Amazing Race: Junkie Models 1, Religious Diversity 0

I have a good feeling about the new season of The Amazing Race after watching the premier on Sunday. China! Challenging challenges! Woo-hoo! Besides the usual cast of stock characters ("The Attractive Bickering Couple," "The Attractive Male Models," "The Attractive Beauty Queens," "The Flaming Gay Guys," the producers dipped deep into the American melting pot and came up with some intriguing teams. Too bad the most provocative pick, the devout Muslims, got canned before they even reached the first pit stop. I can't imagine a team that had to stop racing five times a day to pray had much of a long-term future in the game, but it would have been interesting to have Bilal and Sa'eed stick around for a few more episodes. I mean, how often do you get to see devout Muslims a) on TV b) who are otherwise regular guys, b) competing in a silly reality show? That would be rarely, never and never. Same goes for Vipul and Arti, the Indo-American couple who were eliminated at the pit stop. So, diversity took a serious hit on the first leg, but at least the show tried.

But I think the most surprising casting choice was the Kentucky coal miner and his wife. Why? You just don't see people that unattractive on TV very often, unless the show is "COPS," and then their bad teeth and hair are all pixelated and stuff. Seriously--there are no ugly people on TV anymore. We live in an era where on TV, a "desperate housewife" is an aging, anorexic starlet with a face so heavily botoxed she can barely deliver her lines. So it's a shock to see a couple of people you'd find in line at Wal-Mart competing against the Miss Californias and Cheerleaders and Male Models that always show up on a reality show. That said, I think this Mary woman is the genuine article when it comes to desperate housewives. And she and David sure weren't shy about the bickering.

Beyond that, it's a blur. We've got our early round elimination fodder. The junkie models look good to win the whole thing, provided they don't fall off the wagon in some Thai opium den. They're young, athletic guys, and they're not stone stupid. (Ditto Erwin and Godwin, although they didn't impress in the smarts department.) That combination is usually good for a Top 3 finish on this show, if not the championship.

The winners of TAR Season 5, Chip and Kim, have a website with audio recaps of each episode. Chip was one of the show's most personable and amusing contestants, so his commentary is worth listening to. He thinks it's unfair for teams of young, athletic guys to compete against the co-ed and all-female teams. Check it out here: chipandkim.tv