Welcome back to the Amazing Race! It’s season number thirty-three. Which started taping in February of 2020. Before the pandemic. And then pandemic, which by the way, how’s everyone doing? Feeling the wanderlust? Need to travel? Well, TAR resumed September 17, 2021, so now we can have a full season, which will be interesting. Oh, and I brought Toyouke along for the snark. Aren’t you lucky? We’ve read the bios, and watched the videos and read the bios, so let’s get to this shall we? (Toyouke: “Why are the individual team bios on Instagram? I refuse to get an Instagram account and this is obnoxious.”) The eleven teams for TAR33 are: (click for more)
Akbar and Sheri, The Teacher Cagers. They are a married couple from New Jersey. They seem fairly laid back, and I really like their vibe as people. They seem very genuine, at least from the perspective of people who want to help people, but I’m not sure how that will translate well to the race. (Toyouke: “I would rather root for them than the football coach. You know that means they'll be out first because that's how this works.“) Prediction: Seventh Place.
Anthony and Spencer, Team Good Samaritan. Childhood Best Friends from Sacremento, California. They are best known for helping to thwart a 2015 train attack on a Thalys from Amsterdam to Paris. (Toyouke: “I mean sure. But I don't want to hear how brave they are every week, you know?”) Honestly, they look older than their age suggests. But I’m pretty sure with a lifelong bond like that, on paper they should do fairly well, but I worry about a misstep. Prediction: Third Place.
Arun and Natalia, Team Bollywood Bonding. Father and daughter duo from Detroit, Michigan. (Toyouke: “Good to see a parent/child team again.”) I love that Natalia has been watching the show since she was eight. Natalia: “My dad has driven stickshift in Indian traffic, what more preparation do you need?” (Toyouke: “Heh.”) I mean, truth. They could go either way though. Prediction: Eleventh Place.
Caro and Ray, Team Long Distance Reality. Dating couple, but the guy is from the US and the girl is from Sweden. Oh and they were on Love Island together. (Toyouke: “Ugh, Love Island.”) I’m hoping that this dynamic is more like TAR Blind Date, and less like the times when people have said “oh, we’ve never actually spent this long together , maybe we’ll do the race to see how it works out.” Prediction: Tenth Place.
Connie and Sam, Team Blind Side. Married couple from Charlotte, North Carolina. Sam is a teacher and football coach, and they pretty much pulled a student out of poverty and helped him get on his feet. I like their heart and spunk. (Toyouke: “I feel I should root for a teacher who took a student under his wing but I can't dredge up any feeling about it.”) They have a really neat story as well, I worry about a Colin/Christie TAR6 dynamic, we don’t need more broken oxen. Prediction: Eighth Place.
Kim and Penn, The YouTube Parents. They are YouTube Stars from Raleigh, North Carolina. To be fair, they were both in news broadcasting so they have a fantastic camera presence, but they definitely feel rehearsed. Also, they strike me as if they are trying too hard to be the cool parents, like if I went to their house I’d want to spend more time there than in my own home. (Toyouke: “Ugh, influencers. ESPECIALLY if you are making money off your kids. I do not believe your daughter said that to you. Not one bit.”) But they look strong. Prediction: Fifth Place.
Lulu and Lala, Team IHeartTwinning. So, in case you hadn’t heard, they are twins from New Jersey. Did I mention they were twins. They are also radio personalities, and that’s apparently competitive like the Amazing Race? I don’t know. I already have a hard enough time telling twins apart, and now you name them Lulu and Lala! Like Kami and Karli wasn’t hard enough. (Toyouke: “NOT ONLY TWINS BUT THEIR NAMES ARE THE SAME! The hot female brunette team always looks like twins and now it's literal twins who are all "we're not afraid to get dirty" please leave.”) Prediction: Ninth Place.
Michael and Moe, Team Cop Rock. Police Officers and Singers from Buffalo, NY. They really have a nice bond with each other, and I particularly get a kick out of the height difference. They are both very fit and I could see them going pretty far. (Toyouke: “I honestly am not sure what to think about them. Cops, but Black, but also they sing. Knowing and being able to work with your partner is a big thing.”) They are very laid back, but I worry that might get in the way of a top 3 finish. Prediction: Fourth Place.
Raquel and Cayla, The Flight Attendants. Friends and coworkers. I mean, they are thirtysomething decent looking women who think they are underestimated and have something to prove, like we haven’t seen that before. But I don’t know, they are giving me Amy/Maya vibes, so perhaps this time? (Toyouke: “Everyone thinks flight attendants have a leg up but if it's all chartered jets then what is your advantage exactly? "Being a girl is an advantage if you use it the right way" = "I'm counting on everyone helping me because I'm a hot girl"”) Prediction: Sixth Place.
Ryan and Dusty, Team Not Guilty. Best friends from Colombia, MO. Ryan is Ryan Ferguson, which folks in my neck of the woods will know from the Kent Heinholt murder case, which was a huge deal in the early aughts. Other than that, these two are your classic buff, fit young men that tend to do well in the race. (Toyouke: “This is a great hook honestly. I just don't want to hear about prison every week, you know? I think I saw Ryan dab and I'm not sure if I'm offended.”) Prediction: Second Place.
Taylor and Isaiah, Team Gay YouTube Husbands. Married gay couple from Portland, Oregon. You know, I really like them, they seem to know enough about the Race to do well. They know to be smart and stick around to win the final leg, which is pretty much all you have to do. (Toyouke: “They seem cute. That's basically all I got. No, also I get "overly cocky".”) Plus, I love the representation. Prediction: Winners, TAR33.
And there it is. Another crazy batch of “ordinary” contestants. Hopefully, you are able to tune in on Wednesday, January 5 at 7:00 pm CDT for the two episode premiere! We’ll see you and the first two recaps then!
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