***Official "The Amazing Race 4" Thread*** (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

Plus the fact that the standard question anybody with a backpack that looks like a hiker gets asked. "Is there a stove in that"?

Jay

 

[MickeS]

I haven't watched the entire episode yet, but did anyone else think that it didn't really seem fair to include a couple of "NFL wives" in there? Don't they have enough money already? I don't know how much their husbands make, but I imagine it's quite a bit. Maybe I'm wrong.

Gotta see the rest of it before I comment on anything else.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

It's all about who'll be exciting to watch, not who needs the money. Unfortunate as that may be

 

[MickeS]

True. It still bugged me a little though.

 

[brentl]

"The NFL mom's should last longer than most all-black teams" Not much I fear!!

They already used the fast forward, and they were already yelling "does anybody speak english" in that common area.

WAIT until they get to more remote areas.

Brent

 

[Malcolm R]

No, you're not. They've already whined about how people never give them a fair shake because of all the luxuries they have from being married to their athlete husbands.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Oh Brent, I agree. They are ill-prepared on the educational scale. However, the show usually stays in Europe for 4-5 eps, where there are a lot of English speakers, and the NFL wives are in good shape, so I'm guessing the earliest they'll be out is ep4

Which still makes them last longer than Deidre/Hillary(ep1 out), Shola/Doyin (ep 4 out) Tramel/Talicia (ep2 out). In fact NFL might even make it to 6/7, after all Andre/Damon didn't bow out until ep7 in Africa when they got zapped by their non-understanding of how things worked(and almost got arrested)

 

[LarryDavenport]

Is there a list of what you can or can't bring with you? (I know you can't bring money or credit cards). I couldn't imagine going on a trip w/out bringing some sort of Walkman.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

we've seen them with walkmans on the show. I'm sure there is. I wish they'd publish the contestant guide on the website, I'd really love to read it

 

[Bob-N]

Yep, I was also bothered by the NFL wifes and the $$$ thing. I also agree that they will probably bow out in the next few episodes.

I was asking my wife about the same thing with regards to what gets paid and not. Do they have to pay for their meals, what can they bring (maps?), etc. Somehow, I've missed all three first episodes of the previous Race until last night. The only thing I picked up from Phil was that the only thing that was paid for was the airline tickets.

The Flo reference...

I thought I was hearing things to with regards to Phil's accent...Monicer?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Many Brits and other people whose accents originated there (like Phil) can't say an "a" at the end of a sentence. "Mr. Dater, warp speed" for example

 

[Jim-M]

I'm surprised at how many have expressed complaints about how the NFL wives shouldn't be on the show because they are already well off. I liken that to the people on Survivor who vote someone off because they say they don't need the money. To me it's all about the challenge and competition, the money is incidental and shouldn't matter. Now if you took a sub-2:30 marathoner who is a professional travel agent, speaks 6 languages fluently, and owns a million shares of Microsoft stock, I might have a different opinion.

 

[Kong Chang]

Well, having watched the first episode, my teams to root for are:

Team Clowns (they are fun to watch...I hope they do get in the top 3)
Team Not-Stereotypical-Queers (good gay role models, married, non-flamey, all around goodness in their hearts (so far) like Team ChaChaCha)
Team Geeks (I admit, this father/son team is the best combo so far, and I see them going far in the race)
Team Bestbuds Who Live in South-Cali Can't Figure Out How To Drive Out Of Dodger Stadium (hmm, alpha-males archetypes...since most time these types usually end up being in the top 4-5, I'm gonna my vote in them as well)

So far, I really don't like any of the "male/female" couples unlike last year's couple "John Vito & Jill" who were really cool.

As for Team NFL, I do see them getting to midpoint but after that, I am not sure. And for Team Titties...hopefully their attitudes will change. Did anyone notice that one of them actually was disgusted that they came in 2nd to last? I mean, they should be happy they didn't get eliminated. Sheesh. Unappreciative, stuck up, high-maintenanance girls.

In all honesty, I was rooting for Team Humpty&Dumpty (married couple) because they were so not the archetypes of most contestants. Too bad they lost out. If only the wife had moved faster, they could've beaten out Team Titties.

Oh, and btw, I did notice Phil's accent much more so in this installment than in the last 3 Amazing Races. He is really speaking more natural or too tired to cover it up by speaking in a monotone accent.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I had a good laugh at Jaree getting free coffee and just living it up as Tian screamed at her that the taxi cab had shown up.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I’m with you Jim. This is about competition. Otherwise what are the criteria for too much money? Six figures a year? High, low or mid-six figures a year? Seven figures a year?

At the beginning I thought that team NFL might do well as they are young and fit (and athletes often marry those who are athletic). Plus I thought that they might have a recent background which would serve them well in foreign countries (pro athletes get and take lots of trips, etc.). But I agree with those who think that they should not have used up their fast forward when they were on a bus with a 2-hour advantage over another one with four teams. They will really have to do well now.

It was a bit disappointing to see the bad luck of team Indiana combining with their lack of conditioning handicap to give them no chance in the first round. As it turned out, the race for the airport and the flight selection made no difference as the bus assignment was completely random. Team Indiana had bad luck in getting the last bus, plus all of the other teams on that bus were reasonably young and fit. The final nail in the coffin was the walk through the snow, leaving them with no chance. Had luck put another team such as the air traffic controllers on the last bus they might have had a chance.

I think that there is a chance that the clown team may do well. They are most likely are best prepared for the physical part of this race, as their jobs and lifestyle have to keep them fit and athletic.

 

[Patrick Sun]

And no one likes a sad clown!

 

[TheLongshot]

As it turned out, the race for the airport and the flight selection made no difference as the bus assignment was completely random.

It wasn't random at all. There were a limited number of passes for each time. Those who got there early had a better chance at getting the early slots.

This is my first time around watching this, and while I despise most reality programming, this is pretty good. Kinda an ecochallenge for average people.

Jason

 

[Jeff Kohn]

I haven't watched the entire episode yet, but did anyone else think that it didn't really seem fair to include a couple of "NFL wives" in there? Don't they have enough money already? I don't know how much their husbands make, but I imagine it's quite a bit. Maybe I'm wrong.

Since when is the criteria for shows like this who needs the money the most? This ain't a charity, it's a competition. The money is nice incentive, but that's not what the show is really about. And besides, other team members could be wealthy too, they just don't have the high-profile moniker "NFL Wives" attached to them.

Frankly when I've heard contestents in the past on shows such as Survivor talk about needing the money or not needing the money, it's made me think they're pathetic whiners.

 

[MickeS]

I never said it should be a critera, I just said it bothered me. It's not as exciting watching someone who already has a lot of money win more money, as it is watching someone who gets a "once in a lifetime" chance to make their dreams come true. If I was a producer, I'd want to keep the affluent people out.

/Mike

 

[Patrick Sun]

Having well off people in the mix doesn't bother me at all. If those people can provide me good entertainment value, so be it. That's really why we watch these shows anyway.