The Amazing Race Season 20 Preview
By Daron Aldridge
February 15, 2012
Misa & Maiya: These sisters hailing from San Diego claim teamwork is will be their best attribute. They are particularly proud of the years spent hustling guys on golf courses and this is the basis for their highly touted competitiveness, which Misa claims several times in such a short interview. Once again, here’s another female team that immediately assumes that others will underestimate them because they are pretty girls. Let’s check how that rationale worked out for last season’s showgirls Kaylani & Lisa who said the same thing yet were eliminated third…oh wait, they were eliminated THIRD. Also, during one of Misa’s pieces of dialogue about having a strong work ethic, I could swear that Maiya can be seen mouthing the words along with her. It appears their schtick is either over-rehearsed or being feed to them. Regardless, I am not buying their gung-ho attitude and say their exit will mirror the showgirls.
Brendon & Rachel: Full disclosure time: I haven’t watched a full episode of Big Brother… well… ever. But my wife does and she insisted upon me watching the many, many annoying histrionics of Rachel during that show’s latest season. That’s all I needed to root against this team, which is sad because Brendon seems to be a good guy. I wholeheartedly agree with Brendon’s take that this competition is all about how well they run the race and that if they get u-turned then it’s just another part of the competition to overcome. Too bad he’s saddled with a gratingly obnoxious girl that tries way too hard (and fails) to be funny/catchy/witty. Also, I do find it annoying that they say being on this show is a "once in a lifetime opportunity" yet they have both competed on Big Brother TWICE before. This eighth place finish is more like wishful thinking but my fingers are already crossed.
Bopper & Mark: In a clear attempt to recreate the Southern charm and magic that was cowboys Jet & Cord, the producers give us good ol’ Kentucky boys Bopper & Mark. The friends are both racing for their families but more specifically for Bopper’s daughter. He explains that his daughter is very sick and that’s where his half of the million dollars will be going. The guys claim that they will push each other because they MUST win. They must really NEED the money based upon the 93 times they say so in a minute and 50 second interview. It doesn’t matter if you release these thoroughbreds because I think this team is a long shot to win.
Art & JJ: Here is the first of two teams consisting of law enforcement officers. Friends Art & JJ have been Border Patrol Agents for 15 plus years but they differ on the best way to treat this information with their competition. JJ wants to let people know what they do because it puts a positive face on their profession but Art wants to keep its secret. The race hasn’t even started and they are already disagreeing about strategy in the interview. They do seem to have a natural rapport and but I can see their give-and-take going from playful to volatile. Despite Art & JJ’s fear, I think they will have to face the 20,000 fellow agents when they don’t win the Amazing Race.
Kerri & Stacy: Even though they hail from a place more than a thousand miles south of Jersey, Stacy says that her cousin Kerri is essentially a Jersey Shore transplant. Also, despite being cousins and not twins, they seem to have adopted the “Double Trouble” motto for their team. The girls explain that they expect to be perceived as southern belle divas and they hope that is to their advantage. Even though this is a similar mentality to sisters Misa & Maiya, my impression is that Kerri & Stacy are more viable competitors. Also, I liked to hear Kerri say, “We hate to lose… no… we love to win. Let’s put it in the positive.”
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