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The Amazing Race Season 12 Episode 1 Recap

Published

Scott Cramer

on November 5, 2007

in Amazing Race and TV

. 0 Comments

[Author’s note (added well after the season finale) - After posting the first recap, I was whole-heartedly into watching the race this season, but having already taken a break from the entire blogging scene, I just wasn’t ramped back up into writing about it. To my loyal two Amazing Race recap readers (neither of whom are my family - for shame!) I apologize. See you next season! Well, unless the producers come to their senses and finally get my brother and I on the show!] ;-)

The Amazing Race Season 12 Episode 1 Recap

Only 11 legs this season and no elimination rounds. My suggestion for the producers is a hidden immunity idol. Something I noticed this season - look at the CBS official site and click through the teams. Looking at the ages, it is predominantly a 20-something race with a splattering of older folks. The 40-something crowd is nowhere to be seen! Bad news for my Amazing Race application.

Want to see a graphical view of the racers from beginning to present? Click on the below graphic. (Opens in a new window.)

This week’s rundown:

1st Place - Azaria & Hendekea - Brother/Sister - Won a Canada resort trip.
Last Week - N/A
If I can get by the fact I think their training for the race included thinking of as many different ways as possible to say how much smarter they are than everyone else, I might like these two. I’ll let it go this week - since they came in first.

2nd Place - Kynt & Vyxsin - Dating Goths
Last Week - N/A
If Alice Cooper and David Bowie could have had children together… I like the goth duo, though, I really do. If they don’t tire out from carrying an extra 100 pounds of makeup luggage, I think they’ll do well.

3rd Place - Rachel & TK - Dating for almost one year
Last Week - N/A
If you get just the right glance at TK he looks a little like Ben Affleck playing Matthew McConaughey playing a surfer dude. Although sitting here writing this, I don’t remember her saying much, they seemed like a nice couple. I think the old season 9 hippie karma will favor them.

4th Place - Lorena & Jason - Dating
Last Week - N/A
Doctor Phil shout-out! Lorena seems a little umm volatile and he’s one of those silently aggressive dudes. I’m guessing sparks before too long.

5th Place - Nicolas & Donald - Grandson/Grandfather
Last Week - N/A
All American boy and cantankerous old coot. I’m sensing sitcom material here. Fox execs, are you watching?

6th Place - Shana & Jennifer - Friends
Last Week - N/A
I’m sensing Hustler, Playboy, and Maxim drafting invitation letters. I’m not the type to let vane annoying beauty pageant wannabes annoy me into wishing for horrible disfiguring accidents. I am the type, however, to wish for a combination of terrible acne breakout and skin rash that cause them to be detained by health officials in a foreign country long enough to lose the race.

7th Place - Ronald & Christina - Father/Daughter
Last Week - N/A
Awww… every time I saw them this week I could just hear Paul Simon singing that father and daughter song. I’d quote it for you but every time I even do that it makes me cry. Damn that Paul Simon. The Amazing Race editors must not have been able to take it either. I saw in the previews from next week an argument a-brewing. Next theme song for these two sung by dysfunctional dad Ozzy?

8th Place - Kate & Pat - Married Ministers
Last Week - N/A
Lesbians. Ministers. Spunky elderly ladies. It’s like Golden Girls meets 7th Heaven meets, well, lesbians. I like this team. I can’t wait for them to run head-to-head with the All American Boy and Cantankerous Grand-dad. *insert hilarity ensuing here* The only problem I foresee is the 60+ age on one of the couple hindering their ability at physical tasks.

9th Place - Marianna & Julia - Sisters
Last Week - N/A
Is it really so wrong to want Shana & Jennifer to have to Jello wrestle Marianna & Julia? To the death. I think these two could be very nice or very very not-so-nice. I’m leaning toward the latter.

10th Place - Jennifer & Nathan - Dating
Last Week - N/A
Here’s how it will go with these two… “I love you, I love you!” followed by one-on-one camera interviews where they talk about how annoying they find each other and how they don’t think they could ever stay together. Rinse, lather, repeat until they finally get eliminated.

Who got kicked off?

11th Place - Ari & Staella - Best Friends
Last Week - N/A
He said it best, “Karma’s a bitch. I’m an even bigger bitch.” Okay, so maybe it’s a paraphrase, but stealing that cab early on in the race, gloating about it, then getting totally pwned on the first episode of the season - freaking awesome. I’m almost going to miss hating this team for a few more episodes. Almost.

The Amazing Race: All-Stars - Season 11 Final Recap

Published

Scott Cramer

on November 4, 2007

in Amazing Race and TV

. 0 Comments

Wow. The last half of season 11 recaps never got posted. I thank everyone who reads my blog for sticking by me while I was in the coma and suffering from amnesia after getting out of witness protection just after my stint with the peace corp dropping food rations to starving orphans in Bosniaparaguayiraq*cough*astan. It was all I could do to just keep things going… You’re the best two or three readers anywhere!

In the interest of continuity before I post about season 12, I hereby finally put season 11 to bed. Congratulations to Eric and Dani (who, even though they stopped dating, ran a helluva race).

The Amazing Race All Stars Eric and Danielle

For complete (ergh) information on The Amazing Race: All-Stars (Season 11), check out Wikipedia’s entry. Bet they didn’t drop food rations to starving Bosniaparaguayiraq*cough*astan orphans, though!

M&M’s used to creep me out

Published

Scott Cramer

on August 22, 2007

in Everything Else

. 3 Comments

Eating M&M’s used to creep me out - the thought of all those talking little candies being devoured alive.

Then I imagined that they were all actually spirits trapped in candy-coated chocolatey goodness and the only way they could be set free was to be eaten.

One more reason Verizon FIOS will kick Comcast Cable internet service in the cajones.

Published

Scott Cramer

on July 30, 2007

in Computers & Internet

. 0 Comments

I just moved into an apartment - no FIOS available - and signed up for Comcast’s internet service. I got a pretty good promotion for a year on the service. I notice almost immediately that it’s slower than my previous FIOS service at my last address but oh well, it’s still broadband. I call to see if there’s anything I can do. There is a “speed tier” available that will take me from 6 mb download and 384 kb upload to 8 mb download and 768 kb upload. It costs an extra $10 per month. Robbery. But I do so like my speed so I cave and call to get the service. They tell me that I can’t get the service added because they don’t have a special promotion code that would still allow me to get my one year promotional price *and* add this service ala-carte. WTF?!?!

I’m awaiting a Comcast supervisor to call to see if they’ll *allow me* to give them $10 more per month so they can rip me off with substandard internet service.

Love it.

thanks to Starbucks

Published

Scott Cramer

on July 7, 2007

in Everything Else

. 3 Comments

Starbucks

I haven’t thanked the Starbucks Gods lately and I really don’t want any bad karma.

So, thanks Starbucks! For all the goodness you provide.

Hey, it beats sacrificing goats, doesn’t it?

I want a hot juicy blog.

Published

Scott Cramer

on July 2, 2007

in Everything Else

. 4 Comments

I want a hot juicy blog

Wait a minute… this feels all wrong.

Just because they’re doing it doesn’t mean I have to.

Why read a blog written with lame and boring content?

It’ll be all dry instead of fresh and juicy.

Lame and boring content…

This is ridiculous.

I deserve a hot juicy blog.

That’s right, you heard me, I deserve a hot juicy blog.

And not because I can tear a phone book with my bare hands.

No, i deserve a hot, juicy blog, because i have a brain, and it wants one.

So do you!

And so do you!

HOT JUICY BLOG!

THAT’S RIGHT!

Live Free or Die Hard Review

Published

Scott Cramer

on July 1, 2007

in Everything Else

. 1 Comment

Finally, a summer movie that ROCKS. John McClain has Red Bull pumping through his veins instead of blood and kicks more butt in this movie than the other Die Hards put together.

So far as other summer blockbusters, John McClain craps out movies like Pirates 3 after a late night Taco Bell run. I think the movie was supposed to open at the same time as Transformers but they pushed it up - not because they were scared of the competition, but they wanted to educate movie goers to what an action flick is all about before they drop their coinage on a bunch of CGI erector sets. For anyone who’s heart didn’t burst from the pure adrenaline rush that is Die Hard 4, why bother watching another movie this summer? John McClain f’d up the equivalent of Optimus Prime (semi) *and* Starscream (jet) all in the same movie (gotta hand it to the directors for a very subtle tip of the hat to Transformers).

I didn’t have a pic of the semi or jet being blown to smithereens, but here’s a helicopter.

Then with his other hand he finished drinking his liquid rocket fuel espresso and proceeded to kick more bad guy butt. A remarkably agile baddie had Spidey-Jackie-Chan moves in one of many fight sequences that reached out and grabbed you by the testicles - and if you don’t have testicles, it grew you some and *then* reached out and grabbed ‘em - and yanked ‘em over your head just for good measure as John McClain wasted him like Aunt May through a chipper shredder.

Speaking of Spiderman 3, we got a whiny crying Mary Jane Watson singing bad Broadway tunes and fixing omelette’s. Die Hard 4 gives us a crazy butt-kicking Asian hottie *and* John McClain’s tough as nails daughter who, if removed from this film, could have single handedly taken care of the Silver Surfer without any of you having to waste your money on the Fantastic ~~Four~~ Flop summer sequel.

The guy from the Mac/PC commercials did a fair job as McClane’s hacker sidekick who consistently hacked those unsecured PC’s throughout the film (once again I say to the directors, *very* subtle and funny). To be fair, however, I never saw him take out an iPhone in the film so take that Steve Jobs! Homage to 12 Monkeys with Bruce’s bald headed look and references to scenes like the elevator shaft, agent Johnson, and Yippy Kay Yay from other Die Hard films were all noted and appreciated.

I’ve read some other reviews slamming this Die Hard sequel for nonsensical plot and improbably action scenes. Umm, hello!!! It’s a Die Hard movie! This movie delivers exactly what you want from a Die Hard movie. Fans angry that the f-bomb part of the “Yippy Kay Yay” line was drowned out by a gunshot need to stop their bellyaching because this way the film is accessible to take your kids to so you don’t have to go see awful tripe like Bridge to Terabithia which only wants to turn your children into pansies that couldn’t even get a part as dead body extras in a Die Hard film.

Lastly worth noting is that Bruce Willis did a lot of his own stunts and at 50-some years old he must have a member made of dynamite that he blows up in your face and then regenerates and does it all over again because I think I pulled a muscle just watching this film. If you prefer the mosh pit over Dancing with the Stars, then get to the theater immediately, strap yourself in, and have fun watching this flick.