WOW I’m REALLY behind on my Amazing Race coverage so let’s just hop right to it (recaps for episodes 7 and 8 will follow shortly, to get all this up to date).

Episode 5:

Rank at the beginning of the leg:

1. AH - Brother/Sister
2. NJ - Dating Couple
3. RC - Father/Daughter
4. ND - Grampa/Grandson
5. KV - The Goths
6. SJ - The Blonds
7. RTK - The New Hippies

Location: Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (more…)

*SPOILER* I’m going to be live blogging this episode at 6:00pm PT so if you’re waiting for the West Coast air time, this is a spoiler.

At the end of episode 3 of The Amazing Race, which left off in Burkina Faso, the teams placed as follows: (more…)

Since we’ve been in the midwest since last Saturday I missed last week’s episode. We’re going to watch it right now through the magic of torrents so here’s somewhat of a live-blog of episode 3, about 2 hours before episode 4 airs - better late than never eh?

As of the beginning of episode 3, which aired November 18, 2007 there were the standings: (more…)

This is my half-assed attempt to semi-sorta live blog episode two of The Amazing Race tonight, from Victoria.

(See Episode 1’s blog for some back story)

My names for the teams in this blog and the order in which they will leave the pit stop:

1. AH - Brother/Sister
2. KV - Goth Couple
3. RTK - The New Hippies
4. LJ - … no clever nicknames yet
5. ND - Grandson/Gramps
6. SJ - The New Beauty Queens / The Blonds
7. RC - Father/Daughter “You are a disappointment!”
8. KP - Lesbian Ministers
9. MJ - “Hot Sisters” - per John
10. NJ - The Cranky Couple

The teams take off from Ireland when their first clue from the pit stop instructs them to head to the Shannon Airport and fly to Amsterdam.

Once they arrive in Amsterdam they need to take a train, then find a particular bridge upon which they will find their next clue.

At the airport everyone manages to find a flight to Dublin however the number of seats from Dublin to Amsterdam are limited. At the connection, Ronald & Christina and Grampa/Grandson jockey for stand-by positions meanwhile AH, The Goths, JL and the cranky couple (their names escape me right now) are on their way to the Netherlands.

COMMERCIAL

All teams have managed to find connecting flights to Amsterdam where they hop on trains en route the the clue. AH are ahead of the pack, and the first to find the DETOUR.

Hoist it: Teams need to use a rope and pulley system to hoist 5 pieces of furniture up to an apartment building.

Hunt it: Teams walk a few blocks to sort through thousands of bikes to find colour-coded bikes, which they must then ride 5 miles to receive their next clue.

Honestly, Hunt it sounds like a HUGE pain, it’s all PURE luck on these tasks - “find a needle in a haystack”. Some teams could get it right away and others could be there for hours.

Photo credit: CBS

AH head to Hunt it, while the Goths head to Hoist it along with JL, who end up completing the task first. After DETOURs are complete teams must travel by bus to get their next clue, located in a field.

The Blonds head to Hoist it with Nathan and Jennifer (the cranky couple) while Gramps/Grandson do Hunt it.

AH complete Hunt it and ride their bikes to the bus meanwhile the Blonds pretend to faint, “I need a chiropractor,” and Nathan & Jennifer switch roles in Hoist it, as the Hippies (RTK) struggle as well with that task.

A bunch of teams catch up to each other while waiting for a bus, leaving without the Goths who race to catch it. Meanwhile, RC, KP and MJ are just landing in Amsterdam.

COMMERCIAL

RTK get the hang of Hoist it while JL get off the bus and come across the next clue, alongside the Blonds and the cranky couple.

ROAD BLOCK - Only one person per team can do this task - Ditch Vault. They must use a pole to vault across a ditch, landing both feet on the other side of the mud pit to retrieve the clue. The clue instructs teams to chose a Dutch cargo bike looking for a drop off site, which will lead them to the pit stop for this leg of the race.

Photo credit: CBS

At this point the teams are very staggered, pretty much in groups of three teams. The Blonds comment on the cranky couple’s success thus far, “that little bitch did it!”. J and L hit the mat first being the winners of this leg of the race. Followed by the cranky couple, NJ then the Blonds.

RC and KP decide to take on Hunt it, searching through thousands of bikes. Ronald pretty much rags on his daughter the entire time, while Kate and Pat look on, indulging in the other teams’ breakdowns. Meanwhile the Goths, Gramps/Grandson, the Hippies and AH reach the Road Block/Ditch Vault.

COMMERCIAL

The Hippies complete the Ditch Vault but ride past Phil at the mat while the Goths check in - AH and The Hippies make it in as #5 and #6. The Hot Sisters breeze through the Ditch Vault and check in as team #7. Gramps, after stripping down to his skivvies in the mud check in as team #8 while Ronald criticizes his daughter… again… to pieces. They complete the task and check in #9, leaving Kate and Pat as the only team yet to finish.

1. LJ - … no clever nicknames yet
2. NJ - The Cranky Couple
3. SJ - The New Beauty Queens / The Blonds
4. KV - Goth Couple
5. AH - Brother/Sister
6. RTK - The New Hippies
7. MJ - “Hot Sisters” - per John
8. ND - Grandson/Gramps
9. RC - Father/Daughter “You are a disappointment!”
ELIMINATED - 10. KP - Lesbian Ministers

It all starts now! Well, actually it started at 5:00 pm ET and I was going to catch the earlier airing of The Amazing Race but we were super busy cleaning the house all afternoon. Now that it’s almost time for the ‘pacific coast’ broadcast, I’m getting pretty pumped. I’m going to semi live blog the premiere of season 12 since I’m already nestled on the couch with my laptop in hand. Here’s a quick intro before game time - WARNING, SPOILER ALERT for anyone catching this after tonight.

Teams / My abbreviations for the teams:

START: Los Angeles, California - The Playboy Mansion

First clue: Fly to Shannon, Ireland - each team is given money and an SUV to start this leg. (more…)

Last season I live blogged a lot of TV, but not just any TV, The Amazing Race. I love adventure races, travel and the challenges that teams face in this Emmy Award-winning reality series. It’s coming back this Sunday for season 12 after a bought with the All Star teams last season.

The new Race wasn’t due to kick off until January but will now launch during November sweeps.

To prep viewers for the rapidly approaching Nov. 4 debut, the network on Wednesday unveiled the 11 new globetrotting pairings to compete in the round-the-world series, including the show’s first lesbian team. This year’s tandems also include a Goth couple and a grandpa/grandson pairing. [E!Online]

After doing the uber-local version of the Race with my sister you gotta hand it to these contestants, it’s no small task.

This year the Race spans the globe from Ireland to Croatia and sets new Race Teams on an adventure of a lifetime. Traveling more than 50,000 miles and crossing multiple continents in 28 days, the Teams are in a fierce race to the finish for a shot at the million dollar prize. [CBS]

I will be once again covering the race via blog comments, summaries and recaps. I don’t usually talk a lot of TV on the blog but I’ll be reserving Sunday nights for TAR. Stay tuned.