I hate Rob and Amber. Well, okay, "hate" is a strong word. I dislike Rob and Amber… a LOT. Why do I dislike them? Because of what they're doing to The Amazing Race.
Let me explain. I have always thought of TAR as the classiest Reality show on the air. Its competition has always seemed to me to be "purer" than the others. It lacked the devious backstabbing and plotting and deceit of Survivor and Big Brother, and even to a certain extent, The Apprentice. Now, don't get me wrong - I LOVE Survivor, and The Apprentice, and Big Brother. I enjoy the strategy, and even the lying and the backstabbing. Because in those games, they're EXPECTED. On the granddaddy of them all, Survivor, one of the three avowed goals of the game is to "outwit" the other players. Morality can get checked at the door - Richard Hatch, Will Kirby, and other memorable (and successful) villains in these shows have made deceit an art form, and an expected part of the game.
But consider The Amazing Race. Have there been villains? Sure-I disliked the Guidos, and Jonathan and Victoria, and many other teams over the years. Have people lied on TAR to get an advantage? Sure, it has happened every season. But here's the thing: it's not NECESSARY to be deceitful or backstabbing to win TAR. It's a "purer" competition, because at its heart it's a RACE. It's not a popularity contest, and it's not a show about interpersonal dynamics. It's not necessary to form alliances. It's not even necessary to be nice to the other teams- but neither is it necessary to be mean, or lying, or deceitful. Sure, some people AREN'T nice, some people DO form alliances-but it's not part of TAR the way that such things are part of Survivor or Big Brother. And a team like Chip and Kim can win TAR, while running a very clean race most of the way. Yeah, they lied a bit at the end, but hey, there's a million bucks on the line, and the lie was "no, the clue isn't here" when the other team asked (because they were too lazy to just look for themselves.) Chip and Kim wouldn't last three weeks in a cutthroat game like Survivor.
But now Romber cometh to TAR. And since the Race started, they've lied, they've engaged in questionable tactics, and they've weaseled around the rules. Obviously, Rob has studied the rules and knows them as well as Phil does. AND, he's figured out how to use them to their advantage (thus revealing the weaknesses in the rules.) In this last episode, Romber hijacked Bianca and Debbie's cab by offering the driver more money. Last season a team incurred a penalty for ACCIDENTLY taking another team's car. Why is that worse than Rob and Ambuh INTENTIONALLY bribing the taxi driver, thus taking Bianca and Debbie's cab?
But the Roadblock was, to me, the last straw. The Roadblocks are an integral part of TAR- they are a test of how much a team really "wants it". Never before has a team intentionally refused to complete the task, only because they had figured out an "angle" that would allow them to do so without being eliminated. Last season, Kendra gave up at the "locks from Hell" Roadblock in China, and the penalty was four hours assessed from the time they stepped on the mat. Also, Kendra had busted her ass trying before giving up-she didn't just give up right away. This time, Rob took a few bites, said "no way", and devised a way to use the rule: apparently this time, it would be a four-hour penalty assessed from the time the next team arrived or gave up, not four hours tacked onto THEIR finishing time. And Rob realized that, if he could convince even one other team to bail with him, he'd pretty much guarantee that he and Ambuh would stay in the game.
Was this good strategy? Sure-you've gotta hand it to Rob. I wonder if the rule was the same last season, when Lena shoved those damn hay bales for EIGHT HOURS rather than giving up, as several teams came and went? I thought the penalty was four hours at the end of your leg, as happened with Hayden. Had that been the rule in effect, had Romber been able to just head for the Pit Stop and let Phil tack on four hours at that point, would Rob and Amber still have bailed out? Maybe, if they assumed that at least one team would have finished more than four hours later. But they would not have been able to guarantee that they wouldn't be dooming themselves by giving up.
But Lena with the hay-- THAT was guts. THAT was heart. THAT was what TAR is all about- not weaseling around to use the rules to gain an advantage. I hate that Rob and Amber are trying to turn my Race into just another lying, conniving, backstabbing game. I want these sleazebags GONE- I don't want them to win, or even finish in the top three, because then future Racers will want to emulate them. And I hope the producers of TAR sit down and revise the rules so that if a team chooses not to do a task, they are guaranteed last place. Maybe the rule should be, if you bail on the task, you sit and wait until everybody else has either finished or quit it too. That would effectively eliminate any team that tries it (and nobody with half a brain would let themselves be talked into giving up.)
Dan is a college professor who somehow got hooked on Reality TV, especially ones with lots of strategy and twists. You can contact him at Daniel1953@hotmail.com.
They Were Cast - Why Not You?
Reality TV Calendar will send you the latest casting calls as soon as they are released. Calls are often short notice with short deadlines. You need to make contact immediately. You can't do that unless you have immediate notification of the call. One Time Payment, Only $7.95.
Click For More Information.
