Sigh. I am really, really upset with how this season of The Amazing Race has shaken out on CBS.It's not that I am unhappy with the setup this season (it's light years better than the best-forgotten Family Edition). Plus, the return of the series to CBS' strike-affected schedule has been a beacon of hope and a stark reminder that reality series needn't be trashy in order to be captivating.
So what's my problem, then? It's that I am deeply saddened that the one team I was really rooting for--Goths Kynt and Vyxsin, natch--were eliminated this week after nearly squeezing past Nate and Jennifer and staying in the game.
Argh.
Sure, they had that meltdown two weeks ago when Kynt started screaming at Vyxsin to stop the car (I did really think for a split second he was going to jump out) and said car promptly quit on them, but they managed to stay in the game, thanks to the first of only two non-elimination rounds this season.
However, this being The Amazing Race, there was a bit of a twist this season with the implementation of a new elimination-deterrent: a Speed Bump. (As Phil might say, a Speed Bump is a task that only one team needs to complete, in addition to any other tasks, and they'll have to complete it quickly to regain lost time to stay in the game.) In addition to being in last place, Kynt and Vyxsin then had this cross to bear: having to leave the competition to complete a yoga challenge that did, at least, leave them feeling centered and balanced.
I was really hoping they'd be able to lap Nate and Jen then at the flower-threading Detour, as the gruesome twosome was having such a hard time with the needlework that they once again fell into their familiar pattern of loathing one another and finding new ways to insult the other. (Nate took to insulting Jen's sewing abilities while she spit back a withering comment about his rowing skills.) Yet somehow, despite the crappy job they did with the flowers, they managed to finish first and then tried to give their flowers to an elephant. How I wished that Stampy had eaten their garland...
I still don't know why the Goths didn't Yield Nathan and Jennifer since they were basically neck and neck during the flower-threading challenge. I do wish that the producers would have found a way to let teams know who was behind them--and thus eligible for Yielding--so they can make an informed decision about who to Yield rather than choose someone ahead of them. I don't really quite understand Kynt and Vyxsin's logic about Yielding Don and Nicolas, rather than Nate and Jen; had they chosen the latter, they would definitely still be in the race.
I'm definitely sad to see them go. The dark duo really did have a great energy and attitude about the race and weren't above being sneaky in order to stay ahead. It's too bad that the Speed Bump really did put them at a disadvantage, as did the fact that their sudden lead in Mumbai was blown by the fact that the newsstand didn't open until the following morning (equalizers suck) and their taxi driver had no idea where to take them. Sigh.
As for the remaining players, I am really unsure now about who to root for. There's no way that I want shrill warring couple Nate and Jennifer to walk away a million dollars richer. I love saintly Christina but Papa Ron is so irritating that I wanted to hit him upside the head with the glue brush this week. 70-year-old Don has shown amazing fortitude during the race but grandson Nicolas irks so much that I don't really want them to win either. And, oh, I nearly forgot about low-key hippies TK and Rachel, who have proven themselves to be two of the biggest non-entities to run the race that I often don't remember they're still on the series.
Hmmm, any way that Christina and Don could split the loot? Didn't think so.
Next week on The Amazing Race ("I Just Hope He Doesn't Croak on Us"), Nicolas is forced to step up when the race leaves Don showing signs of exhaustion and physical deterioration, Nate and Jen's relationship hits a new low, and the teams must drive Japanese passengers around the congested streets of Osaka as part of a challenge.
Comments
I was so sad at K&V's elimination, for all the reasons you stated. It was an episode of frustration. At first I was really upset at that equalizer. Why show all the hubub about getting flights, when none of it mattered a lick?
K&V not u-turning N&J - oy, that is going to haunt them. I just don't get it at all. I guess they figured that N&J left the flower thing ahead of them, thus they must be ahead of them, but still - take the chance! It's not like there is a penalty if you u-turn a team ahead of you!
Final duo of frustration - that woman pointing out to Jen that she needed to take the receipts, and Kynt messing up with which receipts to get. I truly think that if V had done this one, they would have still been in the race.
Kynt and Vyxsin's flight gets in first. YAY!
The newsstand doesn't open until the morning allowing all of the other teams to catch up. BOO!
Kynt and Vyxsin are the first to finish the challenge. YAY!
But their cab driver gets lost and they sink to the middle of the pack. BOO!
Kynt and Vyxsin plow through the speed bump and make up time with their zen-like flower stringing. YAY!
Nate and Jen still finish first, in spite of trying to give their flowers to an elephant. BOO!
Kynt and Vyxsin somehow make it first to the U-Turn. YAY!
But proceed to U-Turn a team that has already passed them instead of Nate and Jen. BOO!
On the final task, Jen screws up by not collecting receipts. YAY!
Kynt screws up too by taking one receipt but leaving the other. BOO!
Nate and Jen get stuck in traffic on their way to the pit stop. YAY!
Kynt and Vyxsin still arrive last and are eliminated. Double BOO!
It was an exhausting episode, to say the least. With my favorite team gone, I'll be rooting for Christina and Ron because she deserves a million dollars just for putting up with him.