This is it -- the season finale. I think this might be a first for me not really having a team I desperately want to lose in the final three.
As the show airs here in the NYC area, I'll update this post with hugely important goings-on and the final Pit Stop (Finish Line) order. A full review will be posted on TV Squad later tonight. As always, your comments are definitely welcome!
UPDATE: Ron and Chris still in lead. Donald and Nicolas made a drastic mistake and will probably have to backtrack and might blow their chance of winning. They left a bag at the 6th Avenue Outfitters with needed gear inside it.
UPDATE: Ron and Christina still ahead. Nicolas/Donald are just shy of TK/Rachel despite their error.
UPDATE: All three teams in a dead heat at the Roadblock -- one of the toughest ones I've ever seen with the racer using memory and following a set amount of items to represent each leg of the race.
UPDATE: Rachel finished the puzzle first, then Christina finished but TK/Rachel have taken over the lead right now.
TK and Rachel WIN The Amazing Race!
Ronald and Christina come in 2nd, Donald and Nicolas 3rd.
Oh, no. I don't know if I can handle this. The show is starting on time here in the NYC viewing area. Yikes.
As it airs, I'll post updates in real East Coast time including the elimination -- and we know we can expect one tonight. Late tonight my full episode review can be found over on TV Squad. But, for now ... commentary is always welcome here!
In Taipei Ron and Christina have a slight lead. TK/Rachel, Donald/Nicolas, and Jennifer/Nathan are bunched together at the airport, so TK and Rachel have overcome the 3 hour gap. They haven't done any tasks yet, so no Speed Bump yet.
Speed Bump completed. Ron and Christina still ahead. Donald/Nicolas and Jennifer/Nathan awaiting 8 PM train, TK and Rachel on their way to the train station.
At this time, on the way to the Detour, Jennifer and Nathan are last and bickering. Ronald and Christina are on their way to the Pit Stop and likely will be first. The other team standings are all fairly close.
Ronald and Christina came in first, won a trip.
2. TK and Rachel (yay!)
3. Donald and Nicolas!!!
My thanks go out to all of the readers who declared Nathan and Jennifer the fan favorite team last week. Due to our hard work and telepathy, they were Philiminated and won't be in the finale.
Andy Rooney is on 60 Minutes as I start this, so the show we really want to see (sorry Andy) will be starting soon.
As it airs, I'll update this post with the major events including Philimination. Late tonight my full review of the episode will be up on TV Squad.
Please feel free to jump in with your thoughts in the comments!
TK and Rachel are WAY behind.
Ron and Christina came in first each winning an electric vehicle.
Nathan and Jennifer second. (Grr)
Nicolas and Donald number three.
YAY! The last non-elim! Nearly three hours behind the other teams, TK and Rachel survive. They'll face a Speed Bump next leg.
Phew.
Nah, I didn't forget to get a post up and running. The late post is due to yet another football delay here on the east coast. As I type this at approximately 8:20 PM ET, 60 Minutes is still on. I'm not quite sure when it started, but once the real show (TAR!) starts, I'll update this entry with major events including the Pit Stop order.
Late tonight my full review of the show will be posted over on TV Squad.
UPDATE 8:37 PM ET -- Finally, 60 Minutes has ended. (Grr)
Kynt and Vyxsin made up the Speed Bump time and just U-Turned Nathan and Jennifer DON AND NICOLAS (who are ahead of them),ARGH.
TK and Rachel arrived at the Pit Stop first -- won a trip to St. MArtin.
Second place goes to Nicolas and Donald.
Third -- Ronald and Christina
WAH -- Nathan and Jennifer took fourth place, Kynt and Vyxsin Philiminated. ARGH -- why didn't Kynt U-Turn Jennifer and Nathan?!?!?!?!
The show is delayed here on the East Coast -- I'm not sure how long, but I will post an update when it starts. Important events and the Pit Stop arrival order will be posted in updates as it airs. A full review will be posted on TV Squad late tonight.
UPDATE 8:20 PM ET - 60 Minutes just ended, the real show will begin momentarily.
Thanks to the Fast Forward, Don and Nicolas won first place and a trip to Cancun.
Pit Stop arrivals after Don and Nicolas --
2. Nathan and Jennifer (grr)
3. Ronald and Christina
4. TK and Rachel
5. Kynt and Vyxsin, but despite what was said pre-season, it's one of two non-elimination legs. So, they're still in the race. But during the next leg they will encounter a Speed Bump -- a task they must do in addition to the others. It may slow them down and they won't know when it will happen.
Tonight's show here on the east coast is delayed a bit due to football. (What else is new?)
Once it starts, I'll update this entry with any big news, the arrival order at the Pit Stop and Philimination. My full review of the episode will be posted late tonight on TV Squad. As always, feel free to jump in with your thoughts in the comments section!
It's 8:25 PM ET and the show is finally starting here. Sigh.
Pit Stop --
1. Ronald and Christina
2. Jennifer and Nathan, but NO -- sent back because they took a private car not a taxi. Yay!
2. Kynt and Vyxsin
3. Nathan and Jennifer
4. TK and Rachel
5. Nicolas and Donald
6. Azaria and Hendekea -- Philiminated
The show is about to start here on the east coast. As it airs, I'll post major events up to and including the arrival order at the Pit Stop. Please refresh the page for the latest. My show review will be posted on TV Squad later tonight.
As always, please feel free to share your thoughts on the show in the comments!
Fun Detour! (Well, until Ron fell just before the commercial, that is.)
Pit Stop --
1. TK and Rachel -- won a trip to Japan
2. Kynt and Vyxsin
3. Ronald and Christina
4. Azaria and Hendekea
5. Nathan and Jennifer
6. Donald and Nicolas
7. Shana and Jennifer -- Philiminated
Karma strikes again.
Football ran into overtime and 60 Minutes started nearly an hour late. When The Amazing Race finally gets here, this post will be updated with the major events. A full review of the show will be posted over on TV Squad later tonight.
UPDATE 8:54 PM ET -- 60 Minutes just ended, the show will start soon. Finally.
The U-Turn was introduced. How it works is that it's after a Detour. A team can U-Turn another team to send them back to do the other choice on the Detour. There are two if I caught it right and a team can only use it once during the race.
Shana and Jennifer U-Turned Lorena and Jason thinking they were right behind them. However, the team in back of them was Rachel and TK. Lorena and Jason were already behind everyone else.
Pit Stop --
1. Hendekea and Azaria -- each won a motor scooter
2. Jennifer and Nathan on their heels.
3. Christina and Ronald
4. Nicolas and Donald
5. Vyxsin and Kynt
6. Shana and Jennifer
7. TK and Rachel
8. Lorena and Jason -- Philiminated
It's past 8 PM, do you know where your TAR is? What? Delayed by football once again?
Argh.
Graphic arteest Zoetawny made this TAR street for me. I feel like I'm gonna snagged by the cops for driving over the double yellow line. In CT, that offense is "failure to drive right." I always thought it could just be called "driving wrong." Thanks for the graphic, Zoetawny!
In other TAR news, I wrote a TV Squad entry about my hypothetical "if I were to do it" application for the next season.
Once the show starts here in the NYC area, this entry will be updated with the major happenings as they air. All comments are welcome -- I love to read your thoughts about the show.
UPDATE 8:20 PM ET -- The show has started, yay.
They're on the way to Ouagadougou. Yes, they are.
Once in Bingo, the roadblock is milking camels, then leading four camels to the next clue. Priceless!
Detour wasn't exciting, but was cool anyway. They could teach or learn ten words either to students (teach) or in the native language (learn). Phil said MAY be eliminated, so we'll see if the non-elims exist.
Pit Stop order:
1. Azaria and Hendekea - won a trip to Bermuda
Abunch of teams arrived almost at once. I have to review my tape, but I think this was the order...
2. TK/Rachel
3. Nathan/Jennifer
4. Kynt/Vixsyn
5. Ron and Christina
Then ...
6. Donald and Nicholas
7. Shana and Jennifer
8. Lorena and Jason
9. Marianna and Julia -- eliminated.
My full review of the show is over on TV Squad.
The show has started on the East Coast. Return for updates as they air! (And visit comments, too.) My full review of the show is at this link.
The teams are on the way to Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Pit Stop Arrival --
1. Lorena and Jason
2. Nathan and Jennifer
3. Shana and Jennifer
4. Kynt and Vyxsin
5. Azaria and Hendekea
6. TK and Rachel
7. Julia and Marianna
8. Nicolas and Donald
9. Ron and Christina
10. Eliminated -- Pat and Kate
My TAR 12 season premiere review is live on TV Squad at this link. I hope you enjoy it!
The start of the season premiere - "Donkeys Have Souls, Too" - is delayed here in the NYC area due to football. Once it starts up, I'll update this post with the important happenings and quick thoughts as it airs. Graphic artist Zoetawny with her new 'puter made a graphic for the blog and I'm ready to watch the show even though I've already watched it not once, but twice! (Does that tell you what you're in for?) My full review is set to be posted on TV Squad at 10:05 PM ET.
Update 8:10 PM ET -- 60 Minutes is still on. I expect TAR to start in about 15 minutes, but will let you know.
UPDATE 8:25 PM ET -- 60 Minutes has ended, the show will be starting momentarily. Racers ready?
Yes! It's on! Cool classic convertibles to the Playboy Mansion. I'm not so keen about the Playboy Mansion part.
Hey ... against other news sources, the non-elim legs are still in! 8 of the 11 are elimination legs! That sounds like non-eliminations to me, doesn't it to you?
They're trying to get to LAX to board flights to Shannon, Ireland. Several are lost and there are two flights, one leaving earlier than the other. Five teams are on the first flight, six on the later one. Ronald and Christina an Azaria and Hendekea have bonded a bit. Hendekea borrowed a cell phone and set up two taxis for their teams.
The earlier flight is delayed and the second shall be first! I love that.
Ari and Staella stole one of the taxis. Good thing the driver let another non-stolen cab pass them.
An old person always falls, don't they?
I'm officially tired of Jennifer and Nathan. She whines very annoyingly. Lorena and Jason aren't too great in that department either. Love it that Kynt and Vyxsin didn't let the broken bike chain stop them.
I absolutely LOVE the high-wire bike Roadblock! That is so cool!
Love the donkeys, and how they cooperate with SOME teams ... teams who are nice to them do much better. Nathan and Jennifer are already screaming at each other. And Ari called one "stupid donk."
Ari threatened to eat his donkey!
Azaria and Hendekea came in to the Pit Stop first and won a trip to Alberta, Canada. Kynt and Vyxsin came in second and TK/Rachel third. Ari is still yelling at his donkey while Ron is singing Danny Boy as he pedals the high-wire bike.,
"Donkeys have souls, too" said Christina commenting about how Ari and Staella were treating their donkey. Jennifer and Nathan are still stranded with theirs.
Lorena and Jason made it to the Pit Stop -- 4th place. Nicolas and Donald are team number five. Shana and Jennifer are team 6. The other Jennifer (with Nathan) is still whining, but they finally got their donkey to move.
Ron and Christina are team seven. Who's your daddy? Kate and Pat are team 8. Now it gets all emotional...! Marianna and Julia are team nine and Jennifer and Nathan are on their heels at team 10.
Guess who karma bit on the butt? Yep, Ari and Staella are eliminated. They stole a cab and were mean to their donkey. Heh.
Here it is! The last installment on the teams we'll be seeing starting this Sunday, November 4, 8 PM ET?/PT in most viewing areas -- or, seeing the time slot, possibly delayed for sports in many areas. Sigh.
I covered the other teams in this post and in this one, too.
Ari and Staella are one of the younger teams -- 21 and 24 respectively -- and they're best friends all about having fun. Okay.
He's a waiter and she's a restaurant manager. He lives with her family which seems to indicate that neither have been out on their own. Ari says he's catty, mean, rude, hilarious and is never afraid to speak his mind, loves to dance -- always great qualities for the race, right? Staella thinks she's honest, trustworthy, and caring. (I do like that more.)
They think they'll ruffle feathers of the other teams and have a great time. Me? I don't like their attitudes. Well, his attitude. She seems okay.
Marianna and Julia are sisters hailing from Miami. They describe themselves as feisty, best friends, and worst enemies. Julia is the problem-solver while Marianna is the athlete. Both consider themselves to be very competitive and think they're unbeatable. Good. It's always nice to have a strong all-woman team even if we're lacking the all-men teams this season.Supposedly Julia is emotional while Marianna is as steady as a rock. Julia thinks Marianna doesn't self-censor and is often mean. They've traveled together before and say that their favorite team was BJ and Tyler due to their upbeat energy. Well, hopefully these two will have the same!
Like the blondes this season, they aren't afraid to flirt.
Speaking of BJ and Tyler, look! It's TK and Rachel! They're a dating couple -- she's a florist and store owner while he's a substitute teacher. Their mothers were friends for years, but they're only recently dating.
They say they're always laughing (good) and want to see how their relationship stands up to the race. Rachel believes she's bright and ambitious. She thinks the biggest difference between her and TK are the lives they've led. She started working and bought a business right out of high school while he was a collegiate athlete at UC Santa Barbara.
TK's sport was swimming. He thinks he's dedicated, witty, and intelligent. They hope to spend their lives together starting out with a million dollar nest egg.
Now, here's a team a bit different from many of the ones we've seen before. Kate and Pat are married lesbian ministers. They dated for seven years and married three years ago. They say not to worry -- they aren't afraid to play dirty. Pat is the second-oldest racer this season at 65. (Grandfather Donald is 68.)
Kate thinks she avoids conflict while Pat dives right in. Kate says she's passionate and sarcastic while Pat claims to be persistent and dependable. Pat thinks Kate often misjudges her time, something which might affect them as a team during the race. They're not afraid to compete against anyone and think their years of experience will beat out the physical prowess of other teams. I think others have thought along those lines before and it hasn't won the race yet. But I think they'll be an interesting team to watch.
Although technically California heavy, I like the mix of racers this season. I'm so glad we're not seeing a season full of model couples. What do you think?
Continuing on with the teams we'll be seeing starting this Sunday, November 4, I'll cover the next four in this entry. If you click on the TAR12 link you see at the bottom of the post, it will bring up all of my posts about the show. Um ... I think that would be one here now. But there will be more even though I'll be writing the reviews of the show for TV Squad this season. An introductory teams post is over on TV Squad and Part One of the teams can be found here. Without further ado ...
Shana and Jennifer, an actress and a legal assistant, seem like they might take a page from Evil Beauty Queens Dustin and Kandice. They're beautiful (eye candy for the guys) and blonde. On the promos for the season, we've seen these two promise to use flirting and their looks to get ahead.
Shana has a back up career plan -- she also recently finished chef school. (Maybe we'll see her on Top Chef next!) She thinks she's loyal, compassionate, and competitive. She also has a lot of traveling experience.
Jennifer is also well-traveled, but thinks she's more meticulous in comparison to Shana. They both think they have the experiences and competitiveness to win it all. They could very well be a strong team.
Brother and sister team Azaria and Hendekea should prove to be my own personal triumph against misspelling names ... or a huge failure. I'm so hoping Hendekea has a nickname. Henny maybe? Originally hailing from New Orleans, he remains there while she moved out to California.
In the CBS bio, she says she's dainty. Dainty? Can you be dainty on The Amazing Race? Should you even think of daintiness? Yikes!
Both siblings seem to have it on the ball in the brains department, but the bio hints at underlying problems with sibling rivalry. He's the older one and tended to pick on her when she was younger. My brother probably would have picked on me too had I thought I was dainty. I guess we'll see how they do.
Lorena and Jason have more typical jobs for reality show contestants than do many on TAR -- a bartender and a wedding videographer, respectively. Both act, too. (Surprise, surprise.) Compared to Azaria being a facilities engineer and his sister an aerospace engineer, Lorena and Jason have reality show careers, eh?
They're a dating couple who met at a bar three years ago. They live together, but rarely see each other due to conflicting work schedules. And, they're yet another dating team who claim to be using the race to see if they really belong together. Haven't we seen enough of those?
They have cultural differences to overcome, too. Oh, well. He thinks he's courageous and volatile. She's extremely jealous when it comes to him. I don't know. If they bicker too much or call each other "babe" through gritted teeth when the love just ain't there -- they can be out early for all I care!
I think Nicolas and Donald are going to be an interesting team to watch -- he's very young (23) and he's old (68), a grandson and grandfather. I'm talking young and old in terms of running the race, not in "real life." One's tall, one's short. They look so different from many of the perfectly matched kind of teams that I want to cheer these two on from the start.
Nicolas thinks he's reliable, competitive, and goofy. Yes, goofy. I like goofy at times -- as long as he isn't just silly! Donald likes to tell his grandson what to do and thinks that while Nicolas may know maps (he's been a pilot since the age of 17), he possesses street smarts and experience.
I hope Donald is in good shape. I think I want this team to last far into the race because I'm going to enjoy them. I think so, anyway.
The final installment on the teams will be posted tomorrow evening. Are you ready?
[Team images used here © CBS]
Similar to how I've been doing Survivor this season, my actual show reviews of The Amazing Race 12 will be over on TV Squad. I asked to review the show a while ago not expecting it to air until January. But, thanks to the demise of Viva Laughlin, we have TAR12 heading our way in about a week and a half. The premiere date is Sunday, November 4, at 8 PM ET/PT. While I'll be writing the reviews for TVS, I'll have East Coast updates and other miscellaneous show-related posts here on this blog.
Let's start with the teams!
Oh, my! Why, they're a Goth couple! I believe this is indeed a first for TAR. Kynt and Vyxsin are what they call themselves although I sincerely doubt those were the names given to them at birth.
They're best friends (and possible doppelgangers) who have been dating on and off for three years and they're determined to keep Louisville (KY) weird. Hmm ... maybe they should move to Austin? Or they could go all the way and move to New Jersey. In Louisville they might be bucking up against the status quo.
They enjoy shopping, dancing, and doing each other's hair. Um, okay. Both are worried that their make-up routine might be impacted while on the race. They're both MySpace addicts, not a surprise to me at all. They follow SciFi conventions and have an "us against the world" stance. If nothing else, these two are going to differ a lot from any previous teams we've seen on the show. Kynt is the guy, Vyxsin the gal.
Jennifer and Nathan are a bit less unusual when it comes to dating couples. They're both athletic, couldn't stand each other when they first met (always a good start to a relationship, right?), and tend to break up a lot. I guess this will be our token bickering couple of the season? They both claim to have dominant personalities and both claim to be stubborn.
I may have nightmares of Jonathan and Victoria. Ew. Hopefully these two are a bit better as a couple. Physically, it looks like they could have it made in the shade in comparison to some of the other teams.
But, the big question is ... will they work together well as a team? Nathan describes himself as "one cool dude." I'll be the judge of that, thank you very much. Uh-oh. I might already not be liking him.
Ronald and Christina are a father/daughter team. You know, I'd like to see one of these teams win it all someday. It's something I would have loved to have done with my own father.
He's amongst the older racers this season, but at 58 he's nowhere near the oldest. I'm liking the age span for the teams -- I just wish a show like Big Brother would vary the ages in the same manner!
He's a self-proclaimed workaholic while his daughter wants him to stop and smell the roses. But I notice she has degrees from both Princeton and Duke, so she might do well to heed her own advice. I think I'm going to like this team.
I'll be adding installments to the team listing in the upcoming days prior to the season premiere. I also have an introductory post to the teams up over on TV Squad.
Are you ready for The Amazing Race?
[All TAR 12 images ©CBS and used here solely for review purposes.]
A lone streetlight lights up one of the few trees with any color this autumn during early morning drizzle. I took this photo this morning in Plainfield, NJ. We had a record-breaking wet spring, but have been quite dry since with way above normal temperatures. As a result, this year's fall foliage is stunted (leaves still green) or leaves basically turning brown and dying early without the gorgeous colors I love so much.
My thoughts and prayers go out to those blog readers and friends in southern California. When I was young, I lived for a few years there. One of my most vivid early childhood memories from that time was watching the mountains burn fueled by the Santa Ana winds. The latest is so much worse than anything I've ever seen. I hope everyone is safe.
In today's TV Newsy Bits:
- I have a brief introduction to the teams of The Amazing Race 12 set to be published shortly over on TV Squad. I'll be giving some more details here on the blog tomorrow. It sounds like an interesting cast.
- I'll also be writing my review of Kid Nation for posting on TV Squad later tonight.
- Oh, and not that it's all about me, but TV Squad writers got together and wrote about the scariest TV characters ever for a big Halloween post. My entry is here, but you can start here.
- I received a few new emails from Wireless -- they're inside sort of viral clues to Heroes. When I have some time tomorrow, I'll check them out and report my findings.
- I know that many of the Dancing With the Stars fans who hang out here weren't overly thrilled with Mark Cuban, but you might be interested in his blogging about being on the show -- it offers a neat insider kind of behind the scenes aspect. And, of course, I have to say that if it wasn't for Mark Cuban, I probably wouldn't be a blogger for TV Squad. He was the financial backing for the creation of Weblogs, Inc.
Originally, Amazing Race 12 was scheduled for a winter into spring run, but with the cancellation of Viva Laughlin, we're getting it early!
Here's the press release from CBS:
FIVE-TIME EMMY AWARD-WINNING "THE AMAZING RACE" RETURNS FOR ITS 12TH EDITION ON SUNDAY, NOV. 4, 8:00-9:00 PM
"The Amazing Race 12" Spans 50,000 Miles Including First Time Visits to Ireland, Lithuania and Croatia
THE AMAZING RACE, winner of five consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Competition Series, returns for its 12th edition on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Nov. 4 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT).
Editors Note: THE AMAZING RACE replaces "Viva Laughlin" which has been pulled from the schedule. A rebroadcast of CSI will air in the Sunday (8:00-9:00 PM) time period on Oct. 28.
“If there ever was a season that I consider one of the best, it’s this one," said Bertram van Munster," executive producer, director and co-creator of THE AMAZING RACE. "It’s insanely funny, fast-paced and dramatic all at once. Teams are in hot pursuit of one another at every location and its reality television at its nail-biting best."
This season, teams will travel approximately 50,000 miles, covering five new countries including Ireland, Lithuania and Croatia.
In its 11 previous editions, broadcast in several time periods, THE AMAZING RACE has averaged more than 10 million viewers and a 4.1/10 in adults 18-49.
Jerry Bruckheimer, Bertram van Munster, Jonathan Littman and Hayma Screech Washington are the executive producers for Bruckheimer Television and Earthview Inc. in association with ABC Television Studio and Amazing Race Productions. THE AMAZING RACE was created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri. Phil Keoghan hosts.
