Aug 19 2008
The Amazing Race - New Cast Announced … Finally!
Is it just me or does it seem as if it’s been way too long since the last season of The Amazing Race? Let’s try a little test. Quick, who won the last season? I’m seriously stuck for an answer. Doing a little research, it all comes back to me, and I’m figuring out why I forgot. The winners weren’t the most exciting of people ever on the show for one, and for another, I had said at the final three that I was fine with whoever won. Figured it out yet? It was TK and Rachel.
The other reason it’s hard to remember is it’s been way too long. We normally have two seasons of The Amazing Race a year. They play around with the viewing night and time a lot anyway, and have threatened to cancel it before, so it’s not odd that we skipped last season. However, I think it’s because CBS decided on giving use the ill-fated extra season of Big Brother, tying up three nights a week.
The Amazing Race will finally be making another appearance on the schedule and will be back again on Sunday nights, starting September 28th. Today they released the eleven teams which are interesting to say the least, making me think we won’t soon forget this next winner.
Mark and Bill, friends for over twenty-three years, are “comic book aficionados,” and first met at a sci-fi club. They aren’t ashamed to be called geeks, as Mark says he “wears geek like a badge of honor.” He’s outgoing, funny, and smart, and his last vacation was to Vanuatu. I wonder if he was following Survivor. He has been following the Race, as this team has been auditioning since season three. Bill is the competitive of the two, yet also cautious, easygoing, and goofy. One of these two is the treasurer for Comic-Con. Host Phil Keoghan likes them, telling me they’ll last more than a week or two.
White-haired Anita and Arthur are beekeepers and make and sell their own honey, recently just buying an organic blueberry farm. They’ve been married for fourteen years and consider their blended family the most important part of their lives. Anita wants to gain insight into people in all corners of the world, and believes Arthur sometimes overanalyzes. Arthur is looking to understand her better, yet thinks they share a belief in the goodness of people. Also interesting, their last name is Jones, and they worked out to be able to keep up with the others teams. So this is the Joneses wanting to keep up with the others. Forgettable? Absolutely not. I always find the older couples on The Amazing Race interesting, and these two won’t be any different.
Terence and Sarah have been dating for over a year. Sarah has her MBA and is often the only woman in her meetings on Wall Street. Terence sells real estate and coaches runners. He himself finished the last two New York City marathons in under two hours. She finds herself to be lower maintenance and him more emotional, which is quite a switch from most couples. They would like to test their relationship on the Race to see if they belong together, and longtime Race fans know that’s the kiss of death. They note dietary restrictions, causing me to imagine they’re vegans. They’re not as interesting a the prior two teams, but could do well.
And here’s the blondies of this season, Marisa and Brooke, “southern belles” and best friends. They’ll be another two that I won’t be able to keep straight, which is which. Do they have to wear matching pink sweatsuits to further all that? Marisa is taking broadcast journalism at the University of Southern Carolina, and figures her extensive dance training will show up in focus and determination on the race. Brooke, a graphic designer, lived in Spain at one time, and figures her Spanish skills her help her. They’re not opposed to flirting to help them get further in the Race. What a shocker.
Frat brothers Andrew end Dan are referred to by the other teams on The Amazing Race as Team Superbad, which can only be understood seeing their picture. Studying urban planning, Andrew’s “laid-back appearance can be deceiving,” yet he’s assertive and hands-on. I’m sure it’s a truthful statement, but sure enough, he doesn’t look very assertive. Dan recently graduated with a degree in Tourism Development. He’s hoping his traveling expertise will help him out on the Race. They believe they can talk their way out of anything with their humor, and if you’ followed the movie, you would think they would. Team Superfun?
Aja and Ty are yet another staple of The Amazing race, the “long distance couple.” They originally met four years ago in college, but Aja was dating someone else at the time. Aja is an aspiring actress and makeup artist and describes her biggest pet peeve of Ty as being he has a poor estimation of time. That definitely won’t work out in their favor on the Race. However, Ty describes himself as ultra-competitive, and has not had the chance to travel much out side the U.S. He is currently working as a banker. He finds Ajar’s greatest weakness to be that she’s easily upset. Again, they’re not terribly exciting, but I think they could do well.
Mother and son team Toni and Dallas are hoping to catch up on quality family time, which probably won’t work too well. I see this single mom possibly getting upset as he spends too much time chasing Blondie tail and not enough time concentrating on the game. He might try to reverse that, though, as while he’s only a college boy, he enjoys getting people to do what he wants, so he’ll either be using that skill on his mom or the other ladies.. His pet peeve about his mother is her telling long-winded stories. Toni’s biggest accomplishment is raising Dallas, although she works as a corporate accounting consultant. They’ll probably be memorable just based on their relationship.
Brother and sister team Nick and Starr could run into problems as while they’re both driven and competitive, they admit to sometimes being so with each other. What brother and sister aren’t? They could “practically be twins,” although rarely see each other because of distance. Nick feels her biggest weakness is that she can be a bit reckless, while he thinks things through. Starr explains it away as her being more spontaneous. Nick is performing in New York City in an off-Broadway production of The Fantasticks, and she’s a Dallas Cowboy cheerleader, creating that distance. I think they’ll be well-liked by other teams and fans.
The second all female team is Kelly and Christy, best friends from Texas. They’ve both been through a lot and want to prove they can get through anything. They’ve supported each other through their marriages and subsequent divorces, have worked together at the same company, and both also remodeled homes. Kelly is now a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company and sees herself as impatient, but Christy as temperamental. Christy is a business development rep for a title insurance company, and is determined to be the first all-female Race team to win. I think they’ll either leave the first few weeks or stick it out until the end.
Ken Greene was once a star in the NFL star who played for the St. Louis Cardinals and San Diego Chargers. He and his wife Tina will be teamed together but what makes them interesting is that they have been separated for nine months, but are interested in getting back together. Ken’s poor choices and infidelity tore them apart originally. He’s currently a home builder who feels he has good problem-solving skills. Tina is a business owner and CEO, believing everyone has an “endearing unique quality about them.” She is also Chairman of the Board of The Children’s Cancer Center in Tampa. I follow the NFL, but don’t recall his name, so I don’t think he was a huge star, especially if he’s currently building houses. I also wonder if he’ll get himself into trouble chasing some of the other women.
I’m not sure if our final team will survive the race either. Anthony and Stephanie broke up for a year, but are back together, looking to be engaged by the end of the race. If they make it through, he says he’ll propose, and that’s just not a good stipulation to put on anything. It’s way too much pressure. A mortgage banker, he’d most like to visit Italy due to his heritage. She’s a financial saleswoman. I’m just extremely irritated with him by putting a successful Race as the caveat for them getting engaged.There are a few teams that aren’t totally interesting; however overall, there are many teams that will are very interesting, which I hope will make them memorable. Hopefully they won’t end up leaving in the first few weeks leaving us with the more mundane of the teams.Photos courtesy of cbs.comFor more information about The Amazing Race, see SirLinksalot: The Amazing Race , and check out my other today.com blog, Pursuing Martial Arts.
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