Making it your own

I realize I haven't posted in 3 weeks now but I have a good excuse: I was on vacation. And what a vacation it was! It was a seven-day Caribbean cruise, visiting Cozumel, Belize, Honduras and Grand Cayman. The week away has caused me to think long and hard about my life as now I am no longer a student.

But before I get too deep into that I want to share my most recent encounter with reality TV, but it wasn't on-screen: The Amazing Cozumel Race. It's an Amazing Race-style race around Cozumel, solving clues and performing tasks to make it to the finish line. As the only team from the Carnival Legend boat, Team Canadudes, Phil and I had to represent, which meant I had to run. For those who don't know, I don't normally run. We ran from the starting point, at the post office, to the flag pole, solved clues in the Cozumel Historic Museum, ran to get a henna tattoo, snorkled in the Caribbean sea to find a sunken ship, solved another clue leading us back to the square, then mini-golf, a quick trip to a shop, then the finish line. It took us one hour and nine minutes to run three-and-a-half miles. Because of our hard work we tied for second and received a silver medal. Beat that my brothers who get all the sports awards!

What I loved about this is the organizers took the concept of the Amazing Race and made it their own, which is basically a scavenger hunt but encapsulates the whole city of Cozumel. They don't step on the toes of CBS and the producers of the Amazing Race, but I think using the name of one of the most popular reality television shows today and it continues to gain followers each year. Participating in this excursion has inspired Phil and I to start thinking about an Amazing Niagara Race or the Great Niagara Falls Adventure. Either way, taking the popularity of a television show and making it your own is a great way to combine two passions: reality television and interactive entertainment.