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Previously on the Amazing Race, the Academy Awards were on! Therefore, the producers at CBS are confident you may not have watched. This is the reason they blend highlights from both of the first two episodes to bring you up to speed. We don't think this shows a lot of confidence in the product.

Last week's winners, and the dominant team to date, siblings Victor & Tammy are first off at 10:13 a.m., and they are instructed to fly to Bucharest, Romania. Once there, they'll proceed to a gymnastics hall where Nadia Cominici trained as a girl. Mel & Mike are next out at 12:01 p.m. What this means is that if there is bunching (as Amazing Race is wont to do), it's a huge hit to Victory & Tammy, as they have an hour and a half lead over second place. They're actually able to get on a plane by themselves, so they have a presumptive major advantage.

Luke & Margie are out next, a half hour later, and Luke signs to the camera that he doesn't want to be relying on his mom all the time for communication. He'd like to be able to chat with teams himself.

Brad & Victoria are the next to depart, about 20 minutes after Luke & Margie. We learn at this point that Brad is a recovered alcoholic and drug addict who has been sober for more than 25 years. They're hoping that the race will instill in them what is important in life. We presume this means pies to the face and rolling huge slabs of cheese down the hill.

Luke's crushes, Jaime and Cara, and they're about an hour and 15 minutes behind second place. Basically, there's some bunching between second and the rest of the teams. The result is that a lot of teams are on the same train to the airport, with Amanda & Kris and Brad & Victoria getting some help from some locals. Of course, each team reacts differently to the advice they receive. Amanda & Kris are told they can't make it from the train station to their airport gate in time to depart, but think that because they're really really really fast, they can overcome this obstacle. Brad & Victoria receive the same information from their helpful friends, and decide to try to book a later flight. This is actually a pretty big deal because there is a five-hour difference between the two. If Amanda & Kris can make it, they'll have a significant lead - again, assuming no bunching occurs once they arrive in Bucharest.

Kisha & Jen are out about three and a half hours behind the leaders. Mark & Michael are a few minutes behind them, but Christie & Jodi are more than four hours behind the first place team. It's really going to be a travesty if the producers do allow them to all be bunched together. We've heard there will be less of this in Season 14, but we're not buying it until it actually happens.

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