South of the Border. And since they're headed to Space Camp, they will probably drive right by it.

Go up the tower, spot the jackolope, get clue from Pedro, buy fireworks.

I admit that I was a little bored by last night's show, too. Didn't really care for the detour - running around looking for "spies" and saying some sort of secret message.

What I really enjoyed with the past seasons of AR was how the teams dealt with the cultural differences and language barriers they encountered while traveling around the world.

Just reminding myself to come back to this thread later.

:)

I agree with Barbara's earlier remark, when are they bringing the real Amazing Race back?

Missed the first episode because we were traveling (!), but watched last night and have the following comments:

1. Who ARE all these people? There are so many of them I can't keep them straight, except for the dysfunctional family from hell.
2. Is it just me, or are there about a hundred young women between the ages of 18 and 25, all dressed in tank tops and running shorts, all shrieking at the same time?
3. Are they going to do the entire race in those damn SUV's? How boring.

I guess I'll give it another week or two, but if it doesn't get less strident and more interesting, I'm outta here until TAR9.

ncgrrl, LOL! I've traveled a lot in Mexico and can think of tons of locations, detours, and roadblocks. Phil, are you listening? Call me!

I managed to watch the whole boring thing. Maybe they need more villians, back stabbers, jerks, and bitches like in past seasons. So far the sibling farting incident last week has been the most gut wrenching thing.

Marilyn,

South of the Border is a tacky, tourist stop on I-95 in SC just south of the NC border. It has all sorts of things you can't get in NC (like <i>good</i> fireworks and lottery tickets -- though NC is getting a lottery soon).

When list of the tackiest place in America pop up, South of the Border is always in the top 3.

It has about a gazillion billboards along I-95 with really bad puns like 'hot tamale' as tomorrow's weather forecast. Used to have super sterotype 'Pedro' on its billboards, but now more of a faceless guy in a sombrero and serape.

As a child my brother and I would do the standard &quot;can we stop there&quot; from the backseat of the car for the hundred or so miles the billboards are along the highway (&quot;but DAD, I'll just DIE if we don't stop there&quot; 'look, it's only 35 miles to South of the Border' 'now it's only 25 miles' 'Dad, pull over, we have to go there'). We never did stop there and I didn't die. I did stop there a few years ago when I was driving and, well, yes, it is one of the most tacky placiest in the USA.

Now, I did see a Wall Drug Store xxxx miles in Amsterdam posted on a street light, but since there were no billboards there, I didn't see a South of the Border ad.

ncgrrl, oh. :&quot;&gt;
I have not traveled in either NC or SC, I am sorry to say. This website is so wonderfully educational!

Yep, they have a website

http://www.pedroland.com/

And this is on the home page (yep, it's from the home page).

BUENS DIAS, AMIGO! pedro VER' GLAD YOU COME!!pedro got 112 meelion amigos, who stay weeth heem, opp teel now all satisfy come back, send frans...thees make pedro ver' HAPPEE...like for frans come back all time...pedro hope YOU make 112 meelion and wan hapee amigos! you come back soon, too, yes? Find your distance to Pedro's!

Yikes. :o

&quot;Is it just me, or are there about a hundred young women between the ages of 18 and 25, all dressed in tank tops and running shorts, all shrieking at the same time?&quot;

If they are reading here, you just made the Godlewski sisters' day! They are 26 to 42 years old.

At this point, they are my favorite team. They are having so much fun AND doing well in the race.

Keith

:D Keith, from my perspective it all looks the same.

(Also, I didn't just mean them, aren't there a whole bunch of young women on other teams? The guy with his daughters, for example?)

This season is the worst ever, boring people, boring competitions, boring pit stops. If they keep up the family edition, TAR will be cancelled soon.

Definitly a different dynamic with the families. I enjoy it because like another poster said, I like to see the interp;ay among the family members, however, I will have to say it's not as exciting...I was almost wishing for Jonathan a time or two...:D I'm thinking that with allowing very young children into this group, that maybe there were possible liability issues traveling some of the more &quot;exotic&quot; places with very young children, even though I'm sure the families sign a waiver of some sort. I mean what if the little girl got separated or lost in say a third world country and got kidnapped and sold off to the slave trade...something like that. So, we'll just have to see where their 11,000 miles takes them. I didn't watch the whole thing straight through but switched over to something else for a bit and then checked back in with AR for awhile.

I believe this was a huge mistake on CBS's part. To have an Amazing Race only in the US and with very boring families could be the deathnail. The best of the Amazing Race is the travel by flight and the jocking for an airline seat. Also seeing exotic places is a draw. I am planning on switching to the female president next week. Hope you all join me!

You may not like the female president any better. Writing is, IMO, poor, dumb, etc. A disappointment, but -- again -- just my opinion. I can DVR both at once, but think I'll stick with the AR, at least for now.

I'm enjoying the family race so far. Although there are so many people it is a little hard to keep track of them all. But I find that is the case at the start of each race. It gets better as the teams dwindle and we have a chance to get to know the people better. I liked the spy Roadblock and found it funny to see all these people running around saying &quot;The sky is blue&quot;. The Civil War Re-enactment was way cool. I'm still wondering how the Paolos got in 3rd place right at the beginning when they started so far back. I guess everyone else screwed up real bad at the start.

Has anyone seen confirmation that they are going to stay in the US? If that's true, I may have to abandon my favorite show. I mean, I like the US just fine, but I like the variety that world travel offers much better. Plus, it's played at 10:00 PM here in Alberta, and that is too late for me!!

You know, my 2 cents...this is my favorite show...but this season is BORING. First of all, the US exclusively? Surely I'll learn much about my country I didn't know but that is so not why I watch it...and the its all reminding me of the scavenger hunts that the kids do in our neighborhood.

I agree that having the whole race in the US will be redundant...the thing I enjoy most about the show is watching the different cultures and customs of other countries come into play. Hopefully next season is back to normal!!

I don't think the entire race will be in the US. I remember one of the families saying they have traveled around the world before and that that would give them an edge over the other teammates.

I think they will do quite a bit of episodes in the US, though, because there are 4 members to a team and getting air tickets for that many people may be difficult.

I'd like to see Amazing Race send the teams to places like Detroit or Butcher Holler, Kentucky. Off the beaten track. Lots of fun.

Shane, there are a lot of places in Chicago I could think to send them to avail the boredom, as well. Talk about different cultures and customs! We could dress them in EMT outfits and send them into Cabrini Green (the buildings are 1/2 empty now and all will be empty soon.)

My Detour direction would be to then take either the elevator or the stairs, each with its own hazards and rewards.

And I would also send them to Cairo, IL and ask them to repeat a poem recited by a native. This accent is much, much thicker than Kentucky or Tennessee. And the eating task would be squirrel stew.

AR is always a little boring &amp; confusing until a few tems get the boot.

They'll probably make it out of the SUVs and the country after more teams are gone....that will save the producers lost of $$$ and save the show just before we all get bored.

I agree that the father of the family that lost owes his son a bi &quot;SORRY son&quot; for being such a jerk when he was actually the one to blame. Watching that episode should have been very humbling for that man...I wonder if it was?

The jury is still out for me on this season. On the one hand, it is interesting to see the family dynamics and there are a lot of great places in the US to showcase and a lot of diversity - I think there is a lot of material to work with if the producers have been creative. On the other hand, without the international flights, trains, and so on and all the jockying for position that occurs there, and the issues of trying to deal with language barriers and all that, the show doesn't seem to have the same suspense and appeal.

Just have to get my two cents in. As a travler, AR has been my favorite show since its inception.

I was so disappointed in this season, I will not watch again, basically for the same reasons already posted.

Boohoo!!!

Oh come on, all of you wailing about the shortcomings of this season's AR experiment. And, please, Sharon, don't cry. Even though, to me, it isn't as interesting as the previous shows, it does have some interesting dynamics. Why, already most of you posters have favorite and least-favorite teams. As for me, I am just going to keep watching and see what develops.

As you all MUST be aware, this family show is an experiment by the producers. If the ratings / reviews are not good, they will scrap it for the previous format.

And as many of us are aware, the producers have already recruited two-person teams for TAR 9.

This family edition is totally different, but I find it's growing on me. I won't be upset if they don't do it again, but I think it's good that they are trying new ideas.

I don't know her name but the little blonde girl whose mother said they had traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad would have an advantage, is so annoying. For being so young she is so arrogant. I would hate to be around her at age 16.

So she runs a mile in 7 minutes. Who cares? She said she can outsmart all of them. she's just like her mother who did all that bragging.

I am disappointed in A. Race this season. I too can't keep track of all these people and if the rumors are true the whole race will be in the U.S. So much of the enjoyment is for us to see places we have never seen or would ever beable to.

Madison-

I agree that the little girl can be a bit obnoxious - but at the same time I've found her amusing in a snarky kind of way - like when her brother told his parents that he was sorry he couldn't help them (while pulling the buggy) she replied &quot;Get used to it, dork.&quot;

Woohoo... time for another episode.

I used to love the Amazing Race and watched every week. However, after last season's finale when the producers blatantly manipulated the outcome by getting the airline to open the doors back up so the other team could get on the same flight.....

sorry, no longer interested!

The nasties came out of the woodwork tonight. Interesting to see how the families interact when forced together by plane or bus. Won't spoil the end for those yet to watch tonight's episode.

Ugh, I still can't find anybody there I would want to spend 5 minutes with in real life. Still can't tell them apart, except the annoying ones -- the family from hell and the thank-you-lord widow. Not sure I'll stick it out through the whole show.

..ok, I am digging it being in the U.S a little more, it's nice seeing places familiar and learning about new ones, and to some of these folks it's foreign anyhoo....I am not sure if I really like any teams now or some just annoy me less than others...I did think instead of complaining about not having any sleep on the bus they could of shut up and tried to get some....ah, well, looking forward to next week...

I'm sorry the man with his sons-in-law were eliminated. I like the fact that (a) they were all adults and (b) might have a wicked sense of humor I didn't get to discover.

I would have loved to win last nights leg of the race: free gas for life for all licensed drivers. Wow, what a prize.

I noticed the racers were using terms like 'team Florida' 'team Cincinnati' etc. I guess they are having trouble with the names too.

Which team called Dulles the 'dull' airport?

And for the 'Jesus I need help team' I want to scream at the tv &quot;you have a brain, please use it&quot; but what do I know, I'm at home watching it and know where the battery in Charleston is (and that it is Dulles airport, named for John Foster Dulles).

Anyway, next week could be interesting. With the Jesus team at Talladega and Dad killed in a racing accident. Does the show pick the race events before or after selecting the racers?

At the beginning of this season, I didn't think I'd like the little girl - but now I think she is adorable, and her team is the only one that I'm rooting for right now. One of my biggest problems with this season is that it's hard to get to know each contestant individually, since there are just so many of them. In past seasons, I've almost immediately rooted out two or three favorite teams. This time, though, I couldn't care less about most of them because I still don't know who they are!

Another thing I hate is tasks that involve no skills of any kind, like last week's spy mission and this week's sit and spin task. Last night's detour (or roadblock - can't remember which) should have been a task that would allow teams the chance to bypass other teams, rather than taking a number and waiting for their turn. Basically, the loser was decided as soon as the last few teams took their numbers.

Free gas for life! Now that's a prize.

ncgrrl, something about the excellent snarkiness of your post gave me an epiphany *-:) (apologies to Ira). I could have been enjoying this MUCH more if I read the recaps on Television Without Pity. It will help me sort the teams out and I'm sure TWoP is having a grand old time with these folks.

I'm still not impressed with this season's race and can't understand how someone could read the name of an airport and call it Dole's airport. Who named an airport after Bob Dole?

BTW there is no such thing as free gas for life. If someone drives Hummers for the next forty years BP is going to fill it up with gas for forty years? NO way! AR is becoming a joke.

I think AR is always hard to watch until at least half the teams get eliminated. There's too much to show in an hour with that many people, so it gets cut to bits. In a couple more weeks it will be more interesting. In the meantime, I'm still enjoying watching, for what it's worth.