• Is The Amazing Race Reality TV’s Best?

      A post about by Josh on January 18th, '08

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      If we are talking about reality TV’s major players, then yes, The Amazing Race is the best.

      Why?

      Most reality TV competitions put people in, ironically, the most unrealistic situations. Survivor isn’t really about surviving, per se. It’s a popularity contest set in the woods. I’m thinking Beverly Hills 90210 on a camping trip. If they really wanted to make it “reality” TV, they’d give contestants a bag of seed and have them work a rice paddy for one season. But, who would want to see people working themselves like dogs for 14 hours a day. The contestants would be too tired to stab each other in the back come tribal council time.

      The Amazing Race is the most realistic of TV’s reality shows. Race’s contestants are traveling, experiencing many of the difficulties you or I would if we traveled to strange places. They get lost. They argue with their traveling companion. They make bad decisions because they are exhausted and have eaten something that makes them have to use the bathroom every ten minutes. Most people can identify with this. They aren’t drama queens or whiny city boys hell bent on making a splash with their 15 minutes of fame. They are you and me plopped down in exotic places, trying to find their way around without killing themselves (or each other).

      Another thing I like about Race is that it is as much about places as people. Unlike Survivor where the locations are interchangeable, the places the contestants have to negotiate their way through are a significant part of Race. The fact that the racers have to interact with people brings another element to the show. Dealing with a language barrier or cultural misunderstandings is one of the more interesting elements of the show.

      Amazing Race is one of the best shows out there, period. Tune in to Teevieo to see a my post on the best reality show no one is watching yet.

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