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As always, review submissions are
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Sidebar
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"Can this TRULY be
the first 'fair' reality TV game show?" It
looks that way so far. People who are only out for themselves wind up
lagging behind. Remember that female duo that used their feminine charms to
get an opposing team booted from the taxi they hired, so they could use it
instead? Well, they wound up not getting any help from the other teams,
later in the show, when they needed it most. They're gone. Admittedly, by
now, so is the team they booted from the cab, though at least they lasted
two episodes longer. In this game, "alliances" don't cut it, nor
does an "every man for himself" attitude. So far, the show has
proven that the nice guys finish first, and this results in a show that,
admittedly, is far more enjoyable to watch than those other shows with those
"Cheater's Alliances" that let the lamest contestant win. Are you
listening, Survivor?
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The Amazing Race
I know what you're thinking; "Gosh oh
goody gum drops; another reality TV show...<sigh>." Seriously,
though, this is one reality TV game you want to give a look. Why? Because
it takes every gripe you ever had about Survivor, and goes
one better. It also has more intriguing contestants, and allows those
contestants to play with a friend, spouse, or relative. The end result is
a show that, so far, is far more alluring than Survivor
2 ever was, and even a bit better than what we've seen so far
of Survivor 3: Africa.
Of course, the premise of the show is
simple; a huge, HUGE race, involving planes, trains, and automobiles used
to go to "checkpoints" all across the globe. the last person to
those checkpoints is the next team to get booted off the show. This is the
first success of the show, compared to Survivor; no silly
"tribal councils" where some nudist fat guy can take control of
the vote with an unknown "alliance" of other lame-o contestants.
In this team, the best team (as a rule) finishes first; the one lagging
behind is the one to go next. Fair, so far?
Wait; it gets even better. As a race that
covers the entire globe, the vistas of the game always change. This is no
boring trek through a desert without any major scenery for miles; this is
a race through some of the most intriguing places in the world. Whether
the checkpoint is in the middle of Paris, or in a little village somewhere
in Northern Africa, the scenery of this "game show" is the best
ever used in reality TV game shows so far. Only The
Mole, with its spy-oriented hotels and alley ways, can come
close to the impressive sights shown in this series.
As for the contestants; let's just say, the
casting agents of this show should go work for Survivor
immediately. For one thing, the "teams" in this race are pairs
of people, who know each other. One duo is a pair of likeable
fraternity brothers, who have remained friends for years. Another team is
a likeable young 20-year-old with her mom! A third team consists of two
lawyers who are best friends. The other teams consist of fiancées and
other couples, including a gay man and his "life partner." This
results in teams that are filled with intriguing conversations (nobody
trying to "hide" anything from their other teammate), as well as
intriguing racing strategies between each team-of-two.
The race includes competitions, of course,
at each checkpoint. Some are easy-yet-complicated, like finding the flag
in a desert, using only a compass. Others are not so easy, like finding
the latest, tiny checkpoint flag, in Paris, by looking from the tourist
telescopes above the Eiffel Tower! The best part of these competitions is
--and yes, it's worth saying again-- the team in last place is the team
that goes. This means no "tribal council" nonsense, making last
place mean "last place."
This leads to some hearty competition, too.
Sometimes it's best to help out another team, hot on your tail, so they
will "owe you one" the next time you're stuck. In one case, the
fraternity brothers helped two other teams get their airplane tickets,
just to get back at a certain other team, that beat them to an earlier
flight. Compare this to the time when one team of girls used their
feminine wilds to get a taxi driver to kick out an opposing team from the
car, so they could use the taxi instead! These same girls wound up getting
stuck later on, and were the next to go. Huzzah! A show where cheating
doesn't (always) pay!
This isn't to say nice guys always finish
first. There's that moment when the so-called "team Guido" acted
like they were on a flight --which they weren't-- just to hold up
the three teams behind them, who had that earlier plane flight. They even
had the nerve to push that harmless likeable girl with her mom! Don't
fret, though; in this race, the jerks always seem to finish last. After
all, even with all their posturing, team Guido only came in second that
day...right after the team they thought was way behind them!
Of course, this series has one Achilles'
heel; after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, any
"race" like this would be difficult to attempt ever again, with
all of its planes, trains, and international travel. However, how about a domestic
Amazing Race 2...? Make one checkpoint at the bottom of the
Grand Canyon. Make another checkpoint the giant globe when entering EPCOT.
There's photo ops in the United States that many have never even seen.
Regardless, this first season of Amazing Race is nothing
short of...well, amazing. The only thing better than the places visited is
the message sent; that the nice guys don't always finish last.
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