The Amazing Race's 16 Teams Are All Over the Map

Infamous viral video beauty pageant contestant, Big Brother alums part of Emmy-winning reality competition's charismatic cast

The Amazing Race celebrates its supersweet 16th season tonight with the usual mix of stunt casting and, um, ordinary people.

Some teams stand out as early favorites even before they venture from the Los Angeles start line to...well, everywhere like such as! Maybe even the Iraq and the Asian countries! We've got the scoop on this cycle's amazing contestants...

Although previous competitors had their moments of stupidity (remember the Globetrotters difficulty with timekeeping and Kafka-esque jumble elimination, and fuchsia-haired Matt's canDELabra confusion?), this batch of U.S. American teams demonstrate that some people out there in our nation don't have maps. Clearly, these contestants prove, our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S.

Brent & Caite: Surprise! In one of its most brilliant moves ever, TAR has cast Caitlin Upton, former Miss South Carolina Teen USA and viral video sensation, and her S.C. boyfriend. Although the beauty queen—who seems cute and capable away from that deer-in-the-headlights moment—was ridiculed for her incoherent pageant response, she sure did advocate for maps.

And is anything more important than maps in The Amazing Race? Just ask these other teams:

Jordan & Dan: The gay and straight brothers (respectively) from Rhode Island are witty, charismatic and sometimes catty. At least Jordan is, as he's the one who first outs and then openly mocks Caite to the other teams.

Jet & Cord: The cowboy brothers from Oklahoma are arguably more worthy of ridicule when they confuse Brazilian and Chilean currency, but their bashful embarrassment afterward has us hoping they stay for awhile. 

Jordan & Jeff: Let's just say the Big Brother 11 alums are no Rob & Amber. Jordan Lloyd, the winner of Big Brother, confuses Chile with China and, unlike the cowboys, her dumb-blonde behavior is not endearing.

Carol & Brandy: The lesbian couple from L.A. are the female version of Team Cha Cha Cha: "We will win the race," they say. "If we rip open a clue and have it say 'Find the nearest Louis Vuitton,' we're golden!"

This might be the most laidback season yet: The remaining teams seem (mostly) friendly, and the itinerary—at least initially—is more conservative than previous seasons' frenzied country jumping. And given these competitors' geographical bewilderment, that's probably a good thing.