For any who are watching "Amazing Race"....

[Pellaz]

...this is kinda weird, but two people I know slightly are one of the teams on the CBS show Amazing Race (it's on Sundays)....Kynt and Vyxsin, the goth dating couple. Our own Derek/Ruthven actually knows them quite well.

I don't watch the show, but I'll have to set the ol' DVR to record it, just for grins.

 

[TheWhisper]

"Reality shows are so conformist"

 

[rockyracoon]

I love Amazing Race, and have followed it closely for quite some time and will continue to do so in the future... after a skipping this season, which has by far the worst teams in the history of the show. Just nobody I can really get onboard with liking/disliking enough to keep me interested, as they're all just sorta boring. Somebody really fell asleep in the casting dept. on this one, it seems. Oh well, hopefully the next season returns to good form.

 

[dcowboys311]

Haha, that's awesome. My good friend's cousin was on that show a few seasons back.

 

[metalprof]

My six year old has developed a fascination with this show, probably because the word "Race" is in the title. She watched an episode 3 or 4 Sundays ago, and now every Sunday she asks to watch The Amazing Race before bedtime. Fortunately, apart from a few language issues, it's family friendly. She wants the blondes to win.

I've watched a couple of episodes with her, and while I appreciate the structure of the show, it bugs me that it's edited in a misleading fashion to introduce urgency, drama and tension which is just not really there. For example, in the recent episode where they had to milk camels, they showed a clip of a camel's knee spilling one team's bowl of milk three or four times over a span of about 10 minutes in the show, to distort the amount of time they actually spent at the task relative to the other teams. I don't think they need to resort to cheap editing tactics like that, but they do. I reminded me of how a long 10 minute porn scene can be made of just a couple of 2-3 minute segments repeated and mixed together differently. Not that I've ever seen that kind of thing.

Ken

 

[See You In Hell]

Amazing Race is the ONLY show on TV I make a regular attempt at watching. I've actually enjoyed the show since its inception and it has either given me new travel ideas or rekindled old ones (ex: Iguazu Falls in Brazil / Argentina which was featured several seasons ago). I love seeing other parts of the world and the dynamic of having people, often totally unprepared, thrust into new cultures while still in the midst of a race is rather interesting to observe. This season I would agree that I've found no team to really pull for or against but the goth couple is doing quite well so far and I wish them continued good luck.

 

[rockyracoon]

My six year old has developed a fascination with this show, probably because the word "Race" is in the title. She watched an episode 3 or 4 Sundays ago, and now every Sunday she asks to watch The Amazing Race before bedtime. Fortunately, apart from a few language issues, it's family friendly. She wants the blondes to win.

I've watched a couple of episodes with her, and while I appreciate the structure of the show, it bugs me that it's edited in a misleading fashion to introduce urgency, drama and tension which is just not really there. For example, in the recent episode where they had to milk camels, they showed a clip of a camel's knee spilling one team's bowl of milk three or four times over a span of about 10 minutes in the show, to distort the amount of time they actually spent at the task relative to the other teams. I don't think they need to resort to cheap editing tactics like that, but they do. I reminded me of how a long 10 minute porn scene can be made of just a couple of 2-3 minute segments repeated and mixed together differently. Not that I've ever seen that kind of thing.

Ken

I agree, but also consider that a show depicting a world-wide race must use at least some element of "urgency" to get people on the edge of their seats.


I find the major flaw in the show is the almost built-in opportunity for the slower, weaker teams to remain even or pass the clearly stronger and more resourceful teams by virtue of dumb luck. In the end, it never seems to be the best team that wins, but rather the team that can effectively fall in a pile of shit and come out with a ham sandwich. Survival of the fittest is what I'd like to see the show focus on, but in which case many or most of the more popular teams would be instantly eliminated.

 

[AngraRULES]

This show is amazing. I'd love to be able to be on it!!!

 

[J-Man]

...this is kinda weird, but two people I know slightly are one of the teams on the CBS show Amazing Race (it's on Sundays)....Kynt and Vyxsin, the goth dating couple. Our own Derek/Ruthven actually knows them quite well.

I don't watch the show, but I'll have to set the ol' DVR to record it, just for grins.

I also know them.

 

[sh0kr0k]

I think MetalRose posted about these two and mentioned that she knows them too. I don't know either of them well, but I think I've exchanged brief myspace messages with them both at least 2 or 3 years ago. I like this show but haven't seen it yet this season. (My tv is constantly on Cartoon Network or History Channel, though today I've branched out to G4! lol).

 

[Pellaz]

Huzzah! They're in second place!

I think if they'd originally opted to count the stupid fence posts instead of attempting to stilt-walk, they'd have come in first for that leg.

 

[metalprof]

**spoilers ho!**


There was great wailing in our house last night. My daughter really wanted the blondes to win. So when they got eliminated last night, she bawled for a good 4-5 minutes. Big heaving sobs and tears. It was quite a scene!

Ken

 

[rockyracoon]

**spoilers ho!**


There was great wailing in our house last night. My daughter really wanted the blondes to win. So when they got eliminated last night, she bawled for a good 4-5 minutes. Big heaving sobs and tears. It was quite a scene!

Ken

I was happy to see those two brainless twits depart. Combined, they had the personality of one single napkin. They offered nothing to the show aside from their incredibly vain and shameless insights about the world around them.uke:

 

[Pellaz]

I was happy to see those two brainless twits depart. Combined, they had the personality of one single napkin. They offered nothing to the show aside from their incredibly vain and shameless insights about the world around them.uke:

Yeah, I have to agree, based solely on watching the one episode so far. They argued a lot, and then boo-hoo'd at the end ("we were used to manicures and facials....") Good riddance.


Seemed like there was a lot of griping and infighting from the team members duing this one...with the notable exception of Kynt and Vyxsin. I expect the producers to be demanding more pathos from them soon. "You're goths, right? Quit acting so happy!"

 

[Pellaz]

I find the major flaw in the show is the almost built-in opportunity for the slower, weaker teams to remain even or pass the clearly stronger and more resourceful teams by virtue of dumb luck. In the end, it never seems to be the best team that wins, but rather the team that can effectively fall in a pile of shit and come out with a ham sandwich. Survival of the fittest is what I'd like to see the show focus on, but in which case many or most of the more popular teams would be instantly eliminated.

After watching tonight's episode, I really have to agree. One of the stronger teams (Azaria and his sister) was eliminated because they were booked from Lithuania to Bosnia in business class instead of economy (as the show rules require), and with the flights booked up, they ended up arriving wayyy late. They originally asked for economy, too. Moral: ALWAYS check your boarding pass. (And maybe notice how much more the airfare is, sheeesh.)


One thing that struck my sneaky, evil mind while I was watching.... I wonder if the producers make arrangements to buy up the remaining seats on certain flights to cause some extra drama. I noticed that a lot of those "full" flights seemed to have ooodles of empty seats.
But that would be realllly evil.


And once again this week, Kynt and Vyxsin finished in second place by minutes, tops. Oh, well, at least they're still in the hunt.

Seemed like there was a lot of griping and infighting from the team members duing this one...with the notable exception of Kynt and Vyxsin. I expect the producers to be demanding more pathos from them soon. "You're goths, right? Quit acting so happy!"

Funny I mentioned this earlier, since it looks like they DO get argumentative in next week's episode. Hmmmmmm.

 

[Pellaz]

Figured I'd better toss in a note here that Amazing Race won't be on this Sunday, as it's being pre-empted by some sort of Survivor thing.

I could care less.*

So, for those (like me) who watch virtually NO network television, this coming weekend can remain pristine and next weekend I'll hold my nose and watch AR again. Or have the DVR hold its nose for me.











-=-=-=
* and I could. Just, not MUCH less.

 

[rockyracoon]

After watching tonight's episode, I really have to agree. One of the stronger teams (Azaria and his sister) was eliminated because they were booked from Lithuania to Bosnia in business class instead of economy (as the show rules require), and with the flights booked up, they ended up arriving wayyy late. They originally asked for economy, too. Moral: ALWAYS check your boarding pass. (And maybe notice how much more the airfare is, sheeesh.)

I actually thought Azaria and Kendekea would eventually fall victim to being too overconfident. Someone should have let them know that every obstacle can't be crossed with a damn algebra equation.


On a side note regarding them, and maybe others noticed this too... They had one of the absolute creepiest brother/sister relationships I've ever seen featured on TV. At first I found myself making jokes about it, but it went past joking to downright weird at times. Just something I noticed. Maybe the producers saw it and figured it could generate some controversy.

 

[Ruthven]

I wouldn't say I know them particularly well, but they've helped me out in regards to DragonCon programming. Kynt is always good for helping drum up promotion, and also knows how to get into "the DragonCon mindset." Anybody who independently tries to talk the Birthday Massacre into applying to play gets points from me for certain. Glad to see him and Vyxsin on TV.

 

[Pellaz]

I actually thought Azaria and Kendekea would eventually fall victim to being too overconfident. Someone should have let them know that every obstacle can't be crossed with a damn algebra equation.

Yeah, apparently they were both engineers or something. Which is why this clip is pretty damned funny:

http://www.cbs.com/innertube/player.php?cat=167406&vid=&format=&auto=1

Then click on Episode 6 -> Two Brainiacs On a Boat --and prepare to laugh your ass off.
That might have cost them the elimination, since they weren't too far behind the second-to-last team.......

On a side note regarding them, and maybe others noticed this too... They had one of the absolute creepiest brother/sister relationships I've ever seen featured on TV. At first I found myself making jokes about it, but it went past joking to downright weird at times. Just something I noticed. Maybe the producers saw it and figured it could generate some controversy.

Yeah, it was weird. They had that really ugly blow-up at the airport in Lithuania (I think) that gave me the creeps, too. On the other hand, one of the web clips on CBS' site shows them taking their helpful ticket agent (in Africa, not Lithuania ) out to lunch, so they sometimes showed a nicer side.

You can clearly hear Azaria ask for "economy" tickets on the show, but they must have been so agitated, insisting on the quickest flights to Croatia, that the ticket agent gave them business-class and they neglected to read their boarding passes. (I think I'd have noticed the much-higher price. ) Tough way to lose a race, when you'd placed first 4 out of 6 times before then.

There's a lot of interesting background stuff in those clips and outtakes, too. More info about the war and how it affected Dubrovnik, footage from the 'elimination station' (a beautiful mansion in Portugal) where teams go after they're eliminated, etc.
Azaria and Hendekia don't actually go there immediately (they phone the teams there with the news that they're gone). Apparently, they have to run some 'decoy legs' so that any observers in future locations (Italy, India, Alaska) can't tell exactly which teams are left. Tricky!

I wouldn't say I know them particularly well, but they've helped me out in regards to DragonCon programming. Kynt is always good for helping drum up promotion, and also knows how to get into "the DragonCon mindset." Anybody who independently tries to talk the Birthday Massacre into applying to play gets points from me for certain. Glad to see him and Vyxsin on TV.

I liked your phone tale of when you tried to contact Kynt while he was out of country and got his roommate.
"He's not here...it's nothing bad, but I can't talk about it."
And you immediately guessed that he was on Survivor, which is amazingly close...and a lot closer than I would ever have guessed.

 

[Pellaz]

Whew, close call! They were the last team to arrive at the Pit Stop...but this happened to be one of only two non-elimination legs in the race, so Kynt and Vyxsin live to race another day.

Moral of the story this week? Learn how to drive a stick-shift.



I also note that Azaria and his sister, eliminated in the last installment, did not go to Portugal to wait things out with the other fallen teams, and are presumably continuing to run the race as decoys. (!)