The game players prevail on Amazing season 37

 Amazing Race 37 Episode 12

 

By Jim Memmott

 

Miami – How do you prepare to win $1 million? Easy. You spend your days playing Dungeons & Dragons.

 

That’s how Carson McCalley and Jack Dodge did it. (Right, CBS)

They won the last episode of Season 37 in Miami, completing a series of water tests and one memory challenge to beat out siblings Han and Holden Nguyen, who took second despite a fender bender. Ana and Jonathan Towns, after a tense and cringe-worthy season, were third.

 

“We like to slay dragons,” Carson said after the race. “We are nerds. We go on these adventures all the times in our head.”

 

You had to like the guys. They laughed at themselves. They never criticized each other. They didn’t get discouraged, even when they were lost, which they often seemed to be earlier in the season.

 

Han and Holden’s near win was a surprise, at least to this blogger, who had written them off earlier in the season.

But the sister and brother (CBS left) proved to be resilient and competitive. Beyond that, as the Race went on, they got to know each other, something they hadn’t managed to do while growing up together.

 

Ana and Jonathan’s spot in the finals was somewhat suspect. Episode 11 had ended with Jonathan (CBS right) dropping and smashing one of the tiles they were using to complete a mosaic. At that moment, they were just a little ahead of the married nurses, Alyssa and Josiah Borden.

 

As the screen flashed “To Be Continued,” Race watchers throughout the universe assumed that, when viewing resumed, they would see Ana and Jonathan serving out a penalty. 10 minutes? 20 minutes? Who knew?

 

They also knew that, during their time in the penalty box, Jonathan would be blaming Ana for causing him to drop the tile even though it wasn’t her fault.

 

Alas, there was no punishment for the tile drop.

Alas, the enormously popular Alyssa and Josiah (CBS left) didn’t make it to the finale. Alas, this blogger, their backer, was out of the pool and out of the money.

(Good news: Post race, Alyssa and Josiah announced that she's pregnant with their first child.)

 

Pool winners:

Emily and Denny Showers, won $100 for picking Carson and Jack. Team Showers was first in Season 35, and probably first in other seasons. (I’m too lazy to do the research.) All credit goes to Emily, who is like a shrewd general manager who can spot talent others miss.

 

Louise and Will Wadsworth are rewarded with $50 for backing the Nguyens, a selection that seemed doomed to failure. The Seneca River Crew got $30 for supporting Team Towns, a duo they and everyone else was rooting against.

 

(In interviews after the Race, Jonathan revealed that he has been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, and he is getting help in dealing with the condition.)

 

Final thoughts:

 

It’s easy, after 37 seasons, to take The Amazing Race for granted as just another reality show.

 

But one of its strengths is that it’s a reality show that reflects the realities of American life at a time when there is a political movement to bring back a “Leave It to Beaver” world that doesn't, and perhaps didn't, exist.

 

The cast of The Amazing Race this time, as in previous seasons, was diverse – straight, gay, a mix of races and ages. There were parents and children, married couples, dating couples, best friends, the works.

 

While the show is unapologetically pro-diversity, it’s also pro-travel, curious about other cultures and other countries at a time when politicians call for America first and always.

 

The challenges ­– skydiving, shooting arrows, dancing, are all fun – but the biggest challenges are wonderfully analog, including reading a map or even reading a clue.

 

They’re all part of the story that emerges as the season goes on.

 

The producers know how to shape the narrative because they know how the race ends when they start editing the beginning.

 

This season, they built our sense of Jonathan’s character, giving hints early on that he may be more than a little harsh. And they built our understanding of Holden, changing him from bratty kid brother to effusive cheerleader.

 

All and all, it was a season with highs, lows, and scenery to boot. That’s why they call it The Amazing Race.

.

Overheard

 

Carson: We are channeling some Dungeons and Dragons characters.

 

Ana: The ocean is not my friend.

 

Jack: I love when people get lost, I love when people get lost.

 

Holden: You’re so lucky I paid attention in Spanish class.

 

Jack: When we were young, we were confused, closeted, little weirdos.

 

Han: This is the first time in our entire lives that we have ever worked together.

 

Order of finish Episode 12

 

Carson and Jack

Han and Holden

Ana and Jonathan