That's So StereoTypical Of You Americans! (In A Good Way)

... Spoiler Alert! ... Spoiler Alert! ...


If you haven't yet seen (and you intend to see) episode 1 of The Amazing Race Season 10 (TAR 10), do not read any further!


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The previous season of TAR that we saw here in Australia was the ‘All Stars’ version of the show – which was actually filmed after this season and featured two of the teams we official ‘met’ for the first time last night – which may provide some answers to any Aussie viewers who might have been confused by seeing these particular teams introduce themselves to each other like they’d never met before.

Here are the particulars for this first leg of the Race in last night’s episode:

Leg 1 (United States – People’s Republic of China)

* Seattle, Washington, USA Flag of the United States (Gas Works Park) (Starting Line)
* Flight: Seattle (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) to Beijing, People’s Republic of China (Beijing Capital International Airport)
* Beijing (Golden House Restaurant) – Roadblock (“Who’s hungry to stay in the race?”)
* Beijing (Forbidden City – Meridian Gate) – Elimination point
* Beijing (Pedicab Company) – Detour (“Labour” or “Leisure”)
* Beijing (Great Wall of China – Juyongguan) – Pit Stop (Leg 1)

The Roadblock on this leg was to eat fish eyes out of a bowl of fish head soup. The Detour was “Labour” or “Leisure”. In “Labour”, teams had to travel one mile (1.6 km) by pedicab and pave a 45-square-foot (4m2) section of sidewalk in a specific pattern. In “Leisure”, teams had to perform a Chinese relaxation method known as Taiji Bailong, which involves balancing a ball on a paddle while completing a specific rhythmic dance. Additional Task: Teams also had to scale the Great Wall of China in order to reach the Pit Stop.

Note: If you're already ahead of this point in the series, please refrain from giving any spoilers in your comments. Thank you.

As always, I’ll provide my thoughts on each team in this episode, listing them in the order in which they arrived at the Pit Stop (hence the 'Spoiler Alert!').


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I will not be providing tips for this season as I have in the past, because the final result has already been spoilt for me in online discussion. To be fair, I won’t pretend to have worked out the winner and take false credit for this knowledge. This will also save me some time in preparing these reviews for you, and should help (a bit) to keep me as up-to-date as possible.

The twelve teams selected for this season seemed to cover a wider range of stereotypes than I’ve witnessed in any other season. And I mean that in a good way; it’s not a complaint at all. I think the more people are confronted with various types of people in this world, the more likely we’ll get used to this ‘tolerance’ thing everyone’s going on about. So it was refreshingly different to see a pair of devout American Muslims, a couple from India, two brothers of Korean heritage and a pair of recovering drug addicts (although, granted, they were also buff male models who posed topless in the credit sequence) join the regular cast of stereotypes in the gay couple, the insulting male and downtrodden female, the backward hillbillies with a heart of gold (well-hidden under all their arguing), the gorgeous females (this time we’ve been treated to both a pair of busty beauty queens AND a pair of relatively flat-chested cheerleaders), the outspoken African American mothers, and the father-daughter duo with a twist of lesbian.

Oh yeah, and the “Mirna and Schmirna” of this season; the chick with the false leg and her prosthetic-limb-making boyfriend (I kid you not; that’s his job).

The first surprise in what spunky host Phil Keoghan promised to be a season sprinkled with twists and turns (some of which have already been spoilt for anyone who’s watched the ‘All Stars’ season already), was one we didn’t know was coming. After just one day racing, the last team to reach one particular point in the Race (it wasn’t even a Pit Stop) was eliminated on the spot. And as many Americans might have hoped, it was “those no-good, bearded weirdos”, the “Buddhist Muzzlams” (according to the cheerleaders), Bilal & Sa’eed.


12. Bilal & Sa’eed: ELIMINATED!


In actual fact, these guys seemed quite nice, so it was a shame to see them go just 45 minutes into the first episode. I would have liked to see how their beliefs gave them trouble throughout the Race (we caught a glimpse of potential difficulties when one of the women on another team went to shake Bilal’s hand in the airport and he – respectfully – advised that he couldn’t touch her due to his religious beliefs), and it would have been interesting if the fish-eye-eating Detour had instead been some kind of pork dish (although I suspect not even the producers would have demanded something of them that conflicted so harshly with their beliefs like that). The fact that Bilal asserted that they’d stop for their five-minute on-their-knees prayer session each day no matter where they were and what they were doing could even have played as a good education tool for those who don’t understand the Muslim religion. Of course, it’s a moot point anyway, as they barely lasted the first day. At least they managed to get out of the country and see a bit of China before being eliminated.


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1. Tyler & James


These guys are Wifey’s early favourites (I’m not threatened by them), and I suppose if I had to pick a favourite team at this point, I’d probably chose these guys as well. They seemed like genuinely nice people (although there appears to be substantially more “good guys” and “nice people” on this Race than on previous outings … at least at this point!), and their tale of woe regarding meeting in rehab as they tied to kick their drug habits, then deciding to get into modelling together and make a new life for themselves was uplifting. Half the time they look like a couple, but Wifey reckons they’re not. Either way, they ran a good Race in this leg, and were rewarded $20,000 for arriving at the Pit Stop first. Will they continue to curry favour with my wife? And is it because they’re not wearing much clothing in the above picture?


2. Duke & Lauren


The video introduction to ‘Duke’ (and seriously – who names their kid ‘Duke’??!) is likely to have polarised viewers. As soon as he expressed that he felt “a tiny bit of disappointment” over his daughter for having recently ‘come out’ to him as a lesbian, many would have viewed him as an ogre, … but the tears that followed that statement (in fact, he broke down without finishing the statement, so to be fair, we technically don’t even know how he planned to complete the sentence), and his efforts to deal with both the revelation itself and his daughter’s lifesttyle choice (and even her partner) would have shown others that he’s doing his best and trying to accept things for the way they are. It can’t be easy news for an ‘old school’ parent to hear, so I give him props for his honesty and commitment to doing the right thing (as opposed to cutting her out of his family entirely and refusing to see her ever again). Remember, he’s from a different generation, so I think he took his daughter’s announcement quite gracefully, all told (even though I know there were months of silence – that’s obviously the effect of shock and pain he was working through … and that he has now put behind him). Although Duke and Lauren showed some signs of strain on this leg, it was equally heart-warming to see Lauren in tears of pride for the job her father was doing as he scaled the Great Wall of China (even though Tyler and James completed the task ahead of Duke). It’s clear that these two really do love each other, and even if they get into heated arguments in future legs, I’d say their relationship is going to be all right. And that’s the important thing (although a million dollars into the bargain would be nice, too).


3. Peter & Charla Sarah


The backstory of these two finding each other might sound a bit strange, but when you think about it, it makes sense that a woman who wears a prosthetic leg might meet someone from a part of her life where she spends a fair bit of time – having a prosthetic leg fitted. Peter seemed mostly charming and devoted to Sarah in last night’s episode, although there were elements of a frustration that the ad for next week seemed to highlight even more. I wonder if he’ll turn out to be quite the Prince Charming we (or maybe just I) took him for in the opening episode. I certainly thought there was nothing wrong with them using Sarah’s false leg to their advantage – that’s the name of the game! Whether it was through boarding the plane first (which is perfectly reasonable to ensure she’s not trampled by the massing hoards) or jumping the queue for a taxi (“See my leg? It’s an emergency!”), whatever gives them an edge is theirs to take advantage of. The fact that she’s also able to run as fast as (or faster than) an able-bodied person and scale the Great Wall of China on a single rope with footholds tied into it only demonstrates that she hasn’t allowed her disability in life to hold her back – she rises to the challenge and is a better athlete than the slack and lazy able-bodied people who complained about her. I don’t mind these two at this point, and I certainly hope they get further in the Race than Lyn and Karlyn, who were inappropriate in their grumbling about Sarah, and blaming her ability for their own inability.


4. Dustin & Kandice


It was great to finally ‘meet’ this pair again after initially meeting them on the ‘All Stars’ edition. (And if I was Benny Hill, I’d make a joke here about meeting the other pair, as well. If I’ve lost you, you’re a better person than I am.) I don’t have much to say about them at this point, except that continually pointing out (particularly to David & Mary) that they’re beauty queens might be a bit unnecessary and like rubbing people’s noses in it – although I guess they don’t care too much what the other teams think … and neither should they. Seeing them at work in this episode reminded me of how effective they can be when faced with a challenge. In the Detour, Kandice just chucked those fish eyes down her throat without even wincing, so these two know how to get the job done without complaining. If not for bad luck in locating the Golden House in the first place, they might even have been in the lead at one point. Anyone with a good memory like me will remember from Phil’s remarks in the ‘All Stars’ edition where they ended up placing in this season, but I’ll keep that information to myself and ask you to do the same.


5. Rob & Kimberly


Here’s our obligatory wife-basher in training, and his docile but argumentative woman who asks for it. Rob’s introductory comment that he’s his own man and will do his own thing – and that Kimberly needs to learn that, was drink-spluttering stuff. As was Kimberly’s strange facial expression when he said it. Was she seething in silent fury at the comment? Or was she accepting it and agreeing, just like a Good Little WomanTM should? I’m not sure what it is about women like this, but it must be a self-confidence thing. Colin & Christie, Jerkhead & Victoria, and now Rob & Kimberly – the guys all treat them like crap but follow it up when everything’s all right with hugs and declarations of love. It’s the ultimate manipulation because the guys convince the girls that everything’s fine again – and they manage to keep the woman in tow. Actually, thinking about it for a moment, all three of those girls I named appear to have had some chest-based surgery, so I wonder if there’s a link there to indicate they really do have a confidence-based problem … and they guys they choose to be with only further compound those problems by treating them so hot-and-cold? I don’t mean to insult anyone with these ponderings, but I seriously see a connection between the way they get treated and they way they view themselves as unworthy of any better than the creeps they’re dating. It’s quite sad, really. I hope Kimberly “grows a pair” very soon (I’m not talking about the chest region anymore) and tells Rob to stick it. The ad for next week implied that she might – but I’m guessing they’ll be hugging and kissing again by the end of the episode … even if he hasn’t properly apologised for whatever it is he does to upset her. Rob is a physical demon but has the appearance of someone who’s taken the steroids to get him there. And his volatile temper is one to look out for. Kimberly, meanwhile, looks almost identical to Lauren, Duke’s lesbian daughter! (When they've both got their hair tied back, anyway.) Could the two be related? Maybe this is one of the twists Phil promised us! (As opposed to the ‘Intersection’ and ‘Marked For Elimination’ twists most of us know are coming.)


6. Kellie & Jamie


They’re always got to be some ‘special ed’ contestants, doesn’t there! These girls certainly fit the bill. From their annoying clapping sequence (thanks to my friend “Bar-bra” for that one) to their complete lack of knowledge on anything that isn’t cheerleading (“Do Muzzlams believe in Buddha?”), these two look set to entertain us this season with the most stupid comments of all. Should be interesting.


7. Erwin & Godwin


These guys are also “good guys”, and appear to think quite highly of themselves. I don’t mind them at all, and look forward to seeing them in future legs. I found it amusing when they called China their “homeland” (being Korean), but apart from that I didn’t get much from them in last night’s episode. Perhaps I was just a bit startled by Erwin’s long, flowing locks!


8. Tom & Terry


I’m not going to make the obvious ‘Tom & Jerry’ joke about their names, although I have to ask: Why must this show feature such ridiculously effeminate gay couples all the time?! The way they carried on in their opening video was a complete farce, and their loopy-looking eyes when they think they’re being funny just make them appear scary. In one moment they’re claiming to camera that they’re not here to make friends or add people to their Christmas card list, and the next moment they’re hugging another team and cheering for joy (I don’t even remember where they were or why they were cheering, but they were certainly making friends). I foresee these guys being one of the teams that causes the most friction (along with Rob & Kimberly, Lyn & Karlyn and possibly Peter & Sarah), so I don’t know if I’m looking forward to watching them go on. Hopefully they won’t be b!tching the whole time, and their comedy element will overshadow their uber-campness.


9. Lyn & Karlyn


These women are one-part sentimentalists and two-parts whingers. Their gripes at Sarah for boarding the plane first and then running through the airport faster than they were able to move just showed their negative attitude (which was further highlighted in the continual “I can’t do it” remarks as they tried in vain to scale the Great Wall of China). They were both so quick to give up and complain about everything being “too hard”, that I really don’t want them to succeed in this Race. I’d prefer them to be eliminated early on so we can enjoy the presence of other teams like Erwin & Godwin, who are genuinely more fun to watch and are actually enjoying themselves so much more.


10. David & Mary


These guys crack me up. They possibly wouldn’t have been so amusing if I hadn’t seen them before in the ‘All Stars’ edition of the Race, but because I’d already been acclimatised to their antics and arguing, it was just amusing to listen to their verbal sparring matches. Actually, to be fair, Mary’s the one who sticks the boot in – David rarely does the same to her (this is in spite of her assessment that he doesn’t listen to her or respect her … my experience of these two is that David actually adores Mary and thinks the world of her). Although David took a different highway to the airport than Mary had explained (without a map, perplexingly), and she then chewed him out for it, they were one of the first teams to get there – proving that David’s alternate route was a beauty. Mary was quick to encourage David as he scaled the Great Wall of China, but the minute he tried to do the same (quite lovingly, in my opinion), she barked at him to shut up (probably out of embarrassment that she was struggling, but still). Because the final team was so far behind them, I thought it was a fair assessment that David assumed they were in fact the last team to reach the Pit Stop, so when Phil told them they were team number ten – and she swatted David’s arm as if he’d tried to trick her (again, probably out of embarrassment for her own tears) – it was amusing … but strange that he kept taking such treatment (‘hen-pecked’ is a term that springs to mind). In delight at not being eliminated after all, she then proceeded to hug Phil, the Chinese representative on the Pit Stop mat, and everybody else within a three-kilometre radius except her poor, put-upon husband. Telling of their love for each other was that when she reached the top of the Wall, she tearily apologised to David (repeatedly), who assured her that it didn’t matter and that he loves her (which he also said repeatedly). Oh yeah, and her comment that David is really cute made Wifey splutter into her drink until milk came out her nose.


11. Vipul & Arti: ELIMINATED!


It’s a shame that these guys were eliminated last night at the end of the leg – they were another nice couple. So the Indians and the Muslims were the first two stereotypes to go; I smell a conspiracy theory! I’m not even sure what it was that set Vipul & Arti so far behind the other teams. They didn’t even reach the Roadblock until almost everyone else had finished it, so wherever their delay came from, it was earlier than that. It must simply have been that they got so lost on the streets of Beijing and couldn’t find their way. It’s a shame, because not only were they a very cute couple and very much in love, but they also had a calm, peaceful quality that’s often missing in teams on the Race. But maybe that’s why they fell behind. It could be that the Race would have been bad for them and their relationship, so maybe it’s all for the best that they get out now with their sanity and mutual devotion for each other intact.


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I’ll be back next Friday with a recap of next Thursday night’s episode. The good news is that Channel Seven is (so far) giving TAR a primetime airing schedule, from 7:30pm instead of 11pm as it used to be (back in the old days). Hopefully this will mean more converted viewers to the show and therefore a better treatment of it next season. Will we one day see the show being “fast-tracked” from the US, so the ending can’t be spoilt for us??

Leave any comments below, agreeing or disagreeing with me as you see fit. And if I’ve forgotten any golden moment, feel free to add them. Cheers!


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