A TAR team checks out,Caroline's love troubles on The Vampire Diaries and checking into the Bates Motel

Despite dad David's leg injuries on The Amazing Race, their team has been number one for three rounds in a row and going strong.

 However, David requires surgery to fix his torn ligament so for this latest leg,they flew to the next stop(Hanoi,Vietnam)and went right to the Pit Stop mat to check out of the Race.

It's such a shame that Connor and his dad,both cancer survivors, had to leave just when they had a good streak of luck but as they know from experience,health issues are not to be avoided lightly. The only consolation(along with the first place prizes that they won) is that obnoxious John and Jessica were eliminated before them. Maybe they'll get another chance in a redemption TAR series,these guys certainly deserve it:

 Their bad luck turned out to be a blessing for Chuck and Wynona,who really struggled on this leg. Their opening challenge(a dance which required hand holding) gave them trouble and a time delay against the other teams that flew right by them.

 Then,they wound up being U-Turned,which slowed them down even further. This was an anonymous Double U-Turn,so Chuck seems to think that Joey and Meghan(Team YouTube) were the ones who backtracked them but they were also forced to do the other Detour challenge as well. In the end,Chuck and Wynona were the last to arrive but saved for another leg,thanks to David and Conner's departure. Use that second chance well,folks!

With all of the attention upon Elena lately on The Vampire Diaries, we ought to take a moment to look at her best vamp gal pal Caroline,who is going through quite a romantic rough patch of her own.

 Between Tyler being on the run from Klaus,who has no intentions of killing him right away,and her unresolved feelings for the Original bad boy,Caroline is torn up more than an old school grunge style pair of jeans.

 Granted,she's been able to help out her friends when they need it the most,but she may have a price to pay for putting aside her emotional issues for the sake of others. Especially now,as Klaus is being recruited by Stefan to deal with Silas,who may be more of a threat than the Originals ever were. Apocalypse or no apocalypse, Caroline still should take a moment to resolve her crisis of the heart before more heartbreak ensues:

Out of sheer curiosity(plus reports of high ratings for it's debut),I caught a replay of Bates Motel. This supposed prequel to Psycho is more of a reinterpretation than a remake,as the series is set in modern times with a number of significant changes from the source material.

As the show begins,a teenage Norman(Freddy Highmore) has just moved to a small town in Oregon with mother Norma(Vera Famiga)six months after the death of his father. Norma plans to "start over" by reviving a rundown motel that she bought due to a foreclosure that has the previous owner out for blood and a whole lot more.

There's also the fear of an older Bates brother who may be stopping by to deliver his special brand of trouble. Norman,meanwhile,tries to fit with at school and make new friends(particularly a band of girls that seem eager to adopt him as their mascot) but Mother blocks him at every turn.

You don't have to have had seen the Hitchcock film to know where this is going and yet,there is an intriguing creepiness about the show and the characters,plus a blend of subtle build-ups and gruesome goings-on that do make you want to watch a little more of the proceedings here.

 Yes,there is a murder in the first episode(and a rather well deserved one at that) but it's clear that Norman won't be running the place alone for some time to come. I may extend my stay at  Bates Motel for a big longer to see how off the beaten track this series is willing to go:

 RANDOM NOTES:

MAD MEN: The sixth season premiere is coming in April and there's a lot of baggage for the gang at Sterling Cooper Draper Price to handle as they set up shop in a new office.  Of course, the dirty laundry that most fans will want to rummage through is Don's and who knows if he's back to his old bag of tricks or on a whole new path of self destruction. Either way, it'll be quite a ride: