The Amazing Race

An avid viewer of the first installment of CBS' OTHER reality-based television show, I was quite happy to see The Amazing Race 2 had managed to appear in my TV Guide listings this year.

The Amazing Race follows 11 teams of 2 people with some sort of pre-existing relationship (mother/daughter, best friends, etc.) on a race around the world. Teams must follow clues to discover the next destination, and how to get there is often up to them to figure out. Along the way are various "pit stops." Be the last to arrive at most of these, and your team is eliminated from the race. No fuss, no muss...the quickest survive. NO tribal councils, NO voting!

That is what makes this show so wonderful. Contestants are forced to use not only their strength and wits, but also their (deep breath) intelligence in order to survive. The Race becomes the sole arbitor of who remains, and the viewer ends up having as much fun following the contestants as they do following the ever-surprising route. This is competition at its most basic, and simple is wonderful!

Keep this series alive...it's quite simply the most entertaining of the entire genre.

All in all, I would start with Season 1, 5 and 31. 28 and 29 were good too

So, it really depends on what season you're watching. Some are good, some are aweful (Season 26 Blind Date twist for example as well as Family Edition of Season 8)

At times there is a team that makes it worth watching, but other teams are bleh like Season 9. BJ asnd Tyler and Eric and Jeremy were the best part of the season and bluntly the bulk of airtime was for BJ and Tyler because they were awesome

Sometimes the season will fall flat depending on what you like. So take each season with a grain of salt. Casting may be ON like in Season 31 or OFF like in Season 4 which is forgetable but only stands out because the first gay couple won it

Watch each season, see what you like and discard the rest. Binge it, watch it on PLUTOTV online or Google search it. Season 6 was tough to watch because of an abusive husband.

Is it time to give up on Amazing Race? What made the show great was seeing around the world, overcoming language barriers, navigating unfamiliar places and airports, watching a race where if you came in first, you left by yourself in first. We have lived vicariously through the competitors who raced around the globe to new places, allowing us to see the world through their eyes. This season was the worst. Post-Covid, the show has lost its luster, favoring Spanish-speaking players going to their hometown. Group starts take away the advantage a team gains by coming in first. Eliminations on every leg take away the drama of not knowing if a team might still be in the game. If there is another season, go all over the world, challenge the teams with languages they are unfamiliar with, let the team who crosses the line first have the privilege of leading the pack out of the gate, and bring back the drama (and more episodes) by continuing the race. And bring back the memory challenge at the end, it is a great recap.

I gotta say I hate reality TV. Sure "Survivor" had it's moments, but it got tiresome after awhile. The Amazing Race? Now HERE's a show with variety and personality to match the frantic, fast-paced action with such ingenious use of game set-pieces I couldn't help but dig this show. I watched this series for nine years and it still never fails to entertain me. That's something that can't be said for most reality TV programs; well at least for "American Idol". One of the most moving moments of the show was when they had one of the contestants was a female dwarf but despite her physical limits, she managed to get far near the end of the race. I can vividly recall the the emotions of the host who greeted them at the pit stop; however coming in last place eliminated them from the race. Sorry if that sounded a little poetic but I couldn't help but be touched by his reaction. Still, it's a great show, filled with a surprising amount of suspense. Yes, SUSPENSE. In a reality show; a rarity. Never in the history of TV has a series been this gripping, this entertaining, heartwarming and exciting, and above all, original as The Amazing Race.

Wow this is one of a heck of a show, if you never tuned into a show like the Amazing Race, and your sick of some the other poor stuff on TV like wrestling, definitely gives this a try.

The Amazing Race is a hit and this latest version is better than ever. The drama , the stunts, the suspense is all.

These people of course race all over the world for a million dollar prize all while performing ludicrous and physical stunts.

The list this season includes two married selfish loudmouth entrepreneurs from California: Jonatha and Victoria. A father and daughter team. A Grandparent's team: John and Mary. A formerly dating team : Adam and Rebecca, an engaged models teams. lol and my personal favorite the pro wrestling team of Lori and Bolo.

These two are the funniest thing on TV, seriously this is like if two pro wrestlers had a sitcom on TV, and you get to see all the stupid things they did, some of the stereotypes you imagined , they show. True hilarity.

As far as locations so far they've been to Chicago, Iceland and now Sweden.

Obstacle courses included everything from snow skating to bicycling to building mini houses to extreme gliding!!!

Of course every team watches the clock and stupid moves will hurt them in the end.

The Amazing Race 6 is high entertainment though and this season wow your in for a treat.