If you’re a fan of “The Amazing Race,” you’re in luck. The cable network GSN will begin broadcasting all eight seasons of the show, in order, on a nightly basis starting at 8 p.m. Monday.

“There are tons of people who came to this show in later seasons, and they’ve never seen these [early] episodes, because unlike dramas, reality shows don’t usually repeat and don’t hit syndication as quickly,” said Linda Holmes, an attorney from Bloomington, Minn., who, under the moniker Miss Alli, has recapped every season of “TAR” for the Web site TelevisionWithoutPity.com. “For people who missed those seasons, it’s like an entire new season of the show is airing in the middle of the summer. It’s a huge thing for fans of the show who came in late.”

The last couple of nights have been TAR fan Heaven, because I missed the first two seasons and the opening episodes of the third. It’s interesting seeing how a show evolves, too – there are elements of editing and of storytelling that I’ve always taken for granted in TAR that weren’t there in the first season. I’ve read all of Miss Alli’s recaps so I know what happens, for the most part, but hearing about a hilarious edit (reaction shots during the “swing, you fat bastard” abseiling adventure in Africa, etc.) is nothing compared to watching and hearing it. Geez, no wonder the lucky first-season fans loved these people.

Although the element of surprise or suspense isn’t really there for me, it’s still enjoyable frickin’ fabulous to see how it began. I got to see Joe (or Bill?) wipe out on the Paris mat. I got to see the Tokyo Stompers. I got to hear “these flies are like lobsters.”

UPDATE: Bah, I don’t know what was wrong with the original post, MT barfed or something. An honorable commenter posted:

“A tad brief, don’t you think? :-)”

You are absolutely correct. Thank you for keeping me honest, sir. 😉

I have no excuse for leaving a crappy incomplete post up for more than a day other than [insert obligatory my-job-screws-up-my-blogging-career whine here]. But in one of those weird coincidences, yesterday morning when I got in there was a fax for a promotion for Continental Airlines (something about business class fares) where they were offering “3 FREE LOBSTERS!” with a helpful little graphic showing 3 buglike crustaceans. My first thought was “Oh my God, those lobsters look like flies.”

Let’s try this again, shall we? Because I need to get to work.