'The Amazing Race': Done in Dubai
Last night's Amazing Race had the closest finish I have ever seen, and we've witnessed all-out sprints to the end. Has anyone ever quit a task because of fear like that before? Not that I can remember, and certainly not a WATER SLIDE.
Anyway, back to the beginning. The teams were in Dubai, and for the first challenge, they had to get to a yacht club, where one person would row a small boat out to another craft, where they would be given a watch. Their task was to figure out that the time on the watch was the code for opening a briefcase that they'd been given at the beginning of the leg. Most of the teams figured the code out no problem, but the Globetrotters got fixated on what numbers the hands were pointed to instead of the time and were in last place by the time they got done.
The next task was a choice: either assemble a bunch of hookahs (intricate pipes) or figure out the weight of $50,000 worth of gold, with the catch that the exchange rate was constantly changing -- oh, and that apparently math is hard. Brian and Ericka, in particular, actually went to the gold challenge, couldn't do the math, and left for the hookah challenge instead. Embarrassing!
Sam and Dan actually brought a calculator with them on the race, but they couldn't figure out the formula. Maria and Tiffany, however, could, and were there, so they worked together and got out fast. Meghan and Cheyne, who did the other challenge, maintained their first-place lead and got through the hookahs pretty fast, once they noticed their missing pieces on the ground.
Flight Time and Big Easy saw how many people were at the hookah challenge and decided to, um, go for the gold instead. I laughed and laughed when they dealt with the whole wishing they had a calculator thing by asking to borrow one, which totally worked.
They got through in time to reach the water slide, where Mika was having a complete and total meltdown about her fear of heights and water. She couldn't make herself take the six-story plunge (even with her FLOATIES ON. FLOATIES, PEOPLE), and Flight Time and Big Easy got to go ahead of them, did the slide, ran to the finish and came in second-to-last. Canaan finally decided to go down the slide first, hoping that would show Mika it was OK, but she walked down the stairs, and they walked to the finish mat, where they learned they were eliminated.
I'm not sorry to see them go. Why on earth would you decide to go on this race when you 1) don't run, 2) are afraid of water, 3) are afraid of heights and 4) are apparently unwilling to face those fears? Sorry, but for me, does not compute. I don't mean to be callous because clearly Mika was scared out of her mind -- it would take a lot to cause that much of a break with reality. But it was a water slide -- think of all the other crazy things people have faced on this show, and she fell apart because of a water slide. Yikes.
Comments
I lost all of my respect for the globetrotters. What they did was rotten and inexcusable. I sincerely hope that they are eliminated soon.
Posted by: Sandy | October 26, 2009 12:46 PM
I could've put together the hookahs in two seconds!!! It's pretty cool to see hookahs getting attention in the mainstream. You gotta love it!
Posted by: Jason | October 26, 2009 12:50 PM
That was a ridiculous meltdown - she acted as if she was 8. I'd be surprised if Canaan stayed with her, I'd be so livid and concerned about her ability to deal with life's challenges. It's a freaking water slide.
I was shocked that she didn't go down after the Trotters got there - are you serious?
Posted by: Peter | October 26, 2009 1:57 PM
I'm having a hard time deciding: which is the worst reason to be eliminated from The Amazing Race? Because you won't go down a water slide or because you stop to use the Port-O-Potty, the way those two did last year?
Posted by: Bucky | October 26, 2009 4:17 PM
I like how Canaan was upset with the Globetrotters for taunting Mika. Hey its a race and your in it to win it. Clearly Mika did not plan on going that slide.
Posted by: jason | October 26, 2009 5:35 PM
Sometimes I wonder if these people aren't recruited for the show to add some spice to it. If you are as fearful of water as she obviously is, why would you EVER volunteer for a show that you know is going to involve water and probably lots of it.
Posted by: susan | October 27, 2009 8:49 AM
Just a theory here, but maybe she is used to having her drop-dead gorgeous looks pave the way for her to get around various unpleasantries in life.
Otherwise, I couldn't fathom how someone with so many fears, admittedly very real fears, would go on a show like this? Has she never seen it before? How could she not know what she was in for?
I felt bad for Caanan, who seemed torn between being understanding and compassionate toward his frightened companion, and just throwing her down the dang slide. Then he, along with his chance at a million bucks, disappeared down the watery hole.
Posted by: bluzdude | October 27, 2009 10:57 AM
I thought it was ridiculous that Canaan got angry at the Globetrotters for encouraging Mika to NOT go down the slide during that two minutes. She clearly wasn't go to go down anyway, plus Canaan practically threw Mika down the slide himself. I think if he could have wrestled her onto the slide, he would have. How is that more OK than the guys telling her not to go down. Besides, it's a race. People have certainly done worse things to other teams.
But I agree with everyone who is wondering why Mika went on the show in the first place. Seriously, has she never seen the show before?? How did they possibly ever think they could win? That's just silly.
Posted by: a_nic | October 28, 2009 12:47 PM
Apparently, Mika and Canaan were up there on the water slide for 45 minutes before the Globetrotters arrived...lol. No wonder Canaan was frustrated. Here's an interview:
http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/411546_tvgif26.html
Posted by: Bucky | October 28, 2009 6:58 PM
I agree with a_nic. The Globetrotters were just being competitive, and from what I heard, they weren't saying anything that wasn't probably already going through her mind. It appeared Mika had already made up her mind not to try the water slide. I think the moment that sealed her fate was her teammate trying to pry her hands off the rail and hurl her down the slide. She was clearly terrified.
That said, Amazing Race is not the competition to enter if you have paralyzing fears. Sooner or later, you will have to swim, high dive, bungee jump, or slide down a 6 story water slide! You can't always be the teammate who passes on all the difficult challenges to your partner.
Posted by: KL_atl | October 29, 2009 2:26 AM
All, give the Globetrotters a break. Caanan even himself said in an interview the other day, that he now he understands, that this is their competitive nature from being on the basketball court.
As for the worse elimination. I still vote for round 1 this year. Getting eliminated before you even start the first leg is humiliating.
Posted by: Capt Jack | October 29, 2009 10:21 AM
The part that surprises me is that nobody thus far has brought up Canaan's behavior overall, which struck me as somewhere in the bullying/abusive range. That he grabbed Mika and tried to force her down, while she's resisting and screaming "help me!" was just plain disturbing. Yes, we can make fun of her for being scared of something that most of us are going "Yeah, cool!" over, and certainly we can wonder why she didn't think things through before agreeing to do this show, but neither of these, in my head, excuses his behavior. And I'll tell you what: their exit interview, in which he natters on about "freedom in forgiveness" and "freedom in understanding people aren't perfect" was a load of nonsense. She's not the one who needs forgiving.
That said, if I were in the Globetrotters' place, I would have pulled the same stunt. It's a race, after all, not a support group, and I'd grab every chance I could to win.
SKK: Claude, you are totally right. After the fact, I was talking about that with a colleague. Canaan's actions were totally reprehensible, and you are right -- him talking about forgiving her was really messed up. I suspect if they were still together after the show stopped filming, they had some trouble again after watching that whole scenario back.
Posted by: Claude | October 31, 2009 3:08 PM