The year is 2002. The world has just changed dramatically in the last couple of months. An attack has occurred on US soil the winds of war sweep throughout the world. Television is not immune from the real world, and a race that takes place throughout it certainly isn’t exempt. After narrowly avoiding cancellation amidst the bottom falling out in terms of international travel, The Amazing Race returned for a second season against the odds. This was a safer race, with much less harrowing locations and the challenges were more fun than designed to be stressful.
It is still a quintessential early season, though. Navigation remains king if you want to win, and the race is more marathon than sprint at this point. Fatigue hits, and hits hard for lesser-prepared teams. Relationships form and break, adding extra edge to the greatest finish ever, guaranteed to get the adrenaline pumping and the emotions satisfied.
Winds of Change
As much of a homer as I am for the original, the second edition smooths some of the debut’s rougher edges. Phil being a proper host and not the Grim Reaper was a good change, and kept the contestants on their toes. Adding sponsors added to the longevity of the show, and added more incentive to go balls-to-the-wall if a team was near the front of the pack with leg-winning prizes. The red-and-yellow race colors just work and are iconic in a way that the yellow-and-white colors, with multiple flag designs, never could.
Besides those cosmetic changes, the biggest change is the producers tightening up the race to try to limit the likelihood of another Guido situation spreading the teams out dramatically. The biggest tell-tale signs are the bunch-up points later in the race: the charter flights to the Outback in the final 5, the ferry ride across the islands in New Zealand at the final 4, and the night spent at the igloos in Alaska when they didn’t need to close the next challenge. I am fine with it; as much as I love Race 1 for its authenticity, I get this is a piece of entertainment and the situation in Season 1 could have spooked producers, with one team possibly running away with it with multiple legs to go ruining all the suspense.
Oh, and Phil’s cheesy, endearing voiceover during the intro? Gonezo.
As always, spoilers ahead!
Playing All the Hits
Looking at the second batch of gems to run the race, one can tell casting wanted to recapture lightening in a bottle from the OG’s. Many casting archetypes return:
-The witty, edgy guys – Gary & Dave Itchy & Scratchy the new Kevin & Drew
-The mom & daughter trying to get closer – Deidre & Hillary replace Momily
-The gay “couple” – Oswald & Danny (though just friends) being the new Guidos
-The grandparents – “Gutsy Grannies” Peggy & Claire for Dave & Margaretta
-The exes trying to rekindle – Tara & Wil taking over from Frank & Margarita
-The “team-next-door” married couple – Hope & Norm akin to Matt & Ana
-The fit young dudes – Chris & Alex being a Bostonian Brennan & Rob
With the exception of Oswald & Danny, the problem here is that most of the teams feel like more unpleasant versions of previous teams. It is this point that is my biggest knock on the season. The drama and arguments here feel less humorous, more personal and ugly. That is saying something after a season watching LENNYYY & Karyn fight around the world. I just find it less fun to watch. Other standouts include a beacon of light in Shola & Doyin, reflective, solid dudes who have crushed it later in life, and Blake & Paige, siblings that are grounded but so close that it borders on uncomfortable.
The Degree of Difficulty Lessens
Compared to venturing into the Sahara Desert, walking with tigers, and traveling the hard way in India, this race course feels a lot more like comfort food. The big culture shock moment? Peach using a public toilet on a bus in Thailand and the density of Hong Kong. There is a sense of wanting to make the world seem safe again after the recent attack.
After visiting a good chunk of the world’s icons the first go-around, the follow-up effort takes care to visit most of the remaining ones. A first trip to South America starts off with a big way with a trip to Cristo Redentor, Copacabana Beach, and the Amazon Rainforest. After spending the heart of the race going to less well-known locations, trips to the Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Australian Outback, and the Golden Gate Bridge grace the home stretch.
More Polished, Yet Less Polished
The show is clearly finding it’s footing with how it wants to present itself here. There is still some moments that feel documentary-esque, but mostly it is settling into its role as a travel drama here, something that will hold true until many seasons down the road. Fewer jarring sequences with no background music and odd camera placements exists in this season. The introduction of more frequent team placement graphics help the viewer follow along and add to a smoother show.
On the flip side, however, a couple of things fall in the negative category. The camera quality, somehow, seems even worse than the first season. I’m not sure why this would be; it could be a trick of my mind or maybe CBS saved worse quality copies of these episodes compared the original season which came out on DVD much quicker. Also, the editing doesn’t feel done with as much care and love – this could be due to a shorter time-to-air, as the first episode aired a little over 1 month after Chris & Alex hit the finish mat, whereas the first season had a whole Summer to hit the edit bay. Storylines aren’t as well-developed; Danny’s foot injury in Namibia is a major storyline in episode 4, then never gets mentioned again. The best storylines of the season revolve around Tara & Wil – Wil’s ongoing beef with Blake, Tara’s ongoing romance with Alex, and their gradual resentment of each other providing the backbone of Race 2.
Mandela, Education, and the Show Becomes Deeper
Episode 3, “My Alarm Clock Didn’t Go Off!,” is a turning point in the series. For the first time, racers visit a location that tells the story of a dark moment in the story of humanity, this being Mandela’s prison cell at Robben Island, South Africa. Teams are forced to grapple with a unique decision: speed on out with the clue, because this is a race for $1,000,000 in cold, hard cash, or pause for a moment and reflect on what they are seeing: a freedom fighter and renown leader confined to a shoebox for 27 years of his life. Of the teams, only Shola & Doyin stop to take a moment and ponder what’s in front of them, and even so they openly wish they had longer.
I think this is one of the coolest things the series used to do – tapping into something deeper and making the Race stand out from other competition shows. Much better was how they evolved the concept in latter visits to the Isle of Goree and Auschwitz-Birkenau, when the racing was paused for each team to have a minute of reflection. It ends up being quite the episode, with the result never in doubt due to the Gutsy Grannies’ wild 4 continent travel itinerary. Combined with the visit to Langa, a very down-on-its-luck part of the Cape Town metro area that proves to be a transforming moment for Mary & Peach. Oswald & Danny also have a moment to shine as they just make friends with everyone, proving that they are genuinely good guys – much more than their uppity, first-class loving claim at the start of the show.
Breakdown-Gate
After a The Amazing Race 1 featured numerous production difficulties that led to numerous team penalties and credits, the first real controversial moment happens in Season 2. Towards the end of leg 2, Blake & Paige are battling Hope & Norm to avoid elimination. The challenge? To drive old jeeps deep into the jungle near Iguacu Falls. What exactly happens here remains somewhat shrouded in mystery, but the story goes that Blake & Paige’s car breaks down on the way.
The sequence of events that follows is unclear; I have heard multiple versions of the story. It is believed that Blake then threatened production with a lawsuit if they were eliminated due to the car trouble, and production either stopped the race to give them a replacement, or offered a time credit. Hope & Norm, after finishing last, argue that the clue said replacements would not be given, which appeared to be a valid complaint per an old comment from Cyndi.
Either way, Hope & Norm lose out and are eliminated, and production wisely chooses a consistent rule for the following race. While we may never know exactly what was said, this event added some spice to the race.
Cha Cha Cha
After remaining out of the limelight early on in the race, best friends Oswald & Danny, AKA Cha Cha Cha, gradually come into focus as the teams dwindle. They share some nice moments, from Oswald making friends in Langa and Danny overcoming a foot injury in Namibia, but in Thailand they really come into their own. Faced with a challenging Detour that required extreme attention to navigation, they have a burst of inspiration. Enter Fern, Thailand’s coolest truant, who wandered in Cha Cha Cha’s path as she looked to play hooky from school. With Fern guiding the way, the gents cruise through Bangkok and Fern gets a day out of class.
If that was fun, they outdo themselves a couple episodes later in Hong Kong. Tasked with getting to Sydney, they keep with their tried and true strategy of linking up with a travel agent via bougie hotels, and snag the best tickets of the bunch while the other teams get angsty and panicky from the stress. With time to kill before their first-class ride to the airport, Cha Cha Cha burns off steam by getting some shopping in. The smash cuts between them getting their Starbies and their cologne and the other teams melting down is priceless. The best part? They won the leg easily.
They do eventually go down, but deliver one hell of a poignant speech about loss, love, and living life fully on their way out. I can’t find a copy on the Internet, but here’s their quotes:
When life basically becomes such a rush, you need to stop and enjoy the people that you have because it could just be gone in a second.” -Oswald Mendez
I think that’s the reason that we are such good friends, because I lost a lover to AIDS, and since then, we are very aware that you’re here today, gone tomorrow. So enjoy the moment!” -Danny Jimenez
A Tale of Two Races
Once the race hits 6 teams left, the character development and the season as a whole take off. Started by Gary & Dave’s roast session as the teams depart the pit stop at the opening of leg 6, we finally get insights into team dynamics both with their teammates and with the rest of the contenders. The first 5 teams eliminated feel very one-note – they don’t get the storylines that Race 1’s early boots do.
Of those 6, it is Tara & Wil’s relationship with each other and the rest of the racers that defines the season (more on them in a minute). Mary & Peach – the tougher older sister and the coddled younger sister – learn how to communicate and respect each other, having one awesome moment in the lead before fatigue (and tea) does them in. Gary & Dave up their impressive degree of cultural insensitivity and lament the lack of colonization in Thailand and overthink their way out of the race in the Outback. Blake’s list of Get Ahead Quick schemes provide some laughs but no advantages.
More jokes are had between the teams: from shock at how Cha Cha Cha never get flustered to Chris & Alex aghast at Gary’s antics and calling Wil a joker in their lovely Boston accents, these little moments make the season more fun than it started off.
The Ballad of Tara and Wil
At its core, this season is all about best frenemies Tara & Wil. Once accidentally married, the now exes and business partners are the first team to cause a stink at the beginning when Wil gets into it with Blake for the first of many times during the race. They also take center stage during the greatest finish of all time. In between, Wil gets drunk and acts like an a** in South Africa, is sober and acts like an a** to his allies in Thailand, calls Tara a bunch of not-so-nice names, and threatens to quit a bunch of times. Tara, for her part, starts hooking up with a different contestant (Alex), antagonizes and needles Wil to set him off, and calls him an idiot so many times I lost count. The crazy part? They dominate the race.
Physically fit, well-traveled, and surprisingly savvy, the two bicker their way into the final 3. The final 2 legs, packaged together in one double-length finale, are an absolute masterpiece with Tara & Wil the core characters. A hilarious meltdown while diving in Hawaii prove the precursor for the final leg. The fun starts at the Honolulu Airport, when they somehow manage to lose their clue to the next destination in Alaska (Rust’s Flying Service). After the playing the blame-game for a little bit, they pull a genius move of scrolling through guidebooks trying to find a name that rings a bell (all the while Blake makes a hilarious fake clue telling them to fly to Siberia). Somehow, someway, they find the name of the small flying company and call them to confirm they are expecting the Race to swing by. They are very much back in the game – and Wil lets everyone know it immediately and obnoxiously.
In the Last Frontier, Tara makes a fateful comment about wanting to lose the race just so Wil doesn’t get his share of the money. Fast forward one day to San Francisco, and Tara & Wil have used their hometown knowledge to claw their way into the lead and after another verbal incident with the taxi director at the airport. All they have to do is cross the Golden Gate Bridge to Fort Baker and run to the finish line. But the pressure leads to an already frayed team to make crucial mistakes – they lose a cab they should have had, then try a wild ploy to lead Chris & Alex down a dead end at Fort Point, on the opposite side of the Bridge. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, they once again retake the lead as they cross the Bridge and reach the start of a half-mile run to the finish mat with a lead of about 30 seconds over Chris & Alex.
The camera pans from a struggling Tara to the Boston Boys charging through the entrance behind her, her race fling chasing her down for $1,000,000. After a month-long race and a lengthy run through San Francisco, she either doesn’t have enough left in the tank or doesn’t want to, depending on who you ask. Chris & Alex go barreling past both of them, with Wil only able to offer a final, exasperated “TARA!” as his dreams of the mil crumble away. The wildest, most poetic of finishes ends with the guys squeaking past Wil in the final hundred yards to claim the win in the most dramatic way possible. No script could have written an ending like this.
Quick Hits:
-The desert start was a really neat way to start the race, with the teams needing to find civilization before they found the airport.
-Mary & Peach win a leg – a great moment for Girl Power as the sister win a leg (without even needing the Fast Forward!) in Thailand over a good group of teams.
-The Sydney Crier that was the local greeter at the Pit Stop in Sydney didn’t need to go so hard, but I’m glad he chose to anyway.
-Episode 3 features the debut of the greatest recap music in television history. I remember fondly refusing to miss the opening of an episode just to hear the few glorious notes. Shoutout Lee Sanders for this banger. It is sorely missed.
-The wildest post-season glow up? Blake goes on to found TOMS Shoes and is featured on Shark Tank, while Paige becomes a successful fashion designer.
Conclusion: at times ugly and a somewhat pale imitation of the first, but the final 2 episodes are so spectacular they bump this season into the top 10.
The Amazing Race 2 is occasionally ugly and in my humble opinion a somewhat pale imitation of the original. First 5 episodes aside, the season gets much better as it develops, and my goodness are the final two episodes just brilliant. It’s a 5 star ending with a 3 star beginning.
DVD Link
This will become an Amazon Affiliates link when set up, but for now this is a link to the DVD of the season for anyone interested. It is, as of writing, also available on Hulu and Paramount+ in the United States and Disney+ in Canada.
