The Rhine River

Tevye the Millionaire

Huzzah! Huzzah! Chip and Kim won the Amazing Race 5! I am overjoyed!




What a great ending to the competition--a truly deserving team won. I was sad to see the bowling moms eliminated, especially without winning any trips along the way. Colin was in his maniacal glory; Christie broke down; Nicole broke down; Brandon told Nicole to walk into the G-d's arms (she wasn't dead yet!). Did Chip deceive you, Nicole? How about pretending you are drowning in the ocean? And something important was finally proved: Kim is more fit than Chip.

I have been thinking about why they won and what made them so likeable. Colin and Christie looked like smart and determined competitors--did Chip and Kim win on luck?

While luck played a part in their success, C/K had other advantages:

• They were aware of their disadvantages over other teams and tried to plan ahead--notice how they started predicting how different teams would act, especially Colin. Part way through the competition, Chip became the unofficial narrator--his comments were used to describe the other teams more than any others'. This was a reflection of their insights.
  
• They managed their losses. Rather than working to stay ahead of the pack, they stayed close, allowing others to become overconfident. They performed favors for others, giving them credit throughout the game.
• They were affable--they were able to get the natives to do things for them that C/C could not. Why is it that they won nearly every taxi race?
• They showed their strength as a couple: they never argued, Kim directed Chip, Chip took the criticism in stride.
• They were calm--they looked around, they found opportunities.

What made them likeable was Chip's personality. He reminded me of Tevye the Dairyman, a character developed by Scholem Aleichem (who is more familiar as the lead character of Fiddler on the Roof). Chip is an old-fashioned man with old-fashioned ideas who struggles to understand the world around. Kim is a strong wife from whom he gets direction and clarity. He talks to G-d, asking for strength. He worries about the morality of his actions. He also talks a lot of trash, and he knows it. Kim let him run at the mouth (on like Donkey Kong?), but reigned him in when it came to strategy.

Two final notes. First, I was amused that problems with American Airlines and travel regulations have C/K a small lead in the race. Second, the tepee challenge was cut from the episode. However, pictures are shown at the CBS website (along with a clue search in a tourist shop(?)).

posted by Nathanael @ 6:17 PM