Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The Amazing Race Needs to U-Turn the U-Turn

To my viewing eyes the Amazing Race U-Turn twist gimmick is the worst twist gimmick any Reality TV show I watch has added since the dawn of the genre.

Worse than any Survivor twist gimmick, as in worse than Redemption Island, Exile Island or any other Survivor twist gimmick I am not remembering right now.

I don't remember if any U-Turned pair of Amazing Race racers has survived being U-Turned. Thus making it a far more dire penalty than the Speed Bump penalty a team gets when they come in last to the Pitstop on a non-elimination leg.

Basically the Amazing Race U-Turn allows one team to knock another team out of the race.

In the latest episode of the Amazing Race it was Ryan & Abbie who got U-Turned via a conspiracy between Natalie & Nadaya, Trey & Lexi and the Chippendales, with the Chippendales first to the U-Turn, then staying true to the conspiracy by U-Turning Ryan & Abbie, with Trey & Lexi next to the U-Turn, also staying true to the conspiracy by choosing to U-Turn the Chippendales who were already past the U-Turn and thus immune from being U-Turned, which then gave Ryan & Abbie no chance to U-Turn the Goat Farmers, thus insuring Ryan & Abbie would be eliminated by Phil if they ever made it to the pitstop.

With only 5 teams remaining in the race the U-Turn is just way too drastic a game changer.

In the past there may have been a villainous team or two I did not mind seeing get U-Turned, but on this iteration of the Amazing Race I pretty much was liking all the remaining teams, but would have preferred to have the Goat Farmers eliminated, thus leaving 4 really strong teams to compete for the win.

I'm good with any of the Final Four winning, but I think I'd be most pleased to see the Chippendales or the Sri Lankan American twins win. I don't think we've ever seen an Amazing Race team as constantly chipper as the Chippendales, Jaymes & James.

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