Could leg 9 of season 33 be the gayest episode of The Amazing Race yet? Nicole and Karen have such rich Hellenistic content to explore, from all the Thespians featured throughout this leg in Thessalonaki to the Oracle of Delphi giving us endurance-oriented experimental theater vibes. Through it all, Cayla offers Raquel a back massage, Ryan won’t do the same for Dusty, and at least 3 cats show up, along with a dog who races to the pit stop with a trailing team.

In this food-centric leg 8 of The Amazing Race, we witness more kitchen hubris from the guys, ladies climbing ladderless, some dumpster diving, and add to our TGR Dogs & Cats tally. Plus, Lulu and Lala join us for an elmination station interview to talk about their touching goodbyes to Phil and give the inside scoop on some...digestive realities of the race. 

Today Nicole is joined by noted Amazing Race superfan Poulomi Saha to discuss Amazing Race 33 Episode 7 (Gently Down the Stream) , while our faithful host and executive producer Karen Tongson recuperates from Covid. 

We watch the teams try Casu Marzu in Corsica, count metal fish together under the water, fake-almost-drown thanks to editing, and MORE. Tune in! 

Poulomi Saha (@poulomiqsaha)  is  an Assistant Professor of English at the University of California, Berkeley, where she teaches courses in postcolonial studies, gender and sexuality theory, and ethnic American literature. She is also the  author  of the award-winning book, An Empire of Touch: Women's Political Labor & The Fabrication of East Bengal.

Nicole and Karen experience actual physical distress when they see this week’s Amazing Race Road Block: the second highest bungee jump in the world. Would our resident vegan Nicole be able to stomach the sausage-making challenge that Karen thought was a “no-brainer” choice at the Detour? And which of the teams visits our elimination station?!? Plus, find out more about the three teams who couldn’t return to the race when it resumed in September 2021.

Nicole and Karen rejoin the race as it resumes in St. Gallen Switzerland after a 19 month suspension. The contestants confront dizzying Alpine heights, some fast-moving clouds that Sils Maria would be proud of, and a leather challenge that our hosts feel confident they could master. PLUS: Starting this week, Nicole and Karen will be welcoming TAR 33’s eliminated teams for a special exit segment! Tune in as we chat w/ Michael and Moe about karaoke, the race’s Covid protocols, and their experiences at “elimination station.” 

Nicole & Karen recap S33 EP3 in Glasgow, Scotland: what they’re calling the last “pre-pan” or “pre-lapserian” episode of The Amazing Race before production was halted on 2/28/2020. How do our hosts feel about the “if it ain’t Scottish, it’s crrrrraaap” aspects of this leg, which features contestants donning kilts, fondling bagpipes and risking tetanus to refurbish whiskey barrels? The hosts also apply their gaymazing lens to some of the robust masculinity on display throughout the episode, while giving an honest assessment of gaymazing team Isaiah and Taylor’s Scottish folk singing. Plus a close read of the Ep. 4 trailer, and behind the scenes scoop on TAR’s Covid “plan B,” with a rundown of all the legs of the race once production resumed.

• Inside the Herculean Effort to Resume ‘The Amazing Race’ After Its 18-Month: https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/the-amazing-race-season-33-covid-restart-phil-keoghan-1235130165/

Nicole and Karen reunite to recap the long-awaited 33rd season of The Amazing Race, which began filming in early 2020 before…(well, you know), and didn’t resume until 18 months later. We’ll introduce you to all 11 teams and who we’re currently vibing with. What changes in the first two episodes of S33 (filmed in London), already seemed Covid-aware? Or were they merely refreshing the format? Plus, some info on the modifications made once TAR resumed production in fall 2021. 

On the heels of our last episode which touched upon the lack of lesbian representation on The Amazing Race, Nicole and Karen take matters into their own hands to form a lesbian TAR fantasy league. We invite authors, scholars, and queer BFFs Poulomi Saha & Greta LaFleur to talk about what would make them a great Amazing Race team. We hear about how Poulomi groomed an unwitting Greta to be a TAR teammate by posing challenges in their everyday lives. Which one of the two actually submitted a TAR audition tape in the early 2000s? And whose student competed in S32? Collectively we think out loud about why only lesbian couples and no lesbian buddy teams have ever been tapped to run the race.

Karen and Nicole spend some quality time with the first ever lesbian couple and team to compete on The Amazing Race, the “married ministers,” Kate and Pat. Though their run on the race lasted only a couple of legs, they also had some spirited drama on the web series Elimination Station. Which of the two earned a lifetime supply of Hooters?!  You’ll also find out which of them was fired from their job after appearing as an out lesbian on TV for “peddling the gay agenda,” and learn about their spiritual and activist journeys both before and after the race. Together, we reflect on the lesbian story arcs available on reality TV, and in reality/lesbian culture itself. Plus, we get into the pitfalls of some THOUGHTS on the Poker Players from season 15 and much much more.