amazing race

'The Pacific' wasn't the only war on TV tonight. The contestants on 'The Amazing Race' (Sun., 8PM ET on CBS) had to face a battlefield with explosions, barbed wire, and plenty of adrenaline-pumping action.

But here's the good news: Louie and Michael snagged first place, and each were rewarded with a 55" HD TV! All the better to watch those future 'Amazing Race' episodes.

Watch the video after the jump.

(S16E04) Ah, a tough decision -- 'The Amazing Race' or the start of the Academy Awards? Nah, not tough at all. If 'The Amazing Race' is on, I'm watching! I'm such an addict. I just can't get that rush of adrenalin, that perched-on-the-edge-of-my-seat excitement and more over the Oscars. With the Academy Awards, I don't have a team to cheer on, nor anyone to mock. I don't get that quick smack of cultural knowledge watching Hollywood glitz. Give me beer-drinking, bungee-jumping, bad taxi hacks, sauerkraut-eating, polka-playing, soccer ball kicking, strange metro systems, and teamwork (or the lack thereof). That's what I want for my Sunday evening. And, anyway, the best awards come late into the evening!

Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).

• At 7, ABC has 'The Barbara Walters Special,' followed by the 'Oscars Red Carpet' and The Oscars.
• CBS has a new '60 Minutes Presents,' then a new 'Amazing Race.'
• NBC has a new 'Dateline' at 7.
• FOX has two new episodes of 'Til Death' at 7.
• At 7:30, Disney has a new 'Hannah Montana.'
• At 8, GSN has a new 'High Stakes Poker.'
• TCM has 'The Oscar' at 8, followed by 'The Big Knife.'
• At 9, Food Network has a new 'Iron Chef America.'
• HBO has a new 'Big Love' at 9, then a new 'How To Make It In America.'
• Hallmark has 'Uncorked' at 9.
• At 10, History Channel has a new 'Ax Men.'
• At 11:30, E! has the E! After Party: The Academy Awards.'
• At 12:05am, ABC has a new 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'
• At 12:30am, Cartoon Network has a new 'Tim and Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job.'

Check your local TV listings for more.

Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).

• Discovery has a marathon of new 'Prehistoric' episodes all night.
• At 7, ABC has a new 'America's Funniest Home Videos.'
• CBS has a new '60 Minutes' at 7, then new episodes of 'The Amazing Race,' 'Undercover Boss,' and 'Cold Case.'
• NBC has the closing ceremonies of The Olympics at 7, followed by a sneak peek episode of 'The Marriage Ref.'
• FOX has two new episodes of 'Til Death' at 7.
• At 8, GSN has a new 'High Stakes Poker.'
• BBC America has 'Diamonds Are Forever' at 8.
• TCM has 'Ben-Hur' at 8.
• At 9, ABC has a new 'Desperate Housewives,' followed by a new episode of 'Brothers & Sisters.'
• PBS has a new 'Masterpiece Classic' at 9.
• HBO has a new 'Big Love' at 9, then a new 'How To Make It In America.'
• History Channel has a new 'Ax Men' at 10.
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force.'

Check your tvlistings.aol.com for more.

Two teams are already gone, and nine teams are still running around the world in 'The Amazing Race 16.'

And while CBS hasn't exactly been generous with the airtime for a couple of teams, we've already seen enough game play in the first two episodes to boldly rank the racing pairs in order of their chances to win the $1 million prize.

(S16E01) It's always hard to keep the teams straight during the first few episodes of any reality show. 'The Amazing Race' is no exception to the rule. True, as a 'Big Brother' fan, I'm all too familiar with Jordan and Jeff from last season. But that leaves ten teams to confuse me! At least the teams are diverse enough so that my main dilemma is figuring out who is whom on the same sex teams. I mean, really, which one is Jordan and which one is Dan? At least I can tell the male and female Jordans from different teams apart! And I also know Chile isn't China.

Here's tonight's TV lineup (all times Eastern).

• Spike has an 'Entourage' marathon all night.
• At 7, ABC has the two-hour season finale of 'America's Funniest Home Videos,' followed by a new, two-hour 'Extreme Makeover.'
• CBS has a new '60 Minutes' at 7, the the season premiere of 'The Amazing Race' and new episodes of 'Undercover Boss' and 'Cold Case.'
• NBC has 'The Olympics' at 7.
• FOX has two new episodes of 'Til Death' at 7, followed by new episodes of 'The Simpsons,' 'The Cleveland Show,' 'Family Guy,' and 'American Dad.'
• Disney has the movie 'Starstruck' at 8.
• Style has the season premiere of 'Ruby' at 8, then a new 'Giuliana & Bill.'
• Also at 8: TCM has 'Casablanca.'
• At 8:30, TNT has the NBA All-Star Game.
• At 9, HBO has a new 'Big Love,' followed by the series premiere of 'How To Make It In America.'
• At midnight, Cartoon Network has a new 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force.'

Check your local TV listings for more.

'The Amazing Race' (Sun., 8PM, CBS) season 16 premiere
The pacing is one of the reasons we love this show so much, and this season kicks off in overdrive as 11 new teams start in Los Angeles and must rely on public transportation to get themselves to the airport and onto a flight to Chile. The race is on from there, and viewers are going to recognize several faces among the new contenders, who include 'Big Brother 11' winner Jordan Lloyd and her boyfriend and 'BB 11' housemate Jeff Schroeder, and 2007 Miss South Carolina Teen USA Caite Upton, she of the rambling pageant question response that ended up as a YouTube.com sensation. The season 16 competitors also include Cleveland Indians' third-base coach Steve Smith, whose teammate is his daughter Allison, and Jody Kelly, who's competing with her granddaughter and, at 71-years-old, is the show's oldest contestant ever.

Fans of 'Survivor' can breathe a little easier today, as CBS announced they have renewed the pioneering reality series for two more record-breaking seasons. But will Jeff Probst still be around to see it? Or has his torch been snuffed out?

On 'Survivor,' of course, fire represents life, and if that's the case then the producers of 'Survivor' are likely to suffer spontaneous combustion today, because it turns out there's still plenty of kick left in the series: Despite uncertainty over Probst's contract (he is currently unsigned past the upcoming 'Heroes vs. Villains' series, which debuts on February 11), Entertainment Weekly is reporting that the network has given the go-ahead for the show's 21st and 22nd seasons.

Jordan Lloyd had to overcome a number of obstacles on her way to winning 'Big Brother' last fall, avoiding backstabbers, coup d'etats and secret coalitions. But how will she fare when she has to deal with a broken ox?

Well, fans of reality TV are about to find out, because CBS has announced that Lloyd and her 'Big Brother' boyfriend Jeff Schroeder will be among the teams competing in the new season of 'Amazing Race,' set to premiere on February 14.

This isn't the first time that CBS has indulged in a little cross-promotion; America's least favorite sweethearts, "Boston" Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich, also made the jump to 'Amazing Race' following successful stints on 'Survivor.' The strategy is part of the network's ongoing efforts to secure an audience for 'Race,' which despite winning the Emmy for Outstanding Reality Competition in each of the seven years it has been awarded still trails 'Survivor' in the ratings. After a relatively weak effort from 'Big Brother' last summer, however, this time around the stunt may be designed to help both sides of the equation.

Over the course of 15 seasons, 'The Amazing Race' has become famous for its lush photography of exotic locales around the world. But for the most lush, exotic photos of all, it now appears that fans of the show won't have to do more than take a trip down to their local adult book store.

Yes, according to a press release issued by Playboy, former 'Amazing Race' contestant Jaime Edmondson will be appearing in the famed skin show as Miss January 2010. Edmondson, who, along with race partner Cara Rosenthal, finished second on the 14th season of the show earlier this year, is a former police officer and Miami Dolphins cheerleader.

(S15E12) And, so it ends. Yep, the season finale of The Amazing Race tends to sneak up pretty quickly on us, doesn't it? Each season, the adrenalin rush builds up, builds up, then comes crashing down in one fell swoop back in the United States after a warp speed cruise through foreign cultures and faraway lands. I like to think of this show as a thinking man's (or woman's) reality show. Not only do I get to mock or enjoy the contestants, I learn about people and places. Oh, and I learned not to blow the finale results on the main page before the jump. Read on.

• At 7, CBS has a new 60 Minutes, then the season finale of The Amazing Race and a new Cold Case.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by Vikings vs. the Cardinals.
• At 7:30, Disney has a new Hannah Montana.
• At 8, ABC has a new Extreme Makeover, then new episodes of Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters.
• FOX has the BCS Selection Show at 8.
• Hallmark has the movie Debbie Macomber's Mrs. Miracle at 8.
• Also at 8: TLC has Crazy Christmas Lights, followed by Invasion of the Christmas Lights.
• At 8:30, Disney has a new Jonas.
• At 9, Syfy has the premiere of Alice.
• Showtime has a new Dexter at 9, followed by a new Californication.
• HBO has Robin Williams: Weapons of Self-Destruction at 9.
• At 11:45, Cartoon Network has a new Robot Chicken, then new episodes of The Venture Brothers and Metalocalypse.

Check your local TV listings for more.

• USA has a Monk marathon all night.
• At 7, ABC has a new America's Funniest Home Videos, followed by new episodes of Extreme Makeover, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.
• CBS has a new 60 Minutes at 7, then a new Amazing Race and the movie A Dog Named Christmas.
• NBC has a new Football Night in America at 7, followed by the Ravens vs. the Steelers.
• At 8, FOX has a new Simpsons, then new episodes of The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, and American Dad.
• Food Network has a new Challenge at 8, followed by a new Iron Chef America.
• HGTV has Behind The Magic: Disney Holidays at 8.
• Also at 8: HBO has the 25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert.
• At 9, Showtime has a new Dexter, followed by a new Californication.
• At 10, Nickelodeon has a new Glenn Martin, DDS.
• At 12:30AM, Cartoon Network has a new Metalocalypse.

Check your local TV listings for more.

Can CBS transplant some hope into its Sunday night lineup?

The network is about to find out after announcing a one-time scheduling swap between 'Three Rivers' and 'Cold Case.' The swap will take place next week, according to the Live Feed.

'Three Rivers'' current 9PM time slot makes it the beneficiary of a traditionally strong lead-in from 'The Amazing Race.' But so far this season, 'Rivers' has failed to 'Race''s audience, and is also being blamed for offering a weak lead-in for 'Cold Case.'

There is speculation that CBS is deciding whether or not to pull the plug on 'Three Rivers' altogether -- that is, unless the network can find the heart to order more episodes after this last-ditch programming attempt.