Does Fear Factor strike you as a sign of the apocalypse? Does American Idol make you gag? Is even Survivor beneath you? If so, you’re one of millions of people who simply hates reality TV and all it stands for, whether you’ve ever actually tried watching a single episode of it.

But there’s one reality show out there that even folks like you could fall for. It’s action-packed and suspenseful. It’s hilarious and unpredictable. It’s well-edited and features gorgeous backdrops as far-flung as the Sphinx and Victoria Falls. And it’s brought to you by top-notch Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Best of all, unlike most reality shows, it rarely seeks to embarrass players for the sake of ratings.

It’s The Amazing Race.

Featuring teams of two taking trains, planes and automobiles from one “task” to the next – parasailing, riding a windmill, downing a vodka shot off a sword – Amazing Race is a riveting mix of car chase, soap opera and sitcom. Watch as an unabashed contestant asks a prostitute for directions! Chuckle as the self-described devout Christians get devious just as some nuns stroll by! Stare as two teams, each struggling to remain in the game, face off over the last available taxi!

This season of The Amazing Race is especially noteworthy for the successes of unlikely teams. At the end of most “legs” of the race, the last duo to finish is eliminated. For an oft-physical game, you’d stereotypically think that would doom the older teams, and perhaps all-female ones, off the bat. Not so this time out – the first groups ousted were 20-something male-female pairs. The oldest duo, a couple who met online, managed to last four episodes, and even then were mainly eliminated thanks to bad luck in an airport.

So we are left with bickering twins, a gung-ho black couple, the aforementioned Christian pair (who also happen to be models), another young couple, pudgy pizza entrepreneurs, and two far more fascinating underdog pairs, especially for those new to the reality genre.

First, there are the “bowling moms,” Linda and Karen. Optimists at heart, the 40-something friends have outlasted several younger teams, but now hang by a thread: As punishment for coming in last on a non-elimination leg, they have been stripped of all their money, and must make their way through Egypt by begging the locals for help. They have to hope a team ahead of them falters, or they could be “Philiminated” by the show’s host, Phil Keoghan.

Second are immigrant cousins Charla and Mirna, with whom viewers have formed a love-hate relationship. Charla is a little person, but that hasn’t stopped her and Mirna from doing quite well thus far (they’re currently in second place). Indeed, at times Charla has used her small size to gain outsiders’ sympathy, at one point telling an Argentinean ticket agent she needed an earlier flight so she could see a doctor. Stunts like these cause a conundrum…do you still root for her because of her status? Does her ‘tude matter that much? Mirna doesn’t help – she doesn’t hesitate to denigrate other teams, sometimes to their faces. However, the duo’s hilarious exchanges – “A prostitute would know where the disco is, wouldn’t she?” – are enough to hope they stick around.

And did I mention the show beat out Survivor and American Idol last year to win an Emmy?

Here’s a summary of the season so far.

Even if you hate reality TV, check out The Amazing Race, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS (with repeats Saturday at 8 p.m.). It may be the exception that proves the rule.