"CBS, are you watching?"

That was producer Jerry Bruckheimer's query backstage at the 55th Annual Primetime Emmys. His series, "The Amazing Race" had just captured the trophy for outstanding reality/competition program, a prize that most pundits had practically handed to FOX's "American Idol." Instead, Bruckheimer had the win, but his show didn't have a network deal for its fifth installment.

Well, CBS seems to have been watching and they seem to have gotten the point. On Tuesday (Sept. 30), the network announced that "The Amazing Race" will be back for a fifth trip around the world sometime in 2004. The network also confirmed that following one of its most successful runs yet, "Big Brother" will also return for season five, again airing during the summer.

"The Amazing Race," hosted by Phil Keoghan, averaged 8.36 million viewers for its fourth season, which aired this summer. The series, which pits two-person teams in a race across the globe for $1 million, was a solid performer for CBS this summer, though its ratings have never quite equaled the level of its critical esteem. CBS has run "Amazing Race" in different seasons and on different nights, but it has yet to entirely break through.

Even before the show received its fifth season pick-up, applications were already being accepted. The deadline for applications, available on the CBS website, is Oct. 8.

In a season which introduced sex to the "Big Brother" house, the franchise averaged more than 8.8 million viewers for its three weekly episodes. The series has been a reliable source of adults 18-49 on a network that sometimes struggles in that demographic. This summer each of the show's live eviction specials, hosted by the stylish Julie Chen, won its time period in adults 18-49.

Applications for "Big Brother 5" are also available on the CBS site.