The Amazing Race Came to Cordoba City... But There Was a Twist

The Amazing Race, spanning 36 seasons, has ventured across different Argentine provinces like Buenos Aires and Mendoza. However, in a notable turn, Season 36, Episode 6 marked its debut in Cordoba City, with an intriguing production twist that I'll delve into shortly.

For some reason, witnessing locales we've frequented over the past 12 years on television felt significant to us.

As depicted in the screenshots I captured from the episode, the majority of the challenges unfolded in downtown Cordoba and Nueva Cordoba.

As you can see, the aerial shots of the city were amazing.

The teams read their clues by the Cañada, which is basically a canal that crosses the city and is generally a great place to take photos, when you're not racing on "The Amazing Race."

The teams also visited Plaza Bicentenario to get their next clues.

One of the challenges involved riding these stationary bikes that  actually crush plastic bottles to prep them for recycling.

The teams also went to Plaza Sarmiento, which had been turned into a farm for this particular challenge. There were bales of hay and even a guy dressed as a gaucho (Argentine cowboy). I'd like to point out that no one dresses like this in Argentina. In fact, in the 12 years I have lived in Argentina, I have never seen a gaucho. That's not to say they don't exist, but it's not the norm in the city. Think of it like this. Cowboys are synonymous with the United States. Right? But how often do you see one walking around New York City. Alright, maybe the Naked Cowboy in Times Square, but that's an exception.

Also, I'd like to mention that Parque Sarmiento doesn't have bales of hays or a contraption like this. Actually, you might see some hale in the former site of the Cordoba City Zoo, but that's about it. Most of the time, you'll simply see people jogging or enjoying a nice picnic.

Another challenge that followed was this rally car race where teams had to drive a specific path and finish the course within a short amount of time.

Then, they had to complete a puzzle that depicted the route they had driven before moving on to the next challenge.

The following challenge involved the teams going to this stadium (I don't remember the name of it) and playing soccer. But the players had to score a goal while wearing these inflatable bubbles.

For the final challenge, contestants had to learn what parts of the cow the different types of meat in front of them came from. Afterwards, they went to another location and placed them in the correct order. 

And finally, with their final clues, it was time to head to Plaza San Martin to meet Phil at the mat.

The contestants were greeted by Phil and an Argentine dressed in ancient colonial uniform. I can only assume that he was playing Jose de San Martin, a military commander.  But again, it goes without saying that this was simply for the show. You won't see people dressed like this in Argentina. 

Now, onto the twist I mentioned earlier. Despite airing in April 2024, the episode was actually filmed three years prior.

This revelation came to light when one of my students mentioned being acquainted with the individual overseeing the car racing segment (pictured below).

According to their friend, the show filmed in Cordoba City in 2021, which astounded me. While I had assumed "The Amazing Race" typically filmed their seasons six months to a year before airing, the idea of Season 36 being shot so long ago never crossed my mind. This may well account for Cordoba City's pristine appearance in the episode. When I say pristine, I refer to its lack of overcrowding, clean streets, and relatively graffiti-free environment. 2021 marked a period when the Covid pandemic was beginning to recede. So the locals were just starting to come out of their homes and socialize again.

Also, given that neither the contestants nor the locals were attired in winter clothing, it suggests filming likely took place in late 2021, during Argentina's spring/summer season.

Regardless of the filming timeline, it was heartening to witness Cordoba City receiving screen time. I can only hope this exposure encourages more visits from Americans and potentially attract American businesses to Argentina's second-largest city. Naturally, they'll need to contend with the recent increase in thefts and dengue cases, but that's a tale for another occasion.

Big Mamma's: A Rollercoaster Ride of New York-Style Pizza in Cordoba City

Earlier this year, we stumbled upon a new pizzeria in Cordoba City, but this wasn't just your run-of-the-mill pizza joint. Big Mamma's boasted New York-style pizza! I mean, seriously? Could it be that my prayers had finally been answered? American-style pizza right here in Cordoba City? 

Now, let me tell you, Cordoba hasn't exactly been a stranger to attempts at this before. A few years back, there was the Chicago American Grill, dishing out large-sized Chicago pizza slices with American flavors. Then came PIBI, claiming to offer New York-style pizza. But let's be real, compared to some of the top-notch American pizza joints in Buenos Aires like Hell's Pizza and Sbarro, Cordoba's attempts at American pizzas were, well, mediocre at best.

Still, this was a new spot, and my hubby and I just had to give Big Mamma's a shot. So, we placed an order for some pepperoni and regular cheese slices through one of the local delivery apps.

We were feeling a tad nervous, having shelled out close to 30,000 Argentine pesos for 8 slices (34.25 USD), with no clue if they'd actually resemble genuine New York-style pizza. What if they turned out to be those puny Argentine pizzas that barely satisfy one person, let alone two? And would the cheese taste anything like the cheese back home, or would it be more akin to feet, like most Argentine cheese pizzas?

When the order finally arrived, our anxiety levels shot up even higher. In the States, the delivery person usually hands you one big box containing an entire pizza. But here, our delivery driver had more than one box. It turned out that the restaurant had simply divided the slices into multiple boxes, making it easier for the delivery guy, who was zipping around on a motorcycle instead of a car like they do back in the States.

At that point, though, hunger trumped any concerns about pizza packaging. All we cared about was whether those slices would be big enough and taste as good as the ones back home.

Sure, the cheese was a bit runny, and the wax paper underneath got stuck to the crust, but man, those pizza slices were delicious!

Each bite was a revelation, eliciting tears, smiles, and sounds one might typically reserve for the bedroom. Big Mamma's seemed like a winner, or so we thought.

Now, pizzas weren't the only items on Big Mamma's menu. They also dabbled in burgers and sandwiches, featuring flavors like pulled pork (my personal favorite!) and the Philly cheesesteak sandwich. So, on our next order, we decided to try the Philly cheesesteak, and boy, was it a letdown.

Philly Cheesesteak

I've had my fair share of Philly cheesesteaks, and let me tell you, they don't usually come with cheddar cheese. It's not that I have anything against cheddar per se, but the cheddar cheese here in Argentina isn't really cheddar at all. It's what we'd call American cheese. As a result, the cheese completely overwhelmed the taste of the meat (and not in a good way), and the steak strips were way too fatty to enjoy.

This made me apprehensive about trying the pulled pork sandwich next time, but surprisingly, it turned out to be pretty darn good. My only gripe? Big Mamma's advertises it with cole slaw, but the last few times I ordered, there was no slaw in sight.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

A few weeks later, we decided to go for pizza again. Obviously, pepperoni was at the top of our list, because, let's face it, Argentines aren't big on pepperoni. In fact, most Argentine pizzerias don't even know what pepperoni is. So ordering pizza with pepperoni was a rare commodity.

Well, imagine our dismay when, in what must have been our fifth order from Big Mamma's, we discovered something seriously off about our pepperoni. I found myself pulling at what felt like strings. To this day, I'm not sure if it was dried-out edges or burnt pepperoni, but those edges were downright inedible, as you can see in the photo I provided.

I figured maybe it was just a one-time fluke. Wishful thinking, right? Nope. I encountered those inedible pepperoni edges two more times.

So, a few weeks ago, we decided to give Big Mamma's another shot, opting for two different flavored slices alongside a couple of regular pepperoni and cheese slices.

One was a barbecue chicken slice with bacon called the King Kong, and the other was a meatball with cheddar slice.

The King Kong Pizza slice was a Huge Disappointment

We had high hopes for both toppings, but alas, we were met with disappointment. The barbecue chicken slices had a measly four or five chicken pieces, and the bacon bits weren't much better. Plus, the barbecue sauce was more of a drizzle than anything else, nowhere near the generous slathering they'd teased on social media. And the letdown continued when we tried the meatball with cheddar slice.

The meatballs tasted like your typical ground beef in Argentina, which is to say, something comparable to rotten meat. And the advertised meatball pizza slice gave the impression that it would come with whole meatballs, but what we got was a few sad, burnt-looking, and foul-smelling meatball pieces. And as for the cheddar, we expected it to be baked into the crust, like a stuffed crust cheese pizza from Pizza Hut. But nope, just another lackluster drizzle of cheddar on top.

The slice on the right is the meatball slice

And as for the regular pepperoni cheese slices? They had this weird, plasticky appearance that left us wondering just how old those pizza slices were.

But did we learn our lesson? Nope.

During our last order, the slices came with burnt crusts.

I'm not sure what's gone wrong with Big Mamma's. Did they change management? Did they throw in the towel? Or did the locals persuade them to switch to churning out the same bland, mediocre pizza that's all too common around here? Who knows? But what I do know is that they've started adding items to their menu that make zero sense, like meat or chicken skewers or even chicken steaks and pork chops. I wouldn't be surprised if they started serving empanadas too, completely defeating the purpose of their New York-style food gimmick.

In the end, if we do end up ordering from Big Mamma's again, it'll probably only be for the pulled pork sandwich or the regular cheese slices, if we're desperate enough.