“Your Target is Your Partner’s Face”
I have to start this off by saying that I am impressed with anyone who makes it on the hit show from CBS, Amazing Race, but the last two episodes have left me, shall we say, less than impressed with Steve and Linda, the county bumpkins. They seemed to get confused at seemingly simple tasks that everyone else breezes through. In their defense, I have been in stressful traveling situations in foreign lands with my wife, and it can be downright exasperating (no offense honey). That said, during last week’s episode, I was thinking, “if you come in behind the bumpkins, you deserve to be eliminated.” This week, Steve and Linda seemed doomed from the start. I felt empathetic for Linda when she lost her way and was impressed that they got it together enough to finish the leg. Too bad that Steve realized too late that he should stop criticizing Linda and start working as a team.
Lawyers Tammy and Victor put up an impressive run and never gave up the lead once they took it. They seem to know how to work as a team. Tammy may talk about how Victor always makes the final decisions as the big brother, but I think he respects Tammy’s input and contribution to the team. This is in contrast to another sibling team, Lakisha and Jennifer (does anyone else think that Jen got gypped in the name department?). These two sisters better get things together or they will soon find that their sibling rivalry will get them into trouble. Teams that gel always seem to do better.
I’m sorry, but I don’t see what all the big hype was about Margie and Luke winning last week’s leg. Sure he has a hearing handicap, but he is a smart, strapping young fellow. In most situations, it doesn’t seem like verbal communication would be that much of a requirement. I guess I just have always found deaf people to be just as capable as anyone else. We have a friend who plays on the high school tennis team; if it has been a problem for her, she doesn’t show it. To me it is impressive when anyone wins a leg, no matter who they are. It takes equal doses of smart playing, physicality, and a lot of good luck. Now if Steve and Linda had won a leg that would have been impressive!
Other teams that impressed me were Mel and Mike and Mark and Michael. I felt bad for Mel, that he had no choice but to wait for the wind to change up on that mountain. I agree with him that it isn’t really right for someone to pray and expect God to help you to win. I don’t think something as trivial as a game really registers on the “miracle” radar. However, I will say that it was a miraculous bit of editing for their scene. Mel kept saying how grateful he would be, and then immediately the wind changed. Amazing. Kudos to the editors.
As for Mark and Michael, something about them is endearing to me. Perhaps it is their cheerfulness or maybe their can-do attitude. Either way, I expect them to go far. On the opposite end, Christie and Jodi have been disappointing. What happened to their “insider-travel-secrets” advantage? I will be surprised if they make it another week.