On Wed, 10 Jan 2018 15:16:48 -0800 (PST), Brian Smith
Post by Brian SmithPost by Loren PechtelOn Mon, 8 Jan 2018 22:50:10 -0800 (PST), Brian Smith
Post by Brian SmithJen of the Ski Girls team did a blog post recapping episode 1. Like Jody's video recap she includes lots of details not shown in the episode.
http://jenhudak.com/amazing-race-30-1/
Bandwidth limit exceeded.
Jen's blog is back. I would copy and paste the text but she's also included other stuff that you can't paste here.
Since it's probably going to go back down again I cut and pasted all
that can be copied. As Brian says there is more available (like maps)
on the actual web page so you can go look at that if you want more
info.
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http://jenhudak.com/amazing-race-30-1/
Jen Hudak - an adventure lifestyle blog
Blog
01/07/2018 Adventure, Travels
From the Cutting Room Floor TAR 30 .1
The Amazing Race Season 30 Episode 1: Youre A Champion, Prove It
#TeamExtreme Recap
WOW!!!! I cant believe the time is finally here. Amazing Race 30 made
its debut last Wednesday night (1/3/18) and ***SPOILER ALERT*** Kristi
& I couldnt be more proud to have taken home the W on the first leg
of the race! My heart was beating so fast watching it last night that
I felt like we were running the race all over again! Ive been excited
to see the edit for months now (I do realize we didnt have to wait
nearly as long as most other seasons) and was curious to see how they
fit all that action into 45 minutes of television. If you do the math,
thats only 4 minutes per team in the first episode
Unfortunately, thats a tough task! The production team for the
Amazing Race is absolutely extraordinary, but there is no way to
introduce America to 11 teams and fit in an entire competitive leg of
the race. For Kristi and me, this made us appear to be out for a
casual walk in the park and conveniently landed on the mat in first
place. Haha! However, there is a LOT more that goes on behind the
scenes. During our viewing party last night, friends were asking some
common questions, so I figured Id share my insights into what went
on. Like, how we got to that first route marker in 5th place and
worked our way to the front of the pack.
How did you get from NYC to Iceland?
One minor detail that this episode didnt discuss was that there were
in fact 2 different flights to Iceland. As we left Washington Square
Park it was a race to the airport to get on the first flight which
would land 30 minutes ahead of the 2nd flight. We didnt know how many
seats were on that first flight (turned out there was room for 7
teams) and we were lucky to get to the airport first and secure our
seats. Flight 1 was Jody, Indy, OceanRescue, the Twins, Yale and
GoatYoga. Flight 2 was NBA, RingGirls, Well-Strung and Hot Dog.
We took a red-eye flight out of JFK and turns out there was no food on
flight #1, but flight #2 did have food (lucky ducks!). I dont think
we landed a full 30 minutes ahead of those other 4 teams, but we
definitely did have a solid head start. However, head-starts disappear
quickly when youre too rushed to stop and get a map during a
self-drive leg, you dont have your own cellphone to use for
navigation, you hand-drew a map from someones computer, but drew the
map and wrote down directions starting at the domestic airport, which
was 45 minutes closer to our final destination than the international
airport where we actually flew into
and then, you take a wrong turn
when you already dont know where you are.
These were the directions that we wrote down using someones computer
in the JFK airport, starting from the domestic airport in Reykjavik
These were the directions that we actually needed starting from the
international airport
without getting lost, the trip should have
taken 2 h 17 mins, which is 30 mins longer than what we had been
expecting, which made us feel like we were more lost than we really
were
You can try this yourself by looking for Reykjavik Airport (domestic
airport) and Keflavik Airport (international airport). Get directions
to Husafell. where we were was a bit beyond Husafell, but this will
give you a general idea of the route. Not to mention, the road signs
in Iceland are very confusing (they show business routes differently,
so I kept seeing signs for route 1 pointing in every direction and
couldnt figure out which Route 1 I was supposed to be on). What you
dont realize is that, without a cellphone or map, if you get off
course a little bit from your handwritten directions, you get VERY
DISORIENTED, which led to the following:
Thanks, CBS, for keeping this out of our edit ?? and Kristi, again,
Im sorry I yelled at you, especially because YOU WERE RIGHT and I was
wrong. So, despite finding our car quickly and heading off with Yale
and OceanRescue, we ended up lost and got to the first challenge in
5th place. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge NBA for their
phenomenal navigational skills because they beat us to that first
Route Marker challenge despite being on flight #2.
It seemed like you made it through that first challenge quickly? T/F
True. But you could only gain so much time because there were only two
zip-line stations. We got there as IndyCar was going out on the line,
but had to wait for them to finish before we could begin. Kristi was
smart enough to realize that it would be easier if we sent the lighter
person out on the line (aka: Kristi), which was advantageous. She
didnt drop the line as far as some of the heavier competitors which
made it easier to pull her back in. Plus, I understood the dynamics of
using my leg strength in addition to my upper body to pull her in.
What was so hard about the buggy challenge?
Well, first of all, we havent slept for, um, I dont know 30 hours or
something
secondly, no food for nearly the same amount of time,
third, you have a dude driving you in a buggy around a course filled
with puddles and it is his intention to drive insanely fast and
ACCELERATE into the puddles, which then splashes all over you while
youre trying to spot letters in random locations, out of order, that
have numbers on them and you cant write anything down. I was happy to
see the edit and realize that Henry and I took the same approach. We
both repeated sounds out loud to help us remember the order. We also
asked the driver to slow down, so that we could get our bearings. To
which his response was, No, Im not allowed. It was like the movie
Speed.
Ultimately, I made 3 laps down in the river bed and still hadnt found
2 of the letters, but it was the first two letters _ _ GOLFSTORG. So I
was riding round chanting, golfstorg to myself for a few more minutes
until I decided to go try my hand at the puzzle. I had everything
right and decide that INGOLFTORG sounded more Icelandic than
NIGOLFSTORG, so I guessed, and fortunately got it right. Picking up
2 places, putting us in 3rd on our way to the square.
What was up with those shots??
Well, as you saw, Kristi and I each had to take a shot of either Cod
Liver Oil or Brennivin, which they also maybe call Fire Wine but
there is nothing wine-like about it. Apparently. I wouldnt know
because I drank the cod liver oil. However, the people who drank the
Brennivin said that it was more like rubbing alcohol than wine. It
burned something fierce, and caused several people to either vomit or
nearly vomit. Kristi fell into the nearly category along with Conor.
Well spare details.
How did you end up in first??
Im still not sure what happened to Henry & Evan on their way to the
square, but I assume they mustve gotten lost along the way
? Kristi
and I decided to stop and write down detailed directions from
someones phone we still didnt have a map. This paid off, despite
being a 10-minute stop, because we didnt get lost going to the
square. We found our answers to the questions easily by asking locals.
We used the same approach to find the pit stop. Ask-a-local is to the
Amazing Race as phone-a-friend is to Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. We
got solid information from our local friend and I saw the lake as we
were driving to the square. So, we made our way to the Pit-Stop pretty
quickly.
Kristi and I truly believed we were in no better than 3rd place when
we landed on that mat. We were absolutely thrilled, shocked, honored
and proud when Phil told us we won the leg! The Amazing Race isnt
simply about not making mistakes (though that would be nice), but
about recovering quickly when you do. Not a single team ran a flawless
race this leg. Some excelled at navigating and struggled in the
challenges, others struggled navigating and excelled at the
challenges. In the end, we seemed to mitigate our issues better than
our competition. We leaned into each others strengths and even
managed to learn from mistakes within the leg to help us reach the pit
stop first. The timing of our issues allowed us to continue to climb
the ladder instead of fall further behind. Leg 1 carried with it some
HUGE learning opportunities that we carried into Leg 2.
Other questions received:
Why were #TheRingGirls and #GoatYoga carrying those bags?
Production gave us some gear to wear in some of the challenges (boots,
rain jackets, wool socks, hat, gloves, etc.). Our additional
information told us to bring all our belongings with us when we park
the car in Ingolfstorg. These ladies took that a bit literally
Kristi
and I put the boots on our feet, tied our sneakers to our bag and left
everything else behind. We already had clothes for cold weather, so we
didnt need the products they provided. Given that we werent sure if
wed be doing more tasks in Iceland the next leg, we chose to keep the
boots. We didnt keep them for the rest of Amazing Race, however.
8 responses to From the Cutting Room Floor TAR 30 .1
More about Me
Hey! I'm Jen! A 2-time world champion, 2-time X-Games gold medalist
and 4-time national champion in halfpipe skiing. Currently retired
from competition, I now spend my time backcountry skiing and
mountaineering in the winters, mountain biking and hiking in the
summers, and working in marketing year-round. I love adventure,
travel, writing, coaching, and living a passionate life.
Partners
The mountains are my church. What's yours? ??=? In August 2015, my
husband and I took a leap of faith in and bought a piece of land
northeast of Park City, UT. The property is up at 8100', on dirt
roads, that sometimes requires a snowmobile to access during the
winter. It's not for everyone. When we started talking about building
this house, part of me was thrilled ?? and part of me was terrified
??. ?? What if no one ever comes to visit?! ?? How will we manage all
the snow? ?? How can we afford this?! ???? As it turns out, excitement
and fear cause nearly identical physiological responses in our body.
The reality is, that things are generally not exciting if there's not
a little bit of uncertainty and fear... Nothing great has ever come
into my life from backing away from discomfort, so we dove in. ?????
We're finally in our home, enjoying the fruits of our labor, being
energized by the mountains and forest that surrounds us (like this
scene right here). I've seen more sunrises and sunsets in the last few
weeks than I can recall in the last several months. I'm finding the
ground again and so grateful for the journey. When things get hard,
dig in.
Still on cloud 9 after our Leg 1 win on @theamazingrace_cbs.
Kristi and I are humbled and proud. Thank you for your support and
belief in us - it means the world! If you're curious as to some behind
the scenes details about the race, check out the link in my bio to see
what really went on!
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances
confidently in the direction of his [or her] dreams, and endeavors to
live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success
unexpected in common hours." - Henry David Thoreau ???? This is one of
my all-time favorite quotes. Since I was in high school, I've been
fueled by this. So much so that I got a terrible tattoo of the word ,
"imagine," on my left hip. (maybe it's not sooooo terrible). If we
never dare to live the life we want, we'll never have it. If I had
never put myself out there with my skiing, moved out to Utah right
after high school, risked failure, never pushed to comeback injury
after injury after injury, I never would have had the career that I
did. And if I didn't walk away in 2015, I wouldn't have a flourishing
relationship with the man of my dreams, a beautiful house in the
mountains, the experience of The Amazing Race, or a new life
trajectory. ?????????? Our dreams and goals can serve us in powerful
ways, but they aren't stagnant. They shift and morph and evolve as you
do. How have your dreams changed lately? What are striving for? I'd
love to know so that I can cheer you on. Live the life you've
imagined.
I can't believe it's already upon us, but @KristiLeskinen and I
are about to be totally exposed on @theamazingrace_cbs! We're two
strong, smart & competitive women and darn proud of it! Hope you can
watch as we take on 10 of the most impressive teams in Amazing Race
history in the historic 30th season. Tune in tonight on CBS - 8 pm
ET/PT and 7 pm CT/MT! Also, if you're in the Park City/Salt Lake City
area, come join my family and friends @BoutTimePub in Kimball
Junction, Park City from 6:30 on!
Striding and gliding into 2018 with open arms ????? and an open
heart ??. Can't wait to see what's in store on this crazy adventure
called life. ??????????
2017 was kind to me and I'm thankful! From my first
commentating/analyst gig at X-Games to bikepacking adventures in
Alaska with my husband. From building our dream house to racing around
the world with one of my best friends, I truly could not have asked
for more. 2017 has offered gifts returned in more ways than one and it
has offered challenges as well - the kind of challenges that hide
under the surface, that push us to seek to live better lives. I am
humbled by the good fortune I had in 2017 as I know that it wasn't a
great year for all. A younger version of myself would expect more and
more of the same, but I'm wise enough to know now that the tides can
turn at any moment. So, in these first moments of 2018, I'm simply
going to be thankful where my life is, for all that I have, and for
all that I'm striving for. The road might get rocky, obstacles may
land in my way, but I'm damn well going to enjoy the journey. Happy
New Year all!
I didn't know it was going to be my father's last Christmas when I
gave him this card 3 years ago. He had been battling leukemia for 4
years, but we knew he'd prevail. Inside the card I wrote the following
passage: ?? "Dad, we've both had to go through some transitions
lately... Every step of the way you have been an inspiration to me. Of
all of the things I've done over the last year, getting back in a
halfpipe put the biggest smile on my face, simply because I've finally
been able to do what you've always said to: LET IT GO. By "letting go"
of how I used to ski & what was expected of me, I was able to just
purely enjoy the skiing in its new capacity. Today, we're giving you
the chance to enjoy skiing in a similar way, by letting go of what it
used to be... From 1-4 this afternoon, we're going to PCMR to the
National Ability Center to sit ski! You'll be able to feel the wind on
your face, catch snowflakes on your tongue, push yourself in a new
capacity, smile with your family & have a new experience. You are a
warrior, dad. You have been so strong through this journey. Despite
the rebels of your body, your spirit continues to shine. Let's go have
some fun & get some adrenaline pumping through those veins!" ?? My
father always tried to get me to "let it go" when things didn't turn
out the way I had planned/wanted/expected. It's a mantra that I carry
with me everyday. A lesson that I'm still attempting to integrate into
my essence. A way of existing that will eventually become
subconscious. Because it truly is the greatest way to live. By
learning to "let it go" you stop creating more pain from your pain.
How are you at letting it go? As always, I'd love to hear your
thoughts. More to read on my blog. Link in bio @jenhudak ??.
"To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than
luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not
respectable, and wealthy, not, rich; to listen to stars and birds,
babes and sages, with open heart; to study hard; to think quietly,
act frankly, talk gently, await occasions, hurry never; in a word,
to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the
common. this is my symphony." William Ellery Channing
Let's talk about morning routines. Do you have one? What's your
favorite a.m. ritual? I'd love to know! Besides drinking coffee and
being late for work, I don't really have one... ?? But having recently
moved into my new mountain abode, I want one. A routine that sets me
up for a day of being my best self. A routine that signals it's time
to get up, get out, and kick ass! A routine that reminds me that LIFE
IS GOOD! ?? Moving is a wonderful time to kickstart new habits and
routines because, well, you really have no choice. Everything is new.
So why not set yourself up for success? ?? Some things that I've
decided in the last few weeks after stepping foot inside this house :
1) I can remember how to dream 2) I want to help others do the same 3)
If I decide to do something, then that is enough - the hardest part is
deciding 4) Mornings are awesome - even when they're dark and cold,
they're quiet 5) Silence is brilliant - I can hear my own thoughts ??
So, my new morning ROUTINE will still involve coffee, because, you
know, COFFEE ? but it will also involve taking a stroll with my dogs
up the quiet mountain roads behind my house, observing where my
thoughts and emotions lie that day, and setting the intention to SHOW
UP, in FULL Force, to whatever tasks are comin' my way.
There are a lot of reasons that I'm proud to be a part of
@theamazingrace_cbs Season 30, and one of them is because I'm
competing alongside this legend, @KristiLeskinen! For those of you who
don't know much about Kristi, she was one of a handful of women to
pioneer the sport of #freeskiing. Sure, I was an early adopter, but
she was a true pioneer - competing against men when there was no field
for women. There are advantages and disadvantages to being involved in
laying the foundation of something that will survive long beyond your
years. Much of the hard work, breaking-of-glass-ceilings, and
advocating for equal opportunity was done by Kristi and my generation,
and less of the 'payout' (in the traditional sense) was received. Yet,
the battle continues today. And while we watch from the sidelines as
other women make their dreams come true in their Olympic pursuits, we
get to sit back with pride, knowing that this opportunity wouldn't be
there for them, if we didn't show up when we did. It's passing the
torch. It's like mothering a child (one day I'll say that with more
authority ;)). But truly, it is PRIDE! We are proud of what we
accomplished in our sport and we are proud to be a part of #TAR30.
Can't wait for the premier on January 3rd (CBS 8 pm ET/PT - which
means 9 pm MT)! Mark your calendars! Oh, and if you're interested in
learning a little more about my partner and I, please read this
fantastic article by Nate Peterson on CBS Sports! Link in bio
@jenhudak :) . . . . .
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