The Amazing Race

An avid viewer of the first installment of CBS' OTHER reality-based television show, I was quite happy to see The Amazing Race 2 had managed to appear in my TV Guide listings this year.

The Amazing Race follows 11 teams of 2 people with some sort of pre-existing relationship (mother/daughter, best friends, etc.) on a race around the world. Teams must follow clues to discover the next destination, and how to get there is often up to them to figure out. Along the way are various "pit stops." Be the last to arrive at most of these, and your team is eliminated from the race. No fuss, no muss...the quickest survive. NO tribal councils, NO voting!

That is what makes this show so wonderful. Contestants are forced to use not only their strength and wits, but also their (deep breath) intelligence in order to survive. The Race becomes the sole arbitor of who remains, and the viewer ends up having as much fun following the contestants as they do following the ever-surprising route. This is competition at its most basic, and simple is wonderful!

Keep this series alive...it's quite simply the most entertaining of the entire genre.

Once upon a time I really enjoyed the Amazing Race. It was fun, exciting, and sometimes heartbreaking. The contestants were people you could cheer for... or against. Of late, though, I have lost interest because of a decision by the executives to move away from what made the show appealing. At one time the racers were common people, just like you and I. A couple of coal miners from Kentucky. Two cowboys who were brothers. The list is too long to continue. This made the race fun. You could sit down and compare yourself to your peers. Now, however, the executives have decided to feature teams made up of ex professional athletes. models, stars from other reality TV shows and YouTube stars. In short, people who are not like the average American. I watched a couple of episodes this year and realized I just did not enjoy the show anymore. If the producers decided to go back to the original format, maybe they get my viewership back.. Until they do consider me an ex-fan.

WOW! This tv show is good enough to beat Survivor but they belong in the same network so... Anyway, I like how they put it together--[11 teams with 2 people in each team]. The one that really gives colour to the show is the contestants and their personality. The editing was really great & I think they should win an Emmy for this. There's alot of action in it and great games. After watching an episode you just can't wait for the next one. Right now I heard its the second best reality show next to Survivor so again GOOD JOB CBS! One thing I love about this show is the places, every episode they go to different country. >

All in all, I would start with Season 1, 5 and 31. 28 and 29 were good too

So, it really depends on what season you're watching. Some are good, some are aweful (Season 26 Blind Date twist for example as well as Family Edition of Season 8)

At times there is a team that makes it worth watching, but other teams are bleh like Season 9. BJ asnd Tyler and Eric and Jeremy were the best part of the season and bluntly the bulk of airtime was for BJ and Tyler because they were awesome

Sometimes the season will fall flat depending on what you like. So take each season with a grain of salt. Casting may be ON like in Season 31 or OFF like in Season 4 which is forgetable but only stands out because the first gay couple won it

Watch each season, see what you like and discard the rest. Binge it, watch it on PLUTOTV online or Google search it. Season 6 was tough to watch because of an abusive husband.

Is it time to give up on Amazing Race? What made the show great was seeing around the world, overcoming language barriers, navigating unfamiliar places and airports, watching a race where if you came in first, you left by yourself in first. We have lived vicariously through the competitors who raced around the globe to new places, allowing us to see the world through their eyes. This season was the worst. Post-Covid, the show has lost its luster, favoring Spanish-speaking players going to their hometown. Group starts take away the advantage a team gains by coming in first. Eliminations on every leg take away the drama of not knowing if a team might still be in the game. If there is another season, go all over the world, challenge the teams with languages they are unfamiliar with, let the team who crosses the line first have the privilege of leading the pack out of the gate, and bring back the drama (and more episodes) by continuing the race. And bring back the memory challenge at the end, it is a great recap.