The Amazing Race 18: All Stars
At the end of last week's The Amazing Race 17, Phil left fans wondering what he meant when he said to tune in next week for an announcement about next season. Of course next season, which will air in early 2011, will be the first to be filmed and aired in HDTV, but that's not the announcement. The next season of The Amazing Race will also be the second All-Stars season, featuring past racers from seasons 12 through 17. TAR 18, which is now in production, will feature 11 teams of familiar faces that were spotted at Los Angeles international Airport boarding a flight for Sydney, Australia. The all too familiar teams are as follows:- Kynt and Vyxsin (12) - A team of "Dating Goths" from the 12th season, they were the first team in Race history to use a U-Turn on a team that was already ahead of them. They were eliminated in the 8th leg after coming in last for the second time in a row (the 7th leg was non-elimination).
- Ronald and Christina (12) - A "Father/Daughter" team from the 12th season. They were the first parent-child and Asian-American team to reach the final three and finished in 2nd place.
- Amanda and Kris (14) - A "Dating" team from the 14th season, they made it just 4 legs. Most of their notoriety comes from their young age while competing in the 14th season.
- Kisha and Jen (14) - A team of "Sisters" from the 14th season, Kisha was the first African-American lesbian featured on TAR. They where famously eliminated when, after being U-Turned and finding the Pit Stop location in time to save themselves, Jen demanded to stop and use a porta potty before finding Phil. If that had not happened, they would have been the first team to not be eliminated after being U-Turned (the U-Turned replaced the Yield in season 12).
- Jaime and Cara (14) - A team of "Former NFL Cheerleaders" from the 14th season. They came in second on the final leg, close to becoming the first all female team to win TAR.
- Margie and Luke (14) - A "Mother/Son" team from the 14th season, notable because Luke was the first deaf person to run the race. They had the highest finish by a mother/son team, coming in 3rd place in the final leg.
- Mel and Mike (14) - A "Father/Son" team from the 14th season, notable because Mel is gay and Mike is bisexual. They were eliminated during the 7th leg.
- Flight Time and Big Easy (15) - A team of "Harlem Globetrotters" from the 15th season, they were eliminated in the 11th leg when Big Easy was unable to complete the Roadblock and opted for the 4 hour time penalty.
- Zev and Justin (15) - A team of "Friends" from the 15th season, Zev was the first racer to have Asperger's Syndrome. They were eliminated in the 4th leg when they were unable to find Zev's lost passport.
- Jet and Cord (16) - A team of "Cowboys" from the 16th season, came in 2nd place in the last leg. Popularized the saying "Oh My Gravy!" with TAR fans.
- Gary and Mallory (17) - A "Father/Daughter" team from the 17th season, came in 6th place without winning any legs becoming the first male/female team to be eliminated in their season.
Kisha and Jen better be very grateful for another opportunity to race after Jen's weak bladder caused them to be eliminated. Flight Time and Big Easy are also lucky to be back, they were eliminated after taking a 4 hour penalty in lieu of completing a difficult Roadblock. So, while some of these team choices make sense, others are just clear disappointments.
