Amazing Race 15 Review
(To start off, PLEASE NO SPOILERS FOR FUTURE SEASONS, The Amazing Race is the one reality show I have been relatively able to be spoiler free for and I would like to keep it that way)
Hello Everyone,
I have recently just got back into watching The Amazing Race after a couple of years. I watched seasons 1-14 but had stopped due to burnout and didn't pick it back up. (I watched Episode 1 of S15 but forgot most of it) I am here to give my review of Season 15.
Overall, I found this season to be quite enjoyable. I found most of the teams to be very likeable, with only a few duds that went out relatively early. I enjoyed the route that the teams took. The Japan leg was one of the few things I remembered from when I first watched it. Japanese Gameshow was a great idea. The return of the Hay Bale Roadblock was a welcome edition as well.
Let's get into the teams now, starting from last place to the winners of the season:
Eric and Lisa: Not much to say about them here. They seemed like a bit of a dud, but that might be because they went out first. I do have to say, that starting mat elimination was brutal, and I would be rightfully pissed if that happened to me. Not even getting out of Los Angeles sucks. They were also unfortunately the only elimination I remembered on my original watch of episode 1.
Garrett and Jessica: Another dud team in my books. The only real content we got from them was their bickering. It does please me to hear that they did get married after the race. I think that they just got the short end of the stick with not enough screen time, perhaps then they could have been a bit more memorable.
Marcy and Ron: The last of the unmemorable teams for me this season. They are a step up in the right direction though. Marcy did get her emotional moment in Vietnam, so that adds to the memorability. It's a good thing that the farther we go into the season that the team memorability keeps rising.
Zev and Justin: Oh boy, that's a rough way to go out. I went into the race and found myself rooting for Zev and Justin. As someone who's also on the ASD, I related to Zev in a way that most of the other teams couldn't do for me. Their friendship was very heartwarming. Going out in Vietnam by checking in to the Pit Stop in 1st place, but then realizing that you've lost your passport is brutal. First to last is rough, but its pretty memorable.
This is where I will address something, I know Season 18 is Unfinished Business (please no spoilers), and Zev and Justin is the first team from this season in which I could see them being brought back to race again. If I think a team fits the description of having Unfinished Business, I will say that I could see them being brought back for Season 18.
Lance and Keri: Lance was arrogant, but he wasn't arrogant in a way that made me dislike him. He's got that Boston attitude that makes him seem that way. Him and Keri definitely need to work on their communications though. They were just lost in Dubai for basically the whole time, and it cost them. Overall, I thought they were a decent team that just made a few too many mistakes.
Mika and Canaan: Oh god, where do I even start with this one. That might be the worst meltdown I've seen on the Amazing Race. Mika, you refused to go down a waterslide? really? I know that she was scared of heights but still, like come on. I'm scared of heights myself, and even I think I could go down a waterslide if $1 million was on the line. I will say, Canaan handled the situation horribly as well. Berating Mika was probably not the way to go. Overall, they were a slightly boring team that were saved by possibly the most memorable moment of the season.
Maria and Tiffany: Originally starting out I thought they were a very lucky team. With the Non-Elimination Leg in Japan, and Zev losing his passport in Cambodia, I thought that they were skating by just on luck. I did like them as a team a lot though, they were very smart and methodical and used that to their advantage to get back into the race. Unfortunately they ran into a Detour that I thought was a little unfair to them, and they ended up quitting in the Netherlands. Because they said they were quitting the race, I have no idea if they would be eligible for Unfinished Business, but if they are I could see them being on.
Gary and Matt: One of my favorite teams on this season. I don't know what it was, but their dynamic just made me want to root for them. I think Matt was mostly the reason, he was very unique and seemed thrilled to do everything on the race. I don't know if they were as memorable as I thought they were, but they were very likeable. If my viewpoint is the one that is shared, then I could see them being on Unfinished Business. If not, then I enjoyed them on their outing.
Flight Time and Big Easy: Easily the most memorable team of the season for me. They brought the humor and the competitiveness that made me want to root for them. Flight Time was easily the funniest racer of the season, culminating in his dance routine in the Czech Republic. Big Easy was no slouch either, as his physical comedy of standing out everywhere he went because he's 6'10 was also pretty funny. Unfortunately, they took the penalty in Prague and it ended up costing them valuable time that they couldn't get back. If there is anyone coming back for Unfinished Business, it's definitely them.
Brian and Ericka: My other favorite team of the season. I just thought their dynamic was funny, as they would bicker and then lock in to stave off elimination, culminating in a trip on the Final Leg of the Race. They were the one's I was rooting for going into the Final Leg of the race. I love a good underdog story, and them winning the Final Leg would have been a great storyline to finish the season off. I wouldn't be surprised to see them on Unfinished Business, but I don't think its a guarantee.
Sam and Dan: Ah yes, the bickering brothers that I accidentally kept calling Sam and Dean throughout the season (If you know, you know). That's exactly what they were most known for, arguing on the race. They were a strong pair of racers, but they kept getting in each others way. They had all the tools to win, but just needed to work together more cohesively. I can see them being on Unfinished Business, but it could go one of two ways. Either they come back and work together better, or we get another season of them bickering (which would be funny).
Meghan and Cheyne: Let's get to the winners of this season. First of all I must say that this is probably the most dominant team to win the race so far. They won 6 Legs of the race. Originally, I thought that the edit was running towards them coming up short to either Sam and Dan or Brian and Ericka. I thought they were too dominant, and that the win was going to be snatched up from under them. I was clearly wrong, and they have cemented themselves as the top winners of The Amazing Race (along with Nick and Starr) through the first 15 seasons.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty good season, and I look forward to watching season 16.
Updated Season Tier List:
S: 5, 7
A: 2, 9, 12, 14, 15
B: 1, 3, 10, 11, 13
C: 4
D: 6
F (Family Edition): 8
Unfinished Business Candidates: Zev and Justin, Maria and Tiffany (if allowed), Gary and Matt, Flight Time and Big Easy, Brian and Ericka, Sam and Dan
I hope you enjoyed my review. I had a great time watching this season and look forward to getting back into the Amazing Race.