Best TV Show of the Week

The Amazing Race on CBS

By catherine Nailog

CBS’s The Amazing Race is a reality television show that takes its viewers along a heart-pumping ride filled with excitement and adventure.  The show provides an evening of thrills as well as an appreciation of different cultures for all family members to enjoy.  It is for these reasons it has been given the honor of Best TV Show of the Week. The episode that was broadcast on Sunday, October 30th at 8:00 p.m. (ET) brought seven teams from Thailand to Malawi, Africa for the sixth leg of the race.  The Roadblock task had teams travel to a tobacco warehouse where one member of each team hauled ten 200-pound bales of tobacco from one area of the warehouse to the other, maneuvering through corners and dodging other warehouse workers.  As the teams maneuvered their bales through the warehouse, the workers cheered and sang the teams along.  Jeremy and Sandy were first to complete the task.  Marcus and Amani were last to complete the task.  Though he was last, Marcus was deeply touched at the warehouse workers’ support.

The teams then traveled to Memorial Tower for a Detour task of either All Sewn Up or Not Grown Up.  The All Sewn Up task required the teams to find the White Horse De-Signs Tailor Shop, and use their manual sewing machines to sew the unfinished seams of a customer’s jacket and pants.  The customer would then hand over the next clue if he was pleased with the team’s work.  The Not Grown Up task required the teams to find Lilongwe LEA School and build two toy trucks using scrap materials.  The toy trucks were then approved by the head mistress, then test-driven by the schoolchildren who would give the team the next clue. Jeremy and Sandy was the first team to complete their toy trucks. Justin and Jennifer followed closely behind them.

Teams then raced to R-K Furniture store.  While there, teams retrieved two wooden beds and had them transported via truck, and then carried into Kumbali Village, the site of a Pit Stop and where the teams would need the wooden beds for an overnight stay.  Jeremy and Sandy waited for their truck, however Andy and Tommy took the truck that was intended for them.  Amani and Marcus were the last to complete the task of All Sewn Up.  They fell further behind when their taxi cab to the furniture store broke down.

Justin and Jennifer arrived at Kumbali Village in first place, with Andy and Tommy in second.  However, Justin and Jennifer neglected to pay their truck driver and had to settle with him before Phil would check them in.  This error bumped Andy and Tommy into first place, and they received a prize of a trip for two to the British Virgin Islands.  Justin and Jennifer settled up with their driver and raced back to come in second. Bill and Cathi followed by Jeremy and Sandy arrived at Kumbali Village.  Phil announced that Jeremy and Sandy were in third place.  He told Bill and Cathi that they must pay their driver prior to checking in.  Laurence and Zac arrived in fourth place, followed by Ernie and Cindy in fifth place.  Bill and Cathi passed Amani and Marcus who were slowly carrying their beds into the village.  Bill and Cathi raced back and took sixth place.  Amani and Marcus finally arrived into Kumbali Village.  Phil told them that though they were the last team to arrive at the village, they weren’t eliminated from the race.  They were relieved to still have a chance in the race and were even more determined to win.

This episode provided an exciting glimpse into the challenges and triumphs of the contestants as they raced around Malawi.  It was wonderful to see the contestants appreciate the Malawi peoples and their culture.  The difficult work that Malawis performed on a daily basis was  shown  in the tobacco warehouse and the carrying of the wooden beds to the village.  It was especially heartwarming to see the teams build toy trucks for the children of Lilongwe LEA School.  Jennifer, a teacher, has future plans to include  the building of toy trucks out of scraps in her classroom. She commented that we (Americans) would just buy toys.  Malawis would make do with what they had.  And even though Amani and Marcus were in last place, their determination and commitment inspired one to never give up.  The teams were very grateful to the Malawis, who not only welcomed them into their country, but also helped them show how blessed one is to live in America. That is why The Amazing Race is the Best TV Show of the Week.

Best TV Show of the Week

The Parents Television Council - www.parentstv.org