'Dega comes and we wanna go home
By Wade Kwon
Talladega is becoming the Hollywood of the Southeast, right behind Savannah, Memphis and Wilmington. Don’t believe me?
OK, I don’t believe me either.
But as mentioned previously, “The Amazing Race” took a swing through Huntsville, then Anniston and then the NASCAR-loving, checkered-flag-waving, track-circling town of Talladega.
[photos and exclusive insider notes from the Talladega leg on the jump]
You can get the full episode recap from TVGasm.
When last we left the Weavers, they were headed for meltdown on the way to Huntsville. What better way to ease their suffering than to send them to the one place that reminds them of their father’s untimely death?
Apparently, the Weavers don’t have many fans among the other teams to this very day. The Schroeders, who get the boot by episode’s end, didn’t just face the indignity of losing in their hometown of New Orleans. They also ended up losing pretty much everything post-Katrina.
And which team didn’t lend them a hand? We’ll let them tell the story.
It’s not like they’re sending you to a hurricane/flood zone …
Anyway, the Weavers, along with the other teams, faced down the scariest challenge of all: riding the Partybike around the track. Couldn’t they have done it while quenching their thirst with some delicious ice-cold Bud Light while listening to instructions on a new Nokia phone?
Some day, they will build a bike so big, they will destroy the earth!
Yes, they overcame their fears without so much as a single extended nervous breakdown.
And we’re all fortunate none of the teams lost a loved one to rampaging oversize office furniture.
Yellow Mama’s mama.
As a bonus for our readers, one unnamed production assistant reveals more behind-the-scenes action:
It was pretty amazing to see how much effort went into production for so little screen time. There were about 15 of us PAs and local cameramen and probably twice that at the track already not including the pairs that accompanied each family.
One funny thing that happened was the “Big Dog” (some major show producer guy with a foreign accent) came in with his Cadillac SRX sport ute followed by his entourage of similarly equipped lackeys. He got all in a tizzy about not being able to shoot from some specific vantage point (or something) and left in huff through one of the (flooded) tunnels that allow entry to the infield of the track.
It killed his Caddy, flatbed tow truck dead. He had to get a ride out of the complex with one of his associates. Plus, got his little pants and shoes wet to boot. We peons enjoyed that as we were already drenched from the sporadic rain that the closing Talladega shot from the show only hinted at.
Funny, I thought I saw a full moon …
Alabama the bootyful.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005, 12:25 am
[…] Steve had already worked the previous two days, and he and I shared the ride for my sole day on set. Our morning began at 5:30. (It really began at 4:30, in time for the bleary-eyed stumble to the car, followed by the bleary-eyed drive to ‘Dega.) So early is the shoot that I can barely get words out, much less full sentences, during “breakfast.” “How man- many. ex.tras. (pause) do. doya. do you. think. wil- are. here?” I mutter. Steve knows the drill. Sit, eat, wait. Sleep if you can, chat up the others, snap a few photos. Unlike “Big Fish,” we had the comfort of waiting indoors while the crew prepared for the day’s shoot. Outside was overcast with threatening rain, much like “The Amazing Race” shoot. Because of the dicey weather, the crew brought the racecars into the garage where we were hanging out. They would test the engines at full throttle. If you think they’re loud out on the track, try being 10 feet away from them in an enclosed space as they let ‘er rip. Yee haw. Shattered eardrums aside, we spent seven hours killing time along with the other 100-plus extras. Steve almost nabbed a sweet role as a sheriff, but was demoted to race fan at the last minute. I, with my sole wardrobe piece, a cap, also played a race fan (don’t fret, I was wearing clothes, too). […]