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.
By "younger than average", you mean younger than the average human being, not younger than the average age on the show, right? Since you've got more than half the teams as younger...
I don't know Rob and Amber but I wonder if their previous experience might be a disadvantage. At least, they might be very arrogant, but success on "Survivor" doesn't seem at all related to success on "TAR". Different skill sets required.
Places I'm hoping they'll visit: Wales, Eastern Europe, Japan. I'm hoping for less time spent in Africa, as those legs are always a bit boring for me.
Wales! Yes, I'd love to go, and to Ireland too. Even New Orleans could be fun, between the swamps and the drunks, there's plenty there to navigate.
Africa is depressing. Probably Jo'berg would not be.
Rob & Amber are very athletic, very bright, highly motivated. I'm not ready to say that their Survivor skills comprised their entire repertoire. They made excellent decisions, won difficult physical challenges, and had each other's backs from the get-go. Freepers on Survivor thread either loved them or hated them, especially brash Boston Rob, who came off occasionally as a young mafia don. Which I doubt, but he sure knew how to get and keep power. I think he's fascinating to watch.
You ready?
See, that's what I keep hearing about him - knows how to get power - and that does not come into play in TAR. In fact I think the most important skills are an ability not to get worked up over one tiny aspect of a leg, and skills at working together, which that team might have.
Anyway I'll be rooting against them more than likely, because they don't sound like nice human beings. I always root for the nicest competent team. I want to enjoy the world through them vicariously, not watch partners yelling at each other.
Great! this is exactly what makes horse races so much fun, we're all rooting for different horses. But here, of course, no one cashes in a winning ticket. More's the pity!
Rob and Amber NEVER exchanged a nasty word. On the contrary, he was hugely protective of her. I loved how he did that, showed he had great heart.
But we'll see what the strains of the race do to all that nicey niceness. All of the teams have that problem to face. After running around with no sleep for a few days in a country where no one spoke English and cab drivers were eternally lost, I'd be the devil incarnate.
Yeah, they're about to encounter something a lot more difficult than wandering around an island (or wherever it was) playing rope-course games... I love it when a leg has, say, a 12-hour flight or 8-hour train ride, because you know it's going to make the teams go wacky.
I hope they are nice, because it's no fun to watch Jonathan and Victoria.
Jonathan and Victoria were in a class by themselves.....I saw them on Dr. Phil when he tried to do a "relationship rescue." They totally flummoxed his efforts because they both love their dysfunctional relationship exactly the way it is. She's as bad as he is, just different. LOL.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.
(Frummmmm, frummmmm, frummmmmmmm)
And they’re off!
(Well, maybe not in your time zone yet, but it must be nine o’clock somewhere.)
I’m a Left Coaster, not checking back in until mañana. Looking forward to your comments.
If you want on or off ping list, please FreepMail me.
*sings* It's 9 o'clock somewhere...
I'm to the left of the left coast...No spoilers tonight please!
Go Ron and Kelly!!
Looks like a few interesting teams here. I'm not saying which ones I'm laughing at yet...lol
WHOA! The PLANE CRASHED!
Rob and Amber making up for lost time....
I sure hope Ron and Kelly learned a good lesson. They are too passive and trusting.
Im very disappointed in Ron and Kelly...they are way too slow...unless they pick up the pace they are never going to win this...the two gay guys are really irritating...and the blondes Debbie and Bianca are bitc---
I agree. Ron and Kelly are too slow. The gay guys are funny to me. And as far as the blondes...yep...they are bitch---. I thoroughly enjoyed watching their lil melt down at that one point.
Rob and Amber went from dead last to first....I had hope Ron would be good at the game...I hope he improves...he's too laid back.
Why are Bianca and Deb always kissing?.....geeeeeez!
I got my fingers crossed for Ron and Kelly. It sure is close.
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.