'The Amazing Race' Comes To Guam

This all actually started as a part of 'Operation Christmas Drop 2006' (wiki, AF) but since Kat and I (OK, mostly Kat) got way involved in it, when The Amazing Race producers said that they wanted to shoot part of their show using some of our stuff, the Air Force said, "Sure!" -- and we got volunteered to assist. Kat was picked as one of four judges and I got to be the photo/hang-out-with-the-support-crew guy. I think I did rather well on the hanging out part.

The guy in BDUs was the one who ran most of Op Christmas Drop (OCD). He's getting video'd by the lead Amazing Race (TAR) video guy, who used to be an Air Force video guy. The woman in the white (ish) shirt is one of the high-strung producers whose job it was to panic about almost everything. When things started getting extra-chaotic, I asked her with a smile, "Is it always like this?" A frustrated, "No! It's never like this." was the reply. During the course of my hanging-out-with-the-support-crew "duties" I asked one of their folks the same question. "Oh yeah" they said. "Pretty much every time. It all seems to come together at the last second, though." At least there are similarities between the military and television production ;-)

Here are a few of the judges. You can just feel the excitement in the 95°F air.

Arguably one of the most amusing points of the experience: Here, video man is getting stock footage ("B roll") of how Air Force people load stuff into boxes. Surprisingly, they do it like most other people - with their hands and arms.

Here, the producer lady salutes some of the judges to say "Thanks." The military folk are amused for various reasons by this gesture. Video guy supervises.

A great shot of the C-17 that actually carried the contestants on their flight to drop stuff out the back. And proof that we really were part of The Amazing Race.