“Two Heads Are Better Than One." That's the title of a duet from the old Broadway musical The Robber Bridegroom, sung by a dim-witted burglar and his smarter brother's head, which he carries around in a box. That description may give you one indication why the musical remains obscure, but the sentiment can't be argued with: Sometimes, success just takes two.

And so it is with the couples we highlight in this year’s Best of the Bay. It’s kind of a happy accident that CL hit upon “The Power of Twos” as a theme. Somewhere in the midst of brainstorming this year’s issue we realized that many of the people being singled out were half of a double act, powerful as individuals but even more formidable in pairs. Then we remembered that this would be the 22nd edition of our annual Best of the Bay issue. Twos! Two of ’em! Presto! Serendip! A theme was born.

Follow the story links below to meet the spouses, siblings and other dynamic duos we’re highlighting. And to see all of CL’s Best of the Bay 2012 awards, click on the boxes for Peoples, Places & Politics, Food & Drink, Arts & Entertainment, and Goods & Services. You’ll find two lists of winners in each section: those selected by our editors, writers and critics, and those voted on by the readers. Voter turnout for the 2012 Readers’ Poll was great: 9,717 total voters and 282,835 votes cast. And this year, we let you vote on categories we missed in the first round; you'll find a link to those winners below, too.