March Makeovers: What should ‘The Amazing Race’ consider for season 29?
This is Reality TV Week in our March Makeovers series, which means that over the course of the next several days we’re going to be looking at ways to fix flaws with some of our favorite shows in the genre.
Today, we begin with a show in “The Amazing Race” that does do a whole lot right. It is one of our favorites on TV for a reason, and much of that can be attributed to the sense of excitement we get from seeing so many different locales all around the world. It’s a bold, fascinating show … but there are some cracks in the foundation that have started to show over time.
What’s going wrong – The biggest issue comes via leg design at this point in the run. While the casting may be great and the show may have some of the best editors and camera-work on all reality TV, none of this really matters when you have some legs that are incredibly unbalanced. Take for example episode 4 of this season, where models Jessica & Brittany were eliminated after a train ride ultimately bunched up most of the teams. While we suppose having these equalizers here and there adds some unpredictability (and they are necessary early in the race in particular), at the same time they are incredibly unfair when they cancel out any work that has been done in that leg. There are certain issues we understand here and there (the show doesn’t have an unlimited budget), but there is no reason that some equalizers can’t just be tacked on to the next leg.
Another issue here is that sometimes, we get challenges that are not even remotely a reflection of local culture or custom. Take, for example, the ones that just involve hauling things from one place to the next, or counting the number of things. Even over time watching people jump off of things gets tiring. On “The Amazing Race,” the location should be the star. Don’t forget that.
How to fix the issues – For “The Amazing Race,” it’s really simple. Just spend some more time thinking about what are the most creative and competitive ways to tell the story of each leg. Bring in some new ideas, and make sure that the tasks you are giving to some of these teams legitimately matter. Also, cut down on the selfie-taking or the repetitive editing where it looks like, before cutting to commercial, every team is going to fail at everything. Refocus on the sense of wonder that comes with going around the world and experiencing these cultures. This is what the early seasons of the show really captured.
Interested in getting our most-recent “Amazing Race” episode review? Then be sure to head over to the link here right now! Also, sign up over here to get some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: CBS.)