- After completely missing the last Race, I was excited to be watching it again Sunday night, even though I was so tired my eyes were pretty much half-closed throughout the whole show. For that reason, some of my observations might be a little hazy...Forgive me.
- I always root for the hot boy team. 'Cause there's almost always a hot boy team. When I heard there were Frat Boys in the Race this year, I assumed that would be "my team". However, the Frat Boys are not what you'd typically think of when you hear the term "Frat Boys". They're kinda chubby, and a little goofy-looking. Sort of reminiscent of the guys in Superbad. That being said, I didn't actually mind them, they were kind of funny. They may end up being "my team" after all.
- With my Frat Boys decidedly not hot, I went on search of the hottest guy in the Race to root for, praying he wasn't already paired up with a girlfriend or wife. I discovered Dallas, who is racing with his mom, Toni. Kinda cool, I think, especially since she was a single mother and raised him by herself, so you know they have a tight bond and that should help them in the race. Not too many young men would choose to do the Race with their mothers, so I think it's sweet and they're my favourite team...for now.
- Is it just me, or do Terrence and Sarah seem like a severely mis-matched couple? She's insulted 'cause the other teams aren't all that buddy-buddy with her. She's more interested in making friends and chatting with the other teams. Terrence is in super-competitive mode, and now he's pissed that she's trying to connect with other teams instead of him. While they did very well in the first leg, finishing third, I'm not sure their new relationship can withstand the stress of the Race.
- The brother/sister duo of Nick and Starr annoyed me. I didn't like their matching cammo outfits, and I didn't like that they started calling Ken & Tina their "Mom & Dad". (I was surprised it didn't piss Ken & Tina off, too). The day I get my brother to do a dance routine with me the way they did in their intro will be the day hell freezes over...
- Does it really matter if you get on the 9:00 flight or the 9:45? Seems like the different start times which are supposed to be "penalties" don't really have that great an impact on the final results. If a team is fast, smart, and composed, they should be able to do well no matter what, especially with so many others getting flustered, imploding all around them.
- The challenges on the first leg seemed pretty simple. Wheeling a little truck loaded with boxes of stuff through the streets of Brazil? As long as you kept your load from toppling off, it was pretty quick and simple. And then the majority of the teams chose to go down the outdoor elevator - basically a big net thing that they had to climb down. Admittedly, it did sound like an easier task. But the Frat Boys decided to do the climbing stairs on their knees, and it proved to be a pretty fast challenge. The only hitch was not knowing what the question would be at the top. They did have to do it again to count the number of stairs they went up, but even having done it twice, they still had no trouble avoiding elimination, landing at the pit stop in 7th, right behind my hot boy Dallas and his mom.
- I don't think there's a more stereotypical "American Couple" than Ken & Tina. He's an ex pro football player, and she's his aging Barbie Doll wife. They've been seperated for months after she caught him cheating on her, but they still love each other and are hoping the Race will bring them back together again. Excuse me while I go puke...
- Speaking of stereotypes... It wasn't too difficult to toss Arthur & Anita under the "Hippie" label. Both with long flowing grey hair and tie-dyed t-shirts, the beekeepers seemed to love being old hippies. Unfortunately for them, they were always a step behind the vastly younger teams, and at the end of the day, they didn't even have a chance. They were first to be nixed from the competition.
That's all I can think of right now. Looking forward to the next leg!
- I initially thought Dan was hot too, and he is, except he's also a bit "duh", which takes away from his attractiveness. His lawyer-speak is annoying, and he couldn't even find the hidden immunity idol when he was sent to Exile, wasting his time by over-analyzing the clue. Bone head.
Unfortunately, Memphis never won an HoH in the game, and Dan won three times, and that seemed to play big in the jurors' decisions. At the end of the night, Dan was handed the cheque for $500,000 - and I wasn't surprised after listening to what the jury had to say. They had made up their minds that Dan deserved it more because he won more.
I still think that Memphis played more intelligently, and the fact that he was able to keep the blood off his hands by getting Dan and others to do his dirty work was a better strategy. The fact that he actually admitted to throwing competitions just shows how far one can get in the game without actually being in power. He was wise, stealth, and cunning, and he won the Power of Veto on several clutch occasions.
Alas, the jury decided to reward the schmoozy, schmaltzy Dan instead. They didn't even throw Memphis one measly vote. I was a little disappointed. While I didn't dislike Dan, I'm certain that if I knew both of these guys in real life, Memphis would be the one I'd rather have as a friend. Dan was over-the-top, could get theatrical, and his speeches annoyed me. Memphis didn't have the gift of the silver tongue, but in my mind, he was more genuine and straight-up.
So yet another of my favourite summer shows is now over. What a relief to know that training camp started today. At least there will be some hockey talk coming up.
As promised, it was a star-studded affair, with many special guests and performances before Ben Mulroney finally revealed the winner of this year's competition. And yes, folks, something finally - FINALLY - went right for me on Idol this summer, when Theo Tams was crowned this year's winner! Theo really did deserve the victory - his voice is amazing, his performances were memorable and strong, and I'm sure he'll go a long way in the music business and sell lots of records. Kudos to him & I wish him well!
So now I'll run down my list of highlights and lowlights for the night. 
I was thankful on finale night that Sebastian's older brother, Oliver, didn't go unmentioned. I spotted him briefly in several of the re-cap packages, and it really was a credit to him when Theo brought him up when he spoke of how nerve-wracking it was when they narrowed the group down to the Top 24. He said that when he was brought in for his final judgement, along with two other guys, he was sure they were all being sent home, because eight guys had already been selected, and Oliver and Sebastian were both still waiting in the room. I still consider it a travesty that Oliver didn't make it to the Top 10. Every time I listen to his songs, I'm absolutely floored by how amazing he is, and it was nice to hear the eventual winner give him those kind of props. Obviously, the Pigott brothers were highly respected by their peers on the show, and I don't doubt that even Theo probably wonders how it wasn't Ollie standing next to him last night.
I was searching for Oliver and the rest of Sebastian's family in the crowd last night, but I was never able to pick them out. Of course, the camera is always seeking out the celebs in the crowd, and they were there in droves last night - MuchMusic VJ's; the judges for So You Think You Can Dance Canada (which starts tonight); athletes like Kurt Browning; prolific Canadian newscasters; actors from shows like Degrassi: The Next Generation; and other performers, like Matt Dusk. In fact, Dusk was my favourite, because when the camera zoomed in on him, they seemed to ignore the fact that he was sitting right next to Tie Domi!! Apparently Tie is no longer recognizable enough to get his own "shout-out"!! HILARIOUS!!
Mitch struck me as looking like a nerd, but had this different voice that sort of stopped you and made you think, "Wow...He's really good."
So the masterminds of Canadian Idol have decided to shake things up this year, and instead of showing the results tonight, as they have every other week, they're going to make us wait until Wednesday for the 2-hour finale.
Thanks to this new-age world of technology and that fabulous site cdbaby.com, one of my greatest "finds" was the downloadable version of Oliver Pigott's album, Year of the Pig. For the past month, I've been listening to it almost incessantly, and falling in love with each song over and over again.
Rather than try to pigeon-hole Ollie into one of those categories, I'll simply tell you this: His voice is like a warm, rich cup of coffee. When I hear the deep, rasping timbres of his voice, it soothes me and compels me to listen. And from listening, I've been privy to some of the most beautiful lyrics and masterful storytelling I've ever heard in music.
Then we have what I consider the two dark, bluesy offerings, "Shed My Sin" and "Let Your Devil Die", both dealing in subject matter with battling your demons and searching for fresh beginnings, leaving pain and suffering behind. With Ollie's rich, dark voice seemingly coming from deep inside him, almost guttural at times, along with the simple but effective accompaniment of his talented acoustic guitar playing, both of these songs take on lives of their own. 
After Oliver's father, a blues harmonica player, passed away when he was a kid, his family moved to Portugal, where he sang and played in bars with his brother. In his teen years, he returned to Toronto, continuing his music with his band Laughing Sam's Dice. As an adult, he's lived in both LA and England, developing a fan base worldwide and getting his name and music out there.
Still a pretty good-lookin' dude, though, if I do say so myself...
