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Teams left Switzerland, headed for Munich Germany at the start of the second leg of the Amazing Race. Most teams called the airport from their taxi as they left the Pit Stop to secure tickets on the early flight. Only Margie & Luke and Mark & Michael did not call. Margie & Luke got to the airport and went to secure tickets on hopefully the first flight. They were able to get the tickets, just as Christi & Jodi, the last team to leave the Pit Stop, were making their call. Margie & Luke got the last tickets on the first flight, so Christi & Jodi, and Mark & Michael were on the second flight. Once they got to Germany, teams were to go to the town of Ruhpolding and take a cable car to the top of the mountain for their next clue. Tammy and Victor arrived first at the clue for the Roadblock. One team member had to paraglide off the mountain with an instructor while the other team member rode the gondola back to the foot of the mountain. If the instructor deemed that the wind was too strong, the team either had to wait for the wind to change, or the team member could walk down the mountain while their teammate took the gondola. Just as Tammy was prepared to paraglide, the wind changed. While she waited, other teams began to join them, so she elected to walk. Eventually all teams except Mel chose to walk, Mel decided to wait out the wind because he didn’t think he could make the walk with the groin pull he received in the last leg with the cheese. Walkers started to arrive at the bottom of the mountain while Mel was still waiting on the wind. He was agonizing over his decision when the wind finally changed and he was able to paraglide, much to son Mike’s relief. Meanwhile, in the walk down the mountain, Linda missed a sign and headed the wrong direction, throwing her terribly off-course. She finally came upon a highway and flagged down a car to take her back to where the cable cars were. Teams then had to drive to Schonau Am Konigsee where they discovered a Detour. The choices in this Detour were Balancing Dolly or Austrian Folly. In Balancing Dolly, team had to ride Segways along an obstacle course, an easy task if teams could keep their balance. In Austrian Folly, teams had to throw pies at a target, each other, until they found the pie with the cherry filling. Victor & Tammy, Amanda & Kris, Margie & Luke, Brad & Victoria, Christi & Jodi and Steve & Linda did Austrian Folly; while Mel & Mike, Jaime & Cara, Mark & Michael and Kisha & Jen did Balancing Dolly. After successfully completing the Detour, teams had to find a woodcutter that would cut a disc of wood upon which would be stamped their next clue. Most teams had no difficulty in finding the animated woodcutters, Christi & Jodi however thought they had to find wood and cut it themselves, until a local steered them in the right direction. The clue stamped on the wood directed teams to Salzberg, to the Pit Stop. Tammy & Victor arrived in first place, winning a hybrid go cart for each of them. Linda & Steve arrived in last place and were eliminated. Teams, in order of arrival: 1. Tammy & Victor 2. Mel & Mike 3. Amanda & Kris 4. Margie & Luke 5. Brad & Victoria 6. Jaime & Cara 7. Kisha & Jen 8. Mark & Michael 9. Christi & Jodi 10. Steve & Linda - ELIMINATED
This season’s Elimination Station is in Thailand. Preston and Jennifer, the first team eliminated, arrived in Thailand after their last place finish in the Race. While disappointed that they were no longer in the race, Jennifer was happy that they were going to get a nice, relaxing vacation. They arrived at the house from the airport and wandered around, oohing and aahing at the surroundings. One advantage to being the first team eliminated is that they got their pick of bedrooms. They got a great room with a wonderful view and a sitting room. Later, they discussed the other teams and who they thought would do well and who they thought would be the next to join them in Thailand. Preston believes that Steve and Linda will be the next team eliminated, while they feel that Margie & Luke, Brad & Victoria and Mark & Michael will be in the top teams. Preston and Jennifer argued a lot about the reason they are no longer in the race. Jennifer thinks its because Preston took them in the wrong direction, and Preston thinks Jennifer was too slow. Jennifer is starting to question whether or not she and Preston will make it as a couple. See the full Elimination Station episode here.
The premiere episode started out with the eleven teams meeting host Phil Keoghan at the Joint Forces Training Base in Los Alamitos California. On Phil’s go, the teams raced to their luggage where they got the first clue: to go to Locarno Switzerland. Teams had to take one of two flights, to either Zurich, Switzerland or Milan, Italy and then take the train from either location to Locarno. Teams on the Zurich flight: Tammy and Victor, Christi and Jodi, Margie and Luke, Brad and Victoria, Jaime and Cara, & Mark and Michael. On the Milan flight were Kisha and Jen, Mel and Mike, Amanda and Kris, Preston and Jennifer & Steve and Linda. All teams were on their way. All teams on the Zurich flight caught their train out of Zurich to Locarno. In Milan, Preston and Jennifer missed their train and had to wait for the next one, putting them far behind the other teams. On the first train, Christi & Jodi befriended a local woman, who told them to get off the train they were on and take another that would get them to Locarno earlier. The advice paid off and Christi and Jodi beat the rest of the teams to the next destination. The next destination was the Church of San Antonio, where teams had to sign up for one of three departure times for the next morning. Jodi & Christi, Mark & Michael, Margie & Luke and Tammy & Victor all got the 7:15am departure time. Signing up for the 7:30am departure time were Jaime & Cara, Brad & Victoria and Mel & Mike. Leaving at 7:45am would be Amanda & Kris, Steve & Linda, Kisha & Jen, and Preston & Jennifer. Teams camped for the night at the Church of San Antonio. Steve wasn’t happy with Linda because she was slowing them down. Upon their departures the next morning, teams were given a postcard of their next destination, Verszaca Dam. Teams had to find a taxi to get them to the dam, where one member of each team would have to bungee jump off the dam. It was the second highest bungee jump in the world at 70 feet. After the jump, teams had to take a train to Interlaken and find Kleine Rugen Weise. Once there, teams had to take antique cheese racks, climb to the top of a hill, and transport 200 pounds of cheese to the bottom of the hill. The cheese was in 50 pound wheels. The climb up the hill was slippery, but the trek down with the cheese was worse. Most of the racks broke, and the teams had to find other ways to get the cheese down the hill. Some carried the wheels while walking; others scooted on their butts down the hill. Mom and son, Margie and Luke, finished the task first and got the clue sending them to the Pit Stop. Teams had to travel to Stechelberg, find the last postal bus stop, and search for the yodelers that would lead them to Phil. In a race with Tammy and Victor, Margie and Luke arrived at the Pit Stop first, winning a trip to Puerto Vallarta. Teams, in order of arrival at Pit Stop: 1. Margie & Luke
Usually I post something about the teams prior to TAR’s first episode, but I wanted to see them in action on the first episode before I made judgements. Amanda & Kris
Amanda & Kris have been dating three years. She is 23 and a student at Cal State San Marcos, he is 24 and is a sales rep. They are from San Diego. My impression - they are ok, but there is a lot of bickering. I don’t think they’ll make the top 5. Brad & Victoria
Brad & Victoria have been married for 9 years. They are from Columbus, Ohio. He is a distribution dispatcher and she is a tax manager. She is 47, he is 52. My impression - I like this couple. I think they are strong and they have a good chemistry. Unless something goes very wrong for them, I see Brad and Victoria in the top 3. Cara & Jaime
Cara & Jaime met when they were cheerleaders for the Miami Dolphins. Cara, 26, is a law student from Boca Raton, Florida. Jaime, 29, is a former police officer from Fort Lauderdale. My impression - not a lot of time was spent on this team in the premiere. They’ll probably be one of the next 3-4 teams eliminated. Christi & Jodi
Christi, 37, and Jodi, 40 are flight attendants. Christi is from Choctaw, Oklahoma and Jodi is from Houston, Texas. My impression - these girls are not going to last very long at all. Next to last in the first leg, I see them being eliminated rather quickly. Pulling their flight bags is going to slow them down. Fear and hesitation at the tasks at hand will not help them either. I was surprised they beat Preston and Jennifer to the mat. Preston & Jennifer
Jennifer, 26 and Preston, 28 have been dating for two years. From Columbia, South Carolina, she is a student and he is a software engineer. My impression - I wouldn’t have expected that they would be the first team eliminated. They had a series of costly mistakes however that they couldn’t overcome. LaKisha & Jennifer
Kisha & Jenn are sisters. Jenn is a marketing assistant from Louisville, Kentucky and Kisha is a program coordinator from Bronx, NY. They are 24 (Jenn) and 28 (Kisha). My impression - this team will be in the top 5. They are strong competitors and work well together. Mark & Michael
Mark & Michael are stuntmen for children’s stunts. They are brothers, and they stand at 4′9″. Mark is 48 and lives in Los Angeles; Michael is 51 and lives in Maui. Mark is also a jockey, while Michael is an actor. My impression - one of my favorite teams. These guys have a great attitude. Even though they are small, they are very strong and athletic. Another top 5 team. Mel & Mike
Mel & Mike are father and son. Mel is a writer & clergyman while Mike is a writer, producer and actor. Most notably, Mike played the best friend of Jack Black in the movie “School of Rock”, which he also wrote and produced. My impression - a likable team but they won’t get into the top 5. I predict they will be middle of the pack. Mel’s age and physical abilities will slow this team down. Tammy & Victor
Tammy & Victor are brother and sister. Both are lawyers. She is 26 and lives in San Francisco; he is 35 and lives in Los Angeles. My impression - A good, strong team. They communicate well and seem to get along great. They’ll be in the top 5. Linda & Steve
Linda & Steve are a married couple from Martinsville, Virginia. She is 52 and is a cusdtomer service supervisor; he is 43 and is a carpenter. My impression - unfortunately I think they will be the next team eliminated. Linda is not very fast, and will severely slow them down. They will not be able to win a footrace. Margie & Luke
Margie & Luke are mother and son, from Denver, Colorado. Margie is a clinical research associate, Luke is a college graduate who is deaf. My impression - this is my favorite team. I love Luke’s attitude and enthusiasm. They have a bit of an advantage over the other teams as well, since the other teams are not going to be able to eavesdrop on their conversations. A definite top 5 team.
Sorry I’ve been neglecting this blog lately. To make a long story short, I’ve been battling illnesses and then had to deal with my father-in-law visiting for the last two weeks. I’m working now to catch up, so team information and an episode recap will be forthcoming. I promise I’ll get them posted before tonight’s episode!
Season 14 of the Emmy-winning The Amazing Race is set to premiere on CBS on Sunday, February 15, 2009. TAR 14 will occupy its familiar Sunday 8:00pm Eastern/7:00pm Central time slot.
This marks the first time that two editions of The Amazing Race have aired in the same television season since the 2006-2007 season. The airing of The Amazing Race 14 was announced as part of CBS’s mid-season schedule. Two editions weren’t available to air during the 2007-2008 season.
The Amazing Race 12 was originally scheduled to air in February of 2008 was moved up to November of 2007 to replace the drama Viva Laughlin, which was cancelled after one episode. Since TAR 12 aired earlier than scheduled, there was not enough time to cast and shoot TAR 13 for a Spring 2008 airing, resulting in the long lapse between TAR 12 & TAR 13.
Don’t miss The Amazing Race’s Phil Keoghan tonight on the new Million Dollar Password. Phil will be one of the celebrity clue-givers, along with Julie Chen. Million Dollar Password is hosted by Regis Philbin. It will be seen on CBS at 8:00pm Eastern/Pacific, 7:00pm Central/Mountain. Remember, it’s possible that the broadcast could be delayed in the Eastern and Central time zones if the earlier NFL games run long.
In a predictable outcome, Nick & Starr stepped on the mat first and became the winners of the $1 million prize on The Amazing Race 13.
The first clue of this final leg sent the teams to Portland, Oregon ~ the final destination city. All three teams got on the same flight, going through Frankfurt, Germany. That was the last time the three teams were together. A poor choice in taxi drivers kept Andrew & Dan from being true competitors during this leg of the race.
Arriving in Portland, teams took taxis to the Detour, in which teams had a choice of tasks related to Oregon’s most dangerous profession, logging. The Detour choices were High & Dry or Low & Wet. All teams chose High & Dry, in which each team mate had to climb a tree 30 feet in the air, walk across a suspended log, jump from the log to a trapeze and retrieve one half of a clue from the trapeze before being lowered to the ground. Once both team mates had half of the clue, they would be directed to their next location.
Nick & Starr completed the task with no problems. Ken finished easily, but Tina’s fear of heights, together with the fact that her safety helmet kept sliding off and strangling her, made it a slow go for her.
The next destination was the Bridge of the Gods, where teams had to traverse a 2000 foot zip line from the bridge to the ground. Once on the ground, their next clue was for their final challenge, which tested their memories of the previous ten legs. Each team had a clue board with 10 spots. Each spot represented one leg of the race. The spots were numbered 1 through 10 and at each spot contained a symbol for Route Info, Detour, Road Block or Pit Stop. Teams had to search through 150 clue boxes to find pictures that corresponded to the symbol for that leg of the race.
Ken & Tina got to the challenge first, followed closely by Nick & Starr. After several missed attempts, Nick & Starr finished the challenge first. The next clue sent the teams into downtown Portland, to find the Portland building and a nearby green dinosaur to find their next clue. Nick & Starr found this rather easily, Ken & Tina had trouble.
From the dinosaur, teams were to travel on foot to a set of food carts and find the vendor of food representing the country of their last Pit Stop, which was Russia. Nick & Starr got there first, and Starr immediately saw a flag that she thought was where they were to go. Nick told her it was an Italian flag and they needed to keep searching. They found the vendor and received a clue that told them to find the “Magic in the Holeâ€.
Asking people on the street if they knew of the magic in the hole, someone finally directed Nick & Starr to the Voodoo Donut Shop. When Ken & Tina asked some of the same people, a woman directed them to the same shop, but told them to go a different, shorter route than Nick & Starr took. Nick & Starr still arrived at the donut shop first, and got the next clue that directed them to the final mat.
Both teams had difficulty finding a taxi, but eventually did. In the end, Nick & Starr beat Ken & Tina to the mat, winning the $1 million. At the mat, after Phil officially announced that Ken & Tina were team #2, Ken brought out their wedding rings and recommitted to Tina in front of everyone.
Andrew & Dan finally arrived in third place. Dan admitted that the other two teams were much superior than they were, and Andrew stated that they were totally shocked to have made it as far as they did.
The siblings are the team to beat. I’m not a big fan of Starr, but I like Nick. Starr really rubbed me the wrong way a couple of weeks ago when she said that she wasn’t used to not getting her way. That showed me just how high maintenance that girl is. I’m hoping that her relationship with Dallas doesn’t continue after the Race. Dallas deserves better.
All that being said, Nick & Starr deserve to win. They’ve run the race as a united team, rarely fighting amongst themselves ~ that we’ve seen anyway ~ and usually getting along with the other teams — except for Kelly & Christy of course. For the most part, they’ve remained cool and collected, thanks to Nick’s level-headedness.
While I generally like to see the underdogs win, I’m rooting for this brother and sister team to go all the way.
I never thought the bumbling frat boys would have made it this far. They have been very, very lucky. Watching them in the first couple of legs, I was sure they’d be eliminated. It’s not a great testament to the educational forces of Arizona State either. These boys have had trouble understanding simple clues and using common sense. They have been a great source of comic relief throughout the race however.
They are really going to have to step up their game if they even want a chance to make a respectable showing in the final leg. They’d better hope that the final challenge does not include dancing.
They’ll come in third, unless something major happens to the other two teams. |
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