Teri and Ian: The Amazing Race stereotype breakers.

So here it is, my final blog post of my first college journalism class. Our final assignment is to examine how a type of person in portrayed in the media. We can choose to analyze media including, television shows, a single television episode, or a movie. For this assignment I chose to analyze, season 3 of the CBS show, “The Amazing Race.” For my analysis, I have chosen to qualify it the way that Bonnie Dow (1996) chooses to qualify her arguments in the book “Prime-Time Feminism: Television, Media Culture, and the Women’s Movement Since 1970.” In my opinion, season 3 of “The Amazing Race” is a positive influence on society because it breaks the stereotype that people ages 50 to 60 are physically weak. It does this by featuring middle age characters that can run around the world: They have the stamina and strength to compete.

            “The Amazing Race” demonstrates that middle-aged characters are not physically weak. Their age has nothing to do with their ability to perform or capability to be as good as younger aged individuals.

            The two characters, from season 3, that shows this breaking of stereotypes are married coupe Teri and Ian. At the beginning of the race, Teri and Ian never seemed like front-runners or threats to the other competitors. Throughout the race they proved the audience and their competitors wrong. They competed in challenges including, in episode 2, swimming with a family of dolphins and trying to find their next clue at the bottom of a lagoon in Mexico, in episode 3 riding six miles on a bike though the United Kingdom, in episode 5 repelling 300 feet down a cliff in Portugal and again in episode 11 transporting their partners on bike, through a marked path. Through all of this Teri and Ian prevailed each time, avoiding elimination each time. They even first place three times, once in episode 6, receiving the Fast Forward clue and then again, in episodes 11 and 12, this time doing all on their own with their own strength and stamina. All together Teri and Ian created some records on “The Amazing Race,” becoming the oldest team to make it past episode 6, the oldest team to make into the final 3, the oldest team to come in first place three times, and the oldest team to eventually come in second place.

            The fact that Teri and Ian beat out nine other teams on “The Amazing Race” is a feat all in itself. They showed that age is not an issue and that anyone can compete in this race around the world. By them biking six miles through England and repelling down a 300 foot cliff shows their stamina and strength. Both of these tasks require great stamina, so by Teri and Ian completing their task, their characters are seen as strong and able. Even just completing a entire race around the world, running, competing, doing various challenges everyday shows their stamina to keep up and to keep going everyday. Throughout season 3, Teri and Ian looked like strong competitors, regardless of age.

            Some might say that because Teri and Ian came in second and did not win the stereotype here is not broken. I personally do not think you have to win to prove someone wrong. If they came in third or fourth, the impact of them competing in the race and the stereotypes they would have broken would still be there. They opened the door to many more middle aged individuals and created a positive influence and stereotype for them.     

References

Doganieri, Elise. (2002). The Amazing Race: Season 3. Hollywood: Columbia Broadcasting System. 

Dow, B. (1996). Prime-time feminism: Television, media culture, and the women’s movement since 1970. Philadelphia: University Press.