The Amazing Race

[Ardent]

So Chip and Kim, who live about three miles from me, were able to overcome Colin the Ox-Hater and Christ's Chosen Models and take home the million. Beautiful.

For some reason, people poo-poo the entire "reality" genre because of bad apples like Who Wants To Marry A Quadriplegic Dead Midget. But seriously, tonight's finale episode proved, again ...

The Amazing Race is the best show on television.

[Alkiera]

The Amazing Race is the best show on television.

And people wonder my TV is in a corner, facing a wall 99% of the time.

--
Alkiera

[schild]

So Chip and Kim, who live about three miles from me, were able to overcome Colin the Ox-Hater and Christ's Chosen Models and take home the million. Beautiful.

They don't live three miles from you as of tomorrow, poor man.

[Ironwood]

I'm not familiar with this show.  Is that the one where they have to keep walking and if they stop, the soldiers shoot them ?

[Arcadian Del Sol]

Before you knock all reality programming, catch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Without fail, its good, solid, quality television. I can't even put into words how great this show is, on all kinds of levels.

Amazing Race is my favorite 'competition reality' show, and last night, I was glad to see Chip and Kim win. They were genuine, and of all the teams, they were the only team that never took time out of the race to inform one another of how bitterly they resented and hated their relationship. They were the only real 'team' in the race, and I felt happy for them. The other teams would have done very stupid things with their money - I just can't help but think that Chip and Kim will do great things with it. They'll educate their children, take care of their parents, and probably find some left over to further medical research in one field or another. I grew to HATE all the other teams (well, the bowling moms were cool) because they devolved into a weekly "I HATE YOU WHY DONT YOU DIE" fight for every one of them.

The show was a good moral lesson in what it takes to make a relationship work - how you know its 'for real' - adversity will do one of two things to a couple. It will either bind them stronger than steel, or split them entirely apart. One couple proved to be stronger than steel, and for that alone, they're winners. Being in a relationship like that, they were entirely honest when they said that the money was just the 'icing on the cake' - because the real prize, and the real reward, was each other.

If you can't watch that and enjoy it, then please - just EBay your television.

[Der Helm]

I'm not familiar with this show.  Is that the one where they have to keep walking and if they stop, the soldiers shoot them ?

Now THAT would be a show I would watch.

[Paelos]

I'm not familiar with this show.  Is that the one where they have to keep walking and if they stop, the soldiers shoot them ?

I'm contacting King and CBS to get it rolling as we speak.

[DarkDryad]

I agree with ya there Arc. 100%. I usually stay away from the reality claptrap, unless its the PBS based reality like Colonial House but thats more educational anywho, but I do like the amazing race mainly because its not about the drama its about pushing to higher limits to see what you and your partner can accomplish. I have to give the Bowling Moms top honors for making it as far as they did though.

[Roac]

Amazing Race is alright.  I don't much care for it, but I don't loathe it as I do Big Brother or Bachelor.  Only reality show I really like is Apprentice, mainly because it gives you opportunity to consider tactical approaches to problems.  AR does to some extent, but it also has a lot of "omg, who do YOU think can shovel slop into their mouth the quickest?" that's entirely uninteresting to me.  

Then again, I'm a geek, and usually have my TV tuned into the History Channel in the evenings, and CNN in the mornings.

[Ardent]

They don't live three miles from you as of tomorrow, poor man.

Heh, good point.

Chip and Kim do already live in Coto de Caza, which is one of the most exclusive and wealthy areas of Orange County, which is one of the most exclusive and wealthy areas of Southern California.

So before they even did the race, they had money. Now they have more.

Another reason I was happy to see Chip and Kim win was to cleanse myself of the greasy shithole of the Big Brother finale. Me, being a not-so-bright person, actually followed Big Brother this summer. Blechh. What a nightmare of human depravity that show and these people are. And how sick do I have to be to actually spend moments of my ever-shortening life watching them?

I would gladly spend a summer locked in a house with the worst of the Amazing Race contestants than the best of the Big Brother contestants. And, of course, the winner, Drew, won because he's pretty.

[Der Helm]

And, of course, the winner, Drew, won because he's pretty.

HA !!!
At least that won't happen over here, the "contestants" are but ugly.

Or as someone grom the german media put it: "These people are to ugly and to stupid to prostitute themself in the real world"

[Shannow]

Monster House rocks.

Im still trying to purge myself of actually having watched half of big brother season 2.

My wife has taken up watching 'Amish in the City' *shudder*. However its nothing but 'Real World' with a few Amish accents.

[Paelos]

I've scrapped most TV all together. Now its all football and baseball or nothing at all. Once my DVD player arrives, I'm probably never watching anything other than sports until the sporting suck that the hockey lockout will leave me in February.

[DarkDryad]

As above im mainly a TLC. Discovery, Hist. Channel kinda guy as well but sometimes everyone needs a bit of disfunctionality in thier lives.

[Flashman]

I don't think you can consider "Amazing Race" a reality show per se like Big Brother. In large part its a game show really. It's damn good TV too. People are just starting to watch it this year, it was in danger of being cancelled but I think the 2 Emmys help.

Favorite Line of the Series, from last night: Brandon tells Nicole to picture Jesus at the top of the mountain, waiting for her with His arms open, and for her to run to Him.

Congrats to Chip & Kim. I think he's one of us btw. The one episode he was sporting a GotMUD? T-Shirt.....

[ClydeJr]

The Amazing Race is the best reality show out there. Some of the more memorable events:

[*]Seeing these people trying to pack down 2 pounds of caviar
[*]Hating the midget and her cousin with a passion. They talked about how good and honorable they were but would then use the midget's size as an excuse to get better treatment. Plus they tried to tell airport personel that another team was a pair of violent dangerous people. You don't mess around when it come to airport security these days.
[*]Watching Colin almost get thrown in an African jail
[*]Hoping a pack of wild dogs would come by when some of the contestants were walking down a road with a side of beef over their shoulder
[*]Seeing the models go for the Fast Forward (allows them to skip all the steps and go directly to the end of the stage) and find out they would have to cut off all their hair to get it (they didn't)
[*]Laughing at the contestants when they get upset at another couple who tried to slow them down. Hello? Race? When Colin/Kristie were forced to Yield (forces them to stop and wait for a certain period of time) by Chip/Kim, they felt so backstabbed. Which part of Race do they not understand?
[*]Laughing at the girls when they start to cry when things get to hard for them. I'm sorry, but they should know its a tough race. They should know they're going to be pushed. To misquote Tom Hanks, "There's no crying in The Amazing Race!"
[*]Watching Chip and Kim win. They are some of the most enjoyable reality show contestants ever. They played hard. They played smart. And they seemed to take the time to enjoy all the places they were.
[/list:u]

[Ardent]

Hello? Race?

Heh. Sounds like someone is a TWoPer.

[WayAbvPar]

STOP WATCHING REALITY TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You fuckers are the reason I can't find a decent show on network TV.

[Shannow]

STOP WATCHING REALITY TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You fuckers are the reason I can't find a decent show on network TV.

network tv != decent show.

[schild]

network tv != decent show.

He didn't say anything remotely near that.

STOP WATCHING REALITY TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You fuckers are the reason I can't find a decent show on network TV.

He's saying there aren't any decent shows ON network tv because the trash of America decided TV was their soapbox.

Obviously, I too, am in the group that things reality tv is a bane on civilization. TV went from stupid to mind-numbingly awful. I didn't thing it was possible.

[Rasix]

STOP WATCHING REALITY TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You fuckers are the reason I can't find a decent show on network TV.

What? You mean you're not looking forward to such great and original programming like "CSI:Aspen" or "Law and Order: Parking Enforcement Unit"?  Or what about the newest reality offerings like "Dad Swap", "Hick Eye for the City Guy", "The Guy that Gives Money Away with Bill Gates", "Real World Omaha" or "Eat Bugs for Cash! with Andy Dick"?

Man, you're probably the kind of asshole that got pissed when Firefly or Wonderfalls got canned in favor of less expensive "non-scripted" shows.  Or the kind of jerkwad that thinks sitcoms are largely a waste of time and valuable braincells.

Notice: the sarcastically impaired should not attempt to read the above.

Welcome to the now.  With TV ratings slipping the only thing you can count on is the fast amount of unoriginality and normal people doing stupid pet tricks for your amusement. Bow to your insect overlords!

[schild]

Welcome to the now.  With TV ratings slipping the only thing you can count on is the fast amount of unoriginality and normal people doing stupid pet tricks for your amusement. Bow to your insect overlords!

I prefer my Kryptonian overlord on Smallville, my ridiculous banter overlords on reruns of West Wing and new episodes of Gilmore Girls, and the undead banter of Six Feet Under, thnx2uvrymch.

And I eagerly await my CIA overlords when Alias comes back on in January.

[Shannow]

network tv != decent show.

He didn't say anything remotely near that.

STOP WATCHING REALITY TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You fuckers are the reason I can't find a decent show on network TV.

He's saying there aren't any decent shows ON network tv because the trash of America decided TV was their soapbox.

Obviously, I too, am in the group that things reality tv is a bane on civilization. TV went from stupid to mind-numbingly awful. I didn't thing it was possible.

What Im saying is that with the low cost and availibility of cable TV why arent you watching that? Even basic cable offers some cool shows ..(F/X for one, The Shield, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me are all pretty darn good) and then add in channels like HBO and Showtime you'll find plenty of quality viewing. Screw network TV they can have the unwashed masses.

[Ardent]

STOP WATCHING REALITY TELEVISION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Reality TV is a genre, just like sitcoms and dramas are genres.

Most sitcoms and dramas are bowel-spewing awful. But some are good, and a very few are great. It's no different in the reality TV genre.

And don't give me this pompous bullshit about the reality genre "ruining" television. Yeah, before the first "Survivor", TV was full of nothing but the pinnacle of human artistic achievement like "BJ and the Bear", "That's My Mama" and "Saved By the Bell".

[Rasix]

You're dissing "Saved By The Bell"?

Die heathen!

[SirBruce]

I've been trying to get into _Dead Like Me_, but I'm having a hard time getting the show.  I don't mind a quirky, dark comedy, but the problem is there isn't enough of "teh funny".  And something about the serious moments leaves me feeling empty.

Still wait for Boston Legal and Enterprise to premiere.

Oh, and count me as one of the people still pissed that Firefly got canned.  I just finished watching the 3 unaired episodes on DVD last week and it made me remember just how awesome that show was.

Bruce

[schild]

What Im saying is that with the low cost and availibility of cable TV why arent you watching that? Even basic cable offers some cool shows ..(F/X for one, The Shield, Nip/Tuck and Rescue Me are all pretty darn good) and then add in channels like HBO and Showtime you'll find plenty of quality viewing. Screw network TV they can have the unwashed masses.

1 word: Alias.

[Margalis]

I saw 1.5 episodes of the Amazing Race...that Christian model couple was awesome. What happened to them in the end? That guy would never listen to his woman and then give her the old "God has a plan for us so shut up already bitch" routine...

In general reality TV is crap, but then again, most of EVERY genre is crap. The only shows I make a point to watch (besides baseball) are The Shield and The Apprentice, although I probably only see them once a month.

[Hanzii]

Before you knock all reality programming, catch Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. Without fail, its good, solid, quality television. I can't even put into words how great this show is, on all kinds of levels.

Unless you're being wildly sarcastic, I'm glad I'm not alone.
Allthough most of the homes they build are really over the top craptastically bad designed, it's fun to see ridiculous amounts of money and manhours being spent on making people very happy.
... and in the few episodes I've seen it's been happening to some very deserving people, which is nice... if you can live with all the schmaltz.

Now, I'll go play catch up with amazing race, which is only halfways over here.

And reality shows aren't destroying television. Just like television didn't destroy the cinema, Full House didn't destroy the sitcom genre and CSI: Miami didn't result in Sopranos being cancelled.
We've never had soo many good shows to choose from - it's just because there's so many hours of television being made, that the truly craptastic shows seem overwhelming.

[HaemishM]

I saw a commercial last night, that I thought for a moment was advertising a new Fox Reality TV show. It was called "Tiny House" and the premise was that a couple was made to live in a house for 1 year while being filmed. The catch? The house was built as if the people were about 3 feet tall, thus the name "Tiny House." They are trying to get enough room in the bed, bumping their head on the ceilings and generally going nuts. I honestly thought for a minute that it was a new show, possibly something imported from Japan.

Then they showed the Geico label and I smiled. My internal devil was just tweaked that something so heinously bad and obvious wasn't a real TV show, but it just as well could have been.

The fact that ABC, owned by "family values" Disney, has a fucking program called "WIFE SWAP" is just mind-boggling to me. It just proves that no matter what people say, the majority of human beings love watching other human beings fight about stupid shit. They cannot keep themselves from watching the trainwreck.

Fuck reality TV. Turn the TV's of those watching these shows into cameras and let's watch our own reactions to the trash fest.

[Ardent]

that Christian model couple was awesome. What happened to them in the end?

Jesus wanted them to come in third.

the majority of human beings love watching other human beings fight about stupid shit. They cannot keep themselves from watching the trainwreck.

Yep. You just described all of Shakespeare's plays. It's in our DNA.

Shakespeare = Jeff Probst

[WayAbvPar]

Shakespeare = Jeff Probst

Someone will hunt you down and kill you for that, and not a literate court in the land will convict them.

[Arcadian Del Sol]

Shakespeare = Jeff Probst

[Ardent]

Shakespeare = Jeff Probst

Someone will hunt you down and kill you for that, and not a literate court in the land will convict them.

Hee.

I have an English degree, so while it pained me to write that, it also made me giggle.

Speaking of Probst, anyone watching Vanuatu? I want to marry Twila.