The Amazing Race 10: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Episode 3: Ebony and Ivory

Not much to talk about this week, really. I have to say that I enjoy most of these teams, even the ones I haven’t talked much about, like Zoolander. They did a very good job of making personalities this season, and the race is better for it.

The Good:

Side By Side on My Piano Keyboard: Jenn mentioned this at the end of her recap, but one of the best aspects of the race (and yes, it’s a cliché, but it’s appropriate) is how it brings such diverse people together. Mary & David – and I’m wondering if they came from the same area as the My Name is Earl folks – are the most obvious examples. Mary talked about how she’s never even met a gay person before, and there she was at the end of the episode, cheering Tom & Terry like a long-time friends.

Dublyn are the same way. They knew Mary had a bum ankle, and tried to help. Keep in mind that they had no idea what place they were in, except that they were in the back end of the pack. It didn’t matter, they offered to help. David & Mary, knowing that the race might have been on the line, told them to go ahead, which was also a fine example of humanity – they wouldn’t take the help, knowing that it might cost Dublyn.

Yes, it’s all poor racing strategy, but it’s nice moments like these which make the race different than just about all the other reality shows.

The Brothers Great: How impressive were Erwin and Godwin this week? From next to last to first, and it was all because of good racing. Add to it the fact that they seem to understand the concept of having fun and enjoying themselves, not to mention the Chip & Kim moment in the Hanoi Hilton, and they’ve quickly become favorites.

Keep Your Hands Off of My Stack: It really didn’t come into play, thanks to a very generous cab driver, but not giving them any money on this leg was a wonderful little twist. It should serve as an example to some shows that you don’t have to be shocking and controversial to be entertaining. I also figured someone would beg for money and get a penalty, but it wasn’t really highlighted as a rule (see below).

Flowery: With the interesting flower-selling challenge, it reminded me of when I lived in Memphis. See, in the Overton Square area of midtown Memphis, there was this weird girl (and she was the type where you couldn't say WHY she was weird, there was just something... OFF... with the way she looked) who would sell flowers. The unusual part is that she would enter the restaurant or whatever and seductively (or at least what was supposed to be seductive) dance around to each of the tables presenting her flowers like some demented Barker's Beauty. I would almost always be out to dinner with my platonic female best friend (no, I wasn't gay, but at the time I might as well have been) and it was all she could do not to laugh in this woman's face every time she sashayed toward us.

The punchline to this story, such as it is, came when I was at a nightclub with my brother on the complete other end of town, and saw the flower woman, with her flowers, taking a short break. I figured "what the hell," and went up to her and asked her what she was doing in Bartlett. The part of the conversation I remember was her saying that she thought it was odd that I never bought flowers for my girlfriend. I laughed, mentioned that she wasn't my girlfriend, and for a split second I considered hitting on the flower lady. But I just couldn't. Seriously, how freaky would that be?

The Bad:

The Birdcage: Another cliché: one bad turn, literally, can cost you the race, and Duke & Lauren proved it. I loved how Duke kept trying to convince Lauren (and probably himself) that their bad luck was actually good luck. I might have believed it myself if not for the parade of teams checking in. From the darkness of the sky during check-in, it doesn’t look like it was even close. Phil even drew it out enough that I had hopes of a non-elimination leg.

This doesn’t really belong in the bad, but it’s a personal rule, when teams I like are eliminated, that’s where they go. In any case, judging from Duke’s interviews, I don’t think he’ll ever think of Lauren as his daughter, rather, “my lesbian daughter.” Hopefully, he’s learned that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Duke seems like a great guy, and people on the race definitely loved him (the same happened with Jonathan, but work with me here!). Sometimes life-long opinions can be hard to shake.

Peter, Peter: I received quite a bit of email (and thanks for that, especially the ones who were worried when I didn’t show up for week one) thanking me for being one of the few online columnists to bash Peter & Sarah. Here I worried that I’d be assaulted for picking on the poor one-legged girl, people are seeing past her handicap (a fact which theoretically should thrill her) and noticing what an ass Peter is. The girl can barely walk and he’s scolding her like a child for being too slow. Compare this to David, who all but carried Mary through the rice paddy. Maybe Peter is a fine leg-maker, but he’s no therapist. I was hoping that the bus fiasco would cost them, but alas.

The Ugly:

Hog Wild: You know every time Phil quotes a rule, it means someone is going to break that rule. Sure enough, Tom & Terry broke it and were penalized. I don’t know if it was more heart-wrenching for them waiting that half-hour or for me waiting to see if Duke & Lauren would beat them out.

McCain: Was I the only one a little bit creeped out that John McCain’s flight suit was on display in the Hanoi Hilton? It’s not like we’re talking the Smithsonian here, this was one of the more brutal prison camps in history. It’s fine to have tours and whatnot, but saying, “Hey, this is the suit of the guy we held for five years” seems wrong.

Mike DeGeorge is an Accountant from St. Louis and is also Associate Editor for RealityNewsOnline. You can reach Mike at rno.mike@gmail.com.

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