"Amazing Race 9" Talkback (Spoilers)

[Freedom Fighter]

Since the beginning, The Amazing Race has traveled over 330,000 miles. Taken you to over 48 countries. But the new race will take you to places you've never been. More exotic. More adventure. More amazing.

Welcome to the talkback for the ninth installment of the only show to win the Emmy for best reality competition program, CBS' The Amazing Race.

AR9 cast picture courtesy of CBS.
​

Tuesday, February 28, 2006: Episode #901 "Here We Go, Baby, Off to Win a Million Dollars"
The race begins in Denver, Colo., when teams jet off to their first location, Sao Paulo, Brazil, where they must venture into the heart of the city to find their next clue.

This is a 2-hour premiere episode and it airs at 9 pm EST on CBS. Take note... starting next week, TAR moves to its new regular timeslot, Tuesdays at 10 pm EST!

Go to CBS.com right now and check out the official site for this season's race, which at this point only has pre-show interviews of this race's pairs, but as usual, will also eventually include leg-by-leg recaps and other goodies.

Spoilers: Please follow the TZ boards' normal rules for spoilers. Anything that happens in an episode that hasn't aired yet on the East Coast must be placed in spoiler boxes. Also, if by some chance you find out who wins this season's race before the final episode airs, please keep it to yourself... not even spoiler boxing it is acceptable. We've never had that situation arise in the previous two AR talkbacks, and personally, we'd like to keep it that way. After all, the thrill of who wins the race is just as important as the long and winding, yet fun journey it takes to get there.

Please keep all talk about this season's edition to this thread, and don't forget... the first seven seasons air in repeats on GSN almost every night (currently, I believe it's Wednesdays-Sundays at 10 pm EST). Also, Season One and Season Seven are now available on DVD!

Whew... well, have it at! Enjoy tonight's debut of Season 9!

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

I'm rooting for BJ and Tyler, as well as Wanda and Desiree. If one of those two teams win, I'll be happy. Dislikes so far are only really for Lake/Michelle. Most of the other teams are either bland or overly-obnoxious. A good first start to what is shaping up to be a good race.

I kinda thought that John and Scott would go... although Fran and Barry on that bloody viaduct, you just wanted to scream at them.

AND NO MODELS! That in itself is a great feat!

 

[Rover_Wow]

Initial vibes:

- Finally, a gay team that doesn't get to have much attention: John and Scott (wow... talk about bland names) are the first eliminated.
- Initial vibes from other contestants:
* Lake: He looks like House MD, only with a wacky accent.
* Dani and Danielle: The only thing I think about when these chicks are on screen is Otto and Reggie Rocket's mother. Yeah, the pictures don't work at this link, but you get the idea. (The "Childhood Friends" designation for them doesn't exactly dispel the thought either.)
* Lori: Like "Double D", I got a strong impression based on her name. I'm a Winx Club fan, and I used to regularly visit the LiveJournal community run by Lori Francz (I've stopped since it's become members only).
* Fran and Barry: They walk past the cluebox like 3-4 times ala KamiKarli, then pick Motorhead as their detour (like, what kind of geezer fixes up motorcycles?!)... and still finish 8th from 11.
* Glamazons: Hey, enough with the prayin' already!
* BJ and that other guy: Remind me a lot of the guys who rolled their car in TAR7.

 

[TnAdct1]

After watching the season premiere last night, I have a feeling that the last team to be eliminated in this race is going to be BJ and Tyler (or as I call them, the Potheads).

 

[Quagmire]

The two Danni's are from my city, so I'm rooting hard for them. I'm still trying to figure out which high school they went to since I'm the same age. It wasn't mine though

I like the hippies and Team Boricua.

 

[TimTwoFace]

For me, it's the Hippies all the way. The Puerto Rican mother/daughter team (whose names I can't recall right now) are fine, too - and I've got a soft spot for the nerds, even though I don't like how they kept referring to themselves as nerds every couple seconds. Oh, mylanta!

It was a good episode - and nice for me to see too, since I might be going to Sao Paolo sometime in the next while to see a friend.

-Tim

 

[bigddan11]

I haven't yet come up with a favorite, but I was glad that John and Scott won't be making it to the final 5 like most of the gay teams on the Amazing Race have. I have nothing against them, but I can't stand the way they speak.

 

[Burgundy Ranger]

I also could not lock on to a rooting favorite in the first episode. But I think I'll appreciate not dealing with another 10 legs of John and Scott.

I'm wondering if there will be any rules tweaks for this one. They've had almost a full year to consider what they might do for the next 'traditional' race.

One thing I've wanted to see for some time is the minimizing of bunch-up points. Transportation terminals can't be helped. But if teams arrive in the middle of the night at an attraction or buisiness that doesn't open until, say, 7 a.m., there should be a staggered entry into the venue. Five-minute intervals should be sufficient. Only exception would be if a team arrives less than five minutes after the preceding one. Then they get the actual difference in time.

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Some observations of mine from Leg 1:
- Teams I Like: BJ & Tyler, Wanda & Desiree, and David & Lori. BJ & Tyler are fun to watch... they're like Shaggy & Scooby-Doo, if Scooby were human. It's too early to call Wanda & Desiree the all-female team to watch, but they've made their case. David & Lori... eh, they're placeholders for now.
- Teams I'm Neutral For: Ray & Yolanda, Danielle & Dani, Eric & Jeremy, Fran & Berry, and Joseph & Monica. Not much to say about this group, but I will say if Fran & Berry are announcing they can compete with the young guns... well, they didn't do well to back it up in Leg 1.
- Teams I Dislike: John & Scott, Lisa & Joni, Lake & Michelle. John & Scott were just boring to me. Lisa & Joni just way too excitable for two women obviously following the theme of 'slow and steady wins the race.' Lake & Michelle are at the bottom, just for Lake, who's definitely the 'man who picks on a woman' type... and that's never a good thing.
- Other Note: 1) You know, every season it's become more and more of a tradition of giving nicknames to other teams. 'The Hippies,' 'Ken & Barbie,' 'The Frosties,' 'The Pinkies'... that's the ones I remember off the top of my head... and probably the most tame.

Usually I'll try to turn over character observations and notes within 24 hours after the episode, since I can't watch it live anyway because of work. Anyway, onto Episode 2...

Tuesday, March 7, 2006: Episode #902 "I'm Filthy and I Love It"
One racer faces an extreme fear of heights by rappelling down a 400-foot building; another becomes lost and has trouble operating a manual transmission.

Remember... effective tonight, TAR moves to its new regular timeslot, Tuesdays at 10 pm EST!

 

[bigddan11]

Well, I didn't think last night was as good as the premiere because the pit stop came awfully early on the leg. It was only 1/2 way through the hour when the first team started heading there. I'm used to it being 40- 45 minutes before they head to the pit stop, but the challenges were interesting to watch, and we got to see more of Brazil's beautiful scenery. Team Hippy has grown on me a bit, but I still haven't devdeloped a team to root for. I think the later time will hurt the Race in the long run, but that's all I have to say for this week.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

Lake and Michelle have moved off of my hate list, only to be replaced by the sexist and "we're obviously straight and want everyone to know about it" Eric and Jeremy. Seriously, they're the only team I severely dislike as of now.

Mojo (which still mkes me cringe when I write it) went up in my expectations, but for everyone else, their like/love/dislike remains the same.

Fran and Barry really screwed up on the detour. If they'd chosen the sugar cane one, they might have even beat Lake/Michelle and Dani/Danielle. That would have raised themup from m low expectations of them. However, in an interview, Phil said not to underestimate them... although I really find it hard not to do so. Ah well.

Favourite parts: Phil's eyebrow at E/J calling him a woman, and the constant gay innuendo used by E/J and BJ/T - priceless!

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Leg 2 Observations:
- Like: BJ & Tyler way up, then David & Lori and Wanda & Desiree sharing 2nd. The 'Hippies' are the only team I really, really like. Besides, how can you not like a team that finishes 2nd and 1st in the opening two legs? The mother-daughter team falls back to the 'Nerds' because of their drop in positioning. And what pet name did David give Lori again?
- Neutral: Ray & Yolanda, Joseph & Monica, Danielle & Dani tied with Fran & Berry, then Eric & Jeremy on the 'dislike' bubble. A little bit of rearranging, but the only major change is Eric & Jeremy, who are close to falling out of this group, even though they have the same average as BJ & Tyler in the standings (1st and 2nd in the opening 2 legs). Being 'men's men' is aggravating, guys.
- Dislike: Lake & Michelle, followed closely by departing Lisa & Joni. Lake gets points for lightening up on the 'alpha male' persona. And Lisa & Joni's 'slow and steady' strategy failed miserably.
- Other Note: 1) There are three fire escapes in the Roadblock. I agree with BJ & Tyler's assessment... no one thought of joining them on the third staircase, where they were all alone?

Yeah, that's pretty much it. The only standouts are BJ & Tyler and Eric & Jeremy, who may just very well run away from the rest of the field. And it's tough seeing anyone in the bottom half of what's left making a run for the top right now. Nobody seems to want it... or there just hasn't been any major mix-ups that've seriously scrambled the teams.

 

[Rover_Wow]

- My sister isn't such a big TAR fan, but as we were watching the Roadblock, my sister casually asked, "Why are all those dumb guys running up the same staircase? There's gonna be a line." (Something like that)
- "I'm gonna smack you, woman!"
- Ethanol detour! (The nerds even mentioned "Mr. Wizard", an old Nick show I used to watch when I lived in the US. Wonder how many of you got the joke?)
- Pitstop got mentioned a bit early this week eh?
- VW Bugs. Classic. "Getting back to our roots!"
- They're not TAR7's Trabants, but they still get some car trouble. (For the 3rd straight race, after the Trabants, and drained trailer batteries in TAR8.) Fran/Barry, despite their dead battery, still manage to eke out Lisa/Joni for the final spot (though they're so far behind the rest, they'll have to hope for bunching).
- F/B also made their 2nd straight questionable Detour choice. Climbing over pressing sugar cane? Eh?

 

[Freedom Fighter]

Tuesday, March 14, 2006: Episode #903 "I am in Russia Playing with Dolls"
Team members search for a clue buried inside thousands of Russian nesting dolls; a deep-water phobia paralyzes a racer, who fears drowning during a challenge.

See you tonight at 10 pm EST on CBS!

 

[Rover_Wow]

Blech! A TBC leg. (Before tonight, the earliest elimination-free leg was TAR 6's Leg 4 in Senegal, and that was a standard non-elim.)

Russian dolls Detour. Wonder why they didn't do this the last time they were in Russia (TAR5)? That said, still too much like the chocolate roadblock of that same race (but this time, it's optional, as hey, it's a detour).

Trolley washing!

Apparently, even after forgetting their bag at the Roadblock, the Dani's aren't dead last. And Team Boricua's not dead last either, even though Wanda had trouble diving.

 

[Rover_Wow]

^ Blech! Toonzone problems resulted in the above post appearing SO MANY TIMES (mods, you know what to do...)

Meanwhile, more highlights:

- Some racer singing "I am in Russia playing with the dolls"
- The music as everyone was playing with the dolls (just like the first ever TBC leg, with the soup roadblock)
- The bit at the cathedral. Almost like TAR suddenly became the arts channel.

 

[Freedom Fighter]

^ Okay, looks like there more hiccups from the server going down last night than I thought there would be.

I was surprised too that we had a 'to be continued' leg this early. Makes up for already knowing where the Pit Stop was at the episode's halfway mark last week, huh?

Leg 3A Observations:
- Like: BJ & Tyler, then David & Lori. If not for the Hippies, this race would be downright boring. Surprising Eric & Jeremy in the dark at the Zipline stop! The resident nerds are doing fine... that's all to say.
- Neutral: Wanda & Desiree, Ray & Yolanda, Joseph & Monica, and Fran & Berry. I felt sorry for Wanda being unable to dive under and get the clue. But suddenly, none of the female teams look strong enough to be threats to win the race. Fran & Berry went from last at the Sao Paolo Airport to second leaving the Moscow Airport, so that had to be a morale boost. Too bad they got knocked back down with the dolls.
- Dislike: Danielle & Dani, Eric & Jeremy, and Lake & Michelle. I think we saw Danielle & Dani and Eric & Jeremy hooking up, but we also saw love can't carry you when the other makes a blunder. Honestly, I think the boys will suffer more if the girls go first as opposed to the other way around. And Lake still continues to annoy me, again not willing to take responsibility for his actions. He turns the wrong way leaving the Pit Stop, and what does he say when they realize they're on the wrong path? "We went the wrong way." We? Who's driving the car? Who didn't listen to his 'other' question his directions?
- Other Notes: 1) Ingenious to send the teams from sunny Brazil to frigid Russia. I loved how much of a shock it was for those who had to dive into that pool in the Roadblock.
2) Who would've thought finding a trolley lot would be so hard?

Eric & Jeremy continue to be the cream of the crop in the race. I'm glad they're not letting Danielle & Dani hold them back, but how long will that last? And as for next week's continuation... that ought to be fun, breaking bottles over your teammate's head. Watch... someone'll get angry for being hit too hard!

Speaking of which... am I evil for wishing Michelle bops Lake real good?

 

[Burgundy Ranger]

First off, this show does NOT belong at 10:00. Too late and I think the ratings are suffering. I just hope people who might have been turned off by the Family Edition remembered to come back for the Classic Edition.

If CBS wants to keep NCIS and The Unit back-to-back, move them to 9:00 and 10:00.

But on to the race. I was also surprised with the earliness of the TBC leg. I think we're going to see another example of why they didn't take any "Alpha Male" teams for a while. Eric & Jeremy will be in the final 3.

Also, have they ditched the "no person can do more than 6" rule for the Roadblocks?

 

[Captain Zechs]

Holy crap...the guy had nipple rings...yeah...

And Rover! 6 Posts! Geez! Fix it.

So far this season is enjoyable, the 2 guys that want to have sex are humorous, yet annoying at the same time.

 

[The Penguin]

^ Blech! Toonzone problems resulted in the above post appearing SO MANY TIMES (mods, you know what to do...)

You can delete your posts yourself ya know. I'm not any more responsible for error than you are (but they're your posts). Did you keep hitting reply when the load was delayed?