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TV ClubHouse: Archive: Race to the Altar (NBC): Archive through August 06, 2003

Wilsonatmd

Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 06:20 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
The NBC Press release....if you haven't heard of the host, Lisa Dergan is a reporter on Fox Sports Net(mainly The Best Damn Sports Show Period), and is a former Playboy Playmate...


HERE COME THE BRIDES - AND GROOMS - AS NBC DEBUTS REALITY SERIES ‘RACE TO THE ALTAR’ ON JULY 30
Published: July 15, 2003


BURBANK, Calif. -- July 15, 2003 -- Wedding bells are ringing for NBC as the network premieres its new unscripted wedding-themed drama, “Race to the Altar,” on Wednesday, July 30 (8-9 p.m. ET).


“Race to the Altar” features eight engaged couples competing in a series of mental and physical challenges designed to test the strength of their relationships. Renowned event designer Colin Cowie lends his expertise and style to the series, planning the fantasy wedding that will be awarded as the grand prize to the winning couple in the final episode airing in September. Broadcaster and model Lisa Dergan is the show’s host.


“The concept of reality matchmaking has proven to be a popular one. We’re taking the idea a step further by starting with couples who are already engaged and putting their existing relationships to the test,” said executive producer Robert Horowitz. “It’s a great time not only for the couples competing, but also for the viewers at home who get the ultimate pay-off when they witness the couple’s wedding in the final episode.”


At the end of each episode, the couple who wins the mental challenge and the couple who wins the physical challenge become “ power couples.” They are given the task of eliminating one couple until the season finale when the last remaining couple wins their dream wedding broadcast on NBC.


“Race to the Altar” is a production of NBC Studios, TWI and LMNO Productions with Robert Horowitz, Eric Schotz and Bill Paolantonio serving as executive producers.

Theowl

Tuesday, July 22, 2003 - 11:04 am EditMoveDeleteIP
8 DAYS AND 5 HOURS AND 55 MINUTES!!! HOOO HOOOO!!!!

Wilsonatmd

Wednesday, July 23, 2003 - 04:25 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
here's an article about the person who will do the winning couples wedding...

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271|82459|1|,00.html

NBC Asks Couples to 'Race to the Altar'
(Wednesday, July 23 02:46 PM)
By Kate O'Hare


LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Despite high divorce rates, romance rules on television.

Reality game shows tell stories of bachelors seeking true love, bachelorettes seeking true love, people saying they're seeking true love (when they may just be in it for fame or money) and people just plain looking to hook up.

The endless dance of dating and mating among the uncommonly pretty is undoubtedly financing the dreams of both network programmers and reality-show producers. But what about the participants' dreams?

That's the question behind the genre's most recent entry, NBC's "Race to the Altar," which premieres Wednesday, July 30.
Skipping the whole getting-to-know-you and love-me-love-me-not phases, "Race to the Altar" takes eight already engaged couples and puts them through a series of physical and non-physical competitions aimed at testing their relationship and ability to work with a team. One couple is eliminated each week, with the last couple standing receiving a glamorous dream wedding in the finale.

The host is Lisa Dergan, a model, golfer and sports broadcaster. The nuptials and all the steps leading up to them are in the hands of event planner and wedding expert Colin Cowie.

Born in Zambia and educated in South Africa, Cowie has lived in the U.S. since 1985. Cowie is the author of five books on style and entertaining, a contributing editor to InStyle magazine and the host of WE-Women's Entertainment's "Everyday Elegance With Colin Cowie."

"Let's put it this way," he says, "since I only do four weddings a year, somebody's going to get very lucky. In a lot of the reality shows, people are embarrassed or completely humiliated, but I think this is a reality show with a sense of style.

"Weddings today have become a great way for young couples to make a statement and say who they are and what they're about."

Along the way, couples compete for elements of the wedding, from rings and gowns to cakes and catering. Among the experts Cowie has assembled are wedding-gown designer Reem Acra, cake maker Polly Schoonmaker and chef Jeffrey Zakarian.

At press time, the competition had been completed, but the finale still lay ahead.

"Now we've done the race," Cowie says, "and I've got the altar ahead of me."

Getting to that altar won't be cheap. "The average wedding today in the United States is something between $18,000 and $20,000, depending where you're located," Cowie says. "The wedding today has become a very specialized arena. The bride is a marketer's target. She's a great consumer, and it's a very overcrowded market out there."

If the average wedding is pricey, Cowie's are over the top.

"Let's be honest," he says, "I really do four weddings a year. The average wedding I do is in excess of $1.5 million. [This wedding] is really the complete couture approach to designing a wedding. Everything is made to order, done specifically for these people.

"The winning couple gets me, my design experience and also has a host of the best vendors in the country available to work on their wedding. They will get the most gorgeous flowers, the finest silks and linens for their tables, the most beautiful silver, crystal, china and accoutrements.

"We'll get world-class entertainment for them. Veuve Clicquot is going to give us the biggest magnum of champagne they've made this century. They'll get the most incredible diamond rings, for both the bride and the groom.

"The gowns we had them select from range from $2,500 to $12,500. In addition to that, there's a really exotic, extraordinary honeymoon. This is a once-in-a-lifetime wedding for somebody."

Even if you're not one of the eight couples, Cowie says, there are still lessons to be learned.

"We're showing you how to keep your wedding young, how to keep it sexy. This is going to be a fun, groovy wedding with great entertainment. People will learn the most important thing I tell anyone: create the big picture.

"Once you can dream, you have a framework. Once you have a framework, it affects how you design. Then every creative decision, including how much money you're spending, will help you get somewhere.

"We show these things at many different price points. The best way to learn is to watch."

Also, says Cowie, you may actually be able to find the bride under the dress.

"In the past, the dress wore the bride. Now what's changed is the bride wears the dress. Because of the new trends and ideas, particularly for the wedding for 'Race to the Altar,' we don't have a bride that's completely overproduced. She doesn't have a veil and a tiara and everything. This is a modern approach.

"They used to look like desserts. If Diana didn't look good with puffy sleeves, I assure you, you're not going to look good with puffy sleeves."

Any couple that survives the rigors of "Race to the Altar" and is still on speaking terms, let alone ready to tie the knot, probably has a better-than-even chance of defying the odds against matrimonial bliss and longevity.

Be that as it may, once the happy newlyweds jet off for their honeymoon, it's not Cowie's problem anymore.

"I just get them down the aisle," he says. "They're on their own thereafter."

Jan

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 04:47 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
bump starts at 8PM tonight

Texasdeb

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 05:04 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
to watch or not to watch - that is the question. I think I'll let this one slide. Gotta watch AIjunior @ 7:30 ctr time. When BB is on it's hard to get involved w/other reality shows. I rarely go out of the BB threads for 3 months. If you watchers make this sound good - I'll toon in next wk.

Essence

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 05:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm taping it so I'll watch later. That way if I don't like it I can turn it off, and I won't feel like I wasted my time watching.

Wilsonatmd

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 06:11 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It's watchable...not the greatest, but there are some interesting things about it....Most notably, when the two "power couples" (winner of the physical challenge and the winner of the mental challenge) meet to decide who's eliminated, they are given numbered envelopes to put the names of the couples who stay in the game...and they're read in numerical order. Thus, they show the preferences of the power couples....and after they eliminated the couple, as they said goodbye to thr group, they showed the explanation of why the "power couples" eliminated them in their deliberations....and it was shown that they lied to them as to why they were eliminated when they said goodbye to them. A nice touch, they show the wedding date of the eliminated couple just before the final credits...Plus, they taped it in Vegas at the Veneitian hotel...always a plus in my book. It's a solid B to B- grade.

Curiouscat

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:50 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It wasn't too bad...I'll tune in next week to watch it again. It was difficult to follow being the first show and trying to keep all the couples' names straight and not really seeing what kind of interaction has taken place amongst the couples in between competitions. The "relationship-type" competition with yes or no answers did not seem fair for some couples because they haven't been together as long as others. It would have seemed more logical in my opinion to boot out the couple with the girl who injured her eye, but may be the chosen couple did something not shown.

Iceprincess

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 08:53 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Curiouscat, I think the couple with the injured eye was in a committment with one of the power couple which is why they didn't get rid of them.

Curiouscat

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
That's got to be it, Iceprincess. It takes me a couple shows before I get all the people straight in my head. Didn't it seem odd that everyone used the same term - committment - instead of just saying alliance?

Iceprincess

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 09:21 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
It took me a minute to figure out that committment meant alliance...but it makes sense...marriage is a committment since it is a marriage show I guess they (the producers) put it in their heads to use that term.
I have no idea who is who...other then the physical power couple the woman was a jerk and they wanted the other power couple gone which is why she freaked out...I dunno if I will ever get their names straight.

Wilsonatmd

Wednesday, July 30, 2003 - 10:49 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
it's a case of "you'll get the names straight once the herd thins a bit" Iceprincess...I don't even bother trying to remember names a lot of the time for the first few weeks.

Ryn

Tuesday, July 15, 2003 - 08:02 am EditMoveDeleteIP
http://www.lmnotv.com/race/index.htm

Advertised on NBC - Starts in two weeks on Wednesday.

Blurb:

"It’s "I Can" before "I Do" when eight couples race around the country competing against each other in a series of mental and physical challenges on the new reality series from NBC, “Race to the Altar.”


At the end of each episode, one couple will be eliminated until the final show when the winning couple’s dream wedding of a lifetime takes place live on national television."

Maryk

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 04:58 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Anyone watching this?

Jan

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:02 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
yeah I am. I couldn't believe Sue and Coyt won again. Isn't that painting a target on their backs? Of course, they are in an alliance with 3 other couples so maybe not.

I don't understand why Vinny and friend can't play the poker game just because of her eye

Lizajane

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:03 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I'm watching too, did you know there are two threads for this show? Susan is annoying, I wish they'd stop winning.

Jan

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
me too Liz..they are both annoying but GOOD and tehy really work together.

What I don't understand is why that beauty is with that whus (his words) Robert..the one who quit in the pool...and whom she just said doesn't know lots of things!

Lizajane

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:10 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
All I can say is they are very young...he may be a wuss, but she is very rude to be criticising him on television. Why are Susan & Coyt even playing the betting game, they already won once tonight.

Jan

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:13 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
it is hard to believe that grace and susan are the same age...21. Robert is 22 though while coyt is 28

susan seems to be the power behind that couple! She has amazing internal strength for her age.

Lizajane

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:21 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I don't have much of any opinion of Coyt, but Susan is a very young 21. The whole obsession with Andy/Becca wanting to vote them off. I'm (so far) rooting for Carolyn/Ethan

Jan

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:23 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
d you think that the couple who started the rumour (Cindy and ?) will be the ones to go..they "lied" so they go? I hope it isn't Vinny and ?

edited to add: no..it looks like it will be April and Vinny because I doubt they will go against their alliance

Lizajane

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:36 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Oh man, they just self destructed. Bye-bye commitment

Hippyt

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:41 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
I can't believe they DID that!!!! How stupid can you be? You don't betray an alliance and win! Geez...........

Jan

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 05:41 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
yeah I think that was a real mistake..especially since Cindy told Tonya she never heard them say it..she just assumed it!

Anyway, I kinda like this show for some reason. So far I am for the other two remaining couples in the alliance. I hope susan and Coyt are gone next.

Curiouscat

Wednesday, August 06, 2003 - 07:07 pm EditMoveDeleteIP
Jan, I think the girl with the scratched eye went to the hospital because she felt something in it and couldn't open her eye, while the betting game was taking place.

I don't like what Sue and Coyt did by betraying the alliance. The two remaining alliance couple's shouldn't feel compelled to keep their word with Sue and Coyt anymore. They're winning too many competitions anyways, so it's good to get rid of the strong players early in the game.