The fifth week of NBC’s reality series “The Great American Road Trip” was fairly unremarkable, except for its producers snubbing Route 66 even more than usual.
The families spent a lot of time in Sedona, Ariz., Slide Rock State Park and the Grand Canyon — all of which aren’t on the Mother Road. The only place the show shot footage where it had a genuine Route 66 connection was in the Grand Canyon Railway yard in Williams, Ariz.
The memory relay game during the End of the Road Challenge in Williams was suspenseful. But the rest of Monday’s show mostly was a snoozer. Even the moment when one of the families was sent home seemed anticlimactic. It seems like the families are tired or bored with the whole thing. I can relate.
I know I’ll catch flak from a few quarters, but the DiSalvatore family is one of the few saving graces of the show. They’re loud, they quarrel a lot, and Silvio often acts like a strutting peacock. But they’re never boring, and sometimes they’re funny. And, somehow, they keep surviving the challenges. I reckon they’re about the only reason people keep watching each week.
The good news for NBC is that “Road Trip” finished second in its time slot Monday, with 4.6 million viewers. The bad news is that the only reason it rose in the ratings is because the other networks were airing a lot of reruns. Its overall share didn’t show much improvement.
Happen to catch this show for the first time and while there are not many stops along the Mother Road, you’ve got to admit the scenery is breath taking. Yes, the DiSalvatore is grating on your nerves, but they are so typical of most families on road trips. Throw in a little competition and it’s multiplied. They are typical tourist families and I’ve caught myself doing the same things, especially the picture taking at the Grand Canyon and Silvio not wanting to act “normal” for the picture. Been there, done that! I thought the couple from California were very gracious and appreciative of their adventure and it seems there is an on going battle between the two couples left and the Cootes family. While I can’t comment on the other shows, the little Cootes son is someone I’d like to see get an attitude adjustment. I’ll be watching the show from now on just to see if this happens, otherwise, I think this is a great chance for these families to see some of the things that make America great. No, not alot of the adventures take place on the Mother Road, but the show is entitled “The Great American Road Trip”. If at the beginning of the series, which I didn’t see, stated it was a road trip along Route 66, yes, it’s misleading.