Amazing Race 2 hour final episode

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally posted by Flame On@May 12 2005, 11:30 PM
Don't mind Uch and Joyce but wish Rob/Amber had won. More cunning, more entertaining, better competator. Why aren't Uch and Joyce hated for perhaps foolishly sinking all their money into conceiving, and after both somehow gotting laid off from a totally corrupt company/ies, the writing for which was on the wall very early.
As a team they were gracious to the others that were to them and at the end.
Agree about Lynn and Alex, super annoying and bitter.

That's why I don't understand the hatred towards him. What he's bad cause he's successful??

He's hated for being a conniving, unscrupulous, bas**rd. No one likes to see an ***hole win in life. Kind of like watching Domi or Bertuzzi hoist the Cup, or Mike Tyson collecting another cheque for $10 million.

Here's the thing. I'll bet they could have been equally as good competitors without such manipulative malice towards their competitors. Bribing a bus driver to not open the rear doors? Slowing down to at least ask if everything was alright? Taking potshots at your competitors? Didn't help em at all. He just lacks class.

Was he really that good a Racer? Some of the other Racers have suggested that it wasn't a "level playing field" that the general public was "falling over themselves" to help the infamous Rob and Amber, but not the other Racers. When you look at how many times they were able to get a local to zip them through a leg of a race, it does appear that they had an unfair advantage. Heck, in one of the episodes they even showed Rob and Amber's face on a magazine in South Africa.

LINK

[ernie]

Any traveller can get help from a local in almost any country. Atleast any country I've ever been to. And that's without a camera and sound crew around me! All the other people had to do was ask. Many teams have done it in the past repeatedly. This time these other teams didn't. They could have but didn't.

Bribing, stealing taxis, promising to pay more, getting locals to not mention the info. they shared with you to another team has always been a part of the race and always will be. R&A are just better at it than most.

As for the bribing the bus driver....Rob just got in on the cation after Ray did it.

As for being a conniving maniulative bas**rd....how do you know what he really is? You've seen him on reality shows that in order to be effective playing the game you HAVE to be conniving and manipulative. If you don't like to see whining, conniving, manipulating people win sometimes then what the heck are you doing watching Reality shows? Yeesh. So what they didn't share information with other teams and manipulated them? Those other teams first of all ostracized R&A from teh get go as the couple that doesn't need to win any more money. They weren't going to share information. They were going to do what ever it took to get them to lose. Thing is they never had a chance to do those things as R&A were always one step ahead of the other competitors until it came to find a cigar shop. It's all part of the game and most often sharing to much info leads to your downfall in the game. About time a team used these things to their advantage and were successful at it...while being kind to each other the whole way through.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Many teams have done it in the past repeatedly. This time these other teams didn't. They could have but didn't.

Did you read the link above? It's not that other teams didn't try. Other teams were saying it was far easier for Rob & Amber to enlist others. Look at that woman in South Africa that flew out of nowhere to help them. Did that happen to other teams? Nope. If its you, ernie, or Brad Pitt trying to get help in Prague, who do you think is going to get help first? (or laid first)

As for being a conniving maniulative bas**rd....how do you know what he really is?

Are you suggesting he's just putting on an act when he's on the show and is a B'Nai B'rith Man-of-the-Year when he's not? Yes, I'm going by how he's portrayed himself after being on 10 hours of TV, not "how he may really be in real life". That's a criteria of all celebrities - you're judged by what gets released to the public. Am I supposed to get indepth personal knowledge of all celebrities before forming an opinion, other than their "work"? Micheal Jackson's all yours then.

The man's been on 30+ hours of reality TV, put his wedding on TV, been on countless talk shows - I think the public's seen enough to call a spade a spade.

If you don't like to see whining, conniving, manipulating people win sometimes then what the heck are you doing watching Reality shows? Yeesh. So what they didn't share information with other teams and manipulated them?

You missed my point completely. You don't have to be whining and conniving to win the Amazing race, unlike Survivor. It's you against the obstacles of the race. Alliances really don't have that much effect, and the catfights of Survivor and Big Brother just aren't needed. Sharing info is one thing, and all teams are generally guarded about that but everyone understands that.

Stealing cabs, blocking bus doors, did they really get any farther ahead with that? I'd still say Kris and Jon from the last series were better Racers. Kicked butt but still took in the pleasures that the surroundings had to offer.

[ernie]

From personal experience I've had no trouble getting "guides" to lead me to and fro in Canada, the States, England, Scotland, Ireland, Japan, China, France, Germany and Switzerland. I didn't have to pay them all I had to do was ask. Simple as that. Sometimes I had to buy them a beer. BY and large people are nice and will do these things for other people. I'm not a celebrity nor did I have a camera crew with me. It was easier for R&A because they are good at it! Nothing more than it being their personality. They know how to get people to help them out. The South africa girl was the only one person to recognize them and offer to help out (i.e. they didn't recuit) and they weren't in danger of losing that round. AS well other racers during that task had no trouble getting people to help them and many racres in the past have used guides in the exact same manner.

Are you suggesting he's just putting on an act when he's on the show and is a B'Nai B'rith Man-of-the-Year when he's not? Yes, I'm going by how he's portrayed himself after being on 10 hours of TV, not "how he may really be in real life". That's a criteria of all celebrities - you're judged by what gets released to the public. Am I supposed to get indepth personal knowledge of all celebrities before forming an opinion, other than their "work"? Micheal Jackson's all yours then.

Yeah that's exactly what I'm saying What I'm saying is that you have only seen this person on Survivor and the Amazing Race...two shows in which manipulation, conniving etc etc can help and indeed are part of the race. No you don't need to have in depth personal knowledge but you of course HAVE to put in the knowledge you have into context. IN this case the ONLY knowledge you have is based on games in which these traits can be exploited as strategy. The only thing you can say is that he's smart enough to recognize that those things could help him win the GAME. No more. Unlike other movie stars and what not you don't actually have much if any information on his personal life or how he is. His every move isn't recorded...you don;t know if he's been in rehad or fondled a kid or was arrested for child porn etc. as you do with other celebrities.

The man's been on 30+ hours of reality TV, put his wedding on TV, been on countless talk shows - I think the public's seen enough to call a spade a spade.

Yes and in personal interview etc etc the only thing he's come off as is confident. He does not come off as a jerk at all.

You can call a spade a spade if you think 30 hours of TV time in which the camera time is edited for best effect, and the situations contrived are what make up the man. I don't. So he put his wedding on TV? Don't tell me if someone wanted to give you a handful of cash to put your wedding preparations on TV you wouldn't do it. And really perhaps you should watch the special before condemning him for doing so. Yeah they are milking their B-status fame. So what...nearly everyone eho has been on those shows do. U&J will milk it for all it's worth as well.

You missed my point completely. You don't have to be whining and conniving to win the Amazing race, unlike Survivor. It's you against the obstacles of the race. Alliances really don't have that much effect, and the catfights of Survivor and Big Brother just aren't needed. Sharing info is one thing, and all teams are generally guarded about that but everyone understands that.

No you don't. But why can't you be? It can certainly help and that has been shown again and again in the race. If only to win a leg (and get the prize if there is one). Yes it's you against the obstacles of the race....of course the biggest fataing obstacles are other teams! Teams have drug along weak teams not because those weak teams are nice people but because they are weak teams! When push come to shove if you drag Meredith and Gretchen along you know you will never finish last! It's strategy. it's manipulation. It's being conniving.

tealing cabs, blocking bus doors, did they really get any farther ahead with that? I'd still say Kris and Jon from the last series were better Racers. Kicked butt but still took in the pleasures that the surroundings had to offer.

Let's see they got to clues first and how many times did they finish a leg first? Yeah I'd have to say those things helped them. Don't tell me R&A didn't take time to enjoy the surroundings I think it is was very obvious they did. And yeah Kris and Jon may have been better reacers but they also finished second.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

It's pretty clear we have differing opinions on celebrities and how the race is best played. I guess we'll have to wait until Amazing Race X - All Stars, to see what approach really works the best.

(edited to take things down a notch.)