TVSquad

(S08E09) Suddenly, it's game on! After this week's double elimination, we're left with our final six competitors. Now they've no choice but to start playing the game. No more of this "who deserves to be here" crap, because there's a quarter of a million dollars on the line and they're starting to smell the finish line.

With Tracey gone, it looks like the producers have found their next "villain," though it could just as easily be a case of the whineys with another contestant -- a contestant with a history of whining.

Both challenges were endurance events, with one having the contestants jump up and grab tennis balls secured to a panel by velcro strips, and the other having them jump off a trampoline and through a hoop a couple of hundred times. When Ali announced that it took 100 jumps through a contestant's hoops to eliminate them, I was flabbergasted. I was also pretty sure we were going to see an injury.

If you had the return of Ugly Betty in your datebook -- or PDA -- for Friday, October 9, it's time for an update. ABC has moved the season premiere of Ugly Betty to October 16. It'll be a double shot of Betty, two-hours instead of just one. After the premiere, Ugly Betty will fall into its regular slot of Friday at 9 p.m.

Unfortunately, a double dose of Ugly Betty won't be enough to pump up the ratings. ABC isn't doing Betty any favor by plunking it on Friday nights when there are less people watching TV. Sure, there are lower expectations, but what does it say about the network's faith in the show? Why not just put it on Saturday when even less viewers tune in? (What happened to programming for Saturday night anyway? Once upon a time, great shows actually thrived on Saturdays!)

American Idol's Simon Cowell has turned down a role on Ricky Gervais' Extras because it required him to sing a karaoke version of Elton John's song "Daniel." The man who turned criticizing singers into a multi-million dollar global industry wisely took his own advice saying, "I can't sing. Why would I humiliate myself?" Singing is apparently the only thing Cowell wouldn't do, which is sort of a shame. I'm sure it would have been immensely gratifying to all of our fallen, former Idols to see Cowell be put through his vocal paces.

While I never think it hurts a celebrity's image to make fun of him or herself through vehicles like Gervais' Extras, I can't say that I blame Cowell for sparing us. If more pop wannabes would follow his example, than they could use their fifteen minutes of fame elsewhere -- like on Mark Burnett's Pirates or by waving frantically behind local news reporters on camera.

I wish it was next Wednesday already. I want to know who is going to win this thing! I thought that this episode was going to be a lot of filler and flashbacks, but they actually did a great job building the narrative thread (as far as a reality show can do that.) I'm not sure how I felt about the nicer and friendlier Santino. See what happens when someone watches themselves on TV and reads about themselves on the Internet? They start to pussy-foot around things. I liked the old Santino! We all loved the old Santino! Apparently, Santino doesn't want to be the man that everybody loves to hate, but he should. It's a great gig. Afterall, regardless of who wins or loses this season, everyone is going to remember Santino.