A Never Ending Leg of the 'Race!' Plus, it's Nielsen Wednesday!

It was another thrilling night of racing last night on The Amazing Race! The teams headed out of the gate and off to a local elementary school in Salt Lake City where they grabbed a number and slept in their campers until their respective shuttles left. The Weavers were spared elimination last leg, but were without their belongings and any money (which they reminded us by reciting the clue that said that one team has zero dollars for this leg of the race, and of course, added that favorite Amazing Race line, "I wonder who that is!"). Minor exaggerated drama ensued when the Weavers met up with the Linzes and they tried to rub it into their faces that they were not eliminated, and therefore, the Linzes wasted their Yield. Onward and upward as the teams learned that they would be taking a hot air balloon ride. The much-hyped "midair collision" between two teams was seriously a slight brush between the two balloons. There was no drama, no almost death moments, no hurt feelings, nothing like what the CBS promos led you to believe. Shocking, I know. There was, however, some drama when the Weavers' balloon landed on a steep hillside close to an interstate, but everyone got out alive and they quickly moved on to the next location, Heber Valley Railway. Now, it's time for a Godlewski update. They managed to finish the hot air balloon task without a major breakdown! Maybe this would be the leg of the race where they managed to work together instead of against each other. Things were certainly looking good.

Oh, I spoke too soon because a major breakdown was right around the corner! At the Heber Valley Railway, the teams encountered a Detour that had them choose between "Spike it or Steam it." In Spike it, teams had to lay down 20 feet of railroad the old fashioned way and get it inspected before they received their next clue. In Steam it, teams had to load 400 pounds of coal into an old steam engine train using a wheel barrel and buckets. All the teams, except the Weavers, chose Spike it. The Linz boys quickly started hammering and aligning as Megan looked on and the Bransens were right behind them. It seemed that WalDER had finally found a task in the race that he excelled at, while his daughters tried to help. The Weavers, although behind, used a huge helping of teamwork and charged through Steam it, beating the Godlewskis and landing in third behind the Linzes and Bransens. It is time once again for a Godlewski update. Remember how I thought that this leg might be the charm for this team, wow was I wrong! The sisters tried desperately to complete the Detour, but their constant bickering caused them to work against each other instead of with each other. Once they finally completed the task, they got back in their car and all decided to blame Chris for choosing the Spike it Detour. Of course, this led to a Chris breakdown and then more put downs by her sisters. Having completed the Detour, all the teams were headed for the Tree of Utah, which was not a tree, but a giant sculpture in the middle of the Salt Flats that one of the Bransen daughters called a "tree of hemorrhoids." Phil told us that the "tree" was built "to bring color and beauty to the stark landscape." Wow, that really didn't work, did it? Maybe if they had, I don't know, made it look more like an ACTUAL TREE! Anyway, this was neither here nor there as the teams found their clues and learned that they would travel to Garden City to spend the night. The order in which they arrived would dictate the order in which they would depart the next morning.

The Bransens were first out the gate, followed by the Weavers, Godlewskis and Linzes (who were held up by a "production error" in which one of the cameramen accidentally drained their car battery while charging some of his equipment for the second week in a row). The teams headed to a ranch in Wyoming where they encountered a Roadblock. Two members from each team needed to mount horses and round up some cattle. The Bransen daughters breezed through the task and the Weavers did as well, although they had an advantage because both daughters ride and the family owns horses. The Godlewskis had yet, another breakdown on their way to the ranch. In a scene that almost mirrored the scene in the first Austin Powers movie when Austin attempted to back up in a small cart and turn around in a narrow hallway, Sharon Godlewski passed the road they needed to take to reach the ranch, but it seems that she isn't very good at backing up with a large camper attached to her vehicle. She would back up an inch, pull forward an inch, and so on. But unlike the "International Man of Mystery," Sharon had a WIDE OPEN, flat road to use and yet, still could not get things turned around. Luckily for the wacky sisters, a friendly passerby stopped and got their vehicle back on track. All of the teams completed the Roadblock, and they headed to Yellowstone National Park to see Old Faithful. Each team needed to see the geyser erupt before they received their next clue, but it only erupts every 90 minutes. Out of all The Amazing Race time tricks, this one has to be the best. The 90 minute difference could be a deciding factor in who goes home! But wait, after watching the eruption, the Bransens and the Weavers were neck and neck and a foot race ensued as they approached Phil sitting on a fence at a ranch, except where was the mat? Where was the cute little "Amazing Race Wyoming" marker?? Oh that Phil is a tricky one! This was not a Pit Stop, but just another stop to receive another clue! Phil informed both exhausted teams that the leg was not over. Back at Old Faithful, the Godlewskis and Linzes were disappointed to learn that they had just missed the eruption. After waiting the 90 minutes, they saw another eruption and received their clues. The two teams were back on the road headed to Phil, and we got the dreaded "To Be Continued..." on our screens.

I would be remiss if I did not at least mention last night's Law & Order: SVU. This show is always good. You can count on it, but every so often it has an episode that just blows you away. This was that every so often episode. How scary was this episode? Once again we went from one thing (kidnapped Hurricane Katrina survivors) and ended up somewhere seemingly unrelated (local journalist in jail because he won't reveal his source) without batting an eye. I always enjoy the Olivia-heavy episodes the best because she's a fascinating character and Mariska Hargitay is such a gifted actress. She really shone last night. This was an excellent episode and a stand out for the season. I really hope they follow up with poor Jackson who is sitting in jail protecting freedom of the press and Olivia's behind. I'd also like to see if the feds interview the SVU team and get to the bottom of the leak and how that affects Liv. This episode left open so many possibilities, and I'd like to see this show pursue them in the future.

About Last Night... CBS won the first hour of the night with NCIS, followed by the first half of NBC's The Biggest Loser finale and ABC comedies According to Jim and Rodney. At 9, NBC's The Biggest Loser conclusion won the hour, followed by House on Fox and Commander In Chief on ABC. The final hour of the night went to NBC's Law & Order: SVU, followed by ABC's annual Ten Most Fascinating People and a rerun of Criminal Minds on CBS. For more on last night's ratings, visit Zap2it.

~Primetime Pass~
@8 p.m. - Perennial holiday favorite Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer airs tonight on CBS. Over on NBC, it's another holiday favorite as the network airs Christmas in Rockefeller Center.

@9 p.m. - Kate's crime is finally revealed and the survivors lay one of their own to rest on ABC's Lost. As of last Thursday, this episode was scheduled to run an extra four minutes, and it's also more than likely the last new episode to air before the new year. Over on UPN, Alyson Hannigan returns to Veronica Mars as Veronica uncovers some information about her mother that leads her to believe that she may not have known her well at all. After the show airs, log onto aol.com and watch an alternate ending to the episode. Then, you will have the chance to vote for your favorite ending! The alternate ending will only be available for one week, so remember to log on after the show and check it out!

@10 p.m. - Van Burren's college friend's daughter is found dead on NBC's Law & Order. Over on ABC, Dave is abducted and Sirk gets a look at one of the orange, luminescent beings on Invasion. As noted above, Lost will run four minutes longer, so this show will begin at 10:04 p.m. This episode marks the last before the show goes on a short hiatus to accommodate the recently moved Alias.



QUICK CUTS

*Tom Selleck is headed back to a TV near you. The former Magnum P.I. star will guest star on an upcoming episode of Boston Legal. He'll play Shirley Schmidt's ex-husband, for whom he still carries a torch. Selleck's last guest appearance on a television show was back in 2000 when he made his final appearance as Monica's former boyfriend on Friends. Look for Selleck's appearance on Boston Legal later this season.

*CBS is blending the popularity of cell phone ring tones and one of its hit shows. You'll hear Coldplay's single "Talk" first tonight on CSI: NY and then you'll have an opportunity to own it as your cell phone ring tone. The new single will be featured as a ring tone in a scene where Danny gets a call regarding the case the CSIs are working. CBS will then air promotional messages during the break that will alert viewers as to how to purchase and download your very own "Talk" ring tone. Later in the episode, you will hear the Coldplay single in the background. The single is featured on Coldplay's hugely popular X&Y album. The episode of CSI: NY featuring the single airs tonight on CBS.

*And finally, it's Nielsen Wednesday! CBS once again dominated the ratings led by CSI (#2), Survivor (tie #4), Without A Trace (tie #4), Cold Case (tie #6), CSI: Miami (tie #6), and NCIS (#10). ABC landed in second in total viewers, but first in the 18-49 year old group. The rest of the top 10 include Desperate Housewives (#1), Grey's Anatomy (#3), Lost (#8), and Law & Order: SVU (#9). To see the entire top 20 shows, click on over to USA Today.

That's all for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Lost (what exactly did Kate do that landed her in the custody of a U.S. Marshall?) and Veronica Mars (two endings for the price of one? Can't wait to see how this goes!). Plus, all the latest television news!