Curse of the Chupacabra

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING Race


For all who truly know me, know what a "The Amazing Race" fan I am; in fact, 'fan' does even begin to describe me, so I'm just going to say it... 'whore'.  Yes, much better description!  I am a "The Amazing Race" whore.  I cannot get enough of this show which has been on the air, on CBS, since 2001 about teams of two people, who have some form of preexisting personal relationship, racing around the world in competition with other teams filled with Speed Bumps, Detours, Roadblocks and U-Turns.  Producer Jerry Bruckheimer has created this flawless game show of people being put into extraneous circumstances that test their knowledge, skills and relationships for a chance to win (insert Dr. Evil voice here) One Million Dollars. Just announced today are the 11 teams who will be competing in its 19th Season, which you can see here.

Of course, it should be of no surprise that it is an obsession of mine to be a participant on this show and have even applied twice.  The first time was for Season 8 when the producers decided to do a "family" season with teams of 4.  My mother, sister and her then boyfriend created an audition tape and sent it in, but we never heard back, granted sister's boyfriend lost his passport which was a prerequisite for applying so nobody was surprised when we didn't hear.  Unfortunately, I no longer have a copy of this audition tape; otherwise I would post it, but I DO have the audition tape when I applied with my other sister, Vanesa, which was about two years ago.  You can enjoy the awkward attempt here:


Alas, we didn't hear from CBS again.  I guess I just wasn't meant to be on this show (crying, bawling, destroying priceless pieces of furniture).  But I do not hold a grudge because this show is too perfect to stay mad at.  In fact, back around 2007, before the Hollywood screenwriters strike, rumor was that CBS had planned to pull the plug on the show despite receiving five consecutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program.  Why CBS wanted to commit this felony, I do not know but because of the lack of scripts being written due to the writer's strike, reality television had a sudden rebirth and The Amazing Race was saved (ultimately ending up with 7 consecutive awards from 2003 - 2009).  I think I may have been the person routing for the writer's strike for this soul reason. 

Anyway, as a small addendum to not being cast on the show, I would like to point out that The Amazing Race has influenced a real reality game by LARF, Inc., who has developed a part scavenger hunt, part self-guided tour, part race in the greater Los Angeles area called The Amazing LA Race, which anybody can participate in.  Now, I haven't tried it yet, but it's at the top of my "to-do" list.

And my connection with the show stretches further than trying to be an Amazing Racer.  Myself and friend Steve had the pleasure of meeting a team that has appeared on the show twice now, most recently on last seasons 'Unfinished Business' show, the black and pink goths Kynt (Kent) & Vixen, while we were at Comic-Con two years back.  Here's the pic, but I think the guy taking the picture was even more star struck than either of us because he could not stop his hands from shaking, which is why the picture's blurry:


Not only does this show get my vote for Favorite Reality Show of all time, but it also receives my coveted Best Theme Music of all time as well (Note: No physical award will be given).  The theme music is absolutely amazing (pun intended) and always gets my blood pumping and makes me want to scream like being in the back row of a Madonna concert so she can hear me.  I even have said music on my iPod.  If you don't believe how awesome this theme music is, just have a listen while watching last seasons opening credits:


So ultimately, if you haven't watched The Amazing Race yet and I haven't over-hyped this show for you (which is impossible to do), then be sure to catch episode one of Season 19 this Sunday, September 25th at 8:00pm on CBS, and let it be known that Season 20 has already been confirmed for Spring of 2012.  Guess who's going to try to be on that season?

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BORN IN BLOOD

Born in Blood by Kate Paulk. $1.99 from Smashwords.com
Vlad Dracul, known later in life as Vlad the Impaler, suffered more than any should at the hands of Mehmed, son of Sultan Murad. Of all the pain and indignities brought upon him at the behest of the future ruler of the Ottoman Empire, the curse was the worst. All the young Vlad can do is try to survive and plot his vengeance.