Chip and Kim - Real American Heroes

Okay, how often do the people you root for actually win reality tv shows? Lets face it, usually you have some favorite contestant who seems like a decent person, and they survive through to a certain point, and then Darwinism takes over. The nastiest, sneakiest people bring home the victory. Thats why, on Survivor last year, they messed with the premise for Rupert and, after Boston Rob won, the producers awarded another million bucks to the contestant who received the most votes from viewers. The rule has been that in the dog eat dog world of the big reality shows, nice folks finish fourth.

Until now.

I don't know if you've been watching The Amazing Race this season, but its been a fabulous study in contrasts. Just look at the four teams that made up the finalists last night. You had The Bowling Moms, nice, solid ladies from the midwest. You had Colin and Christie, the evil, well off couple from Texas (Colin's tantrums are legendary and actually kind of scary - I seriously worry about Christie). Brandon and Nicole, the vacant Christian models (who, whenever they are in trouble, ask The Lord to help- quick example...on a train in Calcutta packed full of sleazy men who started grabbing Nicole's ass, Brandon's decisive defense of his girlfriend was to say, "Lord, help her")and then...you have Chip and Kim. Chip and Kim are in their forties, are decent family people, are African American, and are Christians who don't ram their faith down the throats of others.
They also did a great job of being decent to foriegners and just basically being the anti-ugly americans.
Of course, I felt they had a snowball's chance in hell to win, especially after they fell hours behind the other teams in a task that involved snowshoeing up a mountain and then overturned their luge twice in the next task.
Well, how wrong was I. How satisfying it was to see them come from behind and take the million dollar prize. I was cheering at my tv screen. Watching reality shows it's easy to believe that most people are backstabbing, self involved, arrogant jackasses. It's wonderful to be proven wrong.