What happens when you put a controversial baseball player, a Broadway star and a pair of outspoken twins on an island? You get the cast of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur.

The reality show returns for its 29th (!) season next month. After the success of 2013's Blood Vs. Water, the show decided to return to the format, pitting contestants against loved ones to vie for the million-dollar prize. This season, the castaways will compete in San Juan Del Sur, a region on the southwest coast of Nicaragua.

For the first time in the show's history, there will be an uneven number of men vs.

What happens when you put a controversial baseball player, a Broadway star and a pair of outspoken twins on an island? You get the cast of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. The reality show returns for its 29th (!) season next month. After the success of 2013's Blood Vs. Water, the show decided to return to the format, pitting contestants against loved ones to vie for the million-dollar prize. This season, the castaways will compete in San Juan Del Sur, a region on the southwest coast of Nicaragua. For the first time in the show's history, there will be an uneven number of men vs.

What happens when you put a controversial baseball player, a Broadway star and a pair of outspoken twins on an island? You get the cast of Survivor: San Juan Del Sur. The reality show returns for its 29th (!) season next month. After the success of 2013's Blood Vs. Water, the show decided to return to the format, pitting contestants against loved ones to vie for the million dollar prize. This season, the castaways will compete in San Juan Del Sur, a region on the southwest coast of Nicaragua. For the first time in the show's history, there will be an uneven number of men vs.

Jerry Bruckheimer will receive the Honorary Golden Nymph Award in 2014.

The prolific TV and film producer will be honoured with the prestigious prize at the 54th Annual Monte Carlo Television Festival next summer.

Prince Albert of Monaco will hand the award to the filmmaker at the festival, which is held from June 7 to 11.

Festival CEO Laurent Puons said in a statement: "If it is possible for a producer to become a worldwide brand, Jerry Bruckheimer is that producer.

"His work is seen throughout the world and has captured the imagination of multiple generations who have experienced the very best in filmed entertainment that he has produced. We are delighted that he has accepted our invitation to honour him. He will receive an award from Hsh Prince Albert that he richly deserves."

Past winners of the award include the likes of Dick Wolf, Anne Sweeney, David E Kelley, Merv Griffin and Reg Grundy.

Previously on The Amazing Race, teams traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, where we enjoyed the view as several of them stripped down in a Turkish bath. Trey & Lexi scored their first 1st place finish along with a trip to Australia. Brent & Josh overcame a Speed Bump penalty for finishing last in the previous Leg to stay in the race, albeit in last place. Rob & Kelley fell to the back of the pack and were Philiminated. And Natalie & Nadiya proved themselves to be lying thieving scumbags when they pocketed cash dropped by James & Abba, forcing Team Headbang to beg in the streets of Bangladesh. Also still Racing: Jaymes & James and Ryan & Abbie.

In Leg 7, teams flew from Istanbul to Moscow. There they faced the choice of “Alphabetized” or “Synchronized” in the Detour. In “Alphabetized” teams had to locate four books in the Russian State Library using the Cyrillic-language card catalog. In “Synchronized...

On "The Amazing Race" a couple weeks back, Monster Trucker Rob French blamed a local Bangladeshi riverboat captain for costing his pairing the million dollar prize due to a faulty end-of-Leg delivery.   Rob spoke too soon. The transportation screw-up only cost Rob & Kelley one place in that particular Leg.   It was a different travel gaffe, this one self-inflicted, that officially ended things for Rob & Kelley. On an early morning in Istanbul, they were the only team to take the Metro to a clue marker, eschewing taxi cabs for fear of traffic congestion. Had there been gridlock in...

The Amazing Race Review, Season 21, Episode 6

“Get Your Sexy On”

Airs Sundays at 8pm (Et) on CBS

In a fast-paced competition like The Amazing Race, conventional wisdom might suggest that it’s wise to avoid getting stuck with the pack. However, the chaos and confusion actually make this false thinking in most cases. Teams that believe they can outperform the others in challenges should want to stay with the group. This approach ensures that they’re following the right path and aren’t venturing into unknown territory. There are rare exceptions where a team is so powerful that they can grab a big lead and force others to follow. Season five’s Colin and Christie are a good example of this approach. They realized that few teams could stay with them and took charge to win most of the legs. On the other hand, there are less skillful players that...

Monster-truckers Rob and Kelley unfortunately reached the end of their Amazing Race journey on Sunday night. Et catches up with the pair, who share their dismay at Sunday night's inter-team money grab, and Rob explains how the Beekman boys changed his perspective on gay couples.

ETOnline: What did you think of Nadiya and Natalie taking the Rockers' money and splitting it with Trey and Lexi?

Kelley: I just thought that was crazy!

Rob: I can tell you that we didn't know anything about it. And we had a lot of questions toward us about the commercials because I guess they were sayin' somebody stole the money and then they showed our picture, which I thought was crazy. But it was definitely, as far as I'm concerned, I felt that it was a rule violation and I felt that both teams should have been eliminated from the race.

Related: Rob & Sheila on Heartbreaking Amazing Race Ouster...

We're burning through Racers faster than Emily Thorne burns through the Hamptons

For those of you hanging in this season of The Amazing Race hoping for some Chippendale skin, this was your night! Teams traveled to Istanbul, Turkey, where they encountered a Detour, a choice of two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. The star choice tonight was "Scrub It". Teams went to a Turkish bathhouse where they changed into bathing costumes and selected an attendant for a traditional bath and massage.

Take your pick

Ryan

Ryan & Abbie

Trey

With Teams 1 through 3 out of the way, that left Team Chippendale to finish washing up...

Team Chippendale

The other choice was Simit. Teams found a local bakery and collected simits, which are Turkish bagels. They had to stack them on trays and balance them on their heads for delivery to three different locations. Shockingly, the Beekman Boys did Simit.

The Amazing Race Review, Season 21, Episode 5, “Chill Out, Freak”

Airs Sundays at 8pm (Et) on CBS

It’s time for killer fatigue! There’s only so long that teams can deal with limited sleep, intense stress, and small quantities of food before they start dropping. When these factors are added to excessive heat and grueling challenges, the likelihood of a breakdown only grows. Players start making mistakes and have trouble with tasks they would normally complete without a hitch. With only seven teams remaining, this also felt like the right time for a non-elimination leg. The tasks are usually more physically demanding in those instances to keep the excitement high. If no one’s going to exit, the producers don’t want viewers throwing up their hands in disgust. Despite the lack of a departing pair, this week remains exciting because of the higher difficulty level. Bangladesh is not an easy place to navigate,...

The Amazing Race Review, Season 21, Episode 3

“There’s No Crying in Baseball”

Airs Sundays at 8pm (Et) on CBS

In the current era of The Amazing Race, the producers have used two primary tactics to generate tension. The first move is casting volatile teams like Brendon and Rachel from last season that create drama with their mere presence. This has been a more common strategy in recent installments. In cases where the cast is generally likable like this year, precise game design is a necessity to avoid watching congenial teams meekly depart each week. If there was more drama among the teams this year, it’s guaranteed the editors would make a big deal about the infractions. Since that isn’t possible so far, an old-school approach is needed to set up an exciting conclusion. There are plenty of different ways the producers can try to influence the race, and...

Caitlin & Brittany (Team Blonde)

In the second Leg of The Amazing Race 21, ten teams flew from Shanghai to Indonesia where they witnessed some bullsh-...uh, bull racing, lured innocent children onto their adongadongs and chose between hauling ice and sorting fish. Twins Natalie & Nadiya served fishy realness at the market and claimed first place along with the Express Pass, which will allow them to skip a task later in the Race. Rob & Kelley were thoroughly unpleasant to everyone and so of course made it through to the next Leg. Team Gay remains at full strength with the Beekmans going from seventh to fifth and Team Chippendale jumping all the way from last to third. Gary & Will were the first team to threaten to quit... but didn't quit hard enough, coming in at ninth and causing Amy & Daniel to be Philiminated.

Also still racing are Trey & Lexi (Team Longhorn), James & Abba...

The Amazing Race Review, Season 21, Episode 2

“Long Hair, Don’t Care”

Airs Sundays at 8pm (Et) on CBS

When it comes to analyzing episodes of The Amazing Race, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish between poor game design and an undesirable result. The producers are blamed when they make it too easy for a likable team, but they face criticism when bad luck dooms that pair. It’s true that a bad taxi driver is the reason for Amy and Daniel’s surprise exit. However, plenty of other teams did locate the destination, so the task isn’t unfairly challenging. Chance has been a part of the game since the first season and has doomed plenty of capable teams. The ones who survive this type of obstacle are quick to recognize the situation early before it’s too late. Their fate also offers a clear reminder of how important luck is to this competition.

The heat is on for our ten remaining teams on cycle 21 of The Amazing Race. After losing Rob & Shela in Shanghai, the clue reveals that the duos will next be headed to Surabaya, Indonesia, to the Alun Alun Stadium for their next clue. Abbie & Ryan will get a bit of a head start the next morning as the winners of the first leg. Not that the head start matters much when the first thing on tap is a flight - most everyone gets to the airport at the same time. At the airport, Rob & Kelley think they're onto something when they book a flight that goes to Surabaya via Hong Kong. However, everyone else manages to get a direct flight to Jakarta, without the four-hour layover that the Hong Kong flight has. Rob & Kelley think that maybe they're in the lead because of their choice, but they can't really be...

In the opening Leg of The Amazing Race 21, eleven teams of two flew to China to battle ping pong prodigies and force-feed frog fallopian tubes in their quest to be eligible to double the grand prize for winning the Race. Amy & Daniel foolishly tipped off Abbie & Ryan to the location of Mildred the albacock uccobus abacus lady and were sniped out of their shot at a double payday. Josh & Brent from Team Gay bickered but managed to luck into a seventh place finish and Jaymes, Team Gay's third member, barely survived, finishing in tenth with partner James. Philiminated were Rob & Sheila, gone before I made even a single Monty Python “He's a lumberjack and he's Ok” joke.

Also still racing are Natalie & Nadiya (twins), Rob & Kelley (Team Trucker), Trey & Lexi (Team Longhorn), James & Abba (Team Headbang), Caitlin & Brittany (Team Blonde) and Gary & Will (Team Subs).

Phil welcomes us back to Shanghai,...

Teams race around the world while CBS tries to attract high ratings for The Amazing Race, their aging reality TV series. Will the network end up cutting this show to just one cycle a season?

Below are the TV show's ratings for the Fall 2012-13 season, the best way to tell if The Amazing Race will be renewed for another cycle.

Hosted by Phil Keoghan, The Amazing Race typically airs on Sunday nights on CBS. There are usually 15 or 16 episodes. This season's contestants include Natalie Anderson, Nadiya Anderson, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, Brent Ridge, Rob French, Kelley Carrington-French, Trey Wier, Alexis "Lexi" Beerman, James LoMenzo, Mark "Abba" Abbattista, Abbie Ginsberg, Ryan Danz, Jaymes Vaughan, James Davis, Caitlin King, Brittany Fletcher, Gary Wojnar, Will Chiola, Rob Scheer, Sheila Castle, Amy Purdy, and Daniel Gale.

These figures will be updated as the weeks...

The Amazing Race 21 contestants

(photo courtesy CBS)

The Amazing Race 21, the 21st racearoundtheworld for One! Million! Dollars! or maybe Two! Million! Dollars! has begun! Teams are on a bus that would shame The Partridge Family, zooming up the California coast to Pasadena, and Phil!

Each of the teams has a pre-existing relationship, and the teams this season are:

Natalie & Nadiya, twins

Josh & Brent, “life partners,” two-thirds of Team Gay and part of this season's stunt casting, having appeared in their own reality series The Fabulous Beekman Boys

Rob & Kelley, married professional monster truck drivers

Trey & Lexi, dating; alumni of the University of Texas at Austin

James & Abba, friends and also partial stunt casting, James being formerly a member of heavy metal bands White Lion and Megadeth

Abbie & Ryan, dating divorcees

Jaymes & James, friends and Chippendales performers, also accounts for the final third of Team Gay (Jaymes)

Rob & Sheila, engaged; he's...