★★★★★ 0/5

Amazing Race’s lack of grace

Poor locals in Ghana watch on as The Amazing Race dishes out luxurious prizes to elated Americans.

17
Leave a comment

One of the most enjoyable aspects of The Amazing Race is watching American tourists struggling in foreign territories.

Often they say something condescending, invariably about the locals’ lack of English or something about third world conditions.

In last night’s episode they wound up in Accra in Ghana. It was certainly a culture shock to many of them.

At one point they were subjected to begging by the locals, thrusting a hand in a cab window, grateful for any any small change. Most teams declined.

So it was just a tad inappropriate to see the Pit Stop scene with a throng of locals looking on while host Phil Keoghan told “Home Shopping hosts” Brooke and Claire about their prize.

They won a 10 day trip to Hawaii, with 5 nights at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Oahu, spa treatments, dinner and a luau followed by 5 nights at another resort with a helicopter tour of the local coast.

The two squealed as local crowded around

It really needed a child to tug on Phil Keoghan’s shirt and ask, “Please Mister. Can I have a spa treatment too?”

17 Responses

  2. I wonder with if the Australian series will see the same, or if they will show great dignity and repect to other cultures unlike the American version of the show

  4. @ Julie. It is actually the annoying TT that starts @ 6.30 and always goes til 7.03 or more… The news always starts on time! So it is poor programming by Ch7 to make TT go over for longer!

  5. Johnson – I too noticed that they didn’t give a preview of the next episode or the credits.

    This is the first time that the show has been on at 7.30pm in a long time (if ever) so maybe the fact that the ultra boring “Home and Away” always manages to finish way past the scheduled time that the closing credits were chopped.

  6. I thought that those who got the tv installed scored them for free (like the show offered to buy them one so they could install it). I wouldn’t be surprised if the show does other things to give back to the poorer communities they visit. But yeah, they could have dont things a little better at the end; maybe they wanted to bring some excitement to the community?

  7. David, fair point but if the leg was in the middle of Sydney and I was an onlooker with a few hundred others, I would be a bit jelous that I wasn’t getting spa treatments and 10 day trip to Hawaii too!

  9. David, you get hassled by beggers all the time in many 3rd world countries just cause you’re tourists. You can’t give your change to everyone who comes up to you just cause you feel sorry for them. The fact they have a camera crew with them would have made it worse.

    I’m sure because the Amazing Race has come to the country it would at least inspire a few more tourists to visit pumping in a bit of money to the tourist industry.

    1. Richatrd W: Of course… as I have myself. It’s difficult to explain to them “I’m sorry they only gave me $75 for this leg of the race.” This was not my point (there is even an argument that giving money to child beggars reinforces a life of poverty). It was the Pit Stop I found rather untimely. Think it’s a shame a producer didn’t stage a more tactful location. I found it a bit off hearing about spa treatments and resort hotels while those drawn faces of the locals watched on. TAR is always great fun. Occasionally (such as when it had raced through Sri Lanka and New Orleans before tsunami / hurricane) it occasionally gets poetic too.

  11. Even in third-world countries, many beggars earn enough money to live comfortably, I think it’s better to give food rather than money.

    Phil’s pit stop did look awkward though, it’s usually in hotel grounds or some nice park, but the production in Ghana would have been beneficial, for it probably would have brought in money for those involved, and promoted Ghana as a place for adventure tourism.

  12. David, I couldn’t agree more but don’t get me wrong. The Amazing Race is a terrific show but this series seems to be filled with a surfeit of insensitive, over-the-top constants. My wife and I squirmed when the blond-haired member of the patronising twosome – Brooke and Claire – slobbered all over an unsuspecting many driving a tractor as if he’d been waiting for such an encounter his whole life. What insufferable arrogance. But Brooke and Claire are not alone with a number of other of the female contestants in particular going over the top, repeatedly hugging people and ignoring the cultural sensibilities of the Ghanaian people. The contestants are guests in the countries they are visiting and should treat the people they meet, the viewers and themselves with a little more respect. At the other end of the scale from the self agrandizing Brooke and Claire are Texan father and son Michael and Kevin Wu whose humility and genuine fondness for each other get our vote… Go boys!

  13. interesting call, i was thinking about this too

    i recall some seasons ago when viewers were questioning when players were begging for money to the poor people in 3rd world countries (they were taken away all their money away because they came last on the last leg)

  14. I often find myself cringing while watching this show. If it isn’t a contestant complaining that someone should speak English, it’s another hurling abuse at a taxi driver trying to understand instructions which, to them, are screamed in a foreign dialect.

  15. It was fascinating to see the colourful Ghanaian coffins in all shapes and sizes.
    Did anyone notice that there were no credits nor preview of the next episode after Andie and Jenna, who were eliminated, had their final say?

Leave a Reply