The Amazing Race: All Stars – Season 11, Episode 4

The King is dead as is my interest in watching the remainder of this season.  Last season I stopped watching The Amazing Race after the first 3 episodes.  The formula just didn’t work for me any more.  I decided to give this season a try to see if watching racers I already know would keep me more interested.  The answer: a little of column A, a little of column B.

I’ve realized that watching this show American Idol style i.e. on fast forward, is the best way to watch.  I find maybe 18 minutes of content in the whole show and the past few weeks I’ve enjoyed those 18 minutes.  Unfortunately after the elimination of Rob and Amber I have a gut feel that this will drop the interesting part down to 12 minutes.  Say what you will about them, they sure made the show fun to watch and this week in particular they were in fine form with the added bonus of it being at the annoying Charla and Mirna’s expense.  No other team on the show really interests me the same way.

I might watch next week but if my viewing time drops below 14 minutes I’m done.

Avi’s Episode Rating: B+

Amazing Race: All Stars – Season 11, Episode 1

Last season I quit The Amazing Race. As I wrote in my postings I like the show but the formula was just too much of the same for me. Still, I decided to give this All Star edition a chance. The problem for me is that I didn’t start watching until around season 4 so I don’t recognize as many of these contestants as I did during all star editions of Survivor and Big Brother.

I know lots of people hate the seemingly ubiquitous reality show whores Rob and Amber but personally I’m glad they’re included. It’s fun to see how they talk about themselves as celebrities and the truth is that they kind of are in this circle. Everyone wants to race against them and at the same time everyone wants to see them lose. They are the one wild card that could shake up the formula enough to keep me engaged.

Shmirna and Mirna are as annoying as ever but I still appreciate their energy. Given how they were playing last night I don’t have high hopes that they’re going to be around too long.

Uchenna and Joyce were my favourites a few seasons ago and it’s disappointing to hear they still haven’t been able to start their family. I’m not sure they’re going to pull off a win this time though.

All the others I don’t really know or care about. I’m going to give it a few more episodes though before I decide if it’s the same old, same old or if there’s enough new to keep me interested.

Avi’s Episode Rating: B-

Why I’m Breaking Up With The Amazing Race

Despite the title of this article let me begin by telling you that I really like The Amazing Race.   I like the vicarious tour around the world to places I only dream of seeing.  I usually like a minimum of 1/2 the contestants in any given season.  I like the extreme challenges and the pace of the race.  I even think Phil is the perfect host.  Finally, of all the reality shows on the air this is probably the only one I would ever consider being on.

So why am I probably going to drop this show from my regular viewing schedule you ask.  Simple.  Every episode follows a formula of exotic locations, misc. conflicts between and within teams, multiple challenges as part of the show and as part of the travel dynamic and finally a race to the end between two teams with one eliminated.  Make no mistake, this is an entertaining and winning formula.  The flip side is it’s still a formula and after 10 seasons there’s nothing new episode to episode.   I have way too many shows still on my weekly list and I just don’t have time for one that doesn’t draw me in.

Don’t get me wrong.  Unlike some of the other crappy shows I’ve dropped in the past few weeks (like CBS’s The Class) I still recommend The Amazing Race.  There’s a lot to like about it.  For me it’s just become a bit too “same old, same old” for me.

Amazing Race – Season 10, Episode 1

I finally got around to watching the first episode of the new Amazing Race. I generally liked about 1/2 the racers, found 1/4 mildly annoying and 1/4 extremely annoying. Unfortunately the first 2 teams kicked off were 2 who fell into the “like” category. It’s a bit too early to choose favourites but I liked the recovering addict models, the father-daughter team and the two brothers out of the gate. It had the elements I tend to like on the show, primarily the tour through China. I’m not sure why it needs to start with a Fear Factor eating as the first challenge though.

As you can tell, the show isn’t at the top of my viewing list (it’s Wednesday, not Sunday) but for the forseeable future I will be watching.

Avi’s episode grade: B-