The Amazing Race
Well it is back! The race is back on and it sure was an exciting start. In many ways it feels weird to have The Amazing Race back on so shortly after it just ended. I hope that CBS’s decision to put the shows so close together does not back fire.
I am rooting for Boston Rob and Amber. This is probably due to Murtz Jaffer being such good friends with Rob. But you also have to respect Rob and Amber’s desire to win and compete. When they finished in third last night Rob looked CRUSHED! It was like someone had shot his dog. Ok, yes they did lose $10,000 each, which even to millionaires is still a nice chunk of change, but it seemed evident that for Rob it is more about ego. All the teams have targeted Rob and Amber. You can tell Rob wants to beat the other teams just to spite them. I love spite. It is such a great motivator. Right now they are the favourites at 3/1.
Well I do not want to ignore the other ten teams involved in the race even though according to these teams it is all about beating Rob and Amber.
Of all the teams I was most pleasantly surprised about was Susan and Patrick. When I looked over all of the teams bios I figured they would struggle and be one of the first teams eliminated. After week one they are in second place. Admittedly this means nothing in the long run. When I saw a mother-son team and read their bio I figured they would be bickering and this would ruin their chances. For the first week they kept any of this to a minimum. Susan seems to be in pretty good shape and is intelligent. Do they have a chance at winning it all? Tough to say right now I will put their odds at 9/2.
The team I was most disappointed with was Ron and Kelly. I thought former POW and beauty queen, this pair will be driven. I figured the beauty queen and army backgrounds would mean they would be competitive people. Yet this week they barely avoided elimination. Had they lost it would have been a huge blow to CBS’s marketing campaign. They made a huge mistake by not checking around for an earlier flight. I hope for CBS’s sake they don’t make another big mistake like that again. This team needs to get things in order fast. I put their odds at 10/1.
Another team that is an obvious favourite to do well are the brothers Brian and Greg. They have everything they need to succeed. They are young, in good shape and seem to have good communication skills. I have not decided if they are smart but they don’t strike me as particularly stupid so that’s a start. They finished in fourth in the first leg and should consistently be challenging for the lead. If they do not finish in the top five I will be very surprised. Right now there I’ll put them at 4/1.
When I read the bios I also had high hopes for Uchenna and Joyce. They did not do anything outstanding this week but they were also not close to being eliminated at any point either. They seem to have a strong motivation to win (to afford children) but I am not sold on their killer instinct. If they are going to win it all they will need to show an ability and desire to push themselves and step over others. Rob and Amber obviously have it. I don’t really doubt the brothers in that regard. Right now they are at 8/1.
Debbie and Bianca, where did you girls come from? It can be so hard to judge female life-long friends, especially ones that are attractive. They sure are not the Barbie twins; that distinction is saved for another team. So does this team have staying power? Was the first week a fluke? The way the race is run though you can go from first to last with one big mistake. In both the fourth and fifth instalment of TAR the team in first after the week one was eliminated in the second leg. I am putting them at 7/1.
Speaking of the Barbie twins let us all meet Megan and Heidi. You know a team is in trouble when in most of their promo shots they are wearing bikinis. The fact they look, dress and act the same is not a good thing, unless they are trying out for a Doublemint gum commercial. I do not expect them to last much longer. If they are not gone by week three I will be very surprised. I put their odds of winning at 20/1.
One of the teams I am totally up in the air about is Lynn and Alex the gay couple. They finished a respectable fifth this week. From the looks of it they figure to stay the middle of the pack most of the race and will probably finish anywhere from 4-7 in the overall standings. Then again after the promos for next week it looks like Lynn has quite a temper and gets into trouble next week. But the fact they showed them so much in the promo means they are probably safe. Lynn, who is obviously the dominant member of this partnership, having a temper, is not a bad thing though. Freddy was the same way. You need someone who wants to win. If Lynn has that fire they could be the dark horse. I will put them at 8/1 for now until they prove a bit more.
Meredith and Gretchen are the token “old people” group. Unlike most people I do not immediately write off the grandparents. They acquitted themselves well by finishing sixth in the first leg. Gretchen seems to have quite a competitive nature, which is good. Like Lynn and Alex I suspect they will be in the middle of the pack for a while. I can’t see them getting in the top five unless some strange things happen. They should finish anywhere from 6-10. It is probably between them and the Barbie twins as to who goes next. I put their odds at winning the race at 18/1.
Ray and Deana strike me as another Jonathan/Victoria like couple minus Jonathan’s will to win. The fact that they are dating off and on is not a good thing. Then again Adam and Rebecca were that way and they finished second. This team did nothing to stand out. I would not be surprised if they were gone next week. Then again I would not be that surprised if they finish in the top three. The editing may be setting them up to be dark horse contenders. For now I put their odds at 9/1.
The motorcycle-riding, rough looking southerners Ryan and Chuck were sent home by Phil last night. They were humourous and entertaining so it would have been nice had they stayed around for a while. The fact they only lost by a few seconds is pretty rough. What really bothered me about this pair was when two cabs passed them and they just seemed resigned. Why didn’t they bribe the cabbie, yell at him, do something to get him to go faster?
Final Comments
If the other teams keep staying focused on beating Romber than it will make them lose focus on the race. From the promos it looks like the trend of anti-Romber behaviour continues. It is likely that Rob will not let this get to him, instead he will just use it as motivation for him to win. The teams need to remember that Rob and Amber are just another team.
