tommy? Andy and Tommy were actually kinda easy to like, only people hated them because they won a lot. Personally, Andy and Tommy, Laurence and Zac, and Jeremy and Sandy were my favorites last season, because everyone else was either too annoying or too boring (Amani and Marcus, Kaylani and Lisa, Justin and Jennifer, Bill and Cathi (especially these guys), and Ernie and Cindy I could absolutely not stand). This season, though, most of the teams I didn't like left earlier during the show (happy trails, Dave and Cherie, Misa and Maiya, and Kerri and Stacey :yess:) and most of my favorites progressed to the final five (Vanessa and Ralph are the only team left I absolutely can't stand). Art and JJ were originally my fifth favorite team, but they might move down in favor of Joey "Fitness" and Danny. Because, really, u-turning my Rachel and Brendon? :nono2:
I feel so sorry for you on many different levels.
Yeah, it's such a shame that I like decent teams while you pick pointless ones. :res: I'd take you more seriously if your avatar wasn't an old lady looking through...uhhhh...something.
Umm excuse me my avatar doesn't have anything to do with it - plus I wouldn't be making fun of peoples avatars if I was you...
Ok, pointing out your avatar might have been rude, but, feeling sorry for me?
By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.
Ha, you call Kaylani/Lisa obnoxious, but you like Brenchel :o
Sorry Vanessa minion, still can't take you seriously.
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What's going on here? :lol:
Anyway on the original point, I agree that Andy and Tommy were nothing at all like Art and JJ and to compare them at all shows the anti male team bias that many seem to have. Can you not see past the fact that they are similar in makeup but completely different kinds of racers?
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By decent teams you mean worst teams? (Kerri/Stacey , Misa/Maiya , Clowns...)
I meant to say that Aussie tends to pick bland or obnoxious teams (Kaylani and Lisa) while I pick da winners. My faves are right in my signature, thank you.
[/quote]
WOOOOW YOU PICK THE WINNERS? NICE!
Doesn't matter.
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(http://i.imgur.com/wVDnI.gif)
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It's so easy to pick "da winners" with spoilers. :umn:
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So you just pick "DA WINNERS" huh?
(http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg208/scaled.php?server=208&filename=4870471752619316.jpg&res=landing)
Tell me how great it was to cheer for "DA WINNERS" Joey and Danny.
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What's going on here? :lol:
Anyway on the original point, I agree that Andy and Tommy were nothing at all like Art and JJ and to compare them at all shows the anti male team bias that many seem to have. Can you not see past the fact that they are similar in makeup but completely different kinds of racers?
I started this argument so I figured I'd clarify. I didn't mean that they were similar at all! I just didn't like Andy/Tommy because they weren't showing the pain/weaknesses that other teams were showing and I found that boring. They (from my memory) also rarely interacted with other teams and it seemed like there was no indication of them being in a race, it was more like they were trying to beat themselves. I see how people like them because those are definitely qualities of a good team, I just though it was boring for me and I'd rather have had a team with more personality.
I wished for a team with more personality and got Art/JJ who are on the complete other end of the spectrum. They think they're right, everyone else is wrong. They think they're the deserving winners since they're using "strategy". I think they'd be terrible people in real life although that could be completely untrue. When I see people on TV, I don't think of how they are in real life, I see their character in the show. Although with all the rude things they've said/done, I find it highly unlikely that I'd ever like them, even if I met them in real life.
I also don't hate M/M teams for sure! It was just a coincidence that they were both M/M teams. I do prefer F/F teams and M/F teams over M/M just because I tend to like the interactions between the teammates more but I have loved M/M teams (Jet and Cord, Sam and Dan are the ones I can think of off the top of my head)
I don't want to start an argument, I just want people to realize that I may have different opinions of teams and neither way is correct. Don't group me into hating teams that are XXX, I analyse these teams before making my decisions on who to hate.
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Wow...Aussie and I had a pretty heated argument. :lol: I'll apologize for making fun of her avatar. Sorry dude. :hug?:
So you just pick "DA WINNERS" huh?
(http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg208/scaled.php?server=208&filename=4870471752619316.jpg&res=landing)
Tell me how great it was to cheer for "DA WINNERS" Joey and Danny.
The funny thing is that I hated Joey and Danny, at first. After they were eliminated, I started rooting for them ( this might be because I'm supporting them on Prophet's fantasy game
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they are insufferable
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Wow...Aussie and I had a pretty heated argument. :lol: I'll apologize for making fun of her avatar. Sorry dude.
My arguments are so much more heated than your arguments, so...
I rooted for all da winners since season one...so...
My avatar's not even looking through anything, so...
(http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu63/Snooky101/tumblr_lwu8izmmel1qzy62f.gif)
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nvm
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I doubt they are going to be able to protect these threads from spoilage :lol:
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oh son of a gun, I'm so sorry, I've forgotten
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I doubt they are going to be able to protect these threads from spoilage :lol:
I live in the west, so...
(http://i634.photobucket.com/albums/uu63/Snooky101/tumblr_lwu8izmmel1qzy62f.gif)
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Even though I didn't want them to win, I felt really bad for them at the final Roadblock. You could just see Art's heart sink when Rachel passed him.
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At the start of the season, I never would have guessed that they would be the last M/M racing, let alone that they would make the final 3. They really surprised me; I thought they'd be F7, F6 at the most. I don't like the way they dealt with other teams, but their banter was hilarious at times. They raced as hard as they could, and that's really all you can ask for.
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At the start of the season, I never would have guessed that they would be the last M/M racing, let alone that they would make the final 3. They really surprised me; I thought they'd be F7, F6 at the most. I don't like the way they dealt with other teams, but their banter was hilarious at times. They raced as hard as they could, and that's really all you can ask for.
I never would have guessed it either. I seriously underestimation them. I think it's because I can't remember ever seeing a good middle aged team.
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Sours this season a bit for me that they got second. Yes they could be funny but somehow it would have been ideal for them not to quite reach the final and certainly not to be so close to winning.
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Even though I didn't want them to win, I felt really bad for them at the final Roadblock. You could just see Art's heart sink when Rachel passed him.
I love how JJ had to acknowledge she existed for the first time when she was running past him to the win. :snicker:
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Well, I'm one of the few fans of Art & JJ since the start of the show in this forum and it's just so frustrating to watch Art struggling with that Roadblock. You could see the disappointment from both of them. :( I really thought they would win it all after Rachel & Dave made that fatal (not! :lol: ) mistake.
I hope they make it to the next All-Star season. :hoot:
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Yes, Art and J.J. were pretty good.
The problem they had was once they fell behind in a leg, or started pressuring themselves for any other reason, they began to choke. Had they been able to just relax more in stressful situations, they probably would have won.
When they were winning legs, they were operating smoothly and cooperating nicely. But once Dave and Rachel began to win every leg, they got more and more frustrated, bickered among themselves, and started making mistakes. All because of the pressure they put upon themselves.
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http://www.digitalspy.ca/ustv/s66/the-amazing-race/interviews/a380511/amazing-race-art-jj-qa-it-just-wasnt-our-day.html (http://www.digitalspy.ca/ustv/s66/the-amazing-race/interviews/a380511/amazing-race-art-jj-qa-it-just-wasnt-our-day.html)
'Amazing Race' Art, JJ Q&A: 'It just wasn't our day'
By Catriona Wightman
They were one of the most competitive teams on The Amazing Race but Art and JJ ended up finishing in second place after losing out to Dave and Rachel.
Digital Spy spoke with Art and JJ to find out about their tough final leg, whether JJ's conquered his fear of heights, their "mad respect" for Rachel, whether they feel vindicated about Nary and Jamie, online comments and what's next for them...
You were such a competitive team, so how did it feel to come in second?
Art: "It's disappointing. I mean, we're there to win the Race, but you know, we got second place. It's a little disappointing."
JJ: "It was tough to stomach!"
You'd argued with Rachel and Dave a couple legs back about the U-Turn, too - was there any resentment still there or were you still happy for them?
JJ: "You're in a bubble on The Amazing Race, you're in your own little world, so there was resentment. But at the same time you have to acknowledge a team when they're really good, and they're really good! We had a chance to win for over an hour, they made a horrible mistake and they overcame it, so I give them all the credit in the world for winning the eight legs and winning at the end. Art and I definitely have mad respect for Rachel - she's such a tenacious competitor and she does it with a smile on her face. She's very kind and endearing. So in that respect we do acknowledge that they are the winners."
You did have a really difficult final leg - was there ever a point where you thought you were definitely out, or did you always think you could still win?
Art: "When I was doing the sledding, I always thought we were in second place. So the fact that [Rachel and Dave] showed up and were there, it was kind of a little bit of a shock. But by the time they showed up, I had probably done close to 30 tries down that hill, so I was hoping that she was going to have as much trouble as I was having. But when she got it on her second time, that's when I really became kind of defeated. I was like, 'Wow, that's crazy, we had a chance to win this thing and she just got it on her second try'. I mean, I was in awe. It was pretty cool to see her do that."
Can you just explain why you struggled with that so much?
Art: "Because it was a sled that's eight inches wide and 12ft long and I'm 250lbs... It's just not meant for big men to be sliding down on two little rails!"
And earlier in the leg, do you regret just following Rachel and Dave's cab?
JJ: "You know, the reason why we said, 'Follow the cab' was because our cab driver was abysmal! We realized that this guy doesn't know what planet he's on, so we're like, 'Oh dear God, that's our only chance - to follow this cab'. And then when he lost it we just told him to get to a hotel and we switched out cabs, so that's the only reason why we said follow that cab. And of course when we said, 'Follow this cab' he lost it within two seconds, so he could never be in law enforcement or surveillance!"
JJ, you were obviously a bit nervous about the towers - do you feel like you've conquered your fear of heights?
JJ: "Uh, no! If I ever do The Amazing Race again, obviously I'd do whatever it takes, but it's just unnatural. And to climb up, to go up the face of that tower - the hardest part was when you got to the very top you had to crawl, and it just felt like you were going to fall over. And I thought, 'Okay, we're going to go down an elevator and run out and do something'. They said, 'No, you're going to have to go off the front face first', and that first step off the building, I was screaming inside. I mean, it's so ridiculous. Your mind is telling you, 'This is wrong, this is wrong to just step off a building'. So it wasn't pleasant at all. And Art was such a comforting and compassionate man towards me so his words of ridicule just added to my anxiety!"
Art: "I just told him to have faith in his equipment. We had so much gear up there. I was like, 'Dude, you're never going to fall out of this'."
JJ: "Yeah, yeah, sure Art!"
You also seemed to be one of the teams most focused on strategy - did the other teams' lack of strategy frustrate you at times?
JJ: "Yeah. I think the place where it frustrated me the most was the shave your head challenge. It's like nobody's thought, 'Okay, if I don't do it then Mark and Bopper who are like felines with nine lives, somehow Phil's going to put them in a catapult and shoot them over India right into the finish line'. Why won't you do it? I mean, [Rachel's] afraid because she has her extensions - for God's sake, just grow your hair out after a month and add a thousand dollars of extensions on out of your million dollar prize, and it's all good. So it was frustrating on that point."
If you could go back to do the Race again, is there anything you would choose to do differently?
Art: "I think the one thing I would probably change is when we finished the throwing the stick challenge there in Tanzania, is making the left hand turn instead of the right hand turn when we ended up going the wrong way. If we wouldn't have made that turn, I think stuff would have been a lot different for the Race for us."
JJ: "You think, Art? You know, Art and I go back and forth on this. I always say, 'What could we have done differently?' blah blah blah, but my gosh, we were in first place for over an hour with less than a quarter mile to run to win. I mean, we did everything you're supposed to do to win and it just wasn't our day. So Art says he would change - I don't think I would change anything. I mean, I would have loved to win every leg of The Amazing Race, but all we cared about was putting ourselves in a position to win at the end and gosh, man, we did it and we just weren't able to pull the trigger."
Was it just a day of bad luck?
Art: "It wasn't a day of bad luck - it was just one of those things. It happens with every Amazing Race in every pretty much final leg. Someone can't land a simulator jet or somebody can't do this - it always happens. There's always going to be some time, somewhere after traveling for as long as you did, where you finally get to a point where it's like, 'Wow, man, when are we ever going to finish this thing?' And it just happened to be for us that it was that leg."
You made a really nice gesture earlier in the Race where you chose to share some prize money with Bopper. Can you just talk us through the reasons for that?
JJ: "On the way to Buenos Aires on the 18-hour bus ride, me and Bopper talked a little bit. I asked him about his life and we were talking about what's going on. And he told me about his daughter and all the trials going on with that, so I told Art, 'Hey, you know what, man? If we're fortunate enough to win some money, let's go ahead and split it with Bopper'. And Art was like - being the good man he is - 'Yeah, absolutely, let's do it'. So we decided to do it a leg or two prior to winning. Then when we won, we had no idea where they were and we didn't really care - it wasn't about whether they were eliminated or not, we were just going to give them the money. So that's really the backstory to it and we didn't want any strings attached or anything or to garner any goodwill or anything of that nature. It did buy us, though, in the blogosphere one day of reprieve before everybody started hating on Art and I again... which I blame totally on Art's personality!"
Have you been looking at what people have been saying about you online?
JJ: "I don't read it that much. When Art and I read it, basically it's our wives telling us... But Art and I will read some of it and they're great. I think the greatest about Art and I, since we're border patrol agents, was some guy wrote, 'I hope Art and JJ die by a stampede of Mexicans tonight'. We thought that was the greatest one ever! It's okay. You know, I think The Amazing Race portrayed us as we are - we're confident, ambitious men that when we put our mind to it and we have a goal, we're going to complete it."
Art: "And the thing too is that we speak our minds. If somebody's doing something wrong, I mean, we call a spade a spade and we don't dance around an issue and we bring it to life, and we're upfront and honest about the way we see things. Maybe that's what people don't... they don't like being told what reality is and they like stuff sugar-coated and we just don't tend to sugar-coat stuff much."
JJ: "Art, do you agree though, it seems like there are two camps in the world - where they want men to be placated and just get along, and there's another camp that likes men that are like us, that they use the word aggressive but it's not aggressive, we're just ambitious. We were put into a game and told, 'Here's the rules, play within the rules and at the end, if you're the best, you win a million dollars'. So why wouldn't we use all the tools or use all the rules to our advantage to win it? So I don't apologize for anything we did or said - I apologize for Art's rude behavior sometimes, but that's who Art is! Because that was shown so much on TV! Art was portrayed as this jolly, get-along guy, which makes us laugh."
Art: "Which I am, because my nickname is Party-with-Artie!"
Do you feel vindicated now that you know Nary and Jamie aren't really teachers?
JJ: "The thing was, it wasn't the thing about vindication for anything. It was a scenario that presented itself to us and in our line of work, that's what we do - people lie, we figure out whether they're lying or not. It was a distraction. I personally could care less what those women did for a living. I could care less, just like I could care less what anybody else did on the Race. But when they lied to us and we figured out they were lying, it was like, 'Hey, whatever, man, if that's the way you wanna roll, that's how you roll'. But I mean, it was no big deal. It was just part of the Race and somebody had to say something and it just kind of clicked in my mind that, 'You know what? These girls are lying - they're not saying who they are'. So we just called them on it but I could care less what it is they did."
Art: "But it was good drama, you know!"
JJ: "And they got off their game a little bit. We were never really worried about them getting past us or anything like that, and I know that sounds arrogant, but that's how we feel. So it was good. Art and I just wanted to stir the pot up a little bit - there was a lot of drama going on in Africa, so why not add to it and just have fun? Because we never really cared - we just wanted to win. That was the end game for us."
Are there any of the other Racers you keep in touch with now?
Art: "I still keep in touch - I mean, I became really good friends with Ralph and Vanessa. To me they were actually really good people. Vanessa kind of tended to speak her mind quite a bit. But I keep in touch with her, I still keep in touch with Danny and Joey, and I text back and forth now and then with Elliot and Andrew and stuff. So I mean, there's still people that I keep in touch with."
JJ: "And Misa and Maiya are great girls."
So what's next for you? What are your plans for the rest of the year?
JJ: "Art and I are eagerly awaiting the phone call for a Redemption show where Art and I get called back and have a good chance. And then the first challenge would be a sledding challenge, and that would just make or break the entire season for Art and I!"
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http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Art-JJ-1047163.aspx (http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Art-JJ-1047163.aspx)
Amazing Race's Art and JJ: We Don't Care If People Think We're Jerks
by Joyce Eng
When Rachel and Dave accidentally skipped the Roadblock on The Amazing Race finale, first place seemed to be for the taking for Art Velez and JJ Carrell. The border patrol agents were already at the Hawaiian sledding and stone-tossing Roadblock and if Art could complete it, the finish line was next. Instead, they watched helplessly as Dave and Rachel arrived, finished the Roadblock and went on their $1 million-winning way. "Rachel asked me how long I had been there and I said about an hour," Art tells TVGuide.com. "She was like, 'Wow!' and then she completes it on her second try! I'm like, 'Are you kidding me?!'" Adding insult to injury: They lost to their mortal enemies, who backed out on their deal to U-Turn Brendon and Rachel. Get their take on the drama, their confrontation with Nary and Jamie and more.
Do you know how far behind Dave and Rachel you were?
Art: We figured we were 20 to 30 minutes behind. ... I was [sledding] for about an hour and a half and I think I did it from anywhere between 40 to 50 times.
Do you have scars?
Art: Oh, yeah!
JJ: We're emotionally scarred!
Art: He was emotionally scarred before this whole thing started! [Laughs]
You thought you were in second until they showed up. Was it hard to focus afterward knowing you could've won by then? Or did that motivate you?
Art: When Rachel and Dave showed up, I was like, "Whoa! What's going on here? This is weird." But I was just concentrated on getting it done. I actually didn't get defeated or deflated until Rachel completed it on the second try. Once she did it, I was like, "Holy crap! That was awesome." That was really cool because that thing was whipping my butt. ... It was about being really skinny on two little sticks and just holding on for the ride!
JJ, you kept motivating Art, but was it hard for you to keep your cool after they finished?
JJ: I was hurt for Art because he was trying so hard and it just wasn't his day. It shows you how incredible this Race is that we thought we were in second and we were actually in first for over an hour. To see Dave and Rachel, I was like, "Oh my God! We're in this! This is ours!" Then it started to sink in: "God, we've been first for an hour. We just have to make one sled ride down that hill and we would've won." My heart broke for him because he tried so, so hard. ... It almost would've been better if we had just stayed with our first cab driver and drove around Honolulu for a day and a half. I mean, first was there. And it just didn't happen and that's the way it goes. ... We really, really believed that was our Race to lose. But to be able to go the whole Race, do every leg and to actually finish is an incredible accomplishment. I know the other teams cheering for us would've killed to trade places with us, as well the hundreds of Racers in prior seasons. We take pride in the fact that we ran the Race very hard, and our border patrol brothers and sisters are really proud of us, and that means a great deal to us.
So the U-Turn deal — were you really that offended that Dave and Rachel didn't U-Turn Big Brother? Why couldn't you just drop it and move on?
JJ: The whole backstory to that was we were winning so much with Dave and Rachel that we came together with a plan with Ralph and Vanessa — because Big Brother hated them — to protect us. So in the event that one of us was way, way back, the other two teams would U-Turn or Double U-Turn someone. It was just a security for us. That morning at 5:30, Dave, Rachel and I were eating breakfast — Art wasn't there — and I said, "We're still on?" And he said, "We're still on." Five hours later, Dave and Rachel decide not to honor that agreement. It was really close — Ralph and Vanessa almost lost. I know it looks on the outside like, "Oh, they shouldn't be that upset." But it was much deeper than that. If Dave and Rachel were in the back of the pack that day, they dang well would've expected Ralph and Vanessa, and Art and I to follow our word, which we all would've. And you saw in the episode — we thought that Dave and Rachel fell behind for some reason.
Their logic was that there was no reason to use it because Nary and Jamie were so far behind.
JJ: It didn't matter where Nary and Jamie were. Our main goal was to protect the teams that we wanted to go forward, which were Dave and Rachel, us, Ralph and Vanessa, and Mark and Bopper. Once we get to the final four, all bets are off. So it didn't matter how far back they were. With the Double U-Turn, the strategy is to block other people from using it as opposed to saying, "Oh, this team is already far back." If Dave and Rachel, and Art and I used those two slots, then Ralph and Vanessa wouldn't have been U-Turned by Big Brother. ... I know why they didn't do it. I understand, but your word's your word. But that's part of the game. You live in a bubble. Part of your personality does come out, but it is a game and you have to be good at it to win it. I give them all the credit in the world. They won eight legs and overcame a horrible mistake and they won it, so kudos to them.
And you chose not to talk to them the rest of the Race?
JJ: Nope, we didn't say a word.
Art: I would say hi. Some of the stuff that Rachel would do on the challenges was cool to watch. I was like, "This girl's really got her stuff together" and I admire that. I know they're another team, but I was still cordial. I would say "what's up" or whatever. We didn't talk strategy or anything.
Is it all water under the bridge now?
Art: I don't know if it could ever be water under the bridge. They're competitors. We lost $1 million. Am I happy I lost it? No. Do I need to be friends with the people who beat me? No. We'll be cordial, but I've never been to Wisconsin and I don't plan on going there. If they plan to come to California and want to give us a call, yeah, we'll love to get together with them. I'm not making any special trips to Madison.
You guys have been pretty divisive. A lot of fans find you arrogant, and Nary and Jamie called you jerks for confronting them about their jobs. I talked to Phil and he said you, JJ, had gotten very high-strung. What do you have to say about that?
Art: People think we act like jerks — whatever. We don't care. The people that know us — our friends, our agency —are the people who matter. They know who we are. We're men of integrity, we're Christian men, we're men of our word. The thing with Nary and Jamie — we deal with people who lie to our faces every day. My wife, my aunt, my grandma — my whole family are educators. When educators get together, they talk about kids, parents, administrators and other teachers. So when they didn't talk about things that educators do and they started using cop talk — I don't care what anybody says, cops talk a certain way and they use certain lingo — I'm like, "These chicks are cops." It was just fun finding out somebody's lying to us like people do to us every day. That was it. They thought we were obsessed with their jobs. We couldn't care less what they did. It was about, "Look, we know you're lying, so why don't you admit it?" And they wouldn't. But they were never a threat to us. We never had the time to talk to them because they were always going off doing something on their own. It was like, "Whatever."
JJ: Why do you think people think we're arrogant?
You were always declaring that you were the best and the ones to beat, you complained about a lot of teams, and the whole U-Turn thing obviously. I think people liked you at first, especially after you gave the money to Bopper and Mark, but you were at the very least edited to be arrogant the back half of the season.
JJ: Our mindset going into it was, "We're going to win." ... I'm an avid fan of the Race and anyone's who's watched it knows there are two groups: the teams that expect to win and a whole other group that's like, "Dear God! We're so happy we're still in it." Art and I are confident, ambitious men. If people think that's a bad trait, then that's what they think. We are never going to apologize for that behavior or that characteristic. Maybe we can apologize for Art being harsh and rude sometimes. I got grouped in there just by association with Arturo and somehow I became the bad guy and Art was this jolly, Fred Flintstone type of guy! [Laughs] Jokes aside, I would never teach my son to be happy and complacent with third place. Yeah, only one person or team can win, but you should never just shoot for second or third. Shoot for first.
What are you up to now?
Art: Just back at work.
JJ: We're sitting by the phone waiting for [creators] Bertram [van Munster] and Elise [Doganieri] to give us a call for All-Stars. [Laughs]
I think Bopper and Mark will get the nod first.
JJ: Oh, come on, now!
They can have two slots for Season 20 teams.
JJ: Yes, they can! Bopper and Mark, and us!
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Thanks for the interviews. It's a bit annoying in that first interview when they use that Americanism of saying 'could care less' when they actually mean couldn't lol.
Otherwise it's nice to see them giving blonde Rachel credit. Still don't know why they hated on Brendon and Rachel (just tactics as they were an easy target?) or why they got along with bitchy Vanessa (I guess because they liked her honesty as they saw it, though I thought she was very immature). But I did find them funny at times and they obviously had a role in the race and were competitive. They weren't forgettable and there have been more annoying louder and perhaps more stupid people on the race in past seasons.
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Thanks for the interviews. It's a bit annoying in that first interview when they use that Americanism of saying 'could care less' when they actually mean couldn't lol.
I'm American, and that bothers me too! :lol:
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Thanks for the interviews. It's a bit annoying in that first interview when they use that Americanism of saying 'could care less' when they actually mean couldn't lol.
I'm American, and that bothers me too! :lol:
I've heard that all my life... :gaah: It's no use trying to explain to anyone what they are really saying, though.
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I doubt they are going to be able to protect these threads from spoilage :lol:
Once it airs in the media it is no longer a spoiler, so y'all are safe for now!
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BUT, a gentle reminder.
The contestants are fair game.
Each other is NOT.
This is the the team's thread, and the focus shoul be on THEM, not bashing each other.
So remember RFF's Golden Rule please:
Have RESPECT for each other, regardless of opinion. This of course includes no flaming/insulting other users and/or their posts.
That WILL be enforced, y'all are lucky I was gone for a few days. :lol:
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I think they are great racers and really wanted to win. Having said that i don't want to see them on my tv screen again.
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Nah, they were pretty good villains. I wouldn't mind them in another All-Stars, but not the next one which I want to be the best of the best.
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http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/reality-tv-blogpost.aspx?post=a2cf7d8f-481f-41ff-97ec-1e2cebc72252 (http://social.entertainment.msn.com/tv/blogs/reality-tv-blogpost.aspx?post=a2cf7d8f-481f-41ff-97ec-1e2cebc72252)
'The Amazing Race' Exit Interview: Art and J.J.
The border patrol agents walk us through their calamitous race conclusion
By Diane Vadino
Art Velez and J.J. Carroll suffered an excruciating second-place finish in last night's finale of "The Amazing Race." Believing they were in second place, the border patrol agents had difficulty with a challenge that saw Art careening down a hill on a narrow sled. But things got much, much worse when they realized that they were actually squandering what had been a fairly substantial lead over eventual winners Rachel and Dave.
We spoke with the pair about that final leg, interrogating Jamie and Nary, and their Pit Stop promise to Mark and Bopper.
Was that sledding challenge as tough as it looked?
Art: That didn't even come to close to showing how grueling that was. I give props to Rachel; she hopped on that thing and on the second time down, she was done.
How many times, Art, did you go down the hill?
Art: I'd say 40?
J.J.: I think it was closer to 50.
What was it like figuring out that you'd actually been in first place the whole time?
J.J.: I actually heard their voices first. Then we knew. We'd thought we were second.
J.J., what was it like for you watching Art have such a tough time?
J.J.: It was tough. I knew how he has the same competitive desire that I do. What people don't understand is the anxiety and the frustration that goes into it, every time. Then you start getting the attitude that “I'm not going to be able to do it.” I think a lesser man would have said, "This isn't worth it" or given up. He knew he had to get down there. If I took him up on the hill right now, I'm sure he'd get it on the first try. It was just one of those things that didn't work out. But that's just how life is.
Art: When we walked up there, they were holding three sleds, and I was like, "This is going to be a piece of cake. I want to get a sled that's the quickest." So I chose the sled with the thinnest rails. Once you got it, that's the one. I never thought about not being able to balance. I just wanted to get down fast. I was looking at the sled with thick rails and thought, I need something faster. It's was as different as an ice skate to something pretty thick.
Was it torture watching Sunday night's episode?
Art: It was fun! We had close to 300 people watching it with us last night, and it was a blast. Of course we wanted to win, but our goal was to race to the end, and we did that.
When you saw the fight you had with Dave and Rachel over the U Turn. Do you wish you'd been a little less aggressive about it?
Art: To me, we're men of our word. We're men of integrity. You hear Dave and Rachel, like, "It wasn't this and that … " We had a plan -- to take the strongest teams to the finals, Ralph and Vanessa, Mark and Bopper, and Rachel and Dave, and it'd be all bets off to the final. If they'd done what they said they would do … If Dave and Rachel had been in [our] position, they would have been just as mad.
How did you guys know Jamie and Nary were lying about being teachers?
Art: My wife's a teacher. My mom's a teacher. My whole family's a family of educators. When you talk to them, they talk about kids or teachers or parents or administrators. We were like, "They say they're teachers, but they're not talking like teachers." People lie to us in our job every day, and our job is to figure out who's lying. But it didn't really matter because it was actually kind of funny. It's just part of the game. Personally, I could have cared less.
How did the race change your relationship?
Art: With J.J.? I hate him. [Laughs.] You know what, we became friends when we started working together, but now we're brothers. This is something I'll cherish for the rest of my life. He's an awesome, great man of integrity and value and conviction, and it's a good thing to have those kinds of people in your life.
J.J. We'll be friends for life. One thing that sticks out in my mind: Art comes off as sometimes very direct and harsh in his professional life, but in his own life, he's a good, strong and Christian family man. When I got done Bollywood dancing, we got back in the rickshaw. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Instead of railing on me, he goes, "You know, you did really good. We're in good shape." I remember sitting in that rickshaw, and I hoped if that had happened to Art I would be that good of a man. That was a poignant moment for me.
As to that Bollywood challenge, were the judges too strict?
J.J. No, I'm just a horrible dancers. I think the judges gave me the okay out of straight mercy. I have fond memories of those judges.
And what about your promise to share your leg winnings of $10,000 with Bopper's daughter, who's been seriously ill?
J.J. Absolutely. As far as we're concerned, we're considering those proceeds to be distributed by CBS.
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Art: To me, we're men of our word. We're men of integrity. You hear Dave and Rachel, like, "It wasn't this and that … " We had a plan -- to take the strongest teams to the finals, Ralph and Vanessa, Mark and Bopper, and Rachel and Dave, and it'd be all bets off to the final.
Huh? What? Brendon and Rachel had better average placings than either Ralph and Vanessa or Mark and Bopper. I think they are including Mark and Bopper just as they were edited as fans favourites, and they made Vanessa part of their alliance as they wanted to put a target on B&R's back. The final 3 was actually the correct 3 racers according to the average placements.
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Art: To me, we're men of our word. We're men of integrity. You hear Dave and Rachel, like, "It wasn't this and that … " We had a plan -- to take the strongest teams to the finals, Ralph and Vanessa, Mark and Bopper, and Rachel and Dave, and it'd be all bets off to the final.
Huh? What? Brendon and Rachel had better average placings than either Ralph and Vanessa or Mark and Bopper. I think they are including Mark and Bopper just as they were edited as fans favourites, and they made Vanessa part of their alliance as they wanted to put a target on B&R's back. The final 3 was actually the correct 3 racers according to the average placements.
I think Art meant, the strongest teams that he and J.J. liked. I don't disagree with you, but Art and J.J. never recognized Brendon and Rachel's abilities.
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Thanks for the interviews! I really enjoyed reading it.
And I don't understand why people hate them so much. Even in other forums. Yes, they are arrogant at some point, but it was because they wanna win this race and stay competitive all throughout.
And I want a fansign from Art & JJ! :lol: That would be AMAZING!
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The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Art Velez and JJ Carrell
By Gina Scarpa
Art and JJ may have rubbed some people the wrong way this season on The Amazing Race, but you can't deny what great competitors they were. They went on a hot streak, winning three legs in a row, and never finished any lower than fourth. A tough Road Block on the final leg cost them the race, but they can keep their heads held high. We talked to the border patrol agents today in an exclusive interview about their opinions of other teams, people's perception of them, and that unforgettable race to the finish line.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What made the two of you want to run The Amazing Race?
A. Art: Well, JJ and I have been working together about two years. At the time when we decided to do it, we had only known each other about eight months. He was like, "I love The Amazing Race, we should try out for it!" and I thought he was crazy. It was JJ's idea.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You figured out, early on, that Nary and Jamie were lying about their profession. Was it smart of them to lie about that? Do you think it mattered that you were border patrol agents?
A. JJ: You know, Art's ridiculous idea before the race was to be shower curtain salesmen! I don't know if it made any difference when you're running the race. All you're thinking about is not getting eliminated.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Dave and Rachel may have finished first eight times but you guys were impressive yourselves, almost always finishing in the top three and coming in first three times in a row! Is it safe to say that you saw Dave and Rachel as your biggest competition?
A. Art: I think they were the competition and we knew that from day one when we started this thing. They looked athletic, we didn't know who they were, or what their dynamic was. Once we found out Dave was a helicopter pilot, it was one of those things where we knew they had the intellect and athletic ability. When we first saw them, I was like, "I'm going to have to worry about those guys."
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do you think everyone's issue was with Brendon and Rachel this season? You didn't have a very high opinion of them.
A. JJ: You know, for Art and I, the biggest problem was that they followed us everywhere we went. They would stop and wait for us to go and the other thing was that they would cut in line and be really abrasive about it. They knew there was no physical altercation allowed. A man gets a lot of confidence when he knows he's not going to get punched in the face for doing something. We got tired and we decided to jam them with the U-Turn but we never really worried about them.
A. Art: And the thing is, when we started this thing, I didn't even know who they were. I never saw them, I never watched Big Brother, I didn't know anything about them. They brought that dynamic where they would say things about people to other people and try to manipulate teams against each other. It was really weird!
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: One aspect of The Amazing Race that's different than other reality competitions is that, a lot of the time, you're away from the other people you're competing against. What did you learn when you watched the episodes back about everyone else?
A. JJ: I learned that we were very disliked. We thought we got along with everyone very well. A lot of times on the show, people's comments were, "Have you seen Art and JJ? Where's Art and JJ?" I took that as a compliment. You had to run the race a certain way to win and that's how Art and I took that upon ourselves. We didn't know we were rubbing people the wrong way. We keep up with some people. I don't have any animosity now but we're not going to buy plane tickets to go to Wisconsin anytime soon and fly helicopters. It was a great experience; it ended in a way that was unfortunate.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Speaking of the way it ended, how difficult was it for the two of you in that final leg, to come in second?
A. Art: Yeah, you kinda replay it in your head a little bit. That stupid sled thing took forever to get done. I don't know what else I could've done other than pick a different sled to make it go any better. I think I went down that hill 40-50 times and I jacked up my foot doing that Japanese game show. I still remember the pain in my foot! There were so many other tasks and things that led up to that moment. You can focus on the one bad thing or you can focus on the 99 other things.
Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do you want to do next?
A. Art: JJ wants to go and take over for Rush Limbaugh! Me, personally, visiting those other places... those are places I want my family to experience. But I love my job!
A. JJ: I'm hoping for anything that happens. I love challenges in my life and whatever direction this may take or not. I got a lot out of The Amazing Race and it just reaffirms my belief in life and that you gotta take chances and try to do things outside of the box. It was something I wanted to do and we did it! We did it on a grand scale! The Amazing Race, when you're in it, is grueling. For Art and I to lose the way we did... we would be lying if we said we didn't think about it every day. And we have. At the same time, we did it.
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Exclusive: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell talk 'The Amazing Race' (Pt. 1)
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Art Velez and J.J. Carrell finished The Amazing Race's twentieth season in second place during Sunday night's two-hour finale broadcast, which featured the edition's eleventh and twelfth legs, of the CBS reality competition.
The "Border Patrol Agents and Friends" finished ahead of "Engaged Couple" and former Big Brother houseguests Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas -- who came in third place -- and "Dating Divorcees" Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley, who finished fourth and were ineligible to compete in the final leg. However, Art and J.J. failed to beat champions and "Married Couple" Rachel Brown and Dave Brown by only a matter of minutes and lost the one-million dollar grand prize as a result.
On Monday, Art and J.J. talked to Reality TV World about their The Amazing Race experience -- including whether they were really okay with finishing as the runners-up or were even more disappointed about losing than they let on, what they had to say about the major mistake Rachel and Dave made in skipping the last Roadblock task of the season, how hard Art apparently tried during the Hawaiian-games task to finally land the sled safely, and whether Art thought the women had an advantage during that Roadblock he struggled to complete.
Below is the first half of our exclusive interview with Art and J.J. Check back with Reality TV World in the coming days for the concluding portion.
Reality TV World: Congratulations on being the runners-up of The Amazing Race! How does it feel to have finished in second place? Are you guys disappointed because you came so close to winning the million or are you satisfied with how you ran all the legs and proud of how far you made it?
J.J. Carrell: We're still pretty damn devastated that we didn't win, but we got to do something that tens of thousands -- hundreds of thousands -- people would kill to be able to do. So we were able to fulfill one of our goals and to experience the Race from the beginning all the way to the end. But to be that close was very, very tough -- real tough.
Reality TV World: When I talked to Rachel and Dave today, they said you got to the Pit Stop about 20 minutes behind them and then Rachel and Brendon finished the Race about 20 minutes behind you guys. Would you say that was accurate or no?
Art Velez: Yeah, I'd say that was pretty accurate because by the time they left, it was about 20-30 minutes by the time they cleared out of there when we were still on the hill doing the sleds.
Reality TV World: Since you guys left that final Hawaiian-games Roadblock task in second place, when you finally arrived at the Finish Line and before you saw Rachel and Dave standing there, were you convinced you had finished the whole thing in second place or did you think you still had a real shot at winning?
J.J. Carrell: We knew we were second. After we saw Dave and Rachel leave, we knew. But at the same time, we thought -- I mean, we're both optimists -- so we said, "Hey, they made a terrible mistake. Maybe they made some other mistake. Maybe they have some time penalty or something, so we're not going to quit. Let's just keep plugging through this sucker and let's get on that mat and see where we stand."
Reality TV World: During the final leg of the Race, Rachel and Dave apparently misread the clue and didn't follow the marked path they were supposed to in order to make it to the Hawaiian games Roadblock task. Do you think that was an easy and understandable mistake they had made or were you shocked they managed to make that error?
Art Velez: You know what? I never really thought about it that way. I just thought that something happened with their cab or they got lost or made a wrong turn or something. I never knew that they ended up going to the Pit Stop, or to the end, and then got turned around.
So, that's not anything that I -- with all the things that you do and by the time you're towards the end of something like that, with the sleep deprivation and no food and no water, you just tend to overlook stuff and you just misread things.
I mean, Rachel and Brendon didn't read that they were supposed to go to the helicopters on foot and they ended up driving somewhere in the complete opposite direction. It's just one of those things that you're just so tired by the time you get to do this stuff, that you just lose attention to detail.
Reality TV World: Rachel and Dave said it took them about an hour to backtrack and get to the Roadblock task you were at after they met Phil at the Pit Stop learned of their mistake. So based upon that, Art, you must have been going at the sledding portion of the task for awhile. How long did it take you to complete and how many tries did it take you to finally land the ride?
Art Velez: I was probably there for about an hour, an hour-and-a-half, and we figured that I probably did the sled anywhere between 40 and 50 times.
Reality TV World: Oh wow, that's a lot! So J.J., you seemed extremely frustrated when Art was having trouble with the sledding task. What was going through your mind at that point? Did you feel totally defeated or still optimistic, and do you think the whole outcome of the Race would've been different had you decided to do the task instead?
J.J. Carrell: I was feeling two emotions. I was feeling frustrated obviously because especially when we saw Dave and Rachel, we were like, "Oh my God, we've been in first but we've been in first for about an hour." I was like, "Art, I thought maybe she would tumble a couple times and maybe give Art a chance to get down."
But then another part of me was sad for Art, and I don't know if sad's the right word, but I felt compassion for Art because he was trying so hard. It just wasn't -- it was one of those days that just wasn't your day. If I threw Art up there on a sled today, he would slide down and do it like the first or second try.
And as far as me doing it, you know, that's second-guessing. If we go back and you look at all the things Art did that I wouldn't be good at, that got us all the way to the end, you can't second guess it. And all we wanted to do was be in the Final 3 to make the shot at winning and we did.
We put ourselves right there for over an hour to be in first and that was our for the taking, and for whatever reason, it just didn't happen. But I'm proud of Art. He could've given up. He could've just said, "I'm done." And 50 times, people have gotta understand. You're carrying a sled all the way back up a hill that he already has bad turf toe from his Japanese treadmill.
And to go up and down that hill and keep crashing -- I'm not talking like, "Wow, he just fell off." I mean, he had some violent wrecks. His sled was tumbling over him, he's rolling down the hill, he looked like a greased pig by the end of that thing.
Reality TV World: (Laughs) Art, did you end up with any injuries from that sledding Roadblock task? And do you think it was a task that was much easier for women, or maybe it just favored lighter people in general? Or would you admit you just happened to be really bad at it? (Laughs)
Art Velez: To me, you definitely had to be -- if you were of smaller stature, you were going to do a lot better, because the thing was only eight inches wide. I mean, I'm 240 pounds for crying out loud, and trying to get on that thing and balance on it, I never in my mind didn't think that I wasn't going to stay on it.
That just never crossed my mind. We had a choice of three sleds and I picked the sled with the smallest rail, thinking it was going to be the fastest one, and that's all I wanted to do. I wanted to do it the fastest that I could, but I probably should've picked a sled that had maybe thicker rails, because the balance part of it never even crossed my mind.
Reality TV World: So would you say that Hawaiian games Roadblock task was entirely responsible for your downfall in the finale or would you say other factors contributed to your second-place finish like when you guys traveled to the beach rather than the Twin Towers?
Art Velez: By then, when we traveled to the Twin Towers, I mean, okay we were in third place, but we made up a ton of time. By the time we got to the helicopters and we did the jet skiing and all that stuff, yeah.
We put ourselves in the position to win, so if not being able to complete that sledding thing was our downfall, then absolutely, because we were in first place and we couldn't get it completed in time to win. So absolutely.
Above is the first half of our exclusive interview with Art and J.J. Check back with Reality TV World in the coming days for the concluding portion.
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The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Art Velez and JJ Carrell
By Gina Scarpa
A. JJ: You know, for Art and I, the biggest problem was that they followed us everywhere we went. They would stop and wait for us to go and the other thing was that they would cut in line and be really abrasive about it. They knew there was no physical altercation allowed. A man gets a lot of confidence when he knows he's not going to get punched in the face for doing something. We got tired and we decided to jam them with the U-Turn but we never really worried about them.
A. Art: And the thing is, when we started this thing, I didn't even know who they were. I never saw them, I never watched Big Brother, I didn't know anything about them. They brought that dynamic where they would say things about people to other people and try to manipulate teams against each other. It was really weird!
As the interviewer can't seem to follow up on the irony of their comments maybe I will.
Altercations, manipulating teams...maybe Art and JJ should take a close look at themselves. They are either just playing us for a fool here or they are just totally lacking self-awareness. Some of it is the second for sure, and while that can be funny on reality shows too much of it can be very annoying.
It may annoy them that Brendon and Rachel where actually more liked on the race than they were.
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The Amazing Race 20: Exclusive Interview with Art Velez and JJ Carrell
By Gina Scarpa
A. JJ: You know, for Art and I, the biggest problem was that they followed us everywhere we went. They would stop and wait for us to go and the other thing was that they would cut in line and be really abrasive about it. They knew there was no physical altercation allowed. A man gets a lot of confidence when he knows he's not going to get punched in the face for doing something. We got tired and we decided to jam them with the U-Turn but we never really worried about them.
A. Art: And the thing is, when we started this thing, I didn't even know who they were. I never saw them, I never watched Big Brother, I didn't know anything about them. They brought that dynamic where they would say things about people to other people and try to manipulate teams against each other. It was really weird!
As the interviewer can't seem to follow up on the irony of their comments maybe I will.
Altercations, manipulating teams...maybe Art and JJ should take a close look at themselves. They are either just playing us for a fool here or they are just totally lacking self-awareness. Some of it is the second for sure, and while that can be funny on reality shows too much of it can be very annoying.
It may annoy them that Brendon and Rachel where actually more liked on the race than they were.
That's your opinion, but it certainly isn't mine.
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I meant by the racers on the race, where they definitely are more liked. Even with the audience they are likely to have more support I think despite the edit because they already had some popularity on Big Brother.
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I meant by the racers on the race, where they definitely are more liked. Even with the audience they are likely to have more support I think despite the edit because they already had some popularity on Big Brother.
You continue to talk about "the edit" in post after post. Let's not lose sight of the fact that no one could have done any editing to show Rachel whining and crying unless she had actually been whining and crying. They didn't invent these things and create the crying using CGI.
Just saying.
Not to mention that Brendon himself didn't dislike the editing:
"BRENDON: I think they did a pretty well-rounded job of being fair to us."
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You really think racers want to get the production team annoyed before they have received any money and also if they wish to get anything in the future with CBS or The Amazing Race? :lol: And I'm sure Brendon didn't dislike the editing anyway, he was portrayed pretty well in contrast to Rachel.
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You really think racers want to get the production team annoyed before they have received any money and also if they wish to get anything in the future with CBS or The Amazing Race? :lol: And I'm sure Brendon didn't dislike the editing anyway, he was portrayed pretty well in contrast to Rachel.
Excellent point!
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Exclusive: Art Velez and J.J. Carrell talk 'The Amazing Race' (Pt. 2)
By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Art Velez and J.J. Carrell finished The Amazing Race's twentieth season in second place during Sunday night's two-hour finale broadcast, which featured the edition's eleventh and twelfth legs, of the CBS reality competition.
The "Border Patrol Agents and Friends" finished ahead of "Engaged Couple" and former Big Brother houseguests Rachel Reilly and Brendon Villegas -- who came in third place -- and "Dating Divorcees" Vanessa Macias and Ralph Kelley, who finished fourth and were ineligible to compete in the final leg. However, Art and J.J. failed to beat champions and "Married Couple" Rachel Brown and Dave Brown by only a matter of minutes and lost the one-million dollar grand prize as a result.
On Monday, Art and J.J. talked to Reality TV World about their The Amazing Race experience -- including what they referred to as a "horrible decision" they made during the Race, why Art was very impressed with Rachel B. in the final leg, what initially sparked all the tension between the pair and Rachel R. and Brendon, and how they responded to the criticism of their fellow Racers who thought they were rude and arrogant.
Below is the concluding portion of our exclusive interview with Art and J.J. Click here to read the first half. To read Rachel B. and Dave's entire interview, click here. To check out what Rachel and Brendon had to say about the Race, click here. And finally, to read Vanessa and Ralph's interview, click here.
Reality TV World: You guys chose to blindly follow Rachel and Dave in their cab to get to the Twin Towers without researching or asking around yourselves where you should've been heading. So looking back, what would you have done differently in that situation? Because I'm sure you wouldn't thrilled with how you let that play out.
J.J. Carrell: That was a horrible decision and Art and I talked about it right before we got off the plane, and we talked about it throughout the Race, "Let's make sure we get a good cab driver." And the guy was a nice older man, but he had absolutely no clue where anything was on that island.
So we actually got rid of him and got another cab. That's the only mistake I think we made on that leg, but man, did we make up about an hour's worth of time and we flew through the ice, we ran to the helicopters, we did the search and rescue within seconds. They actually thought that we didn't do it because we did it so fast, and then like Art said, we put ourselves -- we were in position to win for over an hour.
If you could tell me that at the beginning of the Race we'll be going down a sled and you've got an hour to complete, shoot, I'll take that bet every time. It just didn't work out. It just wasn't our day.
Reality TV World: What was your reaction when you saw Rachel and Dave arrive at the Hawaiian games Roadblock task when you guys were already there? Did it pump your adrenaline more to win now that you realized you were technically in first place, or did it just make you guys all the more nervous and anxious?
Art Velez: When they showed up there, I was already probably 30-45 into the thing and I was already dead tired as it was. So I'm like, "You know what? I just hope she has just as much trouble doing this thing as I am." And I actually got more defeated when she did it on her second try.
I was like, "Wow, that is awesome." I was like, "You know what...?" I was in awe. That was really cool that she was able to do that on her second try, because I had been laboring at that thing, like I said, for about an hour before they even got there.
Reality TV World: During the eleventh leg, you guys chose to do the "Bingo" Detour task, while Rachel and Dave chose to do "Photo Cut-Out" one. Rachel and Dave seemed to breeze through that Detour task, so looking back, do you guys think you made the right decision or do you regret picking the sushi task? And if you did the photo one, do you think you would have had a better chance to win the Race?
Art Velez: I don't know if we would've had a better chance to win it, but we would've had a better chance to win that leg. I wanted to do the sushi one because I was like, "Dude, we're in Japan. Let's have sushi in Japan!" He didn't want any part of it, like, "Come on, man! We're in Japan! I want to have sushi!" And he's like, "I'd rather have a steak."
Reality TV World: Earlier in the season you made a pact with Rachel and Dave to U-Turn Rachel and Brendon depending on who got to the Double U-Turn board first, however, Rachel and Dave ended up deciding not to U-Turn anybody. Could you elaborate on how you felt about their decision, because you seemed to think it was quite the betrayal or at least that's how the show edited it to appear.
J.J. Carrell: You know, there's a lot of back story to that and it was a three-way alliance, but it really wasn't an alliance. It was like a security blanket, because Dave and Rachel and Art and I in the very beginning, won the first seven -- eight -- legs, so we knew that they were going to U-Turn us.
Somebody in that Race was going to U-Turn us, and then Big Brother was going to U-Turn Ralph and Vanessa because they hated Vanessa so much. So all three of us got together and said, "Hey, if one of our teams fall in the back, the other two will U-Turn back-to-back at a Double U-Turn, or if it's a single U-Turn, just U-Turn Big Brother."
And we all agreed to it as a security for us, so going into that leg, Dave actually looked at me at 5:30 in the morning across the table from breakfast and said, "Are we still on for what we've discussed?" And I was like, "Absolutely. We're on. Okay, we're still in agreement."
So, Vanessa and Ralph are in the back and they're expecting Dave and Rachel to use their U-Turn on Art and I, so whenever I got up there on the U-Turn, it was a no-brainer. We were like, "Absolutely. This is our word. This is what we've gotta do." So, I don't know if betrayal is the right word. It was just that another man didn't keep his word, so that's the whole back story to that.
Reality TV World: Did you guys and Rachel and Dave ever solve your issues or talk things out after that U-Turn moment or did your hard feelings towards them remain until the end?
J.J. Carrell: Yeah, it remained all the way until the end because there was nothing to talk about and they began to align with other teams immediately, and we were just like, "You know, all bets are off. Let's just run it. You and I -- we're supposed to win this Race anyway, so let's just do it." And that was our attitude.
Reality TV World: You guys said during last night's finale episode that Rachel and Brendon didn't deserve to be in the Race because they were just followers and basically had no real racing skills. Could you talk a little bit more about that? It was clear you didn't think highly of them during the Race, but considering they made it to the end and came in third place, have you changed your mind about them as a team and whether they deserved to be there or are you going to stick with your initial opinions?
Art Velez: When we started this thing, I had no idea who Rachel and Brendon were. I had never watched Big Brother -- had no clue about that whole thing -- nothing. I just got way too many things to do to even figure out what that show's about.
But you gotta understand that at the very beginning, on the very first leg, Brendon's the one that pointed out the fact that we're border patrol agents and he doesn't like us anyway because he's half Mexican.
So that attitude right there -- which we didn't even know was said -- that already carried through in the way that he acted towards us anyway. So the things that they would do is what ended up creating the hostility, because they were using their "Big Brother tactics" or whatever it is they use in that house, to put other people against people.
And we saw that, and when they would jump in front of lines and cut lines and look back and say, "What are you going to do about it?" I was like, "Really dude? Come on man."
So that's that whole part of it, and do they deserve to be there? Whatever, they got there. But like I said, they got there by following people everywhere they went. They never finished first because you can't finish first if you're always following somebody.
Reality TV World: Many of the other teams seemed to have an issue with you guys in which they thought you were arrogant or rude and what not. I guess, what's your response to how many of the other teams had viewed you in a negative light. Would you say you were just playing competitively and that's what you needed to do to try to win, or looking back, do you wished you had toned your behavior down a bit and attempted to get along with your fellow Racers a little better?
J.J. Carrell: I don't know where in the history of America that [being] ambitious and confident men is in fact a sin. We were racing for a million dollars. I don't think that we were rude.
People think that we're rude because two women that are federal agents and are lying, and we catch them in a lie, or we make jokes to stir the pot up, it's a million-dollar race! We might be aggressive guys but we're not rude and we're not jerks.
You can call it a lot of things, but we're not that. It did strike me strange that we were that disliked, because I thought we got along with everyone pretty well, but it also just struck me as very unique that being two men that are ambitious and direct and competitive -- that's somehow an evil thing -- that we should've been patty-caking with everybody.
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Some things relating to that last interview.....
Yeh the impression you sometimes get from abroad is that some Americans will put up with people who are loud and arrogant as they think it represents confidence or success. Someone like Frank in the first season I just found quite annoying. It is a big generalisation to think all the audience will be positive about that though, and certainly those abroad who watch will have their own perspective too.
As for the remark Brendon made about Border Patrol it seemed jokey and was just shown out of context. The fact that Art is just using something he saw edited into the HLs to try and justify his and JJ's behaviour isn't really that impressive.
They still don't seem to get that they themselves helped create hostility according to most of the racers. The only one who might be on their side is Vanessa and really I don't trust her anyway.
I think they were so worried about the u-turn as they were actually performing less well towards the end. Dave and Rachel doing better in the game at that point didn't actually have to worry about u-turning that much.
The interviewer should have brought up the irony of them following another team while complaining that someone else did that. Ultimately they all go to the same place and a basic tactic at times in the race is if you get lost make sure it is with someone else. Going out completely on your own can bring big dividends but can also cost you the race. That's why teams like to be able to see other teams.
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Worst team ever, anyone's with me? I thought I couldn't find a more whiney team than Michael and Louie until they came along.
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Worst team ever, anyone's with me? I thought I couldn't find a more whiney team than Michael and Louie until they came along.
No way, there are teams that are much, much worse.
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Worst team ever, anyone's with me? I thought I couldn't find a more whiney team than Michael and Louie until they came along.
Absolutely NOT with you! Whiney is one thing and competitiveness is another. These two men were incredibly competitive. I'm hard pressed to think that Rachel and Brenden would be considered less whiney. In addition, if you watched with a close eye ....Art's behavior was vey different than JJ's. I would say incredibly strong team and one of the oldest teams to make it that far!
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This time , i can't agree with you , Joab. They were a great and competitive team.
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The worst teams for me are probably the most boring ones.
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The worst teams for me are probably the most boring ones.
Agreed. I hope to see them in an unfinished business 2 season.
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Agreed. I hope to see them in an unfinished business 2 season.
If that happens I definitely think they should be joined by Brendon and Rachel as I think those are the two teams that really made the last season.
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Omg. If they make it on UB 2... *barf*
There's no way they will get on the show. They are not popular enough. And no, I think it's good that they are really competitive.
BUT, look at Nick/Starr and Meghan/Cheyne method of competitive VS theirs.
They tried to stir up trouble with EVERY TEAM (almost, in the final 6), including Nary and Jaime.
I just don't know what's wrong with them. They, together with Brendon and Rachel, made the season absolutely unbearable for me. Thank goodness Rachel and Dave won or I might/would have killed my TV.
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Popularity though is partly created through the editing of the show, Mark and Bopper were the only ones to get their own theme tune weren't they? lol
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The worst teams for me are probably the most boring ones.
Thank you! :res:
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Rather boring than troublesome!
Boring teams may be because of editing too, if you want to put it that way if Art and JJ's negativeness was due to bad edit??
Art and JJ's scenario and POV:
1 When they are leading: THE OTHER TEAMS SUCK.
2. When we are in the back and not leading the pack: WE SUCK, BUT THE OTHER TEAMS STILL SUCK. WHY DO ALL THEM UNDESERVING TEAM MANAGE TO BEAT US?
:gaah: :crazy:
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You need a balance of likeable and less likeable teams. But if it just has boring teams, like maybe AR2, then I can't really be bothered watching it.
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Rather boring than troublesome!
Boring teams may be because of editing too, if you want to put it that way if Art and JJ's negativeness was due to bad edit??
Art and JJ's scenario and POV:
1 When they are leading: THE OTHER TEAMS SUCK.
2. When we are in the back and not leading the pack: WE SUCK, BUT THE OTHER TEAMS STILL SUCK. WHY DO ALL THEM UNDESERVING TEAM MANAGE TO BEAT US?
:gaah: :crazy:
Agree. I'm rewatching the episodes because I'm editing the spanish subtitles for our fan group in spanish, and that is absolutely true.
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IKR?? :res:
Worst team ever. Even much more worst than BJ and Tyler, at least they were truly funny at times.
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You need a balance of likeable and less likeable teams. But if it just has boring teams, like maybe AR2, then I can't really be bothered watching it.
True, but to be honest (and I know I am possibly not speaking for the majority here..) I wasn't too keen on many of the teams of TAR20.
I'm not a BB fan and Rachel kind of annoyed me with her whining and insecurities all the time. Shame because they could have been an entertaining & nice enough team without all the (passive agressive) drama.
Same applies to Vanessa, though it was more bitchy behavior I thought. I definitely wasn't rooting for Art & JJ either.
Nor was I a big fan of the other Rachel & Dave but well, not many options left really. :duno:
I think the FBI agents were ok but they probably thought they'd do better in the Race so they didn't do well enough to root for. But couples like the clowns that just would be out immediately, and I suppose the twins who on paper seemed promising didn't make it - so we were stuck with more of the 'not so nice' teams which seemed a little out of balance.
I agree that you need a mix but I do think it's getting a bit lopsided, or was at least in TAR21, with bitchy people dominating the scene, which didn't always make for interesting tv. I found it hard to root for people like that, whether that's in part due to edit or not. :duno:
So I hope they have a somewhat better & more 'balanced' selection for TAR21. :)
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The producers seemed to want to highlight the arguments in the edit and even encourage them with their interviews with the contestants. Normally they seem to highlight one team as being argumentative on this show but here we seemed to have much more. It helped provide some drama I suppose, but I'd rather the drama came out of the challenges more rather than what can seem at times rather artificial bickering.
The not so nice teams perhaps did dominate more, though maybe the hardest racers are often the more ruthless ones anyway. Rachel is someone who is set off quite easily by those ready to wind her up, and I'm sure people like Art and JJ and Vanessa realised that. I did think Vanessa lasted a bit too long in this race and it would have benefited if say Mark and Bopper and Nary and Jamie had outlasted her team.
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I did think Vanessa lasted a bit too long in this race and it would have benefited if say Mark and Bopper and Nary and Jamie had outlasted her team.
Any team, but Art and JJ. Even Rachel was bearable at times, with her trying to prove herself smart comments or being bitchy to Vanessa.. which was pretty funny and entertaining. Of course, her breaking down proves good TV too. But seriously, Art and JJ killed the fun in watching for me. Just whining and whining and non-stop whining throughout ALL the legs. It was so bad I had to fast forward their part whenever it comes on.
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I actually liked Art and JJ :lol3. I liked all but 2 teams this season (brenchel and mississippi). I wanted Art and JJ or Rachel and Dave to win whenthe final 3 was revealed, so I was really happy when they were both at the second roadblock.
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Take a look at this poll.
http://amazingrace.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_list:Favorite_Team (http://amazingrace.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_list:Favorite_Team)
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Take a look at this poll.
http://amazingrace.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_list:Favorite_Team (http://amazingrace.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_list:Favorite_Team)
Not many Mexicans crossing the border to America nowadays, so Border Patrol agents tend to have a lot of free time.
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Take a look at this poll.
http://amazingrace.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_list:Favorite_Team (http://amazingrace.wikia.com/wiki/Top_10_list:Favorite_Team)
Not many Mexicans crossing the border to America nowadays, so Border Patrol agents tend to have a lot of free time.
:lol3: There's no way that poll is completely legit. There is no demographic that loved them more than anyone else.