TV: Amazing Race is back

...but the jury is out if this run will be better than ever. Someone needs to warn the producers that their casting is getting a bit predictable. Ken and Barbie pair - check. Senior couple - check. Eye-candy single women - check. Beefcake single guys - Check. Token minory couple - check. Alpha male / submissive partner - check. Nerds - check. Supposedly there are 16 personality types so there might be 256 pairs to choose from and "experiment" with. One can even cut it down to 64 if you remove all the introverts.

That nit aside, it is still an entertaining contest to watch, and I look forward to the more exotic locations and tougher challenges that may lie ahead. It's easier to appreciate the action, prep work, and editing on the Amazing Race after a brief glance at "Deal or No Deal" where all you see are overacting contestants and friends decide if the briefcase they chose may contain a huge amount of money or not. Unfortunately, The Banker is not the only person who seems to be "phoning it in" on that game show.

Other notes:

Brazil is on my list of countries to visit (closest I've been is Bogota, Columbia), and I definitely would have chosen the helicopter ride at the detour.

Hotel room with private helipad: Out of my price range.

For a two-hour episode, I don't even recall a Road Block on the first leg...

I predict the main battle throughout the race will be between the teams that came in first and second tonight. And I have to root for the home team from San Francisco who are trying to act like stereotypical hippies but may have already done a world tour together. But it might be nice to see a parent-child team win for a change (though I'm not sure the current set will have the stamina to make it to the finals).

Perhaps someone will start the pool on whether the lovey-dovey nerds will have a major argument before they are eliminated. I can almost see that being setup a mile away. And what's with the odd theme music whenever they appear?

It's a bad sign for your chances of winning if you can repeatedly walk right by a clue box for 40 minutes without seeing it. It was probalby torture for the camera person following them back and forth all that time, and that person still somehow managed not to tip off the location by pointing the camera at the box each time the couple passed it.