BoDog Casino posts 'The Amazing Race 4' odds, sets favorites - Reported by: Admin on 05-21-2003
BoDog might have had to suspend it's "Survivor The Amazon" wagering after it caught CBS employees who were apparently in the know betting on the Survivor finalists, but apparently that hasn't stopped them from taking bets on another CBS-produced reality show -- "The Amazing Race 4."
"The fact is, our players really like to wager on reality television,' BoDog President Rob Gillespie told Online Casino News. "It adds something to the viewing experience to have a few dollars riding on it." The Amazing Race 4 begins airing on CBS on May 29th. When BoDog first opened it on May 13th, two teams were listed as 4/1 favorites. For complete current odds, see below.
According to BoDog, David and Jeff, best friends from Manhattan Beach, CA and Monica and Sheree, from Duluth, GA are considered the front-runners to win. "Monica and Sheree are wives of NFL players and look to be in great physical condition," said Gillespie. "The team of David and Jeff look to be in good shape, not too young and not too old."
"Both teams look very strong and seem to have the right attributes to be successful," said Gillespie who indicated he had no fears about CBS employees using insider knowledge on this show for profit. "We feel pretty confident that they won't be back," said Gillespie. "But if we see something out of the ordinary again, we'll be sure to investigate."
CURRENT ODDS AS OF MAY 21:
Reichen & Chip 3/1
David & Jeff 4/1
Monica & Sheree 4/1
Amanda & Chris 5/1
Millie & Chuck 6/1
Jon & Al 6/1
Steve & Josh 6/1
Steve & Dave 8/1
Tian & Jaree 8/1
Debra & Steve 10/1
Kelly & Jon 10/1
Russell & Cindy 12/1
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'The Amazing Race 4' to premiere with 90 minute special on May 29th - Reported by: Admin on 05-21-2003
CBS has announced that the twelve teams of "The Amazing Race 4" will start their race of a lifetime quest for $1 million with a special 90 minute episode of "The Amazing Race 4," airing on Thursday, May 29th (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Phil Keoghan once again returns as host of the series.
The 12 new teams include circus clowns, a set of moms whose husbands play for the NFL Atlanta Falcons, a couple who have been dating for 12 years and are still virgins, and a pair of models from Miami.
In the premiere episode, the teams set off on the first leg of the race starting at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles before quickly making their way to Milan, Italy. Several teams form alliances with each other, causing tensions to rise, while another team almost misses their opportunity for a night’s sleep. Some teams embrace the thrill of zip gliding, while two other teams question if they can keep up physically with the race. Several twists occur as teams confront major obstacles on the way to the pit stop.
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CBS confirms May 29th start date for 'The Amazing Race 4,' reveals cast info - Reported by: AyaK on 05-06-2003
The speculation is finally over, and the rumors turned out to be true. CBS has confirmed that The Amazing Race 4 will air beginning Thursday, May 29, at 8 PM EDT, ending weeks of speculation about its air date. The show wil, at least for the premiere, occupy the time slot that normally belongs to Survivor and, during the summer, has previously belonged to Big Brother. The premiere of The Amazing Race 4 will be a 90-minute special to provide background on all the teams.
Once again, 12 teams of 2 people with pre-existing relationships will set out to circumnavigate the globe and collect the prize of one million dollars, by becoming the first team to reach the destination. As the teams progress across the globe throughout the grueling competition, dramatic conflicts and deepening friendships develop between and within the teams and are chronicled on the show. During the course of 13 episodes, 9 teams will be dismissed at checkpoints along the route, leaving three teams to compete for the victory ... and for the million dollars.
The teams for this installment of The Amazing Race are:
Amanda and Chris, dating couple, from Siuox Falls, SD. Amanda, 25, is a medical technician; Chris, 28, is a freelance graphics designer.
David and Jeff, best friends, from Los Angeles. David, 32, owns a marketing agency; Jeff, 37, is a real estate broker.
Debra and Steve, the married parents, from Louisville, Kentucky. Debra, 49, is director of an artists' colony; Steve, 40, is news director for a radio station.
Jon and Al, best friends and clowns, from Long Island. Jon, 40, works as a "human cannonball" for the circus; Al, 34, is an ex-circus clown who now works as a substitute teacher with occasional cruise-ship clowning on the side.
Kelly and Al, the engaged couple, from Miami. Kelly, 30, is a model; Jon, 28, is a real estate agent.
MIllie and Chuck, dating couple (for 12 years) and self-professed virgins, from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Millie, 29, works as an instructor for the Tennessee Aquarium; Chuck, 28, has worked in a series of short-term physical occupations.
Monica and Sheree, NFL wives and moms, from Duluth, Georgia. Monica, 29 and a mother of two, was an Indianapolis Colts cheerleader; Sheree, 31, has three children.
Reichen and Chip, married couple, from Los Angeles. Reichen, 28, is a pilot and an instructor at a flight school; Chip, 36, has started his own media-related company. We do not know if this is a civil union or a legal marriage, but we'll probably find out before the race is over.
Russell and Cindy, friends who are dating, from the greater Los Angeles area. Russell, 32, is a model and entrepreneur; Cindy, 39, is a former model and inventor.
Steve and Dave, air traffic controllers, from Chicago. Steve is 46; Dave 43.
Steve and Josh, father and son, from Santa Barbara and Los ANgeles, respectively. Steve, 47, is a supervisor at a juvenile detention facility; Josh, 21, is a computer technician.
Tian and Jaree, models, from Miami Beach. Tian is 30; Jaree 33.
Phil Keoghan is returning as host.
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'Amazing Race 4' may start as early as May 29 - Reported by: AyaK on 05-02-2003
The strange story of scheduling for The Amazing Race 4 keeps getting stranger. We previously reported that the Asian network AXN had posted that the show would air in the summer of 2003, but we also carried a lengthy analysis from reality TV expert Paul Decker, who expected the show to be held until fall.
Now three more sources are weighing in with rumors (or maybe facts) consistent with AXN's timetable. First, Matt Roush in TV Guide says that, although nothing is official, it "looks" as if The Amazing Race 4 could start as early as the end of the May sweeps (the last week of May). However, he also notes that no one really knows until CBS confirms an air date.
Then, Canadian network CTV reports on its Web site that The Amazing Race 4 will begin airing on Thursday, May 29.
Finally, Time Magazine reports, in a feature on Race executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, that "The Amazing Race, the closest a reality show has ever got to being a critical darling, returns to CBS this summer despite middling ratings."
So, AXN, Matt Roush, CTV and Time are all reporting the same "rumor," which would mean that Decker's analysis, while logical, may be incorrect.
We contacted Decker, who was busy making his Kentucky Derby selections, and asked for his opinion regarding these latest developments. "The Thursday-at-8 slot has normally been reserved for Big Brother during the summer, so if Race is going to air on Thursday, it would have to fill the 9 PM or 10 PM EDT slot. The show currently in the 9 PM slot is CSI, which, like Race, is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The Thursday at 10 slot is occupied by Without a Trace, also from Bruckheimer. It is certainly possible that Bruckheimer has asked, for reasons of his own, to pull one of those shows off the summer rerun schedule. Nevertheless, if Race runs during the summer, it won't be on the fall schedule, which would generally be seen as a huge loss to both Bruckheimer and CBS."
"If Race is reduced to a summer fill-in, then CBS would have a hard time continuing to bill itself as the leader in quality reality programming, with only Survivor in prime time during most of the year. And, if Race continues to struggle against summer competition, it could be on its last legs."
Decker's analysis sounds good to us, but it sounded good before and yet it may well be wrong. Uh, to put it politely, we know his Kentucky Derby pick but aren't reporting it until his track record is a little more established....
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Analysis: 'The Amazing Race 4' delayed until fall? - Reported by: AyaK on 04-25-2003
Questions about when CBS will air the fourth edition of its high-class reality TV show The Amazing Race continue to swirl around the world. CBS had initially announced that the show would be aired beginning March 12, and this information was dutifully reported on sites elsewhere in the world. However, as March came and went, broadcasters elsewhere were forced to alter their plans.
The Asian TV network AXN posted a Web page explaining that CBS had delayed the show and that the new tentative broadcast time was June-August 2003 (see the answer to the second question). In a discussion with CBS promotion sources this week, however, RealityTVWorld.com was informed that the show's air time has still not been confirmed.
Since much of the summer schedule has already been announced, and since the open casting calls for Big Brother 4, also scheduled to be aired on CBS this summer, just closed, we wondered what this lack of a schedule could mean. So we contacted online reality TV expert Paul Decker for an analysis of the situation. Here are his comments:
"My opinion is that CBS will hold The Amazing Race 4 until the start of the 2004 season in September 2003. By so doing, CBS thinks it will receive two benefits. First, by that point, it hopes that a lot of the lousy reality TV shows being rush-developed by the networks as part of the "reality boom" will have played themselves out. Second, CBS hopes that the world will be safe for global traveling again."
"This summer schedule is crowded with quicky reality projects, but every producer thinks he or she has the next Survivor or American Idol. CBS head Les Moonves has commented several times that, in Survivor and The Amazing Race, his network has the gold standards for reality shows. He's right, and it doesn't seem likely that CBS will turn one of its gold standards into a summer replacement to give legitimacy to the newcomers."
"More importantly, the producers of The Amazing Race probably want to start producing the next series while the current series is airing. However, The Amazing Race is the most dangerous reality show to film globally. The contestants travel with a cameraman and a soundman in four-person packs that spend a lot of their time lost and mingling in foreign countries. These packs have no real protection from any type of hostility or terrorism. Thus, you simply could not film this show during the build-up to Operation Iraqi Freedom or during the immediate aftermath. And now we have the global SARS scare, which puts China, Singapore and Hong Kong off-limits."
"The only way this show is going to appear on the fall schedule is either if CBS films a "quickie" version after SARS is contained, but it hasn't even started to cast that yet, or if CBS holds the existing series for fall broadcast."
Decker also thinks that making the show into a summer replacement, as CBS has done with Big Brother, would prove politically impossible for CBS. "Jerry Bruckheimer produces the CSI franchise for CBS as well as The Amazing Race. It's impossible for me to believe that CBS would choose to antagonize him by knocking this show off the fall schedule."
We'll keep you advised as to whether the facts ultimately support Decker's opinions.
2003 Blowie Awards open for nominations - Reported by: Admin on 03-09-2003
RealityTVWorld.com today announced the opening of the nomination period for the 2003 Blowie Awards. Now in their second year, the Blowie Awards are annually awarded to outstanding performances and situations in reality television programming. The twenty two Blowie Award categories range from serious to frivolous; in addition to awards for outstanding accomplishments, there are also awards for worst mistakes and a heavy serving of humor in some of the lesser categories.
The open nomination period will continue until March 24, 2003 at midnight ET. Any registered RealityTVWorld message board user may make a nomination. Following the open nomination period, the Blowie Awards Committee will determine which nominees will appear on each award's public ballot. Between 3-5 nominees will be selected for each category. Once the ballot is finalized, the 2003 RealityTVWorld Blowie Awards will be opened for voting by all website visitors. Voting will remain open for a pre-determined time period, then the ballots will be closed, the results tabulated, and the winners announced. Each user will only be allowed one vote. To nominate for an award, please visit our 2003 RealityTVWorld Blowie Awards Nomination Forum
During last year's 2002 Blowie Awards, CBS led all networks with 69 nominations out of a total of 115. Fox placed a distant second with 29, followed by USA with 6. NBC and ABC managed only 4 nominations each, and three of the five nominees for the "Worst Overall Show" aired aired on those networks. UPN, VH1 and MTV each managed to record one nomination.
The twenty two Blowie Award categories are:
- Best Overall Show
- Worst Overall Show
- Favorite Contestant
- Least Favorite Contestant
- Best Villain
- Best Supporting Crony
- Most Memorable Moment
- Best Quote
- Best Game Strategy
- Worst Game Strategy
- Best Heartthrob (male)
- Best Sweetheart (female)
- Best Couple:
- Biggest Waste of Space Contestant
- Best Hair
- Worst Contestant Blunder
- Worst Producer or Network Blunder
- Funniest Contestant
- Best Host
- Worst Host
- Worst Cosmetic Surgery
- Biggest Drama Queen
'The Amazing Race 4' might be delayed due to 'Star Search' extended run - Reported by: Admin on 01-28-2003
As we reported earlier, CBS has announced that it has decided to bring back "Star Search" for another nine episode run -- starting February 19th. Why should "Amazing Race" fans care about this news -- because as a result of the extended run for "Star Search," "The Amazing Race 4" might find itself without an available timeslot until late Spring 2003!
While "Race" has traditionally aired in the Wednesday 9PM timeslot, its 8PM "60 Minutes II" lead-in had been shifted to the 9PM timeslot during the initial "Star Search" run. And with "Star Search" continuing in the 8PM timeslot, CBS now faces a few options... move "60 Minutes II" to yet another timeslot, move "The Amazing Race" to another timeslot, or delay "Race 4" until "Star Search" completes its second run.
All and all, this might turn out to be a good move for the series. While "Race" has been a steadly performer for CBS, it's never been a timeslot winner. During seasons 1 and 2 the series suffered from competition from NBC's "West Wing," and during the third edition the situation got worse as ABC's "The Bachelor" joined the fray. And with "Bachelor 3" returning in March and "West Wing" trotting out new episodes for both the February and May sweeps, the move to either another timeslot or a late Spring/early Summer run might be the best thing that ever happened to the seies.
As of yet, there is no official word from CBS as to which scheduling option they are planning to execute, but as soon as we hear anything more, we'll let you know.
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 13 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 12-22-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 13, "Twas the Week Before Christmas," authored by Bebo, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 12 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 12-22-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 12, "The Whiner Breaks Down In *Way*," authored by magic_star, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 11 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 12-15-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 11, "I Hope I Never Have to Hear Her Whiine Again!," authored by AMAI, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 9 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 12-10-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 9, "Shtickle Me Phil-mo," authored by AMAI, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 10 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 12-07-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 10, "To Phua Chu Kang, Thanks for Nothing, Femme & Strider," authored by Femme, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 8 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 11-29-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 8, "Constipation (i.e., the Non-Elimination of Waste)," authored by landruajm, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE
RealityTVWorld.com launches TheOsbournesSucks.com website - Reported by: Admin on 11-26-2002
RealityTVWorld.com has announced that MTV's "The Osbournes" reality TV program now has its own RealityTVWorld.com website -- TheOsbournesSucks.com. In the tradition of previous RealityTVWorld.com websites, TheOsbournesSucks.com will features program news, information, and episode summaries for the MTV reality series.
The Amazing Race 3 - Episode 7 Summary - Reported by: Admin on 11-21-2002
Our episode summary for Episode 7, "We'll Always Have Paris," authored by TeamJoisey, has been posted. Check it out by clicking HERE