Perhaps I was the only one, but I found the early non-pitstop elimination of muslims Bilal and Sa’eed to be an absolutely classless move on the part of the show’s producers. For me (and judging from their reaction the other contestants too) it cast a large pall over the affair. The out-of-the-blue elimination seemed so unfair and so out of character with the show that I have to wonder if one of the future surprises will be to bring the muslims back. Otherwise this just seems like a crock, spoiling the enthusiasm of the adventure just to hype and heighten the competitive aspects of the show which, at least in my view, are the least alluring.
I’ve now watched Bilal and Sa’eed’s Parting Words video at CBS.com, and no longer hold much hope that they’ll be coming back.
Bad start to a good show.