Jenn Martinelli Blogging in Boston

Amazing Race is one of our favorite shows. It's fun because they send these people all over the world and you get to see people act like total idiots and make fools of themselves in other countries. I'm sure it's not doing wonders for the image Americans have in general, but still, it's good entertainment. There's always some team to really hate because they're just horribly whiney and awful, or they scream all the time at each other, etc.

But Amazing Race Family Edition sucks. First of all, it's taking till the 4th or 5th episode for them to even get out of the country, and they spent the first part driving around to stupid crap in the southern US. A couple things I'll say OK to like they went to the space center in Alabama. But they also went to the "World's Biggest Office Chair" somewhere else in Alabama, and also mobile home sales company somewhere either in Alabama or Louisiana.

I mean, if you're sticking to the US for some reason, can you at least see some good sights? Like what about the Grand Canyon? Or Niagara Falls or the Rockies or something? Alaska, hey, that's cool. But having pit stops at places like a random BP station off a rural route in Alabama is more than a little lame. I mean, did they run out of money for the show or something? I can't figure it out.

Plus, it's horrible watching these families. Almost every one of them is perfectly awful.

Then there's the Jesus freaks from Florida, the widow and 3 kids whose husband/father died somehow at an auto racing track or event. First of all, don't feel too sorry for them, because they're awful people. The woman thinks she is on some kind of mission to save her kids because their dad died, and they pray almost every 5 minutes about everything. I don't think you're supposed to pray for material things, at least that's what I'd learned, but these stupid people are constantly asking Jesus to please help them win the race. Well, the prize for the race is a million dollars. Oops.

I can't even remember all the upsetting, awful things this family has said and done, especially the mom, but the two girls are whiney brats, someone needs to tell them to stop dressing like skanks and plucking their eyebrows to one-hair's-breadth, and that skunk stripes in the hair went out of style about 8 years ago (not that they ever should have been in style).

But the absolute topper that almost made my head explode this week, was when they got to Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana (this was filmed before the hurricane obviously) and one of the stupid kids in this stupid family commented on how big it was, and the mom said, "Yes, it's one of the five great lakes."

Hey, idiot, it's like 1/100th the size of the smallest great lake, and you're from Florida which is right next-door. How is it that you think one of the great lakes is in your neighborhood? What would even prompt you to say that? I mean, it's not like you learned it in school, so why are you volunteering the information? You just think any lake that's big is a great lake? I'd like her to list the other four. Let me guess her list:

• Lake Okeechobee

• Lake Kissimmee

• Lake Placid

• Lake Tahoe

Shut your mouth, you stupid woman! Your kids might still have a tiny chance of not being complete morons if you can just stop telling them things, because everything you tell them is wrong!

You might think TV is a dumb thing to get upset about but the reason I'm upset is that these are real people and this is what I have to run into in my daily life. People who are this horrible and dumb.

Happy Birthday, Heather!