(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!

(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.

You just never know how things are going to play out on 'The Amazing Race 16' (Sun., 8PM ET on CBS). Even if you're dead last, there's always the chance you can jump into first place.

The cowboys, Jet and Cord, are the first team to ever go from last place, complete the speed bump, and then come in first on the next leg. Not only that; they won a trip to Maui! Way to go, guys!

Watch the video after the jump.

(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?

(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.

(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.

(S15E08) This week we revisited one of the toughest roadblocks ever on The Amazing Race. Back in season six, the same farm with the same roadblock did in one team. Kristy and Lena spent eight hours searching for a clue they never did find. Phil Keoghan came out to them after dark in the field and called an end to their search. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time the show has repeated a roadblock. And what a doozy to choose! While looking for a clue in a haystack is easier than looking for a needle, there are so many haystacks -- how would our five remaining teams fare? Read on.

(S15E05) Once again in the NYC viewing area, The Amazing Race suffered a huge delay in airing due to football. Tonight, it started an hour and fifteen minutes late. And, after all of that, the Jets lost! It's a miracle this show keeps receiving Emmy awards when the CBS Sunday night schedule is so fickle due to every sport under the sun or inside a stadium. Speaking of sports ... who are the Brinkley Tigers on Flight Time's t-shirt? They can't be Christie Brinkley's ex-husbands, can they?

(S15E04) You'll have to bear with me tonight. You see, I'm cranky. Yes, I'm cranky about tonight's episode of The Amazing Race. Perhaps I'd be a bit less cranky had the show started anywhere near on time. No, it's a Sunday show and here in the NYC viewing area, any sport played during the day can run over and delay the entire Sunday evening primetime line-up. On a night like tonight, delayed 45 minutes, it wreaks havoc with other shows I'd like to watch and my review writing time. But that's not the only reason I'm cranky.

(S15E03) Gee, it doesn't seem like we're already three episodes into The Amazing Race. But last week's two-hour season premiere with its two Philiminations, counted as two episodes. I'm still getting to know the teams. I think, so far, this season has more teams that I'd really like to see stick around for a while. There is only one team who really annoys me. With my luck, they'll be around for a good long while. I want them to implode. Nah, I'm not talking about Zev and Justin.

(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.