this is the thread where we talk breathlessly about the best TV show on North American television: THE AMAZING RACE!

I do like the Amazing Race pin Television Without Pity is selling:

http://www.glarkware.com/media/product_detail_t_random_ron_big.jpg

Hahahaha awesome!

FREE RON!

roffeaul!

Rob and Amber being so smug about their lead was absofuckinglutely classic!

I was kind of amazed that the old lady climbed that thing.

"WHAT IS A GNOME???" still has me in stitches.

karma

That episode was fantastic. I now kind of hope that Gretchen and Meredith stumble their way to a win, because how embarrassing for everyone else???

WHO'S WATCHING THE FINALE???

It's obvious that Rob and Amber aren't winning because they keep showing clips of Rob saying that they're going to win.

haha i love this show

After getting on the 10 AM flight to Miami, how can Rob and Amber possibly lose?

Kelly: when you close your hand like that, it drives me insane, I think it's very disrespectful

Ron: OK, SO JUST BE QUIET

haha pwned

Oh, I see. Damn pilot!

Yay happy ending!

I like how the past 3 seasons have gone: good guys, bad guys, good guys who won.

And I hope that R.Kelly do end up getting hitched because then they will keep telling each other to shut up for a couple more years.

that ending was maddening. the cabdriver thing. if rob and amber had pulled up when they were still short of cash, what then? it was confusing. but i'm glad they won. even if it was kinda rigged by major sponsor american airlines. or maybe pilots let people on their planes after they have closed their doors ALL THE TIME. but somehow i doubt it.

overall, i thought it was a good season though. lots of action. good guys. bad guys. something for everyone.

I think Rob and Amber got enough extra help along the way that I didn't feel cheated when Uchenna and Joyce were able to get on the plane. Still, I kind of wanted both of them to be able to win, but those are the breaks. At least it didn't end as horribly as last time.

Yes, ANYTHING beats last season's ending.

It is rather amazing that all three teams who lost on a non-elimination leg were able to bounce back strong on the next stage.

What a well-edited finale.
I gave up on U&J about five times, it was an emotional rollercoaster.

yeah at the end i was losing my shit--JUST RUN TO THE FINISH LINE AND PAY THE GUY LATER YOU IDIOTS!!

but then i realized there's probably a rule that sez you aren't allowed to ditch your cabdrivers without paying (or at least satisfying) them.

i left myself wide open with that "satisfying" comment.

Heheh "wide open"

I don't think there is such a rule, as in past seasons and this one even, we've seen dudes blow off cabbies.
I think U&J just didn't want to be like that. And the cabbie didn't seem too upset about it. I mean, he didn't even get out of the car.

But why, in Jamaica, did U&J go to the airport first? I was screaming at them, "Just go do the challenge and get money as you go!"
The people in the airport who wouldn't give them money "No, I'm not into it" were fucking dicks.

Uchenna and Joyce Agu beat Rob and Amber, win 7th season of Amazing Race
By Derrik J. Lang
NEW YORK (AP) — Rob and Amber who? Married couple Uchenna and Joyce Agu outraced a pair of former Survivor contestants and a former prisoner of war and his beauty queen girlfriend to win the seventh edition of CBS’ The Amazing Race and the $1 million prize.
“It’s so amazing, if I can use that word,” Joyce told The Associated Press while grinning and giggling at the CBS season finale party.
Uchenna, 40, and Joyce, 44, from Houston, lugged boats in London, balanced water jugs on their heads in Africa and weighed complete strangers in Turkey — among other silly and strenuous tasks — in order to reach the finish line. Unlike previous seasons of Amazing Race, the racers didn’t travel around the globe, instead they semi-circled from Long Beach, Calif., through South America, Africa, India, Europe and the Caribbean to their final destination in Miami.
Because the Agus arrived last during a non-elimination leg before the home stretch, the couple was stripped of all their belongings and cash per the reality show’s nefarious rules. The Agus begged their way to the finish line but didn’t have enough money to pay their cab driver. Although they were only steps away the finish line and the $1 million prize, the Agus continued to beg from nearby strangers until they paid their cab fare.
“It was all about honour,” said Uchenna. “That cab driver was going to get his money.”
During an earlier stretch of the race in Jodhpur, India, Joyce agreed to shave her head as part of a Fast Forward challenge, allowing the Agus to skip to end of the leg. Uchenna cites that bold “sacrifice” as one of the turning points in the race.
“Once you shave it off, you have nothing to hide behind,” said Joyce. “People can actually see your soul. It’s so bizarre. I’m glad I did it.”
Much of the seventh season of Amazing Race was dominated by recently wed former Survivor contestants Rob “Boston Rob” Mariano, 29, and Amber Brkich, 26, who placed second in the race. Dating couple Ron Young, 28, from Villa Rica, Ga., and Kelly McCorkle, 26, from Greenville, S.C., placed third.
“We thought they were regular people like us,” said Joyce of Mariano and Brkich. “Really, it was an eye opening experience when we got on the race and saw that their notoriety was so amazing and people all over the world recognized them. We tried to ignore all that and do our own race just to spite what was happening with them and obviously it still paid off.”
Uchenna, an energy broker who once worked for Enron, and Joyce, a sales manager who once worked for WorldCom, plan to use their earnings for “bills, bills, bills” and to take their family on their own amazing trip. The Agus, who’ve tried unsuccessfully to have a child in the past, also said they would use their $1 million prize toward a baby.
“My doctors offered us a free round of in vitro (fertilization),” said Joyce. “So after all this is over, if it doesn’t work out, we have the money. We can adopt.”

The most irritating part was when they were begging for the final cab fare... the guy who was like "Begging isn't the way to make money." God what an asshole.

Gay Ottawa couple from The Amazing Race to exchange vows Wednesday
OTTAWA (CP) — A gay Ottawa couple from the hit reality TV show The Amazing Race plan to exchange wedding vows Wednesday morning before about 400 guests.
Lynn Warren and Alex Ali picked up their marriage licence at City Hall on Tuesday, then headed over to a jeweller to pick out their wedding bands — platinum rings accented by small diamonds.
The rings, valued at more than $5,000 and donated by Jubilee Fine Jewellers, are to be engraved with “Love Lynn” on one, “Love Alex” on the other, and “Amazing” on both.
Confirmed guests for the wedding include Race winners Joyce and Uchenna Agu, and fellow contestants Gretchen Smith, Bianca Smith and Debbie Cloyd, and mother-and-son team Patrick and Susan Vaughn.
(Ottawa Sun)

September 27. Family Edition. Be There or be square. Yes, I am pitiful. And yet, I have a lot to live for.

OMG hahah "The Black Family" has almost made watching stupid little kids worth it.

Our TV wasn't working!

shit is racialist! the only ethnic family is a black family NAMED the black family. it was really fucked up when everyone refered to them as the blacks. "they are right behind us! WE NEED TO BEAT THE BLACKS"

and then at the end the dude [who i like] was all "Black people, im sorry you are the last team to arrive. go to the back of the bus"

that is fucked up.

I don't get how the family who ditched their runaway buggy didn't get disqualified. If they could just leave it and run back to the checkpoint, why couldn't the other families who were struggling with their buggy?

The Blacks were the only ethnic family? What about the paisans?

Milo -- are you talking about the widow's family? They ditched the buggy and then went to the other half of the detour.

What I'm more surprised at is the Paolos not being penalized for forgetting their clue, which happened bunches of times in the past.

This episode sorta sucked ... I'm not sold on the family concept at all, although hopefully all the teams with young kids will be gone soon. As for that crazy mom who is already losing her mind, if she's acting that way after travelling just 100 miles, imagine what she'll be like once they actually fly somewhere and experience real stress.

Come on, it wasn't as horrible as some people made it out to be. The little girl is impressive, not just her 7 minute mile, but her exchange with her twunt of a brother.

Bro: Sorry I didn't contribute.
Sis: Get used to it, dork.

Damn, she's cooler than me.

But yes, all the kids need to go.

That Billy kid, (henceforth "Billy, that kid") I want to strangle.

The New Jersey mom has got to go. You can tell she's a bitch to her kids all the time.. and then the one kid who's constantly mouthing off is made out to be a disrespectful kid because he hurt her feelings and made her cry. Where do you think he learned to be such an asshole, you piece of shit?

I wondered how many production meetings they had trying to figure out how to get around saying things like "Black family, you're the last to arrive." Not enough, obv.

Now I'm glad I didn't watch this.

I recognize that the younger son of the Black family was the youngest person in the race but that's still no excuse for pitching a hissy fit because YOU ALMOST FELL IN FOUR INCHES OF WATER OMG. Look up "balls" in the dictionary, kid.

(Conversely, I love that little girl! She kicks ass.)

Kevin and Drew cameo! Hellosies! Only the jerky kid from the Paolo family recognized them and for that I kinda like'em. The little boy that was singing "She'll be comin' round the mountain" as his family passed the bro/sis team was hilarious. (His sister rules also. I think they'll last a little while. They did come in number 2/3.) Equally if not more hilarious, was when the black family did their "go black family!" cheer. OMG.

"It doesn't hurt that I'm cute!" - bitch-ass African-American child whose family were the first ones cut from the show in a pre-race interview that filled me with rage.

Every team that drove through the city as opposed to going up 9A deserved to get booted IMO.

I finally got around to watching the torrent last night, and I will say I had a spaz moment when the dad with goth daughter and son and wife were looking for a parking spot, and he said something jovial about "Too bad none of you are handicapped. Goth daughter, cut off your legs." Also, the widow's family are going to drive me nuts with their constant praying.

God this season is dull.

this is the first season of the amazing race that i have ever missed. ever.

on the other hand, survivor is getting pretty good this season!

Why is it dull? No worse than last season, which I thought was unremarkable. And don't say because of the lack of exotic locales.

so are they EVER leaving the US??

i couldn't get down with the family thing. i'm sorry. i started this thread but i just can't watch it this seaz.