It ended as it was supposed to end, Nick and Starr emerging victorious following a clinical eleven legs of racing, the two siblings presenting a rare kind of dominance, the likes of which have never been seen before on The Amazing Race.  Symbolically, it was an anti-climactic ending, though the final leg itself was suspenseful as could be, with Ken and Tina representing the middle-aged set exceedingly well, nipping at the heels of those two young whipper-snappers until the very end.  The magic of editing may have been cleverly sprinkled upon those last twenty minutes, but it sure seemed like a tight race.  In the end, Nick and Starr deserved the win and they got what they deserved.  It was satisfying, which is something that can't always be said after the finale of a reality show.

The Amazing Race 13 will, above all else, be remembered for the sheer dominance of Nick and Starr.  That is, if it's remembered at all.  The season was more or less a non-event in many regards.  No teams that America collectively jumped on the bandwagon for, no lovable underdogs overcoming immense odds, and no despicable antagonists to root against.  Everyone was pretty much in the middle.  Audiences like to root for the underdogs, but only if they're completely likable.  The drama of The Amazing Race 13 was hurt by the fact that the most likable team (Nick and Starr) was also the most dominant.  This poses a dilemma for viewers.  It's like if the entire roster of the New York Yankees consisted Nobel Peace Prize winners and life-sized teddy bears. 

Another problem was that second and third best teams were also lovable in their own ways, but not so much so that they were preferable to Nick and Starr.  Ken and Tina had the immediate sympathy of viewers thanks to their desire to reconcile their marriage.  Dallas and Toni were simply decent people, and ran a gutty race.  Andrew and Dan weren't protagonists or antagonists, they were the comic relief that provided only unintentional comedy.  In fact, the most emotional audience responses over the whole season came from the communal disbelief regarding how far Dandrew made it on the race. 

What else happened of note?  Dallas's passport and money misplacement was the big gaffe, but they may have finished last on that leg anyway.  Terence and Sarah were the closest two people came to being the bad guys, but even I couldn't get myself to fully support hating them.  They were just two strong, unique personalities who found unflattering aspects of their personalities emerge while racing.  Nick and Starr's dominance left everyone else fighting for scraps of memorability. 

Stay tuned – later today we will have out exclusive BuddyTV interview with Nick and Starr.  Tomorrow, we will follow that up with our Ken and Tina and Andrew and Dan interviews. 


Best in Show

Best Quote: “Nick and Starr have a horse shoe stuck in their rear end.” - Ken expressing his views on the best team in the race.

Best Scene: The final fifteen minutes.  Even if the editing was disingenuous, the foot race in the streets of Portland was mighty suspenseful.  Both teams were nervous and adrenaline filled.  Good TV. 

Best User Comment: “Really the only sad part of this episode was the fact that once DanAndrew got lost in the first 5 min you knew they were going to get 3rd place. I kinda feel sorry for them, you only actually see them like 5 times through out the whole episode. I was never big a fan of DanAndrew, but props to them for getting to finish the race.” - Chiazu, in a sentiment that I agree with.  It really wasn't their fault that their cabbie sucked and couldn't find the camp.  I don't think they would have competed even if they had made it to the camp with the other teams, but it was still quite unfortunate.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of CBS)