BREAKING. The amazing chace: SABC3 trying hard to get The Amazing Race back.

You're reading it here first.

SABC3 is trying to get The Amazing Race back - but it's not a done deal yet.

With the SABC's money problems last year, SABC3 dropped the ball for viewers when the TV channel was no longer able to alternate season of the American hit reality shows Survivor and The Amazing Race in SABC3's Monday night reality slot. The timeslot gave way to low rated reality trash. But now SABC3 is clawing its way back.

SABC3 already got roadblocked by Sony Entertainment Television (DStv 113) that brought the premiere rights to new seasons of The Amazing Race, and then SABC3 also couldn't afford to even buy the second window airings of the show anymore. (The Amazing Race XV is set to start on Sunday, 15 April at 19:45 on SET by the way.) But SABC3 is trying to get back in the race.

The new Survivor season, Survivor Micronesia, is set to start on SABC3 on 28 June at 20:00 on SABC3. But what happens after that? I wanted to know whether viewers will get to see The Amazing Race again, alternating with Survivor.

''That alternating strategy of SABC3 of showing Survivor and The Amazing Race will hopefully get back to normal,'' Buli Siwani, SABC3's acting marketing manager tells me. ''At this stage we are in discussions with distributors to bring back The Amazing Race,'' she said - but warned: ''At this stage nothing concrete has been done or signed yet. But you will be first to know.''

BREAKING. SABC3 hasn't signed for the new Survivor (yet).

You're reading it here first. TV viewers sitting ready to start with the new season of Survivor on SACB3 on Monday is in for a shock: SABC3 is not going to show the next season of Survivor from Monday.

The channel that's been alternating The Amazing Race and Survivor has NOT YET SIGNED THE CONTRACT for the 16th season (titled Survivor: Micronesia) with the international program distributor.

That follows ater SABC3 completely botched the finale of Survivor: China in September due to technical error. (SABC3 worker got a discplinary hearing; SABC3 had to repay R60 000 in ad income). SABC3 is now going to show third rate reality shows from Monday night, starting with the cancelled Momma's Boys, followed by Make me a Supermodel.

That means that Survivor: Micronesia could only be on air at the earliest in mid-April, although a SABC3 source tells me that SABC3 will move up the starting date IMMEDIATELY should SABC3 get the contract signed. SABC3's official answer to me is that they don't ''want to start a new Survivor during the end of the year and don't want it on air during December''.

Funny. That hasn't stopped the channel from airing either The Amazing Race or Survivor in the past.

It's excellent news for M-Net though, currently filming the new South African season (the 3rd one) of Survivor SA. In the past SABC3 had the American Survivor on and M-Net Survivor SA at THE SAME TIME (although different days). That created some viewer fatigue as fans tried to keep up with two different versions of the same show, on at the same time, at different stages of being played out on screen.

M-Net's Survivor SA debut on 20 January at 20:00 on the pay channel and is currently being filmed on Paradise Island off the Mozambique coast at Inhassoro with local celebs like Cindy Nell and Christina Storm.