AMAZING RACE 5 - Official Thread

[atlnewf]

So how many of you would love to try sledging or the ball?

ME ME ME!

Ashley

 

[TiggerPiglet]

I'm so glad Chip and Kim are still in the race. I really would love to see them win. I really thought Chip had screwed up by not using the yield, thinking the moms were behind them. I'm curious too about how the yield works. I thought they could only use it on teams behind them, not in front. I'd also like to know how long the yield lasts. Phil said they turn over an hour glass, but I can't imagine they would have to wait an hour; could they?
I too would love to know how much time it takes each of them to complete a task. There was definitely editing involved last night when they showed the twins finding the clue in the mud just as Chip and Kim finished the water sledging. When C&K finished there was a lot of light behind them, when the twins finished it was totally dark.
It does look like Colin is having a meltdown next week, but previews can be deceiving. When it shows him saying "I hate you", he could be talking to that plow thing he's dealing with during the challenge next week.

 

[Grog]

When it shows him saying "I hate you", he could be talking to that plow thing he's dealing with during the challenge next week.

That's what I thought when I saw the preview. I'll bet the task is a difficult one and he gets mad at the equipment.

 

[Luckymommyx2]

Originally posted by atlnewf
So how many of you would love to try sledging or the ball?

ME ME ME!

Ashley

Me too!! That's one of the great things about the AR. I would have never known what sledging is and if I were a contestant I would love to have that experience, plus many more!!

I've seen those balls around here, most recently at a baseball game. They look like so much fun!!!

 

[dizneenut]

I would love to try that ball. That looked like so much fun.

Glad that Chip & Kim are still in it. Was getting a bit worried. Had to LOL at Kim telling Chip he would be doing the roadblock.

Thought Colin was pretty nice last night, but see by the previews that it wasn't for long. I really hope they screw up somewhere and end up losing.

 

[OhMari]

Sledging-My whole family wants to do it, but the closet thing around Wisconsin is sitting on a inner-tube floating slowly down a river.

Someone said they wish they would post a time thing at the end, so we would know how far back couples are. Usually on the next show, they say "Colin and Christi came in at 11:34 a.m. and they will leave at 11:45 p.m. and then you get to see the times. Some are very close and some are 4-5 hours later.

 

[Grog]

Just found this interview with an AR cameraman. Pretty interesting.

Link

Area native follows ‘Amazing Race’ around the world
Monday, September 13, 2004
ON THE BEAT Dan Kane Repository entertainment editor


“Amazing Race” cameraman Dave Ross in St. Petersburg, Russia




Little did Dave Ross imagine when he enrolled in the Connecticut School of Broadcasting 12 years ago that he’d one day be trotting the globe, videocam on shoulder, at a breakneck pace.

Ross’ work has taken him to the Sahara desert, the jungles of Borneo and the teeming streets of Ho Chi Minh City. He’s been to France, Australia, Italy, Russia, Brazil, Scotland, South Africa.

“It’s so mind-boggling all the places I’ve been,” he says.

Ross, a 1982 Jackson High School grad, has been a cameraman for the CBS-TV reality series “The Amazing Race” since its inception in 2000. The show is essentially an international scavenger hunt, with competing teams following clues and using any means of transportation and cunning to make their way across the world.

The fifth “Amazing Race” season is now airing — at 10 p.m. Tuesdays — with the sixth already in the can. Just don’t ask him for any scoop about unaired episodes — he signed a $10 million confidentiality agreement.

After graduating from Jackson High, Ross was a semiprofessional motorcycle racer and owned his own bike shop, Rossi’s Motorsports, in Massillon. He attended broadcasting school, then found a job operating the camera for the Jumbotron at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, then began doing lots of sports broadcasting in the Cleveland area.

In 1999, he was a cameraman for a live-broadcast Discovery Channel special titled “Live From a Shark Cage,” which was shot in the Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. “That’s what sparked my interest in working internationally,” he says.

In 2000, Ross received a call from a new production company that was assembling a reality series called “The Amazing Race.”

“They wouldn’t tell me what the show was about, only that they needed someone with international camera experience who was willing to travel the world with a camera on his shoulder,” he says. “I definitely was interested.”

Ross, 40, spends four to six weeks shooting each “Amazing Race” season. The rest of the year, he’s at home in Canal Fulton with his wife, Kirsten, and daughter, Abigail, 7.


What was it like shooting the first season of “The Amazing Race”?

ROSS: It was crazy. Everything was uncharted. We had contestants running wild through tribal villages in Africa, driving jeeps through these muddy, rutted-out roads. It was all new to all of us.

Is it scary sometimes?

There’s so many fine lines of danger that come up. It’s our streetwise capabilities that keep us out of immediate danger.

As a cameraman, do you have much interaction with the contestants?

We’re the fly on the wall, and whatever happens, we shoot it. There’s nothing staged, so in that respect it’s a true reality series. Part of our job in making good television is to keep them focused on playing the game. The human drama just happens along the way.

Has the show changed a lot, now that the contestants have become savvy about how everything works?

The contestants have definitely gotten more crafty in their strategy from watching the show. They know what to expect. The first time nobody knew.

How grueling is it for you physically?

It’s not easy. We’re carrying 70 pounds of gear, while the contestants have only about 15 pounds. It’s up to you to keep up with them. Sometimes you want to run ahead of them. It’s a combination of being in shape and how much you can push and abuse your body.

Do you get any sleep when you’re shooting?

Basically when you sign on to the job you’re signing up for sleep deprivation. We do get 36-hour breaks, which give you a chance to catch up. We usually get three of those within the five-week (race) period.

So you do get to unwind?

Sure. We like to have a native beer from each city we’re in. That’s kind of a fun thing for us.

Where are some of the most unusual places you’ve slept — or tried to sleep?

We slept at the base of a bobsled course in Innsbruck. The crew scavenged some beds out of an old, broken-down motorhome we found but then we only got two hours of sleep. As soon as something happens, it’s time to get up and work. We’ve slept in train stations in India, slept outside museums and hotels, in all kinds of weather conditions.

What was it like shooting in St. Petersburg (Russia)?

It was totally cold. We were looked at very suspiciously by the people there. There we were with TV cameras, they were really wondering what was going on and we’re not allowed to disclose that we’re from “The Amazing Race.”

Isn’t language a major barrier for the contestants in different countries?

They get lost a lot and they’re constantly asking people for directions. The worst is when a contestant comes frantically screaming, “How do I get to the airport?” to someone who doesn’t speak English. They look like the epitome of the ugly American. And when the person doesn’t understand them, they just yell louder.

Is it frustrating to be in all these amazing places around the world with no time to explore them?

It’s very frustrating. Once we had a clue box set inside Nelson Mandela’s prison cell (Robben Island in South Africa), where he spent 18 years for something he believed in. Only one team out of nine even took a moment to reflect on the significance of that place. The others just grabbed the clue and ran out.

How much footage do you shoot?

For each season, over 1,000 hours of tape is edited down into 13 hours of programming.

How has 9/11 affected the travel aspect of things?

A lot of people ask me if I’m afraid to travel, especially after 9/11. But that’s more of an American thing. Once you get out of this country, it’s business as usual. A lot of Americans don’t realize what a big beautiful world it is out there as long as you go with a smile on your face.

What do you do when you’re not shooting “The Amazing Race”?

I do a lot of sports and entertainment work. I have a jib-arm crane that I own. For the NFL, I just did the induction ceremonies at the Hall of Fame. I do most of the home games for the Indians and Cavs when I’m in town. I do work for all the major networks — ABC, NBC, CBS, ESPN, MTV.

 

[carole88]

Thanks Grog. Great interview!

 

[travelbug24]

Thanks Grog, that interview was so informational. I wondered about the cameramen on the show and to carry 70# of gear...WOW!

I saw Amber and Rob from Survivor on the Early Show this morning and they are HUGE fans of Amazing Race and would love to be on the show. Harry Smith said he would set them up with the producers of the show.

 

[Kimberle]

Great cameraman interview! I'd love to see a more "behind the sceens" of one of these shows.

Thanks!!

I'd love to see Amber & Rob in a race! I have a feeling they'd do a bit better than Allison & Donny!

 

[shamrock bunch]

I vote for Amber and Rob! I'd like to see how they would do.
The reality questions are getting so hard to answer. I can't believe there are only 2 shows left.

 

[StaceyA]

never mind...LOL I wish I could delete my posts still....

 

[spb999]

I agree about the reality questions.....lots of mental coin tossing going on in my head !

 

[StaceyA]

Originally posted by spb999
I agree about the reality questions.....lots of mental coin tossing going on in my head !

LOL Ok Adria.....(Big Brother contestant that does this very thing!)

 

[spb999]

Originally posted by StaceyA
LOL Ok Adria.....(Big Brother contestant that does this very thing!)

at least I didn't say I consulted my bible and prayed about it

 

[StaceyA]

Originally posted by spb999
at least I didn't say I consulted my bible and prayed about it

lol Or that god came to you in a dream and told you how to vote....LOL

 

[StaceyA]

OMG Colin, what a spaz!!!
Why was he doing all the Detour, Christie could help couldn't she? all the other teams did it together....
I hope they get the boot today!

 

[ginna74]

is that the team where she is basiclly telling him off??????? she is just standing there (insert bad word) at him. Boy I just want to reach in and slap her!

 

[Beauty]

Boy am I glad I didn't marry a man like Colin......ugghh talk about a temper. Christy could have helped him but my goodness!

It looks like the mom's may be going but I sure hope its Colin and Christy! If Colin and Christy go then I'm happy with any of the other three winning.

 

[zulaya]

Arrrrgggggghghhhh! Non-elimination leg! I was so hoping they would get eliminated!

And now we have a 2 hr finale next week.