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Run, Robbie! Run away!! In case you missed it, here's the TAR26 promo.

Have you considered playing the lottery, Lingo? So . . . what is the legacy of TAR25? I think it's the inverse of Survivor; they had a crap season with a great finish. With TAR25, we had a great season capped by a WTF finish. I mean . . . who could have predicted the Wrestlers and Scientists would win the last two legs without having a hardy laugh about it? I think the turning point came when the Cyclists elected to do the Fast Forward. If they stuck to the regular race, they would've finished ahead of Amy & Maya, and the Scientists would have been eliminated. Also, I think Amy & Maya's win was painfully telegraphed in the finale. No other team got as much spotlight as far as their jobs were concerned. Good season, semi-decent finish, and it's looking better than TAR26 . . . though we can always hope for the best.

FIVE "blind date" couples. Is the casting pool so shallow that Bertham and Elise had to recruit and/or choose singles for teams? Did they learn nothing from Mark & Mallory? I'm hoping for the best, but I'm starting to dread TAR26 as much as I am with the "collar" edition of Survivor.

As much as the Scientists deserve love . . . come on, there are so many asterisks you can slap on them. Getting saved by the most unexpected non-elimination leg since Flo & Zach got bailed out in TAR3, the high placement average (rivaling the Beekman Boys), the needle in a haystack Roadblock that kicked Bethany and Misti's asses . . . there's a bit of a taint. On the other hand, the whole race may as well have been set up just to fuck with Brooke & Robbie. Or just Brooke. I think she would've taken a no-foolin' steel chair to the back of her head than lose to Amy & Maya. Seriously, Phil, couldn't you have made Brooke & Robbie do the last two Roadblocks? Nothing like seeing a meathead do a memory-intensive task. Phil would've brought the party there because there was no way Brooke or Robbie would've completed that in a timely manner. And yeah, Phil should've jumped through the window. That would have been awesome. I'm a little butthurt about the Surfers coming in third, but their asses are made of Teflon. Nothing can get to Adam & Bethany. It's the mellow that will be the main reason we'll never see them on TAR again. You can make cases for the Dentists, the Cyclists and even the Wrestlers, but I think the Surfers are done as far as TAR is concerned. BTW, that was a cute moment with Bethany and the fireman. Damn, cannot believe Amy & Maya won. My mother insisted they had a chance, and I am never going to hear the end of it now. ETA: Jim did get intense there for a little bit. I bet he would've jumped through actual glass onto rusty nails if the situation called for it. May we not see anybody that intense for a long, long time.

So . . . who ya got for the finale? I'm going with the ending of most happiness, with Adam & Bethany triumphing over the Dentists. ETA: It should be noted that the commercial for the finale has sixteen people at the finish line, so I think you can make out the final eliminated team if you squint hard enough. Just thought I'd warn you guys about that.

David Jacoby goes over the first episode of Skeletons; proclaims it to be the most promising opening episode since Hawaii.

Bleeding Cool found Marvel head honcho Joe Quesada. Anybody else happy he didn't ask for the shield back?

Like I said, this is from the Regenerations set, where most of the Doctors are showed in what they regenerated in. Maybe a new edition could have River in one of her trademark outfits, along with a book or Screwdriver. Before I posted in here, I e-mailed Titan about it. I got an answer . . . and yes, it's from "Let's Kill Hitler."

Ooooooohhh . . . and she's in the Regeneration Set! Thanks, Llywela! I would've given her a Sonic Screwdriver, but that makes sense.

You think any of them keep up with the current show? Heather couldn't stand Amaya in Challenge 2000, and they were seven years apart.

Fare thee well, "Stephen." Try not to drool on Alex Trebek too hard. I would've had "Stephen" dying and regenerating into Larry Wilmore . . . but then, what would Craig Ferguson do tomorrow night? When do we get a list of all the people that dropped by? ETA: Here's the only TCR-themed motivational poster I got around to making. It's based off the sole episode I got to see in person.

I'm still addicted to blind item stuff. Both comic shops I visit now have the Titan Regeneration figures. Tonight, I got one at 35 percent off and with a $5 coupon. I wound up getting River Song . . . with a banana that she can hold. I'm stumped . . . what links River and bananas? I've forgotten.

Blackwing . . .I think Mario Lanza heard you, because check out the front page of his site, Funny115.com. Seriously, I feel bad for Alec, because all I can think of seeing him with the gaping maw is "duh" stretched out to maybe ten seconds.

I feel that Nadiya got screwed, at least in terms of attention. The only time we really saw her at the Reunion was going in for the hug with her folks when Natalie won, and having to wait in line after the Reunion wrapped up. I don't think Nadiya was the "bad Twinnie" . . . she just said/did a few things that made her a target on Day 3, and she probably would've outlasted John if the tribe knew who he was right away. I figure that if Natalie excelled in the game without her twin, then maybe Nadiya picked up a few skills while chilling at the Ponderosa. Like origami. I wouldn't be surprised if Nadiya was invited back. After Francesca, all bets are off. I don't think she'd go out that early again, and I bet she could give Natalie a run for her money. I apologize if I sound obsessed . . . I'm still butthurt by the lack of Parent Trap antics the Twinnies could've pulled off had Nadiya made it to the merge.

Either schedule the Reunion for 10:15, or go into Day 38 to start the finale. Sometimes, the "look-ins" were worth it, but we wound up with almost half the cast ignored and some questions were unanswered (Missy's foot, Rocker's attitude), Also, I would've liked Fallen Comrades, because it's cheesy. Minimum, we could've gotten emotion from Natalie about Nadiya, and we would've gotten one more epic slow-motion shot of Keith spitting. The editors had fun with it in the past . . . why take that away from them?

The hurricane toga party . . . how can I forget that? Remember Sharon winning that contest . . . and her reward was Mike/Miz grinding on her? Good times. Seriously, I'm tickled that Sharon lasted one more round because the Real World Inner Circle hated Beth, even though Sharon had a little more meat on her bones. I think that got topped the following year, when the female Inner Circle kept a pregnant Gladys over Beth.

GenL . .. that was from TARCon 21, taken two years ago.

In the Speculation thread, I had the over/under for ignored contestants at 4 1/2. Final tally: 8. Segment One: Natalie, Jaclyn, Keith, Jeremy, John Segment Two: Josh & Reed, Jon & Jaclyn Segment Three: Missy, Baylor,Reed Segment Four: Survivor: Worlds Apart hype Segment Five: Natalie Left Out: Kelley, Dale, Wes, Julie, Drew, Alec (and his open mouth), Val and Nadiya. Seriously, how come Nadiya didn't get any time? I hate to think that she would be ignored. Then again, I would have a laugh if she and Natalie swapped piercing positions, and Nadiya was the one that got the love. The finale was a good cap to a somewhat lousy and forgettable season. Natalie's play to oust Baylor was a thing of beauty, and it negated Keith's advantage-fueled win. How many people would've wanted the women to continue until a runner-up was decided? And Jaclyn's win was nice because she had to come from behind, fueled by Probst's nagging. The one thing that would make this complete: a show of congratulations from Phil Keoghan. Maybe during Friday night's TAR finale?

While I'm at it . . . here's the first picture I've ever had taken with a Survivor champion, past, present or future. I'm going to assume Natalie was on my left. It's a little hard to tell by nose piercings alone.

I think we have twenty minutes left, and ten players still haven't spoken up. Also, I was wrong about everyone being coupled up, like in the original BvW. Seriously, Jeff, why haven't you gone to Nadiya? ETA: Fourteen minutes left, eight players unaccounted for.

TWINNIE! As somebody who never detested the Twinnies, I'm honestly happy for Natalie. She had to work without Nadiya, she had to deal with a tough crowd, and she pulled off five votes out of eight. At the end of the night, it's all she can ask for. Congratulations, Natalie!

Finally! The TAR curse is broken! Congrats, Natalie!!

Geez, Reed, tell us how you really feel! Holy crap, that was nasty and articulate. Seriously, why schedule the Reunion for 10 p.m.? It should be 10:15. Be honest with your viewers, CBS.

Why is the episode so long? Between the Day 36 reward challenge and Probst's pop-ins, I think this might be the shortest reunion yet. Or maybe that's the point. BTW: Young Groom Keith? So goofy-looking, you guys. Even more goofy than Alec's perma-slackjaw.

Skeletons gets double-whacked by AV Club; first episode gets a D-plus, show itself is labeled "thoroughly unnecessary continuation" on Tolerability Index.