The Amazing Race 13: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, the Finale – The Best Possible Outcome
by David Bloomberg
-- 12/10/2008
The finale of The Amazing Race 13 had moments across the board – from the very good to the rather ugly, sometimes involving the same team. But why does David think this season ended in the best way possible as things were definitely looking up for Nick (right)?
The 13th edition of The Amazing Race came to an end in what I would definitely have to classify as a good way. Indeed, because I want to end things on a good note, we’ll go in reverse order this week. Unfortunately, that means beginning on an ugly note, but hey, it has to go somewhere.
The Ugly
Tina returned to this category for one final time in the last leg. While she certainly was not as bad as some we saw, watching her made me uncomfortable when I was really trying to just enjoy the finale. She yelled at Ken to be quiet when he was encouraging her at the High & Dry Detour. Then, just like last week (when she was fussing over a jacket), this time she was messing with her helmet when she really just needed to get on with the task. Instead, she focused her anger on Ken, even accusing him of yelling at her when he really wasn’t.
Then Tina continued that sniping at Ken throughout much of the leg, including while they were trying to find the photos from previous legs and then when they were looking for the green dinosaur near the Portland Building. Watching it all happening, I have to say that I didn’t think things looked good for their future relationship.
The Bad
And speaking of Ken & Tina, why did they choose the High & Dry Detour if Tina is scared of heights?! While she did overcome it, she kept using that as an excuse for taking longer. Why not just avoid the problem and go with Low & Wet?
Moving on to the third-place team, how bad was it that Dan & Andrew couldn’t even get an English-speaking cabbie who knew where he was going in the U.S.?! And then even when they got the right directions, the cabbie didn’t listen, wasting more time! Still later, he was apparently afraid of actually going the speed limit. They were doomed.
The Good
But to be honest, I have to admit that I was happy Dan & Andrew were doomed – and essentially disappeared from the episode. I mean, it’s not that I wanted them to finish last here, but considering their prior performance, it would have been upsetting to see them come in first. Getting them out of the way early made it a much more comfortable and enjoyable finish.
Another good aspect of this leg of the race were the clues asking questions from previous legs. This is the only time that the previous legs of the race come into play, and teams have to use a bit of brain power.
Just so you don’t think I’m leaving this season with a horrible opinion of Ken & Tina, their story ended on a very good note with Ken “proposing” that he and Tina put their wedding rings back on. It seemed a little contrived, but hey, what the heck! I immediately began to wonder if they managed to still keep it together after the race, as I don’t see the race as good marriage counseling (especially with the way Tina sometimes acted), and we got our answer when Teeuwynn interviewed the couple. I’m glad to hear they are indeed back together again!
Of course, the best news of all was Nick & Starr winning. They were definitely the best all along the race. And they probably got along better than any other team. It would have been a crying shame if something had gone wrong and they hadn’t won. So congratulations to Nick & Starr!
David Bloomberg is the Editor of RealityNewsOnline and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.
and 
and you can also 
And check out 
