The Amazing Race--And They're Off

Hate this show sooooooo contrived.

I LOVE this show!

Thanks for the reminder, Roberta. Love this show -- for all interesting locales and the peeps into other cultures.

The donkey won't move, the donkey won't move. What are you gonna do?

Like a few of the teams--the brother and sister, the father and daughter, the goths (not usually a fan of shocking pink hair, but I like their good naturedness).

Haven't developed a serious dislike yet. I'm sure I will.

Question: Is it too much to expect that people learn to read road maps before they join this thing? A little preparation couldn't hurt.

If you are mean to a donkey, you deserve to be at the back of the pack!

The only ones I developed a dislike right now are the ones that were kicked off and the couple where the boyfriend cheated. Kinda stupid that he is trying to win her trust back by being mean and calling her names.

Yeah, the couple that the guy cheated. Ugh. The way he talked to her when she didn't want to run, I'd have let him have it. What a jerk!

And they were mean to their donkey too.

Grandpa and grandson... I hated it when he fell down. And in the trailer for next week, it looks like grandpa has a hard time again. That's not the stuff I want to watch!

Not a scintillating episode. I almost forgot I watched.

I liked the couple who came in first. Reasonable people, if there is such a thing on this show.

The father-daughter team is becoming painful to watch. Hey, dad. Shut up. Not a nice man.

The grandfather-grandson team is, uh, don't know what. The grandson is a jerk, and the grandfather is nuts. The grandson decides that a five-mile bike ride is the detour to take--with an old man in tow. The grandfather decides he's the one to jump over a stream--and the grandson says nothing! How long can these two survive?

Still like the brother-sister. But they kinda got lost in the shuffle.

Ditto, Roberta.

I do like this blonde team better than other seasons' blonde teams. Not that I want to see them win, but I like their attitude better.

No clear favourites yet, but I think I like Kynt & Vixen best ("Oh, my Goth!") -- always a sucker for good-natured weirdos.

No surprise that the older women, the lesbian ministers, couldn't keep up and were eliminated, but I appreciated their attitude ("We're under no illusion that God wants us to win") and regret that they won't be around to give insight into the other teams.

Found it interesting that the women did better at the hoisting than the men. I smiled when Vixen said, somewhat sheepishly, "I've done macramé."

Missed the beginning, not that it matters much. Arrived in time to see planes, trains, and taxis.

Not keen on the milking camels activity. And the woman who kept screaming was really getting on my nerves. Imagine how the camel felt. The boyfriend doesn't seem to mind the hysteria. Made for each other?

Glad to the see that the father has somewhat amended his ways. The goths are still good-humored and nice to each other. No one stands out as horrible or wonderful. Just playing the game.

In the end, I actually liked this couple (after the screaming episode). I loved how the boyfriend put a spin on her crying - he said she is simply very passionate about life. I think this is the first time on this show that I actually seen a partner being so supportive and positive when his/her counterparty had a melt down.

Yes, very supportive. And maybe a little delusional, but in a good way. His take--she's competitive and passionate. My take--she's out of control and self-destructive. (The clue said that camels react badly to loud noises. Hey lady, stop screaming.)

That was a bad breakdown she had. It was scary.

Grandpa did a great job at milking that camel! Go, grampa!

A new feature. A U-turn. Makes more sense than sitting around and waiting for an hourglass to deposit its contents. And the blondes chose to use it.

Still like the brother and sister. But I REALLY like dem goths. Good people.

I was impressed with the gentleness of the male partner on the losing team. He's been patient, gentle, and understanding throughout.

Am I the only one watching? Don't care. I have a few things to say.

Hey, kid. If you tell your grandpa to go faster one more time, I will reach into the tv set, grab something tender, and hurt you!

Sorry to see the brother and sister go.

Still like the goths.

This season is not especially compelling. Not sure why. Have I seen it all before? Maybe they need to come up with more interesting challenges. Dunno. Still watching, though.

Gotta love the Goths.

Glad to see Father and Daughter working better with each other. I woulda killed him by now, so I'm very impressed with his daughter's patience.

Brother and Sister.... I wasn't liking the way he talked to her sometimes.
Am I the only one whose's thinking that relationship was just a little odd?

I like the hippies, too.

But yeah, Roberta, you're right, I'm not that fascinated with the show.
I think it's never been a must see show for me. I like looking at the places they travel too. Ohhhh, loved Croatia! But the stress of traveling, and the bickering between teammates kinda drain me. And yeah, there's no one on this season that really compels me to watch.

I think they just cast it all too wrong this time - not too many interesting types of personalities. Even though the goths are a bit different in appearance, they are just not that interesting when listening to them. So there is either the constant bickering or boring.

I kinda like the way the dad and daughter have gotten better though and how much better they seem to treat one another.

Thanks for responding!

I think you're right, Linkat. The personalities are simply not that interesting. Of course I'm remembering past seasons when the annoying personalities were, well, annoying. Couldn't wait for those folks to lose.

caribou, You woulda killed the father by now? I wouldn't have gone with him in the first place. The daughter is a saint. I used to find the show compelling. Wouldn't miss it. Not so much anymore.

I've been thinking up more challenging challenges. Came up with something a bit over the top. Enough with these swing lines swooping people across gorges. Too easy. Make people hang on upside down by their toes. They can't hang on and get across? Tough noogies. They fall into the water below. Then they have to climb the mountain and start over. And then again, maybe not. What about setting them adrift on icebergs? Figure out a way to get back to land.

(Note to goth girl: Lowcut is fine when you're goofing around. All the running and physical activity you're doing, and one of them puppies is gonna pop out. Put on a turtleneck. Jeez.)

I'm watching it ... and I kinda agree with all of you. Still like it, though. I just wish they'd spend a little, wee bit of camera time on the actual locations and local people -- a tiny bit of travelogue (which is, after all, what makes this reality show different from the others) and reduce the amount of time we see the contestants running around the airport.