SPOILER WARNING: I shall be discussing the nerve-racking finale of The Amazing Race: All-Stars, which had me on the edge of my seat numerous times. Did Dustin and Kandice become the first all-female team to win the Race? Did Charla overcome the odds to become a race champion? Did Eric redeem himself from his tragic 2nd place finish two seasons ago? To find out why I think a (Not the) right team won the Amazing Race…
Okay, so this evening’s finale of The Amazing Race saw Eric and Danielle, a dating couple who ran the race on separate teams in Season 9, make it to the finish line as the winners of The Amazing Race: All-Stars. Now, this could be seen as mildly controversial considering that they were not an “All-Star team” (Danielle only finished in 9th in Season 9), and Danielle was very much pulled along by Eric at certain points on the race. However, in the end, I believe that Eric and Danielle deserved to win The Amazing Race.
Now, to be honest, I was cheering for Dustin and Kandice, the beauty queens who were fighting to be the first all-female team to win the Race, coming ever so close in the 2nd place finish (Cousins Charla and Mirna finished 3rd). They were the better story, and arguably had the better performance in the later portions of the Race. And, I think that they would have been just as deserving. However, they didn’t really have to overcome any obstacles in the process; they were never yielded, never found themselves booted off a flight, never really found themselve in a perilous scenario. They raced strong, but in terms of facing adversity they, well, never had to.
Eric and Danielle, on the other hand, basically got their asses handed to them in the last portion of the leg. They were yielded twice, were marked for elimination, and proceeded to make up a LOT of time in recent legs. And, this wasn’t all about Eric’s performance; Danielle worked hard until the very end, although to a lesser degree, ensuring that the team didn’t fall behind. When it came time for the final leg, they were focused and determined, and worked together without much concern. When it came time for the final task, they were just slightly behind Dustin and Kandice…and then it happened.
Danielle won them the Amazing Race.
Sure, Eric was the one who had to input his choices for the various categories amongst the other teams on the race, but it was Danielle who was the only one to actually pull herself together and figure them out before the 10-minute time frame was up. It was a tough final task, considering that it didn’t really give anyone a guaranteed huge lead, but it was also oddly satisfying. Dustin, for example, chose at the last second to change “Least Trustworthy” to Bill and Joe from Rob and Amber. Kandice immediately entered the room and assumed Rob and Amber…that decision could have cost them the game, in the end.
Which makes it all that more important that Danielle figured it out. Sure, it was her gossipy side that won them the race, but that’s really no different than the memory tasks in past races. The task was designed so that the 10-minute limit would make sure that no team was “out of the race,”unlike past tasks, and the one team that pulled it together would get their chance. I think it’s not perfect (And let’s get real: I’d be bashing the thing if Charla and Mirna had won the race), but in the end? It provided a respectable finish with a team that, in my view, pulled it together in the end.
They were physically strong, and were capable of bouncing back from a rough patch mentally in order to bounce back. Yeah, they let out their frustration through anger and swearing, but it was a release; they came together, never fell apart like other teams (Danny & Oswald) and in the end…a right team won ‘The Amazing Race’.
Now, next year, a new crop of racers will travel around the world. I, for one, look forward to it.
Cultural Learnings 
While you’re pretty much right about Danielle winning it, I, personally could not take my eyes off her mis-sized racing tank and insane cleavage to commend her on her ability to finish the task.
Eric and Danielle were harmless this leg, overcame a lot and ran it best. props to them.
I’m not angry, just dissatisfied with the season as a whole. Considering it was All-Stars, there were too many errors and mis-steps on the producers part to make it truly All-Star worthy.
Next season….can’t wait. Is the sumer of re-runs over yet?! What am I going to blog about for the next four months?
I enjoyed the season, despite the criticisms shared by a seemingly large portion of the viewing audience. The most entertaining aspect of the show, in my eyes, is watching the teams interact with locals from other countries. I’ll certainly look forward to a new season with 11 all-new teams, but this All-Star format was not a let-down for me.
Until next time, Mr. Keoghan…
Erin:
I think you’re right on one thing: it seemed like producers went off the rails at some point along the way. I really think that it would be interesting to seem them up the challenge rate of a Race in terms of clue difficulty and race design. Although bunching is a necessity (They almost got screwed on the huge delays for various teams, as Phil can’t be in two places at the same time), I think that the race itself could be more cryptic and stimulating.
Amber:
I enjoyed this season, as I think most fans of the race have been. Compared to something like the Family Edition this was like the greatest season ever, but it just didn’t quite live up to the hype if you will. For me, and I believe for Erin, All-Stars was supposed to test these people, challenging them while offering us a chance to see the best of the best.
Instead, it was just another season of The Amazing Race with people we’ve seen before. I actually think the All-Star format put the focus too much on the teams themselves and away from things like local interaction, something which I also enjoy. It was Racers vs. Racers, and not Racers vs. The Race, which I think is an important distinction.