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Time’s ticking for ‘Amazing Race’
Recently, I had the opportunity to attend auditions for “The Amazing Race” that were sponsored by CBS 42 and took place at RunTex.
For those of you unfamiliar with “The Amazing Race,” teams comprised of two people related by birth, marriage or other accidental acquaintance race against each other using various methods to arrive at destinations worldwide in order to win a large cash prize. It is a reality show inasmuch as the people competing are ostensibly not robots, although some legitimate arguments could be made on that point.
One after the other, as if hoping to be the representative duo selected for Noah’s Ark, eager couples advertised their suitability for a reality game show that in no way represents the actual reality of their lives. I asked several people why they wanted to compete on a show that seems to showcase the disintegration of human relationships in less-than-subtle ways. A sampling:
“Well, we watch the show, so…”
“My partner follows the show.”
“I love ‘The Amazing Race’ and I bribed this hobo to come audition with me!”
Take note, post-graduate psych students: If you want to make the case that watching television influences behavior, you need look no further! So, if watching the show causes people to want to be on the show — even if that means the estrangement of their closest relationships — let’s see what the producers are looking for. Here are some of the questions on the application:
How many times have you been divorced?
What communication issues do you have with your partner that you would want to address on the show?
What is your biggest pet peeve about your partner?
How could the show change the status of your relationship?
What most scares you about traveling?
Do you have any phobias?
Have you been treated for or experienced any mental illness within the last 10 years? Please describe in detail.
Are there any outstanding warrants for your arrest?
How do you blow off steam?
It is nice to know that if I blow off steam by getting arrested while popping Xanax to treat my kinesophobia, there’s no indication this would actually disqualify me. Luckily, most of the people filling out applications at the RunTex seemed fairly normal — or at least as normal as any cross-section of the Austin population.
Couple No. 22, a boyfriend/girlfriend combo I dubbed “The Pretty Kids” declared that they were, in themselves, “amazing”. “And so, like, we’d be perfect for ‘The Amazing Race’,” said the girlfriend while her boyfriend wiped his face with his shirt to show off his abs.
Two women who worked together comprised Couple No. 23. “We don’t know each other all that well, so it will be interesting to see how we handle it,” said one. Her co-worker rejoined with, “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a catfight.”
I spoke with Dominic and Ron while they were waiting to audition. (They ended up leaving before they were called up, although they planned still to send in an audition video.) I asked Dominic why they wanted to be on the show. He said he and Ron had known each other for 11 years and that Ron, a fan of the show, had asked him to audition. “I didn’t have anything better to do, so here I am.” Ron, himself a radio producer, joked that he didn’t have any friends and didn’t want any, so it wouldn’t matter what happened between them. They possessed a genuine good humor about the whole spectacle that raised my spirits. If they end up on the show, I might even have to watch an episode.
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