Wednesday, May 11, 2005

I am a big TV addict, and last night's Amazing Race 7 finale had both my wife and I have our eyes glued to the TV set. It was really amazing how Uchenna and Joyce manage to catch up all the way from behind. I thought that when Rob and Amber managed to board the earlier flight, and ground crew told Uchenna and Joyce that the flight is closed, it was the end of the race. It really took a good-hearted pilot to allow the last-minute couple on the flight.

Rob and Amber were amazing and I wanted very much for them to win. Despite Rob's cunning plans and notoriety, I think the best thing about this couple is that they never seem to kick up a fuss or quarrel or blame each other when things don't go their way. Rob did not get mad at Amber for not being able to find the way down to the diving platform; if it was any other couple, like Ron, it would be the start of another fight. In any case, they have won their first million, so being second was still not that bad, considering they won most of the individual leg awards - did you notice that they almost always seem to be the couple to win the individual leg when there was an award at the end of the leg? They are good, and have been lucky for most of the race. The only piece of bad luck they got was the cabbie at the last task, and some pedestrian who mis-guided them to the wrong street.

Uchenna taught us never to give up. When he and Joyce had to go begging at the Jamaica airport for their cab ride to the Onion Shack, we wrote them off the competition. It was Uchenna's persistent and optimism that made them carry on and catch up with the rest. It was also the stroke of good luck they get in the last task of finding the cigar shop when they managed to get a good cabbie who knows Spanish. And not to mention the cabbie was the same one that did not get violent when Uchenna started to go around begging for money to pay him. I think given any other cabbies, the couple would have been left to flag for another cab when they were still on the highway.

The Amazing Race is amazing, cannot wait for the next season.