All is not lost in TV land
The 29th season of "The Amazing Race" would be the first in the show's history. Twenty four contestants met for the first time in Grand Hope Park (in Los Angeles), and a task at the not-so-far luggage shop would determine the twelve teams. It seemed like an exciting suggestion, but executive producer Bertram van Munster missed something. Traveling would be a stressful, if not exhausting, activity, where out of the box should be the norm. It could test acquaintances right away, which happened after the teams made it to the congested streets of São Paulo, Brazil. Shamir, an alpha male from New York, couldn't manage to clean a window of Instituto Cervantes São Paulo, which involved rappeling several stories while Brooke, a real estate agent, learned (the hard way) that exceeding sales goals would be piece of cake compared to hammering a metal sheet in a shop in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Some long-time fans of "The Amazing Race" were quite disappointed at the sight, as the show was becoming too reality television during the past seasons. This would be the main motive of other reality TV shows, which should guarantee thousands of viewers engaging in a discussion. It can also lead to heated arguments at times. It's a superficiality that seemed to be more evident in popular culture recently, yet all won't be lost in TV land. Don't expect CBS to pull the plug on "The Amazing Race". If this show won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program a record ten (out of fourteen) times, then it would be due to several reasons. Let's list it down:
"The Amazing Race" would be an eye opener for American viewers. France and Norway have their own version of "The Amazing Race", but it was a short-lived show. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason behind it: Nothing beats the real thing. It wasn't a secret that most Americans hardly know the world outside the North American mainland. Canadians won't be surprised if some Yanks were unfamiliar of their northern neighbors. (And this would remain the same during Donald Trump's term.) The show should be a different kind of armchair experience, which would be the least to say.
"The Amazing Race" shows that Americans should be grateful for many things. Some black contestants appreciate their brief time in Africa, where many African countries live below the international poverty line. The sentiment could get lost in India, as the remaining contestants would be amazed and perplexed at the chaos and colors. An open mind is required here, which won't come easy to some people. There's no hard in trying, though.
"The Amazing Race" is a proof that kindness is a universal language. Cultural differences, language barrier, exotic structures. It can prompt some tourists to be hesitant to embrace these things unless they have an incurable case of wanderlust. Nicety may not be a plus factor in the race since the Yield and U-Turn were introduced in the show, but there would be some instances of nice people winning the million dollars. Don't expect it from Liz and Michael, who were spared of elimination at the end of the fifth leg in Norway. They were bickering after leaving the mat, and it would remain to be seen if they should make up for lost ground in Italy. They won the second and third legs.
