Amazing Race 9

And Just Like That, It's all over

2006-05-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

The pool for Amazing Race 9 has been officially closed.

Please check in with my website for details on the Amazing Race 10 pool, which will open as soon as the racers are announced.

Cheers!

This is Scrappy, signing off

WINNERS OF THE POOL!!

2006-05-22T11:28:00.000-07:00

Adam 9990 points
Anton 8040
Mark 6585

Perfect Picker: Kristin L

Thanks for playing, everyone, and I'll be sending an email shortly to talk to the winners about their prizes!

Oh, the TARCON

2006-05-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Your fearless leader has come through. A double eyebrow pop with Phil, and a picture of me and the official winners of the Amazing Race 9.

YEAH!!

IT'S TIME TO PICK YOUR FINAL PONY!

2006-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all.

You know how the drill works. This is when the Amazing Race Pool turns into Final Jeopardy!.

After perusing the your fellow pool people's scores, decide how many of your own points you would like to wager and on what team to WIN IT ALL. And then email it to me.

ALL WAGERS ARE SECRET. Which means I am the only one who knows all of them.

Please try to get these to me by end of day Friday May 12th, as I am leaving on my trip on Saturday morning to make my way out to the finale party. I will, however, have limited access to email along the way and will take them up until Wednesday May 17th at 4pm CST, since that's when I'll be choosing what outfit to wear to said party and collecting all of your notes to the racers to bring with me.

Ergo, Get those wagers in now.

Team / Pool Scores After Episode Eleven

2006-05-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Team Scores

BJ and Tyler 270
Eric and Jeremy 340
Ray and Yolanda 190
Joseph and Monica 10

Pool Scores

Adam 4995
Kristin L 4945
Dave 4720
Anton 4425
Mary 4305
Karen 4275
Curt 4155
Stephanie 4105
Jeff 4060
Joanna 4050
Jill 3930
Jan 3895
Ryan 3860
Lindsay 3825
Eric 3810
Mark 3700
Chris H 3655
Chris 3635
Ashlee 3425
Tracy 3335
Jonathan 3330
Michelle 3320
Les 3285
Bari 3255
Kathy 3185
Laura 3155
Ben 3140
Mark D 3085
Anne 3055
Caitlin 3010
Linda 2985
Dave A, Robyn 2920
Mary P 2730
Jay 2720
Mike 2650
Sarah 2355
Liz 2060
Peter 1895
Kristin 1820
Scott 1750
Allegra 1275
Judy 620
Ami 100

Scores after Week Ten

2006-05-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Adam 4265
Kristin 4080
Dave 4025
Anton 3615
Curt 3525
Karen 3465
Mary 3455
Jeff 3430
Stephanie 3295
Eric 3280
Jan 3240
Ryan 3230
Joanna 3200
Lindsay 3195
Chris H 3125
Jill 3120
Chris 3015
Ashlee 2895
Mark 2885
Tracy 2845
Michelle 2830
Ben 2800
Bari 2765
Jonathan 2710
Laura 2665
Les 2665
Kathy 2655
Linda 2640
Mark D 2595
Anne 2525
Dave A 2440
Caitlin 2390
Mike 2310
Robyn 2300
Mark P 2210
Jay 2200
Sarah 2065
Liz 1730
Peter 1605
Scott 1550
Kristin 1530
Allegra 1195
Judy 620
Ami 100

Bonus Week Eleven

2006-05-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

You have two this week!

At the end of last night's episode, the teams ended in Lake Bennett, Australia. From the beginning of the season until now, How Many Miles have the teams traveled? I will accept answers + / - 2500 of what I come up with. (40 points)
Either to me via email or as comment on this, if you could say one sentence to one of the racers (or the team), what would you say? Messages will be delivered directly to the racers by me when I am in New York for the Amazing Race official finale party with all the racers and Phil! I kid you not. (5 points per message) I urge you to be witty, funny, snarky, whatever you want.

Week Ten - Bonus Answer

2006-05-04T07:01:00.000-07:00

The picture is Kilmainham Gaol, in Dublin, Ireland.

Congratulations, Kristin L!

2006-04-28T12:25:00.000-07:00

For the first time ever, in five seasons of running this pool, one of the pool members has perfectly picked the final four teams.

Congrats to Kristin L!

In addition to the top three finishers, you will also be receiving a prize this season (unless, of coures, you are one of the top three, then you only get one 'cause I'm cheap).

Team / Pool Scores after week 9

2006-04-28T12:15:00.000-07:00

Team Scores

Eric and Jeremy 165
Joseph and Monica 95
BJ and Tyler 85
Ray and Yolanda 55
Fran and Barry -125

Pool Scores

Adam 3870
Dave 3670
Kristin L 3600
Anton 3160
Curt 3150
Jeff 3095
Karen 3050
Mary 3040
Eric 3015
Ryan 2935
Stephanie 2920
Lindsay 2900
Chris H, Jan 2860
Joanna 2785
Jill 2745
Ashlee 2710
Ben 2700
Chris 2645
Tracy 2560
Linda 2540
Mark 2510
Michelle 2505
Bari 2480
Kathy 2470
Jonathan 2420
Les 2375
Laura. Anne 2340
Mark D 2310
Mike 2210
Dave A 2160
Caitlin 2100
Mary P 2030
Jay 2020
Robyn 2010
Sarah 1870
Liz 1635
Scott 1460
Peter 1370
Kristin 1335
Allegra 1115
Judy 580
Ami 100

Caption THIS!

2006-04-28T05:30:00.000-07:00

Week Ten - Bonus Question

2006-04-28T05:22:00.000-07:00

This week we found the teams doing a roadblock in Fremantle Prison:

It kind of looks to me like the Fremantle Prison was a warmup for another jail that held Irish prisoners:

What is the name of the above prison that has served as a movie set for such films as The Italian Job and where is it located?

Week Nine - Caption THIS!

2006-04-21T09:02:00.000-07:00

Sorry, they were really crappy pictures this week.

Scores After Week Eight

2006-04-21T06:59:00.000-07:00

Team Scores

Fran and Barry 110
Joseph and Monica 115
Ray and Yolanda 55
Eric and Jeremy 95
BJ and Tyler 65

Pool Scores

Adam 3465
Dave 3410
Kristin L 3120
Mary 2860
Anton 2775
Curt 2765
Jeff 2750
Eric 2700
Karen 2665
Stephanie 2615
Ryan 2590
Jan 2570
Lindsay 2555
Ben 2525
Chris H 2505
Joanna 2480
Jill 2440
Linda 2405
Ashlee 2395
Bari 2370
Chris 2355
Tracy 2325
Jonathan 2295
Michelle 2270
Mark 2205
Kathy 2155
Dave A 2145
Les 2125
Laura 2105
Mark D 2075
Anne 2025
Mike 1950
Sarah 1870
Caitlin 1850
Mary P 1810
Jay 1800
Robyn 1760
Liz 1595
Kristin 1375
Scott 1310
Peter 1205
Allegra 1035
Judy 705
Ami 100

Bonus Question - Week Nine

2006-04-20T07:56:00.001-07:00

Which folklore hero (rumored to have hailed from Oman) once saved his mates from being kebabs for an giant by blinding the giant with the kebab irons?

Bonus Answer - Week Eight

2006-04-20T07:56:00.000-07:00

I saw the top of the head and finger of Saint Andrew the Apostle! One of the creepiest things I've ever seen, this head floating in this big chest behind the altar in this church.

But it was awesome.

Stats after Week Seven

2006-04-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

If BJ and Tyler get Philiminated
No one will have all four teams left.

Peter will have no teams left.

If Ray and Yolanda get Philminated
Dave will be the perfect picker for this season (last four teams in race are the ones picked)

If Eric and Jeremy get Philiminated
Bari will the be perfect picker for this season

If Fran and Barry get Philiminated
No one will have all four teams left.

Judy will have no teams left.

If Joseph and Monica get Philminated
Mary will the be perfect picker for this season

Team / Pools Scores After Week 7

2006-04-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

Team Scores

Eric and Jeremy 235
Joseph and Monica 105
Ray and Yolanda 65
Fran and Barry 45
BJ and Tyler 65
Lake and Michelle -95

Pool Scores

Adam 3090
Dave 2940
Kristin L 2750
Anton 2520
Mary 2490
Jeff 2475
Curt 2450
Stephanie 2400
Eric 2395
Karen 2370
Jan 2330
Lindsay 2280
Ryan 2235
Joanna, Jill 2225
Ben 2200
Chris H 2160
Ashlee 2130
Chris 2115
Tracy 2090
Linda 2040
Bari, Jonathan 2020
Michelle 1995
Mark 1990
Les 1965
Dave A 1910
Kathy 1890
Laura 1870
Mark D 1800
Anne 1760
Mike 1740
Caitlin, Sarah 1690
Mary P 1660
Jay 1650
Robyn 1600
Liz 1385
Kristin 1195
Scott 1140
Peter 1100
Allegra 955
Judy 550
Ami 100

Week Eight - Caption THIS!

2006-04-13T06:41:00.000-07:00

Week Eight - Bonus Question

2006-04-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

The teams end up in the city of Patras, Greece.

When I was there, I went into a church and viewed a relic which caused me to say, "Maybe Madame LaFarge made a sweater while this dude bit it".

What is the relic I saw, and to whom did it once belong?

Good luck!

Week Seven - Bonus Answer

2006-04-13T06:23:00.000-07:00

The symbol of Catonia is an elephant, because as legend goes in ancient times this area was full of pygmy elephants who protected the city from wild animals and such.

Who knew?

Some Stats After Week Six

2006-04-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the first pool player has fallen victim to the race and is now riding on bonus points (ahem, you better do them, you know who you are). And here are the stats for people with all four teams and those of us riding on one team:

If Lake and Michelle get philiminated:
Bari, Dave, and Mary will be the only people with all four teams left.

Allegra will have no teams left.

If BJ and Tyler get philiminated:
Ashlee and Ben will be the only people with all four teams left.

Peter will have no teams left.

If Ray and Yolanda get philminated:
Adam, Ben and Dave will be the only ones with all four teams left.

If Eric and Jeremy get philminated:
Bari, Dave A, and Tracy will be the only ones with all four teams left.

If Fran and Barry get philminated:
Adam, Ashlee, Stephane and Tracy will be the only ones with all four teams left.

Judy will have no teams left.

If Joseph and Monica get Philminated:
Dave A, Mary, and Stephanie will be the only ones with all four teams left.

So, now y'all know who to root for!

Team / Pool Scores After Week Six

2006-04-07T07:26:00.000-07:00

Team Scores

Eric and Jeremy 145
BJ and Tyler 105
Joseph and Monica 85
Fran and Barry 95
Lake and Michelle 75
Ray and Yolanda 55
David and Lori -145

Pool Scores

Adam 2680
Dave 2410
Kristin L 2240
Stephanie 2130
Anton 2075
Curt, Jan 2045
Mary 2040
Jeff 2030
Eric 1950
Karen 1945
Tracy 1910
Ben 1870
Jill 1860
Lindsay 1835
Dave A, Ryan 1830
Ashlee, Joanna 1820
Les 1760
Bari 1740
Chris 1735
Michelle 1720
Chris H 1715
Jonathan 1675
Sarah 1635
Mark 1625
Linda, Laura 1615
Mark D 1525
Mike 1495
Kathy 1485
Mary P 1455
Jay 1445
Caitlin 1390
Anne 1315
Robyn 1300
Liz 1105
Kristin 1085
Scott 1065
Allegra 970
Peter 955
Judy 465
Ami 100

Week Seven - Caption THIS!

2006-04-07T07:25:00.000-07:00

WEEK SEVEN - Bonus Question

2006-04-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

During this leg of the race, teams stopped for a short while in Catania to have fun with the fish.

This city has a unique symbol. What is it and why?

Week Six - BONUS ANSWER

2006-04-07T07:17:00.000-07:00

The answer is both were refugees from "Troy".

The Elymians moved to Sicily after Troy was captured by the Achaeans.

Brad Pitt has somehow managed to keep his box office career afloat after staring in the "did okay at the box office but all the critics agreed it sucked" epic "Troy".

Some Stats

2006-03-29T10:23:00.000-08:00

Now that two people are in danger of losing their last team on the next episode, it's time for some stats!

If Lake and Michelle get Philiminated
Bari, Dave, Eric, Jill, Kristin L, Mary, Michelle and Jeff will be the only ones with all four teams

If BJ and Tyler get Philiminated
Ashlee, Ben and Eric will be the only ones with all four teams

Peter will have no teams

If Ray and Yolanda get Philiminated
Adam, Ben, Dave, and Jeff will be the only ones with all four teams

If David and Lori get Philiminated
Adam, Ashlee, Bari, Ben, Dave, Dave A, Kristin L, Mary, Stephanie, and Tracy will be the only ones with all four teams left

Ami will have no teams

If Eric and Jeremy get Philiminated
Bari, Dave A, Trace and Michelle will be the only ones with all four teams left

If Fran and Barry get Philiminated
Adam, Ashlee, Eric, Jill, Kristin L, Stephanie, Tracy, Michelle and Jeff will be the only ones with all four teams left

If Joseph and Monica get Philiminated
Dave A, Jill, Mary, and Stephanie will be the only ones with four teams left

So now y'all know who to root for.

Team / Pool Scores After Week 5

2006-03-29T09:28:00.000-08:00

Team Scores

BJ and Tyler 190
Eric and Jeremy 100
Joseph and Monica 90
Fran and Barry 80
Lake and Michelle 110
David and Lori 60
Ray and Yolanda 40
Danielle and Dani -160 (ouch, says everyone who had them in the pool)

Pool Scores

Adam 2170
Dave 1940
Kristin L 1850
Jeff 1840
Stephanie 1750
Eric 1730
Jill 1700
Anton 1690
Jan 1680
Mary 1640
Curt 1630
Tracy 1590
Michelle 1580
Karen 1560
Chris 1550
Lindsay 1500
Ryan 1495
Joanna 1475
Ben 1470
Ashlee, Dave A 1460
Les 1435
Bari 1400
Laura 1370
Chris H 1350
Jonathan 1330
Mark, Sarah 1320
Linda 1290
Mark D 1280
Kathy 1200
Mike 1190
Mary P 1180
Caitlin 1140
Jay 1130
Robyn 1050
Anne 1030
Liz 1010
Allegra 960
Scott 850
Kristin 845
Peter 770
Judy 475
Ami 245

Week Six - Caption THIS!

2006-03-29T09:27:00.000-08:00

Week Six - Bonus Question

2006-03-29T09:22:00.000-08:00

We find ourselves at the pitstop in the town of Segesta, Italy. Segesta was settled by the Elymian people. What do the Elymians and Brad Pitt's box office returns have in common?

Week Five Bonus - Answer

2006-03-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

When it's raining beer and snowing bratwurst, that's when we ask God to keep the weather the way it is.

This is one of my favorite German drinking songs. And it has, like, 40 verses. Go here to read all the lyrics and hear it!

Team and Pool Scores After Week 4

2006-03-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Team Scores

Eric and Jeremy 180
BJ and Tyler 110
Lake and Michelle 90
Fran and Barry 60
David and Lori 50
Joseph and Monica 50
Ray and Yolanda 50
Danielle and Dani 40
Wanda and Desiree -130

Pool Scores

Adam 1590
Kristin 1440
Dave, Jeff 1410
Eric 1360
Anton 1330
Jill, Karen, Stephanie 1320
Lindsay 1290
Mary 1240
Curt 1220
Jan 1210
Chris H 1200
Chris, Tracy, Michelle 1170
Jonathan 1130
Ryan 1125
Ashlee 1120
Joanna 1115
Ben, Mark D 1090
Dave A, Mike 1050
Les 1045
Jay 1040
Laura 1020
Bari 1010
Mark 1000
Linda 980
Kathy 970
Sarah 950
Liz, Mary P, Robyn 930
Allegra 870
Caitlin 860
Anne 800
Scott 770
Peter 710
Kristin 545
Ami 345
Judy 295

Caption THIS!

2006-03-22T06:33:00.000-08:00

Week Five - BONUS QUESTION

2006-03-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

According to a German drinking song, we should ask God to keep the weather the way it is (dann bitten wir den Hergott,daß Wetter so bleibt) when what snows and what rains?

Good luck!

Week Four Bonus - ANSWER

2006-03-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

Postnik Yakovlev was the architect of St. Basil’s Cathedral. Supposedly Ivan the Terrible blinded him so that he could never build anything beautiful again.

Team / Pool Scores after Week 3

2006-03-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Team Scores since this was a TBC leg, all team scores are input in the scoring database as "9th" place, which boosts every team's score 10 points

Lake and Michelle 15
Danielle and Dani 5
BJ and Tyler 55
Ray and Yolanda 15
David and Lori 15
Eric and Jeremy 3
Fran and Barry 5
Joseph and Monica 1
Wanda and Desiree -5

Pool Scores

Adam 1060
Anton 1050
Kristin L, Jeff 1020
Curt 1010
Eric 960
Jill 940
Dave 930
Laura 910
Stephanie 900
Tracy, Michelle 880
Karen, Lindsay 870
Kathy 830
Mark D, Mary 810
Chris 790
Linda, Sarah 780
Chris H 770
Ashlee 760
Bari, Dave A, Jan, Mary P 750
Joanna, Ryan 745
Allegra, Jonathan 740
Caitlin 700
Mike 690
Ben, Mark 670
Les 665
Jay 650
Peter 610
Liz, Robyn 600
Scott 550
Anne 530
Kristin 505
Ami 385
Judy 145

Week Four - Bonus Question

2006-03-15T10:44:00.000-08:00

This week the teams travel to Moscow and met Phil near St. Basil's Cathedral, built by Ivan the Terrible. Good ol' Ivan might have gotten his nickname because of what he did to Postnik Yakovlev. Who was Postnik, and what did Ivan do?

Week Four - Caption THIS

2006-03-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

Week Three Bonus - Answer

2006-03-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

The answer is, Bridagerio Eduardo Gomes, and the chocolate (clever name) is Brigaderio. And it's really good--I whipped up a batch of it last night.

Vengaboys: To Brazil Video

2006-03-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my favorite new site, YouTube, the Vengaboys video for "To Brazil". Sorry the picture isn't clearer. If it starts stopping on you, press pause and wait until the little grey line goes all the way across the screen before pressing play.

Week Three - Caption THIS!

2006-03-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

Nearly forgot to put this up. I'm also not sure why I found this so funny. But quote away.

Scores after Week Two

2006-03-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

Team Scores

BJ and Tyler 145
Eric and Jeremy 105
Joseph and Monica 95
David and Lori 75
Ray and Yolanda 65
Wanda and Desiree 55
Lake and Michelle 45
Danielle and Dani 35
Fran and Barry 5
Lisa and Joni -105

Pool Scores

Anton, Curt 910
Adam 880
Kristin L, Jeff 860
Dave, Jill 820
Eric 800
Laura 790
Stephanie 780
Karen, Lindsay 760
Tracy, Michelle 740
Kathy 730
Chris H, Mary 700
Linda, Mary P 690
Ashlee 680
Sarah 670
Chris, Jan 650
Jonathan, Mark D, Ryan 640
Allegra 630
Bari, Caitlin, Dave A, Mike 620
Ben, Joanna 600
Jay 580
Mark 570
Les 560
Liz 540
Scott 500
Robyn 495
Anne 465
Peter 440
Kristin 410
Ami 370
Judy 90

WEEK THREE - Bonus Question

2006-03-08T06:44:00.000-08:00

Which famous Brazilian is described below?

Was a member of the Brazilian Air Force
Played a roll in stopping a communist coup in Rio de Janiero
Has a round chocolate candy named after him, rumored to be because he had a testicle shot off during an urban street fight.

Seriously. You can't make this stuff up.

Week Two Bonus - ANSWER

2006-03-08T06:33:00.000-08:00

Who were those silly people that wrote a song called "To Brazil"? None other than one of my favorite EuroPop groups of all time, The VengaBoys.

Episode One - My Thoughts

2006-03-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...my show is back.

I could just end my thoughts right there, but some of you may be unhappy if I did so (although others might be totally relieved).

I'm going to need to rewatch the whole episode to comment on the itty bitty race things, but for now I think I'll just go through my further impressions of the team in a not-so-logical order.

Lake and Michelle

You know, you gotta love it when the first team of the season has their little "at-home" intro, and the first thing you see is their son sitting on Michelle's lap totally trying to pick his nose. I don't know why that struck me as so funny, or why it just feels like such an apt metaphor for this team, but it did. Maybe because I totally expect them to pick away at my sanity with their fighting.
I'm not sure that Lake is totally a Scott Peterson (tm Joseph) but Ray, Colin, and Voldemort are certainly saving a seat on the couch of intensity for him.
I like that Lake is willing to admit that a big-ass mistake was "partially" his fault (calling ahead to book the flight instead of reading all the directions). Is that what he says at his dental practice? "Oh dugnabit, I gave you a root canal on the wrong molar. That's partially my fault." Same thing. I heard a rumor that many of his dental hygenists actually quit because he was a bit of a beast. Time will tell. But, even though they're one of my teams, I hope it won't be too long a time.
Do you think he makes it a habit of introducing himself "Lake, like the ocean"? While I appreciated Ray's "Ray, like the sun" comeback, I think Lake would be more apt to say "Lake, like the pond scum that I am...".

Double D

We all know who I'm talking about, right? Just wanted to make sure. I'm having a hard time telling if they belong more in the Coyote Ugle or Boogie Nights vein of young female contestants on the race. I admit I like hearing the really strong New York accents from their mouths. It just seems so wrong and yet so real. Kind of like a double Pretty Hate Machine.
I loved it that the only thing they showed a Brazilian cab driver say in English was to these two and it was, "Are you celebrities?" I can't think of a single person these two would look like. Maybe it was the cameras. Or maybe he just recognizes actors from other forms of media than I watch.

BJ & Tyler

I love these guys. But I didn't write down a single thing about them. Competent but crazy--that's a team I'm going to like watching.
Except Eric did say at one point, "I really hope the race doesn't go through Amsterdam because, well, these guys suddenly won't care about racing any more." And I think I agree.

Ray & Yolanda

Best moment of the episode: these two in the cab, and Ray is getting impatient, and Yolanda just turns to him and says "Stop it--how would you feel with a big black man sitting behind you and saying 'Are we close'?!" And then they BOTH laughed. I have a feeling these two are going to be around for a while.
For the moment, these two are reminding me of John Vito and Jill from season three. Very athletic, very competitive, and work really well together. I appreciated their drive at the motorcycle task where, despite the most obvious oggling outside of India we've seen in nine seasons, they just totally ignored it and kept doing what they needed to do. The next time I go to Italy I'm taking them with me.

John & Scott

If it's possible, I think we have found the gayest contestant ever to be on this show. If Lynn and Alex combined were a molehill, John is a (Brokeback) Mountain. Maybe he should apply for Survivor where if he keeps FTFOHF (and if anyone can figure that out, well, good on yeh) he might actually find them useful!
These two lost me when they decided to get out of the cab and wander aimlessly around Sao Paolo, and not even pulling out Barbara Eden could put me back on their bandwagon. Besides, it doesn't work. I tried it this morning before I left the house in hopes that the coworker I'm not a fan of would be home sick, but instead Anton was. I'm not trying that again.
These two might have pulled out a 10th place if John hadn't stopped to pet the snake. I mean, I know he's gay and all, but seriously. There are times to pet the snake. And there are times to race.
As John and Scott left the show, Chris M. turned to all of us in the room and said, "Well, that was a lovely platonic handhold...and will share a lovely platonic twin bed later." I think I'm just going to leave it at that.

David & Lori

It's not far. We can totally road trip down and meet the best little nerds ever. Who's with me? We can take my convertible.
And we are learning the handshake.
How can you not love these two little sweethearts? Every time nerds kiss, a clown smiles (tm Chris)
And David says, "Oh mylanta!"
I want these two to do well. For every geeky mid-20s / 30something midwestern person who is a fan of this show. I think I just described about 3/4 of this pool.

Eric & Jeremy

They came in first on the leg. Woo hoo. This puts them at a bit of odds--only one team who has come in first on the first leg has gone on to win the whole thing (that would be Rob and Brennan, for those of you who aren't race encyclopedias like myself)
In the three seasons that they have given away the $20,000 on the first leg, Eric and Jeremy are the first men to get it. It was the Godlewski sisters last season, and Debbie and Bianca the season before that. Just a random fact for y'all.
And one of them has both nipples pierced (ick). Another random fact for y'all.
We'll wait to see if their obvious attraction to DD does them in. And then they can all go be beach bums together.

Fran and Barry

You know, from their profile, I had hopes for the oldster team this season. But after it took them more than five lenghts of the bridge to find the second clue box of the race, I may be rethinking that optimism. At least Don and MJ waited until leg five to fall apart locating a clue box. And until Barry starts saying stuff like "The fickle finger of fate has diddled us again", I'm reserving my like for this team.
And Barry needs a haircut. It's like the non-mullet, with long in the back and bald on top. I'm not a fan.
And, um, if you've traveled to 45 countries, wouldn't you know that it's SAO Paulo, not SAN Paolo? I don't know why that bugged me so much, but it totally did.

Lisa & Joni

Hey, ladies? The Bowling Moms just emailed me. They want their shriek back.
Actually, these two are a combination of the Bowling Moms, the Godlewskis and Ma Weaver. But for now, I'm loving the fact that they stuck around another leg because their giving me a lot of material.
"Slow and Steady wins the race!" um, no. Slow and steady can get your far on Dancing with the Stars, but not in this game.
Apparently, according to their intro video, these two are going to Bedazzle their way to independence (tm someone at the party last night). I know someone they'd get along well with.
No, Texans, Spanish is not the Universal language. That would be Esperanto. So learn how to say a few words of portugese and get on with it.
My favorite exchange of the night: "Did you fart?" "Is it the city?" this, from women who are from Texas.
"I'm so excited I just peed my pants". Of course you did. You're over 50. I'm guessing you brought Deterol LA or Depends with you, because your backpacks are bigger than the Double Ds' Double Ds.
I could hear the scream all the way through the glass at the helicopter. Through the glass and the time space continum right into the living room.
As long as these two are around, I'm planning on picking on our favorite Glamazons. Thanks for making my job a bit easier.

Joseph and Monica

Team MoJo. Thanks for making up your own nickname.
I can't decide on this team yet. First they're really fun, then she's almost crying at the airport because they didn't get on the first flight, and then he's snarking with the best of them, and then their fighting, and...I don't know. I need another episode or two to get a handle on them.
Note to Monica: You are not in India yet. Just because it's a local traditional custom, it doesn't mean you have to respectfully bow with your hands pressed together. But nice gesture all the same.

Wanda and Desiree

Could it be that we have a functional all-female family team?! Oh my god--if they hadn't gotten screwed by the cab driver on the way to the helicopter, these two would have been in first.
My favorite moment with these two was when they got off the helicopter and into that lavish apartment, and Wanda just couldn't stop looking around at all the beautiful furniture. David Sedaris has this story in his newest collection, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, about going to Amsterdam (without BJ and Tyler, otherwise he wouuld have been in the, um, cafes all day long) and touring the Anne Frank house, and the whole time he just couldn't believe how cute the flat was, and how he wanted to buy it, and he figured the reason the next door neighbors turned them in is because they wanted to upgrade to the three-bedroom flat the Franks were hiding in. Wanda was kind of like that.
I don't want to predict too early (because we know how quickly teams can go from first to last), but these two stand a chance of getting really, really far

And, before I go, some more random thoughts:

The only thing I could think about at Red Rocks (where I've actually been before, and will try to remember to scan pictures) was "oh, producers are evil. They're trying to create an accident right away!" But surprisingly, no one bit it. They apparently learned from Jim.
Could this be...a flight right away? Like, out of the country? To a different continent?!?! How many people were shouting YEA! at this point?
That hotel is certainly...unique. I guess they named it correctly.
You know, if Charla had been on this season, finding those clues under the stairs on the helicopter task wouldn't have been much of a challenge.
I giggled that CBS has included Race as a part of ACTION TUESDAY. I mean, I suppose it is, but it just seems a bit odd.
That is quite the talented greeter! But the Hungarian will always be first and foremost in my ethnic greeter hall of fame.
Phil...multiple eyebrow pops...
This is the third season in a row (not counting TAR8, of course because, well, we like to pretend that never happened) that an all-male team has been the first off. Interesting. Do I see a trend starting?
Question of the day. What is a worse reality show idea: Going on Amazing Race with a big fear of flying, or going on Survivor and quitting your three-pack a day smoking habit the day you get to the island? Discuss. Amongst yourselves. Or as comments. Or whatever. Because I'm done.

Scrappy, signing off.

Scores after Week One

2006-03-01T09:07:00.000-08:00

Team Placements and Scores

Eric / Jeremy 125
BJ & Tyler 105
Wanda & Desiree 105
David & Lori 75
Lake & Michelle 65
Joseph & Monica 55
Ray &amp; Yolanda 45
Fran & Barry 25
Danielle & Dani 5
Lisa & Joni -5
John & Scott -105

Pool Scores

Curt 460
Anton 455
Jeff 435
Jill 430
Adam 425
Stephanie 420
Mary P 415
Kristin L 405
Kathy 400
Dave 385
Linda, Mary, Laura 380
Eric, Lindsay, Sarah 375
Karen, Les 370
Ashlee 365
Jonathan, Ryan 360
Michelle 355
Joanna 350
Ben, Tracy 345
Allegra, Mike 335
Jay 330
Dave A, Liz 320
Chris H 315
Bari, Caitlin, Kristin 305
Mark D 295
Chris 280
Jan 270
Ami 265
Scott 255
Mark 250
Robyn 210
Anne 200
Peter 195
Judy 70

Week Two - Caption THIS!

2006-03-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

Week TWO - BONUS QUESTION

2006-03-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

So, we find ourselves at the first Pit Stop in Sao Paolo, Brazil.

What EuroDance group, who became popular at the tail end of the 1990s, has a 2001 hit with To Brazil?

WEEK ONE BONUS - Answer

2006-03-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

The answer I was looking for was Lex from Survivor: Africa! However, as I have a theory that anyone from California is a bit bat-shit crazy, I took any answer that people sent that were reality show people from Santa Cruz.

Good job everyone!

Team Videos are Up!

2006-02-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say that videos of all the teams are up on Cbs.com!

Friday Media Update

2006-02-03T12:24:00.000-08:00

Caution: Location Spoilers / Team Sightings
Team Info
More Team Info and General Show Info
In case you haven't seen it yet, the preview video for this season
Caution: Location Spoilers / Team Sightings

Tyler info
More Team Info

Caption THIS!

2006-02-01T13:40:00.000-08:00

Well, we might as well start early with my favorite new edition to the bonus portion of scoring.

Stipulation: It must be a TAR related quote. Leave them as comments to this post, or email them to me directly so I can post them.

Media Updates: Week One

2006-01-31T09:05:00.000-08:00

Having trouble picking your teams? How about perusing the articles below, courtesy of Karen?

BJ & Tyler

Ray and Yolanda

Wanda and Desiree

Wanda's job title and email (no, I haven't emailed her...yet)

Lisa and Joni

Fran and Barry

Ski Bums!

David and Lori

And, some general TAR info

Week One - BONUS Question

2006-01-30T16:20:00.000-08:00

I wanted to get this up quick so people could start sending articles.

So, Tyler's from Santa Cruz, California, but he's not the first half-baked bat-shit crazy whack ass to come from there. What other half-baked bat-shit crazy whack ass reality tv star calls Santa Cruz home?

The Ponies are Getting Picked!

2006-01-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

Anton

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Wanda & Desiree

Tracy

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Joseph & Monica

Peter

Danielle & Dani
BJ & Tyler
John & Scott
Wanda & Desiree

Mike

Lake & Michelle
Danielle & Dani
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Robyn

Danielle & Dani
BJ & Tyler
John & Scott
Eric & Jeremy

Stephanie

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy

Anne

Ray & Yolanda
John & Scott
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Ashlee

Lake & Michelle
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Joesph & Monica

Sarah

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
Fran & Barry
Wanda & Desiree

Karen

Danielle & Dani
BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy

Mary

Lake & Michelle
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Wanda & Desiree

Scott

Lake & Michelle
Danielle & Dani
Ray & Yolanda
Joseph & Monica

Allegra

Lake & Michelle
Danielle & Dani
David & Lori
Wanda & Desiree

Linda

Eric & Jeremy
Fran & Barry
Joseph & Monica
Wanda & Desiree

Bari

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Fran & Barry
Joseph & Monica

Adam

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Kristin

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Mark

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
John & Scott
Eric & Jeremy

Jonathan

Danielle & Dani
BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Fran & Barry

Michelle

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
David & Lori
Joseph & Monica

Chris

BJ & Tyler
John & Scott
David & Lori
Eric & Jeremy

Eric

Ray & Yolanda
David & Lori
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Curt

BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Joesph & Monica
Wanda & Desiree

Mary K

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Fran & Barry

Chris H

Danielle & Dani
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Joanna

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Lisa & Joni

Kristin B

BJ & Tyler
Fran & Barry
Lisa & Joni
Wanda & Desiree

Jeff

BJ & Tyler
David & Lori
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Jan

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
John & Scott
Eric & Jeremy

Dave

BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Fran & Barry
Joseph & Monica

Ben

Lake & Michelle
Eric & Jeremy
Fran & Barry
Joseph & Monica

Liz

Danielle & Dani
David & Lori
Eric & Jeremy
Fran & Barry

David

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Fran & Barry

Les

Lake & Michelle
BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Lisa & Joni

Kathy

Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica
Wanda & Desiree

Ryan

BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Lisa & Joni
Joseph & Monica

Lindsay

Danielle & Dani
BJ & Tyler
Eric & Jeremy
Joseph & Monica

Mark D

Danielle & Dani
BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Joseph & Monica

Jay

Lake & Michelle
Dani & Danielle
Ray & Yolanda
Eric & Jeremy

Laura

BJ & Tyler
Ray & Yolanda
Joseph & Monica
Wanda & Desiree

Ami

Danielle & Dani
David & Lori
Lisa & Joni
Wanda & Desiree

The Teams - My Initial Thoughts

2006-01-30T08:33:00.000-08:00

Lake and Michelle
Hmm. Nothing strikes me as particularly interesting about this team at the outset--just your usual mid-30s (I'm guessing) happily married couple. I do like the fact that Michelle is a stay-at-home mother of three who works part time at Lake's dental practice. Um, hello? If you work part time at a dental office doesn't that mean you're not a stay at home mom? It's noted that Lake (and seriously, what kind of a name is that? And this is coming from someone named Allegra Lingo) is a type-A personality, and his wife hopes that won't cause problems. While I recognize that type-A personalities are important in competition, let's hope they don't turn into another Type-A racer that we all have come to loathe.

Danielle and Dani
Oh, good lord. I didn't realize that CBS was suddenly trying to attact male 18 - 34 viewers. Not only do they have similar names, similar really bad hair dye jobs, and hideous tank tops, they say their "armed" with bold personalities and fearless attitudes (I'd also say they're armed with something else, too, but that's just me). I also find it amusing that they're going to use their "thick accents" to win them the $1 million prize. This team is now officially named Team Nip and Tuck in my book. Maybe we have another team Heave on our hands--and I actually found them quite funny, so maybe N 'n' T will do okay. If there's a donkey cart around, I will personally cheer for these dudes to do that detour option.

BJ and Tyler
And, in the wake of wacky dude casting that brought us the likes of Kevin and Drew, Kenny and Gerard, and John and Al, come BJ and Tyler! I always like this dynamic, and they tend to do well. But these guys are a little out there. Tyler walked the length of Japan to impress a girl? Cooking dinner? I understand that. Shaving off the scruffy beard? That would make sense, too. But walking 2,000 miles? That's, um, strange. And since they list their favorite memory as starting a street dance party with "hundreds of Chinese men", I think we have the potential for some very entertaining international incidents from these two.

Ray and Yolanda
You know, the most interesting thing about this due is that Ray is also my grandpa's name. Huh. This looks like what would happen if Hera and Lenny ran the race together. I'm yawning already.

John and Scott
Okay, I'm naming this team "Team Brokeback Mountain circa 1983". They've been friends for 25 years, both single, they vacation to Provincetown, and John admits that he's controlling (and also lists his greatest accomplishment as renovating a brownstone and doing an AIDS ride). I'm just saying. John also has a fear of flying and hasn't been on a plane in eight years. We'll see. I'm not so sure I'm on the love-train for these two yet.

David and Lori
Aw, midwestern nerds! From Manhattan, Kansas! I love it. Lori works at Pizza Hut and David is in a bunch of bands. While true that they have the build of a young Debra and Steve, they might just be geeky enough to pull a Gary and Dave on us. Only time will tell.

Eric and Jeremy
Or, as this team screams to me, "Team Brokeback Mountain circa 1963". They work, respectively, as a valet and a waiter?! In any case, we have another alpha male team on our hands in the strong tradition of past winners Rob & Brennan, Chris & Alex, and Chip & Reichen. They will probably go far--I just hope they're interesting.

Fran and Barry
Here is the prerequisite "older team". Now, they do look promising--they've traveled to 45 different countries, Fran has climbed all 54 of Colorado's 14ers, and Barry's biggest disappointment in Fran is that, while in New Zealand, Fran wouldn't bungee jump. And that's not something that should be held against anybody. At least in my pansy-ass opinion. But the line at the end that "they want to show that older people can compete with 25 year olds". Yeah. Like that's worked well for any older team in the past (and there's been one every season, hasn't there?). As long as Fran doesn't repeatedly screen "Baaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrryyyyy!" like some other old timer I can remember, I kinda dig them.

Lisa and Joni
Okay, story time: when I was in Texas last month on my way to go on a cruise, I was at a steakhouse (big surprise, that'd I'd find myself in a steakhouse in Texas) and went outside for a smoke (another shocker), enjoying the high 50s weather in a t-shirt and jeans when this Texas woman came outside wearing a fur coat and said, "If they're going to make you go outside to smoke, they should at least provide you with a fire to warm yourself!" As I obviously was not having the same reaction to the quite balmy weather, she asked where I was from. I told her, she asked what I was doing in Texas, and I said I was leaving on a cruise. She asked where the ship was going, and I told her "well, Mexico, Belize, and Honduras". She thought for a moment (I think this was very hard for her), and said, "Wait, did you have to get a passport?!?!" I said, "Um, no, because I've had one since I was five." And she said, "I ain't never going nowhere that you need a passport. I saw that movie 'Not Without My Daughter' with Sally Field, and I know that if I ever went somewhere foreign they'd take a liking to me and I'd never get home!"

Lisa and Joni remind my of her. But I did crack up when I read that if they win the million they'll use it for plastic surgery. They'll give Nip / Tuck a run for their money in that respect.

Joseph and Monica
Well, the most notable thing I can find about these two is that, on the big group picture, they're wearing jeans. And I think that's kind of cool. I think the last two teams we saw wear jeans were Kevin and Drew and Nancy and Emily. And they both did quite well. And it looks like Monica's armed with a few things herself, giving Nip / Tuck yet another run for their money in that department.

Wanda and Desiree
I must admit that on the few promos I've seen for this next season, I thought these two were sisters. I stand corrected. They seem smart, mom's got two college degrees and the kid's a writer, but will they go the way of Nancy and Emily or the completely forgettable (except to race dweebs like myself) Hilary and Diedre?!

I wish the bios were more extensive. I'll have to update this when they get the team videos out on the site for some more "in-depth" analysis. But, overall, I'm liking the mix. We don't have any models (sorry, Nip / Tuck. You don't qualify). We don't have anyone that seems like they're doing this so they can go into acting (except maybe for the valet / waiter, because those wouldn't be very good lifelong careers). We've got people from all over the country, not just California. No military men. No past reality tv show stars.

It's race time. Bring it, yo.

It's That Time Again!

2006-01-30T06:22:00.000-08:00

All right, yo. The teams are up on the CBS website, which means it's time to get this pool up and running again. Here are the rules:

Each pool participant will pick four teams. No two pool participants can have the same combination of four teams. This is to eliminate the chance of a tie.

Based on what happens in each episode, people will receive the following points:

1. Place at the Pitstop
First Place: 100 points
Second Place: 90 points
Third Place: 80 points
Fourth Place: 70 points
Fifth Place: 60 points
Sixth Place: 50 points
Seventh Place: 40 points
Eighth Place: 30 points
Ninth Place: 20 points
Tenth Place: 10 points
LAST (ALL ELIMINATIONS): -100 points

2. Team Uses the Fast Forward: 100 points

3. Team uses their Yield: 50 points

4. Team Gets Yielded: -50 points

5. Screen shows the team "currently in first place": 10 points

6. Screen shows the team "currently in last place": -10 points

7. Only team to complete a detour option: 20 points

8. Team gives up on a detour option: -10 points

9. MONKEY points: a team says monkey, 10 points. They show a monkey on the screen, 5 points to all teams.

10. Team says the quote that is the episode title: 10 points

Active Participation Points:
Bonus Questions: Answer the weekly bonus question: 40 points
Media: send me an article to post on the blog, have been to one of the places and send me a photo to post on the blog, etc: 5 points

We are instilling an ADAM rule this time around. In order to be eligible for media points, here are some ground rules:

You must have already sent in an answer to that week's bonus question.
You may earn a maximum of 100 bonus points per week (i.e. 40 bonus question, 60 media articles).

As a reminder, I am playing for real again this time. So be on your guard. I'm going to kick ass this time around.