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293041687 293041687     jezzieflanigan
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RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary
« on: Oct 3rd, 2005, 8:48pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 1: Flirting, Families, Fun, and Frenzy
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 10/03/2005
 
Another season of The Amazing Race is under way, and that means another round of Phil’s Diary, insider footage, and Mat Chats. Heathyr is back to give you the scoop on what the families said on the mat and what Phil thinks of this new season.
 
Keeping with reality TV’s premise of “shaking it up is good,” The Amazing Race includes families of four this time. When I first heard about it, I felt it would be neat, figuring one or two adults (i.e. the parental figures) and two or three kids. Then the teams were released, and I discovered that “family” to CBS was open to a wider range of interpretation than might be fair. We have a few teams that match my expectations, but many of the teams consist of four adults who are related in some way. Sure, they’re still family, but it seems to skew the things a bit. After watching the first episode, though, I’m hooked again, so, fair or not, AR is back and it’s fun!
 
Part of that fun for me is watching what doesn’t make the editing cuts. Each week, I’ll be recapping the various video clips that can be found on the CBS website. Come join me for some insider info and hopefully some extra laughs along the way!
 
Phil’s Diary - Nothing Salacious Here!: Phil speaks about AR’s huge popularity with families. It is a primetime show that families can watch together without parents feeling they need to cover their kids’ eyes. He tells us a grandmother stopped him in the airport the day before to thank him and tell him how she watches the show with her grandkids. Phil explains to us that it doesn’t rely on salacious material to entertain. [This is true, but I think the wrestler chick’s comment about freezing her implants on AR6 will remain with me for years to come!]
 
Since families watch, it makes sense to have families compete. As Phil accurately points out, dynamics change drastically when you go from two people to four people. Watching them make decisions should get interesting. He says the families are very diverse, with different ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, political, and religious lines. With all these people, decision-making should reach new levels. He envisions arguments erupting over how to open the envelope.
 
Phil likens Amazing Race 8: Family Edition to a science experiment. You have all these ingredients, and you know they will do something, but you’re not quite sure what. I agree, Phil, and you can raise that eyebrow at me any time while I watch your experiment!
 
Calm, Cool, and Collected: The Bransen sisters discuss focusing on what they are doing, not watching other teams, because that will only stress them out. They conclude that they did a good job. One worries that they will get distracted watching everyone else, and they need to focus on themselves.
 
Brotherly Love: One of my favorite teams, the Linz siblings, are having a “discussion” in the SUV about how to find Washington’s Crossing. The sister is wisely staying out of it, while the three brothers go back and forth on their different opinions. One feels they need a map. The other two are trying to help him understand why what he is thinking is wrong. Fortunately, this is all good-natured bickering. Finally the sister tells them all to shut up. I really hope they pull it together and get back up there. I enjoy their interplay a lot. Oh, and the brothers discussing the “pink ladies” and flirting with them in the actual episode - absolutely classic.
 
Different, but the Same: The Godlewski sisters speak with the Linz siblings. They appear to be discussing route situations, but since the sisters’ mode of speech includes running over each other left and right, I don’t even try to follow it. What I do follow is that one brother is especially flirting and moving closer to one pink lady. She is laughing and touching him on the shoulder. It’s amusing, really. Then the Linz sister makes a remarkable discovery. The Godlewskis are a family of seven - six sisters and one brother. The Linz family consists of six brothers and one sister. They could all intermarry and be one big, talking-over-each-other family!
 
America the Beautiful: The dad of the Black family shares how patriotic the first day’s trip was. The place was very patriotic, he says, and so were the people. He shares with us that there were people helping them left and right. They even had people get into cars and lead them to places. If the theme today was patriotism, Dad Black expounds, that is what they got today. Even at the park, the other racers helped them set up the tent. They seem genuinely touched by this. America is beautiful, he says; they thank America for helping them get where they are. Aw, I liked this family. I’m going to miss them.
 
Even in Louisiana it’s a Bad Joke: Dad Rogers is trying to tell a joke, and it is so bad, I’m embarrassed to even type it here. When geese fly in a V, why is one side longer than the other? Because one side has more geese. See why I was embarrassed?
 
Never Say Never: The Rogerses are trying to read out a map and talking about how they were never going to do an alliance coming into the game, but now they have one with the Schroeders. They decide they can have an alliance until the final three, and then all bets are off. Are they thinking they are on Survivor? The daughter says at three left, they can stomp on the Schroeders. Spoken like a true Christian. Sorry, Denny’s need to shove God and his beliefs out there right in his first sentence irritated me, and I haven’t gotten over it since. Anyway, next clip!
 
Close Shave: The Rogerses yet again. This time, they are in the vehicle, discussing who would shave his or her head if the race called for it. The daughter refuses. Of course, she’s a teenage girl and, I find out later, a pageant sort of chick. She wants that hair. The mother finally extracts from her that she will shave her head if she’s guaranteed to win it all. Heh. Good luck.
 
Hold It: The Rogerses AGAIN. I could call this clip TMI, because, seriously, it is. The daughter has to pee. They are telling her to hold it. She remarks it is good she had bladder surgery as a kid and doesn’t have a small bladder anymore. Bet that doesn’t come up at most pageants, eh? “Strong minds and strong bladders,” she quips.
 
Overexertion: My least favorite team, the arguing Paolos, are, imagine this, arguing in the car. I’m sure they are nice people, like the Rogerses, but just not my cup of tea. All that yelling at each other is such a downer. Anyway, this time they are bitching at the mom for rushing too much at the beginning and hurting herself slightly. She says she panicked. I have no clue why, and neither do her sons. They are all yelling at her and each other. I was seriously hoping they would get eliminated this time around. More yelling. Next!
 
Familiar Faces: The Aiellos marvel at the strength of the Gaghan family on the way to the Pit Stop. They are all happy with how they have done so far and discuss whether or not they will be camping again.
 
Around The World: Mom Schroeder says her father never really traveled since immigrating to this country, but that Dad Schroeder’s father took his kids everywhere and that is valuable experience. Mark has consequently been traveling since he was a kid; he knows the ins and outs, etc. she tells us. Mark talks about how they all went to Paris when he was 18 and his dad told the boys to go to the Crazy Horse Saloon. They didn’t, not knowing what it was. He seems fond of this memory (small wonder)! At this point, the daughter, Stassi, interrupts and wonders why they are talking so much about Grandpa, because he’s not on the show, they are! The dad jokes with her and says they’re not talking about Stassi, so that must change. I really like this family. Great interplay, great sense of humor on all sides, and I want them to go far.
 
Nicknames Galore: This clip of the Linz siblings discusses the multiple nicknames each of the seven kids has. Apparently, they all call each other versions of “Bob,” and one is known as “Smelly” because he farts a lot. The mom goes to extremes, they say, by labeling Christmas presents with nicknames so obscure she needs a crib sheet Christmas day so everyone gets the right gifts! I never had a nickname, and I’m thankful. Of course, I never had siblings either, and I’m thankful for that, too! Still, I enjoy the Linz family. They seem to have a good relationship.
 
Side Job: Here we find out that the Rogers daughter is into pageants, having won Miss Louisiana, but, amazingly enough, the teenage son doesn’t really get into them. As the sister says, he only goes to look at the girls. However, he has found a way to capitalize on his sister’s success. He took a stack of her graduation photos and sold them at school after she won Miss Louisiana. Smart kid, way to capitalize on it.
 
Remembrance: Rebecca Weaver talks about how weird it is that she remembers everything her dad taught her. It helps her get by. While I find this family painful to watch (and their screeching REALLY grates on me), she has some good words of wisdom. She says you have to remember that whatever happens, happens, and to focus on the good, not the bad. Wise advice and sadly learned the hard way.
 
Almost Normal: Mom Paolo talks about her family in the Bronx. Apparently, they all yell and screech like this, to the point that her mother’s tenants all wonder when to call the cops. Then, of course, they wander off to have a nice meal and laugh about it all. She says that’s just how they are - fight like cats and dogs and then make up and it’s forgotten. When her son, DJ, is gone, she doesn’t have anyone to fight with, so she has to take it out on her husband, because she misses it. Nice. Whatever makes ya’ll happy, I guess.
 
Ladies’ Man: The Aiello boys discuss flirtation strategy. They all vow not to cross a line that would disrespect their wives, but rapidly conclude that if a little flirting gets them a better flight, then they better do it. One son-in-law points out that the patriarch seems to have a lock on the gay crowd, so they’ll put him to that use. Tony adamantly refuses to accept this responsibility. However, Tony does know that the women in the game will be using their wiles (for example, if I were the Linz brothers, I’d be tossing my sister at the men to get stuff done!), and this is the same thing.
 
Daddy’s Girls: The pink ladies are all hot and sweaty post-race, but ecstatic because they’ve won $20,000. As they say, they can do a lot of spa treatments with that, so they’re okay with being on national television without make-up and looking disheveled and don’t care if their kids get embarrassed watching this. A lot of fun in this group.
 
Gag The Kids!: The Gaghan family crack me up. The son talks about how is mom is moody (“no offense, Mom, but you are,” he deadpans). Then he moves into an impression of her being in a good mood one minute, then a bad mood the next. The parents are trying not to die laughing. Dad is moody, too, he claims, but it is more dependent on whether or not work went well. Apparently Dad travels a lot for work, because the little girl then pipes up and talks about what happens when Dad is gone. She states that the house is a mess and Mom can’t control the two kids. She tells her mom, “No offense, but that’s how it is,” as she says they hurriedly clean up right before Dad is due home. Too amusing.
 
Helping Hands: At the Schroeders’ Mat Chat, you can really tell the good rapport this family has with each other. The mom mentions they found a little old lady who drove them out this way, and without her, they might not have found it. They razz each other about when to ask for directions, but it’s all in good fun.
 
Father Knows Best: As we’ve already heard from Dad Rogers, he’s the head of everything. Us little women really can’t handle that responsibility, ya know? (cough) Anyway. At their Mat Chat, they are excited because they thought they were last. The dad high-fives everyone. He is proud of his wife and kids and says they did a good job. He says his wife surprised him, that he didn’t know she could do some of these things. Mom is proud of everyone, too. They had never built anything, never put up a tent, and they did all of that, they say. Phil asks who is the leader, and the dad unequivocally is. They all claim they are cool with that.
 
Chatterboxes: The Godlewski sisters’ Mat Chat can really be summed up by the title. Basically, the chat is a lot of shrieking, high-fiving, talking over each other, and Phil looking stunned by all the noise and chatter. It’s amusing. They’re thrilled with the money they just won and apparently cannot control themselves. They keep high-fiving as they screech that they kicked ass building the watermill. More shrieking, more high-fiving, more stunned Phil.
 
The Male Ego: At the Aiellos’ Mat Chat, Phil points out that they were ahead at one point. They know, and say they chose the hardest of the two detours, pulling a buggy and 400 pounds of man around. Phil nudges some more, pointing out that they were four burly guys racing against women and even little kids. They say that being passed by the Gaghans did bruise their egos some. The boys all agree with Phil that Tony is the leader by virtue of respect for him, which, they say, is growing exponentially with every day out here. They proclaim the experience awesome.
 
A Humbling Experience: At the mat, Phil asks the Linzes if they were surprised to come almost last. They say yes, that someone yanked them back down to the ground. However, they say it’s early on and they will do better. The one guy says they are sticking with the “pink mommies” from here on out. Heh. I just bet you want to.
 
Everyone’s A Winner: The Black family’s Mat Chat appears to be one of the hardest Phil has ever had to do. Nothing like two pairs of beautiful, big brown eyes staring up at you to make it hurt, eh? Eliminating Jonathan and Victoria was probably a blast, but telling two little kids? Heh. I hope Phil got a raise! He asks the parents if they are proud of the boys. The answer is yes, of course. The mom says it is tough on the kids, but she’s proud of them for sticking it out and working together. The oldest was a leader, she said, and set a good example.
 
Phil talks to the kids, telling them that everyone who gets on the show is a winner. You can tell he feels bad because the kids do look so heartbroken. The oldest says he is glad to have done this. He says it means a lot that his mom and dad are proud of them. He also says he’s proud of his little brother for not quitting and running hard with them all. The little brother is proud to have parents and a brother who worked so hard, too. Phil then mentions it’s the first time they’ve had to do an elimination like this, so it’s hard on them, too. Yeah, we could tell. You softie, you! It’s made you even sexier.
 
Final Words: The Black kids are sort of looking down, but Dad Black talks about how they all felt sad but also proud for what they have done. They are proud of their sons and the family as a whole. He says you have to just look back and figure out if you did everything you said you were going to do in the way you were going to, with dignity, and since they can answer yes, they shouldn’t be sad. Not many people get this opportunity even. Mom says as they ran together to the mat, she wondered if Phil was going to lift his eyebrow at them or what was going to happen. She was trying to read his face, she says, to see if they were last. She says her first thought was how her sons would feel if they were eliminated. She says they did not disappoint, and surpassed anything they expected. What a nice, nice family. I’m going to miss them.
 
And there you have it, the inside scoop on AR8, Episode 1. Join me next week. I’ll be crossing my fingers for my favorite teams!
 
 
http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=articl e9288.art&page=1
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Re: TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Ep
« Reply #1 on: Oct 4th, 2005, 11:53am »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
very interesting and useful!
 
are you going to post this every wek, JP?
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293041687 293041687     jezzieflanigan
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Re: TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Ep
« Reply #2 on: Oct 4th, 2005, 1:28pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
I'll try to. I like watching the insider videos when I have the time so I really love the idea of RNO recapping it for us. Smiley
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Re: TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Ep
« Reply #3 on: Oct 4th, 2005, 7:03pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
thats awesomeCheesy Grin Cool Cool Cool Cool
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Re: TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Ep
« Reply #4 on: Oct 6th, 2005, 1:05am »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
ya, for some reason i can't watch the insider videos. so thanks a lot!
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293041687 293041687     jezzieflanigan
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #5 on: Oct 10th, 2005, 4:09pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
I decided to just post this in one thread since not too many of us are discussing it.
 
The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 2: Driving Crazy
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 10/10/2005
 
This week’s batch of insider clips shows us Tommy Linz’s driving skills, Char Schroeder’s big heart, and the Godlewskis’ (right) doubts about their choice in detours. Read on to find out more about what we didn’t see on The Amazing Race 8.
 
Bloody Beggars!: The Schroeders are in traffic when apparently the mom spots a panhandler. She contemplates out loud giving him change, but Mark seems against it. Char says she should have done it anyway for good karma and Stassi agrees. The son, obviously taking after Mark, quips that they should at least have given him a comb. Dad likes that. You know, I really like the anti-PC sense of humor this man embodies.
 
Backseat Siblings: The three Linz siblings crammed in the backseat diss Tommy’s driving abilities as he attempts to save the team some time, or so he keeps protesting during this clip. In major traffic, Tommy decides to hang a left mid-street, cut through a parking lot, and go the other direction. Hanging the left took a bit of doing and apparently almost took out a car. Once he’s safely back on the road, the siblings gang up on Tommy’s prowess. Fortunately, their arguing is so good-natured, it makes me almost want siblings (but I’d never give up my only grandchild status. It totally rocked as a kid). Sis ain’t over it so easy, however, and slams Tommy with a, “Yeah, well, when you die in a car accident, I’ll laugh at you then,” as a parting shot. I can feel the love!
 
Someone Smack the Kid, Mom was Right! It appears that Marion Paolo’s whining is sometimes justified. We see Marion reading the map of Washington, D.C. and rereading the clue. Using intuition and reasoning skills I did not know she possessed, she concludes that the clue does not refer to the Washington Monument reflecting pool, because it would probably be written as the Reflecting Pool, and this just says “the reflecting pool by the Capitol,” as if it’s not such a big deal. Thus, Marion advocates going to the Capitol first.
 
Would you be surprised to find out that her husband and son disagree with her? They say THE pool is the only one of its sort and tell her to shut up, etc. per the norm. The son says that the areas are close enough together that they will go to THE pool first, and if it’s not it, for some bizarre reason, then they’ll humor her and go to the Capitol. She wants to go to the Capitol first. Her husband disagrees, and then, in an odd turn, the son points on the map to where he’s noted a reflecting pool at the Capitol. Acting like he hasn’t just been disagreeing with his mother, he points this out to dad, and they seem to decide to go to the Capitol first, with NO INDICATION that they are actually following Marion’s advice from earlier. God, no wonder this woman is so bitchy. I would be, too. Of course, I wouldn’t put up with it, but that’s just lil’, sweet, intolerant me.
 
Oh, Yes, We’re the Great Contenders: Mom Weaver talks about how this race has given her confidence and shown her that she can make good choices. She says they are a smart team to be reckoned with, but acknowledges that anyone can come in first because it only takes one mistake to get hopelessly lost. The one annoying driving daughter blathers on about how they are proving something to everyone, because they are not the strongest team (well, sweetie, you are all older than the little kids on the Gaghan team, and stronger to boot). This family drives me batty. Seriously. When the mom said last week she realized she would have to lead and sounded shocked about it, I started muttering epithets at the television. What sort of parent doesn’t realize they’re supposed to help lead their kids? The kind that gets run over by buggies, I guess.
 
Oh, No, We’re THOSE Kind of People!: Mom Gaghan talks about how the driving went well until after their snafu at the wrong reflecting pool. She says that as they were driving towards the pit stop, she just didn’t want to be in the car anymore, she was so frustrated. It hadn’t even dawned on her they were heading towards the pit stop, she says, or else she would’ve been a basket case. Dad Gaghan interjects that it taught them never to give up because it’s not over until it’s over. Mom mentions how silly she felt realizing they were at the wrong place. She talks about how she watches the show and always boggles at the television when people are making a clue too hard, and how suddenly she was one of those people! Like she says, they just have to read better and pay attention.
 
Big Boys and Shrieking Girls: The Pink Ladies all chatter about how they were not sure why they decided to all pick up five men in stretchers, but they did decide on it. The one doing the talking (and for a change, there isn’t too much over-chatter, which is refreshing) mentions that they were all sweaty and tired from driving, but they just decided to do it! Another one chimes in that they wanted to strip the men down to their underwear to make them lighter on the stretcher. I’m thinking not too many men would’ve objected to that. They joke about how only the big guys got injured, and they were looking for the little guys.
 
Grand Mapmaster Linz: One of the Linz bros tells us his map reading skills are good. So are his dimples, but I digress. He likes knowing where they are going and what alternate routes might be along the way. Plus, he has a good sense of direction. He is happy with where they finished, and another brother interjects that he’s happy he didn’t have to do it and could just relax. The sister talks about how she sticks her head out of the window to help find street signs, which sets one brother off in a teasing fit. He’s talking about how she sticks her head out of the car and lets her tongue loll around like a dog and the other brothers crack up.
 
Lean, Mean Drawing Machine: Char Schroeder explains that Mark can come off as intimidating as he gives orders if an outsider happens to be listening, but it doesn’t bother the family at all. She says that watching him walk, some of the guys in the race were asking her if he was a Navy SEAL or other sort of uniformed dude, and she’s like, “No, he’s an architect.” I guess guys who draw aren’t supposed to walk like manly men. She says he has an intimidating posture when he walks, but he’s really just a teddy bear.
 
Listen to Brock: Brock tells us that his family learned on the second day he had good insights and ideas and even said they should listen to him more. However, he bemoans their memory as they apparently forgot that on the third day. He wishes he knew why they didn’t listen to him. Then we cut to all four of them, and the sister is saying basically the same thing. The dad takes his responsibility for screwing up and losing the race, but he never does really address why Brock wasn’t worth listening to.
 
Grand Old Time: This clip wouldn’t play, so just insert a random string of vituperations here and move on like I did.
 
Munchkins at the Mat: Phil enjoys a Mat Chat with the effervescent Gaghans. To answer Phil’s question, Dad Gaghan explains that the kids haven’t held them back one bit. The mom says a bit more strength would’ve been nice, but as the dad states, they lost most of their lead wandering around the wrong monument. There is a great attitude here as they are relaxed and laughing with each other. Good family. Phil asks the kids what they think of the ‘rents and their navigating abilities. The son, always quick with an answer, rates Dad at a 9.5 and Mom at a 9.75. Dad fills us in on how excited they were to zip up to the shoe first and then down to Washington, knowing they’d been there and could find stuff. He says the time wasted at the pool just killed them, and next time they’ll read the clues better. Meanwhile, they are happy, which is all you can ask for, eh?
 
Rogerses’ Parting Words: Dad mentions that he needed someone to reconfirm map stuff. Ya think? He waxes on about Renee’s abilities as a wife and mom, and how all of them have proven their successes already. He dreams of Brock’s future and how he’ll prove himself there, etc. and so on. In other words, he is telling us all that this is just a game, and their real worth is back home. Quite true, and he’s not even that annoying about it. Brock is frustrated with having lost. Dad mentions that giving the Gaghans the info that they were at the wrong pool was a huge mistake. Heh, so true. Glad you did it, though. I just adore those little munchkins so far. Renee lets us know that God has a plan for them and this apparently wasn’t it.
 
Voila. Episode two’s insider bits. Not a lot today, and Phil’s Diary wouldn’t load. Cross your fingers for next week. I’m off to do my soccer mom stint!
 
http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=articl e9300.art&page=1
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293041687 293041687     jezzieflanigan
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #6 on: Oct 17th, 2005, 8:28pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 3: Migraines Suck
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 10/17/2005
 
It's time again to check in with CBS.com's Amazing Race insider clips! Join Heathyr this week as we say goodbye to the Aiellos, talk to the Weavers about their bus adventure, thrill to some porpoises on the shrimp boats, and frantically track down a missing bag. It's all a click away!
 
No, no one on AR8 had a migraine that I know of, but I was struck down by a horrid one earlier this week. Utterly incapacitated me. I felt like such a wuss! So that’s my title for the week: Migraines Suck.
 
I wanted to wax on (and wax off?) about my thoughts on the teams before I jumped into the pit of insider clips, but now, I feel obligated to merely recap and get this article turned in before someone spanks me. Wait, will someone spank me? [Associate Editor’s Note: Pardon me while I check my contract to see if that falls under my official duties… hmm, perhaps I can call that “ensuring content is posted in a timely manner.”] That might not be a bad thing ya know! Pardon me while I ponder the merits of spanking versus my insatiable desire for timeliness.
 
Cough. So, um, anyway. Insider clips. Let’s get right to them!
 
Phil’s Diary once again wouldn’t play more than the first three seconds. I’ve yet to figure out if this is CBS’s error or user-error, but I’m leaning towards the latter.
 
Is God Silent but Deadly Too?: The Schroeder family wanders the airport and discusses the Weavers. They feel the Weavers are playing mind games (because they aren’t talking about why they were at the ticket counter. If only people knew it’s because the mom was so clueless, she didn’t know what to do in an airport!). Stassi complains that it pisses her off, but Char rightly mentions that it is part of the game. Of course, she then states that the Weavers might be good at Survivor. Stassi quickly corrects her stepmom, hypothesizing that they’d be voted off right away. Char calls them SBD—Silent But Deadly, and Stassi amuses me by quipping that their silent is ten times louder than anyone else’s and that no one else likes the Weavers either. Heh.
 
If It Has A Head, Squeeze It: The Bransen ladies and their dad are busily squeezing shrimp heads, while discussing the relative merits of each task. They wonder what Bill & Tammy (Gaghan) did and whether or not they should have done the 4x4. One of the girls mentions they very likely will never get the opportunity again to pop the heads off little crustaceans. Someone says “if it has a head, squeeze it,” and Wally quips that he’s going to get a shirt with that on it. Wonder if Mrs. Wally will let him out in public with it on though.
 
I’m Totally Jealous: Why this got cut from the episode I have no idea, but I must take the editors to task for leaving this out. Apparently, the shrimp-beheading ceremonies also entailed dolphins! One of the Linz men is pointing dolphins out to Megan. She can’t see them, so climbs up on the prow of the boat. Finally, she catches a glimpse of the dolphins and gets very excited. Can you blame her? Dolphins totally rock. They’re bringing all the people on the boat over to look at the dolphins. Even the brothers are enthralled by the myriad dolphins darting around the prow of the boat.
 
Sunday, Muddy Sunday: Mom Weaver explains to the camera why they will be great in the mud-driving segment. I just love irony, don’t you? In this case, it’s because as a kid somewhere, they used to get horrible mud, and, as she tells us, they had to plow through the mud to get to church. They always made it. She proclaims they will try their best.
 
One More Reason I Didn’t Want Sisters: I knew it was inevitable. Sexist it may sound, but it seems like you cannot get a group of 3 or more women together without SOMEONE falling apart. Make the women related, and the odds decrease rapidly. The Godlewski sisters are driving and screaming at each other. The one driving stops the car, yells at the others, then starts to back up and stops. Another one starts to get out of the car as the driver starts to move forward. Another spate of yelling ensues. The driver stops, the anxious sister gets out and asks a garbage man directions to Wando’s Shrimp. The other sisters yell at her to write it down. She doesn’t. She comes back, and yet another sister gets out, asks the poor man again, and writes it down. The car moves out, hitting potholes left and right. Rawr!
 
Yikes!: Tammy Gaghan and Carissa look frantically for the family’s pack that contains all of their money for the trip. Apparently, Carissa put it down at some point in the airport. Fortunately, Bill & Tammy were inventorying and realized it was missing. Now, the mom and tot dart about searching for it, while Tammy firmly but remarkably calmly queries the child about where she last had it. They pop into Borders, and voila, there it is. Talk about lucky! Tammy takes the bag, explaining that it’s Mommy’s responsibility now. She explains why it was so important, and I am quite impressed with her skills. She doesn’t just brush it off like too many parents do (not enough parenting), and she doesn’t go too overboard like most the remaining parents do (not enough patience). At the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, she was just right.
 
Get Four Women To Agree? Dream On: This brief clip shows the Godlewski sisters post-leg discussing their declining placement in the race. As per usual, they are speaking over one another. One says they do not have to be in first, but second would be good. Another says third or fourth would be a good strategy. The others just look at her as the clip ends.
 
Damned Shrimp Heads: The Weavers discuss switching to the shrimp. Linda claims she knew they were last, but the kids disagree with her. They weren’t sure, apparently. Rebecca says the shrimp task was frustrating, because they finished fast and had to wait a while for the boat to get back to shore. Ick, that would be totally irritating. On the plus side, some people got dolphins, so it wouldn’t be a complete loss. Anyway, for a change, the Weavers are relaxed and almost acting like normal people.
 
Trapped With Lunatics: The Paolos are glad the bus ride is over. They say it was difficult not knowing how long it would be, that it was tough. Apparently, they finished at 1:15 p.m. and had to wait until 5 p.m. to leave on the bus. Yuck. Anyway, per the Paolos, people on the bus started getting antsy and upset. Can you say the Weavers? One of the kids says the Weavers just snapped. Mom Paolo says the Weavers were bouncing off the walls. Their eyes just lost it, chimes in the son. While Mom Paolo feels badly for them, the son doesn’t. He says that is what you sign up for. I’m inclined to agree with the disrespectful little git for a change. He says he told the Weavers he was trying to sleep. Heh, that’s nothing compared to what I would have said.
 
Aiello’s Parting Words: Sigh. I liked this family. In a perfect world, the Weavers then the Paolos would be gone, and I’d still be enjoying Tony’s sons-in-law. I never like it when my eye candy starts to disappear. I’m still reeling from Hunter being voted off so early on Survivor: Africa re-runs. Yeah, well, that aside, back to the clip. They talk about how they have changed and been through a lot together now, and that they all respect each other more. One of the pluses, according to the team, is that they did it with respect and integrity. Apparently, they had other plans, but in the end, as one put it, “we didn’t do it the way we thought we might want to; we did it the way we knew how.” They were hoping to come across all tough and intimidating, but just became the Aiellos instead. Aw. Tony claims he’ll play in the sandbox easier with his grandson because it’ll be nothing after getting all muddy earlier. They feel their wives will be proud. They should be, and if they are not, I’ll smack ‘em around for ya! The younger men all speak so nicely of the patriarch, and tell us how proud they are of him for chugging along through grueling tasks and at a frenetic pace.
 
Staring Down The Barrel: Post-leg, the Gaghans talk about how close they cut it. The kids look SO tired in this clip. Poor things, but dang are they holding up well or what??! Bill says that after leaving the centrifuge, they weren’t sure where to go, and just got lucky. He says he knew they probably wouldn’t be eliminated, but that it was close. He stared down the gun barrel, he said, and lived. Tammy laughs and agrees. As a family, they say, they will just look to pass one more family and keep in the game and going up.
 
Sleepy Dopey Grumpy Sneezy: Phil actually tries to hold a conversation with the Godlewskis, which is quite easier said than done. He’s trying to get some personality insights, asking them which personality traits they each personify, like Sleepy, Grumpy, etc. Since they just finished the shrimp, Phil cannot get a straight answer. They start joking about “smelly” and “shrimpy” and quickly begin talking over one another, and Phil, and the conversation derails from there. Surprised? I didn’t think so.
 
Just Handle It: At the Weaver’s Mat Chat, Phil asks the family if they are going to be able to handle it. They get snippy by replying “excuse me, we were in fifth!” Phil quickly reminds them of the meltdowns on the bus. The Weavers look around to ensure no one is there to hear them when they answer. Whatever. Linda says the bus was a lesson. They had two hours until the bus left and didn’t use that time to eat or go to the bathroom, etc. A moment while I bang my head against the wall some. Nice parenting there. If they had done that, she claims no meltdown would have occurred. S-u-ur-re.
 
Linda asks Phil if he heard they had turned happy. He says no. However, he asks if it was a natural happy, so I have a sneaking suspicion he really had heard. The daughter admits it was not natural, but says they did not want to be negative. Phil encourages them to work hard and acknowledges that they are competitors. He tells them to not give up and just handle it. They end with a parting shot of “we’re happy now, Phil.” Of course, if next week’s trailers are any indication, that won’t last long. I’m not quite sure what to make of those, so I’m reserving judgment until I see it in context.
 
Male Bonding: The Aiello’s Mat Chat with Phil has Tony waxing happily about the patriotic aspects of the game, such as the Delaware crossing and the Civil War re-enactment. He laughs as he mentions they went for the thin bodies on THAT task. One of the sons-in-law says they always took the harder task, it seemed like, but they were rewarding challenges for the team personally. He uses the 4x4 mud race today as an example, and the irony of being passed by the little kids in that, just like in the buggy race. Of course, they weren’t singing this time, but still! It was amusing, and it’s good to see this team be good sports about it all. Quitting was not an option, the son-in-law proclaims, and they did it, and it was an awesome feeling. The team agrees that meeting the other teams was a great benefit of AR. They feel like they have made friends.
 
Everything And More: Phil asks the Schroeders if the race is everything they expected. The parents say absolutely, everything and more. They say that living these challenges is 100 times more exhilarating than watching them from your living room. Stassi explains that until the bus ride, she had not had time to sit back and think about the “amazing” aspect of The Amazing Race. She concludes that it is just great! Mom Schroeder tells Phil no eyebrows for them, and he laughs and tries not to. Snicker.
 
Family Fun: The Linzes join Phil for a Mat Chat. He asks how the leg was for them. They say it is good, but the bus ride was long. It was hard, they tell us, to go from sleep mode on the bus to RUN mode when it finally stopped. They find this race different than the ones they’ve watched because there are so many more voices. The fun part to them, we hear, are the voices and the people. For the record, Megan looks beat. Totally beat. She concerned me in the episode with that “my heart hurts” comment. She’s too young for that. I hope she gets rest and pulls it together.
 
And there we have it, your insider dish for the week. Join me next week when I will NOT have a migraine. Until then, stay safe, have fun, and enjoy life!
 
 
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #7 on: Oct 26th, 2005, 3:57pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
(Forgot to do this!)
 
The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 4: Yappy Dogs Must Die
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 10/24/2005
 
Heathyr tries to get the insider clips to play while contending with loud dogs in her neighborhood. Are these things more annoying than Christine Godlewski’s (right) need for validation? Find out inside.
 
No, there aren’t yappy dogs in this episode’s insider clips. There are, however, seven within a half-block radius of my house. They, or their owners, or both, need to be shot and fed to the large (and relatively quiet) Rottweiler next door. This week in insider clips, watch me vent as I try to watch the clips. Between yappy dogs and CBS’s clips restarting themselves mid-way through almost every clip, and never getting to the end, I do not believe I have a sane bone left in my body.
 
Charmed: Inside their vehicle, the Schroeders talk charm. Stassi claims to be always charming and Hunter chimes in something about sleep deprivation. Stassi adds that they need to find boys because she doesn’t know how to charm girls. Heh. Mark blabs about $12 dollars as Hunter reddens slightly. Turns out Hunter charmed $12 off some innocent girl so the Schroeders could get ice cream. Sweet! Now that’s game play, Hunter!
 
Stassi Gone Wild: Unfortunately, this is Malfunctioning Clip One, so I do not get all of it. Mark Schroeder tells us how impressed he is with how well they are getting along. They do not have the cell phone bill to argue about, nor do they have to argue about one of his kids throwing up on Bourbon Street. Stassi looks mock offended and hits him. Char laughs. I wish I knew more of this story, because I’m picturing Mardi Gras, drinking, and bead-earning!
 
Homeward Bound: The Schroeders, again. In the vehicle, again. Hunter and Char agree that they are not going to head towards New Orleans. Mark and Stassi are not so convinced. Char says it would be too obvious. Sucker! The kids say if they do, they need to stop by their mom’s house because “Mom would die!”
 
If it Embarrasses the Kids, it Ain’t TMI: Yet again the Schroeders in the vehicle. Fortunately, I really liked this family (especially Mark and his wicked sense of humor), so the excessive amount of clips didn’t bother me. Run, don’t walk to your computer and watch this one. I know I won’t do it justice, but I’ll try. Mark is in the middle of the backseat with Hunter on one side and Stassi on the other. Char is up front driving and trying to discreetly take her birth control bill (darlin’, two words: tubal ligation!). Mark, never the soul of discretion, jokes with her about it, so she throws the packet of pills at him and asks him to help her get the pill out since he won’t shut up.
 
Stassi seems slightly embarrassed and says she wouldn’t mention being on the pill to them, but Char disagrees. Hunter pipes up with a nice quip about needing to start to take Viagra. The family cracks up. Mark thinks Hunter has the opposite problem. This quip takes a moment to sink in, but when it does, Stassi is shrieking “GROSS!” and hitting her dad, and Hunter is laughing and blushing and hitting his dad. Mark says, “Boing!” I lose it and have to restart the clip because I missed a bunch while I was laughing. Stassi yells to Char to pull over because she has to vomit. Meanwhile, Char is trying to save Hunter by asking for directions. Mark gives them to her, but is still making light and the whole family is cracking up. I think this family really has some good things going for it.
 
So I Married an Idiot: Char tells us, while driving, that Mark designed the two buildings you see on the off-ramp they used to get to the park, and that his sister lives just down the road. She’s giving him a hard time about directing them away from the park earlier, since it was so close to everything. Mark’s excuse? “We’re not park people!” Char finds this a bit lacking. Fortunately, it is all positive ribbing with each other. The Paolos could take a few lessons.
 
Don’t Worry, I Think Ugly, Too: The Bransen girls are driving through Alabama and are in shock. One states that she did not expect it to be pretty. Another agrees that when she hears “Alabama,” she thinks ugly. One of them says they are digging themselves deeper and no one in Alabama will be rooting for them. They’re also trying to figure out how big the state is. Nothing really mean-spirited here, though.
 
A Stupid Teacher and a Psycho to Boot: Linda Weaver is driving and telling the camera about a vision she had several years ago. In this vision, she was beating a rug and could not breathe; she just felt desperate. Or so she tells the camera guy. She kept beating the rug despite her breath issue and her husband was not in the picture, she informs us. Finally a victorious time came in the vision. And that’s it. A recurring vision about rug-beating, minus a male figure, that came to a victory. My mind is totally going somewhere else with that summary, but it is obvious this is not where it is meant to go.
 
Linda says that five years later, her husband died, and a few months into the aftermath, she suddenly realized she felt short of breath and desperate, just like her vision. She claims that she kept feeling that way until the night before in the mobile home park when suddenly, she realized her vision was ended. Voila, just like that, she slept like a baby, she says proudly. She claims to know it is hokey, but she just needs to dig down within herself and she is at the end of her vision. She can move forward from here. Okay. She feels different today. She also has never been through anything where she was the total decision maker until now. Wow. Just wow.
 
Communication is a Weakness: The Paolos, family counselors’ wet dreams everywhere, discuss their abilities. DJ informs us that they have no strengths, no strategies, and plenty of weaknesses. At least you’re honest. Marion whines that they have plenty of opinions, which is a lot of ways of looking at things. Yeah, darlin’, it’s also a lot of ways to argue and be stupid. Oh, and she brings up yet again that no one listens to her, and they would be in first with a lifetime supply of gas if they had. I felt bad for her once, but I realize now that she just talks and moans SO much that no one even begins to want to listen to her any more. Shut your mouth for a few weeks, and your voice will become pearls of wisdom. DJ says communication is a weakness of theirs. Ya think??
 
I is a Graduate: Tammy insists that they are going to Southern Colonial homes, but Bill says it is Colonel. She passes it up to him so he can read it while driving. Laughing, he tells her that the way he was raised “colonel” is spelled C-O-L-O-N-E-L and “colonial” is C-O-L-O-N-I-A-L. Always willing to dig herself deeper, Tammy asks what happened to the “r” in “colonel.” Bill laughs and tells her it was never in there. I like these two.
 
I’d Like to Test His Rhythm Technique: The Linzes talk after the leg about the sawing task. Megan complains that the flannel shirt was more than just a shirt, and it was HOT! It sucketh mucheth, apparently. She smirks that she and Nick finished first, however. Nick agrees that it was tough, but says it was all about the technique. He gives the Paolos their props for doing it well. Another Linz mentions that he started to get dizzy, and voila, the clip restarts itself, and I can get no farther. Bastards.
 
If Your Mama is Smarter, You’d Best Worry: Rachel Weaver mentions she does not like making decisions at all (won’t she make a nice subjugated wife for someone some day?) because she does not like being responsible for them. Rolly and Rebecca do not ever do the navigation, so when Linda drives, Rachel does it. Rachel laments that her mom is smarter than her (yikes) and always finds better ways to have done something Rachel directed. She likes it when Rebecca drives so Linda navigates. There is so much wrong with this I want to scream.
 
DJ Loves His Mama: DJ claims that when his mom is hurt by outsiders, he feels for her, so he must love her. He says they just argue and bicker. He also claims to not really mean anything negative he says about her, but then backs up and says sometimes he does, and sometimes in the moment he means it. She thinks he mistreats her (well, duh, but it’s mutual), but it is just his personality. Yep, it was just Ted Bundy’s personality to mistreat sorority girls, too. Nothing major, just a personality quirk. No abuse here, move along, please. Anyway, he says it must be love because he feels good for her when things go well and badly for her when they do not.
 
Gaghans Rock!: After the leg, Tammy and Bill discuss how they try to use the kids’ strengths whenever possible. They are doing well and proud of it. Carissa is quite fidgety. What a cutie. Tammy and Bill are comfortable being the underdogs because other teams talk to them more now than when they did really well in the legs. Since the teams are not viewing them as a threat, Tammy is hoping they will fly under the radar and surprise some people when they make their move. I hope their strategy works out.
 
Schroeders’ Final Words: Char exclaims that the race was amazing, no other way to describe it. Amazing to wake up in a mobile home with no way to brush your teeth, no bathroom, no air conditioning, and to just have to get moving. She talks about how Mark is being an amazing leader, dad, and spouse. “You never forget it,” she says. Mark mentions how incredibly stressful the race is, with high peaks of exhilaration surrounded by lengthy valleys of dread and stress. He is almost glad it is over because of how stressful it was. He thrills about this “grand adventure,” however, and calls it fulfilling and difficult.
 
Stassi has grown closer to everyone, she says. She marvels at her brother because of how well he did. She says she was afraid he’d be the weak link, and she is impressed with how he pulled it together. Without Char, she tells us, they would never have gotten through. She can do anything she wants, organizes them and keeps them in line. Without her, mass chaos, states Stassi. She is most proud of her dad on this adventure. He is a tough guy. And the clip restarts and I cannot get it past this point. Excuse me while I find a sledgehammer to take to my computer. I’m sure this is somehow a user error, but I’m damned if I can figure it out!
 
Love is in the Air: The Mat Chat with the Linz siblings is incredibly short, simply because, yes, the clip won’t play through. We learn that everyone has clearly defined roles. Two of the guys drive and navigate and the other two look for signs.
 
No Screaming Mimis for the Win, Please: At the mat, the Godlewski family screechers chat with Phil. Phil asks them if it is part of their ploy to be in the middle of the pack. They claim to have wanted third, but they’ll take fourth. They want to slide under the radar. He asks if they want to come in first for the prizes. They say they already got one, so they are letting the others share the glory. Phil remarks that is mighty gracious of them. The sisters then boast that they will win again, at the very end. He asks if can mark their words, and they assent.
 
Schroeders’ Mat Chat: A.k.a. the clip that wouldn’t play.
 
Validate Her, Shoot Me: Here we have Christine Godlewski crying during a post-leg interview. For those who, like me, haven’t bothered to learn which screecher is which, Christine cried in the episode multiple times, the most ludicrous of which was due to a desire to run around carrying her heavy pack.
 
Christine sniffles that she and Michelle work together as a team, that it is great and positive, and that the other two appreciated them helping in the log task. Then, she claims that she let Sharon jump back in and finish the log piece off because she wanted Sharon to have a piece of the joy and accomplishment. She chokes up again. Some women should not cry where others can see them. Christine is one of them. She pats herself on the back for letting Sharon feel good and how she did it for the team without them evening knowing it.
 
Christine says they need to get beyond today and she will have a pow-wow with her sisters tonight. She has to remind them she needs validation. My heretofore silent boyfriend loses it at the adjoining computer as he overhears this. I concur. People like this DRIVE ME NUTS! I mean, really. That has to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. Validate this, sweetheart.
 
The Weavers continue to stay on the bottom of my list, followed closely by the Paolos. I’m going to miss the Schroeders but am rooting wholeheartedly for the Gaghans and Linzes. I’m neutral on the Bransens, and while I do not dislike the Godlewskis, they annoy me just enough that I don’t want them to win.
 
In my world, it would be, from first to last of the remaining teams: Gaghans, Linzes, Bransens, Godlewskis, Paolos, and Weavers.
 
Is it Tuesday yet?
 
 
 
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #8 on: Nov 1st, 2005, 3:23pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 5: Bears in the Woods
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 10/31/2005
 
We have a big bunch of mat chats this week, with the Paolos (right) talking about love, the Weavers talking about how well-travelled they are, and the Godlewskis babble. Well, some things just aren't a surprise. Plus, we have an actual Phil's Diary segment this week!
 
First and foremost, a big BOO-HISS to CBS for their website content and playability. Numerous faithful readers bolstered my self-confidence by letting me know it was NOT user error which caused the mishaps with the Insider clips, but truly that CBS’s system bites. Totally.
 
Second and almost as foremost, a big thwap to CBS for reinstating the damn ads in the front of EVERY clip. I seriously want to hurt someone for this. Not only does the same annoying commercial play before each clip, it cuts off mid-way through (can’t even get their ads right!) and it is approximately four hundred times as loud as the actual clips. Seriously, I about blew my ears out as it switched from clip to ad.
 
Oh, and the ad, in case anyone is wondering, is that annoying Charmin one with the two bears in the woods with toilet paper. Is there anyone out there that can watch it without thinking about the old joke where a bear asks a rabbit if excrement sticks to its fur and then, well, you know? I know I can’t help but think of it every time, and since I have an aversion to scatological humor (it makes me laugh, but grosses me out at the same time, much to the enjoyment of my boyfriend), I spent my recapping time torn between going “ew” and cursing CBS.
 
Crap jokes aside, let’s get to the Insider clips, what few there are before I start demanding hazard pay!
 
Wally World: Wally Bransen is apparently semi-lost while trying to find the birds. The girls are explaining where they are at. And, voila, the clip cuts off. Curse number one.
 
Lap Dance Dreams: One Linz brother in the cab to the airport is excited to be getting to Panama to see hot young girls. Megan informs him he is an idiot and that they are going to Panama the country, not Panama the debauchery zone in Florida. The brother is disappointed. He tells a story of when he went to Panama City, Florida and dropped a bunch of money at Coyote Ugly. Another brother helpfully adds that he hopes he “got some action” for spending that much. Apparently not. They ask the cab driver, a crotchety looking old man, if he’s ever seen anything like this. He has seen it all. A cab driver in New Orleans? You bet he’s seen it all.
 
Beautiful Country: The Bransens, post-leg, discuss the scenic nature of Panama. They did say they raced around so much, they missed a lot, but what they caught, they felt was beautiful. One sister mentions they have done mission work in Third World countries, but this wasn’t as bad as they thought it might be. And then, guess what? Yep, the clip cuts off. Curse number eight (I’m wracking them up on the ads too).
 
Let’s Get Physical: Well first of all, this clip looks familiar, like it’s a repeat. Apparently it is not, but it just looked like it to me. Then again, my ears are still ringing from the damned ad at the beginning of the clip. Megan Linz tells us Alex carries her bag when the going gets tough for her. One of the brothers flashes some muscles. I’d swoon, but I’m still inventing new swear words. Flash me next week, when I’m in a better mood! Someone mentions it is a hot environment (yeah, especially if you keep flashing me), and the clip cuts off. Curse number fifty.
 
Bats in the Belfry: The Weavers’ clip, amazingly, does not cut out, despite my internal pleas. Insert curse number sixty-nine. Maybe God is watching over it. Because, you know, He truly cares about a television show. No, really, He does. Honest. So anyway, the Weavers are talking about sleeping out in Panama at the Smithsonian. They say something about letting a mouse in the small room everyone was in and something about bats darting around. My ears are still not recovered, and I’ve got the sound cranked up to hear the clips, but it’s very difficult to understand any of them. Anyway, outside in Panama, sleeping is difficult, there are bats, and God might not care. That’s my upshot of it anyway.
 
Hypocrites?: The Paolos are discussing problems with the Weavers. Just as a sidebar, do you notice how many families have problems with them? D.J. says that in the beginning, when the Weavers were up towards the front of the pack, they didn’t want anything to do with anyone. Now that they are dropping lower, however, they suddenly seem more interested in friendships with people. D.J. Paolo doesn’t call them hypocrites, but I believe that is what he’s tiptoeing around. He then mentions he is not sure if there are other racers with alliances, but they do not have any, as it is every team for themselves in the long run. Brian quips it is not Survivor, no one is getting voted off. Heh. Of course, it cuts off here. Insert curse number ninety-nine.
 
For the record, I have nothing against keeping to yourself. You can do it without being rude. Actually, I have no problem with being rude either. Boston Rob amuses the hell out of me. He, however, makes no bones about who he is and what he is doing. What bothers me about the Weavers is that if someone is rude to them, they have a hissy fit. If they are rude to someone, they are just playing the game. All that, wrapped up with a holier-than-thou, self-righteous attitude, coupled with the sheer stupidity they have shown (what state is Washington, D.C. in again?) and tossed with a bit of whininess makes them poor players, in my opinion.
 
But, I digress. Back to the clips!
 
Master Plan: I wish I could say I followed this clip well, but I did not. I cranked the volume and still could barely hear the sisters, and when I could, they talked over each other. Suffice to say, Ms. Validation mostly keeps her mouth shut (yay) and the sisters joke about a master plan. One mentions that they should pretend to have a drunk designated driver and ask for a cab ride. Yes, they are joking, because it is a totally lame idea. They continue to joke about how they will make it through without any money next leg. Sadly, this clip does not cut out either. Curse number 101.
 
Friend or Foe: Bill and Tammy Gaghan tell us that they are close with the Linzes. Apparently, Megan is good with the kids, and Bill gets along well with the brothers. They say the competition is heating up, and you can do this and be cordial. They have little respect for those that do not, apparently. They can see right through those teams. Gaghans are nice and do not name names, but I bet I could guess it in one. CoughWeaversCough.
 
Silver Lining: Okay, my new favorite website is www.despair.com and it is home to some amusing sayings. One is “Pessimism: Every dark cloud has a silver lining, but lightning kills hundreds of people each year who are trying to find it.” I have no idea why they called the clip this, but I’m thrilled, because I got to share that phrase with ya’ll. So there. Anyway, this is the Paolos’ Mat Chat. Mom has a groin pull. Phil asks her if she likes to talk about her ailments. She says no, but apparently she talks about them a lot. He asks the guys in the family and they all emphatically agree that Mom talks about her ailments frequently. Phil then asks for an imitation, and D.J. readily obliges him. They are all laughing, which is a good sign.
 
Phil then requests he say something positive about his mom. Amazingly enough, he readily obliges him on this as well. He says she got their butts in gear and got them to first place. He even agrees that he loves her when Phil asks. She’s thrilled. Tony kisses her, and you can just SEE the love he has for her. It’s sweet really. He calls her his baby. She doesn’t stop, he says, and thirty-three years, what can he say? Well, Tony, with the way she talks, in thirty-three years of marriage, that’s probably the longest phrase you’ve gotten in edgewise! Seriously, this was a nice clip of this typically obnoxious family.
 
Poor Sports: Phil asks Rolly if he was the hero at the baseball task. The rest of the Weaver clan clap for him. One of the girls says he did great, because he doesn’t play baseball usually. They mention that some of the other men kept saying “Hey batter, batter” but he did great.
 
I must interject here. How annoying was that moment in the show? The Linz brothers are being typical guys and doing a “hey batter batter” thing, and Linda goes all mental and self-righteous on them. She thought it was rude! I thought it was just good fun, and if she could loosen up and take some of her own medicine, maybe she would think the same. Anyway, her little snit over that annoyed me greatly. Telling other contestants’ boat drivers to go slow is rude, Linda. Harmless jeering isn’t.
 
So anyway. Linda shocks me by telling Phil they’ve done a lot of overseas traveling, but not in South America. So, um, how come you talked about not knowing what happens in an airport earlier in the race? You do realize overseas traveling means countries that you cross large bodies of water to get to, right, Linda? I don’t mean the Great Lakes of New Orleans either.
 
Carissa, Adrenaline Junkie: Have I mentioned I adore that little girl so far? And the whole family for that matter. The Gaghans’ chat with Phil at the mat. Tammy says Carissa really wanted to do the bungee jump, so they waited hoping D.J. would chicken out. Phil interjects that they (meaning the crew) were wondering how long the Gaghans were going to wait at the Fast Forward. I wondered that too. I kept yelling at the TV for them to rush rush rush, because I didn’t want them eliminated. Bill tells Phil that D.J. was shaking like a leaf, so they hoped he wouldn’t do it. However, he gives kudos to D.J. for doing it (did I mention how nice these people are?). Tammy says Billy wanted to do the birds, but to her, the birds were like the cards, and they sucked at the cards. Amen, sister. They got local help, she says, and finished the music task quickly. They say it was wonderful.
 
More Pointless Chatter: The Godlewski Mat Chat. Let me summarize: they all babble over each other, they all discuss the many layers of clothing they have on, they never let Phil get a word in edgewise, and they are hard to follow. Ms. Validate Me Or I Cry says they need to have a sense of humor on this race. Dang, I hope she follows her own advice. Phil states the men in their lives must not get a word in edgewise either. I think they agree, but I can’t tell.
 
Principal for a Day: For the first time since the season began, one of Phil’s Diaries actually worked for me. We see Phil at various schools doing motivational talks for them. He likes hearing what the kids’ goals are as it is really enlightening. He encourages kids to write lists to carry with them about what they like and what they want to do with their lives. He explains that by getting it down on paper, it can help give them focus. He also explains that people who are most satisfied and happiest in life are not those with the most money, but are those who do things they are passionate about for a living. He even says he’d do Amazing Race for free! Do I hear a producer’s ears perking up? It was a nice clip, emphasizing again that Phil is just really a good-hearted guy.
 
Well, I survived CBS again. Now that I know this will be a weekly occurrence with the issues, I’m going to stock up on port or other alcoholic treats (my co-worker made some nectarine brandy that is to die for). I’ve found that obnoxiousness is easier to take with a goblet in hand!
 
 
 
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #9 on: Nov 3rd, 2005, 10:05am »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
i've just finished reading the 'recaps' of the weaver videos. the recapper is so biased!
 
anyway, thanks to jp for the recaps.
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #10 on: Nov 12th, 2005, 9:33am »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 6: Nobody Expects the Weaver Infestation!
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 11/08/2005
 
The Amazing Race 8’s one failing is the pathetic tasks and the family variation…TWO! AR8’s two failings are the pathetic tasks, the family variations, and the Weavers, THREE! AR8’s three main failings are the pathetic tasks, the family variations, and the Weavers. Especially the Weavers. Seriously.
 
As a sidebar, let me just say that my ten-year-old son came up with the idea to dress up as a cardinal from the Monty Python skit for Halloween (a solid dose of BBC America in this household, let me tell ya). I’m so proud of him, I could just burst. Sadly, only a few people got it when he and his brother, clad in red robes and crosses, declaimed “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” instead of the rather mundane “Trick or Treat” the other herd beasts, my daughters included, use. Those that did, however, were entirely appreciative. Typically to the point of being rendered virtually useless in the handing out of candy. Yes, long sidebar, I’m aware. Deal.
 
As I was saying, I am less than enamored of the tasks thus far. As far as the family variation, I think AR8 would have been even more entertaining to watch if it consisted of families with at least one or two parental figures and the remaining two or three members having to be children ages 8-17. That is what I thought AR8: Family Edition would be. Both of these pale in comparison, however, to the Weavers. The Weavers are vile and hideous representations of the human race. That they call themselves Christians disgusts me. I disliked their antics and hypocrisy long before Episode Six, but with this episode, they earned their permanent place on the bottom rung of life’s ladder of decent people. To quote my better half, “they are the stuff you rub off the bottom of your shoe on the curb after walking through a dog’s backyard.”
 
On a brighter note, the Gaghans are stellar examples of really great people. Of course, the brighter note is also sad, because the Gaghans got eliminated. Le Sigh.
 
On a really bright note, a couple intrepid readers cracked CBS’s code and sent on to me how to watch the videos without wanting to learn how to shoot a gun. For those of you who wish to also view the clips, try this: On the bottom right of the pop-up screen which houses the listing of clips, there is a wrench with “Player Settings” next to it. Click on this. Choose Real Player (make sure you have it downloaded, of course). Then double-click on the clip to let it play. When it starts in the little window, right-click on it and choose to play it in Real Player. This pops up the Real Player window, you can click the Fast Forward icon and it skips the damnable commercial, and best of all, the videos play!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
 
Even brighter, we do actually have recaps in this article. Let’s get to them, shall we? Can the Weavers redeem themselves in the clips? Heh, don’t count on it, and before you get ready to send me hate mail, go watch the clips yourself and tell me these aren’t the biggest hypocrites ever. I like Jonathan and Victoria better. Heck, I like Kelly “you got out of the army by being a POW” Beauty Queen better.
 
Everyone Likes a Dirty Girl: The Bransen girls chat about how muddy and dirty they are. Wet t-shirt contest anyone? I envision millions of male ears perking up as they speak. They talk about how they are not girly girls and like to get dirty, play in the mud and run in the rain. My kind of women. [Associate Editor’s Note: I bet lots of male eyes just bugged out there…]
 
Poor Innocent Us: At the yield, the Weavers snipe at everyone. We saw most of this clip in the actual show, but there’s more to it here. They whine that everyone gangs up on them, but they don’t care. They start examining their picture up on the yield talking about how cute each of them looks, doing mock compliments about how great they are. Then, they look at the Paolo picture and insult the garbage truck behind them. Tell me your father would condone such behavior, kids. Honestly. He seemed like a hard-working guy from all you’ve said. Would he like to see you mock another hard-working man?
 
The mocking continues, as my attempts at playing a conscience come way too late, and even Linda gets into it, saying how rude it was to be yielded. Apparently it is not rude to pull out the Godlewski sisters’ picture and talk about how much their boobs cost. Linda tells them sort of to stop it because it’s on TV. Yeah, that’s why you should stop calling the Paolo kid a squirrel and a retard. Yep. Linda tells the kids it’s a compliment they’ve been yielded because they’re strong competition.
 
Holier Than Thou - Again: The Weavers, still at the yield, whine that they are here to play a game, not defeat character like everyone is doing to them. Hold on a moment while I choke in disbelief. Yes, this is at the yield. The same yield they just finished calling people retards at. I can’t believe they are this clueless and blind. Linda mentions how the Paolo mom said they didn’t like the Florida team (a.k.a. the Weavers) and she doesn’t understand why people wouldn’t like them. She says they haven’t said bad things about anyone. Again, I choke. She says it may cost them the game but they are “responsible to a higher authority.” If there is a God, I hope he’s quickly disowning them about now.
 
“I know it’s a game, but there are morals too” Linda proclaims. Plus, did you know they didn’t talk about people? I didn’t, because I’d swear I heard them calling breast integrity into play earlier. Linda states it might cost them the game, but they won’t play that way, and they have had a good time, she says. Then the rude-looking daughter (the one with the streaked hair) says “It’s all fake, right down to their hair color—bottle blondes!”
 
I don’t know what else to say about them right now. Just wow.
 
Strategic Moves: The Paolo team, while driving, fills us in on the yield decision. Brian calls the Weavers “two-faced and deceiving” and mentions that they try to be conniving, but everyone knows about it. When they were in first place, he elaborates, they wanted nothing to do with anyone. Now, apparently, they are begging for help from the Paolos (and everyone) and claiming they’ll repay it later on. Brian says they asked them to book flights for them! The Paolos also mention that the Weavers are damn lucky and suddenly get to places like magic (I’m sure the Weavers think God is watching them). Per D.J. as he drives, their strategy was to do the first Fast Forward they found and they did, to do the first yield. As they got to the yield, he says, the other teams were all right there, except the Weavers, so they chose to do the Weavers and hope to really delay someone. It was all strategy.
 
Like Jenn in her main recap, I am wondering what happened to the Paolos this week. I’m really liking them! D.J. is being human! Of course, in comparison to the Weavers, all faults pale.
 
Kindness of Strangers: The Godlewski sisters are begging somewhere. A tiny woman gives them some coins and the bag they came in. The sisters try to refuse the bag, but she insists. After the woman leaves, the sisters give Ms. Validation a hard time for taking the bag, but they all agree that the woman would have been insulted if they hadn’t. Then the woman runs back and tries to give her the knitted cap off her head. They hug her but manage to persuade her that the money and bag were enough.
 
Chatty Cathy: The Pink Ladies again, this time in the car. They are telling each sister what they are in the family scheme. One is told she is getting thick skin finally, thanks to them. Another is a Chatty Cathy, they say (just one?). Another jabs that one sister isn’t always the boss. It’s sort of in good fun, but something about this conversation reeks of undercurrents of tension!
 
Not So Kindness of Teammates: After the leg, the Godlewskis let us in on a little secret about the Weavers. The Weavers gave them five dollars at the start of the leg, but according to the sisters, Linda expected a favor later. Per one of the sisters, Linda essentially blackmailed them, she says, at the Internet place. Apparently, she went on about how she gave them five dollars and she wanted a map. Well that’s giving out of the kindness of your heart, eh? Not surprised at all.
 
Ms. Validation amuses me as she tells us that she wanted to take back the map, tear it up in Linda’s face, and give back the five dollars. Oh, I’d’ve loved to have seen that!! Unfortunately, she couldn’t be that mean, she says. They all figure that Linda will think she is the Godlewskis’ best friend now since they “exchanged” money and maps. Amazingly enough, the sisters were actually understandable in this clip and didn’t talk all over each other. I’m so proud!
 
Hard Work Pays Off: After the leg, the Paolos talk with the camera. Mom Paolo talks about how the day was long and sweaty, but rewarding. D.J. chatters about how today was unbelievable and his mom did a great job. Okay, who stole D.J.? Tony beams as he says it was a great day and everything was perfect. D.J. and Brian chatter about the great prizes. Everyone’s happy, and I’m pleasantly stunned.
 
Quality Time: This brief clip is of the Bransens. Wally mentions there was no team after they arrived for awhile, so for a change, they got to talk it up with Phil. They share what a relief it is to just get to the mat after long legs.
 
Birthday Gift: Post-leg, Megan Linz mentions that the Bransens actually let them get second place. She calls it a birthday gift, even mentioning that one of the Bransen girls helped her along when she was getting tired. It was nice they were there for them, she says. One of the brothers quips “That’s what is for.” Whatever is, it is funny and probably a bit dirty, because the other brothers snicker. I played it three times and couldn’t quite understand what he said. If you figure it out, let me know! To change the subject, another brother wishes Megan a Happy Birthday and tells us it is her 21st birthday. What a cool way to be celebrating!
 
Family First: Yes, this is the Weavers again. One of the girls says the other teams don’t like them because they have good heads on their shoulders. I choke again. Everyone appreciates how hard they are trying, she claims. Linda says it all gets back to love, that they love each other and work hard because of that love. Right, and no one else out there loves each other, lady. Go away. The slightly-nicer daughter says that family is all you have next to God, that’s all you have on earth. A friend will drop you for a piece of bread, she says it says so in the Bible. Trust family and God, but no one else, she continues. Nice.
 
Anyone else feel sorry for the people these kids wind up marrying?
 
The nastier daughter wonders why you should make friends here, it is a game. She’s right in that, of course. You’re there to win a million, not win friends. She points out that nine of these teams are going to lose, so why make alliances, it is stupid. It’s not that what she’s saying is wrong, because it’s not actually. It’s HOW she says it. There is that really rude, disrespectful, nasty look on her face as she talks about people that just gets to me.
 
They go on to say that they won as a team, as a family. They are at a loss as to why people join up against them. Linda wants some happy happy joy joy world where everyone plays a clean game (except them apparently) and the hardest team won. She also says if there is a strategic reason later in the game to use a yield, then use it. Apparently she cannot figure out that there was a strategic reason behind this yield, namely to get someone so far behind, someone could stay out of last place. Duh.
 
Linda continues that she does not want it to be “The Weavers are bad” because the kids do not need that and neither does she. She says she will not participate in that, and it hurts and frustrates her that it is happening. They shrug it off in the clip though, stating “Whatever” and reminding us that they will just be playing their game.
 
I seriously cannot believe how blind they are. I know I’m harping on this, but it literally leaves me gaping at the computer for minutes on end, speechless.
 
Farewell My Favorites: Before I drowned in disbelief in the Sea of Weaver Idiocy, CBS saved me with a clip of my favorite team and reminded me that there are stellar examples of great families out there. Yes, the Gaghans’ Final Words. This is a family that lived up to everything the Weavers are saying they are doing. I was impressed at every turn with this family and was devastated to see them go. Gaghans, my family adores yours!!
 
But, I digress. Bill says they take away from this that it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend this time together and work on the challenges. He is proud of how they interacted because coming in, you don’t know how you’ll do with all the stress of the situation. So true. He is proud that they got through without any fights or arguing, but with working together. They ran a clean race, he says, and he’ll get no arguments from me. The other night, he and Tammy spoke with the kids about competition, he continues, talking about how you need to win graciously and lose graciously. He will have no regrets years from now about how they played.
 
Tammy is proud of everyone. She hopes the kids will take positive memories out of this and realize that it’s probably the most amount of purely focused time they’ll get together as a family.
 
A moment of silence for a truly class act, please. Now a big sniffle. Okay, I’m better now.
 
Why Can’t They Just LOSE? Yes, we’re back to the Weavers again. This time, it’s their Mat Chat. Phil says teams see the Weavers as a threat. Rebecca replies that the other teams are just upset they aren’t gullible for the lies and don’t participate in the gossip. Someone slap my back, I’m choking again. She says sometimes it’s hard for her, like when her mom gave money to the Godlewskis. Sweet, Christian Rebecca didn’t want to, but her mom said to take the high road. Amazing how that high road includes blackmail and badgering later on, isn’t it? Ms. Nasty Child continues talking about “Mrs. Cleaver” and the “Desperate Housewives” were in the Internet place. Even her nicknames reek of disparagement. She calls them gullible, just followers and a weak team.
 
Linda interjects that they are taking the high road and are just glad to be there. Phil mentions that real life is hard and the kids seem to be doing the right thing. Pardon me while I choke some more. I didn’t realize Phil could lie that well. It’s moments like this that I wish nice Phil could step off the mat and Jeff Probst could step in with just a few jury-like questions aimed to provoke and prod. Then, when it’s done, Phil could raise an eyebrow and step back in. Heh. I’m amusing myself picturing it.
 
One of the girls mentions how much they’ve gone through in the last year and a half so this “chitty chat” is nothing. They are building themselves up, she says, and the other teams need perspective in their lives. That’s right, honey, because no one else there has suffered any tragedy at all. Right. Grow up, sugar. Rolly is silent through this all, and Phil tries to draw him out, but he pretty much fails. The women sort of talk over him. They talk about living up to expectations and how well Rolly does.
 
I’m going to be sick.
 
Great Adventures: Phil might be able to lie well, but he can’t hide his emotions well when it comes to cute little girls trying not to cry. Carissa is darn near breaking his heart, I think (mine too!). The Gaghans are proud of where they are and how they did, and they raced a good race, they say. Bill talks of how they challenged four adults sometimes and even beat them at times. Phil tries to cheer Carissa up by telling her how the adults were always in awe of her beating them. She has that lower lip tucked in and trying to keep it from quivering. Phil looks anguished. Heh.
 
Phil asks them if they have been on a lot of adventures. Bill says they have and they plan on coming back to Costa Rica. Tammy mentions they have a seven-year-old at home (I didn’t know that!), so it would be great to come back as a family. Neat! The bugs in the area come up. Bill quips they would have won a bug challenge, because Carissa kept catching them. Phil asks if she were scared of them, and she says no, still trying not to cry.
 
Phil asks Billy what he’s thinking. Billy sums it up for the team: We ran this real hard and we’re going to go out with our heads held high.
 
SNIFF!!
 
Rolling in Dough: Phil asks the Pink Ladies at the Mat Chat if it was hard not having money to start with. They all chatter that it was actually fun, and they wound up with more money at one point then the teams were given. Apparently, ALL the teams gave them five bucks each, not just the holier-than-thou Weavers. Plus, gas station attendants and everyone really were just helpful, they say. Then they all start babbling about how it rained in the rain forest.
 
Phil looks bemused then tries to steer it back to actual game talk. He asks if the Weavers gave them money (obviously he knows about the blackmail), and they say yes. He asks if they are getting along with them. The ladies diplomatically say “I guess as well as any.” Heh. But, they quickly admit they would have yielded them if given the chance. They shared a map, they say, but not directions (with the Weavers) because they are competitive.
 
Confidence Builder: Phil asks the Bransens how they are doing, and we find out that they always second guess themselves when it counts. One of the girls mentions they parked too soon and just ran. I noted a lot of teams doing that. I couldn’t figure it out. I kept yelling at them to drive farther, but no one listened. Go figure. The team is proud of how they’ve done and the two prizes they’ve won thus far. They mention how unbelievable the rain forest was and that they were looking for snakes, like a sign there warned of. Wally tells us he went slowly over the bridge.
 
And there we have it. This one took me awhile, because I had to stop and bang my head against the wall numerous times. I will miss the Gaghans, because they were truly great people. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the Weavers do not recover, because they truly are not. Join me next week to find out what tidbits we can glean from the Insiders!
 
 
 
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293041687 293041687     jezzieflanigan
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #11 on: Nov 19th, 2005, 9:32am »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
Just a warning: If you have any objections about the said recap, go to the link below and email the writer of the recap.
 
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The Amazing Race 8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diary, Episode 7: WWJL?
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 11/17/2005
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, welcome to the Christian game of stunning speculation and quick responses! Yes, it’s time for another round of WWJL - What Would Jesus Litter?! On tonight’s episode, the J-Man tools along in his limited edition, bulletproof Mini-Cooper (the Pope’s got nuthin’ on the Son, ya know?) when suddenly, an SUV filled with buxom women passes him. [gasps from the crowd] What’s the appropriate item to throw at boobalicious women if you’re JC? If you’re THE MAN? Find out on WWJL!
 
Anyone else disgusted by the continued hypocrisy and trash talk of the Weavers, not to mention the actual throwing of trash?! I thought so. I’ll take Jonathan and Victoria any time over these four deluded, pathetic people.
 
That said, let’s get down to the clips. We have two sets (Week 7 and Week 8, according to the CBS website) for the two hours of show we got this week.
 
Go, Wally!: Wally is racing at the track and the girls are explaining to the Godlewski sisters that they almost always call him “Wally” and not “Dad.” Ms. Validation is sort of shocked by this. They all start cheering for Wally though. I hear a few “Go, Dad”s thrown in, but I’m not sure if it’s a Pink Lady being facetious or one of the girls. No matter, it’s amusing when one of the daughters says she wants Wally to stay out there in the sun and get a tan. Heh.
 
Looking At Butts: The Linz siblings talk about how they’d like to see first place one of these times. They are currently in a good position, so they hope a Pit Stop is coming up soon. One of the boys mentions they are sick of staring at butts. Another starts to make a comment, which I cannot discern, but Megan gets a look of horror on her face as the clip ends. Why do I think the boys constantly evoke that look on Megan’s face? They’re such guys!
 
LOSE ALREADY: The dysfunctional family paints wagon wheels in this clip. Rolly is stuck with Linda and the two nasty girls are together. Linda snaps at the girls that she and Rolly are going as fast as they can. Then Linda starts telling Rolly what to do to hurry him up. He snaps to it. The daughter with the streaky hair scowls at the camera, then returns to her painting. The other daughter mentions that she hated art class. It is paying off now though, they observe. Sadly, they work well together, so I think they’re going all the way, and it makes me ANGRY. Do you hear me, Phil? ANGRY! You must come appease me. Raise your eyebrow and rip open that shirt or something. Seriously.
 
LOSE ALREADY, YOU PSYCHOS: You all must go watch this clip. It’s called “Cornered” on the website, and it is of poor D.J. Paolo (wow, never thought I’d use “poor” in that sense with D.J.’s name) being trapped by the Spawn of Satan team.
 
D.J. presses against the wall, Weavers surrounding him, all chattering about why the Paolos yielded the Weavers. D.J. rightly defends their game plan by explaining they were going to do the first fast forward and the first yield that came about, as it is good game play. Duh. Someone whines “but we were friends.” D.J. rightly retorts that it is a game and not personal. Linda and crew are having none of it however. Repeat that about three or four times, because the Weavers are just that slow. They also whine that because they were friends, they could have been in the final three together.
 
Once again, D.J. reiterates that yielding isn’t personal. They ask again and he blatantly says they were trying to knock a team out. All four of the Weavers gasp in shock and dissolve into “oh my Gods” and so on. Rolly’s mouth hangs open. Honestly, these morons don’t have a clue about how to play a game. Hypocrital twits. One whines that they told D.J. about a flight. He says they had three hours, so they would have found the flight on their own. Linda turns on a sickeningly fake persuading voice and says “D.J., let’s be friends” to which he replies they can be friendly, but it’s a game. Skunk-haired girl snottily says that they can’t be friends, then, in disbelief.
 
Linda then whines that they’re friends with everyone else. Poor D.J. tries to nicely explain this one to them. He states that all the other teams know it’s a game. [in other words, psycho bitch, the other teams wouldn’t box him in over a yield]. He also nicely tries to mention that they don’t come out and try to talk like the other teams do. The Weavers again express shock and awe. Linda says something about getting ignored. Then says his mom did something that bugged her, so D.J. rightly reminds Linda that he is his own person, and what his mom does or does not do isn’t him.
 
In a stunning display of idiocy, as if we hadn’t seen enough already, the Weavers claim the Paolos should have walked over during the yield and explained the strategy. D.J. apparently tried to after the leg, from what he says here, but Linda is having none of it. Apparently, they were supposed to delay themselves DURING the leg and explain it to the Weavers. Yeah, right. GO AWAY.
 
D.J. decides he’s had enough and leaves. God, that poor guy. Phil, give him $100K just for putting up with that.
 
We Want Them To Go Away Too: The Paolos chat about the Weavers. This almost seems like it happens after the above, but D.J. is wearing something different, so I have no idea. D.J. tells us that Florida is two-faced, rude and will stab you in the back. He says they are inconsiderate and rude ten times over, even more so than he is. But, he claims (and I believe him), the Weavers are way ruder, not to mention hypocritical. Per D.J., and per what we’ve seen, they’re rude to others, but if you are the slightest bit rude back, they walk away whining about how rude you were. NICE. Plus they are embarrassing out in public, he states, worse than him, which he admits is pretty bad. Heh. His level of frustration peaks and he says if they fell down, he wouldn’t help them. He’s had it with them. He despises them.
 
Mom Paolo says they have tried to talk and be friendly, but to no avail. They look past people and won’t talk. So be it, she proclaims. If someone yields them, they will not be upset, as it is part of the game. When they are doing well, the Weavers want nothing to do with anyone. When they are doing poorly, suddenly they want to be your best friend. Heh. I think we’ve heard that one before. If they want to be by themselves, she says, then they can stay by themselves.
 
I’d love to see a clip where she finds out they cornered her baby. I’d’ve ripped them a new one.
 
Built-In Flotation Devices: The Godlewski sister who swam for the team tells us that hearing her sisters cheer for her kept her motivated during the swim. They’re in the car just after it. She says a few times she felt she couldn’t do it, but heard them yelling and couldn’t give up. She says it took upper body strength, not legs. I don’t even try to understand this. She says it felt like forever, and one of her sisters let her know it only took ten minutes!
 
Cute & Respectful: While the Linz brothers are a bit frat-ish for my taste most the time, they seem like good guys. Here, they talk about the Iglesia de Metal and Costa Rica in general. Showing up at the church while a funeral was going on was a humbling experience, because they knew no one wanted to see Americans banging on the metal and racing around. They tried to temper their behavior and show respect, one of the boys says. They also like Costa Rica and the scenery it has provided thus far (though I’m sure one is still wishing they’d gone to Panama City, Florida!).
 
LOSE LOSE LOSE: A Weaver girl babbles about how proud she was of her mom holding up all the male racers on the track. They all think this was funny. You know, I’d think it were funny as well, if I knew the Weavers would laugh if others had done it to them. Anyway, the “G.I. Joes and Jane” (their name for the Linzes) were excited about passing her, they claim, and they find it pathetic since the Linzes are all young and Ma is older. Yeah, because your ability to hit the gas pedal is definitely age dependent. Whatever. Go away.
 
Marion’s Underwear: The Paolos claim their most embarrassing moment was getting dressed in all their undergarments on the outer side of things. Tony states nothing could embarrass him though. He’s having the time of his life. Mom admits to them all getting a bit silly. I really am going to miss this team, and I didn’t think I would.
 
Yes, It’s Clean: At the Paolos’ Mat Chat, Phil asks Tony if his family is working hard. Tony definitely believes they are. He pulls the boys in and hugs them, semi-against their will while telling us how great they read the map. Phil next asks what all the yelling at Marion was about. D.J. explains that they were not sure they were last, that she was overthinking, and he wanted to get to the mat, not put underwear on. Tony says the race is unbelievable, you go from first to fourth and all around. He feels someone is looking over the Paolo family (bzzt! Sorry. Someone can only look over the Weaver family, because you see, they are the only ones trying to lead a Christian life around here, you know). Phil ensures the Paolos outer-underwear is clean and the clip ends.
 
Now we move on to the second hour of clips.
 
Feeling the Blues: The Brothers Linz discuss Megan, who is heading off to do the roadblock. They feel it will be a neat one and trust her to do it. Plus, they note she’s a bit down, so they hope this will help cheer her up. They all say she’s doing great, and she’ll get the job done.
 
GO AWAY ALREADY: In their car, Linda Weaver starts to whine that the only thing she is scared off is the Linz family yielding her. Actually, she calls them the “G.I. Joes and Jane” just like her kids do. Again, it’s not the good natured nicknames that the other teams do. Everything they do comes across very snotty. The Weavers start rah-rahing each other and say they are irritating the Linzes because the Linzes keep losing to them. Then they state they are not afraid of the Linzes. Whatever. Go away.
 
The Open Road: The Paolo family agrees that they do not like airports. D.J. feels better about driving, because it is more under their control. Mom mentions they tend to miss shuttles and things in airports by seconds. Tony doesn’t like lines, and the wait at the airports feels like days.
 
Lock The Men in the Trunk: Marion hypothesizes that the roadblock could be something like a simulator or skydiving. She seems to want to do it, but says the boys will probably overrule her. One of them says she did her thing by finding the bean. Darlin’, toss them in the trunk and do the roadblock! She then hopes that one or two teams don’t show up by the time it opens so they can get ahead.
 
Damned City Kid: Driving near the Grand Canyon, Tony speaks about how beautiful it is around here and how different from the Northeast. D.J. doesn’t get it. It looks like a barren waste to him. Marion finds the mountains pretty, but different, very dry, very barren, but very impressive. D.J. finds it a waste of space and thinks it should be developed. He cannot believe anyone wants to live here. He thinks the Grand Canyon will be impressive, but there is nothing here but snakes and cacti. Heh. City boy.
 
Listen To Your Mother: I know she is annoying, but you really should listen to your mom more, Paolos! Marion and D.J. are arguing. I’m shocked. No really, I am. She says they should have stopped way back when the other team did to get directions. D.J. says it was too early. Marion rightly points out that you want to do it early, rather than after you’ve gone the wrong way. Duh.
 
LOSE. DISAPPEAR. GO AWAY.: The Weavers are discussing the detour on the water. The “G.I. Janes” and “Desperate Housewives” were in front of them, and the Weavers thought they were doing the same task, the nasty daughter says. Then the Linzes started pointing, and they all feel this was an attempt by the Linzes to steer them wrong. It might have been. Or it might just be that they are totally goofy and flirting with the Pink Ladies. The Weavers call this cheating. Funny, didn’t they try to slow the Linzes down by asking someone to talk incessantly to them? Can you say hypocrite again please?
 
The Weavers also bitch that the Desperate Housewives thought they were so cool, but weren’t. Uh-huh, whatever. Rolly dislikes the G.I. Joes screaming as they left. The one daughter bitches that they wouldn’t high five her mom and that was so rude. Yeah, right. Whatever. They all say the Linzes just don’t have class and weren’t raised right!!
 
Words cannot express.
 
Right Back at You, Weevils: The Linzes state that they were in a caravan with the Godlewskis and the Weavers, but the Weavers just had to get in front. They did this by making some sort of “crazy ass turn” and took off at a light. The Linzes tell us that they just let them, because what’s the difference, a few seconds? Big deal. The Weavers gave some fake little wave as they went by. One brother says the Weavers think their s--t don’t stink, but it does. Heh. Marry me. Instead of being revengeful, the Linzes just kept playing their game, they tell us. They rocked on the detour, one claims, so they waved back to the Weavers. Heh, yep, and the Weavers thought it was rude, because you know, it wasn’t them. Another says they won’t invite them to Cincinnati, but the other teams can come by. Heh.
 
Full Circle: One of the Godlewskis chats about how they’ve come full circle, from first place, to last place, to first again. They joke about passing the Linzes and how the Linzes tried to swamp them. The key word there is JOKE. You know you couldn’t do that with the Weavers; there’s just no being good-natured with them. They don’t get it. It’s refreshing to see that the other teams all still do.
 
Farewell, Paolos: The Paolos’ parting words. D.J. would be right back out there again in twelve hours if he had the chance. He’s not relieved it’s over, no matter how tiring it is. Marion wants to do this, wants to compete, even at her age. She hopes kids Brian’s age realize that their parents might also be like her, able to get out there and do exciting things like this. She wants others to have newfound respect for their parents like her boys have for her. D.J. reminds us that his mom running for that one Pit Stop when two other teams were coming (Episode 6, I think) was totally motivating for him. They earned that first place. It’s a moment that stands out for him. Marion says her biggest moment was the first leg, wanting to quit, knowing they were last, then finding out they were actually sixth. Tony loved seeing his family work together so well as a team on the banana task. If Brian had a moment, it didn’t make this clip.
 
Wally & the Girls: Bransen Mat Chat. They are all happy. The chick who did the roadblock admits to being nauseated, but never lost her lunch. Thank God, I’d hate to see that on an Insider clip. Shudder. Phil remarks that Wally looks better. He says he feels better, and he’s proud of his girls. They know they can win it. He says he’s not sure if they will, but he knows they are capable of it.
 
Nothing But Love: The Paolos’ Mat Chat. Phil asks the boys to tell him about Tony. Brian brags that he’s an animal, plowing through the sugar cane and bananas and the swimming. He’s intense and did well. Phil mentions that Tony wanted the boys to see what you reap from hard work. D.J. states that it paid off, as they worked their asses off. Their mom didn’t give up; she amazed him. Tony says they worked well as a team, the boys did good, today just wasn’t their day. Phil asks Tony what makes Marion special. He gets that sweet look on his face when he thinks about his wife. He’s so proud of her, you can tell. I love that. He says that they’ve been together 33 years and without her, he’s dead. She takes care of everything. They joke about how he married for money, because she had six hundred dollars and he had nothing. Jokes about them not being connected rise up. Tony says he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder, so that’s good.
 
Sniff. I never thought I’d miss them, but I do, and it’s not just because I hate the Weavers. The Paolos grew on me.
 
Once again, there we have it. I’m crossing my fingers for a Weaver elimination, but I have this sinking feeling they’re going all the way. WHINE!
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Re: RNO - TAR8 Insiders, Mat Chats and Phil’s Diar
« Reply #12 on: Nov 30th, 2005, 1:14pm »		 Quote Quote Modify Modify
http://www.realitynewsonline.com/cgi-bin/ae.pl?mode=1&article=articl e9392.art&page=1
 
 
The Amazing Race 8 Insider, Episode 8: LEAVE ALREADY!
by Heathyr Fields Ford -- 11/29/2005
 
Heathyr is not pleased about the Weavers' continued existence in The Amazing Race 8. But the show must go on, and Heathyr is here to faithfully recap every Insider clip, every Mat Chat, and every word of Weaver Hypocrisy.
 
Due to the amazing angst caused by Episode 9 being a non-elimination leg, I have put off writing this article until the very last minute. Quite frankly, I was too grumpy to even begin to watch extra clips. I feared for the life of all those around me, including my computer, so I have been hiding away from reality in my favorite escape - a roleplaying game. Yes, I know, I just labeled myself as an uber-geek. Deal with it.
 
Without the joy of writing this article, I do believe I’d swear off the rest of this season, and possibly all future seasons of TAR, based solely on the allowance of those hideously vile excuses for human beings known as the Weavers. They complain about teams swearing. Well, DARLINGS, ten-to-one you ain’t heard nothing from the other teams like the sound reel that’s echoing in my mind whenever I see your hypocritical, snotty little faces on my television screen. Sailors have nothing on me when it comes to the creative use of vituperatives, epithets, and other colorful metaphors, as Spock dubbed them. (Again, yes, I am a geek. A roleplaying, sci-fi/fantasy loving, internet porn watching, cussing sort of geek. Love me or go away!)
 
Oh to be writing about the women of Survivor being covered in mud. Or how Sean Connery’s voice is enough to make my knees tremble. Or how Patrick Stewart in lyrcas in that one ST:TNG episode made me swoon. Or the Linz brothers slowly removing their shirts. Anything. Anything other than an article that has to admit that the Weavers did NOT get eliminated this week, thus proving there is no god, or if there is one, he totally hates me.
 
Ah, but I digress. Or procrastinate. Something like that. Let’s get on with the clips, shall we?
 
Sort of like a really bland rollercoaster: Don’t get me wrong, I like the Bransen clan, but don’t they seem sort of bland at times? Especially poor “I can’t keep up” Wally. This entire clip is comprised of one of the girls babbling about having been up in front and then dropping back, and how it is like a rollercoaster. Only, it’s sort of a boring clip. One says “Life is a rollercoaster.” I wonder briefly if they’ve watched the Steve Martin movie Parenthood and then decide they probably haven’t. Wally has seen Forest Gump however, as he chimes in with “life is like a box of chocolates.” Then the girls say it wouldn’t be good to always win, and that the other teams need to come in first sometimes too, and they got a really good prize anyway. They do all agree that they better win the last leg of the race. Heh.
 
DOH!: How the Linzes have made it this far is beyond me. I enjoy them, especially when the guys take off their shirts. But seriously, with all the idiotic errors they make, such as missing road signs, other bad navigation, etc. I’m shocked they’re still here sometimes. This clip is a perfect example of their Homer Simpson “D’OH” factor. It is 7:00 a.m. in Utah on a Sunday. Let me repeat that. In Utah on a Sunday. The Linzes are low on gas and pull into an obviously closed gas station to try to get gas. They are not just low like “we should try to get some in case there is nothing for a hundred miles.” They are low like “we forgot to get it two hundred miles ago and now we have to go a hundred miles without civilization so we need it now!”
 
I pause the clip to bang my head against the desk. They try to use their credit card, but the pumps are shut off. More head-banging. Someone put on the Quiet Riot please. Then, they run out into the road and flag down some poor hapless guy in a truck. He points to the house nearby and says that’s the owner. Well, actually, first, we have a long drawn-out conversation about where the nearest gas station might be, wherein we hear that it is Sunday. Utah is like Canada still is (or was when I used to go all the time). Sort of like stuck in the ‘50s with most everything closed on Sundays. I personally like it. I can see that it would be bothersome if I’m running a nationally televised race, and I forget to be responsible two hundred miles back.
 
Anyhoo, long clip short. Er, well not short, but let me sum up here. They talk to the owner in the house next door, hear it should be open, one of the brothers off screen gets bit by a dog, and then they all run towards the pumps again. Yep, you read that right. The owner’s dog bit one of the brothers! Another pause while I hoot quietly to myself (the other half has a headache and is trying to sleep it off, so I politely keep my chortling to a minimal decibel level). Megan tells him he’s fine, and the clip basically ends. I have no clue if they ever got gas, but I must assume they did, since they finally won a leg.
 
Home Schooled by Ma Weaver, were you?: One of the Linz boys, sadly with his shirt on, calls a spider a “daddy long neck.” The rest of the supportive siblings start snickering and saying he’s mixing spiders with brontosauruses now. Heh. See, I thought of giraffes mating with spiders. Probably because I just watched Gladiator and the comment about gay giraffes still amuses the hell out of me. Anyway, one of the Linz brothers must have sat in on Linda Weaver’s classes where she talks about animals and the Great Lakes of New Orleans.
 
Did I not tell you to LEAVE ALREADY?: Driving through some of the most beautiful landscape in our country, the Weavers all yell mockingly “Utah rocks!” Linda quips “lots and lots of rocks.” Yeah, and nary a one to fall on you. Bastards. Rebecca snarks that they haven’t even seen a McDonald’s, and Rebecca says she bets people are really skinny here. Honey, you ever thought about moving to Utah? You and sis there in those hot pants are looking like you need a little less McDonald’s anyway. Someone mentions not even seeing grocery stores. They joke about litter control at landfills being the only job available. What is with these people and the trash comments? Morons. They say they could play in the creeks, but there are none. Linda says they could cut down trees, but there are none.
 
See, this is what I have come to loathe about this family. The mom joins right in like she’s some immature little tripe of a fifteen year old trying to fit in. Nothing looks dumber than the parent trying to act the child. Give it up, sugar. Seriously. Then Rachel. Sweet little “we’re the only Christian family” here Rachel, says, while nastily laughing up a storm, that they could spray all their mud huts and dirt homes with water. GET OUT OF MY TELEVISION.
 
GO AWAY NOW: The Weavers, on their lovely detour (the one I really thought would get them eliminated. CBS, I hate you), are blocking the road for a bunch of other cars. It looks like they were trying to turn around and realized they couldn’t. Now they have to maneuver until they are fully back on their side of the road, so cars going the opposite direction can get by. It takes a bit, but they do it, and as the trailer goes by the other stopped cars, Rachel is hanging out apologizing to them.
 
Linda catches up with the kids and before she gets in asks a couple in a sweet yellow convertible if there is a place to turnaround up ahead. He tells them they shouldn’t have come up that road, and didn’t they see the sign about it at the start. Heh. Linda looks briefly like she could kill him, then puts on her “Good Christian” face and her needy “help me” voice and gets specifics from him about the road ahead.
 
Validate Me: I’d validate the ever-annoying Christine Godlewski a million times over before I’d validate the Weavers by letting them win a million bucks. Sadly, I have nothing to say about it. Again, I digress. The Godlewskis bicker over which direction another team went. Christine feels one way, the others feel another. As per usual, Christine isn’t listening. Finally, she starts to. I have no clue who is actually right. I just know that when their pitches reach that “only dogs can hear” level, I just tune them out and thank whatever gods are out there that I’m an only child.
 
No Seriously, Validate Me!: Three of the Godlewskis make fun of Christine as they find Gemini bridge. They say something about there not being a ferry near it. She claims there was on another map. Um, okay. Then she mentions that she “got them all this way.” There are looks and sounds of disbelief. She answers the mutterings with the ringing statement of how she and Tricia found all this. The older one (the one with the dry wit that I like) mockingly asks her if she needs validation. Christine actually admits that she does.
 
The dry wit one asks her how old she is. A question I’d like answered myself, because this validation thing is for a five year old. Totally. She then follows up her question with the reminder that Christine herself just admitted that Tricia also helped do it. Christine backtracks and claims that SHE found it, and then SHE had Tricia re-verify it, and SHE is being gracious enough to allow Tricia some of the credit. “I’m giving Tricia some of the credit with me, okay?” Pause. Bang head. Drink a healthy swig of Dr. Pepper. Unpause. Tricia makes an amused face. The end. SHEESH!
 
Egads: This clip sort of defines the Bransen team really. They are discussing one of their biggest problems, and that is if one gets directions, the others all nitpick it, so they all go in a big gaggle to get directions, and they check and recheck, etc and so on. Talk about a cluster you-know-what. Wally also mentions that sometimes they get ambiguous directions and it slows them down. Seriously, there are easier ways to go about doing things. Ah well, they’ve made it this far!
 
There is life outside of Cincinnati: Nick Linz (I only know it’s Nick by the clip summary) talks about his experiences thus far. He says they talk every leg about coming back and seeing things like that which they have seen on the race. He mentions that he works six days a week, long hours, and never thinks about doing something outside his routine. This has made him think about it. Very nice! This trip is full of spontaneity, and he is doing things he would usually not consider doing. It makes you appreciate everything and want to slow down your life. The race is helping him understand to take part in things which will give him respect for life in general. Sounds good to me!
 
Bringing the other siblings along: Post-race, the Linzes all talk about how they wish to bring the other siblings, and even parents, along on some of these adventures. They’re close already, so the race hasn’t brought them closer, but it is frustrating to know there are three other siblings missing out. Megan reminds them that at least they get to watch it on television and not just hear them talk about it, and then they will fill in the stuff not aired. One of the boys mentions their objective is to win the money, give half to their parents (you can call me Mommy!) and use the rest to come back to places like where Megan did the airplane task. They want to see their other family members do it. All in all, a nice clip from a nice family.
 
They just don’t listen to me and leave: This is a nice long, post-race clip of the Weavers. We saw bits of it during the episode. It’s seriously worth a watch. I’m going to quote as close to verbatim as possible right now from the beginning. It had me floored: “Our family has a different perspective. We’re in the ministry where we reach out and care for people. Our lives are caring for people, encouraging them, helping them to any extent. We’ve never been treated like this, quite honestly. We want to care for them and love them. It’s so against our beliefs to be treated so rudely. I think it is culture shock for us.” - Linda Weaver
 
Let’s stop right there. Catch that second to last line? It’s against their beliefs for THEM to be treated rudely. It’s apparently not against their beliefs to treat others rudely. What a nice, self-serving set of beliefs. Usually, I see beliefs as the opposite of that. You believe in how YOU should act and you do it, and you hope that others do unto you what you would do unto them. Not in Weaver-World. In Weaver-World, everyone must do unto THEM, but they don’t have to do anything like that. Sweet.
 
Linda babbles on about how they are not in it for the money, but implies all the other teams are, and of course in doing so, also implies that they are morally superior to the other teams. She also says they are used to having Roy around to motivate them. She helplessly says they’re just a little weak right now. Good frickin’ god. She also talks about how horribly the “desperate housewives” treat each other, and practically preens in self-loving when she mentions they don’t act like that. Rebecca whines that it is us against them, but then says they aren’t whining. She says they are not trying to be the “noble Christian family” but then in her next breath says that they are though. And she proudly proclaims that they are not going to treat the other teams like they are being treated. Well, darlin’, that’s true, you’re being treated with respect, even if they don’t like you. You’re going the opposite route and THROWING TRASH! Idiots.
 
Rachel babbles that Linda tells them not to take it all personally, because it was how they were raised. Oh god. It’s killing me. I can’t go on.
 
T&A: Speaking of treating each other horribly, here’s a clip of the Godlewski sisters at a sort of low point. It’s actually amusing though. The older one that I like is fighting with Tricia, the younger, tiny one. Older One snarks about Tricia’s tiny breasts and then mentions something about having done something about hers (so it IS a boob job). Tricia then says she at least did something about her fat ass, obviously implying that Older One did not. Older One looks down at her and reminds Tricia that she is only 26. Something gets tossed back about being old, wrinkly and saggy. Then Tricia is called the biggest bitch, and she says she is proud of it. Heh. Again, remind me to send my parents something nice for the holidays.
 
Strictly Business: Phil asks the Linzes on the mat whether or not there was anything personal in the Yield of the Weavers. They claim it was strictly business, because they wanted to solidify first place. They even say the Weavers are good people, but they would rather have the Bransens and Godlewskis with them in the final three. The Weavers are good competitors, so out of the other three teams, the Linzes would least like to run against them at the very end.
 
Phil tells them the Weavers feel all this is personal (boo, Phil!) and the Linzes diplomatically state that the Weavers play a different game, and that is their choice. The Linzes state that they have no need to be deceiving and not talk to teams like the Weavers do. Heh. Megan explains that the Weavers really have not allowed other teams to get to know them. This is a recurring statement from most of the racers. She says they sat back and did not talk to anyone. Thus, it’s not personal, they haven’t gotten to know the Weavers. She reiterates that the Weavers are very competitive. In other words, it is in their best interest to have them out.
 
Tough Competition: At their Mat Chat, Phil asks the Bransens who they wish to finish the race with. They say the final three they prefer is them, the Godlewskis and the Linzes. He prods a bit, asking if they want the Weavers out. They say they have connected with the other two teams, but not the Weavers. Phil asks them to look at it from strictly a racing perspective. Phil loses some of my respect. The Bransens honestly answer that all the four remaining teams are strong.
 
He then asks why the Weavers feel alienated. Good lord. The Bransens, who have been quite neutral remember, mention that the Weavers keep to themselves and they do not see them giving help to others. The Bransens explain that they give help to other teams unless it’s a task. However, they maintain their neutrality and tell Phil they don’t wind up at detours or roadblocks with the Weavers, so have not seen some of the behavior the other teams have. Guess they’re blind, but hey, I respect their attempt at being Switzerland. Wally tells Phil they have no problems with the Weavers. Sheesh, you’d’ve thought this was a Weaver Mat Chat.
 
The Eyebrow: At the Godlewski Mat Chat, Phil again asks who they would like to race against in the final three. The sisters are totally upfront and tell Phil they want him to give the Weavers “The Eyebrow” today and eliminate them. Then they make mock Phil-brows with Phil. They want the Bransens and Linzes in the final three, and to race against the Linzes for the final two. He asks what will take them through to the finish, and of course Christine must answer that it is “their” map skills, though you know she means HER map skills. I gag a little. She talks about how they shaved off twenty miles by “working the numbers.” Heh, whatever. Another sister mentions Christine hasn’t used her quota of words for the day. Snicker. Christine then mentions how SHE got them there. She’s fishing for validation again, and I cheer as the clip ends.
 
Why are you still here?: Yep, Weaver Mat Chat. Phil asks what is right about the race for them now, and they answer that they are still here. The nasty children say this was their first major racing mistake, going to the wrong place, so that’s not that bad. True. You’ve made plenty of errors of humanity though. Phil reminds them that they are standing there with a 25% chance of winning a million dollars, and they are just sort of - blah. They tell him they are not “money hungry people” (so why are they on the show again?) and they are actually working at becoming a new family (couldn’t you have done that OFF my TV screen?).
 
They say that this is why they are set apart. They are not going to be doing the “personal” stuff like the others, such as cutting in front of people at security lines. They are not like that. They are not going to turn their backs on you (They will mock your job and throw trash at you though). It is “us against them, and we’re not like them.” No, you’re WAY more deluded and awful than the rest of the racers, thank you very much.
 
Yes, I died a little inside Tuesday when they were not eliminated, because I just have a sinking feeling they will win. It makes me ill. I do not usually go in for that “only deserving people” should win sort of mentality that often gets bandied about on Survivor. However, in this instance, I am going to play the deserving card. Nothing will make me sicker than to have to listen to these self-righteous, deluded idiots preach about how God obviously loves their example and led them to win.
 
I know, I know, it’s just television, and usually, it’s just an enjoyable sort of “oh god, don’t let them win” sort of attitude with racers I don’t like. Not this time. Ah well, it’ll be over soon. If they do win, I’ll drink a bunch of port before writing my last recap for the season. It’ll ease all of our pain. I promise!
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