The Amazing Race signs off in the Big Easy. Will it return?

Amazing Race, Season 32, Episode 12

By Jim Memmott

 

New Orleans – No need for a spoiler alert. By this time, you’ve already watched the finale of Season 32 of The Amazing Race and debated the merits of the entire season.

 

We’ll add to the debate by concluding that, while Season 32 was not a season for the ages, it was a welcome distraction in this worrisome time.The Amazing Race wasn’t always amazing, but it was comforting to have it in our homes. And, good heavens, it ended with a proposal.

The formation of an alliance of the better teams early on drained the season of drama. For the longest while, it seemed like a game of dodgeball in which the bullies singled out a victim each episode, the unfortunate team getting pelted out of the competition.

 

There were no alliances in the finale, but the BFF vibe radiated. Essentially, one team got out in front and stayed there. The other teams were slowed more by bad luck than anything else, a cabbie with no sense of direction, that sort of thing. Everyone seemed happy at the end.

 

For the record, the results:

 

The dating duo of James Wallington and Will Jardell finished first and won $1 million. They had a fairly easy time with the challenges in the Big Easy, and, at the finish line, Will dropped to a knee and popped the question. James said “Yes.” All was well. 

 

The win meant Team RogShow finished first in our pool, walking away with $100. Full credit to them as talent spotters. When race teams were chosen, they had selected sixth, meaning all the “good” teams had been taken by the time they took James and Will.

 

Married parents Chee Lee and Hung Nguyen were

second, sending $50 Team Beltway’s way. And, because volleyballing brothers Riley and Maddison McKibbin were third, Team Bushnell gets $30.

 

That’s the scoreboard on a season filmed in 2018 long before the pandemic. 

For sure, it reminded us that there’s a wonderful world beyond our walls, as there was all the stunning scenery of previous races. 

Likewise, there were the usual terrifying and/or humiliating challenges, including an I-can’t-watch-it bungee jump off a bridge in the finale.

 

Looking back there were moments during the season that were just wonderfully strange. One favorite: When the Racers delivered vegetables and other items to some absolutely silent monks. New world meets old world? Profane meets sacred? How was that arranged?

 

Another favorite: A glimpse of, and participation in, the surprisingly thriving film scene in Kazakhstan. All that was missing was a cameo featuring Borat, Kazakhstan’s Bob Woodward, and Rudy Giuliani.

Now that it’s over, when will The Amazing Race ever begin again?

 

The filming of Season 33 was halted in February and, Race producers suggest it won’t resume until vaccines do their magic worldwide. That could be a while.

 

Take heart: The Race is a survivor. Even in the best of times, CBS played fast and loose with the program, holding it back to replace shows that flopped and moving it about from time slot to time slot.

 

So, cross your fingers, the moment could come when Phil Keoghan starts another group of 11 race partners off to tour the world. See you then.

 

Overheard

 

Chee: Now we’re in the final leg; now it’s about winning.

 

James: We are going to win the Amazing Race, no doubt about it.

 

Will: I’m only focusing on not dying.

 

Riley: This is gnarly.

 

Phil Keoghan: 11 countries, 17 cities, more than 33,000 miles.

 

Hung: The Race was the honeymoon we never had.

 

Chee: I think the Race has made us closer; I hope you agree.

 

Riley: I think the race will help us more in our careers than our careers helped us on the Race

 

Order of Finish: Episode 12

 

James and Will

Chee and Hung

Maddison and Riley