Video Beat - Amazing Race - TOP MODEL & The Ultimate Fighters - October 2006

James Loving - National Radio Text Service - Sunday October 1, 2006

Monday is a big day for TV in the Southeast Asian region with Tyra Banks Top Model scheduled to air its season finale. Only three girls remain from the original 16 candidates to become the second winner of the show now in its second season. Monday is also the airing of Amazing Race and The Ultimate Fighter's NEW SEASON

For Internet and hi tech lovers tune in to the BBC's CLICK ON LINE. The half hour show airs at 2:30pm Tuesday afternoons in the Thailand/Cambodia time zone. Check local listings for time time and date in your area.

ELVIS??? - GO FIGURE

An Elvis show is scheduled to take place in Bangkok October 21. It is put together with VIDEO'S of Elvis tours in the 70's. The video's are from his tours That's The Way It Is, Elvis On Tour and Elvis Aloha Hawaii.

Some of Elvis' band members and singers will perform live with the video at the Bangkok venue. The ticket prices range from 500 to 2,500 baht (US$13.50 to $67.56).

That is a mind blower when you consider that I saw THE REAL ELVIS PRESLEY perform his Elvis On Tour show for around $10.

The question is… to see a fake ELVIS… is that worth $67.56?

More surprisingly is that the Bangkok Post devoted half of the front page of the Outlook (entertainment) section to promote this show. GO FIGURE…

TOP MODEL FINALE - AMAZING RACE & Ultimate Fighter Up and Running

Monday is a big day for TV in the Southeast Asian region with Tyra Banks Top Model being scheduled to air its season finale. Only three girls remain form the original 16 candidates to become the second winner from the show now in its second season.

Monday is also the airing of Amazing Race and The Ultimate Fighter's new episodes. All installments are repeated later in the week.

AMAZING RACE 10 will air its third episode of this seasons shows. As usual the show has its mix of contestants from various backgrounds that have relationships with each other. They include a gay couple, Muslim friends, black moms, Miss America contestants, cheerleaders, a dad with his gay daughter, an Indian married couple, hillbillies, Asian brothers, a couple that the girl is handicapped and also two male models that are recovering drug addicts.

Missing from this season are the elderly or as the show defines longtime married couples.

Three of the original 12 teams of two people have been eliminated. The first to go were the two Muslim friends who were eliminated in a show first…. before they reached a pit stop that is at the end of each leg of the race and also the end of that episode of the show.

"This isn't a pit stop," they exclaimed. They were then informed by the shows host New Zealander what he said at the beginning of the race… "There will be some surprises."

At the end of that episode the Indian couple were the last to arrive at the pit stop and were eliminated.

Last week the cheerleaders were eliminated when they ran into a physical problem in not being strong enough to shoot an arrow far enough to ignite a combustible powder.

The mix of contestants from various backgrounds enhanced by the travel around the world seeing different sites and the contestant's interaction with different cultures is what makes this show work.

As a viewer watches and hears how people behave they usually root for their favorite team. In doing so the viewer becomes a part of the show. It's as though they're betting on a horse at the racetrack.

The Amazing Race is a multiple Emmy Award-winning show that originally aired in the USA September 5, 2001. Since that time 115 episodes have been produced through season 10, episode 1.

AMAZING RACE IS TELEVISED on Monday nights at 8pm on the AXN channel in the Thaiand - Cambodia time zone.

Check your local listings for the time in your area.

NOTE:

TA TA YOUNG UNCOVERED and the Joe Rogan feature are POSTPONED TILL A LATER DATE.

ULTIMATE FIGHTER

The second season of the Ultimate Fighter kicked off last Monday.

This season the Ultimate Fighting Championship's current Light Heavyweight Champion Rich Franklin and current Weletrweight Champion Matt Hughes are the shows featured teacher/trainers replacing UFC light heavyweight champ Cuck Liddell and Randy Couturee.

The fighters live in a house in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA together and compete against each other for a six-figure contract to fight in the UFC.

The first episode was a surprise when two of the 16 fighters dropped out and that irritated the shows host/producer Dana White.

The episode was designed to see who was the weakest through conditioning exercises. The weakest were judged by the trainers and was then given a chance to prove he wasn't.

He would then pick the fighter of his choice to fight with the winner to remain on the show and compete for the title and prize money.

One fighter quit because he felt the experience was "Like being in jail," due to constantly being filmed.

This the second season of the show features competitors in the light heavyweight and welterweight divisions. That means they have to make the weight. The welterweight division has a 170 maximum limit.

One of the almost competitors quit because he couldn't make the weight. He weighed in at 191 and had only two days to drop to 170.

He lost 12 pounds the first day by sweating it off in a sauna. The second day he dropped to 175 and quit. He claimed that he was throwing up and couldn't continue.

White went ballistic and pointed out to the fighters that when they applied and were accepted to the show they knew what they committed to. They know they have to make weight and they should come in within their weight limits.

He also said that if they were scared or didn't want to fight, "Why are you here."

The message to anyone in life is when you make a commitment you should be adult and professional enough to follow through and be prepared and do you best.

In reality when a fighter loses that much weight in such a short period of time it would be suicide to fight someone when you are to weak to do so. What is left after losing 21 pounds in two days?

One of the fighters said, "Quit is not an option. You don't quit."

White called in a new heavyweight to compete on the new episode tomorrow Monday October 2.

When they other fighter's saw the new heavyweight their reactions were… Whoa this guy looks ready to fight. Who is that fighter? Tune in and find out. The show airs at 7pm Thailand/Cambodia time.

Weight classes

The UFC currently uses five weight classes:

* Lightweight: (146 - 155 lb)

* Welterweight: (156 - 170 lb)

* Middleweight: (171 - 185 lb)

* Light Heavyweight: (186 - 205 lb)

* Heavyweight: (206 - 265 lb)

List of UFC champions

Division Champion --- Since

Heavyweight Tim Sylvia UFC 59

Light Heavyweight Chuck Liddell UFC 52

Middleweight Rich Franklin UFC 53

Welterweight Matt Hughes UFC 50

NOTE: THE SECOND SEASON OF THE REALITY SHOW THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER IS TELEVISED MONDAY NIGHT SEPTEMBER 25th at 7pm Phnom Penh (8pm, Singapore - Hong Kong) Check you local listings for the time and date in your area.

FEAR FACTOR

Fear Factor is in the first month of their new season. There is a new twist to the show that has matched the Freaks vs. The Geeks, Reality Show winners, and the US armed forces Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines challenging each other.

On the Reality show winners episode host Joe Rogan got into a fight with one of the contestants. Ooopppsss A BIG MISTAKE…

What those contestants knew or not is that Rogan is qualified in Martial Arts. He also is a commentator and co-host of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) competition that is televised Saturday afternoons in Southeast Asia on the Sports Action channel at 2pm in Phnom Penh.

Folks… this was real and of all of the Fear Factor challenges this stunt topped them all. But that raises some questions…

Fear Factor airs on the AXN channel in Southeast Asia. Check your local listings. This past week in Phnom Penh, Cambodia it was televised Thursday at 7pm (8pm Singapore - Hong Kong) and repeated at midnight.

DID YOU KNOW?

JAY LENO Is (Spot) On

You often hear the phrase SPOT ON meaning you got it right or it's hot. When it comes to comedy often the humor is lost in the translation of language or a cultural misunderstanding.

Jay Leno is recognized as one of America's top comedians. He took over The Tonight Show that Johnny Carson hosted for many decades. They said nobody could replace Carson but Leno certainly has having hosted the show for a decade himself.

To see if Leno is SPOT ON for you the show airs on the CNBC channel Saturday night and Sunday afternoons in the Southeast Asia region. Check your listings.

In Cambodia and Thailand it is televised at 9pm Saturday and 3pm Sunday. CHECK IT OUT.

DID YOU KNOW? Mariah Carey won a BMI Award.

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