The Amazing Race 1

Nancy Hoyt, who formed part of the first parent-child team on The Amazing Race‘s first season with her daughter Emily, has died. She was 56. She died Thursday from ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), according to a Waco Tribune obituary. It notes that Nancy “would have celebrated her 35th wedding anniversary next month to her soul… continue reading

CBS’ third major reality series, The Amazing Race, debuted 10 years ago today, on a Wednesday, when 11 teams of two started racing from New York City. Its second episode was delayed by a week because of the events of Sept. 11, a Tuesday. That Thursday also saw the debut of a similar series, NBC’s… continue reading

Phil Keoghan has his own brand of eliminations, and now he has his own energy bar, Phil Keoghan’s NOW Energy Bar, and he’s working “to develop a comprehensive consumer products program” with his agency, according to a press release. In other words, more PhilProducts! The company is giving away 500 free samples of the energy… continue reading

First-season Amazing Race contestant Margaretta Groark died of cancer last Sunday. She was 67. The “grandparents” team, which also included her husband of more than 40 years, Dave, were eliminated fourth (a video of their elimination is below). Her obituary appeared in Thursday’s Rockwall County News, and said she died Oct. 26 after a “three-year… continue reading

Reality reruns have had notoriously poor performances. But the Game Show Network’s decision to rerun all eight seasons of The Amazing Race has been paying off so far. After one week, the network’s ratings are up 69 percent among viewers 18 to 49, and 11 percent overall. Plus, viewers’ median age has dropped from 54… continue reading

GSN, aka the Game Show Network, is giving us a chance to watch the original season of The Amazing Race all over again. In advance of the DVD’s release, the network is reairing the first season, starting tonight. A new episode will air every evening at 9 p.m., and after the first season concludes, it’ll… continue reading

It’s official: The first season of The Amazing Race is coming to DVD. We already knew that a DVD was in the works because of an interview with series co-creator Elise Doganieri, but now we have official confirmation. On Paramount’s August DVD release chart, which comes to us by way of The Chicago Tribune’s Maureen… continue reading

The first season of The Amazing Race is coming to DVD, according to the series’ co-creator. After the most overwritten paragraph ever, Reality Reel Media reveals that the show “will be officially released on DVD in the Fall of 2005. Elise Doganieri, Co-Creator and Supervising Producer of The Amazing Race, has confirmed this via telephone.”… continue reading

everything you ever wanted to know from Rob & Brennan, part one. In part one of Mighty Big TV’s Miss Alli 18-page-long phone conversation with The Amazing Race‘s winners, Rob and Brennan, the lawyers discuss everything from the way they were portrayed to the logistics of getting people on flights.

friendship with Team Guido helps high school teacher come out. A teacher in a rural Pennsylvania high school writes about how his friendship with The Amazing Race‘s Bill and Joe–a.k.a. Team Guido–helped him come out to his colleagues and community. He also writes about how he used The Amazing Race in his geography class.

Frank and Margarita are still together, Joe and Bill point to editing. Zap2it.com talks to the final three couples on The Amazing Race about their experiences during the 32 days of the show, and the aftermath. Also, Frank and Margarita remain together, Frank “did make friends with” Rob and Brennan after “talk[ing] trash” about them,… continue reading

Rob & Brennan win The Amazing Race. The first season concluded with a finish that was slight more sad than nail-biting. Separated parents Frank and Margarita were on a train headed toward the finish line, convinced and ecstatic that they were ahead of Rob and Brennan. However, the pair of lawyers were on the train… continue reading

The Amazing Race concludes tonight. Called “TV’s best reality show” by TV Guide’s Matt Roush, The Amazing Race ends its first season tonight at 9 p.m. ET, a special night and time. Three teams remain–Frank and Margarita; Rob and Brennan; and Joe and Bill, a.k.a. Team Guido–and Entertainment Weekly handicaps their chances for crossing the… continue reading

Michael J. Fox, Drew Barrymore among celeb fans of The Amazing Race. The New York Post’s Michael Starr reports that a number of celebs are fans of The Amazing Race: Michael J. Fox, Sarah Jessica Parker, Rosie O’Donnell, Drew Barrymore, and Ricki Lake. Also among celeb fans is the cast of Will and Grace, whose… continue reading

Team Guido: villains or nice guys? Every good reality TV show needs a villain, and The Amazing Race has two great ones: Team Guido, otherwise known as Joe & Bill. The past two elimination episodes, they’ve narrowly edged out two popular teams, Nancy & Emily and Kevin & Drew, and on the show, there appeared… continue reading

Amazing Race down to final three teams after frat brothers fall to Guidos. Three teams remain in The Amazing Race: Frank and Margarita, Rob and Brennan, and Joe and Bill (otherwise known as Team Guido). Team Guido beat Kevin and Drew in a race to the finish that was virtually tied at some points. Sad… continue reading

CBS will air Amazing Race finale on Thursday, Dec. 13, after Survivor. Hoping for momentum for The Amazing Race 2, CBS has announced that the finale of The Amazing Race will air not on Dec. 12, but one day later, on Thursday, Dec. 13–immediately following the latest episode of Survivor Africa. CSI will move an… continue reading

The Amazing Race’s “obnoxious jerks” may “take a toll on America’s image.” The Springfield, Ill., State Journal-Register’s Matthew Dietrich was disturbed by the way the contestants managed to “insult, harangue and act arrogantly condescending toward entire crowds of people” in India, and says that the show makes locals, like the people in India, “ripe targets… continue reading

surfing and Star Wars: Brennan’s site. One of the members of The Amazing Race‘s “best friends & lawyers” team has a personal web site. On Brennan Swain’s site, you can find links to The Official Star Wars Site (he’s apparently a Star Wars collector) and Transworld Snowboarding Magazine, plus pictures of Rob’s and Brennan’s housewarming… continue reading

Amazing Race cast was filmed in front of blue screens for the opening titles. Ever wonder how the opening sequence and other packaging for The Amazing Race was created? Design in Motion looks at the process of creating the show’s opening titles. Among the revelations: For most of the cast footage, the cast members were… continue reading