Ditto. Jayjay and I were so screaming that they were so very close to us and we had absolutely no idea.
I think they may be heading to Gettysburg next.
I’m way disappointed.
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Duh–the teams with the little kids are (on average) going to do worse. I suspect that the team with Pugsly Addams who came in third(?) will be out within 3 episodes. And I like(d) both teams with kids.
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Zzzzzzzxssssnnorree. Wha?
:: wakes up ::
Dull challenges (“Row a boat!”, “Pull a buggy!”, “Build a doll-house” :rolleyes: ) C’mon. Where’s the “Eat live baby octopi” or “play tug-of-war with a bull through a pen hip deep in crap” or even “jump out of a plane?” -
The rumor is that they’re not going to any exotic* location 'cause they were afraid of one of the kids getting lost–can you imagine having a little kid on an Indian train? If true (and given that they’re (including next ep) spending hours out of 12 total for the season (10 eps, plus 2 extra hours for the first and last leg)) in three states sure makes that rumor seem more likely. But hell, they may go out on a limb and go to exotic Canada! Wheee. :yuk:
About 60% of what I enjoy in the show is the scenery and cross-cultural stuff. This, so far, sucks on that count–1/4th of the season is going to be in a 3 state area? This seriously sucks.
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Another rumor: No roadblocks–how could a little kid compete? I doubt this one.
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Another rumor: The “*athon and Victoria rule” or “You’re enough of a dick, we’ll boot your ass right on out of the show at our discretion.” Except for the Italian family, no-one’s even started to look in that direction (and they’re not even close). I hope this rule is real.
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And about the Italian family: I’m Italian. I understand from family discussions that involve yelling. But if I talked to my mom like those punks did, I’d have been backhanded in to last week (and my parents rarely used corporal punishment). I mean, he called his mom a “retard”?! What a little prick.
Sorry folks, I hope I’m wrong, but so far, this show has, if not jumped the shark, is revving it’s engine and circling the tank in prep for the big jump.
Fenris
*“Exotic”=“non-English speaking at least somewhat”
I was so glad that someone recognized Kevin and Drew.
I recall before the race that some were predicting an easy time for the twenty-something sibling team. 9th place proves that things don’t always work out.
That was cool, though if no one had I wouldn’t have blamed them. After all, I was sitting at home, not having to rush around or get stressed over anything, and it took me two or three teams to go “Hey, is that…it is! Yay Kevin and Drew!”
Why did they allow such young kids on the race? At least none of them seem(ed) too obnoxious, but it puts the teams at such a serious disadvantage it hardly seems worth it. Of course, there always seems to be at least one team that goes way farther than anyone would have predicted at the beginning, so I guess you never know.
Now, as long as the Paolo family gets eliminated next and the screaming stops, this may not be nearly as bad as I’d feared.
Here’s to a quick Philimenation with extreme prejudice for the Paolo family next week. There’s fun in seeing family members argue but not much fun when it crosses into what seemed like absolute hatred. Ugly. *athon level ugliness, which is saying a lot.
I too said a little cheer when the last team finally recognized Kevin & Drew. It’d be a neat feature if they have more “celebrity” clue givers in the coming weeks. It’d be a little something to make up for the fact that we won’t get the annual Indian sexual harrassment train and other exotic locales this season.
The worst penalty would be needing to reread the clue and you accidentally left it however many miles back that-a-way. Especially if no one is kind enough to remind you where to go next.
Much better than I expected; only the Paolos activated instant hating and I think it’s actually a good idea to spend a large chunk of the race in the US for once. Nicely designed detour - the “strength” task ended up being far more time-consuming than I’d have guessed, and sneakily favored teams with kids; and the “wussy” task depended on good intergroup coordination. And there’s no clear front-runner as of yet, since a lot of the apparently strong teams clearly have some major weaknesses.
Godlewski - How the heck did they come in first? Won’t be the next to go, but I just can’t see them finishing in the top 3. 6th, maybe.
Gaghan - Sooner or later, the youth of Billy and Clarissa is going to hurt them. Shame, really. If the kids were just five years older, this would be the team to beat. Mom and Dad are frighteningly capable (if they were on regular TAR, they’d be the Kris/Jon of their season), and the kids seem like they can handle the rigors of TAR.
Weaver - Eh.
Aiello - “Yankees suck!” Yes, they do. Look like the strongest overall team, but the father-in-law looks like he could collapse at any moment.
Bransen - Kinda like them; the dad seems like a nice, quiet guy. Otherwise, nothing particularly memorable. Top 4.
Schroeder - Dad has an odd sense of humor, and the daughter is gawkily likable. Well-balanced team, and I suspect a top 3 finish.
Rogers - Intro was grating, but actual race behavior was unremarkable. Like the Schroeder, don’t seem to have any glaring weaknesses right now. Top 3.
Paolo - Please, please, please let them be eliminated next week. The sons are snotty little shits and the parents aren’t remotely cut out for the physical stuff. A well-deserved boot next week.
Linz - On paper, with this competition, they should be smoking the other teams. Got horribly lost on the way to Washington Crossing, and they share perhaps a brain between the four of them.
Black - Apart from the hideous tie-dye shirts, seemed like a really nice family. Perhaps too nice.
twickster, Fairmont Park is near the Art Museum, right? I went to school in Philly, and my dad and step-mom live there.
I loved the little Gaghan kid singing when the Dad/Son-in-law team was coming up on their tails in the buggy pull. He’s funny. Those parents pulled that buggy really well. The siblings were about to die, but as someone pointed out, they were pulling “70 pounds of kid to our 400 pounds!”
I liked Kevin and Drew’s comments as they handed out the clues. They thought the little Gaghan girl was cute, the old dad was going to have a heart attack and made some comment about one of the pretty girls “I’d like to be one her team!” I also would like to see more former players as clue-givers.
Add me to the Paolo-haters. Ugh. I was soooo disappointed to see the Blacks go. They could have done well, I think.
In defense of the show, they don’t always do the really exciting stuff during the first leg. And while they didn’t go BASE jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge or anything (which could have been neat if you’re into that sort of thing), I think spending a night among the Amish and Mennonites in Pennsylvania Dutch Country might count as a “cross-cultural” experience to some people. Me, even, and I’ve lived in Pennsylvania my whole life. (Remember that Ma Weaver thought Pa. “might be a state or something,” so it’s obviously outside her comfort zone.)
Judging from the previews, it does look like they’re going to Gettysburg in the next episode (although having never been there myself, I can’t say for sure, and I know that between Pa. and Virginia there are quite a few Civil War battlegrounds). It’s not the Sphinx, by any means, but it’s still fairly significant. It’s kind of a shame that they didn’t do this over Halloween, because the Gettysburg battlefield is considered to be one of the most haunted places on the planet. That might have been interesting with the kids …
Well, bear in mind that this was CBS’s idea, not the Race producers’, so while it might not be as awesome as everyone generally expects, it’s more likely than not a one-off thing, and we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled awesomeness next time. And it’s still better than at least 95% of everything else that’s on TV right now.
Agreed. My husband and I discussed this in the car this morning, and out of all 40 contestants, this is the only team I don’t like at least a little bit. It’s not so much that they seem entirely dysfunctional, but moreso that they don’t appear to be having even the least bit of fun (except for when Brian recognized Kevin & Drew). My family knows how to fight with the best of 'em – but even at our worst, we can still manage to squeeze some enjoyment out of the trip. Heaven knows we had the sense not to speak to our parents like that, because knowing my father, he would have driven into the nearest river or telephone pole just to shut us up.
All in all, I am pleasantly surprised by what I have seen so far. This show is really about relationships anyway (the exotic locations are just a backdrop for the Meltdown du Jour), and these families seem to have it together for the most part. The kids aren’t annoying yet – and who didn’t laugh at least a little at wee Carissa Gaghan, passed out, mouth open, drooling, before they even got out of New York? Unintentional comedy is the best kind.
She was too cute. And one of the parents (Dad, I think) said, “Let her sleep, we’ll need her later.” 
And then both kids pitched in at the campsite later and helped everyone pound tentstakes. Nice kids, huh?
Yeah. That whole family seems pretty awesome. Most of these people seem pretty awesome, actually, which is … well, awesome. Great job, Casting People! Bravissimo! (Did you like that? It was my personal nod to Mirna.)
Fairmount Park is huge (Philly has more parkland, proportionally, than any city in the country – maybe the world, I don’t remember) – and runs along the Schuylkill (River, not Expressway) all the way out to my stomping grounds in East Falls and Manayunk. There’s also a huge chunk of it on the west side of the river, which is where the zoo and Mann Center [outdoor concert hall], etc. are. Also up there is Belmont Plateau – which is near where the Centennial Exposition was held, and is also the site of the very first Earth Day.
I was so hoping they’d have some scenes of people getting stuck on the Schuylkill (Expressway, not River) in rush hour traffic as they headed to Lancaster.
And damn – if they make it to Gettysburg, that might finally get us out of the picnic pavilion and over the the Battlefields next year at Gettysdope – forget site of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War – Dopers want to see where TAR stopped!
Agreed. I’m seeing a lot of “OH, GOD! OUR SHOW HAS JUMPED THE SHARK!” over at the TWOP boards and I think that’s more than a bit excessive. The producers seem to want to make this obviously distinctive, as if to stress that it’s outside the Race’s “continuity”…every bumper is boldly marked “FAMILY EDITION”, the clue boxes are silver rather than the usual red and yellow, they’re staying (apparently) within the US (and maybe a trip to Canada)…it seems like they’re noting that this is an experiment, and one that will probably only be done once, at that. Declaring that the show has peaked and is sliding downhill because of this season is a bit premature.
This is it–the start of the Family Feud Edition of the Amazing Race. The season that might–just might–answer the burning question, “is bad TAR better than no TAR”? Let’s see how the teams shake out for this first episode. In honor of the family theme, I’ll be using a new rating scheme. And, for no particular reason, this time it’s from First to Worst:
The Back Seat Report
"Over the River and Through the Woods…" - or, songs, happiness, and lots of familial love.
Kevin and Drew: OK, I admit that, not having seen season 1, I didn’t recognize these guys. I did, however, wonder why the clue-hander-outers, who are normally part of the background, were getting so much screen time for handing out smart-assed comments. But hey, when your only job is handing out a yellow envelope, it’s easy to excel, so these guys deserve a top rating. As for everyone else, it’s just too early to rate anyone this high.
"Daddy’s driving right now, hon." - or, a little tension and impatience, but still far from the breaking point.
The Godlewskis: An impressive come-from-behind number one finish. I have the impression these four will work together to get things done better than most of the other teams, with tasks like the mill-building being their forte. However, the being-behind-to-begin-with part wasn’t quite so impressive, and, remembering the fate of last season’s top two first ep teams, I’m reluctant to rate the Godlewskis any higher.
The Gaghans: OK. A twelve-year-old and a nine-year-old. Huh. I’m putting them here for now, based on what I’d call an extremely impressive second place. Although I suspect it was mostly luck, their choice of the buggy Detour helped considerably. Obviously the producers crafted that Detour option to cater to the families with small kids, and it paid off for the Gaghans. However, I just don’t see how any team that’s not all adults can expect to get farther than, say, the halfway point, so expect this team to move downwards.
The Weavers: The tear-jerking favorites; a widow with her kids. I’m not exactly sure that their strategy of asking Jesus to intercede in a reality show is a long-term winner, but their combination of teamwork and not doing anything stupid (well…too stupid) might be. Let’s see.
"Are we almost there yet?" - or, some whining and dissent, but no more or less than you’d expect.
The Schroeders: This family didn’t make a big impression on me Race-wise, remaining solidly in the middle of the pack. They actually worked together better than my pre-Race expectations called for. I’m adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
The Rogerses: Another middle-of-the-pack team. Dad seems like he has the potential to be a huge ass, so that might hurt then down the line, but there wasn’t really anything objectionable from him this week.
The Bransens: Mmmmm… Not such a great performance coming in seventh, and if the previews from next week don’t lie (they’d never do that, right?), Dad’s a bit lacking in the stamina department. May be headed downwards, but we’ll see.
"Dad… Janie’s on my side again!" - or, conflict, bad feelings, things just not going right.
The Aiellos: Four adult males; seems like they should go far. Dad’s not exactly in tip-top shape, though, and the buggy Detour cost them. Possibly ready for moving up next week…or not.
"Dad… Jimmy made poopy-pants in the back seat." - or, near disaster, and a whole lot of clean-up required before getting back on the road.
The Linzes: My pre-season pick to take it all with four memers in their early 20s, this team turned in a terrible performance. What with getting lost and wasting time and taking the wrong Detour, they’re either covered with bad luck or covered with stupid, both of which can be fatal. I expect them to either dramatically improve or take themselves out of the race entirely.
The Paolos: Ah. The Bickersons. That’ll be fun to watch, if I can tear myself away from shoving a red-hot poker in my butt. Luckily, I doubt we’ll be watching very much of them, as they expend ten times the energy yelling at each other as they do anything else, like reading maps and not losing clues. Unless they catch a lucky break, I expect this week’s #6 finish to be their best.
"ALL RIGHT, I’M TURNING THIS CAR AROUND RIGHT NOW!" - or, out of the Race and on their way home.
The Blacks: Nice people, I imagine, but color me completely unsurprised that one of the families with pre-teens is going home first. The kids were basically useless rowing the boat and building the house, so the Blacks were a team of two competing against teams of four. They may have lasted a little longer had they opted for the buggy (a la the Gaghans), but they were clearly headed for early elimination.
Oh–and did anyone else notice that the Official Race Colors are now yellow and white instead of yellow and red?
[sub]Props to Mullinator.[/sub]
At least for me, the fact that they’re traveling to China and Iceland and Vietnam was what made the race “amazing”. Seeing clues that say “drive to Lancaster,PA and find a farm” just isn’t the same. I’ve got farms here that I can look at.
Being Italian myself, I don’t mind seeing an Italian family argue, but that’s way overboard, painful to watch. And how did they finsish 6th? Sheesh.
I just love that little Gaghan smurf, and she can run a 7 minute mile?? I throw away my running shoes forever.
I know they don’t show everything, but they sure parked those 10 huge SUV’s in Manhattan rather effortlessly.
Wow, I can’t believe that woman that got run over by the runaway Amish cart (can’t believe I just typed that) didn’t get hurt.
Man, I don’t think they could have gotten a classier couple than the Black family parents. Phil asked if he was disappointed…“No, I’m not disappointed. Sad, yes. But I’ll never be disappointed in my family.” I wanted to cry. Then the little boy fell in the mud, and quietly asked for help instead of shouting like a Paola…his dad calmly pulls him out and says something like “That’s ok, things like that happen.” I wish they had won.
My guess is that the flags this time were colored yellow and white so as to not be so recognizable to U.S. fans. Which makes sense; even if they don’t stay in locations very long, I suspect the went to some fairly public spots, and would have been spotted more than they wanted if they used the regular colors.
I don’t think it’s jumped the shark yet, or even on its way. I suspect the teams with kids will be shaken out fairly quickly – even though the young Gaghans were far more competitive and likeable than I had expected – and it’ll end up the typical 20- or 30-somethings battling it out for supremacy, as usual. And hopefully they’ll go to enough places around North America that even folks who are well-traveled will be seeing places they’ve never visited.
I just wish they’d shot this so it could air over the summer. It would have been much better as TAR: Family Vacation, to coincide with the real thing.
My wife and I were saying last night that we think it would actually be pretty cool if they spent most or all of the season in North America. It’s a big continent and there are lots of places we haven’t seen, even in the US. I mean, I’ve been to Manhattan a bunch of times but it’s still interesting to see it through the lens of the Race, especially watching people who are unfamiliar with the city.
I’m looking forward to more posters in the next few weeks saying, “Hey! That’s right by my house!” or “I could tell they were in trouble because they should have taken the next exit instead.”
And I think the Gaghan kids are cute. I hope they hang on for a while.
zut: Excellent job, as always, with the ratings. You rock my shallow, self-centered little Universe.
My sister just called me from somewhere between Phoenix and Seattle (don’t ask), and her exact words to me were: “Four blonde Polish women? Dude, we’re Lithuanian, we could’ve smoked 'em!” Which of course means that we’d have ended up at our parents’ house (about 2 hours north of Philly, and 2 hours east of Lancaster) asking my Dad to give us directions. Which would have most likely landed us … somewhere between Phoenix and Seattle, actually.
I didn’t work for Brandon and Nicole, and they were a little bit nicer than Ma Weaver appears to be at this point. She’s awfully shrieky. I can picture God’s response coming in the form of a billboard on the side of I-95: “Dude, Get a freakin’ MAP. Damn.”
These guys were my pre-Race faves, and watching them drive past Yankee Stadium, screaming out the windows about how the “Yankees suck!”? True love. Too bad the lot of them are married. These guys are TOTALLY Boyfriend material. Even Daddio.
This one is my favorite.
Aren’t these the same colors that were used on the original Race? Or have I gone stupid again?
Me, too. I hope they go all the way!
I’m actually enjoying this Family Edition more than I thought I would. I have most of the teams sorted out. Don’t like Team Rugrats! They’re too. . . I don’t know. . . superhuman maybe. I like to see them finish in the middle of the pack until they make an egregious error and implode! (But it was handy to have those little Rugrats as the buggy passengers, wasn’t it?)
Nice to see The Brothers at the Hot Dog Wagon. Didn’t any of the contestants recognize these TAR icons?