(S16E11) Yikes, it's the penultimate episode of 'The Amazing Race' already? Where did the season go? But, thinking back, I barely remember some of the earliest departing teams. I would have predicted that two of the teams in the final four would be here due to their early successes on legs. The other two, not so much.

However, on this show, the final four means little. It's the final three who finish the race, win or lose. If the final four were the criteria, perhaps we'd have a season finale which lasts more than an hour. For a top Emmy-winning reality show, the hour season premiere and hour season finale just doesn't cut it with me. I want more!

(S16E10) With four teams remaining on 'The Amazing Race,' this season's almost a wrap. While the remaining teams aren't quite the teams I expected vying for the win, there's one aspect of the four teams which almost puts me in shock. There's only one woman left. That's a bit surprising in and of itself.

(S16E09) Yikes! I'm finding it hard to believe that we're down to five teams on 'The Amazing Race.' It seems like it just started a few weeks ago. Where has the season gone? The five remaining teams aren't necessarily the final five teams I would have predicted in the beginning. I really thought Steve and Allie or Joe and Heidi would have taken up a few of the last slots.

But both of those teams were Philiminated, so we're down to models, lesbians, cowboys, cops and young brothers, oh my. Well, the cowboys are brothers, too. Are the best teams still in the running? I can only say that since they haven't been eliminated, they deserve to be there. That doesn't mean I have to like them.

(S16E08) Tonight will make or break this season's strongest team, Jet and Cord, on 'The Amazing Race.' I know some folks might say they aren't the strongest team as they came in last in the previous leg and were only saved by it being a non-Philimination leg. But I beg to differ. They definitely had a bad leg; they most certainly screwed up by not reading a clue. Even taking that into consideration, they're the strongest team. They seem to be up to almost every task thrown their way, and they work well together as a team. Can they overcome the speed bump and continue the race?

(S16E07) Who'd be a better sponsor for the seventh episode of this season's 'The Amazing Race' than 7-Up? While I'm surprised there wasn't product placement throughout the show, it was certainly mentioned enough. And, now one team even has a lifetime supply of the beverage.

While it was a nice reprieve from the Travelocity Roaming Gnome, it makes me miss the old days when commercials were just in the commercials. What? You say I'm promoting products? Not so ... er, pass me that glass of 7-Up, please.

(S16E06) I realize, for the most part, sometimes the folks on the West Coast are envious of us in the East. After all, we get to watch our favorite shows three hours earlier than they do! Sure, we can give breaking news on spoilers like "Phil was at the welcome mat with a mime." But there's a huge drawback to viewing our favorite shows here in the New York City area.

It's called sports. It doesn't matter what sport either. Sooner or later, golf, basketball, football, baseball or another fan-driven game with its overpaid pseudo-celebrities delay our favorite reality shows with their own pseudo-celebs. Tonight, 'The Amazing Race' was delayed nearly an hour due to March Madness. That's aptly named as I get mad every March at basketball.

(S16E05) Brave soldiers marching as to war ... or maybe it's just a team from 'The Amazing Race' hoping to make the pit stop without interference from the Red Baron. The episode started off on a new and different note. After arriving at the last pit stop, the teams were taken to an undisclosed location. They didn't know; we didn't know. Mais oui, we all figured it out. It turned out that the lack of whereabouts knowledge wasn't what affected this leg. It was all about over confidence. That can end up biting you in the butt.

(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!

(S16E03) "Run like scalded dogs?" Well, that's a new one on me. It was said by one of the cowboys on 'The Amazing Race' tonight and is just about as pleasant as the "don't throw the baby out with the bathwater" saying. Who comes up with such evil sayings? What twisted minds create such horrid images? Probably some of the same minds who create challenges on reality television competition shows.

(S16E02) 'The Amazing Race' is the reality television show that most viewers want to live vicariously through. After all, who really wants to be stuck in a house with strangers? Or eat bugs? Nope. We want adventure! A whirlwind trip through countries, cool challenges, a quick cultural dip into unfamiliar territories, and more. Sure, there's a million dollar prize at the end. But I think the show attracts some teams almost as much for the adventure of it all. However, teams caught up in the adventure sometimes take their eyes off the prize and face Philimination.

(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.

(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.

(S15E11) Next week is the big season finale of The Amazing Race. But this week the last four teams have to battle it out for the prized final three slots racing for the finish line. So, you would think this is the time to put on the big boy (or girl) pants, step up to the plate, give it your all, and a thousand other corny trite sayings. Alas, one team tonight has a huge fail. Of all the legs to fall apart and go kerflooey, this one so near the finale is cruel indeed. Too bad, so sad.

(S15E10) I mentioned last week that the remaining teams on The Amazing Race are really feeling the pressure as they're getting closer to the win. Well, there were no fisticuffs, no elbowing, but there was an underhanded incident ... or two or three.

Unlike Survivor, this show doesn't depend on sneakiness or scheming. In the end, it's how well they run the race around the world, how well they read the clues, and how well they complete the tasks. While getting along with the other teams is always a good thing, there's no popularity vote at the finish line. But they are competing. Sometimes some sneakiness just sneaks on in.

(S15E09) Things got a bit down and dirty tonight on The Amazing Race. I'm talking more ways than one. As the promos for the episode showed, we had muddy bogs and a quasi-skirmish between two teams tonight. There are five teams left in the race at this time. Two of the teams are definitely vying for the alpha male rating on the show. And I'm not talking Brian and Ericka! Any previous alliances are gone in the wind as the teams try to get to the precious final three. Take no prisoners.