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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2006 > September > 17
Sunday, September 17, 2006
9/18: Celebrity Duets, Amazing Race thoughts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’ve decided “Celebrity Duets” isn’t worth providing a blow-by-blow account. It’s simply too inconsequential and nobody cares. By the way, Carly Patterson was (finally) eliminated! She dueted with Jesse McCartney. She acted like a 13 year old girl, not the 18 year old she is over that guy. Yeesh. Cheech Marin somehow survived. (He was in the bottom three but not bottom two). Hal Sparks was almost eliminated. He actually had a good time dueting with Dennis DeYoung of Styx, doing a fun “Come Sail Away” Thursday, then doing a jokey “Mr. Roboto” Friday. This show will not be renewed. Ratings simply have been bad and getting worse. Jai Rodriguez and Alfonso Ribeiro are still going to finish in the final two, unless something really bizarre happens.
I just want to give some props to “The Amazing Race,” or The Show That Keeps Beating “American Idol” in the Emmys. I’ve watched every single cycle through and through with the exception of the ill-begotten “Family Edition” last year. Sunday night’s 90-minute show was, as usual, a breathtakingly fun trip, this time to China. And the casting is impeccable. There’s the first Islamic team in the show’s history (too bad they were eliminated first). And the gal with the missing leg using a prosthetic and her boyfriend who happens to make those legs. There’s the requisite gay couple, an interesting father-daughter team where the daughter is a lesbian (he looks so young, another team asks if they are dating or married.). The coalmining couple is fascinating: the woman is tough as nails but you know they’ll be fireworks down the road. The spunky Alabama single moms are fun; there’s the white couple where the gal is beeyotchy. The cheerleaders, the models (who are recovering drug addicts) and the Miss America contestants for eye candy. There’s the Asian bros, both amazingly cut — just like the two young Asian guys on “Survivor.” (This has to be a good trend for us Asian dudes though they are making me feel pudgy in comparison!). The only missing element is the spunky “older” couple. And the final challenge (literally climbing the Great Wall of China) was a delightful way to end the show. Sad to see the happy Indian-American couple go but this has to be one of the most diverse, most interesting set of teams “Race” has ever had. It’ll be requisite watching for me on its new Sunday night time slot. I hope it doesn’t get slammed by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
