I'm a little late this week. Took a family trip to Banff (watch here for my story on it) and didn't get back till Sunday night. On with the recap.

 For a few moments there, I was worried. After the moribund Season 24 of Amazing Race (Amazing Race All-Stars which had one of the dullest finales ever. Yep, I'm talking about you David Copperfield) and the fact CBS had moved Season 25 to Fridays (traditionally the Dead Zone for TV shows), I thought the Amazing Race brand was dead. Well, maybe dying.

Us Canadians have Amazing Race Canada and with Canadians ratings of its race at one third of US ratings (with one-tenth of the population), we're pretty confident that there will more seasons after 2015's Season 3. But this summer, we not only got Amazing Race Canada (a very solid second season), there was the surprise return of Amazing Race Australia. Season 3 of that was Aussies vs Kiwis and it was even much better than Season 2 of Amazing Race Canada. Both had some great locales and great casting, with Australia leading the way in the casting department. I love how some parts of the Australia cast look like the folks I see in my every day rather than models from a fitness catalogue. 

So when Season 25 returned, I wondered: would the flagship version regain its mojo? Or would it fade away, ending its run on its silver anniversary. Smartly, the producers made some changes, the Save (jury is still out on that), rule changes on airline booking and the best one of all, turning the final leg(s) into an extended one, sending 4 teams into the finale instead of three.

And this is where we start. Four teams leave Manila with their manila envelope. And boy are the Wrestlers pissed by the arrival of the Scientists. Brooke does not like the new rule and has no trouble expressing her displeasure. I'm wondering where did she get that laptop and what is she doing on it, checking her FB feed? Also, everyone looks a lot fresher than they did from the end of the last episode. There must have been some time between Phil saying "You're still racing" and the arrival at the airport. I would have preferred to have all the teams race to the airport grab whatever flight they can, and zip off to LA, still beat up and sweaty from the previous leg.

Anyway, teams are all on the same flight to LA, the Scientists the first out of the airport to find their Ford Explorer. They are told to find the LA City Hall, that iconic stone tower seen in so many movies and TV shows, go to the film commissioner office and get their filming permit stamped. They were also advised the previous episode that Phil will eliminate one team during this leg.

This is where we separate the men from the boys, or rather the Scientists from the Wrestlers. Amy's obviously got some map reading skills because she easily guides Maya to City Hall. The Wrestlers and the Dentists get completely lost, the Wrestlers melting down because they got bad directions. Brooke blames Robbie for this but he stands his ground. She further complains that if the Scientists had been eliminated they wouldn't be in this position, possibly eliminated by Phil sometime during the leg. That's true, they wouldn't be eliminated, only arrive in third place. 

Moving on, the Scientists find someone to give them directions to the Seaside Warehouse. And while they are doing so, Adam and Bethany arrive, get their stamp and drive away. The girls are right behind. Soon the Dentists arrive and are off as well. The Wrestlers are still lost. (Note: I could have some continuity errors but I just drove five hours straight from the mountains). Anyway, the Surfers need to stop to get directions, allowing the Scientists to arrive at the warehouse. It's a Roadblock where one team member must play a stuntman and crash through a three storey window into a foam pit below. I would suggest me taking this on cause I'm more of a physical guy than Gord. He's also older and would probably worry about breaking a hip. He's really tall so it's a big hip.

Maya jumps at the chance as does Adam, once he and Bethany arrive. The Dentists cross a huge bridge instead of making a turn into the warehouse district, forcing them to turn back. Valuable time lost. But makes no diff because the Wrestlers are just arriving at City Hall. And soon get lost on their way to the Warehouse. After a bit of trepidation during training, Maya crashes through the window, commenting how one makes breakaway glass. It's candy (I knew that). But it's just another reason why I really like this team; they aren't afraid of showing their smarts. Nor are they afraid of doing physical stuff.

Next clue is run to the Coast Guard station to participate in a rescue operation. The girls head off but get a bit down the road when they realize Maya has to take off her gear from the stunt before heading out. Ouch, forgot to read the clue. Not so smart, especially this late in the game when every second counts. So they head back and the Surfers pass them on the run. As they get back, Jim finishes his stunt. Fortunately for the girls, he can't find the clue in the satchel. This gives Maya and Amy time to stay ahead of them and get to the Coast Guard station. By this time, though, The Surfers are way out, rescue the dummy and are heading back. Their next clue is to get to some container yard.

At this moment, I'm thinking the Dentists would be able to pass the Scientists in the rescue. But the girls are much better swimmers than the Dentists. Even confident Jim says he's only able to swim enough to not drown. The Scientists, especially Amy, crushes the task ahead of the Dentists. They are off to the container lot. Meanwhile, back at the "movie" set, the Wrestlers are watching someone else jump out of the window. And just as it happens, Phil comes out of nowhere and eliminates them. The Wrestlers weren't a bad team per se. They had some funny moments, especially Robbie, and their misleading of the Scientists showed that they were smarter than they led on. And despite their obvious physicality, they had trouble with physical tasks. That was due to Brooke's constant complaining. Didn't matter what task she was doing or how long she was doing, it was the end of the world. That got tiring after awhile.

So the Surfers arrive at the container lot and it's another Roadblock that the non-stuntman must do. It's a bit confusing but teams must find containers with the name of the cities they visited during race, then remember a number that corresponds to their colour, remember all those numbers  and then come back and write the numbers down in the order the cities were visited in the race. Phew, glad I did the stuntman task cause Gord's a lot better at memory. Even so, this task just takes patience something both of us have since we have kids. I would enjoy doing it but I could do it. Bethany has to do the task, as does Amy and Misti. I like Amy because unlike Brooke, she just gets on with the task, not complaining even though she's got an injured leg. 

Time passes, as it does, and in the end, Amy gets her numbers done and listed correctly. They are off to some lighthouse for the mat. Bethany and Misti have their numbers but both make mistakes on their order. Misti gets it on her next try but Bethany has to try again. She does and all three teams are racing to the big mat and a million bucks. Some nice editing to add to the drama but it's pretty obvious that the Scientists are first. And they win the million bucks. Which is fantastic cause in the beginning, I picked these guys as a dark horse, a smart team that wasn't overly dramatic (save from some screams of joy at the mat) but got the job done. And even though my daughter was a big fan of Bethany, she was pleased that Amy and Maya won. Like the Olympians in Amazing Race Canada, they are a great role model for young girls but in a very different, and even better way. That's because Amy and Maya aren't elite athletes, or celebrities they make movies about. They are the girls and women my daughter sees everyday, like her friends, her teachers, her mom. I love it when teams Amy and Maya win. They are average folks who will enjoy having an extra million dollars but will pretty much go back their regular lives after the race. The Dentists are second, and the Surfers are third. 

And with the end of Season 25, and the airing of Amazing Race Canada Season 2 and Amazing Race Australia Season 3, it was a perfect trifecta of Amazing Race for fans around the world. Hopefully the trend with continue. I know Amazing Race Canada is casting for Season 3 and like I said earlier, with huge ratings in Canada, there is a good chance for at least Season 4, maybe 5. As for Down Under, not sure, but Season 3 was a surprise so who knows? Although I worry about Season 26 of the US version. I'm not sure a Dating Game version is the right way to go. It's good to have a couple of dating couples per season but every team? And teams that have just met? That kind of dating couple dynamic can oversaturate you after awhile, which is why it's great to have other team dynamics like Best Friends, married couple, Parent/Siblings, and all the other combinations. We here at Gord and Wayne HQ have adopted a wait and see attitude. We also may cover Season 26 the same way we cover Amazing Race Canada, with eliminated team interviews and the such. Inquiries have been made to CBS for this kind of access and we'll see what happens. 

To help, and to get more TAR info, follow these twitter feeds @EliseDoganieri, @BvMProfilesTV (Bertram's Feed) and @WorldRaceTAR. Don't forget to tell them Gord and Wayne sent you.

Merry Christmas to all and have a Happy New Year.

The race around the world continues in the Philippines, although for the most part, this was a European season. And with a switchback used in the last leg, one wonders if the producers are running out of ideas for locales or tasks. Let's see if they can surprise us.

Anyway, teams head out, led by the Dentists to some park named after some famous dude. They have to take a Jeepney but Jim and Misti (along with the Scientists) grab a Jeepney heading in the wrong direction. Sure, technically it will get to Famous Dude Park, but these things are on a circle route and if you're ridden enough transit like I have, if you're going the wrong way,  you're going to have to ride the whole trip before you finally get to your destination. The Surfers and the Wrestlers are going the right way with the Surfers arriving at the clue box first. Shows that a high IQ doesn't translate into being smart.

And it's a Detour: This or That? Really, that's the choices? Okay, maybe the producers/writers need a little help. If this was a blind detour I could understand, but it's not, so...This (or That) is playing some 2 on 2 Basketball with a local team (Not that interesting but oh well). That (or This) is racing a sidecar bike around the block 4 times in less than 17 minutes and 55 seconds. Okay, a bit exact with the time but at least this is a more interesting task. Not sure which way Gord and I would go. People assume that since Gord is 6'7", he's natural at basketball, but he's not. To be honest, he's not that athletic. I don't look it but I'm the athletic one, a kind of athletic dilettante. The biking might be easier because I've pulled my kid in her chariot on my bike. Even through two Edmonton winters. Gord's a lot bigger than my kid but I could probably do it fast. Him too cause he's gotten back into cycling now that he no longer has a second car. 

The Surfers take This (or That) which is the B-Ball. The Wrestlers have to do a Speed Bump which is take all the stuff off and out of a broken down sidecar bike and load in on another one. Not that difficult, although according to Brooke, it's gonna take forever. Even though she's only been at it for a minute. The Surfers are okay players, mostly it's Bethany passing to Adam but it works. They score the required 21 points and head out just as the Wrestlers arrive. The next clue is to find a marked Jeepney on some street in some market. (Sorry, I wasn't paying that much attention to details) And neither were the Surfers cause it seems they have lost their clue. They are wandering around the market hoping to find the place.

Meanwhile, the Sciendentists finally realize their mistake, switch Jeepneys and make it to the park. They both pick This. Or That. Heck, just check out this hilarious Canadian radio satire show of the same name. 

They pick the bike one and Jim and Maya race each other. Jim's working hard, sweating buckets but needs to create a time cushion because Misti has a cut on the bottom of the foot. And note how Jim emphasizes that he's not racing fast to beat the Scientists but the clock. That further confirms my opinion that he's not as obnoxious as he's trying to be. Maya's not doing bad but when Amy takes over, she tries to pass Misti and crashes into a car. Minders run to the rescue and the girls are on their way again. Amy passes Misti and decides to do two laps, leaving the last one for Maya. 

Back at the market, the Surfers are still searching and the Wrestlers find the clue box ahead of them. There were some funny moments of Brooke bragging about how good she was at B-Ball and then failing, but she picked it up and dominated. It's a Roadblock and because the task looks more physical, Robbie takes it on. He has to deliver some half-coconuts and bristle brooms to three different market stalls. He grabs a bunch and heads out, forgetting to read the clue about where the find the names of the stalls. Second last leg, 25th Season, teams still not reading clues. Finally, the Surfers find their clue and find the clue box. Adam takes it on. Soon, all the teams arrive at the Jeepney, all of them not entirely reading the clue and not finding the note telling them where to go. (Sigh) Robbie finally figures out what he's missing and heads to the stall but doesn't read how many of each he has to take.

These mistakes may seem little but it's hot and the stuff is heavy, so it's taking a physical toll on everyone, especially Amy. Robbie finally works out his mistakes and moves through the task. Adam as well but Jim shows some smarts and borrows a dolly from someone. Later on, so does Amy. But in the end the Wrestlers are at the mat first. Phil greets them, tells them they are Team #1, tells them they are part of the final leg. But here comes the first surprise. It's an extended leg. Despite how tired they are, they have to keep racing. He gives them the clue (fly to LA the final destination city) and a Manila envelope which they can only open at the appointed time. 

The Surfers are second and the Dentists are third. They are sent out to continue racing. But then the Scientists arrive. Amy is dehydrated and looks about to pass out. Phil calls for help and crew whirl about with water and umbrella, check her blood pressure, make sure she is all better. Nice to take care of the contestant before moving on. Once she's back to normal, Phil tells them they are the last team. But asks them a question instead of eliminating them, a sure sign that something is up. And yep, it's Surprise #2, a huge surprise. Instead of being eliminated now, the girls are allowed to keep racing. They get the clue, they get the manila envelope (nice work Amy connecting the envelope with the city), and Maya freaks out with glee. She's great. 

For the first time ever, four times will be on the final leg. However, the catch is that one of those teams will be eliminated before getting to the final mat. So nice work on the surprises.  Next week, LA. Looks like some kind of stunt task and then the winner will be determined. Pick your favs and cheer them on.

Greetings all. In case you have noticed, it's been awhile. And I've also deactivated my Facebook account. Why? Well, it was my birthday and I wanted to do something positive for myself. Since FB takes some time out of my day and a lot of the posts are time wasters, it felt right. I'll miss part of it, especially the Amazing Race 24/7 group but so far, two days in, and I'm feeling good.

Anyway, time for a recap of Season 25 of Amazing Race. Won't talk too much about what's happened, I'll mostly discuss the Final 4 teams and my view of them.

Team #1 - Soul Surfers. Obviously these two are the fan favourites and it's easy to see why. Adam and Bethany are just so nice. They work hard, they do their tasks and get dirty but they never really complain. Well, we don't see them complaining. Even so, Bethany is incredible about doing tasks with just one arm. And it seems the American producers have taken a page from the Canadians who, in Season 1, didn't make obvious comments about Jodi missing two legs or Tim Sr. having Parkinsons. All they do is show Bethany trying to do something with her feet holding something in place while using the one hand. Or her swimming out of Maltese groto, beating every single person with her. And Adam's, "good luck to all" comment on the mat last episode just added icing to that nice cake. I'll be pleased if they win because they deserve it. 

Team #2 - The Dentists. Okay, Jim's eyes and both of their overly white and perfect teeth are creepy. And sure, many fans don't like Jim cause he's acts overly confident. But he has the right because they have won five legs so far. And his overconfidence does get to him and they screw up so we have schadenfreude when that happens. But I'm not all that annoyed at Jim and Misti. I don't think he's all that mean or tough. It seems like a bit of an act but deep down he's a nice guy. I'm not a big fan of dentists overall but based on how the teams act towards them and the lack of negative comments towards them, he's probably a big pussy cat. Kind of like my buddy Gord. Acts like an orge but he's a huge softie at heart (that's why he's Father Christmas at Fort Edmonton Park). All the teams seem to like him and remember the first episode when he helped almost everyone with the compass task. That showed me he wasn't so mean. I won't be overly pleased if they win because they did make some huge mistakes and got lucky. But worse teams have won the race. One thing I don't like is their "Aren't we lucky cause we live where we live" attitude, especially in the last episode. There are many parts to the Phillipines, some poor, some not and to look down on them just because they are different is annoying. And there are a lot of places in North America which are very poor. 


Team #3 - Sweet Scientists. I love teams like this. Average folks that don't have perfect teeth, hair or bodies. Amy and Maya aren't the fittest or prettiest team ever but they are smart and they have spunk. They remind of the Bowling Moms or those other normal teams the race used to have before it started to recruit teams that were too pretty or overly physical. Season 1 of Amazing Race Canada was like that, mostly average folks. Season 2 had more "celebrity" teams. We'll see what Season 3 looks like. Although Amazing Race Australia is the best at having teams that don't fit into the mold of "beautiful" people. They are the best in finding teams that look like your neighbours across the street. So I'm hoping these two will win because they aren't the team you pick to win when you look at the whole group. I also like how Maya's just so happy to be there on the race. That's fantastic TV. They've done well, although they've made a few major errors. Like listening to another team about the placement of a cluebox. Doesn't matter how much you get along on the race, you shouldn't never rely on important info like that from another team. 


Team #4 - The Wrestlers. Sometimes these guys are funny, especially Robbie. His hilarious, playing up his dumb wrestler image when in fact, he's probably a lot smarter. Reminds me a bit of Mickey and Pete from Season 2 of Amazing Race Canada. Brooke can be funny too but she's also extremely whiney. Everything in the race, be it the location, the task, the weather, whatever, causes her to whine. And this is why I don't like them as much as the other teams. I don't care if they lie to other teams the way they did to the Scientists about the clue box cause that's part of the game. If you're going to believe another team about the location of clue box without checking it yourself, then that's your fault, not the team that misleads you. Sure, if the Wrestlers started doing this in the beginning, I see the villainy. But they waited until they built trust and then used it against teams. Sure, more villainous, but good game play. Besides, someone's got to be the heel in these things and why not Wrestlers. 

Hey folks, it's been a long while since one of us have written anything on this blog. In short, since Seasn 2 has ended, we've been busy. We blog for fun and like many other folks, have to work for a living and raise our kids. So Gord's been doing his design and illustration stuff, and I've been doing my writing stuff. Sometimes we work together on our graphic novel but mostly it's working alone. Every so often we get together for beers, talk about life, work and the Amazing Race. You know, same old, same old. Soon, we'll be preparing for Christmas. Gord will once again be Father Christmas at Fort Edmonton Park (if you're an Edmontonian reading this, go over and say hi), while I deal with family from out of the country. 

But today, Gord and Wayne HQ got an early Christmas gift (for me it was also an early birthday present since my birthday is on Monday). Through Twitter, I discovered that our humble blog was nominated for a 2014 Canadian Weblog Award. It's only a nomination and  we're not finalists (those are announced on December 5th), but the best part of this is that  out there somewhere, someone who reads this blog decided to nominate us. That means a lot to me and Gord, that you like this blog enough to make that kind of effort.

I'd like to thank all those who made this blog possible, especially during Season 2. Those folks include Monique at CTV and Cary at Insight Productions who treated Gord and Wayne like any other media outlet, sending us news releases, photos as well as including us in the weekly "scrum" to interview eliminated teams, as well as an interview with the winning team. Also, to Cory Mitic who provided us with his view of Season 2 and some great insight on how one feels during the race. Cory wasn't able to continue through the end of the season because of a recent move and other stuff in his life but he was very helpful. Further, to Insight Productions for putting on a great show, and to all the teams who we interviewed, who were open and honest during the interviews and responded with good humour to some of our silly questions. And finally, to all our fans (who would have thunk that we would have fans) for following us every week and making this blog more fun. We'll see you for Season 3.