Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Amazing Race? Maybe....

Is it just me, or do the tasks on The Amazing Race seem to get easier and easier each season? If you watch the first season (they re-run episodes on GSN all the time), the tasks were really hard. Most of them were puzzles to even figure out where to go next. And the roadblocks were hard – so hard that there were teams that couldn’t finish. But now it seems that if you have a good sense of direction you can win the race hands down.

Tonight’s tasks were softballs. Neither detour choice was very hard…gross, but not hard. If you didn’t mind getting covered in fish juice (is that the right term?), carrying a swordfish 1/3 of a mile isn’t that bad. And the roadblock was a joke…it looked like they really just had to get into the kayak and throw the ball in. And what happened to the rule where no member of a team could perform more than a certain number of roadblocks? I love that rule…sure, it can hurt some of the female teams, but it’s boring to see the same people always do these tasks.

Speaking of rules and things gone by, where is the beloved fast forward? Early on in the show (the first few seasons) there was a fast forward on every leg of the race. And since you could only use it once, there was a lot of strategy involved with going for it. It also mixed up the game. Even though I like Eric & Jeremy and BJ & Taylor, it’s getting boring to have them so far in the front. It’s no fun if you can never really get out of the back of the pack.

Oh the hippies. I loved the move at the beginning with the “official sign-in list.” I don’t know what was funnier, them making the list, or Eric & Jeremy thinking it was real. “Boy, this list is really ghetto…” Hee hee!

The other innovation the past few seasons has been prizes for coming in first at each pit stop. I know, it’s just a way for the sponsors to get some more airtime. But in the game, the goal is to not come in last…coming in second or third out of eight really isn’t a problem at all.

Anyways, to the producers of The Amazing Race – bring back the fast forward and the difficult tasks! Make these people earn their million!!!

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