# The Amazing Race (Premiere) - OAD 9/26/10 *spoilers*



## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Ok, nitpicky point of fact, though the race started in Gloucester, MA, Phil's voiceovers were done at Castle Hill in Ipswich. And I got married there back in 1995. What a nice spot:



















It's going to take a while to digest all the teams, but I like the teams this year. Interesting group.

And, honestly, though I did sort of LOL when the watermelon sequence was leaked a few weeks ago, I feel real bad as that looked like it really hurt. Kudos for keeping on.

Not sure yet who I am rooting for.

Bedtime......


----------



## omnibus (Sep 25, 2001)

First impression is that about half the teams are even dumber than usual. At one point they were asked to take the flag from the battlement. One team wandered around the walkway behind the battlement right under the flag asking the costumed people if they were the battlement.


----------



## marksman (Mar 4, 2002)

Why did all of the early teams sit on the floor of the boat. At first I thought this was the worst boat ever invented until the Father and Daughter team (who finished 6th), actually sat up on the bench in the boat, which obviously makes it much easier to get across.

I don't know how someone could look at that thing and think that sitting on the sides of the bench in the middle was the way to go.

I was happy with the last two teams finishing last. Looks like some interesting teams, and a couple of teams I could do with out.

I was really ready to have it in for the Home Shopping ladies, but they didn't annoy me at least, and taking a melon to the melon, well that is priceless.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Team Tattoo... wow, just... wow.

Never heard of Stonehenge? And then she found out that it was "just a bunch of rocks"... yeah like the ones rolling around in your head, sweetie.

"Are you a battlement?"
"I think we have to bring one back from the other side." -- I have to wonder if someone didn't point the boats out for them.
"Do you know what country you are in?" "London?"


----------



## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

How did England ever become a naval super-power with watercraft like that. 

Too early to have people to root for/against. Even meathead Chad redeemed himself.

One again contestants who don't practice with a manual transmission should automatically be disqualified on the first leg.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

I didn't hate any team in week one, which is a change. The one guy looks like he may wind up being a hothead so my early bets are on me disliking him.

Team Tattoo was really not smart but, they laughed it off, poked fun at themselves and didn't really whine about it. 

I actually liked the Home Shopping ladies, especially after the water melon incident. She was pegged hard enough to break the melon so that had to hurt!

The doctors seem pretty cool too.

I always seem to root for a parent and child so the early bet is the father and beauty queen daughter or the newly reunited Mother and Daughter.

It seems to me they stacked the deck with some seemingly strong female teams and 3 parent/child teams. Were there only two male teams? The ones eliminated and Team Glee? Not the strongest competition there.


----------



## TIVOSciolist (Oct 13, 2003)

No obvious bad guys yet. Maybe this, for good or bad, will be a less dramatic season.

I don't mind when racers say stupid things since TAR intentionally looks for people with limited or no experience. Phil has stated that having people who are world travelers or who can speak a dozen languages would probably not make for exciting television.

So far, I think that I like the father/daughter and father/son teams the most. The dating teams will run together in my mind for a while, as they do every season. The mother in the mother/daughter team is in great shape, especially considering that she's had eleven children.


----------



## KyleLC (Feb 6, 2002)

Maui said:


> Were there only two male teams? The ones eliminated and Team Glee?


There's another male team from my town -- the Asian father and son.


----------



## jlb (Dec 13, 2001)

Ment said:


> .....
> One again contestants who don't practice with a manual transmission should automatically be disqualified on the first leg.


I agree in principle. And I drive standard. But having to drive standard with my left hand and reversed gas/clutch (they are reversed, right) would stress me out. I'm sure I wouldn't burn out the clutch, though.....


----------



## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

Wow, Team Tattoo is just DUMB! The guy even lifted the flag to look behind it for a flag!

It'll be interesting to watch the biological mother/daughter build a relationship. So far so good. I hope the relationship fairs better than their clutch!

I loved the reaction of the watermelon team after the fact when talking about it. The non-injured girl was trying to be serious about how they were doing so good up until the watermelon, but couldn't keep a straight face. The both were able to laugh about it. What a trooper!

No one that I totally hate yet, but the hot-headed guy could get there soon!

So much for the education that the one guy on the eliminated team had. They acted like that was going to be their secret weapon. There have been plenty of educations on this show. They came in behind the tattooed team which didn't seem to have ANY education.


----------



## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

jlb said:


> reversed gas/clutch (they are reversed, right)


Gas is still on the right, clutch left (brake middle). Although this means the gas is the pedal closest to the door...

I always tend to have problems with turn signals vs windshield wipers. Not pedal problems.


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Ment said:


> ...Too early to have people to root for/against....


NEVER too early to root against ---> the volleyball partners (SOB this, SOB that), the dating couple (the one where the guy has the temper - he's already slamming his girlfriend repeatedly)...

Too root for ---> Father/daughter, birth mother/daughter


----------



## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

pdhenry said:


> Gas is still on the right, clutch left (brake middle). Although this means the gas is the pedal closest to the door...
> 
> I always tend to have problems with turn signals vs windshield wipers. Not pedal problems.


Yep, my first time renting a RH drive vehicle was in Okinawa. It was an automatic, but I kept turning on the windshield wipers when I went to make a turn. My second time was in the UK and that was a stick. I got the hang of shifting left-handed pretty quickly.

Right when they started mentioning something smelling I said she must be continually riding the clutch pedal. Then she admittted that's what she'd been doing.


----------



## InterMurph (May 22, 2003)

jlb said:


> Ok, nitpicky point of fact, though the race started in Gloucester, MA, Phil's voiceovers were done at Castle Hill in Ipswich. And I got married there back in 1995.


My friends got married there too!

One other thing; when the friends team decided they needed to drive south from 
the Eastern Point Yacht Club in Gloucester, I wondered just how far they were willing to take this idea:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...,+Gloucester,+Essex,+Massachusetts+01930&z=14

They later earned their elimination by driving around England for hours without asking anybody. The guy in the back seemed in a state of panic the whole time.


----------



## Honora (Oct 16, 2006)

laria said:


> Team Tattoo... wow, just... wow.
> 
> Never heard of Stonehenge? And then she found out that it was "just a bunch of rocks"... yeah like the ones rolling around in your head, sweetie.
> 
> ...


I've given them the name "Stupid Ink". He's giving bartenders a bad name, and she's doing the same for hairdressers.


----------



## Honora (Oct 16, 2006)

InterMurph said:


> My friends got married there too!
> 
> One other thing; when the friends team decided they needed to drive south from
> the Eastern Point Yacht Club in Gloucester, I wondered just how far they were willing to take this idea:
> ...


Are men born with the inability to ask for directions?


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

loubob57 said:


> Right when they started mentioning something smelling I said she must be continually riding the clutch pedal. Then she admittted that's what she'd been doing.


It sounded like there was a lot of gear grinding going on, too.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

I was hoping to see more "travel to Logan" footage, since I live near there.  It's the first time that I actually had any sense of where they were actually traveling. I wanted to see who went down Route 1 vs I-93. 

I was also bummed that they apparently had a special parking lot to go to at Logan. That would have been entertaining to see them try and get in to the real parking areas. I haven't actually driven into Logan myself in a long time (for good reason.. we take the bus now ), but the road that went through there used to be this half circle shaped nightmare, where if you missed your turn off, you were basically screwed and headed back out to the main road.


----------



## KyleLC (Feb 6, 2002)

pdhenry said:


> I always tend to have problems with turn signals vs windshield wipers. Not pedal problems.


LOL! Same here.

To clarify for those who don't know, the turn signal and windshield wiper levers *are *reversed in RH drive cars.


----------



## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

marksman said:


> Why did all of the early teams sit on the floor of the boat. At first I thought this was the worst boat ever invented until the Father and Daughter team (who finished 6th), actually sat up on the bench in the boat, which obviously makes it much easier to get across.


The lower you sit, the lower the center of gravity is and the less likely you are to tip over. The fastest pair was the winning group where she sat in the bottom of the boat backwards and just pulled on the rope.


----------



## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

jlb said:


> I agree in principle. And I drive standard. But having to drive standard with my left hand and reversed gas/clutch (they are reversed, right) would stress me out. I'm sure I wouldn't burn out the clutch, though.....


Only the shifter is reversed. Clutch, brake and gas are the same.


----------



## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

KyleLC said:


> LOL! Same here.
> 
> To clarify for those who don't know, the turn signal and windshield wiper levers *are *reversed in RH drive cars.


I live in DC, no one uses turn signals.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> Only the shifter is reversed. Clutch, brake and gas are the same.


Oh that wouldn't be quite so bad for me. I can drive a stick (not well) but I didn't know if I would be able to do it with reversed pedals. 

I really felt for that girl who got stuck on the hill. I bought a standard in my previous car for a really stupid reason (I wanted a certain color and they could only locate one in a standard), and figured I'd just learn to drive it. To make a long story short, I never got comfortable on hills with the clutch and I would deliberately plan longer driving routes to avoid any hills that I might have to stop on.


----------



## Steve_Martin (Jul 18, 2004)

How on earth did birth mother/daughter decide going on this show is a good way to start their relationship? I suppose you could say the same about the "newly dating" couples.


----------



## NJChris (May 11, 2001)

Maui said:


> I actually liked the Home Shopping ladies, especially after the water melon incident. She was pegged hard enough to break the melon so that had to hurt!


 While the Watermelon must have hurt, I could not stand the blonde one. The whole time "come on Sister"... could she say that any more times??? She was a bit freaky. And in one of the interviews where she is calling the other one "wonder woman", the other woman was just looking at her like she was nuts.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

The home shopping woman that did not take the melon is on my last nerve. PLEASE quit acting so hyper. We get it. I wonder if she will fall apart when she has to do a solo challenge.

EDIT: Or what Chris said.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

laria said:


> Team Tattoo... wow, just... wow.
> 
> Never heard of Stonehenge? And then she found out that it was "just a bunch of rocks"... yeah like the ones rolling around in your head, sweetie.
> 
> ...


And yet the guy with the masters degree from Stanford still got killed by them. The second he said he wasn't going to let on that he was really smart and use that to his advantage I knew they were gone.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

NJChris said:


> While the Watermelon must have hurt, I could not stand the blonde one. The whole time "come on Sister"... could she say that any more times??? She was a bit freaky. And in one of the interviews where she is calling the other one "wonder woman", the other woman was just looking at her like she was nuts.


To me it seemed like they played the same clip of her saying come on sister prior to every shot.


----------



## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

Bierboy said:


> NEVER too early to root against ---> the volleyball partners (SOB this, SOB that), *the dating couple (the one where the guy has the temper - he's already slamming his girlfriend repeatedly)*...
> 
> Too root for ---> Father/daughter, birth mother/daughter


And he expects a yes when he proposes to her?!!


----------



## Tpfer (Mar 2, 2001)

JFriday said:


> And yet the guy with the masters degree from Stanford still got killed by them. The second he said he wasn't going to let on that he was really smart and use that to his advantage I knew they were gone.


They said the Bachelors was from Stanford, the masters was from Arizona. I am guessing University of Phoenix online program that is why they did not mention the college name.


----------



## Azlen (Nov 25, 2002)

Tpfer said:


> They said the Bachelors was from Stanford, the masters was from Arizona. I am guessing University of Phoenix online program that is why they did not mention the college name.


I thought he said it was from the University of Arizona.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Tpfer said:


> They said the Bachelors was from Stanford, the masters was from Arizona. I am guessing University of Phoenix online program that is why they did not mention the college name.


Why would you say Arizona if you went to the University of Phoenix?


----------



## cheerdude (Feb 27, 2001)

Steve_Martin said:


> How on earth did birth mother/daughter decide going on this show is a good way to start their relationship? I suppose you could say the same about the "newly dating" couples.


Here's the story about birth mother & daughter - http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/...iguing-local-duo/?cxntfid=blogs_radio_tv_talk


----------



## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I thought that was a good opening episode. I like the new twist. It will be interesting so see when and how it's used.

I also don't dislike any of the teams yet, although, I have to say, that my own "prejudices" sometimes come out and I'm not a big fan of tatoos and multiple piercings so I was not rooting for team tatoo, but maybe if they were a bit brighter, it would have been easier to root for them. They might be a bit of comic relief though. But man, she's dumb as a post. The beauty queen could get annoying, as she just rambles on and on and has the kind of perky personality that could wind up getting on my nerves. But it's too early to tell.

One thing, I get more laughs in an episode of TAR than I do watching most sitcoms, which is why this is one of my all time favorite shows.

One side note. Does anyone know the brand of car they were driving in the UK? At first I thought Toyota, but I don't think it's that.


----------



## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

Steveknj said:


> One side note. Does anyone know the brand of car they were driving in the UK? At first I thought Toyota, but I don't think it's that.


Dunno, but I'd like to. It looks a lot like the old rover 3500 but I think they're long gone.


----------



## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> Dunno, but I'd like to. It looks a lot like the old rover 3500 but I think they're long gone.


I thought maybe it was a Stirling, which I remember was a brand they tried to sell here in the states in the late 80s or early 90s I think. Not sure if they still exist in the UK, but the steering wheel logo looked like an "S" to me.


----------



## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

To the female contestants: STOP SHRIEKING. 

Man, that was annoying. One of the home shopping chicks, and I think Miss Kentucky just would not STFU. Calm down already.

The producers really want an all-female team to win, don't they? They really stacked the deck with some strong female teams. 

So far, the docs look like the obvious favorites -- smart, calm, capable, and marathon runners. And one of whom happens to be diabetic, but doesn't let it slow her down. 

Tattoo couple can leave next, please.


----------



## loubob57 (Mar 19, 2001)

Magnolia88 said:


> And one of whom happens to be diabetic, but doesn't let it slow her down.


Oh yeah. Did she really have to check her blood sugar while driving? Seemed pretty much put on for the camera. But I guess lots of things are. Like I don't really believe that "right in the kisser" was said right before the watermelon to the face. Great post-production on that.


----------



## Cragmyre (Mar 8, 2004)

loubob57 said:


> Oh yeah. Did she really have to check her blood sugar while driving? Seemed pretty much put on for the camera. But I guess lots of things are. Like I don't really believe that "right in the kisser" was said right before the watermelon to the face. Great post-production on that.


I'm diabetic and check four times a day, but usually before a meal, sometimes after if I'm eating something different - unless, of course, I feel wrong, then I do a spot check. And when her partner said 337, well, if that was her sugars, that is pretty high. Normal people are between 80 and 120. Unless the 337 was supposed to be 3:37 - which may be possible so she'll know about what time to check next.


----------



## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

Magnolia88 said:


> The producers really want an all-female team to win, don't they? They really stacked the deck with some strong female teams.


Yes, as far as female contestants, the deck is stacked!


----------



## catcard (Mar 2, 2001)

Wow! The tattoo couple couldn't find the flag or the boats even though they were both right in front of them! They definitely win the clueless prize for the 1st episode.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Perhaps I watch too much reality TV, but when the couples were introduced my guess was the black couple or the tattoo couple going home.


Thankfully that watermelon broke. Had, for some reason, it not broke... she would have been hospitalized.


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

markz said:


> Yes, as far as female contestants, the deck is stacked!


Not the only thing that's stacked....IIRC, I mentioned to my wife that one of the female contestants was EXTREMELY top-heavy....


----------



## DeDondeEs (Feb 20, 2004)

laria said:


> Team Tattoo... wow, just... wow.





markz said:


> Wow, Team Tattoo is just DUMB! The guy even lifted the flag to look behind it for a flag!


Why do they always choose the biggest morons to represent Las Vegas on these shows, oh wait because most of the people in this town are like that...


----------



## zaknafein (Jul 17, 2001)

uncdrew said:


> Perhaps I watch too much reality TV, but when the couples were introduced my guess was the black couple or the tattoo couple going home.
> 
> Thankfully that watermelon broke. Had, for some reason, it not broke... she would have been hospitalized.


I'm a little surprised they didn't take her to the hospital anyway to check for a brain injury. Blows to the head like that are nothing to mess around with.

Good episode. No one stands out for me just yet. Team Tattoo isn't the brightest, but at least they admit as much.

I'll reserve judgment on everyone else for now, but I'm liking the the start.


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

zaknafein said:


> ... Team Tattoo isn't the brightest, but at least they admit as much...


Hard to hate them....more like feeling sorry for them....I'd LOVE to seem them last deep into this race....


----------



## TiVoJedi (Mar 1, 2002)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> I live in DC, no one uses turn signals.


I actually heard a traffic specialist figurehead on the radio one day instructing people to NOT use your signals because they give away your intentions to other drivers and therefore YOU get screwed on making your turn as someone takes advantage of your forecast by zooming in ahead and cutting in front of you. He's got a point, but it is annoying nonetheless. I always use my turn signals, but it seems a majority don't. It irks me I get screwed by others by properly driving. Also there's nothing more irritating on the road than leaving adequate stopping space in front and then some bozo sliding in the open space negating the safe stopping distance. I have much pent-up road rage and wish I could launch a barrage of eggs at the car in front of me for such action.

I notice the police here rarely use turn signals either, so it must be the norm.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

zaknafein said:


> Good episode. No one stands out for me just yet. Team Tattoo isn't the brightest, but at least they admit as much.
> 
> I'll reserve judgment on everyone else for now, but I'm liking the the start.


And I give them a lot of credit for being at the back of the pack and fearing elimination, making bone-head moves, and somehow through all that not fighting with one another.

:up:

So how amazingly off track did the black guys get? I wasn't paying attention too closely but did they drive the wrong way for hours or something?


----------



## Neenahboy (Apr 8, 2004)

Interesting cast so far. Think I'm rooting for the a capella singers...they've got a BJ & Tyler vibe to them that I quite like. The home shopping hosts seem like a ticking time bomb; no one can maintain that level of enthusiasm for so many legs without lashing out along the way. Way too many couples in the dating phase of the relationship (and did I miss the token gay couple?).

Chad and Stephanie need to get off my screen now. The Jonathan and Victoria potential is strong in these two, but I just don't care enough to want to see the forthcoming implosion.

Was pink the required shirt color for all women on the opening leg, or something? It made it even more difficult than usual to tell teams apart.


----------



## Bob Coxner (Dec 1, 2004)

Tpfer said:


> They said the Bachelors was from Stanford, the masters was from Arizona. I am guessing University of Phoenix online program that is why they did not mention the college name.


University of Arizona. Check my avatar. Hanging head in shame but I'll blame it on his clearly weak undergrad education at Stanford.

Tony Stovall
Age: 42

Hometown: Tucson, Ariz.

Connection to your Teammate: Best friend

Current occupation: Doctoral Student at the University of Arizona


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Something made me think the doctors are the token gay couple. I'm probably wrong.


So the QVC hyper couple... there was a point where they were excited about the watermelon competition thinking it had to do with horses, and one of them rides.

But in the clip where they discussed it, blondie was getting all excited. Don't they film those hours after the leg is over? How could she be that over-the-top enthusiastic after the event happened. That's crazy.


----------



## Steve_Martin (Jul 18, 2004)

uncdrew said:


> Something made me think the doctors are the token gay couple. I'm probably wrong.


I thought they were too. Maybe the glee club is too. Not that any of it really matters.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

uncdrew said:


> Something made me think the doctors are the token gay couple. I'm probably wrong.





Steve_Martin said:


> I thought they were too. Maybe the glee club is too. Not that any of it really matters.


Maybe Team Glee, but I am not seeing it with the doctors.

If I had to bet money on what team was the token gay team, I would have said the team that was eliminated last night.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Bierboy said:


> Not the only thing that's stacked....IIRC, I mentioned to my wife that one of the female contestants was EXTREMELY top-heavy....


There was lots of female jump-hugging, which is a good thing.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

laria said:


> Maybe Team Glee, but I am not seeing it with the doctors.
> 
> If I had to bet money on what team was the token gay team, I would have said the team that was eliminated last night.


I didn't sense it with Team Glee, but I did with the two black guys.

But my gaydar is horrendous. Been out of warranty for 40+ years and doesn't get much use and was never calibrated.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

laria said:


> Maybe Team Glee, but I am not seeing it with the doctors.
> 
> If I had to bet money on what team was the token gay team, I would have said the team that was eliminated last night.


That would have been my guess too


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

uncdrew said:


> But my gaydar is horrendous.


It looks like at Elimination Station they picked a room with a king size bed. NTTAWWT.


----------



## NJChris (May 11, 2001)

DeDondeEs said:


> Why do they always choose the biggest morons to represent Las Vegas on these shows, oh wait because most of the people in this town are like that...


 I've only been to the country of Las Vegas once. But have never been to the country of London.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

NJChris said:


> I've only been to the country of Las Vegas once. But have never been to the country of London.


Why was Phil even asking them?

It seemed out of the blue to me.


----------



## Tpfer (Mar 2, 2001)

JFriday said:


> Why would you say Arizona if you went to the University of Phoenix?


I only heard Arizona (missed Arizona University if that is what they said) and University of Phoenix headquarters are in Arizona.


----------



## NJChris (May 11, 2001)

uncdrew said:


> Why was Phil even asking them?
> 
> It seemed out of the blue to me.


 He seemed like he was intentionally pointing out their brain malfunctions.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Tpfer said:


> I only heard Arizona (missed Arizona University if that is what they said) and University of Phoenix headquarters are in Arizona.


Most people that I know that "attend" the University of Phoenix never step foot in Arizona.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

loubob57 said:


> Oh yeah. Did she really have to check her blood sugar while driving? Seemed pretty much put on for the camera. But I guess lots of things are. Like I don't really believe that "right in the kisser" was said right before the watermelon to the face. Great post-production on that.


I didn't have a problem with that. It's not like there is ever going to be a convenient time for checking while racing, and if they did wait for a convenient time, she might be dead. Doing it while driving seems like a pretty obvious time, since they have no idea how long the upcoming challenge will last or how much physical exertion it will require.


Neenahboy said:


> (and did I miss the token gay couple?).





laria said:


> If I had to bet money on what team was the token gay team, I would have said the team that was eliminated last night.


My thought as well. I thought it was pretty obvious - especially when they said they met while performing in local theater.


Tpfer said:


> I only heard Arizona (missed Arizona University if that is what they said) and University of Phoenix headquarters are in Arizona.


It's called University of Arizona, not Arizona University. And nobody would ever say they got their MBA from Arizona if they meant University of Phoenix.

Good first episode. I'm curious how long Chad and Stephanie wandered around the castle grounds before finally finding Phil. They lost two spots due to that stupidity, but I'd be curious if it was 30 minutes or a couple hours.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

uncdrew said:


> Why was Phil even asking them?
> 
> It seemed out of the blue to me.


I thought he had some kind of joke or pun ready for when she said "England" to tell them they were Team Number Ten (not sure what that joke/pun would be). But then she went and said "London" and screwed it up.


----------



## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

JFriday said:


> Most people that I know that "attend" the University of Phoenix never step foot in Arizona.


Not even for home games?


----------



## Marc (Jun 26, 1999)

JFriday said:


> Why would you say Arizona if you went to the University of Phoenix?


I think he said University of Arizona.


----------



## tem (Oct 6, 2003)

Steve_Martin said:


> How on earth did birth mother/daughter decide going on this show is a good way to start their relationship? I suppose you could say the same about the "newly dating" couples.


more likely, their story is what got them on TAR in the first place.


----------



## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

laria said:


> It looks like at Elimination Station they picked a room with a king size bed. NTTAWWT.


Which pair are you talking about?


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Ruth said:


> Which pair are you talking about?


The only people who have been eliminated so far.  

It was just a joke about uncdrew's gaydar. There might have been other beds in the room, too.  I don't think they are a couple even if they are gay. They didn't seem very couple-y to me.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Marc said:


> I think he said University of Arizona.


Nope.



Tpfer said:


> They said the Bachelors was from Stanford, the masters was from Arizona. I am guessing University of Phoenix online program that is why they did not mention the college name.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

JFriday said:


> Nope.


Huh?  You're using the quote from an obviously confused person (Tpfer) as the reason to show that the guy didn't go to University of Arizona?


----------



## Steve_Martin (Jul 18, 2004)

laria said:


> The only people who have been eliminated so far.
> 
> It was just a joke about uncdrew's gaydar. There might have been other beds in the room, too.  I don't think they are a couple even if they are gay. They didn't seem very couple-y to me.


The only thing that tripped my gaydar on the doctor team is that they were holding hands at one point in the episode.

I liked how half of team Glee looks like Harry Potter.

I also liked Phil's look when one of the teams sloshed through the creek instead of using the rock walkway.


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

DevdogAZ said:


> Huh?  You're using the quote from an obviously confused person (Tpfer) as the reason to show that the guy didn't go to University of Arizona?


No. I'm saying he didn't go to University of Phoenix.


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

laria said:


> ...If I had to bet money on what team was the token gay team, I would have said the team that was eliminated last night.


This.


----------



## bryhamm (Jun 30, 2004)




----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

bryhamm said:


>


Only thing better would be slo mo....


----------



## ElJay (Apr 6, 2005)

Steveknj said:


> One side note. Does anyone know the brand of car they were driving in the UK? At first I thought Toyota, but I don't think it's that.


Vauxhall (Opel) Insignia. Recently brought over to the USA as the Buick Regal.


----------



## smak (Feb 11, 2000)

DevdogAZ said:


> I thought he had some kind of joke or pun ready for when she said "England" to tell them they were Team Number Ten (not sure what that joke/pun would be). But then she went and said "London" and screwed it up.


This is purely a guess, but I think Phil messed up. He intended to say "Do you know where you are", as in, their finish position, but accidentally said, do you know what country you are in. "England" has nothing to do with anything, I don't see a joke or pun there.

-smak-


----------



## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

markz said:


> Not even for home games?


More than once I've found myself wondering why the Arizona Cardinals play in a college stadium...


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

pdhenry said:


> More than once I've found myself wondering why the Arizona Cardinals play in a college stadium...


The ironic thing about that is that for a long time, the Cardinals were the only team in the league playing in a college stadium (Sun Devil Stadium). When they finally did get their own stadium, just a couple weeks before the first game, they announced that the naming rights had been sold to University of Phoenix. So the Cards went from playing in one college stadium to one that people mistakenly perceive as a college stadium (for a school that doesn't even have a real campus, let alone a football team).


----------



## TIVOSciolist (Oct 13, 2003)

bryhamm said:


>


Universities should use this video to demonstrate Newton's Third Law of Physics (i.e., "for every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction").


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

She gets absolutely crushed. It's amazing watching that.


----------



## Marc (Jun 26, 1999)

JFriday said:


> Marc said:
> 
> 
> > I think he said University of Arizona.
> ...


Since I still had it on my TiVo, here's what Tony actually said: "I have an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and two years ago I earned my MBA from the University of Arizona."


----------



## JFriday (Mar 20, 2002)

Marc said:


> Since I still had it on my TiVo, here's what Tony actually said: "I have an undergraduate degree from Stanford University, and two years ago I earned my MBA from the University of Arizona."


I don't think I ever said he didn't go to Arizona, I was just disagreeing with tpfer that he probably didn't mean University of Phoenix when he said Arizona.


----------



## Marc (Jun 26, 1999)

Sorry if I misinterpreted your post. I figured it was worth playing the episode back (thanks to TiVo's effective fast-forward ) to find out what he actually said in any case.


----------



## wendiness1 (Jul 29, 2005)

I think Phil brought up the whole country thing because he was tipped off that she kept referring to it as the country of London. Just a guess.


----------



## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

The blonde on the HSN team annoys the heck out of me. I think it is part her "energy" and the other part the sound of her voice.

I was rooting for the tattoo couple to get Philiminated, they just didn't see interesting at first but now I do want them to stick around some just so I can see how many more blunders they can make.


----------



## 4inziksych (Mar 1, 2003)

I haven't seen this show in a couple of years either, Phil has really aged. He was so cute. Well he's still pretty cute.

Love the ENglish accents.

As for Phil asking about the country, I'm pretty sure there's no way he didn't know those two were knuckleheads (I like them a lot actually), but probably they were chosen for the comedy. If you ask someone like that a question, any question, there's a good chance you'll get something funny back. He was pretty quick to mock her (loved that)! I think they're probably more spacey then dumb and they have a sense of humor.
I like the Geeks and I love the father son. Thought they were cute. Never heard of them though, much less have I seen them on YouTube. I wonder what you get for having a million followers on YouTube. Do you get a dollar per follower, or what?

I agree that starting out the mother/daughter thing like this is going to be very stressful. Also, the daters.


----------



## 4inziksych (Mar 1, 2003)

zaknafein said:


> I'm a little surprised they didn't take her to the hospital anyway to check for a brain injury. Blows to the head like that are nothing to mess around with.
> 
> Good episode. No one stands out for me just yet. Team Tattoo isn't the brightest, but at least they admit as much.
> 
> I'll reserve judgment on everyone else for now, but I'm liking the the start.


Yeah, I was thinking about that actress who bumped her head on the ski trail and then died. Poor thing, when she was saying, "You've got to be kidding!" I thought she was going to pass out. Now she'll live on forever on the internet.


----------



## 4inziksych (Mar 1, 2003)

cheerdude said:


> Here's the story about birth mother & daughter - http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/...iguing-local-duo/?cxntfid=blogs_radio_tv_talk


11 kids! Wow! Was she trying to make up for giving the first one away?



Spoiler



This story made it seem like they get pretty far into the game. Or do they not let people go home after they've been eliminated?


----------



## Tracy (Mar 12, 2000)

We were so shocked when the watermelon hit her face...it went to commercial and I thought her nose would be broken and she would be severely injured. I still don't understand why she wasn't. Even if it hit her mainly on the cheek, she should have been at least black and blue. I got beaned with a baseball to the cheekbone at a Brewers game and my face was black and blue from my eyebrow to my chin.

When we were watching the tattoo couple look for the boats, and they did that classic shot where the camera man focuses over their shoulder and zooms in on the object they are looking for, my husband and I added a second rule to our 'When We Go On the Amazing Race' list....Rule 2: When you can't find something, watch where the camera man is looking, Rule 1 is, of course: Know how to drive a stick!!


----------



## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

I just want to say that the Miami chick is f'n HOT.


Oh, and all these snapshots of Gloucester and no Fishermen's Memorial? Just seems wrong.


----------



## TIVOSciolist (Oct 13, 2003)

4inziksych said:


> I like the Geeks and I love the father son. Thought they were cute. Never heard of them though, much less have I seen them on YouTube. I wonder what you get for having a million followers on YouTube. Do you get a dollar per follower, or what?


The top people on YouTube can earn over $100,000 a year. With over a million followers, I'm guessing that he can make at least mid- to high- five figures from advertising.

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/154/...100,000_Each_How_Easy_Is_It_To_Join_Them.html

*4inziksych:* Everyone who is eliminated (except possibly for the ones knocked out in the next-to-last episode) is flown to a secluded place to hang out together, have fun, swim, etc. (The location changes every season.) Thus, regardless of when/if the mother/daughter team gets eliminated, they should have plenty of time to get to know each other in person.

CBS will eventually put up videos on its website from the "Elimination Station."


----------



## marksman (Mar 4, 2002)

Steve_Martin said:


> How on earth did birth mother/daughter decide going on this show is a good way to start their relationship? I suppose you could say the same about the "newly dating" couples.


I would like to know which one contacted the other with the pretense of getting on the show.

Clearly one of them wanted to be on the show, and used this as a way to do it. My thoughts on it are unless both of them are doing it for the same reasons (ie either wanting to reunite, or perhaps more oddly, both big Amazing Race fans), than it is probably going to be fairly unhealthy.


----------



## marksman (Mar 4, 2002)

uncdrew said:


> Something made me think the doctors are the token gay couple. I'm probably wrong.


Didn't get that vibe, but they both sure do have a lot of teeth or I guess better put, wide mouths.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

TIVOSciolist said:


> *4inziksych:* Everyone who is eliminated (except possibly for the ones knocked out in the next-to-last episode) is flown to a secluded place to hang out together, have fun, swim, etc. (The location changes every season.) Thus, regardless of when/if the mother/daughter team gets eliminated, they should have plenty of time to get to know each other in person.


What he said... sometimes it is closer to the final destination and more teams get to go, and other times it's pretty far and the last 2 or 3 teams can't. Like I think one year the final leg was in Las Vegas, and the Elimination Station was in Thailand, so several teams did not get to go there and I remember them doing at least one call with the eliminated team from their hotel at the final city.

The videos are always up when I check first thing the morning (on the east coast) after it airs, so they might go live right after it's done on the west coast, or at least not long after.  That's what I was making reference to about the theater friends picking a room with the king size bed. There's always one video, sometimes as many as 4.


----------



## cheerdude (Feb 27, 2001)

marksman said:


> Clearly one of them wanted to be on the show, and used this as a way to do it. My thoughts on it are unless both of them are doing it for the same reasons (ie either wanting to reunite, or perhaps more oddly, both big Amazing Race fans), than it is probably going to be fairly unhealthy.


Per the article I linked, it was a comment that the Daughter made on FB while watching TAR that led to them turning in audition videos; the mother is also a fan of the show.


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

I wonder how much the Express Pass will impact the Race. I wonder if when it is used if it will be given to the team that finishes first in the next leg, except it won't go to the team that last used it and of course, can't be used after what, the 8th leg. I don't recall anything being said about it being handed out more than once, I'm just guessing it will.

Anyway if I had it, I would probably not use it until the 8th leg or if I was in deep trouble. Delaying it use as long as possible would keep it from re-entering the contest to some other team's advantage.


----------



## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

I doubt it will be reintroduced. I think they would have said it if it was since that's such a key piece of information for strategizing.


----------



## TomK (May 22, 2001)

Magnolia88 said:


> To the female contestants: STOP SHRIEKING.
> 
> Man, that was annoying. One of the home shopping chicks, and I think Miss Kentucky just would not STFU. Calm down already.


Is it just me or have we become a nation of shriekers?


----------



## InterMurph (May 22, 2003)

Steve_Martin said:


> I liked how half of team Glee looks like Harry Potter.


2/3 Milhouse, 1/3 Harry Potter.


----------



## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

TomK said:


> Is it just me or have we become a nation of shriekers?


and woo-girls...


----------



## ozzman73 (Nov 27, 2006)

cheerdude said:


> Per the article I linked, it was a comment that the Daughter made on FB while watching TAR that led to them turning in audition videos; the mother is also a fan of the show.


twitter, not FB.

I think losing first is probably the second best thing about the Amazing Race (other than winning). By losing first you and your partner, have a nice 4 week vacation in a nice place, all catered, with activities, etc. Not bad


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

jradosh said:


> I doubt it will be reintroduced. I think they would have said it if it was since that's such a key piece of information for strategizing.


I just read an interview with Phil in which he said the Express Pass is unlike the FF because it only impacted one leg but the EP impacts the entire race. That makes me think even more it may be seen again after being used. Otherwise, the EP winner could use it in the 2nd leg and it's impact wouldn't be much different than the FF. But, I'm assuming which is dangerous.

http://www.tvguide.com/News/Amazing-Race-Keoghan-1023630.aspx



> ...unlike the Fast Forward, its impact is not for one leg. It has an effect on the entire race.


Another oddity about the teams: there are no husband/wife teams. That is strange.


----------



## DUDE_NJX (Feb 12, 2003)

Coincidentally, one of the Princeton grads, Jonathan, performed in the same off-Broadway play "The Fantasticks" as the winner of a previous edition of the Amazing Race, Nick Spangler.

BTW, he says his parents weren't happy he had to miss the graduation ceremony... can't blame them, since they were the ones that paid for his education.


----------



## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

DUDE_NJX said:


> Coincidentally, one of the Princeton grads, Jonathan, performed in the same off-Broadway play "The Fantasticks" as the winner of a previous edition of the Amazing Race, Nick Spangler.
> 
> BTW, he says his parents weren't happy he had to miss the graduation ceremony... can't blame them, since they were the ones that paid for his education.


Harvard wasn't it? There is a difference... ;-)


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

DUDE_NJX said:


> BTW, he says his parents weren't happy he had to miss the graduation ceremony... can't blame them, since they were the ones that paid for his education.


If he wins, he can pay them back.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

IJustLikeTivo said:


> Harvard wasn't it? There is a difference... ;-)


They were both wearing Princeton shirts, so I doubt they went to Harvard.


----------



## Steve_Martin (Jul 18, 2004)

TomK said:


> Is it just me or have we become a nation of shriekers?


Well, at least we evolved from a nation of streakers.


----------



## InterMurph (May 22, 2003)

Tracy said:


> We were so shocked when the watermelon hit her face...it went to commercial and I thought her nose would be broken and she would be severely injured. I still don't understand why she wasn't.


She was OK because the watermelon exploded, and absorbed a lot of the impact. Had it been a rubber ball with the same density, she would have been in trouble.

This is why your car is such a mess after a medium-speed collission; it crumples to absorb the energy, so that you don't have to.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

jradosh said:


> I doubt it will be reintroduced. I think they would have said it if it was since that's such a key piece of information for strategizing.


Just as the first individual immunity idols were handed out once per season, I think this new item will be just handed out once this season. The producers/designers/etc worked out how it could theoretically change the game. Now they need to see how it actually changes the game.


----------



## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

4inziksych said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> This story made it seem like they get pretty far into the game. Or do they not let people go home after they've been eliminated?


This isn't a spoiler b/c I have no idea what happens on the race . . . but the teams are sent to "Elimination Station" (a hotel somewhere) after they are eliminated and are not sent home right away, b/c then it would be obvious to family and friends and co-workers that they didn't win and word would probably get out. They aren't supposed to tell anyone about the outcome until after the show airs.


----------



## Jstkiddn (Oct 15, 2003)

bryhamm said:


>


She was sure a good sport about it. I know that HAD to hurt!!

One thing keeps going through my mind. What if they had chosen something besides melons? God forbid they were using something like rocks, bowling balls, etc. I would have never in a million years thought it could have "shot" backwards like that. Gives me the willies to think about what could have happened.


----------



## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

"I can't feel my face"


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

janry said:


> ....Another oddity about the teams: there are no husband/wife teams. That is strange.


Too many post-race divorces....


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Jstkiddn said:


> ...What if they had chosen something besides melons? God forbid they were using something like rocks, bowling balls, etc. I would have never in a million years thought it could have "shot" backwards like that. Gives me the willies to think about what could have happened.


But it happened to another team.....one of the guys. It just didn't go very far. He tried to launch the melon and it kind of dropped after coming back towards him ever so slightly. So it's probably a lot more likely to happen than we think...


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

heySkippy said:


> "I can't feel my face"


Which was good, cause once she started feeling it, I am sure she was in a lot of pain!


----------



## RMBittner (Aug 19, 2003)

Yeah. I'm willing to cut teams some slack for minor ignorance ("Are you the candelabra?" from a season or two ago), but how can two adults -- Nick and Vicki -- have never *heard* of Stonehenge, not know what a "battlement" is (or at least not know that it isn't a person), overlook the boats for so long, AND think that there's a country called London?! I love TAR, but it seems like the experience is going to be completely wasted on them.


----------



## InterMurph (May 22, 2003)

RMBittner said:


> Yeah. I'm willing to cut teams some slack for minor ignorance ("Are you the candelabra?" from a season or two ago), but how can two adults -- Nick and Vicki -- have never *heard* of Stonehenge, not know what a "battlement" is (or at least not know that it isn't a person), overlook the boats for so long, AND think that there's a country called London?! I love TAR, but it seems like the experience is going to be completely wasted on them.


In defense of these two, I would like to point out that they found the flag, they found the boat, and they didn't finish last.


----------



## Andrew_S (Nov 12, 2001)

4inziksych said:


> 11 kids! Wow! Was she trying to make up for giving the first one away?


I wonder how many of those she had with her husband.


----------



## fmowry (Apr 30, 2002)

I coulda sworn the tatted girl said she never heard of "Stone hedge". I'm not into tattoos but I find something quite attractive about her. Might be the rack.

Lots of decent eyecandy this year. Smart docs, volleyball chicks, pageant winner midget, hairdresser.

I did NOT need to see the one girl tell her boyfriend to smell her bandana.

Frank


----------



## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Wonder if we'll see massive bruising on the next episode.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

fmowry said:


> I coulda sworn the tatted girl said she never heard of "Stone hedge".


She most definitely did. I had to pause so I could stop laughing.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Ment said:


> Wonder if we'll see massive bruising on the next episode.


I can't imagine that she won't have at least some bruising for the next several episodes. She's lucky that this happened near the end of the leg so she could immediately get some ice on it and medical attention once they checked in at the pit stop.


----------



## DVC California (Jun 4, 2004)

laria said:


> It looks like at Elimination Station they picked a room with a king size bed. NTTAWWT.


I found Day 2 of Ron and Tony's Elimination Station on YouTube.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

InterMurph said:


> In defense of these two, I would like to point out that they found the flag, they found the boat, and they didn't finish last.


Yeah, so that begs my question:

What happened to the black guys?


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

fmowry said:


> I did NOT need to see the one girl tell her boyfriend to smell her bandana.


I think the saying of things like that is kinda funny. But the dude smelled it.

Blech.


----------



## InterMurph (May 22, 2003)

uncdrew said:


> What happened to the black guys?


They got lost, very very lost, and weren't able to find their way back in time.

At one point they said they had been driving for 3 hours, and they weren't anywhere near the Stone Hedge then.

I mean, they were way lost. It reminds me of the two women who drove to the wrong ocean in South America.


----------



## NYHeel (Oct 7, 2003)

DUDE_NJX said:


> I just want to say that the Miami chick is f'n HOT.
> 
> Oh, and all these snapshots of Gloucester and no Fishermen's Memorial? Just seems wrong.


Which one is the Miami chick?

Also, I've heard of Stonehenge and would have recognized it but I don't know if I knew it was in England. I don't think it's that crazy to not have heard of Stonehenge.

One other thing, I know on TAR you should practice on a manual transmission. But I don't know anyone that actually drives a manual. I'm 30 and have never driven one nor have I even been in a car with manual, at least in this country. Not too many people driving a stick in and around New York City. I guess if I were on TAR, I'd rent a car, but even then it might be hard to find.


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

NYHeel said:


> One other thing, I know on TAR you should practice on a manual transmission. But I don't know anyone that actually drives a manual. I'm 30 and have never driven one nor have I even been in a car with manual, at least in this country. Not too many people driving a stick in and around New York City. I guess if I were on TAR, I'd rent a car, but even then it might be hard to find.


I've told my wife if we ever do TAR, she has to (1) learn to ride a bike, (2) learn to swim, and (3) learn to drive a manual transmission.

These seem to be the basics for every season of TAR.


----------



## 4inziksych (Mar 1, 2003)

TIVOSciolist said:


> The top people on YouTube can earn over $100,000 a year. With over a million followers, I'm guessing that he can make at least mid- to high- five figures from advertising.
> 
> http://beforeitsnews.com/story/154/...100,000_Each_How_Easy_Is_It_To_Join_Them.html
> 
> ...


Oh, I've heard people use that term before, but I didn't know what it meant. Thanks for explaining.


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

NYHeel said:


> .... But I don't know anyone that actually drives a manual. I'm 30 and have never driven one nor have I even been in a car with manual, at least in this country. Not too many people driving a stick in and around New York City. I guess if I were on TAR, I'd rent a car, but even then it might be hard to find.


Really? That's unusual. I've driven a stick ever since I could drive. I currently drive a '68 VW beetle convertible. I've driven a diesel panel truck with stick. My son has learned how to drive my beetle. My wife, while she hasn't driven one in awhile, could do so in a pinch. And I know many people who can drive a stick.

I guess that's the difference from living in a big metro area to where we are (about a half million).


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

NYHeel said:


> Which one is the Miami chick? ....


Stephanie?


----------



## trainman (Jan 29, 2001)

NYHeel said:


> One other thing, I know on TAR you should practice on a manual transmission. But I don't know anyone that actually drives a manual. I'm 30 and have never driven one nor have I even been in a car with manual, at least in this country. Not too many people driving a stick in and around New York City. I guess if I were on TAR, I'd rent a car, but even then it might be hard to find.


In the U.S., pretty much the only cars you're going to be able to rent that have a manual transmission are super-expensive luxury sports cars. Car rental places don't stock "regular" cars with manual transmissions because it limits the number of people they can be rented to...and because they tend to get destroyed by people who _think_ they know how to drive a stick, but really can't. 

Closest you can get on a "regular" rental car is one with an automatic transmission that optionally allows you to shift through all the gears manually. But those don't have a clutch pedal, which, in my experience, is about 95% of the battle of learning to drive with a manual transmission. (Which I only ever sort of succeeded at, and I'm way out of practice, so I wouldn't be much good at doing it on "TAR.")


----------



## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

InterMurph said:


> At one point they said they had been driving for 3 hours, and they weren't anywhere near the *Stone Hedge* then.


Guess we know who YOUR favorite team is. 

BTW does anyone know how TAR takes care of all the passport/visa issues? I assume there is some legal way to delegate that to another entity otherwise wouldn't the apps let the contestants know where they are going?


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Ment said:


> Guess we know who YOUR favorite team is.
> 
> BTW does anyone know how TAR takes care of all the passport/visa issues? I assume there is some legal way to delegate that to another entity otherwise wouldn't the apps let the contestants know where they are going?


I don't think most countries require you to apply for a visa if you're just going to be visiting as a tourist for a few days. As long as you have a passport, you just fill out the required paperwork on the plane before landing at your destination and go through customs when you land. I'm guessing that any country which requires a visa just for tourist entry isn't on TAR's list of countries to visit.


----------



## pdhenry (Feb 28, 2005)

Ment said:


> BTW does anyone know how TAR takes care of all the passport/visa issues?


I don't remember where I saw it, specifically, but I understand that CBS loads the contestants' passports with a number of visas before the race, including many for countries that they don't end up visiting.


----------



## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

bryhamm said:


>


If you watch her pulling the pocket back, she is gripping near the top. This is causing an imbalance in the tension of the 2 bungies. So when she lets go, the pocket flips around and whips it right back at her.

They really should have had a handle attached to the back to keep that from happening.


----------



## fmowry (Apr 30, 2002)

uncdrew said:


> Yeah, so that begs my question:
> 
> What happened to the black guys?


All their schooling didn't teach them how to use a compass? 

I figured once they knew they had to go on M5 north (or whatever), the would have looked at their compass to make sure they were actually going north if the signs were that bad. It really appeared to me that they were going the wrong way on a simple road. Sort of like going south on I-95 to get to NY.

Maybe their gaydirections are as bad as your gaydar?

Frank


----------



## tiams (Apr 19, 2004)

fmowry said:


> All their schooling didn't teach them how to use a compass?
> 
> I figured once they knew they had to go on M5 north (or whatever), the would have looked at their compass to make sure they were actually going north if the signs were that bad. It really appeared to me that they were going the wrong way on a simple road. Sort of like going south on I-95 to get to NY.
> 
> ...


As soon as they said they were using a compass (instead of common sense and street signs) to get around Boston, I knew they were goners.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

tiams said:


> As soon as they said they were using a compass (instead of common sense and street signs) to get around Boston, I knew they were goners.


Yeah, that would never work!


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

tiams said:


> As soon as they said they were using a compass (instead of common sense and street signs) to get around Boston, I knew they were goners.


Yeah, I got a good laugh out of that. Clearly they have never been to Boston!


----------



## andyw715 (Jul 31, 2007)

MarkofT said:


> If you watch her pulling the pocket back, she is gripping near the top. This is causing an imbalance in the tension of the 2 bungies. So when she lets go, the pocket flips around and whips it right back at her.
> 
> They really should have had a handle attached to the back to keep that from happening.


Except then that wouldn't have ever happened. Where's the funny then?


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

NYHeel said:


> Which one is the Miami chick?
> 
> Also, I've heard of Stonehenge and would have recognized it but I don't know if I knew it was in England. I don't think it's that crazy to not have heard of Stonehenge.
> 
> One other thing, I know on TAR you should practice on a manual transmission. But I don't know anyone that actually drives a manual. I'm 30 and have never driven one nor have I even been in a car with manual, at least in this country. Not too many people driving a stick in and around New York City. I guess if I were on TAR, I'd rent a car, but even then it might be hard to find.


Now you know where Stonehenge is. It's out in the middle of nowhere in England. I've been, and it's a wierd combination (for me) of "amazingly impressive and awe-inspiring" and "that's all there is, eh?". It's just some rocks, and some people have a "Big whoop" reaction. But when you think a bit on it, that they've been there for 5000 years or so, and each stone must weigh 50 tons or somesuch and how the hell did they get them upright and stacked up? Then you hear about all the ideas involving aliens and stuff and it gets pretty cool. We'll probably never know how it was created. Heck, I couldn't even do it today if you spotted me a bulldozer and an engineering degree.

As far as cars, I have a stick, as do many, many people. They are pretty easy to find, though I'd agree they're getting more rare every year. If you're going on the show, you find a friend or family member and borrow it for a while.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

janry said:


> I've told my wife if we ever do TAR, she has to (1) learn to ride a bike, (2) learn to swim, and (3) learn to drive a manual transmission.
> 
> These seem to be the basics for every season of TAR.


Does she not know 1 and 2?

That's wild.


----------



## KyleLC (Feb 6, 2002)

uncdrew said:


> Does she not know 1 and 2?
> 
> That's wild.


It's pretty common for people to not know how to swim. Number 1 is what I find really surprising. I've never known anyone over about the age of 6 who didn't know how to ride a bicycle.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

KyleLC said:


> It's pretty common for people to not know how to swim. Number 1 is what I find really surprising. I've never known anyone over about the age of 6 who didn't know how to ride a bicycle.


Yeah, but this forum weeds out the non-swimmers for the most part.


----------



## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

KyleLC said:


> It's pretty common for people to not know how to swim. Number 1 is what I find really surprising. I've never known anyone over about the age of 6 who didn't know how to ride a bicycle.


I work with a lady (almost 60 years old) who has never tried a bike...cannot swim, and - until 5 years ago - didn't know how to drive a car (that's a car, not a manual, any car)...


----------



## Ruth (Jul 31, 2001)

KyleLC said:


> It's pretty common for people to not know how to swim. Number 1 is what I find really surprising. I've never known anyone over about the age of 6 who didn't know how to ride a bicycle.


At the beach this summer, someone brought a friend who was in his 30s and had never ridden a bike before. He learned really quickly and by the end of the week he was happily biking all over the place.

I can't imagine not knowing how to swim. Don't parents make sure their kids learn, at least well enough to not be in danger of drowning? Seems like an important safety issue.


----------



## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

Ruth said:


> At the beach this summer, someone brought a friend who was in his 30s and had never ridden a bike before. He learned really quickly and by the end of the week he was happily biking all over the place.
> 
> I can't imagine not knowing how to swim. Don't parents make sure their kids learn, at least well enough to not be in danger of drowning? Seems like an important safety issue.


most people who live in big cities (esp. inner cities) don't have access to swimming pools...


----------



## janry (Jan 2, 2003)

uncdrew said:


> Does she not know 1 and 2?
> 
> That's wild.


No.

She did take some swim lessons as an adult before we went on a sailing trip, but frankly, she still swims like a rock.

She grew up in a rural area on a dirt road that wasn't very good for bike riding and there weren't any swimming pools nearby.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

Anubys said:


> most people who live in big cities (esp. inner cities) don't have access to swimming pools...


Which is why we often have kids on vacation drown.


----------



## markz (Oct 22, 2002)

janry said:


> I've told my wife if we ever do TAR, she has to (1) learn to ride a bike, (2) learn to swim, and (3) learn to drive a manual transmission.
> 
> These seem to be the basics for every season of TAR.


My wife was passing through the room as I read this. I stopped and asked her:

Me: You can right a bike, right?
She: Yes
Me: You can swim, right?
She: Yes
Me: I know you can drive a stick.
She: Ok...
Me: Good, that's all I needed to know.
She: So, we get to stay married now that I have passed your test?
Me: yes, AND we can go on The Amazing Race!
She: <walks away shaking her head>


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

My wife can definitely ride a bike.
She was a life guard, so I guess she can swim. 
And she taught ME how to drive a stick (and we still have a car with a manual transmission)

So I guess we are ready to roll! Except for the eating challenges. EWWWWWW!!!!!


----------



## heySkippy (Jul 2, 2001)

I don't think I've ever seen my wife ride a bicycle, but we have a pool (so I know she can swim) and she's as good as anyone at driving a "clutch-o-matic" as she calls it. 

We'd be good to go so long as we don't have to eat anything gross!


----------



## trainman (Jan 29, 2001)

DevdogAZ said:


> I don't think most countries require you to apply for a visa if you're just going to be visiting as a tourist for a few days. As long as you have a passport, you just fill out the required paperwork on the plane before landing at your destination and go through customs when you land. I'm guessing that any country which requires a visa just for tourist entry isn't on TAR's list of countries to visit.


Australia requires a visa for tourists, but U.S. citizens are eligible for an "electronic" version -- presumably, it's taken care of by the producers on behalf of the contestants.


----------



## 4inziksych (Mar 1, 2003)

tiams said:


> As soon as they said they were using a compass (instead of common sense and street signs) to get around Boston, I knew they were goners.


I thought that was funny too but remember they won that part of the race.


----------



## Inundated (Sep 10, 2003)

eddyj said:


> So I guess we are ready to roll! Except for the eating challenges. EWWWWWW!!!!!


Same problem Wendy and I have. 

She can probably drive a stick, but I can't.

I had a then-girlfriend try to teach me some 25 years ago, but I only had one lesson...where I got stuck on a road in a small town as a police car was driving on the road towards me. She never gave me lesson 2, and the trip that prompted the lesson was cancelled (for other reasons) later.


----------



## Inundated (Sep 10, 2003)

As for my impressions:

* Team Tattoo is dumber than a whole truck full of rocks, but I can't bring myself to hate them. They are gonna make SOME dumb mistake that won't keep them around past another episode or two. They were only saved in the opener by the best friends getting hopelessly lost driving around. (And yes, my gaydar was functioning enough, having been the only straight, unmarried male in community theatre in my past, but I don't think Ron and Tony were a couple.)

* I can't remember if it was Chad or Thomas, but someone is threatening to be The Jerk Boyfriend. Not yet, though.

* Team Home Shopping...Brook, especially, has a potential to get on my nerves. BTW, the network they were on was Gems TV, which went out of business earlier this year.

* I like a lot of the teams this year, but it's still early.


----------



## Bierboy (Jun 12, 2004)

Inundated said:


> ...* I can't remember if it was Chad or Thomas, but someone is threatening to be The Jerk Boyfriend. Not yet, though....


That's Chad....he's a moron.


----------



## Inundated (Sep 10, 2003)

Bierboy said:


> That's Chad....he's a moron.


Thomas had said something in his opening that had me worried...but you're right, Chad is the one.


----------



## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Inundated said:


> * Team Home Shopping...Brook, especially, has a potential to get on my nerves. BTW, the network they were on was Gems TV, which went out of business earlier this year.


Guess they actually can't sell ice to eskimos, like they said they could.


----------



## 4inziksych (Mar 1, 2003)

heySkippy said:


> I don't think I've ever seen my wife ride a bicycle, but we have a pool (so I know she can swim) and she's as good as anyone at driving a "clutch-o-matic" as she calls it.
> 
> We'd be good to go so long as we don't have to eat anything gross!


All you have to do is win that new skip the challenge thing and save it for the food (which was my first thought when Phil announced it).


----------



## MarkofT (Jul 27, 2001)

fmowry said:


> I figured once they knew they had to go on M5 north (or whatever), the would have looked at their compass to make sure they were actually going north if the signs were that bad.


I've never been, but I'm pretty sure the road signs in Britain are pretty good. If you pay attention. They didn't seem the type to pay attention, they were Americans.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

Inundated said:


> (And yes, my gaydar was functioning enough, having been the only straight, unmarried male in community theatre in my past, but I don't think Ron and Tony were a couple.)


Didn't one say something about "being together for xx years"?


----------



## Regina (Mar 30, 2003)

InterMurph said:


> 2/3 Milhouse, 1/3 Harry Potter.


YES-with those eyebrows-definitely Milhouse! :up::up:

Oh, and add me to the list who thought Ron & Tony (the first pair eliminated) were 'Amigos Con Benefits'


----------



## jradosh (Jul 31, 2001)

eddyj said:


> Didn't one say something about "being together for xx years"?


Yeah, I think he said something like "twenty years" or "over twenty years". That's what made me think they were a couple.


----------



## Anubys (Jul 16, 2004)

jradosh said:


> Yeah, I think he said something like "twenty years" or "over twenty years". That's what made me think they were a couple.


I thought they said they have been friends for over 20 years...

I do think they are gay (more so the one who didn't drive), but I don't think they did or say anything to imply that they are (gay) or that they were a couple...


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

jradosh said:


> Yeah, I think he said something like "twenty years" or "over twenty years". That's what made me think they were a couple.


Exactly. I think it was 22, but I am not sure. A long time, anyway.


----------



## Inundated (Sep 10, 2003)

eddyj said:


> Exactly. I think it was 22, but I am not sure. A long time, anyway.


I didn't hear "together", though I could have just missed it. I've known my best friend for nearly 20 years now, and we're both quite straight. 

Ron and Tony did nothing else to indicate they were a couple, but either way, they are gone...so we won't be talking about them next week...


----------



## IJustLikeTivo (Oct 3, 2001)

MarkofT said:


> I've never been, but I'm pretty sure the road signs in Britain are pretty good. If you pay attention. They didn't seem the type to pay attention, they were Americans.


I've driven extensively in the UK. They have lots of sign and getting lost takes work. Fortunately, they were up to that task. Not sad about them being eliminated.

Don't like team tattoo much but they have good comic potential.


----------



## TIVOSciolist (Oct 13, 2003)

MarkofT said:


> If you watch her pulling the pocket back, she is gripping near the top. This is causing an imbalance in the tension of the 2 bungies. So when she lets go, the pocket flips around and whips it right back at her.
> 
> They really should have had a handle attached to the back to keep that from happening.


At the supermarket yesterday, I picked up a small melon just to remind myself what it felt like. Wow, it was pretty solid. No way would I ever want to be hit in the face with that.

It's hilarious only because she wasn't seriously hurt. I'm sure that she's good natured about it at this point, especially since the video will now follow her for the rest of her life. I wish that I had something cool like that to show at my funeral some day.


----------

