The Un-Amazing Race

I don't know whose fault it is, but this season's Amazing Race is so boring I want to cry. If it's my fault, then I have several theories as to what might be going on. This is the first season in a long time during which I've not been talking with at least one other person about the events of the show on a weekly basis. It's been a solitary experience and I think in that instance, the fun lessens exponentially. In fact, my friends and I used to have weekly viewing parties which made it an actual event. There's none of that now. I also think the time slot, well...to be frank, sucks. Sundays at 7pm (CST). Truthfully, I've got stuff to do at that time. I'm disappointed to admit that my interest is waning. It's at this point that I turn my glaring eye and pointing finger to CBS and the AR producers.

Like its other reality show predecessors (including Survivor and Big Brother--both also on CBS), AR seems very stale this season. The teams are cast in a fairly narrow range of stereotypes that are either mundane themselves ("Friends," "Dating Couple," "Father/Daughter") or almost too obviously stretching ("Goth Couple,""Married Lesbian Ministers). Once again, reality tv has raised it's ugly need to force interest upon the viewers. Instead of picking interesting people, they cast for the most *stereotypical* (thus predictable) pairs. It's almost like they want to predict the type of drama they'll get by "planting" these volatile (or boring) pairs in this high stress format. God forbid we, as an audience, enjoy the scenery and watch with evil joy as teams experience the kind of stress we all know comes solely and uniquely from traveling by air. Isn't that drama enough?

My last issue (for this post) sounds bratty, but I'm going to go ahead anyway: We need new places! I've been watching this show now for awhile and truthfully there's only so many times I can watch people go to Bhurkina Faso and complain that it smells. It's Africa--every day is 90 degrees and they actually have nature there--of course it smells. But, why not check out New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia, and those types of places? Some of my favorite episodes across 9 or 12 seasons have been the really, really "exotic" places. Agreed, I'm completely spoiled by my television so much that remote areas in Africa seem ho-hum--but AR, you've done that to me, so you have to keep delivering.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do about the remainder of this season. I already feel a distance that might not be reparable. But, I'm always willing to reconsider if things seem to pick up. Honestly, now that the Christian, married, lesbian ministers are gone, I'm not sure how interesting it will get.

I Made a Mistake!

As difficult as this can be to imagine, I screwed up. Thanks to "Anonymous" (which is a pet peeve of mine--if you're gonna get nit-picky leave your effing name), it was brought to my attention that Phil Keoghan is actually a Kiwi (no, not the fruit). He's from New Zealand and not, as previously stated, Australia. Sorry Phil and to all of New Zealand and to "Anonymous."

He's still cute, dontcha think?

It Begins!

Oh man, I wait every tv season for the next installment of The Amazing Race. This show is *amazing* and here's why:

1) Teams travel all over the world and we can watch it from the comfort of our own homes. I've seen amazing things while sitting under my down blanket and munching cookies. It's the best kind of travel ever. Are there delays? Yes. Travel stress? Yes. Do I feel any of it? No...I sit and watch how crazy it looks when someone else feels it.

2) The teams. The format is such that they start with 11 2-person teams and each week (except for 3 installments) one team gets eliminated. But the teams chosen range from your "Average Joes" to "some of the weirdest freaks ever to be broadcast on prime time." This year my favorites include a 23-year old and his grandpa, 2 lesbians who are married and are ordained clergy (nothing like stacking up the interesting social factors), and a Goth couple from Kentucky (is there such a thing?). Then, of course, there are the dating couples and the "blonde bimbo" teams. Awesome.

3) Mix the above with this element of competition and things get interesting. Often the travel woes make the competition exciting and nail-biting. The best way to watch this show is to pick a team at the beginning and root for them--it keeps you invested in the competition. Oh, and if it's possible to watch with others it only ups the excitement factor. If you're totally not into the first couple episodes, don't panic. Right around the 4th leg, everybody's exhausted and people start saying incredibly mean and/or funny things to their partners. Tears start rolling and very often whining's involved. It doesn't sound fun but somehow any viewer with a soul and a travel experience gets sucked in.

4) "The editing is phenomenal." It is. It always looks like teams are rolling in to the "pit stop" right after each other, sometimes actually running to beat the team ahead of them when in actuality they were 13 hours behind. Genius.

5) Phil Keoghan. He's australian. He's hot. And he's *mysterious* in that completely "Phil" sorta way. You have to watch to understand but I'll provide some clue right here:See how cute he is?

Check it out--you won't be sorry! CBS Sunday nights at 7pm or after 60 Minutes which is almost always delayed because of football. (Tonight it started at 7:20).

It's Time to Travel

Guess what I just heard...!!!

IT RETURNS!!!

A new season starts on November 4!!! At 8pm on CBS. For those who don't know, The Amazing Race is a reality competition show in which teams travel 50,000 miles across the world. Game Strategy: Finish 1st and win $1 million.

Oh how long I've waited for the comedy, the drama, the excitement, and the stupidity that leaps forth from this show. I say it's better than Survivor. But then, you'll have to watch to see if you agree!