Season 9 just is not shaping up to be one of the all-time Amazing Race classics. Not enough suspense (oh gee--the Frats won another leg? Didn't see that one coming), no truly memorable contestants/characters, too limited in geographic scope. But it's still a good way to kill an hour, with enough entertaining interludes to keep me engaged throughout. Case in point: Greco-Roman wrestling.
Given how much I enjoyed the sand wrestling challenge earlier this season on Survivor, I think it's safe to say that I find amateur wrestling inherently funny (Hey--I never claimed to have a sophisticated sense of humour). So I laughed out loud as the racers embarked on that sumo-esqu challenge. I can only imagine what went through the Greek guy's mind when Rolanda walked into the circle and proceeded to cart him out of there like he was a ceramic figurine they picked up at the airport gift shop. The guy should have imitated a javelin if he wanted to give Ray more of a challenge (and weren't you surprised by how badly he did at that event? I guess muscle mass counts for less than coordination in javelin throwing). I also wonder if either the wrestler or the crew begged the hippies to keep their shirts on for the wrestling challenge. Next time maybe the Frats will do us all a favour and turn the Hippies on to that miracle of modern chemistry known as spray-on tanner. Let's hope so.
This episode also featured a line from Joseph that makes my short list of all-time classics: "Lift up your spirit before I get pissed!" What a sentiment! Wasn't it the basis of a huge hit on the Christian Contemporary charts last year? I know I came away feeling inspired. But I don't blame him for being frustrated with Mo. Princess Barbie is one moderately difficult challenge away from a Flo-worthy emotional meltdown at a critical juncture. Personally, I can't wait.
On the downside, we also got a glimpse of the truly ugly side of Lake's personality. Boy am I glad to see them leave the show before we had to sit through much more of that. Plus, as I've said before, I just didn't find him very entertaining as a villain. There's gotta be more than a nasty streak for this stock reality show character to really work. For example, psycho Jonathan was horrifying, but he was so jaw-droppingly insane and self-deluded that I did experience that "can't look away from the smoking wreck on the side of the road" effect when he was on. And I loved--LOVED!-- to hate Colin and watch as his intensity boiled over and led to classic incidents like the time he almost got himself arrested in Tanzania over an argument about his cab fare, and when he was reduced to screaming "my ox is broken!" in the middle of a rice paddy when a challenge wasn't going his way. Now that's good television. In contrast, hearing some twitchy loser call his wife "bitch" for no particular reason is not good television. It's just uncomfortable. In short, will not miss the Lake and Michelle show.
As for the rest of the show: still too easy. I've been to Rome, and it's a crowded, confusing place with many twisty streets and hidden treasures. In other words, the perfect place to really challenge teams by making them search for something other than, oh, two of the best known, most centrally located tourist sites in the place, which are very close to each other to boot. And boy--what a head-scratcher that DaVinci Code tie-in/distraction was! I can't believe any of the teams were able to decipher the clue. Yeah, not so much. At least the teams are headed to a tougher locale next week. I'm curious to see if Franimal can stay in the game if it gets more physically demanding. My guess is they've benefited the most of any teams from the lackluster caliber of the season's itinerary. The dearth of competent teams hasn't hurt their chances, either. Speaking of competence, I was pretty shocked to see the Hippies make such a critical navigating error. Was it a one-time event, or are they slipping back into the crowded race for second place?
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