amazingrace

(S15E01) In this single two-hour season premiere, we were reminded why The Amazing Race keeps snapping up those Emmy Awards for the best reality show on television. We're talking quality teams -- no Jerry Springer fans here! We're talking the adrenalin rush that viewers get just sitting on couches watching the show. We're talking a glimpse into other lands, cultures, and people we might never get the chance to experience in our own lives. We're talking simply amazing.

I'm not a fan of reality shows. I know that's not a bold statement to make, and that reality shows are a fairly easy target. But I think they're boring after the first episode, for the most part. You pretty much know how it goes from there. Which one of the needy, self-esteem deficient bachelorettes the arrogant bachelor ends up with doesn't interest me (nor the opposite - which arrogant idiot catches the fancy of the bachelorette). Talent shows are usually just as bad, preying on their contestants' desperate need for recognition, and with wildly erratic and cynical judging.

So it's a surprise to me that there are two reality shows I actually do enjoy. There is The Amazing Race on CBS, which is currently in between seasons, and So You Think You Can Dance, which is in the beginning third on Fox. Generally, I don't feel stupid watching these two shows. I don't feel like I'm wasting my time. In fact, every once in a while, I feel like I'm learning something.

(S14E11) Last week, the four teams remaining on The Amazing Race were still in China when Phil gave them the news -- "This leg isn't over." I'll admit to snickering a bit because Cara and Jaime were so excited to finally make a first place finish. It's my evil side. Or, perhaps it's karma. After all, they've been the epitome of Ugly Americans to the point of name-calling just because folks in another country may not know English. While Tammy and Victor have the advantage of knowing Mandarin Chinese, a lot still depends on taxis and common sense.

"Every opportunity I have to strip down, I'll be stripping down."

As the longtime host of CBS' competitive reality show 'The Amazing Race,' Phil Keoghan has witnessed plenty of tough challenges -- from mass-eating competitions to language-barrier breakdowns to broken oxen -- but none so tough as the challenge he's recently undertaken himself.

On March 28, starting out from L.A., Keoghan began biking across America in support of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (and to promote GNC's One Square Meal bars); he'll finish his journey in New York on May 7, three days before the finale of the 14th season of 'The Amazing Race.' Along the way he's encountered gusting winds, killer fatigue and the kindness of strangers (or, at least, pie-bearing fans).

Even though he landed in the hospital and had to get an IV shortly after we reached him in Crete, Neb., the native New Zealander gamely chatted about his bike ride, why he'd never go on 'Amazing Race' ... and just how much he enjoys stripping down to his underwear. -- By Patricia Chui

(S14E08) Yes! Sing along with the karaoke cab in Thailand. As we saw in this episode of The Amazing Race, we'll be accompanied by singing transvestites. But that would make it all the more unique an experience. Oh-oye, tonight's show seemed to start off a bit slow for me. However, things surely twisted and turned as it went along.

(S14E07) Tonight on The Amazing Race, the teams left India and headed to Thailand. In particular, they headed to Phuket, Thailand. Now, just the name of the city alone is enough for some teams to struggle with the correct pronunciation. There is an obvious one, but that probably wouldn't fly on network television. The accepted pronunciation is "FOO-ket." But, according to Jen and Kisha, it's "pa-KOOT." Mel was familiar with the city, but most of the other teams had trouble with the name. Phuket, it's that easy!

(S14E04) In the promos for this week's The Amazing Race, they promised us Siberia and a Blind U-Turn. Well, I know a bit about Siberia -- it's very cold. The plain old U-Turn on this show has its own coldness, too. But a "Blind" one? What could that be? Do they don blindfolds and pick a team at random like in pin the tail on the donkey? Nope. It's something even colder than Siberia itself.

(S14E02) Tonight was the kind of episode during which you realize why The Amazing Race keeps snagging those Emmy awards. As the adrenalin builds for me watching from my comfy chair, I can only imagine what a wonderful adventure it is for the teams. The whirlwind race around the globe only took 23 days to film yet has a good six months of action packed within. The teams run the gambit from traveling pros to some who have never even made it south of the border. The editing is superb. I can't say enough good things about the show. But I also can't get into spoilers before the jump.

(S14E01) Tonight's season premiere of The Amazing Race shows how to do a reality show the right way. Exciting, entertaining, teams to both hate and love, plus a whole lot of stunning scenery. I've long contended that this show is the best reality show on television. It consistently wins Emmy Awards. Hey, American Idol ... what have you done for us lately? What? Eliminated Jamar and kept Tatiana and Nathaniel? Feh. Give me The Amazing Race any day instead! I mean ... we're talking adrenalin rushes, excitement, flying wheels of cheese, and bungee jumping in the Alps! It beats drama queens no holds barred.

Just when you thought everyone you knew, ever, had endured their 15 minutes on some reality show, you've been hoodwinked. It's no longer just the lady in accounts payable who you spotted on Cheaters or your brother's friend whose family appeared on Wife Swap. These days, it's low-profile celebs, too, who are seeking a 16th minute, and no longer exclusively via humiliation on VH1.

(S13E11) It's down to the finish line for The Amazing Race. Which team will win the million dollars? Could it be Team Dandrew, the Bumbling Dunderheads? They have the dubious honor of being the most inept team ever in the final three. Or, will it be Nick and Starr, the siblings with the record for first place finishes at the Pit Stops? Maybe it will be Ken and Tina, the ex-NFL player and his um ... loving wife. Well, not so loving all the time, mind you. Will they find true love back together? Read on past the jump.

(S13E10) "Could we look like bigger idiots?" - Team Dandrew

Well, when you march worse than Elaine danced on Seinfeld, it's hard to make yourself look like a "bigger idiot." The Dunderhead Doofus Duo, the single most inept team to ever be on The Amazing Race, had to face a Speed Bump on tonight's penultimate episode of the season due to being saved by last week's non-Philimination leg. Oh ... and that Speed Bump had to do with dancing. Read on!

(S13E09) Oh my. We're really getting down to the wire for this season of The Amazing Race, aren't we? Four teams remain going into this leg and we all know the big finale is between the final three teams. It seems like the season just started! But then I think of the teams who have been long gone -- Arthur and Anita as well as my early favorites, Mark and Bill (the comic book guys). I'm definitely satisfied with two of the teams going into tonight's episode. One team, not so much. But one team really shouldn't be there. Read on!

(S13E08) "Moo! Moo!" - Dallas, the happy cow.

Well, not all happy cows come from California. However, one particularly angry cow stomped through the streets of Kazakhstan in tonight's episode of The Amazing Race. Some teams on the show are a joy to watch and make for happy cows. Some are just cranky. Yet others are bumbling dunderheads. A few teams are a mix. But I have my favorite team for the win. Moo-ve along to past the jump for my review of tonight's show.

(S13E03) "I know she pushed my sports bra off the ledge!" - Christy about Starr

While the sports bra debacle wasn't the only drama on tonight's episode of The Amazing Race, it played a role one and off throughout the show. And, I'm sure we haven't heard the last of it. while the animosity within the teams seemed to dwindle some this week, the animosity between a few of the teams is amping up. That's a good thing as far as I'm concerned. I find racers who constantly bicker with their partners really annoying. But when teams are contentious with other teams, it gives them more of a spirit of competition. Read on for my review!