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WINNER #5 - ZACH & FLO (THE AMAZING RACE)

May 29, 2013 by Inky

The Amazing Race 3 is to The Amazing Race as Marquesas is to Survivor. They were landmark seasons that established everything that could be great about the show, but has somewhat of a bad reputation nowadays because of the lasting impact. Marquesas had Boston Rob. The Amazing Race had Zach and Flo, who without BJ & Tyler, would be my favourite Amazing Race winners ever.

On the surface, they were your average, happy-go-lucky team of friends. Zach was a nice guy who wanted to see if anything more could happen between him and Flo. I think they're friends to this day still, even if they never ended up together. They both fit in nicely amongst the rest of the cast. However, there was one thing that lifted the team high above the rest of the cast.

Flo was a complete and utter psychopath.

She wasn't initially so bad in the first few legs. She complained a bit, but who doesn't? However, once they got to Portugal, Flo flipped out at every little thing that came her way. She forced her partner to cater to her every whim. She was breaking down every step of the way and unlike other teams, refused to do anything outside her comfort zone. She broke down in Portugal, Morocco, Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand, and some other countries I can't even name. There wasn't a time Flo was enjoying herself on the race, because she was having a nervous breakdown every step of the way.

And. It. Was. GLORIOUS.

Everything Flo did was on an entirely new level. There'd been bickering before, there'd been "Oh I don't think I can do this" before, but never to Flo's level. Nobody could have matched Flo in those initial few seasons, because Flo was unique. She was a normal, everyday woman who seemed to have no idea about the very real stresses the race was going to put her under, and completely and utterly caved under the pressure.

There was also her partner, Zach. Zach is, without a doubt, the strongest racer of all time probably next to Eric Sanchez. He did everything by himself, he navigated everywhere, he drove everywhere, and even did most of the tasks him and Flo were meant to do together by himself. He was unflappable in the face of Flo's constant breakdowns and inability to do anything without being dragged there, and even with Flo ending up flirting (and after the race), dating another racer. He never fought with her, he never yelled with her, he just bucked up and did what he needed to do to win the race. He's probably one of the nicest guys ever, and there's a lot of people who just wished he would have gotten the entire million.

This is a difficult team to place because on one hand, they're legendary. They're epic. They stand head and shoulders above any imitators or people who try to recreate them (Hi Rachel Reilly, red-headed tryhard) and they'll never be matched. On the other hand, the two teams they were racing with in the Final 3 who made it with them were so legendary on their own merits. Ken & Gerard remain the single funniest team to ever compete in the race, unmatched even to this day. And Teri & Ian are just the most epic older team to ever run the race, because they evolved as a team in both character and skill. Plus, Ian, a Vietnam veteran, returning to Vietnam after so long, was just one of the most memorable episodes in the show's history. After spending the entire season as a grump who yelled at his wife, Vietnam was epic for him because of how much his conflicts and character were showcased.

But I think it's better off that, despite me liking them just a little bit more, that Season 3 deserved Zach & Flo as winners. The most useless partner in the show's history getting rewarded with a win she arguably never deserved in the first place after being dragged through the entire race by the strongest racer of all time was just a fitting end to one of, if not the, best seasons of all time.

#5 - Zach & Flo (The Amazing Race 3)
#6. Uchenna & Joyce (The Amazing Race 7)
#7. Todd Herzog (Survivor: China)
#8. Julia Morris (Celebrity Apprentice Australia 1)
#9. Tanedra Howard (Scream Queens 1)
#10. Judson "Fabio" Birza (Survivor: Nicaragua)
#11. Karise Eden (The Voice Australia 1)
#12. Chip & Kim (The Amazing Race 5)
#13. Ethan Zohn (Survivor: Africa)
#14. Jun Song (Big Brother USA 4)
#15. Bates & Anthony (The Amazing Race 22)
#16. Zabrina & Joe-Jer (The Amazing Race Asia 1)
#17. Shane & Andrew (The Amazing Race Australia 2)
#18. Vecepia Towery (Survivor: Marquesas)
#19. Benjamin Norris (Big Brother Australia 2012)
#20. LaKisha & Jen (The Amazing Race Unfinished Business)
#21. Rob & Brennan (The Amazing Race)
#22. Earl Cole (Survivor: Fiji)
#23. Celeste Anderson (King of the Nerds 1)
#24. Danni Boatwright (Survivor: Guatemala)
#25. Tina Wesson (Survivor: The Australian Outback)
#26. Nat & Kat (The Amazing Race 17)
#27. Terri Munro (Big Brother Australia 2008)
#28. Natalie White (Survivor: Samoa)
#29. Denise Stapley (Survivor: Philippines)
#30. Jan Moody (The Mole Australia 1)
#31. Sophie Clarke (Survivor: South Pacific)
#32. Beth (Total Drama Action)
#33. Josh & Brent (The Amazing Race 21)
#34. Bob Crowley (Survivor: Gabon)
#35. The Linz Family (The Amazing Race 8: Family Edition)
#36. Aras Baskauskas (Survivor: Panama - Exile Island)
#37. "Boston" Rob Mariano (Survivor: Redemption Island)
#38. Reichen & Chip (The Amazing Race 4)
#39. Parvati Shallow (Survivor: Micronesia)
#40. Tom Westman (Survivor: Palau)
#41. Ernie & Cindy (The Amazing Race 19)
#42. TK & Rachel (The Amazing Race 12)
#43. Richard & Richard (The Amazing Race Asia 4)
#44. James "JT" Thomas (Survivor: Tocantins)
#45. Dave & Rachel (The Amazing Race 20)
#46. Nathan & Tyler (The Amazing Race Australia 1)
#47. Jillian Maclaughlin (Big Brother Canada 1)
#48. Kimberly Spradlin (Survivor: One World)
#49. Steven Cowles (The Mole US 1)
#50. Chris & Alex (The Amazing Race 2)
#51. Brian Heidik (Survivor: Thailand)
#52. Nick & Starr (The Amazing Race 13)
#53. Dan & Jordan (The Amazing Race 16)
#54. Heather (Total Drama World Tour)
#55. Jenna Morasca (Survivor: The Amazon)
#56. Tammy & Victor (The Amazing Race 14)
#57. John Cochran (Survivor: Caramoan)
#58. Jamie Brooksby (Big Brother Australia 2006)
#59. Amber Mariano (Survivor: All-Stars)
#60. Casey Donovan (Australian Idol 2)
#61. Guy Sebastian (Australian Idol 1)
#62. Tyler & James (The Amazing Race 10)
#63. Meghan & Cheyne (The Amazing Race 15)
#64. Yul Kwon (Survivor: Cook Islands)
#65. Owen (Total Drama Island)
#66. Eric & Danielle (The Amazing Race All-Stars)
#67. Freddy & Kendra (The Amazing Race 6)

THE TOP 4:
- BJ & Tyler (The Amazing Race 9)
- Chris Daugherty (Survivor: Vanuatu)
- Richard Hatch (Survivor: Borneo)
- Sandra Diaz-Twine (Survivor: Pearl Islands/Heroes vs. Villains)

(Aquamarine HelenCoops MHens Yerg zimdelinvasor )

No more hints. Who will just miss out on the Top 3?

Comments

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THAT SEASON AND THEM. People usually don't understand my love for Flo and Zach because of Flo's mental breakdowns but I just love them. Season three was the first season of TAR that I watched the whole way through and it got me hooked on it. I'm so glad I started with this season because it made me realise how extraordinary The Amazing Race truly is

Sent by HelenCoops,May 29, 2013

I really need to finish TAR2 and watch this season already.
Chris for the win

Sent by Yerg,May 29, 2013

survior ones need to be the top threeeeeeeee

Sent by zimdelinvasor,May 30, 2013

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WINNER #5 - ZACH & FLO (THE AMAZING RACE)

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