I am watching the season premiere of The Amazing Race with a sense of pleasant surprise. When I first heard about this I wasn't sure what to think. It's teams of four (two per team are hard enough to keep track of!), and some teams have kids under 10. They race around the United States, not all over the world. Eagle Scouts, not chieftans from ancient tribes, tell them when they've completed their tasks.

I was hesitant at first, but I'm starting to see the wisdom in this decision. There is a lot to see and do in the U.S., and Americans are used to screaming American tourists. They're immune to their belligerent ways!

Joking aside, this series couldn't have come at a more welcome time. It seems lik Americans are in low spirits, on both an international and human level, and a show like this that celebrates the wonders of the nation is the best way to remind Americans what a great country they have. And it doesn't hurt to show the rest of the world what made the U.S. the powerhouse that it is.

As long as they don't spend any time talking about George W. Or Jesus. And they don't ignore the bad neighbourhoods in favour of milk-fed corn girls in Kansas.