Let’s get reaaaaaaaaady to rumble!

There’s a new Amazing Race tonight, an episode my cable guide titles “They Should Get Some Counseling” (here’s my review of last week’s show). The NY Post has a behind-the-scenes article titled “Race with the Devil” today which reveals that the producers did indeed speak with Jonathan about his abusive and erratic behavior:

Jonathan Baker — the foul- tempered, world-trekker on "The Amazing Race 6" who has scandalized fans with his berating abuse of his wife on the streets of Berlin — was so out of control producers told him to "chill out" before last week's infamous shoving episode.

"I had many conversations with him," executive producer Bertram van Munster told The Post yesterday. "I told him you've got to tone it down, you have to stop this kind of stuff, it's not cool — until then, I'd never given advice to a reality show player before to chill out."

On last week's edition of the show, Baker, 42, shoved his wife, former Playboy pinup Victoria Fuller, 32, in anger, and yelled at her as she tearfully struggled to carry both of their heavy backpacks across the finish line during a challenge. As a result, they came in second.

The Internet has lit up with talk among outraged fans who have turned Baker into the kind of reality-TV villain that hasn't been seen since bad-girl Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth turned up on "The Apprentice" last spring.

It’s a shame that just as “TAR” is hitting the heights of popularity, it’s also saddled with some of the most unsavory contestants I’ve seen since the show started (including Ike Turner-wannabe Jonathan, “these Africans keep breeding” Kendra, clueless Rebecca and whiny man-child Adam.) Please, Buddha, let Team Dysfunction lose tonight.