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.
I just knew you 2 were purty savvy people ;)
won't hurt my feelings......I was totally surprised you used it as it was. lol feel perfectly free to change it. :)
Hey, Chani, your tagline rocks too. It's great fun having both of you onboard for the race.
Turkey! Thanks for the good news, hattend. It's my favorite country, It will be a great pleasure to see it again tonight.
Where will they go in Turkey? There are wonderful things to see and do in Istanbul, like maybe having a boat race up the Bosporus, and major ruins along the Turkish coast. Will Turkish authorities allow them to clump through Ephesus? Aphrodisias? Or just through markets, bazaars, and rug factories? There is one spectacular carpet-weaving village atop a mountain in the vicinity of the ruins of Troy and Pergamom where rock climbing might be feasible. And the city of Bursa, not far east of Istanbul, has a ski area plus a fascinating, historic old silk market. (Veto packing bags now.)
I'm still puzzled about Teams going to Cuzco, Peru, the gateway to Machu Pichu, without actually visiting that spectacular place. They did, after all, have apparently unlimited access to the Pyramids in Cairo in TAR5. Probably, TAR has a squad of negotiators with some level of diplomatic skill. Gee, I'd love to work for them!
Well, they showed a clip of Uchenna rappeling down a rope on what appears to be a smaller version of Devil's Tower in Wyoming.
Is that a clue to where they are in Turkey?
Like Devil's Tower? I don't have the answer. Could be near Bursa or that village I mentioned. Or not. Probably the race will stay, as we did, within 100 miles of the western coast as muslims might be nasty further inland where the country is not so westernized.
I was there with a friend who could not have been more obviously Jewish, and the people welcomed him with open arms and hearts, both in sophisticated Istanbul and in rustic villages.
I have a hunch that Rob and the Turks will get along famously. They are master negotiators and will undoubtedly respect his deal-making skills. And vice versa. Metch? Gretch could definitely rub them the wrong way. Turks have quite the macho society. Kelly and Joyce might even have problems, but Amber has that helpmate quality that will provide smooth sailing if relations with locals become an issue. IMO
There are some interesting tidbits of info in there, as Gretchen talks about the last 3 legs of the race.
Good Find! I'm afraid to read it, though. Is it full of spoilers or does she just comment on last week's episode? (I read the first 2 paragraphs)
Ahhh, I took a chance and read the rest. It only covers that week. Good!
I was wondering why Meridith was limping, now I know. He broke 3 bones in his foot when his (overweight) elephant and a jut-jut ran over it. He is a trooper!
BTW: She really hates Rob. Hhahahahahah
Graceful aging keeps 60s couple in the 'Race'
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY
====
She fell in a cave and bloodied her head. They were stripped of their money and possessions, save for the clothes on their backs.
The Detour challenge: Gretchen Smith,66, and her husband, Meredith, 69, buy a grocery list of goods in Santiago, Chile.
CBS
But Meredith and Gretchen Smith, the oldest couple ever on The Amazing Race, also have endured far longer than the typical token team of seniors on CBS' reality hit, now in its seventh season.
"It's absolute tenacity," host Phil Keoghan says. "They just decided they were going to go all out and never give up."
Meredith, 69, a retired executive, and Gretchen, 66, a retired nurse and flight attendant, from Easton, Md., are one of five teams of the original 11 in a world race of hair-raising challenges. They're vying for a $1 million prize in the finale May 10.
The Smiths aren't available for interviews; CBS policy restricts access to contestants until they're ousted.
But going into tonight's ninth episode (9 ET/PT), the team has outlasted other seasons' seniors. Only Teri and Ian Pollack, considerably younger at 49 and 50, made it further, finishing second in Race's third season.
Fans are cheering. "The one thing I do admire about them is that, despite all the odds — age, mishaps, non-elimination round — they never give up," says Kyle Richard of San Francisco.
Racers Susan and Patrick Vaughn, eliminated earlier this season, say they bonded with the older couple. "They're so sincere and genuine," Patrick says. "You can look at them and see they're your grandparents. There's not a mean bone in their bodies."
Such gentle competitiveness stands in marked contrast to Survivor couple Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich. Their aggressive behavior toward other Race teams and locals makes them formidable competitors in the 31-day journey, which has gone from Long Beach, Calif., to Lucknow, India, by way of Peru, Chile, Argentina and South Africa.
"You see some people who are rude, like Rob and Amber," Patrick says. But the Smiths prove "you can still be in the race and be nice to everyone."
The strategy paid dividends when Keoghan made them cough up their cash and backpacks as a penalty for finishing last in a non-elimination episode. That came just hours after Gretchen took a nasty spill, smashing her head against a rock as she rappelled 45 feet down a cave in Soweto.
"That was the meanest thing I've ever done on TV," Keoghan says. "She's got this huge cut on her head, and I take everything."
But the Smiths pressed on, relying on a rival team for clothes and strangers for taxi money. In India, they were cheered on by throngs of autograph-seekers.
And though they struggle near the back of the pack, they endure. "It's the smarts factor, the luck factor and the karma factor," Keoghan says. And rivals who underestimate them. "A lot of people didn't even give them the time of day."
=====
As always we are "bringing up the rear". But what's important is that we beat one team...the last one. We were sad to see the Brothers eliminated, but better them than yours truly.
Several of you have asked what happens when you are eliminated. You are whisked away immediately without even being able to say good by to the other teams, to a sequester country where you stay in comfort with the others who have been eliminated. None of us even got to see the Brothers after they came in.
====
So, even though you are eliminated, you still get a free trip around the world...pretty cool
I just saw tonight's preview on tv...seems the rockface they're rapelling on is the tower of an old crusader castle. There's a good one just above Istanbul rising straight up from the Bosporus.
Preview also shows Romber and Relly jammed into a cab of sorts with voiceover proclaiming "Will Rob's gamble pay off?" Rob grins wickedly and tells the camera once again that Relly is not too bright. Meanwhile Juchenna and Metch are running down some dock. Producers are trying to give us the idea that Metch and Juchenna are runnng ahead of Romber and Relly, but who knows.....
If that castle is the rockface they have to climb, the choice may be to take a boat from Istanbul to reach it (it has a dock) or to take a cab along the Bosporus. Traffic can be a nightmare on that road, so a boat might be quicker, but not the big tourist vessels. All kinds of dudes rent small boats to take people up and down that wonderful channel...A speedboat might beat a cab from the pier in Istanbul to the one at the castle--if it doesn't break down enroute. All of this is pure speculation, knit together from rapid images on tv commercial.
If it comes down to a footrace to prevent elminiation, Relly can outrun all other teams, including Romber. I hope that Rob has not outsmarted himself.
Good go, LizJ!
Gretch hates Romber so much she refers to them as YKW (you know who), fearing to call them by name. I hope she reads this thread, where her voice has been compared with a modem, where some call her Grating Gretch, and where she and the henpecked one are known as Metch.
Cool about having two cars reserved for TAR cast and crew on India's railroad. At least they have a chance of not catching dysentery in the feelthy loos. But I'm surprised that reliable, clean food is not provided too, as losing teams to Delhi Belly could destroy the show schedule.
Boy, I need to keep my glasses on when watching TV LOL. It looked like a round lava outcropping with striations...just like Devil's Tower. It was just a quick shot but how could I have confused a castle for a lava plug! Oh well...(still chuckling)
Tonight's ending was a surprise! The 2nd team to arrive is proving to be a smart team and they have bonded with a good team in joyce and Uchenna. Boy these 2 are more tenacious than I have given them credit for and I must say I was rooting for Gretchen when she was making the climb up the tower. Good for her!
I only started watching TAR 6, so I don't know how it compares. My SIL says that this season is not as funny as previous seasons, but I think this one has been more entertaining than last season.
Kelly's POW comment was dumb, but not as horrible as I thought it might be. She is sad that Ron doesn't want to get married it appears. I thought Ron handled it quite well, and he really was quite nice to her the rest of the race. I think they both realize they are going to break up, but are hanging in to finish the race, and I admire them for that. I know lots of people probably hate Kelly, though. Ron seems like a pretty unflappable guy. They are not dumb either, even though, I think the show has portrayed them that way a bit.
I was glad they won a prize, but who will they take the trips with! ;-)
I was starting to like Rob and Amber, but he really caused his own problems with his playing around. I'm not liking them so much anymore.
Man, Rob is too smart for his own good. he tries to fake somebody out with that "earlier flight" business and it costs him 3 hours. He better stop playing with people's heads and get his own back into the race.
Looks like they head to England on the next leg and learn to drive double decker busses.
Juchenna looks strong, Metch are surprising me considering Meridith is doing this with 3 broken toes, Romber needs to get back into their game plan and Relly hopefully will get things patched up at the 4 seasons suite. At least patch it up well enough to get to 3 more pitstops.
Man, Rob is too smart for his own good. he tries to fake somebody out with that "earlier flight" business and it costs him 3 hours. He better stop playing with people's heads and get his own back into the race.
Looks like they head to England on the next leg and learn to drive double decker busses.
Juchenna looks strong, Metch are surprising me considering Meridith is doing this with 3 broken toes, Romber needs to get back into their game plan and Relly hopefully will get things patched up at the 4 seasons suite. At least patch it up well enough to get to 3 more pitstops.
I love Joyce and Uchenna! They are very kind to everyone and to each other. I am pulling for them. Ron and Kelly would be my 2nd choice to win, however there are times when I want to pull both of them aside and tell them to be nice. They are nice to everyone but each other. They antogonize each other.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.