Amazing Race 9, Episode 1; Amazing Race Asia

These columns with links:

http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001022.html
http://hasbrouck.org/blog/archives/001021.html

================

The Amazing Race 9, Episode 1

Denver, CO (USA) - Sao Paulo (Brazil)

The Amazing Race is back!

Back in Sao Paulo for the second time. (Don't be
surprised if you've forgotten their first visit four
years ago -- they didn't actually do much in Sao
Paulo.) Back to teams of two adults, instead of teams
of four that include children. (Too bad: As I've said
repeatedly, the television producers missed a huge
chance to show the world as children experience it, and
to teach adult viewers how much more quickly and easily
children adapt to unfamiliar settings.) But most
importantly, back to travelling around the world (or at
least to many continents), rather than just around
North and Central America as in the most recent flop of
a season of the reality-television race.

The lack of audience interest in the previous season of
the race, as host Phil Keoghan has admitted in recent
inteviews, suggests that the excitement and education
we get from travel is as much about diversity of people
as of places. Yes, the USA has both tropical jungle and
arctic mountaintops. Yes, the USA is a melting pot of
peoples. But the world is still a lot more culturally
diverse than the USA or any one country, and changing
scenery outside the window of your SUV is no substitute
for cultural encounter and immersion.

But let's put all that behind us. What are the
prospects for the new season as the racers head off to
Brazil to the helicopters that will whisk them to the
rooftops of their destinations -- when they aren't
stuck in traffic in taxicabs on their way to (where
else?) the Estadio Municipal (Estadio do Pacaembu)?

This season features some of the more experienced
international travellers -- at least according to the
highly selective profiles released by CBS -- since the
first year of "The Amazing Race". B.J. and Tyler, in
particular, appear to be the first contestants on "The
Amazing Race" who took a trip around the world together
before being selected for the cast of the show.

That doesn't make it certain, or even particularly
likely, that they will be more adept at travel skills.
Some people are "born travellers" more than others by
temperament, regardless of experience. But a trip
around the world together typically either makes or
breaks a relationship: it's rare for two people to come
back from a trip like that feeling only indifferent
towards each other.

Unlike some of the other cast members who've never
travelled together before, Tyler and B.J. each knew
what they were getting into and what their partner was
like as a traveller , which can be very different form
how the same person behaves at home. If, after that,
they both chose to apply for "The Amazing Race", I'm
pretty confident that they've worked out a modus
vivendi as companions on the road that will survive the
race.

It also looks like they are doing some of the things
I've been recommending, like using the time in airports
and on planes to get fellow travellers to teach them
key race-related phrases in the language of their next
destination. For the racers, it's how to tell a taxi
driver, "Will you please pass that car?" For real-world
travellers, it might be, "Where is the toilet?", or "I
can't eat meat." (Because it seems less judgmental,
"can't" is more likely than "won't" to be understood
and accepted without giving offense in a cross-cultural
context.)

At the same time, this season's racers seem to be
bringing along too much baggage -- physically if not
(or not yet visibly) emotionally. The first time one of
them has to run, they are crying out, "Holy big bag!"
at the weight of their luggage.

Presumably, they knew that this was a race, and that
they would sometimes have to run (for plane, for a
train, for a bus, for a boat, for a taxi, ...) with
their pack on their back. So if they were surprised at
how difficult that was, it could only mean that they
had never tested what it was like to run with their
pack fully loaded.

We've seen this before, just as we've seen travellers
-- on "The Amazing Race" and in real life -- throwing
things out to lighten their loads. Let this be a
lesson:

1. Before a long trip, pack your bags
completely and go out for a day of sightseeing and
travel around town by public mass transit. Then
reconsider which things are really worth their weight
to carry.

2. Plan on wanting to cut down the size and
weight of your luggage, and bring as little as possible
that's so valuable (in money or sentiment) that you'd
be reluctant to abandon it, or pained if it gets lost,
stolen, or broken.

This season, in addition to my own Web site and Usenet,
you'll be able to find my columns on "The Amazing Race"
through BuddyTV.com, a new service that will be
offering blogs, articles, audio and video commentary,
and forums for fans to chat about "The Amazing Race"
and other shows.

I've gotten permission to give you a sneak preview of
their beta Web site:

http://beta.buddytv.com/

Sign in with the user name "BetaPreview" and password
"TVj*2006" (case sensitive, without the quotation
marks). Once you've signed in, check out the main page
and the forum for "The Amazing Race":

http://beta.buddytv.com/tvshow/TheAmazingRace.htm

http://beta.buddytv.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=19

According to the beta site, BuddyTV will be featuring
commentary on "The Amazing Race" by former cast
members: "Team Guido" (Bill and Joe), Kevin (of Kevin
and Drew), and Paul and Amie from "The Amazing Race 1";
Tian (of Tian and Jaree) from "The Amazing Race 4"; and
Susan (of Susan and Patrick) and Kelley (of Kelly and
Ron) from "The Amazing Race 7".

Meanwhile, "The Amazing Race 7" has been released on
DVD, following the earlier DVD release of "The Amazing
Race 1". There's no word on whether, or when, seasons 2
through 6 or 8 will be available on DVD:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS.../edwardhasbro/

Finally, there's exiting news for those of you in Asia
who've been bombarding me with comments about why CBS
only allows citizens of the USA to compete in "The
Amazing Race". I don't produce the show, and I don't
make the rules, but apparently someone is beginning to
get the message: the rights to produce an Asian
regional edition of "The Amazing Race" -- the first
version open to citizens of countries other than the
USA -- have been licensed to Singapore-based AXN, the
cable and satellite channel that has been carrying
same-day broadcasts in Asia of the USA edition of "The
Amazing Race".

"The Amazing Race Asia" is now accepting applications
through 15 March 2006 from citizens of any country who
are "living or working" in "all of Asia excluding
Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the Middle East":

http://www.axn-asia.com/buzzsites/th...ing_race_asia/

I don't know what they define as "The Middle East", but
I presume that their definition of Asia includes the
Philippines, where "The Amazing Race" appears to have
been most popular. Everything you need to apply is on
the AXN Web site. How do I tell you, "Good luck!", in
Tagalog/Pilipino?

----------------
Edward Hasbrouck

http://hasbrouck.org

"The Practical Nomad: How to Travel Around the World"
(3rd edition, 2004)
"The Practical Nomad Guide to the Online Travel Marketplace"
http://www.practicalnomad.com