Has enough time passed since this past Tuesday’s The Amazing Race that I can rant about it? I think so, but just to ensure complaince with the National Anti-Spoiler Act of 1997, I’ll put the rest of this post beneath the fold. Click on at your own risk.
What, exactly, is it going to take to eliminate the damn Weaver family already? Twice they’ve been Yielded, twice they should have been dead meat, and twice they’ve escaped by the thinnest of margins.
The first time, they had the good fortune that the task immediately after the Yield, which was the last task before the pit stop, was the kind of thing that was determined more by pure luck than anything else. Poor Mamma Gaghan just couldn’t find the damn red bean, and that was curtains for that hard-luck squad. Almost any other task, short of the mud-jeep racing, would have finished them off.
Like the ski jump from this last episode, which took the same amount of time for everyone. Having made a stupid navigational error on top of getting Yielded (again!), they should have been toast. But no, Phil gives the never-before-so-dreaded not-an-elimination-round spiel, along with a pep talk, and they live to bitch and moan about how much better they are than everyone else for another day. Gah!
How bad are these people? They had me cheering for the bickering Paolo family, that’s how bad. Some people are obnoxious because they don’t care how others perceive them (two words: “Boston Rob”). Some people never recognize what effect their behavior has on others. I strongly suspect that as the Weavers watch these shows air now, they are saying to themselves that they still don’t know why everyone hated them.
And why does everyone hate them? Well, if you’ve been watching (and you’re not a Weaver), you probably already know. If you haven’t been watching, I’m not sure why you’ve read this far, but for the sake of postponing my carpal tunnel for another day, I’ll let Heather Havrilesky explain it.
Speaking of whiners, let’s award a big, fat “Boooo!” to the Weaver family of CBS’s “Amazing Race” (9 p.m. Tuesdays) for shamelessly whining to host Phil about how very hard the race is for them, since none of the other families like them. None of the other families like them because they’re about as socially inept as 17-year-old boys (for a refresher course on what they’re like, tune in for the next “Laguna Beach” marathon on MTV). The Weavers have proudly stated that they didn’t intend to make friends, but they’ve been showing the progressive effects of this bad decision every week, as they become increasingly alienated from the other families. Remaining aloof was a big mistake, and it probably explains why Mommy Weaver appears to be losing her mind.
The best part, though, was when the little Weaver claimed that what was really, truly breaking her heart was the fact that the other families have “no class” and that her mom and siblings are the only ones trying to be good Christians. What the hell is she talking about? Apparently all it takes to be a good Christian these days is to ask Jesus for favors every few minutes.
Yep. And the time they threw garbage at another team’s vehicle would seem to count as evidence against their Christian spirit, too, but I doubt they’d know what you were talking about if you pointed it out to them.
I feel better now. If that’s not enough Weaver-bashing for you, try here, here, here, and most especially here.
At first, I was truly puzzled by the animosity toward the Weavers. For the first few weeks, it built up slowly and, apparently, behind the scenes. But then they started with the wonderful behavior that we’ve come to expect from them. No wonder the rest of the teams don’t like them.
Yielding them last week was the strategically correct thing to do, surprisingly enough. Yields usually end up being used on the wrong team.
They are, hands down, my least favorite team ever. I’d rather watch the Guidos or Jonathan and Victoria than the Weavers. At least Jonathan was honest about who he was.
I’m sure last week’s episode was edited to play up the Weavers vs. The World. Be that as it may, in my mind it showed a lot to justify the other teams’ (and my) dislike. Frankly, their lack of insight is jaw-dropping. And they’ll be justified in their parochial worldview no matter what the outcome: If they win, it’s because they were the only “Christian” team in the race. If they lose, it’s because all the other teams hated them because… they were the only “Christian” team in the race.
And one last thing: Do you think they ask Jesus for His Protection when they go for groceries? I thought the Lord helped them what help themselves.
As much as I like the Amazing Race, there are just too many things in the last 2 years that make we question the veracity of the competition.
Of course, compared to the rest of reality TV it’s the best by a long shot.
*Sigh* I STILL miss “The Mole.”
I don’t watch “The Amazing Race” or reality shows in general, so God only knows why I felt compelled to read this post. Perhaps because He hinted to me that it’d be worth it in the end. It was.
The best part, though, was when the little Weaver claimed that what was really, truly breaking her heart was the fact that the other families have “no class” and that her mom and siblings are the only ones trying to be good Christians.
Gee, does this sound like anyone else we all know? “Oh, poor widdle me, these meanies are all out to get me because I’m such a good Christian! (If it still doesn’t ring a bell, narrow your thinking to indicted House majority leaders for a sec.)
i think rolly’s real hot i love the weaver family only kuz they’re christrans adn they have a hot 14 yr old (im 14 to so….)
i would really like to know how i could contact them lol
LOL! I found this post because I was looking for a way to email the Weavers. I am a Christian and their behavior was anything BUT Christian throughout the ENTIRE race! If they were going to claim to be Christians then they should have behaved as Christians! If they were going to behave as they did episode after episode they never ever should have mentioned God. I feel they gave a black eye to Christians everywhere and the people who are not Christians are probably turning to their Christian friends and saying, “See that is why I am NOT a Christian!” I personally am ashamed of them for the whole Christian faith.
I agree on the supposedly Christian remarks by the Weaver family, they gave the Christian community a horrible name. They did not act Christian during the race and made everyone who is a Christian look bad. If they claim to be so Christian, then they should have acted like it!
I’ll grant that the Weavers did their fair share of whining and was disappointed that they gave up in the stadium.. however, that said..
I have all the eposodes recorded. I have reviewed them and I believe that, from the beginning, there was unwarranted hostility toward the Weavers.. and the show deliberately created an anti-Christian air.
Friends? This is a game where the objective is to cut-out the other teams. That said, just how much time is there for interaction? The only time the teams get to interact socially is at pitstops. Whining about the Weaver’s not kissing-butt to the Lutz is like all the whining at the Survivor finale about who lied to who.. give me a break.
Remember this.. you at home watched the Weaver’s pray for guidance.. in their car.. the other teams were not there. You might have found that annoying, but the other teams were clueless about it.
The editors did their share too. I have several snippets where the voice of Mrs. Weaver praying is overdubbed onto more interesting video. Why? Because the objectives were to play them off as nuts. Those peices could have just as easily been left on the cutting-room floor. They also made sure they included every immature insult that was sent the Weaver’s way.
As for the so-called Christian posts in this discussion.. is your life so perfect that you can cast judement on the Weavers? Where is it written that Christians are perfect.. that they never get discouraged or lose their tempers? I suppose that never happens to you.
Considering that this season was so “flat” compared to past races, the editors had to create conflict to generate interest. They set out to paint the Weavers as nuts and hypocrites and played to an audience who feel that any Christian is, by definition, a nut and hypocrite. I can tell they were successful.
What I find humorous is that, by your own admission the Weavers should have been eliminated long ago.. yet they hung in there – whining or not – and made it all the way to 3rd. In fact, they had an hours lead on the other teams going into the stadium. They got yielded not once, but twice. What other teams have survived that. Perhaps prayer does work. I suspect that THAT is really what gets your hackles up.
Merry Christmas
i think that rolly is the hottest boy in the world!! i wanted the weavers to win from the begging!! its to bad they lost!!! well aleast the tryed and made it to the top 3!! that is like winning big time!! well i liv u rolly!!!
~jenna~
(I came looking for a post-mortem post by Kuff, but found some comments added after my last visit.)
No offense, Russell, but I’m not sure the Weavers are the best example of the power of intercessory prayer. After all, they took third, not first. (I suppose it’s possible to argue that God was giving them what they needed, not what they wanted, and God knows best, but if that’s true, then God’s going to do what He wants to anyway, so why pray in the first place?)
I commented to my wife as we were watching that while I don’t care for the Weavers, and didn’t like the version of them that we saw on TV (no doubt edited to the hilt), I grudgingly respected their family cohesion, and I give props to the mom for getting her kids through some emotionally tough obstacles (the racing stuff). They stuck together and supported each other (again, from what we saw) in a way that many of the other families did not.
However, I think the editors had a lot to work with. They may have been typecast as ignorant Christian fundamentalists (“If English was good enough for Jesus, it’s good enough for me!”), but they played the part well. I was struck when the mom referred to Lake Pontchartrain as one of the five Great Lakes, and wondered if she was joking or not. The fact that they did NOT show the Weavers at the final obstacle (the map puzzle) makes me think it was no joke. Maybe the editors had some compassion after all.
i would die to meet rolly weaver he is the hottest boy i have ever seen!!!
The second to last episode has just aired in Australia (04 January 07). From my bridge, the Weavers should have been out of it ages ago. They are bad examples as Christians and as Americans. You can tell that most other teams (Linz, Gaghans etc) are seasoned travellers. Shame we get alot of Weavers from Amercia holidaying in Australia!
Though the final episode goes to air here January 11 2007, discovering that the nicest two teams left of the three appeared to have finished within minutes of each other! GREAT NEWS!