Having sufficiently recovered from the middle-age version of pulling an all-nighter (staying up till just past midnight Sunday to live blog the Oscars; if you missed it, we had a blast), I watched The Amazing Race last night, and of course I knew going in it was to be a non-elimination round.

Knowing that sort of took the pressure off watching what was an enjoyable but not very tension-filled episode. I’m glad it was non-elim because I think Jeff and Jordan are funny (actually, I think Jeff is funny; I think Jordan is pretty much a non-entity).

So we left Argentina in the middle of the night, everyone catching up to the Cowbros as they flew various flight patterns to Frankfurt, Germany, where they then hopped on a very clean German train (which stopped in a very clean German train station), and remarkably, the Two Dumbest Cops on the Planet found themselves in the lead with Jet and Cord.

I do like the intersection concept, except in this go-round of the race there is a remarkable lack of animosity among teams. So there were no socially awkward pairings to do the 150-foot head first bungee jump off the crane in Hamburg Harbor.

(Is it just me or is it impossible to tell the Gay/Straight Brothers apart? Did the gay one jump with the lesbian? Whichever one it was, he was very nice.)

After the bungee they had to find Kaiser Wilhelm and then either eat sauerkraut while a polka band played in their ear or kick soccer balls. The Cops took a commanding lead here for two reasons: 1. They took a taxi and the Cowbros took the train, and 2. The big Cop hoovered the sauerkraut. Seriously, in like 3 seconds. Keep your hands and feet away from his mouth.

Nearly everyone else opted for soccer, which seemed bizarre to me, but then again I know my limitations, and snarfing sauerkraut isn’t one of them. Soccer proved challenging for Heidi and WhatsHisName, so they switched. ’Kraut foiled Jeff and Jordan (after their cabbie took them on a place-killing tour of Germany). And other than severe thigh cramping on the part of Junior Miss, everything seemed pretty easy for everyone else. Dad Steve and Daughter Allie again, quietly, rocked every challenge they faced. Why can they get no screen time?

After soccer/sauerkraut, it was off to drink a boot of beer. I found it remarkable how many of the Racers are apparently teetotalers. Only one vomiter in the whole bunch though (of course it’s Brent). I also don’t blame them for all the faces they were making, since I too hate the taste of German beer.

The whole Beatles connection was a bizarre way to end things. If I knew that The Beatles got their start in small clubs in Hamburg’s Red Light District, then I have certainly long forgotten it. So the finish line was a dark little bar in which a horrendous German Beatles cover band was playing (you just know that off camera, Phil was rocking the mic, doing his best Paul McCartney impersonation. "I wanna hold your haaaaaand." I can just see it now.)

So the Cops win, the CowBros drop to fourth, Steve and Allie continue their silent march to what I think will be eventual victory, and Jeff and Jordan face a Speed Bump on Sunday. A toast to a pretty good episode, I think. Raise your boot.