The Amazing Race 4 has begun !
 

Anyone watch this show ? It is one of my favourites and it was great to see the contestants yesterday racing to Milan and then to Cortina d'Ampezzo. (How familiar must this have been to other Italy-loving Fodorites, I ask !). Pity that they didn't seem to have much time to smell the roses (though a couple seemed to have had the time for an espresso). Wonder where the 13 weeks ahead will have them travelling to. Can't wait. And I hope that they are better behaved in foreign countries than their predecessors were in AR2 and AR3. My favourite series was AR1. The contestants in that series seemed to be true travellers (as opposed to game players) and the countries and sites they visited were wonderful. They genuinely seemed to enjoy their travels between countries and less focused on winning and strategy and foul play to each other. I guess that's what a million dollars can do.

Mathieu, I enjoy this show also. The scenery is often beautiful, and some of the things the contestants are required to do are things I don't think I would ever see (since they sometimes involve danger which I avoid at all costs.) I will never forget seeing that temple in India that is dedicated to and overrun with rats. In that particular place, they (the rats) were worshipped. I also really enjoyed the Viet Nam segment in last year's version of AR.

I too enjoy watching this show, more for the travel part of it then the contestants and what they are required to do. I feel like saying "show me more scenery and less of these weird people" :-) I guess the contestants are picked for their appeal but so far none seemed that appealing :-) Hopefully it will get better, otherwise I am going to find myself hoping none of them win. I agree with Mathieu and also think R1 was the best (it was also new to all of us so I suppose that made it more enjoyable,sort of like the first Survivor).

I have never, ever missed an episode of "The Amazing Race", all seasons; I swear. In one ocassion, I was in Italy and have my husband taped the episodes on TiVo. WOW! Wouldn't it be great to have two fodorites apply as a team for AR5?

I enjoyed the prior Amazing Race series, but I found the current teams pretty bland so far. It's only one episode, so maybe things will perk up when people start to get worn out.

just wait, RTF, the sniping and backbiting will start soon enough.

We missed the first TWO seasons of Amazing Race. I guess we were both overloaded with ads for yet more reality TV shows. Sorry we did miss any of this show though. Love watching the scenery go by.

Rufus, I think I'm always like that when one of these things start. Can't tell who from who... except for the models of course, who stopped for expresso and a flirt with the Italian waiters - and almost lose on the first show. Smart, that pair!

Previews for next week were a gondola race through Venice.

I absolutely love this show because of the travel aspect. And so far this one is starting out just great for me. I am going to Italy at the end of June for the 1st time. So I was watching like a hawk when they were in Milan and can't wait for next week when they are in Venice.

I know they'll be in Vancouver, Canada at some point because a friend of mine saw some of the teams near where she worked. Can't wait to see my town on TV (but it will probably be raining...).

Heard a rumour that they may let people from countries other than the US participate in future series. I hope that's true because I'd love to apply!

This show rocks! My former boss and I are planning to apply for the next one if it happens, we just missed the deadline for this one. I find that they have to eliminate (or "Phil-liminate") a few teams before it gets more intense and less confusing. There is talk that CBS doesn't want to do another season though because the ratings haven't been what they had hoped...so everyone be sure to watch!

I too am hooked on this show for the travel aspect! It was great to see the teams start off at Dodger Stadium this time (my home town), then head off to Milan. I was thinking, wow, I took both those flights (Swiss Air and KLM), and I know they don't go directly to Milan, so they must have been doing some heavy editing.

Better than Survivor any which way. Have watched from the beginning and yes do believe the first teams were the best. Of late, while they try to include different ages, sex, gay, parent/child - there are lots of very immature "couples", and whining bitches (hey, they are).

Funniest incident in AR1 was the two best friends from NJ, kind of on the chubby-side, but a hoot - one is running over the bridge at Victoria Falls and says to his buddy "have no idea where I am, but this is the most amazing thing (the falls at hi-flow) that I've ever seen" Though they didn't win, they held out till last third of the race.

But the bickering that goes on between the pairs is no different than on Survivor. But the adventure is way greater and the things they've got to do! WOW!

Like the two "grandmothers" in Brazil who had to paraglide off the mountain!
I just couldn't deal with heights or water or creepy crawlies - so good for all of them.

It's a shame, if true, that CBS might not do another episode - maybe someone else will pick them up. It's sure better than any of the other "reality" shows which are actually a waste of time (certainly not money 'cause they don't put much money into them).

I was so happy when they announced AR 4, I sent CBS an email telling them I missed the show when it wasn't on this past spring. So all of you fellow fans, drop CBS a line and let them know how happy you are that the Race is on again. Go to www.cbs.com and click on feedback at the bottom of the page, a form will pop up so you can tell them how much you love the race. I used to watch Phil on the Travel Channel a few years back on his show called Adventure Crazy. He looked great wearing North Face clothes on that show!

My husband and I sent a tape in a year ago to apply for the race. We never got called, big surprise... It seems like they have one normal hetero couple per season so our odds were pretty slim. There definitely seems to be the type cast teams each season.

Season 1 inspired us to travel to Thailand. We went rock climbing on Railay beach if anyone remembers that episode. It's fun watching them travel to places you've been to or to give you ideas on places to go. We were excited to see them go to Vietnam in AR3 as we had a trip in the works (we visited Vietnam this past January).

As for AR4, I can't believe the NFL wives took the fast forward so soon in the race, duh, there were still four teams that were 2 hours behind them on the last bus. I'm not sure how long they'll last after doing that.

sandi--- you reminded me of my favorite AR team ever! Did you watched the episode when the Fraternity Guys (that was their ID) were in Paris and one said to the other while looking around -"I don't get it, what's the big deal with Paris?-". We were roaring laughing.

I wonder why they have never been to the Caribbean?

Just a reminder: Tonight is the Amazing Race4 in Venice. I missed most of the AR1. Wish there was a way to track it down. I also really enjoy this show and plan to e-mail CBS. If we all do that, they might get the hint to keep it coming back!!!

yes tonight is Venice. I cant wait!!!

Maira - yes, "what's the big deal with Paris". Don't know whether your laughs were for "how can they not know what the big deal is" or "what's the big deal".

Yes, I've been to the Cote d'Azur and Provence and Languedoc and enjoyed them all tremendously - but while I've been thru CDG often, never stepped off into Paris. After someone was trying to convince me just how wonderful Paris is, my response was "you can have Paris, I'll take the rest of the world"

Hey, it's a big world and Paris will be there for me "someday", right now I have more exciting places to discover.

You know where I'll be at 8pm tonight.

I love the show. anna_k, please broaden your definition of normal.

Does anyone know what happened with the law suit that the team of two female lawyers filed against the producers? They arrived at a location by not following the rules and claimed that the camera man told them it was OK to do what they did.

Count me in as another AR fan . . . by far the funnest thing to watch on TV.

My friends keep trying to get me to try out but I will NEVER . . . it would frazzle me to no end to have to race everywhere and not get to actually see the sites . . . plus, I would have to stop every few seconds and take a photo of something.

Nope, I would be no good on AR, would be eliminated first round!

Another Sandy

My fiancee and I waited forever for this season to start! Do you know that it was held off because star search was doing so well? Groan!!

We watch it together and never miss an episode. We leave for Spain next month and already have set reminders for the VCR!!

We love pointing out where we have been (I was jabbering about Milan and the Duomo!) and where we want to go (put that area of Italy on the list honey!) and how bad of team mates we would probably be (I would never let you drive! haha!)

I've been a fan of this show ever since happening upon the second or third episode of the first show, when they were in Paris. I love all the different locations and challenges. Does anyone recall the name of the small Italian town they stopped in during the first show? (I think it was somewhere near Bolzano)

On the last show, I was very surprised when the final episode took place where I live, in Seattle, with the finish line at Gasworks Park.

The host, Phil Keoghan (sp?), was on a talk show recently and he said that he had been one of the two finalists, along with Jeff Probst, to host Survivor. I'm glad he lost out as I think he's a good fit for this show.

I'm looking forward to tonight's episode in Venice.

I love this show too. I've never missed one episode. We have great discussions about it at work!! I was so surprised to see the last episode end in Seattle too Capo .. I'm from Bellingham. Hope they keep it on.

AR1 was the best because travel was more important than drama for the cameras. Now it seems that conflict is the main ingredient and travel is incidental. Unfortunately the couple I liked best have already lost. The remaining contestants leave a lot to be desired, but only time will tell if a new favorite emerges. Maybe it's me, but don't they all seem to be a little more annoying this time around.

Well, maybe we're not normal... We get along really well. I think I might have a better chance trying to apply with my brother.

Tonight's fast forward was in a piazza that we sat in for a while last year on our trip to Italy, so that was cool. It's a canal over from the Hotel Galleria.

Be sure to sign up for the Amazing Race newsletter, then CBS will
know people are interested in the show. It's on the right hand side of the web page right under the cruise ship.
http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race4/

Now I wanna go snow rafting in Cortina! That looked like bunches of fun.

I was glad to see someone make mention of where they were and how beautiful Venice was as they were on the gondolas. Since they were eliminated, I hope they at least get to linger for a couple of days before flying home.

Clifton...the booted contestants actually get sequestered somewhere cool until the end of the race. In the past they've been in resorts in Mexico, Portugal and France; and they are allowed to sightsee there as well. So in a sense, their real vacation has just begun!

Thanks for the alert about this show. We don't watch much tv so I'd never heard of it, but for one of those reality things, this is about as good as it gets. I'll be back for more next week.

Good episode last night (missed the first episodes). We watched the last one weekly and enjoyed it a lot. Just signed up for the newsletter (thanks for the info).

Last night they were in Venice. It looked so cold and wet! Guess because it was filmed in winter, but I certainly hope it's hot and sunny when we go!

I have to admit, I hated this show. I'd not seen it before, but happened upon it last night while channel surfing and realized that it was the subject of this thread. Great footage of places you've seen (last night was Venice) or want to see, ruined by whining cretins. Or maybe they're just portrayed as whining cretins to up the commercial appeal...no, I'm pretty certain most of them were whining cretins, handpicked by the producers.

"Idiots Abroad"

Actually Theresa, the 'whining cretins' were all in AR2 and AR3. By comparison, this bunch seems much better - so far anyway. At least they seem to be taking the time when possible to enjoy their surroundings and show some appreciation for where ever they are and seem polite to the people they meet. Again, so far.

I think that a major appeal of this show is that it is a combination of so many things of related interest : part travel, part scavenger hunt (puzzles and clues), part cultural (food, dress, dance), part fun activities, etc. All the things we like to enjoy when travelling to foreign places. I think the road blocks are a hoot. Does anyone remember the first series when they were in China and they had to go shopping in a local market for raw food ingredients armed only with local cash and a list written entirely in Chinese ? Even though the shop/stall keepers were filling their baskets with live snails, a snake, wriggling worms, veggies, noodles etc. none of them uttered a word of protest. Then they had to take the ingredients to a cook who whipped it up into a delectable platter while they waited, which they dutifully ate before they were allowed to proceed to the next stage. I think there were 4 teams left at that stage and not one of them whined or cringed at that task. Heroic adventurous travellers they were. I think I'd be OK with the food challenges but the high wire stuff (all the bungee jumping over gorges and canyons) would probably be my undoing.

I love the show but there are some things about it that they need to ditch. That background music is too distracting and fake. Also, there are too many tasks, performed by too many teams at too many different times. Which makes it hard to follow. They should spend more time on just one task per episode, and spend more time on individual problems that pop up.

Wow, this bunch is better? So far it sounds as if the first series would have been the best based on your first post. My impression was based on last night's Venice episode only. I can't stomach any of the reality shows, so that part of AR is very off-putting.

I finally bowed to the Reality Show gods last night and watched The Amazing Race. I loved it! I'm hooked!

Mathieu, yes, I remember that episode in the first show when they had to shop for those raw food ingredients in a Chinese market. Another roadblock I remember very well was when -- not sure if it was AR2 or AR3 -- they had to walk through that temple in India filled with rats scurrying around everywhere. I liked last night's roadblock in Venice where they had to find a particular mask at that "ball."

One of my favorite things about this show, besides the locations, is watching people overcome their fears. I remember the two older ladies who were terrified of hanggliding in South America (Brazil?) but did it anyway, and there was a young girl on another show who was terrified of skydiving, but did it and ended up loving it.

Another thing that's fascinating is seeing how differently couples react to coming in last and having to leave the race. Some tend to blame each other and seem very angry whereas others are very gracious and seem very thankful for the opportunity just to be a part of the race. I especially recall the pastor from Minnesota and his wife from AR2 or AR3 who, when they came in last, were so sweet with each other.

Clifton, ditto on the snow rafting in Cortina! And it was wonderful to see all those scenes of Venice.

I try to learn a little something from ,well, everythingNow I know how to hijack a door!!

i love this show! my favorite contestants so far are from AR3 - the brothers, Ken & Gerard (the spoke a bunch of different languages - one was a gay, single, liberal, the other a straight, married conservative...) THEY WERE HILARIOUS! i'll never forget the episode where they're rappelling down the side of a mountain and the one brother yells "hey, there's a dozen crispy cremes waiting for you once you get down here..." just to speed his partner up. good stuff. this show is great. they just need more couples like the sweet couple that got voted off first this season (from indiana?) and less people like the dumb blonde models who just yell at each other all the time. well, they'll get eliminated soon enough...can't wait for the next episode!

Capo, you're right. The adventure part of the show sure challenges everyone to confront their fears and overcome them. And unlike other reallity shows, no one is compeled to do anything they don't want to. It could cost them the race, but thats their choice.(Remember that visual of them running across the swing bridge right in front of Victoria Falls ?) I too notice the reaction of eliminated teams and find it quite telling. However, one moment sticks in my mind. Do you remember the grandparents in the first series - Margaretta and Dave, I think ? They were older and much less fitter that the recent older couples we've seen but they were real troopers and travelled with style.They used their wits every step of the way and always helped other teams when they could. They made it to 7 teams remaining and were eliminated in Morocco (or Tunisia) when they had difficulty finding a hidden knife. When they stepped on the mat and Phil told them the bad news, all the other teams showed up to greet them with a round of applause and hugs. Many were in tears. Their final words were also of gratitude. Interestingly enough in AR1, Phil never greeted any of the teams (as he does now) except the last team to arrive, which is why they used to dread seeing him waiting at the mat. The others were met only by the other local person thats now there with Phil.

BeachBoi , right on !! Too funny.

I think Ken & Gerard were my all time favorites...they just cracked me up with their comments about the Zoolanders. I'm drawing a complete blank about who won last time (and fear it's because that horrible whinny trampy shrew who was so mean to her boyfriend might have done it). Agree this bunch looks like at least 1/2 way decent people so far.

Flo and Zach won and YES she was a weenie/whiney broad!I lost interest after the blustery twins blew it becuz they were too busy telling each other how much better the 2 of them were than the rest of the pack that they missed the last route marker.Snooze yah lose and they were snoozing!! Flo/Zach beat out Ian and Teri and brothers Ken and Gerard.