The Amazing Race 26 - March 6 Blog Party

 

It's Friday night! I hope you haven't forgotten that it's time for The Amazing Race! So far, I'm generally liking most of the couples -- both the "real" couples and the blind date couples. I'm not too keen on Kurt of Kurt and Bergen fame. He seems to be working against his partner and I'm thinking they won't last long due to him. I'm really enjoying how both Jelani/Jenny and Tyler/Laura have been working together for folks just thrown in with each other.

Here's the updated blog pool presented by the Magnificent Margo:

Mike and Rochelle - Cheryl in NC, Laurie

Aly and Steve - Jackie, SueGee

Harley and Jonathan - Becky, Willie J

Matt and Ashley - Delee, Merrilee

Bergen and Kurt - Nana in NW, Rbennie

Blair and Hayley - Terry in TX, Margo, Chris

Jeffrey and Jackie - Brian, Donna in AL, ORKMommy

Jelani and Jenny - Marlo, Lynn 1, dla

Tyler and Laura - Ed in OH, David, Nickelpeed

PHILIMINATED:

Jeff and Lyda - Jennasmom, Paula Bell, meb

Lebya ang CJ - Donna in FL, PDXGranny

As the show airs here, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As always, the real party will be in the comments area. Come join us there!

Teams are flying to Thailand. Uh-oh. Harley/Jonathan get a really later flight.

Oh, geez. They're doing something with "selfie sticks." I'm not too pleased with the selfie craze hitting the show. They have to find a clue in an upside-down house.

Detour - Ski or Tree. Ski has them doing an obstacle course on a waveboard ski. Tree has them delivering a meal via zipline. Dang, Hayley is annoying as she goes off on Blair because they did the task wrong.

Oh, my! Rochelle and Mike take over the lead! Who woulda thunk it? They now have to dress as go-go dancers and learn a choreographed routine. They made it through the dance routine and are heading to the Pit Stop!

1. Mike and Rochelle - Won a trip to Prague. 

Matt left his fanny pack behind at the dance hall. They have to go back.

2. Haley and Blair

3.Tyler and Laurie

4. Aly and Steve

5. Jelani and Jenny

6. Jackie and Jeffrey

7. Matt and Ashley

8. Kurt and Bergen

(I think ... they all came stampeding in.)

Matt proposes to Ashley! How exciting!

9. Harley and Jonathan -- A non-Philimination! They're still in it!

Survivor: Worlds Apart - March 4 Blog Party

Survivor fans ready?

As the show airs here on the East Coast, I'll be posting the major happenings in live time here on this entry. Refresh the page to get the latest news! As you all know, the real party is in the comments -- I hope to see you there!

The Lovely Lifeguard Laurie is once again running the blog pool (thank you!)  The one person who had So, booted on the premiere night, has been reassigned to another castaway. We hardly got to know So!

Blue Collar
Dan - Brian, CherylinNC 
Kelly - Petals, Ed in Ohio 
Lindsey - Donna in FL, David 
Mike - meb, Nickelpeed
Rodney - Margo 
Sierra - Jennasmom

No Collar
Hali - Zoetawny, monty924 
Jenn - Merrilee, Becky 
Joe - SueGee, Chris 
Nina - Lynn1 
Vince - Delee 
Will - Rbennie

White Collar
Carolyn - Jackie TerryinTX 
Joaquin - Laurie, Rochelle 
Max - PDX Granny, Marlo 
Shirin - NanaintheNW 
Tyler - Donna in Alabama, ORKMommy

Out! 
So

Okay, it's on with the show we will go!

Heh. Dan lost his underwear and has juryrigged his t-shirt to cover himself. I'd rather him in that than in his "manties" which looked like Speedos. Yikes, Max is calling the ghost of Richard Hatch and skinnydipping. Now Shirin is walking around bottomless. Now the No Collar gals are skinnydipping and leaving poor deaf Nina behind.

Vince definitely has issues. He's so jealous about Joe that it's ridiculous.

Immunity Challenge time. Dive, swim to platform, maneuver buoys through course, get them all in baskets. Massive fishing reward for first place. Line, lures and spear for second place. No Collar and Blue Collar in the lead. Whoa, Shirin made time for White Collar while Will blows the chance to win for No Collar. Joaquin is making hoops quickly.

White Collar wins! Blue Collar takes second place! No Collar goes to Tribal.

Will is weak. Nina is unpopular. Joe and Vince are power fighters. This should be interesting. Joe thinks Nina might have the idol. They're planning on splitting the vote. Will is thinking he, Vince and Nina can flip the vote. Then Nina puts a bug in Will's ear that Vince is worried about his health. "It's going to be a doozy."

Tribal Council time.

The tally --
Jenn, Vince, Nina, Jenn, Vince, Vince.

He's in shock. Vince is gonzo.

Off Topic: That Was the Week It Was - March 1, 2015

Good morning! It's Sunday. You know what that means -- it's time for my weekly off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photos I've taken along the way.

Once again this week, the photos are a bit lacking. It's been way too cold to play with the various features of the new camera. They've determined it to be the third coldest February on record here. Only 1934 and 1895 were colder. But, of course, they didn't measure windchill temperatures back then. It probably hasn't been much colder than where I spent a good part of my youth in Saratoga County, New York. But I was a kid then. Cold doesn't matter as much to a child! Nor does a child have a fancy-schmancy new camera to explore!

We're due more snice (snow/ice) later today and during the overnight hours. We haven't had the snowfall amounts of Massachusetts. But, for some reason, every time it snows, we come out of the deep freeze momentarily and get ice, then return to the deep freeze. 

Unfortunately, because the new camera is too big to fit in my pocket and I didn't take it with me for a brief walk to PetSmart (someone demanded I not come home without cat treats) one evening at my workplace, I missed what probably was a shot of my lifetime.

I kept hearing ooo-oooo noises and footsteps behind me. I thought a child was imitating an owl. I slowed to a stop and the maker of the footsteps walked by. It was an older woman! I heard ooo-oooo again. I looked up. There was a HUGE OWL atop the nearby parking lot lamp! It wasn't a snowy white owl -- it was brown or grey, hard to tell in the dark. But it was HUGE! I told him to stay there and ran back to work for my camera. When I returned, he was gone. ARGH! I haven't seen an owl in person since childhood and never one that big.

Other than that, I don't have much to report from this end. I'm still not 100% health-wise and realize I probably will never be. I still really, really, really want to retire and do something I enjoy. Yet I don't dare as I can't cut my income. Gah. Childhood was a lot easier.

Onto the photos for the week --

 A very cold Big Top

You would think that, after last year's horrible winter, the Big Apple Circus might think of scheduling its annual appearance in Bridgewater, New Jersey, a few weeks later. Nope. There they are! I would imagine there's some kind of heat in the tents. But going there in this frigid weather to watch a dog and pony show would be amongst the last things on my list of fun stuff to do.

Like ships passing in the night

It's trains passing in the day! I took this shot just east of the Plainfield Train Station. While the locomotives are both facing the same way, the locomotive on the right is pushing the train while the one with the headlights is pulling the train.

The one coming my way (headlights) is a newer dual duty locomotive -- both diesel for my train line and has an extendable doohickey to attach to overhead wires, thus being powered by electricity to go into NYC. Diesel trains aren't allowed in the tunnels. (We're all gonna DIE!) Most of the trains on my line stop at Newark Penn Station and passengers have to transfer to get into Manhattan. Now they're up to several trains daily directly in and out of the city or, as they say, one seat rides.

**CLICK THE 'READ MORE' LINK TO SEE THE REST OF THE PHOTOS**

The Amazing Race 26 Blog Party - February 27

 

Yes, we're here on Friday nights once again. I hated the Sundays due to delays. However, I really think they must have had a fall-off in ratings moving it to the Friday 8pm ET/PT slot. I know that many of the readers here kept forgetting it was on or had Friday evening plans.

In the premiere the other night, we saw three of the "blind date" couples arrive at the mat in the top three. Will that repeat tonight?

Here's the updated blog pool presented by the Magnificent Margo:

Mike and Rochelle - Cheryl in NC, Laurie

Aly and Steve - Jackie, SueGee

Lebya ang CJ - Donna in FL, PDXGranny

Harley and Jonathan - Becky, Willie J

Matt and Ashley - Delee, Merrilee

Bergen and Kurt - Nana in NW, Rbennie

Blair and Hayley - Terry in TX, Margo, Chris

Jeffrey and Jackie - Brian, Donna in AL, ORKMommy

Jelani and Jenny - Marlo, Lynn 1, dla

Tyler and Laura - Ed in OH, David, Nickelpeed

PHILIMINATED:

Jeff and Lyda - Jennasmom, Paula Bell, meb

Attention CHRIS -- I saw your name was on the list to sign up and was somehow missed. You now are on the Blair/Hayley team! My apologies!

As the show airs here on the East Coast, this entry will be updated with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest! As always, the real party is in the comments area. I hope to see you there!

Heh. They all have to sleep in tiny places that Tokyo is known for. 

They're staying in Japan for now, but don't ask me to spell the name of the next town. They have to get there by bullet train.

Roadblock - Open a trick box by using a series of complicated moves, follow clue inside. There's a spa trip for one couple to be used the pit stop. A loud band is there for annoyance while the puzzle box is being worked on.

CJ and Lebya, already trailing, missed their train while talking about the train. 

Tyler and Laura are the first through the Roadblock. Jelani and Jenny follow them.

Detour -- Hitting the Ice (Chair) or Noodling with a favorite dish (share). Share has them feeding each other a bowl of noodles. A fan is blowing to make the noodles fly in the wind.

Tyler and Laura are the first heading to the Pit Stop. They did not hold their taxi. Jelani and Jenny finish and their cab is waiting. They take the lead. 

Chair has them pushing their partners around in a chair while on skates. Most chose Share. The Olympians chose the Chair.

Pit Stop:

1. Jelani and Jenny - won a FitBit kit, a year of gym, a year of groceries and more. 

2. Laura and Tyler 

Jonathan and Harley got the Date Spa Night slip. 

3. Aly and Steve 

4. Jonathan and Harley

5. Bergen and Kurt

6. Jackie and Jeffrey

7. Matt and Ashley 

8. Mike and Rochelle 

9. Blair and Hayley 

10. CJ and Lebya -- Philiminated

The Amazing Race 26 Season Premiere Blog Party and Pool!

 

Whoa! What a night of television! First we had the season premiere of Survivor: Worlds Apart, now the big twist on the premiere of this season's The Amazing Race! For those of you who might be unaware (I don't know how, but ...!), the theme for this season is "dating couples." That's not a big twist until you note that five of the eleven couples are on a blind date around the world. TAR hasn't really been a show full of "twists" like Survivor or Big Brother, but this season we have one.

After tonight's season premiere, The Amazing Race will be shown in its new (as of last season) time slot -- Friday nights at 8pm ET/PT. That will start THIS Friday, February 27th! I will have a blog party post set up for the show ... please remember it's on!

As tonight's show airs here on the East Coast, I'll update this entry with the major happenings. Refresh the page to get the latest update! 

The Magnificent Margo (and Mom) have made the random matches for the blog pool and here they are:

Mike & Rochelle - Cheryl in NC, Laurie

Aly & Steve - Jackie, SueGee

Lebya & CJ - Donna in FL, PDXGranny

Harley & Jonathan - Becky, Willie J

Jeff & Lyda - Jennasmom, Paula Bell, meb

Matt & Ashley - Delee, Merrilee

Bergen & Kurt - Nana in NW, Rbennie

Blair & Hayley - Terry in TX, Margo

Jeffrey & Jackie - Brian, Donna in AL, ORKMommy

Jelani & Jenny - Marlo, Lynn 1, dla

Tyler & Laura - Ed in OH, David, Nickelpeed

Without further ado, it's onto the show ...

The five single men are standing apart. Phil will bring on the gals. And, there they are. They have to race through a mud run course to get the first flight (eight tickets) to Tokyo. An Express Pass will go to the winner of the leg and there's a U-Turn on this first leg.

Haley/Blair, Mike/Rochelle and Lebya/CJ are one the second flight. I think. I'll fix that if I'm wrong. The first flight will land 45 minutes earlier than the second.

Each team has been given a "selfie camera." @@ 

Detour - Synching Steps (choreographed dancing) or Samurai Sake (memorizing traditional sakes and taking orders).  

Jeff and Jackie get through the Detour first. They don't U-Turn anyone. They're now heading to the Pit Stop, but that's a challenge in and of itself. It's a parking garage. Jelani/Jenny and then Tyler/Laura come through, didn't U-Turn. NSYNC is lost.

Jelani and Jenny win the first leg and the Express Pass!

2. Jeff and Jackie 

3. Laura and Tyler

(Note all three are blind dates.) 

4. Aly and Steve

5. Harley and Jonathan

6. Bergen and Kurt 

Mike/Rochelle U-Turn the only team behind them they know of -- Jeff and Lyda. The other two teams come through, don't use the U-Turn and are shocked that Mike/Rochelle did that to Jeff/Lyda. 

7. Mike and Rochelle 

Jeff/Lyda U-Turn Jeff/Jackie not knowing they're already through.

8. Hayley and Blair

9. Matt and Ashley 

Lebya and CJ are totally lost. But they're there!

10. Lebya and CJ

11. Jeff and Lyda -- Philiminated.