This is the season of Charla. Love her or hate her, CBS has anointed her a star, and America has responded. As Paula Abdul would say, she's taken The Amazing Race and made it her own. Okay, now I'm just talking nonsense.
Charla is the undisputed star of the season though, and that can't be denied. Some people love her spunky determination. Some people hate her manipulative use of her stature. I fall somewhere in the middle, which is odd because I'm usually the one to take definite stands on reality stars. Regardless, Charla and her helpless teammate Mirna make for great television, and tonight, they ran a stellar race without relying on the sympathy of strangers. Amigo, get el doctoro. I think I'm in a state of shock!
The biggest problem Charla and Mirna face is not Charla's dwarfism but rather their collective inability to stop using a Spanish accent with foreigners. In tonight's episode, they used the accent to ask a Russian guy where to find a cab. Now I don't mean to sound stereotypical, but this old, weathered man looked about as opposite from a Latino as I could imagine, and something tells me Spanish 101 wasn't on the Communist Middle School curriculum in 1944. It was no surprise that Mirna and Schmirna wound up without a cab.
Oh, but the ladies did try hard. Charla made a high pitch "choo-choo" toot to indicate they needed to get to the train station, but people just dismissed her as if she were a one-woman disco. Honestly, if some lady came up to me and alternatively babbled in a foreign language and then suddenly said "choo-choo!", I'd probably think it was the highlight of the day. That is, of course, after I had had her carted off to the authorities.
To Charla and Mirna's credit, they didn't spend the entire time forcing Spanish trills down everyone's throats. Mirna thanked helpful Russians with coos of "Belissimo". Granted, it would have been more appreciated in Italy, but I'm just saying.
Actually, aside from their linguistical strategies, the girls played a great game this episode. They managed to get an hour lead on their closest competitors by sneakily finding a faster plane to Cairo during their marathon layover. While other teams slept, Charla and Mirna quietly snuck away from the pack and headed to their gate. When the teams woke up and noticed the missing girls, they were annoyed, as usual, paricularly Marshall and Lance - Team Sunshine. I shouldn't really expect much from these guys who think the only thing that doesn't "suck" is a comfy couch and a bag of Chitos. When they made fun of the Russians by saying they were the most miserable people of all time, I couldn't help wondering why these guys didn't feel at home.
Noticeably more chipper though were Charla and Mirna who were poking around the pyramids while Marshall and Lance most likely berated a flight attendant somewhere over Turkey. Once again, Mirna volunteered Charla for the Roadblock - a strategy that still befuddles me. A few puzzles later and a quick horse ride across the dessert and the girls were crossing the finish line (but not before a "Lawrence of Arabia" moment, complete with swelling strings and cinematic images of Charla in the dessert).
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Comments (10)
Ever see "Time Bandits"...
1 of 10 | Posted by moneymark | Posted on August 4, 2004 12:47 PM
Can I get an "Amen!" from all the Mirna haters? She'd get lost trying to find her hand at the end of her arm. The final straw was when she asked Charla to "dance for us" at the travel agency.
But the best part was when Brandon (I think) was wussing out about getting the satchel. I mean, it's climbing down a hole and finding a bag in clear, nicely lit water. Of course, we later found out that the twins couldn't even do that right. Couldn't find a bag in about 10 gallons of water...so sad.
2 of 10 | Posted by The Matt | Posted on August 4, 2004 1:08 PM
The crazy thing is that it wasn't a waste of a fast forward. This season there are only two fast forwards total (not one per leg, as was the case before). Because of that, you are far better off using it when you find it if only to prevent anyone else from using it. It's not like you can just wait and use it when you need to, because you aren't likely to be first when the next one comes up.
Stupid, stupid change to the rules and it totally destroys the whole concept of the FF - no team will ever be able to use it to leapfrog anyone because any team in the lead when the now rare FF shows up would be foolish to NOT take it.
3 of 10 | Posted by pikov | Posted on August 4, 2004 1:31 PM
First of all, I appreciate your usage of "Mirna and Schmirna".
Second, I'm almost positive that Dating/Model Brandon is featured in a Macy's add that is plasterd on several bus shelters in my neighborhood. Working on confirmation...
4 of 10 | Posted by melis | Posted on August 4, 2004 1:59 PM
OH MY GOD
1) charla-ON A HORSE, and yelling "amigo" to the russians?!?!
2) thanks for wrecking the clue on how to learn if a leg is non-elimination, JERK
3) i was so sad the moms were done for, that i lept up and shouted "WOHOO!" when phil hottie mchottie said they were not eliminated. you can even ask mruv.
4) anyone else notice one of the mom's voiceover toward the end "i dont know what we're going to do, we have no money, we are in a country full of POOR PEOPLE..."
oh, how politically apt in times like these!
5 of 10 | Posted by jash | Posted on August 4, 2004 2:52 PM
i thought this was one of the best episodes all season. i am in the 'absolutely love charla' camp and 'absolutely love laughing at myrna' camp so i enjoyed it. though i thought they had taken themselves out of the game when they opted for the camels they did a great job. (and i thought it was funny then the camel guy gave charla this big 'welcome' hug).
i am in the 'i cant stand the twins' camp. they were so rude to chip when he helped them out!
6 of 10 | Posted by leah3t | Posted on August 4, 2004 3:14 PM
The twins think everyone is against them all the time. Their whole controversy stemming from the cab incident is just silly. How could they be angry at loveable Chip?
7 of 10 | Posted by b-side | Posted on August 4, 2004 3:43 PM
Those last 2 paragraphs B-Side were funny.
& the twins need to relax.
p.s. that sux about the FF thing now. What's the point?
8 of 10 | Posted by Genevieve | Posted on August 5, 2004 8:49 AM
The absolute best gem had to be from one of the twins! Kami or Karli - I forget which - asket the other one: "What does a satchel look like!"
9 of 10 | Posted by Jason Pay-Letellier | Posted on August 7, 2004 1:32 PM
Where can I find someone to email?
10 of 10 | Posted by MingLee | Posted on November 7, 2004 6:14 PM