Renaissance Man: In a Digital Age

Falling in Love with a Competition T.V. Show Contestant

I’m in love for the first time without meeting her in person. Online dating, no thank you. There’s a natural spark when two people meet face to face. Both are in the same place at the same time. Organic. One thing in common instantly. She is here. I am here for independent or a coerced reason. It is a natural spark, lightning on tinder.

It happened last week. Two global crises wreck like typhoons. An unwanted shuttering of all the wonderful experiences out in our big beautiful world coalesced into binge watching a favorite indulgence, “The Amazing Race”.

A late comer to the legions of fans. I’m a self-professed geography nerd, life-long explorer, road trip ready kind of guy. The early seasons, I was disinterested because the hint of “game show/reality show” is like garlic to vampires to my sensibilities.

I was narrow minded. A dear friend introduced me to the program in the early 2010’s. Until that point I hadn’t seen a collective 10 minutes of the show. It didn’t take long before I was a devotee. The show is equal parts travel junkie highlight reel and history lesson. Sign me up.

Over a sequestered work week, I blinked and seasons 1 and 2 were done. The next season was a less furious pace. Why? I was enamored with a competitor…