9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific Posted on 02/24/2005 8:35:27 AM PST by Veto!
Begins March 1 on CBS, 9 p.m. Eastern/Pacific
Here we go again, race fans, for the Seventh Season of The Amazing Race (TAR7). We'll vicariously travel with eleven teams as they fly, drive, climb, crawl, leap, slide, and boogie around the world to compete for one million dollars. They'll never know where they're going next or what they'll have to do once there. The last team to arrive at the "designated pit stop" at the end of each week's episode will be eliminated from the race -- unless it is not. So pull up your favorite armchair and travel along with the Freeper Amazing Race contingent every Tuesday night for the next few months as we root for favorites, throw tomatoes at the others, and wish we were the ones living dangerously. BON VOYAGE!
A Thumbnail Photo Guide To This Season's Possibly Amazing Racers
Brian, 27 & Greg, 24 are brothers from Santa Monica, California. Brian is an actor/bartender and Greg is a bouncer. Their primary motivation for participating in the Race is to travel the world with each other and meet new people. Veto!s opinion: Team Bro wants face time on tv. They are big, strong, in shape, and they think they're action stars. But are they wily? Could be they'll be eating other teams' dust.
Debbie & Bianca are best friends from Los Angeles, California and Woodbridge, Virginia, respectively. Bianca is a high school teacher and Debbie works as a photographer. Both are highly educated, experienced travelers, and have lived abroad. Veto!s opinion: Keep an eye on these two. Unless they scratch each other’s eyes out, they’ll probably do just fine.
Lynn & Alex are (would you believe?) a gay couple from West Hollywood, California. They both work as executive assistants. With their four-year anniversary on the horizon, they possibly hope to get married in Amsterdam—if indeed they race through Amsterdam. Veto!s opinion: Need I say?
Megan & Heidi, a make-up artist and fashion designer, are roommates from Oak Park, California. Both are allegedly extremely competitive and not afraid to take risks. They decided to sign up for the Race “just for the challenge and competition.” Veto!s opinion:. Can the Hair Queens keep up the pace when their tresses get tangled? I see hissy fits on the horizon.
Meredith, 69, & Gretchen, 66, are a husband/wife team from Easton, Maryland. Meredith is a retired executive and Gretchen is a retired nurse/flight attendant. He holds seven National Masters Swimming Championship titles, she admits to being quite loud, particularly when upset. . Veto!s opinion: If Gretch doesn’t turn into Nurse Ratched, they may go far and win Freeper kudos for their efforts.
Ray, 44, & Deana, 27, are a dating-on-and-off team from Canfield, Ohio and Youngstown, Ohio respectively. Ray, a former semi-pro football player, is a stockbroker and Deana is a marketing and promotions executive. Both enjoy weight lifting and karate. Veto!s opinion:This season’s “will their relationship last?” team. Ray will overdo it trying to beat younger guys. Ho-hum.
Rob, 29, & Amber, 26, AKA Boston Rob and Ambuh, are an engaged couple from Canton, Massachusetts and Beaver, Pennsylvania, respectively. They formed an alliance and fell in love when they competed with each other on “Survivor: All Stars.” Amber won the one million dollar prize. Rob finished as the $100k runner-up, but proposed to Amber before they knew which had won the big bucks. Veto!s opinion: Two Thumbs Up! Highly athletic and competitive, these two know how to work together. But will their “take-over-the-‘hood” skills that won them Survivor translate to racing’s Hall of Fame? Why, indeed, not?
Ron, 28, & Kelly, 26, are a dating Team from Villa Rica, Georgia and Greenville, South Carolina, respectively. Ron is a former Iraq War POW who is currently a student at the University of Georgia and works as a motivational speaker. Kelly was crowned Miss South Carolina in 2002 and works as a Legislative Correspondent…(for whom?) Ron was an Apache helicopter pilot in Iraq. When shot down, he was captured, interrogated, held captive and later rescued by the United States Marines. Following his rescue, Ron returned home and was introduced to the reigning Miss South Carolina. The two have been an item ever since. Ron is very competitive and admits he’s a thrill seeker. . Veto!s opinion: Two more thumbs 'way up. They’ll be Freepers’ favorites, and they have what it takes to win.
Ryan, 31, & Chuck, 32, are lifelong friends from Landrum, South Carolina and Inman, South Carolina, respectively. Ryan is a general contractor, and Chuck works in boiler tube replacement sales. Both are motorcycle nuts and very religious. . Veto!s opinion: Definitely wily Southern boys. Up against tough competition, but I hope they make a good showing.
Uchenna, 40, & Joyce, 44, a childless married couple from Houston. Uchenna worked for Enron as an energy trader and Joyce worked in sales for WorldCom, have different jobs since their companies went bankrupt. If they win, they say they’ll use the money for in-vitro fertilization. Veto!s opinion:A tough, scrappy pair, but too much tension here, methinks, for them to get much traction. They’re hardly Kim and Chip, the wonderful black couple who won Amazing Race two seasons back.
Susan, 54, & Patrick, 26, are mother and gay son. She is the Director for Judicial Affairs for Miami University in Ohio and Patrick is a writer now living in Hollywood. Susan, married to Patrick’s father for 34 years, earned her college degree as a “non-traditional” student. Patrick says his family has always been very supportive of him,even —surprise, surprise-- when he told them he was gay. Veto!s opinion: They’re looking for love in all the wrong places; hopefully, their elimination from the show will be swift and merciful.
That’s it for the Preview.
My hubby and I have a nickname for Bianca and Debby, but I can't post it here.
You know what I'm finding interesting is that Romber actually seem to really get along great! I told my hubby that I thought if they make it throught TAR without breaking up, then I they'll actually have a pretty good marriage. They'll have lots of interesting shared experiences that would be hard to find in another partner.
Also, she tends to mellow Rob out.
I am starting to suspect that like me, those two like girls.
Think one saying "Te Amo" to the other on the way to the sand piles was a clue?
I call them "Kissy Kissy." Actually, I don't think they're gay. A bunch of younger women on the last Survivor were all touchy and kissy. I think it's in vogue right now, and it grosses me out!
I'm changing the subject a bit, but I'm even noticing this kissy-kissy stuff with the young girls.
My twin daughters are 8, and just don't quite fit in with the other girls. My girls are not into Hillary Duff or other pop stars, and they are not very silly and talkative.
My girls mainly play with the boys, and I can see why.
My girls aren't tomboys, but they just aren't superficial.
That, and the nearly lip locks that the two have planted on each other.
But Hey! Looking at a couple of good looking female lesbians on the show is a whole lot more enjoyable than having to look at the two gay guys.
Ron comes across to me as a nice southern gentleman and too trusting. I hope he has learned a lesson and starts to be more aggressive.
I'd have to agree, based on other girls I know, they aren't lesbians. Girls are just too touchy these days.
Finally got to see the show. Pretty good. I don't much care for Rob and Amber thus far. It will be interesting to see if they have any real skills, this time they just coasted thanks to the help they got from their fan.
NFP
I don't think Rob has EVER said a nasty word to Amber, in fact he is wonderfully protective of her. They work well together and may go far in the Race despite sniping and griping by other Racers.
As for Bianca and Debbie, I know we're all thinking of an unprintable name for them. How about a printable one?
Viciousistahs. (Vi CHIS tahs) The vicioius sistahs.
Vicious
(Try spell check, Veto!)
Viciousistahs
Vicious
(Try spell check, Veto!)
Viciousistahs
Boston Rob (of Rob and Amber) says "BRING IT ON"
GUNNING FOR ROB & AMBER
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/41584.htm
March 2, 2005 -- 'BOSTON" Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich may have conquered "Survivor," but they could get clobbered by the competition on "The Amazing Race," which began last night on CBS.
"I'm glad we have this opportunity to go head-to-head with them because I've always disliked them," "Race" competitor Patrick Vaughn tells the latest edition of TV Guide.
"They seem to think they're the stars. All the other teams are going to be united against them," says Vaughn, a playwright-composer who, with his mom, Susan, makes up one of the 10 teams trying to crush Rob and Amber.
"I've never felt that much hate toward me before," says Amber, 26, of the day she and fiancé Rob met their new reality-show competition.
"There were comments," says Rob, 29. "It bothered me because it was upsetting her. But I love to be the underdog. Bring it on!"
Amber — who won the $1 million prize on "Survivor" last year — and Rob — who proposed to her during the show's live finale — lobbied "Race" producers hard to appear on the show because they are fans.
"They came after us," says executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer. "They loved the show and wanted to be on it, and there's no downside to that."
Post TV Staff
I think they will do well..they have already gotten under someone's skin. I still hope Ron and his girlfriend will do better though.
I like it - it fits!
While I'm happy to see that there is not the usual contingent of models/actors this time, I am, I guess one of the few that has trouble with the Rob/Amber casting in this race, as I did with the Allison/Donny casting (she of Big Brother 3? 4? last year). I'm not a fan of either Rob or Amber, and I didn't care for either of them in their first seasons (Outback and Marquesas) on Survivor, but I will admit that Rob did a credible job controlling the "All Stars" game. My problem with them being in the Amazing Race is that it changes the tenor of the game for me.
1. Rob and Amber are celebrities, and as such, received a great deal of help the first episode when they were in last place. This celebrity can work against them, sure, if they run into a "fan" that doesn't like them, but they didn't climb out of last place in the premier episode because they were racers and enlisted aid (a "Fern" if you will, for those who remember Cha-Cha-Cha from Season 2)- they were helped specifically BECAUSE they were on Survivor. I know other contestants had advantages because they had knowledge of Spanish but that's an advantage anyone could have had - none of the other 10 teams have been on national TV or on 10 magazine covers.
2. It changes the race's focus. Instead of a race around the world and to finish each race leg ahead of the other teams, it's becoming "beat Rob and Amber." Rob and Amber are not the focus of the race, people - and for this I also blame the teams involved - the best ones will simply see "Romber" as good competitors and try to beat them to the mat every week. There's an old saying in "TAR" - "run your own race - don't worry what the others are doing."
3. And can we please stop with all the "Survivor" references now? Every other sentence was about Survivor.
They're minor things, I know, but I really loved this show in its first season and I hate to see it get more gimmicky with each successive edition (the next one, for instance, will feature teams of families of 4 each - now there's a logistical nightmare if you will).
And while I agree that Patrick is just way too obsessed, I will say one small thing in his defense - Rob made incredibly disparaging remarks about gay men when he was in Marquesas, and I imagine Patrick has fixated on that somewhat. But Patrick? You and Mom? Not holding the national brain trust yourselves, ok? Run your OWN damn race and stop worrying about Romber -- they are NOT worrying about what YOU're doing.
And by the way, I loved those Carolina hillbillies right off the bat. Which is probably what doomed them in episode one. *Sigh*
I agree with you on Rob and Amber. I never watched Survivor and I really don't care to watch Survivor: Amazing Race. I want my TAR, with no stupid references to tribal councils or bonfires or whatever.
So, may the survivors get eliminated soon so it can go back to the race I know and love!
Patrick and mom became my least favorite team in the first episode. Mom just about came unglued when she thought she wouldn't be "first."
I've never seen anyone act that way about not coming in first in a round. Ridicuous.
I can hande flamers as long as they don't take themselves seriously. And these guys seem that way.
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