How do you feel about eating fried Starfish?  I can't imagine that you've every actually considered this question.  Prior to The Amazing Race 14's penultimate episode last night, I had not once entertained the idea of eating such a thing.  OK, so think about it for a second.  In all likelihood, the fried Starfish would be gross.  Before digging in, you're going to psyche yourself out a little bit.  The more you assume something will be disgusting to eat, the harder it will actually be to eat it.  You are powerless to the preconceptions of your brain.  Even then, knowing that the fried Starfish will not kill you, will not thrust you into poverty, will not kidnap your dog, will not take advantage of your girlfriend, will not mock you in front of your loved ones, conquering the fried Starfish should ostensibly be an easy task.  The Starfish poses no threat to you.  I would eat the Starfish on a dare.  I would eat it on a bet.  If I were feeling particularly saucy, I might just eat the damn thing for fun, just to say I did it.  This is why reality television contestants often baffle me.  



Jen had a brutal two episode stretch on The Amazing Race.  Last week, it was the swimming pool that morphed the college athlete into a blubbering mess.  Last night, Jen essentially eliminated her team by taking her sweet time at the Street Food Road Block, and then compounded that by stopping to urinate when she was seconds away from the Pit Stop.  Both were inexcusable blunders.  

Back to the Starfish: Jen knows none of the food is going to kill her.  She also knows that she is playing for a MILLION FREAKING DOLLARS!  Where was the urgency?  If Jen was told that her sister would be executed by a firing squad if she didn't finish all her street food in under five minutes, you can bet that Starfish would have been vanquished quickly.  How is this not the mindset for you on the second to last leg of The Amazing Race?  Every little bite Jen took, followed by a giant swig of water, made me yell at my television.  You know, there are tasks on The Amazing Race that require diligence, that have aspects that are out of team members' control.  Sometimes these tasks take a long time - that's just the game.  Then there are tasks that you just have to power through.  Eating a Starfish is one of he easiest things any team has had to do all season.  Just eat it.  Don't take little bites.  Don't take your time.  That a person would be willing to participate on a nationally televised reality TV show, expose their insecurities to the world, and not be able to power through a bunch of harmless street food when a million bucks is on the line is incomprehensible to me.  

And don't get me started on the pee break (I'll say one thing - Would you pee your pants for a 1 in 3 chance at winning a million dollars?  If you said no, you're an idiot.)



As we approach Sunday's The Amazing Race 14 finale, it's time to handicap the three remaining teams.  It's easy - Tammy and Victor are probably going to win, and easily.  What struck me this morning is that none of the final three teams are all that likable.  I have no rooting interest, and I've really disliked these teams at different points during the season.  If I had to choose one to win, I'd prefer it to be Jaime and Cara, their latent xenophobia aside, mostly because it's about time we had an all-female team win The Amazing Race.  What do you think?  Who are you rooting for?


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