Video Beat EXTRA - AMAZING RACE & The Contender Are On - Gaby Quits Pinoy Celebrity Big Brother - November 2007

James Loving - National Radio Text Service

Pinoy Celebrity Big Brothers Gaby QUITS SHOW - AMAZING RACE 12 IS ON!!! - THE CONTENDER 2 R RETURNS - Recommended TV Listings

Monday November 12, 2007

IT'S ON!!!! AMAZING RACE 12

It snuck up on us but The Amazing Race 12 is currently airing on the AXN Network. The question is what happened to AR 11? The current collection of contestants have begun their race around the world after departing from the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, California USA to Ireland and this week to Amsterdam.

An interesting mix of individuals comprise the teams that feature a rock style long hair pair with the lady donning pink hair. She is the most macho of the two. A grandfather/grandson duo whereas the grandfather is more daring to take on tough challenges such as pole-vaulting with a pitchfork over a muddy stream.

An Asian father daughter team are getting a lot of screen time as the father continues to berate his daughter in front of others thereby she loses face and also dampens her respect for her father. While dealing as diplomatically as she can with this problem while on camera, she also has to take time to educate her father of his rudeness and disrespect for her. The father seems to gloat being on camera and being rude to his daughter. At this point this is the main human-interest attraction of the show.

Host Phil Koeghan continues to host the show as he has from its inception. The program airs Monday nights at 7 pm in the Cambodia/Thailand and 8 pm Hong Kong/Singapore time zones. It repeats later in the evening at 11 pm Cambodia/Thailand and midnight Hong Kong/Singapore.

AMAZING RACE ASIA

Starting November 22nd we will have the opportunity to overdose on Amazing Races as Amazing Race Asia begins. . That gives the viewing audience two races a week for their viewing pleasure, that is if you're into that sort of thing and programming.

Two weeks ago Amazing Race Asia premiered their contestants for this seasons show. One of the contestants said the contestants on last season's show were boring. With a setup like that what can we expect from this group?

Included in this group is a deaf team whom producer Michael McKay says they may have an advantage since they use sign language and could communicate better from a distance whereas one can't be heard. One of the contestants from the Philippines is the editor of the FM men's magazine. Two of the contestants are sisters a first time for the show said McKay. One of the girls manages her brother who is a recording artist.

The first show is scheduled to air November 22 at 9 pm in Singapore/Hong Kong and 8 pm Cambodia/Thailand time zones on the AXN Network

THE CONTENDER ROCKS AGAIN

One of my favorite reality show the Contender 2 returns to AXN. This series has been replayed at least two times since its initial telecast but the program as interesting personalities and is so is so well produced it never gets old.

When all is said and done it's the classic story of the underdog winning it all. Fighter Cornelius "K-9" Bundrage from Detroit, Michigan was a left over when two teams were selected from a group of 16 participants. The point being he WAS NOT PICKED, he was the last one standing after all others were chosen, he was simply left for the last team to take.

He was berated and ridiculed from the beginning. He fought his greatest tormentor in the first fight and defeated him thus gaining the respect of his team. He fought on to victory to the final four eventually losing to former IBF Jr. Lightweight champion Steve Forbes of Las Vegas, Nevada in the semifinals. He won the last match against Norberto "El Gallito" Bravo of Tucson, Ariz, and finished in third place.

The eventual winner of the Contender title 35-year-old Grady Brewer from Lawton, Oklahoma was the oldest of the competitor's was considered a chicken because at the beginning he was reluctant to fight or train. As he chose his opponents carefully and delayed his time to fight he gained strength and went on to win the title. What came to light after it was over is that he had a shoulder surgery before the show began. He wasn't confident that his shoulder had healed properly and each fight was a test to see if it could hold up. As it did he gained the confidence to go on to win the title Brewer won US $500,000 and a new Toyota Tundra.

If there ever was a program that exemplified the will to win as in the Rocky movies this is it. The show airs daily three times Monday through Friday on the AXN Network. In the Cambodia/Thailand time zones a 7 am, noon and 6 pm with the 6 pm show being the new episode and the others are its replays. Add one hour in Hong Kong and Singapore.

GABY QUITS BIG BROTHER HOUSE

The tables were turned when contestant Gaby Merced quit the show after being nominated for eviction.

Gaby is a racecar driver and was given a special 24-hour clearance by Big Brother to compete in a race that she won. After she returned to the house she was nominated for eviction by Riza who said the reason was she wasn't bonding with Gaby as well as she was with the other housemates.

Big Bro then laid the big bomb when he found out the racing lady had a prior commitment to participate in an upcoming Driver Development Program for International Racing in Arizona, USA from November 16-18, which meant she has to leave the Big Bro house for more than a day. A 24-hour period is the maximum time allowed to leave the house.

Big Bro gave her 24 hours to make up her mind to remain in the Big Bro house and competition or attend the racing program. What was at stake was a cash prize for the top four finishers ranging from 200,000 pesos to 1,000,000 pesos as well as an equal amount to their chosen charity. With the dollar falling from 50 pesos to a dollar to around 38 that could be as much as a US $26,315 prize.

She decided to bid the show good-bye that is classified a voluntary eviction thus saving someone from being evicted this past week via viewer voting. Her reasons were she wanted to pursue her dream to be a successful racecar driver and it would be more difficult to depart later as she was making friendships that would be more heartbreaking to walk away from.

So as Hall & Oates sang, "She's Gone." The question is will she become the female Lewis Hamilton of the Philippines? Stay tuned…

TV SCHEDULE

Note: The shows listed are for the Cambodia - Thailand time zone. Check your local listings for time and date in your area.

TFC = The Filipino Channel on the ABS-CBN Network

MONDAY

7:00 AM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

NOON - THE CONTENDER - AXN

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates it changed to a 4:50 PM start time the second week.

6:00 PM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

7:00 PM - AMAZING RACE - AXN

7:25 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

11:00 PM - AMAZING RACE - AXN

TUESDAY

7:00 AM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

11:15 AM - ASAP - TFC (The Filipino Channel) - Please note that this and ALL TFC SHOWS ARE SUBJECT TO TIME SHIFTS.

NOON - THE CONTENDER - AXN

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

6:00 PM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

7:25 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

WEDNESDAY

7:00 AM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

NOON - THE CONTENDER - AXN

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

6:00 PM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

7:25 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

THURSDAY

7:00 AM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

NOON - THE CONTENDER - AXN

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

6:00 PM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

7:25 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

FRIDAY

7:00 AM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

NOON - THE CONTENDER - AXN

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

6:00 PM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

7:25 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

SATURDAY

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - start time fluctuates

9:00 PM - JAY LENO - CNBC

10:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - EVICTION SHOW - start time fluctuates

SUNDAY

9:45 - 10 AM - ENTERTAINMENT LIVE - TFC - Philippine Entertainment Gossip Show - start time fluctuates

12:00 PM - ASAP - TFC (The Filipino Channel) - Please note that this and ALL TFC SHOWS ARE SUBJECT TO TIME SHIFTS.

5:00 PM - LARRY KING - CNN - Airs daily

5:00 PM - THE BUZZ - TFC - Entertainment Gossip show

6:00 PM - THE CONTENDER - AXN

9:00 PM - JAY LENO - CNBC

10:05 PM - Celebrity Big Brother - TFC - NOMINATION FOR EVICTION SHOW - start time fluctuates

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