For a long time I have extolled the virtues of CBS’s The Amazing Race, which had its new season premiere last night. Before anyone jumps on me to say how the show sucks, while I wouldn’t go that far, I found last night’s first episode of this new series which for the first time is a “family edition,” remarkably boring. I think they fucked up the entire dynamic, not just between teams but within teams too. There’s just something off: maybe it’s too many people; maybe it’s some teams being all adults, some have kids; maybe it’s the fact that everyone thinks that every other team is going to underestimate them, but they know better and are actually much smarter than the others — but I doubt that because that’s a common quality. Anyway, hopefully the season will pick-up once more teams get eliminated.
(Spolier to follow. If you’re intending on watching last night’s episode and haven’t yet, don’t read further.) However, boring or not, there was one absolutely fascinating thing about last night’s show. I haven’t had much time to read TWoP or other blogs so I don’t know — maybe this has been covered all over the world wide internets already — but one team in particular (and it so happened to be the team that was Philiminated kind of shocked me. That would be the Black Family.
Yeah, for those of you who didn’t see the show, I don’t just mean a family of African-Americans, nor do I just mean the family with the last name “Black.” I mean an actual black family with the last name Black, repeatedly called “the Black family” and appearing in the opening credits with the onscreen title “Black Family.” And by the way, out of 10 teams, they’re the only one that actually is a family of African-Americans. For that matter, they’re the only minority family participating.
Now look, obviously, that’s their name, and CBS, to its credit, apparently paid no attention in the family’s name when casting. But there’s something about the appearance of this lovely smiling family appearing on screen with the title “Black Family” among the Gaghans, the Schroeders, the Aiellos, etc. that is a bit disconcerting, and I have a hard time believing that somebody either at CBS or Jerry Bruckheimer Productions didn’t think that this was maybe not the best idea.
I mean, am I alone here? Making matters worse, the Blacks (see what I mean?), now having been eliminated, will remain in the opening credits, smiling as the “Black Family” but not appearing again until they have to stand and clap at the finish line some 2-1/2 to 3 months from now for whatever smiling, jubilant white family winds up running in first and claiming that big prize. And there they’ll be, the Gaghans, the Schroeders, the Aiellos, the Blacks…. I’m just saying …
Out of Focus 
What’s the big deal? That’s the name of the family dude. They got eliminated, so what – it’s only a volunteer TV contest, not something that is vastly important in society. Other families will get eliminated to. Here’s a better question – why are you doing wasting your valuable time on Earth by watching “reality” TV? :)
(or better yet, why am I writing comments on a post about a “reality” TV?) :) :) :) I guess all of the above is just entertainment.
Sujewa
http://www.wilddiner.com/
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Some corrections:
Following lines from previous post should read:
“why are you wasting your valuable time on Earth by watching “reality” TV? :)”
“or better yet, why am I writing comments on a post about a “reality” TV show?”
I need to proof read my damn posts, that’s what’s up.
Sujewa
*******
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I couldn’t help but to laugh at the fact that the Black family was black…too bad they weren’t the White family, eh?
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