Aaaahhh... I've got my new fix :) and it's called "Fear Factor"!
The latest season is currently being screened over Channel 5, but I've already seen a few of the episodes, thanks to cable TV ( AXN Channel 19, to be precise ).
Yet another addition to the reality show genre, FF is exciting because it's constantly testing the boundaries. Last year, I was actually bored by some of the challenges, but the new season promises lots of icky, scary stuff. Just look at the trailers for a quick preview -- I especially enjoy the one that ends with "bon appetit!", featuring all the creepy-crawlies that contestants have to swallow, e.g. LIVE larvae of various species, gigantic cockroaches, worms, or as in last night's installment, pig uteruses.
No big deal, you say? Yesterday, I watched a bunch of really tough-looking participants ( including 3 beefcakes ) gag and choke on the pig organs, which measure 15 cm in length, look raw ( though the host claims they're cooked ), and need to be ingested within a minute each. Unfortunately, everyone had to toss for the number of uteruses they had to eat, and all of them ended up hitting the number 5. Watching them was painful, yet eerily enjoyable. :P

Anyhow, watch for more out-of-this-world antics, such as a challenge to walk completely nude in front of an audience, having tarantulas poured onto your head in an enclosed tank, and yes, more eating of the most disgusting things imaginable. The prize money? $50,000, which equals slightly more than $100,000 in local currency, and isn't that much when compared to "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race". But FF banks on psychological endurance more than anything else, and most obstacles can be overcome with the right attitude -- hence, the constant heckling from fellow contestants, in a bid to rattle whoever is up next. Best of all, it's a competition where it's really anyone's game, where slim women can beat men twice their size, where the small-sized beat the Xenas and Goliaths, where your luck can literally run out ( e.g. if you have a terrible phobia of spiders, and the challenge happens to involve tarantulas ). So keep your Monday nights free, or at least, set the VCR timer!

Side point here. Just want to post something about a nice restaurant I went to a week ago with some friends. It just opened in November, and is called Colours By The Bay, located at the Esplanade ( aka Singapore's newest theatre for the arts, and recently graced by Jose Carreras, Jessye Norman, the New York and London Philharmonic orchestras, and The Swingles Singers ). I like to call this place the reasonably-priced alternative to Mezza9 ( which is housed within the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Scotts Road, and offers mouth-watering dishes, but at great expense ). Colours offers choices from 7 different eateries, all located next to each other, and you can sit in 1 restaurant and order from the other 6 without having to move. The prices vary, but are generally very affordable, and with a group of 5, you can share 5 dishes, and pay less than $20 a head. Plus, there's no service charge, though the waiters and waitresses are quite good at their jobs.
Our menu included:
1. Chilli soft shell crab noodles from The Garlic Restaurant -- spicy/sweet, very fragrant
2. Mussels with garlic in a claypot -- from the same place, again very tasty
3. Vegetarian pizza -- from Al Dente Trattoria, lots of cheese, not bad
4. Tau hoo with Thai sauce -- from the Thai restaurant ( sorry, can't recall the name right now ), quite delicious
5. Sashimi platter -- from the Japanese restaurant, very very good ( but then, I have a weakness for it! )

The winebar cum club, Embassy, is just next to Colours, so you can retire there for post-dinner fun and drinks. But they play techno music there, so we headed down to Embargo next to One Fullerton instead. Not a bad way to spend an evening. Too bad the parking fee at The Esplanade is $4, really steep, and non-redeemable, aargh!

Last but not least, don't forget to keep your eyes peeled for the following shows:
1. This Wednesday, 18th December, Channel i, at 7pm -- a documentary on Matt Damon's career.
2. X'mas Eve, 12mn, need to check which channel -- Nobody Someday, a documentary on Robbie Williams