The Amazing Race 13 -- "I Wonder If They Like Blondes in New Zealand?" -- 10/19/08
 

Synopsis:

CBS Football DH this week - everyone in ET/CT should pad accordingly.

Long overrun. TAR will start at 8:45 ET.

Those divorced gals are annoying assholes.

Son was worried about mom getting eaten (by those 'cannibals')? OK. -rolleyes-

It was actually good suspense at the end. It was so dark out for the last 2 teams during their last task. I'm not quite sure how they fell so far behind given they were all on the same flight. I guess they are really bad at directions.

Lame fast forward since the first team to arrive has the exclusive chance to finish it first. They need to make it something hard that the first team to arrive doesn't automatically complete first.

I'd like to see a Fast Forward that teams could try to do at the same time, rather than one at a time. What point was there to a board with all those pull off stickers? Like the first team really wasn't going to complete it. Also, I like the fast forwards that demand personal sacrifice...I'd like to see Tina have to shave her head.

I was sure the blondes were going home. We never saw them catch up with any team.

Loving this race, but this hour was just okay - don't the obligatory 'Travelocity gnome' legs usually occur later in the race? I was half-expecting to see the SouthernBelles spew green all over Phil's dad at the mat.

Terence is a dick. This point, I find myself wanting to see Ken/Tina make it to the remaining 4. :shrug:

Agree. And they did the climb down from a towering height challenge in the first leg. Lazy FF

Can't wait to see Terence get pulled over by the 5-0 next week.

Shouldn't that one team have gotten penalized for not using their car and walking instead?

They didn't gain any time advantage by walking.

I actually enjoyed this episode better than last week mainly because I've been to Auckland, New Zealand in the past and have an appreciation for that country.

It was a real shame for the Producers to waste the Sky Tower climb as a fast forward. Plus, I did not like how that segment was edited for Ken and Tina. It made that climb seem alot easier than it actually was. I recall it took me almost 1 1/2 hours to climb that tower inside the dark and narrow tunnel and it was probably one of the most grueling and exhausting things I have ever done in my entire life. It would have been better served as part of a Road Block. Ken and Tina bothered me in the 1st episode, but they have surprised me how well they are working together. Using the fast forward this early in the race didn't benefit them at all though.

Why does everyone have to get so pissy about the fucking UTurn? The fucking bitch divorcee's were having a huge cow about that and it was really pissing me off. They were behaving as if a really good friend betrayed them. It's a fucking contest to win 1 Million bucks, deal with it bitches!!

I have good friends who live in Auckland and I've been there five times. Love that city (and country) so I was really happy to see the race go there.

Kiwis have a penchant for extreme sports and they could have picked quite a few challenging detours for the racers (especially for the FF). Unfortunately, most of the places that offer these extreme sports are located on the South Island and they would have to leave Auckland. Don't know if they're staying in NZ for the next leg but if they do, I hope they end up on the South Island as this is where most of NZ's spectacular scenery can be found, especially around the Southern Alps. If you saw any of the Lord of the Rings movies, most of the exterior shots were filmed on the South Island.

A few visits ago, when NZ was defending its America's Cup title, we were lucky enough to meet an LOTR Associate Producer (Rick Porras) at one of the races. He very generously offered to give us a tour of the WETA studios in Wellington which, being a total LOTR geek, I eagerly accepted. I got to hold Gandalf's staff, looked over the (massive) wardrobe, and also toured what was left of the interior sets. We also got a tour of the WETA Digital offices where they have this huge computer complex (hundreds of rack-mounted computers to do all the CGI rendering). They were working on the 3rd film during this visit and we got to see a a bit of a preview. All in all, this had to be one of the funnest (Steve Jobs seems to think this is a word so who am I to argue) days I can remember.

[Edit] Forgot the coolest thing! I also spent about an hour chatting with Alan Lee. This is the artist that inspired much of Peter Jackson's visual look for the LOTR movies. Very quiet and introspective guy, but also very nice and interesting.

:eyebrow:

I enjoyed this episode the most of any this season. This was the first one I started to get into the race. It was cool to see Phil's dad at the finish. Anyone notice he had a tear in his eye when the last team came in for elimination?

As I was writing that, I just KNEW someone would comment. :)

Loved how Phil's dad offered a huge to the cute blonde team that got eliminated.

??? -other-
;)

"Hi, I'm Phil's dad. Come closer so you can hug Gandalf's staff. It's huge!"

It was a great touch having Phil's dad there, I almost thought they would make it a non-elim, but it was only a matter of time before they were outl

Also Ty annoys me with his fingerless gloves.

I was wondering why he was wearing cycling gloves.

The looks on his face and on Phil's face at that moment were absolutely priceless. Humiliating in only the way a father can do to his son.

I had no sympathy for Star.

"Don't put your hands out."

She puts her hands out.

Moron.

Thanks for a much needed laugh! :lol: