Aviously

It has been almost 14 years since the series first started, and recently I went back and watched parts of Season 1….only to realize how much the show has evolved since then, and become all the more better.

I’ve been watching since Day 1, and besides the Gordon Ramsey adult shows, there isn’t much in the “reality TV” world that I find interesting.

But The Amazing Race takes you exploring around the world, giving tastes of different cultures, and letting you see sights and views you wouldn’t see unless in some boring, Morgan Freeman narrated-style, documentary.

The concept is simple enough, as teams need to Race from Point A–>Point B, as quickly as possible, but not without some Detours, Roadblocks, Speed Bumps, and Fast Forwards along the way.
The first team to finish all the legs, wins 1 Million Dollars, and The Amazing Race.

Combine all those with the eyebrow of Phil Keoghan, and you have yourselves a 13-time Emmy Award winning show!’

This year was especially fun to watch, and as it came down to the finale, of four teams this year instead of the usual three, it got harder and harder to figure out who to root for, although I had one favorite from Day 1.

Bethany Hamilton and Adam Dirks are quite possibly one of the best couples to ever run The Amazing Race.
For those that might’ve recognized the name, Bethany is a one-armed surfer who lost her arm to a shark attack at age 13, and was the focus of the movie Soul Surfer based on her book.
They were honestly one of the most loving, non-fighting, teams to ever run a complete Amazing Race, and while usually that would be boring to watch, with them it was inspiring to watch, as well as seeing her face challenges (and run through them) that most of us complain about.
It’s a shame they couldn’t finish first, but seeing their reaction on the finish line mat, you realized that they meant more to each other than just the money, which was great.

At the end of the episode they teased Season 26, which will feature 11 dating couples, as they try to make it work in their relationships and on the race for a million dollars….with an added twist of 5 teams meeting on the starting line for an epic Blind Date :-O
Personally, I expected next year to not be able to meet the excitement of this season before I saw the trailer…now I think it’ll be even worse than that But only time will tell!
The race returns Wednesday, February 25th at 9:30PM for a 90-minute premiere, followed by a one-hour episode in its regular time slot on Friday February 27.