Meet the new teams on The Amazing Race

[jonesz]

USA TODAY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An ex-NFL player and his estranged wife, a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader and her actor brother, recent divorcees, a pair of Southern belles and fraternity brothers are among the 11 two-person teams hurrying for the finish line — and the $1 million grand prize — on the upcoming 13th edition of CBS' The Amazing Race.
"I love the fraternity brothers because they're so young and such a contrasting team," host Phil Keoghan recently told The Associated Press. "One takes his time to think things out. The other one loves to rush and go at a million miles an hour. There's definitely tension between the two of them while they're making decisions during the race."

Another team competing is geeky best friends Mark Yturralde, 41, and Bill Hahler, 42. The Comic-Con treasurer and student aid administrator from San Diego have been pals for over 20 years and have auditioned for The Amazing Race since the long-running reality series' third season. The superhero and gaming aficionados said they left their toys at home during the race.

"We've got really teeny backpacks," said Hahler. "They are small. We wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything to prevent us from putting that pack underneath the seat in front of us when we got on a plane. We didn't want something to happen where we got delayed because of our luggage. We thought that would help us go faster."

"We did extensive research on what to wear — what was lightweight and would help us move the fastest," added Yturralde. "I think it was the longest I ever went without wearing a logo on my T-shirt. If you see me on the street, I'm usually wearing a Superman, Bizarro or Batman T-shirt on a constant basis, but we had to utilize more multi-use clothing for 'The Amazing Race."'

Married beekeepers Anita, 63, and Arthur Jones, 61, from Eugene, Ore., are the oldest — and perhaps most colorful — team on this season of The Amazing Race. Among the self-described hippies' mottos: "Don't worry, be hippie" and "The hokey pokey is what it's all about." Before the race, the Joneses worked out in hopes of keeping up with the other teams.

"We both tried to do some training, along the lines of going down to our little gym, but that was pretty much it," said Anita. "We have an emerging farm, so we do a lot of work out there, splitting wood and taking care of the horses. We're pretty physical, so we thought, 'Hey, we can be in there with everybody else. It'll be fun."'

Ken Greene, a former St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers defensive back, now 51, will race with estranged wife Tina.

Starting at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the 13th season of the Emmy-winning reality competition (premiering Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET) will follow the teams as they travel over 30,000 miles in 23 days to countries such as Brazil, Bolivia, Russia, India and Kazakhstan. It's the first time the series visited the landlocked country lampooned by Sacha Baron Cohen in "Borat."

"We shot most of that episode in the capital," said executive producer Bertram van Munster. "People were a little afraid we were going to pull a Borat on them. I told them we weren't doing Borat, but what happened there is very, very funny. It's not easy to shoot in places like that because they practically have no television industry."

Van Munster, who is currently scouting locations in Asia for the 14th season, promised the 13th season will include a series of firsts for the reality competition, including a mistake that ultimately prohibited one team from joining their fellow racers at the finish line, as well as a memorable first-ever stop for The Amazing Race in Cambodia.

"The teams have no idea how to get from Point A to Point B there," said van Munster. "They don't know the language. It's very difficult to get through this country. They get so stuck, but they find so many fascinating solutions of how to get through everything. One of the things the teams do there is go to a real-life floating village. It's insane."

Viewers shouldn't expect to witness the around-the-world shenanigans in high definition, according to van Munster. While the upcoming Gabon-set season of CBS' Survivor will be broadcast in HD for the first time, The Amazing Race co-creator said the network hasn't decided on a similar stance for the often on-the-bubble show.

"I don't think it's a priority," van Munster said. "We're just happy to continue making the show as it is."

[MJ4H]

After rediscovering how good the mole is as a reality show, I heard several comparisons with how The Amazing Race is a good one, too. Can anyone sell me on this? I don't even know what the basic premise is (aside from it's a big race, I guess).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

After rediscovering how good the mole is as a reality show, I heard several comparisons with how The Amazing Race is a good one, too. Can anyone sell me on this? I don't even know what the basic premise is (aside from it's a big race, I guess).

It's won the Emmy for best reality show several years running. Great production value. Obviously, it's a lot of fun if you love to see new places and are big on traveling. They show some of the old races on Game Show Network. There's some strategy involved along with some well-done challenges.

[jonesz]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

After rediscovering how good the mole is as a reality show, I heard several comparisons with how The Amazing Race is a good one, too. Can anyone sell me on this? I don't even know what the basic premise is (aside from it's a big race, I guess).

I honestly felt that The Mole was actually a cheap imitation of the Amazing Race. Amzaing Race has much crisper editing and is a lot more entertaining IMO.

Basically the premise is that teams travel around the world in legs. During each leg they have to reach a series of checkpoints and at each checkpoint they get their next clue. One checkpoint usually has a challenge called a Roadblock that one of the two team members must complete before getting their next clue. Another has a "Roadblock" which is a choice between two tasks that the team must complete together before getting their next clue. First team to reach the end, or Pitstop, wins a smallish prize. Last team to reach the Pitstop gets eliminated. There are three or so predetermined "non-elimination" legs where no one gets eliminated. It is not known if a certain leg is a non-elimination leg until the last team gets there. In that case the last team is not eliminated, but must start the next leg with no money at all. Rinse and repeat...that's the jist of it.

They always introduce a new wrinkle or two every season however. They used to make the last team to check in on a non-elimination leg everything but the clothes on their back for the next leg. But during the second season they did this, teams caught on and when they knew they were last they basically put all of the clothes in their backpacks on in the event it was a non-elimination leg. Pretty humorous to see, but it pretty much defeated the purpose.

[Pumpy Tudors]

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Thank you Pumpy, that made my night.

[wade moore]

I can never enjoy the Amazing Race until the take out the Catch Up Code.

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

What the hell. I don't even watch this show. I go in the thread and I see this funny gif. Please someone tell me what the hell is going on here.

[BrianD]

One thing to keep in mind (so you aren't disappointed) is that this isn't one big long race, but a series of individual sprints. At least once in every episode people will reach a destination in the early evening to find that the location doesn't open until the next morning. This ensures that there is a point every show where everyone is even. Don't expect any giant leads or amazing come-backs.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

What the hell. I don't even watch this show. I go in the thread and I see this funny gif. Please someone tell me what the hell is going on here.

One of the seasons had a "little person" (is that still the right way to say it?) on one of the teams. The challenge was to get dressed in full medieval armor and lead a horse to a destination. There are usually restrictions about people doing a certain amount of individual challenges during the season, and the challenges aren't well described before participants are chosen. This can lead to some interesting situations.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by jonesz

I honestly felt that The Mole was actually a cheap imitation of the Amazing Race. Amzaing Race has much crisper editing and is a lot more entertaining IMO.

Basically the premise is that teams travel around the world in legs. During each leg they have to reach a series of checkpoints and at each checkpoint they get their next clue. One checkpoint usually has a challenge called a Roadblock that one of the two team members must complete before getting their next clue. Another has a "Roadblock" which is a choice between two tasks that the team must complete together before getting their next clue. First team to reach the end, or Pitstop, wins a smallish prize. Last team to reach the Pitstop gets eliminated. There are three or so predetermined "non-elimination" legs where no one gets eliminated. It is not known if a certain leg is a non-elimination leg until the last team gets there. In that case the last team is not eliminated, but must start the next leg with no money at all. Rinse and repeat...that's the jist of it.

They always introduce a new wrinkle or two every season however. They used to make the last team to check in on a non-elimination leg everything but the clothes on their back for the next leg. But during the second season they did this, teams caught on and when they knew they were last they basically put all of the clothes in their backpacks on in the event it was a non-elimination leg. Pretty humorous to see, but it pretty much defeated the purpose.

What makes the mole great is the game. Production values don't matter all that much to me. For me, it is hard to top the mole in terms of gameplay. The mole has been around longer, I think, but I'm not positive. A quick wikipedia makes it 99 for the mole and 2001 for the amazing race. That doesn't matter too much to me. They do probably spend more money on The Amazing Race. I might check it out. It sounds alright.

[MikeVic]

Ahahahaha.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by BrianD

One of the seasons had a "little person" (is that still the right way to say it?) on one of the teams. The challenge was to get dressed in full medieval armor and lead a horse to a destination. There are usually restrictions about people doing a certain amount of individual challenges during the season, and the challenges aren't well described before participants are chosen. This can lead to some interesting situations.

I actually don't know how much the limitations came into play that season. I remember that bitch of a partner she had seemed to make her do almost every one of those individual challenges. I think the only challenge the bitch would have tried is if it was to jump the host.

[tyketime]

The "little person" in question provided one of my all time favorite reality moments when she was on the first time (I think the clip above was when they returned for the All-Star version). She grabbed a 50-lb slab of beef and hauled it down the road (the slab was as big as she was). I give her all the credit in the world for that challenge (she was a tough sob), but it was a helluva visual.

But Bobby being carried on a wheelbarrow on this season of The Mole took the gold medal away from Charla. I laugh hysterically everytime I see that pathetic physical display. And for him to even mutter "hello" to a passerby while seated in the wheelbarrow is the icing on the cake.

[MJ4H]

haha it was actually "hola"

Bobby was brilliant. 5:00 in.


sorry for mole hijack.

I will try out the amazing race i promise. sept 28th is the premier? long ways away

[MJ4H]

So I caught a lot of the amazing race all-stars marathon on fox-reality channel today and I really like it. Not nearly as much as the mole, but I do like it. I find it incredibly annoying that a team can arrive last and not be eliminated, but I guess I will get used to that. I had fun watching and I'm recording the last couple of episodes (so don't spoil me).

Cool.

[MJ4H]

OK I just finished the season. Two things really bother me about this show.

1) stop not eliminating teams that finish last.
2) stop having them furiously race each other and then bottlenecking them onto a flight or ferry and making the previous race segment meaningless because they are all even again.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

OK I just finished the season. Two things really bother me about this show.


2) stop having them furiously race each other and then bottlenecking them onto a flight or ferry and making the previous race segment meaningless because they are all even again.

this frustrates me also but I think it is necessary for obvious reasons.

I was almost done wit hthe show the season they turned the airplane around after it had already left the gate, essentialy screwing Rob and Amber who wold have had a huge lead.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

So I caught a lot of the amazing race all-stars marathon on fox-reality channel today and I really like it. Not nearly as much as the mole, but I do like it. I find it incredibly annoying that a team can arrive last and not be eliminated, but I guess I will get used to that. I had fun watching and I'm recording the last couple of episodes (so don't spoil me).

Cool.

We caught the last two episodes yesterday. FWIW, most people didn't like the All-Stars season. I liked it a lot, especially since I was rooting for the beauty queens. So if you like it based on that season, you'll probably like it more in the upcoming season.

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

2) stop having them furiously race each other and then bottlenecking them onto a flight or ferry and making the previous race segment meaningless because they are all even again.

This is the one that bothers me the most. If I remember right, the first season ended up with the winners finishing before one other team (2nd? 3rd?) finished the preceding stage. The team finished their stage and were told not to bother moving on since the race was over. I'm guessing the producers decided never to let that happen again and now there is always a "catch up" point in every segment. The point is usually pretty obvious when the first scheduled flight lands at 6:00pm and the museum (or wherever they are going) is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm.

[Thomkal]

yeah thats what makes me drop Amazing Race a rung or two down on my favorite reality game shows. I understand why they have to do it, so they don't have a team take a big lead on stage 3 say and not be threatened the rest of the way, but it is unfair to the leading teams and annoying to see them all bunch up again. They should give a bonus to the leading team when they do that, like give them an hour head start on the others to reward them for getting to that point first before they bunch them all up again.

[Flasch186]

"GO"

[Jas_lov]

The old liberal hippies are delusional. It wasn't a good run and they didn't give it their all. The old grandpa finished 3rd last year so it can be done with a little effort. The creepy brother sister team is good. The big guy will be hampered by his slow mom. The Southern Belles should win this.

[TazFTW]

Go Starr! Starr Spangler - Bio

Also rooting for the comic book guys.

So there is one newly dating couple, one long distance dating pair, one married but seperated, and one recently broken up but now dating again pair. Excellent.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I think the newly dating couple should do well as long as the guy can tuck his ego away at some level. However, I seriously doubt that they'll survive as a couple.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by TazFTW

Go Starr! Starr Spangler - Bio

Also rooting for the comic book guys.

So there is one newly dating couple, one long distance dating pair, one married but seperated, and one recently broken up but now dating again pair. Excellent.

Dammit!!! She had to be a cheerleader for THAT team!!!

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Jas_lov

The creepy brother sister team is good.

When I saw them, I thought "Eurotrip".

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

When I saw them, I thought "Eurotrip".

Best. Movie. Ever.

[law90026]

Thoughts:

1) Ken/Bitchwife: OMG. No wonder he had an affair >.>

2) Brother/Sister: Yes, definitely creepy. She's hot though.

3) Frat Boys: One of them is waaaaaay too emo. I felt like smacking him... repeatedly.

4) Newlydating: It's odd that the introductory snippet showed the guy as cool and relaxed but he seems to have a lot of insecurities. I mean seriously, bitching that your gf is talking to other people during the rest period?

5) Geeks: I like them and hope they win! I especially liked how they said to the other team to pass them on the cargo net coz "we're taking a break".

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by law90026

4) Newlydating: It's odd that the introductory snippet showed the guy as cool and relaxed but he seems to have a lot of insecurities. I mean seriously, bitching that your gf is talking to other people during the rest period?

During the introductions, it seemed like he was the bitch in the relationship since she had the regular job and he was flaky...I think he taught runners or something?

I'd be insecure if my girlfriend made a lot more money than I. Also, that haircut screams that he's 19.

[law90026]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

During the introductions, it seemed like he was the bitch in the relationship since she had the regular job and he was flaky...I think he taught runners or something?

I'd be insecure if my girlfriend made a lot more money than I. Also, that haircut screams that he's 19.

Yeah, I figured that he was one of those really cool, relaxed guys that doesn't conform to what society expects, ya know? Turns out I might be wrong. It was entertaining to watch him bitch though.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I'd be insecure if my girlfriend made a lot more money than I.

why?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

why?

+1

[MJ4H]

Starr is hot. I enjoyed episode 1. I'm on board.

[mauchow]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

+1

+2

I'm not ashamed to admit my wife makes nearly twice as much as me.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Lathum

why?

Call it old-fashionedness, but if I'm going to take out my girlfriend, I'd like to pay for everything. It's the old mating ritual where you're the man. It's hard to do that if she makes a lot more money than you do.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by mauboy1

+2

I'm not ashamed to admit my wife makes nearly twice as much as me.

When you were dating, was it that way? Just curious.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Call it old-fashionedness, but if I'm going to take out my girlfriend, I'd like to pay for everything. It's the old mating ritual where you're the man. It's hard to do that if she makes a lot more money than you do.

why is that hard?

Unless you are are total deadbeat you should still be able to take her out and pay for it. And if you cant afford that you may have bigger problems.

Just because a woman does well for herself doesn't make you less of a man, if anything I think the fact that you wouldn't be intimidated makes you a bigger man.

When I met my future wife she was making more money then me and still does. I never once felt threatend by her. I had a good job and paid on dates, etc... It was never an issue, she had a life before she met me and did well for herself, why should I let it effect our relationship

[mauchow]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

When you were dating, was it that way? Just curious.

Always actually. I'll eventually surpass her, maybe five years down the road.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Lathum

why is that hard?

Unless you are are total deadbeat you should still be able to take her out and pay for it. And if you cant afford that you may have bigger problems.

Just because a woman does well for herself doesn't make you less of a man, if anything I think the fact that you wouldn't be intimidated makes you a bigger man.

When I met my future wife she was making more money then me and still does. I never once felt threatend by her. I had a good job and paid on dates, etc... It was never an issue, she had a life before she met me and did well for herself, why should I let it effect our relationship

If she makes considerably much more than you (as in the example of the team above...the way they depict it, she's a "professional" and he's a wayward soul type) then you couldn't afford what she would be used to doing.

This isn't a black and white type thing. Obviously if I made say, $60,000 a year and she made $65,000 a year I wouldn't feel inadequate....but if I made $10,000 a year and she made $100,000 a year I might.

As mauboy's situation illustrates, there's also the factor of future earnings. I guess the bottom line is that I would personally want to be an equal (or near equal) in the relationship or I would want to be the provider. I don't think I could do the homemaker role...although I am lazy enough to do that.

[Lathum]

just because you make less wouldnt mean you are the homemaker.

I think as long as both are ok with the situation it shouldnt matter how much each person mkes, as long as they are both happy.

[mauchow]

My wife is a nurse, so she makes a good 55-60 a year. I got out of a sales job that was driving me up a wall and switched over to a desk job that pays less than what I did make; but both made less than wife either way.

We'll see how the career turns out... She's going to make the same until she gets her Master's Degree, which then I'll have my work cut out for me again.. lol

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Call it old-fashionedness, but if I'm going to take out my girlfriend, I'd like to pay for everything. It's the old mating ritual where you're the man. It's hard to do that if she makes a lot more money than you do.

It's not hard at all. You pull out the debit card for your joint bank account and pay the bill. It's not like the waiter asks if you were the one to make the money.

I look at it this way. Previous generations of men were so worried about being the man of the house that they often weren't as in-tune with their family as they should be due to long hours at work. I may not make as much as my wife, but I more than make up for it by being a very positive and ever-present influence on my child, which is something I wouldn't be able to do if we didn't have a good dual-income household.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Lathum

just because you make less wouldnt mean you are the homemaker.

I think as long as both are ok with the situation it shouldnt matter how much each person mkes, as long as they are both happy.

True. Last night I was writing down thoughts quickly before I went to bed and blurred the lines a little bit. What I meant was that in our relationship, my wife is the homemaker. I was taking my situation and putting myself in the reverse role for that specific situation. That was where the comment came from.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

It's not hard at all. You pull out the debit card for your joint bank account and pay the bill. It's not like the waiter asks if you were the one to make the money.

I look at it this way. Previous generations of men were so worried about being the man of the house that they often weren't as in-tune with their family as they should be due to long hours at work. I may not make as much as my wife, but I more than make up for it by being a very positive and ever-present influence on my child, which is something I wouldn't be able to do if we didn't have a good dual-income household.

Again, I blurred the lines somewhat last night. The conversation was about girlfriend and boyfriend, not husband and wife. Maybe it's me being old-fashioned again, but do most girlfriends and boyfriends have joint bank accounts?

I applaud your decision to provide a positive influence on your child. We made the conscious decision that my wife would stay at home at least until the kids were in school to provide that positive influence.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Again, I blurred the lines somewhat last night. The conversation was about girlfriend and boyfriend, not husband and wife. Maybe it's me being old-fashioned again, but do most girlfriends and boyfriends have joint bank accounts?

I applaud your decision to provide a positive influence on your child. We made the conscious decision that my wife would stay at home at least until the kids were in school to provide that positive influence.

I think that accounts are separate more often than not. I'm sure we're in the minority.

I agree with your decision to have your wife stay home. Mixing your children with the Raiders could be cancerous.

[Raiders Army]

I would guess that the accounts would be separate in most cases as well but I wasn't sure. In that respect then, it wouldn't be easy to pull out a debit banking card and pay for the meal, etc.

[MJ4H]

So how about that race.

[gstelmack]

So on the newly dating couple, I love that she's the type of friendly-huggy person that turns into a complete b*tch if you're not friendly-huggy back. Jeckyll/Hyde type.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

So on the newly dating couple, I love that she's the type of friendly-huggy person that turns into a complete b*tch if you're not friendly-huggy back. Jeckyll/Hyde type.

She actually seems to be a really nice person. Very driven and competitive too.