Recently in Amazing Race Category
I was bored; so I did a little Amazing Race photocap. So far I'm loving the new season, and even though some people have complained that this batch of racers may constitute the dumbest group of all time, I say that makes it all the better. After all, what's more fun and unpredictable than watching people with zero survival instincts fumbling their way across the globe? Case in point: the Chilean bus disaster that had ten teams navigating across the country on five buses (at least). You can't plan for that sort of chaos. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Missed destinations, cows shitting on contestants, ineptitude with stick shifts -- it all makes for hilarious yet gripping television. And did I mention playing dress-up with llamas? Yes, The Amazing Race never ceases to entertain.
Pics after the jump...
What would you do for a million dollars? Eat a starfish? Run around a foreign country in drag? Piss your pants? Clearly we found the answer to that question on last night's episode of The Amazing Race where (SPOILER ALERT) Jen and Kisha were eliminated in the most boneheaded and memorable of ways. Yes, with a shot at a million dollars on the line, Jen and Kisha opted to squander their miniscule lead over Jamie and Cara by stopping for a bathroom break. This clearly put new meaning (or rather, introduced old meaning) to the term "Pit Stop." With Jen pissing away her fortunes, the redheaded cheerleader bitches were able to sneak up from behind and claim the last spot in the finals, thus sending the sisters home defeated (yet relieved, we hope). I applaud Jen for seeking to maintain her dignity above all else, but seriously, when you've come this far — you gotta pee your pants. Heck, Allison from Big Brother 4 did it during an endurance competition. Or was it June? Either way, urination was had, and it was all in the name of money. Glorious, glorious money. What the HELL was Jen thinking?
What would you have done? Pissed your pants or hit the John?
Anyone who blocked out a few hours of time last night to watch The Amazing Race and The Celebrity Apprentice were thoroughly rewarded with a boatload of drama, comedy, and generally fun times. Plus, we got two cliffhangers that both made me want to go run screaming through the streets had I not already locked myself into a hermetically sealed-cocoon to stave off swine flu. Oh, it was fun television last night, and in the end, it can really be attributed back to an epic meltdown on the Apprentice and a hilarious foot massage on The Amazing Race.
But let's table The Apprentice for just a second (if that's EVEN possible) and talk about the Race. Continuing onwards through China, teams headed to Beijing where they encountered a brutal foot massage that may or may not have been administered to Mao Zedong's political foes. Surely this was a technique that Jack Bauer would do well to learn...
Tempers flared on The Amazing Race last night, making for yet another highly enjoyable episode in an already highly enjoyable season. The question remains: whose side do you take?
Let's recap the fight: it all started when the teams of Margie & Luke and Jen & Kisha encountered the same clue box at the same time. I didn't say they actually saw the clue box. Both duos managed to stand, walk, stare, amble, waft, and play ring-around-the-rosie directly in front of the box for about five minutes before they realized that oh yeah, the yellow and striped thing was in fact a clue box. I mean seriously, they wouldn't have noticed it if Phil had parachuted from the sky, grabbed the box, and banged them over the head with it. Anyway, Jen and Luke both noticed the box first, which led to a small yet influential bit of scampering. Luke got to the box first, causing Jen to bump into him. Or did she push him? From the camera angle, it looked like nothing more serious than a graze, but he insisted it was a downright shove; so he retaliated back by shoving an elbow in Jen's face. It wasn't as violent as an out-and-out elbowing, but it wasn't particularly polite either. Jen snapped back with an angry "Bitch!" and from there it was on...
PhilFrontalâ„¢
It's a shame CBS puts up such crappy Amazing Race photos on its website (they post production stills, not screen grabs of the show). Otherwise, I'd totally photocap the weekly globetrotting adventures of this still-great reality show. Nevertheless, I had to get a shot of Phil in his skivvies because, well, it's PHIL IN HIS SKIVVIES. 'nuff said.
Talk amongst yourselves.
"Just gotta dance! WITH MY GIRLFRIEND."
Today, The New York Times caught up with Nick Spangler, one half of this season's winning Amazing Race team, to chat about globetrotting, prize money, and his off-Broadway starring role in The Fantasticks.
Said Nick, "[The Fantastics] is a brilliant piece of work and I love singing the music. It’s classic musical theater and that’s where I thrive. Give me Rodgers and Hammerstein over 'American Idol' any day." No surprises there.
As for the prize money, Nick then states, "I have a girlfriend who I wish to make MORE than... so I’m fully aware that I need to be smart with my money. She’s just one of those gals who REALLY deserves more than I can give."
To which I say HMMMMMMMM....
For the full, albeit brief, interview, click here.
I'm really loving this latest season of The Amazing Race, but when it comes to building buzz on the Internet, CBS seems all backward. Absolutely none of the show's videos can be embedded, and that goes for previews of upcoming episodes. What sort of marketing genius thought that up? Wouldn't CBS want previews to be accessible on every site on the Internet? I imagine some myopic supervisor thought that by disabling embedding, it would draw traffic to CBS.com, but if there's anything I learned from my TVgasm days, it's that readers don't like to do anything that's inconvenient. Specifically, if you make content difficult to reach, it simply won't be reached.
It's bad enough that CBS posts only a handful of photos from each Amazing Race episode (usually three to four days after a show airs), but to deprive the blogosphere of usable video? That just seems cruel and unusual. It's especially maddening when compared to how accessible the network makes content for Big Brother. When that show is in season, the webmasters deluge us with images (upwards of a hundred per episode) and video that can be embedded. Why the change of heart for Amazing Race?
Awful.
(For a good recap, click here)
I was really hoping that CBS would have some photos up from last night's HI-larious Amazing Race so I could do a photocap (so much material!), but alas, the webmaster over there seems to be a tad slow/lazy, and as a result, there are no pics. Even worse, they're not even streaming episodes there after airing. And to add insult to injury, the videos that they do have up can't be embedded. Does CBS even want traffic? Nevertheless, all complaining aside, some of the unseen footage from The Amazing Race is comedic gold and worth seeking out. I particularly enjoyed this nearly two minute scene of Tina scolding Ken about ignoring Terrence and Sarah during their time of need. Her nonstop haranguing should be awful, but instead, it's just sadistically entertaining (especially if you add "CHEATER!" or "and on top of that, you CHEATED!" to the end of her sentences).
To see the video, click here.
