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4 stars
Playing (Unfairly) to American Stereotypes
August 22, 2009Should I fall into the stereotyping trap that the network set up for us with "The Great American Road Trip"? Oh.... ok!
So we are left with the loudmouth urban family and the driven suburban family. The southern hicks have departed.
The hicks taught us a classic lesson--if you are going to succeed competitively, you can't make it personal. You've got to keep your eye on the prize and look at your own personal resources to get you there. It's like this--you can line up in a footrace and try to jam your elbow into the ribs of the person running next to you, but in doing so you lose sight of the finish line (and might just accidentally jab them across the line in front of you). BTW--Nice job of the network to rob the suburbanites of victory by steering them into a traffic jam. Didn't "stack the deck" there in Vegas at all, NBC. At least with the hicks gone, we don't have to hear the clever cliche "Coote bootie!"
If the network plays fair, the driven suburbanites should win. Why? Because they are driven suburbanites! I had lived in the Chicago area for a number of years and can testify that suburbanites know how to TCB. Just check out the house, the cars, the yard, etc.
The loudmouth urban family is just that--loudmouths. The same Chicago experience taught me that alot of urban types will shoot their mouth off and not back it up. But of course, the urban loudmouths are down on their luck and "really need the money." Watch for the ultimate gambit in reality TV--stack the deck so the underdog wins. Yup--reality.Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate -
4 stars
What's Next?
August 3, 2009
By Robin See all Robin's reviews (1)
We love it! Route 66 is great. I travelled route 66 in the 60's. We had to wait for blasting and road construction, so had time to view the scenery. Viewing families prompts discussion about behavior. We really find travel educational for children. Families working as teams is great. When's the next trip?Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate -
1 stars
No fun
July 16, 2009
By stewie See all stewie's reviews (8)
I suppose the purpose of this show is to have fun. But I watched a little of it last week and it was anything but fun. During the contests all I heard were parents yelling at their kids about every little move they did wrong. I might as well have been watching a high school basketball game except coaches don't even do as much yelling at their players in 32 minutes as the parents did to their kids in a few minutes.
And then when they're not competing I get to hear a mom yelling at her kids in the van because they won't share. Yippee. Let the fun times begin. What does this even have to do with the theme of the show?
This show just reminds me of why today's parents are miserable people to be around because their kids aren't perfect enough for them so they treat them like enemies. And to say that they took the "fun" out of it for me is a gross understatement.Was this review helpful to you? Sign in to rate