In a bygone era, the cable channel MTV (Music Television) ushered in an exciting concept that changed the landscape of television and music (thus the name) by killing the radio star and airing this newfangled deal called the music video.

Children under the age of 16 do not know what a music video is, but they have heard from their older brothers and sisters and their parents how incredible it was to see your favorite artist perform a hit song with an accompanying brief motion picture that often helped tell the story or at the very least give young, voluptuous women a chance to get their eagle on.

Since the beginning of the modern era, MTV has abandoned the music video, opting instead to supply its viewers with an endless supply of mindless programming in the form of various "reality" series. And while those who are responsible for shows such as "Laguna Beach", "My Super Sweet 16", "Parental Control" and so forth should be bludgeoned to death with Andy Milonakis' corpse, the tandem of Mary Ellis-Bunim and Jonathan Murray should be enshrined (where, I don't know. but they should be) for producing real quality television like "The Real World" and "The Real World/Road Rules Challenge" series.

The latest installment of the "Challenge" series, "The Duel" just made its debut – and I couldn't be happier.

I can't really explain why I feel so differently about "The Real World" and the challenges than I do just about every other reality series on TV, but I absolutely eat these up. I slacked on the Key West season of "Real World", but I gave it a shot and it was the one season that didn't really have any great characters or compelling storylines that kept you hooked. Every other one has always delivered.

And the challenges might be even better. Once again, I can't explain why I think this. Maybe it is because there is no false pretense of it being "real" and in a "normal" setting. They basically let you know up front "Hey, this is a contrived setting where we try to make people fight. Enjoy." And I do.

And this current season, "The Duel" has the potential to be one of the all-time greats. There are several reasons (the absence of Coral being one of them), but there is one essential element in the mix that gives this season unlimited potential ...

Chris Tamburello – better known to America simply as CT, better known to me as "One of the 5 coolest guys on the planet."

CT might be a real prick. He might not like me, you, his own mother, or going 15 minutes without knocking somebody smooth out. Or maybe he's really an alright guy, I don't know. But even if he's not, that's okay – he makes for great TV. He likes to get drunk, talk smack, start fights, and just generally be a tremendous jerk (on the other hand if you're not on his bad side, he's probably just fine ... and a great guy to have on your team). And while you might not necessarily want to model yourself after this cat, you have to appreciate the way he carries himself with a certain swagger and robust self-confidence that he can pull off to where he's a jackass yet you still find yourself rooting for him. His over-the-top, brusque antics are hilarious because they're outrageous.

There are other reasons I will keep up religiously with the show, but even if those weren't there I'd do so just because of the inclusion of CT. MTV could produce a show or feature-length film of him along the lines of EdTV , just following him around ... grocery shopping, ordering Chinese, going to work/class/whatever he does, and I would watch. So after being shut out of the last installment of the "Challenge" series, I'm glad he's back.

Also on the cast for this season are some of my other favorite reality-TV stars — Insane Wes, Big Bad Brad, and Polish Derrick. Much to my dismay, Beth got invited back for her 374th appearance on an MTV show.

I'd been looking forward to the season getting underway since I saw the first commercial for it a month or so ago. Despite the invitation to go watch my roommate play flag football on his 25th birthday in the biting cold, I stayed home and caught the hour-long premiere. And of course, I kept a minute-by-minute account of the happenings.

9:01 - Alright, this season is set in Brazil and every contestant gets the Brazil national flag emblazoned on their shirt. I don't know a whole lot about Brazil other than them having good soccer. So let's turn to Wikipedia ...

Okay there's entirely too much information there, so I will just mention that they have a pretty fountain.

9:03 - Three minutes into the program and we've got our first footage of CT getting drunk. This is going to be good times. And of course, being the master of the universe he waltzed right in and claimed the master bedroom.

"I'm here bitches!" -- CT

9:08 - I really have no idea how this process works. I think you need an advanced math degree to be able to compete here. That doesn't bode well for ... well, anybody. You know the producers have to sit this band of geniuses down and repeat everything 15 times. They should probably just draw straws or something.

9:13- As they're panning along the cast, you get Brad with his arms behind his head, flexing about as hard as he possibly can. If they would've panned slower, his biceps would've exploded as he tried to hold form. This is obviously a very vain man. If you remember, he's the one who repeatedly mentioned his "stacked 8" on his original Real World season. He even called the girlfriend up that one time and had her verify to the roommates. What a guy.

9:16- We're not 1/3 of the way through the first show and I'm ready to crawl into the TV and shoot Beth right in the face. Or maybe at least apply some concealer to her face. I don't actually know what concealer does, but using its name as a context clue, I would guess it might conceal that hideous lobster-like complexion of hers. And I would then lodge the container in her throat.

9:20- I am not at all a fan of how they choose who goes into The Duel. When they cut the show to 30 minutes, I am not going to be pleased when you get four minutes of what looks like people picking basketball teams on the playground.

9:22- Just showed a commercial for "Real Life: I'm a Staten Island Girl", with some girl on there talking about how Staten Island chicks are so different and distinguishable. Could've fooled me ... from that snippet they seemed like your run-of-the-mill spoiled, ditzy, overly dramatic sluts from every other show. Laguna Beach, Staten Island ... all the same. All worthless.

9:27- So after some strange event that I'm still not certain on all the rules of, the big convoluted process of picking the Duel folks goes down and it comes down to castmates Gay Tyler and Closet Gay John. Slutlana picks Gay Tyler, who in turn chooses to square off against Closet Gay John. They're sent into what's deemed a "pit of hell with 300 watermelons". Tyler comes into the pit doing the Arsenio Hall arm-shake thing. He did not woof, unfortunately.

The deal here is they bid on how many watermelons they can lift in a big apparatus that you lift like a wheelbarrow, basically doing a deadlift.

9:31- I thought watermelons weighed several pounds. When Gay Tyler bid 31, I yelled like a moron for Closet Gay John to let him try to do it. I didn't think he couldn't do it because he's gay, but because he's scrawny and watermelons are supposed to be heavy. Well, they must've gotten some puny melons there in Brazil because Gay Tyler hoisted it up and held it no problem.

"I learned you need to determine your own fate and not let somebody else determine it for you." -- Closet Gay John. Truer words have never been spoken.

9:33- Did I mention I hate Beth? Watching her start retarded junk is like hanging out in a jr. high girls locker room. Uhh ... not that I do that. I mean, you know ... it seems like that's what would go on, remembering back to hearing stuff when I was in jr. high. Yeah ...

Anyway, we're half an hour in and entirely devoid of any footage of CT and Brad getting drunk and beating somebody/something up. Can't they just tear off into the town square all boozed up and whip a guy for peddling tiny watermelons?

9:36- I have a feeling I'm going to enjoy this Rob & Big show. It's so odd and has the no-fail formula of oversized black guy and weird white guy, there's no way this can miss.

9:42- And we see Enormous Eric in a Speedo. And we see me throw up. Oh, and they just eliminated Nehemiah.

"Black people don't swim. Way to get rid of the black guy." -- Nehemiah, who was probably distraught for the next seven hours.

9:53- What's the big deal with Diem and her wig and all that crap? She's got hair. Not long, flowing locks, but she's got more hair than a lot of perfectly healthy women have. She looks ... modelish or something. I don't see the problem here, and she should probably stop wearing the wig and crying about it. If you're tough enough to survive cancer, you're tough enough to let your hair grow out. Suck it up, son.

"She looks like a sexy, supermodel, secret agent" -- CT in his infinite wisdom. It's the suave lines like this that guarantees him all the dimes.

9:57- Polish Derrick runs over to greet Diem after her completely unscripted victory. He was the first one to compliment her on the hair and the first to go congratulate her. Either he really wants a piece, or he's genuinely into making her feel good. I think it's probably more of the latter. He's always seemed to be a real stand-up guy. Kind of a punk at times, but that's just because he's passionate. He's the type of guy who'd walk 25 miles through Hell for you.

10:00 While I applaud Tina's intent there to knock Beth from Brazil to Bolivian, she should probably be kicked off the show just because of how weak that punch was. Beside the fact it came up about seven inches short, even if it would've landed it probably wouldn't have turned Beth's skin any redder than it already is.

And as we're getting the brief preview clips for the rest of the season, I believe that's CT about to carpe Diem. Oh boy and ... yes sir. That's CT and Wes getting ready to rumble. That's the reality TV equivalent of Ali/Frazier, Hulk Hogan/Andre The Giant, or even Todd Day/Larry Johnson.

We can only hope that Brad somehow gets involved with that fiasco. I'm excited. Thank you, MTV.