Mark Holtz
05-29-03, 11:29 AM
From USA Today who gave the series three out of four stars:
'Race' looks like early winner
Premiering tonight with a 90-minute special, Race offers the competitive, human-interest draw of the best reality shows while avoiding most of the genre's crueler drawbacks. As on all reality shows, some time is devoted to squabbling and backbiting. But because the show is a race rather than a popularity contest, soap-opera antics take a back seat to skill, luck and brains.
Among the teams are a pair of models, two "old, fat, out-of-shape middle-aged guys," a gay couple who are trying to keep their sexuality secret, two circus clowns, a couple who have been dating for 12 years but are still virgins, a New Jersey guy engaged to a Texas girl ("it's like The Sopranos meets The Dukes of Hazzard") and my early favorites, a married couple whose self-description is "we're fat, we're 40 but we're fun."
Though Race always casts some easily recognizable types, some players can still surprise you, like the young lady from South Dakota who swears like a sailor. Or at least she would if this were HBO. On CBS, she just gets bleeped a lot.
Full Article Here (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-05-28-amazing-race_x.htm)
'Race' looks like early winner
Premiering tonight with a 90-minute special, Race offers the competitive, human-interest draw of the best reality shows while avoiding most of the genre's crueler drawbacks. As on all reality shows, some time is devoted to squabbling and backbiting. But because the show is a race rather than a popularity contest, soap-opera antics take a back seat to skill, luck and brains.
Among the teams are a pair of models, two "old, fat, out-of-shape middle-aged guys," a gay couple who are trying to keep their sexuality secret, two circus clowns, a couple who have been dating for 12 years but are still virgins, a New Jersey guy engaged to a Texas girl ("it's like The Sopranos meets The Dukes of Hazzard") and my early favorites, a married couple whose self-description is "we're fat, we're 40 but we're fun."
Though Race always casts some easily recognizable types, some players can still surprise you, like the young lady from South Dakota who swears like a sailor. Or at least she would if this were HBO. On CBS, she just gets bleeped a lot.
Full Article Here (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2003-05-28-amazing-race_x.htm)