Julianne Hough revealed on her Fancast blog that she will not be participating in the next edition of “Dancing with the Stars” and isn’t sure when she’ll return to the show. Here’s her comment:
“I won’t be on Dancing this spring season. I don’t know about the fall. Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see. I’m definitely going to focus on the music. My first album was a learning experience, and I can’t wait for the next one. I feel like the writing and producing will be even better, really awesome.”
She also makes a big plea for everyone who voted for her and Cody Linley to now vote for her brother Derek Hough and his partner Brooke Burke. Julianne ended her blog with:
“My prediction: I really hope Brooke and Derek win. I think they deserve to win. From day one, they’ve been awesome. I think Brooke is the most technically sound of the celebrities and she’s a beautiful dancer.”
Posted on November 20th, 2008 by Princess Kitty in Television
Yep. My mood pretty much matches the expressions on their faces. Last night’s “Pushing Daisies”, which really needed good ratings, did just the opposite. The show got its worst ratings EVER. The only show it beat in the 18-49 demo was “Knight Rider” but that’s not exactly a difficult thing to do.
I’m so sad. ABC still isn’t saying anything officially, but it’s not looking good.
Posted on November 19th, 2008 by Princess Kitty in Biggest Loser
Aired 11-18-08
The episode began with the aftermath of Amy’s stunning decision to go against the rest of her Blue Team and vote off Brady. She explained in an interview segment that she did it for herself. She voted off the person with the 2nd highest percent of weight loss because she’s the person with THE highest percent. Michelle (the person Amy saved from elimination) assured her that the Black Team would have her back now. Ed summed up what everyone watching this show was thinking, “If I were Amy, I would be a little bit nervous. Vicky’s crazy, man. She’ll claw your frickin’ eyes out.” Vicky, ever the classy one, said in her interview that, “I feel like the Blue Team should be frolicking in the garden of Eden but that stupid, back-stabbing bitch bit the apple and f***** it all up for us.” I laughed out loud when she followed up by saying that, sure she loves her husband and will miss him, but she’s more upset about the game. That’s Vicky.
Blue Team trainer, Bob Harper, met with his team to get the results of the previous night’s elimination but found just Vicky, Heba and Ed waiting for him. He quickly realized that Vicky was consumed with a need for revenge and that was only going to hurt her in the long run. His team was a mess and he knew it. Bob headed off to talk to Amy and found her crying in her room. He then proceeded to be the Bob I adore. While he wasn’t thrilled about the turmoil she’d put the team in, he was very pleased that she made a decision to take care of herself first. Not taking care of herself is what caused her to put on weight in the first place. Amy has realized that she could be the “Biggest Loser”. Bob proclaimed that, “Amy’s put herself on an island right now but it’s ok because I’m on that island with her.”
The next day began with Katrina and the Waves “Walking on Sunshine” and host Alison Sweeney arriving in a Delorian. She exited the car in full 80’s regalia to announce that it was 80’s week! The house was decked out with a Pac-Man game, Rubik’s cubes and they all had new workout clothes waiting for them - and they were horrifying. But I mean that in the best way possible because I LOVE the 80’s. Ed also had 80’s love going on. He tried on his new outfit saying, “I have on these scrumptious, crotch-hugger shorts that show off my beautiful powder white legs!”
As an off campus adventure, Trainer Jillian Michaels took her Black Team girls to meet with her friend Anthony, a choreographer, who taught them some breakdancing moves. The picture above is of Michelle, Renee and Coleen while they were in the class. Bob put on his Richard Simmons tank top and short shorts (ok, Bob wasn’t wearing as many sequins as Richard) and gave his team a step aerobics class. Once they were done, he tried to get them all to talk about how they could move forward as a team but the only response he got was silence.
Challenge
The group met Alison for this week’s challenge by a large contraption containing water buckets. They were all still in their 80’s gear and I have to acknowledge something. It’s no secret that I despise Vicky but she was working some fantastic 80’s hair in this episode. Anyway, the challenge revolved around 80’s trivia. Each contestant had to stand under a bucket containing half their body weight in water. They each held on to a handle that forced them to hold up the weight of their bucket. Alison asked them a series of 80’s trivia questions. If someone answered correctly, they got to add water to another person’s bucket. If they answered incorrectly, the water was added to their own bucket. The winner got a MOTOROKR S9HD wireless stereo headset for everyone in their family, two workout recordings from Bob and the choice between $5000 in cash or the ability to give a one pound penalty to someone at this week’s weigh in.
Question 1) According to Prevention Magazine, since 1980, the obesity rates have nearly A) double B) Tripled C) Quadrupled. Ed guessed C, which was wrong. The answer was A. Ed got 25% of his body weight in water added to his bucket.
Question 2) In the 80’s, one of the most popular workout videos promised to give you buns of what? Without even hearing the options, Heba buzzed in and said “steel”. As a side note: I hated that workout. She gave the additional water to Coleen.
Question 3) True or False. The National Institute of Health classified obesity as a disease in 1985. Coleen answered true and was right. She gave the water to Ed. That took the weight of his bucket to 100% of his body weight and it was too much for him. It all came pouring down on his head.
Question 4) The percentage of Americans with diabetes has increased by what percent since 1980? A) 100% B) 200% C) 300%. Coleen answered A, but the right answer was C. Ok, that was a scary statistic.
Question 5) True or False. Twenty years ago, U.S. teenage boys drank twice as much milk as soda. Today, they drink twice as much soda as milk. Amy answered true and was correct. Bless her heart - she gave the extra water to Vicky.
Question 6) Today, the most commonly purchased women’s dress size in America is a size 14. In 1985, it was a size…… A) 8 B) 10 C) 12. Renee answered 12 and was wrong. It was an 8. Even though Renee got the extra water, Amy was the next one to lose her grip and get drenched. Coleen soon followed.
Question 7) Today, women between the ages of 20 & 39 are eating an average of 385 extra calories a day compared to the 1980’s. That’s enough to gain how many pounds in one year? A) 20 lbs. B) 26.7 lbs. C) 35.8 lbs. Heba answered A, which was wrong. It was B. At this point, Vicky let go of her bucket.
Question 8) Who won a Grammy for best video of the year in 1982 for a music video that featured her working out in a leotard? Again, without hearing the options, Heba gave the correct answer - Olivia Newton-John. She gave the extra water to Renee, but Heba accidently let her own bucket slip a bit and it was then too much for her to hold up. She lost her grip and it was down to just Renee and her daughter Michelle. Michelle offered to buy her mom a designer purse if she let go. She had to think about it for a minute, but Renee did let go and allowed her daughter to win.
Later Bob, in his Frankie Say Relax shirt, tried to convince Vicky to bury the hatchet with Amy in order to protect the Blue Team’s 4 to 3 majority. She refused.
Michelle had a meltdown during the last chance workout and that resulted in a great Jillian moment. She said, “You can tell me that you choose not to. You can tell me that you choose to quit, that you choose to be less than what you are and less than what God intended but don’t ever tell me that you can’t do it!”
Product Placement Alert One: And, actually, the only one for the episode. Jill told her team to put their fresh fruit and veggies into Ziploc Produce Bags in order to keep them fresher longer.
Coleen had a glorious moment when she fit into a medium size blouse. The sweetest part was how she had to run to Renee and Michelle to celebrate. The Black Team is a lovable group.
Amy ended up apologizing to Vicky for her vote against Brady. We didn’t see any lead up to this so we don’t know what prompted her to do it. I’m hoping it was just game play and she doesn’t really have regrets. Heba felt that the apology was sincere - or smart. Vicky told Amy that she wasn’t sure she could trust her again but she wasn’t nearly as nasty about it as I would have anticipated.
Weigh In
Alison informed the group that, once again, the two people with the lowest percent weight loss would fall below the yellow line and the other five would determine which one of the two goes home. Michelle decided to forgo the $5000 and use the one pound penalty. She gave it to Vicky. Vicky replied that she wasn’t surprised.
Michelle lost 8 pounds for a total of 4.12%.
Renee lost 8 pounds for a total of 3.72%.
Ed lost 11 pounds for a total of 4.03%.
Heba lost 7 pounds for a total of 2.94%.
Coleen lost 3 pounds for a total of 1.76%. She said that seeing that number on the scale felt like a punch in the face. Poor Jillian was so upset about it that it took her a few moments to be able to speak. Jill assured Coleen that she would be fine no matter what happens and Jill will be there to help her through anything.
Amy lost 8 pounds for a total of 4.42%.
Vicky lost 6 pounds for a total (with the one pound penalty) of 2.59%. The one pound penalty ended up saving Heba.
There was no time given for deliberation and Alison took everyone straight to the elimination room. As expected Renee and Michelle voted to eliminate Vicky. Heba and Ed voted for Coleen. The deciding vote again belonged to Amy. She voted to eliminate Coleen. Oh Amy! I guess it was too much to hope that she could be that strong two weeks in a row. Michelle and Renee looked devastated as they gave Coleen a goodbye hug. Amy ran over, sobbing, and gave her a hug as well. We’ll have to wait to see if Amy made a horrible, or brilliant, decision here.
When Coleen got home she found her dad Jerry doing extremely well. They go to the gym and jog together now. She’s gone from a size 22 pant to a size 10 and looks cute as a button.
Next week: Vicky gets a video from her kids and actually wants to watch it!
The last 15 minutes of the recap show were the final performances of the couples competing for the “Ballroom Kids” trophy. The audience will vote and the winning pair will be announced next week. Hannah & Kirill from Staten Island trained with Tony Dovolani and danced the Cha, Cha, Cha. Mitchell & Maria from Philadelphia trained with Julianne Hough and danced the Samba. Craig & Samantha from Nutley, NJ trained with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and danced the Jive. The judges gave them all very flattering (and accurate) comments but the biggest compliment came from Len Goodman to Mitchell & Maria. He told them that he used to judge Julianne Hough and Mark Ballas when they were the same age and he thought Mitchell & Maria were better. All the kids were amazing but I would give the trophy to Mitchell & Maria. They all get a prize though - a trip to Disneyland.
The results show itself opened with Aretha Franklin singing “Chain of Fools” while Karina Smirnoff, Anna Trebunskaya, Dmitry Chaplin and Louis van Amstel danced. It was a good number and Karina was rockin’ some serious hair!
Leona Lewis was up next with her song “Bleeding Love”. She was joined by our latest DWTS couple - Maks & Karina. After the dance, host Tom Bergeron noted that the two were “showin’ a little bit of chemistry.”
Tom and co-host Samantha Harris then asked the judges why each celebrity could make it to the finals. Len thought Cody Linley could make it because of his enthusiasm and work ethic. Bruno Tonioli felt that Lance Bass brought great creativity to his dances. Carrie Ann Inaba noted that Warren Sapp brings the house down like no one else. Len noted that Brooke Burke is the most polished dancer and is still the one to beat.
Julianne Hough was up next with ”My Hallelujah Song”. She performed it with Mark Ballas, Lacey Schwimmer and Derek Hough. It was a very well done number and Julianne is definitely a legitimate singer but, I’m just not a country music kind of gal, so I can’t really judge it beyond that.
Samantha did an interview bit with the four remaining celebrities but all I could focus on were those yellow, fringed pants they made Brooke wear again.
John Legend was next, performing “Green Light”. I know he’s a young guy but during this song, with his clean shaven face, he looked like a baby to me. I’m not sure I’ve seen him without the facial hair before.
Montage One - This montage featured Warren’s mom Annie Roberts, Cody’s mom Cathy Sullivan, Brooke’s fiance David Charvet and Lance’s grandpa Jimmy Bass. They all talked about how they are supporting their loved one through the show. My favorite was Warren’s mom saying that she’s getting all the mall walkers to vote for her son.
Aretha Franklin came back to perform “Respect”. She was joined by reigning DWTS champs, Kristi Yamaguchi and Mark Ballas. It doesn’t look like Kristi has lost a step since the end of last season.
Montage Two - This featured the stars talking about each other. Lance described Brooke as being like a machine and Warren said, to beat her, he’ll have to do a backflip. Cody commented that Lance was polished and Warren added that Lance’s greatest strength is his stage presence. Cody said that Warren was in the final four because he has the confidence of a champion. Brooke added that Warren makes people feel good when he dances. About Cody, Brooke said that, despite his youth, he has really worked hard and has done a good job of handling adversity.
Finally, we got to the actual results part of the show. Tom and Samantha announced that the two couple safe and the two couples still in jeopardy were - in no particular order:
In Jeopardy: Cody Linley & Julianne Hough and Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson
The couple leaving this week was Cody & Julianne. The best part of their goodbye montage was watching Cody’s reaction as he watched it. He and Julianne were about as sweet and charming as they could be with their goodbyes.
Next week is the finals! It looks like ABC doesn’t have the results show up yet on their website but, when they do, it will be at the link below:
Mel B was back last night for “Access Hollywood” and did her round of post-performance interviews at “Dancing with the Stars”. This time she had everyone discuss their pre-show rituals.
Posted on November 18th, 2008 by Princess Kitty in Movies
How scary-perfect is Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock? I think the real wild card will be how Chris Pine pulls off Kirk. That’s going to be tough. Below is the first trailer for “Star Trek” and it’s been getting rave reviews - at least at the sights I read.
Host Tom Bergeron opened the show by stating that this was possibly the most competitive final four yet for the series. In the first round the couples had to perform a traditional DWTS dance that they haven’t done before. In round two they were able to choose one of the new styles introduced earlier in the season. During this past week’s rehearsals, they all received a visit from the Dance Master himself, head judge Len Goodman. Len diagnosed all the star’s key problem areas - Lance is pigeon-toed, Cody needs more hip action, Brooke needs to keep her legs straight and Warren has to work on his feet. It’s always an entertaining bit but the best part, by far, was watching Warren teach Len how to do the QB sack dance.
Brooke Burke & Derek Hough - They have the Jive and the Salsa this week. Derek again was very frustrated by having to choreograph in a style he’s not familiar with. Brooke wanted to concentrate on bringing the “wow” factor. She wanted their Jive to have the same punch as the one Derek did with Julianne during last week’s results show.
Jive: This was tough to watch. For the first time ever, Brooke Burke struggled. The dance started off with an obvious mistake and Brooke looked timid and hesitant through the rest of the dance. Len called it a disaster and he wasn’t even trying to be mean. He said that it was “one of those nights” that had numerous mistakes. Bruno Tonioli told Brooke that she didn’t need to oversell her dancing, she just needs to focus on the technique she’s had all along. Carrie Ann Inaba was mainly upset by what she called a “blatantly illegal lift” saying that it was disrespectful. Poor Brooke. She knew what had happened and fully agreed with the judges. She explained to co-host Samantha Harris, in the post-dance interview, that it was the kind of dance she feared having all season long. Scores: Carrie Ann - 7, Len - 7, Bruno - 7 for a total of 21. Apparently Brooke Burke is human after all.
Salsa: She’s also very resilient! This was a fantastic comeback dance. She moved great and worked the sexiness of the dance like she’s been doing all season. Considering how upset she clearly was after the Jive, this recovery was exceptional. There was only one problem - the horrifying pants she was wearing. I can’t believe they were able to create an outfit that even Brooke Burke looked bad in. Ewwww. Scores: Carrie Ann - 9, Len - 10, Bruno - 9 for a total of 28.
Total Score: 49
Audience Alert: Debbie Gibson’s in the house!
Cody Linley & Julianne Hough - Julianne noted that the biggest change she’s seen in Cody is his determination to make it to the finals. Cody was worried this week about his ability to pull off the “manly” Paso Doble since he’s just 18. In the rehearsal clips we saw him working hard and getting frustrated but there was none of the flightiness we’ve seen before.
Paso Doble: It was definitely a unique take on the Paso. They did it in a retro military style. I actually thought Cody pulled it off pretty well. It wasn’t perfect, but the problems had nothing to do with his age. I didn’t see any “kid” in the dance. Bruno said, “Well, that was different. It was the AWOL android and the Queen of Mean.” He was all for innovation but felt this dance strayed too far from the Paso style. Carrie Ann said that she would give Cody a 10 for determination. She could, however, also see the tension in him and said that shouldn’t be happening in the Semi-Finals. Len described it as stiff and wooden and added that it lacked dance quality. Scores: Carrie Ann - 8, Len - 7, Bruno - 7 for a total of 22.
Salsa: Full lifts are allowed with these dance styles and the ones in this dance were very flashy. It was good but this time I also thought Cody looked a bit stiff. Carrie Ann called it fun but said it lacked a bit of musicality. Len disagreed saying he thought the musicality was quite good and the dance was well done. Bruno said that Cody danced like a “little, cheeky devil” but was still a bit loose technically. Scores: Carrie Ann - 8, Len - 8, Bruno - 8 for a total of 24.
Total Score: 46
Warren Sapp & Kym Johnson - We got a glimpse of Warren’s tough schedule this week. He and Kym don’t get to start working on their dances until Thursday because he has to be in Philadelphia to do “Inside the NFL”. We also saw that Kym doesn’t need to be tough on Warren because he does a great job of beating himself up when he gets frustrated.
Mambo: Warren was still charming (he can’t help it) but you could see that he was really working at this dance. It didn’t have the effortless quality that he usually brings. It may be that the grind of work, travel and dance is finally wearing on him. Carrie Ann said that Warren needs to up his game with a bit more content. She found the dance to be lackluster. Len sort of complimented Warren by saying the he epitomizes “go with what you know.” Warren knows how to perform and doesn’t mess about with technique. Bruno said Warren has such a super-sized sense of fun that he gets away with murder. Scores: Carrie Ann - 8, Len - 8, Bruno - 8 for a total of 24. You never saw someone as happy about receiving a 24 in the Semi-Finals as Warren!
Jitterbug: This was a toned down version of the Jitterbug but the big guy gave it all he had and it seemed more natural than the Mambo. Len called Warren a “joyful” person to watch and added that he sold it 100%. Bruno agreed that Warren always makes an impact by it was clear Len’s class with him didn’t work. Carrie Ann simply said that she loved it. Scores: Carrie Ann - 9, Len - 8, Bruno - 8 for a total of 25.
Total Score: 49
Lance Bass & Lacey Schwimmer - The show managed to find someone even more adorable than Warren Sapp - Lance’s Grandpa. Grandpa and Lance’s dad paid a visit to the studio while Lance & Lacey were rehearsing this week’s Jitterbug. Grandpa was in the Navy in World War II (they showed a picture of him from that time wearing his uniform) and he was very happy to find out that Lance would be dressed as a sailor for the number.
Mambo - Lance hit the dance floor brimming with confidence! It was an incredibly sharp routine and Lacey’s choreography was the best she’s done so far. She may have finally found the right blend of traditional and quirky. Dad and Grandpa joined in the standing ovation. As they came over for the judges’ comments Tom said, “If they don’t like that, I’m leaving with you.” Len said, “In this competition it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish and that was the best dance so far.” Bruno called it “Semi-Final material” and Carrie Ann said it was a “showstopper.” Scores: Carrie Ann - 10, Len - 9, Bruno - 9 for a total of 28.
Jitterbug: I have to give Lance a ton of credit for this one. He lost his shoe at the beginning of the routine, kicked it out of the way and kept going without breaking character or losing a step. If you didn’t see it happen, you would never have known anything was wrong through the rest of the dance. Tom said that he hasn’t seen anything that amazing since season one when Kelly Monaco continued her routine even after her straps broke. Bruno said, “Shoes off or shoes on that was brilliant.” He also loved how it referenced “On The Town”. Carrie Ann proclaimed, “Grandpa Bass, you must be proud” and Len complimented Lance on two fabulous dances. Scores: Carrie Ann - 10, Len - 9, Bruno - 10 for a total of 29.
Total Score: 57
Sometimes, with this show, the dancers hit their peak during the Semi-Finals and the Finals end up feeling like a letdown. Considering all the trouble every couple (except Lance & Lacey) had tonight, there is plenty of room to improve for next week. The scores ended with Lance & Lacey way out in front with 57, Brooke & Derek and Warren & Kym tied with 49 and Cody & Julianne at the bottom with 46. I’m thinking this is Cody’s time to leave the show but he can be very proud of what he’s accomplished. If the title went to the most improved, Cody would win it by a landslide.
Full episodes of DWTS are available at ABC’s website here:
Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Princess Kitty in Amazing Race
Aired 11-16-08
Brother and sister team, Nick & Starr, ended the last leg of the race in first place. It was the 4th time they’ve been in that position. After the mandatory rest period, they set off on the next leg at 10:14PM. Nick mentioned that, every time they start a leg, he waits for their luck to run out. The teams needed to fly 1000 miles to Almaty, Kazakhstan. Once there, they had to travel by taxi to a chicken factory and search the grounds for the next clue. They headed to a hotel to do some internet research first.
Mother and son team, Toni & Dallas were the 2nd to leave at 10:24PM. They also headed to the hotel. Dallas told his mom that the only thing he knew about Kazakhstan was Borat and his mom was quick to say that they wouldn’t be mentioning that to anyone. Toni was feeling pretty good about their chances because they’ve been flying under the radar. At the hotel, Dallas and Starr restarted their flirting while Toni and Nick researched flights. As the they all headed to the airport, Dallas commented that he wanted to help Starr as much as possible but he also wanted to win the million dollar prize - at least then he’d be able to pay for dinner.
Newly dating couple Terence & Sarah departed in 3rd place at 10:43PM. They opted to head straight to the airport. Once again, this couple wasn’t on the same page. Sarah was feeling all happy and mellow and Terence (surprise!) was a neurotic mess. Separated husband and wife team, Ken & Tina, left in the 4th spot at 11:48PM. They also headed straight to the airport. Tina commented that, while their communication skills aren’t where they ultimately want them to be, things have been much better during the last couple of legs. If they get it together, she doesn’t think any other team can beat them. Frat boys, Andrew & Dan, were in last place departing at 12:00AM. As they headed to the airport, Andrew said that the other teams left in the race really meant business but, he and Dan shouldn’t be counted out. Dan added, “Nothing’s ever final ’til you get on that plane.”
Nick & Starr and Toni & Dallas got tickets on the first flight out (connecting through Frankfurt). Terence & Sarah arrived at the airport next but chose a different airline counter to start their ticket search. When Ken & Tina arrived they saw Nick & Starr and Toni & Dallas and went to their counter. They got the last tickets available for the earlier flight. Terence & Sarah booked the only remaining tickets for the second flight out (connecting through Moscow) leaving just Andrew & Dan on the last flight (going through Dubai).
None of the flights were delayed but when the first three teams arrived at the chicken factory, they found it closed until 7:30 the next morning. That was enough time for both of the remaining teams to catch up. The next clue was a roadblock and everyone began it together.
Roadblock
Only one team member can perform a Roadblock. For this one, they had to enter a chicken shack and search among 30,000 chickens for one of seven golden eggs. When they found the egg, they would get the next clue. There was also a Fast Forward in the envelope. The first team that found and completed the Fast Forward would be able to skip all the remaining tasks and head straight to the Pit Stop. This Fast Forward required the team to travel by taxi to a restaurant and join in a traditional feast that included a local delicacy made of fat from the rear end of a sheep. When they both finished eating their serving, they would be given the reward. Nick & Starr and Terence & Sarah headed off for the FF. Sarah was reluctant to gamble on it, but Terence was confident it was a risk worth taking.
Andrew, Toni and Tina did the Roadblock for their teams. Toni was the first to find the golden egg and the next clue instructed them to search the factory grounds for a giant crane truck. They had to take the truck to the Koktobe Arch at the foothills of the Tienshan Mountains. They would then need to follow a marked path to a Mongol Warrior and wait for their next clue to arrive. Andrew and Tina soon found their eggs and everyone was off in their trucks.
At the Fast Forward restaurant, Starr stated that she made a point of not reading the description of the dish they had to eat. She figured she was better off not knowing. She did some gagging at first but plowed through the dish anyway. When Terence saw that the dish they had to eat was meat based, he knew they were in trouble. He’s been a vegetarian for over 15 years. He looked at Sarah and said he couldn’t eat it. I have to ask here - have you people not watched this show before? Why would you gamble on a food based challenge when there is a giant category of food that you can’t eat? Plus, you know it is going to be something weird or gross so it was likely to be animal based. He tried to eat some anyway but had to give up. He and Sarah headed back to the Roadblock.
Toni & Dallas found the Arch and the Warriors with relative ease and watched as an eagle delivered the clue to them. It was a Detour.
Detour
In this Detour the teams had to choose between “Play Like Mad” and “Play Like Fools”. In “Play Like Mad” they had to travel by taxi to the Museum of Folk Musical Instruments. They then had to learn to play a simple Kazakh tune using two traditional instruments - the Dombra (which kind of looked like a two-stringed Mandolin) and the Shan Koby’s (which sort of seemed like a mouth harp). It didn’t end there. After learning the song they had to play it for tips in the park. Once they earned the equivalent of $1.50, they would get the next clue. Not too surprisingly, no team picked this challenge. The “Act Like Fools” option seemed much, much easier. In that one, the teams had to travel by taxi to a children’s puppet theater and get a two person cow costume. Wearing the costume, they had to walk through the streets of Almaty to a booth that sold milk. One person would have to drink the glass of milk (which was quite large) to find the next clue at the bottom of the glass. That clue instructed them to head to the Zelyoniy Bazaar and deliver themselves, in the cow costume, to a butcher who would give them the next clue. Ok, it was kind of twisted, but it was easy.
Meanwhile, Andrew & Dan’s crane truck driver didn’t know where he was going and they kept stopping to try and find someone who could give them directions. I was feeling rather bad for them until Dan just had to be Dan. It shouldn’t have come as a shock that there weren’t a lot of people on the streets of Kazakhstan who spoke English, yet Dan started getting angry at them. At one point he even referred to them as “horrible people” because they wouldn’t (or more correctly couldn’t) help them.
Nick & Starr finished their sheep’s butt meal and got their reward. They had to travel by taxi to the next Pit Stop at Old Square. For the 5th time, they were the first to check in and this time won a pair of 180 horsepower wave runners.
Toni & Dallas were happily mooing their way through town, looking for the milk stand, when they discovered that they had gone in the wrong direction. This allowed Ken & Tina to get to the stand ahead of them. Unfortunately, they hadn’t really read the clue. After she downed the glass of milk, Tina expected to be handed an envelope. When she wasn’t, they thought they had the wrong booth. They headed off as Toni & Dallas arrived. Dallas also expected to be handed an envelope but he reread the instructions. They looked at the bottom and were off, merrily mooing, to the butcher’s stand. Ken & Tina eventually figured out that the clue was on the bottom of the glass but then, for some unknown reason, decided that they had to return their cow costume to the theater before going any further.
The goofy and loveable Toni & Dallas arrived at the butcher’s stand and got their next clue. It instructed them to head - by foot - to the Pit Stop at Old Square. It also told them that they had to bring their cow head with them. On their way out of the Bazaar they passed Ken & Tina. Toni & Dallas quickly told them that they needed to still have the costume with them. Toni immediately regretted having helped them but, as it turned out, Ken & Tina just kept going into the Bazaar anyway. It wasn’t until the people at the butcher’s stand told them they had to be in costume that they went back to the theater.
Toni & Dallas checked in 2nd.
After scurrying back and forth, Ken & Tina still managed to get their act together and checked in 3rd.
This left Andrew & Dan and Terence & Sarah battling it out. Andrew & Dan were leading but then they missed a key part of a clue. Instead of heading to the Pit Stop on foot, they took a taxi. They had abandoned their shoes at the theater and getting around in the cow boots was uncomfortable. They got to the Pit Stop in 4th place but host Phil Keoghan made them go back to the Detour location and do it by foot.
Meanwhile I found myself in the very unlikely position of rooting for Terence & Sarah. Terence is moody and high maintenance but he took full responsibility for the Fast Forward debacle and was being a great cheerleader for Sarah as they walked through town in their cow costume. He told her that she was running stronger than anyone he had ever seen and he was proud of her.
Unfortunately, despite sniping and arguing the whole way, Andrew & Dan made it back to the Pit Stop ahead of Terence & Sarah. Phil informed the couple that they were eliminated. They both said kind and loving things about each other and actually seemed sweet. Jeez! Now they had to be cute?
Next Week: Nick & Starr finally seem to run into some trouble. They are an incredibly strong team but my heart is with Toni & Dallas.
Full episodes and bonus clips are available at CBS’ website here:
Posted on November 17th, 2008 by Princess Kitty in Comedy
I was watching E! this weekend (’cause that’s what I do) and they were running their “Saturday Night Live” countdown show. It included one of my all-time favorite bits - Choppin’ Broccoli!
It seemed like a good way to start the week so here is Dana Carvey from his HBO Critic’s Choice Special. Remember, it’s HBO, so there’s some adult language.
