The Amazing Race: All-Stars - Aired February 18

It was with some trepidation that I approached the All-Stars season of The Amazing Race. Would it be the abomination that Survivor: All-Stars and Big Brother: All-Stars were? Rob and Amber are participating, so that's not a good start (though to be fair, they are actually really good at this game, and very nearly won last time). The big thing working in favour of Amazing Racing skipping the All-Star curse is that it's a much different game, and it's never really been about alliances so any pre-season alliances made won't make much difference. The very nature of the show also makes it that much harder for the producers to tip it in favour of any particular contestants.
I didn't come to The Amazing Race until several seasons in, a mistake I now regret. However, the advantage to that is that I'm not familiar with some of the teams which helps alleviate one of the other problems of All-Star seasons - getting sick of seeing some of the faces. Realivision is once again firmly in the corner of the Beauty Queens, Dustin and Kandice, but with teams we don't know it's entirely possible we may end up endorsing another team before the end. I hope not, as it would be great to see an all-female team win, but that also depends on how far the Beauty Queens make it. Speaking of which, last season I kept referring to them as Team Miss America. To avoid confusion, I will use the same team name everyone else does. Beauty Queens, or BQs, it is.
It's nice to see some teams in action that I've only heard of, and some that I've never heard of (John Vito and Jill?) so it's a little like an All-Star season and brand new teams all in one.
One of the teams is very much brand spanking new. If you remember the Frat Boys from a couple of seasons back, one of them is back and dating half of another team from his season, Danielle. No, I couldn't remember who she was either. Her team went out fourth I believe, and she's likely here because she's dating Eric. I know! I'm surprised he's with a woman too! Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Not that anyone should care, but who am I familiar with this season? There are the aforementioned Beauty Queens, Romber, Eric, and even Danielle a little. Didn't her team dress in pink a lot? There is Kentucky (Mary and David), and the only winners invited back, Uchenna and Joyce. I wasn't watching the show yet, but I did see one episode with Charla and Mirna when they first appeared. It's possible that may have been to see how former Big Brother House Guest Alison was doing, but if I remember correctly, Mirna had somewhat of a crush on host Phil Keoghan. Oh Phil, I've missed you.
It was season six when I started watching The Amazing Race, and what a season to start. I was cheering on Lori and Bolo, but one of the greatest reality villains was born that year with Jonathan, of Jonathan and Victoria screaming at each other fame. How could I have missed out on five wonderful seasons of this?
That means coming into this I have no idea who Kevin and Drew, Oswald and Danny, John Vito and Jill, Teri and Ian, or Joe and Bill are. That's almost half the teams! Throw Danielle in, and it's 50/50.
One of the things you'd think would change this season is that people would learn more from the past. If a clue says "North Entrance", you really don't want to be trying out the South Entrance. "Oh, it might work!" NO IT WON'T! Some map reading skills would have been a good thing to pick up, and learning some of the different languages would be invaluable, though this first leg took them to a Spanish-speaking country, and every racer knows "Rapido!" by heart, and they all seem fond of repeating it over and over again.
We didn't see too much of Team Realivision... um, the BQs and that's a mixed blessing. On the one hand, they weren't likely to be eliminated. On the other, they're probably going to be in the middle of the pack for now. That's okay, they came in 6th and that's far better than last. Until there are only six teams, that is.
One moment they had on screen was interesting. Kentucky, or Mary in particular, seemed to like them even less now than when they were racing last. I'm only guessing here, but maybe she didn't like how they were against Team Alabama, Kentucky's fellow Back Pack alliance chums. Get over it, Mary. Kandice and Dustin were there to race, not participate in a box social spanning multiple continents.
It was a hoot to see Mary trying to play dirty by lying to the BQs about which airplane was the best to catch then immediately whispering to the team behind them, sending them scurrying off to another ticket counter. I didn't know you had it in you, Mary. This is the same woman who seemed to think that last season was The Amazing Stroll Through A Park Making Friends.
Ooooooh, I know I'm so going to piss off Mary and David fans before this is over. Hey, I enjoyed watching them try to change their game. I just don't want them to win, even though it's very unlikely they will. If they do though, good for them. Spunky Kentuckians, that's what they are. Spunky Kentuckians. It was cute watching them get all star-struck over Rob and Amber, and even a little over Mirna and Charla (who in turn were a little star-struck by them).
Airport shenanigans are one of the greatest things about The Amazing Race. You have to wonder though if there are ticket agents just for the players sometimes, because it seemed like the teams at the American Airlines counter were flanked by lines on both sides, yet there was one agent suspiciously unencumbered by work. But there's no way the producers have any pull at airports, eh, Joyce and Uchenna?
The Detour seemed a little too easy. The choice was anyway. Search a field for items that include a button, or cut some horse hooves and hair? Why Rob and Amber thought that the searching option might make more sense, well, it makes no sense. Not one other team thought it was a good idea, and it wasn't. Every one of them became equine estheticians. So the Detour was easy. Finding it, not so much.
What this leg came down to was being able to find the North Entrance of that whatever-it-was park in a timely manner. Many teams were unable to do this, John Vito and Jill least of all. I really wouldn't have put money on them being last. Kentucky, sure. Charla and Mirna, maybe. With a painful fall suffered by one of the bald men (I can't tell them apart yet), Kevin and Drew seemed the best bet. But all it takes to lose the Race is one wrong turn, one piece of bad luck. Heck, John Vito and Jill were so lost, a team with a blown tire were able to beat them.
There isn't too much to talk about yet. A lot of people running and one challenge. The drama will come soon enough.
Let the anger go, Mary. Just let it go.