PLAYING WITHIN THE RULES

One of the reality shows followed by S and I is Amazing Race. The latest season of Amazing Race finished last weekend and this season lived up to the high standards of AR. No wonder this show has been voted the best reality shows for so many years.


AR tests the participants in multiple aspects -- capacity to handle pressure, physical strength, thinking out of the box, adjusting to different cultures and being prepared for the unexpected. It takes you around the world and shows unique aspects of cultures around the world. And, of course, India features in most of their seasons.


But S and I like this show for another reason -- this show leaves your fate in your hands. Of course, there are twisters like U-turn once in a while, but most of the time, you play well and you make it through. If you mess up, you ruin your chances of going through to the next leg. There is no nomination for elimination, no plotting and planning, no backstabbing like some other shows (e.g. Survivor or Big Brother). This keeps the whole vibe of the episode very positive. Everyone is bothered about their individual performances without bothering to trip the other person.


This season was different in another aspect as well. This time I saw teams collaborate with each other and achieve common goals. They solved puzzles together, gave tips and pointers so that everyone gained in tough roadblocks. They shared clues and cabs. They gave each other crucial hints which altered the dynamics in a matter of minutes. They competed WITH each other instead of competing AGAINST each other. And this was not a pre-decided strategy. All these were decisions taken on the fly. Teams helped each other and moved on without any expectations of favors in return.


And funnily, the organizers could not do anything about it because no rules were broken here. It was all within the books and totally legal.


And in a very strange way, the teams which gelled like this benefited in some way or other. All the 3 finalists played the game in the right spirit, without any pre-determined alliances, and benefited at crucial junctures of the journey.


Obviously, there were players who played dirty games and made it ahead. But, they lost the trust of the other teams and it hit them at the worst place and worst time. But most of the teams played it the good way.


And this made the whole experience of the season a very positive one. Sunday nights were never depressing. We actually looked forward to having a freshly cooked meal in front of 1 hour of positive entertainment.


And see this -- 








Please can someone explain to the participants of some of India's stupid reality shows what "playing within the rules" means.