September 23, 2005

Karen Heins

A close call

The premiere of The Amazing Race is next Tuesday, and Linda and I are planning quite the party. We're going to have very spicy Hungarian ghoulash and scrambled ostrich eggs on the buffet table and we're planning a rousing game of Pin the Turtleneck on Phil Keoghan!

As much as we're looking forward to the premiere, we've heard people complaining that from the previews the new season looks "Disneyfied" or like "watered-down family programming." Well I never like to assume such terrible things, especially about a program with such a history of quality as TAR. Let's just

wait and cast judgment until we see the premiere, ok all you naysayers?

On a different note, Linda and I watched the second episode of Survivor: Guatemala last night and boy was it a nail-biter! Lydia the fishmonger narrowly escaped getting voted off just because she was an older woman! There was some skinny little red-headed man who couldn't even climb the ladder in the reward challenge, and yet they wanted to vote off Lydia, and I don't like to say this about people, but I do think it has to do with prejudice against middle-aged people. Let's just keep the game fair, fellas, because Lydia is more than pulling her weight around camp and in the challenges.

That's one good aspect of TAR is that it is purely a performance-based competition. Sure you can save a spot in line for somebody at the airport, but ultimately it's about who makes better chances. I wonder whether Linda and I would have made it as far as we did if we were at the mercy of a bunch of cocky youngsters. Something to think about folks... My hopes are with you, Lydia. Keep on going, girlfriend!

Posted by Karen Heins in In with the new! on September 23, 2005 7:42 PM