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.

Kevin and Drew
Finished 4th in TAR1. Since, there have been few online discussions on TAR contestants without references to these two frat brothers, favs of many. I myself was indifferent towards this team. Well, maybe a bit on the "like" side, for their standing up to Team Guido. As racers, they were just average, IMO. Then again, this is TAR1 -- considered The Amazing Race by many -- we're talking about. Average racers then might well have been good racers in subsequent seasons. Still, I don't think they'll crack top 4 this time. My prediction: 5th-6th place.

Oswald and Danny
Finished 4th in TAR2. Dubbed Team Cha Cha Cha, they were one of those always-happy, entertaining teams that made lotsa fans. Yet, they had some persistence as well as not giving up attitude about them. Looking at the rest of the field, though, I'd say they'll be in the bottom half this season. My prediction: 7th-8th place.

John Vito and Jill
Finished 5th in TAR3. My fav team then, along with the Riker Twins. And they were Philiminated here in SG, of all places. No longer an item now, but I hope they've lost none of their quiet hard-working team nature. What I'd like to see they get better at this time are map-reading skills and sense of directions. I would love to see them all the way through to the final three, but they always have this vibe of an honest team with bad luck, especially when it comes to taxis. My prediction: either 3rd-4th or 7th-8th place.

Uchenna and Joyce
Won TAR7 -- to my chagrin. Check out their photo, doesn't Joyce look lovely with that hair? Please, let there be no more hair-shaving task this season. They were always just an average team to me -- yes, despite winning it all. They bled too much time between tasks and seemed to have a lot of problems with navigation. Oh, and the "nice couple" edit bothered me a bit. My prediction: 5th-6th place.

David and Mary
Finished 6th in TAR10. I hope you still remember the coal miner and wife. I know it may be too much to ask, but I hope this time David would show up more and Mary would shut up. Unless they get into an alliance early, I don't see them past the first two episodes. My prediction: 10th-11th place.

Charla and Mirna
Finished 6th in TAR5. They were certainly one of the teams everyone loved to hate. They had the language skills and manipulative nature going for them and I think they would be hard to beat this season. I do hope they'll keep the God-loving profile low. Unless it's part of their strategy, of course. In which case, smart of them. Because the last thing you need in such a stressful race is someone machine-gunning you with words on how God loves her and her teammate so much more than the other contestants. My prediction: 7th-8th place.

Rob and Amber
Finished 2nd in TAR7. Villains to many, they were and will once again be my fav team. Sorry, I just can't help it. She was my TV GF in Australian Outback, I watched them fall for each other and him propose to her during All-Stars, I cheered for them to the finish line in TAR, and I followed their marriage. They're the sneaky version of John Vito and Jill. My prediction: 1st-2nd place.

Teri and Ian
Finished 2nd in TAR3. Hated them then, although I felt bad about what people said with regard to their sons. Nonetheless, I hope they stay evil so that I can hate them yet again. When else can you hate someone without feeling bad about it? To be fair, they played well and kept it close with the younger contestants. This time, I see them as just another old couple. My prediction: 10th-11th place.

Eric and Danielle
He finished 2nd, she 7th in TAR9. I don't know what to make of this newly dating couple. Eric was pretty good racing with Jeremy. Danielle and her partner Dani showed some determination and strength, albeit not much navigational savvy. That makes them an extreme team for me, either they would finish top or get Philiminated early. My prediction: 3rd-4th or 9th-10th place.

Joe and Bill
Finished 3rd in TAR1. Team Guido infamously defined the term "villains" in TAR. Not only were they ruthless and at times overly competitive, they displayed some shrewd decision-making ability and were quite good at navigation. I wanna go controversial here and put them in the bottom four. My prediction: 8th-9th place.

Dustin and Kandice
Finished 4th in TAR10. The beauty queens I hated so much towards the end. There's no denying their sharpness and physical abilities, though. That they didn't care for how they were perceived by others helped them somewhat in the race. I suspect that may just be the case again this time. And before you know it, they'll be running the final leg. The first all-female winners? Why not. If they can ignore Boston Rob and stay focused on their game, that is. My prediction: 1st-2nd place.

There's no all-young-male team this time around, I wonder if that was intentional. I mean, sure, There's Kevin and Drew as well as Oswald and Danny, but I'm talking the Rob and Brennan type, the Chris and Alex type, the Tyler and James type here. I'm totally fine with that. I mean, it'll make a much more exciting race when you can't tell for sure who'll win a footrace.

Of the eleven teams, I question the selection of Dustin and Kandice and David and Mary. I guess the producers picked the beauty queens since they're the most likely all-lady team to win -- Lena and Kristy would surely be more popular with the fans, though. David and Mary, well, I see how they're memorable somewhat, but I would rather have teams like Gus and Hera (for father-daughter touch) or Colin "My Ox Is Broken" and Christie (for skillful, competitive couple). That would be awesome, seeing Colin or Tara (of TAR2's Tara and Will) work the airport against Boston Rob and Team Guido.

Hmm, what are the chances of them visiting Indonesia this time around? Not very high, I think, but hey, one can hope. I mean, c'mon, it's one of the biggest countries in Asia and yet they keep snubbing us, how fair is that.

Anyway, Feb 18 has just become all the more important to me now. First, the NBA All-Star Weekend that I missed last year. Now this. I'll be home in Indonesia, so here's hoping for God to provide me with a cable-connected TV on that day.

Current music: Tim McGraw - Live Like You Were Dying
Current mood: happy