Amazing Race 10, episode 1 - ‘Real Fast, Quack Quack’

Alright, it took me a couple of days but thanks to the wonderful technology of DVRs I was finally able to catch the season-opener for The Amazing Race 10. I am pleased to say it was worth the wait.

Once again, The Amazing Race 10 has compiled 12 two-person teams with the assortment of relationship dynamics. Parent-Child, Brothers, Boyfriends, Girlfriends, Buddies, Dating and Married Couples make up the mix. I think what I like best about Amazing Race versus other Reality Television Shows is the contestants do not appear to all be struggling actors looking for exposure. Sure, there are the boy-models and Miss America contestants whom may be hoping for a bit of this bonus, but overall there are ‘real’ people and not folks reading the entertainment trade-magazines every day hoping for their big break.

Phil Keoghan, the host, started this season in Seattle, Washington. At the very beginning, he promised the contestants there would be new twists and tricks not ever before seen in previous seasons. True to his word, it didn’t take long for us to learn of one of these new tricks.

At the first overnight hold, in Beijing, China, Bilal and Sa’eed were the last team to arrive and were eliminated. It wasn’t even the end of this first leg but they were dropped. The remaining teams were stunned and are now a bit more frightful about finding themselves in last place at any stage of any leg – not just the final checkpoint. Upping the stress level like this may make for some good drama.

I have to say I’m a bit disappointed with the ROADBLOCK tonight. Eating a delicacy such as fish-eyes, no matter how bizarre, just doesn’t strike me as too much of test or challenge.

However, the DETOURs were both entertaining and the final challenge of climbing the rope ladder up the wall was nice to see. I hope there are more challenges like this which may, in fact, prove impossible for some teams.

It’s still a bit too early to pass judgment on any of the teams, but here are some early observations listed in their placements for tonight’s finish.

1. Tyler and James, the recovering drug-addicted models, may be this season’s ‘Frat Boys’ and put in a very good first showing. They’re both strong and make a good team. They don’t yet seem overly girl-focused as last season’s Frat-Boys, and some may even wonder if they aren’t in fact gay. There’s just something beyond their prettiness…

They did, however, win $20,000.00 for tonight’s first-place finish. Not too shabby.

2. Duke and Lauren, the Father-Daughter duo, seem great. I like to think they will use this race to truly show their best sides to one-another and put in good showings.

3. Peter and Sarah, the Ironman triathletes, have exhibited some pretty cunning skills with traffic negotiation and general awareness. Sarah, with her amputated leg, gets special treatment on flights, but it would be a stretch to say this is any sort of advantage overall. It’s funny, however, to see her get this ‘special needs’ bonus when she can, in fact, outrun most of the other competitors.

4. Dustin and Kandice, the Beauty Queens, were entertaining. They were the first to get screwed by a bad taxi driver but still made it through and ended up finishing in fourth place. Just because they’re pretty doesn’t mean they can’t race.

5. Rob and Kimberly, the Dating Couple testing their relationship, get my first vote for a team which I hope to see eliminated. They are just a bit overly intense and not a lot of fun to watch.

6. Kellie and Jamie, the Cheerleaders, simply didn’t make much of an impression. All I can say is their sporadic moments of breaking into cheers is annoying and could stop at any time.

7. Erwin and Godwin, Brothers from San Francisco, had a rough time tonight but I expect they will start to do better.

8. Tom and Terry, the Boyfriends, not surprisingly suffered from lack of physical conditioning. They first chose the ‘Leisure’ detour and wasted time learning a synchronized dance instead of simply laying bricks, and later suffered when trying to climb the rope ladder. I like them, they’re nice, but I don’t think they will prove to be formidable competition for the other teams.

9. Lyn and Karlyn, Single-Moms and best friends, also struggled with the physical aspects of the race. They also seem wrapped up in watching and commenting more on the other teams instead of focusing on their own efforts.

10. David and Mary, the Kentucky Coal Miner and Housewife, barely made it through tonight’s episode. As Mary states, where they come from the husband makes the decisions and the wife takes care of the kids. Their inherent lack of teamwork in Amazing Race-types of conditions and their overall lack of ‘worldly’ experiences may hinder them quite a bit.They are, however, credited with the quote for the title of Amazing Race 10, episode 1 when they encouraged a cab driver with ‘Real Fast, Quack Quack’.

11. Vipul and Arti, a Married Couple and the first Indian-American team for the race were the second team eliminated. I’m not sure what happened but they simply didn’t perform well and ended up losing.

12. Bilal and Sa’eed, The Muslims, or ‘Beards’ as one team called them, again, were eliminated at the holdover. It’s gotta suck to get caught up in an unexpected twist. If it weren’t for that trick, I would have expected them to do fairly well throughout the rest of the race.

My final comment is simply a question. Why would anyone enter a competition like this without being physically strong? Endurance is key to this race, and without it, other factors such as language barriers and traffic issues are only going to seem that much greater when exhausted.

I suspect some of these weaker teams listed above will be the next 3-4 teams eliminated.

Till next week…

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