So, having the day off is helping me keep up to date on my tv watching...don't get used to it folks, normally I'm a few days behind (gotta love the DVR!).

 

First up I caught myself up on the Great American Road Trip show. And this show sure is a trip (bah-dum-bump).
This week the families left St Louis and headed down route 66 to get some frozen custard and then on to spelunking in the Meramec caverns.

 

Okay, so before we go further, this family from Yonkers, NY - the DiSalvatores. OMG, the father is on a permanent trip I think.
And the mother from the Pollard family - whooooie she's ON all the time.

The rest of the families, the Ricos, Montgomerys, Favereys and the Cootes are all more "normal" seeming.

What I enjoy about this show is that the families are getting a family experience on this trip, not just filming event to event. They get a chance to fish, camp, get custard, interact, etc. It's not all about the end, it's about the journey.

 

Back to last night's episode - the families are getting a chance to perform in Branson, MO and will be judged by some Branson stars.

 

The DiSalvatore's went first and did a rap. Sort of. The dad, Silvio, actually did the best.

The Ricos went next and did a skit about the road trip. It was cute. And the judges seemed to enjoy it also.

The Pollards went third. And well. Hmm, how to explain this. They said it was a South Alabama Hoedown. But all it really was, was singing Old MacDonald. The judges seemed to like it though.

And next up was the Montgomerys. It was a combo of a rap, steppin', the kids playing their instuments and almost a skit. It was odd, but I like this family so I hope it turns out in their favor.

Up fifth was the Favereys who did a Partridge family type of performance. I think it was supposed to be 80s band though. Again, I like this family, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Last up was the Cootes who performed a rap. Unlike the DiSalvatore's their rap was good. And they added a cheer at the end - with the dad in a cheer costume and all.

 

And the bottom three are... Montgomerys, DiSalvatores & Favereys. BUT there is not an elimination this week. Whew!

The 'King of the Road' challenge was won by the Pollard family as the winners of the Branson performances.

 

The next challenge is being played by the top three families, Pollards, Ricos and Cootes in Carthage, MO at one of the last drive in theaters to win a trip to Hollywood to attend a movie premier. There were all these gorgeous vintage cars parked and the kids got to tell the dad's what to do in this race to get through the cars to the concession stand and back. Oh, and the dad's were blindfolded other than little lights telling them where to go (kids enter it through a remote control).

As one kid put it "it's like human pinball".

The thing that made me giggle the most was a mom waving her husband home silently.

Hi, blindfolded.

 

And the winner was the Cootes, by just a hair.

 

This is such a sweet and easy show to watch.

 

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The next show I watched was Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. Chile is the place of review this week.

Since you haven't known me long I should explain. I find Anthony Bourdain so freakin' sexy. It's his mind I'm attracted to. Really, it is.

Back to business. We hear a bit about Chile's history and then we go to the first restaurant and Anthony gets his first bite of pork for this episode in the form of a huge, gorgeous, sandwhich (sorry, I couldn't catch the name well enough to hazzard a guess at the spelling).

Next up we head out for coffee in the city of Santiago served by a beautiful woman in stilettos. Wow, this coffee house does not have the typical tattoo'd barrista we find around here. Anthony's first snarky line of the show "A little fetishness with your coffee? No. Thank you."

Annnd, more pork. So far nothing that makes me go OMG! They eat that??? But you know as well as I do - it's coming.

Ohh, they have a before meal drink called an earthquake - white wine and pineapple ice cream. Sounds and looks very yummy.

The meal arrives and there's blood sausage. Some may find this OMG worthy, but to me it's no longer shocking. I've even eaten some in my past...but that's off topic and I need to stay on topic with this show. :P

Coming up - - -rodeo. Did you know it's the number 2 most popular spectator sport in Chile. Me neither, but we both do now.

This rodeo is in the wine country of Chile. And looks more like a Polo match in the Hamptons than a rodeo to this midwesterner. Until the rodeo actually starts when I start thinking like the girly girl I can be - oh the poor cow!

I'm glad that commercial came. And went.

We come back to the local open air farm market. After looking at the beautiful fruit & veg we see them go for some Soppapillas (spelling?) and hoof soup.

What! Hoof soup? on the OMG scale I suppose it's more of a oh goodness, than a OMG.

They also get some deep fried chitlins. Again, not high on the OMG scale anymore.

After some lovely scenery and conversation we find out we're headed to the coast next.

And the largest weiner I've ever seen. Hot dog weiners you naughty reader, you. It's 12 inches long and covered with saurkraut, pickles, tomato, guac and mayo. Makes me a little nauseous to think about it. And it's called the completo (complete).

Seafood time! You know, because once you eat a giant dog you want seafood. Right? lol... Not having eaten the hot dog concoction I find the seafood quite appetizing looking. Very fresh and the presentation definitely does it justice.

And to top off the evening they head to an old sailor bar for a pisco (sp?) sour. Again, a beautiful looking drink.

Next up? Patagonia. With more fantastic scenery that causes me to long to pack up my camera and buy a plane ticket and we're introduced to a couple of ex-patriot ex-hippies running an eco-friendly resort on the edge of the coast. It certainly looks like this foodie-photographer-wannabe traveler's paradise.

I'd have felt that it was a full episode had they stopped there, but this being Chile there's more to see. Like the mountains/volcanos. So off Anthony goes to see them. And it's a very Germain looking area, architectually speaking. And after a (just short of) obscene amount of fresh seafood is eaten and discussed the show ends.

And I'm satisfied...and longing for some white wine with pineapple ice cream. I wonder if sherbet would suffice?