Amazing Race Season 1 Episode 2 - "Near or Far"

The second episode of the series. (slight wince) It's still trying to find its bearings. The emotions are a little too high and the tasks are a little too DIY, but it does make for some entertaining TV.

Places Visited

- Songwe Museum, Zambia
- Mosi-oa-Tunya, Zambia

Image: here

- Mukuni Village, Zambia

Image: here

- Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Image: here

- Arc de Triomphe, Paris, France

Image: here

Tasks

• Detour - Near or Far
• Choose between photographing African wildlife from a place that's near or far away. In Near, contestants had to photograph 5 animals while in Far they only had to photograph one elephant.
• Roadblock - Go up the Eiffel Tower, look through the telescope, and find the white and yellow flag on the Arc de Triomphe.
• Fast Forward - Bundu whitewater rafting on the Zambezi River

Stray Observations

• Alternate Titles for this Episode - Songwe Museum, Where You At?
• Rob and Brennan, Frank and Margarita, and Team Guido teamed up at the beginning. Yeah, that was short lived.
• Karyn starts the episode talking about how she wants to marry Lenny and ends the episode by verbally berating him and calling him a disappointment.
• Dave thought to ask someone in the actual village. Then, we never see him and his wife again until the end of the episode.
• Everybody’s helping each other out at this point.
• Team Guido axes Frank and Margarita first due to their uncontrollability and Rob and Brennan second due to their lack of travel knowledge. Needless to say I'm not a huge fan of Team Guido.
• Chief spits on the contestants as part of ritual which a quick Internet search says is a type of blessing ceremony.
• Airport lady telling Amie to chillax. “She doesn’t understand we’ve got a race going on.” - Valid point, Amie.
• So MUCH airport drama in the early days. Oh the drama!
• Another random person greeting contestants at the mat. This time it's a yellow mat.
• Clues were way harder and kinda cryptic back in the day.
• Not a fan of the teacher’s game. Really cutthroat and ruthless cutting in line and taking someone’s taxi.
• Paul makes a valid point about going home if all you’re going to do is cry while on the race. Although him threatening to leave was a bit jerk-ish. Also, way to have anger issues at the Eiffel Tower. It's the City of Love not the City of Rage.
• Wow, Karyn was pretty darn demoralizing. I really felt for Lenny. This is a brand new game. He's one of the first people to do this. It's not like there were dozens of episodes to watch beforehand to give him a clue on how to play. Cut him some slack, Karyn.
• Awww, Lenny and Emily became Roadblock buddies.
• I like how the teams hang around to say goodbye. They don't do that anymore.

End of Leg Two Results

1st - Pat and Brenda - Fast Forward Winners

2nd - Joe and Bill - Team Faceplant (Bill's spill at the mat was hilarious)

3rd - Rob and Brennan - "We're Not Bitter" 

4th - Frank and Margarita - Team Aggressive High Five (I mean Frank seriously could have knocked her hand off with that high five)

5th - Kevin and Drew - Still My Favorites

6th - Dave and Margaretta - "Where'd you go? You were gone for half the episode!"

7th - Paul and Amie - "Just Quit Already!"

8th - Nancy and Emily - Bickering Bettys 

9th - Lenny and Karyn - Bad Romance

Eliminated - Kim and Leslie - Taxi Thieves

Favorite Quotes

“Which camera is on?” - Kevin and Drew, picking out supplies for the detour

“Get that Ame. There’s a jack-o-lantern, too.” - Paul, pointing at a jackal

“There are no friends here.” - Joe, after deciding to delete Rob and Brennan from his alliance

“You’re the stairmaster man.” - Rob and Brennan, deciding on who should climb up the Eiffel Tower

"There's no need to run." - Leslie and Kelly, vying for last place

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

1. Would you play dirty to get ahead on the Amazing Race?

2. What do you think of the clues? Too cryptic?

3. What do you think of the airport drama? Boring or interesting?

Amazing Race Season 1 Episode 1 - "Air or Land"

First ever episode of Amazing Race!

Knowing that Amazing Race premiered September 5, 2001 just days before the events of September 11th, made me rewatch this episode with new intent. The starting city was New York City so my eyes were peeled for the Twin Towers and I spotted them. It's so odd to think that a little over 15 years ago these buildings were staples of the NYC skyline.

Back to the race...

Here are the first ever Amazing Race contestants!

• Frank and Margarita - the "Let's Stay Together" couple
• Paul and Amie - Engaged Couple
• Kim and Leslie - Single Teachers
• Lenny and Karyn - Thinking about Getting Engaged
• Dave and Margaretta - Token Old Couple
• Matt and Ana - Military Spouses
• Joe and Bill - Team Guido
• Pat and Brenda - Working Moms
• Rob and Brennan - Eye Candy
• Nancy and Emily - Mom and Daughter team or as I like to call them Ellis Grey and Meredith
• Drew and Kevin - BFFLs

And Phil Keoghan looked so young. Through the magic that is Google I discovered he was 34 years old when AR aired.

Places Visited

- Johannesburg, South Africa (2nd Largest City in Africa)

Image Source: here

- Knife's Edge, Victoria Falls, Zambia (Victoria Falls is one of the seven natural wonders of the world)

Image Source: here

- Batoka Gorge (A gorge is a narrow valley between hills or mountains, typically with steep rocky walls and a stream running through it).

Image Source: here

- Songwe Village - Pit Stop

Image Source: here

Tasks

- Detour: Air or Land

Contestants had a choice between the quick but anxiety-inducing zipline and gorge swing or the relatively tame, hiking option. Suffice it to say, everybody chose Air. Git 'er done!

- Fast Forward

To get the fast forward, contestants had to take a steep hike down to the Boiling Pot on the Zambezi River. Rob and Brennan and Team Grandparents (Dave and Margaretta) both attempted the Fast Forward. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess who won, but I was quite impressed with Dave and Margaretta's persistance.

Stray Observations

• Theme song is the same but there's a sweet Phil voice over that the more recent installments don't have.
• Wow, back in the day just getting a flight was a huge deal. In the newer seasons, the contestants are totally spoon fed, but the change probably has to do with stricter airport regulations.
• The contestants are wearing jeans and khakis and not the usual sportswear we're used to seeing. Ah, it was a simpler, less competitive time.
• You could tell that this was the early days because there weren't the classic visuals one associates with Amazing Race. White and yellow flags marked where they go next instead of yellow and red and there was a little dinky bucket instead of the usual box.
• The graphics were very old-timey.

• That was a pretty intense road race to Knife's Edge. I'm surprised nobody got hurt.
• The pit stop was shown very early on in the episode.
• Other notable things about the pit stop 
• A leopard print rug awaited the contestants - no world map just yet
• Phil didn't greet the winners or the contestants that were safe. Phil only talks to losers

End of Leg One Results

1st - Rob and Brennan - Team Diplomatic Eye Candy (passing out money and flags for the good ol' USA)

2nd - Joe and Bill - Team Mitt Romney (seriously Bill looks like Mitt Romney)

3rd - Frank and Margarita - Team "Let's Not Stay Together"

4th - Lenny and Karyn - Most Invisible Couple

5th - Pat and Brenda - Team Working Girl

6th - Kim and Leslie - Most Cautious

7th - Dave and Margaretta - Most Adorable

8th - Paul and Amie - Team with the Rudest Contestant (Amie's irate "You live here. How do you not know?" to a local was a shining example of why Americans get a bad rap.)

9th - Kevin and Drew - Most Quotable aka My Favorites

10th - Nancy and Emily - Team that Made Me Eye Roll the Most (mother/daughter drama is not enjoyable to watch)

Eliminated - Matt and Ana - First Couple Ever Eliminated from the Amazing Race, there's a prize for that, right? Also, there seems like there's a HUGE age difference between these two but they were both in their 40s. Matt just looked younger. He was also a sweetie and very supportive of his wife.

Favorite Quotes

“What concerns me the most is dying.” - Teacher (black haired)

“It’s amazing you got up this morning and tied your shoes.” - Drew and Kevin

“Leon, you just might be our ticket out of the ghetto.” - Margarita

“That’s Namibia, jackass.” - Kevin and Drew

“Swing, you fat bastard, swing.” - Kevin and Drew

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

1. Why is Nancy holding two drinks as Emily bungees? Doesn't she know her turn is going to be soon?

2. What did you think of Rob and Brennan's diplomatic efforts (passing out the money/U.S. flags to African kiddos)?

3. Who do you feel sorry for more, Margarita or Paul, for their respective partners?

Welcome

This is my blog for all things Amazing Race. It will mostly be full of my recaps and fun tidbits as I rewatch the older seasons of Amazing Race. I invite you to come and join me as a journey back through the years to revisit the Amazing Race from day one.