Bestest, Coolest, Hottest, Cutest, Perkiest, Winningest, Yummiest, Most Watchable API Reality TV Contestants I Loved (Insert More Superlatives Here)

Victor And Tammy From The Amazing Race



From Anoop (who got the shaft) on American Idol, to Mark Dacascos dancing his little martial arts heart out, all the way to people like Thia Megia, Jany Lee, Cathy Grosam, Jennifer on ANTM, and the man everyone loved to hate (see Jon Gosselin) - it seems like this year, just like the last, we filled the screen of Reality TV (and that's just the short list).

But out of everyone I got to see, or even just read about - the people I loved the most - the ones who kept me glued to the screen sometimes cursing, sometimes cheering, other times just shaking my fist and screaming "Take That Beeyaaaach!!!" was the brother and sister team out of CA.

Maybe it was the dynamics of the younger sister and older brother relationship that kept me interested (and if you cry in the woods and there's a camera on you, it really did happen), or the fact that people complained about the "unfair" advantage of them actually knowing a second language (to which I did and still do scoff at) fueling me more to see them win - or maybe - I just enjoyed seeing Victor creaming his little lawyer heart out as he plummeted to the ground suspended by a few thin elastic cords.

Whatever the reasons - and it's not just that they won (although that always helps) - they were great to watch. They were good TV. I think if anything can be learned from their stint on The Amazing Race, it's that compelling characters with backdrops that you want to know more about come in all shapes and sizes, colors and languages, and when all is said and done -- everyone looks good with pie on their face.