Once I got over the shock of learning that “Survivor: Palau” (7 p.m., CBS) was the 10th installment of the reality series, it suddenly dawned on me that I could barely remember anything about the ninth, eighth and seventh “Survivor” escapades.

I have a theory about television, suitable for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine. I firmly believe that the more highly hyped the television event, the more likely you are to forget it in a very short period. I call it Super Bowl Amnesia, or “Friends” Finale Forgetfulness. A month after the big game, I’m always hard pressed to name the participating teams. Where did Phoebe go? Should I care?

The same syndrome kicks in just after the highly touted “Survivor” finale. That compartment of my brain where the winner’s name should reside seems to be occupied by other stuff. I think there are old baseball scores stuck in there; or maybe the fragrance of my high school cafeteria and cigarette commercials I can’t seem to relinquish. I know I can still sing the Doral jingle (“Taste Me, Taste Me, come on and Taste Me!”) — banished from the airwaves 35 years ago! — and yet I still can’t recall the last “Survivor” champ.

To be fair, I think my mental faculties started shutting down long before the last finale. Every time I turned on the show, somebody seemed to be shooting at crockery with a slingshot, or the entire team was assembled to put together a jigsaw puzzle, or to compete in a round of “Survivor” trivia. Wow, those are the moments memories are made of! I’m sure folks at a retirement home are having more fun playing Mahjong and shuffleboard, but nobody’s documenting it as a television show.

Tonight’s “Survivor” kicks off with a triple elimination. They’ve got to pick up the pace, so they can wrap up the “Palau” shenanigans by May 15. I’m already looking forward to forgetting it.

• Michael Jackson’s legal troubles have invited much scrutiny, as well as a series of ironically titled specials. Jackson first appeared on Fox News on “Geraldo At Large.” Tonight, the still at-large King of Pop is documented in the two-hour news special “Michael Jackson’s Secret World” on “PrimeTime Live” (8 p.m., ABC). What secret world? Who has had their private life more scrutinized, publicized and dissected than Jackson? “Secret” was made by filmmaker Martin Bashir, whose 2003 documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” included an interview with the boy who later accused the pop star of molesting him. People with “Secret Worlds” don’t invite camera crews onto their ranch.
• Some genius at the Animal Planet must have discovered a correlation between sports and pets. Did anyone else catch “The Puppy Bowl,” a baffling dog-themed alternative to the Super Bowl? Tonight, the critter channel offers “NASCAR: Animal Crew” (7 p.m., Animal Planet) featuring racecar drivers and their four-pawed pals.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Caleb comes clean on “The O.C.” (7 p.m., Fox).
• Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachel Leigh Cook star in the 1999 comedy “She’s All That” (7 p.m., WB).
• Karen sets Jack up on a date with a bird watcher (Luke Perry) on “Will & Grace” (7:30 p.m., NBC).
• Mobile home sales on “The Apprentice” (8 p.m., NBC)
• Christina searches for the truth about her birth and her mother on “Point Pleasant” (8 p.m., Fox).
• An obnoxious heiress is kidnapped and put on trial on the Internet on “Without a Trace” (9 p.m., CBS).
• Cynthia Nixon guest stars on “ER” (8:55 p.m., NBC).

Late night

Charlie Sheen and Tori Amos appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Dave Matthews on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC) … Jamie Kennedy appears on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” (11:05 p.m., ABC).