The Amazing Race Season Finale And Joel's Envy

Last Wednesday was the Amazing Race Season Finale (La Carrera Asombrosa, I love the title in Spanish)... I have never been so engaged into a tv show. I saw myself screaming at the tv, yelling to the people to hurry the fuck up, to stop bickering, to not go that way... It was such an exciting show, gosh, something like watching a really good game of basketball, volleyball, football, or whatever sport you like, and your team won the last game, after being the last team the year before... Even though you are not part of the team, you feel it. How does this happen? I don't know.

Well, it happened to me with The Amazing Race. What I like the most is the fact that they have to race around the world. To go into totally different countries, with different languages and obstacles, and the best part is that everyone does it. So, I chose two team, since the first time I started to watch this season. I cheered for these two: Fran and Barry, 60-year-olds. They did pretty well in the race. They even won one of the legs of it (the rest were won by only 3 other teams, there were 12). But I missed that episode, I would have been so happy for them. Why did I pick them? Well because I always go for the ones with the hardest odds, and because they looked like pretty nice people, deserving to win. But I also missed the episode in which they got eliminated from the race.

But, I had chosen two teams, remember, in case one of them got eliminated. The other team was: BJ and Tyler, 25-year-olds, dubbed as hippies (which they are, kinda), they seemed more like really crazy guys to me, but very, very in tone with everyone around. See their picture? They look so... out of place... out of time... But they are really intelligent and well spirited, and they were, of the whole bunch of teams, the ones who got along the best with each other as opposed to the rest. You just had to see them. So I also chose them.

At one point in the race they ended up in last place, I was so down... because the editing of the show is made so that the climax is very... climactic... And so, they were running to the "pit stop" (if you have seen La Carrera Asombrosa you know) doomed. Until the host of the show tells them: "BJ and Tyler, you're the last team to arrive", and you can see their disapointment, but the hosts continues: "but this is a non-elimination pit-stop, so you're still in the race", and instantly their faces changed into the most optimistic smiles. But the host was not done: "However, you have to give me all of your money and possessions, and only keep the clothes ur wearing and your passports". And that is just wrong. They're the last team, and now they're broke in a foreign country. But, what was amazing was that in the very next episode they finished first.

In the season finale, there was one last final challenge, to put the flags of the countries they had just been in, in order. They were up against the team dubbed: "the frat boys" (they looked fratty I guess, clichés and stereotypes are there for some reason...) (which I didn't like, because of being frats). The frat boys had all of the flags up, but they were in incorrect order. Whereas the hippies had all but one flag. And, again, the editors of this show are awesome, they've put it all together in a way that, we could see the two teams racing at this challenge at the same time. I was screaming. "¡Dale, dale, corre, corre, avanza, no te pares, esa, esa es, no, no esa no, corre!" It was something out of the Price is Right, have u seen that? It is crazy how people in the audience scream! Anyway, I was screaming, cheering, at the edge of my seat. And then! And theeen! The judge says to the hippies: "that is the correct order", and they ran to the end of the race. And it was just great, to see them win. I'm sure it felt so hugeamongously good to have won. My knees wouldn't have been able to support me. I would have fallen to the floor in exhaustion, in ecstasy for what I had accomplished. The hippies fell on their knees, or one of them actually, and I don't know if he prayed... It doesn't matter what mattered was the emotion, the excitment. The best part was that they weren't in the race just for the money, but also for the tour around the world, and they had enjoyed it so much... I, on the other hand, besides being glad and happy that they won, also envied them, not for the million dollars they won (which is never a bad thing), but because of the race around the world, just like they said, I admired them for that. And even if they hadn't won, I'm sure they would have been happy to have raced and jumped from country to country...

Fran and Barry
Eric and Jeremy (the frat boys)
BJ and Tyler (the hippies)

Now, who wants to be my partner for next season? Come on, I'm accepting resumés...