The Amazing Race 17: Introductions
By Daron Aldridge
September 21, 2010
BoxOfficeProphets.com
I reserve the right to change my team assessment upon actually seeing them in action on the race, as well as adjusting my team nicknames for them based upon how they turn out. Enjoy these purely unscientific predictions. Amazing Race viewers ready…GO!!
Names: Andie and Jenna
My Nickname: Perfect Strangers
Biological mom Andie gave up daughter Jenna for adoption in her early 20s but now has a family with ten kids, ranging from 18 months to 18 years. After doing the math (oldest child at home is only three years younger than Jenna), it seems strange that reading that Andie’s assertion for deciding to proceed with adoption because she was “choosing life when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.” Even if daredevil Jenna didn’t speak so highly and lovingly of her adoptive parents, then there might have been tension as soon as she did the math also. As racers, they may appear to have a lack of fear when it comes to frightening tasks (especially thrill-seeking enthusiast Jenna), but my gut says they will be a nonfactor and be out at ninth place.
Names: Brook and Claire
My Nickname: Team HSN
Well-traveled home shopping TV hosts and best friends Brook and Claire are next. Despite being besties and former co-workers, this team will likely butt heads…a lot. Consider that Brook describes Claire as “really bossy and gets easily offended when I don’t listen to her advice.” Sounds like drama just waiting to happen. More than likely you have seen the wincingly wonderful preview for this season with a contestant taking a watermelon to the face during a Roadblock. Well, this is that team and Brook supportively tells melon-assault victim/teammate Claire, “You have to finish.” Probably not the best timing to avoid a fight but entertaining for me, the viewer. I kinda hope they stick around but I give them nothing higher than a middle of the pack or sixth place finish.
Names: Chad and Stephanie
My Nickname: Beauty & the Beast
The Amazing Race producers need to cast a wider net since here is the first of the aforementioned beauty pageant contestants with Stephanie having competed in Miss USA 2008. I am pegging this dating couple from Florida as the most potentially explosive, a la the verbally abusive Jonathon of Jonathon and Victoria or nearly arrested in an African country Collin of Collin and Christy. When both teammates state the biggest challenge will be communication and Stephanie adds Chad’s temper and brashness, the producers are angling for Emmy-bait drama. While they undoubtedly love discovering teams that bicker, it never settles with me when it is a dating/married couple and the male is so aggressive. It just has uneasiness to it. This may not be the case with Chad (and I hope I’m wrong), but historically, I will not like this team, so I am predicting/wishing for an 11th place finish.
Names: Connor and Jonathan
My Nickname: Team Glee
Here is a team that rivals the circus clowns or hippies from several seasons ago for the most unique descriptor – Ivy League a cappella singers. I didn’t know there was such a niche for the show-tune loving and Yanni-worshipping sect, but I guess I was wrong. Connor and Jonathan clearly got the "class clown" casting slot covered but reading about them, it feels like they are trying way too hard to be funny/geeky/goofy, mainly Jonathon. For example, he included some jokey answer to EVERY single question on the bio unless Jonathan really does hold Kenny G in the same high regard as his parents and Mother Theresa. Hopefully, it will not be so overt during the race itself because I can see it wearing on my nerves. Let’s give them seventh place, which is one slot up from Zev and Justin last fall.
Names: Gary and Mallory
My Nickname: TBD (because there isn’t anything in their bios that jumps out to me.)
Now for our second pageant contestant, I give you Miss Kentucky 2009, the fourth runner up to Miss America. Here is the team that seems very reminiscent of last season’s Coach Steve and daughter Allie. In other words, they will likely work well together and be complementary to each other’s racing styles. One impressive thing for Gary (aside from having a former Miss Kentucky as his daughter) is that despite being the second oldest person on the race, he is possibly the most fit as evidenced by him running “13 marathons and a half Ironman triathlon” after his 45th birthday. This guy might be able to smoke the other racers, who are half his age. I am placing them in the final three.
Names: Jill and Thomas
My Nickname: Happily Ever After
Here is another team that not only immediately reminds me of a previous strong team (winners and spell-check enemies Meghan and Cheyne) but also another one I think will make it into the final leg alongside Gary and Mallory. Like Chad and Stephanie, both say that communicating effectively will be a challenge, but I get the impression that these two have a healthier and more positive outlook on the race and their relationship. So by having to choose which I will give the benefit of the doubt to, I am going with Jill and Thomas (again I could be way wrong here). They both seem to be a light-hearted, fun-loving couple, which tends to serve people well on this race (i.e. Meghan and Cheyne and long-distance daters Kris and Jon).
Names: Katie and Rachel
My Nickname: Jersey Shore
The nickname is only derived from the geography of their hometowns (both hail from New Jersey…hence the "Jersey") and their occupations (they are professional beach volleyball players…so there’s the "Shore"). Historically, teams that have extensive sports/physical competition experience, especially in a team sport, do well on this race and I don’t think that Katie and Rachel will diverge from that pattern. These ladies obviously can work well together, appropriately in a two-person sport, and as long as a room full of German phones doesn’t do them in like our beloved Globetrotters, then I think that they will be in the finals and possibly be the first all-female team to win the Amazing Race.
Names: Michael and Kevin
My Nickname: Generation Gap (or possibly $#*! My Son Says)
Our next team hails from the burgeoning metropolis of Sugar Land, Texas, and is the final parent/child duo. We have 58-year-old dad Michael, who is of the techie variety, and 20-year-old son Kevin, who lists his occupation as Internet Entertainer. Kevin seems to be quite successful entertaining people via the series of tubes on the Inter-web, as his Youtube channel has over a million subscribers. Apparently, dear old dad stays involved with his son because he is also listed as an Internet Entertainer. I just don’t know how well they will race together as it will not be a scripted/controlled online show. I predict an eighth place finish. I give points to dad Michael for most creative pet peeve about his teammate: “He uses foul language in situations when it’s not really called for.” But Michael, kids do say the darnedest %$@! things.
Names: Nat and Kat
My Nickname: Drs. Rhyme Time
Our last all-female team is a pair of doctors/friends with cutesy rhyming names. Despite having very rewarding and important jobs that actually contribute to some societal good and both declaring that they would donate money to charity (Nat even specifically singles out Diabetes research), there isn’t much by way of their first impressions that screams Amazing Race competitors. I am not sure the intelligence and dedication needed for medical school translates over to a travel-based reality show competition. Therefore, I am saying they will face a tenth place elimination.
Names: Nick and Vicki
My Nickname: Las Vegas Ink
Great, another team with a rhyming names (almost). I kid…kinda. Nick and Vicki are happy to fill a void that has been vacant for the last three years. In the fall of 2007, we had Goth couple Kynt and Vixsyn busting up the inclination of people to judge them on their over-the-top appearance. They turned out to be an entertaining and rather cohesive team (I choose to excuse them of their “Oh my Goth” spouting, just as I forgave the cowboys for incessant proclamations of “Oh my gravy.”) Anyway back to Nick and Vicki. They are a heavily tattooed and pierced dating couple of two years. They repeatedly say they don’t want to be judged by their appearance, so it will be curious to see what happens when the others will assuredly judge them by their appearance. I think they will use that to fuel them and just rely on each other to be a strong team without alliances. A fourth place spot just short of the final three may be their fate.
Names: Ron and Tony
My Nickname: Dance School
Our final team is best friends Ron and Tony. As a team in their 40s, they appear to bring some level of life experience to the race and judging by their answers to their favorite places they have ever visited (Serra Caferna Namibia, Africa for Ron and China and Southern Africa for Tony), they seem to have some travel under their belts also. While only Tony says communication will be their biggest obstacle as a team, it is funny to me that both guys say their biggest pet peeve about their teammate is that he is always on the phone. Luckily no phones are on the race, so I suspect they will be fine and make it to fifth place. FYI…The nickname listed above is based upon their occupations – Ron is a choreographer and Tony is a doctoral student.
So, there you have your Amazing Race teams for season 17. Again, these predictions are based upon nothing more than my convoluted rationale (or lack thereof) and I really don’t know if these nicknames will stick, but we shall see.