I tend to agree with you - the race concept is an interesting one but the competition makes the participants behave like "Ugly Americans", and we don't need any more bad press.
I wish they'd take time or points off each time a contestant is rude or obnoxious or makes Americans look bad.
And I HATE when they take all the money and make rich Americans beg for cash in 3rd world countries.
LQ
I think the begging with a camera crew bugs me the most too...also, when they constantly complain about the smells of a place or yell at some poor ticket lady that doesn't speak 3 words of English (which is 3 more words than they speak of Chinese).
I hate the begging part too.
If I was in charge of what the penalty would be for coming in last place during a non-elimination leg then I would have the team spin a board or pick an envelope at the beginning of the next leg with several possible penalties. They could be:
Whatever place you finish the leg in, you add 1 position - example you come in 5th, you get awarded 6th place.
You get a time penalty at the end of 10 minutes up to 30 minutes.
You get no penalty.
At a road block or a detour, the team has to do a little more than the other teams - ie all the teams carry 100 pounds of bricks to a location, but the last place team has to carry 150 pounds.
Take all of their money at the end of the leg, but give them the same amount on the next leg as the rest of the teams. This way they are penalized a little, but don't have to beg which is ridiculous to me. If it were just one option, I like this last one the best.