The Amazing Race Australia

 

Another week has past ladies and gentlemen and I don’t know if it is me, but the sweet smell of grand finales are coming to fruition as some shows begin to wind up. But as I will discuss tonight, another is about to begin!

So firstly, let’s look at the week that’s been and like any other week, with another episode of Dancing with the Stars. This week, unlike last week, the production quality of the show was good and coupled with the dancing marathon that kept me at the edge of the sofa, it was an enjoyable episode and shows Seven that with proper attention, this show can be a real event; and they should damage this by over hyping controversies and cross promoting the hell out of other shows. Although I would argue, the show still needs to improve in the latter department.

In the end, we bade farewell to starlet Brynne Edelsten as the audience finally voted in terms of dancing talent and not popularity.

Onto MasterChef and the iconic Qantas challenge was back with iron fisted chef Neil Perry! The challenge saw plenty of good dishes that were eclipsed in quality by what was to come. Unfortunately for Shannon, Michael, Rachel and Craig, their first class dishes were no match for the others, and they were all sent to elimination with Rachel pulling the short straw and going home. Oh, and did I mention Heston Blumenthal dropped by?

In the nights to come, the drought of knockout dishes this season has been infamously known to suffer from seemed to have broken with outstanding plates being presented on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

On Tuesday, Kate was involved in the closest immunity battle of the season (bar Hayden’s win), only missing out on a win by two points and easily plating up elements that individually, were better than her opponent’s.

Wednesday night saw the contestants cook environmentally friendly, teaching them techniques to lower food wastage. The blue team won and the red team lost however a plethora of outstanding dishes were produced in the process; a huge positive for the show.

Lastly, in a tightly contested elimination challenge on Thursday, bottom two competitors Shannon & Craig were quoted by the judges to have made ‘two of the best dishes of the series’. A huge and stunning accolade and a huge game changing moment; history making dishes were finally being made!

Shannon unfortunately didn’t last too much longer than this as she exited as eliminee 10 and to finish off the week, another heart warming MasterClass.

Onto Australia’s Got Talent and there’s no stopping the competition as eight more acts performed and surprised off the back of Benchmark, Chooka and Cosentino’s successful progression to the finals. Brilliant night, just stunning.

The Amazing Race Australia scrambled to new heights with Chris reaching his lowest point before having it smacked right back in his face thanks to our good friend, Karma. It wasn’t such a good moment when resident comics Mo & Mos were eliminated in eighth place. Hopefully a team can take their place, like Chris and Anastasia took Richard & Joey’s place as most hated team (well, Anastasia has no blood on her hands).

 

So let’s look at this week to come and we have a new addition to our 2011 reality television family; The Block 2011. This week is elimination week where four of the eight couples say goodbye. I’ve a confession to make; I’ve never actually seen this show! So it will be new to me and hopefully it will make blogging it all the more exciting.

Now I have a strange feeling that a non-elimination leg is afoot for the next episode of The Amazing Race Australia; I actually thought it would be last weeks. I guess we will find out come Monday.

MasterChef is also set to lose a couple more contestants as we head into week 8 of competition and Dancing with the Stars will be one less star the greater.

Lastly, we look forward to what can only be described as an episode full of anticipation with three more people continuing on to the grand final and eight more performers set to take the stage.

So all round; a positive week of reality television and one can only hope for another slice of the same!

 

Key:

 

Alana & Mel – Sisters

Dave & Kelly – Bikers

Chris & Anastasia – Lovebirds

Sam & Renae – Models

Tyler & Nathan – Surfers

Mo & Mos – Friends (or Arab friends)

Matt & Tom – Farmers

Luke & Jeff- Father/son

 

Last week, we were treated to a whopper of an episode as the teams move on to continent two (well, technically three) of the competition, Africa. After a horrific goat hoarding challenge, the show was able to replenish itself with the heart-warming elimination of Richard & Joey. But will their absence bring down the spirit of the competition? Surely we’ve reached the point where good teams have to start to leave. We’ll find out tonight on a brand new episode that starts right… now!

We get a recap that compared to some previous recaps was quite short however it could have been cut down a little more.

Grant reminds us as we begin, of the last pit stop. The farmers arrived first just after the surfers and therefore both teams will depart at 4.09am. They must travel to Cape Town and make their way to Dolphin Beach for their next clue.

Both teams are trying to outdo each other as they get to the airport and realise it is closed.

The lovebirds leave next at 4.26am and in the taxi, some directions get them into an argument yet again, a sign of things to come for this episode for the team, even in the cutaway, Anastasia says something to annoy Chris.

The father/son duo is next to depart in fourth place at 4.36am and they talk about their communication skills and how they are defying all odds.

Leaving in fifth place is the models at 5.03am and as the airport opens, each team quickly buy’s tickets for the plane with the models getting front row seats thanks to a little flirting. The bikers leave at 5.32am in sixth place and quickly their tickets before the sisters leave in seventh place at 5.48am. The sisters go through their troubles and it seems as though Mel is the problem in this relationship; but we saw that last week. Even in the cutaway she was a total bitch to the sweet faced Alana.

They get their tickets before the friends leave last at 5.54am and with that, they are all off.

All teams are on the same flight and arrive in Cape Town later that day. We are treated to some nice scenes before the teams arrive and frantically find ways to get to the beach.

All teams practically arrive at the same time with the farmers and sisters in first.

The challenge is a roadblock and it is positively scarier than the bridge bungee of last episode. This time, they must drive to the airstrip where they will board a plane and do a tandem skydive from 9,000 feet while the other team member guides them to the landing strip with flares.

Alana, who’s first road block is the skydiving is very scared.

Meanwhile, as most teams find the clue, Mo and Mos yet again get lost, being dropped off a km down the road.

Meanwhile, some teams arrive at the skydiving site as Matt for the farmers prepares for his jump. Tyler will be jumping for the surfers and Anastasia for the lovebirds. Them and Alana are ready for skydiving as Nathan, Tom and Chris get their flares out.

Matt is off first and I am just shitting myself watching this, I could never do it. Meanwhile, Tyler and Anastasia also exit the plane and all three teams are off and running as Mo and Mos finally found the element and because one team member (Mos I think) is overweight, Mo has to do it and he is shitting himself as well.

Matt drops and the farmers are in first place. They must now drive to Nobel Square V&A Waterfront and face an intersection where one team must pair with another and make mutual decisions in order to pass each challenge from now on until further notice.

Tyler lands for the surfers and they are off second and the lovebirds leave third as Anastasia drops.

Meanwhile, Jeff is getting suited up for the father/son as Alana tells her instructor to take his time even though he knows they are in a race. Haha, I’m with you Alana. Mel however is still being an absolute cow to her and personally, I don’t like her one bit.

Meanwhile, Jeff is thrown from the plane in fourth place with Alana swallowing her fear and dropping in fifth and Mel, who thinks she is doing 90% of the work, is happy with her effort. They are both off for Nobel Square.

Dave is doing it for the bikers as Renae is going for the models and is the most nervous of all performers.

Dave drops with a herald of screams and it is a very laughable scene as he describes himself as a chicken wishbone!

Meanwhile, Mo is ready for his drop and is very scared, worse than Renae. He even goes to the toilet before hand otherwise he will poop his pants.

Renae conquers her fear of heights in seventh place and looks very happy amid the Disney soundtrack playing in the background. She wants to do it again!

Meanwhile, Mo is scared that there is no safety instructions.

At the intersection, the farmers arrive and wait for their partner team. To pass the time, they do a bit of a dance before the lovebirds come and pair with them. They must now travel to a cargo warehouse and work together to hitch and load a trailer with children from the Intyatyambo Orphanage. Once the toys and groceries have been delivered, they can move on.

Mo is hesitating to jump from the plane, kicking back and trying to stay in the plane for as long as possible before he finally leaves the plane. Mos has a lot of respect for him and gives him a kiss for his efforts in an amusing cutaway.

The surfers are at the intersection and too begin to dance before the father/son team arrive to pair with them and they head off for their challenge.

Meanwhile, the lovebirds and the farmers are well into their challenge as the surfers and father/son arrive. Meanwhile, the sisters arrive at the intersection and go to the toilet. Meanwhile, the bikers arrive and are shocked to know that their partners have taken a toilet break.

The models arrive as seventh and when they find out they are going with Mos and Mo, they are very nervous.

They make it clear to the boys that there will be no walking and are very stern with their demands. Meanwhile, the sisters and the bikers seem a little separated as the models and the friends get lost and get a police escort! Well done girls!

Mo and Mos are very impressed. Meanwhile the bikers find the sisters as Mel continues to call Alana a weak link, what a bitch. They begin their challenge as we get a very bleak look into the poor slums of South Africa. The music is dimmed down to a soft screech as we see shed after shed filled with children. It’s not nice. However, the kids are nice and they even have the honour of presenting the contestants an Amazing Race clue to the contestants, who are impressed with their lives.

So the next clue as received by the lovebirds and farmers, is a detour and this time it is a choice between Guns and Rose (pronounced Ro-zay) and an obvious pun on the band name. In Guns, they must go to the valley gun club and shoot nine moving clay targets before receiving their next clue.

In Rose they must collect an empty wine barrel and fill it with rose and once it is full will receive their next clue.

The surfers and the father/son are next to complete their intersection and are too impressed with the community’s resilience.

Both teams choose guns (I’m not sure at this stage about the other two teams) as the bikers and sisters see the models and friends fly pass with their police escort. The latter begin their intersection challenge but the boys create problems when it comes to packing the trailer. The sisters and bikers actually seem to make it to the end of the challenge before the other team and after their comments of compassion, they get their clues. It seems the bikers are the only team that know how to pronounce Rose (ro-zay, it’s pronounced, Ro-zay) and they do that challenge as do the sisters.

We find out that the farmers are going to do guns and as we’ve seen from the promos, we know that the lovebirds are doing rose. Meanwhile, the farmers aren’t getting off to a good start with their challenge. They can’t seem to hit their targets.

Nathan actually is doing quite well, just knocking them down as the father/son team start their gun challenge and do somewhat well.

Meanwhile, the lovebirds start the challenge which is set to break them in half by the looks of it. Anastasia starts to fill a bucket with rose to quicken the pace, but can’t turn the tap off. Chris explains that all his built up rage came out as he yells at his girlfriend. Anastasia tells him to complete the challenge himself but Chris starts to insult her, telling her he would have done things differently, but it was such a simple mistake and as that smart, clever woman said in the promos that Karma is a bitch while referring to Chris’ behaviour, I’m sat here waiting to see what it is that Anastasia does in return.

He even tells her that ‘daddy never spanked her when he should’ve’. This really pisses her off. He continues to insult her and even asks her to apologise to him and to ask her to follow his orders. Anastasia mentions that it isn’t the 1920’s and therefore shouldn’t have to ‘follow his orders’ but Chris still doesn’t get it. She begins to cry in the cutaway even before she shows emotion in real life.

Meanwhile, the farmers are still going in the challenge and is getting better. Luke is still impressed with his father who is showing himself as a great shooter as he and Nathan are up to their last clay target. The surfers finish just before the father/son team and the farmers.

Next challenge sees the contestants travel to the Cape Town Dunes where they must ride a quad bike around a marked course where they must pick up 15 baskets, three of which contain the next clue. The other 12 contain hourglasses of varying size. They must then turn the hour glass and wait for it to finish pouring before moving on. This could be time consuming.

Meanwhile, the lovebirds also finish their challenge in fourth place where Chris continues to hound her about her attitude. He assumes he knows where he went wrong but really, he doesn’t.

Meanwhile, the friends and models finish their challenge from the intersection (yes, just now!) and finally move on!

The models are moved to tears with the sight of the living conditions.

Meanwhile, the bikers have lost their map! Kelly has donated it to the orphanage as Dave suggests getting a coffee considering they’re done.

Kelly goes in to get directions and Dave hilariously get frustrated by her time taking. Unlike Chris and Anastasia, the fight and argument is more two sided. And it was funny.

Meanwhile, the surfers start with their quad bike challenge and lift the first basket to see a small looking hourglass. The father/son team find a similar sized hourglass as the farmers start their challenge. Their basket also has an hourglass. Meanwhile, the bikers chose to do rose as the sister’s start their rose challenge. A funny moment occurs when one of the sisters believes the barrel farted.

Meanwhile, the surfers uncover their second basket to find a bigger hourglass as the friends Mo & Mos decide whether or not to do Guns or Rose. As Muslims and alcohol don’t mix, they choose guns before one of them cheekily points out guns and Muslims don’t go well together either.

They, as predicted, aren’t doing well at their chosen challenge however Mos seems to do quite well on his shot. ‘You are a gun- oh, no pun intended’- Mos.

Meanwhile, the bikers finish in fifth place as the sisters finish in sixth shortly after. Then, the models begin their rose challenge as the son/father team uncover another basket containing one of the biggest hourglasses. Meanwhile, the surfers and farmers find their correct baskets and must now travel to Rhodes Memorial- the fifth pit stop in the race. Grant mentions that the last team ‘may’ be eliminated whereas at least last week, he said ‘will’; so this may be a non-elimination leg.

Meanwhile, like last week, the farmers and surfers are competing for top spot as the farmers cut off the surfers. Meanwhile, the father/son team are still trying to find their clue. Meanwhile, the lovebirds begin and quickly uncover a timer as do the bikers. Meanwhile, the friends make quick work of their challenge in the end and head for the dunes.

The sisters arrive at the dunes as the father/son pair get their clue as the lovebirds get one of the biggest timer. Luckily, the bikers get their clue and are off as the models finish their challenge. Meanwhile, the girls damage their car quite badly as the lovebirds find out what karma means. Chris is not only waiting for 45 minutes at their timer, but he’s lost the car keys somewhere in that huge dune system. Ha…ha…ha!

Chris is adamant he wouldn’t scream at Anastasia for losing the key because he didn’t tell her not to, but there are obviously heaps of ways he could get angry, so I doubt this.

Meanwhile, the sisters find a small hour glass as the friends yet again get bad luck after finding a huge one. The sisters find out about the lovebird’s mistake and tell a happy Mo & Mos.

I tell you what, this episode is screaming non-elimination!

At the pit stop, it is the surfers who come in first and are stoked to know this. The farmers are in second of course.

The models start their dune challenge and rip through the course, even ignoring Mo & Mos (hahaha). They unfortunately find a timer, but it’s not too big. Meanwhile, the sisters find their clue and race to the pit stop as Chris somehow finds the keys.

Meanwhile, Jeff & Luke are in as team number three with the bikers Kelly & Dave in as team four.

Anastasia is just powering along but falls off her bike and requires a medic.

Mo & Mos’ timer is up and races for another basket before the models find their clue just before the lovebirds.

Mo & Mos finally find a clue and speed off for the pit stop as Chris finds out the sand has screwed with their key. They get the models to help them and the two teams are out of there as the sisters arrive as team 5, but I’m a little disappointed because I reckon if this is a non-elimination leg, they will be eliminated next week!

Anyway, the lovebirds somehow make it together with the models. The lovebirds are seventh with the models as team six. Mo & Mos are team eight and are in fact eliminated from the race! Oh my god, that’s a shock!

So with the episode over, it certainly was a blast. The argument between the lovebirds did see karma come Chris’ way and it is just a pity that we lost such a great team from the race. Unfortunately, that does mean no more silly Arab’s. Oh well, still interesting to see what this does to the race dynamics next week.

 

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.0/10

Chris Pselletes has read what the haters have to say about him online. As furious fans of The Amazing Race Australia tell it, the Sydney engineer is a “chauvinist” and an “abusive, hot-headed misogynist”, and his father in law to be, will surely agree.

But with another shocking tirade against girlfriend Anastasia Drimousis to air tonight, TVs newest villain is bracing for the feedback he fears the most – from her protective father. While Anastasia blames her boyfriend’s rages on the extreme pressure of the TV competition, he has been spared the reaction of her father, who has been away on business since the series started.

“He will want to talk to me about where I stand and how I behave,” Pselletes said. “(But) for him to go ballistic would be as bad as what I did.” Despite the controversy, the couple – who entered the race to test their relationship before deciding to marry – are still together.
Source; news.com.au

Brothers and Sisters, Seven, 10pm
After five seasons, this family drama comes to an end tonight. As Sarah and Luc’s nuptials approach, plans go horribly awry and the Walkers learn several surprising lessons about the real meaning of family. Thankfully this episode ties the series together.

MasterChef, Ten, 7.30pm
Tonight the molecular gastronomist, Heston Blumenthal of the three-Michelin starred retaurant “The Fat Duck” puts 4 contestants to an elimination pressure test. They must copy his version of a hamburger and fries, while also making a creative drink on the side to save themselves from heading home.

The Amazing Race Australia, Seven, 8.30pm
Tonight the remaining contestants head to Cape Town. We see the volatile couple, Chris and Anastasia, fighting with each other again, with it escalating at the detour. Will a visit to an orphanage put things into perspective for them or are there more fireworks ahead?

Top Chef All Stars, Arena, 9.30pm
In this premiere episode, 18 former competitors of Top Chef reunite to vie again for the title of Top Chef. Ex contestants include the ego maniac Marcel, bitchy red head Tiffani and the loveable Spike. Tonight the contestants must prepare the dish that sent them home in their initial attempt.

Flight of The Conhcords, SBS ONE, 10pm
This highly successful New Zealand offering has been a huge hit, here and abroad. SBS are starting it off again with the pilot on tonight. If you haven’t seen it yet, try it this time around.

 

 

What a very mixed week it has been for Australian reality. There have been high moments and the odd low moment; so let’s review the week that’s been.

Unfortunately, the week didn’t start off on the best of bases for a couple of different reasons. Firstly, due to the TV Guide, I wasn’t able to bring you guy’s a quick, reliable summary of Dancing with the Stars; and I do solemnly apologise for that; it shan’t happen again! But then secondly, why bother recap Dancing with the Stars? A good 25% of that show was just cross-promotion of shows like Australia’s Got Talent (that took up a good chunk of that 25% with Brian McFadden’s over hyped performance and multiple appearances by the other judges from that show), Downton Abbey and Desperate Housewives. Granted, it was ‘TV theme’ week on the program, so there always was going to be a bit of cross-promotion; but I question whether Dancing with the Stars, what with all the cross-promotion’s it’s been dishing out over the past couple of weeks, is the most appropriate show to have such a theme.

The week did get better however; thanks to MasterChef which tried a few crazy challenges including a ‘swap the basket’s’ pressure test challenge, a ‘most plate’s’ elimination challenge and a sprinting private MasterClass in Malaysia (which I still feel is a wasted opportunity).

The Amazing Race Australia did nothing to disappoint and the rise in ratings was surely deserved. The elimination of the FABelievers, Richard & Joey was just icing on a very rich cake. I’m just hoping I can swallow that big fight Chris & Anastasia will supposedly have this week which will basically just cement Chris as the new Richard & Joey. I say ‘Chris’ because there is absolutely no way Anastasia could be blamed for his chauvinistic ways.

Lastly, we turn to Australia’s Got Talent which just skyrocketed this week, and I’m not just talking about the ratings! There was a noticeable rise in quality that cannot be ignored and should they finally get the beginning of the show looking spiffy, they may just get a 100% in production values. It also seemed to have acts that can deliver, unlike the previous week’s semi-final which saw acts fall short of the mark set in auditions. With acts like Cosentino, Chooka, and indeed the rest, it will actually be hard to pinpoint who should go and who should move on. Quick, better update the rules and let four go through!

 

So that’s been the week in short and hopefully, this week will deliver something bigger! I’d love to see Dancing with the Stars improve. Their problems, although widespread, mostly lie within areas that could so easily be fixed. I’m talking about the cross-promotion’s, the ad breaks where they shouldn’t be, and actually making musical guest’s other than those that work at Seven look spiffy.

Anyway, time will tell.

MasterChef will this week see Heston Blumenthal make a special guest appearance which is something to get excited over; hopefully they don’t make his visit look as fleeting as they made Nigella’s although with such a high profile status, this will be difficult.

Australia’s Got Talent moves into Semi-Final Three as three more acts make the cut and we draw ever closer to the grand finale.

So a big week to come and with extra time on my hands and a raft of brand new reality show’s on their way in coming months, expect to see more opinion based blogging from me rather than just the endless recap’s. I’m looking forward to it, and I hope you guy’s are too!

 

It was a sad catch 22 last week as Anne-Marie and Tracey went home before the eyes of Mo and Mos. As the contestants start to make their mark with Australian audiences, will this loss dampen the spirit of this show, or will it grow ever stronger. The contestants are in South Africa tonight; so let’s go with them!

Something that surprises me is the length of the recap; it’s literally been cut down to nothing except the important parts. Well done, Amazing Race- you’re learning! Even the preview is well done!

We start the episode where we left off, Macau where Grant reminds us of the pit stop. Richard and Joey were first at the pit stop after winning last week’s fast forward. They will depart first at 9.52am to Port Elizabeth in South Africa where they must search for a marked vehicle in the car park.

The hurry to the airport and book their cheap flights before telling us all how big a threat the team is. They are quickly on their plane as the sisters and surfers leave for the airport next. The sisters tell us how much they hate Richard and Joey as it looks like the surfers and sisters work together.

Next up to leave are the bikers and the farmers as the sisters and surfers choose to take the ferry to the mainland in hope of more flights to take.

Dave isn’t confident with the upcoming legs, believing they will get harder and harder. The farmers however, are just relaxed about the whole thing.

Back in Honkers, the sisters and surfers find out that the next flights to South Africa don’t leave until near midnight!

Next to leave are Luke and Jeff, the lovebirds and the models. The father and son team look confident as they find out they will be going to South Africa. The lovebirds are in a rare state of happiness as Chris believes they have done well to control their anger. Umm… delusional much? Luckily, the production team have slotted in a nice reminder of their fights, proving this toxic team wrong.

The models are at the airport and Renae rudely gets ahead in the line, telling some poor guy to move. In Asia, this is would be considered a big no, no for their respectful culture.

Mo and Mos are the last to leave as they rush off. At this point, you can’t look at them without laughing. Mos is seasick and Mo can’t get to him as the ferry is bouncing around too much. He considers whether they are healthy enough to continue. This is so funny.

Luckily, when they arrive at the airport, all the other teams are there, and the race becomes a near equal race. Richard and Joey are in front however their lead is dashed as their connecting flights with the other contestants are the same.

In Port Elizabeth, the contestants quickly find their cars. They now must drive 300km (!!!) to Camdeboo National Park and search for the next clue on the cliff face of the Valley of Desolation.

The surfers are in first place with some teams struggling with the manual cars they have to drive.

Alana, driving the sister’s car is having no luck but Mel has a go, and they look like they are getting somewhere.

The surfers quickly make it to the next clue (jee… that was fast) and it is a detour. For this detour they can choose either Smash or Bash. In Smash, they must smash four pots with a traditional African tool but in Bash, they must build a giraffe feeder.

The surfers choose smash while the bikers and the FABelievers also choose smash. The other contestants also make their choice and with the sisters in last place, the race is neck and neck. Meanwhile, the lovebirds have a scuffle after the FABelievers are let through by Chris. Chris takes a jab at Joey having Richard’s balls before they find out the hours of operation for both challenges doesn’t open until the morning.

The safari backdrop at smash is quite breathtaking and is different to the Asian backdrop we have been used to thus far. However, it becomes a bit of a problem when the smash competitors (the lovebirds, bikers, surfers, FABelievers, the farmers, the sisters and I believe Mo and Mos) realise that to get to their challenge, they must drive their 4WD through a mud bog. For the FABelievers, this is harder than they thought!

They get bogged after driving their car off the steep embankment. This causes me and the other contestant’s great joy, especially their worst enemy the sisters. As they don’t help anyone, no one helps them.

The hero Chris also tries to go through and has no luck. This is just funny as; every non-bogged contestant is just laughing like crazy. The surfers try to make a path and after getting nearly all the way over, they get stuck. Oh dear… oh wait, no, they made it! However now all the other contestants take their path, even the lovebirds that finally get unbogged.

Meanwhile, after several teams make it across, the sisters, who can’t really drive manual, just plough all the way over the bog with no trouble at all. Meanwhile, the FABelievers are having no luck.

The surfers make it to smash and they begin their challenge before the bikers, Mo and Mos and the farmers make it as well.

I have just found out that ALL competitors had to make it through the bog as BOTH challenges are located over it.

Alana and Mel and the lovebirds try their luck at Bash. Meanwhile, Luke and Jeff and the bikers are trying to hit their smash items to the laughter of the locals. The surfers and the farmers are having some luck but to some laughing locals and upbeat, child-like music, Mo and Mos prove to be the clowns once more. They don’t last long before going over to bash.

Luke and Jeff also head off after some unsuccessful throws. The farmers make quick work of the challenge and receive the next clue. It’s a road block. In this one, they must go Bunjy jumping- my worst fear. Simply, they must bungee off the highest bridge bungee in the world.

The farmers are off before the surfers also get their pass to move on. There’s a bit of a panic as the words ‘caution- U-Turn ahead’ pops up on the clue. The surfers have no idea what this means.

Meanwhile, the farmers reach the u-turn where they can force another team to repeat a previous challenge in the leg. The farmers don’t use the u-turn but the surfers are very worried. Once the surfers find out they didn’t get u-turned, they quickly u-turn the FABelievers. Nice work, boys!

Meanwhile, the FABelievers are really having problems getting through the bog (yes, still!) and are close to panic.

They try to dig their way out before a ranger helps them out and they finally complete their journey to the detour.

Meanwhile, the lovebirds are working well at their giraffe feed. Luke and Jeff, two seasoned carpenters also make quick work of the challenge and the two teams are off to the roadblock.

Meanwhile, the bikers are still trying at their smash challenge, but Dave is having no luck. It isn’t long however, until their luck turns and they’re off. Meanwhile, in true fashion, Mo and Mos struggle at their bash challenge and even have a bit of a comical argument.

Sam and Renae finish the bash challenge before we see the FABelievers start their bash challenge. Richard gets frustrated as he hammers his thumb in pretty bad. Ouch!

Meanwhile, on the way to the roadblock, Dave and Kelly are delighted to see that the FABelievers have been U-turned!

Alana and Mel are still going on but can’t even get their frame off the ground. They needn’t worry as the FABelievers struggle with the challenge and with each other. Oh wait, no, they should worry, somehow, the FABelievers have just finished the challenge. No worries, they quickly find out they’ve been u-turned, and they turn back to complete smash.

The two are obviously bitter as they slander the surfer team. Talking about the surfer team, they hear the sirens of a police car but find out, they aren’t for him. They are however, for another team! The farmers, who somehow got in front of the surfers, are quickly pulled over for speeding.

The police officer obviously lets them go quite easily after being shown that they are apart of The Amazing Race and are probably contributing to South African tourism. The farmers do put on a good South African mock accent in the cutaways though which is quite amusing.

Meanwhile, the sisters complete their challenge in seventh place and go off to bungee. Meanwhile, the FABelievers finish the other detour and are off before the sisters see the U-turn and are grateful for the surfers’ choice.

Nathan and Tyler are gobsmacked by the size of the drop when they reach the destination. One comments ‘you can see the actual bridge and then you can see the actual ground’! Really?!?

Nathan is freaking out as he bungees the distance and my heart just sinks to see him just go down like that. Anyway, it’s over with and they find out that their next destination is a town called Nomathamsanqa where they must select a goat and take it to a witch doctor.

The FABelievers are still going with their challenge (apparently before, they were just over the moon to hit one of their targets). Mo and Mos on the other had finish their challenge as Chris begins to take that plunge. This is definitely a highlight of this entire season, seeing that guy pushed over the edge.

Next up are the farmers as Tom takes his plunge. He successfully completes the challenge as the lovebirds begin their trip to Nomathamsanqa. They are having a bit of a scuffle as their try to find out where to go and it sounds like Chris is getting angry at almost nothing as Anastasia just says nothing.

Meanwhile, with one more thing left, the FABelievers are still at smash but finally finish their mission as the surfers make it to the ‘town that is 20 letters long’ and describe quite briefly and easily what they had to do.

The surfers and bikers are neck and neck in dragging their goats as the farmers take in the sights. Luke gets all sentimental on his ‘hero’ father Jeff who takes the plunge. It’s a bit corny but who cares, they’re off.

Meanwhile, the sisters are near in last place as Mo and Mos pass them. Mel is being a bitch, saying Alana has ‘failed’ them. Bitch, bitch, bitch. She’s actually sounding worse than Chris and Joey.

Meanwhile, Dave takes the plunge for the bikers and it is so funny seeing him scream his guts out. He reminds us that nothing was lost in the defecation department, so that’s good to know.

Meanwhile, the treatment of some of these cute goats are quite undesirable as the surfers drag their goat by the horns (yes, it looked quite cruel, but the goat wasn’t really being dragged, but it looked uncomfortable) and receive their next clue.

They must now travel to Addo Elephant National Park which will be the fourth pit stop for the race. The farmers are next to grab the clue before a really awful scene involving Chris and Anastasia grabbing the goat by the horns as it groans and moans. As someone who battles for animal rights, and I know this sounds like a complaint and an unnecessary opinion, but this really upsets me; I don’t think we needed to see that.

The goat continues to be dragged as we finally move to the models who go to take the plunge. Sam does the deed and seems to find it fun. Well, she’d be the first (or second). Meanwhile, Mel plunges for the sisters and screams the entire way down. Afterwards, Mel threatens to throw Alana off the bridge if she gets them lost again. That’s not nice.

Meanwhile, the surfers and the farmers who have been neck and neck all the way so far, make it to the pit stop at the same time. Ultimately, it is the farmers who make it on the pit stop first, and it is quite a fun little scuffle. The surfers settle for second but hey, it was a very competitive dash.

Meanwhile, the FABelievers are at the bridge as the Arabs complete their challenge. Mos actually likes bungee jumping so this wasn’t an issue.

Meanwhile, Chris is struggling with the goat but they finally make it and they do a little dance. Hurry up guys; it’s a bloody tight race!

The FABelievers finally do their plunge and Richard’s screaming is so funny. Joey pulls out the old ‘Focus, Believe, Achieve as Luke and Jeff do the right thing and actually PICK the goat up and they actually make it in no time.

The models drag the goat as well as the bikers whose goat actually tries to sleep. Meanwhile, the FABelievers are on the tails of the Arab guy’s. Meanwhile, the lovebirds make it third to the pit stop before Luke and Jeff who are in at four.

Meanwhile, the models finish their goat hoarding challenge as the sisters begin their challenge. The bikers finish their goat challenge and the last two teams (Mo and Mos and Richard and Joey) begin theirs. Mo and Mos calls the goat ‘Bob’, a funny name from a funny team. Meanwhile, Richard decides to change goat through the challenge before we find out that the sisters, who are treating their goat the worst, actually gets their finger (Mel’s finger) caught in its arse. Sucked in.

Meanwhile, the models finish at the pit stop fifth and the bikers sixth as the sister finish their challenge in seventh.

Funnily enough, Mo and Mos’s goat Bob is walking quite well as the FABelievers have their most violent argument yet as the goat pisses off an agitated Richard.

Their goat actually runs to the finish as the sisters run to the finish line. They are happy to see Grant but are happier to find out they are seventh. Mo and Mos are now rushing for the pit stop as the FABelievers finish their challenge. COME ON MO and MOS FINISH THESE BASTARDS OFF!

Mo and Mos get lost and it looks dire, we have no idea who will make it first but in the end, lovely Disney sounding music plays as Mo and Mos waltz up to the finish line. They are in eighth.

Richard and Joey rock up last and they are finally eliminated. After such a great week last week, they are finally out. But watch out everyone else, no one else to cut loose- no more nice eliminations!

So a picture perfect race in my opinion with stunning views and breathtaking challenges. Comedy was aplenty thanks mostly to Mo and Mos, but the bikers are quickly becoming one of my hot favourite teams with Dave providing some good old Aussie humour.

I love how this race is so serious, but so funny and lighthearted. It has both extremes; heated (and I mean really heated) arguments between the lovebirds and the FABelievers on one side of the spectrum, but a clumsy roll through on the other side of the spectrum like Mo and Mos or the farmers.

Then you have all your stereotypical AR teams in between; the fratty surfers, blonde models and dysfunctional sisters. Loving this show and it just keeps on getting better and better.

Only problem; that goat challenge. Like Survivor and the killing of chickens, I know what to expect, so I won’t rant on, but I don’t think it was necessary for the producers to insert a scene involving a goat crying in pain and anguish. Really, not on!

 

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.5/10 + 1.0 for the FABelievers elimination but – 2.0 for the goat incident=

8.5/10

Sorry for the late entry, guys. As it’s been a hectic weekend for me, this is the first time I’ve gotten time to write. So now, what a week it has been in reality television!

While a lot of things have happened on screen; a particularly interesting occurrence happened off screen. The ‘rumour’ that Big Brother may make a return is still ripe in our mind with differences of opinion on whether David Mott actually wants the show back or not.

Like it or loathe it; this won’t be the last time this rumour will occur; expect them to come in more frequently and with more certainty, and like it or loathe it also, but one of these days, this news won’t just be a ‘rumour’. Either way, I think we can all assume this news has passed and I would advise that anyone holding on for more news may have to wait a while.

So onto reality television that is ACTUALLY on air! First up, Dancing With the Stars. After only modest to poor scores being dealt to him over the season thus far, Mark ‘Occy’ Occhilupo hung ten and surfed his way out of the competition. That’s three out of three elimination in which a professional sports player, and therefore an athletic competitor, has left the game. In a way, I see it as a little bit of a reminder that this show isn’t just a popularity contest; but only just a little hint.

MasterChef has had its biggest week so far, and I’m not just talking about the ratings. After travelling to WA for the first part of this week, we were all treated to hours upon hours of breathtaking images, views and interesting challenges.

For the second half of the week, it was all about the quirky and different challenges back in the MasterChef kitchen. From having to cook with frozen & canned food to not cooking, but re-creating a Massaman Curry; the competition didn’t go in SA contestant Andrew’s favour as he was bitterly eliminated before slandering the judges, particularly Gary’s, manners. Tut, Tut, Tut.

The Amazing Race Australia was shortened to an hour episode (yay) however saw the elimination of Anne-Marie & Tracey, the beloved Big W ladies (nay). Considering it was either them or Mo & Mos (quickly becoming my favourite team), it was a catch 22 of sorts. Hopefully this won’t hinder the show’s ratings; I can’t see why it would.

The only other reality show was Australia’s Got Talent and as we move into Semi-Final season; the competition seems to be getting weaker and weaker. There were many performances that didn’t deliver, whether that be in my own opinion (Dash n D’Bree; Bree De Rome), the judges opinion (Fiona Mariah) or both (Rock n Roll Ropers).

But we can all be happy that the episode ended on a high note with 14 year old Jack Vidgen. Perfect voice.

This week sees the second batch of auditionees try out for a place in the final. We also find out which Semi Final 1 contestants will move on based on last weeks performance.

Tonight on Dancing With The Stars will showcase 8 spanking new performances and despite the cheapness of the show, will definitely drag me in to see who will suffer at the bottom of the leader board and which contestant will be sacrificed to create Australia’s top 7 dancing stars.

Now to MasterChef and what confuses me is that the Kuala Lumpur challenge is only showing on Friday by the look of it with two contestants going there for a private MasterClass. Is this all that MasterChef has to offer in terms of the big ‘Malaysian challenge’ they’ve been raving about? Surely not, however for the rest of the week, it looks like the contestants will be spending time in the MasterChef kitchen. We’ll find out soon enough.

Lastly, a new episode of The Amazing Race Australia and very quickly, the personalities on this show are creating buzz. I love it when reality shows do this. It’s refreshing to be able to pick up a mag or a newspaper and see editorials, opinions and stories on a show that isn’t related to its controversial nature or shocking new twists. The contestants on this show are real and entertaining. There’s not one pot plant group (well, maybe Luke and Jeff) nor are there contestants there simply for the fame (well, maybe the surfers or the models, but they were kinda already famous/socialites in their own right) and it makes the show so watchable.

For those not watching this show based simply on the types of contestants and controversies that were shown on Big Brother, Dancing with the Stars and sometimes MasterChef Australia; you needn’t worry. Watch it, it’s a completely fresh look at Australian’s in an experiment of sorts.

Rant over, and there’s my recap for the week. I will, as usual, be blogging each and every episode of each and every show so I hope you all join me!

 

Note: due to the intense plot of this program and the fact that I blog while I watch, there may be some mistakes in the summary below. To improve quality, please feel free to point anything out that needs changing in the comments below. Overall, I hope you enjoy.

 

 

Finally, a nice bite-sized hour long episode; this could only mean good things for the show although a lot of you have complained about the lengthy recaps the show displays at the start. Well, this episode is no exception as we begin our journey with the ten remaining teams to

Hong Kong, China.

 

We return to the second pit stop and find out that the surfers, Nathan and Tyler who entered the pit stop first will be travelling to Hong Kong at 11.07pm. In Hong Kong, they must take a taxi to the Aberdeen Marina Dock and then board a ferry to the Jumbo Floating Restaurant. There, they must bite through hundreds of fortune cookies; one of which will lead them to their next clue.

In the taxi to the airport, the surfers tell us how smart they really are before the farmers, Tom and Matt depart second at 11.14pm. They think they’ve done well for people who have never travelled before.

Chris and Anastasia leave third and describe how passionate they are and Chris mentions somewhere that he is prepared to either stay with Anastasia or break up with her. Dick. So it seems this entire first part of this episode is basically trying to get a feel of how the contestants are going so far and how they are feeling and why they are competing in the first place. Hopefully the entire episode won’t be filled like this.

Jeff and Luke and models Sam and Renae are next to leave for the airport before we find out that the models don’t know where Hong Kong is. One comments that it may be in Singapore!!! Funny as.

Dave and Kelly are sixth to depart for the airport and believes that many people think they are nice before demonstrating how much of a pig he is by insulting the cab driver. Mo and Mos are seventh to depart and yet again, Mo and Mos are the centre of the tomfoolery of the episode as Vietnamese women surround them and start ‘fondling’ with their man boobs. I’m currently in hysterics, seriously; these guy’s are great.

Anne-Marie and Tracey are eighth to leave and as usual, they are jolly and cheerful. Next off are Joey and Richard and the sisters Alana and Mel. Again, Joey mimics the local accent in a racist sort of way before the sisters plot revenge on the FABelievers.

Grant tell us that the contestants are now on a flight to Hong Kong. In ‘Honker’s’ as one team calls it, the contestants rush for the cabs with some teams having better luck than others. Anne-Marie and Tracey are last to leave while Mo and Mos believe they are in the lead.

Matt and Tom are amazed by Hong Kong while the FABelievers believe they have the worst taxi. Thank god, Joey is the most annoying person in this show and I want her gone, SOON! Meanwhile, the surfers and Jeff and Luke make it to the ferry dock before Mo and Mos. They get on the first ferry. Meanwhile, the bikers get out of the taxi and Dave hurts his calf muscle (moron). On their ferry, the models, who join them, help him recover. Kelly thinks he is making it up to get attention. He doesn’t deny it!

Chris and Anastasia run for the ferry as the contestants yell at the conductor to pull the ferry away from dock. Dave is particularly vocal and Chris calls him a fat hog. Haha, love this competition. Dave wants ‘muscles and bambi’ to rot.

The models, bikers, surfers, Jeff and Luke and Mo and Mos make it to the fortune cookie challenge and begin eating. Sam and Renae comment that their mouths are cut up after eating so many.

Meanwhile, Joey and Richard dump their crap driver and try another taxi. Oh dear!

Meanwhile, Anne-Marie, Chris and Anastasia and the sisters get on Ferry 2 with Tom and Matt and the FABelievers.

As the sisters start their eating; one fortune cookie tells one of the sisters that no one will be naturally attracted to her. Zing! Meanwhile, Joey picks one up telling her she is a winner. Bam, mood kill!

Big W ladies and the farmers are going at it with the contestants finding that the cookies are very repetitive.
Then, out of no where, the FABelievers find the right cookie and are out of there. Damn. The sisters are very upset at this. Neither are the surfers. The next clue is a fast-forward or detour. The fast forward requires the contestants must travel to the Tim Hau Temple and find their next clue. The FABelievers go for the fast-forward.

Mo and Mos are next to find their clue and also go for the fast forward. The surfers are next with their clue and their try the detour in third place. The two detour choices are Lion Dance (LD) or Kung Fu Stance (KFS). In LD, teams must dress up and perform a lion dance to the lion masters satisfaction (this could be funny). In KFS, they must perform a series of kung fu stances and break six clay tiles.

Next to collect their clue are Luke and Jeff. Both them and the surfers choose KFS. Meanwhile, the very funny Mo and Mos are on their way while the FABelievers are stuck again in traffic!

The sisters find their clue as do the Big W ladies. The sisters go for the LD while the Big W ladies try the KFS (what are they thinking, surely they can’t). Dave and Kelly finish up their challenge followed by the models. Both teams choose KFS.

Still in the restaurant are the lovebirds and the farmers. The lovebirds finish up first just before the farmers with the lovebirds choosing to do the LD and the farmers choosing KFS. Meanwhile, The FABelievers make it to the fast forward box first and collect the clue. And hilariously, to complete the fast forward, they must have their heads shaved. Go on, Joey. Focus, Believe, Achieve after all! The first team to complete this goes straight to the pit stop. Joey is more than happy to trim and in the process of telling the monk about her extensions, she yet again mocks what she thinks is his accent. What the hell; surely that is unethical to the point that she can be disqualified?!? Someone, please disqualify her!

Joey and Richard get their hair off and hilariously, Richard is apprehensive about calling Joey ‘hot’. This is quite funny but to be honest; Joey doesn’t look that bad shaved.

Meanwhile, the surfers make it to KFS and begin the routine and while they aren’t sure if they can do it yet, they get into learning the 30+ stance moves. Luke and Jeff are now competing in the challenge.

Meanwhile, the FABelievers are off to A Ma Cultural village; the location of the next pit stop. On the way there, it seems as though Joey will miss her long hair. Unfortunately, Mo and Mos find out that they are too late to compete in the fast forward.

At the ferry terminal, Joey again mimics the accent; believing that will get her somewhere. In the end, they board the ferry bound for Macau.

Meanwhile, the bikers make it to KFS, as do the Big W ladies. It is funny seeing the two teams struggle at the challenge. Dave is a big sook as he can’t do it. Aww. Meanwhile, the models rock up as some of the first tries from the contestants are rejected as incorrect.

At the LD, the sisters attempt the many moves that creates the LD and are mortified at how many must be learnt. Meanwhile, the lovebirds are their too.

Back at KFD, the farmers are attempting the moves as the master rejects Luke and Jeff’s rendition. The Big W ladies aren’t doing so well as they are having troubles lifting their leg so they decide to drop the challenge and go to LD.

Meanwhile, Mo and Mos decide to try the LD and it is just a hilarious site. Chris and Anastasia and the sisters are asking the models if they completed the task properly, however they are rejected and must try again.

Meanwhile, the FABelievers make it to the pit stop first and are over the moon. Good on them. Seeya next week. The best thing about this; we don’t have to put up with them for the rest of the episode. That in itself will earn this episode a bonus point!

Back at KFS, the surfers complete the stance sequence successfully and move on to clay breaking. After the nerves take place, they successfully complete this challenge and are now off to Macau where they must travel to the Venetian Macau Casino and change into formalwear and play a game of Baccarat but they must be able to spell out a location with Majong tiles and they will then receive their next clue.

Mo and Mos joke about while the farmers complete their KFS and smash their tiles to receive the clue and they are off.

Meanwhile, the sisters find out they made one mistake while the lovebirds are becoming frustrated. They win their clue nonetheless, leaving the sisters and Arab friends in their wake.

Mo and Mos are really aggravated as Anne-Marie and Tracey get the giggles trying their LD.

They really can’t stop being jolly, can they?

Alana and Mel finish their challenge and make their way to Macau before Anne-Marie and Tracey somehow complete their challenge. At KFS, Kelly and Dave finish their moves as do the models before they both smash their clay tiles and head off (although the models have a few troubles including one who hit the concrete). Jeff and Luke break their tiles and head off as well.

Tyler and Nathan, Matt and Tom, Chris and Anastasia, Dave and Kelly, Sam and Renae and Alana and Mel are on the second ferry to Macau.

As it turns out, Anne-Marie and Tracey didn’t finish their challenge before however, they do now, just before Mo and Mos and both teams are off.

The teams on ferry 2 arrive in Macau and Jeff and Luke have troubles getting a taxi; as do the lovebirds.

The contestants are shocked to see the amount of casinos around. It is a funny affair seeing these contestants strip down into formalwear while Anne-Marie and Tracey and Mo and Mos board the final ferry to Macau.

Sam and Renae are having a lot of luck at the hard-to-pronounce game, as are the surfers. The farmers look the part in their suit and their cowboy hats. Jeff and Luke aren’t rushing as they take in the fascinating sites.

Alana and Mel finish their challenge first (in second place) and head off to A Ma village for their next clue shortly followed by the models.

Jeff and Luke, Dave and Kelly and the lovebirds start on their game playing while the surfers make their way to A Ma. Meanwhile, Mo and Mos and the Big W ladies make it to the table and bring with them lots of fun.

Mo and Mos aren’t meant to gamble, as they are muslins. The best part about this being the Australian version is that if this was the American version, any team that can’t take part in a challenge on religious grounds would kick up a fuss and we would hear about it for half the episode. These clowns just get on with it, brushing it off and calling themselves bad Muslims. It is so funny.

The farmers leave the table in fifth place off to A Ma. At the cultural village, the sisters arrive and find their next clue; a road block. In this road block, they are given clues about the Chinese zodiac and must place animals in the correct order. The sisters start on the easy one’s but they are giving it a good crack.

Meanwhile, the models are lost and are going the wrong way. They drop out and go to a new taxi, only to find that the way they were going was correct!! Meanwhile, the surfers make it to the roadblock and the sisters team up with them.

The farmers arrive fourth and start on their zodiacs. I don’t think they would have a good knowledge on Eastern Mythology, so I wonder how they will go?

Meanwhile, back at the casino, Dave and Kelly get their next clue and leave Chris and Anastasia with Mo and Mos, Jeff and Luke and Mo and Mos.

The love birds finish before Jeff and Luke, the Big W ladies and Mo and Mos. Dave and Kelly arrive at the roadblock before the lovebirds. Luke and Jeff rock up and see the teams are working together so they asks the farmers to help them before the Big W ladies and Mo and Mos start in last place.

All teams are working on their zodiac challenges while Alana and Mel use their knowledge on drinks to finish their challenge with the surfers. They go through the gate and Alana and Mel finish as team number 2 with Tyler and Nathan as team number 3.

The models attempt to get through the gate with no luck so the bikers have a go and successfully make it to the pit stop in fourth place. The farmers are next in fifth place. An interesting bunch of groups in the top half of the board.

Jeff is proud of Luke for finishing the challenge and there is a teary moment. It felt out of place and not very emotional however the team is number six before the models unsuccessfully try at the gates again.

Chris and Anastasia are team number seven as the models freak out about coming last so they give up their express pass to come eighth at the pit stop. What a waste but probably for the best.

Now there is only Anne-Marie and Tracey and Mo and Mos left and they are struggling so Mos gives Anne-Marie a touching ‘goodbye’ message. They contemplate giving up before a poorly placed ad break.

After the break, Mo and Mos take the penalty and move on. Anne-Marie now has four hours to complete her challenge otherwise, Mo and Mos can go to the pit stop.

Anne-Marie has it and the Big W ladies make it to the pit stop but we find out that they defaulted (why?!?!?) and they are therefore last to the pit stop. Everyone at the pit stop is saddened by the loss of this team, but it was quite pathetic; they just gave up!

So that’s the end of the episode. It was nice having it at an hour in length and it was also nice to have the FABelievers out of the picture for half the episode. While I don’t agree with some of the actions of Joey and Richard and also dislike the way the Big W ladies left the competition, I won’t let this interfere with my verdict which overall, marks this as a very good episode despite some choppy camera work and poorly placed ad breaks.

 

Courtney’s Verdict: 8.5/10 + 1.0 (see above) =

9.5/10

 

Phew; what a week it has been! We start off the week with the (bitter) elimination of Jan Stephenson from Dancing With The Stars and you just know it will be an interesting week to come.

In fact; as it is, the less controversial Dancing With The Stars, although working the treat with me, did nothing for its performance, shedding a big share of its audience week on week. It would seem this show has moved on from being about the dancing; and is now just here for the controversies. Still; it was a nice episode of dancing and having fun, so I’ll lap it up while it lasts.

The Amazing Race Australia saw its first elimination; the wierdnamers, as I’ve been calling them, Ryot and Liberty ran last across the pit stop line and will go down with that unfortunate title of first ever Australian eliminated team.

On MasterChef; the emotions went from one strength to another. After Chelsea’s teary goodbye on Monday, the contestants were saved from having three extra contestants with immunity pins on their chest as Sun, Peter and Billy lost the immunity challenge.

The extraordinarily fun and exciting Cronulla Beach team challenge on Wednesday was partly overshadowed by probably the most controversial exit from the show all year as Cleo’s accidental mistake of cooking Ganache before completing her toffee (for this challenge; this was cheating) meant that only half her dish was tasted and despite being a hot favourite in the kitchen, she didn’t have what it took to survive; and she was given a saddening goodbye.

Australia’s Got Talent is finally getting somewhere as well as the auditions signed off for another year on Tuesday and the judges picked 2011’s semi-finalists on Wednesday (although a huge chunk of the audience were more interested in the State of Origin, so they might not have known who these people are).

 

That brings us to this week as Australia’s Got Talent’s semi-finalists sing for the first time for our votes. While a big question is, who will have what it takes to move on, another thing people are asking is will Jordan Paris be allowed to continue on despite plagiarising some performers? I hope so!

Another episode, another destination on The Amazing Race Australia as teams head to Hong Kong, China; another destination that is culturally diverse and rich with challenging possibilities.

On MasterChef, the contestants are flying out as well, but not as far. Bring on WA week as contestants travel to exotic locations in the Western State including the famous Busselton Jetty. There’s a lot of hype in this; can it deliver? It will be a huge test in its production values.

Lastly, we arrive at Dancing With The Stars. Not much to stay here; 9 dancers, 1 elimination, who will go tonight? Brynne? Occy? Lara? Possible Haley or Manu? Dan? Who knows; all I know is that whatever the verdict, we can be pretty sure it won’t be based on the dancing!

 

So that’s the outlook; we’re getting into the bulky parts of most shows with some programs just firing up. It makes for an exciting week ahead in reality TVLand!

 

 

Below is a list for all reality programs coded for the week 22-27 May 2011. This post is not meant to be a comparison, but just a round up of how your favourite show fared.

2 Australia’s Got Talent-Tue Seven 1,833,000
4 Masterchef Australia Mon Ten 1,514,000
6 Masterchef Australia Sun Ten 1,469,000
8 Masterchef Australia Thurs Ten 1,465,000
9 Dancing With The Stars Seven 1,451,000
12 Masterchef Australia Tues Ten 1,296,000
15 Australia’s Got Talent-Wed Seven 1,286,000
17 Masterchef Australia Wed Ten 1,236,000
21 The Amazing Race Australia Seven 1,144,000
32 Masterchef Australia – Masterclass Ten 921,000

 

The numbers to the left of the episode titles corresponds to that particular show’s position for the week.

 

As we can see, Wednesday’s edition of MasterChef Australia and Australia’s Got Talent are down quite severely from last week (MasterChef down 173,000; the weeks largest week on week drop; Australia’s Got Talent down 119,000) and the only episodes that gained an audience was Tuesday’s Australia’s Got Talent which rose by 44,000 viewers and the week’s biggest week on week gainer, MasterChef Australia- Sunday which rose by 60,000 viewers.

 

Dancing with the Stars shed 162,000 viewers from last week with The Amazing Race: Australia dropping a sizeable 114,000 viewers.

 

MasterChef was down across the week with Thursday’s episode the least affected; only 44,000 off on last week. 57,000 fled Monday’s episode while the MasterClass episode didn’t impress 67,000 enough to return this week. Tuesday’s episode was also down with 79,000 viewers deciding to give it a miss.

 

The State of Origin is on again this week; will the drop be larger? Will Dancing with the Stars fall further, and what is in store for The Amazing Race Australia; will it ‘J Curve’ its butt to a higher number? And how high can Australia’s Got Talent go?

 

All important question; an all important week of reality ahead!