Tuesday, October 04, 2005

The Amazing Race: Family Edition

The following is from an article previewing The Amazing Race: Family Edition:

One of the first thing that hits you is the diversity of the casting. The producers, including Jerry Bruckheimer found a winning formula from the beginning, pulling on the diversity of the nation. What makes a couple? Man-woman? Man-man? Father-son? Siblings? Every year, they try to cast all the possibilities, knowing that each one provides a different dramatic energy to the show. Too many reality show contestants look and feel exactly the same.
I've been watching The Amazing Race for 3 races now and the first thing that I saw immediately in the family edition or Amazing Race 8 is a total lack of diversity in the cast. 10 families from all across the United States and this is what I can tell by the Amazing Race - the U.S. is 90% white and 10% black. If you're not in this segment you apparently don't exist. Of course the black family is named "The Black Family" - I kid you not. It's actually a good thing they're gone because it was getting uncomfortable hearing the announcer saying "and here's the Black family". I won't even mention that 2 of the last 3 races were won by black couples. Maybe that's the problem?

For a show that could have a broad definition of family the fact there are no lesbian, gay, Hispanic, Asian, middle eastern or anything else but white families is simply disappointing.

1 comment:

suze said...

i agree about the total lack of diversity. there's a formula they seem to follow when casting - one gay couple, one black couple, etc.

and I agree that it just sort of makes it more apparent (and cringe worthy) when you have the announcer saying "the Black Family" even if that is their last name...