Eco Challenge

“The Eco-Challenge is on USA starting Sunday.”

“this is one of those times i had a tv”

“this is one of those times i WISH i had a tv”

“Four nights of watching others voluntarily suffer in the midst of incredible Kiwi landscapes. Now that's entertainment!

If only there was a fantasy adventure race league as with other sports, then we could get the sports bars to put it on their TVs and vyxtryx would have someplace to go watch it.”

“fantasy league?...dibs on salomon/eco-internet!”

“That's a good reason to get rid of your tv.”

“It sucked last year. Who're they going to have this year, the Dallas Cowboy's cheerleaders?”

“DRAT! For the first time in two years our Satelite couldn't find a signal. What happened?”

“If the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are participating...I'm watching it. :o)

Did the Playboy girls team win? I don't recall. Who cares? You know a show's in trouble, when they have to resort to SEX to bring in the advertisers/viewers.”

“Looks to be the best Eco ever.

Lots of conflicts, great local.

Thanks again Mark Burnett.

Brazilian women are HOT!!!”

“This one looks to be a really good one. The thing with the Playboy bimbos last year had me worried that the Eco Challenge would turn into something as stupid as Survivor, which is where the Playboy team really belonged.

I noticed on the website that Eco-Internet had different players and wondered why - now that I know don't think so much of that Ian Adamson - Robin Benencasa is my idol. When you start ditching your friends in order to win, is it fun anymore? Or maybe it's not supposed to be fun, but I hope she beats him anyway. I'm wondering what'll happen with that Sara person and her team, she's a pill and a half.

I don't think I can take the suspense, I gotta look and see who won.”

“I know I looked after the race and saw who won, but my 40 year old memory isn't 100% sure I remember correctly.
It figures they wouldn't have the results on the site now, but I'd still watch - heck, I watch the old races I've got on tape.”

“I don't know twigeater....Robin Benecasa is way cool but she totally fell apart physically in the past two races I've seen her in. It is a race after all.”

“I can't figure out which team I feel most sorry for; the Brazilian women with their navigator "Wrongway Peachfuzz", or Team Moosejaw, with their incompetant and self-inflated leader Sarah___. She might be the biggest whiner I have ever seen.”

“If Sarah is the woman on the Kiwi team, I agree. There were several times I found myself answering her to go f herself.”

“I'm thinking of assigning my Interpersonal Communication students to watch at least one installment so they can see examples of what not to do in group communication situations. Don't these teams (other than the Kiwis, who at this point are unified in their approach and their goal) sort out this personal crap before hand AT ALL? Well, a good example of walking the walk compared to talking the talk when it comes to teamwork.”

“No, not the Kiwi team. I think that "Sarah" might be Canadian. She was the one who couldn't carry her pack and said she couldn't listen to anyone on her team beacause she was going to throw up. Then she complained the whole time they were hauling the raft. "It's so heavy; this is ridiculous!" The rest of the team was just simmering. She's way in over her head.

That Kiwi woman would be hard to handle. I bet they burn out.”

“Is it my imagination, or does each team have an extreme personality that no one else can get along with? It makes me wonder if Burnett puts these teams together so he can televise as much "human drama" as possible. Of course, if it was 5 teams of stoics who said nothing and merely went about the business of competing to win, I guess that would be lousy TV, right?”

“I agree, pekka. These people have a lot of personal issues that are getting in the way of accomplishing their goals. A few of them seem to have some other motive for completing the race e.g., to compensate for some personal void or shortcoming.

Geeez! I found myself wanting to reach through the TV screen and grab a couple of them around the neck and say "just shut up and focus on the race!"”

“eco-internet seems to be the most deliberate, with a measured approach. I think they've got the best team. Their leader's been there and realizes that it's a 7 day race so he's been pacing them. Those Kiwi's are gonna fry themselves!”

“The Discovery Channel's race spends much less time focusing on "human drama" other than the teams' endurance and performance, and that race is plenty interesting. I just think Burnett edits out (or stops filming) teams that just plug along in the middle of the pack, doing it right if not brilliantly.

Sickly fascinating.”

“Since I'm on a Shackelton kick lately; wouldn't it be cool to see him go against these guys? He'd probably scratch his head and wonder what all the fuss was about and why they're taking all that extra gear.”

“aero, I was thinking exactly the same thing, only I was wondering how some of the Arctic exploring teams would fare against each other. Too bad we couldn't run a computer simulation.

Lessee, Scott, Shakleton, Amundsen, Peary, any others? Mawson maybe?”

“sarah is on one of the usa teams,the kiwi team as the #&%!$ from hell on it......”

“if that Sarah chick and that Brazilian guy, Zolini (?) were on the same team? That Sarah is a whiner deluxe, and Zolo couldn't find his way out of a wet paper sack!!!!!

I feel for the other people on their teams.”

“The "woman" on the Kiwi team is a little rough around the edges, but I would want her on my team!!!

She's tough!

What do you'uns think about the strategy of the Kiwi team - out run everyone???”

“Sarah says she told her teammates they were gonna have to carry her stuff, etc - so what motivated them to join up with her? Did it have something to do with being allowed in the race, since they're rookies and she "competed" last year? Was she their "in?"

Robin did pretty well by Eco-Internet, since they won in Sabah last year in spite of her asthma. Don't know why they canned Isaac, but they weren't very up front about it - I think that's where most of the hard feelings come from.

I found the winner on the site, but no other placements.”

“What they need is to practice more Active Listening, eh, Pekka? <G>


Ol' Robert Falcon Scott really knew how to chill...”

“twigeater- you're probably right. I can't imagaine any other reason to go with her. She's bossy, whiney and totally incompetant. Shackelton would have had her shot!”

“I think they just wanted to race and since they are all rookies except her, probably could not find a team willing too take them.She is trying to prove to the racing world she can hang....”

“yah aero, but would they have eaten her?

no point in letting that meat go to waste...”

“Hmmmm, Sarah or the dogs, Sarah or the dogs? Sorry Sarah!”

“i missed why sarah couldn't carry her own weight. it took 2 hrs to carry that raft a mile because of her.

did these people meet before the race or did they just throw them togethor and send em on their way.”

“She said they just have to accept the fact that she can't function as leader if she has to carry the weight because she gets sick! The only way that team is going to finish is if they carry her out. I don't know how she's going to get over the mountain leg! I predict a melt-down.”

“NZ is one drop dead, amazingly beautiful country, i'd kill to go there. those mountains are incredible. saw some of it last night, i just like to look at the scenery.”

“The eco internet folks seem normal. A little intense, but I they seem cool under pressure.

The Brazillians are eye candy for sure. I think they are highlighted for obvious reasons. Thirty-six hours on the trail and still looking minty fresh. Ya gotta like that, but it makes me wonder if this is real.”

“Just Curious... What does the "Eco-" mean?”

“bacpac- they're Amazon Women and they're going to kill their "navigator" Zolini (sp) if he gets them lost one more time.”

“The moosejaw team - Sarahstupid's team - came together through some website for adventure racing, or something like that. Teams are formed on their own, not by the race guys. One of the first races I watched two teams merged because they lost members to injury or something. Don't think they could officially place though.

The Eco must be because of this - "Each event is designed to have minimum impact on the land and encourages a "leave no trace" philosophy"
Eco-Challenge

Really that Zolini guy says "they must trust me" when he gets 'em lost on the very first thing.”

“I dunno if it was the eco challenge that had that asian team a year or so back...wow..they were tough..one female broke a leg/ankle BAD..and one of the male members carried her through most of the jungle section..then he took a HUGE fall with her on his back...that was a good race...the american team took 2 huge face first over the handlebar dives while on the bikes...i wish they'd keep it real, and event focused...and not soap opera like.”

“I wasn't sure if it was 'Eco-logical' or 'Eco-nomic', <G>. Does the low-impact philosophy get any airtime besides in the name of the show?”

“I figured out the race i've been thinking about...the raid-gauloises, it was the orignal adventure race.to be shown on the OLN channel 06/26/2002

The new format after 2003 will not permit any support teams to help the teams of 4.
lotta frenchie teams though...

it's in viet nam this year..lot tougher than eco-challege!!”

“don't think so...but they have volunteer teams that follow up after the race is over.”

“Now *that* would be interesting...

After the first race is over have a second race where teams do the same route... across the burning deserts, fording ice-cold rivers, climbing near-vertical mountainsides... and picking up 100 pounds of trash as they go... <VBG>”

“yea..a 100 pounds of trash the first team dropped...and then after the 2nd team is done..have a party with both teams..and let the 2nd team pummel the 1st”

“You guys just did a clean-up at Sipsey, right?”

“Didn't the Eco-internet team lose 30 minutes while they had to go back and pick up someones sleeping bag and pad? I guess how to properly load a pack isn't a required skill.”

“yupper..sure did...tons of fun..
F'd up thing is..i can't even get ahold of the ranger to tell him what we did. The receptionist doesn't know their fax or the Ranger's e-mail...he's not in. blah..blah”

“Sarah was a loser last year, is still, and will continue to be a loser this year too. It's a pity, I like her sponsor, Moosejaw Stores...I have purchased some gear at some sweet prices from them.”

“This particular race is been shown like a docu-drama...no real race but all kinds of human interest crap about the racers. Burnett wrecked this one. The discovery channel race a few wks back was much more thoroughly presented. Less fluff.”