The Daily Bongo
Amazing Race 8
Tuesday, December 13, 2005 -- Evening
On to something that should be interesting: the final episode of Amazing Race 8. The title of this episode is 25 Days, 50 Cities, and More than 600 Consecutive Hours as a Family. The show is a two hour special and starts with a recap of all the previous episodes. The episode starts in Montana where the last Pit Stop was. The final three will not have an elimination before the final. The Weavers sit at a table by themselves. The Bransens leave first at 3:04 am. they have to travel to MOntreal, Canada, and enter the Underground City, search the tunnels fand find the passageway to the CDP Capital Building. They are given a flight, but can see if they can find another flight if they want to. The Linz family leaves at 3:08 am. The Weavers leave at 4:02 am. The Weaver mom comments that Rolly Weaver is the man of the family and has matured in the year and a half since his dad died. The Bransens made reservations that will get them into the Montreal ten minutes earlier than the original flight. All the teams are now flying to Canada with the first connection in Minneapolis. The Linz family thinks they are ahead of the Bransens. The Linz family has gotten onto a flight from Toronto to Montreal that gets them in an hour ahead of time. Rolly Weaver gets into a race and trips one of the Linz boys to get in front of them. As Megan Linz says, it is getting personal. It wasn't earlier, but it is now. The Weaver mom yells at the Linz boy to get his hands of her son to which he told his brothers that Rolly was lucky he didn't break his arm.From seeing the film, Rollie did grab the Linz boy bookbag which caused the Linz boy to fall. The Linz and Weavers are on a flight that will get them in MOntreal at 4:10 pm while the Bransens will get there at 5:00 pm. The Weavers get into a van that is taking them to the Underground City. The Linz family also gets into a van. The Bransens find out that they are behind schedule and will get into Montreal at 5:25. The van driver for the Weavers say that he will wait for them, but they have to come back. The Weavers have found the clue first. It is a detour. In Slide It, they have to drive 22 miles to the Mcgill Arena and do some curling. Each team member must have the stone go 120 feet and get into the house. It could take a long time to finish. Roll it takes them 23 miles away, and they have to roll some logs that will require strength and deterity but strong teams can finish quickly. The Linz family is at Victoria Square and looking for the CDP Capital. The Bransens are just landing now. The cabdriver for the Weavers may have gotten them slightly lost. The Linz family hasn't found the clue yet.
The Linz family finally finds the clue which they walked by before. They decide to do the curling detour. The Bransens are on their way to Victoria Square. It seems that the Weaver cabdriver was driving them to the wrong location. The Linz family gets direction right away. The cabdriver for the Weavers is trying to tell them how to curl. The Weavers get there first and the cabdriver comes in to watch them. The Linz family goes to the wrong rink too. It appears that there are two with the same name. So now they are behind. The Weavers are still working on the curling. Only Becky Weaver has her stone in the "house". The Linz family has another person explain how to get to the other McGill arean. The Bransens find the clue and they are deciding to do the log detour. With the Weavers, one of the stones hit the other to knock it in. All four Weavers get their stones in the house and move on. They are looking for the American Pavillion which was built for the 1967 World Expo. The Weavers cabbie, Ted, is already calling for directions. The Linz family has arrived at McGill. The Bransens have arrived at the Arboretum. They just have to roll four logs. The Weavers find out that Ted is a Christian. He does have a cross on his rearview mirror. The Linz family has three stones in the house and need to get the last one. The Bransens get the first of their four logs. The Weavers have found the American Pavillion and now have to find the marked stairs that they need to climb to the fifth floor to find their next clue. The Weavers say they are very fortunate to find Ted because he is determined to get them to their destination. The Weavers are at the building and can't find the stairs at the base of the structure. Finally they find it and rush back down the stairs. They now have to go six miles and find La Porte J which is door J at 2350 Dickson St. is the location they need. The Weavers are always boosting their drivers ego. The Linz family seem to have irritated their driver who shakes his head when one of the Linz boys says Andelay to the driver to drive faster. It's Spanish though and not French. The Bransens are having serious problems with their logs.
The Bransens get the second log. The Weavers are saying that God sent them Ted. The Linz family has found the American Pavillion. The Bransens have finished their clue, and are now headed to the American Pavillion. The Weavers are looking for 2350 Dickson St. They have a road block. The person has to learn and successfully complete a move on a trapeze. Rolly is going to do the move. The Weavers are praying for Rolly. Megan quickly finds the stairs and they have the next clue. The Bransens are at the American Pavillion. Rolly asks if the other guy is a professional. Rolly quickly does the move on the first try. The Weavers are in first place. They have to travel two miles to Parq Olympik. They have to drive in a golf cart, and find the one door that will let them in. Then they to go to the center of the football field inside to get the next clue. The Weavers are in first place. Alex Linz is going to do the trapeze stunt. He doesn't make it the first time. The Bransens have found the stairs and the clue. The Bransens are now on their way. The Weavers have the Parq Olympik first and are driving around in their golf cart. The mother says that they should have taken a left because everyone makes a right because it is most common. How stupid. Alex is trying the trapeze again, and gets dropped. The Bransens have found La Porte J. The Bransens are happy to have caught up. Alex doesn't think he can do this road block.
The Bransens are happy to have caught up. Alex Linz is finally caught and ready to go on. The Linz family says that they haven't seen the Weavers in a long time. The Weavers are still driving around and stop to look at a map of the building. The Linz family have gotten to the stadium now. Beth Bransen used to do gymnastics and makes it on the first try. The Bransens are not far behind the Linz family. The Weavers are trying to break into the stadium by ramming the doors with their cart. The Bransens are at the stadium now and both they and the Linz family are looking for the opening to the stadium. Thw Weavers have finally found their way in, and they are running to the box at the 50 yard line. They now have to search the stadium to find three different charter flight tickets with different times. They have caught up with the Weavers. Once you pick a charter, you have to keep it. The Weavers don't think that it is fair that the others have caught up with them. I think that's rude on their part. The Weavers went out to pay their taxi drivers and the others realize that they should do the same. The Weavers keep on saying that the other teams are sore losers and that they know that the Weavers got to the stadium first. The Bransens and the Linz families are going to work together so the Weavers don't win. The Bransen dad is arguing with his daughters because he doesn't want to do what they want and everything is taking longer than he thought. One of the daughters say that the dad is a stubborn person. The Weaver mom says that they shouldn't go to the upper levels, meanwhile they found one for 5:50 am. The LInz family is just taking it and done. Rolly keeps on telling them that the Weavers should look upstairs. The Weavers are just sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. The Bransens found one for 5:45 am and they took it. The Weavers don't want to look, and their mom has gone to sleep. The others have their tickets and are going to sleep. The Weavers just want to give up and don't have the energy to compete. Rolly keeps on trying to get them to stop wuzzing out, but the Weavers are apathetic.
Rolly keeps on begging them to find the charter flight. The Weavers are finally looking for the clue. Rolly finds it. The flight is for 5:55 am which means they are in last place. The Weavers don't know if the other teams are leaving before them or not, but they are heading to the airport. The Linz and Bransen families now head to Hubert Airport. The Weavers find out they are on the last charter. The destination of the flights is unknown. All are now waiting at the airport. The Bransens go off first. The Bransens are focused on winning the million dollars. The Linz family head out second, and then the Weavers are on their way. The mother said that they can come back from it and win. She thinks they are the team to beat. The next destination is Toronto, Canada. They rush to their SUV and now have to travel to the CN Tower. They have to go to the uppermost observation deck, use binaculars to scan the city to find their next clue. The Linz family is in Toronto. The Weavers are right behind them and it is a rush to the cars. The weavers rush to leave but don't know where they are going, but the LInz family appears to know. The Weavers stop at a store to ask for directions and the Weaver mother asks for the map because it is torn, and says they have no money, can they have it because they will get back what they give. The guy looks at her, but gives her the map. The Bransens are looking for the flag that will point out their next destination. The Linz family has gotten there second. The Weavers are just arriving. The Bransens and LInz families have spotted it and are headed down. They need to get out of there before the Weavers find it. They are all headed down and all the Weaver mother can do is whine and complain about how frustrating and unfair it is.
One of the Weaver girls finally finds the yellow flag, but the Bransens and Linz families are on their way. They are heading to the pier. The Linz family arrives first and then the Bransens. It is a detour. In Ship, they have to sail across the Toronto Habour and go to the boat called Kajama. When they find it, one team member must climb 150 feet up the mast and can be physical and frightening. Shoe takes the team to the Bata Shoe Museum, and then must choose a pair of shoes and find one of 100 women who have a matching shoe. It can be time consuming. The Linz family and Weavers do ship and the Bransens do Shoe. The Linz family arrives at Queens Quay first. They first have to take a sailboat over to the Kajama, and they get a lesson is sailboating. The Weavers have started out in their sailboat. The Linz family still looks like they are in first place with the Weavers right behind them. The Bransens have found the shoe museum and are trying to find the model who matches the shoe. One of the girls realizes that they should have done the task. The Linz family arrives and now has to climb. The Linz boy gets there and down quickly. They now have to travel 81 miles to Queenston and take a ride up the gorge to the Niagara Falls and grab their next clue from the buoy. The Bransens are having difficulty finding the matching foot.
Finally the Bransens find the shoe that fits and they are headed on their way. It looks like the Linz family is in first and the Bransens are second. The Weavers are at the boat, and Rolly is climbing to get the flag. He is having second thoughts, but he does it. They get their clue and are now on their way. The Linz family realizes that they made a huge circle around the United States. The Weaver mother gets mixed up and doesn't realize where they are going, but the kids keep her straight. The Linz and Bransen families asked the same person for directions and the guy gives the Bransens some attitude, but they are on their way. The Linz family gets off first and then the Bransens. The Weavers have yet to arrive. The Linz family gets soaked by the waves in the rapids, then so do the Bransens and the girls all scream. The Linz family gets the clue, and have to go to Lewiston, NY for their final destination. It's not done yet as they say. The Bransens are getting their clue and are headed to Lewiston as quickly as they can. The Linz family and Bransens are on each others tails. Road block! There are 71 jigsaw pieces that must be completed for a map of North America. Once it is completed, the teams can now race to the finish line. They are all close. It is a race between the Linz and Bransen families. The Weavers are nowhere to be found just yet. it is nerve wracking as one of the Linz boys admits. Nick Linz is doing it for the Linz family and the dad is doing it for the Bransens. The Weavers are still on the river and haven't reached the buoy yet. They now have their clue and are headed to the final destination. I hope that they don't catch up with the Linz or Bransens. It is going to be close between the two families. I am getting nervous just watching. Both families are excited. There are only small ones left for the Linz family. it is a battle to the end. The Linz family finishes first and then the Bransens are racing them. The Linz family has won, and the Bransens have finished second. The Weavers were trailing by a mile. Megan Linz is crying. The Linz family has a group hug and all the other families who have been in the race and their families are there to applaud them. The Bransen and Linz families hug and congratulate each other. They say that it is for everyone back at home and for Mom and Dad. Megan says that she doesn't want to run again for the rest of her life. Megan said that she ran with the guys and she kept up with them. The Linz family says that the Bransens were tough competitors. As the Linz boy says, it was three boys against three girls. The Bransen dad starts crying when trying to answer a question and then the girls start crying. The girls all say they wouldn't have made it without him. Even the other families are crying. The Bransen dad said that as a parent he was proud of the Linz family. The Weavers come up now in third place. I don't think they actually did the puzzle. The Weavers are crying too over their trial. The Weavers say that working together is what is important. Everyone now comes and congratulates the winners.
Tuesday, December 6, 2005 -- Evening
One of the final episodes of Amazing Race 8 this evening. This one is titled Family Christmas Card. The episode starts with the race to Phil without the teams knowing that the race was still on. Phil gives them their next clue. They have to drive 49 miles to DuBois, Wyoming and drive to Turtle Ranch to get their next clue. The Godlewskis decide to stop to call to find out where they are going. The Linz family just decides to keep on going. The Godlewskis just waste time because they can't call anyone on the pay phone. They argue because one sister told another to grab a phone book, which she refused to do. The Bransen daughters talk about how cranky they get if they don't have food. The Weavers stop to ask for directions and even though they stop at a gas station, they don't get gas. It becomes an argument between the sisters. The Linz family gets to Phil in third place and call him the Philinator. The Linz family starts off on the next leg of the race. The Godlewski sisters are still arguing and Christine is crying because the sisters are being mean to her. Phil tells the Godlewskis that it's not over and to keep racing. The Bransens get to Turtle Ranch and find out that they have to wait until the next morning for the ranch to open which means that everyone will be starting out on the same foot. The Weavers say that the other families aren't people they want to hang out with. The Linz and Godlewski families arrive and now everyone is on even footing. The Weavers are inside their camper complaining, but the other families are outside and talking.Everyone runs out to the cars with the Linz family in first, Weavers second, Bransens third and Godlewskis last. They all drive out and the Weavers are praying. The families are headed to Indians at a tepee. There is a clue box there. It is a detour. The two chores are Pioneer Spirit and Native Tradition. In Pioneer Spirit, they have to attach four wheels to a cover wagon, and then atttach horses to the wagon, and drive it along a quarter mile course. In Native Tradition, teams have to use materials and tools to build a tepee. The tepee building could be lengthy where the wagon chore could be easy. The Weavers and the Godlewskis decide to do the tepee and the Bransens and Linz family do the wagon. One of the Godlewski sisters checks out the tepee that is already standing and finds that it is four shoes between each tepee pole. The Linz boys are good at the Wagon wheel work. The Bransens have their wagon wheels ready first, but they still need to be screwed on. Rolly Weaver gets freaked out because the Indian chief is looking at him. The Linz family is on to getting the horses. The Linz family is leaving first. The Bransens are off next. The Weavers and Godlewskis are still building. The next trip is to Cody, Wyoming, and must go to a hotel called the Irma named after Buffalo Bill's daughter. They have to dress up like characters from the Old West and get their picture taken with Buffalo Bill's daughter then give the picture to Buffalo Bill who will give them the clue. The Linz family is in first and the Bransen's are second. The Bransen girls credit their father with them doing well. The Godlewskis are trying to figure out how to get higher to tighten their tepee. The Godlewski sisters climb on each others shoulders. The Weavers finish their tepee first and get the clue. The Godlewskis have to hurry to not be left too far behind.
The Godlewskis appear to have their tepee done and are in last place, but not too far behind the Weavers. The Linz family is in Cody, and are now finding Irma. It's a real race between the Linz family and the Bransens. The Linz family gets there first. They go into the dressing room, and when the Bransens get there, they have to wait for the Linz family to dress first. The Linz family are a good looking bunch. and there is some flirting with the Bransen girls. The Linz family is in first. They have to travel 73 miles to Red Lodge, Montana and go to the Red Lodge Mountain golf course. At the 10th tee, they will find their next clue. The Weavers are also already in Cody. The Bransens complete their picture taking and now are heading off to Red Lodge, Montana. Papa Bransen says that he will use the picture with Buffalo Bill as the family Christmas card. There is a road block at Red Lodge. In this version, two people must chose one of the colored flags and must go around the back nine and find four balls the same color as their flag. They choose orange. They find one ball, and the Bransens have arrived. The Bransens choose purple. The Bransen find one of the purple balls. The Weavers are commenting on how good they look as they get their picture taken. The Godlewskis have finally arrived at Irma. The Linz family now has three balls. The Bransens have three balls too. The Godlewskis get abit carried away with flirting with Buffalo Bill. The Linz boys have missed one of their balls which is in the hole. The Weavers have arrived. The Bransens have found all four balls and can now get their clue. They are in first place. They must now drive 43 miles and go to Green Meadows Ranch. It's the pit stop for this leg of the race. The Linz boys find the last ball,a nd are now on their way. They are in second place. The boys are mad that they didn't look in the hole for the ball. The Godlewski sisters arrive and go off look for their balls. The Weaver girls aren't talking to the Godlewskis. The two sisters are arguing and fighting and not looking for balls. One jumps out of the go-cart and refuses to get back into the cart. They are dooming themselves to being eliminated if they don't stop fighting.
The Godlewskis are still fighting while the Bransens are looking for Green Meadow Ranch. The Linz family is seven miles away. The Weavers have found all four balls which means that the Godlewskis are in last place. The Godlewskis have their balls and are on their way. Back at Geen Meadows Ranch, the Bransens have arrived and they are first. They are one of the three teams that will be racing to the finish line. As the winner of this leg of the race, they won a Buick Lucerne. The Linz family is second. They will be another one of the finalists. The Weavers get pulled over for speeding. The officer gives them a warning only. The Weaver mom goes out to ask for directions to the ranch. The Weavers are running out of gas. The Weavers and Godlewskis are both racing to the finish and the Weavers get there first. They will go on to the finals. The Godlewskis are eliminated. The Weavers feel good about getting this far and say it hasn't been easy. The Godlewskis get the bad news that they have been eliminated. It was very stressful, and it seems that all the sisters had to admit that they weren't surprised at how they treated each other. It seems that they aren't going to be more accepting of each other. As one says, they may not like each other every minute, but they do love each other. The Bransens and Linz families admit that there will be no more helping each other. All say that they are going to continue to play as they already have been. Next week will be the final episode and will reward the winner with $1 million.
Saturday, December 3, 2005 -- Early Morning
First up is Amazing Race 8. The title of this episode is Don't Talk to Me Like I Was an Animal or Something. The episode starts in Salt Lake city. It has the largest inland salt lake in the world. The Linz family left at 12:46 am. They have to drive to Park City High School. The Linz sister is not feeling well, and the brothers take care of her. It seems she has cramps, and the one brother doesn't want her throwing up on him. She admits that she likes being spoiled by her brothers. The Bransens are second. They talk about the tensions between the other teams that they aren't involved in. The Godlewski sisters go next, and the sisters seem to be having problems getting along and arguing. The Linz's arrive at the school. They have to inflate a hot air balloon, take a scenic tour of the Utah countryside. The balloons start departing at 6:00 am, and shuttles for the balloon site leave every 10 minutes. There is one team per balloon, and they get the next clue when they land. The families then go to sleep in their campers. The Weavers leave last, and the mother says that the family has never been treated like that before. The Linz sister is feeling better after sleep and Pepto Bismal. The Weavers just arrived at the school in the morning, and they were screaming at the other teams about getting to sleep in a bed. The mother asked the Linz family if they were sorry that they used their yield, and one of the brothers said that they weren't sorry. The Weavers feel happy for making rude remarks to the other teams. The Linz family is working on getting their hot air balloon up and running. The Bransens arrive shortly after and begin working on their balloon. The Weavers then make some rude remarks about the Godlewskis being bottle blondes and implants. The Linz family is up in their balloon. The Bransens leave next, then the Godlewskis, and finally the Weavers. The scene seems beautiful. The Bransens and the Linz balloons lightly touched. One of the Godlewskis sisters said that she was afraid of heights, but Amazing Race is getting her over this. Meanwhile, Rolly Weaver said he had a dream about falling out of a hot air balloon so he is freaking out. The Linz family gets their clue first and they must travel 14 miles to Heber Valley Railway and search the grounds for their next clue. The Bransens land next and start out on their next leg. The Weavers wind up landing somewhere near a road and have abit of a fright when it seems as if the basket is going to tip over.The Weavers are left on a side of a mountain. The Linz family has found the railroad. There is a detour. They have to choose between Spike it and Steam it. In Spike it, teams have to use old time railroad tools to complete a 20 foot section of track. In Steam it, they have to fill a steamer with 400 pounds of coal to fuel the steam engine. Spike it requires precision while Steam it requires strength. The Linz and Bransens take Spike it. Megan Linz just gets to stand by and watch the boys do all the work. The Godlewskis also take spike it. The rail seems to be very heavy and requires alot of strength. The Godlewskis start arguing with one of the sisters using the title of the show to another sister as they argue. The Weavers take steam it. One of the Bransen girls got hit in the head, but continues on. Walter Bransen took over with the hammering and did a good job. The Weavers seem to be doing a good job with the Steam it, and are running hard. It's looking like Steam it was the way to go when the Linz family has to redo their section of rail. They do finish first encourage the other teams to keep going. For the next clue, they have to travel 148 miles to the Bonneville Salt Flats. There they will find a 87 foot sculture known as the Tree of Utah. They have to scan the salt flats to find their next clue. The Bransens finish next and head off to the salt flats. The Bransens say they would have been screwed without their dad. The sisters are arguing. The Weavers finish third. The sisters are now arguing over who chose the task and one of them says to just stop it, they all agreed. One of the sisters is crying, and asks to be left alone.
Christine Godlewski feels that she doesn't get the kudos that she deserves and that's why she is crying. The Linz family finds the clue box. They now have to go to Garden City and find Bear Lake Park and find Rendezvous Beach. They will be staying overnight and the first time to arrive will be the first to leave in the morning. They will be leaving 15 minutes apart. The Bransens arrive first and will leave at 8:30 am. The Weavers are the second time to arrive and will be leaving at 8:45. The Weavers go begging for money. The Godlewskis are the third to arrive. The Linz car battery was drained by a production error and they wound up arriving last. The teams must now travel 137 miles to Wyoming and must find Dunham Ranch Big Piney for the next clue. The Bransen dad is seriously studying the map while the daughters act silly. Poor Megan has to put up with alot of roughhousing from her brothers. The Bransens arrive at the ranch. There's a roadblock. This time two people from the team. They must ride by horseback and take 6 cattle and herd them down to a pen a quarter of a mile away. Once they have completed the mission, they get the next clue. Two of the Bransen girls set out with their cowboy. The cowboy tells them to not go too fast and if the calves run, they will stick with their mothers. The Bransens seem to be doing okay. The Bransens got their cattle in the pen, and now have to travel 190 miles to Yellowstone National Park and find Old Faithful. They have to stay to watch the geyser, and then will get their next clue. The geyser goes off every 90 minutes. The two Weaver girls do the task, and it seems that they have three horses at home an done of the girls wanted to be in a cattle pinning contest with her dad, but they didn't do it. The Godlewskis are trying to turn their car around on the road and are getting into yet another argument.
The girls stop some guy who winds up helping them turn the truck around. The Weavers completed their task. The horse runs off on one of the Godlewskis. The Weavers and Linz family get into an altercation because they were on a narrow road and the Weavers said that the Linz family should have moved their trailer over. The Godlewskis got their clue. The Linz family is in last place. The Linz family is done and trying to get back into the race. The Bransens have arrived at Yellow Stone. They find a fireman and find out that it will be 4:28 when the geyser goes off. The Bransens don't want to lose because another team caught up. The Godlewskis and Linz family arrive at the same time. The Weavers and the Bransens are together to see the eruption. They now how to go to a Ranch at 15200 and look for Phil. The Bransens told the Godlewskis where to go. The next eruption is at 6:02. The Linz family and Godlewskis wait for the eruption together. They now have to head off to the Ranch. The Bransen is the first family to arrive, and the Weavers are second, but it is just the first leg of the race, and this is not a pit stop. The next leg of the race continues in the next episode.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005 -- Evening
1st team -- Linz2nd team -- Bransen
3rd team -- Godlewski
4th team -- Weaver
Since I was watching the Pens game yesterday, I recorded Amazing Race 8 and watched it this evening. This episode was called How's that Face Feel?. The episode started at Lake Pyle, Arizona, and is the largest man-made lake in the world. The Godlewski sisters depart at 5:45 am. They now have to drive 136 miles to Monument Valley, utah. It is the scene of some John Ford movies, and the teams have to find John Ford Point. Christine Godlewski thought that they could relax and talk during the trip, but they didn't. Sharon and Michelle says that Christine talks too much. The Linz's said that they made too many mistakes in the past, and they need to step up and win this one. The Godlewskis are going the wrong way on Rt. 98, going west instead of east. The Weavers say that they didn't think that they would be welcomed with open arms. The mother says that it is against their beliefs to be treated so rudely. She seems totally oblivious to the fact that her family is the rude one. It's amazing to see such closeminded hypocrisy in a family, but the Weavers don't seem to see how they act, and blame the other families for the Weaver family flaws. The Weavers start out. The Godlewskis are headed to a gas station which is why they were going the wrong way. The weavers say that they don't care about the otehr families. The Bransens leave at 6:27 am. The Bransen dad says that they have to be more aggressive instead of cautious because there are so few teams left. The Godlewski sisters realize that Florida is in front of them and don't like it. The Linz family realizes tht they went past the turn for Monument Valley Park. They ask someone and have to turn around. The Weavers see the Godlewskis turning around and realize that they went the wrong way. The Weavers are now caught up with the Godlewskis who weren't able to turn around. The Linz family passes the Godlewskis. The Bransens hope that all the tension between the other families will benefit them. The father says that they are neutral like Switzerland. The Linz family turns around first before parking so they can get out. At the point, the teams must choose two family members to ride in a helicopter and be taken to the top of Elephant Butte. The helicopter has room for two teams at a time, and it's first come first served. The Godlewskis pull a number before getting the clue and get number two before the Linz family who is ahead of them. The Linz family has to come back and only gets number three. The Weavers and Godlewskis go off in the first helicopter ride. The teams go running to the clue box like it really matters which of them is first. The Godlewski and Linz family talk about yielding the Weaver family. The Godlewski family says that they have the Linz family back. The next clue tells the families to go 180 miles to Moab, Utah and find Gemini Bridges, which is a geological rock formation, to get the next clue. The Weavers and the Godlewskis are left to backup. The Weavers appear to be ahead. The Linz boys go on the next helicopter ride and thought it was awesome. No sign of the Bransens. The Linz family is on their way. The Bransens finally arrive for their helicopter ride. Two of the daughters take the ride and are really impressed with the sight of the landscape from in the air. The Weavers aren't liking Utah because there isn't alot of population. The Linz family catches up to the Weaver family and passes them. It seems that the Weaver girl can't drive the trailer and is really slow. Rolly the Weaver boy says that they got passed because they are only going 51 mph. The Linzs are first. They have a detour--Ride down or Drop down. In Ride down, the teams choose a bike and travel a six mile course to find their clue. In Drop down, teams must rappel in two stages down 270 feet, follow a marked path and find their next clue. The Linz family says that they will rappel instead of biking. One of the Linz boys says that if they lose a teammate, god rest their soul and they will then switch to bikes. I like the Linz family because they have a boisterous sense of humor. The Weaver kids don't seem to know that Utah is the home of the Mormans. The mother informs them of this fact. The Weavers decide to do the bike riding (which should be longer, but at least isn't going over a mountain cliff). One of the daughters gets off her bike and starts to walk, and Rolly realizes that they won't be able to do the task.
Becky Weaver is having problems figuring out how to use her bike. The Linz family is going through the rappel easily. The Bransens appear to be ahead of the Godlewskis. The Bransens also decide to do drop down, and the father guesses he could do it. I think that pedalling six miles would have been rougher on him. The Bransen dad has a fear of heights, but the daughters want the experience, and the father wants them to have the experience, so he's going to do it. The Linz family has gotten to the clue box, and find that they have to drive themselves Green River State Park, 52 miles away. They will spend the night and the departure time will depend on when they arrive. The Linz family is on the way. The Weavers girls are saying how much they hate Utah. The Bransen dad is on his way down. The Godlewski family has fallen into last place due to a production error that caused the camera system to drain their battery. They got a replacement vehicle, but they are in last place now. The Godlewskis decide to do drop down which is the fastest option. The Bransen dad is at the bottom and the last Bransen girl is on her way. The Godlewskis are on their way down. The Weavers are now in second place. The Bransens are in third place, and the Godlewskis are last. All of the sisters have completed the task and are on their way. The Linz family is first and will depart at 7 am. The Weaver family reaches the Park and will leave at 7:15 am. The Bransens arrive and will leave at 7:30 am. The Godlewskis arrive and will leave at 7:45 am. The Godlewskis planto be optimistic because you don't know what the next day will bring. The Linz family is playing a paddle ball game. The Weavers are talking about how no one wants to talk to them and how they are on their own. They claim that they are friendly, it is just the other families who are all wrong. The family should start to think to themselves that not all nine families could have been rude--that maybe the Weaver family must somehow start that feeling in others. They don't even think about it though.
The next morning, the families must travel 20 miles to Heber City, Utah, and find Bart. Bart is an 1100 pound trained grizzley who will give them their next clue. You can instantly see a differnce between the attitudes of the families. The Linz family talks about how beautiful the scenery is. The Weavers talk about how ugly it is, and how one view looks like a pimple on the mountains. The Bransens and Godlewskis are also on their way. The Linz family just passed the road they wanted. They ask for directions and get on their way. The Linz family arrives first. They are directed to Bart. He has the clue in his mouth. They now have to go to Park City, Utah, and go to Utah Olympic Park, which was home to the 2002 Winter games. There is a yield ahead. The Linz family is on their way. The Weavers are looking for Bart, and the Linz family realizes that they can make no mistakes because they have to get to the yield before the Weavers. The Weavers are now meeting Bart. The Bransens get there as the Weavers are leaving. The Weavers choose not to take 40 North, but to take 92. 92 seems to be a dinky little rode. That could mean that it will slow them down. The Bransens get the clue from Bart. The Godlewskis have just gotten to Bart. Everyone seems to go on 40 North except the Weavers. The Weavers are on a sceneic route and now realize they should have taken the highway, and that they will get the yield. This is the second of only two yields. The Linz family decides to yield the Weaver family because they are right behind them. The Linz family hopes that the yield to the Weavers will give them enough time to finish first this time. There is a road block here. Only one person may perform the task. The person has to put on skis, ride a 60 ft. ramp, and land in a pool of water. Nick Linz is the person chosen, and the other brothers hope he doesn't do something stupid and won't hurt himself. The Bransens have arrived and wonder what has happened to the Weavers. Nick does his jump and gets the clue. They have to drive 28 miles to Salt Lake City, and go to the City Library. This is the Pit Stop. The last family to check in may be eliminated. It is the Godlewski family. The Linz family tells the Godlewskis that the yield is for the Weavers who aren't there yet. The father says that he would be scared. The daughter admits that it is scarey. The Bransens look like they are in second place. The Godlewskis are on their way and complete the jump and get their clue. The Godlewskis are on their way. The Florida team still hasn't arrived yet and realize that it was a waste of time. The mother tells the kids that they just need to accept and realize that they will be last and they will be eliminated.
The Weaver mother says that they have to accept that they are on a long, long, long cut. The mother tells them to enjoy the ride. One of the Linz boys said that they wonder if one of the Weavers was eaten by the bear. All three families are hoping that it is an elimination and that the Weavers are out. The Weavers get there, and realize that they have the yield. The Weavers says they knew it and that most people like them--just not on this show. The Linz and Bransen families are in downtown Salt Lake City. The Linz family found the library, and they get to the rooftop first. They won a trip for four to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and just minutes from Grand Teton National Park. The Bransen family finished second, a move up from last place. The Godleski sisters finished third. christine Godlewski says that she likes to talk, but she is going to backoff and cut down on the talking. Rolly does the ski jump for the Weavers. They head on their way. The Weavers are now talking about just wanting to be eliminated. They arrive last. It is a non-elimination leg, and the Weavers aren't too enthusiastic. The Weavers lose all of their money and their possessions. The Weavers don't seem to have alot of hunger. The mother admits that she loves the race but that they just don't know if they have it in them to win. It seems that the Weavers were just setting themselves up to be eliminated, and now they are in it to win. Let's hope not!
Friday, November 11, 2005 -- Late Evening
1st team -- Godlewski2nd team -- Linz
3rd team -- Weaver
4th team -- Bransen
Eliminated -- Paolo
I am finally catching up with Amazing Race 8 from Tuesday night. The show You Look Ridiculous. I don't roll with the Punches, I punch starts in Costa Rica. There are only five teams left. The Paolos leave first at 7:25 am. They are to head to Playa Maracas. They have to swim to a buoy to get the next clue. The older son and the mom are having their usual verbal battles. The Linz family leaves at 7:28 am, and the Bransens after them. The question is who will be swimming to the buoy. The Paolo dad is first in the water. One of the Linz boys (Nick), then the Bransen dad. The Paolo dad got the clue, and then had some sort of problem in the water and had to get rescue swimmers. The teams then have to travel 60 miles to La Iglesia de Metal in Grecia. They will then get a clue from an altar boy. The older son said that he till take his dad's backpack. The dad just couldn't do it. Everyone is at the pay phone trying to get some taxis. It is the Linz family, then Paolo and Bransen. Vans pick them up and they start out on the trip. The Godlewskis go off and Sharon goes swimming to get the clue. The Weaver boy goes out to get the clue. The race is on to find the church, and the Linz family gets there first closely followed by the others. There is a funeral going on so they try to be quiet and respectful. It is now a detour. In Brush, they have to go 10 miles to a box cart factory and finish decorating two of the cart wheels. Barrel has them going to over 10 miles to a sugar cane plantation and load a truck with one ton of sugar cane. After that, they have to search the factory for a marked barrel for the next clue. The Paolos and the Linz family decided to do the sugar cane. The Bransen family take the painting option. The Paolos got to the sugar cane factory. The Bransen family's driver gets lost or appears to not know where she is going.
The Bransen family driver has to stop to ask the police where to go to. The Godlewskis have arrived at the church, and they take the painting option. The Bransens have arrived and start painting. The designs are quite intricate. The Weavers also decide to do the painting option. The Paolos aren't doing a good job and get passed by the Linz family. The Linz family is on their way to the factory to look for the clue. The Paolo son starts yelling at the mom, and they get their sugar canes on the cart and are on their way. There is alot of arguing going on with the families and the painting. The Linz family is at the factory, and is now looking for the marked barrel. They find the section and have to get the clue from one of the barrels. They now have to travel to Phoenix, Arizona where they find one of five marked cars and go 14 miles to a go cart track to get their next clue. The Paolo dad got the clue first. The Paolo mom admits that she wants to go to New Zealand. The Bransens get their clue too and they are on their way. The Weavers are on their way in fourth place. The Godlewskis are last and think that it is because of their perfection that they have been killed. The Linz family got a flight that gets in at 9:35 am. The Linz family got the Delta flight, but the counter was closing. So the Paolos went to the Taca flights and they are going to wind up in Phoenix at 9:20 am. So they beat the Linz family by ten minutes. The Weavers and the Paolos are on the same flight, and the Weavers try to make nice with the older Paolo boy. The Bransens, Godlewskis, Paolos and Weavers are all on the same flight. The Godlewski sisters thought that they could get an earlier flight on America West, but the reservations weren't actually placed. I don't know what is up with them now.
The Godlewskis managed to get a flight from Newark to Phoenix that will get there at 7 am. The others notice that the sisters are missing. Everyone is now headed to Phoenix. The Godlewskis got to the airport 45 minutes early. The Godlewskis are now in first place. The Bransens are in second place and the Paolos are in fourth place. They are now all headed to the cars and to the Super Cart school. The Paolos look like they are having trouble finding the cars. The Linz family has found their car. The younger Paolo son finds the car, and the mother is really having issues with the older son. It's the usual story with them. The Godlewskis get to the road block. One person gets to do the job. That person has to take a 50 mile race in the hot, boiling sun to get the clue. The only stop can happen at the 25 mile mark. The Bransens are second. The Weavers arrive after the Bransens, and the mother is going to do the racing in the car. The Weaver kids are crying because their dad was killed in a racing accident. The Godlewskis are past the 25 mile mark. Wally, the Bransen dad, is out on the track now. The Weaver mom is out of the track now too. The Linz family gets there and they are going out on the track. The Godlewski sisters go over to comfort the Weaver kids, but the Weaver kids are not grateful. The Paolo family is last at the track. The Godlewskis have finished the task. They now how to go 32 miles to Fort McDowell. This is the pit stop. The last family to check in might be eliminated. The Godlewskis are now trying to find Fort McDowell. The Linz guy was close to the Weaver mom and it seems that he might have hit her car.
It seems that it was close but everyone is okay. The Godlewski sisters are lost and have to go back to find the place. So that was valuable time that was lost. The Bransens are now in second place. They aren't sure of the directions and are going to stop to ask. The Weaver family is in third place. The Linz family has just finished and they are off to the pit stop. The Paolo dad is complaining because the older son is doing the super cart and he is not doing it as fast as the dad would like. The Bransen dad was upset because he wanted to call to make sure they were headed in the right direction, and the girls just wanted to run. It's a foot race with three families arriving at the same time. The Godlewski family is first. They have won a trip for four to Belize for finishing first. Second is the Weaver family. The Linz family is third. The Paolo mom is afraid that they might be on a non elimination pit stop. The Paolos appear to be fourth. The Paolos are putting on their clothes and realize that another team is behind them and start running to the pit stop. They are team number four so they wasted some time putting on all their close unless it wasn't a non elimination. The Bransens are last to arrive and they go back to put all of their clothes on. The girls are crying, but are happy that they aren't eliminated. They lose all their moneyand everything except the clothes on their back, which is not alot since they went back to put all their clothes on.
The Godlewskis leave first at 11:43 pm. They have to travel to Mesa, Arizona. They have to go to Fighter Combat International at Williams Gateway Airport. The weavers leave at 11:48 pm. The Weaver kids say that no one likes them because they are different. No, it is because they are hypocrites and rude to others. The Paolos leave at 12:06 am, and the Bransens leave after them. The Godlewskis are fighting. The Linz family gets stopped by a police car because they stop in the street, and the kids explain that they are trying to get directions because they are part of a race. The Bransen girls go around to the casino and beg for money from some of the gamblers before they go into the casino. The dad kept his distance. The Weavers got the first number. The Linz family is second and the Godlewskis are third. The Paolos get number four. The Bransens get number five. At 4:30 am, they get into the airport. Road block, the person has to go up in a figher plane, and at some point take the controls of the plane and do a 360 degree loop to get the next clue. The boy for the weavers and the Linz girl do the loop for their teams. The pilots do a variety of moves to get the folks in the mood. The Weaver kid does the loop on the first attempt. The Godlewski sister also completes the task on the first attempt. The Linz girl also does it on the first attempt. The younger Paolo son is going to fly. The Weavers have the clue. They have to go to the Grand Canyon to get their next clue. They have to go to Lipon Point that is the widest point of the Canyon. The Godlewskis are following the Linzs. Brian of the Paolo family did not make it on the first attempt. The mother is upset with the son for screwing it up. As she said, he had it. Brian Paolo made it on the second attempt. The Bransen girl also screwed up the first time too. So they both had two attempts. Neither the Paolos or the Bransens know where they are going and ask each other. The Bransens are stopping to find out, but the Paolos aren't. The Weavers get caught throwing food out of the car. The Paolo father tells them to go the wrong way, as we find out because the Bransens get the right directions. The Weavers tell the toll booth guy to slow down the Linz guys, but the toll booth guy doesn't. The teams must now go 139 miles to Paige, Arizona and find Glen Canyon Dam. They will then choose a guide and have to make it to the top of the dam. Because the Paolos went the wrong way, they are stuck in a long line of traffic. They are in last place when they finally get there. The Weavers, Linz and Godlewskis race into the visitor center to get a tour guide. The Linz and Godlewskis get to the clue at the same time. The detour, bearing or bailing, takes place at the infamous Horseshoe Bend. In Bearing, teams must go by motorized raft to a section of the water where they have to choose a card with a set color with a compass coordinate on it. They must set the compass to that degree, travel to another box and pick up a card of similar color and follow its coordinates. They have to collect three cards of the same color to get the next clue. In Bailing, they must take a motorized raft to submerged boat, bail it out, and then when it is empty take it across the finish line to get the next clue. The Weavers are rude but blame it on everyone else. The Linz and Godlewskis take bailing while the Weavers take bearing. The scenery is very beautiful. The Linz and Godlewskis are having problems finding the submerged boats. The Paolo family seems to have screwed up and went in the wrong direction, and will now have to back track.
The Paolos now have to play catch up. The Linz family finds the submerged boat first and starts flinging out water with the buckets. The Godlewskis get there too. The Weavers have their first compass clue. The younger Paolo son thinks they can catch up and the mother is admiring the scenery. The Linz get most of the water out and then tip the boat. The Godlewskis are still clearing out the boats. The Pit Stop is there. They have to go to Lake Powell, Arizona, 14 miles away. At Antelope Point, they have to choose a boat, and find the boat house that is the pit stop. The Linz family is in first place. The Weavers have two of the three clues. The Bransens also go for the bailing detour. The Weavers have completed the task and so have the Godlewskis. Both rush out to get to the Pit Stop. The Bransens are on their way to the bailing detour. The Bransens are bailing. The Paolos see that three cars have passed them. The Weavers are making a u-turn and ask for directions. They do alot of asking of God to help them. The Paolos say they are going to do bailing. The Bransens pass the Paolos and wave. The Paolos start arguing again and the older son threatens to drown the mother because no one will find her body in the big river. It is quite funny. The Paolos have a serious breakdown and yelling match as the mother says they should tilt the boat while the older son says it is too heavy to tilt and they have tried it already.
The Paolos find finish their task, and head off to the pit stop. The Linz family is first and gets lost because they don't follow the marked path. They still appear to be in the lead. The Godlewskis are close behind. The Godlewskis finally get going in their boat. The Paolos think there is a 50-50 chance between them and the Bransens. The Godlewskis have caught up with the Linz family probably because the Linz boys are heavier than the lighter Godlewski sisters. The Godlewskis made it first. They have won a travel trailer. The Linz family is second, and was just right behind the Godlewskis. One of the Linz boys says that it may be that the sisters will be nice to them afterwards. The Weavers are third, and the kids start to cry and complaining about how rude the other families are and how alone they are and how they are just leading a Christian life. The Bransens go out in their boat and the Paolos aren't too far behind. The Bransens are team number four. That means that the Paolos are last. They are eliminated. The father said that he had a ball and they really enjoyed it. The Paolo mom says that they fight alot and they are going to be together. The older son said that he is proud of his mother and she surprised him and won't be so down on her. The fmaily is crying and emotional while trying to be positive.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 -- Afternoon
1st team -- Paolo2nd team -- Linz
3rd team -- Bransen
4th team -- Godlewski
5th team -- Weaver
Eliminated -- Gaghan
I took off some time this afternoon because of the cold, so I thought that I would catch up on the shows that I missed yesterday. First up is Amazing Race 8. This episode is titled I'm Sick of Doing Stuff I Can't Do. The race starts at the Panama Canal on the Pacific Ocean side. The Paolos are the first to depart at 8:22 pm. They must first head to San Jose, Costa Rica via three charter buses that run 30 minutes apart. It's first come, first served. Once in San Jose, they have to drive themselves to Volcan Poas, it's a thousand foot deep active volcano. The next clue is to be found on the rim. The Paolo mother things that her kids will learn to appreciate her more after the experiences and might learn that eventhough she is not as fast as she was, she might still be useful. Unfortunately, the sound quality on the show dropped at this point. The Weavers were the second to leave, but it was impossible to hear what they were saying. The Paolos got a courtesy car while the Weavers went for a taxi. The Weavers were talking about how their fellow competitors don't seem to like them. The sound came back for me to hear how the Weavers can't control what everyone else thinks of them. They did say that they were all Christians and above all this. The Bransens head off next. The Linzs leave at 9:17. The Linz family says that the competition has kicked int. The Linz are the first to get a taxi. The Gaghans leave, and the little Gaghan girl thinks they have to run there, so the mother explains that it is 200 miles away. The Bransens all cram into a very small taxi. The Paolos get the 11:30 am bus, and seem to have the first bus. The Paolo son tells the Linzs where to go to get the ticket. The Paolo mother says that as long as it isn't the Weavers tell the others where to get the ticket. Everyone dislikes the Weavers as the elder Paolo son says because they are rude and inconsiderate to everyone. Nice Christian qualities of the Weavers. The Godlewski sisters leave without any money. They decided to use their feminine wiles to get them someone. They manage to get some money from some cute guys at a bar. The weavers wind up on the second bus at 12:00, and the Bransens wind up on the third bus. The Godlewski sisters are being nice to the Weavers so the Weavers will be nice to them, but the plan is to backstab the Weavers. Everyone is camped out at the bus station sleeping. The first bus leaves. Everyone seems to bond and be happy on the first bus. The Gaghan father says that when you see poverty in other countries, you learn to appreciate what you have in your life. The first bus arrives. The elder Paolo boy tries to hurry on his mother, and she says that she is coming to which the son replies "so is Christmas". The Linz family gets to the van first, and the Paolos follow them. The Linzs find a taxi driver to lead them to the Volcano, and the Paolos play for it to be split later. The Gaghans and Weavers start looking for transportation while the Weaver mom prays for God to help them.
The Weavers and Gaghans lose time because the Bransens and Godlewskis catch up and show them where the cars are. The Bransens have a disagreement because the daughters don't want to get out of the car. The Linzs and Paolos get to the Volcano easily. The problem is that the Park is closed, and they have to wait for morning for the gates to open. The Weavers are in fifth place and the Bransens are in last. The Gaghan family gets in cheaper because kids are free. The Linzs are first and surprisingly, the Gaghans are second. The teams must now find a coffee plantation, the Doka Estate. They will find the clue there. Everyone gets a caution that there will be a yield ahead. The Linzs are in first place, and they are trying to alude the Weavers. The Paolos are in 4th place and seem to be getting along alot better now. The Bransens stop for a map. They may currently be in last place, but they know how to get where they are going. The Linzs are talking about yielding the Weavers. Everyone is talking about yielding the Weavers. At the Doka Plantation, everyone is in a mad dash to get the next clue. This is the first of only two yields in the race. A yield means that one team can force any other team to yield for a specfic allocated period of time. Each team can only use their yield once in the game, so they must decide when it is in their best interests to use it. The team that is forced to yield must turn an hour glass over and wait for the sand to run out of the glass. The Paolos get the first number and choose to yield the Weavers. A roadblock is ahead. Only one member of the team may perform this task. The task is to go through 800 pounds of coffee beans looking for the one red bean. Once they find the bean, they get their next clue. The Paolo mom and Gaghan mom go into the competition. The secret is to spread it out and look for it. The Godlewskis are first, surprisingly. The next stop is for the teams to travel 94 miles to Jaco which is a beach town. They have to enter the surf shop there and find Javier to get their next clue. The Paolo mom is second. The Weavers get to the yield and start making fun of the Paolos because their photo is taken in front of the garbage truck that the Dad drives for a living. One of the Weaver girls hits the photo of the Paolos. Little do they realize that everyone was out to get them. The Linzs find their bean next. The Weavers being the nice Christians that they are, are mocking the photos of all the other teams. What a jerky family! I hope they lose. The Weavers yell out rude things to the teams that are passing them, and are obvious poor losers as the Linzs comment. The Gaghan mother is having real problems finding their bean. The Weavers realize that no one wants them and thinks that they might get elminated.
The Weavers keep on talking about how they are responsible to a higher authority and won't stoop to do such things as the Paolos did. Funny because they were telling the drivers of the boats last week to drive slowly for everyone else. The Gaghan mother is not able to find the red bean. The Gaghan kid tells his dad that he hopes the mom knows what red looks like, and the dad yells out to look for the "red" bean. The Godlewskis are trying to talk to the Paolos to find out where to go. The mother tells the elder son that he shouldn't tell others anything, and he replies that he will until they get to the final three and then it will be every man (or family) for himself. The Linz boys are making fun of their sister. The Weaver mother keeps on yelling out to the daugher to pray to God to find the bean, like God is worried about the Weavers finding a bean. The Weaver girl finds the bean before the Gaghan mother. The Gaghans are now in last place with no hope of finding the bean in the near future. The Gaghans are getting really frustrated. The mother finally finds the bean, and they head off. The Bransens get to the surf shop first. There's a detour. The choices are Relic, where the teams have to make their way to the nearby rainforest, and cross six precarious rope bridges while looking for four relics of the Mayan civilization. One each is delivered to the local archaeologist, they get their next clue. In Ripe, the team must go to a banana planation, gather 15 bushels of bananas and load them onto a hanging tracks, then using a pulley system, they have to convey the bananas to the packing station and get their clue from the floor manager. The Linzs and the Bransens take Relic while the Paolos take Ripe. Most of the other teams seem to be taking Relic. The Godlewskis are really starting to argue now. The Paolos make it to the Plantation, and only the father can seem to lift the bananas. It seems that they are really heavy. I wonder if they did the right thing by choosing ripe. The rope bridges seem really scary, and I know with my fear of falling from heights, I would have issues with it. Everyone does seem to be doing the Relics except the Paolos. The father seems to be a real work horse. The Bransens get their four different relics and head back, but it is a long way on the bridge. The Paolos have their bananas done. The Paolo sons admit that they could not do what their father does for a living. The man is a strong guy. The teams must now travel to the next Pit Stop which is at the town Quepos which is approximiately 20 miles away. The last family to check in may be eliminated. The Paolos know where they are going because they saw the signs to Quepos. The Bransens are in second so far and the Linzs in third. The Gaghan kids are telling their dad to drive faster. The Gaghans note that the other families were there and gone and only the Weavers are left. The Gaghans are enjoying the search for the relics while the Weaver van is stuck in the mud. The Weavers want a guy to give them a push. Now obviously the guy speaks Spanish, but the Weavers think that by yelling at him, he'll help. He just looks at them.
The Weaver mother start complaining and said that she is sick of doing things she can't do, and drives off without the kids. She has to stop to get them eventually. The Gaghans are still in last place. The Paolos are in Quepos. The Paolos seem to be in the lead. The son tells the mom to run and is trying to give her alot of encouragement. The elder Paolo son tells his mom not to stop. The first family are the Paolos. The mom says she can't do this anymore, and the family says she can. The Paolos start celebrating becuase they are team number one. They each get either a Segway, Vespa, jet ski, or all terrain vehicle. Each of them gets one. The elder son says that the mother has really impressed him with all the things that she has done. The father admits that this was the best thing for them. Although they argue alot, you can tell that they are alot more encouraging of each other than they were at the beginning of the race. The Linz family is second, and Bransen is team number 3. The Godlewskis park and run up for 4th place. The Gaghan son realizes that they are in last place. The father says that they will not give up on this and will race to the end. The Gaghans park and run their tussies off. The Weavers are team number 5. The father tells them that they will come back for vacation because he loves this place. The Gaghans are eliminated. The kids are crying while trying to hold it in. The poor little girl. The father said that it was rough seeing the tears in his kids' eyes, but he hopes that they learn perserverance and to never give up.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005 -- Evening
1st team -- Paolo2nd team -- Weaver
3rd team -- Bransen
4th team -- Linz
5th team -- Gaghan
6th team -- Godlewski
First up is Amazing Race 8. This episode is titled We're Getting out of the Country Girls. The families are in New Orleans (before the hurricane and flood) for a rest period. The Bransens leave first at 12:40 am. They have to fly to Panama City, Panama, and then must make their way to the Panaman Smithsonian, cross the canal and find a scientist named Ricardo Dias who will give them the next clue. The Bransen dad admits that he is not used to being in a situation where he sees his children as equals. The Paolos start arguing right away, as usual. The Linz sister admits that she is the weak link physically. The Bransens borrow a cell phone and call ahead. They determine that the Continental flight will get them there around two hours earlier. The families are all trailing into the airport. The Gaghan family plan is to just beat one family. As the little girl says, better second to last than eliminated. The Linz's got the first set of tickets with the Bransens second. One of the Godlewski girls says that the elder Paolo son needs to be nicer to his mom. All of the tickets get sold on the Continental flight, so the remaining three families have to go on the American flight. It seems the Paolos wind up taking the lead. The Paolos, Linzs and Bransens arrive. The lead that they thought they had is lost because the Smithsonian Tropical Institute doesn't open until 7 am. The families are all camping out in one of the buildings waiting for the morning. All the stragglers are happy that they caught up. Everyone is now looking for Ricardo Diaz. The Linzs are very unhappy because they are on a slow boat. In the meantime, the Gaghan boat driver is saying that he has to stop to pick up someone else to the consternation of the Gaghan family.
The Gaghans managed to talk the boat driver into heading back into the right direction and not picking the person up. The families are now looking for Ricardo Diaz. The Gaghans are far in last place. The Godlewski family finds Diaz first. It is a Detour. Rhythm takes them by bus to a local location, Diablo Rojo, where they have to go to four different places and pick up four different instruments trumpet, trombone, saxaphone and conga drum. They then have to take the instruments to Take Five Jazz and Wine to get their next clue from the bandleader. In Coos, they have to go to the rainforest, find five plastic birds and circle them on a map. The map will have to be okayed by someone before they get their clue. If they get it wrong, they have to go back and redo the map. There is also a Fast Forward in the competition, and it is the only one. The first family to find it and completes the task can go directly to the Pit STop. They have to go to a place to do a Tandem Bungee Jump with all four family members going in a group of two. The Paolos and the Gaghans take the Fast Forward. The Weaver mother is a bitch and tells the other drivers to drive slower. The Weavers take first place, and then gets passed by the Godlewskis and the Linzs. The Weavers wind up in last place. The Godlewskis hire a taxi to get them the location that they want--Diablo Rojo. The Paolos get the first ticket to do the bunjee jump. The father tries to talk the elder son into it while the younger brother makes jokes about dying. The father and the younger son did it. The Gaghans are waiting for the Paolos to chicken out. The mother tries to calm the boy while there is no calming him. The elder son has a fear of heights.
The son agrees to it finally and jumps with his mother while he screams like a girl. The Gaghan family is very upset. The Paolo family goes directly to the Miraflores Locks, the Pacific entry to the Panama Canall. The Bransens were suckered by a woman that used them to get a ride on their bus to a restaurant. The Weavers are trying the bird searching competition, and are having problems finding them. The Linzs and Godlewskis are working together. The Paolos are the first family to check in to the Pit Stop. They won a trip for four to Panama to stay in the resort near the tropical rainforest. The elder son appears to have kissed his mom when they did the bunjee jump. It was a good, positive bonding moment for the family. The Weavers get the birds done, and have to travel two miles to a baseball stadium and search the grounds for their next clue. The Bransens get their set of five birds next. The Linzs and Godlewskis get all the instruments. Once the Linzs and Godlewskis get the instruments to the jazz club, they have to put the instruments into the cases in which they belong. At the stadium, there is a road block. Only one person on the team can perform the roadblock. That teammate must get a hit or homerun in order to get the next clue. They will get pitches from a little league pitcher, and if the person doesn't get a hit in three tries, the next team gets a chance to send their person in to get a hit. It seems that the pitcher is pretty good. The Weaver boy gets a hit, and the Weavers get the information to the Pit Stop at Miraflores. The Weaver mother gets upset though because the Linzs were yelling typical anti-hitting stuff, and she said they were so rude. According to the Weaver mother, the Weavers encourage everyone. Funny, we just saw her telling the other boat drivers to drive slow. Hmm. The Gaghans are in last place. One of the Bransen girls gets a hit. The Linzs get a hit and are in fourth place. The Gaghan dad got a homerun on the first pitch. They are now on to the Pit Stop. The Godlewskis are in last place. Sharon Godlewski seems to be really tired and out of breath and doesn't think she can hit the ball.
Sharon Godlewski finally gets a hit. The Weavers finish in second place. The Gaghan got stuck behind a car. The Godlewskis realize that they are in last place, but think it may be a non-elimination, and start putting on all their clothes in case they lose all their stuff except what they have on. The Bransens are third, and the Linz family is fourth. The Gaghan family just made it in as team number five. The Godlewskis are last. The Godlewskis aren't eliminated, but have to give up their money and everything except the clothes on their backs. Fortunately, they thought that might happen and put all of their clothes on, and boy did they look funny. But they did get to keep all of their stuff except for the bags.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005 -- Evening
1st team -- Bransen2nd team -- Paolo
3rd team -- Linz
4th team -- Godlewski
5th team -- Weaver
6th team -- Gaghan
Eliminated -- Schroeder
Another episode of Amazing Race 8 was on tonight. This one was titled Think like an Office Chair. This episode was filmed in Mississippi and Louisana before Katrina and is dedicated to those who have been affected by the Hurricane. We start at the US Space and Rocket Center. The Bransens leave first at 1:15 pm. They have to find the world's largest office chair in Anniston, Alabama. The chair was created 25 years ago. The Godlewskis are starting out at 1:44 pm. Sharon and Christine of the four sisters are arguing with each other. The Weavers start out with a prayer. The mother says that you have to dig inside of yourself to compete. The Schroeders don't like the Weavers. The Paolos start out with an argument. The mother lost the instructions and the older son and she start to argue. Carissa said that she gets underestimated, but that she is fun. The Bransens find the chair first and climb it. They now have to go to Talledega Speedway. The Weavers hold their breath as they go by and try to ignore the site. They don't know they will have to go back. The Bransens get to Talledega first and now have to go to the track and complete one round on the track. They have to choose a party bike which takes multiple people and have to complete the race. A race official then gives them the next clue. The Gaghans use a back route and are now in 5th place. The Weavers are upset over having to go to Talledega. The Paolo mother is acting up and complaing per usual. The Bransens get the next clue. They have to go 260 miles to Hattiesburg, Mississippi to find the southern colonel and get their next clue. The Weaver kids get to Talledega and when they find out that they have to go on the racecourse, they say that they can't.
The Weaver mother tells the kids that their dad loved racing. The Schroeder father has the family stop to adjust the seats. The Weavers start on the track. The Gaghan family is in sixth place. The Weaver mother said that she thought it was good for the family to have put this all behind them. The girls feel that they have gotten stronger. Carissa couldn't even pedal, and at the end when her mom said that her legs were sore, Carissa said her legs weren't sore. The Bransens and the Linz families catch up with each other. The Bransen girl mooned on the Linz's and one of the Linz guys flashed his boobs. The Paolos just finish as a massive story rolls in. The Bransens find the clue box at the same time as the Linz. The families will be staying in the trailer park. There are computers in all the trailer parks and they have departure times. Once you take the time, you can't change it. There are three times to choose from. The Schroeder family didn't want to follow someone's directions on going to a trailer home. The Linz and Bransens held each other and get the 7:02 am time. The Godlewskis and the Weavers are in competition. The Godlewskis take 7:40 and the Weavers take 8 am. The father inthe Schroeder family is driving his daughter crazy. The daughter for the Schroeders doesn't want the 8 am time because the Weavers are on it. Carissa thinks the trailers are evil. The Schroeder daughter is crying over being with the Weavers.
The family tries to confort the girl, but it doesn't help. The Paolos get a 7:40 time. The teams much now travel to Richland, Mississippi and go to a BP and find a guy named Les. The Linz boys like the Bransen girls. They say the girls have nice bodies. They now have to go to Louisana, the Pelican state, and travel to Madisonville. They have to go to Fairview Riverside State Park, and find the fishing dock. The Bransens and Linzes are on their way. The Godlewskis go past the BP, and now have to drive back and get the clue. Carissa starts singing about the father losing his lucky pen. The Schroeder family said that the family is getting ugly with their hate of the Weavers. The Godlewskis are fighting now. The families have a detour. Work is there two people saw four pieces off a log. They then get their next clue. Play is to play 21 and after winning three rounds, they get their next clue. The Bransens and Linzes take play. The Schroeder family make an error and the park they are looking for is 1/2 hour from their house and five minutes from where the father works. The Paolos take the work option. I would take the work because the play could be difficult. The Gaghans take the play. The Linzes go for work after wasting time at Play. The Paolos completed the task. The teams must take the longest bridge to New Orleans, go to Esplanade Ave., run through the French Quarter to Preservation Hall. This is the pit stop and the last family to check in will be eliminated. The Paolos are in first place. The Bransens just finished play and are in second place. The Weavers won two out of two while the Gaghans are still winless. Will they stick with Play or move onto Work?
The Gaghans change to work. Christine starts crying because she wants to take her backpack. The other sisters say that she did it to herself. The Weavers quickly win. The Gaghans are having problems with the cutting part. The Schroeders are in last place. They decide to do the play. The Gaghans complete the task and are in 6th place. The Schroeders finish also, and are headed to New Orleans which is their home. The Paolos get to New Orleans first and park. The families are running around and the Paolo family is lost and the older son is yelling at his mom. The Bransens get to Preservation Hall first. They won a trip for four to Orlando, and will get to go to University Studios and Islands of Adventure. The Paolos are in second place. The father said that they ran the perfect race today. The Linz family is team number three. The Godlewski family makes it to number four. The Gaghan family is parked and the Schroeders park too. Who will be last? The Weavers are team number five. The Gaghan family was number six which leaves the Schroeders for last. They are eliminatred. The mother starts to cry. The whole family got lost because the father didn't know where the park was, and he used to work near the park. The daughter wishes that the father would have listened to her, and the father blames himself because his family didn't make it, but he thinks that they can deal with hardships when they can arise.
As a side note, the Schroeders lost everything to Hurricane Katrina. They gained one thing though, friends. The Rogers family, in Shrevesport, LA, took the Rogers in.
Wednesday, October 12, 2005 -- Early Evening
1st team -- Bransen2nd team -- Linz
3rd team -- Schroeder
4th team -- Godlewski
5th team -- Weaver
6th team -- Paolo
7th team -- Gaghan
Eliminated -- Aiello
I went to sleep early last night, but I recorded Amazing Race 8. This week's episode was titled I Don't Kiss, I Make Out. The race starts out at Welbourne where the teams had their rest stop. The Weavers left at 2:26 am. The first thing is to fly to Charleston, South Carolina. They are looking for the Battery, and there they will find their next clue at the Gazebo. It's amazing how some of the families have little things that get on each others nerves. Tammy of the Gaghan family say that they try to treat their kids like adults and thing that helps them out in the race. All of the families seem to realize that they will need to call for reservations, especially since they are getting stuck in traffic on the highway. The Bransens are going on US Air, and found out that Independence Air is arriving two minutes earlier, but there weren't enough seats so they are staying on US Air. Meanwhile the Weavers are trying to find a better flight, but aren't having any luck and are getting hated by everyone. The boy on the Schroeder team is getting friendly with the boy on the Weaver team, but the Schroeder stepmom tells him to "shut his pie hole". The Schroeder boy's comment to the Weaver boy is that his stepmom is a bitch. The folks who have tickets are getting onboard the Independence Air flight. The rest are getting on the US Air flight. The Paolos are fighting again. The older boy in the Paolo family said that he told his mother that if she weren't his mother she would be his worst enemy. The family does not get along very well.
After the commercial break, the families are now in Charleston. Independence Air lands at 10:04. The US Air flight lands at 10:04. All the family seems to find it quickly. There is a detour at the Gazebo. The choices are Forrest Gump or Muddy Waters. The Forrest Gump choice is to drive seven miles to Wando Shrimp where they will get on one of the shrimp boats and dehead 200 pounds of shrimp with their hands to get the next clue. In Muddy Waters, the teams must drive 37 miles to Ridgeville. There they must get into 4 by 4 and drive through a 400 foot gully known as a mud bog. They must make one complete circuit of the course, and could get stuck in the mud. The next destination point is in another town. So this will be a tricky detour to decide. If they have good driving skills they will be okay. The Paolo family got on the 10:38 flight, and in last place. The Schroeder family takes the shrimp. There are two crates of shrimp. The Linz family took the shrimp too, and the brothers keep on treating the sister like a brain dead idiot. The Godlewski sisters also took the shrimp detour. The Gaghan family take the mud ride and so do the Aiellos and the Gaghans. The Aiellos are stuck in the mud feet from the finish line. It sucks because they had to get pulled out and start all over again. The Linz boys are having too much fun with the shrimp. The Bransens said that the shrimp was easier for them because it was something they could all do. The Aiellos are on their sixth attempt and they are stuck again. The Schroeders are in first place. They have finished the shrimp task and now are to go to the Charleston vistor center and must sign up for one of two charters that is leaving town. The first is at 3 pm and the second is at 5 pm. The destination is a mystery. The shrmmp folks have to make uheir way to the charter by foot. The Gaghans made it on their first time. It was really funny because the Aiellos were there sitting stuck in the mud. The Linz, Schroeder, Godlewski and Bransen families made the first bus. The Aiellos are o~ their`thirteenth áttempt, and got stuck yet again.
Another commercial break, and the Aiello family finally makes it on the fourteenth attempt. They are currently in sixth place. The Paolos are arguing again. Boy, that family is something else. The Weavers are just starting on the shrimp. The Gaghan, Paolo, and Aiello family are signed up for the second bus, and the Weavers just signed up at the last minute. It is going to take eight hours for the teams to get to their destination. They are going to Huntsville, Alabama, the rocket capital of America. The Bransens are in first place in the arrival at Huntsville. They must now drive five miles to the US Space and Rocket Center. They have to go to the Edward O. Buckbee Hanger to get the next clue. The Linz family is in second place, Schroeder in third and Godlewski in fourth. A road block is to be found here. Two people must ride the centrifuge until it reaches 3.2 Gs then they will get the next clue. The Linz sister realizes that they are now at Space Camp! The Bransens girls made it to 3.2 Gs. The next clue is to make their way to Rocket Park on foot a mile away. They search for a Saturn 5. They have to enter the Space Museum and look for a computer and log onto AOL for their next clue. The Linzs made it to 3.2 Gs. The Bransens made it to the rocket, and are searching for the marked computers. The message that the receive is a video message. They have race by foot and find the space shuttle Pathfinder. The last to get to the Pathfinder may be eliminated. The Bransens are team number one. All licensed drivers on the Bransen family will get free gas for life. All they have to do is get the gas from BP. The Linz family is second. The Weavers are complaining and crying and moaning about how rough live is and how hard they have had it. The mother is trying to tell the girls to make the best of it. The Paolos said that the Weaver family lost it, and the Paolo mother looks concerned for them.
After the commercial break, everyone is talking about the Weavers breakdown. The daughter, Rachel, wants to know where they are going. The thing is that they are making so much noise on the bus that they are keeping the others up. Back at Space Camp, the Schroeders are team number three and the Godlewskis are number four. The Weavers are in fifth place. The Paolo mother seems to be shocked to be in last place when she realizes that all the other cars have made it to Space Camp ahead of them. The Aiellos have pulled the number eight ticket for the device that puts you at 3.2 Gs. The Weavers are team number five. The Gaghan father is stupid and is walking around sightseeing. The Gaghan family always seems to get lost, and the Paolo family is lost too. The Gaghan father tells the kids to push it. Krissa, the little Gaghan girl, tells them to read the signs. Everyone is running to the final checkpoint. The Paolo family is number six. The Gaghan family is number seven. The Aiello family is the last team and has been eliminated. It was the mud trap that got them. The Aiellos were one of the few who got along, and they admit that they see each other as family now more than ever. I think that they are even better than regular family because they weren't getting involved in petty fights.
Tuesday, October 4, 2005 -- Evening
1st team -- Weaver2nd team -- Linz
3rd team -- Godlewski
4th team -- Schroeder
5th team -- Aiello
6th team -- Bransen
7th team -- Gaghan
8th team -- Paolo
Eliminated -- Rogers
The Amazing Race 8 was on tonight. The show starts in Lancaster, Pa. where the race ended last week. The Godlewski face is the first to leave at 7:57 am. They have to travel to York, Pa, and go to Shoehouse Rd. Once there they are going to pick up the next clue at the Shoe House. The Gaghan family says that folks thought they there were just dragging their kids around on a vacation, but they were. The Gaghans tried to be prepared and went over possible routes and told the kids not to be stupid. The Schroeders think that they need to work together better, and the Rogers family is having issues with a father who is a know it all. The Paolos start arguing as soon as they start out. The mother is nagging and annoying and the kids are abrasive. The Bransen dad didn't think they were going to do well, but the daughters are used to their family being pessimistic. The Linz family departs last at 8:45 am. They are trying to be optimistic and realize they have to make up time. The Gaghan family gets to The Shoe House first. They have to next drive to Washington, DC and get to the reflecting pool in the Mall and find their next clue. The Rogers family is in 5th place, and the father says that he is now the navigator. The Paolo family gets to the shoe in 6th place. All the families so far know to take 30 west and 83 south. The Aiello family is in 8th place. The Rogers family started 30 east though, and it looks like they are lost. The Rogers father is blaming the son for missing the 83 south exit when what had happened is that as the navigator, he told the son to go on 30 west instead of east. So now the father is driving because obviously the son is unable to drive since he drove past the exit.
Back with the Rogers after the break. The father is making it sound like he is the only functional member of the family. He seems like a real jerk. The Gaghan got to the Washington Memorial first and start looking for the box and the flag. The Weaver family finds the box first and the Godlewski family follows them. They have to get additional directions from a limosine by the Lincoln Memorial. The Gaghan family are lost. Paolo family found the box quickly as they drove by it. Meanwhile the Gaghan family is totally lost and not asking anyone. The Linz family is now in 5th place. The next move is to the Tidal Basin. The Godlewski got to the Tidal Basin. They have to use one person from the team to find another "spy" with the same briefcase. They have to use the phrase "the sky is blue". The other person will reply "the sea is green" if they are the right person. There are 50 people with briefcases, but only 10 with the right briefcase. They then have to exchange cases. The Godlewski family gets it first and have to go to Welbourne Manor in Middleburg, Virginia to receive their next clue. The Godlewski family is first. The Paolo family is in third place. The Bransens start arguing because the father can't keep up at the reflecting pool. Meanwhile the Paolo family is not almost out of gas and can't find a gas station. The mother is telling them that they should listen to her. The Rogers family is still arguing over being lost. Meanwhile the Gaghan family refuses to ask anyone to make sure they are in the right place.
After the commercial break, finally the Gaghan family meets up with the Rogers family and realize they are in the wrong location. The Gaghan family is now in 7th place. If only the famiily listened to the boy in the first place. Tsk, tsk. Meanwhile the Paolo family finds a gas station and the mother keeps on complaining and nagging. I think that I would have to kill her if I were her child. The Gaghans get the briefcase quickly and are now in 6th place. The Bransens are in 8th place. Unfortunately the father is not in good shape. The Paolo family is lost again because the father gave the son the wrong directions. Meanwhile everyone else is running into traffic. The Linz family uses their map and finds an alternative route. meanwhile the Bransen family has the switched case and seems ready to collapse. The Rogers are in last place. The Godlewskis are in Middleburg, and has found Welbourne Manor. The weavers though are in first place. Now they run into a detour. They have to choose either heat of the battle, and take part in a battle and take five people on stretchers. Heat of the night is the other choice and they have to get five barrels of oil to light 20 lamps. Then they have to gather a flag and take it to the pit stop. The last person to make the pit stop is eliminated. The Godlewski family decides on the heat of battle while the Weavers choose the lamps. The Linz family takes heat of the battle. The Weavers have 20 lamps lit and running. The Weavers are first. They won a trip for four to the Fairmont SouthHampton in the Bermudas. The Linz family came back from last to second. The Bransens are collecting bodies in the battle. The father is having problems completing the event. I wonder if he has a medical condition that has left him so out of shape. The Godlewskis family finished third.
Commercial break is over. The Bransens are back to trying their best. The Gaghans choose the battlefield which I think is a stupid move for them with the little kids. The Bransens have 4 of 5. The Schroder family does the lamps and finishes as team number 4. The Aiello family does the battlefield and finish the five, and so does the Bransens. The Aiellos finish as team number 5, and the Bransens are team number 6. The Gaghan family finishes in seventh. Now it is down to the Paolos and the Rogers. In the Paolo family, the mother isn't really able to carry anything at all. She is really weak. Weak, nagging. I'd want to get rid of her. The Rogers switched to the oil lamps. It is down to a battle between them. now. The Paolos are on their last soldier and the Rogers are lighting the lamps. Both have their flags. The Paolo family just manages to make it as team number eight. The sons say that the mother comes through in a clutch, but she really didn't. The Rogers family finished last. The father admits that the he led the family in the wrong direction. The father says that you can't blame others for your faults.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005 -- Evening
1st team -- Godlewski2nd team -- Gaghan
3rd team -- Weaver
4th team -- Rogers
5th team -- Schroeder
6th team -- Paolo
7th team -- Bransen
8th team -- Aiello
9th team -- Linz
Eliminated -- Black
Today was the start of Amazing Race 8. The race is starting in New York, and features ten families. The ten families are: The Gaghan family with two little kids. The family runs marathons together, and Carissa the little girl can run a seven minute mile. As she says "I may be small, but I'm not stupid." She says that she is going to out trick the other families and adults. The Linz family with three brothers and a sister. There are three other brothers at home. Tommy and Megan are the youngest, but they are adults. The Paolo family are parents and two sons of older teenage years. The Black family is another with paretns and younger boys. The Black family is also black. The family practices karate together. The Branson family with a father and three daughters who are late teens/early twenties. The Weaver family with a mother and three kids. The mother is a widow whose husband was killed on a race track. He was trying to clean the track and was hit by a car. The Aiello family is a father with three sons-in=law. He wants to know how his sons in law will react under stress. The Schroeder family is a father, step mother with a teenage son and daughter. They are from New Orleans. We see the family kickboxing. The Godlewski family are four sisters. They plan on going with the prissy, blonde bimbo. The Rogers family with parents and older son and daughter. The father says that he is going to take charge. They are southern and from Shreveport, Louisana. The prize will be $1 million. At the start of each race, each family is given a small amount of money that can be used. There are pit stops that the families must reach quickly, or be eliminated. The first race starts with the families getting a clue, running to drive away in their own SUV, and then head across the Brooklyn Bridge to destinations unknown. The race starts. They run to their bags to get the clue. Clue: Drive yourselves to Soho, find Eastern Mountain Sports and get supplies. They have $150 for the race. They all run to the cars. It seems that the Gaghan family was the first to leave.
The little Gaghan kids seem to be pretty bright. Everyone is trying to figure out where Soho is. No one seems to know where to go. The Weavers went the wrong way down a one way street. The Gaghans seem to be doing pretty good in getting around in New York city. It seems that the goal of the families is to follow the other cars. The Gaghan family gives up the lead to another team that knows how to get to Soho--the Linz, and starts following them. The Paolo family seemed to be pretty argumentative with each other. The Gaghan and Linz family did well. The next clue takes them 90 blocks where they have to find a hot dog stand on 91st Street to get further directions. The Paolo family is in last place because the father who was supposed to know New York got the family hopelessly lost in Manhattan. The older son was really unhappy with the father. He kept on about how stupid and retarded the family was. We see some of the guys knocking over things and running around. Then the Paolo family finally finds out where to go when the older son gets out of the car to ask for directions. They should not have had the families drive in New York because it looked really dangerous. The Black family hasn't travelled much. Meanwhile the Paolo family is arguing and yelling at each other and calling each other stupid. The Linz family is in first place. Next up is to cross the George Washington bridge. Cross through New Jersy and Pennsylvania and go to Washington Cross. The Gaghan family is second. The Schroeder family is third. The Black family is in 9th place. The Paolo family is dead last. Once they get to Washington Crossing, the Aiello family first. They have to row a boat across the Delaware, get a flag, and come back across the river to get their clue. There are only four boats that will carry the families. Each boat has a fack George Washington who gives directions. The Bransen family is now second. The Rogers family is third, the Weavers fourth and the Gaghans are now fifth. The Aiellos are the first to get their clue. They have to 34 miles to Philadelphia, go to Fairmount Park, find Belmont Plateau, and then pitch their tents and spend the night. They have to hurry up because they will be assigned times to leave the park for the next leg of the adventure. With the Black family, one of the little boys saw the clue box and got the family on the right track. The Paolo family seems to be really far behind which is what you would expect from their start. The Linz family is lost and had gone well past where they should have gone. Meanwhile on the Delaware River, the Black family is being taken away by the current because the kids are crying that they can't paddle.
The Aiello family arrives at the park first and starts to pitch their tent. The Gaghan family moved up into third place. The Aiello family gets to depart at 10 am. The Gaghan family are second and also get a 10 am start. The Bransen's in third place get 10:30. Back at the river, the Black family is still having issues, and the Godlewski family is in eighth place. At least they have their flag. The two teams who haven't gotten their flags yet are the Linz and Paolo families. The Paolo family is in dead last still, and are just crossing the river as the Linz team is leaving to find the Park. The Schroeder family has found out that they are in 6th place and get to leave at 10:30. The Paolo mother is really having problems moving. The Paolo mother lost the clue so the family has to go back to get it. The Paolo family has some serious issues that are coming out in this episode. The two boys are disrespectful to their parents, and the mother and father let the boys, especially the older one, treat them like shit.
The show is just past the first hour. I have to admit that I'm not sure if I am a fan of Amazing Race. I think that this show is far too long--it is two hours. I would rather be watching one of the shows that I am recording, and I just hope that things pick up when the shows are shorter.
The older son in the Paolo family said that they have to take a risk. He said, we know what the clue said, we don't need to go back to get it. Meanwhile the mother was acting like the sad martyr. The next morning, the teams had to travel 92 miles to Mount Joy, Pa and the Bruebaker family farm for the next clue. The Weavers seem to be a religious family and always seem to make some sort of religious reference. The Weaver family is now in first place. The farm is in Amish country. The teams get their first detour. They must either build a watermill or pull a buggy. Both the Weaver and the Rogers family choose to pull the buggy. The Gaghan family has it easy because the two adults can put the lighter two kids in the buggy and pull them. The Weavers have an accident in their buggy. It runs away with the two girls in it. The mother and son were pulling the buggy.
The mother in the Weaver family was run over, and she was okay. The one daugher started to cry because of how the father died. Fortunately the Weavers tell the Gaghan about the brakes as the Weavers go to do the building. The Gaghan family passes the Aiello family while the kids sing. As the Aiello guys say, the Gaghans have 70 pounds of kids in the buggy while they have 400 pounds of men. It seems that the better choice was to build it instead of buggying it. It seems that pulling the buggy was the bad choice because it is so tiring. The LInz family is having some problems. The Weaver family is first. They have to go to the Rohrer family farm in Lancaster. The last family to reach the Rohrer farm will be eliminated. The Paolo family is disorganized as usual, and the fighting ensues. The Gaghan family finished the buggy in third place. it will be interesting to see if the Paolo family finishes last. For some reason the families seem to get lost even though they have maps. They really seem to have problems following directions and using a map. The families are looking for blue silos that mark the Rohrer family farm. The Godlewski family is the first team to reach the farm. As the winners, they get $20,000. The Weavers and the Gaghans get to the farm at the same time. The Gaghan family made it as team number two. Those kids can run. The Weavers are team number three. Back at the building the Paolos are fighting. The Linz family is not doing too badly considering they pulled the buggy.
The Schroeder family is having some problems building their mill, but they finally get it going. The elder Paolo son yells at his mom who was trying to touch the watermill. Goodness knows why she was doing that. Meanwhile the Mother starts crying because she says that she has had a lifetime of embarrassment with how her children treat her. She tells the father that he needs to handle the kids. I guess she doesn't want the parent role. The Rogers family is the fourth team. The Schroeder family is team number five. The mother starts yelling and screaming because they thought they were lost. At the end they were team number six, and the family is all smiles and laughing. The family is really disfunctional. The Bransen family is team number seven. The Linz and Black families are still building and buggying. Aiello family is team number eight. It is down to the Black and Linz family. The kids in the Black family are starting to look abit depressed. The Linz boys decided to not follow the other team in the hopes of getting there first. Both families get there at the same time. It is now a race to the finish, and the Linz family is team number nine. The Black family is eliminated. The family is sad, but the father said that sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. As long as you put in your best effort that is what counts. The dad says that he is proud of his family. The mom said that the boys did the best job that they could, and the father said it was the best experience that he wouldn't give up for anything.