The Amazing Race, in Its 13th Season

It seems like it's been an exceptionally long wait, but "The Amazing Race" has finally returned, for its 13th season.

There aren't many television programs that are an absolute must for me to watch, but I will always be sure to tune into "The Amazing Race".

Everyone always has their favorite teams, hoping they'll win the race and the million dollar prize at the end. However, the first show makes it a little hard to choose right there and then, who you want to win. But that's all in the fun of watching the program each and every week, as the viewer learns a little bit more about each of the team members.

The viewer will most probably change their "favorites" a few times during the progression of the race, both after getting to know the couples better, and as each elimination round comes to a close.

And so, the race is on!

This season, the eleven teams consist of:

Terence and Sarah, a dating couple from NY. They admit to being highly competitive and Terence reveals that his partner Sarah tends to have a "controlling" personality. This might be the couple to watch for flare ups, angry outbursts and temper tantrums (there always seemed to be one such couple in the bunch in past seasons). Sometimes it can make for an exciting race, or, they may just be the couple you love to hate.

Marisa and Brooke, best friends from South Carolina. Of course, they're both "blonde", so everyone will be watching them closely to see if any blonde "traits" shine though. They attest to never having had a fight between them, so it'll be interesting to see if the grueling pace of the race and the difficulty of the tasks, will test their friendship to the limits.

Andrew and Dan, fraternity brothers from Arizona State University. They've both travelling throughout their lives, so they are hoping that this will be to their advantage. Dan works in tourism, so he's hoping that this will also help them even more. They project somewhat of an arrogant attitude when it comes to women, thinking they can flirt with the female teams, gaining their confidence and then pulling the rug out from under them. It'll be interesting to see how their "plan" works.... when you're too arrogant and self-assured, things have a tendancy to backfire on you!

Aja and Ty, a couple dating long distance. They're hoping that this time together will help to strengthen their relationship. Although they speak almost every day, being together 24 hours a day isn't quite the same, so it'll be interesting to see how they handle this fact during their duration in the race. It may bring them even closer together, or pull them apart once and for all. They've both done some travelling in their lives, so this might help them during the race. They seem like a strong and determined young couple, so they may give all the other teams a good run for their money.

Mark and Bill, self-professed geeks, living and working in CA. They're an older team, in their 40's, so we'll have to see if this is a benefit or a hindrance to them. They're hoping that their wit and intelligence will see them through the race, as neither seem to be in the best of physical shape. But, sometimes good wits are all one needs for the Amazing Race, working together to outsmart all the other teams.

Toni and Dallas, a mother and son team. It seems every season has a team with a huge age difference, and this season is no exception. Mom Toni doesn't seem to be in the best shape physically, however Dallas' tenacity and youth might be their one advantage. One can't rule them out too soon, but there may be some rifts as mom Toni tries to pull rank on son Dallas.

Nick and Starr, brother and sister, residing at opposite ends of the country. Nick is a Broadway actor, Starr is a Dallas cheerleader. They have enthusiasm and youth on their side (being 21 and 22), as well as Starr's physical endurance, being a cheerleader as her advantage. The only difficulties they might encounter are sibling rifts, but if they're as close as they say they are, they should do very well in this race. As well, they've both done some travelling so hitting the airports will be a familiarity for them both. However, their travels didn't exactly take them to under-developed countries, should they encounter such in this race.

Anita and Arthur, married hippie couple who run their own bee farm in Oregon. Unfortunately, as I type out this report, Anita and Arthur have been the first team to be eliminated. It is rather sad to see them be the first to go, as they seemed like such a down-to-earth, loving couple. However, one could see that their "slowness" and age would definitely be a detriment to their placing well in this race. Still, they seemed to have truly enjoyed the experience of the first leg of the journey. I'm sure they would have been a "hopeful favorite" of many viewers.

Kelly and Christy, best friends from Texas, who both happend to be divorced. Being that they've both endured and gotten through some tough times in their lives, might have given them the fight and drive to do well in this race. It seems that they will give each other the encouragement needed to get through the grueling pace. Kelly claims that she "always" gets what she wants in life. Will this be her strength or will this be what does her in, in the end?

Ken and Tina, an estranged couple, living on different coasts of the country. Ken repeatly remarks on his past mistake of cheating on his wife, but wants to use this race to "prove" to Tina that his love is still strong. They are both hoping that this race will help them to realize if they should remain married or not. He's a former football player, so he may have the physical strength to do well in this race. Tina appears to be physically fit as well. If they can leave past mistakes IN the past, and not carry those with them into this race, they should do well, and may just have a large cheering section in the viewers.

Anthony and Stephanie, a dating couple. Stephanie is hoping for marriage while Anthony is happy with the way things are, which creates some discontent in their relationship. They have previously been separated, but like Ken and Tina, hope this race will strengthen their relationship. They admit to bickering, so again, will they carry this into the race? Some viewers think that this adds some spice to the show, but as past shows will attest to, the constant bickering can slow a team down when time is of the essense. This can be a huge disadvantage to the team. Stephanie also admits that her downfall is in reading maps, so let's just hope that she does the driving and Anthony does the navigating.

This should prove to be a very exciting season of "The Amazing Race". Have you picked your favorite team yet?