• 7Dec 09

  Meghan and Cheyne Win in Vegas! Sam and Dan Second! Brian and Ericka Third!

  Finally, it's all come down to this.

  Ten weeks and eleven legs ago, twelve teams set off from Los Angeles, California, on a race around the world for one-million dollars, although one team never even left the starting line. The many Detours, Roadblocks, and other tasks challenged the teams, and along the way, nine teams fell by the wayside -- Eric and Lisa, Garrett and Jessica, Marcy and Ron, Zev and Justin, Lance and Keri, Mika and Canaan, Maria and Tiffany, Gary and Matt, and Flight Time and Big Easy. This left Brian and Ericka, Sam and Dan, and Meghan and Cheyne as the final three teams going into the season finale of The Amazing Race. The episode began with those final three teams, fresh off Flight Time and Big Easy's tragic (but admittedly deserved) elimination, departing from Prague in the Czech Republic and traveling to their final destination city, Las Vegas, Nevada! Meghan and Cheyne, now that they were officially in the final three, were going to go for the gold now. Sam and Dan, having achieved their goal of getting Flight Time and Big Easy out of the race (even though, really, the Globetrotters eliminated themselves -- or Big Easy did, at least, due to quitting at that Roadblock), now hoped to beat Meghan and Cheyne and stop yelling at each other (but . . . well . . . you read the title, I'm sure, where the former goal is concerned). Brian and Ericka were gunning for Sam and Dan after what they did to them two legs ago, and they were hoping to prove to Ericka's mother that they were a couple, no matter what. At the airport, they surprised Meghan and Cheyne and Sam and Dan with their arrival, as those two teams quite expected to see Flight Time and Big Easy still in the race instead.

  Once in Vegas, the teams had to head for the Graceland Wedding Chapel, where they got a clue from someone dressed up as Elvis. After that, they were to head to Mandalay Bay, a luxury hotel in Vegas. Of course, en route, Sam and Dan complained that Meghan was about to grab a clue from Sam, when really, they got the clue at the same time. Meghan just happened to let him have it. (See why I hate them so much?) Anyway, once at Mandalay Bay, the teams were tasked with the race's final Roadblock. It saw one member of each team rappelling face-first down the side of the building. Cheyne, Sam, and Ericka all took the task for their teams.

  The next stop was the Mirage, another luxury hotel in Vegas. There, the teams would have to join Cirque du Soleil's Love. In doing so, one team member would have to work a human slingshot and use it to launch his or her teammate, who'd be rigged up in a bungee cord, up toward a bouquet of flowers suspended from a wire in the air. Once the entire bouquet was snagged, the team could trade it in for their next clue, which a flower child held. While Sam and Dan easily blew through the task, Dan successfully launching Sam up to get the bouquet on his first try, Cheyne struggled with launching Meghan, and Brian struggled with launching Ericka, who, after several fruitless (but oftentimes close) attempts, had a childlike temper tantrum while in her bungee cord that probably rivaled Flo's basket boat meltdown in The Amazing Race 3 and Nicole's bicycle meltdown in The Amazing Race 5, both of which also happened in the final three. Still, she composed and got the task task done, so they got on their way, though they left the task in last place, behind Sam and Dan, who were behind Meghan and Cheyne.

  The teams' next task was figuring out the name of the richest casino in the country of Monaco and going to it. That turned out to be the Monte Carlo, and Sam and Dan and Brian and Ericka figured it out fairly quickly. However, Meghan and Cheyne did not. In fact, when they tried to get a cab driver's assistance, he flat-out told them the name of the wrong place (the Venetian), and their own cab driver was completely clueless. As they drove toward the Venetian, they asked for help from locals they saw on the street, and one called to them that they were actually looking for the Bellagio, which was also incorrect. Sam and Dan, however, had their drive call the Mandalay Bay for them, and from someone there, they found out that their destination was the Monte Carlo, so off they went, now in the lead. Meanwhile, Meghan and Cheyne were still stuck trying to find out the right destination. It took them a very long time -- until a member of the Venetian's concierge told them the name of the right place, in fact -- before they finally got on the right track and made it there. Brian and Ericka managed to get there quickly because Brian already knew the answer to the riddle.

  At the Monte Carlo, the teams were given the most difficult task of the race -- counting one-million-dollars in poker chips. They'd have to sort through a table of 8,400 poker chips of various denominations and gather them up until they have enough chips whose amounts added up to a million. Sam and Dan got to the task and started out solidly enough, with Brian and Ericka close behind them. Due to their trouble figuring out the riddle, Meghan and Cheyne got there last and needed to fight extra hard to catch back up. And thanks to staying calm in sorting and counting up the chips (especially compared to Sam and Dan, the latter of whom got them fighting again when they panicked while trying to sort and count their chips, as it took a lot of patience, which Dan didn't have, and Brian and Ericka, the latter of whom also lost her cool, this time irrevocably, as Brian had no way to calm her down), that's exactly what they did! They counted up the amount they needed and were out of the task first -- which was amazing, considering they'd arrived at the task in last place!

  For the teams' final task, they were to head to the MGM Grand Hotel's High Roller Suite, where Mr. Las Vegas (aka Wayne Newton) would tell them the location of the finish line. Meghan and Cheyne got there first and, after sharing a group hug with him, were only told to go to his house, while Sam and Dan were unfailry flat-out told by Wayne himself who he was (because they had no clue who what his name was, although they both recognized his face). Brian and Ericka, I'm not sure about, as their meeting with Wayne wasn't shown. (Turns out, according to what they told someone at TARcon, Television Without Pity's end-of-season party for this show, they did meet Wayne, and he did tell them where to go.)

  The finish line turned out to be at the home of Wayne Newton, just as he'd said, and there, Phil waited with eight of the nine eliminated teams -- Garrett and Jessica, Marcy and Ron, Zev and Justin, Lance and Keri, Mika and Canaan, Maria and Tiffany, Gary and Matt, and Flight Time and Big Easy. (Eric and Lisa, after their starting-line elimination, opted to not go to the finish line -- hell, they didn't even get sequestered with the other eliminated teams! -- and just spent the entire duration of this season's taping time vacationing in India before going straight home.) And the teams applauded as the first team arrived. After twelve very tense legs . . . Meghan and Cheyne were declared the official winners of The Amazing Race! They'd officially won the one-million dollars! Both hugged each other happily and told Phil and the other teams just how proud they were of one another and happy to be one-million dollars richer! And try not to gloat, but Sam and Dan came in second place, disappointed (which I loved!), but each proud to be the other's brother. Meh. Whatever. Finally, Brian and Ericka finished the race in what was a clearly-distant third place.

  This ending? Fine by me! I didn't love any of the final three teams, but I liked Meghan and Cheyne a lot -- in fact, they were the only team in the final three I liked -- so I was thrilled to see them win! And they deserved it, too. They'd dominated the race practically from the start, winning seven of the twelve legs, including the final one (and tying with the odious Nick and Starr's record, as they, too, won seven legs in The Amazing Race 13)! They also seemed to get along better than any of the other teams in the final three and kept cool heads when needed. They were also virtually drama-free, which was refreshing in a winning team. They were, by far, the strongest team in the final three, and they were the most deserving of the final victory, so I'm glad they took it in the end. Congratulations, Meghan and Cheyne!

  As for our second-place-finishers, I loathed Sam and Dan from the get-go. At first, it was just for being a boring alpha-male team. But as the race wore on, their true, douchebag colors slowly began to emerge, most notably after Maria and Tiffany were eliminated. So I had even more reason to loathe them. They screamed at each other, and sometimes at other teams, like whiny, spoiled babies, and they were total hypocrites. They were unquestionably evil, just as the show portrayed them. I so wanted them to lose, and I'm so glad they did. I'd rather have seen them take third place, but finishing the race as the first losers is good, too. Couldn't have happened to a more deserving couple of guys. Suck it, Sam and Dan!

  And now, our third-place-finishers. I'd always been kind of "meh" on Brian and Ericka. Didn't like them, didn't hate them. You'd think I'd garner instant like for the race's first interracial married couple, but they just didn't send me. And I think I know why. That angle was pushed on viewers so often throughout the season, and Ericka turned out to be a b*tch on wheels, as we found out later on in the race. Her panicky moments are what cost them everything in the end, and Brian's inability to rein her in also contributed to it. So it's fair enough that they fell way out of it at the poker chip counting task and finished third. Sorry about that, Brian and Ericka, but you have no one to blame but yourselves for this.

  In other news, I'll once again have to repeat something I've said in past posts. This was definitely not one of the better seasons. Too many young couples cast, only one women's team cast, and an overall bland crop of teams. It's only redeemed by the great tasks and locations we've seen. But other than that? This season probably ranks as a middle-of-the-pack season when stacking it up against the prior fourteen seasons. I'm more than ready for the sixteenth season.

  Speaking of that, this may or may not make you all happy. One of the teams spotted on the now-filming sixteenth season is none other than Big Brother 11 houseguests Jeff Shroeder and Jordan Lloyd (he finished in fifth place, she won the whole season). I'm thrilled for Jordan being on the show, but I hate Jeff, so I'm hoping they go early or at least in the middle of the season.

  And so, The Amazing Race 15 ends. Boring cast, good locations, excellent tasks, and a very, very deserving winner in Meghan and Cheyne. I can only hope The Amazing Race 16, which begins either in late February or, more likely because of the Winter Olympics, early March, is much better than this season. Will it be? We'll see then!

  • Posted Dec 7, 2009 1:28 am PT
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• 6Dec 09

  John NOT Repaid in Kind! Voted Out Instead!

  This week's episode of Survivor: Samoa was boring once again. It began with the nine remaining castaways, fresh off Laura's vote-off, resuming the game. Russell H. was glad to be rid of Laura for obvious reasons -- she was a woman who'd dared to stand up to him, so those women had to go. John was hoping that voting with the Foa Foas would garner favor with them. (Check the title. Not so much.)

  And due to my boredom with the season, I'll just give you the Cliff Notes version of the episode. There was a Reward Challenge, there was an Immunity Challenge that, I think, Mick won (though if I'm wrong, just say it here), and there was Tribal Council, where, despite Jaison rightly telling Russell H., who wanted to vote John out, that it was probably a good idea to keep Shambo by voting out whomever she wanted, the evil troll still got his way. By a vote of . . . well, I didn't hear about that, so if any of you know what the vote was, please tell. Either way, the tenth person voted out of Samoa, the twelfth person to leave overall, and the fourth member of the jury was . . . John. So his torch was snuffed, and he was sent on his way.

  My thoughts? I could've taken or left John, so I was cool with him going. I just want Russell H. to go soon, even though I know he likely won't. I was really rooting for the Galus to keep their minds on maintaining their majority, but they just cannibalized themselves even worse than the Timbiras in Tocantins and are now seeming to be at Shambo and the Foa Foas' mercy. (The odds are now Mick, Jaison, Russell H., Natalie, and Shambo vs. Dave, Brett, and Monica.) Although the odds could be at a 4-4 tie now, since the Foa Foas didn't vote out Monica, whom Shambo wanted booted. But we'll see.

  Eight castaways remain. Who'll be voted out next week? We'll see then!

  • Posted Dec 6, 2009 11:44 pm PT
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• 6Dec 09

  Flight Time and Big Easy Bite it in the Czech Republic! Final Three Decided!

  Sorry this is a week late, but here we go.

  This week's episode of The Amazing Race was actually a bit more interesting than the last few . . . but the ending was tragic. It began with the four remaining teams, fresh off Brian and Ericka's non-elimination, resuming their jaunt through Prague in the Czech Republic. Meghan and Cheyne were simply focused on making it to the final three. Sam and Dan didn't care that they were now the villains of the race and just wanted to keep their minds on making the final three. Flight Time and Big Easy were glad to have gotten as far as they had in the race and were hoping to get still farther, all while being themselves. And Brian and Ericka were just looking to get past their Speed Bump and make the final three.

  The teams first had to go to the Spanish Synagogue, which directed them to their next location, which contained the Roadblock. That saw one member of each team solving a simple word scramble. They had to unscramble five letters to form the first name of a famous Czech author -- Franz Kafka. To find the letters, though, they'd have to search through several, several ringing phones until they'd found the five that had a person on the other end to tell them one of the letters. Meghan, Dan, Brian, and Big Easy all took the task for their teams. While Meghan finished fairly fast after getting her five letters, Dan, Brian, and Big Easy all struggled. Big Easy, especially. He initially worked with Dan to finish the task (and Dan agreed to it), but after Dan realized what the correct answer was, he immediately screwed him over, leaving the task only after giving him the first letter of the name, a truly reprehensible move. Unable to figure it out, Big Easy opted to quit the Roadblock and take a four-hour penalty, hoping that the other teams would mess up on the other tasks, though that was highly unlikely.

  Of course, before the action at the Roadblock could begin for Brian and Ericka, they had to contend with their Speed Bump. This one saw them performing a three-step procedure for preparing a shot of a drink called absinthe, then drinking it down. For the most part, they did decently with it.

  After the Roadblock, Meghan and Cheyne tried to take Sam and Dan's taxi to their next task, but Sam and Dan made sure their driver did no such thing, actually telling him to stay and wait for them. So they just had that driver call for another driver to come and get them. Sam and Dan got all indignant about that, but . . . didn't they steal Brian and Ericka's cab just in the last episode?

  The teams' next stop was Kryocentrum, where they'd have to strip down to their skivvies and endure a cryotherapy room for two minutes in blistering cold (180 degrees below O Celsuis!) before getting their next clue. For the most part, the teams did endure it. Well . . . those that made it to the task, that is.

  The Detour was a choice between Legend or Lager. Legend involved taking a page from Jewish folklore and covering a wooden golem with wet clay, then transporting it across town to a synagogue, hoping they satisfied the rabbi there. Lager involved delivering thirty beers to a group of soccer fans. Meghan and Cheyne and Sam and Dan all chose and completed Legend, with the latter team having a huge problem with the task, mainly due to them not knowing how to push their golem across town and, in their panic and frustration, fighting and unappealingly yelling at one another. Brian and Ericka chose and completed Lager, also having a problem with the task, theirs being Ericka dealing with drunken locals. For a reason I'll explain later (though I think you might know what it is), Flight Time and Big Easy never even made it to the Detour.

  In the end, Meghan and Cheyne, yet again, arrived at the Pit Stop first! They each won a fifty-two-inch screen LCD TV as their prize! Also, they were the first of the three teams who'd be racing to the finish line for the one-million-dollar prize! Sam and Dan finished second, snagging the second spot in the final three. Boo. Finally, Brian and Ericka, despite their troubles at Lager, came in third, hours behind the first two teams, claiming the third and last spot in the final three. This left Flight Time and Big Easy, due to taking their penalty, to get a clue at Kryocentrum to go right to the Pit Stop, where they finished last . . . and were declared the final team eliminated.

  This was a very tragic ending. I loved Flight Time and Big Easy. In fact, they were the last team left on my "love" list (I only like Meghan and Cheyne). They ran a very strong race and would've deserved to have made the final three if they'd done so. But they really deserved this elimination. Well, Big Easy did when he decided to quit the Roadblock rather than keep on trying to find the right combination of letters to use in solving the Roadblock. It would've been great to see them become the second same-sex black team to make the final three, but this was a well-earned elimination on Big Easy's part. Probably on Flight Time's, too, for just letting him quit. So long, Flight Time and Big Easy. Sorry you guys couldn't make it to the end. You guys came soooooooo close to doing so. But I'll tell you this. If the Globetrotters ever come to my home area, I will definitely head to one of your games!

  In other news, this is the final three I'd known about since before the season started, although I'd hoped that it was wrong and that there was at least one of my "love" teams (Maria and Tiffany, Gary and Matt, or Flight Time and Big Easy) in it instead (as all were spotted in the final destination city, though, as it turned out, they were running a decoy leg). So based on this final three, I'd probably be the happiest with Meghan and Cheyne taking the prize in the end. They're the only team in the final three I even like. I only barely tolerate Brian and Ericka, and I hate Sam and Dan. They are evil jerks and bastards and just horrible, awful people to watch. I hope they lose. I'll take a Brian and Ericka win, but I really do want Meghan and Cheyne to win. They've run the strongest race so far (they have six leg wins under their belt, three of them in a row!), and they deserve it the most. So I'm rooting for them to win it all. Good luck, Meghan and Cheyne!

  Once more, the teams finished this leg in the following order:

  #1. Meghan and Cheyne (Prize: One Fifty-Two-Inch Screen LCD TV Each)
  #2. Sam and Dan
  #3. Brian and Ericka
  #4. Flight Time and Big Easy (Did Not Complete Roadblock, 4-Hour Penalty; ELIMINATED)

  It's all come down to this. The final three has been decided at last, and the race for the million dollars is on. Who'll win the grand prize next week? We'll see then!

  • Posted Dec 6, 2009 11:36 pm PT
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