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 others eyes out, theyll 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 Amsterdamif 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 doesnt 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 seasons 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 racings 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 hes a thrill seeker. . Veto!s opinion: Two more thumbs 'way up. Theyll 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 theyll 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. Theyre 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 Patricks 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: Theyre looking for love in all the wrong places; hopefully, their elimination from the show will be swift and merciful.
Thats it for the Preview.
Yep, they should try to find their way to the weather station in the Galena Airport and wash my windows or paint my office walls!
Wash or Paint: Pick one, do it to the satisfaction of the site manager and see the weather observer for your next clue when you finish.
WooHoo! C'mon up CBS, there are only 5 flights a day in and out, sometimes they're full. Talk about a bunch-up!
Yep. This show is missing a lot of good places.
The big three: London, Paris, Rome! Greece! Turkey!
Kowloon! Taipei! Kuala Lumpur! Singapore!
Rio! Caracas! Iguasu Falls!
We can sail, we can sail... with the Orinoco flow
From Bissau to Palau - in the shade of Avalon,
From Fiji to Tiree and the isles of ebony,
From Peru to Cebu hear the power of Babylon,
From Bali to Cali - far beneath the Coral Sea.
And the Beach Boys knew a place or two...
Aruba, Jamaica ooo I wanna take you
Bermuda, Bahama come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, baby why don't we go
Ooo I wanna take you down to Kokomo...
But the Amazing Race jerks want to make social statements now that they have an audience, so we're treated to dust, mud and poverty. Not entertaining.
The most refreshing thing about the last episode - there wasn't any opportunity for teams to "bunch." It was truly a race from start to finish at least for one leg.
I'm gonna miss team Bregg! If they only knew how to read clues properly they could have been there at the end in my opinion. My wife and I laughed hysterical at the way they went out of the race at the checkpoint. Their synchronous but UN-choreographed jump into the pool deserved a "10."
One of the Hair Girls approached Rob during a break and apologized for calling him a liar. This was after the security guard fiasco when Rob had gotten info from him and paid him not tell anyone else. The security guard, when asked for info by other teams, told them that he couldn't talk to them.
The clip was funny because Rob OBVIOUSLY did lie and earlier in the episode he stole Team Hair's cab but they never knew it! It was great!
Yes, sorry I forgot to include it. Wasn't it Debianca (Debbie and Bianca), "The Viciousistahs," not the HairQueens who apologized all over the place right after Rob stole their cab at the Sheraton?
Megan and Heidi, with blond tresses to their waists, were the HQs who spent the night with the brothers. Hard to keep track of teams when they have so many similar qualities.
Initially, I thought that Debianca would go far in the race after they won the first lap. I liked their looks and their spirit, but then, ugh, they started pawing each other and whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. Just too revolting to watch. In the same way, the gay couple play a good game, but the incessant sweetie-pie drivel they spew turns me off.
That would be a really good segment! Washing windows before the water freezes sounds like fun.
In spite of the grousing of many race fans, Teams are going to still another dingy dusty place, which, in the previews, looks like India but so do other third world spots. Hopefully, the race will be as exciting as the last lap in Botswana, with tough challenges and no bunching. But with the inevitable airport on the agenda this week, bunching will occur.
This lap is the start of the second half of the race. The remaining teams in order of arrival last week are:
1. Romber
2. Relly
3. Juchenna
4. ExLax
5. Metch
May the best team win!
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Which team is next to go? I vote for exlax.
It'll be between Relly or Metch based on the CBS background spoiler.
I vote Metch this week.
While I'm not overwhelmingly fond of Metch, Kinda hate to hear that. I know that I will absolutely hurl the next time that team exlax calls each other "honey".
It looks like by the end of this Race, I'll be cheering against teams I hate rather than cheering for a team I like. I guess I hope Joyce and Uchenna win. Maybe we'll at least get some really great destinations on the last half of the race - Tokyo, anyone?
So if Metch are last and aren't eliminated, do they take their clothes and shoes this time? :-)
U & J smart on the taxi....
Looks like the other drivers smell fresh meat,,,,
Not surprisingly, when U&J found their cue in the steel box, Gretchen again lost it.
I keep wanting to root for them, but then Gretchen does things like this wandering around as if the clue is going to drop into her hand. I just don't understand how people can act like that.
No kidding! What the heck was she thinking? They are awfully scrappy though. I can't say I like them, really, but they have my admiration. They are tougher than I am!
Okay, it looks like a bunch occurs after this leg because in the preview there was Metch driving a camel chariot with all the rest.
I'm glad that this year's TAR didn't include me. I would feel I got ripped off after last year;s trip to Stockholm, Bavaria, China, etc.
The teams haven't really been anywhere I would want to go in a million years and it looks like next week the "Third World Tour '05" continues. Ugh.
Hey Gretchen, get a clue...you don't stop looking for something and run around with your head in your hands if you don't find something the first 2 minutes...There must be some heavy editing going on. And all those people crushing up against them, I keep expecting them to lose their bags and passports at any time.
Hey CBS, you can steer the teams up off the equator at anytime. Unless of course they are going to leave India and make the jump to Australia or Bali or Tahiti or something like that... Please get out of the hellhole countries. And if I offend anybody with that comment...tough. :-)
Oh, and one of Team Exlax' butt hurts...imagine that!
Thanks.
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