The Amazing Race!

Hi friends,

Some of you may remember of a post I did about reality shows that are suddenly so popular. With a slew of programs like Big Brother, American Idol, Who Wants to Marry A Millionaire, Joe Millionaire, The Simple Life and so on, people have been gripped with watching reality shows. I still feel that with these kind if shows, it is being voyeuristic that people enjoy the most. We get to peek into other people’s live, and witness their emotions and feelings as well as their intimate moments.

I never watched such kind of programs till I was introduced to Big Brother back in 2003. Big Brother was all about contestants being locked up in a house, and was given tasks to perform. At the end of each week, the national public would call and vote off whom they think should leave the show. So each week one contestant would leave. Now, why would anyone want to watch something like this? Why the heck should I care about them? I don’t even know them! Why should I spend my time watching the shows and their insane lives? Believe it or not, I was caught up in the hype, and soon, I started to watch the show with everyone else, right down to the finale.

At the beginning of this year a close friend of mine, who watches American Idol, made me watch it with her. Initially I was not going to watch it, but for her, I did. I just think there is something personal about such kind of shows. You see these people as real people, people with hopes and dreams to become the winner. Yes, it is voyeuristic, but who cares?

I just finished watching The Amazing Race, and this has got to be my all time favorite reality based TV shows. There are teams, made up of two people, who race all over the world to win the prize. Each week, they get a clue and have to go through several clues to reach to the pit stop. The last team to arrive at the pit stop is eliminated. So each week, we lose a team. This show is a lot of fun because it is a cool treasure hunt plus travel plus adventure plus reality show. I find myself screaming out at the team members. I rejoice when the team makes it to the pit stop. I find myself anxious and worrisome when things go wrong. It is a very unpredictable show because sometimes the team in the first place can be the last and the last team can be the first.

The other one I watch is called Murder in Small Town X, in which detectives have to unravel clues in a small town, in which everything is realistically set up, with fake characters and all. It is rather scary at times.

All right, let’s see what else is on TV…

Mansur