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.
Yield? Heck I want them to hear "You've been eliminated" like fast.
You and me both. That little "wink" to the cameras in the promos I've been watching this week finally just turned me off them. It's one thing to have "confessionals" where you talk to the cameras - it's another thing to play to them. I've never seen other teams do it in the past (although it may have happened and I didn't notice). I'll wait to see how this plays out tonight, but if he's going to turn it into "The Bahstin Rob Show" I'll just start fast-forwarding them.
And I wonder -- should we bet a bottle of good tequila on how many times "Survivor" is mentioned? Hopefully none, but I've already seen there's one reference to "voting off the island." **sigh**
I thought I was happy last season when Jonathug and VICTORIIIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAA! were "philiminated"!
I would, too, hattend. But don't forget that Kim and Chip, who won TAR5, were the greatest sightseers the show has ever witnessed. The Nile! The Pyramids! Etc!
In filming Racers' reactions to scenery, TAR producers give viewers a chance to do some sightseeing too, which is why so many of us love this show. Still have all my fingers and toes crossed that we'll see Machu Pichu tonight.
Unfortunately. my only reference of the show is last season. I didn't think I was missing anything until I happened to watch the 2nd show from last year. I was hooked and I am now a fan.
That's why when you "real fans" bring up little trivia from previous shows, I'm lost...LOL!!!
Somebody mentioned DVDs becoming available, I may have to check out previous seasons.
This could devolve into a TAR v Survivor drinking game really fast.
If you thought Hellboy was a poor excuse for a man, you missed out on Wil (hatboy) from TAR2. And yes, he did wear that same ugly orange hat all the way around the world. He loved it more than his estranged wife / partner
I didn't start watching until Season Four. I got so caught up in the show that I bought seasons 2 (on tape) and 3 (on DVD) on Ebay. It's probably illegal for the sellers, but I didn't have a problem with the quality of either the tape or the DVD. And both already had all the commercials edited out.
I wish CBS would show the previous seasons during the summer re-run season. They re-ran the first Survivor season right after it ended, but I don't think they've ever re-run an entire season of any other reality show.
Hmmm...didn't even think of checking e-bay
I suggest we start the TAR Drinking Game. During TAR, you take a drink when any of the following happens.
1. A team says "people are going to underestimate us."
2. A contestant complains that the locals do not speak English.
3. (For this season only) Someone makes a reference to Survivor, or elements of Survivor.
4. (For this season only) A team obssesses about the location of Romber INSTEAD OF RUNNING THEIR OWN DAMN RACE.
5. A team mentions that God is helping them (no. Just. No. God is in the bathtub).
Oh wow oh wow. I forgot about the orange hat of ugly. Now that was a completely dysfunctional couple. I thought when they lost the clue to Alaska that finally, finally, I would be rid of them. But no. For I am unlucky.....
They came to Alaska? Now I HAVE to find that season. LOL
7. A team member has "second thoughts" about the nature of their relationship with their partner
8. A team member kisses Phil at the Pit Stop
9. A team stalls out their manual transmission car
10. A team argues about spending money
In both season 1 and season 2 they went to Alaska.
Oh, I had quite forgotten the detour shifting, most notably made famous by the Bald Brothers of Season 3.
11. An team's incredible lead is eliminated by airport/task/opening time/closing time "bunching."
12. A team's incredible incompetence resulting in them falling behind is alleviated by airport/task/opening time/ closing time "bunching."
That's the one thing I really didn't really appreciate on the show. Get a 3 hour lead on everybody and then at the end of the day, everybody is simply starting over again.
But I guess they do this so somebody who is extremely lucky (or good) can get a huge time lead that can never be caught.
Okay, time to get rid of the mom and gay son, tonight. She may have a nervous breakdown but that's just good TV LOL!
I sneakily suspect the bunching is to make up for the fact that the Fast Forward is no longer an option for every leg. Why this is so escapes me, since it has made for some seriously good TV as two or three teams go for it. Now? There's what? Two? So if you don't get it the first time and you're half an hour behind the leader the second time, you're gonna go for it?
And yet - the Survivor-like backstab known as the "Yield" has become affixed to every leg of the landscape. Jerry Bruckheimer - You Are Ruining My Favorite Show! (Okay - my favorite show AFTER Law and Order: Criminal Intent.)
Excellent recap. I am definitely rooting against Susan / Patrick and Debbie / Bianca. The gay guys are funny.
Hoping, hoping. She's so wired that when she goes wrong she'll go very wrong indeed.
show bump
Thanks for the ping and recap. I won't spoil the outcome of this leg for the west coast viewers, but this has been a good episode so far tonight.
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