I’m supposed to be in bed, but I caught Amazing Race on TV, and they were in the Philippines. The only thing more amazing than the race itself is the amazing kabastusan (Tagalog for “rudeness”) with which some of these contestants treated their Filipino drivers, quite fulfilling the stereotype of the obnoxious ex-colonizer.

To be fair, of course, they were racing for a million dollars, and reality TV producers do cast aggressive people in these roles, so it’s expected that etiquette will fall by the wayside. But still, Christie telling the jeepney driver to just run over pedestrians because they were in the way was quite over the top. That’s the same girl who, later, when her boyfriend Colin is plowing a paddy, is too prissy to get her feet dirty, thus leaving him to plow with an unguided carabao in the mud. Eh, tuloy, last place sila.

Okay, enough of that. Stupid reality shows.