IMHO: "The Amazing Race" (14.03): The trials of Victor and Victoria

So far, I've been enjoying this season of The Amazing Race for its focus on the adventure and the amazing locales instead of the bickering and drama. This week, things started getting tense between the teams but, happily, the drama didn't overshadow the race.

Venture into the SPOILERS below if you want to find out the details of why I'm giving this one the up arrow.

The first stop takes the race to Romania and stealth gay Luke corrects a potentially race-ending mistake when he points out to his mom that they need to head to Bucharest and not Budapest, as Margie was thinking. At this point I'm wondering if someone will make the fatal mistake of booking a flight to the wrong city, but no one ended up in Hungary.

However, Brad and Victoria (who I'm re-dubbing Team Bidens in light of Shizuma's observation) do get stuck in the wrong country. Missing the first direct flight to Bucharest, they take their chances on a flight that goes to Bucharest by way of Amsterdam. Unfortunately, their flight to Amsterdam is delayed and they miss their connecting flight, with fog canceling the rest of the day's flights. Brad's reaction to the delay could have been full of drama, but instead we get a moment of tenderness that totally sums up why this season is working for me.

The Road Block sends the racers to the sala gimnastica where Nadia Comaneci trained. There, the competitors have to perform gymnastic moves to the satisfaction of a demanding instructor.

It's a challenge that ends up revealing a bit about the team dynamics. Kris of Team Breeder is sweetly supportive, and Luke makes sure to cheer on his mom (he does, however, refuse to wear "that girl's leotard") though he does make that cute impatient face we saw a lot last week.

And then there's Victor of Team Asian, who nags his sister Tammy throughout the effort. Now, my dad fit a different "Asian Dad" stereotype but I was having bad flashbacks to some of my friends' experiences growing up. Victor was so very cringe-inducing.

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From Amsterdam, Victoria comments that "if there's even one team that's as screwed up as our situation, then I'm going to be really happy." Am I the only one enjoying the idea that the two screwed-up teams are Victor's and Victoria's team? If only TAR had done a Sound of Music challenge while the teams were in Austria last week, this would have been the season for Julie Andrews references.

The second stop is a detour in Transylvania and while there wasn't a Sound of Music challenge in Austria, this is the clue that sent them that way:

"Pardon me boy, you need the Transilvania Station"

Does this mean I should be watching The Amazing Race ready to hit the 'pause' button, the way I do with The Daily Show?

The Transylvanian Detour offers a pair of great challenges: either they can help gypsies move from one camp site to another ("Gypsy Moves") or unlock a coffin and impale picture frames on a wooden stake ("Vampire Remains").

Team Supergay is one of the teams who decide the vampire task sounds too complicated, opting for the gypsy task instead. They're appalled to learn they picked the more physical task. I wouldn't opt to help someone move, myself, but the task did make for some good laughs. And, once again, we get a task that leaves the locals laughing.

I'm starting to wonder if this season is meant to be a goodwill tour where we remind people around the world that Americans are lovable travelers who will entertain locals with their gifts for slapstick comedy. Watch us stumble down hills, throw messy foods at each other, and struggle to maintain a cart full of stuff and forget that the past eight years happened!

Mike White struggles to keep a car bumper on the moving cart, much to the locals' amusement

We're starting to see the teams form bonds, with Team SuperGay showing a connection with Team Breeder while Team Deaf(gay) are bonding with Team Doublemint (Ginger). Interestingly, both pairs of teams pick the same detour challenge.

Team Breeder beats Team SuperGay in helping the gypsies move and they almost win this leg of the race, except that Kris loses the fanny pack with their money and passport, which takes up enough time to give Mel and Mike the win. Between the win and seeing them find friends among their competitors, I'm hoping this means Team SuperGay has a long run, despite Mel's injuries.

Team Deaf(gay) and Team Doublemint (Ginger) opt for the vampire task, which includes genius ideas like filling those picture frames full of fake blood packets ... and having the next clue distributed by a someone in grim reaper robes. Those are the kind of over-the-top touches that makes The Amazing Race so much pure fun. The two teams finish the leg in third and fourth, making me wonder if there's extra karma in teaming up with one of The Amazing Race's gay teams.

Allies of the Teams Gay

Team Asian continues their bad karma at the vampire task when Victor mistakes the markers for a hiking trail as markers pointing them to their task. Tammy protests again and again as they follow the trail and even a fork in the road can't convince Victor they're completely lost. If not for Team Bidens's Amsterdam detour, they would have been the last team and eliminated from the race. Not losing, however, means that we get a very special lesson on how siblings should be more respectful to each other, regardless of who was born first.

Unfortunately, that means the likable Team Bidens come in last and, thanks to the vampire task, they arrive at the finish line a bloody mess. No ... literally.

Next week, the racers head to Siberia, have to stack wood and Luke once more undermines his sense of frustration by looking way too cute.

What did you think? It's pretty exciting to see both of the season's gays are doing well and even the drama between Victor and Tammy was more than just one person being an explosive stresspot. Is it next Sunday yet?