The Amazing Race season 29 ended with a bit of an upset. Despite almost constantly being at the end of the pack and one of them threatening to give up at nearly every opportunity, Brooke and Scott won The Amazing Race.
In a season full of strangers, Brooke and Scott, mainly Brooke, did little to endear themselves to the audience or their fellow contestants. The two bickered, whined, and backstabbed but they made it to the top.
A win of theirs might not be a win for the audience, however. Brooke and Scott truly rank as some of the worst winners in Amazing Race history.
The (Un)Balancing of the Scales
It is impossible to say that Brooke and Scott didn’t turn things up when they needed to. While their competition made a fair number of mistakes in the finale, Brooke and Scott had a nearly flawless performance. There was the usual Brooke whining but it was relatively subdued. Brooke and Scott did technically deserve to win season 29. They got the finale and they put in the best performance out of anyone during that leg. The reason their win feels disappointing is their overall attitude.
Brooke and Scott are not the worst team to ever run The Amazing Race. Brooke might be one of the most ridiculous competitors but as a team they were not complete disasters. There are far more annoying and downright abusive teams in Amazing Race history. As much as Brooke would screech at Scott for being abusive and unsupportive, that wasn’t the case. It’s true of more than a few teams in the past like Johnathan and Victoria from season 6. Scott was snarky and a bit rude to Brooke but never abusive. Even Brooke and Scott U-Turning teams when they were down or refusing to help was very tame compared to some of the activities of other teams throughout the years.
Usually, though, The Amazing Race has a way of balancing things out. The bickering teams who are a nightmare either to each other or to their competition don’t win. Big Brother alums Brendon and Rachel were a terror but they finished in third both times The Amazing Race invited them to compete. The noxious superfans Justin and Diana and the unhappiest couple in the world, Logan and Chris, both from season 27, ended up short of the finish line too. There have been strange winners over the years like Eric and Danielle from All-Stars who were labeled as dating during the season but had broken up before the show began filming or the annoying hippies from season 9, BJ and Tyler. Yet none of these were quite as impaired as Brooke and Scott. When a team is as dysfunctional as Brooke and Scott they don’t come anywhere close to winning … usually.
Whining Winners
The only real competition to Brooke and Scott’s worst winners title is, interestingly, the team that directly precedes them. Season 28’s winners Dana and Matt mirror Scott and Brooke in so many ways. Dana constantly berated Matt over the slightest infraction. She would whine about anything and everything and poor Matt would just take it. This, and the fact that Dana and Matt were dating and not two strangers with opposing sexual orientations, is all that really separates them from Brooke and Scott.
Scott would at least try to combat Brooke’s whining, which didn’t always make him likable but it did occasionally serve as a source of amusement. Brooke being a terror and Scott mocking her for it varied from hilarious to exhausting but there was at least some entertainment value. There was almost nothing to enjoy or cheer for while watching Dana and Matt. You can look at Scott and Brooke’s win and see it as worthy reward for Scott with having to put up with Brooke but there is no silver lining to Dana and Matt winning. So Brooke and Scott might not be the worst winners in Amazing Race history but they come very, very close.
But do you agree? Do you think Brooke and Scott are the worst winners in the show’s history? Were Dana and Matt more annoying? Do you disagree with either team being awful? Sound off in the comments below about your least favorite Amazing Race teams and winners!
The Amazing Race will return in the fall.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
