One Final Leg

Tonight's the big night! "The Amazing Race" finale kicks off at 9 p.m. on CBS. As you know, the Emmy-winning show is Franklin Avenue's Patron Reality Series.

I don't know much about the finale, as I wanted to keep some element of surprise for myself. But I do know that the show's finish line is in Dallas... and rumor has it that the "yield" WILL be used again. Very possibly by the evil Colin and Christie.

Yeah. Those two. The villains we've loved to hate this season. Maria and I couldn't stop screaming at the TV last week when they managed to escape elimination (by coming in last during one of three pre-determined non-elimination rounds). And yes, the producers swear up and down that indeed those non-elimination rounds are pre-determined. Otherwise, I'm sure they would have kept Charla and Mirna around one more week.

There will be hell to pay if Team Emotional Abuse wins it all. Like you, we're pushing for the friendly duo of Chip and Kim -- but I'm afraid they may have doomed themselves by "yielding" Colin and Christie last week (setting C&C Crazy Factory out for revenge). I'll even be fine with the Bowling Moms or religious models Brandon and Nicole... just, please, let's not reward Colin's ugly American routine or Christie's serious self-loathing issues.

"The Amazing Race 6," which kicks off in Chicago, has been pushed back to later in the fall. Officially, CBS says it wants to place some distance between it and tonight's "TAR5" finale. But it also gives the network a chance to wait and see whether there's room to move the show to a weeknight. ("TAR6" is currently slated for the no-man's-land of Saturday night. With its second consecutive Emmy in hand, I think that will change.)