The Amazing Race Leg 9: (Cowboy down)

Week 9 of "The Amazing Race: Unfinished Business" saw Jet & Cord (a.k.a the Cowboys), the overwhelming fan favorites, get eliminated at the hands of the dreaded Double U-Turn.  It was rather sad, because I wanted them in the Final 3, but it wasn't meant to be.

After reading through some forums, just about everybody is up in arms over the manner in which the Cowboys exited the show.  Most think that the Globetrotters, the team ahead of them, shouldn't have turned back the Cowboys.  However, if you were in a similar position like the 'Trotters, what would you have done?  Actually, what I should ask is, had the Cowboys been in the Globetrotters' position, what would they have done?

Jet & Cord McCoy; brothers and Cowboys from Oklahoma

When this current season of Amazing Race started, my "dream Final 3" was Zev & Justin, The Globetrotters (Flight Time & Big Eazy) and the Cowboys.  I like Zev & Justin, just because they have the smarts to overcome any athletic shortcomings.  I like the Globetrotters because despite being good guys, some fellow contestants and most viewers have branded them the "dumb jocks" and they are the team most people would love to see eliminated.  I like the Cowboys because no matter the obstacle, they have always found a way to avoid elimination.

So let's recap this episode.  A lot of people have singled out the Globetrotters for cheating during a certain portion of the race.  The task in question required contestants to take a bike ride from Schaanwald to Balzers.  At the end of the ride, they were required to write on a postcard the correct distance (22 kilometers) that they had travelled and hand in the answer to Marco Büchel (an alpine skier).  An incorrect answer would require the player to go back and start over from Schaanwald.

Justin seemed to have got lost, while Kisha lost her map along the way.  They worked together and correctly came up with the right distance.  Since they worked together, I didn't see anyone accuse them of cheating.  Jet, who was riding along and appeared to be working with Gary, left him and somewhat got lost.  He reached the end, but had the incorrect answer and ended up starting over.  Flight Time took the wrong turn and on his way back, he ran into Justin who told him the answer.  Flight Time was going to guess 20 km; his answer wasn't that off, but being incorrect, he would have had to start over.  He ran into Gary and shared the answer with him.  So as we can see, neither Flight Time nor Gary had been to the finish line at that point. 

Granted, they both benefited from receiving the answer, but it's not like they had been sent back to start over.  So if the Globetrotters were "cheaters", then Gary too was a cheater because had he not received the answer, it is more than likely that he and Mallory (his daughter) would have been eliminated.  So the accusations should not be one-sided against the Globetrotters.

Then of course comes the "controversial" part of the game; the "Double U-Turn".  Four of the teams that came upon it chose not to use it.  However, when the Globetrotters came upon it, they opted to use it knowing that the Cowboys were not too far behind.  If anyone can remember the previous leg (Leg 8), the 'Trotters were in the lead heading toward the pit stop.  Unfortunately, they took a wrong turn only to come in second behind Zev & Justin.  Whether they would have encountered the same problem, we'll never know. What we do know, is that they did what they needed to do in order to survive and stay in the game.  The theme of the game is to "race around the world for $1 million".  There is no prize for second or third placed teams, only the winner gets the prize money.

I'm going to clarify myself.  I like the Globetrotters, but do I like the fact that they got the answer without completing the task?  No, I do not.  Do I like the fact that teams are often sharing answers during the race, or working together to complete certain tasks?  No, I do not.  This race is not run individually, even though certain tasks have to be completed individually.  Do I think that future races should bar teams from "working together" or even "sharing answers", and possibly even penalizing teams that do so?  I'm all in favor of that.  As it is, you already have a teammate.  If that's not enough, off with you then.

Now back to my question; had they Cowboys been in the Globetrotters' position, what would they have done?  Just going by most people's reactions, I don't think there would have been much argument should they have chosen to "U-Turn" the 'Trotters.  In fact, I have a feeling that these same people crying "foul" would have applauded them and gladly stated "that it's all part of the game".  Like I mentioned earlier, the Globetrotters have few fans and won't be attaining "cult status" anytime soon.  However, since it was their favorite team that got eliminated "within the rules of the game", we suddenly have a problem; the game is "unfair", too much "cheating" going on and the laundry list of grievances just keeps growing.

All teams are always notified whenever a Double U-Turn is present during a certain leg of the race.  Therefore, the faster you complete your task, the less likely you are to be turned back.  The Cowboys, by their own admission, have always stumbled during portions of the races, leaving them in a position where they have to hustle just to make the cut.  This leg of the race was no different, and even though they managed to catch up to most of the teams, it unfortunately just wasn't meant to be this time.

I can understand why most viewers, including myself, love these guys.  They are classy, play fair and always keep a good sense of humor.  I don't ever recall hearing them say anything bad regarding their fellow contestants.  They proved to be worthy competition and earned the respect of their peers.  It's sad that they are out of the race, but show must continue.

What makes "The Amazing Race" stand out from other reality/game shows, is that your progress in the game depends on how you adapt both mentally and physically.  Unlike other shows where situations are dramatized, and participants are sacrificed for the sake of ratings, such isn't the case here.  This is why The Amazing Race has managed to be and hopefully, will continue to be successful.

Maybe in the future, the producers will work toward creating a more even playing field.  Until then, the rules remain what they are and if your favorite team doesn't make it to the next round, tough luck.  Life goes on.

One of the best soundtracks EVER!!

Not too long ago, a video of the song “Count on me”, performed by Whitney Houston and Cece Winans, appeared on my facebook page (Thank you, Cierra!!).  The song was featured on the soundtrack of the movie “Waiting to Exhale”; a movie that was an adapted from a book of the same name, written by Terry McMillan.

The movie featured four African-American women in leading roles – a Hollywood first – and was directed by Forest Whittaker.  It’s really a great a movie and I’d highly recommend you watch it.  Go “redbox” or “Netflix” or whatever you use; it’s a must watch.  As good as the movie is, the soundtrack is a classic.

The album was released in 1995 and it featured some of the biggest names in the music industry at the time.  You want to talk about "Star Power"?  This record had it.  It featured Whitney Houston when she was still Whitney Houston!!!  Mary J. Blige when she was still a “diamond in the rough”, Toni Braxton, a young “up and coming” Brandy, TLC (fresh off the release of “Crazy, Sexy, Cool”), SWV and even Faith Evans (say whaaaat???).  Then to kick it up a notch, there was Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, Aretha Franklin.

This was a great collection of the Old School and the New School, when hip-hop and R&B were reaching heights that have yet to be paralleled.  Even the lesser known artists in this album held it down.  This was an All-Star lineup that needed an All-Star producer; and that man was Kenneth Edmonds, better known as Babyface.

In the 90s world of R&B, producers didn't get much bigger than Babyface.  If he penned a song for you, it was a guaranteed hit!!  He had a hand in just about everything in album.  The instruments, arrangement, production and wrote (or co-wrote) every song except for “My Funny Valentine”.  In my opinion, this soundtrack was his best work, his masterpiece; nothing could even come close.

All the songs were great; from the lead off track, “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” to “Count on me”, and everything else in between.  The CD had a booklet with the lyrics, so you could “sing along” if you liked (I know I did).  If there was anything that could be described as perfection, this had to be it.  All the pieces fell in place; everything came together at the right time.  There have been over 5.1 million copies sold to date, and songs such as “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)”, “Not gon’ cry”, and “Count on me” did just fine when released as singles.  The album was nominated for and won a host of awards and was certified multi-platinum.

Following the album’s success, I was really looking forward to what some the younger artists might do with regard to their future projects.  Other than Brandy - who had just broken through - and the older generation of singers, some the younger artists had hit their peak and were never really the same.  Toni Braxton, TLC, SWV, Faith Evans etc, still had some hits but by the time the 90s came to an end their careers went with it.

Due to the current generation shift, we may never again witness such a combination of talent and creativity.  For those that consider themselves connoisseurs of all things R&B, this is definitely an album to savour.  There's some good soundtracks out there, but this has to be the best of them all.

Pants on the ground??

I saw this during an outing at Heritage Lanes, a bowling alley in Northwest Oklahoma City.  I couldn't help but take a picture.  When General (Retired) Larry Pratt stepped onto the audition stage of American Idol, he created on those unforgettable "Idol" moments with his song "Pants on the ground".

At 62, he was well over the maximum audition age (28), but was able to get his message across; pull yo pants up.  Some schools, counties and even certain establishments have passed measures against "saggin' pants".

Word to the young men out there, "Pull yo' pants up!!"