Amazing Race All-Stars: Not Just Campy Competition

Amazing Race All-Stars: Not Just Campy Competition by Roxanne McDonald

The Amazing Race All-Stars brings back the best of the boldest, bawdiest…and funniest, making for a great viewing experience this time around.

I’m sure we each have our favorite team. Or we have bets down already on the surest to take the final prize. Some see Rob and Amber as the fiercest players; others are aware of how Uchenna and Joyce made it through to first once already. But besides sitting at the edge of the couch to root for the hoped-for 1st placers, we also get some substantial dialogue with this new season of “The Amazing Race”—the Emmy award-winning reality show that is packed with heart-pumping action and heart-rending mishap.

This year, one of the most engaging elements is the humor. [Unless they are always at their best and wittiest on day one of the race and I just forgot that….]
Here are the players (including the losers of episode one) and a few of their endearing or delightfully witty remarks:

John Vito and Jill—cute couple; he quips that they will do well “as long as she realizes [he’s] in charge.” He also tries to cheer her up during the final leg of the first race, telling her, “Just think of how many times last time we thought we were in last place and weren’t.” Oops. Sadly enough, they were this time. They are the first team to be eliminated.

Oswald and Danny—one of the funniest of couples. Between them, they have already made allusions to going through menopause; have commented that though they fought for years, as best friends they are now husband and husband; and have told us that yes, they are aware of Rob and Amber, for they do, after all, live on this planet….

Rob and Amber—A team I thought I would again be rooting for to win, but I am thinking of other favorites who need the money more, really. Still, Rob has stepped aside at one moment, letting a team onto the train/bus first since they were there first, and responds that he has offered his first kind gesture—one which killed him to make. Last time (on season 7), they came in second. This time, they add, they have a “whole new bag of tricks.” They must have played a couple from that bag, for Rob and Amber came in first at the first final destination point.

Eric and Danielle—We may not be familiar with this couple, for they were separate players before: in season 9, Eric ran with Jeremy and came in 2nd place; and Danielle played with Dani on an opposing team, and came in 7th. Now they are lovers—thanks to the show. Danielle says when she first met Eric she thought, “Alright, he’s a Casanova.” But then she soon realized he is a “gentleman” of the sort they don’t get often in New York.

Kevin and Drew—these two have got to be an audience favorite. They are sarcastic as hell, and to me that translates as funnnneeee. Let see, they said that as season 1’s fourth place players, on individual legs of the race they have gone from worst to first and can do it again. Also, they have a banter going on that if it doesn’t turn into buddy bashing will continually entertain us. For example, one says, “Peru is nice.” The other snaps back, “I’m sure it’s nice in Peru; we’re in Ecuador.”

Charla and Mirna—These two were the darlings of season 5, to me anyway, went on to appear in all kinds of shows and events, and are back again to win our hearts…and first place, which they assert right off they are “gonna win this time!”

Teri and Ian—These guys have the years and the accompanying wisdom—of resilience, for starters. Referring to their performance in season 3, where they finished in second place, they describe that experience in context: “By less than two minutes, we were kicking but out there…. Yes, we bickered, but that’s who we are.” During the first run this time around, Teri asks Ian how he liked that last chase, and he likens it to “chasing drug dealers in the eighties again”…which gave and gives him the rush he loves.

Dustin and Kandace—I didn’t pay any attention to them in season 10 (where they came in fourth), and they aren’t on my radar this season, either. I know, I know, we have to have a boob and bottom set for the people who watch for other ridiculously unrelated reasons. Okay, they might be able to use their looks for one or maybe two negotiation challenges? So what?

David and Mary—This team is also quite endearing. They are simple, real, and honest. Uh, usually. While they were quiet friendly with and supportive of three other teams in season 10, coming in 6th likely taught them a harsh lesson about being too nice. This time, though Bill was so cute when they came to the final destination point right behind Charla and Mirna, and said how he and his wife were big fans of theirs and it was great to finally meet them, Mary has already upped her game and lied to the beauty

queens. Bill says, however, “…so what? Lie, backstab, cheat. You do what you gotta do.” I still doubt they will cheat, though. They are the underdogs, the nice guys, the ones you want hope will be blessed with some deus ex machine so they can have a happy ending for once.

Uchenna and Joyce—Beautiful people. I mean that in the spiritual sense. They won season 7, and they deserved to. Sad, however, is how this time around they are at odds, having spent the last year or so frustrated with each other and with not being able to conceive…. I wonder if they know that extreme sporting affects their hormones and such? I just hate to see such nice people sad or disappointed.

Joe and Bill—These guys are also funny as hell. They are bringing out the gay affects, but not so much in a campy way. Rather, their humor is quieter, more reserved, and therefore even funnier than out and out jokes that are flamboyant and flip. That is, if I heard right and am assigning correctly the comment that had me achucklin: “Come on. We’re not alpha males: were two gay guys….

So beyond the beautiful and exotic travel destinations—like Quito, Ecuador, Yanachuro, besides such dynamic challenges as wrangling and grooming wild horses, and besides the unfortunately entertaining episodes of sprained ankles and flat tires and mistaking directions that take them hours off course, the Amazing Race all-stars should prove to be delightfully engaging by way of a few good laughs… or scoffs.

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