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Real Fast! Quack, Quack!

The tenth season of The Amazing Race starts in Gas Works Park in Seattle, which is where Season 3 of the race ended. There, amidst a drizzle that is present almost constantly in Seattle (strangely, however, it wasn't raining much while we were there a little over a year ago).

In any case, the teams started off by hopping aboard two flights to China. There really wasn't a lot of drama on the way to the airport, which is interesting, because the roads from Gas Works Park to the airport aren't always the easiest to follow. At least one team had problems, but that was apparently because one team member, who shall remain nameless since it's early in the race, wasn't aware that Thrifty was the name of the car rental company. Whoops.

Anyway, the teams split up on their two flights, with the second arriving about an hour later than the first, with no trickery in sight (like the flight that left later actually being the first to arrive). Perhaps we'll see some of that later in the race, because it just makes for good television.

After arriving in China, a hefty helping of fish eyes was waiting as the first Roadblock, a task that one of the two team members must perform. This is the first time in my memory that an eating task showed up so early in the race, and despite the gooey nature, no one seemed to have trouble with it - though that can certainly be due to editing. More difficult was the task of finding the restaurant serving the fish eyes.

Once the local delicacy was consumed, teams raced to the Meridian Gate in the Forbidden City to pick their places on one of three departures for the next day, as well as the first of several surprises on this race, as promised by host Phil Keoghan.

Phil's surprise turned out to be a whopper for best friends Bilal and Sa'eed from Cleveland, Ohio, as they eliminated after being the last to grab a departure time. This, though they arrived at what seemed the same time as married couple Vipul and Arti and brothers Erwin and Godwin. The surprise, of course, was that this wasn't a scheduled Pit Stop, signaling a break in the racing action (and normally an elimination as well). It looks like it will be an interesting race.

The next morning the first batch of teams took off on motorcycles and sidecars, where the teams encountered their first Detour, having to decide to make one choice or another. In this Detour, their choice is Labor or Leisure.

In Labor, the team travels one mile, where they assemble traditional Chinese bricks to pave a 45 square foot section of side walk in a specific pattern. In Leisure, the team travels two miles and participates in a Chinese relaxation exercise known as Taiji Bailong, where they balance a ball on a paddle - in unison. After performing the task successfully, they earn their next clue.

Everyone except for cheerleaders Kellie and Jamie and boyfriends Tom and Terry go for Labor. I probably would have done the same, as I have no coordination skills. The tricky part is that there is a gray outer layer of bricks that most teams miss, and that messes up the inner layer of bricks.

After finishing the Detour, teams must head to the pit stop at the Great Wall of China (incidentally, another location the race has visited before, back in Season 1). Here, teams must climb a section of the wall to get to the mat and check in with Phil at the Pit Stop.

• Models - and former drug addicts - Tyler and James somehow get to the front of the pack, then make it easily up the wall to finish first (and win $20,000 in the process), and make a strong case for being a favorite during the rest of the show.
• Father and daughter team Duke and Lauren come in second, and if they can get around some of their communication issues, should do well in the race.
• Ironman competitors Peter and Sarah finish third, though they had some issues along the way. Nemly, Sarah's artificial leg sprung a leak mid-way through the episode, so it's not clear how well things will go, especially if things continue to be as physical as they have been.
• Beauty queens Dustin and Kandice come in a somewhat surprising fourth, and seem like a compelling underdog. Look for them to do well.
• Dating bartenders Rob and Kimberly end up in fifth, but don't impress in any way. Mostly they seem to end up arguing about everything. I wouldn't be surprised to see them around for a few legs, but don't expect them to be there in the end. The fighting indicates strength, but they don't seem to have the support of one another that they will need.
• Cheerleaders Kellie and Jamie finish this leg in sixth place and I have to take them as my hometown favorite, since they are from Columbia, SC, just 90 miles away. I suspect they will also stick around for a couple of legs, but I'm not sure they have the strength to be in it for the long haul.
• Brothers and practical jokesters Erwin and Godwin came in a somewhat disappointing seventh, but they were looking like they were dead near the beginning, almost being the first team eliminated. I think we're going to see a bit of a resurgence here. I like their spirit as well, and wouldn't be surprised to see them alive at the end if they can take the race seriously.
• Boyfriends Tom and Terry were eighth in this leg, and they have the all-important support for one another, but I'm just not sure if they have the toughness that is necessary. Like other teams, they will probably survive for another leg or two, but I don't know beyond that.
• Single parents Lyn and Karlyn sucked it up at the end and came in ninth, but it was awfully close. They certainly have the support, but again, the "it" factor seems to be missing. I think we'll likely see them go home in the next week or two.
• Married team David and Mary really surprised me in the brick-laying Detour - they were doing well. But then on the wall, they really fell behind and barely made it to the end. It's always good to see good people finish, but I don't think they'll be with us long.
• The other married team, Vipul and Arti, arrived at the wall well after everyone else, and was the last team to arrive at the mat. As such, they were eliminated from the race, meaning that we're already down to just ten teams remaining.

It's good to see that the show is back, and it looks like we're off and running. I hope that it's not following the format of Who Wants to Be a Superhero? and eliminating two teams every week, though. It's okay for a surprise here and there, but a six-week season is just too short!