The Amazing 10, Episode 1 Preview

This season has already been touted as the most diverse race yet. We have an Indian-American team, an Asian-American team, a Muslim team, and an out lesbian. That’s a lot of firsts for one season.

But not everything will be different this time around. The basic format of the race is the same - teams of two who work together on various tasks around the world in an attempt to avoid elimination and ultimately win a million dollars. There is still the normal mix of teams: the dating couples, the married couples, the siblings, the friends. There are still strong teams and weak teams, smart teams and not-so-smart teams, teams who are underestimated and teams who are overestimated. And this point there’s no way to know who will win the million dollars, but first impressions of the teams can be indicative of what to expect later in the race. So here are mine, in no particular order:

Duke & Lauren: This father and daughter haven’t spent much time together lately, since Duke didn’t respond well when Lauren announced that she’s gay. But apparently they’ve smoothed things over enough to communicate well and enjoy the race together. Duke is the oldest contestant this season, but he’s going to be a major force to contend with.

David & Mary: Mary & David are mostly sweet, but watch out when things get tough: Mary will come out swinging. She looks like a sweet little housewife, but she has a lot of fight in her. They’re pretty consistent racers.

Karlyn & Lyn: Lyn & Karlyn are the only racers who get on my nerves a little towards the beginning. They already have a team they don’t like, which may make them the Charla & Mirna or Alex & Lynn of the season. As for their racing, they may not do well on physical tasks, but the rest of the components of the race seem to be a piece of cake for them.

Erwin & Godwin: These brothers are strong and smart, but that’s not all the race is about - there’s also an element of luck. Unfortunately, they don’t have a whole lot of it. But fortunately, they’re in pretty good spirits anyway.

Kandice & Dustin: It’s incredibly difficult to tell these blonds apart, especially since they like to dress alike. Let’s hope they stop that. Dustin & Kandice look like dumb blonds, but there’s more to them than that. They know what they need to do to stay ahead and they try their hardest.

Vipul & Arti: These two are a really sweet couple (think Jon & Kris from season 6) and I like them pretty much immediately. They have nothing but nice things to say about each other, which I always like to hear. Unfortunately, they’re another team with a run of bad luck.

James & Tyler: James & Tyler first appear to be just another pair of models, but they’re actually much more than that - they met in recovery while battling drug addictions. They’re good racers and really know what they’re doing. If you’re worried that they’ll be like last season’s Eric & Jeremy, don’t be.

Kellie & Jamie: Between Jamie & Kellie, there may not be a lot of brains. But they do have a good sense of humor to make up for it. They’re both very friendly and take to meeting the other racers quickly. Like Kandice & Dustin, they work hard and stay focused on the task at hand.

Tom & Terry: Terry & Tom aren’t highlighted a great deal in the first episode, so it’s hard to see a lot of their personality. They seem like amiable guys, but they make it clear that they’re here for the competition, not the relationships they might form with other people. Whether that will hurt or harm them remains to be seen.

Sa’eed & Bilal: Bilal & Sa’eeed are nice guys and all of the other teams have nothing but good things to say about them. They’re devout Muslims, which means that no matter where they are, when it’s time to pray, it’s time to pray. This might not be a good thing in a race where minutes can matter. But it’s definitely nice to see a team who has that kind of depth.

Sarah & Peter: Peter & Sarah were originally touted as friends, but they’ve actually been dating for a little while, too. They obviously respect and trust each other, having trained for the Ironman together, which means that they know each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Peter comes across as a little intense, so let’s hope he doesn’t turn out to be as intense as Colin. Sarah’s prosthetic leg becomes a point of contention with some other racers who think she might be using it to her advantage. But Sarah is athletic enough to take care of herself when the time comes.

Kimberly & Rob: Rob says that Kimberly is controlling and he can’t be controlled. However, to me, it looks like Rob is really the person in control (or at least he thinks he is). I’m just counting the minutes until this team self-destructs. It remains to be seen how athletic they are and how far they’ll be able to get.

Phil warns the teams early on that there will be some surprises on the race, and he’s not kidding. The first surprise shows up on the first leg, and no one sees it coming (though one racer guesses it without even realizing it). I can’t tell you what the surprise is, of course, but it’ll keep the racers on their toes for the reason of the adventure.

As for the tasks, they aren’t much different from what teams have done in the past. There is a Roadblock on the first leg, which is rare, and it involves, food, unfortunately. The Detour offers a choice between a task that is physical but not necessarily time-consuming and a task that is less physical but possibly more time-consuming. Both require accuracy and attention to detail.

One rarity, however, is that teams must complete a very physical task in order to reach the Pit Stop. This means that teams who get to the location of the Pit Stop first won’t necessarily get to the mat first. Instead of a footrace to the mat, which is what we usually see, we see a different kind of struggle. It’s a good determination of who is physically fit and who will have more trouble with those kinds of activities.

The tenth season of The Amazing Race premieres Sunday, September 16th at 8:30 EST with an hour-and-a-half-long episode. There will be plenty of action and tension, as well as a lot of likeable teams and some unexpected twists. Don’t miss it!

If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent Amazing Race 9 articles:

Jenn Brasler is an Assistant Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, Virginia. By day she works for a court reporting firm, and by night she’s a spy for a covert branch of the CIA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. She’s happy there are so many likeable racers… at least right now…

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