The Amazing Race Kicks Off Season 13!

A day late, but here's some of my thoughts on Sunday's premiere episode of The Amazing Race 13:

- After completely missing the last Race, I was excited to be watching it again Sunday night, even though I was so tired my eyes were pretty much half-closed throughout the whole show. For that reason, some of my observations might be a little hazy...Forgive me.

- I always root for the hot boy team. 'Cause there's almost always a hot boy team. When I heard there were Frat Boys in the Race this year, I assumed that would be "my team". However, the Frat Boys are not what you'd typically think of when you hear the term "Frat Boys". They're kinda chubby, and a little goofy-looking. Sort of reminiscent of the guys in Superbad. That being said, I didn't actually mind them, they were kind of funny. They may end up being "my team" after all.


- With my Frat Boys decidedly not hot, I went on search of the hottest guy in the Race to root for, praying he wasn't already paired up with a girlfriend or wife. I discovered Dallas, who is racing with his mom, Toni. Kinda cool, I think, especially since she was a single mother and raised him by herself, so you know they have a tight bond and that should help them in the race. Not too many young men would choose to do the Race with their mothers, so I think it's sweet and they're my favourite team...for now.


- Is it just me, or do Terrence and Sarah seem like a severely mis-matched couple? She's insulted 'cause the other teams aren't all that buddy-buddy with her. She's more interested in making friends and chatting with the other teams. Terrence is in super-competitive mode, and now he's pissed that she's trying to connect with other teams instead of him. While they did very well in the first leg, finishing third, I'm not sure their new relationship can withstand the stress of the Race.

- The brother/sister duo of Nick and Starr annoyed me. I didn't like their matching cammo outfits, and I didn't like that they started calling Ken & Tina their "Mom & Dad". (I was surprised it didn't piss Ken & Tina off, too). The day I get my brother to do a dance routine with me the way they did in their intro will be the day hell freezes over...


- Does it really matter if you get on the 9:00 flight or the 9:45? Seems like the different start times which are supposed to be "penalties" don't really have that great an impact on the final results. If a team is fast, smart, and composed, they should be able to do well no matter what, especially with so many others getting flustered, imploding all around them.

- The challenges on the first leg seemed pretty simple. Wheeling a little truck loaded with boxes of stuff through the streets of Brazil? As long as you kept your load from toppling off, it was pretty quick and simple. And then the majority of the teams chose to go down the outdoor elevator - basically a big net thing that they had to climb down. Admittedly, it did sound like an easier task. But the Frat Boys decided to do the climbing stairs on their knees, and it proved to be a pretty fast challenge. The only hitch was not knowing what the question would be at the top. They did have to do it again to count the number of stairs they went up, but even having done it twice, they still had no trouble avoiding elimination, landing at the pit stop in 7th, right behind my hot boy Dallas and his mom.

- I don't think there's a more stereotypical "American Couple" than Ken & Tina. He's an ex pro football player, and she's his aging Barbie Doll wife. They've been seperated for months after she caught him cheating on her, but they still love each other and are hoping the Race will bring them back together again. Excuse me while I go puke...


- Speaking of stereotypes... It wasn't too difficult to toss Arthur & Anita under the "Hippie" label. Both with long flowing grey hair and tie-dyed t-shirts, the beekeepers seemed to love being old hippies. Unfortunately for them, they were always a step behind the vastly younger teams, and at the end of the day, they didn't even have a chance. They were first to be nixed from the competition.


That's all I can think of right now. Looking forward to the next leg!