Whats Hot On TV

While tonight’s finale of The Amazing Race, season 13, ended predictability, it also ended with a certain amount of warmth, something you just don’t get in every reality show, but host Phil Keoghan seems to make sure that it’s always here on his show. Each one of the final three teams performed exactly like we thought they would, then reached and end that we knew was coming, but heartfelt to see anyway.

The Frat Boys, Andrew and Dan, became also-rans almost from the very beginning. All season long they had been playing catch-up. They came in second to last more often than not, and lucked into staying when they did come in last with a non-elimination leg. Even when they came in second place last week, you could also say they came in two slots before last place. Continually throughout the Race, the Frat Boys made mistake after mistake, yet managed to hang in there. Tonight, to be back in the United States and picking a taxi, yet find one that didn’t even know what town he was in, was more dumb luck for them. The driver went the opposite direction on the way to the Detour, meaning from this point on, the Frat Boys never had a chance.

Separated couple Ken and Tina kept it close just like they always did throughout the Race, getting a handful of first place finishes, second only to Nick and Starr. Although it was Toni and Dallas that worked in an alliance with the borther and sister team, it was Ken and Tina that were their closest rivals, so it was only fitting that they came in second tonight and kept it close the entire evening. You could see how much their relationship had healed or progressed, depending on how you look at it, throughout the Race. I actually even thought at a few times during this final leg that they might wrest this one away from Nick and Starr.

Yet, Nick and Starr also played the same Race they had throughout. They played it cleanly and didn’t make mistakes. They also had a bit of luck on their side as they found a cab that picked the quickest way to get to the Cortland building in Portland. They ended the Race the same way they started it, in first place. They won the very first leg of the Race, then spent a few weeks mired in the middle of the pack, before regaining their very comfortable lead. There was one more week towards the end with bad cab experiences that kept them towards the back, but they quickly regained their lead and didn’t lose it again. The looks on their faces in the cab on the way to the pit stop said it all. They were about to win The Amazing Race, and they knew it.

As is usually the case at the end, Phil made the finale more about the relationships of the teams than the actual Race itself. As Nick and Starr ran in to take the win and the money, it was Nick that said more than winning, and more than the money, he loved going through this experience with his sister. She knew that no matter what, they always worked together and were positive. The Frat Boys thought they should be an example for all other Fraternity guys to follow, even to “beer-guzzling idiots” like themselves.

But the team that seems like the won the most were asked by Phil about their relationship and if The Amazing Race had caused them to reconnect. Ken faced Tina and told her they’d had their ups and downs, but she was the best. He then mentioned they hadn’t been wearing their wedding rings and fished hers out of his pocket, placed it on her finger, and asked if she wanted to start this thing all over again. It looked like Phil wiped a tear form his eye as Ken and Tina shared a kiss. She then said people do change, and so often today people throw marriages away. Ken showed her on the Race that she and their marriage were important to him. They agreed to make their marriage “amazing.”

It always seems too short at the end of the Race when the teams talk to Phil about winning and where they are now in their relationships. I always think they should have a second hour just like they do on Survivor, when Jeff Probst talks to the contestants about the season and the things we saw. I’d love to hear from all the racers again, as they’re standing there anyway to greet the final three. Conspicuously missing were Toni and Dallas, but I’m guessing it was a difficulty with them losing their passports. They probably weren’t allowed to leave Moscow and were held up. It’s a shame, as it would have been nice to check on the non-team relationship in the Race of Starr and Dallas. I’m sure the news of the win reached Toni and Dallas, and I’m sure he was just as happy for them as everyone else.

Photos Courtesy of cbs.com

Follow me on Twitter, and for more information on The Amazing Race, see Sirlinksalot: The Amazing Race.

Trackback URI | Comments RSS