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The Amazing Race: The First Season
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| List Price: | $39.98 |
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Product Description
The premiere season of THE AMAZING RACE sees 12 teams race around the globe to 'amazing' locations including Thailand, China, Tunisia, India, Italy, France, Alaska and Zambia for a $1,000,000 prize in the end.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #6443 in DVD
- Brand: Paramount
- Released on: 2005-09-27
- Rating: Unrated
- Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
- Formats: Box set, Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
- Original language: English
- Subtitled in: English
- Number of discs: 4
- Running time: 60 minutes
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
"A race like no other in history," Jerry Bruckheimer's Emmy magnet begins (and ends) in New York with 11 teams of 22 competitors. In the end, only one team will be left standing. Their prize? One million dollars. To win, they will have to travel the world using clues, a modicum of cash, and their minds. Patience, endurance, and a sense of direction certainly won't hurt (plane tickets, fortunately, are prepaid).
The 2001 season is divided into 13 episodes (including two-part finale "Race to the Finish"). Instead of Immunity, there are Fast Forwards. The first team to find one goes straight to the next Pit Stop (rest area), bypassing any Roadblocks (tasks) left in the leg, while a Detour is a choice between two tasks. Some of the more hair-raising stunts include bungee jumping in Zambia ("The Race Begins") and beetle-munching in Beijing ("Fight to the Last Minute"). Other exotic ports of call include Paris, Rome, Tunis, New Delhi, and Bangkok.
From the start, certain teams assert themselves--and not always in the most positive ways. They include bickering (and nauseated) couples Paul and Amie (recently engaged) and Lenny and Karyn (dating), separated parents Margarita and Frank, and 14-year life partners Bill and Joe, AKA Team Guido (a name inspired by their dog). Other contestants include friends, roommates, grandparents, working mothers, and law partners. The road ahead will be long. Some partnerships will be strengthened by the journey. Others will be weakened. As with Survivor, alliances will be formed, like mother/daughter duo Nancy and Emily with self-proclaimed "Ugly American" frat brothers Kevin and Drew. (The Guidos uncharitably dub the latter "the fatties," while Kevin and Drew dub them Bert and Ernie.) The Amazing Race is hosted by low-key New Zealander Phil Keoghan. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Customer Reviews
Best Reality Show on TV
I am happy that the show finally found an audience that made the producers of the show decided to release the first season on DVD. I think of all the reality series, this one will hold its own best in "repeated viewings" and on syndication. Unlike other reality series, even if you already know who wins or who gets eliminated in a particular episode, it doesn't ruin the quality of the episode. But of course there's still nothing compared to seeing these episodes for the first time.
It is a revolutionary reality series that has a concept that was probably very hard to pull off on paper (can you imagine the reactions of the TV executives when they first heard about the concept of the show). But amazingly, they did pull it off! It is very evident that the producers treat each episode as "special episode" because can you just imagine the logistics and the number of people (across the globe) involve in producing this show?
There are some aspects of the show that were later on in the succeeding seasons were changed mostly for improvements. Example of this is that in the first season, Phil only received the teams who came in the last place (a person from that particular country receives those who came in before the last team). Part of the fun is watching the reactions of the racers anticipate whether they were eliminated or not. Because in the first season the racers already know if they came in last, we were not able to see those kinds of reactions.
Some of the most memorable teams were Team Guido (you won't believe the extent they were willing to do to get ahead), Lenny and Karyn (the original fighting couple, but their fight looked real and not some deliberate attempt to gain screen time. When Karyn said "Disappointing", you believe her!), Nancy and Emily (even though Emily acted like a brat, Nancy just radiates with motherly innocence in the race), and Kevin and Drew (the original funny guys)
When the winner finally cross the finish line at the finale, with all the eliminated teams cheering for them, you just can't help but feel like being a part of the race.
Grade: A
Extras for Season 1
The Amazing Race Season 1 will have the following extras:
-All Access Pass - Branch to 90 minutes of additional scenes not shown on television
-Audio commentaries on 4 episodes:
-Commentary on The Race Begins and Triumph And Loss
by Rob & Brennan and Team Guido
-Commentary on Whatever It Takes To Win and Race To The
Finish Part 2 by Karyn & Lenny and Drew & Kevin
-The Lost Roadblock - From the first episode, the teams must eat an ostrich egg! Never-aired footage, only on DVD!
-Reliving the Race - Front row seat: Kevin & Drew, Bill & Joe (Team Guido), Rob & Brennan and Lenny & Karyn share the thrill of being a part of The Amazing Race
-Creating and Coordinating - Around the world with the show's host, Phil Keoghan, executive producers Bertram van Munster & Jerry Bruckheimer and creators Elise Doganieri & Bertram van Munster as they as they discuss the remarkable journey of bringing The Amazing Race to life!
No Spoilers in this Review (unlike the DVD covers)
I've never ever watched Amazing Race because the commercials did not make me want to see it. I happened upon Amazing Race 9 a few weeks back and was so entertained I thought I might try viewing a DVD to find out the logistics of how they film this fast paced trek around the globe.
If you are an armchair traveler like me you will not be disappointed with the locations. The visuals are superb. The locations chosen (I won't spoil it for you, not knowing where the teams will be going is half the fun) are luscious and a feast for the eyes. The physical challenges at the exotic locations are thrilling. Written between the lines is a story of how inexperienced travelers can learn respect for people and cultures overseas.
The music and editing adds to the heart pounding suspense of who will make it to each elimination stop. Interpersonal dramas make you want to yell for some and yell at others. When one team avoids elimination against all odds, I surprised myself when I burst into tears. The producers described that they had the same reaction in the Making Of special.
The commentaries are quite fun. Don't listen to any of them before you know the final outcome. The winners still choke up after watching the show a dozen times. The final 20 minutes is as perfect as any scripted movie ending. After watching the making of documentaries (too short) I gained a new respect for the bold concept that had the production teams racing to beat the contestants to the stops.
On occasion the emotional card overshadows the location shots and that can get annoying. But if you can make it through to the last 4 episodes you'll be stomping and screaming at the screen.
A big warning: don't look at the covers of the DVDs and don't look at the menus on the screen too hard. They might give away too much information about the outcome.
A big thumbs up. I can't wait for Seasons 2 - 8.
