Survivor 20: Mislabeled Survivors!

Talk about down and dirty and in more ways than just the obvious! This season of "Survivor" is proving that labels mean nothing. If labeled a hero, wouldn't you assume that person would attempt to live up to that name. Some of those labeled "villains" would probably have preferred a different moniker.

Heroes among us!
It's clear that the Heroes can hardly stand one another. Personally, I'm tired of James and JT for that matter. JT is clearly more villainous than anyone realizes it. He just manages to hide it better.

Side note: When Candice comes on the screen does anyone else scratch their head and wonder what she's doing on this version of "Survivor"? Nothing against her, but she seems bland, and one dimensional; although, I did learn more about her last night than the previous two episodes.

I still like Tom although his days in the game are definitely numbered if James has his way. Colby will likely follow shortly after Tom.

Rupert wants a rainy day so everyone will sit inside the shelter and play games all day and hopefully bond. Instead, he gets a chicken catching incident that allows the men of the team to come together and catch two escaped chickens. The men surround the shelter where the chicken is hiding and force the chicken out the back where Tom manages to catch it. Rupert is ecstatic that they were able to bond over catching the chicken. I get the feeling it will be short term though, because there is very little trust among them.

Sleeping with the enemy?
Meanwhile back at the Villains camp, we see who is sleeping next to whom. I found Boston Rob's insight absolutely invaluable. He provided an "Ah-ha" moment of the game. Boston Rob observed that if you want to see who's aligning with who, you merely have to see who they are sleeping next to.

Parvati and Russell are sleeping next to each other and cuddling with one another. The married Hantz is described as following her around with "puppy dog eyes." Seems that Russell is, at the very least, smitten by Parvati.

On the other hand, Coach is up in the middle of the night stroking Jerri's hand and making me scream at the tv, "Don't go there, Jerri! Please don't go there!"

Rob also notes that he's done the same thing. It's actually the best piece of advice I've heard because he's right, you are not going to sleep next to someone you don't trust.

Parvati and Russell's relationship is not unnoticed by others in the tribe. Coach tries to advise Russell that it's best not to appear too close to Parvati. Rob also tries. Coach observes that she gets her way by with her smile and tiny bikini. Russell listens but later describes Coach as a joke and resents the interference of both men.

The playground bully resurfaces
Russell is once again up to his old tricks. Planning on taking control of the game, Russell buries the machete. He hopes that the missing machete will cause controversy in the camp.

Here is where "Survivor" mirrors life more than anywhere else. Most people encounter a Russell in everyday life but few people have to live with someone like him. Russell is a school yard bully who enjoys tormenting others for the simple sake of tormenting others. These bullies grow up to be office or work bullies. The guys you simply can't wait to get away from. I would hate being a part of his team!

Randy, meanwhile, is on an island by himself, so to speak. He catches a giant clam and attempts to share it with his teammates. Tyson refuses. Courtney appears to have lapsed into a zombie-like state as she doesn't even acknowledge his presence.

On the beach, Randy shares it with Sandra and Parvati, who promptly spits out her mouthful. At this point, I'm wondering why they are eating the clam uncooked. I would think they would have had the ability to at least boil water at this point but also, aren't they hungry by now? Everyone has been through this at least one other time. Where's their drive to survive?

Who's the best gamer?
In the Heroes camp, JT begins to worry that Candice is more of a gamer than she originally let on. Because of this, he starts a rumor that Candice doesn't trust Cirie. Now for his part, James claims to not to get too much practice lying in real life but he's a pretty good liar in the game. File this under the heading: Things that make me say, hmmmmm.

Cirie goes straight to Candice and questions her new information. Candice, of course, denies it because she never said it! JT's lie does set in motion some interesting new scenarios as Candice begins questioning the others as to where the information is coming from.

In JT's case, his previous season's play is helping his game. Everyone assumes that, since he was basically truthful during his first season, he will continue to be truthful now. So far, he's got a lot of people feeling that he's truly remorseful about having to go against an alliance and he's also lied successfully a number of times. Possibly the best "strategic makeover" of all the players!

Down and dirty!
The reward challenge favors the Heroes by far. There are only a few close match-ups and most of them are the women. The challenge features a mud sumo wrestling match. The main rule of the game is that both hands must be on the bag at all times.

Tom takes on Russell and makes quick work of him starting the Heroes roll to victory. Next up is Candice versus Parvati. I really thought Parvati would win this one but Candice pushes Parvati into the mud.

The match between Rupert and Coach features the first do-over of the game as Coach's hand comes off the bag and Rupert goes in the mud. During the rematch, a wiser Rupert defeats Coach. I must say I was actually happy they both had an opportunity to taste the mud.

Jerri takes on Cirie who quickly finishes her off. JT knocks Tyson in the mud. Tyson emerges from the mud and gives JT a quick peck on the cheek. Is it wrong that I felt a little thrill when Tyson hit the mud?

Amanda and Danielle are more evenly matched but Amanda continued the winning ways of the Heroes and knocks Danielle in the mud. The best match-up of the day was between Boston Rob and Colby. I was hard pressed to know just who I wanted to win because I like them both but eventually Colby won.

Through the previous match-ups I kept wondering who would face off against James. As each match ended and the field of Villains dwindled it became painfully clear that Randy was going to face James. Randy? Really? The mere fact that he even made his way to the platform and stood up to face James should have been worth at least a half a point! The villains should have been able to put up Tyson with Randy just to even it out a bit (I actually wanted to see Tyson in the mud one more time. Shoot me. :) ). One shove and the challenge was over.

In addition to immunity, the Heroes took back coffee and rice and that warm fuzzy feeling of winning their first challenge since, well, the first challenge!

That's pretty much the last we see of the Heroes until next week.

1001 reasons why Parvati should go...
The Villains, on the other hand, are doing what villains do best. That's right, strategizing. I bet you thought I would say something else! Didn't you?

Parvati's charms are not lost on anyone. Coach doesn't like her and that goes double for Jerri. Add Rob to the list of people who don't like Parvati. Then there's Randy! Randy knows his head is on the chopping block because he's the oldest but he warns and he warns and he warns the people to take the threat that is Parvati seriously.

Randy is making sense when he explains that, if she makes it to the merge, she has plenty of friends on the other side. She has James, Cirie and Amanda, all of whom she has played with and aligned in the past.

Sandra could have been persuaded to vote her out. I'm almost positive Tyson would have gone with her as well.

At tribal council, Sandra points out the obvious threat of Parvati flipping to the other side at the merge. Just as quickly though, she puts Coach under the gun with her assertion that he spends his time doing nothing.

As Jeff reveals the votes, not one is cast against Parvati. Randy is revealed as the unanimous choice of the rest of the tribe. As he leaves the council area, he flips his buff into the fire. During closing credits his lone vote for Rob is revealed. Not sure why he chose Rob as his target but he did.

For some reason, this episode lacked the drama that the previous two had. Not sure why. Maybe there was not enough material or maybe seeing the Villains plotting against one of their own was anti-climatic!

Also, I'm not a big fan of the combined immunity/reward challenges. It made me wonder whether the season is abbreviated somewhat. Because of the combined challenges, no one is being exiled which is always a fun part of the game. I would love to see James and Russell exiled together. ;)

Amazing Race 16: Buses and more buses!

The second episode of "The Amazing Race" had all the elements of a great story: drama, suspense, intrigue and comic relief!

Racers Jeff and Jordan were the first to leave. Here's the catch though, and this has often been a point of contention for me with TAR. A mandatory 12-hour rest period means that many times the front runners leave in the early morning hours when virtually nothing is open. As a result, the other teams often times catch up at this point.

Jeff and Jordan were instructed to travel by bus back to Santiago, and then board another bus to Puerto Varas, Chile. At that point, they were to take a car to Hotel Petrohue, a boat to Isla Margarita, and climb to Mirador for their next clue.

Sure enough, Jeff and Jordan arrived at the Valparaiso bus station to find it closed until 5 a.m. which allowed the other teams enough time to catch up.

Carol and Brandy gave kudos to Jeff and Jordan, and Brent and Caite for being smart, while underhandedly dissing them. At the same time, they were beginning to make plans to align with Joe and Heidi, because Joe is a strong competitor. While I agree they would probably be a great team to align with, I have some problems with aligning this early in the game.

I've sometimes wondered what I would do if I were a contestant on a show, and someone approached me about aligning with them. There are really only three choices: a.) align with them and hope they are at least as strong as my team; b.) don't align with them and become a potential target for them; or c.) align with them and take the first opportunity to ditch them and run.

I've already mentioned that I'm not big fans of team Carol and Brandy. They have too many diva-like qualities to be strong racers. On the other hand, I think that Heidi and Joe might go far, and was hoping they would stay away from entanglements.

What ensued was reminiscent of the elementary school lunch line, "save my place." Ummm. It does not work that way. Or, let me rephrase, it should not work that way. Nothing bothers me more than having someone save a seat or a place. The other racers were understandably irked when Joe and Heidi managed to capture the last four seats on the first bus to Puerto Varas, The other teams would be stuck on the second bus leaving about two hours later.

Then, in a potential stroke of genius, Jeff re-reads the clue and suggests connecting through a different city. In this case, there was a quicker route through the city of Temuco. The bus was departing within a few minutes and would arrive around 6 p.m. in time to catch the 6:30 p.m. for Puerto Varas.

The cowboys, meantime, had also learned about the connecting bus and bought tickets for Temuco and then a 7 p.m. bus to Puerto Varas.

All three teams found themselves on the 9 a.m. bus bound for Temuco, and feeling somewhat confident that they would arrive well ahead of the others.

The rest of the teams spent a long day in the bust terminal waiting for their respective buses. Shortly after Joe and Heidi, and Carol and Brandy boarded their bus, the teams routed through Temuco were reaching their destination.

Here's where the drama, suspense and intrigue comes in. The cowboys asked Brent what time their bus left and discovered their bus left at 6:30. Hoping to get on that bus with a half hour advantage, Jet and Cord went into the station to try to buy tickets. There, they are told that the 6:30 bus leaves from a different station.

Now, either the cowboys are one of the smartest teams in race history, or one of the luckiest, I'm not sure. They were smart to keep this info to themselves as Brent and Caite, Jeff and Jordan waited outside for their bus.

I don't know how much experience these four have traveling, but one of the cardinal rules of travel is "never assume." Don't assume that your connecting flight is in the same terminal. Don't assume that a taxi will be waiting outside your door. Don't assume anything! They were smart enough to get on a different bus. They should have been smart enough to follow up and make sure that the bus was on time which would have clued them in that they were waiting at the wrong station.

The cowboys were clearly enjoying themselves as the minutes ticked by. Finally, about a minute before they were scheduled to leave they find out their bus is some 10 minutes away at another station. Here, again, they were faced with a decision, go to their original bus which was probably already gone, or stay and book a ticket on the 7 p.m. bus.

I think their best choice would have been to get tickets on the 7 p.m. bus but instead they rush for taxis noting that the departure time is already past. By the time they get back to the first station, the 7 p.m. bus is already on the road with some happy cowboys on board.

Dealing with the disappointment, they get tickets on the 1 a.m. bus which rolls in just after the bus with Joe and Heidi, and Carol and Brandy.

The cowboys arrive at 11 p.m., get in their car and drive to the hotel, only to discover the path does not open until 7:30 a.m. The two sleep in their car, and manage to be the first headed out on the lake. Where rough weather is the order of the day.

Jet and Cord arrive at the Detour to be given the choice between llama adoration or condor consternation. Llama adoration calls for the team to "dress" a llama using a blanket for its back and a scarf around its neck. Condor consternation instructs the team to dress as birds by putting on yellow and orange feet, and a huge pair of wings and "fly" to the target located several feet in the water.

Jet and Cord, along with most of the other teams, selected llama adoration. Using a handful of feed, the two make quick work of the task. Llamas are notoriously stubborn animals that like to spit or kick when threatened.

Joe and Heidi, Carol and Brandy also chose the llama adoration task. After some stops and starts, they finally are successful "dressing" the llamas.

Meanwhile, Brent and Caite, and Jeff and Jordan, have selected the condor consternation task. These two teams introduce the comic relief of the episode as they dawn large bird feet and a condor "two seated" costume. Their goal is to race to the edge of the dock, jump and "soar" to the marker several feet away.

You could see it coming! For a moment, I wondered if there was some kind of harness to keep the costume in place. I also wondered if there was a trick to it. No, no harness and no, no trick. Brent and Caite went first and plunged off the end of the deck into the water. They swam the rest of the way to marker. The comedy effect is lost in the retelling, but trust me, I rewound a few times while viewing it. Jeff and Jordan faired no better.

Father/daughter team Steve and Allie also completed the condor task with the same results!

Brothers Dan and Jordan were apparently incapable of driving a stick shift. Having watched many seasons of TAR, the stick shift is a staple form of transportation. Finally, Dan took the wheel and Jordan navigated. Unfortunately, he navigated them to a dead end and they were perilously close to last place.

The roadblock was at the Onces Bellavista Farm and required one team member to gather the five fresh ingredients to bake a Kuchen, brought to Chile by German immigrants and continued to be made the old fashioned way. The five ingredients are a cup of milk (straight from the cow), a baker's dozen of eggs (13) collected straight from the chickens, a sack of flour, bowl of sugar and butter. At least they did not have to churn the butter!

Cord went to the barn and promptly milked the cow noting it was not the first cow he had milked. Next, he collected the eggs, and then went to the outdoor pantry to get the remaining ingredients.

Finishing the task, the cowboys left for the pitstop at Gruta de la Virgen in Puerto Varas, and stepped onto the mat in first place. For their efforts, they each won a sailboat.

Back at the farm, Carol and Heidi worked together on the task. Neither had milked a cow before and both were very vocal about the smells, as well as the sights, in the barn. They too, managed to complete the roadblock and moved on to finish second and third.

Jeff and Brent completed the task for their teams. Monique struggled with the unruly cow but managed to get past the task.

Brent and Caite arrived in fourth place. Monique and Shawne came in fifth, and Jeff and Jordan placed sixth after struggling to find the pitstop.

Place seventh were father/daughter team Steve and Allison.

Brothers Dan and Jordan came in eighth, followed by detectives Louie and Michael, who got lost on the way to the roadblock.

Grandmother/granddaughter teammates Jody and Shannon, placed last after completing all tasks. They made a great effort though and remained positive at the end.

Next week, should see the teams leaving Chile for a brand new destination. Will Joe and Heidi continue their alliance with the oft irritating Carol and Brandy? Will the cowboys continue their resourceful ways? Will other teams form alliances to edge other teams?

Survivor 20: Where did all the heroes go?

I'm not afraid to admit that I'm hooked on Survivor. I've watched all previous 19 seasons and had my favorites during each season.

I really liked Sugar during her season and saw her as a good-hearted person in spite of the fact that she ultimately eliminated another of my favorites, Matty. I was also disappointed that she received no votes during the finale but Bob was a deserving candidate for sole survivor that year. (Speaking of whom, I would have liked to see him in our current version of Heroes vs. Villains!)

Likewise, Stephenie was a favorite of mine in her first season. During Survivor: Palau, Steph gained distinction as the last member standing from her tribe that was plagued by bad luck and poor judgment. Somehow she managed to make it to the final seven, and might have gone further if the all-woman alliance had materialized.

Still, the following season when she and Bobby Jon walked on, I was happy to see her back. Stephenie played a totally different game during her second season. A strong alliance from the start parlayed into a final two appearance for Stephenie. She dominated her second season.

So, when I watched the premiere and saw Stephenie battling in the reward challenge, dislocating her shoulder and having it relocated, I was impressed by her strength. It was obvious that the Villains had come to play to win. It's definitely going to be a physical battle this season, and not one of the survivors was shying away from the battle.

The second episode showed the major cracks already forming in the Heroes tribe. Rupert is obviously threatened by Stephenie, one of the most popular survivors of all time. Don't get me wrong, during Rupert's first season, I really liked him although some of his actions might have better qualified him for the Villains tribe (stealing the shoes of the opposing team comes to mind). I also liked him during All Stars, but now, not so much. I'm sure he's a great person in real life but to see him plotting against a teammate early on kind of surprised me. That behavior tears a team apart.

Meanwhile, in the Villains camp, they endure a bad night with rain pouring down. They awaken to begin their fifth reconstruction of their shelter. There's a definite lack of enthusiasm on their part.

Boston Rob seems the most frustrated by the situation and likens his tribe to buffoons. I would have to agree. Part of the problem is ego, on both tribes. It's got to be a huge ego boost to all of them to be selected to a specialty season as being either one of the most memorable villains or heroes. Still, survival is the key here. They need to care about their own survival.

At camp, everyone on the Villains tribe is on a different page. Sandra says they are moving backward. As Rob attempts to take charge of the shelter building, Parvati questions the plan, and Rob leaves the area angrily.

What happens next is still a little unclear. I'm not sure whether the editing was bad or what but I could not figure out exactly what happened to Rob. He was walking through the woods and suddenly collapsed. Jerri sees his collapse and rushes to assist him. After several attempts to revive him, she goes for help. Jeff Probst and the medical team arrives. They have Rob drink water which he spills all over himself.

The "official" assessment is that Rob looks worse than he really is. On the CBS website, it's explained as a case of flu compounded by dehydration. Rob calls it "a case of the flu with a little bit of crybabyitis mixed in."

On a side note: I'm liking Jerri a lot better this season. Maybe it's because she's surrounded by people who are more "villainous" than her. She really seems to love and respect the game of Survivor and that's something that I admire in the contestants.

The respect of the game brings up an interesting point. My feeling is that there are more on the Villains tribe, Rob, Jerri, Russell to name a few, that respect and LOVE the game of Survivor! The Heroes seem more intent on winning the prize than the game itself, in my opinion.

The immunity challenge is one that was played out during J.T.'s, Tyson's and Coach's season. A moment to strategize leaves the Heroes clinging to the "one voice" philosophy. Not bad, but that one voice needs to be assertive. J.T. is the man, in this case.

Off to another great start, the Villains take a commanding lead — until the puzzle section. Rob is in charge of the Villains puzzle making, and I have to hand it to him. He's a take charge kind of guy. Plus he's good at puzzles! As the challenge continues, the Heroes meltdown. The anger increases and they make little progress.

The Villains continue at a steady pace and ultimately win the challenge. After it's over, James begins a rant that continues most of the day. He focuses his anger on Stephenie for the loss. His rationale is that she's the only person who's ever been the sole survivor of her tribe prior to a merge.

Watching the challenge, it seems to me that there were a lot of problems right from the start of the puzzle solving. J.T. did not assert himself. No one was listening. Everybody had their own ideas. Here's the thing though: all they had to do was spell Heroes. Find the cube that starts it and progress from there. Why weren't they looking at the puzzle from the start? Why weren't they examining the pieces as they came in? All the pieces were the same, they just had to roll them into the right place.

I have to say that I don't find the "Heroes" to be very heroic. I loved James during his first season, liked him during his second season, but now, I have to say it, kind of tired of James.

In fact, I liked most of the Heroes during their season. Colby is one of the best looking survivors, in my opinion but he's eons away from the guy that came in second in Australia. Maybe it's the fact that he doesn't really "need" the game. I loved Tom during his season, and the same way with J.T. I thought Amanda played great in China. Cirie did a good job during both her seasons too. But the personalities this time just are not mixing well.

Seems like the Heroes arrived with the cutthroat mentality usually reserved for the Villains.

Tribal Council was almost painful to watch! James went after Stephenie, who retaliated. Colby got in the mix. The team where you would expect goodwill to abound was disintegrating further.

Stephenie was voted out. J.T. had to eliminate one of his alliances and throw in with James, pretty sure it was based solely on the physicality of James.

Next week appears to be another down and dirty competition. From the previews, looks like James is basking in the glory of winning and probably solidifying his idea that Stephenie was bad luck to the tribe.

Ultimately, I wonder if the tribes should have been renamed Villains vs. More Villains.

Survivor: Heroes vs. Villains! Potluck? Or yesterday's leftovers?

Every once in awhile I wish that I could be a mouse in the corner of the room when producers begin brainstorming the next season, and this is one of those seasons. (Although, mice probably don't understand humans, so it would not make a lot of difference whether one was in the corner of the room or not!)

What were the producers thinking? It's season 20 and they knew they would have to go big! Did Russell's game play during season 19 catch their attention and give them the idea? Or was it some random stroke of "genius" on someone's part?

I don't know but at first I thought it was a great idea. As the list of cast members leaked I began rethinking my "great idea" theory. First of all, there have been 17 original seasons of the show (one all stars and one fan vs. faves). There have been more than 300 contestants; yet, this season's cast is largely a rehash of contestants who have played in two previous seasons!

The Villains:
Rob Mariano - Survivor 4 Marquesas and Survivor 8 All Stars
Ben “Coach” Wade - Survivor 18 Tocantins
Tyson Apostol - Survivor 18 Tocantins
Randy Bailey - Survivor 17 Gabon
Russell Hantz - Survivor 19 Samoa
Parvati Shallow - Survivor 13 Cook Islands and Survivor 16 Fans vs. Favorites
Jerri Manthey - Survivor 2 Australia and Survivor 8 All Stars
Danielle DiLorenzo - Survivor 12 Panama
Sandra Diaz-Twine - Survivor 7 Pearl Islands
Courtney Yates - Survivor 15 China

The Heroes:
Rupert Boneham - Survivor 7 Pearl Islands and Survivor 8 All Stars
Colby Donaldson - Survivor 2 Australia and Survivor 8 All Stars
James Clement - Survivor 15 China and Survivor 16 Fans vs. Favorites
James "JT" Thomas - Survivor 18 Tocantins
Tom Westman - Survivor 10 Palau
Stephenie LaGrossa - Survivor 10 Palau and Survivor 11 Guatemala
Amanda Kimmel - Survivor 15 China and Survivor 16 Fans vs. Favorites
Cirie Fields - Survivor 12 Panama and Survivor 16 Fans vs. Favorites
Jessica "Sugar" Kiper - Survivor 17 Gabon
Candice Woodcock - Survivor 13 Cook Islands

I don't know what they were thinking in terms of casting but to me there were so many possibilities, and so many potential match-ups and here we have nine players with two seasons under their collective belts.

Every season, people enjoy the "spoiling" that goes on and trying to figure out boot order. This season, as last, was spoiled quite awhile ago. Not just weight loss information or random information from locals. Someone SPOILED EVERYTHING, from boot order to winner. So I already knew that Sugar was the first to go and Stephenie would follow.

It's somewhat anti-climatic. I won't spoil it here for those that may not know. Suffice it to say, there are going to be very few surprises this season for anyone who reads the internet sites.

The reasons behind these eliminations (or what the producers would have us to believe) were interesting, inconsequential facts but more on that later.

First, the premiere lived up to the expectations. The Villains fought hard and sometimes dirty. Stephenie suffered a dislocated shoulder while Rupert broke his toe. The Heroes were victorious and everything seemed to be going there way. They had food, shelter and water.

The Villains, on the other hand, were a hot mess, with no clear leader. They made a shelter but as Rob observed, no one was really doing anything. Rob stepped up to play the role of a "hero" when he managed to start a fire the old fashioned way.

Meanwhile, an interesting subplot was introduced featuring Colby and Sugar. Apparently, Colby felt chased by Sugar and complained that she was following him everywhere. (An interesting side note: Sugar claimed on Twitter to have slept with JT prior to the game and had an alliance with him. She said that she was interested in the guy with the beer belly not the tall cowboy!)

The Heroes arrived at the immunity challenge with a definite swagger. They were feeling good and for good reason! They were fed and dry.

Off to a quick start and a huge lead, the Heroes found themselves faced with a puzzle that defied their collective brains. Their lead quickly disappeared and the Villains took home the first immunity.

Time for the Heroes to decide who should go home. Sugar was a scape goat, an easy vote. Colby wanted her gone. Everyone wanted her gone but who should have gone home? In my opinion, Rupert would have been the best choice. He's hobbled with an injury and might be a hindrance to the team later on.

Rupert is definitely not getting his previous edit, but not many are so maybe it does not matter. Two weeks in a row, he's seemed less like America's favorite and more like the Great Complainer.

Sugar, on the other hand, proved that she's competitive with the loss of her top to secure a win. Seems to me, she might be worth keeping around because she's not likely to let little things stand in her way, like say, a broken toe.

So the decision was made, and Sugar was sent packing, a bit prematurely in my opinion.

After seeing the first two episodes, I'm kind of hoping we've seen the last of some of these survivors on Survivor!

Amazing Race 16: Where did they find these racers?

The 16th season of "The Amazing Race" got underway this past Sunday in what is one of the most highly anticipated seasons to date. The only problem is, it's not necessarily highly anticipated by die-hard TAR fans but by fans of another reality TV series, "Big Brother."

In what can only be described as stunt casting, last summer's sweethearts, Jeff and Jordan from "Big Brother" were cast on "The Amazing Race." The pair is billed as "newly dating"; however, a clip from last season's "Big Brother" makes the cross-over casting clear.

Good casting? Bad casting? If Jeff and Jordan make the final three teams, everyone will be patting themselves on the back. If they are eliminated early, producers might be shocked at how quickly their new "fans" quit watching the show!

Each season, I like to look over the teams and decide who I think will go the furthest. I read the bios, watch some tape, and then make an "informed" decision. Usually I am wrong! But it's fun to speculate and I like it. For the record, I thought "detectives" Michael Naylor and Louie Stravato would go far but the premiere has left this theory in the air.

Anyhow, the show started off in Los Angeles, a now predictable setting for the start of the race. Phil gave another version of his standard starting speech with a twist. This time, transportation was not waiting a short run away. Instead, they had to navigate the public transportation system of LA to reach LAX.

For those less schooled in TAR, that was potentially a brilliant move on the part of the producers as it took the racers immediately off guard. First destination: Chile, and let the race begin!

The Cast
Now to the racers themselves. I like a lot of the teams but I found myself asking where did they find some of these racers?

Jet and Cord are brothers who happen to be cowboys. Yeeee Haaaawwww! At first glance, they seemed down-to-earth but damn, who wears cowboy boots while RUNNING a race? First bonehead move of the game? Cashing in their American dollars for Brazilian currency. Helloooo! Brazil and Chile are two different countries!

Brent and Caite are billed as dating models. He's 28 and she's 20 but there's more to their story too. Caite was a beauty pageant contestant who came in third but managed to solidify her "celebrity" by having the worst answer to a geography question EVER. If you have not found it on youtube, look! I won't spoil it but one of the contestants had a dead-on impression of her.

Monique and Shawne are moms and attorneys. Obviously, this pair has the smarts to go far, but an all woman team has never won the race. They do seem to have it together though and seem to know the game. (Understanding the game, IMO, is an important factor in how far teams go in TAR.)

Dana and Adrian are married from Texas. High hopes for this team but the roadblock proved to be too much for them. I think they will forever regret the decision that brought the game to an end. More later.

Steve and Allison are father and daughter from California. They seem to have a good relationship but a problem reading the clues! Hard to say how far they will go but personally, I don't see them in the final three. They provided one of the most hilarious moments that I can recall in TAR history when they misread a clue, wandered inside a house that just happened to have an unfinished wall in similar shade of red as they were supposed to paint on the OUTSIDE of a house! They painted quite a lot before they discovered their mistake.

Daniel and Jordan are brothers who are very similar yet different as Daniel is quick to point out. A big difference is their sexual preferences. If you are not aware, I won't spoil the surprise. Jordan is a sarcastic delight doing a dead-on impression of Caite. He also seems to understand the game better than his brother. This team also made a bonehead mistake and needs to clean things up.

Joe and Heidi are married and ran a great first leg. They were the first to realize the need to switch flights before time ran out. As the race tightens, I look for them to run consistently and smartly.

Jody and Shannon are the sentimental favorites as grandmother and granddaughter. I honestly thought they would be the first eliminated so more power to them for making it through the first leg.

Carol and Brandy are a dating couple living in LA. Every season there seems to be one team that kind of rubs me the wrong way and this season it just happens to be Carol and Brandy. I haven't decided why just yet, maybe it was because they give an air of being better than other teams.

The Race
The first leg of the race generally sets the tone for what is to follow. Carol and Brandy complained that no one uses public transportation in LA. That may be so, but on the other hand it's part of the game so who cares?

Airports can be the great equalizer and it was in the first leg when the three teams that were supposed to be on the first flight experienced a delay due to mechanical failure. Ouch! All teams ended up on the same flight.

Once in Chile, everything progressed pretty quickly to the the roadblock. The females definitely did a better job with this challenge than their male counterparts. The challenge was to cross a space by walking on one wire while holding another. It was not for the faint of heart as the wind was gusting and created an even more difficult challenge.

The challenge was so difficult, in fact, that one team failed to even complete it. Adrian fell off the wire once and was pulled back. Weak from his first attempt, he failed to make good on his second attempt either. His weight probably was a factor in his unsuccessful attempt.

Jordan (Jeff's partner) did a great job of cheering herself on and telling herself she could do it! Caite also made quick work of the task. Some of the men definitely struggled in this task!

The Detour was unique. Explaining that brightly colored houses are part of the local setting, Phil says that the city pays for them to be repainted. The task is simple: each team carries four buckets of paint and a ladder to a house with an unpainted section. The teams must locate the house with the same color as they are carrying. Sounds easy enough but teams had a hard time finding the houses in need of painting.

Once the teams arrived, they painted a small patch at ground level. Scratches head and wonders why they needed to carry the ladder? Of course, this is TAR and sometimes you just need to do things to make the task more difficult.

Jeff and Jordan quickly located their house and made short work of the task and on to the pit stop where Phil declares them the first team to arrive. Their reward for being first is a 5-day trip to Vancouver.

Brent and Caite arrive second but Phil explains that they failed to follow directions between the Roadblock and Detour. The instructions clearly stated that they must take a 120-year-old funicular down to the Detour. Instead, they chose to walk down. As a result, they incurred a 30-minute penalty.

Monique and Shawne stepped on the mat and into second place while a sulky Caite and Brent watched from the sidelines.

Arriving in third place was the surprising duo of cowboys Jet and Cord. Honestly, I had about given them up for dead after their debacle with the money exchange.

Next on the mat were brothers Daniel and Jordan. A misplaced paintbrush cost them a 15-minute penalty which in a tight race like this could have been the end of their run.

Eventually, 10 teams made it to the mat but Adrian and Dana remained back at the Roadblock. Their disappointment was obvious. Adrian commented, "Going out in the first leg is not something that we planned on doing." Obviously!

Teams to Watch
Previews of next week's episode show that alliances are being formed which might impact the gameplay of other teams. Jeff and Jordan appear to be one of the teams that are being targeted by the others. In the meantime, though, they seem to have the stamina for this game. While Jordan has never been out of the country, Jeff seems to have some travel experience. Tough call right now as to how much the alliances will actually affect them.

The female team, Monique and Shawne, are showing a competitive edge that could make the race interesting. If they can avoid the usual pitfalls of a single sex team, they will go far in this game.

I also think that Daniel and Jordan will be a force in this game. They need to clean up the small mistakes. Daniel's goal, according to his pre-interviews, is not necessarily to win but to go far enough so that true fan of the game, Jordan, can feel like he accomplished his dream. Might need a mindset change on Daniel's part to really make a run for the final three.

Even though they finished further back in the pack than the others, I really like Joe and Heidi. They seem to have great communication skills and I really enjoyed watching them race.