9/26 Amazing Race 17 Premiere Discussion

[Erika]

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CBS - 8:30/7:30c - They Don't Call It the Amazing Race for Nothin'!
The 17th edition of the reality series begins in Gloucester, Mass., and the 11 teams then fly from Boston to London. The pair to finish first on the initial leg receive a surprise reward that gives them a potential game-changing advantage.

[MaxxFisher]

THREE hairstylists (on three different teams), two beauty contest winners (on two different teams), two home-shopping hosts, two hot beach volleyball girls, two hot girl doctors and a hot mother and daughter reunited after 20 years are among the competitors in the 17th edition of “The Amazing Race” launching tonight.

I love this show, but it plays like my worst stress dreams. “Amazing Race” editors love shots depicting contestants wiping sweat from their upper lips.

“It’s morning in Gloucester, Mass., the oldest seaport in America,” notes Phil. “It was carved out of a coastline that is both dangerous and beautiful.” A fleet of lobster boats transport the teams to the starting line.


“Don’t yell at me, Chad!” Boyfriend-girlfriend Stephanie Smith and Chad Waltrip met eight months ago and have already purchased a home together in the Miami area. Competitors refer to them (I think) as “Tinkerbell and her boyfriend.” Bitter ex-footballer Chad intends to propose marriage during the race. But Chad is loud and angry and inpatient with Stephanie at times, so “yes” might not be the first word on her lips.


Birth mother and daughter Andie DeKroon and Jenna Sykes, recently reunited after the Andie gave her newborn daughter up for adoption over 20 years ago, never even rode in the same car together prior to the show. The first time they heard each other’s voices was for their “Amazing Race” application video. The show marks “only the third time we’ve been around each other.” Competing teams call them “The Gilmore Girls,” which I find hilarious.


The a capella singers Connor Diemand-Yauman and Jonathan Schwartz are dubbed “Team Glee” by competitors but are not initially shown kissing each other or tossing around the term “partner.” They are missing their Princeton graduation ceremony to compete.


Beach volleyball girls Katie Seamon and Rachel Johnston strike me as a little shrimpy, which could account for what appears to be a low standing for their playing skills, but they both look incredible in bikinis.


Nat Strand and Kat Chang (Nat & Kat!), the lady doctors, once collaborated on a 3 a.m. heart transplant. Nat is a type-one diabetic on an insulin pump. I’d love to know what she thinks of the pilot for CBS’ “Blue Bloods.”


The father/son team is comprised of “Internet sensations,” according to Phil. The junior half of the team claims a million subscribers. I suspect he’s exaggerating.


Hairstylist Vicki Casciola and bartender boyfriend Nick DeCarlo are tattooed bikers. I find myself immediately disliking Nick, who sports an unpleasant dye job and enjoys playing to the camera.


Miss Kentucky 2009 Mallory Ervin’s dad Gary taught her how to hunt and fish. (I have every confidence she is not the first Miss Kentucky to make a similar boast.)


Hairstylist Jill Haney and salesman boyfriend Thomas Wolfard were apparently chosen because they’re not bad-looking.


Director/choreographer Ron Kellum and best friend, Tony Stovall, a doctoral student at the University of Arizona, met performing “The Wiz” onstage. I'm not joking! This is my job!

Before the race begins, Phil introduces a new element he describes as “a real game changer.” It’s called “The Express Pass” and you can only get it by coming in first place at the end of a leg.

All teams are forced to make their way to the airport in humiliating smart cars.

There are two planes waiting for the teams at Logan International, but the one scheduled to arrive 30 minutes earlier has room for only three teams. “Son of a bitch!” remarks a member of the fourth team to arrive at the ticket counter. “We were so close!”

At the first overseas destination, the Americans have to drive stick-shift autos on the left side of the road. Which means they have to work their stick-shifts with their left hands.

A major hint regarding Destination One is cloaked in the Text Invisible. Don’t highlight it!!

Stonehenge! Where the demons dwell
Where the banshees live and they do live well
Stonehenge! Where a man's a man
And the children dance to the Pipes of Pan

Teams have to climbs what I’ll call “the megaladder.”

Even before Team Number One checks in, Phil reveals whether or not this is an elimination leg.

[Jay]

Loved the water dousing at the castle! :rofl

[alexandra]

I loved seeing all the teams sink in there turtle shell boats. :lol

[Jay]

"You got it sister. Right in the kisser!" :rofl

[alexandra]

Vicki: "I promise you we ae not that dumb" after asking everone if they were the battlement :lol
Nick: "I think we might have to swim over and bing a boat back" :rofl

[Jay]

Nick and Vicki are so hopelessly out of their element. Was it necessary for Phil to ask Vicki the name of the country? :shrug

[bbgamer]

Was it necessary for Phil to ask Vicki the name of the country? :shrug

For laughs, yes it was :giggle

[kungfuhippie]

For laughs, yes it was :giggle

:yeahthat :lol

I thought that was a great show :) The challenges were so much better than last time they went to England. I love it when the locals really get into thier roles like the peasants throwing the dirty water did :lol

So far I'm liking a lot of the teams. I love Miss Kentucky, she's so sweet and hilarious. I pretty much liked the top 6 teams. Oh, add to that the birth mother/daughter team. I was impressed that Claire took a watermelon to the face and finished her task with a minimum of complaining.
I was rather disappointed with Ron and Tony's terrible navagational skills.

[toque]

I thought I wouldn't like Brook and Claire but they were really funny. Brook's continuous assertation "she got hit in the face by a watermelon!" was hilarious.
Beyond them, I loved Mallory and her dad, liked the doctors, and also the father/son team. They were all kind of nice to watch.
I didn't find anyone particularly reprehensible, though Chad got annoying a bit. And Jill has an incredible bitch face look that I hope she doesn't find great use of in the future. :lol

[Daniel]

The two couples (not the tattoo ones) seem to have some problems in their relationships - I didn't like the way those guys were treating their girls :/

Loved Claire and Brook :) My favorite team so far. Malory is likeable too.