Well, I’m just going to get this off my chest right off the bat … I’m bummed. My favorite team on The Amazing Race was eliminated this week, and of the teams racing to the finish line in two weeks I’m not sure who to root for now. It’s been a while since we’ve had teams that have pretty much played well with others (and each other), and with no real villains heading into the final four, I’m stumped. I like the remaining teams, but none of them have me rooting for them like I did for Bill & Cathi … and sometimes, for a show like this, not having a stand-out team to love or hate can be a problem.
I loved Bill & Cathi … over time. On that first leg when they just wandered around Taipei, I never thought they’d complete that leg, let alone make it to the final five. But they became more and more endearing and impressive as they managed to complete some difficult tasks ahead of the younger racers. You could see the love and respect they have for each other, and I don’t really remember a cross word between them. They are a sweet and vital couple who prove getting older doesn’t mean you have to sit in a rocker for the rest of your life. So, who to root for now?
Andy & Tommy have also been a great team. I may not have agreed with some of their race tactics, like giving a last place team an answer or not being big enough to let Ernie & Cindy have a first place finish (and for someone who felt so bad about having envy in his heart against his teammate for getting to drive a car really fast, I’m surprised Tommy didn’t have any guilt for metaphorically pushing Ernie & Cindy off the mat). The guys are strong, competitive, laid back and have rarely bickered. They’ve certainly earned their spot in the final four.
Ernie & Cindy are another couple that have played pretty well together, although I think as the stress builds we’re seeing Cindy start to crack and become just a little bit of a control freak. I know she was exhausted when they got to the Pit Stop, and her eyes nearly popped out of her head when Phil told them the next leg had already begun (and the look on Ernie’s face when Phil said, “However …”, was priceless), but as she questioned Ernie about every little thing during the waffle challenge, I had an uh-oh feeling that Ernie was going to snap (and he did just once, but not right then). His response, “Because that’s how the other guy did it,” was perfect. They’ve been an endearing couple as well and I wouldn’t mind seeing them win.
Jeremy & Sandy have kind of been the “who are they again?” team. They haven’t really done anything to stand out, they haven’t had any spectacular meltdowns, they manage to keep finishing in the middle of the pack, and for all of Sandy’s occasional whining, Jeremy seems to be a pretty rock solid guy. I thought they were going to lose it at the waffle challenge when they couldn’t figure out what was wrong and all the teams passed them, but they got it before Sandy almost gave up for them and actually finished in second place. I can’t say I’d be too excited for them to win, but at least they’re not horrible people who don’t deserve to win.
Marcus & Amani have been down and out many times, but they have always managed to bounce back. Navigation is not their strong suit, but they work well as a team thanks to Marcus’ years in pro football. I think the best example of their teamwork came at the Hans Christian Andersen poem challenge when Marcus kept yelling distractions at Amani. At first I thought he was being a jerk, and wondered why he was trying to sabotage his own team mate, but the technique helped Amani focus on the poem and she got through the challenge in one try. They’re also a good, solid couple and if they take home the prize it won’t be like they also didn’t deserve it. It’s a tough choice now. Who would you like to see win this season?
Highlights:
Clacked by Chuck Duncan 
on Nov 28, 2011 @ 00:37 EST5EDT
I don’t understand why you are still surprised about Andy & Tommy not handing the win over to Ernie and Cindy. They are Olympic athletes. I think you would be hard-pressed to find an Olympic athlete that would hand over a victory to someone else. I am sure Marcus would have done the same thing in the position. Amani is more mellow, so I don’t think she would go for that last push for victory the same way.
Speaking of Amani, she had my favorite moment of the night, while Marcus was trying to psych himself up in the car. She had this amused look on her face that was just great. It seems that they have a solid relationship.
I’m still hoping for Andy & Tommy for the win.
*POST AUTHOR*
Because it’s a TV game show, not an Olympic sport. If you want to use that analogy, then what Olympic competitor would stop and give a push to a strong competitor who is currently in last place? Andy & Tommy gave Marcus & Amani the answer to the Buddha counting challenge, and had they not done that they could have possibly knocked them out of the race. Now they’re going to have to fight them for first place. The race to pass Ernie & Cindy to the mat was not a situation where they would have been eliminated had they let Ernie & Cindy have the win (and they would have only been a second behind at the start of the next leg). I understand the competitive spirit of the guys, but they’d already taken several first place finishes at that point (and then felt bad about getting first by default at one point because of another team’s penalty), so maybe they could have been a little more humble this one time and let Ernie & Cindy have first place. That doesn’t make them bad people and undeserving, because they have played with a lot of integrity for the most part, but at that moment they could have just been cool and accepted the second place finish.