And another international Amazing Race season better than the American one has just wrapped up. The Amazing Race Canada started last year and was a resounding success. It’s no different this year.
Season 2, overall, was a great season. Definitely more enjoyable and more creative than any recent American TAR season. (Most definitely the, lets just forget, TAR24.)
Traveling to Hong Kong, Macau and France was awesome, despite half the Canadian TAR audience absolutely hating the idea the Race left Canada. Next season, it’ll be interesting to see where they decide to go, because there’s not many Canadian destinations left without either revisiting locations or having generic, irrelevant tasks.
But that’s something to worry about next season.
This season, while enjoyable, I think lacked the magic the first season had being the first season. Not to mention it had a much better Final 3.
Jon Montgomery definitely improved as a host though and that is great to see.
And the beautiful cinematography was still very much present, setting itself apart from its older sibling to the south.
But now, let’s talk about the reunions! WTF was that!?
I cannot get over Rex & Bob’s snark bitterness. It was crazy! At the half-reunion, the most awkward moment was Rex & Bob and Cormac & Nicole saying Sukhi & Jinder did not deserve to be in the Race longer than them. Shahla & Nabeela and especially Laura & Jackie came to Sukhi & Jinder’s defense and hilarious shut Rex & Bob and Cormac & Nicole up at the end of the show.
Now in the full reunion, Rex and especially Bob’s passive-agressive snarky comments seriously came off as mean-spirited and bitter. They reacted that way to not just Sukhi & Jinder, but to Mickey & Pete and Natalie & Meaghan. And most especially to Pierre & Michel.
The entire reunion, they sat there, arms crossed, never applauding. And then it happened. Pierre & Michel defending their actions on the Race. Let’s be real, they were moustache-twirling, French-accented villains. And it was hilarious. Okay. But Rex & Bob and Cormac & Nicole made them out to be disgusting cheats. It’s like take the Cowboys fans criticism of Dan & Jordan “cheating” Jet & Cord out of a million dollars and multiply that absurdity by 10.
Alain & Audrey, whom Pierre & Michel lied to and U-Turned could care less because they understood this is a competition. But you’ve got Rex needing to be bleeped out on television, he was so upset.
And what provoked his apparent profane outburst? Pierre & Michel hilariously explaining the “lost” Hong Kong U-Turn and the process of TAR needing to get anyone they ask for directions to sign a waiver.
Now, if you haven’t been following spoilers, there was actually a U-Turn in Hong Kong with Rex & Bob U-Turning Natalie & Meaghan. But with Natalie & Meaghan far ahead of Rex & Bob, their U-Turn was invalid, hence it wasn’t shown on TV.
As for the waivers, it was a hilariously logical explanation to wanting to save time on the Race by pointing others in the wrong direction. We’ve never really had any TAR team ever talk about that aspect of production.
Anyway. Overall, Season 2 was a little less awesome as Season 1, yet still enjoyable in many ways. And it was no question, much more exciting and enjoyable than recent American seasons with a better cast than recent American seasons too.
My Final Subjective Team Rankings
Sukhi & Jinder are definitely one of my all-time favorite teams, from any TAR. They were absolutely hilarious and fun, but when they needed to, they stepped it up and were competitive. They were A LOT more likeable than many of the other teams, that’s for sure. There were times they stumbled and the begging for help in the beginning of the Race were low points. But they made it to the penultimate Leg on their own. No one wanted to help them in the first place, so the criticism that they were helpless is obviously baseless.
There is no doubt Natalie & Meaghan are one of the strongest teams to ever run the Race. And while one team dominating isn’t the most exciting thing to watch, Natalie & Meaghan somehow remained likeable and rootable. Since I’m not a Canadian, them being national sports heroes means nothing to me. So that they were able to be dominant competitors while still be fun and likeable is a huge accomplishment for any team on TAR.
Alain & Audrey were a mixed bag, but mostly a fun and competitive team. It was all about the French meltdowns though. Mickey & Pete are fine winners and were a solid, consistent team throughout. They were hippie-ish, but not annoying or grating. That too is a major accomplishment, because as we saw at the Finish Line and on After the Race, they could’ve easily turned it on too much and it would’ve been a different story.
Pierre & Michel. Yes, Pierre & Michel. I don’t necessarily like the, but I can appreciate their French-accented, moustache-twirling villainy. Never had characters like them on TAR before and they certainly helped deliver some great (and turns out, hilarious) drama. Their ultimate downfall was the perfect way for them to go though and they certainly did not overstay their welcome like other teams. But big thanks to Rex & Bob, I like these twins a lot more now post-Race than I ever would have. Shahla & Nabeela were only on the Race one Leg, but they would’ve been a team I would have much rather gone forward than others. Laura & Jackie were pretty bland most of their time on the Race, but their positive post-Race attitudes are a big plus. If only they had been more interesting on the Race.
Ryan & Rob had to be one of the most boring teams to ever run the Race. Like seriously. The worst part is, they are actually fun and hilarious off the Race. Ryan has plenty of funny YouTube skits and yet we never saw any of that on the Race. Not to mention they were so blah even on Legs they were in danger of being eliminated (which was basically, every Leg).
It’s surprising that I think I like Margie & Luke more than Cormac & Nicole. They were competitive and Nicole did some great stuff, but overall they actually kind of grated. Their bitterness at the half-reunion was shocking. So thank goodness none of that popped up in the full-reunion. But I was not sad at all when they were eliminated. It sucks Nicole struggled at that Road Block, but there were times when they went too hard.
Jen & Shawn were another bland team. Even with a popped out shoulder, they weren’t a big loss when they were eliminated.
And finally, Rex & Bob. Wow. Just wow. They had their hilarious, fun moments on the Race, but wow. Their quitting TWICE in one Leg is already something to look down on. But their incredible bitterness at BOTH reunions is just amazing. Even if they were just being snarky or whatnot, they came off as angry and bitter. It was unbelievable. And the fact that they made me LIKE Pierre & Michel? Eeek!
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You forgot Pierre & Michel in your ranking! 😉
Ooops! hehe. I talked so much about their antics in the overall part, I must have forgot lol