TAR8/EP1: The Rumors are Confirmed

EPISODE 1
All four racers (10 teams of four) started out exactly where rumor said they would...under the Brooklyn Bridge. The teams darted past Phil in a stampede-like fashion and jump in their GMC SUVS (what would a family trip be without a gas guzzling SUV?). All 10 make their way to the SoHo part of town to pick up lots of camping equipment. After picking that up and getting a "Frank" hot dog, the teams make their way to Pennsylvania at the location that Washington "crossed the Delaware." Here, each team had to jump in a boat, paddle across the river, grab a 13-star American flag, paddle back, and have it folded by one of the greeters before they could get their next clue. That clue led them to Philadelphia and to the place they would camp out for the night. The next morning the teams headed to Lancaster County, epicenter of the Amish world. They encountered their first Detour where they had to either build miniature water wheel buildings or pull two team members in a horse buggy across a very long path. The teams then headed to the pit stop that was in the same county.

BACK TO HISTORY CLASS

It looks like historical sites will definitely be a major part of the family edition of the race. Already, teams have crossed the Delaware and took part in Amish-like activities. Next week, we know from the episode preview that they will be apart of a civil war reenactment. Maybe the producers are telling us that us Americans need to brush up on our American history. I don't think this is such a good move. Do we really want to sit and watch people learn about history? Sure, history was apart of the non-family Race, but that was history that we didn't know much about and found interesting to discover. We already know about the crossing of the Delaware; we already know that the Amish uses buggies to transport themselves. This is stuff that we know and understand. The great thing about the Race is that we learn new things and a new way of life. I think I will miss that part in this new family edition.

AN ALL-AMERICAN

Reports are that the racers started in New York (which we now know is true), worked their way down the eastern seaboard, disappeared for a while, and showed up in Niagara Falls. My fears might be coming true that the Race will stay mostly inside our borders. By this time in the regular race, we would have already visited one or two other countries. We are now stuck in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. I bet many of the racers kept asking each other during this pit stop, "Why are we still in America?" I say that many expected to be all over the world, but it looks like some of them might be disappointed. Another aspect that confirmed this for me is the revised intro for the show. Usually, the intro includes many shots of different scenes around the world. This time around, the intro only sported scenes that looked distinctly American and even included a waving American flag. Again, I don't think that I'm gonna like this. I love the Race because the viewers (& racers) experience so many new cultures and new lands. We see the world in 30 days! I am surely going to miss this aspect of the Race if it turns out to be true.

BAD TIMING?

Many fans of the shows are criticizing the show for doing a "family edition" just when the show is starting to get popular among viewers. They say that the family version will not interest as many people and turn viewers away, and that the show still needs to build a stronger foundation before such gimmick-like seasons. One of the producers herself at first said that she didn't feel it was a good idea to mess with format of the show now that it has finally caught on. She did, however, come back after taping saying that she was glad that they went with this new format. Hopefully she is right; I hope that we won't be let down by the family racers. We will just have to wait and see how this family idea pans out. Myself, I was hoping for an all-star season filled with our favorites from season's past...maybe season 9.

STRONGEST TONIGHT:
The Weavers were very strong tonight. They minimized fighting; they kept their cool. In their tasks, they worked hard and as a team.

WEAKEST TONIGHT:
The Paolo family undoubtedly did worst tonight. They were constantly lost, performed poorly in their tasks, and were constantly bickering.

filed under: amazing_race_8

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