Watch it
“Amazing Race” (8 p.m., CBS). The remaining teams head for Hong Kong, where an eating challenge makes some of them violently ill. Yum. I hate those challenges.
“The Walking Dead” (10 p.m., AMC). Rick and the gang head for the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, while Jim and the campers face another life-or-death decision. I’m a couple of episodes behind, but this series is super good. I like how it rises above the typical horror schlock and focuses on deeper issues, like hanging onto a sense of humanity and hope amid utter carnage. It’s surprisingly (well, being on AMC, maybe it’s not a surprise) powerful.
Record it
“Chopped” (9 p.m., Food Network). It’s a special holiday-themed episode, featuring even odder-than-usual ingredients.
“Boardwalk Empire” (9 p.m., HBO). Nucky worries the upcoming election might not be good for his business, and Jimmy doesn’t seem to care that a family member is sick. That’s OK, Jimmy, I haven’t cared about anyone on this series in weeks.
“Brew Masters” (10 p.m., Discovery). Sam goes to Peru to find an ancient brewing recipe for a new specialty beer. Last week’s debut was pretty good, even though I fell asleep halfway though (thanks to, ironically enough, a few glasses of wine). But the series manages to give you a deeper appreciation for what goes into craft brews.
“Top Gear” (10 p.m., History). I’m happy to report that the U.S. version doesn’t suck. I’ll write up something more in-depth once I’ve seen a couple more episodes, because at this point the cast’s chemistry is lacking, but I think that should improve as the season goes on. Otherwise, it’s very watchable. Tonight features a profile of an Aston Martin, a race pitting sports cars vs. skiers and Dominic Monaghan (“Lost”) in “Star in a Small Car.”
“Iron Chef America” (10 p.m., Food Network). It’s the first challenge for the newest Iron Chef, Marc Forgione and his Mohawk of Doom.
Skip it
“Bridalplasty” (9 p.m., E). Series premiere. The latest sign of the apocalypse. This reality show has a dozen soon-to-be brides competing to win plastic surgery procedures. This could very well be the worst thing ever to appear on TV. If you watch this, you need to go sit in the penalty box after and feel shame.
