Thanks, guys, for the scheduling info for Denver. Papa Tiger nearly didn't make it to the hotel, thanks to the truly delightful automated baggage system at the Denver airport that took an hour to figure out what carousel his flight's luggage had been mistakenly sent to, but he got there about three minutes before the start of TAR, and during a commercial break was able to order himself some food that was delivered ten minutes later from a nearby Bennigan's (advice: If you have to stay at a hotel near the Denver airport, the Red Roof Inn is the most reasonable, quite nice, and although has no room service does have that convenient Bennigan's if you're hungry). So he had dinner AND the TAR premiere, so he is now a much happier Papa Tiger.

Fortunately, he called me to tell me the show was about to start just at the start of a commercial break, so we were actually able to communicate a few sentences without me slamming the phone in his ear. He actually hung up on me first, as a matter of fact, since the show was starting just at that moment!

And mel, today was day #25 for Ken. I bet they impose a new length-of-stay limit again!

ITA. Imagine all the great champs like Frankie Spangleberg (sp?) and Brian Weinke that could have won as much as Ken twice as fast. He should go up against those two on a Very "Jeppy: Jeopardy Special. Instead, there are a lot of unhappy people that had to leave, and Ken shows up not even a year after this rule is put in place.

Prediction on length of stay: #1. Better yet, TPTB should have the tournament format as a regular format, where there are 15 people every other week. The 5 winners make it to Week 2, and the 4 top money winners make it as well. The final three duke it out twice. Prize money: $10000 for the Top 9, $25000 for the Top 3, and $50000 for the winner, along with the regular winnings.

... delurking just to say "wow, I am SO glad that SheriffTruman talked me into watching TAR". [slinks back to Bachelor(ette) MM]

I'm hoping someone in TWOP - TAR land can help me. My mother's birthday is coming up, and she has requested turtleneck or mock-turtleneck sweaters in print (no solids). She likes large floral designs (no little rows of regimented tiny flowers), big paisley, and abstract, swirly-kind of things. Artsy kind of stuff. Does anyone have any clues as to where to shop on-line for such a beast? I like the print shirts they have at Territory Ahead, but they don't have turtlenecks or mock turtlenecks as far as I can tell. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Phil's Closet?

Ok ok.... but I would love to get inside Phil's closet.

Northern Reflections always has patterned sweaters, but at this time of year finding a turtleneck could be challenging.

Oh, badgerchick, that's a nice variation. Mine was Grey Goose, Lime juice, Pomegranate juice and seltzer. It was good, but needed more depth. I think I'll add in cointreau and see what happens, or maybe even kiwi juice, as also suggested upthread. (Can you get kiwi juice commercially?)

So LOVELY to see Phil on my screen again! Good times are with us again, although I just realized with horror that I'll be on vacation at a TV less cabin for the last two weeks of July. EEEK!

Have you tried Chico's? They have a lot of colorful, arty stuff.

I'm going to be in Toronto this coming week. Could any of you who live there let me know what day, time and channel TAR plays on? Thanks a bunch.

Tuesday. 10:00 p.m. CTV (number 8).

This is a totally self-serving, gratuitous post. Because it makes me a Fanatic! Wooo!

(I probably shouldn't be proud of that. Oh well. And where better to have my thousandth post be commemorated?)

Yay, JenEx! Let me be the first to congratulate you on your promotion since you were the first to congratulate me on mine. Will you still talk to the rest of us lowly ones?

Did anyone go to the Vegas Premiere Party or the Cafe Nostra Premiere Party? Tell! Tell!

I'm so going to get fired because of TWoP. I'm sitting here going through the posts from last night's TAR (squee!) and time completely slipped away. I had a meeting I was hosting at 9:15 AM, and at 9:18 my phone rings - it's the rest of my team calling from the conference room: "umm...were you coming to the meeting that you called?"

I resemble that remark. I swear I am late to work every morning because of TWoP!

Hee. I'm just glad that it's been a slow work week, because I would have never been able to catch up in here.

Harry Potter: I totally agree that Ms. Rowlings needs an editor who is worth their salt. Someone who can stand up to her and say “no really, this is not a good idea and it’s too long”. I was pretty sure Harry forgot about the mirror after he opened it. It seemed like such a stupid plot hole, even if she does fix it later

I was taught to drive standard by first shifting the gears while sitting in the passenger seat and using my left hand while my boyfriend drove. It didn’t confuse me when I had to shift with my right hand once I moved to the drivers seat.

I do notice that people are commenting on little things that flew by me, like the lingering of the shot in the dark when Jim turned off the lights. Or the camera panning to the missed flag.
I'm still not used to seeing a reality show with so many unattractive people. It's all too...real.

I don't do anything at work other than TWoP! I haven't done one thing today, and I don't plan on altering that course. I come to work to be with you guys. Awwww.

Is it next Tuesday yet?

As I said elsewhere, I went to the Vegas party. And what did we learn from the Vegas party? Wine is still the wickedest of drinks.

There were lots of folks there. Bunch of racers -- gosh, Chris, Momily, Guido, Millie and Chuck (Chuck has gone from cuter than I thought at TARcon 4 to plain old cute now, with a couple of nice pipes on him, and we know how I like that), ATCs, Cyndi and Russell (the good ones), Falconettes, umm . . . some Survivor types -- stupid Fairplay, who was screaming about how everyone who knows Rupert hates him, as well as Ryan-O, Burton, allegedly Osten (though I didn't see him, so maybe he left early ha ha ha ha ha) . . . a couple of Average Joes, who of course I didn't recognize . . . I didn't recognize Ryan-O either, interestingly, when I first saw him. I eventually got it from the pretty, pretty eyes.

There were a few others, I think, who I'm forgetting, but that's the general landscape. It was fun. Brennan was being a rock star.

That is so cool Miss Alli! Glad you had fun and hope the wine didn't affect you too much. I miss Momily.

Heh. I wouldn't be the person to ask, I suppose. One never appears drunk to onesself.

Miss Alli Are you going to tell us any more than that? Or will it be included in the episode recap?

Thanks for the tidbit though! I've been dying of curiosity.

In fact, anyone who was at any of the parties - Toronto, Washington (where there might have been two?), Houston and Vegas - come tell stories!

The comment about Brennan reminds me of Josie and the Pussycats:
Who's a rockstar?!

Thanks, Miss Alli!

My current plan is to write something about the party, but we'll have to see how the week goes.

The turn out in Toronto was small (exclusive, if you will). But, we made up for it in enthusiasm. We enjoyed watching M. Darcy on Jeopardy before the main event - unfortunate timing coming up against Ken Jennings. Thanks to tsangc and delta888 for a fun evening. Phil is even cuter on the big screen!

Heh. Speak for yourself.

TPorter2 went to the one at Cafe Nostra and had a great time. She was even sitting next to Dennis and Erica when they got Philiminated. Collin and Christie, Lance and Marshall (obviously), and Marsha (with Alex from S2) were there as well. She's currently at work and resting up from her late night but I'm sure she'll post after our birthday dinner tonight (today is mine, hers is tomorrow).

Happy Birthday Daws

Heh. Sure. It was the pretty, pretty eyes you were looking at when he was doing all that popping out on Survivor.

Happy birthday to TP and Dawzns; hope you have a suitably festive evening.
Sounds as if the Vegas event was intriguing as well. Did Brennan play Smoke on the Water?

Huh. Who woulda thunk it? I hope some pictures turn up soon.

Fairplay. Ouch. He's just mad that more people hate Rupert than him now.

And just have to say that I had nutbunches of fun in the chat last night, even though I missed a lot because I had to keeping letting my bladder-impaired dog out. How fun to see a screen fill up with multiple simultaneous "BOMP"s and "mmmmPhil"s and "shut UP Alison"s. Not to mention meat jokes worthy of the crassest 12-year-old. It was a beautiful thing. I encourage everyone to join us, although not if you have issues with typing, reading, snacking, and watching tv at the same time!

Jen, I can't believe you've surpassed me in posts. I feel so inadequate. Where is this chat of which you speak? Anywho, TAR was awesome last night. Phil was very mmmmm. I did a little dance of joy when the dumbasses had to go back and get the envelope. I was actually going HA! and pointing at my TV like a moron. On the cute front, I am now the owner of a little 3 week old kitten that was found in my Dad's barn over the weekend. He's this really pretty silver color with blue eyes. I took him to the vet and he's all healthy so now I have to think of a name. I've always had girl pets so naming a boy is hard. This is what I have so far, Giles, Randy, Peter Parker, and Oz. Suggestions and input are appreciated.

With the talk of Ken Jennings and his winning streak, I been doing a lot of comparisons between other gameshow greats. I just realized that Ken's run is like a 20-year anniversary look toward Press Your Luck's Michael Larsen. Larsen made history in June of 1984 (the 8th and 11th, I believe), and Ken was on Jeopardy during the entire month of June (sans the first day and the weekends that followed). I can only imagine how Ken would do on Wheel of Fortune.


Happy birthday, dawsnzchck!

Wha' happen to my other post man?

Anyway....

Happy Birthday dawsnzchck & TPorter2.

I started the TAR Mad Libs again if anyone cares. Check out Whimsy.

ETA:


Welcome BhP. MuWAAhAhA!

Not in the mood for alcohol last night, so no Philiminator for me. But the episode was so gripping I never got around to lighting a second bowl... (had a first at the theme song. woohoo!)

I'm going to tape the show on sat just to look at Phil. oh god I'm one of you now!

Just wanted to stop by and say I'm very happy for you loyal fans that your show is finally back. I know what it's like to wait in anticipation of your favorite show. Have fun!

Great start last night. I think I might be hooked this time ‘round.

Happy Birthdaydawnzchck and TP! Hope you have an awesome celebratory dinner (certainly sounds like you will).

redheadedwitch How about naming the kitty, Phil? Heh!


So I talked my bf into watching the show, he called last night and had only caught the last hour so we are going to watch the repeat together on Sat. I don't know why he thought that since I liked the show that I wanted to be on it. So he's all...I love you but you tend to get overly cranky when lost (true) or sleep-deprived (true) or subjected to very hot weather (very true) and when subjected to being around total morons (VERY VERY TRUE) so I don't think we would do so well on the show. Now I know all these things and am fully aware that I would suck as a contestant but I couldn't resist messing with him. I kept telling him that it would be a great test of our relationship and how we could be the couple that is using the race to determine if we should get married, blah, blah, blah. The poor guy is trying to be all tactful and dissuade me from these insane ideas when I finally take pity on him and burst out in laughter. Yeah, I think I'll just enjoy the TAR/Phil goodness from the comfort of my couch with a margarita in hand.

Suzikins, that's actually what my husband said last night when we were watching TAR. The kitten is as cute as Phil but I'm not sure how it would look in a sweater.

Here’s my report about the Premiere at Cafe Nostra.

I flew in from LA just to be there. I was early, parked in front, and walked up to Marshall who was standing in front of the door. He had an I-know-why-you-are-here grin for me. Introductions. He knew my name!!! Not my real name. He told me to go away--not really--and come back later; they started at 6:00. He was nice and everything. He’s a businessman and does not want to offend customers. While we talked he took a 3-way call from Kim or Chip and Kim’s sister. He said the sister was coming. I talked way too long to him considering the situation. I came back a little after 6 and after being wrist-banded for $20, TPorter2 walked up. Introductions. We went in and selected a table . There was all you can eat, soft-drink, four TV’s, and a ticket for wine or beer. The wristband was so we could shuttle back and forth to a satellite location across the street with TV’s and booze of its own. I was also meeting a friend of mine who teaches at sort-of nearby University of North Texas. I guess that was a second reason I flew to Dallas. Later, Miri arrived at our table. Also YuppieLawyer and maybe some more but I don’t remember who. Lance and Marshall were calmly directing a army of staffers. Marshall kept telling people to start getting their food. They had a Tivo loop of TAR interviews and commercial running until Big Brother. People started showing up and soon the little restaurant was packed. I didn’t venture over to the other location to see if it was full too. I probably won‘t get the arrival order right so please correct as needed. Forget the order. It’s just a blur. There was Marsha with Alex TAR2 winner, Dennis and Erika, Colin and Cristi, and Kim’s sister. Dennis and Erika told me that they wanted to go hang out at the Santa Monica Pier just to surprise me after I had posted that I was returning there to take better pictures better pictures. Well that was a shock. So they have been looking around here. We joked about her face showing up at TARcon3. She said Dennis was there too. Our table got interviewed by a reporter from one of the Dallas newspapers. I got to speak al length to all the racers there. No complaints to make. An important observation I want to make is how friendly/happy-to-be-together all of these racers there were with each other. What ever happened in TAR stayed in TAR. They are a very fun bunch. The cheering was so loud and so often I could not really take in the show. There were vocalizations for all the great moments for five teams. I get to watch it now at home in peace. A local TV news crew came in as far as they could (which was about 5 feet form the door) and filmed the action both live and from the show. I’ll add more later. Too much to do right after getting home.

Gosh, if Marshall knew you, Paris in Spring, there must be a number of TAR5 racers lurking on here. Hi, Marshall!

Thanks for a great race report. I was telling Papa Tiger about your great photos of the nails on the pier, and I totally believe that that's why Jim took that evil faceplant. I only wish Dennis and Erika had gone down to hang around the pier and freak you out!

Thanks for a great report. Have I mentioned recently how crazy you are? (And did you spend any time at all visiting with the friend who was your excuse to go to Dallas?)

I'm hoping someone can help me and I don't know where else to put this. Are you able to see the Insider Videos on CBS.com? I just can't seem to get Real Player to work for me, and I've tried it on several different PCs. Will the videos play in something else? What are you using, if you have seen them?

Thanks all, I've so bummed I can't see absolutely everything.

Sorry for interrupting the premiere party talk. I'm finding that very interesting as well. I would've loved to be in Vegas.

red, I'm like 800 posts ahead of you. Mwahahah. I am the older sister, you know. It's only fitting. And who got you hooked on TWoP and TAR in the first place, hmmm?

I can't believe you got Mr. RedHeaded to let you take that kitten home. Well, no, actually I can. Did you get him to poop yet? (The cat, not your husband.)

I think you should name him Phil, actually. Then you can make him go around Philiminating the dogs. Hee. And I can knit him a tiny tiny sweater.

I'll email you the chat info.

I'm also not able to see the Insiders videos, I keep getting the "doubleclick" error here at home. I can't see the videos at work due to the corporate firewall, but have been able to see them here before.

I sent a "complaint" from the feedback form. They may have changed a security setting. Also, it can help to turn off pop-up stopping software.

I can't see the insider videos, but I assumed that I had the wrong version of real player. I'm not to worried as most of the video stuff gets talked about on the various threads.

Happy Birthday TPorter.

Hey everyone, sorry I didn't say hi yesterday, I was too busy catching up on all the Racers threads! This is my first time seeing TAR from the beginning. Actually, I am trying to overcome an anxiety I have by watching it...I usually can't stand to watch the show because I have such panic about missing planes, trains etc. and this show is full of people barely making planes and narrowly missing connections. The always laid-back Mr. ausgezeichnet, however, has no such phobia, so we are watching TAR as part of my chill-out therapy. Anyway, I loved the first ep; now that was engaging TV! Mr. ausgezeichnet has already decided it's his favorite show. I think we will make it the whole season. I will just meditate before and after each ep. It is too good to miss.

M.Darcy is famous! (And she's probably gonna kill me for posting this.)

Li'l Lisa, hee!

Thanks for posting that!

I still can't believe that article - it's awesome! I honestly thought by now, it would be over so to speak but I'm on Minute 16. I love the Li'l Lisa - that and my other new name the Daily Double Diva.

Hey ausgezeichnet. Welcome to the fun! Glad you like the show, definately a show too good to miss. I'm hoping I'll be around myself, and hopefully at TARCON (whenever that'll be).

Happy birthday, TPorter2!

Go, M.Darcy! It still kills me that even though the TV Guide told me Jeopardy was on, my TV didn't seem to realize that.
So, in other important but completely unrelated news, the corpse flower that was opening to much fanfare in the UConn greenhouse has abruptly closed, depriving us all of 48 hours of unimaginable, eye-watering stench. Not fair! Not fair!

Just wanted to say hello to everyone here. I'm a new viewer of TAR, and reasonably new to TWoP as well.

I'm looking forward to the season, and probably moreso to the discussion and speculation that will surely ensue. I've always had a soft spot for that aspect of reality TV.

Here's hoping for a great season!