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We pardon the interruption of your regular recap by David and Kim. No worries, Mumpower/Hollis loyalists, this is only a brief departure from your normal reading escape.

It’s been awhile since I’ve sat in the recapper’s chair but here I am. In fact, it was December 2014 when I last regularly recounted The Amazing Race on a weekly basis. Ahh…simpler times. You know, the year when LEGOs taught us that “Everything is awesome…Everything is cool when you're part of a team.” That “awesome”-ness and “cool”-ness of teamwork is particularly relevant this season as The Amazing Race with its Perfect Strangers theme.

First, David and Kim's assessments of the remaining teams for this season are spot-on in my opinion. Here’s my quick breakdown:

Tara & Joey complement each other eerily well and even when disagreeing, they do so in a very mature way. Probably because they are the most seasoned (age-wise) of the teams. Can’t help but root from them.

I was super leery that Becca & Floyd would be less #teamfun and more #teampleasestop. But they have been sweet, endearing and getting along perfectly, as long as passports aren’t misplaced.

Matt & Redmond are entertaining to watch as they seem to be just chewing up and spitting out these challenges. Seriously, they didn’t just survive a U-Turn but did both Detour tasks faster than five other teams.

London & Logan...who? Pretty inconsequential and part of the scenery at this point. Done nothing offensive or memorable so far. I would call them Team Meh and not Team LoLo.

Liz & Michael started out smooth with back-to-back 1st places and then Norway maps and stairs showed their faults. They are the team that has surprised me the most result-wise.

Vanck & Ashton get the distinction of being the most mismatched team. I’m not talking physically. Vanck seems like a genuinely nice guy, who is more measured in this approach to everything. Ashton is…well…not. Her measured approach is to complain about being stuck with Vanck as a partner as he stands right beside her. The most pleasant way for me to put it is she’s just not pleasant.

Speaking of unpleasant, Brooke & Scott are the most combustible of teams, who seem to just not like one another. And trust us, the more they get on each other’s nerves, the more they get on the viewer’s nerves. Plus, based upon her quick whining about any physical task, Brooke may take the crown of most annoying racers since season 3 winner Flo or Big Brother’s Rachel.

Now it’s onto the latest leg and the question Kim and David left you with: “if Liz & Mike go back to being buddies or choose the Brooke & Scott option instead.”

We pick a few moments before the Phil psych-out of "You're still racing" saves the bacon of cowgirl Liz and butcher Michael.

Tara & Joey excitedly celebrate their faux first place finish until they find out the leg isn't over and must now be the product placement show pony for a certain travel website sponsor of this show. No need to name them since their ubiquity on the race is a given.

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