This Season's Featured Disability on The Amazing Race: Asperger Syndrome

Last season on The Amazing Race, the team of Luke and Margie -- a deaf young man and his mom -- carried the "people with special needs can do anything" banner. For the upcoming season, it will be the team of Zev and Justin -- two friends, one with Asperger syndrome. That would be Zev, who according to the duo's CBS bio is "an avid sports fan -- especially basketball -- and he has an intense competitive spirit. He describes himself as funny, modest, and loyal, and is running the Race to prove to himself that he can do anything."

Also from the bio, we learn that "Zev is not great in large groups of people — one of the characteristics of Asperger's," and that Justin took Zev to Las Vegas to lose his virginity. A little TMI on that last one, I think.

This is the second reality-show contestant with AS I can think of, after Heather on America's Next Top Model. There's also been a character with Asperger's on Grey's Anatomy, and suspected ones on The Big Bang Theory and Bones.

In a comment to my Bones blog post, commenter Sheila referred to "the seeming trend for ASD to be the new black." Asperger's is certainly making a, well, big bang on TV these days, anyway. It will be interesting to see how Zev fits into that gallery.

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