The Amazing Race: Donkeys Have Soul Too
If the premiere episode of The Amazing Race didn't have you busting out laughing most of the time then you must be dead on the inside. Seriously, could donkeys be any funnier?
Phil the Fantastic starts us out in Los Angeles for this season's The Amazing Race. After a classic convertible ride and an introduction of the teams to the television audience, they arrived at Hugh Hefner's Playboy mansion where the race for a million dollars will start. There are 11 legs in this season's race and 8 of the pit stops are elimination points. (So there will be a few safe weeks after all!) On your mark, get set, go!!!
The first things the teams have to do is get out of the driveway and get their butts to LAX where they will then have to catch one of two planes to arrive ultimately in Shannon, Ireland. After Nicolas and Donald finished acclimating themselves to their surroundings (being in an SUV in L.A.) and finished counting their money ($400.00 something) they finally began moving which allowed all of the other teams behind them to begin the race.
Some turned left and some turned right from Sunset Boulevard to get to the 405. Turns out turning right was the right choice. Lorena & Jason were the first couple to get to LAX. Shana & Jennifer, Kate & Pat, Nathan & Jennifer, and Marianna and Julia were hot on their heels. The teams scrambled for the British Airways counter and were all able to get tickets on the first flight out. Unfortunately for Azaria and Hendekea, who were the next duo up for tickets, there were no more seats available. They were the first team of the remaining teams having to take the later flight on Aer Lingus. These things have a way of working themselves out though.
As luck would have it, the Aer Lingus flight actually arrived before the British Airways flight because of a flight delay. After arriving in Shannon, teams were to take a taxi to the Rosslare Ferryport where they would then take a ferry to Inishmore Island. From there the teams would have to walk/hike to the smallest church in the world, Teampall Bheanain, where they would then sign up for one of three ferries departing the next morning at either 8:00, 8:30, or 9:30 AM.
Lorena & Jason, TK & Rachel, and Kynt & Vyxsin arrived early enough to sign up for the first ferry. Ari & Staella, Nathan & Jennifer, and Azaria & Hendekea signed up for the second ferry. Shana & Jennifer, Kate & Pat, Marianna & Julia, Nicolas & Donald, and Ronald & Christina were all stuck on the last ferry. After an overnight stay at a bed & breakfast, the teams were off and running again. The teams were to now travel by ferry back to the mainland and choose a car where they would receive their next clue: to drive themselves 42 miles to Cleggan Farm and then ride a tandem bike along a muddy trail to find their next clue.
This is where Lorena & Jason's fighting was really stepped up a notch. She was yelling at him that they were going in the wrong direction and he wasn't listening to a word she was saying. Ultimately, he realized she was wrong and they corrected their path. Meanwhile, the chain broke on Kynt & Vyxsin's bicycle so they pushed the bike along the trail. TK & Rachel were ultimately the first to the road block and this is one that I would have loved to have done.
Pedal for your partner -- choose between one of two high-wire bikes and ride it across a ravine suspended 200 feet above the North Atlantic while their partner dangled 8 feet below them. TK & Rachel (currently in first) took off on their high-wire act while Shana & Jennifer were just finishing their ferry ride (currently in last place and not Nathan & Jennifer as the caption so wrongly pointed out). As Kynt & Vyxsin (or the freaks as Nathan and Jennifer call them) finished their high-wire stunt, we found out about the teams' next directive. The teams must choose a donkey and fill each one of its two baskets with 15 pieces of peat and then get the donkey to the entrance of the farm where they'll get their next clue.
This is where the hilarity really ensues. After initially having an easy time with their donkey, Nathan & Jennifer's donkey refuses to move on the path. They had it better than Ari & Staella though. Their donkey refused to cooperate with them since the start. While these teams were busy cursing, yelling, and crying at their donkeys, TK & Rachel complete the task and have to drive themselves 13 miles to the Connemara Heritage Center. This is the pit stop for this leg of the race.
Unfortunately for TK & Rachel they get lost on the way to the Center. Azaria & Hendekea are the first team to meet Phil and win a trip to a resort in Alberta, Canada. Kynt & Vyxsin arrive at the pit stop second and TK & Rachel had time to correct their path and arrived at the pit stop third.
While Nathan & Jennifer and Ari & Staella are still dealing with their uncooperative donkeys, the other teams are catching up and passing them. One by one and team by team, Nathan & Jennifer and Ari & Staella are falling to the rear of the field. Lorena & Jason are the fourth team at the pit stop. Nicolas & Donald and Shana & Jennifer (who had been in last place before the donkeys) are the fifth and sixth teams to meet Phil at the pit stop. Ooh, Jennifer decided to try pushing their donkey again and now their donkey is moving but they have to do a lot of catching up. Ronald & Christina and Kate & Pat check in with Phil as teams number seven and eight.
Marianna & Julie are the ninth team to meet Phil at the pit stop. Only two more teams left to go. Nathan & Jennifer are team number ten. Ari & Staella are the last team to arrive and Phil is sorry to tell them that they have been eliminated from the race. Woohoo! Easily the funniest line of the night was Ari's closing: "Karma came back and bit us in the ass." Get it? Karma (from taking the other team's cab) bit them in the ass (donkey). Teehee. I am easily amused.
Next week, Ronald and Christina realize they have a lot to figure out between them and Grandpa goes Tarzan.
What a great premiere of The Amazing Race! There was only one team that I truly couldn't stand and they're gone now. Nathan & Jennifer get on my nerves too but not like Ari & Staella. The other teams? So far, I like them all. The goths seem pretty cool too. What did you think about the premiere episode? Who are your early favorites after seeing them in action now?
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During the Big Brother season you can also find me blogging over at Silly Hamsters.
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As soon as I heard Ari talking about what a "bad guy" he was, I knew they'd be first out! Seriously, people, real "bad guys" don't ever refer to themselves as "bad guys" - well, other than Boston Rob, but he's an anomaly all to himself!
Loved the show, and so far there's not one team that's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Although Nathan and Jennifer are close. I don't see them going far. Too much carping at each other, too much whining, and she's in remarkably worse shape than I would have expected.
Yay, TAR!!!!
First of all, I would like the say that The Race is by far my favorite reality show and I'm so glad it's back.
None of the teams have yet become my favorites, but I'm leaning towards the father/daughter team, but it looks like they have a hard time next week.
I didn't like the team that got eliminated and I'm glad they got the boot.
Funny thing is that they both strike me as being bleeding-heart liberals who scream like banshees if they saw someone else screaming at an animal like they were at that donkey.
I wonder if the prodcution crew told the donkey rental place "make sure there's at least two or three stubborn ones in the bunch"
Eric, that would have been hilarious if they had arranged to have two of the most stubborn donkeys in all of Ireland at their disposal.
In that sense, I almost expected a car to break down last night. Kynt & Vyxsin's chain came off their bike but it didn't seem to affect them too much.
Growing up on a farm, I could immediately tell which teams had the right tactic for dealing with the donkeys and which would fail miserably. If you try to pull a donkey along, they will stubbornly pull back. If you tap them on the butt of hold the halter and walk along with them, they are much more likely to cooperate. Of course, I think that Ari & Staella had it coming to them based on how mean they were talking to their donkey! Karma's a bitch!
Oh, nothing can be more frusterating than having to coax a stubborn animal to do what he doesn't want to do! That's great.
I like Azaria and Hendekea as well as TK and Rachel. Beyond that, we'll see.
While people were having problems with their donkeys I kept yelling at the TV "poke him in the balls! poke him in the balls!"
what a great start to TAR! i love the goth couple (i am one at heart)! as funny as the donkey moments were, for some reason i was not comfortable with the way the 2 teams were screaming at them. that really bothered me. but other than that cant wait till next week!
You notice that all the teams that treated their donkey's nice did well- and of the two teams that were the worst to them, one's out, the other is 10th....
BTW there are rumors that if the writer's strike looks to be a really long one, BB might be back as soon as March...
Azaria & Hendekea surprised me and Ari & Staella did not. I liked TK & Rachel fromn their bios and I still like them. I was a bit disappointed in Ronald & Christina, but it's early in the game. Lorena & Jason are already annoying me. No one else really stood out, one way or another. I did like the donkey task.
I really like the teams so far. I really like that they have quite a few older people. This means that just because they are older, they won't be eliminated right away necessarily. As a middle aged hippy, I'm always glad to see hippies on reality TV. A show like the Amazing Race is kind of a hippy concept anyways, since most hippies love to go places.