I didn't watch the first season of TAR Asia, so I can't say whether it's just me or it is really difficult to watch it in conjunction with TAR.

All season long, I keep asking myself, wait, didn't they visit this city before? Oh, right, it was that other show. But, but, didn't Phil ask the couple how they were holding up? Oh, right, Phil does that all the time. Huh, didn't he have a dog previously? Oh, right, that was Will Smith, busy finding cure for the zombies.

Jokes aside -- yeah, right, as if -- I find the season refreshing. As in, it lacks the usual level of bitchiness. On both the -- how's that for being redundant -- TAR and TAR Asia, the team members are generally nice(r) to each other. Again, I probably shouldn't say anything 'bout Asia, not having watched the previous one; for all I know, Asians -- here using the term loosely, given the contestants -- may well be always as nice.

There is still a certain amount of yelling and trying to be sneaky kinda thing, sure. But if you were as avid a fan of the show as I am, you would notice the difference. I can't tell whether it's the amazing editors at work or the people are indeed more pleasant. As a rule of thumb, reality TV producers relish conflicts and reality TV fans love to hate their villains, so I'm inclined to think it's the latter.

Then again, they might have decided to tone it down this season, to make for a more enjoyable viewing experience.

Either way, I welcome the change. Hey, what can I say, I'm a peace lover by nature. No, really, I am.

You know what, just as I am typing this, a certain Filipina comes to mind. OK, OK, maybe not everyone is that friendly and loving and caring.

On the other hand, with all the friendliness and love and care -- that certain Filipina excepted -- it's quite hard to pick a favorite. It's, like, I don't mind any of them winning. Kinda like watching Liverpool play Liverpool Reserves. Or Kobe one-on-one with Clyde The Glide. Or Sharapova and Hantuchova (or Kirilenko or Ivanovic or Chakvetadze or... OK, I'll stop).

(For the record, I think Liverpool, Kobe, and Sharapova would come up on top. That is, if Ryan Babel didn't start.)

Because a reality show won't be as fun without anyone to root for, I'll go and pick my favs just for the sake of it. I told you about the Malaysian sisters, so I'll take them to win Asia. As for TAR, hmm... Probably the father-daughter team. On the first few legs, the father was funny and they were pretty entertaining. Less so as the season progressed, but I like the daughter. Just read their bio and found out she's a policy analyst, whatever that is.

So, go Father-Daughter! And go Malaysian Sisters! If you win, I promise I'll learn who's who.

Current music: Rinto Harahap - Tangan Tak Sampai
Current mood: happy