The seven year streak came to an abrupt halt last year when Top Chef shocked the world to take the Emmy for Reality-Competition Program from formerly unbeatable champ The Amazing Race.
The Amazing Race remains one of the television’s most exciting and most stunning adventures, but recent seasons have admittedly lost the spark that truly made the series incredible, especially in the early seasons.
Though the episode TAR had submitted last year might have played a part, the loss should have been a wake-up call to the show’s producers that maybe it was time for them to step up their game instead of playing it safe.
With the series’ 17th season (airing last Fall), The Amazing Race did just that. And that season had been produced and filmed before the Emmy ceremony.
TAR17 was a breath of fresh air. It had the series’ best group of Racers in years, locations and tasks were improved, and new twists helped the series feel fresh.
With the just concluded 18th season of the Race, the series finally made the transition to High Definition which only highlights what makes the Race so Amazing. The incredible locations around the world now made even more stunning in crystal clear HD.
It is hard to pinpoint what criteria the Emmy voters use to choose the nominees in the Reality-Competition category considering they seem to just nominate programs by habit the last couple of years.
But what voters should consider, is whether the series are engaging, entertaining and smart. Series that don’t dumb down the audience and series that establish connections with the viewer by exemplifying the true spirit of competition. Plus, the series’ production. Are the series well produced?
With The Amazing Race, you have all of that. Even at its weakest, The Amazing Race never fails to deliver the thrill and excitement of competition and the inspiring wonder of exploring the world.