The Amazing Race 10: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, Episode 11: Of All the Gin Joints...

What an uninspired episode! Race, equalizer, task, race, equalizer, task, Pit Stop. No drama whatsoever even about who would be eliminated – checking in Rob & Kimberly so quickly killed that. I hate to be so negative about what has become my favorite reality show, but it’s almost a chore to watch anymore.

The Good:

We’ll Always Have Paris: Umm… hmm. Let’s see. I’ve been racking my brain to come up with something to put here and I just can’t come up with anything. The closest thing I can think of is the Blondes’ good attitude when they thought they were Philiminated.

The Bad:

I Never Make Plans that Far Ahead: In early seasons, one of the highlights of the race was the intricate and masterful manner the logistics of the race were handled. Recently, not so much. As I mentioned above, there seemed to be no separation, much less opportunity for separation.

The most egregious example of this is, of course, the Yield. What idiot decided to put the Yield inside a destination with limited hours? Don’t get me wrong, I was absolutely not upset about Bitch & Moan getting Yielded – on the contrary, I enjoyed it. But getting to a destination first should mean you get an advantage. Whether they should have drawn numbers, put the Yield somewhere else, whatever. I always hate when this race, which should be run on intelligence and navigation, is turned on a footrace.

I Came to Casablanca for the Water… I Was Misinformed: How, on Humphrey Bogart’s sneer, could you pass through the setting of arguably the greatest movie ever made and not even mention it, much less not build a task around it!

I would be afraid to ever go to Casablanca. I’d be quoting the movie so much I’d probably get beaten regularly.

Do You Like Gladiator Movies?: Anyone who reads me regularly knows that I HATE false advertising in promos. My theory is, if you actually had a decent show to begin with, you wouldn’t need to create fake excitement.

I’m talking about the “wreck” of the chariot that was actually a stunt driver in a scene taken from the movie. I have no problem in showing the wreck in the episode as they did, since it was a stunt, but to make people think that an actual contestant might have gotten hurt in an accident in a desperate attempt to snag a couple of viewers is just despicable.

The Ugly:

They’re the Only Cause They’re Interested In: Anyone who tried to convince me that Bitch & Moan aren’t hypocrites can email to apologize any time now. Honestly, it seems like every season we writers complain about a team that can’t accept the fact that it’s a game. But Bitch & Moan raised complaining about the Yield to new levels. And when you can complain more than the Weavers, that’s saying something.

To review – Bitch & Moan were happy to hear about the Yield because they were in first place, and they knew they were going to be able to Yield the Blondes. Then, when they themselves are Yielded, they complain not about the circumstances (which I would have supported them on) but that the Blondes are “evil” and playing dirty. How would it have been OK for them to use the Yield on the Blondes, but not to have it used on them? Finally, the ultimate act of disrespect, childishness, and plain poor sportsmanship, one of Bitch & Moan actually flipped off one of the Blondes while waiting on the Yield mat. I wonder if she was proud to show that episode to her kids.

Not that I’m letting the Blondes off the hook. I’m not convinced that they actually needed to Yield Bitch & Moan in the first place. It was probably a good idea, since everyone was so close together, but it seems to me that it was done more out of spite than anything. I’m actually more disappointed in the models for not Yielding the blondes, especially since they’ve spent the last few episodes complaining about being beaten by them so often.

But my biggest cause for disappointment comes with Rob & Kimberly’s flat tire. I don’t want to sound all mother hen, but I know from experience that a flat tire can be a dangerous situation. But Dustin & Kandice just sat there giggling while Rob & Kimberly risked a wipeout. What possible advantage did it give them to wait until the tire actually went flat? Rob still would have had trouble changing it and it would have cost them the same amount of time. In other words, they risked Rob & Kimberly’s lives for no good reason. I don’t see why this isn’t a bigger deal when Rob & Amber got roasted over the coals for not stopping for an accident in their season.

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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