['The Amazing Race' - 'They Don't Call It the Amazing Race for Nothin'!']

Teams ready? Let's go! Just hearing the theme music for the show gets my adrenaline going. If there's one reality show that folks tend to go on as much for the adventure as the possible winnings, it's 'The Amazing Race.' As a result, I think the show often attracts a more interesting cast. They're not all bartenders or models in their twenties. Phew!

Even as fans, we can vicariously take that whirlwind trip around the world and see sights we'd never see otherwise. Tonight, we start out in Gloucester, Mass. Not to fear, we didn't stay there long.

Let's talk the teams first. There are definitely too many blond women this season and it's hard to get a good grasp on the teams in the season premiere. So here's a quick take on the pairs:

-- The girls from New Jersey, Katie and Rachel, really should be required to wear name tags as we're going to be confused for the rest of the season. They're into making up nicknames for the other teams.

-- Kevin and Michael, the Asian father and son, I think I love 'em already. How well they'll do, I don't know. But they're going to entertain us along the way and have a great relationship. Kevin's YouTube channel is a hoot!

-- Self-proclaimed nerds, doctors Nat and Kat, are proving to be a strong team even though one has Type 1 diabetes and has to control her blood sugar levels during the race.

-- Nick and Vicki, full of tattoos and he sports a Mohawk, are as dumb as a box of rocks. But for some odd reason, I liked them. Maybe it's because they don't bicker.

-- The Princeton tenors, Connor and Jonathan, might be too nice for the race. They not only stopped once, but twice, for other teams with car problems. Don't they get the concept of the word "race"? Yikes!

-- The winners of the leg, Jill and Thomas, didn't really impress one way or the other so much. Well, he could try to speak in something other than a monotone. That might help.

-- Let's hope that Chad of "dating couple" Chad and Stephanie heeds his advice to himself and becomes more humble. This might be the team to hate this year, the McBickersons.

-- I'm not sure if 'The Amazing Race' is a great venue for Andie and Jenna (birth mom and daughter) to get to know each other. Lots of stress going on, but it's their call. I wasn't all that impressed with their performance.

-- Although nothing else they did had much "oomph" to it, Claire's watermelon face-smack (Brook and Claire), showed that she can be a tough cookie and Brook can be really pushy and uncaring.

-- Ron and Tony might have been first in the beginning, but they blew it and were Philiminated. It's a shame, but we didn't even get to know them.

-- Father and daughter Gary and Mallory seem to have a decent relationship. At least they're not out to mend fences or anything.

New this season, the Express Pass, which seemed to be in lieu of the usual vacation trip or fancy toys prize for first place, is intriguing. You can see where the team using it might get a huge lead just by choosing to skip a task. It could be on the par with a Fast Forward if used wisely. The winning team, Jill and Thomas, have until the eighth leg to use it or lose it.

While there was no detour tonight, there was a rollicking roadblock and some way cool tasks they had to perform as they hit England. Storming the walls of Eastnor Castle looked like fun, as long as they kept their heads down. It's always great to see how involved the locals get in these things! But, of course, the best part was dim bulbs Nick and Vicki wandering around confused while looking for the medieval flags and the battlements.

The boats looked near impossible -- I'm surprised that Ron and Tony even finished the trek in their boat because they had already lost the leg. Nick and Vicki also couldn't figure out that the boats were boats. The watermelon smack with the catapult went viral before the show even started, so we knew that one was coming. But it looked even more painful than imagined. Was anyone else hoping that Chad and Stephanie would remain lost wandering the castle grounds and be out of there?

All in all, I was satisfied with the season premiere. We have some entertaining teams to watch and we know the countries visited are always a hit, no matter where they go. Shaking my head as I write this, I must admit I want Box of Rocks Tattoo Team Nick and Vicki to remain in it for a while solely for my personal entertainment.

Phil: "What country are you in?"
Vicki: "London."

'The Amazing Race' airs Sun., 8PM ET on CBS.