A few thoughts before I make the next rankings. I have been rewatching some Survivor seasons over the last few weeks, which began with Micronesia. I might do
an honorary review of that season sometime, because I had misjudged it. It is actually quite watchable and entertaining, and is an above average season in my
opinion. Aside from the bizarre Jonathan Penner love(Who I think is a nice guy as well as entertaining, but whos legions of fans here puzzles me), as well as
the perplexing Cirie adoration(who I respect as a player but never found particularly watchable or entertaining, sorry), I really liked the cast. It pains me
to say it, but if Fairplay was cut(as well as Mary), it would have bordered on VERY good. I am of the opinion that the Hidden Immunity Idol was actually
superfluous that season. I believe that Parvati may have had Natalie wrapped around her finger enough to prevent the fans from teaming up. Amanda is much more
entertaining in hindsight because of her clique like strategy and behavoir, and if that was emphasized and not the game, we might have something interesting
here. Speaking of which, I am now rewatching the Outback. This season actually emphasized strategy LESS than Borneo because the latter of which had the
potential for a coup d'etat at the final 8 and 7 which Rich successfully prevented. Tina had empoyed several low key but clever moves throughout the game,
yes, but there is a much bigger emphasis in the Outback on "morals" then Borneo did. After being swept by a tide of game based editing over the last
few years, this came as a slight suprise to me, and to be honest, I never really thought the Outback was all that great a cast. I regret putting it in my
rankings. Nonetheless, it is obvious that a lot more thought and craft went into the editing of the Outback episodes than the Micronesia or the
Gabon(especially Gabon, which had a great cast but bad editing) episodes. Maybe it is fatigue, but the awful hidden immunity idol combined with an aura of
apathy lends one to understand the lack of enthusiasm in Survivor lately. I can't wait to get on the show and give this drunken editors a piece of my mind.
Not that it will help much, but I would rather give em hell and fail than just be a part of another throwaway edition of Survivor.
With that, here is number 3 of my list:
3. The Amazing Race 3
Brilliant casting. I love this cast. The concept of a reality show is what keeps peoples attention and gives it any degree of credibility. Survivor is a social experiment concerning human nature, The Mole is a thinking mans reality show concerning intrigue, and The Amazing Race is the proverbial "race around the world" concept taken literally. The difference between this season and all the others to me, is the level of craftsmanship. Though a coincidence, this was the first season to win an emmy.
Though it may seem blasphamous to some, I initially found the second season of the Race to be kind of dull. I watched it(and it is number 22 on my list), but I was bored enough to occasionally skip episodes and I was seriously considering skipping this third installment. I am so glad I didn't, because it provided what I was wanting: pathos. It has nothing to do with having a short attention span. A reality show is about people, and The Amazing Race 3 succeeded where The Amazing Race 2 partially failed at. This season can be separated into two parts. The first part concerns the "twin hunt" of brothers Derek and Drew by several "couples" teams. They are Michael and Kathy, Heather and Eve(lesbos in hiding?), Flo and Zach, John Vito and Jill, and the grating yet endearing Aaron and Arianne. This was a major plot point of the first six episodes, and the latter portion of this half concern the derailing of three of these teams through a series of misunderstandings and freak accidents.
The first three teams eliminated varied from the typical(Gina and Sylvia. For some reason had a real dislike for these two, but I found them nice enough but indistinguishable), the unlucky(Tramel and Talicia, who are a fan favorite in the Race forum) and the sublime as well as ridiculous(Dennis and Andrew, who I loved and were eliminated on one of my favorite legs). There were several other events in the first half of the race that are noteworthy, including a bus crash, several nice sites visited in Mexico, an alliance between two brotherly teams and several well placed moments of humor.
The second half of the race is dominated attention wise by two teams. Ian is one of the more aggresive members of the Race, and has a loud personality to boot. One intially may get the impression of him being a typical "ugly american"(as Aaron called him), but the difference being that he and Teri are well travelled and that both are endearing but not pretentious in their underdog status. They bicker and fight, and are a great foil for the rest of the teams. Finally, we come to Flo(and Zach, who probably deserves credit for doing the Race practically by himself). I'm not even going to mention the juggernaut that is Flo, you are just going to have to watch the show and be pleasently suprised(and if you have already seen it, you know what I'm talking about). Let me just say that probably the best moments of every episode from Switzerland on center on her. She inspires genuine emotion out of the viewer, whether it is derision(initially) or warmth(towards the end).
Like I said before, the craftmanship on this season is fantastic. I would go so far to say that the finale is the best single episode of a reality show EVER. It is perfect, because all of the final 3 teams are the best possible combination we could of had from the teams we started with, and it is perfectly edited. By this point, Flo has had enough the show and Zach has enough of Flo. Teri and Ian, the perpetual underdogs, continue to bicker and fight while schooling the rest of the younger teams. Ken and Gerard, who are equally hilarious and as rememorable as the other two teams, step off the boat in Vietnam and get ready for the long hard days of that will comprise the last two legs of the race. Classic moments ensue at a trainstation, but this is only the appitizer. The Detour(a section of the race where teams must complete one of two tasks before moving on) comprises probably one of the most bizarre and entertaining moments I have ever seen, forget TV, ever. This is the moment where Flo finally breaks down and goes into hysterics. It is so surreal and well edited that you can't help but take notice. Meanwhile, Ken and Gerard and Teri and Ian have a grand old time riding bicycles, and they figure, you only live once, so fuck the rules! They were supposed to ride a bicycle filled with baskets down a course, but only Ken can do it by himself. Flo and Zach briefly decide to skip the other option(riding in teacup boats), but Flo breaks down again and they have to go back to the boats. All three teams broke the rules, and thus, they were all penalized. All concepts of an intense race based competition broke down during this section, and the primary reason to watch it is for the classic comedy that comes from all three of these teams in this weird situation. Lets go back to Zach, he plays a great straight man. He is the foil to Flos insanity, and he is a genuinly nice guy without seeming boring, and he also seemed to be a very well organized and very well prepared racer.
"This diet coke is the only thing keeping me sane."
I don't want to do a recap of the finale, but let me reiterate how great it is. The above only describes the penultimate leg of the race, and the final leg is just as well edited. I think it is wonderful to see the last three teams in the airport have an intense rivalry with one another yet also keeping a cordialness and friendliness. Ian was mocked throughout the entire race, but when Gerard notices that Ian is still there, you can see the quiet respect Ian and Teri are given. I also like the playful friendship Ken and Flo have. In other words, this is a classy show. This show is ranked so high because these are intelligent people, and I can laugh with them instead of at them. Flo, for all her theatrics, comes off as quite intelligent and well spoken when she isn't stressed out, and I can't think of a moment on this season where I wanted to cringe in embarrassment. The production team should be proud for having a season of a show that will hold up for years to come and will still be equally entertaining in fifty years. Also, there are some really breathtaking shots and the epic music is perfectly in synch with the images. Finally, the race itself is very close and competitive, and say what you will about Flo, but Zach sure as hell earned the win and to watch Flo stumble across the finish line and get all excited is just a great moment.
With that, here is number 3 of my list:
3. The Amazing Race 3
Brilliant casting. I love this cast. The concept of a reality show is what keeps peoples attention and gives it any degree of credibility. Survivor is a social experiment concerning human nature, The Mole is a thinking mans reality show concerning intrigue, and The Amazing Race is the proverbial "race around the world" concept taken literally. The difference between this season and all the others to me, is the level of craftsmanship. Though a coincidence, this was the first season to win an emmy.
Though it may seem blasphamous to some, I initially found the second season of the Race to be kind of dull. I watched it(and it is number 22 on my list), but I was bored enough to occasionally skip episodes and I was seriously considering skipping this third installment. I am so glad I didn't, because it provided what I was wanting: pathos. It has nothing to do with having a short attention span. A reality show is about people, and The Amazing Race 3 succeeded where The Amazing Race 2 partially failed at. This season can be separated into two parts. The first part concerns the "twin hunt" of brothers Derek and Drew by several "couples" teams. They are Michael and Kathy, Heather and Eve(lesbos in hiding?), Flo and Zach, John Vito and Jill, and the grating yet endearing Aaron and Arianne. This was a major plot point of the first six episodes, and the latter portion of this half concern the derailing of three of these teams through a series of misunderstandings and freak accidents.
The first three teams eliminated varied from the typical(Gina and Sylvia. For some reason had a real dislike for these two, but I found them nice enough but indistinguishable), the unlucky(Tramel and Talicia, who are a fan favorite in the Race forum) and the sublime as well as ridiculous(Dennis and Andrew, who I loved and were eliminated on one of my favorite legs). There were several other events in the first half of the race that are noteworthy, including a bus crash, several nice sites visited in Mexico, an alliance between two brotherly teams and several well placed moments of humor.
The second half of the race is dominated attention wise by two teams. Ian is one of the more aggresive members of the Race, and has a loud personality to boot. One intially may get the impression of him being a typical "ugly american"(as Aaron called him), but the difference being that he and Teri are well travelled and that both are endearing but not pretentious in their underdog status. They bicker and fight, and are a great foil for the rest of the teams. Finally, we come to Flo(and Zach, who probably deserves credit for doing the Race practically by himself). I'm not even going to mention the juggernaut that is Flo, you are just going to have to watch the show and be pleasently suprised(and if you have already seen it, you know what I'm talking about). Let me just say that probably the best moments of every episode from Switzerland on center on her. She inspires genuine emotion out of the viewer, whether it is derision(initially) or warmth(towards the end).
Like I said before, the craftmanship on this season is fantastic. I would go so far to say that the finale is the best single episode of a reality show EVER. It is perfect, because all of the final 3 teams are the best possible combination we could of had from the teams we started with, and it is perfectly edited. By this point, Flo has had enough the show and Zach has enough of Flo. Teri and Ian, the perpetual underdogs, continue to bicker and fight while schooling the rest of the younger teams. Ken and Gerard, who are equally hilarious and as rememorable as the other two teams, step off the boat in Vietnam and get ready for the long hard days of that will comprise the last two legs of the race. Classic moments ensue at a trainstation, but this is only the appitizer. The Detour(a section of the race where teams must complete one of two tasks before moving on) comprises probably one of the most bizarre and entertaining moments I have ever seen, forget TV, ever. This is the moment where Flo finally breaks down and goes into hysterics. It is so surreal and well edited that you can't help but take notice. Meanwhile, Ken and Gerard and Teri and Ian have a grand old time riding bicycles, and they figure, you only live once, so fuck the rules! They were supposed to ride a bicycle filled with baskets down a course, but only Ken can do it by himself. Flo and Zach briefly decide to skip the other option(riding in teacup boats), but Flo breaks down again and they have to go back to the boats. All three teams broke the rules, and thus, they were all penalized. All concepts of an intense race based competition broke down during this section, and the primary reason to watch it is for the classic comedy that comes from all three of these teams in this weird situation. Lets go back to Zach, he plays a great straight man. He is the foil to Flos insanity, and he is a genuinly nice guy without seeming boring, and he also seemed to be a very well organized and very well prepared racer.
"This diet coke is the only thing keeping me sane."
I don't want to do a recap of the finale, but let me reiterate how great it is. The above only describes the penultimate leg of the race, and the final leg is just as well edited. I think it is wonderful to see the last three teams in the airport have an intense rivalry with one another yet also keeping a cordialness and friendliness. Ian was mocked throughout the entire race, but when Gerard notices that Ian is still there, you can see the quiet respect Ian and Teri are given. I also like the playful friendship Ken and Flo have. In other words, this is a classy show. This show is ranked so high because these are intelligent people, and I can laugh with them instead of at them. Flo, for all her theatrics, comes off as quite intelligent and well spoken when she isn't stressed out, and I can't think of a moment on this season where I wanted to cringe in embarrassment. The production team should be proud for having a season of a show that will hold up for years to come and will still be equally entertaining in fifty years. Also, there are some really breathtaking shots and the epic music is perfectly in synch with the images. Finally, the race itself is very close and competitive, and say what you will about Flo, but Zach sure as hell earned the win and to watch Flo stumble across the finish line and get all excited is just a great moment.
