The Amazing Race...like Survivor, only faster

Cafe Society
1

As much as I enjoy Survivor, this blows it out of the water. All the plotting, scheming, suspense, and changes of fortune…plus, these people have to move. No lounging under a tent for half the day. And since they’re going all over the world, they have to adjust to different cultures, languages, and climates…sometimes in a matter of minutes. Plenty of decisions made on the fly as well, and one mistake can knock even the leaders (Pat and Brenda, we hardly knew ye…) out.

It’s exciting. It’s unpredictable. It’s a race.

Anyway, my assessment of the eight teams still in it, along with their chances of making it to the final three:

  1. Kevin O’Connor and Drew Feinberg: Taking the Fast Forward was a good move, and it’s remarkable that they had the presence of mind to go for the green after missing the first flag by less than three minutes. The question is whether they can keep it together. Sheesh, have they gone an hour without arguing or yelling about something? Right now their chances are as good as anyone’s, but their lousy team chemistry could hurt them. Or they could rise above it and win it all.
    Chances - Unknown. It’s still too close to call.

  2. Frank and Margarita Mesa: You know what, I really had my doubts about them in the early going, but damned if this team isn’t growing on me. Frank’s bossy as hell and Margarita always seems on the verge of losing it (note esp. the scene at the sewer entrance), and somehow, it works. In all, they combine an incredible drive with very good presence of mind, a winning combination in this type of contest. Frank’s eschewing of Fast Forwards…(“they’re for losers” or some junk) may haunt them in the end, but right now it looks like they got a clear shot to the final.
    Chances - Excellent.

  3. Rob Frisbee and Brennan Swain: They’ve kept a good, fast pace and haven’t had any major problems. Dropping out of the “alliance” (hoo boy, was that ever short-lived) probably won’t hurt them too much; they’re smart enough to hold their own. In retrospect, however, I think going after the first Fast Forward was a mistake; if they run into a snag anywhere, they’ll regret not having that option. Still, they’ve kept the pace so far, and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue.
    Chances - Excellent.

  4. Joe Baldasarre and Bill Bartek: The Richard Hatch-esque finagling is kinda cute (if a bit played out by now), but I don’t think they should have fudged the deck at this early stage. Dropping two spots in a leg set mostly in Paris, a city they spent two years in (as they mentioned at least three times) was a reality check. Now, all of a sudden, making it to the end isn’t so guaranteed. They have a chance, just not as good as the two teams in front of them.
    Chances - Good.

  5. David and Margaretta Groark: Color me demented, but they just might have what it takes. It’s actually been a pretty straightforward run for them so far; no big blunders (unless you count missing the first Fast Forward), no bickering, just an honest effort from two very competent, active grandparents. In all, an intriguing dark horse.
    Chances - Not bad. They’re really just one Fast Forward and a fair amount of luck away.

  6. Paul Alessi and Amie Barsky: They’re still in there, but I can tell that the challenge is really taking its toll on them. They’ve been on the verge of a complete meltdown practically since Songwe Village. Even if they do patch things up, in sixth place, they’re going to need a lot of help to move up.
    Chances - Doubtful.

  7. Lenny Hudson and Karen Jefferson: Same as Paul and Amie…only worse. They’re hanging by a thread.
    Chances - Almost nil.

  8. Nancy and Emily Hoyt: I love the chemistry between them, and they’re two of the few contestants who seem genuinely excited about what they’re doing (cf. to the two teams immediately ahead of them, for example). They’re simply a joy to watch. Which, sigh, will make it all the harder to see them go, which is probably going to happen soon. For some reason, they just don’t seem to have what it takes. Ambition, strength, vision, whatever. They’ve been on the verge from the very beginning, surviving only because of other teams’ blunders. Now it looks like their luck’s about to run out.
    Chances - Almost nil.

That’s all…oh, wait, go to cbs.com for info. Good site, very detailed. May as well, since Salon isn’t covering this.

Comments? Favorites? Ridicule? Fire away.

2

I agree with your handicapping of the contestants. I think “The Great Race” is the best reality show since “Survivor”. It seems the winning formula for reality shows is to include evil gay people.

3

The show is good but not as good as Survivor.

The main problem is this: They rig it so that everyone catches up to one another every so often. They do this by having them partake in events that are closed during the night and things like that. This forces a lot of people to be waiting together(like the Ferris Wheel).

Other than that, it’s a good show, better than most reality shows and better than Lost, which is similar.

4

Well, yes the places everybody has to go to are not available at the same time they are. Don’t forget that the airports, particularly getting airline tickets, are also a great equalizer. I consider this just part of the challenge.

Evil gays are now part of a winning formula?? Sheesh, and I thought sassy kids were dubious…

5

See, the problem with Amazing Race is also that you really only need to see the final episode to get the idea. It will be close in the final episode. No network would sign to air a race that is not rigged to be close in the end. What if the lawyer team won by 3 days or something? That’d be dull.

The closings other events guarantee that it will be a close race in the end.

6

I find Survivor to be incredibly boring, but I like the Amazing Race. I understand the complaints about “closening” (a perfectly cromulent word) of the race. But to me the race itself is somewhat secondary to the team dynamics, the fact that hey are in a race just seems to increase the tension as they are forced to make decisions quickly, especially with regard to alliances and strategy and such.

7

First, I must say I do like this show better than Survivor.

To borrow a word from Tretiak, the “closening” of the race is inevitable. You couldn’t expect them not to engineer it this way (ooh, double negative). As I see it, the team’s positions at the end of each leg are relatively meaningless. Really, each leg is a race in and of itself in the effort not to finish last. If you don’t finish last, then you get the chance to run another race. Occasionally, there will be some slight advantages for being the first to depart (e.g. some teams were able to make it to the Ferris Wheel before it closed), but all in all, I don’t see any one team grabbing too big of an advantage from coming in first.

8

DWK said:

[blatant plug]
Ah, but RealityNewsOnline is! (In fact, we have three different writers covering it from different angles.)
[/blatant plug]

:smiley:

9

David B - It’s an okay site. The thing I don’t like about these kind of reviews, however, is the incredible amount of bias…in particular, the nigh-endless screaming and bellyaching over stuff that I don’t even notice. (The supposedly horrible rift between Nancy and Emily…who I thought actually worked fine together…was just one example.) I noticed the same thing at Salon, BTW. I like the site for its articles, but I could really do without all the pointless bile.

Rasputin - I think it’s too early to really be judging the merits of placement. In general, however, it’s definitely better to finish up front. The only reason Lenny and Karen are still around is that they built up enough of a cushion in the first stage to accomodate Lenny’s horrific stumbles at the Eiffel Tower. Each leg is different, so there are going to be a lot of rises and drops and changes in fortune along the way, but in general, first is still best.

Unless the only reason you’re first is because you were forced to go for a Fast Forward early, but that’s another issue.

Oh, and it’s called “tightening up the field” or “bunching”. Announces for more conventional races use these terms all the time.

And a double negative is a bad thing only if you didn’t intend it as a double negative. You’re clean.

10

DKW said:

Just “okay”?! Harumph!

Well, we have several different people giving their different views. I know some people would like to see it without any subjectivity, but my opinion is that this is exactly why most people read sites like this. If you want pure objectivity or nothing more than you saw on the show, most of these shows (probably all of them by now) have their own websites where you can get an episode summary. People read other sites for the added humor, insight, criticism that the show’s site might not have wanted to focus on, and other things like that.

11

Well, the team no one expected to win it all finally got bounced.

David and Margaretta were a sentimental favorite of mine, like for many other viewers. If nothing else, you really have to appreciate their maturity and composure, especially this week. They were probably the only team other than Nancy and Emily to realize that it’s just a contest and not worth getting all crazy or damaging a relationship over. They played it straight and fair from beginning to end and accepted defeat more graciously than I thought possible.

I’m gonna miss those lovable old coots.

Especially if Paul and Amie don’t go in the next ep. MAN, what a couple of crybabies. :stuck_out_tongue:

Little footnote…anyone notice that all the teams that have been eliminated so far were victims of major blunders? (Paul and Amie getting hopelessly lost, Kim and Leslie haggling for change mere yards from the goal, Pat and Brenda gambling on a detour, then going after the wrong Foucault’s Pendulum…then TWO missteps by David and Margaretta) The winner could very well be not the team that moves the fastest, but makes the fewest mistakes. Hmm.

Updated standings/prospects:

  1. Joe & Bill - I don’t think they get it yet…you do not “control” the other teams by irritating the hell out of them. (Survivor 1 was a LONG time ago.) They’re still one of the favorites, but I get the nagging suspicion that all the ill will they’ve fostered is going to come back to haunt them.

2-3. (They finished at essentially the same time, so I’m putting them together)
Kevin & Drew - Wow. Worst to first, indeed. Looks like their chemistry really isn’t as bad as it appeared to be on the first leg. Kudos for being able to shake off the disappointment of losing their lead and get back on top. With David and Margaretta out, they’re the new dark horse.
Nancy & Emily - In the first three legs, they did just enough to stay alive. Now they’ve joined forces with a team that’s surging. They’ve pulled it together and found their second wind, and they still have the Fast Forward option open. Could this underdog of underdogs actually make it to the final?

  1. Frank & Margarita - Slipped a little, but definitely still in the hunt. Their teamwork actually seems to be improving from leg to leg. Now that they don’t have to worry about towing around/following Rob and Brennan anymore, and the Fast Forward is still an option, they could have a clear shot to the final.

  2. Paul & Amie - Argh! You know, I really wish Paul would just quit, just so I wouldn’t have to LISTEN to these whiners anymore! Amie, especially, is the most irritating person in the whole race. How they got this far, I’ll never know. Slim to no chance of making the final, and slim is sprinting away with its ears covered.

  3. Rob & Brennan - It’s too early to write them off, but they appeared to lose focus on the cruise ship (look, guys, injustice or not, you HAVE to keep you heads in the race), and it cost them. Going for the Fast Forward so early is really starting to look like a bad idea. If anyone can make a big comeback, they can, but it’s going to take a lot of work and probably more than a little luck.

  4. Lenny & Karen - Dead last again, and their morale hasn’t improved a whole lot. Still hanging by a thread.

12

Sorry, it was Matt and Anna that got eliminated in the first leg. (Although Pual and Amie weren’t so hot, either.)

13

I have to admit, that I really like this show a lot. Much more than Survivor. My wife and I are actually filling out the forms to be on the next one now. I can’t say for certain, who the winner will be yet, simply because the places are constantly changing. I do think that Lenny/Karen and Paul/Amie won’t make it. They just don’t have enough going for them. I was terribly disappointed at Dave and Margaretta were eliminated, of all the teams, I probably liked them the most.

I do think that the fast forward should give you more of a lead that it seems to. I mean, Drew/Kevin were only like an hour or so ahead of the next teams? I don’t know if they wasted time on the train down there or what, but they should have ended up with more of a lead than that. Not that they could have done anything about it anyway, since everyone ended up on the same boat. I wonder it the producers would have let the one team actually head off to a different county? That would have been amusing.

Another observation that I have is that a major downfalling is the worry about money. The teachers may have been eliminated because they haggled with the taxi over 30 frances (hard to tell with the editing if it really had an impact)and Dave/Margaretta had a chance to exchange for dinars at what was an unfavorable rate, but would have gotten them there sooner, and they may have beaten Lenny/Karen, since that was close anyhow. It doesn’t look like anyone has run out of money, or not been able to pay for something if it came up, so if I was paying, I wouldn’t swet the change, and just worry about the time.

14

Yeah, money has played an unusually signifigant role in the course of this race, hasn’t it? (From what I saw on the second leg, Kim and Leslie almost certainly would have finished one better than last if they didn’t waste so much time at the cab.)

As far as the Fast Forward goes, I don’t think they intended it to be a free pass so much as an element of strategy. When do you need it? When is it a good idea to go for it? (Remember, each team can only use one for the whole race.) In the case of Kevin and Drew, they really didn’t have a choice; it was that or a 9 1/2 hour wait for the first checkpoint.

Interesting footnote on the ferry (and sorry I forgot to mention it the first time). Although the big, slow-to-arrive passenger ferry was the normal transport to Tunisia, it was also possible to take an earlier-departing cargo ship and save the wait. That’s one of the great things about this race; it requires taking initiative and thinking on one’s feet to really pull away from the pack. In retrospect, it’s astonishing that Rob and Brennan, who learned of the Avignon shortcut in the last leg, never even looked for the early exit that was right under thier noses.

15

Hmm, not a lot of responses. Ah well, I started this thread; may as well finish it.

Anyhoo…other than Paul and Amie’s way, waaaay overdue goodbye (give me Pat and Brenda any day), not much has changed. The challenges are getting noticably tougher, and, as Amie demonstrated, physical condition is now a major factor.

Footnote: Did anyone notice that there hasn’t been a Fast Forward for a second week in a row? Sheesh, you really have to think on your feet in this contest…

Updated prospects:

  1. Kevin & Drew - Ninth on the first leg…missed the first flag on the third leg by less than two minutes and had to use up the Fast Forward…completely lost their lead at the ferry…and here they are. Nothing keeps these guys down. Nice job at the village, BTW, getting the envelope first and using a little misdirection to stay ahead of Joe and Bill. They’re on cruise control right now and a prohibitive favorite to make the final.

  2. Joe & Bill - With each passing week, their stock dips ever so slightly lower. Antagonizing the rest of the field finally jumped up and bit them, and they were lucky to only lose one place. Almost a lock for the final, but winning is a different story.

  3. Nancy & Emily - Gamely hanging in there. Some of the old bad blood returned, but it didn’t seem to hurt them. While not the smartest or strongest team, they’re pretty resourceful, and that alone can take them far.

  4. Rob & Brennan - Just when it looked like bad luck and lack of focus would do them in, they found their second wind and moved right back up. They’ve finally seemed to have gotten the hang of the mechanics of this race, and not a moment too soon. The next “bunch-up point” will work in their favor, and there’s actually a chance that they could get back on top.

  5. Frank & Margarita - Not good. The difficulty of the challenges is getting to them, and they’re wearing down right when they can least afford it.

  6. Lenny & Karen - With Paul & Amie out, their heads are now on the block. It’ll take an absolute miracle for them to survive the next leg.

Odds of making the final (just for fun, don’t flame)
Joe & Bill: 1-5
Kevin & Drew: even
Rob & Brennan: 3-1
Nancy & Emily: 10-1
Frank & Margarita: 75-1
Lenny & Karen: Forget it; ain’t happenin’.

16

I know what you mean DKW, Survivor will get tons of threads. But this show, which is much more interesting, hardly gets a twitch. Anyway, for an amusing re-cap of the shows, check out this site:
http://www.mightybigtv.com/show.cgi?show=76

I personally give Emily and Nancy better odds than the lawyers. While they still bitch and complain at each other, they seem to have more smarts than some of the others. I think a lot of the early problems some of these teams had was in not taking the time to think through some of these things. I mean Team Guido found the sword thing last week pretty quick, I think everyone else just sort of started rushing around without following the instructions very well. Same with this week. While Kevin and Drew seemed to be able to do all the tasks without tooo much trouble, a lot of the other teams got hopelessly lost.

And while in some respects, the challenges are harder, the whole “ration your money” thing seems not to really be a factor. I mean, they’ve basically all been able to pay for taxi’s all over the damn country. So while they may not be making enough to hire a limo, I don’t think it’s factor anymore in the game. I also wonder about the “production difficulties” that Paul and Amie had that got them a time adjustment.

I also noticed that in the previews for next week, they said something about team Guido using mis-direction and causing a lot of hate and discontent. But Kevin and Drew did sort of the same thing this week…although it wasn’t like they moved the walkie talkie to another cave or anything.

17

First of all, Team Guido really lost whatever tiny shred of respectibility they had when they kept referring to Kevin and Drew as ‘fatties’. They wanted to be on the show partly so they could show how a gay couple can be as strong and resourceful as ‘straight’ people. I think they are succeeding, as if I needed convincing. I now know that this gay couple, at least can be as conniving, mean-spirited and single-minded as any straight couple. I don’t mind Kevin and Drew fooling them, they were just giving it back to Bill & Joe. I will say I think Bill & Joe are playing the game, so I really don’t have a problem with their strategy. Just that they are isolating themselves and who knows what effect that might have.

I also find it interesting that Frank & Margherita seem to be getting closer together (although they are falling further behind), while Lenny & Karen seem to be ready to split at the seams.

And Emily is a cutie, with a nice, big, err, ummm…smile.

I do like this infinitely better than Survivor.

18

Maybe there was a fast forward, but nobody decided to go for it, so it wasn’t addressed on the show. Although it is kind of hard to imagine that if there was one, not one team made the effort to track it down.

Could it have something to do with the fact that on last week’s episode their taxi wasn’t there at the beginning of the leg, so they had wait and call another one? Obviously teams could call taxis during their 12-hours of rest and schedule them to be there when it is their turn to depart. I’m not sure how the producers arranged this type of thing, but perhaps there was some error, confusion, or difficulty in the process that was used…

19

No elimination this week, so stage 6 was pretty much a lot of moving and shaking and scrambling for position. Oh yeah, and bad blood between 1) Team Dumb Nickname and nearly everyone else, and 2) Lenny and Karen (geez, do they have any kind of future together?) increasing about, oh, a thousandfold.

It’s become plainly obvious that the biggest key to victory is persistence. Don’t give up. Don’t let misfortune get you down. Don’t lose your nerve. And never, ever stop moving. The other key is to avoid the big blunder. It’s okay to make little slipups…the inevitable bunch-up points will take care of those…but if you go to the wrong landmark or take a shortcut you’re not allowed to, you’re dead (hello, Pat & Brenda!).

It’s become easier to get a read on the teams than it was in the early going. Drew & Kevin have really gotten into the flow of the game, Rob & Brennan are finally sucking it up and playing serious hardball, and even Nancy & Emily are looking strong right now. Ultimately, I don’t think Nancy & Emily have the ability or willpower to reach the final, but they’re not going without a fight. The only team that really looks bad (and has looked bad from almost the beginning) is Lenny & Karen. Lord, talk about hard on the ears.

Other than Frank & Margarita’s very unexpected rocket to #1, the standings haven’t changed too much. Joe & Bill finished well ahead of Rob & Brennan, but got slapped with a penalty for taking a little too much liberty with the rules (initiative is fine; outright cheating isn’t), which means that they’ll be essentially head to head for stage 7. Kevin & Drew lost time, and they’ll lose more time for making the same blunder that Rob & Brennan did, so they’ll likely be paired with Nancy & Emily at the bottom. Lenny & Karen, predictably, are still mired at the bottom, and I’ll be very surprised if they’re not still there at the end of stage 7.

Re. Team Too Many Nicknames: I find their supposedly devious strategizing more silly than anything. What exactly where they trying to gain by pretending to block the entrance or whatever the hell that was? And what’s up with their, uh, “train misdirection” (which, I might add, doesn’t seem to have accomplished anything)? I think they’d be a hell of a lot better served by just keeping their eyes forward and not antagonizing everyone else. From today’s episode, this appears to be the consensus among the contestants. (And please, no more damn whining. You’re not fooling anyone, all right?)

Prospects - Frank & Margarita are very driven, but erratic; they always seem to be one mistake from disaster. I think they’ll be the last team eliminated. Lenny & Karen won’t last much longer. It’s going to be a dogfight between the remaining four teams, any one of which looks good right now.

20

Interesting episode. I thought it was funny that by the ending interviews, team Guido sounded like they had almost convinced themselves that the blockage in Tunis was purely an “accident”. True that they edit the shows to try and influence us as an audience, but I don’t think there is any doubt at all that they were deliberatly trying to make that whole group miss their plane. I have to say that I personally would have been beyond irritated at them for that. I think it’s one thing to try and maybe screw someone at a ticket counter, (try to get the agent to not sell, give you a better seat…stuff like that) it’s another entirly to put yourself physically in front of another team, to try and block them. In my opinion, that gives me the right to physically move you the hell out of my way. Next show should be very interesting…I think Lenny and Karen will be gone soon. It’s a toss up between Frank/Margarita and Nancy/Emily as to which would be next. After that, it really is anyone’s guess. I don’t think I’d be too terribly worried about the airline flights. It seems to me that the producers are taking stuff like that into acocunt. They’re not going to let one team have a 4 day lead or anything like that. So I don’t think I’d stress too much over getting a flight right away. As long as I’m not last, everything else is fixable.