Racer pops question
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Finally, a marriage proposal on “The Amazing Race” (CBS, Wednesdays).
Pro lifeguards Brittany Austin and Lucas Bocanegra reached the pit stop first this week, winning a trip to Bali. You know what else you can do with a trip to Bali? Cue Mr. Bocanegra reaching for a ring box he apparently schlepped from New York to Iceland to Morocco to France.
Of course, she said “yes,” and host Phil Keoghan seemed unabashedly delighted. Even Uniontown’s Kristi Leskinen and teammate Jen Huber seemed happy/teary despite having just finished a close second on the leg.
Both of the lifeguards (#TeamOceanRescue) had talked about getting married after nine (!) years together, so this was no surprise. The only thing that might have warmed the hearts of the producers even more would have been their carrying out the proposal two episodes hence, on Valentine’s Day.
Also on reality TV
• “This Time Next Year” is Lifetime’s time machine. Host Cat Deeley (“So You Think You Can Dance?”) meets everyday people who will spend a year working toward a particular goal.
Ms.Deeley is shown doing an interview from a year ago. Wearing the same outfit, she then appears to walk over to the other side of the stage and, it’s present day. We see how things went over those 12 months.
In the next episode, airing at 10 p.m. Tuesday, there’s a Pittsburgh angle when a young man vows to find his birth family. Tune in (or read about it here) next week.
• It’s the most wonderful Tyra of the year.
Longtime fans of “America’s Next Top Model” (VH1, Tuesdays) know there’s special occasion for tears and jealousy when it’s makeover week. The 14 would-be models are in excellent styling hands, but there are a few who just can’t stand the thought of a haircut or, gasp, changing from blond to redhead.
In the case of Coura (real name: Shantelle Fall), host/ creator/judge/mama hen Tyra Banks declares her perfect already so, no makeover. Imagine the other ladies’ displeasure over
The episode was not without its touching moments, however. Jeana Turner is a youngwoman whose alopecia has forced her to wear wigs her entire life. Her makeover involvesgoing au naturel, and theidea frightens her.
Law Roach, the show’s “image architect,” holds her hand and tells her how beautiful she is without the wig — he’s right. During the judging panel later, he arrives sans his own elaborate hair extensions. Fellow judge Drew Elliott takes his seat, and we find he has been wearing makeup to cover his vitiligo, a skin disorder that creates patches of white.
Ms. Banks doesn’t have any imperfections to overcome because, well, she’s Tyra. On to the elimination. Ivana Thomas goes home, we are told, because she did not believe in herself. At least she got a nice makeover to show for it.
• The CW’s “Masters of Illusion: Believe the Impossible” tour swings through Greensburg with a Feb. 18 gig at the Palace Theatre. Some of the regulars on the show will be there, including Chipper Lowell, Naathan Phan, Jarrett & Raja and Michael Turco.
• David Ortiz, known as “Big Papi” to millions of Boston Red Sox fans, has a new show debuting at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Fusion.
“Big Papi Needs a Job” is a misnomer, of course, but it does sound fun. There are 10 half-hour episodes that have the former MLB slugger tackling a number of occupations, ranging from manicurist to dog groomer to Fenway Park tour guide.
Flutists from near and far will gather at Heinz Hall at 1:30 p.m. Saturday to celebrate the life of Bernard Goldberg, former principal flute of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and a world-renowned performer and teacher.
Mr. Goldberg — who died of natural causes in a retirement home in Ohio in November at age 94 — taught for years at Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Brooklyn College in New York City. He cofounded the Three Rivers Young People’s Orchestra with harpist Phyllis Susen, also a former PSO musician, and premiered works by many of the world’s leading composers, including Leonard Bernstein, Virgil Thompson, John Williams, Frank Martin and others.
On Saturday, current PSO principal flutist Lorna McGhee and eminent British flutist William Bennett will perform music by Bach and Rameau in the Heinz Hall Regency Rooms to pay respects to Mr. Goldberg’s memory in a memorial