Reality Check: Christina Hsu *07

The Amazing Race (2007)

The Amazing Race is a reality television game show in which teams of two people, with some type of personal relationship to each other, race around the world in competition with other teams. For each leg of the race, the teams strive to be the first to arrive at the “pit stop” and win prizes. The team to arrive last is eliminated or put at a significant disadvantage in the following leg. 

Contestants travel to and within many countries, using a variety of transportation modes including  planes, taxis, rental cars, trains,  buses, boats, and by foot. The clues given in each leg take the teams to the next destination or direct them to perform a task. Teams are eliminated progressively until three are left. The team that arrives first in the final leg is awarded a grand prize of $1 million.

In her own words:

Out of 11 teams that started out, three made it to the last leg (semi-finals). We were the second team to cross the finish line after traveling through 10 different countries.From milking camels in Burkina Faso, to coaxing a stubborn donkey in Ireland, to zip-lining down 200 feet into the Adriatic Sea in Croatia, to driving a taxi in Japan ... every moment of the race – the sights, smells, sounds – still remain incredibly vivid to me.

I learned that positivity and passion go a long way. And family bonds are everything. Through fun, yet highly stressful situations, the race tested the relationship between my dad and me. Luckily, our bond strengthened as a result and we now share memories spread across four different continents. 

Do it again? 

In a heartbeat.

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