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Taxi Rides of Doom: Teams Head to Ghana on The Amazing Race

I'm actually kind of sad about the outcome of this week's episode of The Amazing Race ("A Kiss Saves the Day"), which took the teams from England to Ghana, where they had to hawk sunglasses in a crowded market, assemble television antenna hookups, and deliver unwieldy coffins through the streets.

All while attempting to stay alive during the series' most dangerous taxi rides ever.

I have to say that this season of The Amazing Race is definitely clicking with me for a number of reasons. There's a fast-paced quality to the challenges and the episodes themselves (to the point where last night's installment only seemed about a half-hour long) and the casting this season is top-notch. I'm waiting to see if a villain emerges from among the remaining teams, who so far have all played nicely with each other.

Personally, I'm rooting for Brook and Claire (particularly after the latter took a watermelon to the face and kept on running), Ivy Leaguers/a cappella singers Connor and Jonathan, and doctors Kat and Nat (who came from nearly last place to the middle of the pack, thanks to a mentally unstable taxi driver). I also like father/son team Michael and Kevin and think that the tattooed Nick and Vicki might just be the dumbest team on the race yet, which makes for some amusement, after all.

I loved seeing Brook plying her trade in the market and quickly selling a bunch of sunglasses to put their team in an early lead. While these two might drive me crazy if I had to spend too much time with them in real life, I'm loving them on the show this season. They're passionate, dynamic, and full of energy and I'm hoping they stick around for quite some time to come.

But I am a little depressed that we won't get to see the fascinating relationship between Andie and Jenna play out. One of the most intriguing teams to date, their dynamic--birth mother and daughter given up for adoption--was extremely interesting to watch unfold, as it represented a real change for The Amazing Race.

Related by blood, they were strangers to one another but were finding commonalities as they raced together. Little things--like having frizzy hair and having to straighten it--took on huge significance as they connected for the first time and found similarities, things that bonded them on a genetic level, even as their emotional bond deepened over the course of the first two legs.

While they ended up dead last in this week's installment (and they were focusing on them quite a lot with the editing), I was hoping that Andie and Jenna would stick around and we'd be able to see their relationship blossom into something, as each was given this rare opportunity to spend time with the other.

Alas, it was not to be, particularly as they were just so far behind the other teams and thanks to some daredevil taxi drivers, the other teams just ahead of them made up significant time when their cabbies invented a third lane of traffic. (Eeek.)

Out of curiosity: which teams are you rooting for? And which are you ready to see the back of? Head to the comments section to discuss.

Next week on The Amazing Race ("In Phil We Trust"), the race continues in Ghana, where some teams are stumped by a deceptively simple quiz.

Comments

Patrick said…
I thought this was one of the most boring episode of amazing race in quite a while. I don't think any of the teams resonate with me this year so I was hoping for some interesting challenges which was not the case this time around. Usually the team based challenges are what makes the show for me. Logging stuff around is never interesting and the antenna install was too easy. I really hope they have more challenges like the boat of last week. That one really forced the teams to work together.
The CineManiac said…
Jace,
I'm with you on The Doctors, A Capella boys, and HSN girls. I also really like Ms. Kentucky & her dad. She just seems like a sweet country girl.
I also echo your response on Nick & Vicki being uncommonly stupid.
And although I've only been watching TAR since last season, I thought last night's episode was top notch.
greebs said…
I'm rooting for the HotDoctors - not just because they are hot but because they seem really grounded.

As far as the mother/daughter team goes, perhaps now they can still reconnect over dinner, coffee...you know, how most folks would do it? I love their story but pretty bizarre to do this sort of thing on network TV.

The acapella boys drove me crazy, but they way they reacted to their cab ("I want my mommy!" "I'm just impressed I haven't soiled myself" - the latter said while pinching his fingers to suggest just how close he'd come to that) made me really like them.
par3182 said…
I tend to dislike taxi lottery episodes, of which this was a prime example (but at least there was no evil team getting lucky). I also get very uncomfortable watching well-off westerners making a buck off third world citizens.

So I'd have to say I hated this episode.
Shaye said…
I really love the teams this season and also wish that Andie and Jenna could have stuck around at least a little longer (say, over the tattoo team). Sure, it was a weird scenario for them to be on the race together, but that's what made it great!

Brook would definitely drive me crazy if I had to spend time with her in the real world but she's perfect for TAR.

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