I can’t believe it’s already the finale! Actually, it does seem like a long season, especially when they flash the faces of some of the people that have been eliminated for a long time. Some faces I could barely remember.
Anyway, my first observation this week is that someone needs to get fired. Not sure if it’s CBS or someone at my cable company. But whoever the hell writes the descriptions for this show should be canned. On my TV screen, the description for this finale said the following: “Final four race to the finish, with Abbie and Ryan hoping to double the prize.” Either I really missed a crazy twist last week, or someone needs to get sent home with a box with all their pictures and sh*t in it.
Before the show, I also checked out The Amazing Race website, just to see how delayed the show would be this week. I guess I was pretty surprised how much hate people seemed to have for the twins. People were still going on and on about how they were thieves because they had stolen James and Abba’s money. Yeah, I get that they knew they had found someone else’s money and didn’t do anything to try to give it back, but ultimately that didn’t eliminate Abba and James. Their lost passport did. I guess I kind of have the attitude that this isn’t a family reunion: it’s a game for a million dollars. I think I’d find it kind of boring if the whole show was all lovey dovey stuff and there were zero stabs in the back. This season has been boring enough in terms of the challenges. At least the drama of the lost money kept us interested for five seconds.
Going into tonight’s finale, I found myself rooting hardest for Jaymes and James. I don’t know why except Jaymes’ personality and humor really grew on me. His partner, James, is kind of a zero but still a nice guy. So, that’s who I decided that I really wanted to win after all these weeks. Secondly, I was thinking I’d be going for the twins. That all kind of changed as this week got moving. Well, the twins part anyway.
The first half of the two-hour show starts right up with the Ford Escape commercials intermeshed directly with the show. Yay. Makes me want to run right out and buy one. Eh, not really. Anyway, if they showed that stupid Ford emblem one more time all huge with the actual racers just mere ants in the background, I was going to melt down. I don’t care if you can kick the hatch open in a cool way; I just want to see this show. We’re not dummies: we get when you’re trying to sell us something. Right away, I think most of us realized that the first team to check in to the first half of this episode was going home with one of those cars. We’re smart, you see?
They essentially start the show with interviews with everyone about why having that million dollars will really change their lives. Blah blah blah. Everyone’s got some noble reason why they want the money. Notice that no one is coming out there saying, “Yay, now I can get that penis enlargement I’ve always wanted!” Nah. It’s gotta be crap like “My Mom has been walking barefoot to work, with bleeding feet, on rocks, for thirty miles for thirty years in order to work with severely disabled children. She really needs me to win this money so I can finally buy her a car.” Hey, how about giving her a ride every once in awhile, huh James? Maybe a bus ticket? You don’t exactly need a million dollars to fix that situation. Anyway, they all go on and on about all the hungry children they’ll feed or cancer they’ll cure or new heads they will buy for others in need if they win the money. Yeah, right. For the most part, not buying it. I’m guessing you’ll see some shiny new cars and breast implants and a lot less of the charity that they are talking about right now. We don’t vote for you to win, so spare us the “I’ll do so much good with the money” feel-good speeches. You’re probably greedy; that’s why you came on the show, and I’m okay with it. The end.
Hi Kim, loved your column. It was as much fun reading it as watching the show, probably more. I am really bummed that Jaymes and J didn’t win. They were def. the most fun to watch and seemed like pretty nice guys. I wasn’t too happy about the Beekmans but don’t have a legit reason. I confess I no longer liked the twins after the money incident. I agree that the show needs drama to stay interesting, but that wasn’t showing strategy, skill or even outsmarting your opponents. It was just mean and stealing. Also, my guess is they have wealthy parents and don’t really need the million. But they were fun to watch. Lexi and Trey were fine but seemed like two pretty privileged kids who haven’t ever really worked hard and don’t need the money either. I’m ready for an all stars! Or maybe put Jaymes and J on Big Brother!!
I haven’t liked the “twinnies” since they stole the money, so I was super happy to see them not even make the finals. I think if you went back and watched some of the more recent episodes, you’d see that a lot of what the twins did/said was really mean and catty. They actually made the show pretty unbearable at times with their screaming. Ah well, karma got them and I was able to go into the final hour pretty happy with whoever won, although I was rooting for Team Beekman or Team James/Jaymes. I enjoy a good underdog story, so I was pretty happy with the outcome. Thanks for the recaps all season! I do agree that James/Jaymes should definitely be on a future all star season!
Nice column! I hadn’t liked the “twinnies” for most of the season. They have been mean and shown a sense of “entitlement” throughout so I was so glad they were gone. I was a James and Jaymes fan too, and even though the Beekmans didn’t win any other leg but the $1 M, many of the other teams walked away with nice prizes. That’s what I like about this game – there is plenty of opportunity for other people to leave with decent prizes.
Agree with you about the twins, they just got meaner as the season went on.
To help out – in early 2010 there were high magnitude earthquakes in Chile. The Amazing Race had just visited there before it all happened and they mentioned it on the particular episode.
I was SO happy that Josh and Brent won the race.
Kim – it’s not “furas.” It’s furrows. You plow furrows – a long, narrow trench in the earth (for planting seeds).
I will also admit that I starting “not liking” the twinnies when they stole the money. I know this is a race, but I found that to be pretty dirty. And it would have eliminated the Rockers if they hadn’t been able to beg up enough cash to continue. But the twins definitely got worse as the shows went on and if I had to heard them say “The Gays” or “The Evil Gays” one more time, I would have slapped them both.
I found most teams treated their teammate better than previous seasons. Maybe it was because the tasks were so easy there wasn’t much to be stressed about – I don’t know.
I also was surprised by the final task. They have learned to take really good notes along the way, but who the heck writes down what was said to them at the end when most languages sound like, “aspodijawelfkj” to you. I get Lexi’s tears and probably would have been like that also. It wasn’t until that point that I really thought the goat farmers had a good chance. The tall guy knew a couple of languages and they are both pretty smart. Thinking of it as a puzzle instead of randomly trying flags was a much better plan. I think the twins could have really dominated this part if they had made the final because they seemed to speak several of the languages throughout the race – at least the most basic words which would probably include hello & goodbye.
Although they seemed to hang on by their fingernails almost every leg of the race, I wasn’t upset to see the goat farmers take the million. I was hoping for James & Jaymes, and I’d like to see them on an All-Star season . . . but I am o.k. with Josh & Brent. Good for them! I’m sure most people were surprised by the ending.
Oh – and I agree – when looking at some of the teams, I couldn’t even remember their faces!
Thanks for the great recaps – and I hope you are here next time 🙂
Kim, I totally enjoyed your work this season. I rejected the dark side of the local recapper to come toward the light of your wit. I’m already looking forward to next season. I bet you’re a blast at PTA!
Thanks so much for the comments! I really appreciate them. The idea of Jaymes and James on Big Brother….ah, it is genius. Another of my favorite shows and these two would be great in the house.
“Furrows”….that is good to know. Tells me the closed captioning screwed up yet again with “furas.” I should’ve know. Thanks for the info!
Chile! Thanks so much. That was the other disaster I was thinking of. I thought that we were at about 3 times that this has happened. Honestly, I only started watching the show probably in 2004 or 2005, so there may have even been times prior to that where this happened.
Thanks to everyone for reading! 🙂