An Amazing Race season wraps up true to quiet form

 Amazing Race Season 36 Episodes 10, 11

By Jim Memmott

 

Dominican Republic (10) and Philadelphia (11) – Another season of the Amazing Race is now in the rearview mirror. What do we see?

 

We certainly see the dating couple Ricky Rotandi and Cesar Aldrete, who

prevailed without much fuss in the finale, winning $1 million.

 

Their season-long performance was better than that of any duo in the last 10 seasons and perhaps in Race history. They had seven first place finishes, three second-place and one third. Yikes.

 

Their sole third-place finish came in the next-to-last episode when Ricky had trouble with the wind-surfing challenge. But that was the only time when they seemed close to elimination.

 

What we used to call Twitter, but now must call X, erupted after Cesar and Ricky hopped on the mat first in the finale.

 

The guys had a huge advantage, X screamed, noting that Cesar is a native of Mexico and nearly all of the Race action took place in Spanish-speaking countries.

 

X had a good point, though, to be fair, the guys did well in a lot of challenges that were language neutral.

 

And Juan Villa, who finished second with his fellow pilot Shane Bilek, also spoke Spanish, so his team had a leg up, as well.

 

(Their flaw was they kept getting lost, as they did in the finale, mistakenly crossing state lines, leaving Pennsylvania for New Jersey.)

 

Third place went to the married couple Rod and Leticia Gardner, who faltered in the finale when Rod took too much time to memorize lines from the preamble to the Declaration of Independence.

While they didn’t win the Race, they certainly won viewers. They got along, made fun of themselves and were wonderfully enthusiastic.

 

Leticia even bounced back from a wind-sail whack on the head to lead her team to victory in Episode 10. She was good.

 

The Gardners contrasted with the often-on-edge Amber Craven and Vinny Cagungun, who were eliminated in the next-to-the last episode, the pair struggling a little with the bartending-challenge.

 (What a goofy challenge it was. Mix different kinds of grog for a band of pirates. What could go wrong?)

 

After Phil Keoghan told them they had lost, Vinny dropped to his knees and proposed to Amber. X cranked up again, saying Amber made a mistake in accepting his proposal.

 

Give them a break. In an post-Race interview, Vinny said that he and Amber do get along and the film editors had taken their spats “out of context.” Maybe so. The engagement has lasted, and the couple will be married in November. There you are.

 

So how would we rate the season?

 

I’d give it a C+ or maybe a B-.

One reason for the so-so grade is that I wish some of the quirkier Racers had lasted longer.

The space-cadet twins, Anthony and Bailey Smith, didn’t know up from down, but they certainly weren't ready for prime time. It was as if they wandered into the Race by mistake, but went along for the ride, alas for just a little while.

The confused cousins, Kishori Turner

and Karishma Cordero, struggled, but they were terrific in their over-reactions.

 

And Angie and Danny Butler, the Race-obsessed mom-and-son duo, were a wince-inducing pair who grew on me.

Their departure was a little fishy, too, as they were the victims of an obscure Race rule. (See the last blog). I wish they had made it to the final.

(Guilty pleasure: If I remember anything else from this season, it will be the image of Danny calmly continuing to face paint his mom as she lay wiped out from heat exhaustion on the pavement. Good times.)

 

I'd also blame the middling grade for the season on Covid.

 

Season 36 was filmed in 2022 near the end of the pandemic. I think that limited travel (11,711 miles, which is at least 10,00 miles below a normal season.)

Going fewer miles limited the variety of locales and certainly cut down on the number of languages spoken.

 

News stories also report that the episodes were originally filmed as 60-minute offerings, but they were then re-edited to fit a 90-minute format.

(The re-editing put Season 36, filmed in 2022, in synch with Season 35, filmed in 2023. I know, it's hard to follow. Basically they aired out of sequence.)

 

Stretching this season's episodes meant more filler, too many scenes of people driving in the wrong direction, etc.

Whatever. I’m biased and favor 60 minute-episodes. They're tighter and more dramatic, and who really has the attention span for 90?

 

I think there will be a Season 37, at least Phil Keoghan kept popping up calling for would-be Racers to compete.

 

Inevitably, CBS will jerk the show around, put it in an under-performing time slot, use it to fill in for a failure. Until then, congrats to our Pool winners. First, Allison; Second, Dennis and Julio; Third, Drew and Emily. And here’s a few last words from the Racers.

 

Overheard Episode 10

 

Amber: If (Vinny’s) not in a good place, then we’re not in a good place.

 

Rod: Ricky and Cesar have been kind of killing it, and we needed to knock them off.

 

Vinny (to Amber): You still haven’t said ‘yes,’

 

Amber: Yes.

 

Leticia: We’re working for marriages everywhere.

 

Overheard Episode 11

 

Juan: I feel like I was the driver, and I should have caught that I was crossing state lines.

 

Cesar: English is my second language... (Spanish) has been so helpful.

 

Finish Episode 10

 

First: Leticia and Rod

Second: Juan and Shane

Third: Ricky and Cesar

 

Eliminated Episode 10

 

Amber and Vinny

 

Finish Episode 11 Finale:

 

First: Ricky and Cesar

Second: Juan and Shane

Third: Leticia and Rod