"Strategy" on the Amazing Race

I've made it clear I'm no fan of Rob and Amber from Survivor. I wasn't happy to hear they'd be on AR this season, but so far it's at least made things interesting. Last night, however, kicked it up a whole new level.

The thing that sets AR apart from other reality shows is that there is typically little opportunity for strategizing or scheming. You do your best to travel quickly, complete the tasks, and hope someone else messes up along the way. Last night, however, Rob found a way to actually strategize the race. He figured out that it would be better for his team to take a four hour penalty than to complete a task. THEN he convinced TWO other teams to do the same!

Kudos to him for thinking of it, but it still just sits wrong with me. Any time you can get an advantage by NOT completing a task, it's a poorly designed task. I hate the Fear Factor-style food eating challenges anyway and would love to see them gone next season. This may just do the trick. At the very least, I hope they change the rules or alter the challenges in a way that you must complete them. Giving up is NOT part of the race!

Posted by tivogirl at 1:07 PM