The Amazing Race 5, Episode 8 MVPs and LVPs: The Article that Wrote Itself

Usually, there’s some question about which players raced a First Class leg of the race and which ones belonged in Cargo Class. But this time around, as I was watching The Amazing Race, all I could think was, “Wow, the players are really making it easy for me this time.” So without further ado, let’s pass out the awards to some very deserving players.

First let’s start out with the negative. Colin really went the extra mile this week to secure his Cargo Class award. He started out grumpy and nasty from the beginning. When he and Christie went to get that first fateful cab ride to the airport, Colin was immediately surly about the price of the ride. Then, the cab had a flat tire and no spare – the driver was driving on a doughnut. Would you have been mad and frustrated? I’ll admit, I would have been. But I can’t imagine reacting with the temper tantrum that Colin threw. Karli and Kami were nice enough to stop to see what Chip and Christie needed. Colin responded to these good Samaritans by demanding – not asking – them to give him their spare tire.

When the cab finally made it to the airport, the fireworks really began. Colin told the driver that because of the tire situation, he would not pay him the $100 they agreed on, just $50. He could take the $50 or nothing. The cab driver insisted on full payment, and the argument escalated. Eventually, the driver got the police involved. Colin still didn’t back down, and agreed to go to the police station to settle things. The arguing – and Colin’s rudeness – continued. Christie pleaded with Colin to just let it go and pay the money, but he had more fighting to do. Finally, he gave in and paid the money – but threw it at the driver rather than handing it to him.

Through out the entire ordeal, Colin was rude and belligerent to the cab driver, the police officer, and to his partner Christie. Colin was so caught up in being right and winning the argument that he seemed to forget one important detail: he was in a race, and he had a plane to catch. That extra fifty bucks would have been meaningless if Colin had missed his charter flight due to being in jail or waiting for a judge’s settlement. And the thing that really blew my mind was that after Colin behaved so rudely and treated Christie so dismissively, she ended up apologizing to him. I can only hope that Christie is at home in Texas watching the show every week thinking, “What a jerk. I can’t believe I used to date him.

Not only was Colin a shoo-in for Cargo Class this week, but he also has a spot reserved for him in the Reality TV Hall of Shame.

Before I award the First Class Award, I have a few thoughts on Nicole. She was concerned about how much Brandon was tipping the drivers, and about hanging on to as much money as possible. She was especially unhappy when Brandon, not having any small bills, let the driver keep the change from a $20 bill. Chip said she needed to do some growing up. I think it’s important to put Nicole’s actions in context. Last week, she and Brandon ran into all kinds of problems with locals who gouged them out of every penny possible for that bus ride. This week, she was understandably a little gun-shy. I can understand where she was coming from.

Chip and Kim, turned in a completely First Class performance this week. In just about every instance, Chip and Kim’s behavior was the opposite of Colin’s. The two of them were the first to catch a cab to the airport, and Chip cheerfully asked the drivers how much the fare would be. One offered $150, and when another said he’d do it for just $100, Chip took the better deal, but cheerfully thanked the first driver anyway. At the airport, Chip gave the driver a generous tip, figuring that what would be a trivial amount of money for him and Kim might mean a lot to one of these drivers. Kim was worried that Chip’s generosity would cause them problems, and she was right – they didn’t have enough money to pay their last cab driver. Did Kim attack Chip for being short-sighted? Indeed, she did not – she let him work out how to solve the problem. And Chip solved the problem by being Chip. He was friendly and apologetic to the driver and ended up getting a hug for his troubles. Chip said that his philosophy is that when you put good things out into the world, you get them back. In this case, he was definitely right, and we actually saw it pay off for him. When you travel First Class, you’ll be treated in a First Class manner.

On the next episode of The Amazing Race, two teams will be starting off at a financial disadvantage. Chip and Kim will only have the amount of money allocated for this leg of the race, and Karli and Kami were stripped of their cash and will receive no money for this leg of the race. Will it make a difference? Which team will handle it better? We’ll find out soon!

Betsy is the Associate Editor of RealityNewsOnline. She can be reached with any comments at betsyw42@hotmail.com.