The Amazing Race 32.3 “We’re Makin’ Big Moves”

I had mixed feelings about the latest episode of The Amazing Race.

On the one hand, I was happy that, despite being targeted by Will and James, Leo and Alana managed to survive being u-turned.  I like Leo and Alana.  They’re both socially awkward, they’re both very smart, and they’re both the type of players who usually don’t seem to last long on the Race.  They’re the underdogs and they’re also a cute couple and I felt bad when the “cool” teams decided to target them.

On the other hand, I was a bit sad that Jerry and Frank were eliminated.  They were a likable team.  I kept expecting them to have a meltdown but they handled all of their problems with determination and class.  First, they accidentally left behind their bags on the way to the Detour.  (It turned out they needed their bags.)  Then, Kaylynn and Haley u-turned them at the Double U-turn in order to give Leo and Alana a fighting chance to survive being u-turned by Will and James.  They might have been able to survive the double u-turn under different circumstances (neither challenge was that difficult) but they were already running behind by the time they reached the U-turn marker.  And so, Jerry and Frank ended up coming in last and were eliminated from the race.

So, basically, this all happened because Will and James are petty and decided to target another team, despite the fact that there was really nothing to be gained by doing so.  That’s not a good look.

As for how the other teams did when the Race moved to Brazil:

Coming in first, Will and James.  They’re a strong team but using the u-turn when you don’t really need to is always a dumb move.  Why makes enemies when you don’t have to?  They made some alliances last night but who knows how long those will last.  For now, though, they’re looking strong.

Coming in second, Hung and Chee.  After two first place finishes, they ended up in 2nd place this leg.  I think they’re still the front runners.  They were among those who formed an alliance with Will and James last night.

Coming in third, Kaylynn and Haley.  After struggling during the previous two legs, they came on strong in Brazil.  I’m still not totally sold on them as a threat to win, though.  If they start to consistently finish strong, I might change my mind.

Coming in fourth, Riley and Maddison.  They went from 3rd to 4th but they’re still a strong team.  They’re a part of the new cool kids alliance with Will and James.

Coming in fifth, Gary and D’Angelo.  The first leg of the race, they finished 10th.  Then they came in 2nd.  And, this time, they came in 5th.  There’s no consistency with these two and, despite their athleticism, I don’t expect to see them around much longer.

Coming in sixth, Eswar and Aparna.  Tonight, we saw some indications that Eswar and Aparna are struggling to work together.  They’ve consistently been in the middle of the pack and I don’t expect them to ever escape from that position.  Some teams are just obviously doomed.

Coming in seventh, Michelle and VIctoria.  They’ve gone from 2nd to 5th to 7th.  I like the sisters but they’re moving in the wrong direction.

Coming in eighth, Leo and Alana.  At least they survived!

Coming in ninth and getting eliminated, Jerry and Frank.  Poor guys.

For now, I’d say that it’s still pretty much Hung & Chee’s race to lose.  Of all the teams, they’ve been the most consistently strong and impressive.

Next week, the race moves to Paraguay!

Lisa Marie

 

The Amazing Race 32.2 “Red Lipstick is Not My Color”

Last night’s episode of the Amazing Race saw the racers traveling from Tobago to Colombia.  We got a circus tightrope roadblock, which totally freaked me out because I don’t do heights.  We also get a detour that involved putting together a truck.  It would have been a simple detour, if not for the fact that the majority of the racers failed to read their entire clue and didn’t understand that they not only had to decorate the truck but they also had to hook up the truck’s horn.  Eventually, everyone made it to the first pit stop of this season of the Race and one team was eliminated.

Probably the biggest development last night was that Gary and D’Angelo went from being at the bottom of the pack to finishing a very strong second.  The two former football players were obviously stung by how badly they did during the first leg of the race and they went all out this leg.  After the first episode, I was ready to write off Gary and D’Angelo as contenders but, last night, they proved me wrong.

My feelings about the other teams pretty much remain the same.  Hung and Chee still appear to be the strongest team racing.  They work well together, they’re smart, they pay attention to their clues, and right now they do really do seem like the front runners.  As for the eliminated team, Kellie and LaVonne struggled during the first leg of the race and they struggled during the second.  Admittedly, one reason why Kellie and Lavonne lost was because Leo and Alana helped out Kaylynn and Haley at the truck detour.  Leo and Alana made what appeared to be a very specific decision to help out Kalynn and Haley but not Kellie and Lavonne.

I was kind of glad that nobody used the yield last night.  It was a smart move not to use it.  There’s no need to start making enemies this early in the game.

Here’s how everyone did, in order of their finish:

In first place, for the 2nd time in a row, Hung and Chee!  Again, they are definitely the strongest team right now.

In second place, D’Angelo and Gary!  They needed a comeback and that’s what they got last night.

In third place, Riley and Maddison.  Riley and Maddison finished third last week as well.  They’re obviously a strong team and they work well together.  They should be around for a while.

In fourth place, Eswar and Aparna.  Last week, they were in seventh so this is an improvement for them.  It’ll be interesting to see if their good finish this week was a fluke or if it’s indicative of what’s to come.

In fifth place, Michelle and Victoria.  From 2nd to fifth place.  Still, they seem like a strong team.  They maintained a good attitude, which is really one of the keys to winning the Amazing Race.

In sixth place, Will and James.  They struggled because they didn’t read their clue at the truck detour.  Luckily for them, a lot of other teams made the same mistake.

In seventh place, Leo and Alana.  I like Leo and Alana but finishing in sixth place last week and seventh this week is not that impressive.  I hope they’ll be able to move up but right now, they seem like they’re destined to be spend most of the race in either the middle or the back of the pack.

In eighth place, Kalynn and Haley.  This is the exact same place they finished last week.  If not for the fact that Leo and Alana helped them out, they could well have been eliminated this week.

In ninth place, Jerry and Frank.  I still feel like this father and son team is heading for a major meltdown.  It’s hard to explain why.  It’s just a feeling I have.

And finally, in tenth place, Kellie and Lavonne.  The two former Olympians struggled during both legs of the race and have now been eliminated.

Next week, the race heads to Brazil!

Lisa Marie

The Amazing Race 32.1 “One Million Miles”

Yay, The Amazing Race is back!

The Amazing Race has always been my favorite reality show, even though it seems like CBS has never given it the same amount of respect that it gives to Survivor and Big Brother.  Whereas Survivor and Big Brother always seem to be guaranteed a spot on the schedule, The Amazing Race gets moved around a lot.  Sometimes, you have to be willing to search for it.

Consider this: this current season of The Amazing Race was filmed in November of 2018!  What we watched last night was filmed nearly two years ago!  Unfortunately, with all of the travel restrictions currently in place, this could be the last season that we see for a while.  Hopefully, it’ll be a good one!

As always, last night was mostly about getting to know the racers.  The teams went from Los Angeles to Trinidad and Tobago.  Tobago is one of the most beautiful places on Earth and I enjoyed getting to see it.  Still, for all the time that was spent on detour and roadblocks, the most important part of the episode were the segments in which the racers explained their relationships.  I found it interesting how many of them said that they actually grew up watching The Amazing Race.

Here are my first impressions of the racers, in order of how they finished:

Coming in first, Hung and Chee!  Hung and Chee are, of right now, our front runners!  This married couple worked well together as a team, they didn’t have any glaring weaknesses, and I expect to see them on the Race for a while.

Coming in second, Michelle and Victoria!  As of right now, Michelle and Victoria are my favorite team.  I think it’s because their relationship reminds me of the relationship that I have with my sisters.  They’re another strong team and, based on tonight, they seem like they have a real chance to win.

Coming in third, Riley and Maddison!  Riley and Maddison are the bearded volleyball players.  They seem like a strong team.  It always seems like there’s one strong team of quirky athletes every season.

Coming in fourth, Will and James!  Will and James are boyfriends.  They did well last night and they seem like they could potentially be a strong team.

Coming in fifth, Jerry and Frank!  Jerry and Frank are the father and son team.  They didn’t do badly last night but I have a feeling that they’re going to be meltdown at some point.  Jerry is a coach who used to be very hard on his son and there just seems to be a lot of buried resentment there.

Coming in sixth, Leo and Alana!  I liked Leo and Alana.  They’re a cute couple.  I don’ t really see them getting too far in the race but I hope I’m wrong because they’re a likable team.

Coming in seventh, Eswar and Apana!  They’re siblings who are engineers.  They didn’t make much of an impression.

Coming in eighth, Kaylynn and Haley!  Kaylynn and Haley are this year’s “We may be blonde but we’re tough” team.  They didn’t make a huge impression last night but they do seem like they’re a strong enough team that they’ll be on the race for a while.

Coming in ninth, Kellie and LaVonne!  Kellie and LaVonne are former Olympic hurdlers.  At first, it seemed like they were probably going to be eliminated but, fortunately for them, the steel drum road block tripped up DeAngelo and Gary and Nathan and Cody, allowing Kelli and Lavonne to come in 8th.  I liked Kellie and LaVonne and, despite their struggles last night, I still think they have a chance to be a strong team.

Coming in tenth, DeAngelo and Gary!  DeAngelo and Gary are apparently this season’s celebrities.  They’re former NFL players.  Not being a sports girl, I had no idea who they were but the other racers recognized them.  As Phil pointed out, they’ve got a lot of brawn but it takes more than brawn to win the Amazing Race.  We saw proof of that last night as they came close to getting eliminated.

Coming in eleventh, Nathan and Cody!  I have to say that I was really shocked when Nathan and Cody ended up coming in last.  They seemed like a very strong team and they got off to a good start but they just faltered at the end.  It just goes to show that you’re never safe in the Race.

I’m so happy the Race is back!

Lisa Marie