The Amazing Race 12
 

No All-Stars, no families, back to basics. In 12 seasons of TAR, the following remain true.

1. If you are dating, estranged, separated, "working things out", etc... DO NOT ENTER. Every nitpicky thing will cause a blowup.
2. Donkeys are nature's equalizers.
3. Never piss off a donkey.

Weird after watching the first episode the team I hated the most is already gone. Bummer. Another weird thing is that there doesn't seem to be a "we're here to prove that can overcome blah blah blah". I guess the lesbian ministers or Goths can be that but so far no peep from them.

The brother and sister team look to be the strongest team. They need to do better with directions though. Lorena is already annoying and I am not sure if Jason can keep cool the longer they race. Jennifer and Nathan, see TAR truth #1. None of the teams with old people look strong.

There's usually a nice mix of teams I cannot stand and teams I kinda pull for. This year there are way too many of the former and precious few of the latter. I found myself gravitating to the father-daughter team, being an old softie dad myself, and the dad's teary confession at the end sealed it - they're my faves. I wanted to root for the grandfather and grandson, but their complete lack of emotion kind of ruins it for me.

Host: "Congratulations! You're team number seven!"
Grandson/grandfather: ".....feh."

Seriously, blanker expressions have never been seen on reality television.

I hope people now realize that the blondes from last year, the former Miss America contestants, were one of the greatest teams in TAR history. Compare them to this year's bimbos and there's just no comparison.

And ZOMG did I love those donkeys. The cuts of that guy yelling, then his girlfriend crying, then the donkey hee-ing and haw-ing were LOL hysterical.

Forgot to tape it. Crap! Stupid CBS and their screwy Sunday schedule!

I just barely caught the ending by setting up the dvr to record for an extra 30 minutes. I loves those donkeys, hilarious.

bump

I enjoyed the first episode.

Put me in the camp of people who are rooting for the Father-Daughter team.

My buddy didn't record it since it came on in the 60 minutes timeslot and the DVR didn't update to say that it was the Amazing Race.

Few notes:

Glad there are no non-elmination legs this race (not sure if anyone noticed that Phil said that you WILL be elminated).

The gay reverends are not the hot lesbians this show needs.

Glad Ari got booted off. he was pretty annoying.

There are non eliminations. Phil mentioned 11 pit stops and 8 eliminations. He did say for this leg you will be eliminated.

Ronald. Ronald. Ronald. :rolleyes:

"I think the challenge involves sheep. I'll do it."

Watching the father-daughter team, I found myself actively rooting for them to finish last. He became so annoying that at times my wife was talking to the TV asking for him to just shut up.

The ditch hopping was pretty funny.. I cracked up laughing a few times. :)

Yeah, I noticed that last night he said "You may be eliminated." hrm.

The ditch hopping looked really easy. I'd hope for something like that on my roadblock. :D

I agree, the father was definately pissing me off by the end of the episode. His daughter would say something, he'd pretend to listen, and then just start over right where he left off. The Grandson/Grandfather team was getting me riled up too. The grandson is super annoying, and what was he thinking letting his grandpa jump the ditch instead of him, and then talking trash....

Funny how things change - I've gone from rooting for the old man and his daughter to not being able to stand that guy. What an asshole - why his daughter or even the grandson on the other team didn't just tell the guy to go shit in his hat is beyond me.

The sisters shouldn't have helped out Lorena.

"They're hot, they're fiesty, a little bitchy, not bad."

You da man grandpa.

The blonde looked like she was used to jerking something until cream came out.

"Everyone should get a turn at being first." :rolleyes:

The U-Turn is interesting as it has the potential to penalize a team longer than a 30 minute Yield would do. Although the producers will probably only use it when the challenges aren't that time consuming.

The blondes were right to use the U-Turn. You're not in the race to make friends. They also chose the right team (i.e. the team bringing up the rear) to U-Turn. The whole "we're going to have a target on our back" happens only when you Yield a team in the middle of the pack.

I'm surprised that the dad/daughter and grandpa/grandson teams are doing well.

Yeah, I was wondering if the brother/sister team would've let them come in first, would that other team have let them win a million dollars. LOL.

I'd use the U-Turn if I was in the blondes' position as well. What would've been funny is if the hippie team had been saved by the blondes using the U-Turn. Then they would've eaten their words.

Anyhow, it's smart to use it if you're in the back of the pack. That team got philiminated so only the hippie team even knows the blondes used it.

I was waiting for the moment when the blondes realized that the team they U-Turned wasn't the team right behind them, but they didn't show it. Damn.

I've found myself rooting for the goths, actually - the brother/sister team are a little full of themselves (well, the brother seems to be), the dating couple are bitchy... I do have to say, that after the breakdown last week with the camels, the team that got eliminated this week handled the setback very well. Many couples would have absolutely flipped out.

Every team has a reason or two to hate them, so I'm having a hard time getting into this season. The brother/sister pair that won are so goddamned arrogant and annoying I hope they go down in flames. Her "f-ing retard" comment made me want to bite her face.

Oh, and I hope the shitbird father that falls of the stilts is hurt really bad.

Way to ruin Jen's birthday. :D

Major advantage to Ron and Christine with Christine being able to speak Japanese and Mandarin. I'm probably rooting for Ron and Christine followed by TK and Rachel. I have no beefs with either of the final 3 winning just extremely glad that Nate and Jen won't be winning.

I don't mind 2 1/2 of the teams. Ron is a major a-hole to his daughter, as well as others. I am really torn by that team as she seems very nice so I don't mind seeing her win but I don't want him coming anywhere near winning.

It is a strange group of final three that's for certain. Not who you would have expected at the beginning of the race. I guess with the writer's strike this was the best storyline they could come up with... ;) j/k so don't have a cow on me... :D

Thank God Nate and Jen are out - now I can enjoy the final episode. TK and Rachel are great - I loved the 'cheerleader kick' she gave when they caught up to everyone at the airport. Gotta love the old guy and his grandson too. If Nate stays together with Jen, then he deserves the hell the rest of his life will become.

I'm rooting for Ron and Christine to fall on their faces, mainly because of Ron. At this point, I guess I'd pick TK and Rachel as who I want to win, but thats because I cant stand the other 2 teams.

Last nights episode was the most satisfying Amazing Race show I've seen in a long long time. Nothing short of having that goth chick's giant pink bewbies pop out could possibly top it.

TK and Rachel for teh win! The grampa Simpson and dork are clearly not going to win based on the previews for next week (they're running). Ron and Christine aren't that far ahead. I want the team that isn't "working hard" (Jen's words) to win. Slackers unite!

Yeah, thank god those two are off my TV now, though I have to admit I felt a bit bad for them in the end. They probably had no idea how dysfunctional they were before going on the show and it's not a situation where you can have that sometimes 2-hour talk needed to right a wrong.

With that said though, I still don't need to see them on my TV ever ever again.

Put me in the camp that hates Jen. IT is fun for a while to watch someones relationship turn into a train wreck but her whining got tiresome.

I am pulling hard for TK and Rachael. They never fought and really just enjoyed their time. They played the game as right as you can play something like this.

I also have to give Ron credit, it seems he really has made an effort to not be such an ass to his daughter.

We've had our share of really annoying teams before. Tara/Wil, Johnathan/Victoria, and Flo (just Flo) were terrible to suffer through, but I think this combination was worse than any of them. I was really happy to see them eliminated.

I think this brings up the first time I can remember where any of the three teams could win, and I'd be happy.

I think Season 10 had the worst contestents I could ever imagine.

:D

I do think Ron has grown quite a bit, and for that I really respect him. I'd be happy with any one of these three teams winning the million.

You'll see them next episode clapping as the teams finish. I can't wait to see the look on Jen's face.

You guys are all wrong as usual. Ron and Chris have come together as one! They've won the last 2 legs because of that. I have a feeling that they are going to win this whole thing. Nick and his slow ass grampa are going to fall way behind. TK and Rachel are the biggest threat, but I think even though Jenn was the worst teammate, she was right about them and it'll show on Sunday.

That was a great final roadblock. I wonder if Nick completed it.

I agree. It was one of the best roadblocks. Actually, it was a pretty good leg overall, with the speedboat, climbing the glacier, a helicopter ride, and a great roadblock. I didn't really like the detour that much, but I wonder if the taxi drivers said to them, "You can't get in my taxi until you dry off or get that smell of fish off you."

Good last episode - seemed much less reliant on luck than some previous ones. I'm glad for TK and Rachel - particularly since Rachel was the key to winning the whole thing, after she was so worried she screwed things up an episode or two ago. They were, I think, the most likable team the whole way through.

Does anyone else think that Ron is a truly changed man? Many times on shows like this, it seems like a person has changed for the better, but you can pretty much tell that it's temporary or an act for the camera. I really believe that Ron discovered something about being a true father. Maybe I'm wrong and he'll go back to being a jerk to his daughter, but if that's the case, he sure fooled me. It was happy and sad at the same time when he said at the end, "For once, when I say 'I love you' to my daughter, I really mean it." Not only does that sentence say something about him now, but it says a lot more about how he must've been in the past.

As for the other teams, good for TK and Rachel. I felt rather neutral toward them. I liked Nick and Don, as they were really the "odd couple" team. It was fun to see them interact with each other. Even with their huge age difference, they seemed to be good friends. Just like Toddzilla noted early in the season, those two guys never showed much emotion, but I still thought they were fun to watch. They both seemed to run out of gas at the end (Nick mentally, Don physically), but I think that was to be expected.

It was a good finale, even though Vyxsin's boobies didn't pop out at the end. You know what? Now that I think about it, fuck that finale.

I think the way that it was shown, it is easy to think he truly changed (and maybe he did). But remember, the actual race was run over approximately 20 days, not the 10 weeks or so that we saw it. I have a hard time believing some can fundamentally change for the long haul over such a short period of time. But hopefully I'm wrong.

It's a tv show. Ron will be Ron. I highly doubt he'll sustain any amount of change.

I could care less though was neither happy nor sad for him. I did however imagine Rachel, a tub of butter, Tanya and various scenes of horseplay.

While I understand the points about Ron possibly not changing, when you have to spend pretty much 24 hours a day with somebody over three weeks, I think it can have a serious effect on a person. If there was any sincerity to the things Ron said at the end, I would think that he's aware that he's been an asshole toward his daughter. Sometimes, all it takes is a conscious awareness to make somebody behave differently. Of course he won't become the perfect dad overnight (or ever), but maybe something's different with him. At least I believe he'll try.

Not that it affects my life or anything. If he continues being a shitbag, so be it.

My cousin Tanya?

maybe

Great final episode, I am happy TK and Rachael won, they got along by far the best of any team