Chasing the amazing rolling cheese...

I am not a big fan of reality television. However, there is one program that I have watched and enjoyed for many seasons: The Amazing Race. If you don’t know this show the basic premise is teams of two embark upon a journey around the world. There are both physical and mental challenges at each location which they must accomplish in order to get the clue that leads them to the next challenge and eventually to the final destination. The winning team wins $ 1 million dollars.

Yes, this show is absolutely silly but fun; my husband thinks it is beyond ridiculous and rarely watches. But for some reason I love it. Perhaps it is the faraway places you get to see during the race or some of the cultural traditions you experience (I have no evidence on their accuracy). Still, I look forward to each new season; there have been 34 seasons so far. I haven’t seen all of them but the ones I have seen I enjoyed. I have no aspiration to run The Amazing Race; I am not built for running and yes, you really do have to run— a lot!! It’s a race after all!

I even knew (sort of ) one couple that won the million dollar prize: they were relatives of the wife of a friend from seminary. Kim and Penn Holderness—Kim is 45 years old and Penn is 47—were the the oldest couple to ever win the race. They are also very funny blogging and internet personalities (https://theholdernessfamily.com/about/). The bonus for me is that they are from my hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. That was Season 33. I cheered for them the entire season that year and was delighted when they won. Hooray for the old people!

A recent article in The Washington Post reminded me of a long past episode on The Amazing Race. The challenge was to participate in the famous downhill cheese roll in Gloucestershire, England. This annual cheese roll is believed to have started back in 1826 with people racing down an extremely steep hill chasing after a giant rolling wheel of cheese. The cheese is a seven pound wheel of a cheese named Double Gloucester, a locally made cheese.

It's all downhill from here as women participants are off and running at the cheese-rolling race in Gloucestershire, England, on Monday. (Kin Cheung/AP)

The Washington Post reported: “The cheese can reach up to 70 to 80 mph as it topples down the hill, according to Gloucestershire outlets. Rugby players wait at the bottom of the hill to catch people as they crash across the finish line…. The rules of the race are simple. Admission is free of charge. Participants must gather at the top of the hill before the race starts. The first person to cross the line wins, and gets to keep the cheese.”

Photo by Kin Cheung/AP)

That’s right. You risk life and limb and you get to keep the cheese if you win. Injuries from past races have included broken bones, sprained ankles, concussions and various dislocated joints. Chasing cheese is not for the faint-hearted.

I think I will stick to eating cheese. And yes, I am looking forward to Season 35 of the Emmy-winning The Amazing Race starting in the fall on Wednesday nights.