The Amazing Race kicks off

The Amazing Race kicked off again last night. I love that show. It gives me a peek into a world tour, with some totally bizarre local customs, things I'd never see otherwise, featured. This year there's a couple from the Boston area, Lance and Keri. I think they were told to use a Boston accent when they gave their brief intros, because I haven't heard it intrude into any of their speech since. They're a little annoying. There are a couple of Harlem Globetrotters, Flight Time and Big Easy, two very likable guys. There are the gay brothers, the poker-playing girls (who lied and said they worked with the homeless), the older couple (the woman is a little hyper), the super-pure Christian types, a guy with Asperger's syndrome and his friend, a former Miss America and her husband...and already two couples have been eliminated. I'm relieved the yoga instructors were the first to go. Every time that guy Eric opened his mouth I wanted to scream. He was so smug. When they lost, he said, ''To be the first team eliminated, now the shame, the pain is gone for everybody else. We took a beating for everybody.'' AAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

The first stop on the tour was Tokyo, Japan, where they competed in a game show. I already knew Japanese game shows were odd (that human Tetris one, where contestants had to fit through shapes that were moving towards them, for example), so the wasabi-bomb game didn't seem that far out of the ordinary. One of each pair of contestants had to eat a large amount of wasabi spread on rice and wrapped in what I assume was seaweed. I'm not a huge fan of sushi, or I'd be able to remember what they call that stuff. Nori? My older son would know. (So did Google - it's nori.) I can only consume a small dab of wasabi, though, and was surprised that the contestants managed to gobble down such a large amount without passing out.

My younger son was watching the show with me, and he had just played a video game set in the Shibuya area of Tokyo, where the contestants were seen walking. Wikipedia lists two Nintendo DS games set in this area. I'd ask him, but he's at work. (AT LAST! He finally got a job last week.) (It's at Staples and doesn't pay much, but there's opportunity for advancement.)

The first lap of the show was a non-elimination round, not a surprise, I guess, since they'd already eliminated somebody at the beginning of the show. The poker-playing liars women came in last after losing two of the 20 people they were supposed to have escorted to the pit stop. I would have been delighted to see them go, but no, we're stuck with them for a little longer. Oh, well, at least they're entertaining, and their lies aren't going to hold up for long - a Japanese poker fan recognized them.

The teams went on to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Here they had to spread mud around fruit trees (supposedly it would help them to grow) and one team member had to herd ducks. A couple of people remarked that after that they were planning to eat duck for supper. I can imagine...Anyway, Garrett and Jessica were eliminated. They hadn't made much of an impression on me yet, so I don't have much to say about it.

I might end up blogging this show the way I do American Idol. We'll see how I feel next week.