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Wipeout : When I saw the previews for this show, I assumed I wouldn't like it, but it is one show where I laugh nearly all the way through it. It's amazing how many ways the human body can bounce off of those big balls, and every single one of them is funny. It mystifies me why anyone would sign on to take this kind of punishment, especially for only $50,000, and that only if you come out on top of 23 others. On Dance Machine, another ABC show, contestants only have to beat five people to win twice as much ($100,000), and all they have to do is dance entertainingly enough to get audience votes. Even bad dancers can win as long as they can get the audience on their side. That is a lot better odds and a much less difficult way to get some money than Wipeout. But Wipeout seems to have plenty of people willing to physically punish themselves on the Wipeout courses, so for that reason, I don't feel guilty about laughing at the contestants' wipeouts. But that's not all that causes my laughter. This show wouldn't be nearly so funny without the hosts--John Anderson, John Henson and Jill Wagner. Their dialog and narration of the action and interviews with the contestants are hilarious and really make the show worth watching.

The Baby Borrowers: I was not prepared for how offensive some of these teenage kids can be. The temper tantrums are something to behold! One of the best of those was on the first show when Kelly refused to wear the pregnancy suit. Is she planning to have a baby without ever being pregnant? I guess it can be done, but someone will still have to be pregnant, and it sure wouldn't hurt her to spend one little day getting some idea of what that's like in order to at least empathize and gain some appreciation for how babies actually come to be. Alicea is another unrealistic person who is difficult to like. She seems to be getting more of a clue and engaging in some actual introspection in the most recent episode during the pre-teen phase, though, and that was refreshing to see/hear. I was really liking Jordan and Sasha and was impressed with their maturity compared to the other couples until Sasha had her atomic blow-up at the poor mom of the toddler. Jordan still seemed pretty level-headed, though. Kelsey is another drama queen with her little tummy-ache episode during the baby phase and taking offense at the mom of the pre-teens trying to explain to her why she needs to learn to eat right in order for her future children to eat right. The guys overall seem much more easygoing and ready and willing to do what it takes in each phase and also have an amazing amount of patience for the histrionics of their girlfriends.

The Next Food Network Star: I really liked Kelsey and was sad to see her go, but I kind of understand why they eliminated her. She just didn't have the same level of knowledge and experience as the others. Aaron's dishes always seem to be the ones I most want to eat when they show them and describe them. Now if he can just learn to cook and talk at the same time, he should do very well. I thought Lisa did well in the being-interviewed-while-cooking part of the challenge, but I agreed with the judges that she should have made more of an attempt at a better mac and cheese than Adam. I was surprised when Adam tanked on the interview portion since he did so well in the piece with Rachael Ray in a previous episode. It sure is hard to predict who the judges will pick as a winner out of this final three. Each one has different strengths and weaknesses than the others. At this point, I'm thinking that Aaron has the best chance of overcoming his weaknesses and being in a position to win.