'Race' goes down to wire

Michael Mehle

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

Photos By Cbs

Ronald and Christina

Nicolas and Donald

TK and Rachel

Ever question why there are always last-minute seats available - but never quite enough - for every transcontinental flight the teams need to take on their dash around the world in The Amazing Race? That's not for you to wonder. Instead, contemplate who'll win the 12th edition of the Emmy-winning competition that wraps up Sunday.

Actually, we've done the thinking for you (so you can go back to wondering just how many seats CBS has to lock up on Air India every year - and who gets those frequent-flier miles). How we handicap the finale:

Nicolas and Donald

* Why they'll win: While other teams are just a Chernobyl meltdown of dysfunction waiting to happen, this grandpa and grandson seem to know and accept their roles. The young half carries the bags and runs down the clues, while the older one offers a cranky comment or two and . . . well, we're not sure what else. They've exceeded their unlofty goals (not to be the first ones eliminated), so their backpacks won't be weighed down by unreasonable expectations for the final leg.

* Why they won't win: If Nicolas is in the cockpit, don't bank on landing at your ticketed destination. This young airline pilot has a penchant for getting lost. A lot. But at least his unhurried wandering through challenges gives Grandpa Donald plenty of time to rest, which he's needed in the latter stages of the race. Slow, tired Gramps + wayward grandson = slim chances for $1 million. But at least they'll still have their new tattoos.

Ronald and Christina

* Why they'll win: Christina's higher education (she holds degrees from Duke and Princeton) and background in diplomacy (she once served in the State Department) have come in handy - and that's just for dealing with Dad. If Ronald can keep up and keep his mouth shut for a few days, his daughter has demonstrated that she's smart, driven and patient enough to pull them both across the finish line first.

* Why they won't win: Pop's got a hernia and the notion that father knows best - about everything. While he always cops to his ignoramus tendencies after the fact, he's like the self-aware alcoholic who can't keep his lips off the bottle no matter how many times he wakes up with great regrets and his head in the toilet. When the going gets rough, Ronald can't help himself, and his fatherly advice could sink the family's shot at fortune.

TK and Rachel

* Why they'll win: The scent of patchouli from these mellow, happy hippies is so strong we believe it can permeate your living room via most plasma TV screens. TK and Rachel would keep their cool if they were aboard the Hindenburg as it was crashing into the Titanic. You simply can't faze them, which could be their ticket to riches.

* Why they won't win: Every week holds the possibility of becoming an episode of Dude, Where's My Car? Their spacey nonchalance nearly cost them a spot in the final three, and we're not so sure they can ratchet up the urgency for the final sprint at the end of this marathon. It's like betting on basset hounds to win a dog race.

Trouble in Coreyland

"Next season will have to be darker, edgier and more real because that's where it's at."

Corey Feldman, left, writing on his blog about plans for a second season of The Two Coreys. While the first season was largely scripted, the second will allegedly be more authentic and play off the real-life rift that has developed between Feldman and Corey Haim, right. The A&E series will debut in the spring.

What's old is new again

The networks are starting to bring a bunch of reality shows out of mothballs to fill the gaping holes in their lineups:

* The Bachelorette ABC isn't divulging details, but the female spinoff to The Bachelor is expected to return for the first time since 2005 sometime this summer.

* The Mole is returning this summer with a simplified format and new hosts (considering that Anderson Cooper has moved on to greener pastures).

* Paradise Hotel 2 will be back on the Fox Reality network, although one of its contestants died after filming was completed.