The Amazing Race debuted in late 2001 on CBS (and AXN in Asia). Since then, the show has consistently been setting high standards for other reality shows to compete with. 7 seasons have been aired till now.
The basic format of the show is pretty simple. There are 11/12 twelve teams of 2 people each, having a pre-existing relationship. These teams start off on a ’’racearoundtheworld’’ (as pronounced by the adorable host) from a spot in America. Teams are guided by pretty simple clues to go from place to place and very occasionally, to solve puzzles and do some sort of mild daredevilry.
Clues involve Detours (choice between 2 tasks), Roadblocks (tasks that can be performed by only one racer) and Fast Forwards (direct zip to the pit stop). Recently, ’’Yields’’ have been added though they are monumentally pointless.
At the end of every ’’leg’, there is a ’’pit-stop’’. Here, the teams mandatorily rest for 12 hours (sometimes higher) and ’’Eat, Sleep and Mingle’’. The last team to arrive is usually eliminated from the race.
It goes on like this around the world, till only three teams remain, which slug it out back to America for the cool $ 1 million prize. That’s 6 zeroes, people.
The teams are given money at the beginning of every leg. They have separate air-fare (Unlimited, perhaps. In Plastic.).
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First: The Good Points.
The race, in it self, is awesome. It’s thrilling and adrenaline-inducing to watch. The teams are picked from millions of applicants and so the selections are usually made such that inter/intra-team dynamics are riveting to watch.
The Tasks done are usually quite cool and very identifiable with the place they are visiting.
The Race Editors have an awesome sense of humour. There are several subtly hilarious shots and montages peppering the show. My personal favourite were the gibes on Brandon and Nicole in Season 5.
Finally, the host: Phil Keoghan is just too cool and cute. He has this very aloof manner that is very endearing, especially after watching the obnoxious likes of Donald Trump.
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The Bad Points.
Many times, especially as the seasons progressed, the teams started becoming extremely dumb, boring and showpiece-ish. No substance. The 6th season was the lowest point, I suppose, with a glut of pretty-face models, actors and beauty-paegant winners having 0 personality.
Also, as the seasons have progressed the ’’Rough-It’’ factor has dipped alarmingly. The first season was the best, with teams having to camp out in the open and sleep on streets coz of the cash crunch. Later though, teams have been progressively being given huge amounts of money that made luxurious breaks at hotels, while waiting a complete possibility. Come on Bruckheimer! I’m not watching a reality show- a RACE to see people snuggling away in nearby hotels while waiting for the gates to open. Very sad.
The quality of tasks has been steadily deteriorating as well. There’s very little brainpower involved in executing the tasks (in season 3 a Fast Forward actually required the future winners Flo&Zach to wave at a Surfer. I mean, what?!)
Teams that win rarely do so on their own merit. Usually by plain Luck. That’s not nice to watch (Season 6 & 7 in particular). Breaks in terms of Fast/Slow Taxis, Bad Traffic and Full Flights are some examples of this Luck.
On a personal note, the India episodes are depressing to watch. They have been to India 4 times till now (the highest of all the locations). They are: S1: Agra/Bikaner. S4: Mumbai/Kerala. S5: Kolkata (’’Calcutta’’ as they insist). S7: Lucknow/Jodhpur. I can’t exactly blame the producers for being partial. After all, Locals in Mumbai are as bad as they showed them to be. As is the traffic in Kolkata. Along the years it becomes apparent, that India legs are probably added to add the (vital?) Stress Factor, and the ’’Killer Fatigue’’, which makes teams go over the edge. At least it makes the show more interesting, I admit, though it’s terrible press for us.
And lastly (most importantly): what happens in the first 45 minutes of the race rarely seems to matter due to the infamous ’’bunching’’ that the race-planners introduce. Meaning, bringing all the players back to a level playing field right in the middle of a leg by making them wait for planes/regulating timings of tasks etc. This is the worst thing, I think. It totally removes (unfairly) any advantages teams work up and the winners are usually the ones who don’t deserve it.
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Finally:
The show is still AWESOME.
It’s won the Emmies twice a row in the last two years for ’’Best Reality Show’’ beating more famous (or infamous?) shows like Survivor and Apprentice. The biggest redeeming factor for the show is the relative lack of ’’Bitch/BackBiting’’ factor that so completely consumes other Reality shows (like the ones I just mentioned). It’s a nice show with a nice concept.
That’s why it Rocks!
Anyone wanting to watch straight-forward and clean Reality TV, this is the show you’re looking for.
PS: Fans, beware! Apparently, the format of the show is being changed next season onwards. 4/5 teams of 4/5 people each! With the minimum age being 12!! What will that do to the programme? Discuss!