Archive through June 24, 2003
TV ClubHouse: ARCHIVES: The Amazing Race IV (ARCHIVE):
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Archive through June 24, 2003
Tabbyking | Monday, May 26, 2003 - 04:37 pm     as for teams being from the miami area, weren't team 'cha cha cha' from there? i loved them to pieces and i think a lot of viewers did. they did very well, but also had a ton of fun along the way. if they got stressed, they slowed down, saw the sites, shopped...i also enjoyed how they dealt so nicely with the locals in each country and got them to do so much to help them along the way. they were a class act! |
Tabbyking | Monday, May 26, 2003 - 04:45 pm     my favorite cha cha cha moment was when they pretended they had stayed at a hotel so they could take the hotel mercedes to the airport! they rested a few hours in the hotel lobby and then used their service. too smart! (that may have also been the time they used a hotel's airline service to make flight arrangements...) as this show goes along, the contestants get more and more savvy. i remember the first TAR where someone first used a cell phone to call ahead for reservations; later it was standard for everyone to use a cell phone to book flights. of course, they also learn to be more underhanded, too! i remember flo speaking french and telling a booking agent not to sell tickets to the guys behind them! it will be interesting to see if there are some new tricks to get ahead this game. |
Seamonkey | Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 11:48 am     I read somewhere that cell phones are not allowed this season. I'm not sure if that just means they cannot bring their OWN cell or if it means that they cannot ever USE a cell phone. That would change things quite a bit, IMO. |
Spear | Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 03:45 pm     Hmm, if it is true that this is new for this season, then it probably means that they cannot use one since it seems like they've never been allowed to bring their own in the past. I wonder what prompted this? I think every time some team has borrowed a cell phone it was to call ahead for reservations. That doesn't seem too bad to me. Maybe some team got a big advantage last season and they edited it out? |
Duncan | Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 07:23 pm     OK - this one is about teams in general, and their casting. I have seen all the seasons of Survivor and Big Brother, and this is my 3rd Amazing Race. Why is it that all the publicly gay folks are always the men? Why haven't they cast a lesbian woman or couple? Has CBS forgotten that there are gay women out there, too? And imagine what that might do for their ratings! Just the overtones of lesbianism on Xena helped to skyrocket that show. |
Rissa | Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 07:47 pm     Seamonkey, that would explain why no-one stopped to call the airport in L.A. I was screaming at the TV for it to occur to just ONE of the teams. RFLOL |
Rissa | Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 07:53 pm     I jotted down an impression for each team just from their initial introduction. I was actually surprised that none of those impressions changed over the course of the episode. Tian-Jaree: Self-confidant or just attitude? Not sure yet but seems the difference in fitness levels could cause friction. Stev/Dave - LOVE 'EM and expect them to be out by show 4 at the latest Reikin/Chip - Bugs me that they expect the worst reaction from people, but bugs me more that they are sadly probably correct. Seem nice enough so far. Was nice of them to share their room. Mille/Chuck - How proud are they? They get to see the word virgin under their names for as long as they are in the race. RFLOL!!! I don't care whether or not they are having sex but they should probably be not having it with other people if they can't commit after 12 years. Steve/Josh - father/son. I started the show on the fence with these two and ended it the same way. I was so NOT impressed with the airport stunt and thought their reasoning was totally fabricated. But then Josh turns it around with the bus passes, so here I am on the fence again. LOL Russel/Cindy - Let me get this team right. Cindy is hoping that the race will raise Russel's adrenalin which will make him.. um... hot for her? Girl... you can get laid anywhere, if he's not interested while not pumped on hormones, he won't be interested during or after either. LOL Monica/Sherri - They sure handled the shuttle and airport with more grace than I would have. With husband's in the limelight, I expect these two to be camara smart and so far I like them. They did, IMO, screw up by going for the fast forward so early in the game. They KNEW they had at least 2 hours on 5 teams. Jeff/David - been there, seen that. Same team, different year and names. Amanda/Chris - She has a potty mouth, a bad attitude and pouts. He is verbally abusive (and it's only the first leg!!!). Kelly/John - no opinion yet. Debra/Steve - my first comment that I wrote down was "How cute are they?".. on the next page where I put my finally thought, it was "How sweet are they?" RFLOL!!!! John/Al - clowns. These could will either be highly amusing/entertaining and great sports and just annoying. So far they are in the plus column. So far I am DEFINATELY rooting for Steve/Dave and I am so-so rooting for Reikin/Chip, Steve/Josh, Monica/Sherri and John/All The rest are either off my radar or I got a bad first impression. PS Who is the yahoo who told the shuttle to keep going(I missed it)? Wanna kick his A$$ and the shuttle driver needs a good boot too. RFLOL |
Seamonkey | Thursday, May 29, 2003 - 07:53 pm     Tian seems to be a lesbian or bisexual. Ah, Rissa, interesting!! I have to wait another 30 minutes to see it I don't think they ever were allowed to CARRY a cell phone, so if they were driving in SUVs they may not have had a chance to borrow one either. So time will tell if they are or are not allowed to borrow cell phones. |
Ladytex | Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 03:43 pm     I think it was Reichen or Chip that told the shuttle driver to go on. |
Beachcomber88 | Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 04:10 pm     Sea, I think I read somewhere that one of the models was lesbian. Don't really know which one is Tian and which one is Jaree yet - still a bit confused about the names. Did I read/hear somewhere that Cindy was a "supermodel" in the past? If she was really a SUPERmodel ala Cindy/Elle/Naomi ... shouldn't we know who she really is? |
Wendo | Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 02:02 am     Beach, good point. But I suppose her definition of "supermodel" differs from ours. LOL! |
Tkaren1954 | Friday, June 06, 2003 - 07:09 pm     I am glad to see Amanda/Chris go. Two words to say about her. "Potty Mouth" |
Csnog | Saturday, June 07, 2003 - 08:44 pm     I found this interview and it gives us a little more insight into the time it took. Friends Of Reality TV Interview w/Amanda & Chris} This afternoon, I had the opportunity to interview Chris and Amanda, the latest team eliminated from The Amazing Race 4. They seemed like a great couple, and I didn't have to bleep them once. Here's what they had to say: Watching yourself on TV, did it surprise you how much the censors had to bleep out? Amanda: No, it's me. It's what you see. My family couldn't believe it, though. Do you think part of that was editing, because of the "foul-mouthed" reference in your bio? Amanda: A lot of it was L.A. traffic. I'd never driven in that many lanes before, and I was pretty stressed out. So, the words just came out. You went from first place to eliminated in one leg. What went wrong? Chris: Personally, I think it was all the bunching. There were three times that all of the teams had a chance to catch up. And then, the ultimate bunching, at the masquerade task sucked, and after the masquerade thing the pit stop was only about 2 minutes away. So we had to sprint from the masquerade task to the pit stop, and when you've got everyone so close to the pit stop, it's basically "ready, set, run" and some people have a head start. Along those lines, did it really come down to a foot-race between you and Monica & Sheree, or was it editing? Chris: Actually, we saw Monica and Sheree on the way to the boat, which sucked because we had an opportunity to defeat them there. We came around a corner and we didn't want them to see us, because we thought they could probably beat Amanda in a foot race, so trying to avoid them, we took another side street and cut back over, and got a little side-tracked. The end result is that we came into the pit stop about a minute behind them. Amanda: They said that it was the closest elimination they'd ever had. You're obviously not big fans of "bunching", but having seen prior episodes, you knew what to expect, right? Chris: The only beef I have is that it was so close to the pit stop. I've never seen bunching that close, other than once last season, and I don't think it was as close as this. Chris, looking back on it, would Amanda have done the masquerade task quicker? Chris: We've had this discussion every day since we've been eliminated, and we had so many different things that we could have done. Some of them don't really pertain to the roadblock itself. For example, we had the opportunity to cut in line. I think my problem was that I'd only had about 5 hours of sleep since the beginning of the race, and I was really drained. In the alley before the task, I was literally sleeping standing up with my head against the wall. I think it probably wasn't a good idea for me to do the roadblock, but Amanda was pretty scared about doing it. She had no interest in going in there. We'd like to do it over, of course, but that's just what happens. How long did it really take to complete the masquerade task? Amanda: I think it was about 15 minutes. Chris: From the time they opened the doors for that task until everyone hit the pit stop mat was about 17 minutes. It was a very quick roadblock and check-in. The first time I went in, I was 9th, and I didn't know the place had an upstairs, and I thought all of the people I had to check were in that one room. So I went through the 3 masks that kind of matched, and picked one in about 30 seconds. People were coming out of the task so quickly, so I was freaking out thinking we're 9th in line. So the second time was just as fast, because I was really freaking out. The third time, I knew I had to take my time and get it right. So I was walking around, and I see Monica coming down the stairs, and I was thinking "there's stairs?" So I ran up the stairs, and there were like 8 more rooms! Chris, you were a little tough on Amanda. Are you still together and getting along okay? Chris: Yep, we're still together and getting along just fine. We look at the tape, and it's funny. The CBS website has some extra footage of it that's hilarious. These fights don't mean anything. It's just something that happens. She was laughing at me while I was yelling at her. It's just part of our relationship. Chris, at one point, you called Amanda "Flo". It was one of the funniest moments so far this season. Was it spontaneous, or was it calculated beforehand? Chris: I totally did not plan that. During last season and the application process, we talked about how she would handle things on the race. We talked about her not being "Flo", and not quitting or excessively whining. Basically I was just trying to remind her of what we'd talked about. What was your favorite task? Amanda: I liked being on the gondolas and getting to the next marker. It was just beautiful. And everyone should get to Venice if they have the opportunity. Chris: My favorite was the masquerade ball. Just kidding. I would say it's the raft down the hill, because it was more intense than the zip line or the rope bridge. Amanda, you've never travelled outside the U.S. Now that you've seen some of Europe, are you planning to go back again? Amanda: Yes, it's in the works. We're definitely going back, as soon as possible. A longer stay this time, where we can see more. Chris, you list "fear of heights" and "leery of flying" on your bio, so what made you think The Amazing Race would be something you'd want to do? Chris: A lot's been made out of that on the message boards, but if you want to be on the show, they don't want someone who's a professional traveler with no fears - there's no drama in that. If you have a perfect bio, they're not going to want you on the show. I do have these fears, but they're not crippling fears. I don't feel comfortable in high places, and being in a plane, I have thoughts in my head like "this plane's going to crash", but it's not crippling. If you were going to do the race again, and couldn't pick each other, who would each of you choose as your partner, and why? Amanda: I'd have to take Millie. As you've seen, she books. She hauls some butt, and runs really fast. And I think that she's a very positive person. I think if I were lagging behind, she'd just say "come on, Amanda" - she wouldn't say "come on, Flo" or anything like that. Chris: I'd choose Josh, because as you've seen, he's very much a, uh, prick would you say? A jerk. And I think that's my perfect teammate. We'd just go through the race saying dumb things that people would get mad at, and roll over people and not give a damn. Part of the problem with the race with me and Amanda, is that I kind of adopted her strategy a little bit more than I should have, so we were a little too nice to people. If I were to do it again, I'd be a little more competitive and agressive. What piece of advice would you give to Amazing Race 5 teams? Amanda: Don't get caught up in the friendships. It's nice, but you're there to win, not to socialize. And that's something that I lost sight of. I mean, don't be mean to people, but kind of realize why you're there and go for the goal. Chris: I say be mean to people. My real advice would be to pack light, keep your goals in mind, and try to accomplish those. Speaking of being mean to people, we've been discussing this. Do you think there's value in being a saboteur of other teams, or do you just have to run your own race? Chris: I think both. You need to run your race, but at the same time, if you can do something to keep someone else from checking in before you, sometimes you have to think about that. And I totally didn't do that on my race, but I would definitely re-think that if I had to do it over. I would make the most of my opportunities to get someone else eliminated. You both won a trip, have you taken it yet? Amanda: Once the show's done airing, after the finale, that's when we're able to go. So, we'll definitely think of you while we're in Hawaii. Chris: We don't know the details of it at all right now, but we're definitely waiting for it. That was our one golden moment on the show, so we're going to live that one up. Thanks to Chris, Amanda, and the fine folks over at CBS for taking the time and giving us the opportunity to get to know them! Have fun in Hawaii! The Link Please be sure to include the links to the origin of articles and interviews when they are posted! (22) |
Julieboo | Sunday, June 08, 2003 - 05:42 pm     Is there a list of FFs already taken anywhere? |
Seamonkey | Sunday, June 08, 2003 - 06:04 pm     Here's a list: rank ep 01 02 05.01 Steve & Dave FF taken 09.02 Reichen & Chip 06.03 Kelly & Jon 11.04 Tian & Jaree 10.05 David & Jeff 07.06 Jon & Al 08.07 Russell & Cindy 01.08 Millie & Chuck 01.09 Steve & Josh 04.10.Monica & Sheree FF taken 01.11. Amanda & Chris OUT ep 02 12. Debra & Steve OUT ep 01 |
Mygetaway | Friday, June 13, 2003 - 10:47 am     I wonder why they aren't going on The Early Show? It doesn't seem quite fair to this cast, does it? Maybe it's been longer than normal since this one filmed, and they aren't as contractually obligated? If this has already been discussed I'm sorry. I haven't been reading this area this time around. |
Lslb | Friday, June 13, 2003 - 02:11 pm     Can the same person do all the roadblocks or do they have to swap up sometimes? Tian and Jaree prompted this question. I can see the two of them agreeing to let Tian do them all. |
Kitt | Friday, June 13, 2003 - 03:06 pm     I think the same person can do all the roadblocks if they want to, they just have to decide before they start each task. |
Lslb | Friday, June 13, 2003 - 03:52 pm     Thanks Kitt! |
Csnog | Friday, June 20, 2003 - 05:38 pm     This is an interview from "Fans Of Reality" This afternoon, I had the pleasure of speaking to Steve & Josh, the most recent victims of Philimination from The Amazing Race 4. I had a hard time transcribing this interview over my own laughter, so I hope it comes through. Here's what they had to say: What went wrong on the way to Marseilles that we didn't get to see? Steve: We had some miscommunications on that day of the race. It didn't hurt us, but we kind of stopped communicating. I got a little pissed at Josh, he got a little pissed at me. Then we got to Marseilles, and we had to go to the Gorge du Blavet. So we went to the dock gate and asked the guard how to get there. He sent us two hours the wrong direction, to a different Gorge du Blavet, in Nemes. There we met an Englishman who told us we were at the wrong one. Once we finally got there, we had difficulty finding the mansion. Josh: The bad directions to the Gorge were given to us by three different people. Steve: The French weren't very helpful with us. We didn't speak the language, and if we could have spoken even a little French, we could have garnered some support. But they don't appreciate that apparently, and it really hurt us. You slept in your car waiting for the ferry, and clips show you running out of gas. Tell us about that. Steve: I haven't seen that yet, but I know all about it. Josh had driven all night, and I drove the last little leg. We didn't get gas, and when we pulled up, we noticed we were really low. But it was really cold, and we really needed to warm up a little bit. So I started the car, and Josh said 'Dad, whatever you do, don't let the car run very long.' Josh fell asleep right away, because we were exhausted. And I leaned my head back, just for a minute to rest my eyes. When I woke up, the car was dead, the lights were on, and the radio was playing. Josh jumped up and said 'Oh my gosh, what have you done?' We went out of to the gate and we called a taxi, went and got a couple of jugs of gas, and came back to fill up our tanks. Josh: It ended up not affecting us at all, other than I was really pissed that he left the car running. We had just enough gas to get around on the dock and to the next gas station. Steve: When we got out of the car, I told Josh to be quiet and not tell anyone what we'd done. Everyone saw us get in a taxi and drive away, leaving our car, and they all freaked out. Josh: We told Steve & Dave and Jon & Al. Jon was telling us to prime the valves, because it was deisel. You both have some vocal friends and family supporting you on the internet. Is it hard to reconcile the real experience against what your friends and the average viewers see? Steve: Not really. We argued more than they showed, but arguing is not always bad - it's just another form of communication. Josh: Every week, I get together with about 20 of my friends, and while we're watching, I'm explaining what really happened. They all get a kick out of seeing their friend doing what they're doing, and hearing what's really happening. Like in Venice, we walked around because we wanted to get the lay of the city. It ended up helping us, because coming out of the task, we were able to find the pit stop with ease. Steve: We ran right to it. The one time Josh actually ran. Josh: Oh please. It was funny, because the whole race, I was complaining how he didn't run fast enough, but that time, we saw the pit stop and I saw this flash of green whiz by. Who coined the nicknames "Weezer and Geezer", and did that bother you at all? Josh: I was under the impression it was Steve & Dave, but I guess it was Chris & Amanda. At the start city, they saw us and decided to label us as such, because I was wearing a Weezer t-shirt, and he's old. Steve & Dave picked up on it, and they're really vocal loud guys. Steve: We were at the pit stop in Gmunden, and we were all at dinner, talking about nicknames, and I asked Reichen what he called us. He got red in the face, and said "Weezer and Geezer". He felt really bad about it, but it was really funny. Steve, when Josh asked you to do the race with him, what did you think? Steve: I actually asked Josh. His mother suggested it to us both. So having both been big fans of the show, I asked him if he was interested. He was always the obvious choice for me. Right away, at LAX, you helped Steve & Dave line-jump, which made some other teams upset. How did you expect that to help you in the race? Josh: At the time, we were looking at them, talking to them in line, and they were obviously smart guys. We knew if we allied against them, worst case scenario, we could outrun them. Best case scenario, we'd get to hang out with a couple of fun guys while we're doing this. Steve: There were a couple of reasons. First off, I found out Dave's last name was Cottingham. There aren't a lot of Cottinghams around. Second, they were air traffic controllers. I thought 'half of this race is flying' - these guys know what's up with which planes fly faster, what airports have more trouble getting planes in and out. I knew, and Josh doesn't know this yet, but I knew at times that Josh can be difficult, and I thought if we had two older guys that he could buy into, then I'd have an easier time with Josh. I used that to my advantage, and it was a way to have a smoother race. And they are intelligent, fun guys to have around. How has your relationship changed since the race? Josh: I think we both look at each other in a different way now. I always thought of my dad as this old, kind of out of shape, kind of an old country guy. Now I see him in the race, and he kicked ass the whole time. Steve: Josh always thought if you talked slow, you think slow. Josh: No, I really didn't. Steve: Well, I always kind of felt like it. But now Josh knows that just because I'm nearing 50 doesn't mean I'm nearing dead. And he knows that even though I talk slow, I think quick. And I also have come to find that Josh is a great leader - he leads well, he thinks on his feet. He's not going to have any problems in life, and it makes me feel better now, knowing that if something happens to me tomorrow, Josh is going to be just fine. Did you get to do the Formula One detour, and who did it? Josh: In Le Mans, I did the race car. It was really, really awesome. My dad was tired at that point. Steve: It was obvious it was going to be a small space, and I don't fit well in a small space. Josh: We knew we were at a race track, and we knew we were going to be driving a race car, and there was no way I wasn't going to do it. It was so fun. You got to perform what seemed like the most elaborate Fast Forward ever. How long did it take to finally complete? Josh: It took me like six f*in tries to do that thing. I was able to get the tray up, but I i could never get it across the floor. My dad couldn't even pick the tray up. Steve: They only show us each dropping one tray, but in all actuality, there were about 12 trays that didn't make it across. I heard a rumor that there was broken glass on the floor when you got there, so you thought maybe someone had beaten you to it. Josh: My dad broke a bunch of glasses without me seeing. So I saw broken glasses in the middle of the floor, but didn't know my dad had done it. Steve: And they were kicking them all over the place, too. But when we started, one of the dancers said "good luck", so we knew we just had to get across. Josh: People were laughing and having fun with it. They were making jokes in their thick Austrian accent. It was a fun experience. Steve: It was my favorite thing. Bertram (Van Munster) told us, and maybe I shouldn't say this, but I'm going to, but he said it was the most expensive Fast Forward he'd ever done. He was worried that no one would do it. Josh: I think it looked good on TV, too. In person, it was much more majestic and overwhelming, but it came across on TV well. Steve: As we exited the ballroom, tourists who were watching us we laughing and really digging it, it was a lot of fun. How important would you rank foreign language and map-reading skills, having had some problems? Josh: It's kind of important, Al spoke Italian and was able to get around better there. But several teams didn't speak any foreign languages, and they've done well so far. Steve: In most European countries, they learn English in school, so it's not that difficult. It wasn't a big concern, we were always able to find someone to speak English. But you should learn some basic phrases - please and thank you, and so on, to ingratiate yourself with the people. Josh: For future races, pick up a phrasebook at the airport for whatever your first destination is. And learn to read a map, because I suck with a map, which is why I did a lot of the driving. Steve: In the gondola, we didn't speak the language, so I just highlighted the route on the map and told the guy to "go here". That worked well. What piece of advice would you give the teams for the next race? Josh: Pack a jacket, because I didn't. I just assumed from last seasons that it would be warm. It seemed like they stuck to warmer climates in previous races, and I thought we'd be doing that to. The warmest thing I packed was a thermal sweatshirt, and I froze my ass off the whole time. Beyond that, just be patient with each other. Steve: Communication is everything. You have to have a way to resolve a situation. But the most important thing is to bring a smaller pack. I would say, you can raise with just the clothes on your back. Josh, you must not have seen TAR1, when they went to Alaska. Josh: Yeah, but they gave them gear. I assumed if we went someplace cold, they'd give us gear. I hammed it up on that one. Steve: Everyone talks about bringing good shoes, and they're right. Shoes are a big deal. Bring good shoes, but you can go without everything else. |
Texasdeb | Monday, June 23, 2003 - 05:26 pm     The 2 couples that irritate me the most: the "virgins" Millie & Chuck - She's definately over bearing & he's a bit wimpy. Kelly & Jon - The "I'm 50% of this team & want to be treated like I'm 50% of the team" haven't we heard this enough. Jon hasn't a clue how to be a team player. Clowns, NFL wifes, models, & Gay married couple are my tops as far as who I would like to win. Don't think the air traf. controllers have a chance (I do like them, though). Just don't have an opinion of Jeff & Steve yet. |
Not1worry | Monday, June 23, 2003 - 07:49 pm     Texas, I guess you really don't have much of an opinion on them, since their names are Dave and Jeff, not Jeff and Steve!! Just teasing, I hardly even notice these guys are in the race. By the 4th episode, you'd think we see more of them. In the beginning I loathed the NFL wives. I still don't really like them, but they are at least earning some respect from me. I agree, Millie & Chuck's "virgins" tag is getting old. You didn't see any of the chicks on there with a "tramp" tag, or "teases" or any other sexual reference, for crying out loud. I still like Millie, just because she beat up on Chip. Their relationship has got some huge Issues, it would seem. 12 years....whew. |
Chiparock | Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 06:59 am     Television Without Pity runs really amusing summaries of TAR and has its own opinion of each team. They always put (Who?) after Dave and Jeff. The site discusses other programs as well, but their take on TAR is worth reading. Go to: Television Without Pity - scroll down to find TAR. |
Seamonkey | Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 02:46 pm     Every time I go to TWOP, I'm there for hours.. I didn't even get to the TAR stuff today, was reading the recaps of RW Paris!! However, I really must read the TAR reviews. |
Foliage | Tuesday, June 24, 2003 - 08:55 pm     Not1, I think you're onto a great SNL skit. The "..teasers" and the "over the hill divas" picked the wrong dung heap....? |
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