In This Section
|
« The Amazing Race: All-Stars
December 10, 2006: "Say Your Deepest Prayers Ever"
Anti-climax, party of two? Your finale is ready. So here's what I've decided: This season's winners, male models/recovering addicts Tyler and James are, truth be told, a scientific experiment from the cunning mind of one Bertram Van Munster. Using the latest in state-of-the-art cloning technology, BVM clearly took all the best attributes that made last season's champs, hippies B.J. and Tyler, such an Amazing team, and mixed them up test-tube style with a liberal helping of frat-boy chromosomes from Eric and Jeremy. (Or if you believe what you've seen on the Internet, it's quite possible that those two pairs procreated entirely without the help of a mad scientist.) The end result? A photogenic team comprised of two good-natured and good-looking guys who were able to parlay their athletic prowess and minimal melodrama into a million bucks. Way to go, fellas — I hereby dub you Team Foregone Conclusion.
What was awesome in this non-two-hour finale:
— 'Bama getting to the Eiffel Tower first after a fortuitous flight into Orly Airport rather than Charles de Gaulle.
— A train so early that it forced Rob to wonder if perhaps the rapture had come while he and Kimberly were at the post office.
— Kimberly slipping, nearly knocking over the clue box in Caen.
— The tiny Project Runway fix I got from that fashion detour in Paris. Look, everybody! Dress forms! Where's Tim?
— NYC cab drivers willing to go 50 miles upstate just to be on TV.
— The preponderance of "Friends in Low Places" miners T-shirts in the last 10 minutes of the show.
— James' dad's eyebrows.
What was decidedly not awesome:
— Rob pitching a hissy fit over not getting to sky dive.
— 'Bama becoming an instant also-ran by not making that earliest flight out of Paris. (Let's be honest, the "travel by foot" part in the last leg would have put them out of it anyway, but still….)
— Product placement: See, if you had an E-Z Pass, maybe you could win a million dollars. Have fun counting out your exact change, chump.
— Phil propagating the girls-only-want-huge-diamonds stereotype, and Kimberly helping him.
— Product placement part two: Sprint phone calls from your loved ones are almost as good as being there in person! Haven't you ever watched Survivor? No, wait, Probst actually lets his contestants see their families. Never mind.
— The promo for the upcoming all-star edition: Just tell us who the teams are already! I need confirmation that Jonathan and Victoria are staying home this time.
Here endeth another Race, my friends. Hope you had fun; see you in February!
|
TVGuide Links:
|
|
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 5:47 AM
|
|
im happy for tyler and james winning tar 10. i knew that they would win, but i still wanted to be shocked that it would of been bama. anyway i can not waite for the next season of tar. this was the very first season that i watched it , and i was defianlty wasnt disappointed.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 6:15 AM
|
Tyler and James clearly deserved to win, and I'm glad they did. Had Rob and Kimberly won, I might never have watched again. The things that stand out to me about this episode:
-Kimberly's wipeout--I laughed out loud
-Rob's ridiculous whining about the sky-diving--I realize the editing had a lot to do with that, but come on!
-The looks of excitement on the boys faces when Phil led them to believe that their families were there...and their subsequent looks of disappointment when he whipped out his phone
-The boys' cabbie's efforts to lose Rob and Kimberly's cab--AWESOME.
It was a pretty good season.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 7:05 AM
|
|
I thought in previous finales, there was a really difficult task at the end, for instance, didn't the hippies have to put the flags of the countries they visited in order? With this one, there was, get to NY, get in a cab and have him drive you there? Big letdown, big disappointment with this finale. Can anyone remember if other AR's were this easy or was there a huge task at the end?
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 7:13 AM
|
I agree with your assessment of the AR finale. Ho-hum. The Bama Moms would have needed at least a 2 hour lead to have had any chance of winning. Karlyn may have been able to run/walk 20 blocks in a reasonable amount of time. But poor Lyn would have been done in. But I have to give Karlyn props. She was quite pleasant during the last leg of the race.
Congratulations to the Models. They were worthy opponents.
Glad Kim and Rob lost. When he threw the hissy fit about not being able to do the parachute jump, I thought to myself, is this the last time ever that anyone can do a parachute jump? I mean, really, can't he do a parachute jump "after" the race is over?
Can't wait until February to see the All-Stars AR.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 7:49 AM
|
The final leg was a little disappointing me for as well. There had been more challenges prior to the final run to the mat. Eating challenges: one season had them eating a deep dish ridiculously large pizza before making the final dash.
I don't think Jonathan and Victoria will be making the All-Stars, unless they like abandoning their infant while they traipse around the world - I wouldn't put it past them though.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 8:19 AM
|
|
Seriously, when Phil pulled out the Sprint phone instead of producing the families in person, it was a fitting end to a very blah finale. And those eyebrows on Rob's father were downright spooky.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 8:20 AM
|
I just wanted to say, im so fricken glad that the models won.. but yeah i have to agree with the poster that said it would have been a nice shocker/twist if for some reason the bama moms came out of nowhere and won the million dollars.. it would be nice if someone who really needed the money would have won it.. but nevertheless, i am happy that the models won.. yet another all male team.. lets see.. Season 4..chip and reichen / season 9.. hippies and 10... the male models.. i could swear there was an all male team that won season 2... they bypassed a couple who could have won..
anyways.. just as long as rob/kim and the beauty queens didnt win.. i am so ok with the results.. i am also looking forward to the all-star edition.. i can never get enuff of the Amazing Race.. it would have been such a blah if rob/kim won..
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 8:35 AM
|
I was happy that the models won. I think it would have been awesome if Bama would have won and been the first all female team to win and they probably could have used the money the most. However, the models ran a clean race, coming in first or the beginning several times. They got along pretty well with the other teams and eachother. I didn't find the finale boring like some did. It was close enough that there was some drama. But, alas, Rob & Kim's "follow the leader" strategy did them in. I just kept hoping that Rob & Kim wouldn't win. They just really got on my nerves.
So many times that last flight has been the deciding factor in basically eliminating one of the teams. It would have been nice for it to have truly been a 3-way race to the mat, but as others have said, Bama never would have beat the other teams in that 2 mile walk.
I really wish that they had a reunion show after the finale like Survivor does.
I'm not sure how I feel about the All Stars. They don't really seem to work out that well, but it will be nice to see some of the teams, although I guess it will depend on who the teams are. And why all the secrecy as to who the teams are? Maybe they think that will keep people talking because they are trying to guess who the teams will be. Regardless, I have never missed an episode of TAR and I will be anxiously awaiting for the next season.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 8:42 AM
|
I agree -- anti-climatic.
As soon as the Models got on the 8:25 flight, I knew it was over for the Bamas. Disappointing - oh well, at least it wasn't Rob/Kim.
Highlights for me:
- Kim's wipe-out at the clue box
- Lyn/Karlyn's 1st arrival at the Eiffel Tower
- Tyler/James finishing the fashion challenge first
- Rob/Kim busting their butts running to the mat since they didn't know if they were first or second
Good season. Not sure if I'm going to watch All-Stars. I'm not a fan of Rob/Amber. They SO annoy me. I'll have to wait and see who else is racing.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 8:49 AM
|
I'm so thrilled the boys won. I would have been totally disappointed if either 'Fly off the Handle Rob and Kim' won or if the 'Badmouth everyone and follow everyone Bama moms'won.
I have to admit the Bama Moms were much more pleasant last night, but I think it's only because they knew they didn't have a chance if it came down to running or anything physical.
Why do people automatically assume that the Bama moms needed the money more than the others? How do people know that the boys couldn't have used the money just as much, if not more, than the Bama moms? Going through rehab can be very expensive. Repaying debts or court costs, if there were any, is also very costly.
I was very impressed with the boys attitudes the entire race and they deserved the win. They were competitive without badmouthing everyone and complaining all the time. Good job!
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 9:01 AM
|
|
My DVR stopped recording with 2 minutes to go. Had to wait until the Early Show to find out who won. I still don't know if it was my fault or was the show delayed because of football?? I was glad it was the models who won. Did they say when the next season will air - hopefully January since I love this show and would hate to wait till next fall for more TAR!
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 9:16 AM
|
I think that people (or at least myself) say that Bama needed it most because they are both single moms and could use the money to help raise their kids. But since we don't know their whole situation, I guess we can't assume. I just think of "single mom" as someone who is raising a child on a single income and therefore could use the money.
To alii92, you are correct, in season 2, Chris and Alex outran Wil and Tara to win. Also, season one the winning team was Rob and Brenan. So, half the seasons (1, 2, 4, 9 & 10) were won by male/male teams. The other seasons have been won by male/female teams.
Season 11 of TAR doesn't start until February. I don't know the exact date.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 9:46 AM
|
DULLEST FINALE EVER.
It seems we're all in agreement on this. Last season's flags-in-order, or even doing the map from family edition immediately before the final sprint added SOOO much more excitement! I admire the producers adding some new twists this season to keep the show fresh, but you've also got to stick with some oldies but goodies that made the show exciting to begin with.
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders exactly how much homework the producers do in each country beforehand. For instance, do they try to 'time' the legs so that teams will be forced to try and get on flights at certain times of the day that are typically nearly sold out? OR, if you really want to blow your mind, do the producers purchase a number of tickets on key flights to leave enough room for only one or two teams? Huh? HUH? 
The models 'deserved' to win though, using the criteria of visible good sportsman ship and being supportive instead of bickering. Remember, we only see what the editors want us to see, though. Anyone who thinks they didn't get under each other's skin after 30 days on the road is on something.
Bama would have been a shocker, but they're no more or less deserving of the prize than anyone else or you or me.
Rob and Kim came off as superficial, arrogant, immature brats. Not just on the final leg, but all throughout the race. They made rude remarks about the 'smell' of one country they were in early in the race. Kim's meltdown last week at the tomato pile, and Rob's tantrum about sky-diving was so ridiculous and petty: I'll bet anything he is an only child.
Still standing by my Rob and Amber boycott threat for the All-Stars! I love this show and haven't missed a season yet (even suffered through the family-edition) but if the talentless moron and his waste-of-oxygen girlfriend/wife/gold-digger get another 15 minutes of fame compliments of CBS, you can count me out.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 10:29 AM
|
For the poster who asked if the previous races typically had a big challenge right before the finish line the answer is no. There was one where they had a roadblock where 1 person had to eat a pizza, then the family edition where they had to complete a map then last season with the flags... but before that they basically had them going to numerous spots to get clues before the finish line. 1st season was good in that the 2nd place team thought they were way in front only to find they came in 2nd. 2nd season was good in that the second place team got passed while running to the mat.
My question is: how did Bama moms get to THIS mat so fast? They were hours behind in France. Were they given a special chartered flight right to the end since it was a foregone conclusion they couldn't catch up? Or was everyone at the mat just hanging around waiting for hours for them to get there.
|
|
Dec 11, 2006 11:10 AM
|
|
|
