Photo by ROBERT VOETS
Karlyn, left, and Lyn attack a "Detour" challenge in Vietnam that required teams to either deliver supplies to locals who lived in floating houses or collect 30 oyster cages from the bottom of the ocean during "The Amazing Race 10." Milo Ventimiglia and Tawny Cypress star in "Heroes."
'Race' the royalty of reality programs ontv
TV Goddess
Published: October 19, 2006
Last Modified: October 19, 2006 at 06:04 AM
"The Amazing Race" is so much better than almost everything else in its genre -- yes, reality TV is its own genre -- that even during an off season, it seems awfully good. Unless, of course, you're counting that "Family Edition," which was pretty horrible by any standards.
Season 10, which is less than halfway finished, is so good that it sheds a harsh light on the mediocre seasons that preceded it.
Not since Season 3 have the clues and challenges been as difficult, with the ability to shake up the entire race in a single leg or even on one task. And not since Season 5's Chip and Kim have there been truly likable teams, so likable that any outcome other than their winning would have viewers up in arms. This season, there are a handful of teams that are that likable.
"The Amazing Race" struggled for viewers in its early seasons under an original format of grueling, exhausting challenges and travel and clues that were actually just that -- only a clue. Teams had to figure out the rest.
By the time the show gained popularity, thanks to the appearance of some reality TV stars (Alison from "Big Brother 4" and Rob and Amber from multiple seasons of "Survivor"), it had made the tasks easier and the clues so straightforward that it wasn't even fair to call them clues.
It's nice to see the producers have returned to their original form.
So far, the teams have faced difficult animals in Outer Mongolia, grueling boat rowing in Vietnam, various transportation juggling acts -- train rides and airport shuffling to get to India in last week's episode come to mind -- and tough "Detour" choices.
This week, the remaining seven teams travel to Kuwait, which is bound to be an eye-opening, educational experience for racers and viewers.
Producers could have stopped at returning to the original formula of "The Amazing Race." That would have been enough to vastly improve the show over the previous four seasons.
But they also added some new twists, and this time they made the race more exciting than ever.
In the premiere episode, host Phil Keoghan (TV's best reality host) told racers that they probably thought they knew the race but that there would be surprises this season. The first one came right away, with an elimination at a random point in the middle of the first episode. Others, including the new twist on "non-elimination" episodes, have only made the show more entertaining for viewers.
It's easy to write off reality programming as a whole on the basis of the overwhelming number of downright ridiculous offerings in the genre.
But those who would write off all reality without sampling this season of "The Amazing Race" will never know what they're missing: good comedy, great drama and enough of an education to make viewers feel good about watching.
• TV reviewer and Portland, Ore.-based freelance journalist DeAnn Welker can be reached at deann@tvgoddess.com. To read more of her TV ramblings, visit www.tvgoddess.com.
Monsterfest
Sunday through Oct. 31, AMC: Leading up to Halloween, AMC offers the 10th anniversary of its horror movie marathon. Everything from classic horror films "Frankenstein," "Dracula" and "The Exorcist" to more recent classics "Children of the Corn" and films from the "Friday The 13th," "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Hellraiser" series will be aired continuously for the last 10 days of the month. The horror begins with the 1986 version of "The Fly" at 10:30 a.m. Sunday and continues through the all-day marathon of the "Halloween" series on, yes, Halloween.
Battlestar Galactica
5 p.m. Friday, SciFi: Speaking of heroes, Admiral Adama will attempt to rescue the civilians from New Caprica this week, and Apollo will struggle with his orders to take the fleet and leave. Col. Tigh discovers, and is forced to deal with, his wife's well-intentioned but extremely misguided betrayal.
Heroes
8 p.m. Monday, NBC: Anyone who thinks this new series is just about pretty people who like comic books should think again. Sure, the cast is rather nice to look at, but this series offers some pretty dark comic book mythology, including what appears to be impending doom for New York City -- and maybe the world -- if our heroes can't find each other and get a handle on their identity struggles.
How I Met Your Mother
7 p.m. Monday, CBS: Barney might have finally met his match when Jane Seymour guest stars as Marshall's sexy, older professor. Barney offers to make this professor happy for Marshall so that she'll stop taking her divorce out on the class. The way Barney generally leaves his conquests might not make her altogether happy.
Dog Whisperer
5 p.m. Monday, National Geographic Channel: When pet owners' lifesaver Cesar Millan returns with all new episodes, one of the first cases he takes on is a Maltese dyed bright pink by its owner. The problem is that the dog likes to pee on the carpet. Can you really blame her? Some people get cranky over a bad dye job, even when it was their own choice. How many shocked faces will Cesar make at this pet owner?
-- DeAnn Welker The Amazing Race
airs at 7 p.m. Sunday on CBS, Channel 11.
Web: www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race10
