The Amazing Race Recap
Episode 1 - Part 1
By Daron Aldridge
September 30, 2014
BoxOfficeProphets.com

In the first half of the episode, they steal a pen from some dudes.

Twenty-four seasons are behind us for this Amazing Race with several living up to that lofty name. While some may have been disappointing due to lackluster or particularly unlikeable teams, it’s rarely ever dull. We kick of this milestone season with a batch of fresh faces to the Race game.

No All-Stars or Unfinished Business teams to monopolize the season this time.

(My fan suggestion to the producers: I know many people justifiably despised the Family Edition because it was restricted to North American travel, given the ages of some team members. But that was in 2005, so today all of those youngsters are now adults and can do the Race properly. It’s just a thought to see how they would fare on the Amazing Race – Original Recipe.)

The spring saw our first ever parent/child victors in David & Connor and it took two attempts on the Race to make that happen. Will that continue to be the case or has the trend officially been bucked? Probably the former since this season there is only one parent/child team competing.

Our genial host Phil tells us that they have returned to New York City for this season as a callback to that very first one 13 years ago. That time they started at Wall Street; this time they are in the heart of Times Square with a live audience of fans and former teams, including NY-based runner-up Frank.

(Of note to me: Based upon the flashback footage, Phil’s grandiose “GO!” was downright understated 25 seasons ago and has evolved quite nicely.)

Before we meet these wannabe millionaires, the producers of the show have jumped on the #hashtag train and assign tags to each of the teams. Because I am rebellious in so few parts of my life, I will not be bound by these nicknames/hashtags (for the most part).

Please note this is the order they are introduced and this is not indicative of my preference. You'll have to wait for that on my first power rankings later this week.

Adam & Bethany (Married). This team is probably the most pop culturally relevant of the teams...at least, she is anyway. Bethany was the subject of the film Soul Surfer, about the girl who lost her left arm to a shark attack but went on to become a pro surfer. So clearly the woman knows something about perseverance. Adam seems equally fit and a good match. They hopefully will maintain the positivity that shows in their introduction. Team Hang Ten is my name for them and their hashtag is #SoulSurfers.

Amy & Maya (Friends/PhD Students). Here’s a team that is describing themselves as the “Sweet Scientists” but what does that actually mean? Apparently, the girls are food scientists/Ph.D. students focusing on candy and ice cream. They are clearly trying to corner the “adorkable” market on this season but they insist they are “more than lab coats” and will be tough competitors on the Race. But doesn’t every team say that? It’s not like they get cast because they think, “well, we might win but probably not. We’re pretty weak overall.” I’d like to label them Team Candy Crush over #SweetScientists.

Dennis & Isabelle (Dating). We have a culture clash going on here with this dating couple, because her parents would prefer that she is with someone else who is Vietnamese and not Cambodian, like Dennis. They think the Race will help show her family how strong of a bond they have. It’s kind of a twist on the whole “race-as-relationship-test” mentality. The couple doesn’t exactly give off much of an impression about how they might perform. This is truly indicative of the only hashtag that the producers can come up with - #TheDatingCouple.

Brooke & Robbie (Dating). Here’s a physical team for you, broootheerrrrr! This duo is a pair of professional wrestlers with the TNA Wrestling. As you can imagine, they are large personalities with equally large muscles and a clear desire to be win. They just might walk that fine line between abrasive/domineering to high-energy/entertaining. My snap judgment leans towards the former. Competitively, they should do well on the physical tasks because regardless of how scripted pro wrestling may be, you can’t deny they must be in great physical shape. They are #TheWrestlers to the producers but I want to give them a team nickname based upon any number of wrestling moves: Pile Drivers, Body Slam, Turnbuckle, etc. We’ll see what I land on.

Keith & Whitney (Engaged). It seems you can’t have a CBS reality show without repurposing a cast member from one of the other shows. Thus you see TAR’s Nadiya & Natalie on Survivor this season and this couple from Survivor: South Pacific. Admittedly, I didn’t watch that season but my wife did and she has zero recollection of these two. Congrats on finding love via Jeff Probst, but hopefully you will make a more lasting reality impression here. Reality show experience can be a plus but not a prerequisite for winning despite their confidence. Just ask Big Brother’s Jeff & Jordan, who also didn’t win the Race. #TeamNashville is more like “Team Survivor(?)” to me.

Kym & Alli (Friends). I didn’t even know that there was such a thing as “competitive street cyclists” but here they are. These friends hail from New York and are in an apparently male-dominated world of street cyclists, so they do know a thing or two about competing. Like the wrestlers, the ladies come across as a team that will either be fun-loving or obnoxious. Team Ride or Die seems to be a fitting label for this team since it does appear to be their motto and is much better than #TheCyclists.

Lisa & Michelle (Sisters). It’s time for the blonde team that will cause me headaches all season because I can’t tell them apart. The producers seem to do this to us every season because they clearly are trying to cast eye candy. At least these sisters are somewhat aware of the reason for their casting, as they acknowledge that will be carrying 12 pounds of makeup with them. Aside from that, the sisters are noted realtors in Miami, which means they either know a lot about sales and business or just prove that it’s easier for pretty people to be successful salespeople. Like #TheDatingCouple, their #MiamiRealtors is more descriptive than clever.

Michael & Scott (Friends). Two seasons ago we had the dating couple of Jason & Amy, who I lovingly named Boston Strong and they won their season. This year we get another pair of New Englanders in the form of this pair of Boston firefighters. They are both quite physically imposing figures and could easily win this whole thing if it was a strong man competition. It is not, so who knows. Their names immediately crack me up as a call back to Steve Carell’s character on The Office, a reference that CBS will likely never make. But that doesn’t stop me from dubbing them Team Office Fire.

Tim & Te Jay (Dating). This young couple from California is given the moniker #CollegeSweethearts. Te Jay explains that his mother still thinks they are just roommates and not a couple. He thinks the show will convince her that “yes, they are a couple and this is what I’ve been trying to tell you, mom.” It’s quite a unique purpose for being on the show. There isn’t much shown to indicate how they will perform Race-wise so we will just have to see.

Shelley & Nici (Mother/Daughter). This is the sole aforementioned parent/child team on this Race, so the odds are not in their favor to duplicate David & Connor’s win. Regardless, mom Shelley had Nici at the age of 17, so they are not too far separated in the age department, which could work to their advantage. Typically, the parent is much older than the child, which means that the physical aspects of the tasks take their toll on the elder’s body more harshly. For example, on David’s first Race attempt, he tore his Achilles. Outside the Race, the pair works as flight attendants, which may help them out in navigating the intricacies of air travel.

Misti & Jim (Married). These married dentists are all confidence, ultra-white smiles, fake tans and muscles. Jim even declares that their goal is not just to win the Race but to be the most dominant team the show has ever seen. That is quite a tall order. Personally, I think I’d be happy with just winning a million dollars because a made-up title of “most dominant team in history” really carries no weight. They are the frontrunners in my book…the frontrunners for me to dislike, which is saying something based upon the glimpse we got of the wrestlers’ and cyclists’ personalities. I am opting to tag them as Team DDS over #TheDentists.

Side note: This has to be the most muscle-bound cast ever or maybe they are just issuing them shirts one size too small.

Phil welcomes them all and then drops the news that this season will not have the Express Pass like we have come to expect, but a new reward awaits the winners of the first leg – The Save. This advantage will allow the team to use it to save themselves on ANY non-elimination leg all the way through to the end of the ninth leg. That is a HUGE advantage. This is so much greater than the Express Pass because you can completely self-destruct on a leg or even just phone it in and still not be eliminated.

With the usual raised eyebrow and left arm, Phil proclaims that the world awaits and GO!