Author: Shane

The Amazing Race Asia 2 Episode 12

With the aid of a fast forward, Adrian & Collin retained their lead in The Amazing Race Asia 2 Episode 11. Paula & Natasha, however, pretty much had no shot at catching up to the rest of the pack following their non-elimination last time, and they were eliminated.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Adrian & Collin (8:10pm)
Second: Rovilson & Marc (10:37pm)
Third: Pamela & Vanessa (10:56pm)
Fourth: Ann & Diane (11:24pm)

Teams must fly to Cape Town, South Africa. Adrian & Collin immediately try to get some Internet access, and the strange thing is that Rovilson & Marc know this strategy yet don’t appear to use it.

First flight (10,700km via London, arriving at 7:50am): Ann & Diane
Second flight (to Frankfurt, where they hope to be able to find a flight): Adrian & Collin, Rovilson & Marc, Pamela & Vanessa

Adrian & Collin were trying too hard to get a better flight instead of taking the sure thing, but in the end, after getting on standby, they are able to get on the same flight as the other teams who are in Frankfurt, which arrives at 5:00am, three hours ahead of Ann & Diane. So it becomes a question of what the hours of operation of the first task are. While it worked out well for the teams who took the gamble, it was a huge risk to take.

When they arrive in Cape Town, teams must travel by taxi to Signal Hill. Rovilson & Marc use one of the best strategies I’ve seen to get a map book: they buy it from the cab driver. Adrian & Collin come up with the same plan. They arrive at 6:13 and have to kill time until the place opens at 8:30. Once it opens, they must drive to the summit of Signal Hill, where they’ll need to search through a bunch of clue boxes until they find the right one, which is made more difficult by being in the foggiest place on earth. For Adrian & Collin and Pamela & Vanessa, though, they must first figure out how to start their cars. Adrian & Collin particularly struggle and eventually have to get assistance from a local. Ann & Diane, likewise, have difficulty. Rovilson & Marc think this is all quite amusing.

From there, teams will head to Killarney Motor Racing Circuit. The team member who performs the road block must race 8 laps around the Killarney race track. The first 4 laps must be done in less than 7.5 minutes, or the team will get a 5 minute penalty.

Road block (in order of arrival): Vanessa, Marc, Collin, Ann

Vanessa and Collin receive a penalty, but Marc does not. There are a few minutes between the teams in the lead. As they’re leaving, Collin & Adrian again need to figure out how to start their car. They’re leaving just as Ann & Diane arrive. All the other teams were smart enough to have the people who normally do the driving drive, but Ann & Diane let Ann drive, who doesn’t drive a manual well. At 9 minutes 18 seconds, she actually does better than Vanessa did, and right around the same time as Collin. With that, it’s safe to assume Ann & Diane are about half an hour behind.

Teams must drive to the township and then go to the Intyatyambo Community Project and paint a marked section of the center, which cares for children age 1-6 living with AIDS, many of whom are orphans or HIV+ themselves. Contained in the clues is a check from Standard Chartered Bank for $5,000, which teams will deliver to the caregivers of the project.

Now that all the signs are in English… the teams are even more lost than they were in places where the signs weren’t in English. Rovilson & Marc miss having an excuse.

It’s a lengthy trek from there. They will take a two hour drive north to the Aquila Park Private Game Reserve. If you get lost going 15 minutes, it’s not such a big deal, but if you get lost going two hours, it could be huge. The next clue is located in the cheetah enclosure.

The detour is a choice between in one end or out the other (yeah, it’s as bad as it sounds, but it provides an opportunity for a lot of puns). In in one end, teams must prepare 100kg of food and feed it to the elephants, meaning they may need to wait because it could take a while to digest. In out the other, teams must clean elephant dung and deliver it to the marked area, which sounds messy but should be quicker.

Out the other: Rovilson & Marc, Collin & Adrian, Pamela & Vanessa, Ann & Diane

Rovilson & Marc know this show. They’ve got nose plugs with them.

Aquila Park Reserve, situated on 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of landscape, is the pitstop for this leg of the race.

First: Rovilson & Marc (win a trip back to South Africa)
Second: Adrian & Collin
Third: Pamela & Vanessa
Fourth: Ann & Diane (eliminated)

It’s back to normal, with Marc & Ro back on top. Wasn’t even dramatic, though, as Ann & Diane, despite having just half an hour gap, had no chance of catching up. The other three teams lucked out it wasn’t one of them after the airport situation. It’s too bad because they are a better team than Pamela & Vanessa. Not that it much matters, since it’s been a two team race all along.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Amazing Race Asia 2 episode 13, where we will find out who the winner is.

The CW Drops WWE Smackdown

What do you do when your network’s becoming more and more invisible as the days go by? Cancel your top rated show, of course. Neither side commented on why WWE Smackdown, which has been on UPN since 1999, is being dropped at the end of the 2007-2008 season. Presumably, they could not come to terms on financial agreements, and despite the high viewership, Smackdown never particularly meshed with what is supposed to be a network targeted at young females (even if it did provide some potential boost for something like Reaper). It’s unclear where Smackdown might end up, but USA Network and MyNetworkTV have been suggested by some.

The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 6

The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 5 turned out to be one of the more entertaining episodes we’ve seen in a while, with Vinny Pastore pissing off everybody by turning on the guys then turning on the girls then turning on the guys then forming his own large circle of one before finally leaving the show by his own request.

Omarosa takes the first opportunity she can to attack the returning team, and she continues to believe she’s the best candidate for the job.

Stephen Baldwin tells Piers Morgan he can’t work with him, despite the fact that the two of them have performed quite well together throughout the entire time (even if they’ve been insulting each other all along). He heads to the boardroom to have a meeting with Donald Trump. Instead of resigning, he takes Trump’s offer to go to the other side. Bad move, Baldwin. The men hate him, and the women aren’t particularly thrilled either. Then he breaks the news that he has a previous engagement and will not be available for the task that day. This makes the women even less happy with him.

When Trump tells the women Stephen’s on their team, Omarosa declines. Trump tells her tough, and they will live with it.

The task is to create a living window featuring Serta mattresses designed by Vera Wang, to be judged on creativity, brand imaging, and entertainment value. Needless to say, Trace Adkins is scared.

Omarosa decides to be the project manager. Unlike the men, they know who the heck Vera Wang is, so they go with a wedding theme. They’re happy Stephen will be on their team now because they need a guy on their team for the wedding theme.

Piers researches that Vera started with bridal success, but has since begun branching out.

The guys go to Vera Wang without any already formed ideas. She tells them her brand has grown to be more than just bridal. She emphasizes romance and says she spends most of her free time on her bed. Trace suggests one of the greatest romances in history where the woman was strong, going back in time to Cleopatra.

The women go in already convinced by a bridal theme, so they don’t really get into other possibilities like the men. They ask a smart question, though, and find out that of the three things, creativity is the most important.

The men’s project manager, Lennox Lewis, insists on having a vote on everything. Piers is unimpressed (and annoyed) by this leadership style.

Marilu is in charge of construction, and the women are upset by how she’s handling it. She does seem a bit more high strung than usual.

Baldwin’s keeping the women waiting.

Nely Galan trusts Omarosa. She can’t believe it either.

Originally, Piers was the one who was vocal about the fact that Lennox isn’t making any decisions. Now, Tito Ortiz and Trace are getting in on the act as well.

Stephen’s back after being gone for the day because he had to speak at a church (you didn’t think he wouldn’t throw that in, did you?). They still want him to get lost.

Vera’s stunned by both displays. It’s unclear which she actually liked best.

Omarosa tells Trump Piers isn’t good at working with people. Pot. Kettle.

The women created the better looking display, and probably one more likely to sell mattresses to women. The men, however, got the idea of creativity and better understood what Vera’s branding goals are. With that, Hydra won the task.

Empresario believe they asked the same question the guys did and got a different response. The judges suggest the wedding theme was way too simple (obvious), not creative, and without entertainment value.

Stephen’s complimentary of the women but says Marilu’s the most questionable. Omarosa agrees, claiming she has difficulty communicating with her.

Omarosa tells Trump she’s bringing Stephen back because he wasn’t there all day. He tells her not to be like Gene. So then she tries to be a chicken and not choose anybody. George doesn’t want to hear it. Listening to Trump, Omarosa brings back Marilu and Nely.

Omarosa blames Nely for not giving her the creative feedback she needed and Marilu for being unable to clearly communicate her thoughts and doesn’t listen.

None of this really matters. Trump’s been dying to fire Nely, and now he’s got his chance. She doesn’t know why he hasn’t gotten over the task where Gene Simmons jumped off a cliff. He doesn’t care. Nely’s fired.

One final note: bring George back. He’s better than the Trump kids.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Celebrity Apprentice Episode 7, which airs Thursday at 9/8c on NBC.

Survivor: Micronesia Episode 1

Jeff Probst recently said that Survivor: China was the season that saved the series and allowed it to continue beyond this season, and I’ll have to agree. They seriously botched the few seasons before that with bad casting and lame twists (just to get it out of my system now, the following twists still suck always have sucked: exile island, hidden immunity idol, final three instead of final two), and acknowledging that is hopefully a good sign. Given what they’ve put together this year, I think it’s pretty safe to assume we’re still on the right track. While some of the people cast as favorites are questionable at best, I like the fans vs. favorites concept because it ensures that not only do we get people who have seen the show and thorougly enjoy it, but we also get some good quality former contestants as well.

Before getting into the first live blog of the season, in case you missed it, check out the Survivor: Micronesia cast. I’m most looking forward to Eliza, Amanda, and James, although I don’t expect much out of James, despite the fact that he’s likeable. I’ll be interested in seeing what new lie Jonny Fairplay tells to top the dead grandmother. Hate him or hate him, you can’t do this season without Fairplay. Parvati’s very dangerous, and so is Ami if she doesn’t get ahead of herself. I hope Ozzy’s looked up “strategy” in the dictionary before embarking on this season, and Jonathan’s hopefully looked up “good strategy” or at least “strategy that doesn’t suck”. Cirie’s a non-entity but may go far as a result. I could go either way on Yau Man. What are your thoughts on the returning favorites?

The fans are completely unaware they’re playing against the favorites. When they do find out, they run the risk of being star struck or having preconceived opinions. That definitely helped Stephenie the second time she played, even though Bobby Jon couldn’t get his two brain cells to cooperate to get him further than being the first member of the jury.

Erik thinks he’s the new Ozzy. Joel thinks he’s the new James, except bigger. Kathy loves Yau Man. Tracy wants to kick Jonny Fairplay (who’s wearing a “Will Lie 4 Food” hat), but she’ll have to get in line behind Jeff Probst.

There are two hidden individual immunity idols, one for each tribe, which can only be played the first time they go to tribal council. If only these were the last hidden idols, I’d be good with them. It’s a race across the water. Jonny Fairplay gets there first but grabs the wrong one. Yau Man tackles him into the side of the boat to get the right one. Fairplay’s probably going to sue. Then Yau Man points out the other idol to Kathy, allowing her to get her team’s idol.

The fans tribe is named Airai. They’re looking forward to playing against their favorite players, particularly since they know their game, or so they think.

Kathy’s confused by the concept of gay people, which may not bode well for her relationship with Chet. She’s also quick to tell Tracy she’s never seen implants. Nobody’s happy Kathy’s immune.

The favorites tribe is named Malakal. They believe they have an advantage since they know how the game works. Jonny Fairplay wants to bring home the bacon for his pregnant girlfriend. James is pleased because this time he’s actually got people pitching in, since they know what they’re doing this time. Parvati’s still a flirt but says she plans to form good alliances as well. James likes her because she’s one of those sex kitten type girls. This combined with Amanda and Ozzy getting along well has Eliza concerned.

Unlike the favorites, who seem to be progressing well, the fans take too long getting their shelter up, and they pay the price for it when the rain starts.

Eliza, Ami, Yau Man, and Jonathan decide to form a group, in an effort to fend off the couples. I’d expect some bad blood between Eliza and Ami after last time, and I think we all know Jonathan can’t be trusted. The choice for a fifth comes down to Fairplay or Cirie. Jonathan wants Fairplay, but Fairplay is approached by Ozzy and Parvati first. Granted, it’s Jonny Fairplay. Jonathan wants Parvati out before Ozzy, while the other group wants Eliza out first. Then the other alliance approaches Fairplay, too. Hard to tell what he’ll do. And Cirie? Apparently, nobody wants to be bothered with her. Don’t know why. She’s a vote with the ability to be loyal.

Yau Man learned from Michelle in Fiji that his glasses could start a fire, and he uses that same technique this time to get something going for the favorites.

At the challenge, the favorites don’t hesistate rubbing their success in the faces of the fans, who don’t buy it, or at least don’t want to buy it. It’s a combination between a puzzle challenge and a lot of physical work. First, they must assemble four wheels and put them on a cart. Fans get their cart together first. The favorites are disastrous, and even after they get their cart together, they wipe out, taking Eliza down (she’ll have a bump on her head, but she should be okay). After their cart’s ready, they need to get it through an obstacle, which is followed by a bridge they must build with planks. The next test is to finish a turnstyle with the wheel pieces. It’s never even close, and the fans win immunity and flint.

Cirie doesn’t have a plan, and for that matter has no idea that everybody else has allies. Whoever tries to pull in Cirie is smart because she’ll go with whatever plan will save her.

Parvati and Fairplay come up with a plan to pretend Fairplay’s going home. He tells Ami, but she doesn’t trust him. Now might be a good time to remember that Cirie’s on the island.

The favorites believe they were too overconfident, and that’s why they lost the challenge.

Fairplay’s using the Dr. Will strategy. Go ahead. Vote me out. I dare you. But is it strategy, or does he really want to go home because he’s having a baby?

With his idol, Yau Man’s safe. Not that he was in danger.

Votes:
Fairplay
Fairplay
Fairplay
Fairplay
Fairplay
Fairplay

Now that Jonny Fairplay’s the first person out (damn, what a waste of a spot), I’ve got just one word for the rest of the tribe: Cirie.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: Micronesia Episode 2 The Sounds of Jungle Love, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.

American Idol 7 Episode 8

The auditions wrapped up with a stop in Atlanta last night in American Idol 7 Episode 7. We were treated to perky Miss South Florida Fair Brooke Helvie and 16-year-old Alexandrea Lushington. Fairly uneventful, but still one of the better showings we’ve seen recently.

Tonight it’s a mix of auditions from all the cities, before we head to Hollywood next week. They’ve saved some of the best and probably about 45 minutes worth of the worst.

Amy Davis grew up lower than lower middle class, which I’m not sure exactly what that means. She sings Blue Bayou. Decent voice. The judges think she can learn to get better once she gets over her nerves.

Ryan Seacrest tells us Tiffany McCambell has a voice that’s a gift from God. He didn’t say which one, though. Simon wants to know if he has a return policy.

Twins Cory and Chris Lang say they have pretty much the same girlfriend, Ashley Lawing, a blonde with a purse dog. She believes she knows which one she’s in love with. They, meanwhile, believe they’re hiphop artists. Then it’s her turn to audition with her pomeranian Panda. I bet the dog’s the most talented one of the four. The dog gets through to Hollywood.

Carden Lee McKinney sings One Night Only. Good voice, but Simon’s afraid she’s too theatrical. She gets two yes votes (as usual, not Simon).

Plus size model JoAnne Borgella sang the national anthem at the college basketball championships at Madison Square Garden, so the judges expect her to be a good singer, and she delivers, if not overly convincingly (Simon says no, though the other two put her through).

Alesha has been singing since she was 8, and she sounds the same now as she did then. They dismiss her so she can go learn Dolly Parton and come back. She learns Islands in the Stream. Actually, she does sound okay with this song. Simon refuses to vote, but the other two let her through. This is the first time they’ve sent someone off to learn a new song that it actually worked out.

Jay Smoove (seriously?) thinks he’s an R&B recording artist. He sings an original song, Beautiful Lady. After hearing his nickname, I wasn’t expecting much, but he’s surprisingly actually not bad. Not quite good enough, though.

Chikezie Eze was cut last year. Not real clear why. Unlike the people who get rejected for having no talent at all who just can’t take the hint, this guy’s got a good voice.

Danny Noriega is another returning reject. He sings Proud Mary. He’s one of those guys with a voice that doesn’t sound like it’s actually coming from him. I was surprised that he sounds good.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol 7 episode 9, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on Fox.

Big Brother 9 Cast

CBS has announced the cast of Big Brother 9, which premieres next Tuesday February 12 at 9PM EST. If you were hoping for just a straight up game with no lame twist, well, maybe you can hope for Big Brother 10 instead. This year’s cast is all allegedly single people who are in the house with their alleged soulmates. The one thing that I do kind of like the sound of is that people will be evicted in pairs rather than individually (if only they could have kicked out both Dick and Danielle on the same night last year).

Adam
29
Public Relations Manager
Del Ray Beach, FL

Alex
24
Staten Island, NY
DJ Entertainment Company Owner

Allison
28
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative
Boston, MA

Amanda
23
Paralegal
Fridley, MN

Chelsia
21
College Student
Cedar Falls, IA

Jacob
23
Electrician
Dallas, GA

James
21
Riding Bicycle around the World (I don’t want to know)
Sarasota, FL

Jen
26
Bartender
Columbus, OH

Joshuah
25
Advertising Media Buyer
Dallas, TX

Matt
23
Roofing Foreman
Charleston, MA

Natalie
28
Bikini Barista
Salem, OR

Neil
29
Realtor
Los Angeles, CA

Parker
26
Paparazzo
Northridge, CA

Ryan
27
College Student
Columbus, OH

Sharon
23
Realtor
Olathe, KS

Sheila
45
Former Model
Reseda, CA

Cast photos after the jump.

As usual, stay tuned to dingoRUE for live blogs of the show.

Continue reading “Big Brother 9 Cast”

American Idol 7 Episode 7

Miami was better than Omaha, but not much happened there in American Idol 7 Episode 6 either. We got a glimpse of a boy bander who thinks he’s a rocker (Robbie Carrico), single mom Suzanne Toon, and excessively perky Syesha Mercado. For some portion of the evening, the judges were all sipping out of Paula’s cup.

Tonight’s stop is Atlanta. Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson, and Fantasia Barrino auditioned here. Ryan Seacrest’s parents show up, but they’re not there to audition.

Josh Jones is in love with glass. He sings Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. He’s decent, but Simon again fears he’s found a demon. They make him sing with his back to them. For some unknown reason, Simon doesn’t think someone who has to perform not facing the audience could win. He gets two yes votes (not Simon).

JP Tjelmelano auditioned two people ahead of Carrie Underwood. Yet another one of those people who can’t take the hint. At least this will be the last we see of him, though, as he’s gotten some camera time. Simon gives him a no. Randy gives him a no. Paula gives him, well, I can’t really tell, which leads to a montage about how nobody can understand what Paula’s actual vote is since she doesn’t have one half the time.

Asia’h Epperson lost her father two days before the audition, as she got a phone call about a car accident half an hour after talking to her dad to inform him she was making the trip to Atlanta. She sings How Do I Live as a dedication for her father. She’s a good singer with a unique voice, making it enough of the way through the song before crying to impress the judges.

Brooke Helvie is Miss South Florida Fair (yeah, that’s apparently a real thing). She sings Who’s Loving You by the Jackson Five. In addition to being really perky, she’s got one of the better voices we’ve heard. Also, she gets her wish and hugs Simon, who calls her possibly the most annoying person he’s ever seen.

The introduction for Eva Miller tells us she’s got a lot of attitude. Don’t even let her sing. We know this is a waste of time already. Despite the belief that it’s all an act, the judges just let her keep singing on and on, something they don’t allow some borderline singers to do.

Alexandrea Lushington sings My Funny Valentine after Ryan gets done hitting on her great grandmother. It only takes a couple lines before the judges stop her and let her through. I don’t remember this girl, but she got beat out by David Archuleta (who we saw in episode 3) about midway through Star Search in 2003.

16-year old 9th grader (I don’t want to know how often he’s stayed back) Nathan Hite plans to show the judges his wit, which means he suspects that he sucks and is just doing this so he can yell at Simon. Simon gives him a choice whether he wants to listen or be a smartass. He pretends to listen before going into smartass. Mildly amusing but not worth showing.

Nurse/biker chick Amanda Overmyer sings Janis Joplin’s Mean Woman. Simon’s got the same concern I do: how much variety is this girl going to be able to deal with? She’s definitely good enough to go through, though.

Josiah Leming quit school and has been living in his car for nearly a year, which he says he loves. He sings a song he wrote called To Run. Simon thinks he’s picked up an English accent when he sings. He’s iffy but good enough to go to Hollywood.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of American Idol 7 episode 8, which airs Wednesday at 8/7c on Fox.