Two episodes in, time to take stock.

The sad #1: my second fav team was Philiminated -- in the first leg, nonetheless. Well, I'm too longtime a fan not to see it coming. A potentially very good team with a healthy relationship to boot. Alas, also with such damned bad luck. Curiously, Jill gave this impression that the no-longer couple may be "on a new path that's definitely more than just friends." Whoa, careful there, guys. That IMO is one of the most difficult kinds of relationship to manage. Wish them the best.

Valentine's Day had never been my time of the year. But it was especially worse this year.

I reached the place by the river at seven in the evening. It was always couples' favorite spot, all the more so on Valentine's Day. All the couple benches -- so called because they seated two persons and were ideally positioned for the romantically involved -- were occupied. Most, if not all, the ladies had flowers in their hands, naturally -- flowers the gentlemen had undoubtedly spent ridiculous amounts on. The men were all smiles, nonetheless. The beauty -- mystery, some said -- of love.

Nah, not until Feb 18, but I'm excited already.

Unlike many people on those message boards, I'm all for an all-star season of my fav show. Although, as in every discussion on reality shows' all-star editions, I question the "star" aspect of it. More on that later.

Eleven teams take part this season. That's down one from the last season, so hopefully we won't have another one-hour finale this time around. Here's the lineup.