TV Review: CBS Hit Returns With Goofy Edition of ‘The Amazing Race’

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CHICAGO – One of the reasons that CBS’s “The Amazing Race” has been as critically-acclaimed and award-winning as it has over its successful run is the balance of regular people with more typical larger-than-life reality personalities. The show’s stellar editing team is the main reason the program works and host Phil Keoghan would be right behind in close second. But in third place, I would argue that the show works because its dynamics are relatable thanks to the program’s stellar casting. There’s typically a pair of siblings, a newly-dating couple, a married couple, two friends, etc. And it’s often easy to put yourself in at least one of their shoes and say, “What would I do in this situation? Would I fight with my spouse/sister/buddy? Would I do better at that challenge? Would we totally collapse into hysterics and get eliminated?” When “The Amazing Race” gives in to the reality trend of contestants with whom no one can relate, it will fall.

TV Rating: 3.5/5.0

There’s a bit of a reason to be concerned that the fall could start this season as the cast for the latest round-the-world trip is certainly an entertaining one but also can be somewhat ridiculous. As the pair of married clowns faced off against the “Jersey Shore” wannabes against the rednecks and the former “Big Brother” contestants, I wondered if the casting team on “The Amazing Race” hadn’t gone a bit overboard with silly personalities this year. Each season typically has a few over-the-top folks but focuses more on the relatable ones. I’m worried that this season will be all-silly, all-bickering, all-REALITY.

The Amazing Race
Photo credit: CBS

Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m going to miss a single minute. Even with a cast of teams that seem a bit ridiculous at times, the structure of “The Amazing Race” remains a thing of beauty. In the season premiere, Keoghan sends his teams through a tough opening leg (I’m hoping the whole season is this intense as a few of the recent seasons have had some legs that seemed awfully lackluster in comparison and we could use a truly difficult season).

The Amazing Race Photo credit: CBS

As usual, the teams start stateside, where they have to pull down balloons from the sky and find envelopes to get on a first plane (where they have a better chance at a perk known as the “Express Pass”) or be stuck on a second one, where they’ll be much more likely to be fighting to avoid last place. Before you can wonder why Rachel, the last winner of “Big Brother.” would wear green sequins to what is at least partially a physical competition, the teams are off to Santa Barbara, Argentina, where one member must jump out of a plane and they must make empanadas. Balloons, skydiving, and cooking — no one can say that the producers of “The Amazing Race” don’t know how to devise unique, engaging, diverse competition legs.

And they know how to cut them together brilliantly. Introducing viewers to the eleven teams, sending them around the world, and always keeping us aware of where they are (while often making things look even closer than they probably are), the editors on “The Amazing Race” are simply the best at what they do. They’re the main reason the show works as well as it does. It’s one of the fastest and most well-paced hours on TV. And it ends with something that has never happened before in the history of “The Amazing Race,” a final twist that leaves even the typically reserved Phil looking shell-shocked.

As for stand-out teams this year, Rachel & Brendan promise to be scene stealers (they have experience doing so) and there are teams that appear to not only be frontrunners but likable as well — my favorites include Army man Dave and his troubled marriage to Rachel, twins Elliot and Andrew, Jersey guys Joey “Fitness” and Danny, couple Vanessa and Ralph, and border patrol agents Art and J.J. It’s a solid crew that I hope is less-dominated by serious rednecks Bopper and Mark in the future. They may be nice guys but they’re PLAYING up for the cameras, yelling all the time and spouting as many redneck cliches as possible. And the fact that Mark gets car-sick regularly and went on “The Amazing Race” just annoys me. I know, I’m being silly, but I can’t believe that people who are afraid of heights or don’t know how to drive stick go on this show. Have they never seen it?

“The Amazing Race,” like everything else on TV, has been slightly dipping in ratings and even critical esteem over the last couple of years. So, the producers can’t be blamed for trying to “spice things up” this year. However, this is not a show for which the formula can or needs to be adjusted. The weakest editions of “TAR” have been the ones in which they tried to do something completely different — family and all-stars. Stick with what works. Know your strengths. And this show can win the TV race.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com