TAR6: Leg 1

Amazing Race Episode 1 Recap” href=”http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race6/show/ep01/”>Say goodbye to Joe and Avi – nice guys, and even amusing, but their fatal errors were classics. Click the image for a link to CBS’ recap of Episode 1, “The Game Is Afoot.”

In a “Reckless vs. Chicken” Detour task, always take Reckless. Hard is fast, easy is slow, even when the less physically challenging task is near at hand. Keep in mind that the producers want to show the exciting, challenging Reckless tasks being performed because it makes for great shots, great reactions, and generally bigger drama. Chicken shots get poky, wacky music cues and cuts emphasising the Racers total lack of coolness (or as Bolo would put it, “street suave’.”

When navigating to the Pit Stop, if it looks like country roads take a shorter route, and express roads or highways go in a more roundabout route, take the highway. There’s usually a good reason why the best roads in any given country take a specific routing, and it usually has to do with where it’s easiest to put in roads and streets. And the speed limit will be faster.

Avi and Joe took the Chicken detour and the more direct but much slower country roads, and they ended up on the far side of the Blue Lagoon area (which is very large, evidently) from where the Pit Stop was. They ended up in a race for last and lost.

Although I still can’t believe Gus beat them to the mat – please, God, send Gus a belt and some suspenders, because them big ol’ pants keep falling off of that big ol’ butt. He seems WAY too cautious – everyone passed them on the highway, and he told Hera that was fine. Yep, fine enough for penultimate place, pal. This guy used to be a an adventurous pilot back in the day, but that was long, long ago.

Oh, and my pre-hate for Jonathan and Victoria – AKA Botox/Boobs – was well justified. Now I hate him with the power of Flo and Colin combined. Apparently next week there’s even more screaming. From both of them.

However, my pre-sorta-like for Bolo and Lori? OH. My God. He’s a cartoon, and she’s a maroon. He has some likeable qualities; complaining about leg cramps a minute after boasting of his physical fitness was one of them (hee hee! I love me some TAR editors). As other teams noticed, wrestlers can’t run fast. But his partner and wife, Lori – well, I really wanted to like her and wished her to succeed physically, but she really needs to dial back her attitude from “shrieking harridan” to “barrel-ridin’ ballbuster.” To be fair, she’s never traveled outside the US, she strikes me as not highly educated, and she was probably seriously freaked and insecure. Her lack of patience and volatility are probably her team’s biggest liability right now, and Bolo is not far behind her in that department.