OMG! It’s practically Christmas!
- Deal or No Deal – A quick shoutout as it gave away its fourth jackpot last week, and epic episodes have been promised for this week as well. (4:15pm Sunday, 4pm weekdays)
- The Amazing Race – I say excitement, this will probably be a disappointment. It’s the show’s tenth year! A new thing is the Hazard, a penalty given to a team already in last place through a starting line challenge, because penalizing the team that’s furthest behind ALWAYS makes for a tense and exciting finish. (Sunday, CBS)
- The Shredder – I was unsuccessful in get getting a ticket to this, so if you’re going to see this pilot made at BBC TV Centre on Monday, do tell us about it.
- Only Connect – Rowers vs Linguists. Practically everybody I’m following on Twitter has now been a contestant on this. (8:30pm, Monday, BBC4)
- Minute to Win It (8pm, Tuesday, ITV2)
- Ton of Cash – New to the Board of Excitement, although I felt the mid-season twists (splitting the money for three teams, voting out a loser) lost quite a lot of the interest and charm the first five episodes had built up. Still, it looks like it’s returning to something closer to the old format this week, so we’ll see. (Wednesday although Friday online, VH1 in the US)
- Bundesvision Song Contest 2011 – There’s no Schlag den Star this week, but that doesn’t mean there’s no Stefan Raab. (7:15pm BST, Thursday, ProSieben)
- Strictly Come Dancing – The first weekend of the proper dancing. (9pm Friday and 6pm Saturday, BBC1).


