Category: amazing race 12

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 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 4, Dave & Matt kept pushing and ended up going too far, receiving a time penalty that dropped them to last for a prank they played. Their actions were enough to get the other teams to form an “alliance” with a common goal of getting rid of Dave & Matt. This all led to one of the best tasks I’ve seen in quite some time, with much drama ensuing, climaxing with a physical altercation. It wasn’t long before the alliance started ditching each other, and all it ultimately did was get them so worked up that they were willing to all rush in the wrong direction. But at the end of the day, unable to get any directions (still not sure why they asked a random person in a gas station rather than the person behind the counter), Dave & Matt were finally eliminated after a strong, albeit perhaps questionable, run.

In episode 5, part 1 of the finale, I’m expecting the alliance to just completely crumble, as there is no basis for it any more, not that using an alliance to complain about one team had basis to begin with.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived.

First: Hal & Matilda
Second: Daniel & Jeff
Third: Sadie & Ginalola (right behind)
Fourth: Jon & Jenna

They first head to the Side Hill Acres Dairy Goat Farm in Candor. The challenge is to find a goat with a specific numbered tag, holding hands until they do, and milk it. They receive instructions from the kids on the farm how to milk the goats. Hal & Matilda arrive first. Daniel & Jeff arrive second with no trouble. Sadie & Ginalola stop to ask for directions but still get lost. Daniel & Jeff manage to finish first, and Matilda accidentally spilling hers halfway through doesn’t help Hal & Matilda any. Sadie & Ginalola see both Daniel & Jeff and Hal & Matilda driving in the opposite direction as they’re heading toward the challenge, and they arrive in third. Jon & Jenna depart 25 minutes behind the other teams, a huge gap to make up, and if they have a chance will be up to whether there’s another challenge like the one that killed them in the last episode. If the order of the editing is any indication, they arrive at this challenge after the other teams have finished the next one.

The next destination is the only operating flax field in New York state, down the street. They must pick and bundle 5 bundles of flax for each teammate and stack them in the proper formation. Doesn’t appear to be any real trick to this one, so all the teams should finish within a similar amount of time. Daniel & Jeff arrive first, with Hal & Matilda close behind. Sadie & Ginalola arrive third, having finished the previous challenge the fastest of all.

After this, teams must return to Ithaca and go to Gino’s Pizzeria. The task is to deliver pizzas to three different addresses in Ithaca. Hal & Matilda, who aren’t sure where they’re going, take the lead as Daniel & Jeff stop for directions. Sadie & Ginalola are the only team of the three completely aware of where they’re going and catch up to and are behind Daniel & Jeff, hoping they keep going the wrong way and get lost. They eventually just decide to pass them, though, and then figure out how to lose them. When they arrive in Ithaca, parking proves to be a problem for all the teams, so they have to find a spot to park and run from there.

Hal & Matilda arrive first, with Sadie & Ginalola right behind. Daniel & Jeff have absolutely no idea where they’re going and have to keep stopping for directions, but they do arrive in third. This is the break last place Jon & Jenna were hoping for, and as Daniel & Jeff are leaving to deliver their pizzas, Jon & Jenna see them. Sadie & Ginalola get off to an early lead with their first delivery. Daniel & Jeff decide to make the initial delivery by foot, which is Sadie & Ginalola’s second stop shortly thereafter, and after leaving, Daniel & Jeff decide to just follow them… briefly anyway. Jon & Jenna, who know the area and have developed a strategy instead of just driving aimlessly, manage to work their way up to first place. Sadie & Ginalola get to the last apartment second and ask whether a blonde arrived there, not being able to figure out what the response actually meant.

The pitstop is the top of the parking garage nearby.

First: Jon & Jenna
Second: Sadie & Ginalola
Third: Hal & Matilda
Fourth: Daniel & Jeff (eliminated)

This leg ultimately came down to familiarity with the area, or lack thereof, but it did keep things interesting, even if what seemed like a predictable Jon & Jenna boot was merely replaced by a predictable Daniel & Jeff boot. They remain upbeat as they’re being eliminated.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Race 2 Episode 6.

Great news, TAR fans. I’d heard the rumors that Jericho might be returning next month but wasn’t expecting that to apply to The Amazing Race 12 as well, particularly with reality TV being such a great thing to have in the event of a strike. CBS has announced that The Amazing Race 12 will premiere on Sunday November 4 at 8PM(ish… expect football delays). Along with that announcement comes a new cast. We have dating goths (their photo’s worth a lot more than 1000 words) and a grandson and his grandfather, but in a rare change for the franchise, no alpha male team.

Kynt & Vyxsin
Dating Goths
Kynt: Louisville, KY; 31; Waiter/Receptionist
Vyxsin: Louisville, KY; 29; Waiter/Receptionist

Jennifer & Nathan
Dating
Jennifer: Huntington Beach, CA; 23; Student
Nathan: Fountain Valley, CA; 24; Volleyball Coach

Ronald & Christina
Father & Daughter
Ronald: Tacoma, WA; 58; VP of Sales
Christina: Washington, DC; 26; Policy Analyst

Shana & Jennifer
Friends
Shana: Los Angeles, CA; 32, Actress
Jennifer: Los Angeles, CA; 32; Legal Assistant

Azaria & Hendekea
Brother & Sister
Azaria: New Orleans, LA; 27; Facilities Engineer
Hendekea: Torrance, CA; 23; Aerospace Engineer

Lorena & Jason
Dating
Lorena: Sherman Oaks, CA; 27; Bartender
Jason: Sherman Oaks, CA; 33; Wedding Videographer/Actor

Nicolas & Donald
Grandson & Grandfather
Nicolas: Chicago, IL; 23; Pilot
Donald: Elkhorn, WI; 68; Retired

Ari & Staella
Best Friends
Ari: Long Beach, CA; 21; Waiter
Staella: Fountain Valley, CA; 24; Restaurant Manager

Marianna & Julia
Sisters
Marianna: Miami, FL; 25; Art Gallery Manager
Julia: Miami, FL; 26; Production Assistant

Rachel & TK
Dating for almost one year (not sure why the last part of this is so important to include in their bio)
Rachel: Huntington Beach, CA; 23; Florist/Store Owner
TK: Huntington Beach, CA; 22; Substitute Teacher

Kate & Pat
Married Ministers
Kate: Thousand Oaks, CA; 49; Episcopal Priest
Pat: Thousand Oaks, CA; 65; Ordained Deacon

I’m going to pick Jennifer & Nathan as the odds on favorites early on. I’m picking Lorena & Jason as the team most likely to argue on a regular basis. What are your initial reactions?

Check out the photos of the teams after the jump.

Continue reading “The Amazing Race 12 Teams Revealed”

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

If you haven’t seen The Race 2 yet, now’s as good a time as any to catch up. I’m not gonna spoil it up front, but here’s the drama I’ve been waiting for. After a bit of a slow start, the last half of this special 90 minute episode is excellent.

In The Race 2 Episode 3, Jon & Jenna got a big break and coasted to first, Dave & Matt continued to get on people’s nerves (but in a good way), and Drew & Vanessa finally ended up in last place. The current top three appear to be the most likely contenders for the win.

Dave & Matt attempt to rationalize how coming in second is better than coming in first. But anyway, at the end of the day, they are pretty similar to Rob & Amber, except that they’re going out of their way to screw with people’s minds. The other teams hate them so much that there’s always the risk they’ll lose focus on the race and start focusing more on the competition. They snoop around in Daniel & Jeff’s car hoping they’d get caught, which they did, creating paranoia among the other teams that something’s wrong with their cars. They then plant drawings in the middle of the night, and leave notes telling them they did things to their cars (i.e. put a banana in their tailpipe). Completely valid gameplan, but the tailpipe bit pushed the envelope a bit much, resulting in a time penalty that dropped them from second to last. Seemingly harsh, but I’m not surprised they finally did go too far, not that it’ll slow them down any.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived, except Dave & Matt, with the penalty.

First: Jon & Jenna
Second: Sadie & Ginalola
Third: Hal & Matilda
Fourth: Daniel & Jeff
Fifth: Dave & Matt

They must first head to the fire training grounds on West Ave, where they must each complete a training exercise. One teammate must put on truck gear and connect the truck to the fire hydrant; the other teammate must put on full gear and crawl through a smoky building to rescue a dummy. Jon & Jenna make it look easy and finish just as Sadie & Ginalola arrive. Hal & Matilda and Daniel & Jeff arrive at the same time, and both teams appear to struggle just to find the clue. Sadie finishes pretty quickly, but for Ginalola, it’s not quite so easy, which backs up the other teams because it’s first come first served, particularly bad news for Dave & Matt, who show up as Ginalola’s struggling through the rescue training. As Jon did with her, Sadie helps Hal, all in an effort to get rid of Dave & Matt. As they’re leaving, Sadie & Ginalola get directions from the fireman how to get to the next location, something Jon & Jenna failed to do and ended up getting lost. Dave & Matt eavesdrop, in addition to taking notes while the others are doing the task. As they leave for the next destination, they believe they’ve made up some ground.

The next destination is the Sa-Sa-Na Loft Monument, which they must figure out is known locally as the Indian girl monument. Teams must search from a scenic outlook for a person holding a banner with The Race logo. Despite getting lost, Jon & Jenna arrive first. The rest of the teams arrive in the same order as they started. Sadie & Ginalola show up and find out how long Jon & Jenna have been there, so they go back to move the car. While they’re gone, Jon & Jenna find the clue and take off. They also make sure not to drive right up to the person just so the others don’t see their car. Smart play, but so much for the alliance. Jeff & Daniel arrive as the others are leaving (Hal & Matilda have caught up and are now following Sadie & Ginalola to the banner). Dave & Matt are still well behind.

Up next is a stop at the Tioga county office building, where they must use a map to answer 11 questions about the villages, which are depicted in murals throughout the building. The last remaining mural is where they must go to find the next pitstop. Jon & Jenna have answered two questions by the time Sadie & Ginalola and Hal & Matilda arrive. Jon proposes they work together. Hmm. But he does say not to help Daniel & Jeff if they arrive before everyone’s finished.

Just as I was thinking Dave & Matt were toast, through a combination of Daniel & Jeff getting lost and Dave & Matt running red lights on purpose, Dave & Matt arrive seconds ahead, so it’s anybody’s race for last place. Daniel & Jeff go off on a wild goose chase, and the other teams insist on hiding the map from Dave & Matt, a cheap but valid tactic, even if it is the exact same thing they’re all so upset about having done to them. When they ask if blocking the map is against the rules, they’re told the map can be used as they wish. So they step away and plot to grab the map. This eventually degrades into a shoving match, and in the commotion, they take the map and run. Or try to run anyway, as they’re stopped pretty quickly off camera, which then leads to a shouting match. As a result of this, teams are separated and allowed to view the map individually in two minute intervals. However, it’s not long before all the other teams get back together and start sharing information again, leaving Dave & Matt on their own with a limited time to view the map. This task has definitely made for good TV, but it’s been way too easy for everyone to abuse.

Jon & Jenna figure it out to be Waverly. He tries explaining it to Sadie & Ginalola but is told it’s not his turn at the map. He does tell it to everyone else before leaving, though. The other teams must spend at least two minutes looking at the map before they leave. Nobody’s completely convinced that this answer is actually correct, but they seem to just be going on faith, knowing that if they’re wrong, they’ll at least have a bunch of other wrong people with them. A large factor is no doubt that they just want to get as far away from Dave & Matt as possible.

On the way, Sadie & Ginalola get suspicious that they were given incorrect information, particularly since Jon & Jenna were so quick to ditch them earlier. While everybody else is travelling to Waverly, Dave & Matt choose it as their 10th mural eliminated. They can’t figure out the last one to eliminate, so they just decide to go to Candor since it’s closer, which is the very last one that the other teams eliminated, though they continue to debate the whole time there whether they should go there or to Newark Valley.

Sadie & Ginalola do the math while driving and also eliminate Waverly and stop Hal & Matilda to ask them. Jeff & Daniel see these two teams on the side of the road and stop to find out what’s going on. They all decide to go to Candor.

Jon & Jenna arrive at the building in Waverly but aren’t able to find anything or anyone. After wandering around for a while, they decide they need to turn around and head back to Owego to look at the map again. They decide to go to Candor and figure out why the first answer was wrong, doing the math that the others did quite some time ago.

Even up to 1/4 mile away from the pitstop, Dave and Matt are still debating where they should go. They stop to ask someone about the old coal barn in Candor (which as it turns out is indeed the pitstop for this leg of the race) and don’t get a positive response, so they switch gears and decide to go to Newark Valley. After they leave the gas station, then the locals start discussing where the barn is… right down the road. Of course, when they arrive in Newark Valley (9 miles away), they find out that’s not right. Back to Owego it is, where they again decide to go to Candor, but this time they’re both in agreement.

Hal & Matilda break off from the group and go the right way. They discover the pitstop first. The other two teams in their group, who don’t know where they disappeared to, are 2 miles away, placing them closer than any of the other teams.

After the first three teams arrive, they begin talking about everybody being a team against Dave & Matt again. Because that worked out so well last time, when all four teams drove the wrong way because they were in such a hurry to beat them. Dave & Matt refuse to stop at the same gas station as they did the first time since they got nowhere, but Jon & Jenna do stop there. They get a good response from multiple people. In the end, that’s enough.

At the pitstop:

First: Hal & Matilda
Second: Daniel & Jeff
Third: Sadie & Ginalola
Fourth: Jon & Jenna
Fifth: Dave & Matt (eliminated)

The best team got beat. Tough way to lose, but at least it was because they messed up and not because they weren’t given a chance as I feared would happen.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Race 2 episode 5.

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 2, Dave & Matt continued their dastardly ways but put up another strong performance, while Hal & Matilda and Daniel & Jeff continued to sink to the bottom. But in the end, obsessed with Dave & Matt, Kristiyan & Nick fell into last place and were eliminated.

Teams depart in the order in which they arrived:

First: Jon & Jenna
Second: Dave & Matt
Third: Ginalola & Sadie
Fourth: Drew & Vanessa
Fifth: Daniel & Jeff
Sixth: Hal & Matilda

In the first challenge, teams must find cans and bottles and bring them to The Can Man redemption center. Teams were able to utilize whatever means they could think of to obtain cans. Jon & Jenna as the first to depart have a big advantage. They just ask for cans at the Park Diner, the pitstop for the last leg of the race, and take everything they have, which is more than they need. Dave & Matt just buy their cans, and the clowns that they are, they empty them while driving (but do at least slow down, if that earns them any points). Sadie & Ginalola head to bars and restaurants. Drew & Vanessa dig through the trash, and Hal & Matilda follow their lead. Daniel & Jeff head to their dorms at the University of Binghamton after also digging through the trash. Having no luck with the trash, Hal & Matilda also happen upon the strategy of just buying the cans, after much debate over the subject. Drew & Vanessa are struggling coming up with either a strategy or how to get anywhere, but they eventually start visiting restaurants, then Drew eventually suggests looking through dumpsters again, then they switch to buying the cans, then back to dumpsters… make a decision already.

The next challenge is to drive to Ostiningo Park and look for a man named Gordy, based on the color zipper and shoes he’s wearing. Jon & Jenna are obviously first to arrive, even before Gordy does. Dave & Matt are in second and get pulled over by security for driving in an area clearly marked not to. But it’s just park security, so I can’t imagine anything too bad happens to them, even if it is just a big waste of time. Sadie & Ginalola arrive in third, after Jon & Jenna leave, but they’re able to leave before the boys because the security guy is stupid and pulls them over again because they supposedly fit the description of someone from last week. Once they’re done dealing with the security guy and making fun of him, Dave & Matt leave in third, and Hal & Matilda arrive within seconds of that to leave in fourth. Daniel & Jeff are fifth, and by the time Drew and Vanessa show up, he tells them “It took you long enough.”

The pitstop is the Oswego fire department.

First: Jon & Jenna
Second: Dave & Matt
Third: Sadie & Ginalola
Fourth: Hal & Matilda
Fifth: Daniel & Jeff
Sixth: Drew & Vanessa (eliminated)

Jon & Jenna had a pretty easy first place. Dave & Matt take second after cutting off Sadie & Ginalola, who get a bit lost anyway. Showing up in last are Drew & Vanessa, which I was expecting last time. With no real direction or plan, it was just a matter of how far behind the others they would finish this leg. I do like the concept of people who don’t know each other teaming up, even if it didn’t go so well in practice.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Race 2 episode 4, which airs Wednesday at 9:30/8:30c on ICTV and via live webstream, with the video on demand version available on Thursday.

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

In episode 1, we were introduced to the teams. Dave & Matt are one of the better racing duos I’ve seen, and their ability to be funny in the process helps make them likeable even when they’re being cutthroat, though that won’t buy them many friends on the race. Kristiyan & Nick decided they hated Dave & Matt’s guts and other internal organs. Behind them, there were a few middle of the road teams, followed by two horrible teams, one of which was the first boot: Nick & Chris.

That sets up episode 2 with 7 teams left. Teams leave for their next destination, Gary’s U-Pull It in Kirkwood, in the order in which they arrived at the pitstop:

First: Dave & Matt
Second: Kristiyan & Nick
Third: Jon & Jenna
Fourth: Sadie & Ginalola
Fifth: Hal & Matilda
Sixth: Daniel & Jeff
Seventh: Drew & Vanessa

Dave & Matt pick up where they left off and are apparently the kind of drivers who consider the sidewalk to be a passing lane. Kristiyan and Nick also pick up where they left off, as Nick calls the police and inquires about the process of reporting a littering violation. Are these guys for real? The cops refuse to help because it’s a frivolous complaint.

When Dave & Matt get to the challenge, they grab some paint and hair and proceed to stick it to the other people’s clues, a move that will surely draw more animosity from the others. Teams must find three car parts in a junkyard. Sadie & Ginalola show up about 1 part behind, followed by Jon & Jenna an additional part behind. Hal & Matilda show up in fourth as Dave & Matt are leaving, followed by Daniel & Jeff. Kristiyan & Nick got a bit lost and show up as Dave & Matt are driving away, and Drew & Vanessa are right behind. So it’s a pretty tight race at this point. About half the teams are able to get assistance from a young kid eager to help, which may put the teams that got there after at a disadvantage. Hal & Matilda lose the most time on this task and leave in last place.

From there, teams must return to Binghamton. The challenge there is to go to shops on Antiques Row and identify the most valuable items in display cases at each store, then visit a historian to verify their selections. They must keep going until they pick the correct items. On the way to the store, Kristiyan realizes that worrying about the other team is silly and hindering them. When they get to one of the shops, they block someone in intentionally, a smart move, but exactly the type of move they’ve been complaining about.

Jon & Jenna are correct on their second visit to the historian and take the lead. Dave & Matt are immediately behind on their third visit. Sadie & Ginalola finally get it on their fourth try. Daniel & Jeff are correct on their second try, as are Drew & Vanessa and Hal & Matilda. Kristiyan & Nick are bringing up the rear and get it on their third visit.

Teams must then go to the Court St bridge, where they’re given the task of convincing three strangers on the street to trade shoelaces with them. Dave & Matt come up with the idea of paying people a couple bucks to get them to cooperate. Probably not necessary, but it will save them a bit of time. Though they then realize they don’t actually have the money to pay, so they take off. Once the first two teams are done, it starts raining. The rain doesn’t last long but does have the potential to make it more difficult since everything’s wet.

The pitstop is Park Diner in Binghamton.

First: Jon & Jenna
Second: Dave & Matt
Third: Ginalola & Sadie
Fourth: Drew & Vanessa
Fifth: Daniel & Jeff
Sixth: Hal & Matilda
Seventh: Kristiyan & Nick (eliminated)

Kristiyan & Nick went from second to last. I do think they expended way too much energy worrying about Dave & Matt that necessary. Drew & Vanessa pulled it together and performed a lot better than I’d expected. It still looks like a three horse race between the frontrunners, though.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Race 2 episode 3, which airs Wednesday at 9:30/8:30c on ICTV and via live webstream, with the video on demand version available on Thursday.

In what is becoming an annual tradition, the Amazing Race won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality-competition program. This marks the fifth year in a row that the show has won this Emmy.

The Amazing Race came out ahead of Dancing with the Stars, Project Runway, Top Chef, and American Idol. Even if CBS wants to put it on the backburner and relegate it to midseason status, it’s still the subject of critical acclaim.

“We are so proud to win this again, it’s extraordinary,” said Bertram van Munster, creator and executive producer.

It’s a lazy Labor Day evening, which means two things: barbecues are finishing up and no news. No news isn’t good news, so I thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at The Race. Remember when there were three seasons of The Amazing Race per year? After riding high off Rob & Amber’s first stint on TAR, the progress quickly got thrown away with the ill-fated Family Edition, which came after being bumped in favor of Rock Star: INXS in the summer (itself the victim of abysmal ratings). Despite struggling ratings, The Amazing Race 12 has been kept around but reduced to a midseason appearance in early 2008, with the removal of non-elimination legs and 2 episodes. So what’s a diehard Amazing Race fan to do in the meantime?

No, this isn’t The Amazing Race Asia 2, which presumably will premiere in November or thereabouts (yes, I expect to cover that as well, though). Rather, it’s The Race, a production of Ithaca College, where teams race across New York state. Now I know what you’re thinking, but wait. Having seen The Race 1, I feel comfortable saying this is an entertaining program. Granted, it doesn’t have the exotic foreign locations or the multi-million dollar budget we’ve seen from The Amazing Race. What it does have is good quality character development and highly charged competitiveness we have come to expect. With two PEGASYS awards (Best Documentary and Best Educational Access) and a cast and crew of over 100 under its belt, it’s worth checking out.

The full recap of season 1 episode 2 is below. Check out the links to seasons 1 and 2 if you’d like to watch them. Season 2 is currently scheduled to premiere on ICTV Wednesday Sept 19th, and episodes will be online at some point thereafter (unclear exactly when, but stay tuned to dingoRUE for more). Season 2 Episode 1 is already online, though.

Watch The Race 1 Online.
Watch The Race 2 Online.

(Note: the videos are in Quicktime. If you have a plugin problem as I did, here’s how to get around it. Right click the link below the video. Select Save Target As. Save the file to your computer. Right click the file and choose Open With > VLC Media Player. If you don’t have VLC Media Player, you can get it here. Highly recommended, as any time I have trouble playing something, I always use that instead.)

With the success of The Race 1, this season has been expanded, with the addition of one extra episode, two more teams, and two more legs. Thomas Pardee returns as the host. The race 2 teams are:

Hal & Matilda, brother and sister from Oxford, England. They feel they have an advantage because they’re used to spending long hours in the car together.

Sadie & Ginalola, roommates who met at their freshmen orientation. They bicker like a married couple. Uh oh.

Daniel & Jeff, friends from Binghamton University and members of an a capella group.

Kristiyan & Nick, friends from opposite sides of the world. Kristiyan is from Bulgaria.

Jon & Jenna, boyfriend and girlfriend from Scranton, PA who met at work. Jon is worried about their ability to cooperate with each other.

Drew & Vanessa, friends who met minutes before auditioning for The Race (he didn’t have a partner and went up to her at random). This team looks like a disaster waiting to happen on the basis of the pre-race interview alone.

Dave & Matt, best friends and members of a comedy group. Some fun comic relief.

Nick & Chris, friends and drinking buddies. They call themselves “deceptively smart.”

We start off at Cayuga Lake, the largest of central New York’s finger lakes. The first task is to retrieve their keys from the lake with the tools provided, including candles, matches, sticks, saw blade, string, and a bandage, most of which probably isn’t needed. Now this I like to see. Make them work even for this. Dave & Matt are the first to get the bucket, containing car keys and a knife. The next destination is Beebe Lake at Cornell University. Dave & Matt got the wrong bucket and ended up with Jon & Jenna’s keys. They had an extra key to their own car, left the key they found on the windshield of the right car, and took off. This has to be a rule violation of some sort. Jon & Jenna happen to be the next team to retrieve their bucket and get all confused. Due to the misunderstanding, Kristiyan & Nick are the second ones to leave. Daniel & Jeff are next. Jon & Jenna figure out where the key is and leave in fourth, followed by Sadie & Ginalola, Drew & Vanessa, Nick & Chris, and lastly Hal & Matilda.

As if leaving the keys without saying a word was bad enough, Dave & Matt also stole the New York pages from Hal & Matilda’s atlas. Now I know it’s probably politically correct to be hating these guys now, but the way they say things makes it hard not to laugh. The flaw in this plan is that everybody knows it was them, and nobody seems to like them right from the getgo.

Nobody has any real idea how to get to Cornell. Daniel & Jeff hope for inspiration from Yanni. Dave & Matt find it first. Nick comes right behind them and feels okay turning around to find a place to park because there’s no way the other team can leave their car at the bridge where there’s construction. So much for that theory. Dave & Matt jump out the car and proceed to run to the foot bridge. Nick comes back to find the car’s still where it was before, now blocking traffic.

Detour: Maple Madness or Alpaca Antics. In Alpaca Antics, teams must drive 34 miles to Appalachia and herd an alpaca (notoriously stubborn animals) through a series of fences into a pen. In Maple Madness, teams must drive 28 miles to the Maple Festival in Marathon, where they must drive a soapbox derby car down a ramp and across the finish line without falling off.

Dave & Matt choose the alpacas and arrive back at their car with a bunch of angry bus drivers standing around it. Kristiyan & Nick also choose alpacas, as do third place Sadie & Ginalola. Daniel & Jeff aren’t very concerned with where they park either, but at least they park in a “Parking by permit only” area, rather than blocking traffic, and Hal & Matilda park alongside them, followed by Jon & Jenna. Daniel & Jeff go with Maple Madness because it’s the opposite of what everyone else is doing, reminiscent of Danny & Oswald on TAR2. Drew & Vanessa, Jenna & Jon, and Hal & Matilda also pick Maple Madness. Nick & Chris get as lost as could be expected and are bringing up the rear, with the maple task as well.

At the alpaca task, one of the first things teams are advised is that gentle talking will probably work better than chasing them. The guys don’t get the hint and not only chase their own but begin using dirty tactics to scare each other’s animals. Nick blames Dave & Matt, though he played a large role in the silly actions himself. After having garbage thrown out the window at them, Kristiyan talks about calling the cops, and Nick acknowledges they’re going to blow it out of proportion because Dave & Matt are immature. Both teams think they outsmarted each other at a red light when deciding whether to go left or right.

At the maple task, the padding provided is minimal, while the falls on concrete aren’t. Jon gets cut pretty bad, and he’s not alone.

The first pitstop is the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, which the Binghamton U guys are pleased about. As with the first episode last season, there’s no way to even disguise who’s going to be eliminated first. Teams are in roughly the same order they were before the tasks started. There are two terrible teams here, with Nick & Chris being the one that’s been long gone for quite some time (the other being Drew & Vanessa). To make matters worse, given their weight, this soapbox derby has the potential to be long and painful.

At the pitstop…
First: Dave & Matt (apparently not penalized for the key mishap)
Second: Kristiyan & Nick
Third: Jon & Jenna
Fourth: Sadie & Ginalola (right behind)
Fifth: Hal & Matilda
Sixth: Daniel & Jeff
Seventh: Drew & Vanessa
Eliminated: Nick & Chris

In the preview for episode 2, Nick apparently makes good on the promise to call the cops, Dave & Matt continue their mischief, and teams get frustrated at a tire changing task.