Amazing Race Finale - any final predictions?

[levdrakon]

24 hours to go. Who do you think it'll be?

[Moo the Magic Cow]

I predict that the evil redhead and the incredibly patient nice guy win because I hate her so and God likes to spite me through reality television.

[Ms Macphisto]

evil redhead and the incredibly patient nice guy
Have we been watching the same show? While Jon and Kelly aren't annoying me anywhere near as much as they used to, that is not how I would describe Jon. They've both been nasty and immature a lot of the time, and Jon's been the instigator at least as much as Kelly, if not more.

As for my prediction, I'm going with David and Jeff, as long as they don't get lost. My only real reasoning on this is that bland best friend male teams have won two of the previous three races, with the horrendous abberation of Flo and Zach last year. Come to think of it, Moo the Magic Cow's description covers those two pretty well.

[Madawc]

Go Jon and Kelly.....

If non gay guys win (dave and jeff) big deal, ho hum.

Curse on Chip and Reichen, I hope you guys are in the car that veers off in the finale promo. And may you assholes also forget to use your seatbelts and crash right through your windshields. If you guys win I'll be livid for 5seconds and realize ho hum I'm just watching TV. But I place curses on the assholes.

[twickster]

The goats (*crosses fingers and daydreams about what she'd do with the $25 from the office pool*)

[Morgainelf]

Wow, Madawc, that's some animosity! I sort of like Chip and Reichen. But I hope it's Dave and Jeff, and that Jon and Kelly end up in a huge fight that ruins their chances. That would be fun to watch.

[Mullinator]

I want David and Jeff to win, but I will be OK with any of the 3 since there is no Flo repeat this time around. I would rather a team win based on their abilities rather than who can stumble on a cab first.

[kunilou]

The clowns are gone and we're rooting against everyone who's left.

[annieclaus]

I still have to root for C&R! (I need the $12 from the office pool!)
Seriously, I don't care who wins. Whoever it is will really have worked for it! Good on them!

[BiblioCat]

Originally posted by Morgainelf
...But I hope it's Dave and Jeff, and that Jon and Kelly end up in a huge fight that ruins their chances. That would be fun to watch. Love the bit about Jon and Kelly! That would be fun. I hate them.

I hope Dave and Jeff win (the Goats ... I finally learned their names!), followed by Chip and Reichen, followed distantly by a squabbling Jon and Kelly.

[Gangster Octopus]

Count me in the "anybody but Chip and Reichen" camp.

[Just Some Guy]

Three teams and we've seen two of them go through near total breakdowns over the course of the race. Both Reichen and Chip and John and Kelly have flipped out and are near their breaking points. I predict we'll see at least one of the two teams go into total meltdown and the other hampered by their own problems letting Dave and Jeff win.

[Velma]

I don't care as much this year since the clowns are out, but I would kind of like to see Dave and Jeff win. They seem like the most stable players of the bunch, and last week they made good decisions. I won't be horrified any which way. (Unlike last year which almost made me stop watching the show because I was way too emotional over a tv show and the unfairness of it all.)

I am waiting for the season when the team I like makes it all the way to the end. They always make it to the final 3 (Ok, this year only 4th) and I want to see my favorite team win for once, damnit!

[yawndave]

Whoever wins, they will certainly deserve it more than Flo did!

[Jadis]

Originally posted by yawndave
Whoever wins, they will certainly deserve it more than Flo did!

yawndave, this is *exactly* the sentiment I expressed to my boss this morning when we talked about it. I didn't watch any of TAR last season except for the finale episode, and I'm glad, because if I'd had to watch Flo the entire season, I'd have gouged my eyes and eardrums out with a spork. Giving her even a nickel of that prize money was a complete travesty.

Having said that...the Goats offend me least, so I would be least displeased if they won tonight, followed by C&R and K&J as my last choice. I still wish that the clowns had held out a little longer. C'est la vie.

[levdrakon]

Since this may be the series finale too, I'd love to see something really unexpected happen.

Like Chip & Reichen come out & say, "ha, ha! We're actually straight!"

David & Jeff come out & say, "ha, ha! We're actually the gay guys! ::hug, smooch::

Jon & Kelly get into a smack down drag out "War of the Roses" fight, drive their car off a bridge & never even make it to the finish.

Six and a half hours to go.

[AbbySthrnAccent]

Dave and Jeff, not excruciatingly insane and immature.

[levdrakon]

I just thought of something. I think I want Jon & Kelly to win.

Judging from the bio's on the CBS website, it appears David & Jeff & Chip & Reichen are all pretty well off financially. Plus they're all likely to capitalize on their new fame.

Jon & Kelly don't seem all that well off, could use the money. They don't seem the ambitious types to use the show to become famous either. I think they're content to just be together and spend the rest of their lives happily bickering.

So now I'm voting for Jon & Kelly! Which means they won't win! Dang.

[twickster]

levdrakon -- second- and third-place teams also take home significant chunks o' change (no, I don't know dollar amounts, but the teams are paid on a sliding scale in order of finish), so if that's your only reason for rooting for them, root no more.

[levdrakon]

Originally posted by twickster
levdrakon -- second- and third-place teams also take home significant chunks o' change (no, I don't know dollar amounts, but the teams are paid on a sliding scale in order of finish), so if that's your only reason for rooting for them, root no more.

That's true. Just having made it to the top three has made it well worth everyone's while.

[Trigonal Planar]

I'm watching it right now!


SPOILER:

Surprise, surprise. *ALL* 3 teams demonstrate their utter inability to pronounce "Qantas" correctly. Morons. :rolleyes:

[ummm... yeahh...]

Originally posted by Trigonal Planar
I'm watching it right now!


SPOILER:

Surprise, surprise. *ALL* 3 teams demonstrate their utter inability to pronounce "Qantas" correctly. Morons. :rolleyes:

So am I...

SPOILER:


Where are David and Jeff??? Oh.. Crap

[ummm... yeahh...]

that sucks.............................

[Trigonal Planar]

What a disappointing end. That is all I have to say.


(Qantas us prouncouned CON-TAS, not Quuuaaaantus. You'd think the gay guys, being the "experienced world travelers" they claimed to be, would know this.)

[The Wrong Girl]

Originally posted by Trigonal Planar
What a disappointing end. That is all I have to say.


(Qantas us prouncouned CON-TAS, not Quuuaaaantus. You'd think the gay guys, being the "experienced world travelers" they claimed to be, would know this.)

Hmm...that's interesting. My dad's from Australia and I've never heard him say anything but "Kwantus" (not "Contas"). My family in Australia says "Kwantus" also, I'm pretty sure.

Any Australians care to step in and clear this up?

Oh, and about the winners? I couldn't be happier. :D

[Robot Arm]

Trigonal Planar, "prouncouned"?

It started as the Queensland and Northern Territories Aerial Service; who gets to decide the correct pronunciation of an acronym?

I didn't care much for them barging through the terminal saying it was an "emergency" and "a matter of life and death". A million buck is a lot of money, but it ain't life and death.

[annieclaus]

Hey! Go ahead and be disappointed if you want. I'm $12 richer! Way to go, Reichen and Chip! Great last episode!

Poor Goats!

[Trigonal Planar]

It was a horrible, horrible last episode!

Why did that team have to win??

duuhhhh lets go to Cans duuh cuz we're in france yup yup, Cans duhhh


Sorry, the gay guys are just plain blockheads. And we know you're gay. Why, exactly, do you need to point that out every chance you get?

As for the Goats, once again they demonstrated their airport moronism. You'd think they'd learn by then. Too bad. So sad.

K&J should've won.

[Madawc]

well it's been two seasons of TAR straight that people who I wanted to lose won.....

i guess I should've cheered for Chip and Reichen to win. But I can't for the life of me understand how anyone could cheer for them with that (possibly) racist smack they talked to the Korean cabbie in of all places KOREA. Why don't they f*cking learn korean? assholes. They will be remembered for a long time in my amazing race memory as the assholes who won over my favourite team of Jon and Kelly.

Here's to hoping that more Amazing Races are lurking in the future. One of the best reality shows out there. Now it's time to wait for the next installment of Survivor. See you guys in those threads.

[Skammer]

I said this in the other TAR finale thread...

Noooooooo!

I can't believe they won. NoNoNoNoNo. This is as bad as when Jenna won Survivor last season. Okay not quite.

First of all, Jeff and Dave (the Goats) died like they lived -- leaping before they looked. They got themselves stranded in Sydney by not taking their time to look where they were going. Still, at the very end, I was hoping that somehow miraculously they had snuck ahead of everyone while we weren't looking. It wasn't to be.

It really all came down to one thing -- Chip and Riechen got the address of the anchor in Phoenix, and J&K didn't. J&K actually seemed to do the stadium thing much faster, but they had fallen too far behind.

Oh, by the way, did Chip and Reichen happen to mention that they're gay? I don't know, you might have missed it the first fifteen or sixteen times.

Chip is the worst. driver. ever. He wrecks the buggy last week and then spins off the road this week.

I'm totally depressed.

By the way, did they happen mention that they're gay? Because they are; they're a couple. They're a gay couple. Not sure if they mentioned it.

[Trigonal Planar]

I just can't get over their complete inability to pronounce place names.

"Okay, so we have to get to Moo-Loo-Alba"

[scott evil]

How sickening that Jon and Kelly were engaged. And it would always say, "Engaged" under their names. Like, do we need to know again that they're engaged? OK, they're engaged, we get it. They don't have to flaunt it. Gawd.

:rolleyes:

[Trigonal Planar]

I just can't get over their complete inability to pronounce place names.

"Okay, so we have to get to Moo-Loo-Alba"

[whiterabbit]

Yeah, but they didn't go on and on about being engaged, did they, scott evil? They weren't constantly saying annoying crap, "We're engaged, but we can do this stuff the same as any un-engaged couple can, and we hope people learn that from our example." (I'm disabled. I'm not going to stand on a soapbox and proclaim myself as a great example of a person with my medical problems, just because I HAVE THEM.) Being gay does not make you better or worse than anybody else.

Saying at the beginning of the race, "Hey, we're the gay guys, we're married," is cool. Saying, "Oh, by the way, we're gay," EVERY TIME they open their mouth is what's bugged people. Isn't there anything, oh, INTERESTING about them?

There's this straight woman's perspective, anyway. But I didn't like them much because of some jerkishness which is totally unrelated to their sexuality. I'm ticked off that they won. Oh well.

[Trigonal Planar]

scott evil: Scammer was not referring to the captions. Did you watch the show?

[whiterabbit]

Having posted before figuring out what I was trying to say, I will add this: in the context of the race, being gay is not a handicap. They tried to make it out to be one, with the "We can do this even though we're gay," crap. And THAT'S what I found annoying.

[kung fu lola]

I don't think it was so much that they saw being gay as a handicap. I think they just wanted to prove that they were like everyone else.

Americans tend to take a Calvinistic approach to winning; If you win, you are "good"; because only "good" people win. If someone sees gay people as "bad", just for being gay, maybe they will be challenged into seeing them as "good", for being winners.

I think that's why they said "We're Americans" as well, so that American viewers would see Chip and Reichen as being like them, and not "the other".

[MaceMan]

I've only seen the last 4 or so episodes, so apparently I missed the episodes which would explain why everyone seems to hate Chip and Reichen. I was actually happy to see them win. Although Chip demonstated some ugly flaws, and did lose it when he got angry at the cab driver (who was supposed to be able to speak English?), I hardly thought it was much worse than the behaviors and comments on some of the other teams.

Personally, I think that the reason Reichen and Chip often mentioned they are gay is because, like it or not, they think they are doing something important for gay visibility and equality. Gay kids have few real images of gay people on tv, and especially of couples with a relationship like Reichen and Chip have. And believe me, it is important to see that. Because I entered the show late, I was never able to tell whether Jon's homophobic comments were done in jest or if he's really like that? In any case, Chip and Reichen weren't the only ones making their sexuality an issue.

[whiterabbit]

It seems to me that they could have proven that without being annoying about it. Actions speak louder than words, and their behavior was far from stellar on more than one occasion. Seems to me they made a pretty poor pair of role models.

Their announcing their anniversary part way through the race was very sweet, BTW, except that they must be very naive if they think nobody had noticed they were a couple before then. The rings alone would have been a major hint.

[Mama Tiger]

Over on the Television Without Pity boards, where there are some SERIOUS TAR fans, a surprisingly large number of gay members have complained about Chip and Reichen (a) still feeling like they're so special they're entitled to everything, and this win just reinforces that, (b) apparently having some unresolved feelings about their sexuality since they have to drag it into everything they do, and (c) trying to set themselves up as gay role models when their behavior as human beings was pretty despicable at times. Or Chip's, at least; I didn't see Reichen do anything truly obnoxious -- except get married to Chip, obviously.

In their case, it seemed to me like their being a gay male couple was actually an advantage in the race, as compared to a mixed-sex couple -- they were both big strong guys with lots of those testorone-aided muscles. Certainly they were up to any physical challenges that came along. Their constant references to being gay was almost as annoying as Monica and Sheree's reminding us every time they opened their mouths that they were married to professional athletes. And about as relevant to the race.

Kelly, on the other hand, is a wisp of a woman who nevertheless managed to do an awful lot of stuff that she was sure was beyond her abilities. I was really proud of her tonight in particular, even though I hated her until about halfway around the world, and I must say that the race certainly did one thing to improve her chances of a happy life with Jon -- it taught him to be supportive of her when she was toughing out something that scared her to death or really upset her, instead of aggravating it like he did when he pinched her bottom on the train in India.

Poor David and Jeff. Lost till the end. At least they went out with a smile. I kinda liked them, although I'm still not sure why....

[Mama Tiger]

Oh, and MaceMan, if you'll notice, either Chip or Reichen (can't remember which right now) was the one to start with the "he was beaten by the gay guy, can't let the gay guy beat you" stuff; Jon was only following up on it. He just likes to annoy people, which he and Kelly admitted was part of their racing stragety, and that was one of the many buttons Chip and Reichen presented for him to push with regularity. Frankly, under the circumstances, I suspect I would have done the same thing!

[levdrakon]

Oh c'mon. Being a "Gay married couple" is the schtick that got them on the show. Of course they're going to talk about it and the producers are going to include it in the voiceovers. Big deal.

[Robot Arm]

At what point did Chip and Reichen let on that they were gay? I was under the impression that they didn't really announce this until more than halfway through the race, in which case their we-did-this-to-show-we-can-do-anything-straight-people-can routine is bogus. If they made it clear from the beginning, fine, but it's pretty weaselly to claim you're doing something for a cause only after you know you're succeeding at it.

[Ms Macphisto]

Those of us watching it on tv were aware of Chip and Reichen's sexuality right from the beginning but they decided not to let the other racers know about it until relatively late in the race. I seem to remember an interview with them in the first episode where the discussed being uncertain of whether or not to tell the other racers because they were afraid of the reaction. However, from what I've read everybody figured it out within about 5 seconds of meeting them, hence the extreme lack of shock when they made the big announcement on their anniversary (which I thought was sweet, by the way).

Yes, they definitely annoyed me at times during the race, but I don't get the hatred a number of people have expressed. I would've been happy with any of the three remaining teams winning, and I will say that the ending was very fitting, with it coming down to a race between Chip and Reichen and Jon and Kelly, since that was the main rivalry for the latter part of the race, and with David and Jeff lost, since that's how they spent much of the race. Of course, maybe I jinxed David and Jeff with my post earlier in this thread, when I predicted that they would win as long as they didn't get lost.

[scott evil]

Right, upon some reflection, I do agree that the "see? being gay isn't a handicap!" thing was annoying (if not a bit dangerous). That said, I can see why C&R would bring it up a lot in their chats with the producers (confessionals? whatever). We were shown what was edited and pieced together. Who's to say that it wasn't the others who started the "you're letting yourself be beat by a gay guy" crap?

Anyway, C&R are a bit too vanilla for my tastes.

[The Wrong Girl]

Yeah, Chip and Reichen talked about being gay a lot, and Monica and Sheree talked about being NFL Wives a lot, and (in the beginning) Jon and Al talked about being circus clowns a lot, and sheesh, did Kelly (and Jon) talk about her being the only woman left in the race a lot near the end.

People, it's the editing. Reichen and Chip could have talked about some topic unrelated to being gay for 20 minutes, and then the producers could have asked them "do you see yourselves as role models to other gay people, or at least think that your Amazing Race win will send some sort of a message?" and just used their answer to that as the voiceover played at the end.

Heh. Of course, it's also possible that being gay IS all they talked about ever. My point (and scott evil's, I'm guessing) is that all we're shown is the editing. Perhaps the producers and editors assumed that not everyone has been watching this whole time, and wanted to drive home a few points--e.g. Monica and Sherree are married to NFL players, John and Al are circus clowns, etc. every episode.

[Mama Tiger]

Yes, in all fairness, I do think a lot of their talking about being gay, especially in the voiceovers, was in response to questions we didn't hear. But that being said, no matter how often they talked about it, its irrelevance to the race in terms of it being a handicap was what was so obnoxious to a lot of us. I mean, if they were trying to run the race with an artificial leg or as a cancer survivor, that might well be something that would be worth bringing up as a potential handicap they overcame. But being two young, strong, healthy gay guys? Nope, they're no more handicapped than Jenna on Survivor 6 was by being so "beautiful." (If by "beautiful" you mean "having large silicone breasts.)

And also in all fairness to them, except for their singular humorlessness in running the race -- hey, guys, at least act like you're enjoying yourselves occasionally! -- they really did run a remarkably smart and flawless last leg, except for Chip's driving spinout, of course.

And why did Reichen keep letting Chip drive? My guess is that no matter how bad Chip's driving is, his back-seat driving would be even worse!!

[levdrakon]

Originally posted by Mama Tiger
And why did Reichen keep letting Chip drive? My guess is that no matter how bad Chip's driving is, his back-seat driving would be even worse!!

I wondered about that. Reichen must be a really, really bad driver. Reichen said he felt safer sitting there about to be tossed out of an airplane than sitting in the back seat with Chip at the wheel. How awful must Reichen's driving be? Maybe Reichen doesn't even have a valid driver's license?

[Ms Macphisto]

I suspect Mama Tiger's right and Chip's a really, really, really bad back-seat driver. After all, all of the moments Chip looked closest to exploding were in taxis, when someone else was driving, not to mention the ugly incident with the taxi driver in Korea. I'd bet that if Reichen did any of the driving, Chip would be so obnoxious that within five minutes Reichen would pull over and say "Fine, you drive."