Amazing Race Teams: A Closer Analysis

With less than a few weeks before The Amazing Race kicks off on its hour and half premiere on July 6th, now is as good a time as ever to delve into the new teams and see their abilities and how their inter-relationships will help or hinder them during the race. If you haven’t already, you may want to check out Phil Kural’s article on the backgrounds of all the teams first. If you don’t, well, then I just can’t be held responsible for your blank stares of confusion.

Alison and Donny (Dating) are two people that I am a bit uncomfortable with. As you might know, Alison was runner-up on the previous season of Big Brother, while Donny is described as someone she has “dated on and off.” The reason they decided to race is to see if they should even bother trying to work out their differences discussed on Big Brother. Well, we all know how well this will turn out, don’t we? Alison admits that she and Donny have feuded and actually hurt each other in the past. Though now she claims that she “wouldn’t ever want to hurt him again,” something tells me she will. Also the fact that they were “on and off” daters shows that maybe they will not be the best teammates in the world. Donny describes himself as “attractive and outgoing” which may hint at a little arrogance (then again, who knows? You might actually find him attractive and outgoing). I suspect that this team will have a lot of internal fighting which will ultimately affect their race negatively. The chances that they will get along with other groups, let alone each other, is most likely slim to none. Supposed Place: 9th

Bob and Joyce (Internet Dating Couple) are two interesting characters. They claim that they chose to participate in the race because they want to “show that... a couple of age 50+ widowers can win this contest and beat a bunch of younger teams.” Yeah, we’ve all heard that before. They are both described as being physically fit and full of energy to take on any new and exciting challenge. Even though I tend to be biased against older teams, I happen to have high hopes for this one. Since they are both described as physically fit and able-bodied, something tells me that a lot of the physical challenges won’t prove to be a problem. Also, the fact that they love new challenges shows me that they may not be afraid to take the daredevil choices on some roadblocks, an obvious plus. From the basic description of the two, I cannot imagine that either would fight or aimlessly bicker with the other. They seem genuinely friendly and most likely would be able to work well with the other teams. I expect to see good things from this team. Supposed Place: 5th

Brandon and Nicole (Dating) are so far the third dating couple of the show. What is this?! They both consider themselves to be very religious and claim that their relationship is “God-centered,” whatever that may mean. They state that their main motivation for racing is for the $1,000,000 jackpot, but also to strengthen their relationship. Well, news flash guys: reality shows don’t normally strengthen relationships (sans Boston Rahb and Ambuh). Now, although many of you might be saying, “They are just two dumb models, they’ll never make it,” don’t judge so quickly. Brandon is a college graduate and do you remember Survivor: Amazon when the swimsuit model took first? Do I think they’ll make it? Well, Brandon seems to be quite a traveler so he might be good with maps, while Nicole surely has a lot of self-confidence. Internally I don’t really expect too much fighting, though some will probably be reasonable for this team. As far as getting along with the other teams, it’s a toss up. Some teams might already be biased against two models. Also, not much of their personality is revealed, as models are stereotyped as being a bit snobby. Only time will tell. Supposed Place: 4th

Charla and Mirna (Cousins) are another very interesting pair. Both were born in the same hospital in Syria (though a month apart) and emigrated to the US a little bit later. They both speak a variety of languages (including Armenian, Turkish, French, Spanish, and English) and are both extensive travelers. Charla, who is a dwarf, “wants to show the world what [she] can do and break all stereotypes about dwarfs.” I hope she succeeds. Mirna describes herself as often “bossy and controlling.” However, she also seems to be a rather in-shape athlete. This team seems to have great potential. Just the fact that they are fluent in five languages and have a load of travel experience under their belts puts them way ahead in the polls. They are obviously close, as cousins often are, and will most likely have a strong team dynamic. Since they are both so different yet similar, I think their pasts will work in their favor, where if one person can’t figure something out, the other will be able to. I believe that they will both be able to deal with the other teams fairly well and move along far in the race. In other words, I see this team going far. Supposed Place: 2nd

Chip and Kim (Married Parents) have been together for over 25 years. Although Kim initially rejected Chip, she finally gave in once she saw him behind the wheel of a royal blue 280Z sports car (*cough* superficial *cough*). Although I don’t claim to posses the powers of ESP or any of that, I am getting a bad omen from this team. The old expression of the two of them “bickering like an old married couple” I feel will be said at some point during the race. Also, I do not think that either will work very well together with opposing teams. Both seem a tad arrogant and superficial, so I’m just getting this very bad vibe. The only positive thing I can say about them in my initial thoughts here is that in their profile, Chip claims the two of them look like amazing athletes. Well, if they perform as well as they look, then they may stand a good chance in many of the physical challenges. If not, I just can’t see this team getting far. Supposed Place: 10th

Colin and Christie (Dating) are the fourth out of eleven teams who are dating! This is turning more and more into Love Boat. Both describe themselves as being “in-your-face” people with strong personalities. Their main motivation for going on The Amazing Race is to test to see if the two of them are meant to be married. If the two of them make it to the race together, Colin claims he’ll ask for Christie’s hand (and most likely the rest of her body) in marriage. Awwwwwwww, how disgustingly adorable. This is the sort of team that one can go both ways on. Christie is obviously an intelligent person, while Colin seems to be the stronger, personality-wise, of the two. From this point it seems as if the two of them will not play nicely with the other teams, and will most likely ended up irritating each other. As I’ve said before, I don’t really see a reality show as being a good testing grounds for a relationship. Personally, I think a good game of soccer will do the trick. Once again, this is the type of team that I think we’ll have to wait and see if they will go far or down in flames. As for now, I’ll guess that they’ll end up somewhere in the middle. Supposed Place: 7th