CBS's The Amazing Race has always been the classiest, least objectionable of reality shows in that burgeoning genre, and despite the gimmickry inherent in casting Survivor stars in the show's seventh edition, "Race" remains in top form.
Again, "The Amazing Race" is a litmus test. You either love to see couples bicker, or it makes you uncomfortable. Personally, seeing relationships fall to pieces is one of my favorite things in the entire world.
I don't much care which duo ultimately comes in first and collects the $1 million prize, and the personality conflicts aren't dramatically different from those on other reality shows. But at least this series covers a lot-of interesting ground.
Now, it seems producers wanted loud, obnoxious contestants who'd get people talking, and people are definitely talking. But at what price? This "stunt casting" dilutes the show's quality.
Not that there haven't been a lot of insufferable people on every edition of The Amazing Race (and a higher-than-usual proportion of them this time), but Kendra's comments about those "ghetto" countries in Africa were pretty bad.
The round-the world-in-80-days aspect gives the show a certain swashbuckling flair, but as with all reality shows, the heart of [The Amazing Race] is pure, voyeuristic people-watching.