Looking at The Amazing Race Teams - Part 2

Yesterday I took a look at six of the teams we'll see on the upcoming season of The Amazing Race. Today it's time for the remaining five teams. The show premieres this coming Sunday at 8 PM ET/PT. The deadline for signing up to be in the blog pool is tomorrow. Margo is gathering names and will be posting who gets to cheer on whom after tomorrow.

Dan and Jordan - I guess this is our alpha male team for the season. Dan (24) and Jordan (22) Pious are brothers hailing from Barrington, Rhode Island. Dan is a financial advisor while Jordan is a strategic consultant. Um. Okay. When I was 24, no one would want me advising them on their finances. And, what exactly does a strategic consultant DO? Gotta love these listed careers.

Pros for them: They're young, they're healthy-looking, and probably more athletic on the whole than most of the other teams. They seem to be relatively intelligent. I bet they could even answer a question about geography.

Cons for them: They don't seem that well traveled. One of them, Dan, actually admits hating traveling. That could be interesting. They also are competitive and intense. I hope that doesn't equal fussing and fighting with each other like the last set of brothers on the show.

Jordan and Jeff - Well, these two look familiar! Where have we seen them before? Heh. The sweethearts from last season's Big Brother are listed as "newly dating" for TAR. Jordon Lloyd is 22, a receptionist (and BB11 half-million first place winner) from Charlotte, North Carolina. Jeff Schroeder is 31, a salesman and BB11 runner-up, from Norridge, Illinois.

Pros for them: They have the reality show experience and are used to being cooped-up with each other. Jeff, in particular, is pretty smart while Jordan definitely has her moments despite her reputation on BB11 and her phraseology. A pro for me is that I enjoy watching these two.

Cons for them: Jordan, in particular, hasn't traveled much at all and is very naive. In many online articles they've mentioned they bickered a lot on the race. I don't like that. Jordan doesn't always think quickly and Jeff tends to be impatient with her. We'll see. I'm still glad they got the chance to do the show.

Louie and Michael - These two are listed as friends and police detectives. Louie Stravato is 47, an undercover detective from Providence, Rhode Island. Michael Naylor is 45, also a detective from Providence.

Pros for them: I can only hope they're as entertaining as the clown team a few seasons back. Not that cops are clowns, but most cops I've known definitely have a great sense of humor, or at least one I can appreciate. Louie is also a cool name for a cop. Heh. They're both into weight-lifting and are athletic-ish. They're probably used to reasoning and following instructions, too.

Cons for them: Michael complains that Louie loves everyone while Louie claims Michael is a control freak. But I bet we're going to see these two get along very well as a team. I'm not seeing any real cons about the team. Perhaps they're not real well-traveled, I guess. I hope they live up to my entertainment expectations!

Monique and Shawne - Well, we had the cops, now we're to the attorneys. These women are listed as attorneys/moms. They're friends, too. Monique Pryor is 39 from West Orange, New Jersey. Shawne is 39 from Bowie, Maryland.

Pros for them: I have to say that since West Orange is near me, I need to root for Monique! That aside, they seem to be a strong female team. Both enjoy traveling and have indeed traveled outside of the country before. They're intelligent. They're both in good physical condition and younger than some of the other teams.

Cons for them: I'm not seeing too many cons at all. Perhaps an over-confidence in their own abilities might translate as cocky to other teams? I don't know. I think these two are going to be strong competitors.

Steve and Allison - This father/daughter team hails from Encinitas, California. Steve Smith is 47 and a professional baseball coach (Cleveland Indians). Allie Smith is 23 and in marketing.

Pros for them: They're probably fairly well-traveled (at least more than Jordan!). Unlike some father/daughter teams we've seen, they're not mending fences or working on their relationship. They're out to have a good time, create great memories, and maybe win a million dollars.

Pros for them: I think they're going to be a solid team, but perhaps not the best on an athletic angle. I also think the fact that he's a pro ball coach (he also coached the Phillies for their World Series win) might work against them. I'm always of the mind that if people really need the money, they should be working and not on reality television shows. However, lots of folks (including some others on shows) go by "need."

Racers ready?

Weather Update, Letterman's Survivor Top Ten Video

As of about 6:30 PM last night, the snow was officially just shy of waist-high to a six-year-old. Y'see, I don't own a yardstick, so I had to stick a kid in the snow. Christian from the third floor was happy to comply. No, he's not one of the rowdy mal-parented kids. He was out there with his mother building a snowman and playing. It's the most snow the Brooklyn native boy has ever seen. I think we're talking in the vicinity of 18 inches, nearby Westfield has an official 17.5".

Last night David Letterman's Top Ten featured castaways from Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains. Here's the video --

Christian's Snowman

Weather Report, Survivor Blog Pool Update

I snapped the two photos here in this post out my window just a few minutes ago. The good news is that the Winter Storm Warning until 6 AM (tomorrow) has been canceled according to the National Weather Service website. Yes, really!

The bad news is that it's been replaced with a Blizzard Warning of the same duration. Oh, well. I have no reason to go outside other than to maybe take some photographs. I'm already hearing of barricaded roads, tree limbs down and the like on my scanner. I had a package due today from Amazon. But checking the tracking -- "delayed due to weather or natural disaster." M'kay. As long as my power stays on, I'm as snug as a bug in a rug here.

If you haven't checked already, I have part one on the Amazing Race teams up and a brief on the Lost episode.

Margo sent me the final list of the Survivor blog pool --

Amanda - Terry in CA, Rbennie
Boston Rob - txrednkgirl
Candice - Lars, Meb
Cirie - Delee, PDX Granny
Coach - Merrilee, Dusty
Colby - Laurie, ML
Courtney - Donna in AL, Sally
Danielle - Sydney, Monty924
Evil Russell - RMJ in SC
J.T. - isuquinndog, Donna in FL
James - Lisanne, Sizzie
Jerri - Jennasmom, Becky
Parvati - Tessa
Randy - Zoetawny
Rupert - Jackie, Auntie Leigh
Sandra - Joy N
Stephenie - Nana in NW, Karen in CA
Sugar - Lynn1, Brent McKee
Tom - AlbGlinka, Margo's Mom
Tyson (Asst Coach or Naked guy) - SueGee

Looking at The Amazing Race Teams - Part 1

The new season of The Amazing Race premieres Sunday night, February 14, at 8 PM ET/PT. If you want to be a part of the blog pool, the deadline for joining is noon (ET) on Friday, February 12. The way it works is Margo is running the show ... well, maybe not the show itself, but the pool. Each participant is assigned a team to cheer on for as long as they last. The winners get mucho bragging rights and can prance around saying "neaner, neaner" to everyone else. Okay, I added in that last part. Margo should be coming around soon with the list and feel free to speak up in comments if you wish to join in on the fun!

Onto part one of the teams --

Joe and Heidi - This married couple hails from El Segundo, California. Joe Wang is 42, Heidi's 37. He's a software sales executive and she's a homemaker. They have two children. Heidi gave up a successful career in finance to stay home with the children.

Pros for them: Joe speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese. He also coaches youth sports which embody some good qualities for a racer (patience with others, will to win). Heidi lists traveling as a "hobby." Heidi also seems to be quite smart -- was voted "Most Likely to Succeed," "Most Likely to Win a Nobel Peace Prize," and class president in high school.

Cons for them: Heidi was also voted "Most Likely to Total Her Car." She says that Joe tends to be "intense, short-tempered, and thinks he's right all the time." Uh-oh. We've seen that before. I find that sort of racer hard to enjoy. Joe says Heidi can't multi-task. Huh? A mother who can't multi-task? Methinks Joe is wrong!

Jody and Shannon - Ah, a grandmother and granddaughter team! I know we've had grandfathers, but I'm blanking on whether a grandmother/female grandchild team before. Jody Kelly is 71 years-old, from Round Rock, Texas. She's a personal trainer. Shannon Foster is 22, from Georgetown, Texas. She's a healthcare outreach contract analyst.

Pros for them: Jody may be over seventy, but this woman is in great shape! Triathlons are listed amongst her "hobbies." She's proud of the fact she decided to lead a healthy athletic life and leave her sedentary style behind. Shannon is young, listing running, dancing, and swimming as hobbies -- all hobbies which require some stamina. She also seems well-schooled.

Cons for them: Jody thinks she's a comedian. That doesn't always work so well. All she could think to list as a pet peeve for Shannon is that her clothes are sometimes too revealing. Shannon thinks Jody can get a bit carried away and uptight. I don't know. They look like a pretty solid team to me despite Jody's age. (Mind you, I have nothing against 71-year-olds -- they just don't tend to fare well on the show.)

Jet and Cord - Jet and Cord, as unlikely as those names are, are brothers. They're also cowboys. Yippie-kiy-yay. For the icing on the cake, they're the real McCoys. Yep, that's their last name. Cord is a 29-year-old professional bull rider from Tupelo, Oklahoma. Jet is 30, a cowboy from Alda, Oklahoma.

Pros for them: Well, they're cowboys. If there's any horse-riding or bull-wrangling to be done, they're going to stomp the competition! On a serious note, they're both athletic, always a big help on the race.

Cons for them: Neither seem to be too well-traveled outside of the rodeo circuit, especially seem to be lacking foreign travel experience. Cord says Jet likes to voice his opinion (too much?). Jet says Cord isn't punctual. Both seem to think communication and decision-making might present problems. I wonder if they're going to wear their cowboy hats through the various countries.

Dana and Adrian - This married couple were high school sweethearts while attending Los Angeles High School. Adrian Davis, age 40, is in medical sales. Dana Davis, age 39, is a market manager. They live in Arlington, Texas.

Pros for them: They're (thankfully) not in the race to test their relationship or to work out problems one way or another. They seem to be a very solid couple with a good relationship. He seems to lean towards the athletic side while she's proud of her academic achievements. Both appear to be driven to succeed.

Cons for them: She says he burps. I so don't want to see a man burping all season. He better not! They don't seem to have any immediate big drawbacks. They might not be all that well-traveled in light of foreign countries and probably just speak English.

Carol and Brandy - Oh, a middle-aged and youngish-middle-aged female dating couple! I believe that's a first for the show! Both are from Los Angeles. Carol Rosenfeld is 47 and a consultant. Brandy Snow is 40 and an actress. Well, we've certainly had actresses on the show before!

Pros for them: Brandy speaks Spanish. Both enjoy traveling and might even have some foreign travel behind them. They're both very confident women who want to prove a female team can win. Carol seems to be more the intellectual while Brandy is more athletic.

Cons for them: There might be a bit of conflict. Brandy thinks that Carol tends to be too rigidly structured at times. Carol says Brandy is a biter. Yikes! I can see her running up to other teams now, biting them so they'll screw up a challenge! I don't know. I'm not seeing any obvious flaws with the team, but as they say -- others are younger and might be faster.

Brent and Caite - Dating models @@. Just what we needed, eh? Brent Horne (which makes me think of a porn name, something like Bent Horny ... heehee) is 28 and from Columbia, South Carolina. Caite Upton is only 20. Hmm ... I thought you had to be 21 to be on the show! But, you see, she's special. She's the Miss Teen USA gal who royally flubbed when asked a question about students not knowing geography (many people don't have maps). She's a model from Lexington, South Carolina.

Pros for them: Um. Well, they're young and healthy. They're both athletic. They're pretty people. Both have traveled a bit.

Cons for them: They seem a bit shallow. Both want to build their relationship. I don't know. Unless it turns out that their personalities are so intriguing that I want them to do well, I just don't care about this team. She got in there because she was dumb while pretty on national television.

Part two down the road, hopefully later today as I'm snowed in anyway!

Lost - "What Kate Does"

Well, the latest snowstorm (supposedly 12 to 18 inches) has started as I get this written up. Of course, as long as the power stays on, that makes things perfect for television watching. Not that I really need a reason, as you know. I was going to write up the latest American Idol Hollywood Week with Ellen DeGeneres starting her judge reign. But I don't have much to say about it. Eh.

Onto to tonight's show. I remain a tad lost. I'm glad I'm not doing in-depth review/recaps of the show anymore. True Lost geeks would rip me apart. Okay, here's my dilemma:

After last week, I thought that perhaps Sayid had been taken over by the dead/undead Jacob. I thought by him telling Hurley to take Sayid to the temple that the folks there were FoJ. That would be Friends of Jacob, natch. Hmmm ... so they try to save him, it doesn't seem to work, then it works. So this week they torture him, determine he failed (although they told him he passed), and try to poison him. What does it all mean? Jacob didn't enter his body, but someone else? We already know the Jacob's archenemy has taken over Locke's body.

Sawyer's actions seemed very typical Sawyer. I would have liked to have heard more from the black armed guy who escorted Jin and Kate as they went after Sawyer. So, Danielle has been dead for years and Kate knows the one "escort," or should know him.

The Kate/Claire alternate universe (whatever!) storyline was interesting. I'm sure they will meet up again. I'm really not sure what to say about it. Kate does have a way about her, though. She's right that she can be very convincing. Yet she never comes across as really evil.

Your thoughts on tonight's episode?