The start of "The Amazing Race 14" brought more than a few cosmetic changes to the program.
----
The graphics were updated with a large computerized depiction of the planet now the centerpiece of the show logo. The intro music was also updated along with the typeface font used during the course of the program itself. All of these changes are definite steps upward for the program from its original 2001 launch.
What I don't know yet is how to react to the LAX airport scenes being almost entirely deleted. Host Phil Keoghan simply told us which teams were on which of two planes and before we knew it, we were seeing Switzerland. With the too short one hour (including commercials) available for the premiere, I understand the decision to focus entirely on the foreign aspect. It still seemed an abrupt way to start a show.
For that matter, the names of a few of the racers were slightly altered from what was posted on CBS.com. Instead of LaKisha and Jennifer we got simply Kisha and Jen, very helpful when having to differentiate with the other Jennifer not that it will matter after this week.
----
The Roadblock and Detour aspect wasn't publicized well in episode one. Keoghan barely mentioned that the Roadblock even was a Roadblock while there was no Detour televised at all.
The Roadblock involved making a 70 story bungee jump at what was apparently the second longest bungee jumping structure in the world. Though Jodi of the Christie & Jodi flight attendants team did appear to have some trepidation, there really wasn't much suspense to the endeavor. It was all about the pictures and the screaming.
What was more interesting was the other unnamed task as teams had to carry antique cheese racks up a large, muddy hill then come back down the same hill with 200 pounds of cheese. For many of the teams, the racks simply fell apart, leaving the Racers to carry the heavy cheese loads down manually. Those were the pictures that I watch an Amazing Race to see, the truly humiliating pics.
----
The first race leg itself boiled down to a grouping of four teams. Father/son duo Mel & Mike were team number one headed into the cheese task but were severely slowed down. The father Mel literally had to slide himself down the hill in a seated position to complete the task.
Their slowdown allowed mother/son duo Margie & Luke to take a surprise first place finish for the premiere leg. Keoghan actually signed the "you are team number one" greeting for the benefit of the deaf Luke. That was an incredibly nice touch for the moment.
Siblings Tammy & Victor finished in second place with brothers Mark & Michael in third. On a side note, Victor already attempted some Rob/Amber slight of hand with the train ride earlier in the leg but Mel and Mike didn't appear fooled in the least.
----
The Steve & Linda married team from downstate Virginia had its own issues. Linda simply was not physically capable in the early going of keeping up with her husband or anyone else. Unfortunately, Steve was none too understanding of his wife's limitations in the early going. Team Kentucky, this is not.
Fortunately, Steve redeemed his own self by applying his carpenter skills to construct a device to simply slide three of the large cheeses down the hill on the Detour. While a later diversion into nowhere cost them positioning, they still finished in 9th place to avoid elimination.
----
It wasn't the best of beginnings for the three all-female teams on the race with former NFL cheerleaders Jaime & Cara scoring the best finish in only 7th place out of the 11 teams.
Christie & Jodi's own experience as flight attendants didn't help them with any modes of non-plane travel. They waited at least a half hour early in the leg for a taxi while other teams aggressively sough out their vehicles. The flight attendants were later fooled by marrieds Brad & Victoria into taking a train that would cause them to reach the cheese task well behind the other teams.
----
Fortunately for the flight attendants, there was a tempestuous dating couple named Preston & Jennifer on the race. The daters were the only one of the eleven teams to miss their initial train connection upon arrival in Switzerland, causing no shortage of backbiting in the incident.
The pair later finished the cheese task in next to last place but not before Jennifer apparently exhausted herself. While Preston tried to carry Jennifer on his back, they were literally outrun by Christie & Jodi to the final remaining race spot.
Preston & Jennifer would become the first elimination from "The Amazing Race 14." Jennifer blamed herself but Preston was more understanding of his girlfriend this time out. They seem to be used to that breaking and making up process by now.
____________________________Labels: recaplette, tar 14.1, the amazing race, the amazing race 14
