Amazing Race 101

If you've yet to watch tonight's Amazing Race episode "Get In That Lederhosen, Baby" please be warned that this article contains **SPOILERS**

So after watching tonight's Amazing Race episode I just had to write this. Sure, there are many qualities that you should have when on The Amazing Race like communication skills between you and your partner, ability to adapt to any situation, fearlessness and general athleticism. However, you shouldn't even appear on the show if you've yet to learn the basic Amazing Race 101 skills beforehand.

1) Learn to drive a stick shift. I don't understand all the teams over the years who have come on this show and didn't learn beforehand how to drive a stick shift. Bergen & Kurt take the cake on this episode when they fail so badly at driving their stick shift car to their destination that they feel they have no choice but to take a cab. And sadly when they get to their destination they realize that the next challenge requires them to drive their car backwards through a Winter Wonderland. They ended up with a 2 hour penalty that they never came back from. 

2) Learn to read a map, a compass and get comfortable with your geography. Many times we have seen couples struggling because one person becomes the navigator while the other person becomes the driver. Because of our technology driven generation people have become so dependent on things like Google Maps, or GPS, which on a normal occasion in everyday life is no big deal. Not going to lie, that's how I find my way around. The difference is that I may end up just being late for a dentist appointment, not LOSE A MILLION DOLLARS! 

3) Learn to read carefully. Almost every episode on every season there has been some team that has done the wrong challenge, or tried to complete the challenge wrong, or went to the destination by transportation that wasn't allowed. I think my favorite example of this is Steve & Allie in season 16 in which they had to paint the inside wall of a house but they didn't read their clue properly and went to a random house instead of one that was clearly marked and painted a wall in a strangers house. Hilarious yes, but not how you win. 

This goes the same with Survivor. How many castaways on how many seasons don't know how to start a fire? or don't know how to swim? So many, I couldn't even list them all. 

So my point of this is to just ask people why not BE PREPARED for what you can prepare for? Why not take an hour or two out of your life to learn how to drive a stick shift or start a fire without matches or flint because not only could it save you from severe embarrassment on national TV, but it just might be the help you need to win a million dollars.

Just saying....


PS: 
Amazing Race, please never take a three week hiatus again. Friday night's just aren't the same without ya!

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