Teri and Ian didn’t follow the script. Older couples in The Amazing Race were supposed to get eliminated in the early legs, not reach the Finish Line. They started off rocky, finishing in the back of the pack for the first three legs. But as we’ve seen, anything can happen early on, and simply not getting eliminated is the name of the game at that point.
I’m sure many of you are wondering – season three featured perhaps the most unlikely Final Three ever, not to mention the worst winner of all time (and on the flipside, perhaps the best when you consider that Zach won despite dragging around 110lbs of useless partner) – and we already have John Vito and Jill. Why do we need a second team from this season?
Well, to start, consider that Teri and Ian are the oldest couple to ever finish the Race. Then consider that they managed to finish first more times than the Race winner. Then consider that, despite the bickering, they work really well together as a team. And finally, the Race needed to fill its token old-not gay-couple slot. Add that all together and it was either Teri and Ian or Meredith and Gretchen on board for the All Star season. And unfortunately for the latter, there are already two teams from their season.
OK, enough of the praise. What can go wrong for Teri and Ian? Well, like with the Guidos, age plays a factor. Teri and Ian are four years older, and while that’s not significant for a team like John Vito and Jill, Teri and Ian look like they’ve aged quite a bit. That could work against them. And as I noted, the two got off to a slow start, and with a field of top teams (save one), that could lead to an early elimination for Teri and Ian. We’ll see how far they can go.
