The spring brought with it a truly excellent Amazing Race with a truly disappointing finish. Adorably spunky underdog Caite (the oft-mocked former Miss Teen South Carolina) and her boyfriend Brent overcame low expectations and bitchy lesbians to place 3rd; second place went to cowboys Jet and Cord McCoy, one of the best teams I’ve ever seen race. Unfortunately, both those cheer-worthy teams fell short when underwhelming brothers Dan and Jordan eeked out a win, but it was still a great season to watch.

The fall was pretty good too as kick-ass doctors Nat and Kat and hilarious home-shopping hosts Brook and Claire battled it out to finish as the top 2 teams (Nat and Kat becoming the first all-female team to win). The third place team, dating couple Jill and Thomas, made a strong showing all season long as well, him quickly surfacing as a uniquely savvy racer. Fun father/son and father/daughter teams as well as a pair of lovable a cappella singers added to the hilarity of the season while a startling amount of temper tantrumming was happening among many of the dating couples.