The Amazing Race 9: Brokeback Edition
OK, seriously, it seems like almost every team on the new season of The Amazing Race is gay. Or gayish. NTTAWWT, it just seems strange to me. I usually root for the “recognized minority” team, and so far the African-American couple looks like a contender, so I’ll stick with them at least for a while. My second favorite is usually the token old folks team, but the ones this year are so freakin’ whiny and incompetent I can’t get behind them–and almost no one else seems able to wind up behind them either. I actually think the surf bums are running well. If last season taught us anything (besides Never Do Another Family Edition Because It’s Lame), it’s that a positive attitude and brawn go a long way in the race. These guys, so far, have both on their side.
No matter what, though, I’m just happy it isn’t another wack-ass Family Edition again. Last season was watchable but wayyy disappointing, especially the “we’re essentially never leaving the US” factor. Half the fun of the show is seeing everyone struggle with the language, and even the folks from Nawlins could understand the various Merkins they had to deal with last season. In that regard, this season is off to a good start: right on to Sao Paolo, and the usual taxi impatience and people-who-don’t-read-the-directions mishaps. Looks like this season they won’t be allowed to book flights in advance via phone, which is a really good change IMO as well.
But really, I still think it’d be a lot of fun to have a REAL “Amazing Race”, kind of how they hinted it would work in the season 1 teasers. No holds barred, race-around-the-world scavenger hunt, minimal money, few (if any) pitstops. Maybe the only rule would have to be “allow us to videotape absolutely everything, and any travel you arrange must accomodate the camera crew.” Hell, make some events optional, but worth time bonuses. Sure, it’d be a lot harder to edit, and some folks would finish days, maybe even weeks, earlier than others, but it would be super interesting. Got great language skills? Exploit ‘em. Great strength? Take more of those challenges. Friends in a certain city? Sure, why not. Maybe about the only thing that should be off limits is paying from funds earned outside the game, for help–just so rich folks don’t have that edge. Add ‘referees’, that can penalize teams for cheating, but ‘playing dirty’ should be allowed as long as it doesn’t compromise safety. That’s the Amazing Race I want to see.