BC 601's Amazing Race Theme Comes to Life

NEW WILMINGTON, Pa (titanradio.net)--Instead of cramming for a final exam, Westminster College junior broadcast communications majors worked with Titan Traverse to bring their own version of reality TV's The Amazing Race to life. Broadcast Capstone instructor Brad Weaver says students were required to come to the first day of class with a completed application for the television show. He also required them to team up with someone in the class or off campus.

"The questions on the application were provocative, forcing them to think about their goals outside of college," Weaver said. "I used the application as a tool for self-reflection and to explore career paths."

You can see and hear from students in the video files here on titanradio.net or watch via our YouTube link.

Initial reactions from the students were mixed.

Melissa Maines of Clearfield said, "I've been watching the show since the first season, so I was really excited when Mr. Weaver told us about the assignment."

At the other end of the spectrum was Aimee Gerber of New Castle: "My first reaction to this assignment was ‘absolutely not,' but this application isn't like any other application. This one forced us to think about ourselves, about our character, what we're most afraid of, how we cope with conflict."



As the semester and the project progressed, attitudes changed especially after Titan Traverse staged it's own version of The Amazing Race for the students to run. Chose the raw video clip you want to view from the links here:

• Raw video clip 1: Race to the finish line & meet the winners
  
• Raw video clip 2: Shooting compass bearings with Titan Traverse
  
• Raw video clip 3: Racers drive each other up the wall

Bill Sadler of Youngstown, Ohio, commented, "Putting the million-dollar prize aside, our project has a hidden message. This was to show us we have a wide variety of strengths, and we are qualified for any task given to us. We will be entering the ‘race' of the job market soon and will be competing against many for one prize."

Doug Kunst of Bellevue said, "The Amazing Race was a clever way for us to reflect on who we are and where we have come from. For me, it was realizing how good a fit I am to broadcasting."

Nicole Piszczor of Broadview Heights, Ohio, related, "In the end, it made me realize more about who I am as a person and as a professional."

Shayna Marti of New Wilmington observed, "The application asked questions that really made you think about yourself and your partner. I realized that I really didn't know my partner that well, but I recently found out we make a pretty good team."

Weaver said, "One of my goals was for the students to discover ways to ‘sell' themselves beyond the bullet points of a résumé, while exploring the kinds of questions employers might ask."

Each team was responsible for producing the three-minute application video The Amazing Race requires. The final exam period was an Amazing Race-themed event organized by Westminster's Titan Traverse staff. It included canoeing across Brittain Lake, climbing a rock wall, mountain biking, and solving clues to reach the finish line.