Travel Channel's "5 Takes" Heading to Latin America

Looking to escape from your job and travel the world for a few weeks and be on television?

Longtime readers know that I am a sucker for a few things: anything vaguely Arrested Development-related, the works of Joss Whedon, the employees of Dunder-Mifflin (and The Girly Show) and cable series 5 Takes.

For those of you not in the know, 5 Takes is a highly addictive travel reality series on the Travel Channel that shoves five travel journalists into unusual and out-of-the-ordinary experiences in far-off lands (except for last season which saw five Australian and Asian journalists travel around the US) as they record their varying experiences and live together. It's a fun, often eye-opening series and nothing like The Real World, whatsoever.

It appears that the fourth season of 5 Takes is headed to Latin America and they are currently looking for five travel journalists/hosts between the ages of 30-39 (slightly older than previous installments) to explore the countries of Latin America whilst making video diary entries and blogging about their experiences... and live on $50US a day. No experience required.

Filming begins next month and goes through July 16th and the Travel Channel is casting as we speak (with open calls in New York and Chicago), so if you've got a case of wanderlust, some sharp hosting and writing skills, and a love for new experiences and people, get in touch with the Travel Channel ASAP.

A Final Take on "5 Takes: USA"

Just a quick post this morning as I'm already feeling the effects of way too much holiday cheer, even though we're still a few days away from achieving maximum holiday impact...

I couldn't let a more than a few days slide, however, without acknowledging the end of the third season of Travel Channel's reality series 5 Takes. While it's been a bit of a bumpy ride, 5 Takes: USA quickly corrected its problems halfway through production to turn out a final round of episodes that was on par with the previous season's highs.

First of all, it seems as though my previous comments about what was lacking with the series this year clicked with the network as they made steps to correct the problems that hampered my enjoyment of the reality series' third season. My main point was that the travel journalists didn't seem to do a lot of, you know, interacting with locals to find the sort of off-the-beaten-path sights and attractions that are a hallmark of this type of travel program. And just like that, the travel journalists (after all this time, I still can't bring myself to call them TJs) were suddenly asking questions of everyone they met about the latest city they were in, using their suggestions as jumping-off points for new activities, and (most importantly) experiencing each city through the eyes of its locals.

The Memphis, Austin, and New York episodes really hit this home with style (and without feeling forced) as the gang split up into various configurations to get to the heart of each city on their tour of the United States. I think that these final episodes perfectly captured that feeling of wanderlust--along with that instant connection travelers can make with new cities and their residents--to reinvigorate the series and reignite what I loved most about the show: namely experiencing that color and culture that distinguishes each and every city from its siblings.

In Memphis, the gang met up with some random strangers and wound up going to one of their houses for some authentic barbeque; in New York, Bevis met up with a rock musician (with impossibly anime hair, I might add) and went to his recording studio to hear some of his songs. And in each episode, every single one of our travel journalists actually fulfilled their brief, as Zach, Lena, Jamie, Bevis, and Tim all became the journos that they were meant to be, questioning every one they encounter about what makes their city great, sampling street food (I loved the scene in NYC in which Zach went bananas for hot dogs and pretzels), and investigating, rather than reacting to, their surroundings.

I'm still not enamoured of the setup for each week's Chase Freedom Rewards excursion (still wish they had to do something to earn it), but it's a small gripe now as 5 Takes: USA managed to get back on track and, more importantly, won me back. While this season of 5 Takes may have been shorter (only 8 episodes) compared to last season, it managed to remind me of all that this nation's diverse cities have to offer and allowed me to experience the US through an outsider's perspective.

I already miss my little 5 Takes fix each weekend but I'm looking forward to what will hopefully be a killer fourth season of this growing franchise. As for where 5 Takes will head off to next, the Travel Channel is staying mum for now, but could I put a vote in for the United Kingdom or Scandinavia? Pretty please?

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Identity (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown (ABC); House (FOX); Wicked Wicked Games (MyNet)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show (CW); Big Day/Big Day (ABC); House (FOX); Watch Over Me (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order: SVU (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

10 pm: Doctor Who on BBC America.

While Sci Fi might be airing Season Two of the newest incarnation of Doctor Who (complete with another new Doctor, played by David Tennant), catch up on Season One, beginning anew tonight on BBC America as the Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) first meets Rose Tyler for the first time. On tonight's episode ("World War Three"), the Doctor and Rose attempt to escape 10 Downing Street as the world heads towards an interplanetary war with the creepy Slitheen. And what's up with that "Bad Wolf" graffiti and the little pig?

My Second Take on "5 Takes: USA"

As we're now several episodes into this season's 5 Takes on the Travel Channel, I thought it would be a perfect time to take a second look at the travel-on-a-budget reality series, which this time around has taken five diverse travel journalists from the Pacific Rim and thrust them on a cross-country tour of the United States.

While I've been enjoying this season of 5 Takes, I can't help but compare it a little to last season's 5 Takes: Pacific Rim. It's been interesting to see one's own country through the eyes of someone else from another culture, but there's just something missing this season and I can't help but sit through the episodes wondering what's not there this time around. It's certainly not the travel journalists themselves, who are still an absolute joy to watch. No, it's not them at all, but there's just something... off about the entire enterprise this time around.

Part of that problem is the editing this time around. I completely understand what sort of crunch these guys find themselves under, having to turn around a finished episode so quickly, but there's been a real sloppy repetitiveness to the episodes lately. Did we really need to hear ALL of the travel journalists say, one after another, that the fire dancer looked like Vin Diesel? And shouldn't someone have caught the fact that Jamie's line about how Little Havana was scented with cigars and the sounds of Spanish filled the air was repeated within 30 seconds of her uttering the line? (One time it was a cutaway to Jamie; the second was overlaid on scenes of them walking through Little Havana a few seconds later.) There's none of the taut, quick-cut imagery of last season and there's just this general feeling of repetition lurking through the episodes. This week's Disney excursion lasted far too long as well.

While I admitted earlier that I was happy that there were no forced designations for our travel journalists (i.e., adrenaline junkie, culture vulture, food and music guy, etc.), I feel now that the lack of such distinctions have allowed each episode to become more scattered and haphazard than before. Last season, each of them had a specific purpose or mission in each city that they visited and through these activities we got to know not only the travel journalists better but each city/culture better as well. You always knew that Gabe would be in search of some indigenous cuisine or off-the-beaten-track restaurant or that Renee would encounter some street artist or traditional dance troupe or that Josh would want to do something crazily death-defying. While I chafed against those restrictions initially, I do see that they were there for a reason: to act as route-markers each week and to push the travel journalists to explore deeper aspects of the culture in order to fulfil their individual "take" on the city in question.

Which is, I think, what's missing from this season: a real push to do more than scratch the surface of the places they're visiting. In this aspect, there's a sense that they are more tourists than travel journalists. I don't think that they are really delving deep to get a snapshot of these locations that won't be seen by the average tourist and, most of the time, they seem more content to have lunch or go shopping than pursue some wacky lead off the message boards. I want to see more involvement with local color, with local people, and cuisine and culture; I never get the sense that they're actively engaged with the people they're meeting. Shouldn't we have seen them meet up with the guy Bevis met who invited them to the Full Moon Party at the Raleigh? Or had the guy that Jamie met whilst drinking cafe con leche take them on an impromptu tour of Little Havana?

I do think it's hard because last season had our TJs (it pains me to no end to use that coinage) traveling around various Pacific Rim countries, encountering different cultures on a nearly weekly basis; here, they are traveling around the US, but I think there's still an opportunity to find those different cultures as well: like the Cuban community in Miami or the Inuit people of Alaska. But, again, it involves digging much deeper below just the quotidian.

So far, I found the Anchorage episode to be the most interesting of the season because all of the travel journalists showed a real appreciation and wonder for the location. Most of them had never seen snow before in their lives and the entire experience was something new and different and exciting. You could see that excitement in their eyes as they looked out into the unfamiliar, the unknown. The Other. Which is really the key to traveling, to push oneself out of their comfort zone completely. Miami, on the other hand, was a little too comfortable, as each of them repeatedly said how much it reminded them of home. When 5 Takes works, it's when the travelers find themselves in a wholly alien place, only to then connect with local culture in an unexpected way.

I also think that the old reward system enabled this much more effectively. Last season, the journalists were given the opportunity to win a fantastic reward way outside their $50 a day budget by completing a challenge, using the Internet, locals, or the message boards to find the answer to a challenging question about local culture. The very nature of the challenge forced them to interact more with locals and try to solve the conundrum at hand. Now, they're simply given a Chase Rewards card to purchase any experience they want, without having to work for it. It's taken away any sense of the reward aspect, as it's so freely given.

This week, I had to rewind the episode because I thought that their Disney World excursion was the reward, only to realize that their "tour" of the Magic Kingdom (a.k.a. a ten-minute long commercial for Disney World) had in fact been provided for FREE by Disney itself. I felt really betrayed by this: no tourist operating on $50 a day would have been able to have this experience (handed to them, no less) and it seemed so disingenuous in a program like this, especially as it wasn't even their weekly "reward" activity. It threw the whole notion of a budget right out of the window and seeing them explore a theme park, even one as exciting as Disney World must have been to them, didn't make for fascinating travel television. Sorry, producers, but this is one product placement scenario I wish I hadn't seen.

Don't get me wrong. 5 Takes is still fun to watch and Bevis & Co. are great characters, but I just miss the old format and depth of last season's 5 Takes: Pacific Rim. Fortunately, given that the show is literally produced a week ahead of airing, I'm hoping that the producers can tweak the format a bit and push our favorite journos to get off the beaten path a little more and take us to a side of these cities that we haven't seen before.

"5 Takes: USA" airs Saturday nights at 10 pm ET/PT on the Travel Channel.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Tony Bennett: An American Classic (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); 2006 American Music Awards (ABC; 8-11 pm); Standoff (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Veronica Mars (CW); House (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: 3 LBS. (CBS); Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gilmore Girls*.

I'm really ready to give up on this show now. I miss the old Gilmore Girls, and, no, I am not talking about last season. On tonight's episode ("Introducing Lorelai Planetarium"), it's all about the invitations this week as Lorelai invites Rory to dinner to tell her that she and Chris tied the knot in Paris, while Logan invites Rory to the launch party for his new Internet company. That Rory, such a popular gal.

9 pm: Veronica Mars*.

On tonight's episode ("Lord of the Pi's"), Veronica investigates the disappearance of Selma Rose Hearst (guest star Patricia Hearst), the wealthy granddaughter of Hearst College's founder, who conveniently vanishes the very night before she is to cast a swing vote to determine the fate of the Greek system. Meanwhile, more problems ahead for Veronica and Logan and Veronica is terrified after her near-attack by the Hearst College rapist.

*Of course, if you live in LA (like yours truly), we're out of luck tonight as KTLA has decided to preempt this very important November sweeps episode of Veronica Mars (and Gilmore Girls) for the Clippers-Lakers game tonight and shunt it over to Saturday night, so we're forced to wait four days to watch the latest installment the rest of the country got to watch tonight.

10 pm: Doctor Who on BBC America.

While Sci Fi might be airing Season Two of the newest incarnation of Doctor Who (complete with another new Doctor, played by David Tennant), catch up on Season One, beginning anew tonight on BBC America as the Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) first meets Rose Tyler for the first time. On tonight's episode ("Rose"), shopgirl Rose meets the Doctor and discovers that Earth is in grave danger... from living mannequins. Yes, you read that correctly.

My First Take on "5 Takes: USA"

I will admit that I was a little concerned when Travel Channel announced that this season of its wildly addictive 5 Takes franchise would follow five travel journalists around the United States. After all, what intrigued me so much was the fact that these five strangers were traveling to destinations on the other side of the globe, whether it be New Zealand or Thailand and coming into contact with cultures and people that they might not encounter on a daily basis in their regular lives.

But after watching this season's premiere episode, I realized why the show works so well. It's not so much that the destinations were exotic or far-flung (after all, to a Thai audience, Thailand is their everyday experience), it's that joy of experiencing the new and the different that connects the audience so sharply to the series. While I live in the US, the destinations that these five new travel journalists (more on them in a bit) might be familiar to me, but what provides the spark each week is seeing those very cities through the eyes of individuals to whom they are new and exotic. And that is the joy of watching 5 Takes, regardless of the locales they visit: to see their reactions and expressions to the typical and quotidian and the extraordinary and profound.

Like previous seasons, 5 Takes features five diverse travel journalists, this time hailing from the Pacific Rim: 21-year-old Taiwanese Bevis Song, 28-year-old Singaporean Jaime Tan, 26-year-old Indonesian Lena Toepan, 25-year-old Aussie Tim Bloxsome, and 33-year-old Filipino Zach Yonzon (the latter two celebrated birthdays in Las Vegas in the first episode). And like previous excursions, the travel journalists (or TJs, a term that makes my nose wrinkle) are only given $50 a day to experience each city, a feat made a little more difficult as $50 US tends to go a lot further abroad than it does here in the States. Their activities and destinations will be determined by the audience, by logging onto their message boards and suggesting places for them to go and things for them to see. (Likewise, the at-home element of the series isn't limited just to the message board either, as the travelers will produce blogs, vlogs, and photos for the Travel Channel site as well.)

What is different is that, yes, the travel journalists aren't American as in previous seasons, lending the entire affair a fresh perspective (loved their take on Vegas-style buffets this week), especially given the fact that they'll be traveling around the United States. But I like the fact that this season they are not being pigeonholed into vague categories. 5 Takes: Pacific Rim featured "the adrenaline junkie," "the culture vulture," "the food and music guy," and "the alternative traveler," etc. I understand where the producers were coming from, but you could sometimes feel the travel journos chafe a little at their designated "labels," and some of the activities they participated in felt a little too designed, in retrospect, to those pre-determined roles.

So who's along for the ride this time? While I definitely miss Gabe, Renee, Tiffany, Josh, and Tony, I have to say that I'm already attached to this new group too, especially Zach, Bevis, and Jaime. I love comic book artist Zach's comics-skewed perspective on the States and his feeling that Superman represents the American ideal of "truth, liberty, and the American way," and that his intent on coming on this whirlwind trip is to learn exactly what that American way is. (Kudos to Bevis too for wearing Supes underwear.) Jaime is thoughtful and constantly observing the world around her from a bit of a detached vantage point yet you can literally see the cogs turning behind her eyes as she takes it all in. Bevis is already a favorite; he's just such an expressive, curious, well, ham willing to do anything -- from dressing up like Elvis (complete with five pounds worth of mousse in his hair) to getting up on stage at a burlesque club (he's the first guy in about 50 years to actually do so). I wish he had been able to fulfill his dream of seeing a white tiger in Vegas, but something tells me that those aren't exactly roaming around Sin City these days. Lena is so expressive and I love to watch her reactions to everything; she was so surprised by the Vegas-style drive-through wedding as nothing like that would be remotely possible in Indonesia or Jakarta and she got actually got a little caught up in the emotion of the event.

And then there's Tim, who's been lurking around here in fact and was surprised that one commenter wasn't all that impressed with the journo's blogs and vlogs so far. Tim is a gregarious, outgoing guy and a fashion model (couldn't you tell from the sheer amounts of grooming products he packed?) and extremely confident. I really want to like the guy, but the fact that he, in a moment of controversy rarely seen on 5 Takes, showed up late for their call time after disappearing all night in Vegas definitely rubbed me the wrong way, particularly as he then blamed the other travelers for not paying for his room (if that night's bill isn't paid at the hostel by 2 pm, the manager removes the traveler's belongings from the room). Should the others have chipped in and paid for Tim's room? Probably, as it wasn't exactly a fortune and would have saved some headaches later. But Tim shouldn't have been so angry at them for not having done so. After all, he was the one who disappeared for half a day and was late getting back (and looked the worse for the wear). I'm hoping he'll tone it down a few pegs, as when he's genuinely connected (as he seemed in the kitchen of Picasso restaurant) he lights up from within. So I am hoping this is the last diva-like antics we see from the Aussie model.

All in all, I'm already hooked on this latest installment of 5 Takes and cannot wait to see what these five travelers get up to next. After Vegas, their next stop is chilly Anchorage, Alaska, where many of the travel journos get to see snow for the very first time. It's moments like that that make the show so remarkable and beautiful and remind me of why I fell in love with this series in the first place.

"5 Takes: USA" airs Saturday nights at 10 pm ET/PT on Travel Channel.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Friday Night Lights (NBC); Gilmore Girls (CW); Dancing with the Stars (ABC; 8-9:30 pm); Standoff (FOX); Desire (MyNet)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (NBC); Veronica Mars (CW); Help Me Help You (ABC; 9:30-10 pm); House (FOX); Fashion House (MyNet)

10 pm: CSI: New York (CBS); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gilmore Girls.

On tonight's repeat episode ("The Long Morrow"), catch the season premiere episode written by David S. Rosenthal and become amazed at how much you miss the old Gilmore Girls before it got all, you know, dull and tired. Lorelai deals with the repercussions of sleeping with Christopher but is asked to elope by Luke; meanwhile, Logan gives Rory a plane ticket to London.

9 pm: Veronica Mars.

On tonight's episode ("President Evil"), the underground campus casino is robbed, Veronica searches for Logan (hmmm, coincidence?), and Dean O'Dell hires Papa Keith to track down the biological father of his wife's son.

10 pm: The Street on BBC America.

On the fifth episode ("Bold Street: Asylum") of Jimmy McGovern's new drama The Street, a cab driver opens his home to an African asylum seeker, despite his wife's protests. If you were looking for light-hearted mirth, look elsewhere.

Travel Channel Unveils "5 Takes"... United States?

The Travel Channel has unveiled the cast for the upcoming third installment of globe-trotting adventure series 5 Takes. This time, the cable network has reversed their format a little bit and instead of sending American travel journalists overseas, they've decided to send five travel journalists from the Pacific Rim to the United States.

This season, 21-year-old Taiwanese Bevis Song, 28-year-old Singaporean Jaime Tan, 26-year-old Indonesian Lena Toepan, 24-year-old Australian Tim Bloxsome, and 32-year-old Filipino Zach Yonzon will visit eight major cities across the United States on a ten-week tour, with only $50 a day allotted to them. They'll be making stops in Las Vegas, Anchorage, Washington, Orlando, Miami, Memphis, New York, and Austin. (They'll also be a final stop in either Los Angeles or San Francisco, based on audience polls.)

While I love 5 Takes (and was wildly addicted to the last installment, 5 Takes: Pacific Rim), I have to ask myself if the show's producers watched the snoozefest that was The Amazing Race: Family Edition, which for the most part remained firmly planted within the US of A. While I understand that the show is watched around the world, what excited me most about the series was the interplay between the journalists as they visited exotic locales in Australia, Thailand, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. I just can't get as excited about seeing the TJs explore, say, Austin, Texas. It's too familiar, I think. I watch the Travel Channel for escapism and to learn about new places, rather than tune in for programs about the US. Does anyone else feel the same way?

And those are some random cities... Orlando? I'd rather have seen them visit post-Katrina New Orleans or Boston or Portland... or Seattle. Still, I'll be tuning in to catch these latest travel journalists in action, even though I am already missing Gabe, Tony, Tiffany, Renee, and Josh. It just won't be the same without them.

The third season of 5 Takes kicks off on the Travel Channel on October 28th.

A Second Take on "5 Takes: Pacific Rim"

I can't say enough about this fantastic travelogue series, currently airing on the Travel Channel. I love the cast, I love the locales, and I'm even beginning to love the new timeslot (they traveled from Mondays at 8 pm to Thursdays at 10 pm). But I'll admit that I was a little harsh in my initial assessment of one of the Travel Journalists (or TJs as 5 Takes constantly refers to them). Yes, I may have made a snap judgment about Josh.

But even Josh was shocked by how viewers reacted to him and judging from the postings at the Travel Channel's 5 Takes Message Board, I wasn't alone in my thinking that Josh was way too over the top and, well, way too over-caffeinated. But in the last few installments, I've grown fond of Josh and, after realizing how he was coming across on screen, Josh himself has toned down his schtick, transforming himself from a hyperactive ball of energy to an upbeat, genuinely excited traveler. And the self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie's love of danger seems to have rubbed off on his fellow travelers, nearly all of whom bungey-jumped from a 440-foot height in last night's episode, during one of their New Zealand adventures. While Josh's trademark goofiness is thankfully still intact (see the Lord of the Rings playacting in Wellington), he's also found peace in the beauty of his surroundings, such as when he and Tiffany biked to the top of Wellington's Mt. Victoria to watch the sunset.

Speaking of Tiffany, she's really come into her own as well, and has opened up a lot more during the last few installments. She's definitely a free spirit and independent enough to go and do her own thing (visiting geothermal springs and taking a dip) or pull apart from the group altogether. I was proud of the way she stuck to her guns about bungey-jumping, even when everyone else in the gang was doing it. She had researched the dangers, conferred with her parents back in the States, and then watched how terrified Renee had been standing at the edge of the jump point. And she made up her mind. She didn't get to the edge and chicken out (Renee eventually did jump at the end), but quietly decided that she wasn't going to do it; the part of her that would enjoy the experience was missing and she didn't have any impetus to jump. While the group bonded over their experience, Tiffany stood off to the side, sharing in the reflected glow of their jumps. And Josh (again, really amazed with him lately) told Tiff how proud of he was of her just for coming up to the platform with them. Seriously, that's sweet.

Tony and Renee are still...well, Tony and Renee. They are both fun-loving, awesome people whom I could totally see myself hanging out with. Tony is one of those people that can really just talk to anyone and, as the gang's party animal, he's always on the prowl for exciting and off-the-beaten-path nightlife. It was wonderful to get to see him share some of his bartending expertise when he guest judged a mixology competition at a bar in Queenstown this week... and attempt to snowboard (he succeeded quite well for a beginner) with Josh on the Back Bowls of a rather imposing mountain in the clouds. Renee is still the culture vulture, always on the lookout for artistic inspiration everywhere they travel. This week, she met up with a photographer of beautiful Queenstown landscapes and traveled with him to the sites in his pictures, exploring how the light in Queenstown--and New Zealand as a whole--is constantly changing, minute by minute. Total snaps to Renee for going ahead with bungey jump in the end. Terrified to the point of tears, she had to be talked down from jumping in the wrong mindset and then decided to try again and was exhilarated by the experience.

Gabe is still definitely my favorite, if only because his joy of traveling is balanced by some truly harebrained schemes... such as when he and Tony decided to purchase a second-hand trumpet and busk for money on the street (they made $4NZ), or when he decided to play with a jazz band on a whim with no practice, or when, after watching a professional chef make pavlova (the national dessert of both New Zealand and Australia and delicious), decided to recreate the dish back in the hostel kitchen... without knowing the correct measurements, having the proper ingredients, or the right appliances. And even when he nearly burned down the hostel, Gabe finished the dish (sort of), placed his fresh cut-up kiwi segments on top, and fed the dessert to the gang. (He wasn't the least bit put out that everyone--including himself--found it inedible.) He also decided to bungey-jump, despite his crippling fear of heights (remember how afraid he was walking across Harbour Bridge in Sydney?), and ended up loving it. While Josh might be the adrenaline junkie, Gabe has overcome a lot of obstacles (performing in public, fear of heights) to prove that he's the most fearless in the bunch.

Ultimately, I've grown to love this series and the way that multiple viewpoints and inclinations add up to a shared experience on which we, the viewers, are invited to tag along. As the gang leaves New Zealand for the more exotic experiences of Asia (they're headed to Singapore in the next episode), I'm glad to have had the opportunity to look back and expand my own take on the show. I first watched 5 Takes: Pacific Rim on a whim and, as with traveling, half the joy is in finding and experiencing the unexpected. So thanks Josh, Renee, Tony, Tiffany, and Gabe for allowing us to accompany you on your ride. It's been a blast so far and here's to Asia...

"5 Takes: Pacific Rim" airs Thursday evenings at 10 pm on the Travel Channel.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: Ghost Whisperer (CBS); Dateline (NBC); What I Like About You/Twins (WB); America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC); Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (FOX; 8-10 pm); WWE Friday Night Smackdown (UPN)

9 pm: Close to Home (CBS); Last Comic Standing (NBC; 9-11 pm); Reba/Living with Fran (WB); Hope & Faith (ABC)

10 pm: NUMB3RS (CBS); 20/20 (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

9 pm: Doctor Who on Sci-Fi.

Only two episodes left of the sci-fi drama's first season... and with star Christopher Eccleston, so catch him (and it) while you still can. On tonight's installment ("Bad Wolf"), The Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack Harkness--the latest addition to their motley crew--are forced to fight for their lives, but the Doctor learns that Armageddon is upon them. Hmmm, think we'll finally learn the truth behind all the Bad Wolf mentions so far? Or will we have to wait until next season?

10 pm: The Thick of It on BBC America.

The British political satire "so sharp you could cut yourself on it." (According to yours truly, anyway.) On tonight's episode, junior policy adviser Ollie's dalliance with an opposition researcher quickly makes him the butt of easy jokes at the Ministry.

My Take on "5 Takes: Pacific Rim"

I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I tuned in last night to the Travel Channel's new show, 5 Takes: Pacific Rim, having missed the first season of the 5 Takes franchise. What I discovered however was a cross between a travelogue, MTV's The Real World, and a daring example of truly intereactive television. But more on that later.

First, here's the skinny on the show itself. Five 20-something strangers are selected by the Travel Channel to take an amazing 13-week journey--armed with only $50 a day and crammed into a single hotel room--and have every second of the trip filmed. They'll participate in video diaries and blog-writing as they explore, eat, drink, dance, and experience a number of locations along the way.

In fact, it's those very locations that provide one of the more interesting twists of the show. Viewers can log onto the 5 Takes website and make suggestions about where the gang should go next (will it be Melbourne or Canberra?), where they should stay, and what activites they should participate in. It's truly interactive television. The first episode, which aired last night, was filmed only last week, which gives viewers the very real ability to influence the show and guide the gang along the way. It's a novel twist to the tried-and-true travel format and immediately connects the viewer--whether they ever log on and offer suggestions or not--and lends the show a sense of immediacy and surprise.

In last night's episode ("Sydney")--the first of the 5 Takes: Pacific Rim series--the travel journalists (or "TJs" as the overbearing narrator very obnoxiously keep referring to them as) attempt to surf at the world famous Bondi Beach, go to a life drawing class at a pub (one of the gang even strips and takes a turn as a nude life model), take a tour of the Sydney Opera House, go bar-hopping, get up-close-and-personal with koalas and kangaroos at the zoo, wake up before dawn to go on a fishing expedition, and end their brief time in Sydney by cooking up what they caught at a BBQ on the rooftop of their hostel.

They'll also have the opportunity to do something amazing each week that their meagre allowances couldn't cover... if they can rise to a challenge set forth by the Travel Channel. This week's challenge--the prize of which was to climb the awe-inspiring Sydney Harbour Bridge--was to locate a word written somewhere in Sydney, its significance, and its link to the city. After two days of searching, the gang finally answered the question correctly (the word was "Eternity," it was placed on the Harbour Bridge for the 2000 Olympics, and symbolized the past, present, and future for Sydney at the millenium) and won a chance to climb the bridge and have a truly beautiful view of a gorgeous city.

Which brings us to the travelers themselves (I can't bare to refer to them as TJs. Sorry, Travel Channel). My favorite thus far is the 24-year-old Colorado native, Gabe, a radio DJ and former member of Up with People, a world-travelling theatrical troupe. He's the food/music guy on the trip and his sense of wonder and appreciation is a joy to watch. Gabe is also, at least at the outset, the most natural of the group in front of the camera and wasn't afraid to admit--and conquer--his fear of heights in the first episode. As the premiere episode went on, I also began to like Renee (right), the 23-year-old artist and teacher from New York who is the group's self-proclaimed culture vulture. She initially freaked me out with her sqealing upon arriving in Sydney. However, I connected with Renee more as the episode went on. Her apparent crush on Gabe is hilarious to watch; I'm not sure she quite realizes her apparent feelings yet.

Oh, and I can't get enough of Tony as well... he's the D.C. bartender who doffs his clothes to model at the life drawing class... and wasn't too bothered that Renee was looking on. I can't say much about Tiffany, a free spirit who has been the most low-key of the group so far. She's the spirituality/nature traveller and other than seeing her snuggle up to a koala at the zoo, she seemed to only come alive at the end of the episode, when she and Gabe cooked up the crabs they had caught that morning.

Then there's Josh (left), an aspiring filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Personally, I can't stand him and was thrilled to see him tormented on the bus when a Sydney local referred to him as a tosser, a simpleton, and a poser. It didn't help that Josh was riding the bus without a shirt on, wearing a bandana, carrying a surfboard, and talking trash about the waves he was going to surf at Bondi. (And then it was even more hilarious when he couldn't catch a wave. You've got to love comeuppance.) Everything about Josh is over-the-top and forced, from his many colored scarves/bandanas to the way he asked the docent at the Sydney Opera House if Metallica ever play there.

But even if Josh continues to annoy me, I'm pretty much already hooked on 5 Takes: Pacific Rim already and will follow these kids anywhere. Of course, it helps that I've got some say in where they're headed.

"5 Takes: Pacific Rim" airs Monday evenings at 8 pm on the Travel Channel.

What's On Tonight

8 pm: NCIS (CBS); Most Outrageous Moments/Scrubs (NBC); Gilmore Girls (WB); According to Jim/Hope & Faith (ABC); American Idol (FOX); America's Next Top Model (UPN)

9 pm: The Unit (CBS); Scrubs/Teachers (NBC); Pepper Dennis (WB); Sons & Daughters/Sons & Daughters (ABC); House (FOX); Veronica Mars (UPN)

10 pm: CSI: Miami (CBS); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC); Boston Legal (ABC)

What I'll Be Watching

8 pm: Gilmore Girls.

Finally, the long wait is over as tonight the soon-to-be-demolished WB brings us a brand-new episode of Gilmore Girls. On tonight's episode ("I'm OK, You're OK"), Rory visits Lorelai at home in Stars Hollow, where she sees firsthand how upset Lorelai is about Luke and his new-found daughter. Meanwhile, Zack, who recently proposed to Lane, asks Mrs. Kim for permission to marry her daughter. Hmmm, not much to go on there. It better be a good episode, that's all I can say...

9 pm: Veronica Mars.

Okay, yes, I already caught the episode ("The Rapes of Graff") last week, but who can pass up the chance to see Veronica pal around with Michael Cera and Alia Shawkat from the dearly-departed Arrested Development? And if you didn't catch the episode the last time around, here's your chance, now in Veronica Mars' new timeslot. (Don't forget: new episode tomorrow, then come back Tuesdays at 9 pm for new episodes.)

What I won't be watching is Pepper Dennis on the WB. I had the pleasure (or rather, should I say displeasure) of watching the pilot for Pepper Dennis last summer and found it unwatchable. Really, just dreadful.... a bad throwback to even worse 1980s dramas about women who dare work and the men they love. Shudder. This Pepper has no spice whatsoever; it's nothing more than a rotten tomato.