The Oceanic Amazing Race
We open with a panoramic view of Los Angeles, then zero in on Phil Keoghan, our indefatigable host. He is standing in the middle of what looks to be an outdoor arena with a lovely view of the city.
PHIL:
"This is Los Angeles's famous Greek Theater, where some of the world's most famous artists perform under the stars. And today it's the starting point on a race around the world for a million dollars. Twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, will test their resources, relying only on each other, on an adventure that will take them to the four corners of the globe."
The teams are arriving in 'smart' cars. We hear Phil's descriptions of them, and then go to pretaped interviews for a snippet from the contestants themselves.
"Jack and Kate have been dating for several months. Jack is a neurosurgeon here in Los Angeles, while Kate has worked as a wilderness guide, a waitress and a farm worker."
KATE:
"I get restless, I need new challenges…"
JACK:
"I've told her I can challenge her enough." They both laugh "I think the biggest strength we can bring to the race is that we are both task oriented and we don't get rattled easily."
KATE:
"The biggest handicap is that we both like to be in charge."
PHIL:
."Jin and Sun are married, and moved to Los Angeles from Korea, where Jin used to work for Sun's father, an automotive tycoon."
SUN:
"We have had problems in the marriage, but we are doing much better, and we hope the Race will bring us even closer. We will have to rely on each other a great deal. But at the same time, Jin needs to let me do things more."
JIN:
"Sun's English is better than mine. But I will do whatever I need to do to do well in this race, and to look after her."
PHIL
"Michael and Walt are a recently reunited father and son, who currently live in New York City, where Michael works in construction."
MICHAEL:
"Walt's mom took him overseas shortly after he was born. She died a few months ago. We're trying to get to know each other. It isn't easy, but… he's my son, you know? I'd like to win, because the money would make a real difference to us. I've had some architecture training and I'd like to go into that full time…"
WALT says nothing, looks uncomfortable
PHIL:
"Desmond and Penny are dating. They recently reunited after a long separation. Desmond's an army veteran and once lived in a monastery.
DESMOND: arm around Penny
"I've always loved Penny, but I let her father interfere. He didn't approve of me and… well, I accepted his opinion. But we're together now, we're going around the world, and the million dollars will just be the icing on the cake."
PENNY:
"I've always known Desmond was the only man for me. Now he knows it, too. If we win, so much the better, but for me the real prize is doing this with Des."
PHIL:
"Shannon and Sayid are dating. Shannon is a former nanny and Sayid was once in the Iraqi army, but now works in electronics."
SHANNON:
"Sayid is different from any man I've ever been with – and I'm sure I'm completely different from any woman he's ever known! He's serious, smart and absolutely honest. I've always been kind of spoiled and, basically, useless."
SAYID
"Shannon has no idea of her real capabilities. I hope that this Race will help her bloom and show her how special she really is."
PHIL
Charlie and Claire are a newly dating couple; Charlie was once the bassist for Driveshaft, whose "You All, Everybody" was a chart topper a few years ago. Claire is the mother of a little boy, Aaron"
CHARLIE:
"The first time I saw Claire I fell like a ton of bricks. She's such a sweetheart, but she's also tough when she needs to be. With her on my team, I've no doubt we can win this thing.
CLAIRE:
"Charlie can come on strong… at first I wasn't sure I wanted to get involved, what with Aaron to consider. But Charlie adores Aaron. Sometimes I tease him that he asked me out because he wanted to be a dad!"
PHIL:
"Bernard and Rose are married. Rose is recovering from cancer, but says that won't stop her from giving her all on the Race…"
BERNARD:
"Rose is an amazing woman. I'm very lucky to have her. A lot of people would think this is a crazy way to celebrate her recovery, but it just means that we want to enjoy every moment of our lives together, and this really is an adventure of a lifetime."
ROSE:
"As long as Bernard doesn't get too ambitious out there. I keep telling him to remember he's not Rambo."
BERNARD:
"I know, I know… I'm a dentist."
PHIL:
"Danielle and Alex are mother and daughter; Alex only recently found out that Danielle was her mother, and the two are hoping to get to know each other better during the Race. Although a scientist by trade, Danielle is well versed in hunting, camping and other outdoors activities."
DANIELLE:
"Being reunited with my daughter is the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me…I know that I have a great deal to teach her, but I also think I can learn from her."
ALEX:
"It's going to be a little weird, getting to know my mother on national tv, but… this whole thing is kind of crazy, so I'm trying to go with it."
PHIL:
"Ben and Juliet… Juliet's a fertility specialist doing research at a holding of a large multinational corporation where Ben's a troubleshooter. Colleagues and friends of some years standing, he'd like to be more…"
BEN:
"Juliet is a remarkable woman, I've always thought so. I'm sure she can take anything the Race can throw at her. I'm also hoping that she'll see another side of me… maybe more than one…"
JULIET:
"I've always thought Ben was a terrific guy, but I only recently realized that he was… interested in me in a particular way. We're doing the Race together to see if, away from the strictures, the incredible pressures, of our daily routine, there's a spark we can pursue…"
PHIL:
"James, an investment counselor, and Hugo, a former Chicken Shack employee who recently won the lottery, are friends who seem, on the surface, to have little in common, apart from the fact that neither goes by his real first name."
SAWYER:
"I'm Sawyer and he's Hurley."
HURLEY
"Sawyer also calls me Stay-Puff, Lardo, Jumbotron, whatever."
SAWYER
"It's all in good fun."
HURLEY
"Yeah, it's not like I don't know how
big I am."
SAWYER
"Hurley here is, as far as being nice, on a scale of one to ten he's a twelve. Me, I'm a two, maybe. But I'm pretty smart. So I figure between the two of us, we've got this in the bag."
PHIL:
"Boone, who runs a wedding planning business, and John, a collections manager for a box company, are friends who enjoy war games and survivalist expeditions."
BOONE:
"John's as much a mentor as a friend. He's taught me to be self-reliant, shown me how to grow up."
JOHN:
"Boone tends to underrate his own abilities. I don't believe in limitations, so I basically ignore what he considers to be his."
BOONE:
"Most people don't know that John used to be in a wheelchair. They told him he'd never walk again."
JOHN:
"Don't tell me what I can or can't do…"
.
PHIL:
"Ana-Lucia and Eko are old friends who come from very different worlds. While Ana-Lucia is a Los Angeles police officer, currently on leave, Eko is a Roman Catholic priest.
ANA-LUCIA:
"Eko likes to say we're two halves of the same thing. We both want a better world. I keep telling him we need to focus on this one before we think about the next one."
EKO: smiling
"And I tell her that one will naturally lead to the other. Ana is more spiritual than she pretends to be."
ANA-LUCIA:
"And Eko is a much bigger bad-ass than he pretends to be."
The contestants arrive and gather around as Phil explains the rules, and points to their backpacks, which are gathered at the other end of the arena. Their first set of clues are on those backpacks. Hands are squeezed, the excitement is palpable.
PHIL:
"The world is waiting for you. Good luck. Travel safe…he pops one eyebrow Go!"
And they're off. Right away Sawyer is yelling at Hurley to run faster. Can you tell we're likely to get a lot of that? Bernard is also hustling to keep up, but Rose isn't yelling at him. John and Boone are the first to get to their backpacks – and their clue. It tells them to get to Los Angeles International Airport and find a flight to …
Hamilton, Bermuda! There are also instructions on finding their next clue, but we'll find out what those are when we pick up with our adventurers in the next chapter. Ready for the Race of a lifetime?