Reconsidering the Competition

Reconsidering the Competition by Roxanne McDonald

They may have hoped for it but I would wager they didn’t expect it: the competition they fretted over is over—for now.

It’s old news now that Rob and Amber were eliminated from “The Amazing Race.” [Sorry, I was still reeling from the American Idol results—argh.] But what was interesting was the competitors’ takes on what competition means to them, how they regard their own abilities to compete, and who they see (or saw) as the biggest threats.

Joyce says how Rob and Amber beat her and Uchenna a lot, though they didn’t beat them in season seven, and that, Joyce says, must have hurt.

The Beauty Queens are concerned with their own

inconsistencies and with not trusting themselves enough. Rob and Amber, they add, are fast…are the team to beat. [The BQs placed fifth this week.]
Oswald says that it is thought that “Danny and I are not very competitive, but I think it’s just this opposite.

While Teri implies that luck helps, Ian comments that their physical abilities may not be as good as those of the younger teams. Bill and Joe, also older, remark how “being at the bottom of the pack makes us open up our eyes, makes us more competitive.”

Feisty Mirna and Charla are all over the competition aspect of the game, with Mirna saying, “I work very hard physically, mentally…to do well. Charla obviously wants to contribute, but I do all the work to compensate for any shortcomings we have.”
No one speaks of how much of the competitiveness is in the strategizing, but Rob is doing some early-flight research; Bill and Joe point out the obvious—how “you don’t wanna be way back behind everybody else [during a flight portion of the game];” Rob “steals” some flight info (by “overhearing” it); and Bill and Joe are intending to make it difficult for fellow racers Charla and Mirna to “sit down and chit-chat” with them.

Weaknesses taunt their game, too. Ian is a “little off” with the compass-reading task; Danielle is a little off with the geography…announcing how they are making their “way to Australia—I mean Argentina.” Oops.

Rob and Amber are less of a threat for some. Danielle asks, “What about Rob and Amber?” and Eric responds, “Who knows? Let’s hope they’re really lost.”

Rob is responsible, really, for the loss. In a challenge requiring the teams to put countries/cities on a handmade signpost, the significant requisite is that all the names are spelled correctly. Rob spells Philippines wrong (unbeknownst to both him and Amber), which stalls their moving forward. Hey, Rob, if you ever need it again—though I suspect you will never forget how to spell it, now—remember to use the king’s name plus the plural of the trees: Philip + pines.
Though he has the smart wife who says they have to “know when to quit” and though he is quick enough to suggest they trade with another team stuck on the signage, to see what they each are missing, and though miss pure Amber tells a lie to throw the girls off the trail of clues, they get so bogged down that they are even passed up by Charla and Mirna—who add one more characteristic to competing: telling Rob to shut the f—k up and calling Amber a bitch as they toddle off toward the finish line.

Mixed opinions about Rob and Amber abound, I know. But I will miss the especially swift and typically sneaky and successful duo. No real concerns, though, for I trust we have not seen the last of the most calculating and camera-friendly of competitors.

SirLinksAlot Amazing Race links

No Comments »

No comments yet.

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.