Saving The Amazing Race

The forbidden question was on everybody’s tongue on a warm Thursday night: was this truly the end? At the Q Lounge in New York City, I attended TARCon, a gathering for the finale of The Amazing Race thrown by posters from Television Without Pity. We hobnobbed with Racers past and met those who ran in the latest season - from Debra & Steve Carmody, the married couple who were the first to fall, to Reichen Lehmkuhl & Chip Arndt, the winners of $1 million. That’s me with them in the photo. Is it bad that I still don’t know which one is which? I have the same problem with the Clowns and the Supremes/Falconettes. But the morning after, we fans woke up to two sobering facts:

1. The season finale was beaten in the rating by repeats of Friends and Scrubs.
2. The show was still “on the bubble” in terms of a fifth season.

It’s a depressing thought. In the ever-expanding, ever-mutating reality genre, few shows carve a niche for themselves. The Real World is still the senior representative, allowing viewers to become voyeurs in the lives of the young and the sexy. Big Brother is summer’s guilty pleasure. American Idol is the show of choice of the young - a supersized Star Search for a new generation. (And even Star Search itself tried to get in on the act. - Assistant Editor) Survivor is the main event - the show most synonymous with reality television. And The Amazing Race? In my opinion, it’s the best damn genre show, period.

What makes The Amazing Race stand out among the others? I’ll try to list a few reasons:

1. The opening credits. Who needs the “Island Voices” of Survivor when you got a tune as adrenaline fueling as the show itself? And you get an occasional insight into a team’s mind as well. Bill & Joe (aka Team Guido) clink champagne glasses, pastors Cyndi & Russell pose in front of their church, Ken trips his shorter brother Gerard, Blake & Paige flash their megawatt smiles in front of their barn with the Texas flag painted on it, and so on.
2. Two words: Phil Keoghan. After finishing runner-up to Jeff Probst for the Survivor gig, Phil ended up going around the world four times over. I say he got the better deal. Phil provides the exposition, as well as greeting the incoming teams… and occasionally trying to scare them. Remember when he paused for so long that Ken & Gerard cracked up, thinking they were out? Sometimes Phil risks his neck - getting bear-hugged by Steve & Dave, almost run over by Jon & Al, and picked up by Chris after he & Alex won the second Race. The only host that ever came close to Phil was Anderson Cooper on The Mole. Sadly, Anderson left for CNN, leaving Phil as the best host around. Anybody who brings up Jeff, Julie Chen, Ryan Seacrest, or anybody else just doesn’t know any better.
3. The Fast Forward - the great equalizer. Are you running far behind? Did your partner hurt himself? Well, you can compete for a chance to skip all other tasks and go directly to the Pit Stop. The catch? Only one Fast Forward awarded per leg, and teams can only use it once. Sometimes it’s as simple as downing a meat pie or picking up a certain tea. Other times, you’re strapped to a whirling windmill or made to rescue a drowning victim in a simulated lifeguard situation. Sometimes two teams go at the same time, looking to leave each other in the dust. Remember Team Guido beating Nancy & Emily in the Thailand coin game? Or how Teri & Ian found the correct rug before John Vito & Jill in Marrakech?
4. Something I like to call the Big Guy/Little Guy factor. In almost every Race, two guys capture our hearts. First, there was Drew & Kevin: both New Yorkers, both fraternity brothers, both bald. In eleven legs, they bickered, moaned, and kicked some serious butt from New York to Beijing. They became the first folk heroes of the show. Next, there came Oswald & Danny, dubbed “Team Cha-Cha-Cha” by Chris. Their easygoing natures morphed into a sort of racing Zen that served them well. Last season, opposite brothers Ken (gay, tall, and liberal) & Gerard (straight, short, and conservative) kibitzed from start to finish, poking each other playfully as other teams underestimated them.
5. The locales. Contestants stay in one place on Survivor and Big Brother. But on Race, contestants must be prepared for anything. If it’s Tuesday, it must be Rio. Or Tunisia. You can meet Bollywood dancers today and German puppet Kasperle tomorrow. The show has hit six continents in four seasons, taking viewers along for the ride.
6. The grand finale. Most shows have a final vote and a reunion. Not this show. As you run towards the finish line, you see Phil standing on a deluxe mat. All the people you’ve outraced cheer you on, egging you towards the end. This is the ultimate finish. Even if you come in third, you can take solace in finishing strong after traveling hundreds of thousands of miles. You traveled the world. You saw things you never would’ve imagined seeing. You’re surrounded by all your friends. And now, you can finally stop racing and celebrate.

I’d write more reasons, but I want to keep this brief. CBS has recently renewed Big Brother, and Survivor will air as long as the ratings hold and as Mark Burnett wishes to put it out. The Amazing Race has no such guarantee. The only other show of quality that was ever in trouble was The Mole. ABC “fixed” it, and now only celebrities appear on it. I’m not ready to watch another kickass show like Race go down the path to ruin. And neither should you.

Can one person make a difference? Probably not. Can hundreds of people make a difference? Yes. I don’t care if you got hooked in the first episode or the last. I don’t care if you love to love the players, or just love to hate them. You can make the difference.

On this page, you will find addresses for Les Moonves, the chairman of CBS, as well as others in the network hierarchy. Write about how much you like the show. Mention TARCon if you went there. Keep it short and civil. Also, write to the sponsors and let them know you appreciate their support for the show. If the sponsors are placated, that could push CBS into slating the show in the near future. Finally, drop a line to Bertram van Munster, the show’s co-producer. Tell him that you appreciate the show and hope there will be more on the way.

What if you’ve never watched the show before? I won’t browbeat you. There’s plenty of good stuff on television, and you slipped. Happened to me during the first season. It took the online buzz to get me hooked on the second season. If you know some fans, ask if they recorded any episodes. While there have been ongoing storylines (estranged couple Frank & Margarita reconciling their differences, the Alex/Tara flirtation, Flo’s increasing screechiness), the episodes are mostly self-contained. Recently, an online friend lent me her tapes of the first season. Let me tell you, the legends of Racers like Team Guido and the Frats were well founded. The effort to extend the show’s future is done for your benefit. Once you’re hooked, you join the most hardcore fan base in reality television today.

What are you waiting for? Let CBS know what’s on our minds: “Keep ‘em racing!”

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