Tag Archives: Mika and Canaan

October 25, 2009 · 10:55 pm

The Amazing Race Season 15 – “Episode Six (Dubai)”

tartitle08

“Do it for the Hood! Do it for the Suburbs!”

October 25th, 2009

Every now and then, The Amazing Race turns mean. In most episodes, there is a moment when everything bunches together so that previous mistakes are erased, but in the sixth episode of the show’s fifteenth season throws the teams to the wolves of Dubai in an effort to test both luck and skill in ways that previous legs might not have. Where some other episodes seemed to be decided by pretty major mistakes, in this instance any small mistake is going to fundamentally alter your position in this race in a way that would doom even a good team.

In the end, the episode is a reflection of how both strong alliances and some less than strong relationships are tested when you place them under this kind of pressure, this kind of tension. The result is a really ugly moment, a really unfortunate personal collapse, and a really smart Wal-Mart purchase.

Continue reading →

3 Comments

Filed under The Amazing Race

Tagged as 835, Atlantic, Brian and Ericka, Briefcase, Calculator, Canaan, CBS, Detour, Do it For the Hood! Do it for the Suburbs!, Dubai, Elimination, Episode 6, Exchange Rate, Flight Time and Big Easy, Gary and Matt, Gold, Harlem Globetrotters, Hookahs, Leap of Faith, Maria and Tiffany, Meghan and Cheyne, Mika, Mika and Canaan, Phil Keoghan, Reality TV, Roadblock, Rowing, Sam and Dan, Season 15, United Arab Emirates, Water Slide, Waterslide

October 18, 2009 · 11:14 pm

The Amazing Race Season 15 – “Episode Five (Dubai)”

tartitle08

“I’m Like Ricky Bobby”

October 18th, 2009

I like to think that this, the fifth episode of The Amazing Race’s fifteenth season, is the reality television equivalent of speed dating. You see, last week, we saw the unfortunate departure of Zev and Justin in the worst of circumstances, the kind of circumstances (a lost passport keeping them from checking into the pit stop) that make you want to stop watching (or, say, dating). And yet, the nature of the my love for The Amazing Race (and people’s desire for personal connection) is such that you can’t abandon it entirely, and you’re left to sort through the remaining options, albeit with a skeptical eye.

As such, “I’m Like Ricky Bobby” is really about a re-evaluation of the remaining teams, avoiding comparing them to the dearly departed Zev and Justin but also not giving them a free pass just because they’re all we have left. In the end, I’d say that they aren’t the worst group of contestants the race has ever seen, and that they are perhaps an even stronger group (if not quite as morbidly entertaining) considering the results of this week’s leg in the United Arab Emirates.

I’m not about to propose to any of them or anything, but I wouldn’t be entirely averse to spending a few minutes chatting with them, and I guess that’s a good enough start to my recovery.

Continue reading →

2 Comments

Filed under The Amazing Race

Tagged as Brian and Ericka, Car, CBS, Desert, Detour, Dubai, Entertainment, Episode 5, Fast Forward, Flight Time and Big Easy, Gary and Matt, Lance and Keri, Meghan and Cheyne, Mika and Canaan, Oasis, Reality TV, Roadblock, Ski Dubai, Snowman, Television, TV, United Arab Emeriates, Water, World's Tallest Building, Zev and Justin

September 28, 2009 · 1:07 am

Season Premiere: The Amazing Race Season 15 – “Japan/Vietnam”

tartitle08

“They Thought Godzilla was Walking Down the Street”

September 27th, 2009

There’s a point in the 15th Season Premiere of the 7-time Emmy winning The Amazing Race where Sam and Dan (the gay brothers) note that they have a problem: at various point in the race, both of them step up to be the leader and the result is a heated argument in Vietnam and a delayed arrival at the pit stop. At heart of that moment, and this episode, is the idea of leadership, of being able to find an individual dynamic that allows two teammates (who could be very similarly or very different) to trust one another to get to the mat in first place.

Leadership was the central theme in a premiere that challenges racers to herd large groups of both people and fowl, something that is challenging for one person when they don’t speak the language but which becomes even more difficult when you have two people who can’t decide who the leader is, or when you have one teammate completing a task while another yells at them from the nearby gazebo. The teams that succeed on the race are those who are able to establish a team, which operates in such a way that they each lead one another, and where splitting them apart or asking them to lead others sees them shifting roles to fit the situation.

This year’s premiere isn’t quite as emotional as last year’s, nor does it feature such an intense finish line dash, but over its two hours we get to see a good balance of tasks which test the fortitude of these teams, challenge their ability to handle both luck and the game’s contrivances, and perhaps most importantly answers the question of whether or not Phil Keoghan would make a good Japanese Game Show host (the answer? Of course he would.). It’s an enjoyable return for a show that I really enjoy, although one which is particularly tough to cover in the early going.

Continue reading →