Territorial Bloggings
A Cogent Mélange of Lutheran & Pop-Culture Punditry
3/25 - Reality roundup
I’ve been ignoring the non-American Idol reality shows of late, so here’s a quick roundup of my thoughts…
Survivor: Ulong has got to be the most pathetic, inept, dysfunctional, & stupid tribe that Survivor has ever seen. 6 immunity losses in a row! Nary a lucid strategic thought to be found! I had hopes for at least Stephenie being the single intelligent member of that tribe, but I cannot understand just what she was thinking with her stupid, stupid vote in this last tribal council — she had nothing to gain from reneging on Bobby John. In the end, she voted against James anyway (rightly so, as there was no need to put herself at risk of elimination by the fabled “Purple Rock o’ Death”…), so forcing an initial tie vote did nothing but weaken her position. Stooopid! Ulong’s soon-to-be-legendary ineptitude has, rightly, kept the focus off of Koror. Soon enough, however, they’ll have to turn on themselves, and it’ll be interesting to watch unfold.
The Apprentice: Last night was a treat to watch, if only to see video proof of the fact that pride does indeed goeth before the fall. Erin deserved to be fired because she gave up on her team, and thought that she could just talk & charm her way out of any danger. I think she’s probably a great lawyer, but someone who has that high an opinion of themselves needs some seasoning before they’ll impress someone like Carolyn, George, or the Donald! At this point, with 8 folks left, I really would like to see Tana win, and I think we’ll see a Tana/Kendra final.
The Amazing Race: Ah, my favorite, saved for last… 
The stars of this edition of TAR are most definitely Romber (Rob & Amber) of Survivor fame. The other teams are focusing on Romber to the point of obsession, and Romber are using that antipathy to their advantage. It’s truly amazing (no pun intended) just how much Rob has been able to use Survivor-style manipulation in a more seemingly straightforward game like TAR. It’s just way too enjoyable to watch Romber yank the chains of the other teams (especially Team Birdcage, with their stereotypical flaming gay behavior). It’s also nice to see that there is such genuine affection between Rob & Amber — as much as he can antagonize the other teams, he treats her like gold, and he’s also unfailingly nice to folks who are a part of the race (e.g., drivers, guides, locals, etc…). Oddly enough, considering that I usually have 2 or 3 teams I would like to see win the race, I’d have a real hard time picking who I’d like to see win in the unfortunate event that Romber doesn’t win.
Well, there you go — a nice quick tour of my thoughts on matters of significance in our culture!
-ghp
One Comment so far ...
Re: The Amazing Race
We are WAY too much alike. I _love_ watching Rob and Amber!! And the way he’s able to manipulate the other teams in their envy is hilarious. Rob is sometimes over the top (as when he agreed to bribe the bus driver with 3 other teams, then kept his own money when he gave the driver the bribe), but for the most part, he’s just a brilliant amateur psychologist. He seems to know exactly how to deal with everyone he meets. I despised him at the beginning of Survivor, but eventually came to respect him, and even like him. And the fact that he kept Amber around at the end of Survivor spoke volumes to me about his ability to be sincere when he’s not playing a game.
The name “Team Birdcage” is perfect! And for all this talk of homophobia, I find it interesting that it’s the homosexual couple spewing 99% of the “hate” in this series. Has Rob even done anything to directly influence those guys? As far as I know, they hate him because of who he is, not because of what he’s done. And that is far more disgusting than bribing a bus driver.
I also think the hatred of Rob and Amber is probably less intense than CBS lets on. That’s their promotional “hook” and they’re using it as much as they can. But almost every time the voice-over announcer says “All the other teams are gunning for Rob and Amber,” they cut to one of the Birdcage guys saying, “I hate them.” Most of the animosity is between those two teams–and even then, it’s all one-way!
Comment on March 26, 2005 09:49 am