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.
But not as crazy as Team ChaCha. Team ChaCha was fun. Lynn and Alex are just bitter little queens.
Great ideas to save Apprentice. I hope you'll send them to Mark Burnett because the show is headed for oblivion in a hurry.
LOL. You're quick, hattend!
Also, you're right about Metch and Juchenna flying Air India to Istanbul, not Turkish Air. Didn't Rob ask Air India too?
Hmmm...not sure. I'm going to have to keep the TAR programs on my DVR until the next show so I can intelligently discuss it during the week. LOL!!! Then, when I need to check something, I can run back and forth through the program at up to 300X speed.
LOL your new tagline, oh warped one.
Oh great....now I have strains of 'Let's do the Time Warp agaaaaiiinnn!" Thanx alot! rofl!
BWaaaahahahahahaha
Go ahead, press it, I dare you :-)
Rob only asked one airline, he checked the Turkish air flight for a 3:30 flight, but didn't ask any other airline.
I think his evil dealings just finally caught up with him. Will be interesting to see if he'll give Ron and Kelly any money; they were teamed up the last couple legs, but he didn't help Gretchen and Meredith...
I can't remember, but did Ron & Kelley help Meridith & Gretchen when they had no money or clothes? I know Rob and one of the guys that got bumped off didnt' help.
I'm almost positive they did. I think only Rob and Ray didn't.
Ohhhhhh you are evil!!!!
ok ok...actually I really always liked that song! ;) Thanx for sharing!!! I stole it.
If you watch the Insider Video on CBS' site, (Kelly/Ron's Mat Chat with Phil) Kelly says they spent HOURS at the travel agent. So they probably put a lot more effort into finding an earlier flight than was shown on the show.
There is another interesting video from Ron and Kelly called "Committment" which is an extended discussion with the POW comment. They took is slightly out of context. Kelly said something about how she knows he didn't do it on purpose and then goes on to discuss his other trouble with committment. Actually, I thought they both handled the conversation well, considering the tough discussion they were having. I surely wouldn't want that type of discussion on TV.
I kind of think they are editing a little to show U/J in a really awesome light and Kelly and Ron in a more "bickering" light. It doesn't really bother me that they do that, but it is part of the reason I like to watch the additional videos - I think you get a more clear picture of the story.
If M/G don't give K/R I will be very annoyed. I won't care if the others don't give some up, but M/G should pay them back.
I kind of think they are editing a little to show U/J in a really awesome light and Kelly and Ron in a more "bickering" light. It doesn't really bother me that they do that, but it is part of the reason I like to watch the additional videos - I think you get a more clear picture of the story.
If M/G don't give K/R some money I will be very annoyed. I won't care if the others don't give some up, but M/G should pay them back.
I may have saved it, but don't have time to check right now. If I can find it, I'll post some of the interesting content later.
Right, M/G should help K/R, if not we'll know what kind of character they really have. Wonder if R/A will help them?
At this point in the race, helping the other teams in any way at all would IMHO be counter productive.
I agree....great episode.
I also think it was great idea for Uchenna's team to pair up with Team Metch, because if it comes down to a foot race, Uchenna wins.
Pairing up with the weakest team is good strategy, rather then the pairing up of Romber & Relly. Both have equal strength and either could beat the other in any situation, but I think Uchenna will always come out ahead of Metch.
Four teams are left, Juchenna, Metch, Romber and Relly, who finished in that order last week. . One team faces elimination this week, but which?
Metch took so long dithering around Istanbul that they blew their two-hour lead over Romber and Relly. Juchenna finished at least two hours ahead of Romber and Relly. Can they hold onto the lead? Will the teams bunch up at Istanbul airport on the way to London? Tune in and see.
Here's a quick summary of last week's race. I'm on deadline today and do not have a single minute to fluff up the summary posted at CBS. Here it is in its entirety.
TWO CAMPS
Departing the Pit Stop in Rajahstan in first place at 11:24 pm, Uchenna & Joyce discovered they must fly over 4,000 miles to Istanbul, Turkey. Once there, they had to travel by train to a dock where they would take a ferry to the island known as Kiz Kulesi to find their next clue. Pairing up with Meredith & Gretchen, Uchenna & Joyce purchased tickets on a 10:20 am flight through Delhi that would land in Istanbul at 8:45 the following morning. As the two Teams traveled together to a hotel for the evening, Joyce commented on teaming up with the retired couple, saying, “Uchenna and I are working with Gretchen & Meredith because they are truly good people, so you really want to help them. But at the end of the day, they’re still our competition.”
Meanwhile, engaged couple Romber continued to work with Ron & Kelly, purchasing tickets on the same flight to Istanbul as Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen arriving at 8:45 am. On this loose alliance, Rob remarked, “Amber and I work very well with Ron & Kelly, but two Teams working together is not necessarily better than one Team. When push comes to shove, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win it”
WHO GETS THE LAST LAUGH?
The next morning, the four Teams met up at the Jodhpur Airport waiting to board the 10:20 flight to Delhi that would ultimately take them to Istanbul. As a joke, Rob asked Gretchen if she got on the earlier flight to Turkey. (ROB HAS BEEN IN DANGER OF OUTSMARTING HIMSELF AND FINALLY DID IT.) His remark got the intended response from a stunned Gretchen, who immediately gave the misinformation to Uchenna & Joyce. While Rob snickered with Amber over his joke, Uchenna, believing there was a flight they missed, called a travel agent and found a flight to Istanbul, connecting through Dubai, that would land two hours earlier than the previous flight. Overhearing part of the phone call, Ron & Kelly knew they needed to get on that flight. Landing in Delhi, Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen sped off to a travel agent to secure tickets on the flight that would get them into Istanbul at 6:20 am. Meanwhile, just to cover all their bases, Rob & Amber asked at some travel agencies if there was an earlier flight than the 8:45 am arrival, only to be told there wasn’t
TRASH TALK
Before joining Rob & Amber at Turkish Air, Ron & Kelly got into an argument in their taxi over Ron’s commitment issues. When he remarked that traveling around the world has made him realize that there are a lot of things he wants to do before marrying and settling down, Kelly responded, “I really am not going to sit around and wait for somebody to say everything else in life is more important than me.” Kelly continued questioning Ron’s ability to commit by suggesting that he got out of the military early by being a POW. This remark didn’t sit well with Ron, who replied, “I’m not even going to argue with you about that. I get sick of fighting all the time. It gets old.”
FLIGHTS OF FANCY
At Turkish Air, Ron & Kelly told Rob & Amber about overhearing Uchenna’s phone conversation about the 6:20 am flight to Istanbul. Rob immediately discounted the information and quipped, “[Uchenna] has no clue what he’s talking about.” After repeated assurances from the Turkish Airlines agent, Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly believed they had the best tickets to Istanbul.
After Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen boarded the flight that would give them a two-hour advantage, Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly returned to the Delhi Airport to find the other two Teams nowhere in sight. Believing they now had the lead, Rob quipped, “Uchenna & Joyce, they don’t know who to turn to. They’re asking Meredith & Gretchen for advice now. It’s like the blind leading the blind.” Kelly chimed in, “Uchenna’s a leech for information.” Unaware that they were in last place, confident Rob ended the remarked with, “They just coasted the whole game. They’re stupid.”
TAKING THE LEAD
Landing in Istanbul at 6:27 am, Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen boarded the train to the port, where they boarded a ferry. Admiring the beautiful scenery and stunning architecture of Istanbul, Joyce remarked, “Uchenna and I have wanted to travel, so just to be able to see the world and experience all these adventures together is just amazing.”
As the two Teams enjoyed their ferry to the island of Kiz Kulesi, Rob & Amber and Ron & Kelly landed in Istanbul at 8:24 am. Hustling through the airport, Rob & Amber took an early lead, getting one train ahead of Ron & Kelly, who remained unaware of their last-place standing.
After taking a water taxi to Kiz Kulesi, Uchenna & Joyce and Meredith & Gretchen climbed to the top of the island’s tower to find their next clue. Opening it, they learned they must search the island for one of four Travelocity Roaming Gnomes, each one with a different marking on the bottom. Teams didn’t know that the Team that carried the gnome with the plane marking on the bottom all the way to the Pit Stop would earn a special prize for this leg. After taking a gnome, Teams had to make their way 12 miles to Galata Kulesi Tower. After a successful partnership, with gnomes in hand and a sizable lead, Meredith & Gretchen and Uchenna & Joyce parted ways as each Team got into a taxi heading for the tower.
. DETOUR: COLUMNS OR KILOS?
With the help of a fast driver, Uchenna & Joyce arrived at Galata Kulesi Tower to find a Detour. This Detour offered Teams the choice between “Columns” and “Kilos.” To complete Columns, Teams must travel two miles to Binbirdirek Cistern, an ancient well held up by 224 columns, each displaying a number. Teams must use a unique grid with coordinates directing them to four specific columns. Next, Teams must pull a box from the well and, using the four numbers from their columns, figure out the correct combination to unlock their next clue. For Kilos, Teams must travel to a town square and take part in a common practice on the streets of Istanbul: weighing people. Once they have weighed enough people to accumulate a total weight of 2,500 kilograms, or 5,500 pounds, they get their next clue.
ALONG THE WEIGH
As Uchenna & Joyce sped off to the Kilos Detour, Meredith & Gretchen arrived at Galata Kulesi in search of a cluebox. Not seeing it on the ground, the retired married couple went to the top of the tower, still unable to locate their clue. “We’re wasting so much time,” Gretchen worried, clutching her gnome.
Meanwhile, at the Yeni Camii square, Uchenna & Joyce set down a standard bathroom scale and began enlisting help from locals to reach their goal of 2,500 kilograms. Though they initially had trouble convincing people to participate, Uchenna & Joyce soon got in the groove and completed the task. Opening their next clue, they learned that they must travel 10 miles to the 550-year old European fortress, Rumeli Hisari.
As Meredith & Gretchen finally found their clue at Galata Kulesi, Rob & Amber boarded a water taxi to Kiz Kulesi and learned from the boat driver that two Teams had already come earlier. Stunned, Rob exclaimed, “Unbelievable!” After finding their gnome, the engaged couple rushed back to shore and hopped on the ferry, still ahead of Ron & Kelly, who arrived at Kiz Kulesi only to realize they were in last place
ANOTHER LEG, ANOTHER WIN
Arriving at Rumeli Hisari in first place, Uchenna & Joyce encountered a Roadblock. This Roadblock required one Team member to storm the ancient fortress. First, they must climb a 25-foot rope ladder. Then, after making their way to the top of a tower, find a key. Finally, they would have to rappel back down to the courtyard to unlock their next clue.
Opting to storm the fortress for his Team, Uchenna easily climbed up the shaky rope ladder. He had some difficulty in finding his key, but once he located it, he quickly descended to the courtyard and unlocked the clue, which instructed him and Joyce to proceed to the next Pit Stop located within the fortress wall. After the guard opened the front door for Joyce, the excited pair stepped onto the mat in first place. However, Uchenna & Joyce did not have the matching gnome to win the prize. Uchenna remarked, “Prize or no prize, we’re having fun.”
Meredith & Gretchen continued to watch their lead disappear when they couldn’t find the man with scales at the town square. After finally finding him, the retired married couple got down to work and quickly completed the task. While Rob & Amber found their clue at Galata Kulesi with no problems, Ron & Kelly went to the top of the tower against Ron’s better judgment. After spotting it below, the pair began fighting again, each blaming the other for time wasted searching for the clue. Ron joked, “Okay, I’ll play this game by myself from now on.”
JUST HANGING AROUND
Arriving at Rumeli Hisari, plucky Gretchen chose to perform the Roadblock for her Team, shouting to Meredith, “Just say a prayer!” Dangling on the rope ladder, Gretchen soon realized that the task would be far more difficult than she had imagined. With Ron & Kelly and Rob & Amber each completing their Detour choices, Gretchen needed to muster the strength to finish her climb or risk being passed by. Talking herself through it, Gretchen reached the top of the fortress, found the key, and rappelled back down to unlock her clue. The exuberant retired couple stepped onto the mat in second place, their best finish yet. While Meredith & Gretchen didn’t have the matching gnome, they were thrilled with their strong performance.
Arriving at Rumeli Hisari with a small lead, Rob & Amber knew Ron & Kelly would be showing up at any moment. Rob took to the rope ladder, finishing his climb as the former POW and pageant queen arrived on the scene. While Ron made a race of it, Rob’s lead and athleticism proved too much for the former POW. A relieved Rob & Amber stepped onto the mat in third place, but also did not have the matching gnome. On their tough day, Rob commented, “We made a stupid mistake today. We missed a flight. That’s why we’re sitting in third. Next leg, we won’t miss that flight. End of story.”
GOOD FORTUNE
Stepping onto the mat in last place, Ron & Kelly received some good news from Phil, who informed the pair that this was a non-elimination leg. After having to surrender their money and belongings, Ron & Kelly received even more good news when Phil told them they had the special Travelocity Gnome that awarded them $20,000 to spend on Travelocity. In addition, they would be spending the Pit Stop in a first-class suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. While excited about the prize, each was concerned about how their relationship would weather the new obstacle of having neither money nor possessions. Ron remarked, “It’s going to be difficult. If we start disintegrating our communication, then you’re gonna see our Team disintegrate, and we’ll be eliminated.”
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