I was watching Entertainment Tonight tonight and they announced that on the next episode they were going to interview “the next batch of Amazing Race contestants”. This was always my favourite reality show and I’d love to watch another season - but I’ve heard nothing about it.
Maybe I got a poor impression of the show the one episode I saw, but there was something a little depressing about having all these people thrown into these magnificent locations only to be required to run at breakneck speed from A to B without allowing any time to just soak in this incredible place that they’ll probably never get a chance to visit again.
The episode I saw, one of the members had to take a boat out to Victoria Falls, where they run up some landing or something, retrieve some object, and then return to their partner waiting somewhere down the river (presumably).
The landing had a spectacular view of the falls, but every competitor ran up the landing, grabbed their item, then ran immediately back down without even taking a second to stare in awe at such a sight (or even taking a picture for the partner who didn’t get near the falls at all). Yeah, they get “exposed” to the locals (“Run into some guy’s shop, drink something weird and exotic, and then run out again. Run, run, run!”) but really, it all seemed as pointless as it did challenging.
I don’t know, maybe I should’ve given the show more of a chance (I’ve heard good things, after all), but there was something about this Tunnel Vision Reach the Goal business that made all the international travel merely a pretense instead of a bonus, and it didn’t sit right with me for some reason. Go figure.
Next Tuesday is the start of the next season.
ArchiveGuy, the point for the contestants is to win money, not really to see the world. That’s for us as viewers.
No, I understand that–I guess that’s why I find it depressing. YMMV.
Yup, this show is far and away the best (and most addictive) of the reality shows.
making list: see which of the regulars is in for the pool; send off email to scoffers who don’t get my fondness for reality TV to tell them to watch it; check to make sure tape backup is ready to roll on the VCR…
Anyone know the schedule for the show? I don’t have cable and don’t get a TV guide (poor university student here). Thankfully I do get a channel that airs it though.
Oh, and ArchiveGuy, its called The Amazing Race, not The Old Folk’s Vacation Slides Hour 
It starts Tuesday at 9:30 PM, after Big Brother.
Ick big brother
Yay people who can’t read maps racing around the world !
I love this show. Going off to set up TiVo…
Heh, that’s the best part.
“I can read a map better than you!”
:::looks at map intently:::
"I think we need to go… "
:::tums map around 90 degrees, turns it back halfway :::
“… that way! Take a left up here!”
If I remember correctly, this was in the first season. . . and I had the same thoughts you did. But in later series, you do get the feeling that these lucky people are really soaking in the atmosphere of the places they race to. Remember, reality shows are edited to show what’s important to the producers, not necessarily to the contestants.
I love this series. It’s my favorite TV show of all!
I’m so excited for tonight! Yay for the return of Phil!
The racers do get to complete various tasks that can be considered culturally relevant, which somehow avoids the cheesiness of similarly couched challenges on Survivor. The attention paid to their surroundings also, to me, depends on the individual racers themselves. There’ve been teams who are focused entirely on getting to the end of the day (Millie and Chuck), and teams who have been focused on their tasks but also in absorbing what they can from the experience (Jon and Al, for instance). I’m sure others can fill in some more examples, but these two just leapt to mind.
I’m going to try watching this year. I know pretty much nothing about it and my only reality show experience is American Idol.
Thank gods someone reminded me this was on tonight! 
For me, the excitement of the show isn’t the travel, it isn’t the race, even. It’s watching two people who (usually) love each other on some level completely self-destruct.
I know, I know. That makes me an awful person.
I’ve actually only watched a couple seasons religiously, but I have to say Jon and Al were definitely my favorite of all the competitors I’ve seen. They had fun, and they were less concerned with their time, yet they still did pretty well. Here’s hoping we get to see more competitors like that.
Although, I must say, the fact that the word Virgins was prominently displayed under Millie & Chuck’s names each time last season never failed to make me giggle.
This is terrible - I just realized that none of my few non-cable stations will be carrying the show!!
I’m seriously considering ordering basic cable if only just for this :eek:
It’s rigged, just like American Idol (and all the rest). The last 3 teams racing will probably include a gay couple, two party animals, and at least one hot chick - gotta keep all the demographics watching till the end!
I really don’t think this needs spoilers, but just in case…the AP says that
Tonight the couples will quickly go from Southern Cal to Uruguay and someone gets hurt early threatening that team’s ability to continue.
A player from TAR2, Blake Mycoskie, says “the producers create the race to bait you into making bad decisions. And when you’re in a hurry, you’re going to make bad decisions.” He says players should be more concerned about being right than about being first.
Blake is the guy who read a map fast…and wrong…and lost the million dollar prize by 4 minutes. He says it’s a mistake he can’t forget.
Oh, yeah, Millie and Chuck. That “VIRGINS, DATING 13 YEARS” bit never failed to make me giggle, either.
Good Lord, Chuck was a loon. He’d been dating Millie for 13 years (or some incredibly long time), but couldn’t decide if he wanted to commit. What a jerk.
Could someone give some introductory information on this show? What makes it so great? If it’s a race, do they have to take the exact same paths or can they veer? We’ve never watched it, but we’re planning to try to get into it this time. Is it too late? Do we need background from prior years?
No Experience Necessary.
You basically get about 10 couples (married, best friends, parent/chiled, siblings, lovers, emotionally attached) and send them on the world’s biggest scavenger hunt. You give them a paultry about per day, pay for them to fly coach, give them a clue and a camera crew and send them on their way. Along the way, there are challenges and quests. But it all comes down to who crosses the finish line *following the rules * first. Cheat and you get a time penalty. Bwa ha ha ha.
Benefits of seeing the previous races are “They did a much better job in India last year” or “KOREA?? Please don’t let them eat live baby squid again!”
The premise of the series is simple; a race around the world. Eleven teams start on a pier in Los Angeles. They do not have cell phones, computers, money or credit cards. They are given envelopes which contain their next destination and enough money to get there. (As well as any neccessary papers, etc.) Beyond that, they are on their own.
On each leg of the race, players will proceed from checkpoint to checkpoint (or, in game terms, Route Marker to Route Marker). At each Route Marker, they may be required to perform a physical or mental task. There are several of these.
A Detour gives them two alternate choices for their next checkpoint. One will appear to be easier than the other. But the easier choice probably has a hidden difficulty of its own.
The other thing they may encounter at a Route Marker is a Roadblock. This is a task which must be performed by one of the players before they can continue.
If the players decide they do not want to go through all of the Route Markers, they can try to obtain a Fast Forward pass. The Fast Forward will tell them exactly where the final Route Marker for the current leg of the race is located and they may go directly there, bypassing all Detours and Roadblocks. Unfortunately, each team may only use one Fast Forward for the entire race and only one team can use a Fast Forward per leg. If a second team tries for the Fast Forward and it is already gone, then they must go back and complete the remaining Route Markers.
The final Route Marker for each leg is called a Pit Stop. At a Pit Stop, players must stop and rest for 12 hours before starting again. They are then given their packets for the next leg of the race.
There is one other effect of a Pit Stop. The last team to arrive at each Pit Stop is Eliminated from the race.
New in this version is the Yield. A team can use a Yield to force one of the teams behind them to wait for a fixed time interval before proceeding.
(Most of this is from my site for the first Amazing Race. I have the first two seasons recapped there but got caught in a crunch and never did seasons 3 or 4.)