The Amazing Race: Why’d It Have To Be The Hippies?

For a reality show fan, there are few situations more painful than being forced to see contestants who show loads of personality and potential get mercilessly shown the door weeks before their time, while others who are lackluster at best stick around to drag down the fun one episode after another.  This season’s 13^th edition of The Amazing Race might be headed into such dangerous waters due to the first round elimination of Anita & Arthur, a married pair of 60-something hippie beekeepers from Oregon who found themselves unable to get by on friendliness and a sense of wonder.  However, not all is doom and gloom, Race fans.  Sure, there are still at least one too many bland dating couples (Anthony & Stephanie, I’m looking right at you…) and the recent seasons’ trend of requiring a boring eye candy blondes team gets further perpetuated, but there are still plenty of teams worth actively rooting for and booing at.

Mark & Bill, friendly, middle-aged geeks from San Diego, delight in pop cultural allusions and embrace the fact that they’re just playing one gigantic globetrotting board game.  Aja & Ty, a long distance dating couple, are in the minority of TAR daters in that they actually seem happy to be together, which likewise makes them a refreshing duo to watch.

On the other side of things, we find Terence & Sarah—a couple for whom acting standoffish, resentful, and beyond reproach seems a way of life.  Props to them for earning the title of designated villains without any hesitation.  And then there’s Ken & Tina, a former NFL-er and his estranged wife.  Estranged thanks to the fact that Ken cheated on her, something he feels obligated to mention during EVERY confessional segment.  I’m not sure if I’m rooting for them to repair their marriage or just self-destruct entirely, but either path should make for compelling TV.  There’s also a brother/sister team, a mother/son team, and a team of slobbish ex-frat boys who almost remind me of an 8 years later Superbad reunion, but they may or may not manage to be entertaining enough to warrant the analogy.  Time will tell.

If I’ve given short shrift to the destinations and challenges, it’s only because they were a little lame.  Midsize Brazilian city, pushing crap through a marketplace, climbing off of something really high.  They’re nothing the Race hasn’t done before.  But they’ve only just begun, and I have faith in the 6-time Emmy-winning production staff to wow me yet.  Rumor has it they’ll be visiting Kazakhstan in the near future.  If the big K is half as fun as last season’s bizarro visit to Lithuania, this season ought to be (assume Borat voice) very niiiice.

Season 13, Episode 1: “Bees Are Much Calmer Than All This!” (originally aired September 28, 2008)

For another take on this episode, check out Alana D.’s review here.

Sundays at 8pm ET/PT on CBS

Photographs courtesy of CBS