Reality TV Fear Factor

Just in case anyone's interested, on February 21st Reichen (of Chip and Reichen, the winners of Amazing Race Four) will be one of the contestants on Reality TV Star Fear Factor.

Other contestants will be Omarosa from The Apprentice, Ryan Sutter from both The Bachelorette and Trisa & Ryan's Wedding, Ethan Zohn from Survivor, Jenna (not sure if it's Lewis or Morasca) from Survivor, and Nicki McKibbon from American Idol.

Episode 11 - My Thoughts

And I'm back. In somewhat good creative form. This post may grow after I rewatch the episode, but these were my first impressions:

Poor Kendra getting all sick from the Ethiopian food. I totally feel for you. Note: Skip down to the next paragraph unless you don't mind reading a fairly gross comparision and a potentially offensive movie quote. My introduction to Ethiopian food was in the movie When Harry Met Sally. Billy Crystal is talking about a date he just went on, and he explains "She said she wanted to go for Ethiopian food and I thought, 'Great! We'll order two empty plates and go home!'". Keep in mind, the movie was taking place during the Live Aid era. I got suckered into going to an Ethiopian restaurant a few years ago, The House of Lalibela in Minneapolis. The restaraunt has since closed and has been replaced by Molly Quinn's Irish Pub, in case anyone's interested. I'm not the most adventurous of food eaters, but I do dig a lot of Egyptian and Middle Eastern food, so I thought I'd be fine. The people in my group decided to order the combination platters, and what came were these huge plates with mounds of different unidentifiable lumps all over it. There wasn't any silverware and instead we were given these cold, rubbery gray pancake things that you put in your hand, placed over your desired cuisine, and put in your mouth. The only thing I can compare it to is, well, you know how when you walk your dog (not that I really know 'cause I've never owned one, but I want one of these and name it Gatsby) in the park and there are those stands with plastic baggies that you use to pick up the poo? Yeah, like that.

Okay!

I'm going to miss Lori and Bolo, mainly because they kept giving me these great one liners (and if you want to hear another great Boloism, check out their Early Show interview from this morning!). My favorite from last night? "I'm gonna run like the police are chasing me, 'cause I know how to do that 'cause I'm used to it." Lori can totally hold her own on that front, too. Right before she starts running, "I wish I didn't have to pee!" To be honest, I would think that's maybe an advantage--wouldn't it make you go faster?

And on to Sri Lanka. I imagine it must have been so surreal for these racers to hear about the Tsunami after having just been there. The train in this picture was the one the racers took between Colombo and Galle. Normally I hate it when TV shows go all sentimental and "dedicating episodes" on our ass about stuff. Maybe I'm just cynical, but I see it as a ratings getter--especially in the wake of 9/11 when every single sitcom had someone wearing an FDNY hat or shirt at some point in the show in the episodes that were filmed after everything happened. But this was different, seeing as how it was filmed months before and they had to show the leg otherwise everyone would be like, "now, where did the frozen implant woman go?!". I thought Phil's introduction was very good, and actually heartfelt, and that's all I'm going to say about it.

I liked this detour a lot. Climb like a monkey, or ride an elephant? I'm not sure what I would have chosen, but it would have been harder had they not provided coconut slabs to step on while climbing, or make the players drive the elephants as well as hit the polo ball. My favorite moment was Hayden after she completed the task and she looks at the camera and says, "The only way to get over your fears is by...is by...um, doing them?!" There was a lift at the end of that statement that she wasn't exactly sure of herself. I think her fear of heights is one that she's not ready to let go of yet, and I feel a Flo coming on next week.

Hey! Adam said monkey! I gave anyone who had Adam and Rebecca five points.

I think I've found my favorite mode of transportation, and it's a Tuk Tuk. They've been around in this show for a while, and I just think they're cool. I want one. But maybe only if it has Bolo's head peaking out of it, because that was awesome.

And Adam and Rebecca's Tuk Tuk stops for gas. Seriously, do these guys have bad car-ma or what?!

And onto one of my favorite Roadblocks. It's totally a rip-off of the Season 1 Episode 2 Eiffel Tower / Arc d'Triomphe roadblock, and it's really too bad Freddy didn't pull a Lenny.

They swam to the pitstop? I'm going to just call that a shoutout to the Twinkies from last season.

This is it for now, I will hopefully be back later with some more. Woo hoo! Scrappy's thoughts are back!

WEEK 12 BONUS QUESTION

So, I've found a new website that I'm totally addicted to. But I'm not going to tell you what it is until next week, because it would make the answer too easy!

Question: The teams ran the race from mid-Augustish to mid-Septemberish. Chances are, they may have been in Sri Lanka on the holiday that is described as such:

During the month of August the conducting of the first Dhamma Sangayana (Convocation) is commemorated. This was held three months after the passing away of The Buddha. Five hundred Arahat Theros participated in the convocation which was help over seven months in the cafe at the foot of the Rajagahanuvara Vebhara Rock.

Good luck!

Pool Standings After Week 11

1. Karen 3345 3 teams (Hayden & Aaron, Kris & Jon, Adam & Rebecca)
2. Judy 3100 3 teams (Hayden & Aaron, Freddy & Kendra, Adam & Rebecca)
3. Scott 2905 2 teams (Kris & Jon, Freddy & Kendra)
4. Jonathan 2845 2 teams (Kris & Jon, Adam & Rebecca)
5. Mike 2385 2 teams (Hayden & Aaron, Freddy & Kendra)
6. Ami 2380 1 team (Kris & Jon)
7. Jan 2255 1 team (Kris & Jon)
8. June 2165 1 team (Adam & Rebecca)
9. Jay 1910 2 teams (Hayden & Aaron, Freddy & Kendra)
10. Jill 1890 1 team (Hayden & Aaron)
11. Samuel 1865 1 team (Hayden & Aaron)
12. Kristen 1835 2 teams (Hayden & Aaron, Freddy & Kendra)
13. Chris 1800 2 teams (Hayden & Aaron, Kris & Jon)
14. Curt 1745 1 team (Adam & Rebecca)
15. Caitlin 1705 1 team (Hayden & Aaron)
16. Lee 1665 1 team (Hayden & Aaron)
17. Stephanie 1590 1 team (Adam & Rebecca)
18. Eric 1355 1 team (Hayden & Aaron)
19. Jack 1010 1 team (Hayden & Aaron)
20. Allegra 940 1 team (Kris & Jon)
21. Ben 925 0 teams
22. Dave 900 0 teams
23. Kristin 850 0 teams
24. Bill 615 0 teams
25. Boogie 540 0 teams

And that's how the scores stand going into the last two rounds. It's time to start thinking about those final wagers! After next week, everyone needs to send me the name of the team they think will win as well as how many points they would like to wager. It will be out of these four, as next week will be a non-elimination round due to the "Phil turns into a mugger and takes all your money" rule they have (I don't think they'd make a team run the final leg with no cash). Here are how the teams have placed in the legs so far:

Adam and Rebecca: 7, 6, 5, 6, 6, 5, 1 (Fast Forward), 5, 4 (average 5)

Freddy and Kendra: 4, 8, 6, 5, 1, 6, 2, 4, 3 (average 4.33)

Hayden and Aaron: 1, 4, 1, 4, 3, 4, 6, 1, 2 (average 2.89)

Kris and Jon: 2, 1, 2, 1, 4, 2, 4, 3, 1 (average 2.22)

As a comparison, these are the average placings of the five teams that have won the race:

Season One: Rob and Brennan: 1, 3, 3, 6, 4, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1 (average 2.46)

Season Two: Chris and Alex: 6, 2, 7, 7, 1, 6, 2, 2, 1, 3, 3, 3, 1 (average 3.38)

Season Three: Flo and Zack: 2, 5, 3, 2, 4, 2, 1, 2, 5, 3, 2, 3, 1 (average 2.69)

Season Four: Chip and Reichen: 9, 2, 3, 5, 4, 2, 5, 2, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1 (average 3.15)

Season Five: Chip and Kim: 8, 8, 7, 1, 4, 2, 1, 3, 2, 4, 1, 2, 1 (average 3.38)

OVERALL AVERAGE: 3.02

So, what does this all tell us? If your name is Chip, you have a good chance of winning.

Reality Recycle

If you haven't already heard, It's official: Amber and Rob from Survivor will be running the next Amazing Race. Ish. Scrappy is all for it. I have my doubts.

WEEK 11 BONUS ANSWER

The two athletes who raised their fists on the medal stand were Tommie Smith and John Carlos. It was the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, and the event was the 200 meter run.

Starting Tomorrow

I will be trying out a brand new format of "my thoughts" sections. If they write themselves quite well, we'll carry them on to Amazing Race 7. I think my brain has just kind of collapsed and couldn't think of anything to say the last two weeks. Except:

Episode Nine:
Adam in the diving suit: did he remind you more of Bubble Boy or the Stay-Puff Marshmallow man?!

Episode Ten:
It's over. He who is vile is off of our TV Screens! And I have one thing to say: Voldemort Can't Stop the Rock!!

A tired recapper, signing off. Answer the evite, people!

Voldemort quit the race?

According to this article, He-who-is-vile briefly considered dropping out of the race after he and Victoria arrived at the Berlin pit stop, the infamous end of leg when he shoved her. Apparently he was mad at "how it was handled." I went back and reread the paragraph three times to make sure isn't wasn't Victoria who was being quoted. What did he have to be so angry about? Those 7 hours he dropped out must of been the happiest of the whole race for the producers and other racers (up until J & V were officially eliminated).

POOL Standings after week 10

Karen lost a team! I didn't think it would ever happen. Actually, the only one left with all four teams is my mom. Here are the standings after week ten:

1. Karen 3070
2. Judy 2935
3. Scott 2735
4. Jonathan 2730
5. Ami 2290
6. Mike 2215
7. June 2210
8. Jan 2165
9. Jill 1870
10. Samuel 1805
11. Curt 1750
12. Kristen 1735
13. Jay 1700
14. Caitlin 1685
15. Lee 1605
16. Chris 1550
17. Stephanie 1525
18. Eric 1225
19. Ben 955
20. Dave 930
21. Jack 920
22. Allegra 820
23. Kristin 810
24. Bill 685
25. Boogie 610

This week also marks the week that the first pool participant lost their last team: and that honor goes to Kristin. Look at it this way: at least you can't lose any more points! But keep doing the bonus!

Bonus Question - Week 11

I don't know much about Ethiopia--except that I don't like Ethiopian food. So I'm going to pose a bonus question about something else.

As Voldemort and She's in Denial marched towards the pitstop, Voldemort told all the kids walking with them to raise their fist in the air and put their head downs. This was a popular symbol of "black power" during the Civil Rights movement.

Question: Name the Olympic Games (location and year) in which three athletes did that on the medal stand, the event, and the athletes' names.

Good luck!

ANSWER TO BONUS QUESTION - WEEK 10

Jean Jacque Rosseau was the philosopher who said that one day Corsica would astonish Europe. And he was right! Three years later, in 1765, Napolean Boneparte was born on Corsica and went on to conquer quite a bit of Europe before being banished.

WEEK 10 - Bonus question

This week we find the teams at a pit stop in Corsica, an island steeped in history and tradition. Name the philosopher who, in 1762, had this to say about Corsica: "One day this little island will astonish Europe."

Hint: Are you totally Lost?!

POOL STANDINGS

After Episode 9:

1. Karen 2810
2. Scott 2625
3. Judy 2545
4. Jonathan 2520
5. Ami 2220
6. Mike 2165
7. Jan 2055
8. June 2030
9. Jill 1620
10. Samuel 1555
11. Jay 1550
12. Kristen 1525
13. Curt 1470
14. Stephanie 1445
15. Caitlin 1435
16. Lee 1355
17. Chris 1330
18. Eric 1075
19. Kristin 870
20. Ben 815
21. Jack 810
22. Dave 790
23. Allegra 750
24. Bill 585
25. Boogie 510

Have no fear everyone! It's still anyone's game. This is why: Karen has 2810, followed by Scott with 2625. Since the game turns into a Final Jeopardy situation going into the finale where everyone wagers points, Karen would have to wager 2441 points to ensure that she wins if Scott pulls a good ol' Daily Double and bets it all. If Karen is wrong, she would be left with 369 points, thereby proving that anyone still has a chance of winning.

Ergo, do your bonus questions to stay in the game!!

WEEK 9 BONUS - ANSWER

People go to the town of Mariapocs on pilgrimage to see the statue of the weeping black madonna. However, the real one was taken by Maria Therese to St. Stephen's in Vienna.

Amazing Race 1 on DVD

This doesn't say much, but here's a small link I just found.

Because IKEA Never Stops Being Funny

For no apparent reason (other than juvenile humor), check this out!

Week 9 BONUS QUESTION

This is kind of lame, but I used up my good Hungarian trivia on last week's question.

Two Parts!!!

Why do people flock to the town of Máriapócs, but where should they really be going?

EPISODE 8 - MY THOUGHTS

Okay, Scrappy's back from skiing. With a bum knee (but that's okay). My notes from last nigth's episode seem to be very messy, so I'm going to do my best to interpret them.

We start at the internet cafe in Hungary. Now, I don't profess to be a regular internet cafe earlier, but the hours of operations were 10.00 pm - 10.00 am? From the looks of the sign outside the place, I think the one they were in is number 8 on this list, and it looks like the hours are noon to ten PM. Of course, it could be that they didn't want the racers in there the same time as normal patrons, so maybe it makes sense? It make more sense than Adam not being able to figure out how to use AOL! And, dudes, it would have been so much cooler if they had made them search for their next clue using the internet or something.

Yea, Bolo and Lori caught up on a 2.55 AM train! And, as Bolo said, "If we aren't last, God is with us." Of all the teams, I didn't see them invoking the Big Dude first! And I liked him whistling for a cab and Lori admonishing, "Bolo, this ain't New York!"

Kris, I'm glad to know that Gothic architecture makes you happy. Jon, just keep Pillars of the Earth on her bedside table at all time.

We've had Transportation Gates #1, #2, and #3 in the last two seasons. Now, we have GATE-GATE. Yes, Freddy, you got a little bump on your supermodel face. Because that's so much more ugly and distracting as that combination of black plastic glasses and red do-rag thang you got goin' on. Word to the indignant nerd.

Much more fascinating that GATE-GATE was the mauling of the route marker (or, as Lori put it, the cremation thereof). Seriously, dudes. I did like the fact that it was all the big guys and Hayden in the fracas. But the wrestlers (surprise!) came out victorious in the physical fight. As they left on the little train (which has nothing on this train --scroll down, bottom row of four pictures, third picture. Yep, that's inside a saltmine in a mountain!). And here is one of the conversations that endears me to Lori and Bolo (more to come this episode): Bolo: [general glee] Woo hoo! We're first! Lori: It don't mean we're ahead! Bolo: Yeah it does, we're out first! And they take off to the Fast Forward, but not before Bolo did an extended and hilarious "Let's make fun of pretty boy Freddy". Word to the wrestler.

Jon, get Kris one of the trains, too. Because, according to her, it's all vibraty and she wants to go again. She must have gotten a bit addled, as she kepts referring the Hayden and Aaron as "Heron and Aidan". That to me screams an Irish man's guide to waterfowl.

All of the other teams ride the little train. But no one's funny.

Let's give a shout out to the Hungarian Taxi Drivers once more. Hera: Do you speak English? HTD: No. Brilliant.

I had no idea that Hungary was known for Waterpolo and blowing up things without the use of electricity. But, apparently, they are! Well, waterpolo at least. I can't find any evidence of them being good at blowing things up without electricity. But neither are Gus and Hera, so it's okay.

Waterpolo was fun, wasn't it? Personally I would have rather played hockey or table tennis. But my mom was happy that Kris and Jon did waterpolo, as she exclaimed, "Oh my God, he is hot! I never realized that Jon's hotness was a disputable fact. I do hope that the teams are all a bit smug watching last night's episode as they saw everybody get it in on the first try (or, at least we saw them get it in on the first try). My favorite moment of that sequence goes to Adam and Rebecca. Rebecca has the ball and she's going for the goal and yells to Adam, "Distract him!" What does Adam do? Puts his had out of the water, waves, and shyly says, "Hi!" I'm certain that's what Rebecca had in mind.

Poor Gus and Hera. They really shouldn't pick detour options no one else is going to do. I helped pump up an air mattress at Christmas this year and it took forever. I can't imagine doing it with a whole raft.

Cut to Lori and Bolo driving to the Fast Forward. In another moment of Bolo's mastery of the English language, Lori is complaning and worried that they aren't going to find the place and they're going to come in last, and Bolo says, "You're the biggest optimist I've ever seen in my life." I'm hoping it was sarcastic. But, with Bolo? You really can't be sure. But they were totally masters at that Fast Forward! Drinking the stuff I'm sure is nasty. But eating it is even worse.

I love spicy food. But I have had some Hungarian dishes that were spicier than any Thai food I've ever had. I agree with Jon that the cook maybe should tone it down a bit next time. That's all I'm going to say about that who roadblock.

And the race to the pitstop. My favorite line of this sequence goes to Adam, who thought that a funicular was a small person bicycle. No, it's not. But here's a song about a Funicula. I've been on two of them. One in Paris and one in Salzburg. They are cool, and I don't blame Adam and Rebecca for wanting to take it instead of climbing the hill. But they shouldn't have stopped to watching the changing of the guard! But Adam was very cute when he said, "Don't stop to watch--I'll bring you back". I can't help but really dig these two. Hellboy horns and all.

Oh dude, that was the best ethnic greeter ever! Even better than the dude at the castle in Scotland!

Well Gus and Hera, it's time to say goodbye. But it's a relief that as one SpyDaddy leaves my TV, the best SpyDaddy come on my screen at 8 pm tonight!

WEEK 8 STANDINGS (with how many / which teams left)

1. Karen 2395 (4 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Kris & Jon, He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Adam and Rebecca)
2. Scott 2275 (4 teams: Kris & Jon, He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Freddy & Kendra, Lori & Bolo)
3. Jonathan 2090 (4 teams: Kris & Jon, He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Adam & Rebecca, Lori & Bolo)
4. Judy 2080 (4 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Adam & Rebecca, Freddy & Kendra, Lori & Bolo)
5. Mike 1970 (3 teams: Hayden & Aaron, He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Freddy & Kendra)
6. Ami 1960 (3 teams: Kris & Jon, He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Lori & Bolo)
7. Jan 1795 (3 teams: Kris & Jon, He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Lori & Bolo)
8. June 1660 (3 teams: He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Adam & Rebecca, Lori & Bolo)
9. Jill 1495 (2 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Lori & Bolo)
10. Samuel 1390 (2 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Lori & Bolo)
11. Jay 1385 (2 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Freddy & Kendra)
12. Kristen 1310 (3 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Freddy & Kendra, Lori & Bolo) and Caitlin (2 teams:
13. Chris 1195 (2 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Kris & Jon)
14. Lee 1190 (2 teams: Hayden & Aaron, Lori & Bolo)
15. Curt 1130 (2 teams: Adam & Rebecca, Lori & Bolo)
16. Stephanie 1125 (2 teams: He Who is Vile & She's in Denial, Adam & Rebecca)
17. Eric 1000 (1 team: Hayden & Aaron)
18. Jack 775 (1 team: Hayden & Aaron)
19. Kristin 760 (1 team: He Who is Vile & She's in Denial)
20. Allegra 690 (1 team: Kris & Jon)
21. Ben 685 (1 team: Lori & Bolo)
22. Dave 660 (1 team: Lori & Bolo)
23. Bill 495 (1 team: Lori & Bolo)
24. Boogie 425 (1 team: Lori & Bolo)

ANSWER TO BONUS - WEEK 7/8

The ruling family of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the Habsburg (also spelled Hapsburg) family, and their color was yellow. Look at their palace, Schonnbrunn, in Vienna!

POOL STANDINGS

1. Karen 2055
2. Mike 1860
3. Scott 1845
4. Ami 1710
5. Judy 1690
6. Jonathan 1670
7. June 1440
8. Jan 1395
9. Jay 1355
10. Jill 1305
11. Samuel 1200
12. Caitlin 1120
13. Stephanie 1095
14. Lee 1040
15. Kristen 1020
16. Eric 1000
17. Chris 995
18. Curt 950
19. Jack 815
20. Kristin 750
21. Allegra 710
22. Ben 565
23. Dave 540
24. Bill 415
25. Boogie 340

Poor Voldemort.

I'm guessing it was a fellow Voldemort-hater who wrote the caption to this photo.

After all, Australia houses some of the most poisonous spiders in the world.

One funny clip I failed to include in the last recap was Lena's fear of the spiders she found in her bed in the Viking village. And since Kristy shares this fear, Lena just sprayed the bed with bug spray, made Kristy sleep against the wall, and didn't tell her about the spiders until afterwards. But I bet it didn't look like this spider, which once crawled out from under a poster in my dorm in Wollongong, Australia. Turns out it was a "good spider" that kills the poisonous ones. But we didn't know that at the time, so it didn't stop my roommate from grabbing me by my arm, hurling me around away from the poster, taking off her shoe and giving that spider hell. I mean, that thing had fur!

The Greatest Show on Earth

I was talking to my Uncle Kenny over the weekend and when I told him about this blog, he told me that a few years ago when the circus came through town, Phil Keoghan (Amazing Race host) was the ringmaster! I did a Google search for "Phil Keoghan ringmaster," but didn't come up with any leads...

Dude, I just ran spell check on this post, and it didn't recognize "blog" as a word. How could a blog site not recognize "blog"?