The Amazing Race Power Rankings
By Kim Hollis
October 1, 2015
BoxOfficeProphets.com

They're number L?

Our first episode of The Amazing Race is in the books, and it definitely suffers some in comparison last season’s blind date twist. There’s something really interesting about putting people together who don’t know each other and seeing what they can do. Frankly, we wouldn’t mind seeing an entire cast assembled using this concept.

Alas, we’re stuck making do with what we have for Season 27. At least #TeamTMZ was eliminated, because if we had to watch them justify their cattiness and meanness by saying it’s their job, it would have been a bleak several weeks of recapping for us. We really didn’t get to know many of the teams last week other than Justin & Diana (#TheGreenTeam), so these early power rankings are really more of a combination of gut instinct and early impressions. They are extremely subject to change as we get to know the Racers better.

1. Tanner & Josh (#TeamTexas)

The main thing we remember about these guys from the premiere episode is that they mentioned that they are in this thing for the cute girls. Beyond that, the best friends managed to put together a solid first leg. While they didn’t really strike us as formidable in any quantifiable way, they made the right decisions to propel them to the Pit Stop mat in first place, claiming the Express Pass in the process. We’d be hard pressed not to put the team with the Express Pass in the top spot, because even if Leg #2 goes poorly for them in some area, they have the ability to skip any task that proves to be too challenging.

2 (Tie). Jazmine & Danielle (#TheTrackStars) and Cindy & Rick ((#ChacAttack)

Both of these teams seem very competitive, though also potentially volatile. Jazmine & Danielle clearly have carried the ambitious instincts that led them to success during their college track careers over to the show. They seem to complement each other, but they also had a few moments where you could see the possibility for future implosion. The same goes for newlyweds Cindy & Rick, who are clearly holding themselves to high standards, but had moments of unraveling during the puzzle Detour. It wasn’t enough to derail them completely, but you have to wonder if they might have won if they’d maintained a more even keel.

3. Alex & Adam (#TheCousins)

Although they finished a little lower than this ranking might indicate, Alex & Adam have terrific camaraderie. They’re also really intriguing because it seems so far that if one of them has a weakness, the other cousin is able to compensate for it. That’s rare to find in any Amazing Race team. The guys seemed to raise some eyebrows with their strong performance on the footvolley court, showing that they may be tougher on physical challenges than people would have expected. They’re probably the most likable out of the gate, which may be a bad omen. Usually, the teams we like are eliminated somewhere around the middle episodes.


4. Denise & James Earl (#TeamAlabama)

Look, this mother/son team has so many personal issues that we recognize placing them this high in the rankings is probably questionable. They’re a little bit reminiscent of previous mother/son team Margie & Luke from three previous seasons of the race, actually. It feels like Denise & James Earl could have a blowup at any moment, and mistakes are going to bring on the blame game. Don’t be surprised to see this pair slide.

5 (tie). Logan & Chris (#ThePaparazzi) and Kelsey & Joey (#TheReporters

Neither of these teams did anything of notice during the first episode. In fact, they were both so bland that we’re lumping them together here, almost like one super media-savvy news-photo team. Either one of these teams could be good, but The Amazing Race has given us absolutely nothing to go on so far.

6. Justin & Diana (#TheGreenTeam)

Even though they struggled in the first leg, a lot of that was due to bad luck and circumstance rather than any true misstep on their part. They chose to try the Fast Forward and it backfired on them because it wasn’t available due to weather. From that point on, they worked hard to stay in the race and managed to come in ahead of two teams. Considering how far they were behind, you’ve got to give them credit. They also didn’t linger too long at the puzzle challenge when it wasn’t working for them, moving on to the footvolley Detour when it benefited them most. Since we know that they’ve done their own version of the Race, I feel like they’re prepared. Of all the lower ranked teams on our list, they’re the ones with the best chance to rise.

7. Ernest & Jin (#TheDancers)

The brothers are super entertaining and if their story about living out of a car is true, they could be the motivational story of the show. If they win a leg, we’re bound to see one stellar celebration dance. With that said, the duo seems as if they could be prone to struggle with challenges that require attention to detail, and we also worry that if they get lost, they could find themselves with an insurmountable deficit to make up. We’d be happy to be proven wrong, though!

8. Tiffany & Krista (#TheCheerleaders)

These former cheerleaders wanted to prove that they’re different than the stereotype. Unfortunately, their first leg didn’t go far in helping them to accomplish that goal. There was a lot of crying and whining from both women, and they seemed to be mighty demoralized by the end of the race. On the plus side, the karma police struck when they were able to finish the puzzle well ahead of #TeamTMZ, who had been badmouthing them behind their back earlier in the episode. They’ll melt down again at the slightest sign of strife, but good on them for hanging in there.

We’ll have the recap for Episode 2 live on Monday. See you then!