Author: Shane

The Race 2 Winners

The Race 2 is a production of ICTV that’s structured similarly to The Amazing Race. Watch The Race 2 online.

In The Race 2 Episode 5, part 1 of the finale, whatever alliances may have previously existed evaporated. Despite being far behind at the start, their knowledge of the area pushed Jon & Jenna to a win, while Daniel & Jeff were eliminated because they had no knowledge of the area.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Jon & Jenna
Second: Sadie & Ginalola
Third: Hal & Matilda

They must abandon their cars for the rest of the leg and catch a bus. On the bus, they will get their clue by solving a puzzle. If they don’t solve the puzzle in time, they will have to spend another half an hour riding around the bus loop. Such a simple idea, but this is another nice twist. Jon & Jenna arrive at the bus stop first, followed by Sadie & Ginalola, and Hal & Matilda arrive in time to take the same bus as well. Jon comes up with the theory that everybody finishes at the same time, a risky play but a wise one since he’s probably better at a physical challenge or footrace than a puzzle. Hal & Matilda figure out the first part of the clue and share the information. They then figure out the second part of the clue and also share that.

Teams must then go to Willard Straight Hall at Cornell University. All the teams stick together to go the wrong way. None of them realize the clue box is out front rather than inside. The challenge is to visit four locations from where photos were taken (not the locations in the pictures but the places where the photos were snapped). Sadie & Ginalola stumble upon the clue first, followed by Hal & Matilda. Hal & Matilda take a lead with their first ribbon, then Sadie & Ginalola tie them. Jon & Jenna spend quite a bit of time searching but finally get the clue. They immediately stop to get help from the locals, and they come up with a plan of action like they did previously (trying to figure out a way to go, rather than just running around in circles). Sadie & Ginalola take a lead with their second ribbon. Then Jon & Jenna get their first, and then Hal & Matilda tie Sadie & Ginalola at 2. Jon & Jenna get another to put all three teams even. Sadie & Ginalola take their third clue, and Jon & Jenna pass Hal & Matilda with their third. Hal & Matilda tie things up after that, but it appears not asking for help is hindering them. Jon & Jenna manage to take the lead with their fourth and final ribbons. The amount of running in this challenge is definitely to their advantage. Sadie & Ginalola are next to find their final ribbon, with Hal & Matilda bringing up the rear.

Their last challenge is to race to the observatory back at Ithaca College, by any means necessary. So they all go with the idea of hitchhiking. Jon & Jenna are first to find a ride. Sadie & Ginalola see someone in a store from Ithaca College and get a ride from her. Hal & Matilda eventually give up the hitchhiking concept and take a bus back to their car instead.

Jon Walski & Jenna Trojnacki are the first team to arrive at the finish line and are the winners of The Race 2. Except for that one leg where everybody went dumb, they ran a very respectable race, finishing first in four of the six legs. Sadie & Ginalola finish second, with Hal & Matilda coming in third.

While the celebration’s been going on, I’ve been looking at that cake Dave & Matt are holding since I first noticed them. Yep, they’re not done yet, and they take the opportunity to shove it in Thomas’ face.

Since producer Pete Berg has graduated from college, we probably won’t see The Race 3. However, he informs me we haven’t seen the last of him, so I’ll update you as I learn more.

The Biggest Loser 4 Episode 8

In The Biggest Loser Episode 7, the teams were broken up into smaller teams of three. Everybody but Amy stayed with their original trainers. Then after that, we were in for what was as shocking as advertised: Neil gained 17 pounds. Absolutely ridiculous. But in the end, neither wanting to send a message to Neil nor wanting to realize that in this episode Neil’s a huge threat due to his prior weight gain, the teams sent Jez home.

Neil says he’s not a bad guy but that this is a game, and if someone doesn’t see this as a game, they’re naive, which is how they end up going home. Isabeau’s apparently believing that he was just trying to send someone else home, which is kind of a duh thing, but ultimately someone else going home means he doesn’t. She doesn’t trust him any more, which is particularly bad since they’re partners.

Kae, who’s consistently been the strongest one, says things have changed, and she’s sick of playing the game. She packs her bags but decides not to leave.

Kim’s happy because her team’s just training and not getting involved in the drama.

Amy makes a confession to Jillian that she didn’t lose any weight due to pressure from Neil.

Hollie’s concerned she’ll go home because on the other three teams, there was one person who didn’t lose any weight.

The challenge is about endurance. Each team will get on seasaws suspended above the water. They will hold their teams’ weight up. When they let go of the rope, they fall in and lose. They’ll win a mystery box as a surprise. Neil and Isabeau are out first. Next out are David, Kae, and Hollie. Amy, Bill, and Julie are the last ones eliminated, so Bryan, Ryan, and Nicole win. The reward is that each person on the winning team gets a vote, as long as they don’t drop below the yellow line. With two of them being blue, this again doesn’t bode well for black team, although I don’t think any of them consider Hollie, the person most likely to be on the losing team, to be enough of a threat to waste a vote on her.

Bob talks to Kae and tells her to lighten up a bit. He knows she’s under pressure because of how well she’s been doing.

Neil: 339 pounds (-33)
Isabeau: 255 pounds (no change)
Total: -33 pounds (5.26%)

Isabeau acknowledges she took advantage of the situation and justifies her lack of weight loss by saying “I don’t feel that that’s manipulation. I feel that that’s smart.” So let me get this straight. If Neil does this, he’s evil. If Isabeau does it, she’s smart. Thanks for the explanation. Hypocrite.

Nicole: 235 pounds (-9)
Bryan: 289 pounds (-8)
Ryan: 308 pounds (-13)
Total: -30 pounds (3.48%)

Amy: 254 pounds (-11)
Bill: 251 pounds (-10)
Julie: 186 pounds (-6)
Total: -27 pounds (3.76%)

Though both have previously lost similar amounts, based on their losses, it is quite possible both Amy and Ryan may have not lose weight on purpose last week.

Hollie: 218 pounds (-5)
Kae: 168 pounds (-6)
David: 312 pounds (-3)
Total: -14 pounds (1.97%)

Kae just keeps on going and is now over a total of 25%, but Hollie was right to worry about the way the weights stacked up last week. Not a bad weak for the team, but not enough to compete with the big numbers the others put up. Because they’re not below the yellow line, Bryan, Ryan, and Nicole will each receive a vote.

Neil, Isabeau: David
Bill, Julie, Amy: David
Bryan: Kae
Nicole: David

So much for the theory that the red and blue teams are trying to assassinate the black team. David returns home to his son’s first birthday party. Today he weighs 263 pounds, down 105 pounds from his starting weight of 368.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Biggest Loser 4 episode 9, which airs in an expanded 2 hour edition Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

Survivor: China Episode 7

In Survivor: China Episode 6, we saw yet another strong strategic play, this time by Todd, but the net result of it was just that James got himself a hidden immunity idol and a way to find the second one. However, despite the use of their brains by some people on that island that day, Courtney went completely braindead (not a big change, I know) and told her allies she didn’t trust them, then she voted against one of them. But it wasn’t enough to prevent Sherea from getting voted off. Not that I know why anybody would want to prevent something like that.

Courtney starts off episode 7 by saying she hates everybody. While I’ve heard that before in prior seasons, it normally comes from someone with the personality to make it amusing.

Peih-Gee tries to convince James she’ll be loyal to him. In her confessional, she backs this up, saying her gut instinct is to trust him. It’s one episode too late for that, but there will be some post-merge scrambling.

Since the second hidden idol is “hidden” in the same exact spot as the first one, James gets that one as well. Jaime notices something’s missing. What they grab, though, is the second one on the opposite side, the one that’s not actually an idol. Later, Jaime looks in his bag and finds the actual hidden idol. They find not one but two.

Courtney continues to whine. Todd asks whether they can patch things up, which doesn’t happen. He gets concerned, which he should be, that she’s going to vote against Jean-Robert every time, thereby creating problems after the merge. The way Jean-Robert’s been treated in general in itself has been blatantly problematic for quite some time.

James notices the piece of wood that looks like an idol is missing. He knows somebody took it, and he hopes it’s Jaime. This is the kind of thing we were hoping for when Yau Man made a fake immunity idol.

The tribes are now merged. They will go to Fei Long’s beach because they sucked less. As they head off to a feast and traditional Chinese entertainment, Jeff warns them: this game never stops.

Amanda comes right out with it, telling us it’s still two tribes.

Jean-Robert’s not smart enough to realize his tribe hates him, so he’s not even thinking about switching sides.

Jeff comes to the island and brings the immunity idol. As he warned, the game didn’t stop. The challenge is about events that happened during the feast and the celebration. James, Amanda, Courtney, and Peih-Gee are eliminated on the first question. Everybody gets the second question right. Todd (who had the correct answer but changed it), Jean-Robert, Denise, and Erik are eliminated on the next question. On the final question, Frosti wins immunity. I’m not so sure about this win. He probably wasn’t in any danger and may have painted something of a target on himself.

They want to get rid of Jaime, but they’re still concerned about Courtney. Jean-Robert, however, insists he wants to vote for Peih-Gee.

He then tells Todd if he gets screwed he’ll blame Todd, not Amanda, and says he’ll campaign harder than any juror ever has. Todd promises he’s watching his back, but he’s just playing him. Yeah, Jean-Robert’s definitely a big sore loser waiting to happen.

Peih-Gee thinks Jean-Robert is probably going to get votes, so that’s the way they’re going to go.

At tribal council, Jean-Robert says he doesn’t think Courtney will be considered a threat any time soon. James is concerned that Jean-Robert talks too much. Before Jeff reads the vote, Jaime pulls out the fake hidden immunity idol and asks if it is an idol, but Jeff tells her no. Darn. That was far less funny than I’d hoped.

Votes:
Jean-Robert
Jaime
Jaime
Jean-Robert
Jean-Robert
Jaime
Jaime
Jaime
Jaime

Jaime has been voted off. Not a surprising vote. It may take some time before we get some actual drama here. Though the previews for next week’s episode certainly do look interesting.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of Survivor: China episode 8 High School Friend Contest, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on CBS.

Watch Survivor: China Online

Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku Return with Dollhouse

Fox has picked up a 7 episode order of Joss Whedon’s Dollhouse, Variety reports. Joss Whedon is best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, where Eliza Dushku starred as Faith. She has since starred in roles in Tru Calling and Bring It On. The show will center around Dushku’s character, Echo, and follows a top secret world of people programmed with different personalities, abilities, and memories depending on their mission.

“It was a mistake!” Whedon said. “I sat down with her to talk about her options, and acted all sage, saying things backwards like Yoda and laying out what I thought she should do. But in the course of doing it, I accidentally made one up. I told it to her, and she said, ‘That’s exactly what I want to do.'”

“It’s exciting to know that my voice and who I am as Eliza is going to be in this show every single week,” Dushku, who will also serve as a producer, said. “I’m ready to take control of the person I want to be in this business.”

“He’s got an unbelievably loyal following, and that’s an earned brand,” Peter Liguori, Fox Entertainment chairman, said. “So much of it is based on Joss’ love of what he does and the genius of how he does it.”

In the event of a strike, the series would not be written until after the strike’s over.